Archdiocese Of Baltimore Has Filed For Bankruptcy

A Maryland law, signed in April, will take effect this Sunday, October 1, 2023.  It will remove statute of limitations deadlines for the filing of child sexual assault lawsuits against institutions.  At that time, the Maryland Attorney General's office had released a report detailing the abuse of 600 children by 150 clergy.  That report was revised this past month and can be found here.  Only a handful of names are redacted from this one.

In a move most likely calculated to shield church assets from lawsuits anticipated as a result of both the law and the report, today the Archdiocese of Baltimore has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Among other things, that means that any settlement of suits will be handled in bankruptcy courts, not civil courts.   They tend to be less transparent.

It Will Be A Sin-Nod For Sodomy If Cardinal Gregory's Words Are Any Indication

The dreaded anticipated "Synod on Synodality" will start next week and it promises to be a blight upon Holy Mother Church.  First, take a look at the complete list of delegates to this gab-fest, courtesy of the National Catholic Register.  Cardinal Gregory appears towards the bottom of the list, in the section entitled "members nominated by Pope Francis".  In other words, he holds no position in the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, but Francis wants him there anyway.  Others who are so esteemed (?) by Francis include Cardinal Cupich, Father James Martin, and Cardinal McElroy.  I see that Cardinal Muller is also in that list.  That list was created before Muller publicly supported Bishop Strickland, so we'll see what his fate there will be, but I digress.

Now look at this article, penned by Gregory, that appeared on page 5 of the September 14th issue of the Catholic Standard.  (Note: Should this link be "broken", please advise.  I have the printed version and would be more than happy to upload pictures of that.)  Pay close attention to the last sentence of the second paragraph.  You will see that Gregory, in his use of the term "sexual orientation", likens the intrinsically disordered orientation of same-sex and other perverted attraction to innate and benign characteristics such as ethnicity, language, etc.

This mention of "sexual orientation" is no accident, no Freudian slip.  Recall that when Gregory first come to Washington DC, he participated in a "Theology on Tap" session during which he sang the praises of Fortunate Families, a gay-coddling cabal.

Since then, Gregory has been relatively quiet regarding the gay agenda.  But now, on the cusp of this Sin-Nod for Sodomy, he's making noises as though he is once again shilling for sexual perversion.  This article was no blooper, no slip of the tongue.  It is a shot across the bow, a harbinger of things to come, particularly from this Sin-Nod.  And that is just what this gab-fest will: a nod towards the sins of sodomy and other perversions of not only morals but the One True Faith as well.

Please be praying your Rosaries and be studying the Faith on your own, for you'll get no real guidance, neither from the Vatican nor any of the chanceries from which these Sin-Nod delegates hail.  Also please do not contribute to any in-pew collection for Bishop's appeals nor for the Peter's Pence collections.  Direct any such donations to those organizations that uphold the Traditional Catholic teachings on faith and morals.

Cardinal Muller Stands With Bishop Strickland

In my previous post, the one just before this, I voiced a hope in the second paragraph that there would be other prelates besides Archbishop Vigano and Bishop Schneider who would publicly support Bishop Strickland.  Therefore I was pleased to see in LifeSiteNews that Cardinal Muller, former Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, voicing his support of Strickland and urging him not to resign.

Your Eminences and Your Excellencies, it is time to stand for Christ's teachings and to be counted as faithful prelates!

Archbishop Vigano And Bishop Schneider Stand With Bishop Strickland

Bishop Strickland made a statement regarding the news of the Vatican's desire for his resignation.  He acknowledged the pope's right to remove him from his post.  However, he says that he will not resign, thus running from the charge given to him by Pope Benedict.  I for one support Strickland's stance.  If the pope wants Strickland out, he will have to get ugly about it.

Bishop Athanasius Schneider sent to Bishop Strickland a very supportive letter, and it was shared by LifeSiteNews.  In that letter, Schneider told Strickland that future popes would thank Strickland for his fidelity to Christ's teachings.  Likewise, Archbishop Vigano communicated his thoughts to Strickland, encouraging him to continue his course and not quit his post voluntarily.  We await communications from other prelates.  Surely Schneider and Vigano cannot be the only ones who, like Strickland, understand what it truly means to be a bishop.

So what will be Francis' next move?  Whatever it is, it will have to wait.  It seems that Francis is going to address the Clinton Foundation on September 18.  This will take the form of a "special conversation" with Bill Clinton regarding favorite pet causes of the progressives, such as "climate change" and unbridled amnesty for border-crashers.  Other attendees of this conference include Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, some of our less-than-favorite left-wing governors such as the ones from California, Maryland, Illinois, Michigan.  Among others, there is a representative from an outfit called "Black Trans Liberation".  Now take a look at this guy.  Would you want to meet him in a dark alley?

