Bishops In Bed With Progressives

For over a hundred years, the Church has always supported the rights of workers to form unions so that they could bargain more effectively with their employers.  Such support was enshrined by Pope Leo XIII in Rerun Novarum.  However, today's bishops seem to be somewhat compromised when it comes to the rights of workers not to join a union if that is their preference.  They have demonstrated their left-wing proclivities once again with a case that is now before the Supreme Court, Janus vs American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.  Mark Janus, an Illinois employee brought suit so that he wouldn't have to cough up the mandatory union dues even though he declined to join.  He rightly states that such compulsion to pay union dues is a violation of his rights.

Demonstrating their slavish devotion to unions, the USCCB filed an amicus on behalf of AFSCME.  To his immense credit, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield publicly disavowed the USCCB's stunt, correctly stating that no such consensus exists among Catholics regarding a matter on which reasonable people can disagree.  I thank him for not joining the USCCB's false pretense that compulsory union membership is enjoined by the Magisterium.  I suspect the USCCB benefits a bit from union largess as well as that of the feds.  How else do we explain the toadying to John Sweeney, former boss of both SEIU and AFL-CIO over the years?

Let's take a look at the latest stunt by Cardinal Cupich of Chicago.  A parish within his archdiocese, St. John Cantius, has conducted Mass in the Extraordinary Form and fostered traditional sacred music.  Some rather cheap allegations arose concerning the pastor, Father C. Frank Phillips.  With no regard to due process, Cupich slapped on him very draconian measures, including the suspension of his priestly faculties.  Meanwhile, Father Michael Pfleger is still pastor of St. Sabina's.  Remember him?  Remember how he threatened to "snuff" the owner of a local gun shop (because he hates violence so much!)?  How does Pfleger remain while Phillips gets thrown under the bus?  The answer is really quite simple; Pfleger and Cupich have very similar outlooks.  Father Phillips on the other hand embraces fidelity to the Magisterium.  So as he squashed the priests who participated in 40 Days for Life while he was bishop of Spokane, so too is he punishing Fr Phillips for his love of Tradition.

We will now move onto another dissident prelate who, like Cupich, was made a Cardinal.  I refer you to Cardinal Joseph Tobin (not to be confused with the relatively decent Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island).  In direct contradiction to a statement made by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, he voiced his opinion that the Church should not attempt to make herself more pure.  Well, at least he's honest about that.  At a meeting of close confidantes of the pope's at Villanova last week, the cardinal opined that the "church is moving on the question of same-sex couples".  Moving where, pray tell?  In her two-thousand years of existence, she has always held to the teachings of Jesus Christ on the matter (and by the way - it's NOT "complex").  The only way she could "move" would be away from the truth.  That is happening only in the minds of dissidents, progressives and outright heretics.  Those last few words describe the attendees at that gabfest.

One last word about Cardinal Tobin.  Three years ago, Tobin was an archbishop in Indiana.  Within his diocese, a Knights of Columbus council rented their hall to a lesbian couple to celebrate their #mowwidge.  I had suggested that all call the chancery and ask Tobin to have the thing cancelled.  At the time I was unaware of Tobin's true colors.  Needless to say, Tobin did nothing.  At first I chalked his inaction to mere apathy.  Now I consider the very real possibility that the KofC council caved to the lesbians under his order.

Above I mentioned Bishop Thomas Paprocki as a bishop who is upholding the truth.  Another is Cardinal Burke.  He too was at a conference, one quite different in tenor than the heretical snake-pit that Cardinal Tobin attended.  What he said deserves its own post and that post will follow this.

More Proof That Liberalism Leads To Mortal Sin - Amended At Bottom

As faithful Catholics know, June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus - the Heart that was pierced with a lance after Jesus died on the cross.  Regrettably it is also the month in which gays hold parades in major cities, transforming the streets into venues for debauched orgies with all kinds of filthy perversions being celebrated.

Father James Martin, in the tweet below, shows his true colors by lauding public displays of mortal sin instead of calling the perpetrators to repentance and conversion.  I'm not surprised by this.  What caught my eye, though, is the tweet below that from Rebecca Bratten-Weiss, co-founder of the Non-Pro-Life Mutation.  She too believes that mortal sins of perversion should be publicly displayed so our society can continue to spiral down the sewer.  Below hers is my tweet; we'll see how long that stays on Martin's twitter page.  This is just another reason why this fake "New Pro-Life Movement" should be avoided like the plague that it is.  If there are any honest pro-life people still associated with that thing, get out now while you still have mental clarity left, lest you end up supporting baby-murder and sodomy.

