Invincible ignorance is a punishment for sin.

St. Thomas Aquinas (De Infid. q. x., art. 1.)

Ordinary Pope Greets Extra-Ordinary Pope!

I spoke because now more than ever, corruption has spread to the highest levels of the hierarchy of the Church. I ask the journalists: why are they not asking what happened to the cache of documents that, as we all saw, were delivered at Castel Gandolfo to Pope Francis from Pope Benedict? Was that all useless? It would have been enough to read my report and the transcript that was made of my deposition before the three cardinals charged with the investigation of the Vatileaks case (Julian Herranz, Jozef Tomko, and Salvatore De Giorgi) in order to begin some cleaning up in the Curia.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, comment during interview after his open letter accusing Pope Francis of covering for homosexual predators in the Catholic Church, August 28, 2018

Cardinal Maradiaga rebukes papal critics: McCarrick abuse scandal ‘of a private order’

LifeSiteNews | September 14, 2018– The scandal of ex-Cardinal McCarrick’s homosexual abuse of young priests and seminarians and Pope Francis’ alleged cover-up are “of a private order,” and a merely “administrative affair,” according to one of the Pope’s top advisers, Cardinal Andrés Rodriguez Maradiaga. He made these remarks in a recent interview in one of the most revealing statements to date on the Viganò testimony.

In an interview published on Wednesday evening by Religion Digital, the religious portal of the Spanish-language news site Periodista Digital, Maradiaga once again strongly criticized Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò for having gone public about McCarrick’s sexual predations and the protection the Cardinal received from the highest spheres in the Vatican, especially since Pope Francis was elected to the See of Peter and trusted the American prelate to help him choose new cardinals for the Church in the USA.

Asked to comment about Viganò’s call on the Pope to resign, Maradiaga answered:

It does not seem correct to me to transform something that is of the private order into bombshell headlines exploding all over the world and whose shrapnel is hurting the faith of many. I think this case of an administrative nature should have been made public in accordance with more serene and objective criteria, not with the negative charge of deeply bitter expressions.

Coming from Maradiaga, the head of the “C9” Council of Cardinals commissioned to help reform the Church and also a close friend of Francis, as Religion Digital takes care to underscore, it is a statement in which every word counts. If homosexual activity on the part of a top member of the Church's hierarchy such as McCarrick is a purely private matter that only needs to be managed at the administrative level, than it surely cannot be as bad as traditional believers are making out.

Misconduct of a private order – note that Maradiaga does not use the word “sin,” nor does he speak of priests’ grave obligation to live chastely as celibates – is something that should be taken care of outside the public eye, with at best confession and absolution and perhaps a private reprimand. Troubling the public order is what happens when crimes and lesser offences break criminal law as such. Only then do public authorities and representatives of the judiciary intervene to have the offender punished in the name of the public good.

The logic is quite clear: sexual abuse on minors, or at least adolescents who because of their age are not capable of agreeing to consensual relations is one thing, but having sexual relationships of whatever nature with adults is another, private matter. It is wrong, no doubt, but should not be made a fuss of and belongs to the internal forum. Where there is no penal crime, why should the Church see a transgression with dire consequences for its own Body?

Maradiaga’s minimizing of sexual misconduct, and of the perverting of seminarians and priests by a predator who is in a position of authority over them, is another sign that homosexual acts between consenting adults are in some circles no longer being regarded as a great evil that sullies the Church but as, at most, unfortunate falls comparable to other ordinary and widespread sins – disorders that a bit of paperwork will set right. It is another way of demanding silence.

Cardinal Maradiaga once more expressed his support for Francis, saying that he did not personally know what the Pope had done or not to take care of the situation, but insisting: “I believe that the Pope is a man of God always acts with faith and wisdom.”

In the same interview, Maradiaga was asked whether there is a “gay lobby” in the Vatican. His response was dismissive: “I get the impression that the notion of a gay lobby in the Vatican is out of proportion. It is something that exists much more in the ink of the newspapers than in reality. It's obvious to me that the objective of all these poison-laded expressions and smears is to hurt the Holy Father. But if there is no faith, the actors of this media circus will not renounce their slandering.”

Asked whether adult homosexuals should be allowed to become priests, he went on to say that all the Bishops Conferences in the world are “very clear about the absolute and apodictic principles of the Church, those for instance that have been established in the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis” about the formation of priests. In its revised version in 2016, the Ratio Fundamentalis states that men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be accepted into the priesthood, but Maradiaga did not clarify this.

When asked who was “behind Viganò,” Maradiaga answered: “I do not know what or who, a person or persons can be behind Mons. Viganò, but it should be – as with every servant of Christ and of the Church – the charity of the Gospel, the love of the truth and the Holy Spirit."

He also said that he was “greatly surprised” at having been quoted as a protector of McCarrick: “I consider that to be a gratuitous accusation. My best response is the facts, which is why I'm not concerned with defending myself as to what Mons. Carlo Maria Viganò has said.”

Religion Digital is the news source in which Maradiaga already already attacked Edward Pentin at the end of August for having spread the Viganò testimony, calling himself “the victim of a hitman who practices media harrassment,” a laughable accusation to all those who know EWTN’s Vaticanist. He also said that Viganò had committed a “sin against the Holy Spirit.”

The Hispanic news source is also well known for its liberal standpoints and its eagerness to discredit conservative Catholics: the director of the religious platform of Religion Digital, José Manuel Vidal, is a former priest who at the time of Cardinal Ratzinger’s election as Pope Benedict complained about his being guilty of “destroying the idea of a more popular Church that would be faithful to the Gospel of the poor.” At that time, he also denounced Ratzinger’s work as a “Cerberus of the faith” who had helped the “Catholic right to set aside a whole innovative current in the pastoral, theological, catechetical and social areas,” in particular the tenets of Liberation Theology.

In September 2016, a conservative priest who up to then wrote a blog for Religion Digital – which prides itself on being the most widely read Spanish-speaking website on Catholic affairs – decided to step down, proclaiming that “Religion Digital was the website that had inflicted the most harm on the Catholic Church.” Father José Antonio Fortea, explaining that he had only stayed in order to reach out to people who need the chance to be in contact with something different from the site’s standpoints, decided to leave when José Manuel Vidal violently attacked the conservative Spanish bishop Munilla. He added that Religion Digital makes a big show of being faithful to the Pope while attacking the faith.

JESUS hath now many lovers of His heavenly kingdom, but few bearers of His Cross. He hath many that are desirous of consolation, but few of tribulation. He finds many companions of His table, but few of His abstinence. All desire to rejoice with Him, but few are willing to endure anything for His sake. Many follow Jesus to the breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the chalice of His Passion. Many reverence His miracles, but few follow the ignominy of His Cross. Many love Jesus as long as they meet with no adversity; many praise Him and bless Him as long as they receive some consolations from Him. But if Jesus hide Himself, and leave them for a little while, they either murmur or fall into excessive dejection. But they that love Jesus for Jesus’ sake, and not for the sake of some consolation of their own, bless Him no less in tribulation and anguish of heart than in the greatest consolation.

Thomas a Kempis, Following of Christ

The Few are Saved

For Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen.

Jesus Christ, Mark 20, 16

Do not be deceived; there are only two roads: one that leads to life and is narrow; the other that leads to death and is wide. There is no middle way.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort

What do you think? How many of the inhabitants of this city may perhaps be saved? Out of this thickly populated city, not one hundred people will be saved! I doubt whether there will even be as many as that!

St. John Chrysostom

Scarcely anyone is saved.

St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori

So vast a number of miserable souls perish, and so comparatively few are saved!

St. Philip Neri

The number of the saved is as few as the number of grapes left after the pickers have passed.

St. John Mary Vianney

Only a few will be saved; only few will go to Heaven. The greater part of mankind will be lost forever.

St. John Neumann

There are a select few who are saved.

St. Thomas Aquinas

The number of the Elect is so small – so small – that, were we to know how small it is, we would faint away with grief. One here and there, scattered up and down the world!

St. Louis Marie de Montfort

How narrow is the gate and how strait the way that leads to life, and few there are who find it.

Jesus Christ, Matthew 7, 13-14.

INSTRUCTION ON THE ONE ONLY SAVING FAITH

One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. (Ephes. 4, 5-6)

These words of the great Apostle of the Gentiles show clearly, that it is not a matter of indifference, what faith or religion we profess. Yet in our times so poor in faith, we often hear the assertion from so-called enlightened men: “It is all the same to what religion we belong, we can be saved in any, if we only believe in God and live uprightly.” This assertion is impious! Consider, my dear Christian, there is but one God, and this one God has sent only one Redeemer; and this one Redeemer has preached but one doctrine, and has established but one Church. Had God wished that there should be more than one Church, then Christ would have founded them, nay, He would not have preached a new doctrine, established a new, Christian Church; for the Jews also believed in one God. But Jesus cast aside Paganism and Judaism, promulgated a new religion, and founded a new Church. Nowhere does He speak of Churches, but always of one Church. He says that we must hear this Church, and does not add, that if we will not hear this Church, we may hear some other. He speaks of only one shepherd, one flock, and one fold, into which all men are to be brought. In the same manner He speaks always of one kingdom upon earth, just as there is only one kingdom in heaven; of only one master of the house and one family, of one field and one vineyard, whereby He referred to His Church; of one rock, upon which He would build His Church. On the day before His death, He prayed fervently to His Heavenly Father, that all who believe in Him, might be and remain one, as He and the Father are one, and He gave His disciples the express command to preach His gospel to all nations, and to teach them all things, whatsoever He had commanded them. This command the apostles carried out exactly. Everywhere they preached one and the same doctrine, establishing in all places Christian communities, which were all united by the bond of the same faith. Their principal care was to prevent schisms in faith, they warned the faithful against heresy, commanded all originators of such to be avoided, and anathematized those who preached a gospel different from theirs. As the apostles, so did their successors. All the holy Fathers speak with burning love of the necessary unity of faith, and deny those all claim to salvation who remain in schism and separation from the true Church of Christ.

Learn hence, dear Christian, that there can be but one true Church; if there is but one true Church, it naturally follows that in her alone salvation can be obtained, and the assertion that we can be saved by professing any creed, is false and impious. Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life , speaks of but one Church, which we must hear, if we wish to be saved. He who does not hear the Church, He says, should be considered as a heathen and publican. He speaks furthermore of one fold, and He promises eternal life only to those sheep who belong to this fold, obey the voice of the shepherd and feed in His pasture. The apostles were also convinced that only the one, true Church could guide us to salvation. Without faith it is impossible to please God, writes St. Paul to the Hebrews (11, 6), and this faith is only one, he teaches the Ephesians (4, 5). If the apostles had believed that we could be saved in any religion, they would certainly not have contended so strenuously for unity, they would not have declared so solemnly, that we should not belong to any other than to Christ alone, and that we must receive and obey His doctrine. As the apostles taught so did their successors and all the Fathers agree that there is no salvation outside of the true Church. St. Cyprian writes: “If any one outside Noah’s ark could find safety, then also will one outside the Church find salvation” (De unit. eccl. c. 7). From all this it follows, that there is only one true Church which insures salvation, out of which no one can be saved.