Somehow when Francis chats with Bill Clinton, I suspect that he won't be calling the Clintons and the rest of that cabal to repentance for their promotion of baby-slaughter and sexual perversions.  I expect that conversation to be all happy-clappy with mutual praise and admiration flowing ad nauseum. 

Understand the reason why Francis is only too happy to chat with a pro-abortion left-wing cabal while drawing long knives upon faithful clergy.  He and the ilk led by George Soros, Klaus Schwab, Bill Gates, etc are in cahoots with each other.  Faithful prelates stand in their way because the leftwing agenda is at complete odds with the teachings of Our Lord.  Not only do the progressives consider bishops like Joseph Strickland to be fair game, but the bulls-eyes are trained on us as well.  We need to acknowledge that.

Pro-Life Activists, Please Cease With The Circular Firing Squads

Recently Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life sent an email blast to her list.  The topic revolved around the pro-lifers who were arrested and are now facing prison because of the rescue at Cesare Santangelo's baby-killing center in Washington DC.  Five of the activists have already been convicted and the others will go on trial shortly. 

I gather that some affiliates of Students for Life were concerned that their sidewalk activism might land them in jail and Hawkins was trying to reassure them that it wouldn't.  While I understand her desire to give assurances to her affiliates, she did so in a way that appears to belittle the efforts of those who engaged in the rescue of 2020. 

The body of her email blast appears below, with problematic parts highlighted.

Begin blast email.

Dear XXXX,  I've had a handful of students reach out concerned that doing peaceful pro-life activism, like engaging in sidewalk counseling or praying in front of an abortion facility, could result in an arrest. First and foremost, I'm writing you today to nip that in the bud... but I also want to give you some context. In October of 2020, pro-lifers affiliated with a different organization protested at the Washington Surgi-Clinic, operated by the notorious late-term abortionist Cesare Santangelo. Their chosen form of protest was a blockade of the facility. They knew that blocking the abortion facility was illegal, and they could be arrested for a felony thanks to the unjust FACE Act, which has been a law since the early 90s. This week, these activists were found guilty of FACE Act violations, which will be appealed according to their attorneys’ statements, and they are now in jail awaiting their sentencing, which could mean up to 11 years in federal prison. These young people collectively face decades in jail. XXX, I understand the passion that drove these activists to protest this evil late-term abortion facility. What Santangelo allegedly did to at least five fully-formed babies is horror beyond words. But while I empathize AND wholeheartedly believe the FACE Act is a garbage law designed to silence pro-lifers, I don’t believe that risking arrest and eleven years in a federal prison is the way the Pro-Life Generation will abolish abortion. The activism we ask the Pro-Life Generation to engage in is always legal.   Now, you may be remembering a different 2020 incident in which Students for Life members were arrested in Washington, D.C. for sidewalk chalking. There are some really important differences between these two arrests: 1. SFLA made every effort to obtain legal permission to carry out our event in front of the Washington, D.C. Planned Parenthood. We were unjustly denied despite our peaceful activities being clearly protected by the First Amendment (as we've argued in court, due to viewpoint discrimination). We did not show up thinking anyone would be arrested for sidewalk chalking. 2. The activists arrested at Santangelo's facility knowingly violated the FACE Act. It's their prerogative to peacefully carry out pro-life activism that way, knowing they will be punished by a weaponized, pro-abortion Department of Justice. But it's just not how we do things at SFLA. I believe pro-life activism can be impactful, life-saving, and mind-changing within the confines of the law. Granted, the FACE Act is, as I mentioned, a garbage law meant to oppress Americans who believe abortion is wrong. It's representative of a pattern of legal oppression against pro-life Americans that is emerging. But we will protest and work to change bad laws - not break them. And we will not stop working as hard as possible to abolish abortion, no matter what stands in our way. Please let me know if you have any questions about our practices and beliefs as it relates to your involvement with Students for Life.

For Life,

End blast email.

I have things that I could say about those hghlighted phrases, but that would obscure my main point.  It's one thing to disagree with tactics used by others, but quite another to hold oneself superior to others because of that disagreement.  This is what comes across in this email blast.  If that was not the intent, I suggest some clarification be issued.  

The pro-life battle has many fronts.  Various good people will focus on given fronts, depending on their talents and their life circumstances.

