Cardinal Gregory has resigned as Archbishop of Washington and Cardinal McElroy will be his successor. See the announcements in the Catholic Standard and the USCCB site. There is plausible talk that Francis put McElroy here to be a thorn in President Trump's side, namely when it comes to stemming the de facto invasion known as illegal immigration. McElroy has also shilled for climate change, going so far as to state that it is a bigger threat to life than abortion. Of course he's equating the murder of 3300 babies a day with a left-wing hoax.
He has also covered up clerical sexual abuse in his diocese. Jennifer Rohrbach Morse interviewed Rachel Mastrogiacomo, a survivor of satanic ritual abuse conducted by a priest in the context of Mass. Leila Miller carries that interview on her site. McElroy tried to cover it up, but fortunately the priest was laicized and did jail time.
Complicit Clergy repeated a story by NBC News that details how attorneys who are or were prosecuting sex-abuse cases against San Diego priests are denouncing this appointment. Apparently, his crusade to deny abuse victims justice compelled him to declare bankruptcy for the San Diego archdiocese to keep the victims from being compensated. Lisa Roers, one such victim, penned an open letter to Francis, begging him not to appoint McElroy. However, Francis and McElroy are cut from the same cloth so Ms. Roer's plea went unheeded.
Now the question for us residing in the Archdiocese is this - what are we prepared to do, if and when we see insults to Our Lord and His Church in our own parishes? Please drop your thoughts in the comments box.
Today I became aware that yet another priest of the Archdiocese of Washington is being canceled. Father Michael Briese, stationed at St. John the Evangelist in Silver Spring MD is getting the axe. To wit:
This letter from McElroy is dated less than two weeks ago. McElroy announced his intention to reduce Fr. Briese to the lay state. Could this post, as reproduced by Complicit Clergy, have aroused McElroy's ire? If so, Father Briese wouldn't be the first one to ruffle the feathers of the gay cartel within the DC chancery now, would he? He's not the first faithful priest to prick McElroy's conscience, either. When McElroy was Bishop of San Diego, he lashed out at Father Richard Perozich when the latter reminded his parish that it is a mortal sin to vote for pro-abortion Democrats.
At the same time that Father Briese published his piece, I reposted an article by my blogging colleague An Archdiocese of Washington Catholic, detailing how Cardinal Gregory reinstated a priest, Father Adam Clark, credibly accused of homosexual abuse. Of course, who can forget the debacle caused by Cardinal Wuerl and his lapdog, Bishop Knestout, when they expelled Father Guarnizo when the latter denied Holy Communion to a flaming lesbian. You can go to my posts between Feb-April 2012. One odd thing: there was no mention of this in either the Catholic Standard or Our Parish Times, although the incident literally made international news.
So now Father Briese is getting the axe. I suppose Father now knows he has nothing to lose by spilling all the beans that he has in his substack post today, alleging that both Cardinals Gregory and McElroy were involved in their own perverted dalliances. I say "alleging" because I have not yet seen solid evidence that these crimes occurred. They are entirely believable. Recall that very soon after Gregory assumed his position in Washington, he sang the praises of Fortunate Families in his first "theology on tap" talk that he gave. (Note: the video has been taken down, but see this) He also had nothing to say about the "gay pride Mass" that occurred at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown two years ago. I wager a bet that the Holy Trinity pastor is still a priest in good standing. Here is more on McElroy - and that's just from this humble blog. I'm sure more exists elsewhere.
In his post today, Father Briese states that it's up to the laity to call them out. He's right.
The headline speaks about the installation of Cardinal Robert McElroy as Archbishop of Washington, succeeding Cardinal Gregory. McElroy is just the latest in a string of progressive bishops that have been acting to deconstruct the One True Church. In fact, the Church will never be totally defeated, but much havoc can, and is being, wreaked, to the harm and even damnation of many souls.
Rachel Mastrogiacomo was present at McElroy's installation, that took place at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Rachel was 23 years old when she was subjected to abuse, both sexual and satanic at the hands of Jacob Bertrand. He was a priest at the time who has since been laicized. McElroy played a large part in the cover-up of this sordid episode. By the way, satanic ritual abuse is not uncommon among pervert priests, as evidenced by an open letter written to Pope Francis by Lisa Roer, another victim. Be advised that Lisa goes into rather graphic detail about her ordeal.
Rachel had opportunity to confront McElroy as he processed out, despite the best efforts of the baby-sitter that the chancery assigned to her.
