Father Thomas Weinandy Continues To Articulate The Truth - His Full Article Here

A few days ago, a piece by Father Thomas Weinandy was published by Sandro Magister on his blog.  Father Weinandy, who was sacked by the increasingly inimical USCCB for speaking truth, demonstrates how the so-called "pastoral" approach is in fact deadly to souls.   This piece is the keynote address that Father gave at Notre Dame University in Sydney Australia where I believe he currently teaches.

Many Catholic sites linked to the address as it appeared on Sandro Magister's blog.  However, when I went to look for it there, I found that it had been pulled.   After some searching, I found it at the Catholic World Report.  To guard against another (ahem!) "mysterious disappearance", I'll copy and paste it in its entirety.

This piece is lengthy, so I'll put the jump break here.

From The Maturation Department - Rabbitgate And Rotagate?

You might remember that at the close of last October's sin-nod that Pope Francis gave an address.  In it he said we had a year to be brainwashed into swallowing the undermining of Tradition regarding marriage and family "mature".  Almost immediately the "maturation efforts" began in earnest and the bile continues to spill.  The rabbitgate incident is just one of the latest installments in our "maturation lessons".

It cannot be difficult to discern what is meant by "rabbitgate".  We all recall the interview during the trip from the Philippines to Rome last week.  When I put my post onto facebook I got all sorts of scolding, with folks claiming that I was just going with mainstream media and that the pope really didn't rebuke the poor expectant mother.  I was also remonstrated for not considering the sources.  Well, guess what, "first-hand sources" indicate that he rebuked her for being pregnant.

I link now to commentary from Mundabor.  He in turn links to a video produced by Louis Verrecchio; the latter shows video of the actual interview, with the Pope speaking Italian.  Both Mundabor and Verrecchio are Italians who speak the language.  Both verify the Italian verb for "rebuke".  So now irrefutable proof exists that the pope rebuked a pregnant woman for - being pregnant.  Just what good did he expect that rebuke to accomplish?  If the woman was already under stress owing to previous c-sections, the last thing she needed was more stress as she tries to carry the pregnancy through to birth.  For all the yap and yammer about being "pastoral", I cannot see how that papal behavior filled that bill.

Vatican damage control has leaped into action (they're getting a lot of practice these days).  We heard yesterday from the Vatican's State Department that "Pope Francis was surprised that his words on responsible parenthood were not widely taken in the sense that he intended them."  The rest of the article is just as ridiculous.  NEWS FLASH!  When millions of people, all from widely differing perspectives and languages, are gleaning very similar, if not identical messages, perhaps the fault for that lies not with the listeners, but the delivery and/or content of the message itself!  Got that??  I would ask why they haven't learned from confusion caused by previous disastrous interviews, but I think I know the answer.  Confusion is precisely what they want - confusion regarding God's first command to mankind to "be fruitful and multiply", confusion regarding marriage and sexuality, confusion regarding the transmission of life.  In other words, we're supposed to "mature", a la "sin-nod" style.

Now onto rotagate  Recall that a few months ago, Cardinal Burke was relieved of his post as head of the Roman Rota and shuffled to the Knights of Malta.  The bulk of duties of the Roman Rota is to hear cases for marriage nullity.  Shortly before the October sin-nod, Cardinal Burke co-authored a book called "Remaining In The Truth Of Christ".  I have a copy and urge all to get their own.  Cardinal Burke's piece is entitled "The Canonical Nullity Of The Marriage Process As The Search For Truth".  In a nutshell, Cardinal Burke cautions against tampering with a process that has developed over hundreds of years: a process developed to rigorously search for the truth behind individual cases.  What he wrote flies in the face of the tinkering that was proposed at the sin-nod.  My strong suspicion is that the Cardinal was removed from all positions of real influence at the Vatican owing to his standing for truth in the face of the progressive juggernaut underway there.

This past Friday the pope met with the Rota (sans Burke) as they begin a new year.  Among other things, he urged Rota member to "have great care and sensitivity to the importance of a formed conscience – or lack thereof – in regard to the nature and purpose of marriage, and the ways in which conscience can affect the very validity of marital unions.."  Whether he intended to do so or not, he just gave divorcing couples a Mack-truck-sized loophole to have any kind of marriage declared null.  Would that statement have been made if Cardinal Burke had been in the room?  Did we hear more "maturation" going on?