To all my many #LGBTQ friends, Catholic and otherwise: Happy #PrideMonth Be proud of your God-given dignity, of the gifts God has given you, of your place in the world, and of your many contributions to the church. For you are "wonderfully made" by God (Ps 139). #PrideMonth2019

— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) June 1, 2019

Why not both?

— R Bratten Weiss (@Prof_RBW) June 2, 2019

Because the gay lifestyle is mortally sinful. If you don't understand that, it's no wonder that you were kicked out of Steubenville.

— Janet M Baker (@MDDC_Catholic) June 2, 2019

Note: the above are actual tweets.  If they should (ahem!) "disappear, I'll replace these with screen shots that I have of these.

I am happy to point out that Bishop Thomas Tobin (not to be confused with Joseph "nighty-night baby" Cardinal Tobin) put out a tweet reminding faithful Catholics that they are not to support the pride-orgies in any way, shape, fashion or form.  As you can imagine, he is receiving all kinds of vile comments.  Please go to that tweet and post supportive replies to him.  Now where are his brother bishops?  Bishop Strickland has supported him, but where, oh where, are the rest?

A reminder that Catholics should not support or attend LGBTQ “Pride Month” events held in June. They promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to Catholic faith and morals. They are especially harmful for children.

— Bishop Thomas Tobin (@ThomasJTobin1) June 1, 2019

Thanks for speaking up Bishop Tobin....let us be mighty loving messengers of truth and light in Jesus Christ https://t.co/KMWRYIYYYf

— Bishop J. Strickland (@Bishopoftyler) June 2, 2019

SAD ADDENDUM: It appears that Bishop Tobin might be backpeddling on his tweet. Please read this from his diocesan site.  Look at the last paragraph.  How in hell can a rally to celebrate debauchery and sin ever be a "safe, positive and productive experience for all"????   Bishop Tobin, please put some calcium in your spine. Actually, I hope that this blurb is attributable to some diocesan employee who tampered with the diocesan site without the bishop's authorization.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin Targets Pro-Life Priest - Time For Us To Act

Father Peter West is a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark NJ.  He has been outspoken in his defense of both the pre-born babies as well as God's timeless teachings on marriage, sexuality and family.  In the past, he was affiliated with both Human Life International and Priests for Life before being called back to his home diocese.  From there he has continued to preach against the intrinsic evils of abortion, "gay-marriage", contraception, etc.

He has voiced his opinions regarding politics as they impact public morality and the ability of Christians to practice freely their faith in the public square.  In doing so, he has spoken in his capacity as a private individual, not as a representative of the Archdiocese of Newark.  I can attest to this, being one of Father's facebook friends.

A few months ago, Archbishop Joseph Tobin, formerly the ordinary of Indianapolis, was transferred to Newark by Pope Francis and named a cardinal.  I have written about Cardinal Tobin (not to be confused with Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island).  He has shown himself to be quite the progressive lap-dog,  While in Indianapolis, he worked to undermine then-governor Mike Pence as the latter went about enforcing immigration laws.  Not only did he object to Pence, but he called the four dubia cardinals "troublesome".  Then of course there was the debacle of two years ago, when he looked the other way while a Knights of Columbus hall in his diocese was used by two lesbians to celebrate their #mowwidge.

I am not at all surprised that Cardinal Tobin's minions have the long knives out for Father West.  Christian Review has an excellent analysis of the situation, as well as a link to the liberal trash-article that seems to have called the Newark progressives into action.

But perhaps there's another cause to the roughshod treatment that may be meted out to Father West.  In September of 2003, a consortium of Catholic schools in the DC area held a fund-raising dinner downtown.  Pro-abortion Ted Kennedy was one of the two co-chairs of the event.  Seeing the disgrace that would have resulted in a pro-abortion proponent being honored at a Catholic event, I and a number of others tried to at least have Kennedy disassociated from that event.  Cardinal McCarrick was archbishop of Washington at that time.  Of course he turned a deaf ear to us.  So about 25 of us picketed that event.  Father West joined us.  Lo and behold, who pulls up but Cardinal McCarrick!  We both greeted and rebuked him.  The Cardinal was none too pleased, and none too pleased to see Father West - whom he ordained while archbishop of Newark.  I'm an eye-witness to that exchange.  I don't know if there's a connection or not, but that possibility cannot be discounted.

