Cardinal Burke - Latest Target Of Papal "Accompaniment"

Frankly, this latest comes as no surprise.  It was just a matter of time.  From LifeSiteNews today, we read that the New Daily Compass reported on Francis' alleged intentions to evict Cardinal Burke from his apartment in Rome and to terminate his salary.   During a meeting with the heads of the Roman curia on November 20th, he is reported as saying, "Cardinal Burke is my enemy, so I am taking away his flat and salary."  My!  Isn't all this "papal accompaniment" so, so ... special?

Of course this is right on the heels of Francis kicking Bishop Strickland out on his ear.  As in the case of Strickland, Cardinal Burke himself has received no official notice of these proceedings.  This almost has the feel of some mafia don giving orders for hits, all the while making plain that the chopping block orders came from him.Francis' marginalization of Cardinal Burke began early in his seizure of Peter's Chair.   Pope Benedict had appointed Burke as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura; Francis dismissed him as punishment for criticizing his "papacy".  Burke was also part of the Congregation of Bishops.  Again, Francis axed him, replacing him with the liberal Cardinal Wuerl.

Now two questions come to mind:

1. What else will Francis do to Burke?  Bear in mind that Francis is reportedly having health issues.  Burke, presently a Cardinal, is eligible to vote in the next papal conclave.
2. Who is next?

Surviving The Sanitary Dictatorship

The term "sanitary dictatorship" was coined by Bishop Athanasius Schneider as he wrote about the plight of Catholics who are being deprived world-wide of the Sacraments out of misguided fear.  The "sanitary dictorship" is comprised not only of overreaching civil authorities, but even of Catholic hierarchy who seem all too eager to "go along to get along".

When I say "misguided fear", I do not mean to dismiss the importance of proper precautions such as the washing of hands, maintaining distance between people and for the sick, staying away from others.  I mean that the fear of the virus is supplanting what should be a proper and Godly fear of the Lord.  This lack of fear is causing even otherwise good Catholics to downplay the absolute necessity of the sacraments, believing that we can do without sacraments more so than temporal (and temporary) safety.

Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler TX called upon priests worldwide to do whatever is necessary to administer the Sacrament of Confession to their congregations.  An important aside - while some apoologists have argued that Catholics in prior centuries went without receiving the Eucharist for several months, they always attended Mass.  Moreover, they always had recourse to Confession, for if they died in mortal sin, they stood a good chance of going to hell.  By and large, they acknowledged that fact and acted accordingly.

Cardinal Burke has likewise penned an article in which he plainly states that once again, the Church must prioritize spiritual needs over temporal.  I could spend an entire post on his piece but I will simply urge you to read it in its entirety.

Fortunately, some priests are indeed "thinking outside the box" in order to make that vitally important Sacrament available to their congregations.  That article tells of a number of pastors who are offering "drive-through" confessions, including the pastor of St Edward the Confessor in nearby Bowie MD.  I heard from a friend that St Martin's of Gaithersbug will do the same on Saturdays from 4-5:30.

The Vatican has introduced indulgences in the wake of the deprivation of sacraments that we now endure.  These indulgences, though, persume that the seeker of the indulgence is in a state of grace.  Today, owing in part to terrible catechesis, many Catholics are in mortal sin.  For those Catholics there remains a lifeline known as an Act of Perfect Contrition; even then there is the condition that they must receive the Sacrament of Confession.

We simply must hammer home to our prelates the need to place the salvation of souls as first priority, even above public safety.  I will link to the blog of my friend and colleague at Les Femmes.  She and her fellow columnists have written a good deal on this matter, and it is worth study.  The churches must be opened and the Sacraments once again opened to the congregations.  In the meantime...

Five Prelates Issue Declaration Of Truths To Counter Common Heresies

Some of the heresies being addressed have been ginned up by Pope Francis.  The five prelates are:

• Cardinal Raymond Burke
• Cardinal Janis Pujats
• Archbishop Tomash Peta
• Archbishop Jan Pawel Lenga
• Bishop Athanasius Schneider

LifeSiteNews links to the official Declaration, as well as a petition to be signed in support of these five prelates.  Church Militant also has commentary.  It can be asked "where are the rest of the prelates of the Church?"  Well, consider that many of these prelates are not merely cowards, but they have drawn their long knives against these five prelates (and other faithful bishops such as Bishop Paprocki).