But which is this Church? The Roman Catholic, Apostolic Church, for she alone was founded, by Christ, she alone was watered with the blood of the apostles and of thousands of holy martyrs, she alone has the marks of the true Church of Christ, against which He has promised that the powers of hell shall not prevail. Those who fell away from the Church nearly five hundred years ago do, indeed contend that the Church fell into error and no longer possessed the true, pure gospel of Jesus. Were they right, Jesus might be blamed, for He established this Church, promising to remain with her and guide her through the Holy Ghost until the end of the world. He would, therefore, have broken His word, or He was not powerful enough to keep it. But who dare say this? On the contrary, she has existed for nearly two thousand years, whilst the greatest and most powerful kingdoms have been overthrown, and the firmest thrones crumbled away. If she were not the only true and saving Church, founded by Christ, how could she have existed so long, since Jesus Himself said: Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up (Matt. 15, 13.) If she were not the Church of Christ, she would have been destroyed long ago, but she still stands today, whilst her enemies who battled against her have disappeared, and will continue to disappear; for the gates of hell shall not prevail against her, says our Lord. He has kept His promise and will keep it, notwithstanding all the oppositions and calumnies of her implacable enemies.

You see, therefore, my dear Christian, that the Catholic Church is the only true, the only saving Church; be not deceived by those who are neither cold nor warm, and who say: “We can be saved in any religion, if we only believe in God and live uprightly,” and who wish to rob you of your holy faith, and precipitate you into the sea of doubt, error, and falsehood. Outside of the Catholic Church there is no salvation; hold this firmly, for it is the teaching of Jesus, His apostles, and all the Fathers; for this doctrine the apostles and a countless host of the faithful have shed their blood. Obey the teaching of this Church, follow her laws, make use of her help and assistance, and often raise your hands and heart to heaven to thank God for the priceless grace of belonging to this one, true Church; forget not to pray for your erring brethren, who are still outside of the Church that the Lord may lead them into the only Ark of Salvation, that His promise: ‘There will be one fold, and one shepherd’, may be fulfilled in them.

· “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215

· “We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 1302

· “The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church.” Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441

The chief elements of this duty (as Catholics) consist in professing openly and unflinchingly the Catholic doctrine, and in propagating it to the utmost of our power. For, as is often said, with the greatest truth, there is nothing so hurtful to Christian wisdom as that it should not be known, since it possesses, when loyally received, inherent power to drive away error.

Pope Leo XIII, Sapientiae Christianae, January 10, 1890

At the hour of death that soul having committed so many mortal sins, to whom shall she turn her eyes? To the eternal Father, being so long despised? To the Son, being so many times crucified? Or to the angels, being always ready to lift up their sword to punish that soul? Or to the Saints who participate in the glory of the happiness of heaven? To whom then must she turn her eyes? Ah, to the Mother of God, Mary, the only Refuge of sinners. We have recourse to thee, O Mary.

St. Charles of Mt. Argus, C. P., Sermon

O humility, humility! It is the lack of this which prevents us from making progress, for the foundation of the whole spiritual edifice is humility, and, if you have not true humility, the Lord will not raise it very high for it lacks solidity.

St. Terese of Avila

O Jesus, the duty of souls admitted to Your intimacy is to suffer with You, to raise the Cross on high, not to allow it to leave their hands, whatever the perils in which they find themselves, and not to let themselves be found wanting in suffering. Now that You have shown me what a single blessing it is to suffer trials and persecutions for Your sake, I find I cannot cease from desiring trials; for those who follow You must take the way which You took, unless they want to be lost. Blessed are their labors which, even here in this life, have such abundant recompense! O Jesus, what greater proof of Your love could You give me than to choose for me all that You willed for Yourself? To die or to suffer: this is what I should desire.

St. Teresa of Jesus

Pro-life groups estimate that around 53,000,000 unborn children have been killed since 1973, which is at the same rate that Jews were killed during the Shoah. Given that about 40 percent of these are Catholic children, and that another 40 percent are children of other denominations that may consider themselves Christian, these numbers indicate a failure of Catholics, and others, to protect their own. This is not something to be proud of, nor is it a sign of progress. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2009 shows that the most dangerous place for an American to be is in the womb of his mother. In 1980, near the height of the abortion boom in the USA, there were 3.6 million live births and 1.3 million abortions. In 1997, the last year abortion statistics were received from all 50 states by the Center for Disease Control, there were 3.88 million live births and about 1.2 million abortions. While the number of abortions dipped, a full 21 percent of all pregnancies resulted in the child being sucked into a sink before birth.

Mr. David Wemhoff, Culture Wars

Today, who would you talk to?

The Apostles and their disciples had such a horror of heresy, that they would not speak one single word to those who had corrupted the truth.

St. Irenaeus, Bishop and Church Father

A religious error is the main root of all social and political evils.

Pope Leo XIII, Inscrutabili Dei Consilio

We met the dawn within sight of the settlement, having walked all night without the least distress. While we were still in sight of the town, some inhabitants of the place came out to welcome us. I inquired whether there were any sick people. They said no – only that an old lady had died the day before and they were getting ready to bury her. We arrived at the town and I asked for the Indian woman’s house. They told me not to bother going to see her since she was already dead. “Let us go,” I replied; “I will say a few responsories for her.” I entered the house. It was so murky that nothing of her could be seen. I asked aloud, “Where is the dead woman?” The woman answered, “Here I am, Father. I am not dead; I am waiting to go to confession to you.” I heard her confession with great consolation to myself. Her confession over, she lost her power of speech and handed her soul to the Creator, who so greatly values those souls of his who were redeemed by his blood.

Fr. Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, S. J., The Spiritual Conquest, Personal Account of the Jesuit Paraguay Reductions

Think not that these calamities were reserved for the Jewish people only. All the nations that have known God’s law and despised it have been the objects of His just and terrible anger. “Did not I bring up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines out of Cappadocia, and the Syrians out of Cyrene? Behold the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth” (Amos 9:7-8). From this we can understand that wars and revolutions, the downfall of some kingdoms and the rise of others, are due to the sins of men.

Ven. Louis of Granada, The Sinners’s Guide

St. Peter also describes the grace of our vocation in the most beautiful terms, and assures us that the very design of God in calling us was that we might make a suitable return to Him by declaring His praises. “Ye are a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people, that ye may declare the virtues (or praises) of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His admirable light” (1 Pet. 2: 9). How great an obligation does all this lay us under of living good and studying in all things to do the will of God, especially when Christ Himself expressly says, “So let your light shine before men, that they, seeing your good works, may glorify your Father Who is in Heaven!

Bishop George Hay of Scotland, The Sincere Christian

The world is on fire. Men try to condemn Christ once again, as it were, for they bring a thousand false witnesses against Him. They would raze His Church to the ground… It breaks my heart to see so many souls traveling to perdition. I would the evil were not so great… I felt that I would have laid down a thousand lives to save a single one of all the souls that were being lost.

St. Teresa of Jesus

Meekness makes a man master of himself.

St. Thomas Aquinas

FRATERNAL UNION SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

PRESENCE OF GOD ‑ O my God, give me the grace to preserve union with my neighbor by the bonds of charity and peace.

MEDITATION:

I. As Jesus during His earthly life never ceased to recommend fraternal charity and union, so the Church in the Sunday Masses continually preaches this virtue. She does it today by making use of a passage in St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians (4, 1‑3).

“I, therefore . . . beseech you, that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called, with all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity, careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” The call which we have received is the vocation to Christianity, which is to say, the vocation to love. God, infinite Charity, adopts us as His children, that we may so emulate His charity that love becomes the bond which unites us all in one heart, as the Father and Son are united in one Godhead by the bond of the Holy Spirit. “As Thou, Father, in Me, and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us” (Jn 17, 21), was the prayer of Jesus for us.

To “keep unity in the bond of peace” is easy and difficult at the same time. It is easy because when the heart is truly humble, meek, and patient, it bears everything with love, carefully trying to adapt itself to the feelings and desires of others, rather than asserting its own. It is difficult because, as long as we are here below, self‑love, even when mortified, always tends to rise and assert its rights, thus creating continual occasions of clashes, the avoidance of which calls for much self‑renunciation and much delicacy toward others. We should be persuaded that all that disturbs, weakens, or worse still, destroys fraternal union, does not please God; it does not please Him even if done under pretext of zeal. We should always prefer to renounce our own ideas‑although they be good‑rather than dispute with our neighbor, except when it is a question of fulfillment of duty or respect for the law of God. An act of humble renunciation for the sake of union and peace among our brethren gives much more glory to God than a glorious deed which might cause discord or disagreement.

2. Very often the cause of division among good people is excessive self‑assertion: the desire to do things one’s own way. Given our limitations, there can be nothing so absolute in our ideas that it cannot give way to the ideas of others. If our ideas are good, upright, and brilliant, those of others may be equally good, or even better. Therefore, it is much wiser, more humble and charitable to accept the views of others and to try to reconcile our views with theirs, rather than to reject them, lest we be obliged to give up our personal ways and views. This individualism is the enemy of union; it is a hindrance to good works as well as to spiritual progress.

In today’s Epistle, St. Paul puts before us all the reasons why we should preserve union with our neighbor. Be “one body and one spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” If God has willed to save and sanctify us all in Christ, uniting us in Him in one body, giving us one same vocation, one faith, and one hope, and being Himself the Father of all, how shall we pretend to save and sanctify ourselves if we are not united with one another? If we do not wish to frustrate God’s plan and endanger our salvation and sanctification, we should be ready to make any personal sacrifice whatsoever in order to maintain and strengthen union. Let us bear in mind that Jesus has asked for us not only union, but perfect union: “That they may be made perfect in one” (Jn 17, 23).

Today’s Gospel (Mt 22, 34‑46) also strengthens this exhortation to union, since in it Jesus repeats that the commandment to love our neighbor is, together with the commandment to love God, the basis of “the whole law,” that is, of all Christianity. Let us not turn a deaf ear to these repeated appeals for charity and union; the Church insists on these points because Jesus has insisted on them, and because charity is “the precept of the Lord; if this only is done, it is enough” (St. John the Evangelist).

COLLOQUY:

“O Word, Son of God, You look with more complacency on one work done in fraternal union and charity than on a thousand done in discord; one tiny little act, like the closing of an eye, performed in union and charity, pleases You more than if I were to suffer martyrdom in disunion and without charity. Where there is union, You are present, for You call Yourself charity: ‘Deus caritas est,’ God is charity. You call Yourself the God of peace and union: ‘Deus pacis,’ God of peace. You are the source of all peace, and without You there can be neither true peace nor union. False is the peace and union among sinners; it cannot last long, because as their hearts are dominated by the tyranny of sin and of passions, the bond which unites them quickly breaks; it is a weak bond no stronger than a thread of tow. Therefore, from You alone, O God, comes perfect union, and where there is disunion, confusion reigns because of sin and the devil. With what great desire should we seek this union and love it with all our heart! Where there is union, there is all good, there is an abundance of all things, of all celestial and terrestrial riches.

“O Most Holy Trinity, give us, then, the grace to live always united with one another, preserving union of spirit, having one will and opinion, imitating the indivisible unity which exists among the three divine Persons” (St. Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi).