Note: This video came from the Facebook page of Michael Hichborn. Also from the same page are pictures of Rachel and other concerned Catholics, protesting outside the Basilica. They are standing at the Harewood Road driveway to the Shrine and around the corner to Michigan Avenue. The parking lot is on the other side of Harewood so they got much visibility. Here is a picture of the picket.
What Rachel did involved confronting the guy who was criminally responsible for so much pain and suffering that she endured. Her example is not only to be admired, but emulated. We faithful Catholics have a duty to confront this evil and not to allow the evildoers to be comfortable as they work to marginalize the Church.
Bishop McElroy of the Diocese of San Diego has hosted "listening sessions" for the benefit of those Catholics in his diocese who are troubled by the sex scandals. Well, for the benefit of some Catholics. McElroy has evicted several faithful who have brought up failings of McElroy himself - including the retention of a sodomite in prominent positions who lives in gay #mowwidge.
Church Militant has obtained footage of one such ejection and has exposed another. Lepanto Institute recorded the ejection of a woman who rebuked the retention of a sodomite as a diocesan employee. The latter caused McElroy to go into a royal hissy fit as he had her forcibly ejected.
The Lepanto piece delved more into the background of Aaron Bianco, the sodomite occupying several positions of influence. Lepanto pointed out his address: an address that is available to anyone who googles his name. I tried it myself and here's the link.
Father James Martin, infamous dissident, is one not to let a good crisis go to waste. Get a load of his tweet. He did relate some good news: that Bianco resigned. In reality, Bianco should have been fired long before this. Notice how Martin intimates that Lepanto and LifeSiteNews hunted down Bianco's address and maliciously published it? Again, I myself found it in 20 seconds just by googling his name. Martin also tried to implicate Church Militant with responsibility for the church vandalism: something for which he has absolutely no proof. Here's the link to his tweet. Please open the entire thread. See how he tries to ascribe responsibility for the tire-slashing to Church Militant? Teensy problem for Martin: the tire-slashing happened last year, before this expose. CM has replied that Martin may find himself with a defamation suit on his hands. I for one hope CM goes for it.
Martin also calls for the "reporting" of faithful Catholics who rebuke those in mortal sin. He is of the same nazi-esque mindset as McElroy, who gives faithful Catholics the heave-ho from his "listening sessions". Only dissidents and/or perverts are to be accompanied. Maybe that's just as well because I for one would not want to accompany them on their current hell-ward direction.
Today I picked up the July 17th issue of the Catholic Standard (the official mouthpiece for the Archdiocese of Washington). While disappointed at the amount of bilge that was contained therein, I was not surprised.
Let's go in order as the stuff appeared in the print edition. On page 3 was the account of Cardinal McElroy receiving a pallium from Pope Leo XIV. The online article is here. Most of the article was a rehash of a homily that Leo gave on the occasion. Some bloopers popped up. He spoke of moving "beyond a tired and stagnant faith". If he truly is serious about such movement, one key thing he could do is stop the insidious attempts to quash the Traditional Latin Mass. I attend these regularly on Sundays. The faith there can in no way be called "tired and stagnant". Then towards the end, he spoke of the beatitudes as being equivalent to the goals of today's "social justice warriors". No where did he mention that the beatitudes spoke of the repentance from sin and pursuit of personal holiness.
We then turn a few pages and see two articles that are basically screeds that shill for those border-crashers euphemistically called "undocumented immigrants". They are found here and here. The first is an interview with Cardinal McElroy while the second is penned by Auxiliary Bishop Menjivar. Both articles share the same flaw, and I think this flaw has been repeated so often that, owing to its repetition, is actually a blatant sin against honesty. I am talking, of course of the disingenuous refusal to differentiate immigrants who come here in accordance with our immigration laws versus those who deliberately violate our laws by sneaking across the border, coming under false pretenses, overstaying visas, etc. All of us welcome those who arrive in accordance with our laws. Decent people object to those who flout our laws, and lately, with the complicity of progressives, including those in the US Catholic hierarchy, are coming in by the thousands. Hitherto, Catholic Charities have received millions in federal grants to "process" thousands of these people, many of whom are being sex-trafficked across the border.
I noticed towards the end of the interview article, McElroy couldn't help but put in a plug for one of his pet divergences from Sacred Tradition. He of course shilled for "women deacons". Bishop Menjivar, on the other hand, actually stated our case for us, albeit unwittingly. The whole article is lacking in wit, but I digress. Here is what he said, and you can read it for yourselves in the link provided.
