Archbishop Cordileone Stands Firm Against Modernist Onslaught

Last week I wrote of Archbishop Cordileone's directives to the teachers in his diocesan schools that they are to exemplify Catholic teaching in both word and conduct.  In that post I wrote also of the behavior of California lawmakers attempting to bully the archbishop into dropping his morality requirements.

Progressive wishful thinking to the contrary, the good archbishop is standing firm.  The progressives have hired a public-relations hit-man firm called Singer Associates Inc to go after him.  As I said before, if the educational institution were a Jewish or Muslim one, there's no doubt that they'd be left alone to hire/fire teachers according to the dictates of their creeds.  These days, only Catholics are so ill-treated.

Please extend thanks and encouragement to this bishop.  Contact info is found here.

The Deaths Of Two Polar Opposites

Both these men, who died just this week within days of each other, were prominent at the University of Notre Dame, a formerly Catholic institute of higher learning.  One was an enemy of the faith who undermined the faith of many Catholics and the morality of this nation.  The other was a brilliant legal scholar who also championed the faith and unborn children.

I'll start with the enemy of the faith - Father Theodore Hesbergh, former president of Notre Dame and much of the reason why its Catholicity is in tatters.  I've written about him in the past and urge you to read the postings, and to pay special attention to the embedded video detailing Hesbergh's conspiracy with the Rockefellers.  A low point to Hesbergh's career was his spearheading of the Land O Lakes statement, in which the signers declared that Catholic institutions of higher learning owed no allegiance to the Traditions and dogmas of the Church.  Oh, by the way; Cardinal McCarrick signed it.  There is no doubt that when Obama gave the 2009 commencement at Notre Dame, that Hesbergh was gloating in the background.  He certainly is NOT gloating now!  Pray for God's mercy on his soul.

The champion of the faith is the late Dr. Charles Rice.  He had a long and distinguished career as professor of the Notre Dame School of Law.  He was a faithful Catholic and advocate for the unborn children.  The Cardinal Newman Society released a tribute to him.  Below I'll post a Vortex tribute to him, as Dr. Rice hosted some shows with ChurchMilitant.tv.  We pray for his soul, too, that any stay in purgatory be rendered brief.  We also ask his prayers for those of us who remain to carry on with the work of establishing a culture of life.

Did Cardinal McCarrick Lobby For Pope Francis' Election?

All the signs seem to indicate that he did: including an admission from the Cardinal himself.  My friend at Les Femmes commented on a biography of the pope and highlighted some of the goings-on before and during the conclave.  I post below a video of an address that McCarrick gave at Villanova University in October 2013.  I urge you to listen for about 5 minutes, starting at the 17:00 mark.  I believe that McCarrick did in fact "talk up" Bergoglio.  Recall the address that he gave prior to the conclave, in which he voiced the opinion that the next pontiff should be Latin American - or at least familiar with the church in that area.

Did Cardinal McCarrick violate canon law?  I'm not sure.  The electors themselves were forbidden to do such lobbying, but McCarrick was not an elector owing to his age.  However, Cardinal Wuerl was an elector and was in the conclave; they both are peas from the same progressive pod.  Might this little tid-bit explain why Wuerl wielded such influence at the sin-nod and why he was allowed to supplant Cardinal Burke in the Congregation of Bishops?

50 Shades Of Gray Rules At Vatican Culture Institute

From the same Vatican office that plopped on us all the bimbo video comes their latest pornographic trash.

I made this large so that all can see how this office has arrogantly dismissed the complaints of good Catholics.  Now think of it!  This office is called the Pontifical Council for Culture.  Wouldn't you think that such an office in the Church would be promoting uplifting religious art and music that were inspired by Catholic teaching, the lives of Jesus, Mary and other saints? Instead, we see nonsense that looks like it might have come from "50 Shades of Gray" or someone's BDSM nightmare.

Along with Cardinal Baldiserri and Father Rosica, it seems that Cardinal Ravasi needs to be given the boot.  If he thinks this display is appropriate for Church use, he has very serious issues that speak of mental illness.

Being Aware Of Our Parish Practices

Through Facebook I came across this article that does a good job at explaining why some common

practices at Mass are not at all healthy.  I say this not to impugn anyone for I truly think well-meaning people just haven't been properly catechized.  I speak of hand-holding during Mass and laity praying in the "orans" position.  Only through my own study and conversations with other Catholics did I realize that I must cease these practices.

Today's Vortex gives some indications of a parish that may well be infested with "spirit of Vatican II" mentalities.  Please note that there is a world of difference between the actual proceeds of Vatican II versus this "spirit of Vatican II".  Note how many symptoms of that vile spirit are in your own.  I don't think Voris's list is exhaustive, either.

More Maturation Department: High Vatican Official Orders Theft Of Mail During Synod

Do you remember the book, "Remaining In The Truth Of Christ"?  This was a book by five wise prelates defending the Church's timeless teachings on marriage.  It caused many in the Vatican (perhaps the pope himself) to gnash their teeth.  I believe it was the resultant vindictiveness of these officials that caused them to evict Cardinal Burke from his posts of influence.  Comes now the news from Kathnet via Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog that hatred of this book's truth occasioned yet more sin from these officials.