“Where charity and love are, You are there also, O Lord! Your love, O Christ, has united us in one body and one heart; grant, then, that we may love one another with a sincere heart. Keep far from us all quarrels and contentions; grant that our hearts may be always united in You, and do You dwell always in our midst” (The Liturgy).

The Damnable Doctrine of Martin Luther

1. God’s commandments are all equally impossible. (De Lib. Christ., t. ii., fol. 4.)

2. No sins can damn a man, but only unbelief. (De Captiv. Bab., t. ii., fol. 171.)

3. God is just, though by his own will he lays us under the necessity of being damned, and though he damns those who have not deserved it. (Tom. ii., fol. 434, 480.)

4. God works in us both good and evil. (Tom. ii., fol. 444.)

5. Christ’s body is in every place, no less than the divinity itself. (Tom. iv., fol. 3)

6. Believe strongly that you are absolved, and absolved you will be, whether you have contrition or no. (11^th article against Pope Leo)

7. The contrition which is acquired by examining, recollecting, and detesting one’s sins, whereby a man calls to mind his life past, in the bitternesses of his soul reflecting on the heinousness and multitude of his offenses, the loss of eternal bliss, and condemnation to eternal woe,-- this contrition, I say, makes a man a hypocrite, nay, even a greater sinner than he was before. (6^th article against Pope Leo)

St. Januarius is ever preaching the Gospel to every creature; for his miraculous blood perpetuates the testimony he bore to Christ. Let those who say they cannot believe unless they see, go to Naples; there they will behold the martyr’s blood, when placed near his head which was cut off seventeen hundred years ago, to liquefy and boil as at the moment it escaped from his sacred veins. No; miracles are not lacking in the Church at the present day.

Dom Gueranger, The Liturgical Year

Levi, occupied in a profession that was hated by the Jews and despised by the Gentiles, belonged to the lowest rank of society; but still more humble was he in heart, when, laying aside the delicate reserve shown in his regard by the other evangelists, he openly placed his former ignominious title beside the glorious one of apostle. By so doing, he published the magnificent mercy of Him, who had come to heel the sick not the healthy, and to call not the just but sinners.

Dom Gueranger, The Liturgical Year, Feast of St. Matthew

Clearly, what God wants above all is our will which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God from whom all good things come that he does this. The will is what man has as his unique possession.

St. Joseph of Cupertino, from the Franciscan breviary

Two years before his death, St. Francis retired to mount Alverno where he began a fast of 40 days in honor of St. Michael the Archangel. And lo! In the midst of his meditation he saw a figure like a seraphim with six wings dazzling and burning, whose feet and hands were nailed to a cross. Aware that suffering is incompatible with the immortality of a seraphic spirit, he understood this to mean that he would become more like Jesus and bear his cross after Him (Gospel), not by physical martyrdom, but by a mystical kindling of divine love.

And in order that this crucified love might become an example to us all, five wounds resembling those of Jesus on the cross appeared on his feet, hands and side. From the latter blood flowed abundantly. The facts were so fully authenticated later, that Benedict XI ordered them to be commemorated every year, and Paul V to kindle in the faithful the love of Jesus crucified, extended the feast to the whole Church.

Feast of the Impression of the Stigmata on St. Francis

The Missionary Spirit of St. Francis Xavier among the Japanese

On Francis refusing to dine with the Prince the young monarch said: “My Friend and Father, I know well you have no need of my table; but if you were a Japanese you would know that a ruler cannot give a greater sign of his favour and good-will than by inviting anyone to eat with him. I love you and desire to show my love. Therefore, O Father Bonze, you must needs dine with me. I shall hereby receive a greater honour than I bestow. Francis bowing low kissed the royal scimitar, a mark of profoundest respect in Japan, and said : “I entreat the God of Heaven to reward your Majesty for the kindnesses you have shown me by bestowing on you the light of faith and all Christian virtues, to the end you may serve God faithfully during life, and enjoy Him eternally after death.” Then the Prince embraced the Saint and hoped they might be together in Heaven.

The bonzes present at all these outward marks of esteem were choking with stifled rage. And more so when they saw how all these honours brought great multitudes to hear the Apostle. Whole days and nights were spent in instructing and baptizing, so that his Portuguese friends remonstrated on the physical strain to which he was subjecting his body. He would beg them not to mind it, for his meat and drink and sleep were to snatch souls from the slavery of Satan…

Great was the grief of the Prince on hearing of his departure, for he loved Father Francis as a father. The chains of the flesh hindered him from embracing Christianity then. But his esteem for the new religion was very marked, and several years after, like St. Augustine, he made the great renunciation. He took in baptism the name of Francis, and was foremost among the saints of Japan. Wherever Francis put his foot it was as a conqueror. This fact so infuriated the bonzes that they determined to make a final effort to overthrow him. To this end they invited to Funai a celebrated bonze, called Fucarandono, promising him if triumphant, to carry him back on their shoulders to his monastery.

Just as the farewell interview between the Father and the Prince was ending, there arrived at the palace the retinue of bonzes headed by their chief. The Prince was much troubled at this inopportune challenge, for he feared a defeat for his father and friend from the formidable foe. But the Saint, reading his thoughts, said: “Trouble not yourself for me, O Prince! The law I teach is no earthly science; neither can all the bonzes of Japan, nor all the scholars of the world prevail against it any more than the shades of night can withstand the beams of the rising sun.” The dispute began. So completely and at every point was Fucarandono defeated, that he burst out into coarse and revolting abuse. His insolence roused the anger of the Prince and the court, who bade his removal by force. In revenge for this overthrow, the bonzes closed all the temples, saying the angry gods could only be appeased by the expulsion of the Portuguese. These fled in terror to their ships. But Francis remained unmoved to all their entreaties, saying he was as much bound to guard his infant flock as they their merchandize; and that to die for Christ was a privilege he was unworthy of. Courage is infectious. So come what might, all were determined to stay with the Saint and face all odds.

Sr. Mary Bernard, Japan’s Martyred Church

It was at the First Vespers of All Saints that Luther broached, at Wittenberg, his famous theses against indulgences and the authority of the Roman Pontiff; within a month, on November 25^th of the same year, Thomas of Villanova pronounced his vows at Salamanca, and filled up the place left vacant in the Augustinian order by the heresiarch. Amid the storms of social disorder, and the noise of the world’s disturbances, the glory rendered by one saint to the ever-tranquil Trinity, outweighs all the insults and blasphemies of hell.

Dom Gueranger, The Liturgical Year, Feast of St. Thomas of Villanova

A Prayer for the Virtue of Meekness

O Holy Ghost, give me a simple heart which will not retire within itself to savor its own sorrows, a heart magnanimous in giving itself, easily moved to compassion, a faithful, generous heart, which does not forget any favor received, nor hold resentment for any injuries done to it. Make my heart meek and humble, quick to forgive and capable of bearing tranquilly all opposition, a heart which will love without expecting love in return, content to vanish in the hearts of others, sacrificing itself before the heavenly Father, a great and indomitable heart, that no ingratitude can close and no indifference can weary, a heart tormented by the glory of Jesus Christ, wounded by His love, with a wound which cannot be healed except in heaven.

Fr. Leonce de Grandmaison, S. J.

Pope John XXIII said that the Church must leave her mark on every epoch and every land – not vice versa. But today what do we see?… What we are seeing is not the struggle against the Prince of this world who is present in so-called ‘progress’; not the attempt to imprint the Church’s image on the age. We are witnessing the very opposite; the poison of our epoch is slowly seeping into the church herself, and many have failed to recognize the apocalyptic decline of our time.

Dietrich von Hildebrand, Devastated Vineyard, published 1973

In these days, prelates and preachers are chained to the earth by the love of earthly things. The care of souls is no longer their concern they are content with the receipt of revenue... The preachers preach to please princes and to be praised by them. They have done worse. They have not only destroyed the Church of God, they have built up a new church about their own pattern. Go to Rome and see. Dost thou not know what I tell thee? What doest thou O Lord? Arise and come to deliver Thy Church from the hands of devils, from the hands of tyrants, from the hands of iniquitous prelates.

Savonarola

The apostles and their successors are God’s vicars in governing the Church which is built on faith and the sacraments of faith. Wherefore, just as they may not institute another Church, so neither may they deliver another faith, nor institute other sacraments.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, III, 64, ad. 3

Only the Prudent man can be brave.

Josef Pieper

These “Rights,” legally affirmed, flow from Moral Obligations

Among the rights of the faithful —which the Pope is bound to respect according to the 1983 Code of Canon Law— are the right to make known their spiritual needs to the pastors of the Church; the right and even the duty to manifest their opinion on matters that pertain to the good of the Church; the right to receive help from the sacred pastors out of the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the Word of God and the Sacraments; the right to worship God according to the prescriptions of their own rite; the right to a Catholic education; and the right not to have their reputation damaged or their privacy violated.

Canon Law Commentary

Difference between Schism and Disobedience for Novus Ordo Dummies

St. Thomas Aquinas explains that schism pertains to the moral order and that “the essential is that which is intended...” This brings us to the subject of schism. Schism is defined in Canon 751 as the obstinate post-baptismal refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff and of communion with the members of the Church subject to him. A Catholic who breaks the strict letter of Canon Law in order to uphold the Faith cannot be accused of Schism. It is explained in the article on schism in the Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique, the greatest Catholic reference work ever published, that schism and disobedience are often confused. Every act of schism involves disobedience, but not every act of disobedience is schismatic. The true meaning of schism, as expounded within the context of Catholic theology by such theologians as Aquinas and Cajetan, is that the act of schism is found primarily in the intention of the accused person. The guilt of schism, properly so-called, is incurred only when a baptized Catholic intends to sever himself from the unity of the Church by rejecting the existence of the papal office itself, that is by denying that the Pope has the right to Command, or by refusing communion with those Catholics subject to him, that is, by refusing to recognize them as fellow Catholics. The refusal, even the pertinacious refusal, to obey the Pope in a particular instance does not constitute schism. St. Thomas Aquinas explains that the sin of schism pertains to the moral order, and that in the moral order “the essential is that which is intended. ...Accordingly, schismatics properly so-called are those who willfully and intentionally separate themselves from the unity of the church.” By no possible stretch of the imagination could it be claimed that Archbishop Lefebvre intended to do this. If he had wished to do so he could have ordained bishops years before 1988, and he would not have entered into protracted negotiations with the Holy See.

[....] Even if it is accepted that Archbishop Lefebvre could not be considered schismatic for consecrating the four bishops, it can still be argued that he incurred excommunication in any case because this offense carries an automatic penalty of excommunication. But any laws in the Code which establish a penalty are subject to what is called a strict interpretation. Where any doubt exists, these laws must be interpreted in favor of the accused.

[.....]Canon 1323 states that if one violates a law in the code because a state of necessity or emergency exists that person does not incur a penalty. If, therefore, a state of emergency does exist in the Church Archbishop Lefebvre was not even excommunicated. But let us argue that there is not a state of emergency in the Church. Let us argue that everything is marvelous and that Mass attendance is rising rather than declining each year, that the religious orders are holier than they have ever been, and that children in Catholic schools are learning more and sounder Catholic doctrine than ever before. Would this mean that the penalty was incurred and the excommunication was valid? By no means. Canon 1323, which has just been cited, also states that a penalty has not been incurred if the person accused believes that a state of emergency exists. There can be no doubt at all about the fact that Archbishop Lefebvre believed a state of emergency existed, which means that he did not incur the penalty of excommunication.