At any rate, we welcome this news as we learn that Pope Francis et al have all but wiped out another traditional order of sisters, these being the Little Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Redeemer.  Most have been relieved of their vows for not bowing to the modernistic dictates of Sister Mary Pantsuit.  Of course that's not her real name; I don't know it and that's just as well, I suppose.

So how did these sisters find themselves in progressive cross-hairs?  Well, among their high crimes and misdemeanors they engaged in (Wait for it!  This is an exact quote) "too much prayer", and being "unmoving" in fidelity to their order's charism.

The pope also let loose at Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini because the latter is enforcing common-sense immigration policies.  The pope went so far as to compare him to Cain murdering Abel.  The pope both insulted and slandered Salvini.

I and many others pray that this latest Declaration of Truth will wake some people up regarding the evil that has overtaken the Vatican.

Cardinal Burke On The Dangers Of Synodality

All In The Interests Of Collegiality And Dialogue - Right?

An Italian author, Aldo Maria Valli, has published a compilation of the writings of Archbishop Vigano.  However, Vatican officials are applying pressure to the publishing house to restrict future editions.  That is hardly what we'd call "dialogue", isn't it?  Of what is the pope afraid?

Meanwhile, in Washington DC, the current nuncio relayed a "request" from Vatican Secretary of State Parolin to the US bishops that Cardinal Burke not be invited to give talks.  This is just the latest insult to have been proffered to the Cardinal since Francis assumed the papacy.  Parolin relayed this request orally to deny Burke the right to appeal.

Parolin is giving lots of these oral requests lately.  He also orally communicated to Bishop Schneider of Kazakhstan that he is to reduce his travels and to clear any travel plans with the local nuncio.

Let's be clear.  Vigano, Burke and Schneider are good prelates who are defending Tradition against the human wrecking balls that now occupy the highest places in the Vatican.  The pope et al are in full panic mode, as if we, the Great Unwashed, are too stupid to see through their shenanigans.  They have absolutely no real interest in "dialogue".  Their "collegiality" masks are being discarded and we can now see them for the tyrants they are, hell-bent on undermining the teachings of Jesus Christ.  They will mow down anyone in their way - if they can.  Will we let them?

Pope Francis Channeling Juan Peron?

As we all know, Pope Francis is an Argentine native.  It is said that he is sympathetic to "liberation theology", condemned by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.  Pope Francis' sympathies to it have been evidenced over the past few years. Last week, Leonardo Boff, a leading proponent of the flawed thought system in the 1980s (and former Franciscan priest), said of Pope Francis "he is one of us".  He even indicated that Pope Francis solicited him for input for Laudato Si.  Unless Pope Francis explicitly repudiates this, I've no reason to doubt Boff's allegations.  Recall that over two years ago, a former Soviet spy claimed that "liberation theology" was a thought system invented by the KGB so that Marxist thought could be insinuated in the thinking and policies of various church bodies.  The KGB might well have found a willing ally in Pope Francis.

Liberation theology might not have been the only mental poison that Pope Francis contracted in Argentina.  Recall how Juan and Eva Peron had a virtual stranglehold on that country as they nationalized the economy, driving it to ruin.  Yes, they did much by hoodwinking much of the populace (like the Obamas managed to do for so long), but some heavy-handedness was also used.  Read this wikipedia entry and go to the "opposition and repression" section.  Bearing in mind that this wikipedia piece seems somewhat sympathetic to the Perons, even the author cannot ignore the way that Peron opponents were treated and that the Perons did hold both Mussolino and Hitler in some admiration.

We've seen how the pope seems to be emulating the Perons as he expunges from Vatican posts those who differ with him, just as Peron did at various universities and other places.  On the day after Christmas, Pope Francis ordered Cardinal Muller to expel three priests from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  The order was given without any explanation.  Read the article to get a glimpse of the atmosphere of fear that seems to permeate the Vatican.

There is also reason to believe that the pope (or at least his operatives) are behind the ongoing smear campaign against the four dubia cardinals, particularly Cardinal Burke.  From EWTN, we read that on Christmas Day, Leonardo Boff (yes, the one mentioned in the first paragraph of this post) mocked Cardinal Burke by calling him "the Donald Trump of the Catholic Church".  Come to think of it, that might not be so much of an insult after all, although it was intended as such.  At any rate, we do see signs of a coordinated campaign.  It's eerily similar to the mainstream media campaign that they undertook before the election to sway the voters towards Hillary.  Happily that media campaign was an abysmal failure, but only because people are waking up to the media's lack of credibility.