"That’s right. From the very beginning of the United States, this country was pro-immigration; and one of the main complaints of the Founders was the English government forbidding the colonies from passing laws promoting migration and naturalization of people from countries other than England."
England disregarded our right to pass laws regarding immigration, rendering existing ones moot in practice. Those crashing our borders are doing the exact same thing in disregarding our laws and our right to regulate immigration. I might add that the moral guilt lies not only with the border-crashers, but with people such as McElroy and Menjivar who hold our laws, and our law-keepers, in contempt.
But enough with immigration, for social justice has many facets. In this same issue, we read that Pope Leo is praying for the "conversion" of certain people. Who might be these people? Are they those who embrace homosexuality and other perversions? Are they those who facilitate the baby-slaughter known as abortion? Nope! Well then, just who are these depraved degenerates who stand in need of all this "conversion"? Why, these are dastardly fiends who (I can scarcely bring myself to mention these horrid, scandalous words!) resist climate action! Read it here!
On Monday July 9, Leo celebrated a Mass "for the care of creation". Yes, it is a new Mass that has been added to the Roman Missal. Of course natural disasters are lamented for they supposedly "are in part created by the excesses of human beings with their lifestyle". In other words, people are the big meanies who need to undergo the requisite guilt trips. Most troubling, though, is this echo from Laudato Si: "we listen to the cry of the earth, we listen to the cry of the poor". In other words, the planet is being made equal to human beings. That is heresy. We cannot assent to that under any circumstance. We cannot say "amen" to any prayer containing that error, even if a pope were to put forth that prayer. I did several posts in the past regarding the problem in which this pope seeks to embroil us. Please read. When Francis died and Leo was elected, I had hopes that there would be fidelity to Tradition again. Those hopes are growing dim and once again, we must resist papal errors.
From One Peter Five we read that a few days ago, at the World Meeting Of Popular Movements in California, Pope Francis released a letter that:
publicly praises the Alinskyite organization People Improving Communities through Organizing (PICO for short)
advocates open resistance to President Trump's attempts to bring order to immigration in the US
falsely declared that "muslim terrorism does not exist"
At that same meeting, Bishop Robert McElroy of the Diocese of San Diego snarked, "President Trump was the candidate of disruption. Well now, we must all become disrupters." McElroy was appointed by Pope Francis to his current position. Since then he has stated that adulterers and gays should "utilize the internal forum of conscience" when it comes to receiving Holy Communion; in other words, this errant bishop is lulling these mortal sinners into heaping more mortal sin on their souls, rendering even more distant the prospect of eternal salvation. I've written on McElroy in the past.
I would urge careful study of the first two links to understand how this California meeting is setting the stage for "community-organizing" rackets funded by George Soros to dominate the affairs and priorities of the Church hierarchy. Indeed, the 1P5 piece voices the opinion that since Hillary Clinton has been effectively jettisoned from prominence, that the mantle of "front-man for progressivism" has fallen on the all-too-willing shoulders of Pope Francis.
There is cause for that opinion, it seems. Recall how wikileaks played a role in the defeat of Hillary Clinton as emails were leaked that detailed all sorts of nefarious deeds of the Democrat cabal. From Gloria TV we now see another revelation from these emails: that Clinton, Obama and George Soros orchestrated the "resignation" of Pope Benedict XVI, using bribery and blackmail to oust him and usher in Pope Francis. At the time I suspect that they didn't think that Pope Francis would be the front-person for anti-God progressives as they fully expected Clinton to win the White House. But since both Clinton and Obama no longer wield official sway, the pope could be seen as someone to fill that void. I regret that he seems to be performing aptly in that role.
Understanding that in most cases "personnel is policy", let's look at some of the seismic shifts in personnel. We've noted the ouster of Cardinal Burke from his positions at the Vatican. Now he's been jettisoned from the Knights of Malta while being slandered in the process. We see Cardinals Muller, Sarah, Pell being treated as though there were targets drawn on their backs. Meanwhile we see dissidents like McElroy, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Cupich being elevated to roles of responsibility. Today Judie Brown of American Life League lamented the de facto dismantling of the Pontifical Academy for Life - a council in which she was a member for fifteen years. Most of the prominent members of that council - including Cardinal Caffarra, one of the "dubia cardinals" - took strong exception to Amoris Laetitia and the confusion caused by it.
In the past 2000+ years of Church history, the Church has had to deal with pontiffs who didn't live up to their office and who in fact were quite evil - Alexander VI comes immediately to mind. While we cannot say for certain that such is the case now, we'd be dishonest to pretend that the same couldn't be the case now. We need to pray for the Church and its leaders - many of whom have thrown in their lot with anti-God progressives and wreaking havoc on the faith of millions.