Michael Davies, Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre

An “Encounter” with Martin Luther to Learn Where He “Stands Before God” –

You may have to go to Hell to find out!

The question: what is God’s position towards me, where do I stand before God? – Luther’s burning question must once more, doubtless in a new form, become our question too, not an academic question, but a real one. In my view, this is the first summons we should attend to in our encounter with Martin Luther.

Pope Benedict XVI, with the Lutherans in Erfurt, Germany

The spirit of Protestantism, or the spirit of revolt against God and his Church, sprung up from the Reformers’ spirit of incontinency, obstinacy, and covetousness. Luther, in despite of the vow he had solemnly made to God of keeping continency, married a nun, equally bound as himself to that sacred religious promise; but, as St. Jerome says, “it is rare to find a heretic that loves chastity.”

Father Michael Müller, C.S.S.R, The Great Revolt Against Christ

Obedience is governed by the virtue of Religion, which is itself perfected by the Gift of Piety

Incited by that profound cry of “Father!” (Gal. 4, 6) which the Holy Ghost repeats within us, we rise toward heaven, longing to win God’s heart and to behave in all things as His true children…. This is how the gift of piety helps virtue of justice as well as the virtue of religion…..If we aspire to live in close union with God, it is right for us to desire and pray for the gift of piety. Under its influence our prayer will become more affectionate, more filial, and we shall attend with greater facility to all that concerns divine worship. Let us ask for this gift, especially when we seem to be very dry and cold, so that in time of trial and interior suffering by its help we shall go to God as a child to its Father. Furthermore, our diligent, constant application to prayer, notwithstanding the lack of sensible devotion, is one of the best dispositions for bringing us the life-giving breath of the gift of piety.

Rev. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., Divine Intimacy

His Majesty desires and loves courageous souls if they have no confidence in themselves but walk in humility.

St. Teresa of Jesus

The Spirit of Vatican II – A Cowardly Denial of Reality

St. Thomas Aquinas, the great teacher of Western Christianity, endeavored to express the Christian image of man in seven theses, which can be summarized in the following manner:

First: the Christian is one who, in faith, becomes aware of the reality of the triune God. Second: the Christian strives, in hope, for the total fulfillment of his being in eternal life. Third: the Christian directs himself, in the divine virtue of love, to an affirmation of God and neighbor that surpasses the power of any natural love. Fourth: the Christian is prudent; namely, he does not allow his view on reality to be controlled by the Yes or No of his will, but rather he makes this Yes or No of the will dependent upon the truth of real things. Fifth: the Christian is just; that is, he is able to live “with the other” in truth; he sees himself as a member among members of the Church, of the people, and of any community. Sixth: the Christian is brave, that is, he is prepared to suffer injury and, if need be, death for the truth and for the realization of justice. Seventh: the Christian is temperate; namely, he does not permit his desire to possess and his desire for pleasure to become destructive and inimical to his being.

Josef Pieper, A Brief Reader on the Virtues of the Human Heart

The following legend explains Bruno's decision (to leave his position as a canon at the Cathedral of Rheims and director of theological studies to found the Carthusian order). In 1082 he was present at the mortuary services over Raymond, canon of Notre Dame, Paris. When the words were said, "Quantas habes iniquitates et peccata?" "how many sins and iniquities hast thou?" The dead man rose up and replied, "justo dei judicio accusatus sum," "I am accused by the just judgment of God." The next day at the repetition of the words, the dead rose again and exclaimed, "justo dei judicio judicatus sum," "I am judged by the just judgment of God." The third day the dead man rose for the third time and cried out, "justo dei judicio condemnatus sum," "I am condemned by the just judgment of God." (The body then was removed and buried in unconsecrated ground.) This incident was in the Roman Breviary, but removed by order of Urban VIII, 1631. Joseph Cardinal Hergenröther (an eminent Church historian and prefect of the Vatican archives) says the legend is still defended by the Carthusians.

Philip Schaff, History of the Church inthe Middle Ages

Martin Luther, Liturgical Visionary

Let all the vestments, the altar, the candles be until they get used up, or we decide to change them – and if somebody wants to do things differently, let him do it. But for the real Mass among true Christians, the altar should not remain in its current form, and the priest should always face the people.

Martin Luther

“The Catholic Church…. Demands”?

The Catholic Church firmly advocates that due recognition be given to the public dimension of religious adherence. In an overwhelmingly pluralist society, this demand is not unimportant. Care must be taken to guarantee that others are always treated with respect. Mutual respect grows only on the basis of agreement on certain inalienable values that are proper to human nature, in particular the inviolable dignity of every single person. Such agreement does not limit the expression of individual religions; on the contrary, it allows each person to bear witness explicitly to what he believes, not avoiding comparison with others.

Pope Benedict XVI to the Muslims in Germany

COMMENT: Rights are derived from duties. God has imposed no duty to worship false gods. So how is it that the “Catholic Church firmly advocates” and “demands” that “due recognition be given to the public dimension of religious adherence” to false gods? How does it follow that treating one “with respect… allows each person to bear witness explicitly to what he believes”?

The term nature is not abstract. Human nature is the essence of man, that is what he is before being a person. Man is a person, a holder of inalienable rights, because he has a soul. And he has a soul given that, unlike any other living being, he has a rational nature. Natural is not what originates from the instincts and desires of man, but what corresponds to the rules of reason, which must in turn, conform itself to an objective order and immutable principles. The natural law is rational and immutable,[thus]because it is immutable inasmuch as it is spiritual, it is the nature of man. All individuals of the same nature act or should act in the same manner, since the natural law is written in the nature not of this or that man, but in human nature regarded in itself, in its permanence and stability.

Professor Roberto de Mattei, defending Natural Law against Cardinal Kasper

Pope Galesius in his 9th Letter (Chap. 26) to the Bishops of Lucania condemned the evil practice which had been introduced of women serving the priest at the celebration of Mass. Since this abuse had spread to the Greeks, Innocent IV strictly forbade it in his letter to the bishop of Tusculum: “Women should not dare to serve at the altar; they should be altogether refused this ministry.” We too have forbidden this practice in the same words....

Pope Benedict XIV, Allatae Sunt, 1755

Charity seeks not its own convenience. We must give the spur to this jade of a body of ours, to make it trot on and get forwards. The good soldier dies in battle, the good sailor on the sea, and the good minister of the sick in the hospital.

St. Camillus of Lellis

A Word on the Origin of the Saying: “Roma Locuta, Causa Finite”

Pope Zosimus, in the presence of the Roman clergy, recognized as orthodox the heretical statements of Pelagius, which had been condemned by Pope Innocent I and the two Councils of Carthage. Pelagianism, which denied the doctrine of Original Sin and man’s need for grace, was a virulent heresy of the time, against which St. Augustine wrote numerous tracts (The Remission of Sins and the Baptism of Children, The Spirit and the Letter, Letter to Hilary, Nature and Grace, Perfect Justice, The Acts of Pelagius, The Grace of Christ, and Original Sin). The Pope condemned those who held the orthodox Catholic faith as calumniators (Letter Postquam nobis, November 21, 417; Letter Magnum pondus) and demanded a formal retraction from the orthodox African bishops, St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Aurelius of Carthage. In response, St. Augustine and St. Aurelian took a solemn oath with God as witness (obtestatio), affirming that the prior Catholic doctrine prevailed over the judgment of the Pope, which was upheld by a plenary council of all Africa assembled. Confronted with resistance to his part in perpetuating heresy, Pope Zosimus finally recanted and renewed the excommunication of the heretic Pelagius. It was around this time that St. Augustine uttered the famous words: Roma locuta est; causa finita est, in a Sermon CXXXI of September 417. Pope Zosimus was waffling on his predecessor’s, Pope St. Innocent I’s, anathema against the heretic Pelagius. St. Augustine meant by his statement since Rome had already spoken on the matter (a reference to Pope St. Innocent I’s anathema against Pelagius), the case ought not to be reopened, even by Pope Zosimus, who ought to give his assent to the solemn judgment of his predecessor. St. Augustine made his statement, then, at a time when a Pope was in the process of lending aid and comfort to heretics, when he should have been holding fast to what his predecessor had decreed. The great Saint was not saying that every decision of Rome must be blindly obeyed; otherwise, he would have supported the reigning Pope. He was warning people, the Pope included, that Rome had already spoken on this matter and that it would be gravely wrong for anyone (even, presumably, a Pope) to attempt to reverse a solid and sound judgment on a matter of Catholic doctrine.

Taken from: www.traditio.com

But the Novus Ordo is an “arbitrary” man-made creation, not in “obedience to the faith” but rather a product of servile human respect for the sensibilities of heretics, and therefore, it has no “religious respect of the mystery of the liturgy.”

For this reason no sacramental rite may be modified or manipulated at the will of the minister or the community. Even the supreme authority in the Church may not change the liturgy arbitrarily, but only in the obedience of faith and with religious respect for the mystery of the liturgy.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1125

But a resounding explicit confirmation came from Benedict XVI himself, who, during an unexpected pilgrimage to Fatima on May 13, 2010, affirmed: “He deceives himself who thinks that the prophetic mission of Fatima is concluded.” He added: “there are indicated future realities of the Church which little by little are manifesting themselves… and therefore it is the sufferings of the Church which are announced.”

But could such prophecies be found in that text [of the vision]?

These two phrases of the Pope in that discourse at Fatima prompt reflection: “Man has the power to unleash a cycle of death and terror, but he is not able to stop it.” And then: “The faith in vast regions of the earth risks being extinguished, like a flame without fuel.”

From these words of Pope Benedict one discerns, therefore, that there is truly something else in the Third Secret and that it is dramatic for the world and the Church. Perhaps it is precisely due to that visit by the Pope that this book was released, from which another precious little piece of the truth filters out.

The volume in fact draws from the letters of Sister Lucia and from the unpublished diary “My Way.” Impressive, among things previously unpublished, is the account of how Sister Lucy overcame the terror that prevented her from writing down the Third Secret.

The Unpublished Account

At around 4 p.m. on January 3, 1944, in the chapel of the convent, before the Tabernacle, Lucia asked Jesus to make known His will: “I then felt a friendly hand, maternal and affectionate, touch my shoulder.”

And the Mother of God said to her: “be at peace, and write what I have commanded you, but not, however, that which has been given to you to understand its meaning,” intending to allude to the meaning of the vision which the Virgin herself had revealed.

Immediately afterward, said Sister Lucia, “I felt my spirit inundated by a mystery of light that is God and in Him I saw and heard: the point of a lance like a flame that is detached, touches the axis of the earth, and it trembles: mountains, cities, towns and villages with their inhabitants are buried. The sea, the rivers, the clouds, exceed their boundaries, inundating and dragging with them, in a vortex, houses and people in a number that cannot be counted. It is the purification of the world from the sin in which it is immersed. Hatred, ambition, provoke the destructive war. After I felt my racing heart, in my spirit a soft voice said: ‘In time, one faith, one baptism, one Church, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic. In eternity, Heaven!’ This word ‘Heaven’ filled my heart with peace and happiness in such a way that, almost without being aware of it, I kept repeating to myself for a long time: Heaven, Heaven.”