Sin-Nod: A Thinly-Veiled Attempt To Cram The Gay Agenda Down Catholic Throats?

Within these past few days we have seen "synod fathers" acts as apologists for sodomy.  ChurchMilitant.TV reports that an Austrialian archbishop favors "less condemnatory language" with regards to the mortal sins of sodomy and adultery.  One wonders if he would like to edit several of the epistles of St Paul that are found in the Bible for they clearly state that those engaging in such sins will suffer hell fire if they die unrepentant.

LifeSiteNews published an article by Phil Lawler regarding the obvious attempt to rig the sin-nod, an attempt that many of us have noticed..  I urge you to read it.  Note two things:

• Much of this strong-arming is being done by Cardinal Baldiserri, secretary of the synod.  Recall that there is a reason that I dubbed him "Book-Thief Baldi".  Hold that thought as you ponder this revelation: that of homosexual propaganda being distributed at the sin-nod with authorization of higher-ups. (ht - Toronto Catholic Witness)  This is confirmed by Archbishop Gadecki.  So the sin-nod honchos (Baldiserri included) resort to theft to prevent circulation of Remaining In The Truth of Christ, a book authored by several prelates that champions the teaching of Jesus Christ, but they allow distribution of tripe that justifies homosexual conduct.  Those engaging in such distribution find themselves in the unenviable position of cooperating with mortal sin and that is its own mortal sin, by the way.
• In Lawler's last paragraph, we read, "The Pope ultimately controls the process. The Pope will ultimately control the product."  True enough; he does.  But considering what was revealed about the "shadow synod", along with all the other little meetings that have been occurring at the Vatican, might this rigging be part and parcel of an attempt to insinuate the proceeds of the "shadow synod" into Church life?   The procedural changes that Lawler noted would make it difficult for faithful prelates to discern whether or not any final documents were truly representative of their deliberations.

I'm going to venture a guess and I think it's one shared by many.  The so-called "synod reports" are already drafted, and they will "change pastoral practice" to allow for the admittance to Holy Communion those living in de facto adultery AND to "mainstream" sodomite shack-up situations into Church society.  This sin-nod will only serve to lend an aura of legitimacy to the de facto heresy that probably has already been concocted by this "shadow synod", to be foisted on unsuspecting Catholics.  Could that be why Cardinal Reinhard Marx appears to be a bundle of joy and giggles now (as reported by One Peter Five, despite past hints of going into schism?  If that is the case - and I hope and pray that I'm incorrect - the Pope will fully own such a travesty.

In light of my hypothesis, other news makes sense as we consider the strategy of progressives to normalize homosexuality within the Church.  Voice of the Family has informed us that gay-coddling Cardinal Vincent Nichols will be moderating one of the English-speaking small groups at the sin-nod.  Of course he will have much discretion as to what is included in the report for that group.  We also hear from Church Militant that a priest in the diocese of Oakland CA gave a homily at Mass telling his parishioners that "being gay is not sinful".  To make matters even more scandalous, the homily was published in the official diocesan newspaper.  Clearly these events are part of the #maturation process to brainwash us to submit to the gay agenda.

Let us continue to pray and to shine the light of truth on cockroaches.

Cardinal Burke's Straight-Forward Interview In Vienna - And Why We Bloggers Write

He participated in a panel discussion in Vienna on November 4th, as he was presenting the book "Remaining In The Truth Of Christ".  His Eminence stated that he and the other writers wrote it to rebut the "claims of Cardinal Kasper"; Cardinal Burke is far too restrained, but I'm not.  Those "claims of Cardinal Kasper" are outright heresy.  So who is cashiered from the Vatican and who retains his position of influence?  The moral responsibility for that travesty lies squarely at the feet of Pope Francis, but I digress.