Anyway, it does appear that the Newark archdiocese has found an excuse to quell its stung conscience by clamping down on a faithful priest.  I echo the Christian Review's call for all of us to pray and make our voices heard at the Archdiocese of Newark in support of Father West.  Please act now.  In addition to the contacts suggested by the Christian Review, you may wish to contact other offices.  The archdiocesan website is www.rcan.org.  Please pass this to others.  Thank you.

#IStandWithFatherPeterWest

Amoris Laetitia And Dubia - Separating Wheat From Chaff

Slowly but surely the Dubia that the four cardinals submitted to Pope Francis is bringing a lot of dissent and heresy to light.  The head of the Greek Bishops' Conference (I won't even attempt that name) wrote to the four cardinals and flat out accused them of heresy.  One Peter Five has the text of the letter, and it is a beeyute!  He opens the letter by stating that the four cardinals should turn in their red caps (I don't know the proper term) and then accuses them of heresy, apostacy and scandal.  One wonders if he actually read the dubia, for all it does is ask the pope to clarify some passages in Amoris Laetitia that seem to contradict the tradition of the Church.  Or maybe he did read them and is simply trying to frighten others into not considering their input.

Cardinal Cupich seems to be mouthing similar things - almost as if they were all given "talking points".  I have written about the sword-crossing between him and Archbishop Chaput when the latter reaffirmed Church teaching in his own diocese.  In an interview, he told Edward Pentin that those who have "doubts and questions" regarding Amoralis Lamentia need "conversion in their lives".  I and others have written extensively about Cupich's dissidence many times.  Please read that list for yourselves for I haven't time nor space to detail just why Cupich may be the one needed conversion.

One wonders if that head of the Greek Bishops' Conference might have such strong words for his German counterpart.  Archbishop Robert Zollitsch openly declared his belief that "Christ did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like a scapegoat."  He believes that Jesus only offered "solidarity with the poor."  Now that is heresy.  Will the Greek head say anything about that?  Will the Pope have a rebuke for this heresy-spouting bishop?  I think we'll hear crickets and Zollitsch will retain his post.

However, it does seem that the four cardinals are not standing alone.  Polish Bishop Josef Wrobel says "the four cardinals did well in asking for clarification about Amoris Laetitia".  He added that AL "is not written well".  He offered that as a potential excuse reason for its lack of clarity.

Two American bishops share the same last name: Tobin.  That's about all they share.  Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island opined last July that AL was "marked by ambiguity and that's intentional on the Holy Father's part, I think...so people can do just about whatever they want."  This bishop has consistently stood for the truth.  On the other hand we have Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis.  In the previous link I detailed some issues we've had with him.  He called the four cardinals "troublesome".  Well, it might actually be a good thing to be regarded as "troublesome" to a progressive.  We know now why Joseph Tobin received his red hat!

Bishop Athanasius Schneider published a letter in which he defended the dubia and the four cardinals as a "prophetic voice."  In his letter, Schneider takes aim at the progressive syncophants who lobbed ad hominem attacks at the four cardinals without offering any real clarity, comparing the current situation to that of St Hilary of Poitiers and Pope Liberius.  The letter is worth careful study.

Then there is Bishop Jan Watroba, also of Poland.  He remarked on the ambiguity of AL, saying that he "preferred the clarity of Pope St. John Paul II".  I pray that these three bishops retain their posts and aren't sent to "diocesan siberia", if you get the drift.  I also pray that many more bishops join them to stand for the teachings of Jesus Christ.

LifeSiteNews is conducting a petition effort to ask the Holy Father to respond to the dubia.  Please sign and pass along.

Words And Deeds Of Some Very Good Prelates

Among the bishops do exist some real champions of the Faith.  Today I have learned of some actions taken by several of them.

From Creative Minority Report, we hear that Bishop Thomas Tobin has declined an invitation to attend the gubernatorial inauguration of Gina Raimondo of Connecticut.  Raimondo, while Catholic, is a supporter of baby murder.  Bishop Tobin quite openly said that it would be a problem for him to attend the inauguration of a pro-abortion individual.  While the inauguration is in progress, the bishop plans to offer Mass at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul to offer prayers for newly elected officials.