From this came the strength to write the Third Secret.

Antonio Socci, APOCALYPTIC NEWS FROM FATIMA (THE LATEST MYSTERY: THE SILENCE OF THE SISTERS, BUT WHO IS SILENCING THEM?, August 17, 2014

Pope Francis, in corrupting the Sacrament of Matrimony, has perpetrated a terrible injustice to countless Catholics!

Many Catholic families had hoped that the Synod on the Family would address the serious problem of the divorce epidemic and its long-term damage to youth, innocent spouses, the sacrament of marriage, the culture, and the Church. (It did not!) The divorce plague has inflicted severe pain upon Catholic families worldwide. Married couples need to be encouraged by the Church not to give up on their marriages during stressful, unhappy times, and to persevere in loyalty to their marital vows. [.....] Over the past forty years, I have never worked with a Catholic marriage in which both spouses wanted a divorce. In the majority of marriages under stress, one spouse remains happy with the marriage, believes the conflicts can be resolved and is loyal to the sacramental bond.

The spouses who are not happy and who want to pursue divorce and a decision of nullity most often refuse to address their own weaknesses. Instead, they portray themselves as victims of insensitive treatment or emotional abuse.[......]

The majority of spouses who pursue divorce — in our experience with several thousand couples — have never worked on these issues. This explains, in part, why the national survey of divorced men and women, conducted by the Office of Survey Research at the University of Texas at Austin, found the honest response that only one in three divorced spouses claimed that both they and their ex-spouses worked hard enough to try to save their marriage. There is reason to be hopeful about the resolution of marital difficulties. In a major study from the University of Chicago among spouses who rated their marriages as very unhappy, 86 percent of those who persevered reported themselves as happily married five years later.

One grave danger to Catholic marriages and families from the changes made in canon law made by the Holy Father (without a careful study by a commission of experts) is that spouses will not be motivated to engage in the hard work of addressing personal psychological and spiritual weaknesses. Instead, they will pursue divorce and with a belief that they are entitled to a decision of nullity if they can meet the criteria cited, including the new one, “etcetera.”

With all due respect, the determination of nullity by only one priest or by a bishop after 30 to 45 days, is seriously flawed because they lack the proper mental health training to uncover and evaluate the numerous complex psychological conflicts that lead to a decision for divorce. This new process is a grave injustice and, therefore, a manifestation of a severe lack of mercy towards the sacrament of marriage, innocent spouses, children, and Catholic families.

In his closing talk at the Synod, the Holy Father criticized bishops and priests, whom he claimed hide behind rigid doctrines and ignore wounded families. In fact, his radical change in canon law in regard to annulments, made prior to the Synod, will weaken and harm Catholic marriages and families. [.....]

Rick Fitzgibbons, Psychological Science and the Evaluation of Nullity, published by “The Catholic Thing”

The Sin of Calumny always takes two: a big mouth and an itching ear!

Cardinal Müller: I heard it from some houses here, that people working in the Curia are living in great fear: If they say one small or harmless critical word, some spies will pass the comments directly to the Holy Father, and the falsely accused people don’t have any chance to defend themselves. These people, who are speaking bad words and lies against other persons, are disturbing and disrupting the good faith, the good name of others whom they are calling their brothers.

The Gospel and the words of Jesus are very strong against those who denounce their brothers and who are creating this bad atmosphere of suspicion. I’ve heard that nobody speaks; everyone is a little afraid because they can be snitched on. It’s not the behavior of adult people, but that of a boarding school.

Cardinal Gerhard Müller; excerpt from interview on September 12 with Professor Claudio Pierantoni, one of the signatories of the recent “Filial Correction” of Pope Francis, published by LifeSiteNews on September 29, 2017

“Artificial, superficial, clear divisions” like, Married and Not-married?

My great joy as a result of this document resides in the fact that it coherently overcomes that artificial, superficial, clear division between ‘regular’ and ‘irregular.’

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, on Amoris Laetitia

Apparently, the “morality underlying Amoris Laetitia” does not forbid lying!

In fact I hear many comments – they are respectable for they come from children of God, but wrong – concerning the post-synod apostolic exhortation. To understand Amoris Laetitia you need to read it from the start to the end. Beginning with the first chapter, and to continue to the second and then on … and reflect. And read what was said in the Synod

A second thing: some maintain that there is no Catholic morality underlying Amoris Laetitia, or at least, no sure morality. I want to repeat clearly that the morality of Amoris Laetitia is Thomist, the morality of the great Thomas. You can speak of it with a great theologian, one of the best today and one of the most mature, Cardinal Schönborn.

I want to say this so that you can help those who believe that morality is purely casuistic. Help them understand that the great Thomas possesses the greatest richness, which is still able to inspire us today. But on your knees, always on your knees…

Pope Francis, Attributing the vulgar immorality of Amoris Laetitia to St. Thomas, interview Sept 28, 2017

Faith: the principle cause and sign of unity in the Church; Dogma is the proximate Rule of Faith!

The apostles and their successors are God's vicars in governing the Church which is built on faith and the sacraments of faith. Wherefore, just as they may not institute another Church, so neither may they deliver another faith, nor institute other sacraments.

St. Thomas Aquinas, ST III, q. 64, a. 2, ad 3

Pope Francis, the CEO of the Homosexual Lobby “will not say another word” but his C9 will issue “potential and necessary clarifications.” What is “potential” may not necessarily become act. So, although the “clarifications” are “necessary”, we may not in fact ever see them. After all, it is not “Viganò’s case”, it is Viganò’s allegations of moral turpitude on the part of Francis and his C9 club.

Incoming “clarifications” on Viganò’s case from the Holy See

Announced in the press release of today's C9 meeting, along with the news that the structure and composition of the council of cardinals is about to change

andrea tornielli | vatican city | September 9, 2018

The Holy See is preparing a response with the necessary clarifications on Viganò's case, namely the accusations raised against the last three Popes and their collaborators by the former nuncio to the United States in the dossier published on 26 August last which also includes the request for resignation addressed to Pope Francis.

This is what can be read in the communiqué that on the afternoon of Monday 10 September was released by the Vatican Press Office at the end of the first meeting of the 26th working session of the C9, the Council of nine cardinals called to help the Pontiff in elaborating the reform of the Curia and in the government of the universal Church.

The Council, reads the last paragraph of the press release, "expressed its full solidarity with Pope Francis before what has happened in recent weeks, aware that in the current debate the Holy See is about to formulate potential and necessary clarifications". Thus the Vatican, in the light of the existing documentation in the archives, is about to release some "potential and necessary clarifications".

But more emerges from the first C9 meeting, as various parties have long suggested: the conclusion of the working session on the draft of the apostolic constitution - which will redesign the face of the Roman Curia – represents in fact an opportunity for the Pope to make some changes within the Council of 9 Cardinals.

"The Council of Cardinals, in preparing to hand over to the Holy Father the proposal for the reform of the Roman Curia drawn up in the first five years of activity, and with a view to continuation, decided to ask the Pope for a reflection on the work, structure and composition of the Council itself, also taking into account the advanced age of some members". […..]

“Since one cannot help everyone, one has to be concerned with those who by reason of place, time, or circumstances, are by some chance more tightly bound to you.”

St. Augustine, On Christian Doctrine

De Mattei: The Church and the Men of the Church

Roberto de Mattei | Corrispondenza Romana | September 12, 2018

The courageous denunciation of ecclesiastical scandals made by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has generated the consensus of many, but also the displeasure of others, convinced that everything discrediting the representatives of the Church should be covered up by silence. This desire to safeguard the Church is understandable when the scandal is an exception. There is the risk in that case of generalizing, by saddling the behavior of a few onto everyone . Quite different is the case when immorality is the rule, or at least is a widespread way of living accepted as the norm. In this case public denunciation is the first step towards the necessary reform of “morals”. Breaking the silence is part of the duties of a pastor, as St. Gregory the Great admonishes: “What in fact is the fear of a pastor to state the truth, if not the turning of his back on the enemy with his silence? If, instead, he fights in defense of his flock, he builds a bastion for the House of Israel against its enemies. For this the Lord through the mouth of Isaiah admonishes: “Cry, cease not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet” (Isaiah, 58,1).

At the origins of a guilty silence there is often the lack of distinction between the Church and the men of the Church, be they the simple laity, bishops, cardinals or Popes. One of the reasons for this confusion is precisely the prominence of the authorities involved in the scandals. The higher their dignity, the more the tendency to identify them with the Church, attributing good and evil indifferently to the one and the other. In reality the Good is the sole business of the Church, whereas all the Evil is due to the men who represent Her. For this the Church cannot be defined as sinful: “She – writes Father Roger T. Calmel O.P. (1920-1998) – asks forgiveness to the Lord not for the sins She has committed, but for the sins committed by Her children, insofar as they do not listen to Her as Mother.” (Breve apologia della Chiesa di sempre, Editrice Ichtys, Albano Laziale 2007, p. 91). All the members of the Church whether of the teaching or student parts, are men, with their own nature, wounded by original sin. Neither Baptism renders the faithful faultless, nor Holy Orders render the members of the Hierarchy such. The Pope himself can sin and fall into error, except for that which concerns the charism of infallibility.

It must be said, moreover, that the faithful do not constitute the Church, as happens in human societies, created by the members that form them and dissolved as soon as they separate. To say “We are Church” is false, since the belonging of the baptized to the Church, does not derive from their will: it is Christ Himself who invites us to belong to His flock, by repeating to everyone: “You have not chosen me but I have chosen you” (John 15, 16). The Church founded by Jesus Christ has a Human-Divine constitution: human as it has a material and passive component, made up of all the faithful, part of both the clergy and the laity; supernatural and divine for Her soul. Jesus Christ, Her Head, is Her foundation and the Holy Spirit is Her supernatural propeller.

The Church therefore is not holy because of the holiness of Her members, but it is Her members that are holy thanks to Jesus Christ Who directs Her and the Holy Spirit Who gives life to Her. From them comes all Good, that is, all that is “true, noble, just, pure, lovable, honorable and worthy of praise” (Phil. 4,8). And from the men of the Church comes all the Evil: disorders, scandals, abuse of power, violence, turpitudes and sacrileges.

“So – writes the Passionist theologian Enrico Zoffoli (1915-1996) who dedicated many fine pages to this theme – we have no interest in covering up the faults of bad Christians, of unworthy, cowardly, inept, dishonest and arrogant priests. The intent to defend the cause and mitigate their responsibilities would be ingenuous and useless along with minimizing the consequences of their errors, having recourse to historical contexts and singular situations in order then to explain away and absolve everything” (Chiesa e uomini di Chiesa, Edizioni Segno, Udine 1994, p. 41).

Today there is great filth in the Church, as the then Cardinal Ratzinger said during the Via Crucis of Good Friday 2005, which preceded his rise to the papacy. “How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to Him! (Jesus)”.