We bloggers hope to assist in a similar epiphany for Catholics in the pews so that they can understand what is happening in the Church today.  We must pray and act, but in order to do either properly, we must understand the true nature and gravity of the events occurring in the Vatican.

Cardinal Burke On EWTN Dec 15

In this interview with Raymond Arroyo that was released yesterday. Cardinal Burke answers his critics and restates the need for the dubia and for fidelity to the timeless teachings of Jesus Christ.

Radcliffe Debacle In Light Of Amoralis Lamentia

Some of my blogging colleagues reposted a story from last year regarding Father Timothy Radcliffe, a former Master General of the Dominicans who is now an open homophile.  That last term is not to imply that he himself is embroiled in the gay lifestyle (although there is reasonable probability of that) but it does signify that he is a willing enabler of such sinful conduct.

Initially I declined to do so, simply because his appointment by Pope Francis to the post of Consulter for the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace was last year's news.  In retrospect, I see my colleagues' wisdom in so doing for the recent events regarding Amoralis Lamentia and the dubia do put the Radcliffe matter in a new light.

Recall how Radcliffe stated that "gay sex..can be expressive of Christ's self-gift".  Of course this statement is pure blasphemy, to equate mortal sin with Christ's love for mankind.  But now consider the interim relatio report from the sin-nod from two years ago.  It drew much-justified criticism because it too suggested that mortal sin can "contain positive values".  And yes, the pope was well aware of this content before the document was promulgated with his approval.

No reasonable, honest person can deny any longer that there are efforts afoot by progressives in the Vatican (and that includes Pope Francis) to undermine the Teachings of Jesus Christ Himsef regarding faith and morality.  While it's true that the pope cannot solemnly proclaim error, he can accomplish nefarious ends by other, less flamboyant methods such as introducing confusing documents (such as Amoralis Lamentia), appointing dissidents such as Radcliffe to influential posts and by removing faithful prelates from their positions of influence.

Cardinal Burke, one of the authors of the dubia, has asked that rosaries be offered "so that bishops and priests will have the courage to teach the truth and defend the faith against all her enemies, both within the Church and outside the Church.  And may all confusion be dispelled from the Church."  While he made that appeal specifically for Dec 1, this intention is obviously one that deserves ongoing prayers.  Let us also pray that Pope Francis does restore clarity, as requested in the dubia.  But if he doesn't, let us pray that these cardinals follow up with the corrective measures as briefly described by Cardinal Burke.  The festering boil of heresy within the Church must be brought to a head so that it can be lanced and the infection treated.

Disdaining Truth And Authentic Worship For The Sake Of Ecumenicide

As most have heard, Pope Francis will be going to Sweden to "celebrate" the 500th year anniversary of the birth of Lutheranism.  I put "celebrate" in quotes for Martin Luther committed mortal sin and was the cause for millions going astray these past 5 centuries.  Mortal sin is to be mourned, not celebrated.  Catholic Family News has an article detailing the real character of the apostate known as Martin Luther and why his doings are to be abhorred not celebrated.

Greg Burke, head of the Vatican Press Office, said Catholics and Lutherans are "no longer defining themselves in opposition to each other but in communion with one another".  Oh, really?  I haven't heard any news of the Lutherans recanting their errors, for that's the only way true communion will come about.  Any real unity must have its basis in truth - that is, the Teachings of Jesus as entrusted to the Roman Catholic Church.

A little "aside".  Who remembers all the excuses for the papal gaffes that involved "poor English translations" from the Italian?  Consider the name of this Vatican press office head - sounds like something originating from the British Isles, doesn't it?  Hmm..  But I digress!  On with the main topic of this post!

LifeSiteNews put up a piece today regarding the impending ecumenicide debacle (fitting that it's occurring on Halloween, for it sure will be filled with horrors - but again I digress!)  It mentions the "hopes for intercommunion" by both Catholic bishops and Lutheran officials.  Both Cardinals Burke and Sarah denounced the very idea of non-Catholics receiving Holy Communion for it would constitute sacrilege.  They are correct.  Keep these two cardinals in mind for there is other news regarding them.