Again from Creative Minority Report, we read of direction given to his chancery employees by Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami.  Basically he reminded them that no matter where they are, even in "off-hours" situations, that they always are representatives of the Church.  As such, they must always uphold Church teaching.  He issued this directive as same-sex "marriages" started happening in Florida.  The archbishop warned them that any conduct not in keeping with the Church's teaching - including support of so-called "same sex marriages" - could lead to a variety of disciplinary actions, including termination of employment.

Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, IL has ordered his churches to return the tabernacles to the center of the sanctuary of the churches.  He did so expressly to encourage prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  I might point out that Bishop Paprocki's action stands in stark contract to the ludicrous stance of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines that has expressly directed that the tabernacle (that is, the Blessed Sacrament) should be shoved away from the center into some alcove.

LifeSiteNews reports of a recent interview given by Cardinal Raymond Burke.  In this interview, the cardinal explains how the Church has been damaged by radical feminism.  Among other worthwhile words, the Cardinal stated that the introduction of "altar girls" has discouraged boys from taking that role and may have inhibited priestly vocations among them.  Father Z has an analysis of that interview, too.

Pray for these four prelates, as the progressives do have their long knives drawn and pointed at them.  Pray that many more may follow their examples.

Bishop Tobin Speaks Out On Mandela's Murderous Legacy

Deo Gratias!  There is at least one US bishop who isn't following the progressive lap-dog chanting of the praises of Nelson Mandela.  Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence RI highlights Madela's "shameful promotion of abortion in South Africa."  I might remind one and all that Bishop Tobin has spoken truth to Patrick Kennedy and has been verbally abused by Chris Matthews for so doing (a reason why we picketed a book-signing of Chris Matthews that was hosted by Blessed Sacrament Church in Washington DC - see this and this).

Mandela needs our prayers.  Moreover, those who unreservedly heaped praise upon his dubious memory need our prayers for the courage to be honest about him - and yes, I include the Holy Father.

Pope Francis, Do NOT Appoint Another Dissident To The Archdiocese Of Washington!

As announced a few days ago, the pope has (finally!) accepted the resignation of Cardinal Wuerl as Archbishop of Washington.  The pope stipulated that Wuerl is to retain authority as "apostolic administrator" until a successor is selected.  We may rest assured that Wuerl will have huge input (if not sole input) regarding that selection.  However long it takes, Wuerl will be in charge; that is, he's gone in name only.

The rumor mill has floated some names, none of which are outside the realm of possibilities, given the mindsets of both Wuerl and the pope.  Some of these give great cause for concern, as I have written when the "possibilities" have made their problematic characteristics known.  They are:

• Cardinal Joseph "nighty-night baby" Tobin  He allowed lesbians to celebrate their perversion of #mowwidge in a KofC hall.  He allowed gay "pilgirmages" in his diocese.  He poo-pooed the concerns of the Dubia Cardinals.  He is not to be confused with Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island.
• Bishop Robert McElroy - In his opposition to President Trump, he wrote that "we must all become disrupters"; might he hold some blame for all the antifa crap going on now?  We faithful Catholics who expose him, on the other hand, are called "cancers" engaging in "verbal violence".  He ordered his priests to give Holy Communion to adulterous Catholics.
• Cardinal Blaise Cupich - his appointment here would be the stuff of nightmares.  He has persecuted faithful priests such as Fathers Frank Phillips and Paul Kalchik.  He is a shill for the giving of Holy Communion to adulterers and sodomites.  He allows dissidents like Father Michael Pfleger to run rampant.  Church Militant put up a petition that he be removed - and now he might come here?  Puh-leeezeee!

I and many faithful Catholic bloggers have taken these prelates (and others) to task.  To the trolls who have been charged by the Vatican to follow our blogs, please be advised that if any of these (or other dissidents) are assigned to the Washington Archdiocese, we will rebuke them when necessary (perhaps that might be its own full-time job).  We will shine the light on any misdeeds.  

We of the Archdiocese of Washington have already put up with two dissident prelates and have seen good priests here both hog-tied and/or expelled.  Be advised that we will not be silent.  We will take a page from Pope Francis' playbook and make a mess for those who would turn the mystical body of Christ into just another social-justice, community-organizing progressive racket.

Rest assured we will be watching and we won't hesitate to raise our voices and withhold our dollars if we perceive the next bishop to be one who will continue with the desecration of Holy Mother Church.  To the progressive Vatican officials who even now ponder their choices, if you do select another progressive, well, to borrow a phrase of Cardinal Cupich, do you really want to go down that rabbit hole?