Monsignor Carlo Maria Viganò’s testimony is praiseworthy, since, by bringing to light this filth, he renders the work of purification of the Church more urgent. It must be [made]clear that the conduct of unworthy bishops or priests is not inspired by the dogmas or morals of the Church, but constitutes their betrayal, as it represents a negation of the law of the Gospel. The world that accuses the Church for Her faults accuses Her of transgressing a moral order: but in the name of what law and doctrine does the world claim to indict the Church? The philosophy of life professed by the modern world is relativism to the degree that there are no absolute truths and the only law of man is to be devoid of [all] laws; the practical consequence is hedonism according to which the only form of possible happiness is the gratification of one’s desires and the satisfaction of one’s instincts.

How can the world, devoid of principles as it is, judge and condemn the Church? The Church has the right and duty to judge the world because She has an absolute and immutable doctrine. The modern world, child of the principles of the French Revolution, develops with coherence the ideas of the libertine Marquis de Sade (1740-1814): free love, free blasphemy, total freedom to deny and destroy every bastion of Faith and Morals, as in the days of the French Revolution when the Bastille, where Sade was a prisoner, was destroyed. The outcome of all this is the dissolution of morality, which has destroyed the foundations of civil society and over the last two centuries has created the darkest age in history.

The life of the Church is also the history of betrayals, defections, apostasies and insufficient correspondence with Divine Grace. But this tragic weakness always goes along with extraordinary faithfulness: the falls, even the most terrifying, of many members of the Church, are interlaced with the heroism of the virtue seen in many other of Her children.

A river of sanctity gushes out of the side of Christ and runs flowing through the course of the centuries: the martyrs who face the wild animals in the Coliseum; the hermits who abandon the world to live a life of penitence; the missionaries who go to the ends of the earth; the intrepid confessors of the faith who combat schisms and heresies; the contemplative religious who sustain the defenders of the Church and Christian civilization with their prayers; all those, who, in different ways, have conformed their lives to the Divine one. St. Theresa of the Child Jesus wanted to gather up all these vocations in one supreme act of love to God.

The saints are different from one another, but what they all share is union with God: and this union, which never flags, makes it so that the Church, prior to being One, Catholic and Apostolic, is first of all perfectly Holy. The holiness of the Church doesn’t depend on the holiness of Her children; it is ontological, given that it is connected to Her very nature.

For the Church to be called holy it is not necessary that all Her children live a saintly life; it is enough that a part, even a small part, thanks to the vital flow of the Holy Spirit, remain heroically faithful to the law of the Gospel during times of trial.

“And what is most remarkable is that the enemies of the Church—the movements that rend and crucify her—are in a sense her own offspring and derive their dynamic force from her.” And this includes her current enemies who attach from within the Church. In the crucible of conflict, the saint is forged and the crown is won.

Actually, however, Christianity has never accepted these postulates, and the Christian ought to be the last person in the world to lose hope in the presence of the failure of the right and the apparent triumph of evil. For all this forms part of the Christian view of life, and the Christian discipline is expressly designed to prepare us to face such a situation.

Christianity, to a far greater degree than any other religion, is a historical religion and it is knit up inseparably with the living process of history. Christianity teaches the existence of a divine progress in history which will be realized through the Church in the Kingdom of Cod. But at the same time it recognizes the essential duality of the historical process—the co-existence of two opposing principles, each of which works and finds concrete social expression in history. Thus we have no right to expect that Christian principles will work in practice in the simple way that a political system may work The Christian order is a supernatural order. It has its own principles and its own laws which are not those of the visible world and which may often seem to contradict them. Its victories may be found in apparent defeat and its defeats in material success.

We see the whole thing manifested clearly and perfectly once and once only, i.e. in the life of Jesus, which is the pattern of the Christian life and the model of Christian action. The life of Jesus is profoundly historical; it is the culminating point of thousands of years of living historical tradition. It is the fulfillment of a historical purpose, towards which priests and prophets and even politicians had worked, and in which the hope of a nation and a race was embodied. Yet, from the worldly point of view, from the standpoint of a contemporary secular historian, it was not only unimportant, but actually invisible. Here was a Galilean peasant who for thirty years lived a life so obscure as to be unknown even to the disciples who accepted his mission. Then there followed a brief period of public action, which did not lead to any kind of historical achievement but moved swiftly and irresistibly towards its catastrophic end, an end that was foreseen and deliberately accepted.

And out of the heart of this catastrophe there arose something completely new, which even in its success was a deception to the very people and the very race that had staked their hopes on it. For after Pentecost—after the outpouring of the Spirit and the birth of the infant Church—there was an event as unforeseen and inexplicable as the Incarnation itself, the conversion of a Cilician Jew, who turned away from his traditions and from his own people so that he seemed a traitor to his race and his religion. So that ultimately the fulfillment of the hope of Israel meant the rejection of Israel and the creation of a new community which was eventually to become the State religion of the Roman Empire which bad been the enemy of Jew and Christian alike.

If you look on all this without faith, from the rationalist point of view, it becomes no easier to understand. On the contrary it becomes even more inexplicable; credo quia incredibile.

Now the life of Christ is the life of the Christian and the life of the Church. It is absurd for a Christian who is a weak human vehicle of this world changing force to expect a quiet life. A Christian is like a red rag to a bull—to the force of evil that seeks to be master of the world and which, in a limited sense, but in a very real sense, is, as St. John says, the Lord of this world. And not only the individual but the Church as an historic community follows the same pattern and finds its success and failure not where the politician finds them, but where Christ found them.

The Church lives again the life of Christ. It has its period of obscurity and growth and its period of manifestation, and this is followed by the catastrophe of the Cross and the new birth that springs from failure. And what is most remarkable is that the enemies of the Church—the movements that rend and crucify her—are in a sense her own offspring and derive their dynamic force from her. Islam, the Protestant Reformation, the liberal Revolution, none of them would have existed apart from Christianity—they are abortive or partial manifestations of the spiritual power which Christianity has brought into history. “I have come to cast fire on the earth and what will I, but that it be kindled.”

Christopher Dawson, Dynamics of World History

Remember in your charity the following pray requests:

Please remember our expectant mothers: Victoria Dimmel, Erika Zepeda, and Carmen Carrol,

Fr. John Murphy, for his spiritual and physical welfare, and Fr. Collins,

Charles Muldowney, who is terminally ill,

Luis Rafael Zelaya, for his conversion,

For the health of Kim Cochran, the daughter-in-law of Joseph and Brenda Cochran, the wife of their son Joshua,

Louie Verrecchio, Catholic apologist, who has a health problem,

John Minidis, Jr. family, for help in their spiritual trial,

John and Joann DeMarco, for their health and spiritual welfare,

Regina (Manidis) Miller, her spiritual welfare and health,

Melissa Elena Levitt, her health and conversion, and welfare of her children,

For the spiritual and temporal welfare of Irwin Kwiat,

Fr. Waters asks our prayers for Elvira Donahy, who is recovering from a stroke,

Kimberly Ann, the daughter of John and Joann DeMarco, for her health and spiritual welfare,

Mufide Rende, a traditional Catholic from India has asked our prayers for her welfare,

Mary and Bill Glatz, the welfare of their family,

Barbara Harmon, who is gravely ill, and still cares for her ailing parents,

For the health and welfare of Kolinsky and Sorace families,

Fr. Waters asks our prayers for the health and spiritual welfare of Brian Abramowitz,

Thomas Schiltz family, in grateful appreciation for their contribution to the beauty of our chapel,

Welfare of Bishop Richard Williamson, for strength and courage in the greater battles to come,

Angelina Montesano family & Helen Snyder, for their health and spiritual welfare,

Michael J. Brigg & his family, who have helped with the needs of the Mission,

The conversion of David Keithley and the welfare of the Nathaniel Miller family, are the petitions of Gene Peters,

For the conversion of Ben & Tina Boettcher family, Karin Fraessdorf, Eckhard Ebert, and Fahnauer family,

Fr. Waters requests our prayers for Br. Rene, SSPX who has been ill, and for Fr. Thomas Blute,

For the health and welfare of Kathryn Lederhos, the aunt of David Drew,

For the welfare of Fr. Paul DaDamio and Fr. William T. Welsh,

The Drew’s ask our prayers for the welfare of Joe & Tracy Sentmanat family, Keith & Robert Drew, Christy Koziol & her children, Fred Nesbit and Michael Nesbit families, and Gene Peters Family, the John Manidis Family, the Sal Messinio Family, Michael Proctor Family,

Ryan Boyle grandmother, Jane Boyle, who is failing health,

Ebert’s request our prayers for the Andreas & Jenna Ortner Family,

Joyce Paglia has asked prayers for George Richard Moore Sr. & his children, and her brother, George Panell,

For the welfare of Anthony & Joyce Paglia, who are responsible for the beautiful statuary in our chapel,

Philip Thees asks our prayers for his family, for McLaughlin Family, the conversion of Bruce Heller, & Janet Gardner, the welfare of Dan Polly Weand, the conversion of Sophia Herman, Tony Rosky, and Carl Ropeter, the welfare Nancy Erdeck, the wife of the late Deacon Erdeck, and the welfare of Frank D’Agustino who is ill, the health of Charles Kanaskie, and the health of his brother, Thomas Thees, John Calasanctis, Stephen Cagorski, Tony Rosky, John Bogda, and Maryann Reutter.

Pray for the Repose of the Souls:

Auxiliadora de Gomez, died July 4, the Godmother and aunt of Claudia Drew, and her husband, Eduardo Gomez Lopez, February 28,

Sandra Peters, the wife of Gene Peters, who died June 10 receiving the sacraments and wearing our Lady's scapular,

Rev. Francis Slupski, a priest who kept the Catholic faith and its immemorial traditions, died May 14,

Martha Mochan, the sister of Philip Thees, died April 8,

George Kirsch, our good friend and supporter of this Mission, died February 15,

For Fr. Paul J. Theisz, died October 17, is the petition of Fr. Waters,

Fr. Mecurio Fregapane, died Jan 17, was not a traditional priest but always charitable,

Fr. Casimir Peterson, a priest who often offered the Mass in our chapel and provided us with sound advice, died December 4,

Fr. Constantine Bellasarius, a faithful and always charitable Eastern Rite Catholic Melkite priest, who left the Roman rite, died November 27,

Christian Villegas, a motor vehicle accident, his brother, Michael, requests our prayers,

John Vennari, the former editor of Catholic Family News, and for his family’s welfare,

Mary Butler, the aunt of Fr. Samuel Waters, died October 17,

Joseph DeMarco, the nephew of John DeMarco, died October 3,

John Fergale, died September 25 after receiving the traditional sacramental rites of the Church wearing the brown scapular,

John Gabor, the brother of Donna Marbach, died September 9,

Fr. Eugene Dougherty, a faithful priest, fittingly died on the Nativity of the BVM after receiving the traditional Catholic sacraments,

Phyllis Schlafly, died September 5,

Helen Mackewicz, died August 14,

Mark A. Wonderlin, who died August 2,

Fr. Carl Cebollero, a faithful priest to tradition who was a friend of Fr. Waters and Fr. DeMaio,

Jessica Cortes, a young mother of ten who died June 12,

Frances Toriello, a life-long Catholic faithful to tradition, died June3, the feast of the Sacred Heart, and her husband Dan, died in 1985,