I will link to Gloria.tv's post, with video of the discussion.  Note at 12:41 when he that "one of the profound sadnesses of the synod. at least in the first week of the synod, is the seeming forgetfulness of the Magisterium.  It was as if the church for the first time, addressing the question of marriage and teaching about it.."  At 29:04 he called the interim relatio "one of the saddest documents that I could ever imagine coming from the church.."

While it's a little over 40 minutes long, I'd suggest you listen to it.  And by all means, if you haven't done so already, get your own copy of "Remaining In The Truth Of Christ".

Let me raise another point.  If not for the efforts of Gloria.tv, Vortex, many good Catholic bloggers and yes, Yours Truly, you may not have heard half of what Cardinal Burke and other faithful Catholics had to say about the SinNod.  Another blogger makes this point quite well.  We humbly endeavor to highlight the truth that other mainstream Catholic media won't broach.  We shine light on cockroaches, as it were.  We will continue to do so.

Pope's Closing Address For SinNod - Vindictive And Sloppy

Here is the text of the thing from the Vatican website.  Please read the entire thing.  I'll address salient points.

"It was about bearing witness to everyone that, for the Church, the Gospel continues to be a vital source of eternal newness, against all those who would indoctrinate it in dead stones to be hurled at others."  A few things pop into mind:

• The phrase "eternal newness" is an oxymoron, for eternity by definition is neither old nor new.  It is beyond the bounds of time.  The truths of God revealed thousands of years ago continue to be the truths of God for they were uttered by the eternal God.
• "Indoctrinate" what?  Is this just sloppy translation?  How does one "indoctrinate the Gospel into stone"?  This is nonsensical
• Just who are these evil boogeymen that are hurling "dead stones" at people? And why, oh why, does the pope refer to the Gospel as "dead stones"?  Again, if there's a better translation, please advise the Vatican for I'm looking at their own website.

"It was about trying to open up broader horizons, rising above conspiracy theories and blinkered viewpoints, so as to defend and spread the freedom of the children of God, and to transmit the beauty of Christian Newness, at times encrusted in a language which is archaic or simply incomprehensible."

• There's that "newness" word again.  "Newness" is irrelevant when talking of God's timeless truths.
• "Conspiracy theories and blinkered viewpoints!"  Now here's where the "lovable" mask drops off and we see the real vindictiveness.  Of course some of that venom is aimed at Catholic bloggers such as Yours Truly.  But I believe faithful prelates who vocally called out the obvious rigging of the sin-nod are in the cross-hairs: prelates such as Cardinal Sarah, Archbishop Gadecki, Bishop Schneider, the thirteen cardinals who signed the letter, those who wrote "Remaining In The Truth Of Christ" and "Preferential Option For The Family", and others.  Voice of the Family just released a piece asking the pope to address the crisis of trust; do you think this "conspiracy theory" slur will help?
• What is meant by "language which is archaic"?  If Latin, may I remind us all of why Latin is used?  It is used precisely because it is a dead language; that is, the meanings of its grammar and vocabulary will not "evolve" with time.  Latin has worked well for the Church for 2000 years; there's no reason to pretend that it isn't sufficient now.  I realize that may not fit in with this "newness" fad, but so what?
• Let's look at the "incomprehensible" part.  Another reason why certain language may seem "incomprehensible" to certain individuals is precisely because they don't want to understand it; they don't like the demands it places on them and their behaviors.  Any parent who's raised children will understand the concept.  The answer is NOT to change the language but to continue to proclaim the teaching and insist on obedience for the eternal salvation of these recalcitrant individuals.

"We have also seen that what seems normal for a bishop on one continent, is considered strange and almost scandalous for a bishop from another; what is considered a violation of a right in one society is an evident and inviolable rule in another; what for some is freedom of conscience is for others simply confusion."

• Examples?
• God's truths are not only eternal, they are omnipresent.  That is, they apply everywhere and equally.  Marriage, being between one biologically born man and one biologically born woman, is one such truth.

"The Synod experience also made us better realize that the true defenders of doctrine are not those who uphold its letter, but its spirit; not ideas but people; not formulae but the gratuitousness of God’s love and forgiveness."