So on Halloween there is a "service" (one that we pray doesn't involve the mortal sin of sacrilege on the part of the pope).  The following day the pope will celebrate Mass for the local Catholic community. Crud ran an article on that, and the first few lines purport to be the pope's real sentiments about that Mass.  I'll quote now. "At first, Pope Francis did not want to celebrate a Catholic Mass in Sweden in order to preserve Monday’s ecumenical witness at the joint Catholic-Lutheran commemoration of the Reformation in Lund, he revealed in an interview released today. He later changed his mind after reflecting on his role as pastor of the Catholic community, and in response to a request from the local Church. But he put the Mass on the following day, Tuesday, in order to 'avoid confusing' the ecumenical event with the Catholic one."  If this quote is accurate (and it probably is), this means that the pope didn't want an icky old pelagian Mass to poop the ecumenicide party.  Now faithful Catholics know that Holy Mass is the highest form of worship that we can offer to Almighty God.  During the Consecration, the bread and wine are transformed into Jesus Christ Himself, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.  It takes precedence over all other acts of Catholic worship.  It certainly is far, far superior to any other prayer service and we beg the pope and his entourage to remember that.

Earlier in this post I said there was news regarding Cardinals Burke and Sarah.  It is quite troubling.  Today it was announced that the pope has completely revamped the membership of the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship.  Only Cardinal Sarah remains as prefect.  Quite a few of the faithful members were ejected including Cardinal Burke.  Others include Cardinals Pell, Ouellett, Ranjith.  They were replaced by those of a liberal bent, virtually isolating Cardinal Sarah as he attempts to maintain tradition and reverence in Catholic liturgy.  Call me suspicious, but I do think some of the motivation for this may have been punishment for Cardinals Burke and Sarah for daring to remind Catholics, including the pope, that non-Catholics cannot be given Holy Communion on pain of sacrilege.

Ecumenicide is getting to be quite the idol these days.  Not only do good prelates get marginalized, but Holy Mass itself is shunted to the side.  When will it end?

Operation Storm Heaven

An organization called Catholic Action For Faith And Family has inaugurated a prayer campaign called Operation Storm Heaven.  A key component of the campaign is for Catholics to pledge to pray the Rosary on the first of each month.   Cardinal Burke has lent his support and encouragement to this prayer effort.

Obviously the world is in desperate need of prayer.  This effort seems to dovetail nicely with the requests put forth by Our Lady of Fatima.  Let us all pledge to offer the Rosary on the first of the month at a bare minimum and to get others to do the same.

The Proclamation Of Truth Evokes Violent Reactions From Progressives

At a conference in Canada on June 5th, Cardinal Burke addressed the attendees on the crisis that western culture is facing.  LifeSiteNews has made the video available.  I post it now and have additional remarks below that.



The Cardinal gave very clear and succinct remarks about how the role of sexuality within marriage as God ordained it is crucial to the survival of civilization.   Perhaps it is that clarity that evoked quite the rage from Father Andre Samson, a priest from Ottawa who identifies himself as "gay".  See the LifeSiteNews piece and that of Vox Cantoris.  Samson called His Eminence a "clown" and "drag queen".

He went on to say that the Cardinal's defense of Catholic morality was "violent" to homosexuals. As I listened to the Cardinal's mild-mannered, measured delivery of his message, "violent" was the last thing that came to mind.  But Samson admitted more than he realized.  Those steeped in sin, particularly unrepented mortal sin, will experience pangs of conscience when they hear the truth.  Either they will embrace it and repent, or they will recoil in horror from it and continue with hardened hearts.  If the latter, they will always react violently and irrationally towards the truth, for they would rather be self-deluded as they careen towards hell.  They consider those telling the truth to be "mean" and "violent" for we upset the bubbles with which they attempt to surround themselves.  I alluded to one instance that I myself experienced in yesterday's post.  As this culture continues to degrade, more and more people who embrace filth and perversion will resent mightily those who tell them the truth; witness what happening with Christian businesses who won't affirm the mortal sins of gays.

We must continue to pray and of course we must redouble our proclamation of truth.  If the progressives shriek and recoil in reaction, keep at it.

Cardinals Burke And Muller Speak Truth To Rogue Prelates

LifeSiteNews published some excerpts of an interview that Cardinal Burke gave two months ago to them.  I link to it now and urge its study.  He points out the absurdity of:

• Trying to claim that there is some "redeeming" value to homosexual acts
• The use of contraception to be "responsible stewards of the earth"
• The many anomalies of the sin-nod

Similarly, Cardinal Muller had some words of truth for his fellow German bishops, stating quite clearly that local bishops' conferences could not decide for themselves what constitutes dogma and discipline, stating that it was "an absolutely anti-Catholic idea that does not respect the Catholicity of the Church".  He also stated that "the president of an episcopal conference is nothing more than a technical moderator" and that a country's dioceses are not subsidiaries of that country's episcopal conference.  I recall that Pope Benedict XVI also made the point of stating that these conferences have no inherent authority in and of themselves.  This only serves to strengthen my belief that these bishops' conferences are snakes in the grass and should be immediately dismantled.