Skullduggery In The College Of Cardinals - Sarah Sidelined, Three New Progressives In

Cardinal Robert Sarah is a faithful prelate who did much to oppose the wreckage of the Magisterium that was the purpose of the two sin-nods on the family.  This blog and others have been shining the light on theses sin-nods and their resultant mess that is named Amoris Laetitia.  I have renamed it Amoralis Lamentia.

It seems that His Eminence is beginning to share some of the fate of Cardinal Burke, another faithful prelate.  Cardinal Sarah is currently Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.  He had been scheduled to open the academic year for the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family on October 27 in Rome, but the pope basically expelled him from that role, saying he'd do it himself.  This comes after the pope apppointed two progressive prelates to head that institute.  That institute had also opposed the progressive juggernaut at the two sin-nods.

In August, I wrote about one of those progressive prelates, Archbishop Paglia.  His appointment is solid evidence that the pope does indeed intend - as stated in Amoralis Lamentia - to allow divorced Catholics who are living in adultery to commit the mortal sin of sacrilege by receiving Holy Communion without the requisite repentance from mortal sin.  In that post, I wrote about another progressive prelate who has done damage to the faith - Bishop Farrell.  I will be addressing him in the next paragraph.

The pope just announced that he named 17 new cardinals, to be elevated on November 19th.  Three of them are US prelates and one of them is Bishop Farrell.  Another is - Archbishop Blaise Cupich of Chicago.  Yes, this Cupich!  As you can see, he has occasioned a whole series of blog posts with his dissidence and insults to the Faith.  Read that anthology and consider the progression of events.

The third US prelate is Archbishop Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis.  In January 2015, we learned that a Knight of Columbus council in his diocese rented their hall to lesbians so they could celebrate their sinful relationship.  We contacted him to have this debacle stopped; we heard crickets from him.  He is not to be confused with Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence RI, who is a faithful prelate.

I just touched upon the three US cardinal-designates.  I'd be willing to bet that the fourteen from other countries are just as problematic.

There can be no doubt that the pope is deliberately stacking the College of Cardinals with progressive cronies while marginalizing truly faithful Princes of the Church.

Catholic Standard Shills For False Unity At Truth's Expense

On page 3 of the Nov 12 issue of the Catholic Standard and here on the online version appears an article entitled "Catholics' Post-Election To-Do List Includes Work For Unity, Healing".  Right there in the title you can foresee the problems in the article.  Instead of focusing on "unity and healing", the focus needs to be on proper catechesis so that Catholics understand Our Lord's teachings on life, sexuality, marriage, family, and the prominence that faith should have in our personal and civic lives.  Without that understanding, any pretense at unity will be that - a mere sham.

However, as we peruse this article, we see no emphasis on truth.  That lack of emphasis is seen in the selection of people quoted in this article.

• Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis (not to be confused with Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island) turned a deaf ear to us when we pleaded with him to intervene in the plans of a local KofC council to rent their hall to lesbians to hold their "wedding reception".  Is that what he means by "building bridges" as he said in an interview?  In that same interview he approved of the ambiguity of Amoralis Lamentia and poo-pooed the efforts of the four cardinals who published the dubia.
• The National Catholic Reporter is so faithless to true Catholicism that its two bishops have directed the pubication to remove the word "Catholic" from their title.  Of course those directives are disobeyed.
• Sister Simone Campbell along with her Network bunch, are pro-abortion.  She and NETWORK sided with the Obama administration against the USCCB to support Obamacare's HHS mandate.  When asked whether or not she thought abortion should be illegal, she took a line out of Obama's script and replied "that's beyond my pay grade.  I don't know".  So we're supposed to believe that a leader in "Catholic social justice" doesn't know if baby-murder should be illegal?  In another interview after the DNC convention (during which she publicly praised the NARAL president) she stated "I don't think it's a good policy to outlaw abortion" then went on to slander pro-life people.
• Father James Martin makes no secret of his sympathy for "gay rights".  He was honored by the dissident group New Ways Ministry for his advoacy of the sodomite lifestyle.

Why does Carol Zimmerman (author of the Catholic Standard piece) call these people "Catholic leaders"?