My! How time flies! Not until I saw Father Zuhlsdorf's post did I realize that Cardinal Wuerl is 76 years old, one year past retirement age. Father Z, however, related a rather unpleasant rumor - that Bishop McElroy might be selected to replace the Cardinal.
In this anthology of posts, I addressed some comments "to the readers who have the misfortune to call him their bishop". Well, will that misfortune be foisted upon us? I'm not sure it really matters. On the one hand, should Wuerl retire, we can be certain that anyone whom the pope might pick will be very similar to Wuerl. McElroy would meet that requirement. Any differences between Wuerl and McElroy are at most, matters of style.
Frankly, I'm not sure Cardinal Wuerl is retiring any too soon. He's been too helpful to Pope Francis as the latter pours progressive poison both in and on the Church.
In the Jan 16th episode of the Anchor Team, Michael Hichborn and Dr. Janet Smith elaborated on why the appointment of Cardinal McElroy is particularly egregious to the Church at large.
Both Hichborn and Smith make a compelling case why McElroy's appointment is even more harmful than was Gregory's appointment several years ago. This is seen as a direct slap in the face of President-elect Trump, who has sworn to close the border and deport those who are here in defiance of our laws. We can also expect the gay agenda to be unhindered in the Church, as well as the baby-killing agenda and any other dissidence against the moral teachings of the Church.
I must make clear one serious difference of opinion that I have with Dr. Smith. She stated several times that those Catholics who find the truth of the Church's abysmal state hard to swallow, simply excuse themselves and focus on other matters. I hold that such is not a morally valid option for anyone who calls themselves a Catholic. Each and every one of us is part of the Church Militant. No one is exempted from the moral duty to face and confront the evil that pervades the structures of the Church. Indeed, it is this very same willful ignorance that has allowed such evil to ensconce itself in the Church unhindered. All of us, no exceptions, must thicken our skins, harden our noses, and stiffen our spines in the face of this evil. If some find their faith to be shaken by the sordid truth, may I suggest that such faith has very shaky basis and needs correction? Sometimes the boat must be rocked to see if it will withstand a storm.
We need to get serious about learning our faith, opening our eyes to current events so that we can pray and act accordingly.
President Plugs has been a busy little bee, signing the "executive orders" that his handlers have been placing before him. Here is a list of them as of February 2; no doubt the list will be increasing as the days go by. He also reversed the Mexico City Policy and restored funding to Planned Parenthood, meaning that our tax dollars will again go towards the slaughter of babies.
The progressives in Catholic circles aren't all that concerned about baby-slaughter, it would seem. Indeed, there appears to be a "circling of the wagons" as it were, around Biden. Bishop McElroy of San Diego decries "some bishops" making a "litmus test" out of abortion. He criticizes them for making abortion the top priority in their evaluation of Biden. He said, "if adopted, such a position will reduce the common good to a single issue". McElroy refuses to consider that for 3500 babies every day, that single issue is all there is; no "common good" for them! Of course, what they consider "common good" is itself debatable, but that's another post. As you can imagine, McElroy has been mentioned several times on this blog. Let's not forget also the fit that Cardinal Cupich pitched when the USCCB pointed out Biden's disregard of basic morality. Not to be outdone, the nut nun on the buss Sister Simone Campbell praised Biden for having "a very developed approach" to abortion. Very developed! I wonder if she thinks Adolf Hitler had a "very developed approach" to relationships with Jews?
Now the Vatican itself is applauding Biden's actions on abortion. We can only presume that it does so with the approval, if not the initiative, of Pope Francis. This is being done by the misnamed John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences. After waxing lyrical about Biden's "social gospel" championing, they let loose with this whopper: "Defending the right to abortion does not mean defending abortion".
Alrighty then! Let's explore that line of thinking by some word substitution. How about substituting "child rape" for "abortion" in that last quote? Or maybe slavery? At the very least, it seems that this "theological institute" itself may be defending the right to abortion. But not abortion itself! Got that?
Now we know who is running interference for Plugs - or attempting at least to do so.
Rumors are afoot that Cardinal Gregory is resigning his post as Archbishop of Washington. He is 77 years old, and is already 2 years past the customary retirement age. Furthermore, these same rumors peg Cardinal McElroy has Gregory's successor. Again, these are just rumors, but for the sake of this post, we'll assume they are true for the purpose of commentary.