During the sin-nod, Cardinal Burke and his co-authors wanted to ensure that all the synod fathers had their own copies of the book to educate their deliberations.  They sent each of them a copy of the book through the official Vatican mail system.  Someone amongst the progressive elements got wind of the mailing of these copies - and stole the copies from the mailboxes of the sin-nod fathers!  Yep!  That's right!  There are indications that this theft was ordered by none other than Cardinal Baldiserri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops.  One might hope that this is incorrect, but too much nonsense has emanated from this man to allow any reasonable doubt.

Is it really that outlandish to believe?  Consider that during the sin-nod, they were chomping at the bit to tinker with God's laws concerning marriage.  If they had so little regard for the Sixth Commandment, why should they uphold the Seventh Commandment?  I might add there was sin against the Eighth Commandment as well, as they were trying to stifle the truth regarding God's intent for marriage and family.

We must pray, watch and speak out.  As tumultuous as the last sin-nod was, I believe the next one will be far worse, if these revelations are any indication.

PS - I just checked out Mundabor's coverage of this and he reminded me of a less-than-stellar incident in which Pope Francis bragged and joked about stealing a Rosary from a corpse's hand.  I did post about it at the time; see this.  Can it be that Cdl Baldiserri was simply following his pontiff's precedent?

From The #Rosicagate And Maturation Departments: More Food For Thought

Father Timothy Scott, a Basilian priest in Canada and former spokesman for that order, tweeted an obscene acronym to Cardinal Burke.  After well-deserved outcry from Catholics everywhere, Scott took down the tweet and issued an apology (of sorts) to the cardinal and Catholics in general.

Most people will recall that Father Thomas Rosica is also a Basilian priest with strong Canadian ties (namely his Salt and Light broadcast venture).  Like Michael Voris and so many others, I see a strong correlation between Scott's tweet and Rosica's legal action against Vox Cantoris.

Michael Voris produced a Vortex today that asks many relevant questions regarding these two.  The timing  of these is no accident, as Voris points out.  I'll go a few steps further than Voris and postulate that these actions are part and parcel of the "maturation" that the pope wants us to undergo to soften us for the deluge of heresy that will probably pour forth from next October's sin-nod.  As an aside, I too look askance upon all this legal expense being incurred by Rosica.  Where is this "poor humble church" about which the pope waxes so eloquent?

It is clear from the Vortex that it was created before the news broke that Scott has been removed as spokesman for the Basilians.  Will he also be removed from the Canadian Bishops' Conference?  We might also ask if Rosica will keep his job at the Vatican.  If he does, I believe that will be quite indicative of the mindset of Father Lombardi and perhaps the pope himself.

#Rosicagate - Vortex Reveals More Of Fr Rosica's Chequered Past

How this man was ever ordained, let alone promoted to his current post, will remain a mystery to me.

Father Marcel Guarnizo On Legalized "Gay Marriage"

Recently Father Marcel Guarnizo was interviewed by Celtic Connections.  In this interview he discusses the legalization of so-called "gay marriage" in many European countries and the devastating effects that this perversion of marriage is having on children, families and the entire culture.  The recording is here and well worth a listen.  Please share this.

From The #Rosicagate Department - The Underlying Madness

Note before we begin.  Yes, we have both a new "department" and hashtag here.  I will be using them and invite others to do the same as new developments will undoubtedly unfold.

The Lepanto post linked to an address given by, and an article by Fr. Rosica.  They are fascinating for they reveal the true dissident mindset of this Vatican official.

First, let's look at an address that Rosica gave at Loyola University in Baltimore.  The Catholic Review published a transcript of that.  Please read it on their site.  I'll highlight some rather revealing snippets from that.  I'll do that "bullet style".

• Speaking of Pope Francis' election to the papacy he asks "How can we describe the sense of springtime that has come upon the church?"  What??!!?  This is rather revealing of his attitude towards Pope Benedict XVI and perhaps toward Pope St John Paul II.  Further talk of "revolution of tenderness" underscores this point.
• He writes "He has declared that the church’s main mission would no longer be as a lead combatant in the culture wars."  Let's clarify terms, shall we?  By "culture wars" we are talking about the core spirituality and morality that define western civilization.  Western civilization is being threatened with the acceptance of abortion, homosexual lifestyles, contraception, euthanasia.  Additionally, western civilization is unraveling because of an abandonment, if not outright rejection, of its Christian heritage and history.  Part and parcel of the Church's primary mission - to save souls - is to combat the moral rot that will lead to the damnation of souls.  As the Church established by Jesus Christ Himself, it is only fitting that the Church retains and even expands its leadership role in the "culture wars".
• He asked and answered a question: "What is the most important achievement of Pope Francis?  He has rebranded Catholicism and the papacy."  Well, he certainly has done that to the latter; but why should that be considered an "accomplishment"?  The papacy is 2000 years old, established by Jesus Christ Himself.  What?  Did Our Lord not do a good enough job of "branding the papacy"?
• In short, Rosica has shown his disdain for the history and traditions of the Church by portraying the Pope as some avant-garde person who will attempt to set the Church on a new course.  While his portrayal of the pope's intents may well be correct, his enthusiasm over the de facto mutation of the papacy is nonetheless regrettable.