Let's talk about some of these "divisions".  The only way that there could be "divisions", at least in the general election, is if Catholics voted for Hillary Clinton.  A goodly number of faithful priests have outlined why voting for Hillary, who made no secret of her devotion to baby-murder and institutionalized sodomy, would have been a sinful act.  Those who voted for her, knowing of her stances, sinned.  I've posted many times on this blog why it was sinful to withhold votes for Trump.  On those posts are links to homilies/writings of others making the same case.  Still, some have not only withheld their votes from Trump; they magnified their sin in casting votes for Clinton.

Now the Catholic Standard is issuing a "kiss-and-make-up" call, all the while quoting from dissidents who most likely sinned with their votes.  No true reconciliation can happen unless those who voted for Clinton (particularly those who were arrogantly blatant about it) announce public repentance for that sin.  We must face the fact that those who cast such votes betrayed the unborn children as well as faithful Catholics.  If there is not that public repentance, we've no assurance that they won't repeat that sin, should they deem it suitable for them to do so.

I for one refuse to play that silly, deceptive make-believe game of false reconciliation.  It will be asked if I hope to work with those Clinton voters in the future.  I will reply, "unless they repent, NO!"  Now the question is, "do those who sinned with their votes wish to work with us in the future?"  If so, the must repent.  Either way, it's up to them.

Planned Parenthood Travesty - The Archdiocese Of Washington Makes Its Mind Known

The Archdiocese of Washington has made a statement regarding Planned Parenthood's sale of babies whom they have murdered.  Click on the player to hear one of their spokespeople speak of the concern that the chancery has regarding this matter.



That's about the size of it!  Two weeks ago the Catholic Standard buried this blurb towards the back of the print edition when the first few videos were released.  Today I received the August 27th edition.  Bearing in mind that this is the first edition out since the massive Planned Parenthood protests this past Saturday, with 70 thousand pro-lifers in over 300 cities participating.  It was the largest protest of Planned Parenthood in history.  Yet not one peep was uttered in today's rag, even though two of the protest locations were within the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Washington.  Today we got to read how interesting Pope Francis is because he had a parakeet as a boy and some other silly drivel, but what did we hear about the massive protest effort this past weekend?  Zero-zip-nada!  This is why many faithful Catholics have long ago ceased to regard the Catholic Standard as a reliable source of relevant Catholic news.  Long-time readers might recall that the many failures of the Standard were motivating factors behind the start of this blog.

When I said in the title that the Archdiocese of Washington made its mind known regarding the video, I was not being facetious.  Their silence is most telling of their obvious indifference to the sale of murder victims.

With a few noteworthy exceptions, this silence of the shepherds has become the trend.  I list the exceptions below, regretting that this list isn't as long as it should be.

• Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield IL has called for a "day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer" to beg God's forgiveness as a nation.
• Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone led the San Francisco protest. 
• Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay WI was at the Planne Parenthood of Grand Chute event
• Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence RI spoke at the local event.
• Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh (NC) had this to say to his diocese

This list should be a LOT longer!  If I missed any bishop, please advise via comments.

Kudos for Two Bishops!

It's uplifting to read of bishops who are acting in accord with their office and charism, so I'm pleased to pass on the following.

From Billings, Montana, we hear that Bishop Michael Warfel of Great Falls/Billings has ejected the pro-gay Always Our Children from the parish hall of St Pius on April 6.  Read more details at Lifesite News.

From Providence, Rhode Island, we hear that Bishop Thomas Tobin has severed ties between St. Joseph Health Service, the diocesan hospital, and the Catholic Health Association.  Read here for excerpts of his letter to Sr Carol Keehan.

Here We Go Again!

A week has not elapsed since Sister Carol Keehan was permitted by the Jesuits to befoul a Catholic high school graduation, and now we have word of another unsavory character that is slated to speak at a Catholic function.

Two weeks from today, on June 24th, from 7:00pm-9:00pm, the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service is conducting an awards ceremony at the Franciscan Monastery, located at 14 Quincy Street, NE in Washington DC.  The guest speaker is Chris Matthews, host of Hardball.  Matthews is pro-abortion, and has no patience for those who insist that Catholics behave as such in the public square.

For instance, you might recall how Patrick Kennedy was railing against the Church for stating that he does not call the shots when it comes to determining Catholic morality.  Kennedy's bishop, Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island, took Kennedy to task - and aroused Matthew's ire.  Observe.  (Click here if you can't see embedded videos)



Now that we've all been sufficiently charmed by Matthews' oratorial/conversational style and his utter disregard for bishops who act like shepherds instead of fund-raising politicians, we can all see that Chris Matthews does not deserve a Catholic forum to cloak his dissent.