• "true defenders of doctrine are not those who uphold its letter, but its spirit".  No.  Enough of these false dichotomies.  When it comes to God's word, "letter" and "spirit" CANNOT be held in opposition to one another for they both emanate from the same God.  One does not uphold any "spirit" of God's word without upholding every single solitary letter of it.  Got that???

There are more problems with this but I think you get the gist.  The Relatio is out already, but so far only in Italian (again, why not Latin?).  Rorate has some of that translated and even that small snippet is fraught with serious problems, not the least is the "wiggle room" being implied regarding the matter of adulterers receiving Holy Communion while still in sin.  At best, it sounds like a time bomb that will explode at the most inopportune time.  Please pray; frequent the Sacraments, pray the Rosary, wear the scapulars.  We are in for some difficult times as Catholics.

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.

From The Maturation Department: New Annulment Procedures - Weakening Of Marriage

Yesterday we received the texts of the pope's revision of the annulment procedures.  I am not a canon lawyer so my reflections will draw heavily on those who are canon lawyers.  Now consider that many progressives and others not friendly to the Church's perennial teachings on family life are waxing bubbly and giddy over this news, ever gushing about the "mercy" that is now newly-infused into this situation.  Mercy??  New???  Since when has mercy - real mercy, that is, been "new to the Church?  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that they are effusing over the perceived laxity that has been introduced into the annulment process.  I have to agree with them that laxity has been introduced.  Unlike them I do not find much cause for celebration, for what they call "mercy" is nothing more than sloppy sentimentality and disregard for wisdom acquired over the centuries.

Last October, Cardinals Burke, Muller and others published a book, "Remaining in the Truth of Christ", intending that it be "food for thought" during last October's sin-nod.  Recall that this is the book that Cardinal Baldiserri had stolen from the mailboxes of the attending synod fathers.  Cardinal Burke's essay outlined the development of the Church's annulment process over the centuries and cautioned against a radical overhaul.  I point out that Cardinal Burke is a canon lawyer.  He spoke on September 8th at the Franciscan University at Steubenville and voiced concerns over the provisions that are found in Pope Francis' Moto Proprio.  Follow this link to Fr Z's post with video embedded; Father gives pointers regarding the location of Cardinal Burke's talk on the video.

Consider two of the provision in conjunction with one another.  One provision allows the local bishop to pass judgment regarding certain annulment cases.  It's worth noting that most bishops are not canon lawyers, and marriage has juridical considerations that need to be carefully and knowledgeably weighed.  Now consider that in many cases, these decisions do not have to be evaluated by a second tribunal court.  A crucial provision for "checks and balances" has been eliminated in the name of "expediency and mercy" - a provision that in actuality is necessitated all the more since the first decisions will fall into the purview of those not trained to evaluate nullity petitions.  They might wind up declaring null a marriage that is, in actually, canonically and sacramentally binding.  Even more disconcerting is the expedition of those cases where both parties are in agreement as to the alleged invalidity of marriage.  Do we see the danger of collusion here in the denial of a valid marriage?  Dr. Peter's two posts are here and here.  As I said earlier, I'm not a canon lawyer, but some dangers are apparent just by dint of common sense.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am also troubled by the timing of these Moto Proprios.  This happened just a few weeks prior to the onslaught beginning of the Ordinary Synod on the Family.  I believe this is done to condition us for some real disasters that are on progressives' agendas.

From The Maturation Department - Pope Francis Approved Interim Report Before Publication

Do you remember the disastrous Extraordinary Synod of the Family that was held last October?  You might recall that in the middle of it, an interim report was issued regarding the proceedings up to that point.  One would never know it was a Catholic document as it was full of heresy.  This post of mine links to the English translation that's on the Vatican website.  Here is some more immediate commentary.  You might just take a look at my posts during October 2014 (and the linked sites) for more details.