This next article he wrote on the occasion of Ted Kennedy's very public funeral.  In it he excoriates those of us who protested the laudatory accolades afforded to someone who used his position to foment the murders of millions of tiny children in their mothers' wombs.  I won't pick apart his numerous logical fallacies regarding the funeral per se, nor even of his disparagement of concerned pro-life blogs.  I do want to point out some odd contrasts between what he wrote in this article and his actions against Vox Cantoris.  

• He says the writings of pro-life bloggers reveal "a new form of self-righteousness, condemnation and gnosticism reveals authors who behave as little children bullying one another around in schoolyards- casting stones, calling names, and wreaking havoc in the Church today!"  Speaking of "bullying" and "wreaking havoc", how may we characterize his legal threats against a Catholic blogger?
• He writes "What such people fail to realize is that their messages are ultimately screamed into a vacuum. No one but their own loud crowd is really listening."  Well, that's not true and he knows it.  Else, why is he attempting to sue Vox Cantoris into silence - and to intimidate the rest of us?

I refer you to the Lepanto post for more ironies and contradictions evident between Rosica's lofty words and his despicable actions towards Vox Cantoris.  I publicly call upon the Vatican to rein in Father Rosica as his actions are besmirching their appearance before the eyes of the world.

Physician Assisted Suicide Before Maryland Legislature

In the Maryland House and Senate, a "physican-assisted suicide" bill is in the hearing process.  Note: I will now cease usage of that lovely-sounding language and call it what it is - murder by doctor.  The bill numbers are:

• House - HB 1021, being heard by the Judiciary and by the Health and Government Operations Committees.
• Senate - SB 676, being heard by the Judicial Proceedings Committee

I linked to the bills so that you can study them.  I also linked to the memberships of the pertinent committees so that you can lobby these members for opposition to "murder by doctor".  Make no mistake about it - it's murder, pure and simple.  We cannot allow this bill to be passed - at least not without a valiant effort to prevent even more legalized murder in Maryland.

I was given the information above by an email alert from the Maryland Catholic Conference.  For that I am grateful, but the delivery of the information causes me great concern.  I'll post the relevant section of the email below.

Do you see the problem?  Two bills are being put forth for action as though they have equal weight in importance.  Clearly they do not.  One, the "murder by doctor" bill, involves the legalization of actions that are always intrinsically evil.  Of course Catholics and all good people must oppose this.  The other involves issues that are subject to prudential judgment by individuals.  Because the Maryland Education Tax Credit does not touch upon matters of inherent morality or immorality, good people can disagree when it comes to support of this bill.  The MCC has always had an unfortunate "laundry list" approach to various issues, treating all issues as though they had the same importance.  For this reason I do not participate in their Lobby Nights in February; I believe we must focus all energies and efforts to driving intrinsic evil from our laws.  Other matters can wait.

Catholic Freedom Of The Press

Yesterday's Vortex speaks to several things.  Voris addressed the "good old boy" network in the Catholic hierarchy as they try to undermine Holy Mother Church under a cloud of secrecy.  He's also addressing the existence of those of us faithful Catholics who simply won't allow these progressive lemmings to get away with that status quo any longer.  This blog was started for these very reasons as they exist in the Archdiocese of Washington.  In his words, "the Catholic free press has finally arrived and is ready to get down to business."

That last truth is what causes the Catholic progressives to gnash their teeth.  I've no doubt that the attack on Vox Cantoris by Father Rosica is part and parcel of a campaign to derail us.  Of course they'd like that accomplished well before "Sin-Nod 2" next October.  Father Rosica et al, that ain't happening!

From The Niggers Of The New Age Department: CA Lawmakers Attack Faithful Catholic Bishop

As many of you undoubtedly heard, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, chief shepherd of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, has taken actions to ensure that Catholic schools within his archdiocese are correctly imparting the Catholic faith to their students.  He has revised teacher contracts and faculty handbooks so that they outline the moral conduct expected of Catholic teachers.

Naturally progressives have knotted their knickers over the fact that a bishop is acting like (wait for it!) - a true successor to the Apostles!  Call to Action, a group well known for its dissidence, has launched a petition for the removal of the "outdated and discriminatory" morality clauses from the contracts.  Of course God's laws are never outdated, but these folks don't serve the One True God anyway, so anything goes with that cabal.

What truly is chilling about this matter is that several California lawmakers have chimed in, using the weight of their offices to "ask" the archbishop to remove the clauses that they say "foment a discriminatory environment".  This pdf of the letter reveals that it was written on official letterhead, presumably produced at taxpayer expense.

Ladies and gentlemen, this action on the part of these lawmakers flies in the face of the Constitution.  The First Amendment was written to prevent such tampering by governments in the internal affairs of religious bodies.  This action, taken by state officials to intimidate a bishop from proclaiming his faith in his church and schools does the very thing that it ostensibly is trying to prevent: the "fomenting of a discriminatory environment".  Can you imagine these lawmakers writing anything similar to a Jewish or Muslim school system?  Neither can I; hence I have consigned this matter to the "niggers of the new age" department, for once again faithful Catholics are being treated as so much kudzu and trash.  Of course this is San Francisco, with a high percentage of gay residents.  The laws of Jesus Christ speak truth to practicing homosexuals, making plain that their behaviors are mortally sinful and will greatly increase their chances of eternal damnation.  They gays, of course, hate hearing that and they pull the puppet strings of the California lawmakers.  It should be pointed out that at least one of these lawmakers is an unabashed sodomite.