On other occasions, Matthews has labeled pro-life opponents of Kathleen Sebelius as "terrorists".   Read of the concerns of others over his pro-abortion advocacy and for a montage of pro-abortion quotes.

Please contact both the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service and the Franciscan Monastery.  Remind them that the presence of one who publicly favors abortion and who mocks bishops for acting like bishops is a disservice and insult to those who selflessly engage in Catholic volunteer efforts.  If you do so via email, send them the link to the youtube video above, and the links to the other articles, so that they can see for themselves just what they might inflict upon their guests should they not cancel his appearance.

Additionally, please spread word of this and ask your acquaintences to join us.

A Kennedy Makes a Fool of Himself

This time it was Patrick Kennedy's turn to stick his foot in his mouth. The Catholic bishops are opposing abortion funding in the Obamacare bill, and that has aroused Kennedy's umbrage. According to this prince of Camelot, the bishops, by taking this position, are "fanning the flames of dissent and discord." Well, arguably Kennedy is somewhat knowlegeable about being in dissent with respect to the Magisterium. He unfortunately is turning into a bit of a clone of his late father, the rabidly pro-abortion Edward Kennedy.

"If the church is pro-life, then it ought to be for health care reform because it’s going to provide health care that are going to keep people alive," he blathers on. Well, not all people, Paddy my boy! What about the people in the womb? What about the people who are seniors and who will have the specter of euthanasia foisted upon them? And who are you to lecture anyone on being pro-life? You know not the meaning of the term for your actions have been the very antithesis of a true pro-life ethic.

Kennedy's bishop, Thomas J Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, rightly called Kennedy a "disappointment" and called on him to apologize. Good for him. But what the bishop also must do is make clear to Kennedy that he will be refused Holy Communion on his trips home (assuming he attends Mass regularly).

Silence When Prelates Misbehave Is Its Own Sin

In 2021, Dr Peter Kwasniewski wrote a small but powerful and much-needed book called True Obedience In The Church.  It is published by Sophia Institute Press.  No doubt the egregious misdeeds of the late Francis was impetus for its writing, since many sincere but unaware Catholics were led to follow him in his heresies, thinking that they were obliged to obey the pope in every way.

In his book, Dr. Kwasniewski laid forth the proper theology behind the concept of obedience, making plain that we are required to obey our prelates only to the extent that they act in concert with the Teachings of the Church as they have always existed.  The pope is charged with preserving Church Tradition, and is no more permitted to tinker with it than are the laity.  Indeed, Kwasniewski says correctly that we are forbidden to follow our leaders into error.  For example, no prelate can order a priest in his diocese to "bless" two gays and their perverted relationship.  They are not to conduct idol worship, such as that occurred with the pachamama idolatry in the Vatican Gardens.  I need not go into more detail, or I would be typing all night.

In his book, he quoted St Thomas Aquinas who said, "unjust laws are acts of violence rather than laws...Wherefore they do not bind in conscience".  He then went on to say that Francis' attempts to stifle the Traditional Latin Mass fall under the category of "unjust laws" and need not, or I should say, may not be obeyed.  Traditiones Custodes is a direct violation of Quo Primum, a papal bull issued by Pope Saint Pius V in 1570 that established the Traditional Latin Mass as the true Mass, one that can never be abrogated.

Following the logic set forth by Aquinas, Kwasniewski also pointed out that those priests and bishops who were canceled on account of fidelity to Tradition are by no means bound to act as though their priestly ministries are stifled.  Because these priests acted in accord with Tradition, any punishment meted to them in retaliation is illicit and has no claim of obedience.  They are still priests in good standing with God and deserve out support.  They may not have use of churches in which to administer Sacraments, but can certainly do so away from diocesan property, say for example, in private homes.

At this time, we have a new pontiff - Leo XIV.  He's only been pope for a few weeks so we don't know what the future will hold.  We hope and pray that he reverses the damage wreaked by Francis.  If he does, though, we will still have many aberrant bishops with which to deal: McElroy, Cupich, Tobin, etc.  We will have to be vigilant and be ready to resist them when they misbehave.

Many of the young priests being freshly ordained today are more traditionally-minded than were the priests ordained just a generation ago.  I'd like to propose a model for them to examine.  He was a priest of the Old Testament, and an account of his priestly zeal is given in Numbers 25:6-13.  I will reproduce it from the Douay-Rheims version.

