Thanks To Pope Francis For Allowing SSPX Priests Faculties For Hearing Confessions

In a statement released today, Pope Francis made two important pronouncements in relation to the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy that begins on December 8th of this year.  First, he has granted to all priests the faculties to absolve the sin of abortion, provided that their is the requisite contrition on the part of the penitent.  Abortion has always been a sin that carried the penalty of automatic excommunication and accordingly could only be absolved by a bishop. It so happens that most bishops in the United States have extended that faculty to their priests but now that ability will be conferred on all priests regardless of locale.

Secondly, he has granted to priests of the Society of St Pius X faculties to hear Confessions and grant absolution.  As of December 8, confessions to these priests will be valid and licit, something that previously was not the case.  We hope and pray that this situation will continue and that this society will one day find itself in full communion with Rome.

There has been much controversy regarding the SSPX over the past few months among faithful Catholics.  On the one hand there are those who hold the SSPX to be in schism from the Church.  Today's letter from the Pope makes clear the inaccuracy of that supposition for if the SSPX were truly in schism, the pope would be unable to grant any faculties whatsoever to them.  On the other hand, there are those who hold that SSPX confessions were always valid and licit.  SSPX themselves held and still hold that position.  They are relying on something they call "the extraordinary jurisdiction conferred by the Normae Generales of the Code of Canon Law".  I cannot help but notice that they don't supply the Code number.

For this move the Pope deserves thanks.  We all pray that women who've aborted will return to God and receive sacramental forgiveness AND that the divisions between the Vatican and SSPX will be rectified.

Year Of Mercy Logo: Throw-Back To The 1970s

As you gaze upon the felt-banner leftover from that decade, you might opine that the this post's title be changed from "throw-back to the 1970s" to "throw-up of the 1970s".  It is an eye-sore.  Speaking of eyes, do you notice anything?  Yes!  Jesus and the badly-contorted guy seem to share an eye-ball.  So are they supposed to be Siamese twins, cojoined at the eye-ball?    It's not only grotesque but also quite new-age, hearkening to Hinduism, Taoism and theosophy; read this write-up.

Heretic Father Richard Rohr also seems to be interested in "third eye" gobblygoop.  I've written a bit about him previously.

Didn't the Vatican learn anything from the artistic disaster point forth from the Pontifical Council for Culture three months ago?  To refresh memories, I refer you to a prior post.  I suppose we can be grateful that this "year of mercy" logo doesn't hearken to BDSM activites as the below logo does.  But really!  Why won't they use real art treasures from centuries back - ones that inspire true piety and love of Our Lord, His Church and our fellow man?

For an example of real art, I refer you to the Divine Mercy image incorporated into this blog's logo.  While it dates back only to the 1930s (coming to us via Saint Faustina), it depicts the true nature, source and communication of mercy.  It comes to us via Our Lord Jesus Christ and is communicated to us through the Sacraments and ministry of the Church.  May all come to know authentic mercy through Christ's Church and sacraments.

A Holy Year Of Mercy!

On March 13, Pope Francis announced a "holy year of mercy".  My friend at Harvesting the Fruit has some thoughts and I'll add my own.  What is the pope's idea of "mercy"?  Might this translation of his homily today provide a clue?  It looks like a rather choppy translation done by "google translate" but from this Radio Vatican site, I gather that he's chiding those who "close the Church's doors".   I don't know who he thinks would shun a sinner who wants to return to God; this sounds like one of his "straw man" arguments to me.  What is meant by "come to mass on Sunday but stay there and do no more".  I hope I'm wrong, but this sounds like a strange way of trying to justify distributing Holy Communion to those who may be in mortal sin.  That is not mercy!  Mercy must be sought and sought properly.  For that there is the Sacrament of Confession, the real channel of mercy for those in serious sin (and all of us when you get right down to it).

But if we're really going to talk about "mercy", may I suggest some worthy recipients of that?

• Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate and their Sister counterparts.  Allow them to live their vocation and charisms unfettered
• Patricia Jannuzzi, the New Jersey high school teacher who was fired - by a Catholic high school - for upholding Catholic morality on her facebook page.

If they receive some "mercy", bring it on!  On the other hand, what they deserve is justice to right the immense wrongs done to them by their bishops.