There had always been some question as to how much Pope Francis knew about that interim report when it was released to the public.  LifeSiteNews quotes from Aletia who was informed in an interview with Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri that the Pope knew the contents of the report and approved its publication.  The Cardinal stated, "The documents were all seen and approved by the Pope, with the approval of his presence.  Even the documents during the [Extraordinary] Synod, such as the Relatio ante disceptatationem [the preliminary report], the Relatio post disceptationem [interim report], and the [final report] were seen by him before they were published." (emphasis mine)

If that is the case, the Pope deliberately let heresy masquerade as a legitimate Church document.  Recall that this interim sin-nod report:

• talked of valuing homosexual orientation
• advocated to allow those living in adultery to receive Holy Communion
• blathered nonsense about the "positive aspects" of living in a homosexual relationship, i.e. mortal sin

Does this not put so many events of the past few months in a new light?  Events such as:

• Summary dismissal of Cardinal Burke, who spoke against the interim report and who had contributed to the book "Remaining In The Truth Of Christ"
• The private audience with the lesbians last week
• His "be like rabbits" crack
• His rebuke of the soon-to-be mother of eight

We do have the promise from Our Lord that His Vicar will never solemnly promulgate error.  However, there are many other ways that real harm can be done.  You might recall that the lesbians were emboldened by his "who am I to judge" crack.  And then there's the cop-out of "pastoral practice": the nonsense that dissident bishops use to disobey Canon 915, to neglect preaching on the evils of contraception.  All these "maturation" efforts (and there will be more to follow!) seem to be calculated to brainwash Catholics into accepting the thinking behind the interim report.  Even the way the report was released and the sin-nod conducted speak of a "ram-rod" effort to distort Church teaching in regards to marriage, sexuality and family.

I now link to a very worthwhile statement by the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy.  They state well Our Lord's teachings on these matters.

More Maturation Department: High Vatican Official Orders Theft Of Mail During Synod

Do you remember the book, "Remaining In The Truth Of Christ"?  This was a book by five wise prelates defending the Church's timeless teachings on marriage.  It caused many in the Vatican (perhaps the pope himself) to gnash their teeth.  I believe it was the resultant vindictiveness of these officials that caused them to evict Cardinal Burke from his posts of influence.  Comes now the news from Kathnet via Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog that hatred of this book's truth occasioned yet more sin from these officials.

During the sin-nod, Cardinal Burke and his co-authors wanted to ensure that all the synod fathers had their own copies of the book to educate their deliberations.  They sent each of them a copy of the book through the official Vatican mail system.  Someone amongst the progressive elements got wind of the mailing of these copies - and stole the copies from the mailboxes of the sin-nod fathers!  Yep!  That's right!  There are indications that this theft was ordered by none other than Cardinal Baldiserri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops.  One might hope that this is incorrect, but too much nonsense has emanated from this man to allow any reasonable doubt.

Is it really that outlandish to believe?  Consider that during the sin-nod, they were chomping at the bit to tinker with God's laws concerning marriage.  If they had so little regard for the Sixth Commandment, why should they uphold the Seventh Commandment?  I might add there was sin against the Eighth Commandment as well, as they were trying to stifle the truth regarding God's intent for marriage and family.

We must pray, watch and speak out.  As tumultuous as the last sin-nod was, I believe the next one will be far worse, if these revelations are any indication.

PS - I just checked out Mundabor's coverage of this and he reminded me of a less-than-stellar incident in which Pope Francis bragged and joked about stealing a Rosary from a corpse's hand.  I did post about it at the time; see this.  Can it be that Cdl Baldiserri was simply following his pontiff's precedent?

More On The Disgraceful Treatment Of Cardinal Burke

I truly suspect the book on which Cardinal Burke collaborated, called Remaining in the Truth of Christ, had much to do with the de facto removal of Cardinal Burke from a position of influence at the Vatican.  Read what Rorate Caeli says on the matter.  As you read it, take note of the book and its publisher in case you want to procure your own copy.  I plan to do so.

I'd also recommend a look at what Pat Archibald says in his EWTN piece "The Humiliation of Cardinal Burke (No Spin Zone)".  What's in parenthesis is key.  So many of these incidents are piling up (I've documented just a few) that one simply can no longer put a "happy face" and play "three monkeys" regarding the proceeds from the Vatican and still maintain intellectual and yes, spiritual honesty.

We need to hold the Holy Father in prayer.  However, we must also be honest and not be afraid to articulate what we see.  Else, our prayers will be greatly reduced in efficacy.