Douay-Rheims   DR + LV   Latin Vulgate   Summa   Catechism Douay-Rheims Bible < prev Book of Numbers next > < prev Chapter 25 next > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 The people fall into fornication and idolatry; for which twenty-four thousand are slain. The zeal of Phinees.  1 And Israel at that time abode in Settim, and the people committed fornication with the daughters of Moab,  2 Who called them to their sacrifices. And they ate of them, and adored their gods.  3 And Israel was initiated to Beelphegor: upon which the Lord being angry,  4 Said to Moses: Take all the princes of the people, and hang them up on gibbets against the sun: that my fury may be turned away from Israel.  5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel: Let every man kill his neighbours, that have been initiated to Beelphegor. [3] "Initiated to Beelphegor": That is, they took to the worship of Beelphegor, an obscene idol of the Moabites, and were consecrated, as it were, to him.  6 And behold one of the children of Israel went in before his brethren to a harlot of Madian, in the sight of Moses, and of all the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle.  7 And when Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest saw it, he rose up from the midst; of the multitude, and taking a dagger,  8 Went in after the Israelite into the brothel house, and thrust both of them through together, to wit, the man and the woman in the genital parts. And the scourge ceased from the children of Israel:  9 And there were slain four and twenty thousand men.  10 And the Lord said to Moses:  11 Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned away my wrath from the children of Israel: because he was moved with my zeal against them, that I myself might not destroy the children of Israel in my zeal.  12 Therefore say to him: Behold I give him the peace of my covenant,  13 And the covenant of the priesthood for ever shall be both to him and his seed, because he hath been zealous for his God, and hath made atonement for the wickedness of the children of Israel.

Phineas was a young man at the time.  I cannot discern whether or not he was old enough to have exercised priestly functions.  At any rate, the Israelites were being punished for engaging in sexual relations with idolatrous people.  He saw a well-placed Israelite strut into a tent with a foreign woman.  In fact, the whole multitude saw it.  Notice that Moses and Eleazar saw it too, and apparently did nothing.  Phineas did.  He did not wait for Moses or Eleazar to instruct him; he just acted.  He did not fear reprisal, for he was acting on God's revealed will.

The Lord Himself told Moses that he was pleased with Phineas, and that the actions of the latter caused God to cease His punishment of the people.  Somehow I think that God was also chiding Moses for not acting himself against the wicked Israelite.

Our priests need to act as priests, knowing that aberrant bishops cannot legitimately order them not to be faithful to the Traditions of the Church.

Lay people, we are not off the hook.  If anything, we are more able to speak truth to power, as we are under no vows of obedience.  We must be ready to speak up and yes, to pay the price for so doing.  That means that friends will avoid and shun us.  It probably means we'll be expelled from parish committees, CCD and RCIA programs, etc.  We'll have to support priests under attack and perhaps allow our homes to be sites for Traditional Latin Masses.  As for the last part, it was widely done after the bishops quashed the Latin Mass in the 1970s.

Now a word to those lay people who are parents of priests and vowed religious.  Many of you have assumed silence for fear that your children will suffer reprisals.  That strategy is futile on your part.  Some of you have been politically active in the past and have also been pro life activists.  That means that your children already have targets on their backs.  Your silence and "staying under the radar" will avail them not one damned thing.  In fact, by remaining silent, you are providing an abysmal example of how not to speak against the evil that is in their midst.  Rest assured, that unless progressive prelates are removed and the climate in the Vatican improves, your children will - not if, but will - suffer cancelation as has other faithful priests and bishops.  Some have even been put in fear for their lives; that is not out of the question.  Just within the Archdiocese of Washington, I am aware of four priests that have been "cancelled", because they have preached God's truth against homosexual conduct.  Given the stench of perversion that has wafted through the halls of the DC chancery in the past 20+ years,  is anyone surprised?  At any rate, parents, your beleaguered will need your example of courage and boldness, not one of silence and "hunkering down". 

However, hearken back to the words of Dr. Kwasniewski as mentioned in the first part of this post.  These cancelations are unjust and thus illicit.  They hold no weight morally, and none under canon law.  They are still priests, able to perform - just not on property under archdiocesan control.  Parents and friend of potentially targeted priests, bear that in mind and be emboldened to speak for the Church and her God.