Posted on Speroforum is an open letter to the legislators in question, written by my friend and Catholic Media Coalition colleague Stephanie Block.  The attempt of these lawmakers to interfere with internal matters of the Catholic Church is an affront and an outrage.  Please write your own and/or call at the numbers below (provided by California Catholic Daily, another CMC colleague).

Assemblyman Phil Ting (DEM – San Francisco (415) 557-2312.

Assemblymen Richard Gordon (DEM) – (916) 319-2024 or 650) 691-2121
chaired the LGBT caucus for 3 years, his “husband” is Dr. Dennis McShane, his first partner died of AIDS;

David Chiu, (DEM) (415) 846-8108 is associated with the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance;

Marc Levine (DEM (916) 319-2010

Kevin Mullin (DEM) (916) 319-2022

Sen. Mark Leno (DEM) (916) 651-4011
is also a member of the LGBT caucus

Jerry Hill (DEM). (916) 651-4013

See here for a list of emails.

The archbishop himself has responded to his attackers via open letter, showing them the logical fallacies of their intimidation attempt.  Good for him!

Another Progressive Spokesperson Suffers From Foot-In-Mouth Disease

I wonder if by now Father Rosica realizes that he charged headlong into a quicksand pond and is now reaping what he sowed.  At any rate, another progressive spokesperson has engaged her mouth

without putting her brain in gear.

I speak of Marie Harf, a spokeswoman for the State Department.  Her ideas for dealing with Islamic terrorism seem to come from the script of the musical "Hair".  She seems to think that bad guys with weapons will not be stopped by intelligent and decisive use of force.  She said we can't kill every one of them, so we need to get jobs for them.  I wonder if she plans to visit their camps and insert daffodils into the barrels of their machine guns.  We certainly hope her plan can be implemented before all the illegals snatch up those coveted jobs.  It's a pity this genius wasn't born during the 1930s, for if we had just found jobs for all the Nazis (remember - the Great Depression was in full swing), why, World War 2 might have been avoided!  Here's some Fox News commentary on this matter.

But if Harf's ideas take hold, here's what implementation of them might look like (and yes, it is a spoof).

More On Father Rosica Spouting Dissident Quackery

There's a reason why Father Rosica has the long knives out for Vox Cantoris.  It can be summed up in a saying: cockroaches flee the light.  We Catholic bloggers are shining the light on those who dissent from the Teachings of Jesus Christ.  I am proud to consider Vox Cantoris as a colleague in the fight for timeless truth.  So why is Vox Cantoris targeted?  I believe it's because both Rosica and the Vox blogger are Canadians.  If you read the linked lawyer letter closely, you'll notice that the lawyers are also Canadians, and Canadian law is invoked therein.  Mind you, the Vatican, through Rosica, are making their proverbial "shot across the bow" at all of us, but they perceive legal vulnerability with Vox Cantoris.

Lots of us Catholic bloggers have weighed in on the matter; the Tenth Crusade published an anthology of our posts.  I refer you to Michael Hichborn's post in Lepanto.  Hichborn makes a number of interesting points.  I won't comment on them all but will take minor exception to one.  He notes the priest's role to be a victim (read the article for context on that), and Rosica's refusal to follow that precept in this situation.  I hold it would be logically impossible for Rosica to try to adopt a victim's stance in that manner, for to truly be a victim, one must be innocent.  As Hichborn and others so aptly demonstrate, Rosica is guilty of objective wrongs, both in the wrongs that Vox and others pointed out and in the conduct of the lawsuit itself.

Besides yesterday's post, I've a number of them that mention the problematic statements of Rosica, including him calling the Holy Family "irregular".  Today Michael Voris released a Vortex regarding Rosica, including an encounter he had with Rosica while he was in Rome covering the sin-nod last October.  With this encounter, Rosica made plain that his status as "dissenter" is well-earned.  See for yourselves now.  After you watch the video, you may wish to contact the Vatican as suggested by Les Femmes.  You may also wish to pop over to the Salt and Light site (of which Rosica is CEO) and voice your displeasure there; at the bottom of that page is his Twitter address.  Since he's obviously been on Twitter a lot, he'll certainly get your message there.

Vatican Spokesman Suing Faithful Catholic Blogger

My blogging colleague Vox Cantoris has been targeted by Father Thomas Rosica, Vatican spokesman.  Within the linked post you can see another link that is a pdf of the letter he received from Rosica's attorneys.  Take a look at it and you can see that Rosica doesn't like it when his public statements draw comments that aren't favorable to him.  The whole list of grievances reads like a big temper tantrum.

Here's a post from Vox that probably knotted his knickers.  Notice the picture of a tweet that Rosica sent.  A reasonable person might conclude that Rosica agreed with the depiction of Cardinal Burke as a "dissenter" (the word "dissenter" being redefined by Cardinal Wuerl).   Yoo, hoo!  Father Rosica!  Here's a fact that you'll do well to learn: when you make a public statement, you invite public comment!  If those comments are going to hurt your poor widdle feel-bads, you'd do best not to put them out there until you grow up a bit!