Gregory and McElroy are both part of the hierarchy that is undermining the One True Church. I've written on McElroy before. As you see in that collection of posts, he actually ordered his priests to disobey Canon 915. He's also acquainted with the practice of canceling good priests within his diocese. In 2017, after Wuerl's resignation, his name was floated as a possible successor before Gregory was chosen. Now his name comes up again.
Last Sunday a man posted on X that he walked out of Mass for the first time in his life, owing to the priest's screed against President Trump and Vice President Vance. He went so far as to compare Trump to Satan during his homily. While he did his best to conceal the identity of the church, he left enough details to indicate that this slop happened at Holy Trinity Church, just south of Georgetown University in Washington DC.
Our newly-minted archbishop started off his tenure by plopping his own stinker regarding Trump's actions to slash governmental bloat and the flood of illegal immigrants into this country. While he may not have been as brazen as that Jesuit priest, the fact that he is the local prelate renders his remarks all the more egregious. From the Catholic Standard we read: "Cardinal McElroy said that when you label immigrants as criminals, “you dehumanize them, you say they’re the other, they’re not like us. And thus it is all right to treat them as lesser, as less human than us...Echoing the pope in decrying the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants now underway in the United States, Washington’s new archbishop said the idea “that we would go after them and in a mass, indiscriminate deportation, eject them from our country, would be a grave stain upon the United States in my view.”
Notice the deliberate obfuscation of the difference between immigrants coming legally and those coming illegally. This is a common and rather old ruse that they use. Of course McElroy and others know the difference. Their attempts to muddy the waters in this matter can only be called deliberately dishonest. We will not pretend that it is anything otherwise.
But try again he will. We will be right there to rebuke the deception.
Today, when I went to the USCCB site to look up something else, this was on their main page
As you can see, they originally published that release more than a year ago. So why, oh why, are they resurrecting it? Are they trying to prepare us for these "blessings" to happen in our churches?
Consider that this appears just as Cardinal McElroy is making his presence known as the new Archbishop of Washington. He is infamous as being unabashedly sympathetic to the gay lifestyle, going so far as to intimate that sodomy is not inherently sinful. If some question that link as coming from a conservative source, consider that the Washington Blade waxes gleeful over McElroy's appointment here.
McElroy will be installed as prelate on March 11. How long will it be after that before such "blessings", that is, actual cooperation with the mortal sin of sodomy, be expected of parish pastors? What are we as Catholics in the pews going to do about it? If we remain silent out of fear, we will be complicit in that sin.
SIGN #2!
On January 22, Cardinal Gregory attended and gave a talk at a "prayer service" held at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown (We've heard about them before, haven't we?) for the LGBTQ "community". A number of sources chortled about it, but Outreach carried the full text of Gregory's screed. In a nutshell, he apologized to the gays on supposed behalf of the Church for the times when the Church was faithful to Christ's teachings on sexuality and marriage. Gregory pulled a similar stunt at Georgetown University last August. That's twice in one year that Gregory has groveled before those flaunting mortal sin. A reasonable person could assume that Gregory is condoning and even applauding their perversions.
This Catholic denounces both the USCCB and Cardinal Gregory for capitulating to those in mortal sin, paving the way for even more depravity. We certainly do pray for them, for we all must face Our Lord at the moments of our deaths. We also suggest that faithful Catholics withhold all donations to the Archdiocese and let them know why.
A few days ago while in Bangkok, the pope called for an "integral humanism", a "cooperation between religions". Why? Because he's concerned about "our common home". Notice a few things:
The sole focus on the world of the "here and now", with no mention whatsover of eternal realities such as the Last Four Things
Not one mention of Jesus Christ and the need to conversion to the One True Faith
Religious indifferentism, treating all religions as though they are equal in importance and value. That is utterly false since the Roman Catholic Church has been entrusted with the Sacraments and the Deposit of Faith.
Lastly there is that word "humanism". The Gloria article states that the meaning of the term "integral humanism" is unclear. I think it's meaning is frighteningly clear. Moreover, I think the pope knows its meaning too. For starters, let's look at the American Humanist Association. At the top left of the main page, look at its tagline: "Good Without God". The astute reader will look at that tagline and realize the inherent problem. That is, without God, who or what defines what is good? It has a subpage that offers various definitions of humanism. Among them is one proffered by the Humanist Society of Western New York. Notice the second sentence. According to them, humanists believe that this is the only life of which we have knowledge and that we "owe it to ourselves" to make it the best life for ourselves and others with whom we share "this fragile planet". With that last sentence in mind, does that not shed some light on the pope's complete silence regarding God and eternal life?