This is not the first time I've addressed this matter.  Besides this blog, I also write for a Baltimore-based pro-life organization called Defend Life.  On page 3 of the May 23 - June 23 issue, I addressed it because of a talk given by one of the rescuers.  He too fell into the error of disparaging aspects of pro-life work that utilized tactics other than rescues.

I humbly suggest that all pro-life parties cease immediately this sniping at each other and/or engaging in self-aggrandizement at each other's expense.

The Cancellation Of Another Faithful Prelate Is On The Horizon

Please see this for an anthology of posts regarding Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, TX.  From these accounts (and posts from other sites), you can see that Bishop Strickland has been outspoken for the truth, even to the extent of pointing out papal errors.

You will note from the July 4 post that Strickland was the target of an "apostolic visitation".  One of the delightful little "visitors", Kicanas, is no pillar of orthodoxy.  Of course, in the eyes of the current occupant of Peter's chair, that is a good thing, making him quite qualified to quash bishops who actually uphold the Faith.

Just two months later, well-founded rumors are spewing from the Vatican that Francis is set to ask Bishop Strickland to resign.  While this leaves Strickland's future in doubt, to be asked by this pope to resign is most definitely a badge of honor.  By far, he is not the first.  There was Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton PA.  Fifteen years ago, US hierarchy arranged for his ouster after he took aim at pro-abortion Catholic politicians, ordering his priests to withhold Communion from known pro-aborts.  Archbishop Vigano is literally in hiding for going public about his knowledge of the McCarrick mess.  Cardinal Burke was ousted from his posts at the Vatican, to be replaced by flaming dissidents.

Speaking of Cardinal Burke, he and Cardinal Brandmuller are still awaiting answers to the dubia that they posted to the Vatican several years ago.  Yet a scant two months after a bullying visitation, they are feverishly getting ready to give Bishop Strickland the heave-ho.  Perhaps it was Strickland's pastoral letter to his flock, warning them about the Sin-nod on Sin-odomy.

I am not a canon lawyer and don't know what rights (if any) that Strickland has in this matter.  I hope and pray that he uses any rights and not just fade quietly into the night.

According To Francis, We Faithful Catholics Are "Backwards-Looking" And "Reactionary"

Whining to some fellow Jesuits while in Portugal for the World Youth Debacle, Pope Francis crabbed about Catholics faithful to Tradition, calling us "backwards-looking" and "reactionary".  He tries so hard to convince us that there is an "appropriate evolution in the understanding of matters of faith and morals".

He cited some examples, disregarding the fact that he is holding to heresy.  He went on: "today it is a sin to possess atomic bombs.  The death penalty is a sin; you cannot employ it, but it was not so before."  If he wants to yammer about "appropriate evolution", here is a case where this so-called "evolution" is so inappropriate as to be called heresy, or at least based on heresy.  The underlying heresy is in believing that God can somehow change.  He is beyond change.  He is immutable, and thus His words and thoughts are, too.  Pope St. Pius X had much to say about Francis' mindsets in Pascendi Dominici Gregis.  I suggest you read it.

Later he said, "what I don't like at all is that we look at the so-called 'sins of the flesh' with a magnifying glass..if you lied or cheated, it doesn't matter and instead, only sins below the waist are relevant".   "So-called sins of the flesh"?  Yes, Francis!  That is the term used by Our Lady of Fatima when she told the three children that more souls go to hell on account of sins of the flesh than any other sins.  I can see, though, where that might not be relevant if one doesn't believe in hell.

He said this regarding persons currently committing mortal sins of homosexual relations: "the door is open to everyone.  Everyone has their own space in the church."  After this is when he let loose with his "so-called sins of the flesh" quips.

I believe there is some "method to the madness" here.  He has two things on the horizon.  First there is this so-called "Synod on Synodality" that some have dubbed "sin-nod on sodomy".  Yes, there will most likely be some heresy regarding homosexuality that comes out of this thing.  In fact, given previous patterns regarding past meetings, the "documents resulting from the synod" are most likely written and ready to be released at an opportune time.  Of course any little poison pill will be buried amidst piles and piles of fluffy-puff verbosity.

Speaking of verbal diarrhea, be prepared for another encyclical that Michael Matt has dubbed "Laudato Si II".  Oh, joy!  Hear for yourselves.  

We need to resist the onslaughts against truth coming at us from the Vatican, just as we must resist the civil wonks who are rattling the covid sabers again.

National Day of Remembrance - Saturday September 9

Please copy this and circulate widely.  Pro-life people in the Baltimore area and to the northern part of the state are highly encouraged to attend.  Those outside the area, please check the website below for a National Day of Remembrance in your locality.