I'm also a bit bemused by what appears to be a double-standard being exercised by Rosica.  His lawyers are carrying on about "defamatory statements" and "damage to reputation".  Father Rosica (and lawyers), what about these statements that Rosica lodged against LifeSiteNews several years ago, voicing publicly his opinions that LifeSiteNews is:

• "not ethical"
• "not honest"
• "bombastic"
• "not credible"
• "doing the work of Satan"

So Rosica can voice his opinions against a faithful Catholic outlet, but let another Catholic outlet voice their opinions about his public conduct - and he tries to break out the long knives?  I fail to see how this is proper conduct for a person involved in the media, let alone a Catholic priest.

In that incident with LifeSiteNews, Rosica trash-talked LSN in the same breath that he used to call for "civility, charity, kindness and humanity".  I now believe that was a tactic to try to stifle LSN.  That didn't work so now he's going the legal route.  That won't work, either.  We will speak the truth.

Today's Vortex deals with this matter.  Here it is.

Interesting Definitions Of Dissent And Terrorism

In order for prelates to monkey around with theology, they must first attempt to redefine basic terminology, that is, they must twist the meanings of specific words.  Whoever controls the language controls not only the debate but ultimately the thinking of unsuspecting listeners.  To that end, I write this post to expose some linguistic chicanery.

First we take a look at remarks made by Cardinal Reinhard Marx.  He gave an interview to America magazine two weeks ago.  In it he validated homosexual relationships.  Of course that's impossible since the sin of homosexual conduct is always evil.  But he didn't stop there.  He went on to liken people yearning for traditional mentality with terrorists.  Here's the quote from LifeSiteNews.  "I had a discussion with some of the students, 'Cardinal is it true that the younger people are more traditional?’ And that’s true. But that is not dangerous.  I have no problem with tradition. But we have also the tendencies that the people want to be clear in their positions. Black and white populism is growing in Europe. And that is the beginning, perhaps, of populism, of terrorism, that’s clear.  The atmosphere of reducing the complexity of the world, to give simple answers, to give black and white answers, is growing, and I think that is very dangerous,”

Got that?  If people want the truth of Jesus Christ, that is the "beginning of terrorism.  Let's address this bugaboo regarding "simple answers", shall we?  The truth usually is simple; it may not be easy to implement as it often goes against sinful natures, but the meaning is simple.  Such is God's prohibition against homosexual conduct, for instance.  But progressives often like to make the truth seem more convoluted than it is, to allow themselves an excuse not to conform their lives to it.

Closer to home, we read a blog post by Cardinal Donald Wuerl entitled The Pope, Touchstone Of Faith And Unity.  In the second paragraph, he alludes to "an interview and an article by brother bishops."  Might that brother be - Cardinal Burke?  He voices discontent at those who differ from various popes.  Some things are worth noting.  First, not all examples he cites involve matters of faith and morals.  For instance, there were differences of opinion regarding clerical vesture and proper protocol in crowd situations.   There is also Cardinal Wuerl's own blatant disregard for Canon 915, as he takes it upon himself to aid and abet sacrilegious Holy Communions by dissident Catholics AND punishing priests who uphold the Canon (as happened to Father Guarnizo three years ago).

A key to understanding his blog post might be found in his peculiar definition of dissenters: those who "disagree with the pope because he does not agree with them and therefore follow their position."   Not quite!  Dissenters are those who willfully diverge from the Teachings and Traditions of Holy Mother Church and her Lord Jesus Christ.  These are two very different definitions; there can be congruence between them if the pope is himself faithful to these Traditions of the Church.  But if the pope diverges from the Church's teachings and faithful Catholics call him on it, these Catholics disagree with the pope precisely because in that instance it is the pope who is the dissenter.

So there you have it!  Cardinal Marx calls the yearning for the Church's teachings as "terrorism".  Cardinal Wuerl thinks it is "dissent" to object to papal violations of canon law, tinkering with the sin-nod interim report, etc.  Might it just be part and parcel of the "maturation" that the pope wants to have accomplished before the next synod?

Cardinal Maradiaga Continues His Espousal Of Socialism

I've written quite a bit about the harm that Cardinal Maradiaga is inflicting upon the Church: his dalliance with the World Social Forum, his encouragement of the encroachment of illegal aliens and his foolish embrace of "climate warming" (we could use a little warming right now, but I digress).  Now consider that he is the head of the "gang of eight" prelates that are serving as top advisers to the pope.

Today the Catholic Herald UK gave details about remarks made by the cardinal at a book presentation recently.  In the words of the Herald piece, "The book includes an interview with Pope Francis responding to accusations that he is a Marxist or a Communist because of his insistence that the economy, finance and free market must be controlled to ensure a greater distribution of the world’s wealth. A portion of the interview was published in January. 'I did not say anything that is not in the social teaching of the Church,' he said in the full interview."

This "insistence that the economy be controlled" begs some questions.  First, who or what should be doing this "controlling"?  That makes a world of difference.  If that controlling is done by the government, well that is socialism by definition.  And if the pope and cardinal think that socialism does not contradict Church teaching, what do they say about the words of previous pontiffs?

Further down the article, we see the cardinal grumbling about "bank officials" being allowed to retire comfortably and play golf while others are struggling.  Again, who does this "allowing"?  Have you ever noticed how these socialists like to couch their sentences in passive voice?  When one uses passive voice in a sentence, the subject of the sentence is usually not mentioned as it would be in active voice.  Thus we see things like "being controlled" and "being allowed", phrases that shift focus on the receiver of the "allowing" and "controlling" as opposed to the initiator of the action.  If the initiator were made manifest, then most would see plainly the intentions of the Maradiagas of the world and rightfully reject them.