Several months ago, Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego spoke on similar themes at the World Meeting of Popular Movements. My blogging colleague at Cal-Catholic.com published some exerpts that deserve some special emphasis, owing to their inimical content. McElroy yapped and yammered about "our common home" (buzz term alert!) He also stated that the US economy "must be contained within a big government juridical structure" for "wealth is a common heritage". This is socialism, rooted in the same atheistic foundations as humanism. Here is a brief synopsis detailing why socialism is sinful. Here's a list of previous popes condemning socialism.
All this and more is just part and parcel of the progressive/masonic attempt to establish a one-world government devoid of God, a secular utopia if you will. Both the Roman Catholic Church and the United States stand as clear obstacles to that establishment and thus the progressives strive to undermine the Church and the US. In this current pope they have a willing accomplice. That is not the case for the United States - for now.
Last week we saw how faithful Catholic activists were instrumental in keeping Father James Martin from polluting several Catholic locations with his heretical bile. Martin has taken to social media pages bemoaning the fact that some of us truly care about our faith and have the backbones to stand up to him. Others have joined Martin in bashing us. One publication went so far as to call us "Catholic Cyber Militia". I'm sure they thought of that as an insult, but I think I'll wear that one with just a smidgen of pride! :-)
Another who has waxed hysterical about us is Bishop Robert McElroy of the Diocese of San Diego. We've heard of him before now, haven't we? Anyway, he's decided that our concerns are "verbal violence" and "cancer"; see here and here.
The Church Militant link, at the bottom, gives the phone number to the bishop's office. Please call and let them know what you think. To the readers who have the misfortune to call him their bishop, you can assist him in a special way. Since he seems to think that anything that proceeds from us is "cancer", why, he must have the same misgivings about your donation dollars, right? Now you can assure him that no longer will you be foisting upon him your diseased lucre. Heavens! We wouldn't want him to catch conservative cooties from your contaminated contributions! Assure him that no longer will have have to worry about any monetary contagions from you. I'm sure he'll be most grateful. On a serious note, the language of money does seem to be one of the few to which they actually pay some attention. Let's not be afraid to speak it. Onward, Catholic Cyber Militia!!
It's one thing for faithful Christians to be maltreated by secular society for holding fast to the moral teachings of Jesus Christ. It's quite another for faithful Catholics and priests to be knifed in the back because they are living and speaking in accord with the Faith. Thanks to Amoralis Lamentia, rogue bishops are doing precisely that with increasing frequency.
I wrote recently of San Diego Bishop McElroy ordering his priests to sin by offering Holy Communion to flagrant adulterers. Now it appears that indeed one of his priests is in his crosshairs. Father Richard Perozich of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church wrote some columns in his parish bulletin of matters of Catholic morality. His columns were faithful to Church Tradition and contradicted some pet causes of the progressive elements in the hierarchy - including McElroy. The latter forbade anymore such columns in the parish bulletin.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean in Scotland, Father Matthew Despard has been ordered to leave his parish. Some time ago, he wrote a book called "Priesthood In Crisis". It revealed the workings of the gay influence among Catholic clergy. First he was removed from ministry because he "injured reputations". For his telling of truth, he is being punished.
Of course the four cardinals who wrote the dubia are taking flack from some of their errant brothers. Cardinal Claudio Hummes of Brazil recently rebuked them. His line of reasoning is that "we are 200, they are only 4". Leaving aside for the moment that other bishops are speaking out, we ask precisely what his statement proves. Since when is truth defined by consensus or majority? Is Hummes so ignorant of Church history that he fails to consider other faithful prelates who stood alone, such as Athanasius or John Fisher?
In the Netherlands and Belgium, some dissident bishops have adopted another tactic. They have changed the words of the Lord's Prayer - the Our Father as it is prayed at Mass. Remember - this was a prayer dictated to the disciples by Our Lord Himself. These false shepards have the audacity to edit what Jesus clearly said. They know better than Our Lord? The words are changed so that they trivialize the truths regarding sin and tempation. When coupled with the suggestions in Amoralis Lamentia that those in mortal sin be allowed to receive Holy Communion, we can see how faith is being weakened, along with a proper regard for the Sacraments.
We'll see more of these incidents in the next coming days. I will post as I'm able to shed the light on cockroaches and to hopefully awaken others to the need to pray and speak out.
