Personnel Is Policy - Cardinal Muller Removed From CDF

Today it was announced that Pope Francis has removed Cardinal Gerhard Muller from his position as Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  He will take post as Archbishop of Mainz.  His replacement at the CDF?  Cardinal Christophe Schonborn of Vienna: yes, this one.  He is also the prelate that overrode one of his priests when the latter blocked an openly gay man from sitting on a parish council - just two months after Cardinal Wuerl ousted Father Guarnizo for likewise being a faithful priest.  See here for more of Schonborn's destructive antics.

We knew this was just a matter of time, didn't we?  Cardinal Muller has been one of the few remaining voices of sanity and orthodoxy in the Vatican, much to the chagrin of many of his fellows and perhaps even Pope Francis.  Read here for an account of the many times he, as Prefect of the CDF, spoke truth to the lunacy spewing forth from the Vatican.  More than a year ago I predicted that Muller might well find himself in progressive cross-hairs; that has come to pass.  Surprise!!

As they say, "personnel is policy".  With all the faithful prelates being ejected from positions of influence in the Vatican in favor of progressives and de facto heretics, can there linger any reasonable doubt regarding the policies of Pope Francis?

Correction - There is reason to hope that this change has not happened and that the reporting was premature.

The New Possibilities That Point Toward Hell

Once again we hear the pope making wild claims while engaged in an in-flight interview.  In the past I viewed these interviews as just another source of scandal.  In retrospect I can see I was incorrect.  The scandals aren't coming because of the plane interview settings, but because of what the pope has on his mind.

At any rate this latest revelation occurred on a flight from Greece.  Maybe "revelation" is not an accurate term.  Perhaps it is simply confirmations of suspicions that faithful Catholics have had after the two synods and the release of Amoris Laetitia.  Due to other commitments, I've been a little slow to report on these matters but fortunately my blogging colleagues at One Peter Five and Les Femmes have put up excellent analyses of that mess.  They both link to Cardinal Schonborn's statement, the one that the pope seems to think is more authoritative than 2000 years of Church teaching.

The pope was asked about "new possibilities for the divorced and remarried".  If by "new possibilities" he speaks of these adulterers (for if the first marriage isn't annulled they are living in adultery) being admitted to Holy Communion while still engaged in ongoing mortal sin, he is confirming their path to hell.  That is not so much a "new possibility" but a highly probable eternal destiny if they continue on that till death.

Two more things:

1. Those who are in denial of the situation, hiding behind the "the pope can't change doctrine" canard now have no morally acceptable choice but to wake up to the peril in which these "non-binding" statements place so many souls.
2. I'm seeing some nonsensical suggestions to Catholics that they need not read Amoris Laetitia for themselves because they're just "ordinary Catholics".  Such suggestions are patently irresponsible.  I believe the late Father John Hardon when he said "only heroic Catholics will attain heaven in this day and age."  We might as well start by grappling with the heresies in Amoris Laetitia.

Father Swierzek Resigns His Post

Eight days ago I posted about the situation in the Archdiocese of Vienna and Father Gerhard Swierzek, the pastor who refused to do deference to an openly gay parishioner of his.  He was overruled by the local ordinary, Cardinal Schonborn.  Catholic Culture brings us the news that Father Swierzek has resigned from that parish, saying he could not stay where people wanted their "right" at any price.  That price of course is the integrity of the Catholic moral teachings.  Father's decision was quite understandable, given the lamentable treatment he received from his Cardinal Bishop.

Speaking of faithful, orthodox priests thrown under the bus by ordinaries (who might be a little too "ordinary", if you get my drift), I have heard no recent news regarding Father Guarnizo.  I ask you to keep him in your prayers.  If any of you have contact with Cardinal Wuerl or Bishop Knestout, why not ask them?  Let them know that Father Guarnizo is NOT going to fade from your thoughts and memories.

Holy Thursday - Institution Of The Sacrament Of Holy Orders

When Our Lord, at the Last Supper, uttered the words "Do this in remembrance of Me", He conferred priesthood upon the Apostles.  It might do us well to consider how the priesthood is under attack - from within.

I spent at least one month keeping before our eyes the despicable way that Father Marcel Guarnizo has (and I think, continues to be) maltreated by the Archdiocese of Washington.  I mentioned that Father Guarnizo was not the first and that he wouldn't be the last so despised.  And indeed he is not the last.

Within the past week or so we've been hearing about the situation in the Archdiocese of Vienna (Austria).  Christoph Cardinal Schonborn, the archbishop there, overruled one of his parish priests, Father Gerhard Swierzek when the latter blocked an openly gay man, Florian Stangl from sitting on the parish council.  Mind you, the Cardinal was fully aware that Stangl was gay.  Initially, the Cardinal supported his priest.  But then he back-peddled big time.  Note that he did so after he met with Stangl and his sin-partner.

As one reads this article from Renew America, they cannot help but notice the parallels between the situation in Gaithersburg and the more recent situation in Vienna.  Is it possible that Schonborn was influenced by the doings of the Washington chancery?  I know for a fact that Father Guarnizo's situation was watched from all over the world.  During the past month or so, I had many views from all over the world.  We can surmise that all the other internet sources were likewise watched.

There will be more.  Pray for Rome's swift intervention.