By the way - if Maradiaga wants an image of a powerful person wantonly playing golf while people to whom he answers are suffering, I direct his attention to the picture at right.  The Messiah Most Miserable has taken copious golf trips paid by the taxpayers of this country, many of whom are financially strapped owing to his draconian taxes, etc.  When will Maradiaga rebuke him?  The answer is "never" for he and Obama are of the same mind in all too many respects.

Was Father Manelli Framed?

Father Stefano Manelli is one of two founders of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FFI).  This past year that order, devoted to the traditional Mass and by all accounts growing and thriving, was all but obliterated through the machinations of Father Fidenzio Volpi, Apostolic Commissioner of the FFI.  Father Volpi was appointed to that position by Pope Francis himself.  Owing to Volpi's "work", the FFI is a shadow of its former self.

Comes now the news from Rorate Caeli that Father Volpi has been found guilty of spreading "defamation and lies".  He'll have to pay 20,000 euros to the Manelli family as well as issue public apologies.  So now it appears that the FFI was deliberately reduced to tatters; for what reason we can only speculate.  Volpi apparently set about to destroy Father Manelli's good name; now his own is besmirched.

Now the question is, "will Pope Francis allow the FFI to reestablish itself and will they be allowed to pursue their holy calling?"  In short, will the pope do right by the FFI?

Bishop Schneider's Talk Today In DC Archdiocese

As I announced last Monday, Bishop Athanasius Schneider spoke today at Annunciation Church in

The bishop autographing a copy of his book

Washington DC.  It was quite a turnout to hear His Excellency, as well there should have been.  Many thanks are due to both the Paulus Institute and the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) for organizing this event.  At this talk, copies of Bishop Schneider's book, Dominus Est, were on sale.  I procured a copy.  The book is his reflections on Holy Communion; his talk today dealt with the topic of Holy Communion and the Mass.

The organizers of the event had their own professional video recorder do the recording of the bishop's talk; they will advise me when it's posted to youtube.  At that time I'll link to it.  In the meantime, I present to you an audio-only recording that I took with my pocket-size Sony recorder.  I think it's clear enough for you to get the gist of this afternoon's discussion.  Not only may you listen, but you should be able to download this mp3 file.

Please pray for Bishop Schneider and all those who hold fast to the teachings of Jesus Christ, that they'll stand fast against the onslaught of the progressives in high places, even at the top of the Vatican.

Some Basic Civics Regarding The US Government

Mic'd Up - UnCatholic Media

In today's Mic'd Up, Michael Voris takes on "unCatholic media".  He places four groupings of media organizations under that umbrella:

1. Establishment Catholic media - for example, the official publications of the various dioceses
2. Dissident media - examples include the publications of Catholics For Free Choice, New Ways, etc.
3. Reactionary media - Under this category he places the Remnant, Catholic Family News
4. Secular media - Washington Post, Boston Globe

Below is the video.  As you watch it, please bear these posts in mind.  They pertain to Vortexes that he put up several months ago.  As background, he is responding to criticisms from others for not pointing out the pope's faults.  In my own posts I acknowledged he had the right to determine his own policies in what he published.  Where I did take exception was his lambasting us who did point out dubious papal doings and sayings.

Since the time of those regrettable posts, the number of papal gaffes have multiplied to such an extent that no reasonable person can escape noticing them and that is evident in the video below.  Pay close attention to his conversations with Edward Pentin (particularly at the 12:20 mark) and Christina Niles (particularly at 36:00 as she speaks of "right diagnosis").  Perhaps it was the muck and mire proceeding from last October's sin-nod that proved the tipping point; who knows?

As far as that first grouping of "establishment Catholic media" goes, one such outlet can be thanked for the origin of this blog.  The Catholic Standard's obstinate refusal to acknowledge the problems in the DC chancery left me no alternative but to start this to get the truth out.  Now the video:

DC Area Pro-Life Activists! Want To Learn To Save Babies?

Please pass this along and please come!  Perhaps you too will save a baby and his/her mother!

Kazakhstan Archbishop Doubts Voluntary Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

Archbishop Jan Pawel Lenga, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Karaganda in Kazakhstan, has released a letter regarding the goings-on of the inner sanctums of the Vatican.  Rorate Caeli obtained a copy of this letter and they are making it public with the aim of awakening some Catholics who insist on looking at all things pontifical with rose-colored glasses.  Because I share Rorate's goals I will also post the entire text of this letter below the jump break.

The archbishop mentions that "..it is increasingly evident that the Vatican, through the Secretariat of State has taken the course of political correctness."   The rest of the paragraph warrants study.  It ends with "the meetings of the Bishops' Conferences often deal with issues which are foreign to the nature of the duties of the successors of the apostles."  Ladies and gentlemen, how often have you read posts on this blog and others that lend credibility to His Excellency's words?  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been a particular menace to the Faith, minimizing true moral doctrines as they openly espouse illegal immigration and divert Catholic donations to pro-gay and pro-death outfits via the Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

As you proceed further down, you see the statement "it is difficult to believe that Pope Benedict XVI freely renounced his ministry as successor of Peter."  He is plainly saying what many of us have suspected; with his knowledge of what transpires in Vatican halls and offices.

