Today Is A Day Of Shame For The Catholic Church

We knew this would happen since September.  The announcement appeared today on the Vatican website that Cardinal Raymond Burke has been removed from his post as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura and will now be patron of the Order of Malta.  Until today, Burke was the highest ranking American in the Vatican, overseeing the Vatican's highest court.  Now his position is largely ceremonial.  Ladies and gentlemen, make no mistake about it.  Cardinal Burke, for all his loyal and impeccable service to the Church, has been shamefully insulted by the Pope.  Some will wince at that last statement, but it is what it is.  LifeSiteNews has more detail.  On that page is an open letter to the Cardinal, thanking him for his service at the Vatican.

I now link to an archive of all posts I've written that touch upon Cardinal Burke and how he's stood for the Faith.  I'm also now reading "Remaining In The Truth Of Christ".  The book is an anthology of articles written by Cardinal Burke, Cardinal Pell and others that defend the Church's teaching on marriage and Holy Communion.  It was written and published in anticipation of the attacks that were sustained on the Church's teachings in those two crucial areas.  We all recall that Cardinal Kasper fired some opening volleys on the Magisterium in those areas.  In Cardinal Burke's article entitled "The Canonical Nullity Of The Marriage Process As The Search For The Truth", Cardinal Burke contradicts Cardinal Kasper by name.  This book is no doubt part of the reason why the Pope has thrown Cardinal Burke under the bus, because truth is spoken in that book.  Ignatius Press published it; I got my copy through Amazon.

It is this same Cardinal Kasper who spoke at CUA yesterday and who I suspect will be poisoning contributing to the USCCB meeting next week.  Kasper claimed to speak for the pope; since the latter never repudiated that I assume there's truth to Kasper's statement.  Moreover the pope praised Kasper's "serene theology" during the SinNod.  Burke took issue with some of that "sereneness".  I strongly suspect that earned him the sacking that was made official today.

To Cardinal Burke:
Your Eminence, thank you for your service to Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Church in the face of formidable opposition.  That you have maintained fidelity and charity - even as that opposition came from the highest offices of the Vatican - redounds to your credit and I trust, to outpouring of graces upon the Church that stands in desperate need of those graces.  God bless you, sir, and we will keep you and the Church in prayer.