Below is last week's episode of the Anchor Team. Michael and Alyssa Hichborn spent the bulk of the time on the conversion of Shia LaBeouf and his subsequent interview with Bishop Robert Barron. It is an hour and twenty minutes long and I myself am in the process of listening to it (in chunks). Here is the link. From what others tell me, LaBeouf brings the focus on the Traditional Latin Mass as being a key factor of his conversion. He learned of it as he was preparing for his role as Padre Pio in a biographical movie of the saint. Hichborn tells of his impressions of Barron's reaction to LaBeouf's account.
From what Hichborn says, Barron's reaction to the Latin Mass is somewhat similar to what Molly Olmstead wrote in the Slate a few days ago. Here is her screed. In addition to being informed of what she says, you'll also have the added benefit of mortification of your sensibilities as you take in both her ignorance and arrogance. She says the Latin Mass is "controversial", as if that is a bad thing. The fact is that for centuries, the Catholic Faith has always been "controversial" enough in the eyes of those set in their sins that they have always striven to mock and persecute us.
However, these days the persecution of faithful Catholics is coming from quite a few prelates. We just saw several questionable bishops receiving their red hats from Francis, one of them being Robert McElroy of San Diego. I've written a lot on him in the past. Towards the end of the Lepanto clip, the Hichborns discuss some ominous theories that could well have solid basis. There's talk of Francis appointing a "papal co-adjutor", owing to his failing health. Cardinal Cupich, who has his own long litany of insults to the Faith, seems to be a top contender for that role. Should that happen, there's a decent possibility that McElroy would be moved to Chicago, to further cement that archdiocese's descent into disbelief and debauchery. In fact, all these appointments place many souls in jeopardy.
As mentioned in my previous post, it is high time that faithful Catholics stood up to the tyrants that are literally in our midst. Some are already about that important task. One such effort in the DC area will occur Saturday Sept 17 - a pilgrimage for the restoration of the Latin Mass. More details can be found here.
Next Saturday, Sept 3, this same group will be conducting a Rosary Rally at 10 am outside the Papal Nunciature. The address is 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC.
If there are lingering doubts as to the necessity for clarification of the mess known as Amoris Laetitia (or as I call it, Amoralis Lamentia), let these facts show why the dubia must be taken seriously.
Today it was announced that Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego has ordered his priests to give Holy Communion to adulterous Catholics. In other words, he is ordering his priests to commit mortal sins of sacrilege in offering Holy Communion to unrepentant adulterers AND to contribute to the mortal sin of sacrilege on the part of those who desperately need the medicine of repentance. Of course no faithful priest can do that. Such is the way that Amoralis Lamentia is emboldening those who care not one whit for the Sacraments of Matrimony, Eucharist and Penance. Recall that one of the dubia questions deals with this very topic. We pray for these priests as they are being put into a horrible position, that they have the courage to withstand the evil even as it emanates from their own bishop. We pray even more who will acquiesce to this sinful suggestion with glee.
This same bishop also ordered his priests to welcome "LGBT families". That phrase in quotes is an oxymoron. Two same-sex adults in a perverted relationship can never constitute a true family. No real "family" can exist in a situation based on mortal sin. Again, McElroy is commanding his priests to validate sinful situations - something that no priest can ever do.
We see similar affirmation of mortal sin in the Archdiocese of New York. Joseph Sciambra has details of a "retreat" being offered to those embroiled in perversion at St. Francis of Assisi parish. Apparently that parish is quite a cesspool in that regard. And let's not ever forget what happened in my own parish over four years ago when Father Marcel Guarnizo withheld Holy Communion from a flaming lesbian and was punished by Cardinal Wuerl for being a faithful priest.
So now one can see the confusion that Amoralis Lamentia is causing. I believe this confusion is being intentionally created. The progressives in the Vatican do not want to overtly state their intentions to junk the Traditions of Jesus Christ so they wish to do so by subterfuge. This is why so many of them hate the dubia-letter posted by the four cardinals; it is forcing the progressives to be up front about their goals, and they understandably find themselves threatened.
We saw the utter defensiveness of some a few days ago. Today we saw a reaction from the Vatican that can only be called "lashing out in fear and guilt". The Dean of the Roman Rota, Archbishop Pio Vito Pinto, actually threatened the four cardinals by saying that they could have their cardinalates stripped from them - for daring to ask for clarification. Jeff Mirus of Catholic Culture also took note of the fear and guilt that seems to be all over Pinto. Cardinal George Pell came to the defense of the four cardinals, wondering how anyone could actually disagree with a question. He's right; by definition, a question is not a statement of fact or opinion so there's nothing in it with which one can disagree. Will we soon hear that Pinto is drawing aim at Pell's cardinalate?