It's high time that all in the Church open their eyes and see the plain truth that has been screaming at us these past several months.  And now, below the jump break, is the letter so..

Bishop Athanasius Schneider To Speak In Archdiocese Of Washington Saturday Feb 14th

During the past few months I've written a bit on Bishop Athanasius Schneider.  He, along with Cardinal Burke and others, has done the Church an immense service by shedding the light on some of the pig slop that oozed from the sin-nod last October.

For that reason I was delighted to read in Rorate Caeli that Bishop Schneider will be speaking in the Archdiocese of Washington this coming Saturday at 2pm.  He will be at Annunciation Church located at 3810 Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington DC.  The topic of his talk will be "Some Aspects of the Renewal of the Church and Its Liturgy".

Please spread the word and attend yourselves.  This good bishop deserves a hearing.

Cardinal Burke: "I Shall Resist"

That was the reply that Cardinal Burke gave during an interview with a French television show.  The interview was, or will be aired sometime today.

The question was "If perchance the pope will persist in this direction (that is, allowing Holy Communion to be given to those in de facto adultery), what will you do?"

The excerpt from that interview is here.   My fellow blogger, Eye Witness, has more commentary plus a video of that interview.  The interview is conducted in Italian with French subtitles.  I recall enough French to be able to understand just what is being said here.

He immediately followed with, "I can do nothing else."  Ladies and gentlemen, if the pope does proceed in that direction (and if so, it will be via praxis as the pope cannot solemnly proclaim error), we laity must also adopt that stance.  What would that entail on a practical level?  Well, we hope we won't be put in a position where we must answer those questions.  If that happens, however, each and every one of us must be prepared to step out of our comfort zones, forfeit positions within our parish structures and suffer all manners of "white persecution".

In the meantime, let us continue to pray and to work for the purification of Holy Mother Church, along with our own souls.

Another Scandalous Funeral For A Flamboyant Dissident - Time To Speak Up

Today's Vortex gives the details regarding a very public funeral for a Planned Parenthood and pro-gay activist.  In it, Voris alludes to contact information for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston; here it is.

UPDATE - The entire archdiocesan site seems to be down at this time.  In the meantime, ChurchMilitant did provide some phone numbers at this link.  (Now it's back up.)

From The Maturation Department - Cardinal Baldiserri Embraces Heresy Of Modernism

I came across a video of a talk given by Father Paul Scalia of the Diocese of Arlington.  This is an expose of the heresy known as modernism.  In it Father details why it is a heresy and what various popes, particularly Pope St Pius X, had to say about it.  One of the links I'll give below gives the entire text of the Oath Against Modernism that the sainted pontiff ordered all clergy and seminary teachers to take.  The context of the video itself makes plain that this talk occurred several years ago when Pope Benedict XVI was still the reigning pontiff so he could not have had any premonition of the events of the past year, particularly of the disastrous sin-nod of last October.  One salient point came at the 25:57 mark, when Father said "once you have 'evolution of dogma' there's really no dogma whatsoever".  Hold that truth in mind as we proceed through this post.

Two weeks ago, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldiserri opened a three-day conference of lay and family movements.  Aleteia has more coverage of that.  The conference was called to reflect upon the preparatory document for next October's synod; encompassed in that was the final report from last October's sin-nod: the one that contained, by order of Pope Francis, the three morally questionable statements that had been voted down by the synod fathers.

The Cardinal took some questions.  One of them was from an organization that expressed shock that Cardinal Kasper could suggest that those divorced and remarried Catholics who never had their first marriages declared null by the Church, should be able to receive Holy Communion while living in de facto adultery.  (By the way - here's some more examples of the problems with Cardinal Kasper.)  The Cardinal replied by saying "we shouldn't be shocked that there is a different position from the 'common doctrine'".   Then he went on to say, "there’s no reason to be scandalized that there is a cardinal or a theologian saying something that’s different than the so-called ‘common doctrine.’ This doesn’t imply a going against. It means reflecting. Because dogma has its own evolution; that is a development, not a change." Emphasis mine, and for reasons stated in the first paragraph.

Edward Pentin has a brief commentary, but his includes the text of Pope Pius X's Oath Against Modernism.  He too highlighted the relevant statements.  If Cardinal Baldserri took that oath, he violated it.  By the way - if the name "Edward Pentin" seems familiar, he's the British journalist whose career Cardinal Kasper tried to destroy after Pentin caught Kasper in a lie regarding his "african" quip - but I digress.  A Blog for Dallas Area Catholics has some additional commentary.

Some may wonder why I harp on Cardinal Baldiserri since the sin-nod happened in last October.  What happened last October was a preparation for the Ordinary Synod on the Family that will occur next October.  Baldiserri, by the pope's designation, will have the same leadership role next October as he did last time.  You must understand the minds and the errors that will pervade next year's meeting.  Understand, too, that the pope said we have a "year to mature".  It seems like one phase of this attempted "maturation" is to induce Catholics to swallow the heresy of modernism.  Watch Father Scalia below to learn more of this threat.