John McLaughlin, a friend of the Drew’s, died May 22,

Angela Montesano, who died April 30, and her husband, Salvatore, who died in July 3, 2013,

Charles Schultz, died April 5, left behind nine children and many grandchildren, all traditional Catholics,

Esperanza Lopez de Callejas, the aunt of Claudia Drew, died March 15,

Fr. Edgardo Suelo, a faithful priest defending our traditions who was working with Fr. Francois Chazal in the Philippines, died February 19,

Conde McGinley, a long time laborer for the traditional faith, died February 12, at 96 years,

The Drew family requests your prayers for Ida Fernandez and Rita Kelley, parishioners at St. Jude,

Fr. Stephen Somerville, a traditional priest who repented from his work with the Novus Ordo English translation, died December 12,

Fr. Arturo DeMaio, a priest that helped this Mission with the sacraments and his invaluable advice, died December 2,

J. Paul Carswell, died October 15, 2015,

Solange Hertz, a great defender of our Catholic faith, died October 3, the First Saturday of the month,

Paula Haigh, died October 21, a great defender of our Catholic faith in philosophy and natural science,

Gabriella Whalin, the mother of Gabriella Schiltz, who died August 25,

Mary Catherine Sick, 14 year old from a large traditional Catholic family, died August 25,

Fr. Paul Trinchard, a traditional Catholic priest, died August 25,

Stephen J. Melnick, Jr., died on August 21, a long-time faithful traditional Catholic husband and father, from Philadelphia,

Patricia Estrada, died July 29, her son Alex petitions our prayers for her soul,

Fr. Nicholas Gruner, a devoted priest & faithful defender of Blessed Virgin Mary and her Fatima message, died April 29,

Sarah E. Shindle, the grandmother of Richard Shindle, died April 26,

Madeline Vennari, the mother of John Vennari, died December 19,

Salvador Baca Callejas, the uncle of Claudia Drew, died December 13,

Robert Gomez, who died in a motor vehicle accident November 29,

Catherine Dunn, died September 15,

Anthony Fraser, the son of Hamish Fraser, died August 28,

Jeannette Rhoad, the grandmother of Devin Rhoad, who died August 24,

John Thees, the uncle of Philip Thees, died August 9,

Sarah Harkins, 32 year-old mother of four children, died July 28,

Anita Lopez, the aunt of Claudia Drew,

Fr. Kenneth Walker, a young traditional priest of the FSSP who was murdered in Phoenix June 11,

Fr. Waters petitions our prayers for Gilberte Violette, the mother of Fr. Violette, who died May 6,

Pete Hays petitions our prayers for his brothers, Michael, died May 9, and James, died October 20, his sister, Rebecca, died March17, and his mother, Lorraine Hayes who died May 4,

Philip Marbach, the father of Paul Marbach who was the coordinator at St. Jude in Philadelphia, died April 21,

Richard Slaughtery, the elderly sacristan for the SSPX chapel in Kansas City, died April 13,

Bernedette Marie Evans nee Toriello, the daughter of Daniel Toriello , died March 31, a faithful Catholic who suffered many years with MS,

Natalie Cagorski, died march 23,

Anita Lopez de Lacayo, the aunt of Claudia Drew, who died March 21,

Mario Palmaro, Catholic lawyer, bioethicist and professor, apologist, died March 9, welfare of his widow and children,

Daniel Boyle, the uncle of Ryan Boyle, died March 4,

Jeanne DeRuyscher, who died on January 25,

Arthur Harmon, died January 18,

Fr. Waters petitions our prayers for the soul of Jeanne DeRuyscher, who died January 17,

Joseph Proctor, died January 10,

Susan Scott, a devote traditional Catholic who made the vestments for our Infant of Prague statue, died January 8,

Brother Leonard Mary, M.I.C.M., (Fred Farrell), an early supporter and friend of Fr. Leonard Feeney, died November 23,

John Fergale, requests our prayers for his sister Connie, who died December 19,

Jim Capaldi, died December 15,

Brinton Creager, the son of Elizabeth Carpenter, died December 10,

Christopher Lussos, age 27, the father of one child with an expecting wife, died November 15,

Jarett Ebeyer, 16 year old who died in his sleep, November 17, at the request of the Kolinsky’s,

Catherine Nienaber, the mother of nine children, the youngest three years of age, killed in MVA after Mass, 10-29,

Nancy Aldera, the sister of Frances Toriello, died October 11, 2013 at 105 years of age,

Mary Rita Schiltz, the mother of Thomas Schiltz, who died August 27,

William H. (Teddy) Kennedy, Catholic author of Lucifer’s Lodge, died August 14, age 49, cause of death unknown,

Alfred Mercier, the father of David Mercier, who died August 12,

The Robert Kolinsky asks our prayers for his friend, George Curilla, who died August 23,

John Cuono, who had attended Mass at our Mission in the past, died August 11,

Raymond Peterson, died July 28, and Paul Peterson, died February 19, the brothers of Fr. Casimir Peterson,

Margaret Brillhart, who died July 20,

Msgr. Joseph J. McDonnell, a priest from the diocese of Des Moines, who died June 8,

Patrick Henry Omlor, who wrote Questioning The Validity of the Masses using the New, All English Canon, and for a series of newsletters which were published as The Robber Church, died May 2, the feast of St Athanasius,

Bishop Joseph McFadden, died unexpectedly May 2,

Timothy Foley, the brother-in-law of Michelle Marbach Folley, who died in April,

William Sanders, the uncle of Don Rhoad, who died April 2,

Gene Peters ask our prayers for the repose of the soul of Mark Polaschek, who died March 22,

Cecelia Thees, died February 24,

Elizabeth Marie Gerads, a nineteen year old, the oldest of twelve children, who died February 6,

Michael Schwartz, the co-author with Fr. Enrique Rueda of “Gays, Aids, and You,” died February 3,

Stanley W. Moore, passed away in December 16, and Gerard (Jerry) R. Pitman, who died January 19, who attended this Mission in the past,

Louis Fragale, who died December 25,

Fr. Luigi Villa, Th.D. author of Vatican II About Face! detailing the heresies of Vatican II, died November 18 at the age of 95,

Rev. Michael Jarecki, a faithful traditional Catholic priest who died October 22,and Rev. Hector Bolduc, who died September 10,

Jennie Salaneck, died September 19 at 95 years of age, a devout and faithful Catholic all her life,

Dorothy Sabo, who died September 26,

Cynthia (Cindy) Montesano Reinhert, the mother of nine children, four who are still at home, died August 19,

Regina Spahalsky, who died June 24, and for the soul of Francis Lester, her son,

Julia Atkinson, who died April 30,

Antonio P. Garcia, who died January 6, 2012 and the welfare of his teenage children, Andriana and Quentin,

Helen Crane, the aunt of David Drew who died February 27,

Fr. Timothy A. Hopkins, of the National Shrine of St. Philomena, in Miami, November 2,

Frank Smith, who died February 7, and the welfare of his wife, Delores,

Eduardo Cepeda, who died January 26,

Larry Young, the 47 year old father of twelve who died December 10 and the welfare of his wife Katherine and their family,

Sister Mary Bernadette, M.I.C.M., a founding member of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, died December 16,

Joeseph Elias, who died on September 28,

William, the brother of Fr. Waters, who died September 7,

Donald Tonelli, died August 1,

Rev. Fr. Gregory Hesse, of Austria, a great defender of Catholic Truth, died January 25, 2006,

Emma Colasanti, who died May 29,

Mary Dullesse, who died April 12, a Catholic convert who died wearing our Lady’s scapular,

Ruth Jantsch, the grandmother of Andre Ebert, who died April 7, Derrick and Denise Palengat, his godparents,

Philip D. Barr, died March 5, and the welfare of his family,

Judith Irene Kenealy, the mother of Joyce Paglia, who died February 23, and her son, George Richard Moore, who died May 14,

For Joe Sobran who died September 30,

Fr. Hector Bolduc, a great and faithful priest, died, September 10, 2012,

John Vennari asks our prayers for Dr. Raphael Waters who died August 26,

Stanley Bodalsky, the father of Mary Ann Boyle who died June 25,

Mary Isabel Kilfoyle Humphreys, a former York resident and friend of the Drew’s, who died June 6th,

Rev. John Campion, who offered the traditional Mass for us every first Friday until forbidden to do so by Bishop Dattilo, died May 1,

Joseph Montagne, who died May 5,

For Margaret Vagedes, the aunt of Charles Zepeda, who died January 6,

Fr. James Francis Wather, died November 7, 2006, author of The Great Sacrilege and Who Shall Ascend?, a great defender of dogma and liturgical purity,

Fr. Enrique Rueda, who died December 14, 2009, to whom our Mission is indebted,

Fr. Peterson asks to remember, Leonard Edward Peterson, his cousin, Wanda, Angelica Franquelli, and the six priests ordained with him.

Philip Thees petitions our prayers for Beverly Romanick, Deacon Michael Erdeck, Henry J. Phillips, Grace Prestano, Connie DiMaggio, Elizabeth Thorhas, Elizabeth Thees, Theresa Feraker, Hellen Pestrock, and James & Rose Gomata, and Kathleen Heinbach,

Fr. Didier Bonneterre, the author of The Liturgical Movement, and Fr. John Peek, both were traditional priests,

Brother Francis, MICM, the superior of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Richmond, NH, who died September 5,

Rodolfo Zelaya Montealegre, the father of Claudia Drew, who died May 24,

Rev. Francis Clifford, a devout and humble traditional priest, who died on March 7,

Benjamin Sorace, the uncle of Sonya Kolinsky.

"Only take heed to yourself and guard your soul diligently" (Deut 4:9)

“It is a sin to believe there is salvation outside the Catholic Church!”

Blessed Pope Pius IX

PREVIOUS BULLETIN POSTS BELOW THAT REMAIN TIMELY:

Ben Shapiro, in an op-ed column at Newsweek, says what many Catholics are already thinking:

NEWSWEEK | OPINION | August 31, 2018

So, did the press leap to investigate Vigano’s claims? Did they demand answers from Pope Francis? Did we see the same type of courageous, comprehensive coverage of Francis’ activities that we saw from the Globe team circa 2003? Of course not.

Instead, mainstream media outlets went out of their way to portray Vigano as a disgruntled conservative angry at Pope Francis’ progressive interpretation of Catholic doctrine. The New York Times headlined, “Vatican Power Struggle Bursts Into Open as Conservatives Pounce.” Their print headline was even worse: “Francis Takes High Road As Conservatives Pounce, Taking Criticisms Public.”