We must continue to pray. Pray that the pope indeed does clarify AL to be in conformity with the timeless teachings of the Church. But if he won't let us pray that the festering boil of heresy will come to a head so that it can be lanced and healed quickly.
Tonight Michael and Alyssa Hichborn pondered the significance of naming Bishop McElroy a cardinal and how that plays into what appears to be Francis' larger schemes for fostering the great reset. As you listen to this, you will get the sense that we are at a fork in the road, the two directions being vastly different. The situation for western civilization looks grim, but not completely hopeless. The progressives wouldn't be thrashing about as they currently are, were they really smug about an inevitable victory. This is a clarion call to continue your Rosaries and other prayers.
In this Vortex, Michael Voris rightly decries the accommodation of Church leaders to the immoral and anti-God standards of this world. It's apparent from the video that at the time of its creation, Church Militant had not yet received word that the Boston KofC council pulled out of the now-defiled Boston St Patrick's Day parade. Their press release is here. While the council did the right thing, no one can gainsay that they did so willingly. They got caught with their hand in the cookie jar and they hate it. I hope it's because many good Knights threatened to withdraw membership and their membership dues. I have more discussion below the video.
Voris insinuated that Church leaders, e.g., Dolan, are simply dupes of the worldly powers-that-be. I for one don't believe they are that innocent. They did not attain their positions by being dunces. They knew what they wanted and used some considerable smarts to attain it. Their "jolly-bumpkin" demeanor is simply an act. They know they're undermining the faith and betraying their God. They love their cushy situations more than the souls in their charge - and maybe their own. Pray for them that they truly convert.
Let us now turn our attentions to this US News article, that talks of the Pope's shakeup of Vatican personnel. At one time, many Catholics seemed to think that the Pope was just a lovable guy who wouldn't harm a fly, what with his clown-nose and all. Save for a few pollyannas who persist in wearing rose-colored glasses with respect to the pope, that "aw-shucks!" image has been, well, shucked by the pope himself. The US News article, in its left-wing way, is quite up front about the "madness behind the method" at the Vatican.
All kinds of Catholic left-wing hacks are quoted. One of them is John Carr, former head of the USCCB social justice division. He remarked that "personnel is policy". I don't agree with Carr on most things, but on this point he is spot-on correct. Commenting on changes regarding American bishops is another progressive, John Gehring of Faith in Publc Life. He says, "you are going to see some of these Francis bishops really start to change not just the image of the church but the substance of the church and the direction moving ahead." As you can see from this unabashed declaration, the progressives, emboldened by Pope Francis, are no longer couching their agendas in nuanced language. "Change the substance"? What is the "substance" of the church if not her identity as the Mystical Body of Christ entrusted by Him to save souls by proclaiming His eternal and immutable Truths? While the pope cannot solemnly proclaim error, much deliberate damage can be done under the guise of being "pastoral".
The article talks of changes at the Congregation for Bishops. Cardinals Raymond Burke and Justin Rigali were removed from that college. Burke is a champion of orthodoxy. In their places he installed Cardinal Wuerl and reaffirmed Cardinal Levada - not champions of orthodoxy. A third left-winger is cited: Michael Sean Winters, dissident hack at the Not-At-All Catholic Reporter. Says Winters, "instead of two culture warriors and one non-culture warrior, you have two non-culture warriors as the Americans on that congregation". These are strange times when I find myself agreeing with these progressives, but it's only because they are "letting down their hair" and admitting who they really are. When we look at the sick, demented worldly culture that now infests western civilization, is it not evident that we need culture warriors? Both Wuerl and Levada, like Dolan, openly facilitate the infestation of Holy Mother Church with the poison of secular culture. And no, they aren't simply being wimps. Witness the draconian treatment meted out to Father Guarnizo at the behest of Cardinal Wuerl and his underlings at the DC chancery. They moved with great alacrity and purpose as they threw Father Guarnizo under the bus - draconian, but not wimpy.
The article goes on to state how the Pope ushered in Blaise Cupich as Archbishop of Chicago. Lauding Cupich's "more civil tone on divisive topics like same-sex marriage and birth control", the author somehow forgets to mention that while Bishop of Spokane, he forbade his priests to participate in the 40 Days for Life campaign. Apparently the pope also played a direct role in the placement of Robert McElroy as Bishop of San Diego. My blogging colleague at A Blog For Dallas Area Catholics reports on McElroy's dissidence.
Please read the entire US News article. We must keep our eyes open and prayers forthcoming.
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.