Why New Catholic Media Does What It Does

The Mic'd Up below explains why we do what we do.  This blog, for example, started in large part because the Catholic Standard - being the archdiocesan mouthpiece that it is - refused to tell the truth about the chicanery occurring in the DC chancery and some of the parishes.

Pope Meets With Lesbian Couple - To What Purpose?

By now you've probably heard that the Pope met with two lesbians on Saturday January 24 in Vatican City.  One of them calls herself a "transgender man", having mutilated her body to resemble one.  She calls herself "Diego".  As she probably did legally change her name, I'll call her that.  However, I will NOT use masculine pronouns as I refer to Diego, as I refuse to acquiesce to her lies.

It seems that she felt rejected by her parish after she commenced the mutilation procedure and complained to the pope via letter.  After some back-and-forth, Diego and her partner in perversion traveled to the Vatican and met with the pope.  While the pope and his office are mum on the details and proceedings of that meeting, Diego isn't.  Her version of it is that the pope was accepting of their perversions and even went so far as to say to her "of course you are a son of the church."

Now we haven't heard corroboration from the Vatican on this.  It could well be that Diego is flat out lying about that statement.  I certainly hope so, simply because Diego is not a "son of the church" but rather a daughter of the church.

Father Peter Carota, who writes the "Traditional Catholic Priest" blog, noticed some interesting parallels in some situations where the pope contacts those who consider themselves "marginalized" because of their ongoing sinful lives.  As you read this, think of his encounter with the Argentine woman married to the divorced man; the pope told her it was fine for her to receive Holy Communion while living in de facto adultery. These people feel uncomfortable in their local churches, precisely because they are being confronted with their deadly sins.  They whine and somehow their complaints are heard by the Vatican.  In reply, the pope offers them some very public "compassion.  As Father says, this compassion is misplaced for it does not correct the sin that will cause eternal damnation.

Again, we don't know the Vatican's version of what happened during that meeting, and we might well never know.  However, we are not completely in the dark about what happened, for even though the women might be lying we can glean a lot from the nature of what they say, be it ever so true or false.
Sometime ago it was explained to me that when truth is proclaimed plainly and properly, the reactions of the hearers will fall into two general categories. In one category will be those who are convicted of sin and who thus repent. The other category are those who won't repent, and they'll make very plain that they hate what they heard. The reactions of those women fall into neither category as they both had very positive things to say about their encounter as they continue to carry out their perverted lifestyles.  They even plan to "get married".  In short, their reactions are those who did not hear unambiguous truth and who were not the recipients of the First Spiritual Work of Mercy: that is, "rebuke the sinner".

We need to pray for those women, that they be delivered from the path that seems to be taking them to eternal hell.  We need to pray that our shepherds, including the Chief Shepherd in the Vatican, start taking their sacred duties seriously.

What Pope Francis Allowed To Be Destroyed

On December 8, 2013, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Father Fidenzio Volpi closed the seminary operated by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.  The FFI was an order dedicated to the Mass in the Extraordinary Form and to other time-held traditions of Holy Mother Church.  They drew many vocations as you will see in the video posted below.  I and other bloggers have written about the draconian treatment meted out to this order, and to the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate.  The only motive that seems logical in the face of such behavior is the wanton destruction of the Deposit of Faith entrusted to Holy Mother Church by Our Lord.

Rorate Caeli has obtained video of the daily life within this seminary, taken by one of the seminarians on the very day the seminary was shuttered.  Please read Rorate's account of the horrid way in which these young men have been treated.  Circulate this widely.  Pray that sanity returns to those entrusted with guarding and shepherding the Church.  Now the video, as obtained and promulgated by Rorate Caeli.

Cardinal's Appeal Is Unappealing

Today at Mass most parishioners in the Archdiocese of Washington (DC) were presented the flyer at the right, along with a preliminary pitch from the celebrating priest.  I've no doubt that the priests were directed from above to incorporate it into their homilies.  Today we heard that one primary purpose of the Appeal was to finance the formation of seminarians within the archdiocese, mostly at the Saint John Paul II Seminary that is adjacent to Catholic University.  If the flyer at the right is any indication of the formation these good young men are receiving, we have much cause for concern.

Do you see the problem?  Don't feel bad; I missed it too!  Fortunately a friend pointed it out to me via email.  Look at the top picture.  That is not just a stage presentation.  A closer examination will reveal clergy, vested for Mass, seated behind the dancers.  What we are seeing here is the liturgical abuse known as "liturgical dance".  In Churches in the West, liturgical dance is forbidden.  Period.  The fact that this picture of liturgical dissidence is featured in an archdiocesan publication - and located on the front top section, no less - is an indication of the abysmal ignorance (or possibly cavalier disregard) for the rubrics of the liturgy on the part of highly-placed archdiocesan officials.  I hope the seminarians are availing themselves of real information regarding the proper celebration of the Sacraments.

At any rate, this flyer that the Archdiocese seems to think will drum up dollars is indicative of why they may not be the best stewards of your contributions.  Now we are commanded by the Precepts of the Church to "support the Church's work".  The promotion of "liturgical dance" (and some of the other archdiocesan escapades exposed on this and other blogs) is NOT the work of the Church!  There are plenty of other worthy recipients of your donation dollars.  The much-beleaguered Little Sisters of the Poor and/or the Missionaries of Charity comes to mind, as well as pro-life pregnancy centers and others.