Yes, according to the Times, the story wasn’t the sitting Pope being credibly accused of a sexual abuse cover-up—it was conservatives attacking him for it. The problem of child molestation and sexual abuse of clergy took a back seat to Francis’ leftist politics, as the Times piece made clear in its first paragraph: “Since the start of his papacy, Francis has infuriated Catholic traditionalists as he tries to nurture a more welcoming church and shift it away from culture war issues, whether abortion or homosexuality. ‘Who am I to judge?’ the pope famously said, when asked about gay priests. Just how angry his political and doctrinal enemies are became clear this weekend…”

It wasn’t just the Times. On Wednesday, Reuters headlined, “Defenders rally around pope, fear conservatives escalating war.” On Thursday, Reuters doubled down with this headline: “Conservative media move to front line of battle to undermine Pope Francis.” The Telegraph(U.K.) reported, “Vatican analysts say the attack appears to be part of a concerted effort by conservatives to oust Pope Francis, who they dislike for his relatively liberal views…”

But why in the name of God is calling on the Vatican not to defend sexual abusers a political issue for the press? Why isn’t this something we can all agree upon? Why aren’t the press asking the pope tough questions, instead of focusing on the supposed motivations of the whistleblowers?

The media’s disgraceful attempts to cover for Francis because of their love for his politics merely exposes the actual malign motivations of many in the media: they were happy to expose misconduct and evil inside the Catholic Church when the pope was a conservative; they’re happy to facilitate a cover-up when the pope is a liberal.

That’s vile. And most Catholics understand that if the members of the media—an overwhelmingly secular group of people—are steadfastly defending a papacy accused of sexual abuse cover-ups, it’s not out of goodwill for the Church generally. It’s out of a belief that traditionalist doctrine must be rooted out at any cost, even including the abuse of minors and the violation of basic canon law.

Homosexual Lobby members are “playing the man, rather than the ball.” The Lobby’s line is that Archbishop Viganò’s allegations have no merit because the man himself is disaffected conservative ideologue. The charges of Archbishop Viganò are really straight forward and merit a thorough investigation and a reply from Pope Francis irrespective of the motive of their revelation. So the cover-up by Francis will continue but as a rule of thumb for those watching the story unfold: those who defend Pope Francis are ipso facto members of the Homosexual Lobby, those who call for a thorough investigation place the welfare of the Church before personal interests, and those who say and do nothing...., being “neither hot or cold,” and therefore, will be vomited.....

U.S. Bishops Are Divided in a Way Rarely Seen in Public

Viganò letter exposes ideological rift that mirrors American politics

Wall Street Journal | Ian Lovett | September 3, 2018

The crisis engulfing the Catholic Church and the papacy has exposed deep rifts in the U.S. church.

The latest trigger is a letter released last week by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò accusing Catholic Officials, including Pope Grancis, of covering up sexual abuse, allegedly by ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick among others.

While U.S. bishops profess broad agreement about the need for new measures to address abuse, their responses to the letter have dramatically diverged.

Those who support the pope’s emphasis on issues like immigration and climate change have criticized the letter. San Diego Birhop Robert McElroy said the letter displays a “hatred for Pope Francis” and that “Archbishop Viganò consistently subordinates the pursuit of comprehensive truth to partisanship, division and distortion.

Meanwhile, conservative U.S. bishops who disapprove of Pope Francis’ conciliatory tone on remarriage and homosexuality in the priesthood have openly defended Archbishop Viganò.

Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin, said he was “convinced of [Archbishop Viganò’s] honesty…and impeccable integrity,” and called for an investigation into his allegations.

Although theological disagreements have existed among U.S. bishops for years, they have seldom before been so openly on display.

“I fear the Catholic church in the U.S. has become divided by the same ideological forces that have roiled American politics,” said Stephen Schneck, former director of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at The Catholic University of America.

The public back-and-forth also highlights the opposition Francis has faced for years from some clergy in the U.S., which has been a hub of resistance throughout his papacy.

In his letter, Archbishop Viganò claimed the pope knew as early as 2013 about allegations that ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a former archbishop of Washington, had been sexually active with seminarians and that Pope Benedict XVI had privately disciplined him. Pope Francis, the letter alleges, lifted restrictions on then-Cardinal McCarrick, who stepped down from the College of Cardinals after allegations against him became public earlier this year.

Archbishop Viganò served as Vatican ambassador to the U.S. until Pope Francis removed him in 2016, after he set up a meeting between the pontiff and Kim Davis, a Kentucky clerk who refused to sign same-sex marriage certificates and became a symbol of opposition to same-sex marriage.

Following the release of the letter—which was published in the National Catholic Register, a conservative Catholic outlet in the U.S.—Pope Francis told reporters on Sunday that he would “not say one word” about the accusations and encouraged journalists to judge for themselves.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., said in an interview, “With all due respect, that response is not adequate. If I was accused of covering up for one of my priests, I would not get away with saying, ‘Just make up your own mind.’…I don’t know if [Pope Francis] realizes how serious this situation is.”

A theological conservative who has taken a hard line toward same-sex marriage in the church, Bishop Paprocki also called for an investigation, adding that he found Archbishop Viganò to be “a very credible person…who would be in a position to know.”

At the same time, officials named in the Viganò letter have directly criticized its author, in some cases pointing out that he himself has been accused of covering up sexual abuse in Minnesota.

Archbishop Viganò, through a spokesman, has denied those allegations.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, N.J, and a close ally of Pope Francis, said Archbishop Viganò’s letter was filled with “factual errors, innuendo and fearful ideology.”

At mass on Sunday, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington who was also named in the Viganò letter, said, “We need to hold close in our prayers and our loyalty our holy father, Pope Francis. Increasingly, it’s clear that he is the object of considerable animosity.”

As soon as he said those lines, a parishioner shouted, “Shame on you!” from the pews, then walked out.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, struck a more neutral tone. In a statement, he said the questions raised by Archbishop Viganò “deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence,” and asked for an audience with the pope.

The Conference of Bishops’ statement stands in contrast to more supportive remarks in recent days from clergy in other parts of the world, said Mr. Schneck, formerly of The Catholic University of America. The conference of Latin American bishops, for example, said, “We want to reinforce in these moments the communion with your person and teaching.”

Phil Lawler, editor of Catholic World News, said the upheaval in the U.S. church was forcing officials to openly debate issues that had been shrouded in secrecy for far too long, like attitudes toward gay men serving in the clergy. But he said it was regrettable that the debate broke along ideological lines.

“In the last few weeks, you’ve seen a hardening of the lines,” he said.

Pope Francis lays the groundwork to overturn Humanae Vitae

“The welfare of the family is decisive for the future of the world and that of the Church… The anthropological-cultural change, which today affects all aspects of life and requires an analytical and diversified approach, does not allow us to limit ourselves to pastoral and missionary practices that reflect forms and models of the past. We must be conscious and passionate interpreters of the wisdom of faith in a context in which individuals are less sustained than in the past by social structures, in their affective and family life. In the clear purpose of remaining faithful to the teaching of Christ, we must look with the intellect of love and with wisdom of realism to the reality of the family today, in all its complexity, in its lights and in its shadows.”

Pope Francis, in his Motu Proprio, Summa Familiae Cura, referencing his own document which overturned all Catholic morality, Amoris Laetitia

“Attack”? Since when does the truth constitute an “attack”? Or rather, for whom does the declaration of truth constitute an “attack”? “Silence and prayer” should be the permanent canonical disposition for anyone who has aided and abetted the crime of sodomy and scandal within the Church of Jesus Christ.

Under-attack Pope calls for 'silence and prayer'

Pope Francis has so far refused to respond to allegations made last month that he for years covered up sexual abuse allegations against a prominent US cardinal

AFP | Vatican City | September 3, 2018

Pope Francis on Monday said "silence and prayer" were the answer to those seeking "scandal and division", amid a barrage of attacks from ultra-conservative Catholics.

The pope has so far refused to respond to allegations made last month that he for years covered up sexual abuse allegations against a prominent US cardinal.

"With people who lack goodwill, with people who seek only scandal, who seek only division, who seek only destruction, even within the family: (there is nothing but) silence. And prayer," Francis said during a service at St Martha's, the boarding house where he stays.

Among some ultra-conservative Catholics, the pope is regarded as a dangerous progressive who is more interested in social issues than traditional Church matters.

His comments came after Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a former Vatican envoy to Washington, claimed in August that Francis ignored sexual abuse allegations against US cardinal Theodore McCarrick for five years.

The timing of the letter's release -- right in the middle of Francis's landmark trip to Ireland -- immediately raised speculation about a campaign against the Argentine pontiff.

But so far, Francis has remained silent, refusing to address the allegations and saying only that Vigano's missive "speaks for itself".

On Saturday, Vigano launched a fresh attack, accusing the pope of knowing full well that he was meeting an arch-conservative opposed to gay marriage during a 2015 visit to the United States.

The Vatican said at the time that the pope met Kim Davis, a Kentucky clerk who has refused to sign gay marriage certificates, during a reception along with 'dozens of other guests' at the embassy in Washington.

The Diocese of Harrisburg Commits to Never Repeat the Sins of the Past

We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this. We know some of you have heard some of it before. There have been other reports about child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. But never on this scale. For many of us, those earlier stories happened someplace else, someplace away. Now we know the truth: it happened everywhere.”

This opening paragraph of the Report of the 40^th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury paints a bleak and corrupt image of the Catholic Church. As hard as it may be to accept, this report presents a view of the sinful past of some clergy in the Harrisburg Diocese. But it does not reflect the Church of today.

The Diocese has worked faithfully to implement safety programs since the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young

People was approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Grand Jury Report even stated that “the bulk of the discussion in this report concerns events that occurred before the early 2000’s,” and that “...we recognize that much has changed over the last fifteen years.”

While much has changed within the Diocese during the past decade and a half, there is still work to be done. Today, we make you this pledge:

To support the survivors of child abuse by the hands of Church clergy, employees or volunteers.

The Diocese has made it our top priority to assist survivors and their families in their journey toward healing. We assist survivors in obtaining outpatient counseling from mutually agreed upon licensed, quality providers, regardless of when the abuse occurred. Our Survivor Assistance office also maintains contact with survivors, to ensure they are receiving the resources and assistance needed to help them heal. The Diocese encourages those who suffered abuse at the hands of a clergy member, an employee or a volunteer with the Diocese, regardless of when the abuse occurred, to come forward and let their voice be heard. Please call the toll-free PA ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313 and call the Diocesan toll-free hotline at 1-800-626-1608.

Throughout the past several weeks, many discussions have surfaced on Pennsylvania’s current statutes of limitation laws. While we believe now is a time for profound remorse and heartfelt apology, the Church strongly supports SB 261 and believes that this legislation will significantly aid in the protection of children. We believe that the final decision with regard to the statute of limitations and the constitutional arguments that exist will be handled by the General Assembly in the halls of the Capitol.[…..]

Diocese of Harrisburg, August 31, 2018

COMMENT: The first requirement in formulating a solution to any problem is to properly define the problem. This pledge from the Diocese of Harrisburg assumes that the problem is pedophilia. The problem is not pedophilia and therefore, since they cannot define the problem they cannot propose a workable solution. In over 90% of all clerical sexual abuse, homosexual pederasts are preying on adolescent boys and young men. Homosexuals become priests by lying so they can use the clerical collar as cover for their decadent lives. Catholic doctrine and morality condemn sodomy as intrinsically disordered act against the natural law and exclude all homosexuals as candidates for any religious vocation. The only solution is to remove every homosexual cleric from the priesthood and religious orders. Those who are guilty of obfuscating a clear understanding of the problem are part of the problem. They are just members or fellow travelers of the Homosexual Lobby.