I pray that the words of these two good cardinals are heeded and studied, as antidotes to the "maturation" that is being shoved down our throats to make us susceptible for more doctrinal poison that no doubt is planned for the sin-nod that will occur in October 2015.

From The #Rosicagate And Maturation Departments: More Food For Thought

Father Timothy Scott, a Basilian priest in Canada and former spokesman for that order, tweeted an obscene acronym to Cardinal Burke.  After well-deserved outcry from Catholics everywhere, Scott took down the tweet and issued an apology (of sorts) to the cardinal and Catholics in general.

Most people will recall that Father Thomas Rosica is also a Basilian priest with strong Canadian ties (namely his Salt and Light broadcast venture).  Like Michael Voris and so many others, I see a strong correlation between Scott's tweet and Rosica's legal action against Vox Cantoris.

Michael Voris produced a Vortex today that asks many relevant questions regarding these two.  The timing  of these is no accident, as Voris points out.  I'll go a few steps further than Voris and postulate that these actions are part and parcel of the "maturation" that the pope wants us to undergo to soften us for the deluge of heresy that will probably pour forth from next October's sin-nod.  As an aside, I too look askance upon all this legal expense being incurred by Rosica.  Where is this "poor humble church" about which the pope waxes so eloquent?

It is clear from the Vortex that it was created before the news broke that Scott has been removed as spokesman for the Basilians.  Will he also be removed from the Canadian Bishops' Conference?  We might also ask if Rosica will keep his job at the Vatican.  If he does, I believe that will be quite indicative of the mindset of Father Lombardi and perhaps the pope himself.

Cardinal Burke: "I Shall Resist"

That was the reply that Cardinal Burke gave during an interview with a French television show.  The interview was, or will be aired sometime today.

The question was "If perchance the pope will persist in this direction (that is, allowing Holy Communion to be given to those in de facto adultery), what will you do?"

The excerpt from that interview is here.   My fellow blogger, Eye Witness, has more commentary plus a video of that interview.  The interview is conducted in Italian with French subtitles.  I recall enough French to be able to understand just what is being said here.

He immediately followed with, "I can do nothing else."  Ladies and gentlemen, if the pope does proceed in that direction (and if so, it will be via praxis as the pope cannot solemnly proclaim error), we laity must also adopt that stance.  What would that entail on a practical level?  Well, we hope we won't be put in a position where we must answer those questions.  If that happens, however, each and every one of us must be prepared to step out of our comfort zones, forfeit positions within our parish structures and suffer all manners of "white persecution".

In the meantime, let us continue to pray and to work for the purification of Holy Mother Church, along with our own souls.

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?

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.

Interview With Cardinal Burke - In Two Parts

Thanks to Una Voce Austria and Gloria.tv

Part 1

Post by Una Voce Austria.

Part 2

Post by Una Voce Austria.

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.

Dignitatus Humanae Institute Clarifies Buzz Feed Interview With Cardinal Burke

From Aleteia we read that Dignitatus Humanae Institute, the organization that arranged Cardinal Burke's interview with Buzzfeed took the latter to task for rearrangement of words - a rearrangement that misquoted Cdl Burke as saying the "pope was harming the Church".

Rather, what Cardinal Burke said was "that in his opinion a general lack of clarity regarding the Pope’s position had caused harm to the Church."  In brief, he did not fault the Pope, but the "general lack of clarity" for harming the Church.  Buzz Feed has reprinted the entire text of the interview.  I appreciate Cardinal Burke's statement to set things right and to get his exact wording out there.  But now new questions are raised.

• Why, oh why, would there be any lack of clarity about the Pope's positions regarding divorced/remarried/adulterous relationships and sodomite situations?  The Magisterium has spoken on these things for 1000+ years.  Somehow I think that Pope Benedict XVI would have made his own positions crystal clear.
• Cardinal Burke asked the Pope to issue defense of the Church's teachings in light of the flim-flam that was called the interim relatio.  I do not believe that defense ever came.
• Let me elaborate on my previous sentence.  Here is the Pope's closing address.  In it, he states 
 "And this always – we have said it here, in the Hall – without ever putting into question the fundamental truths of the Sacrament of marriage: the indissolubility, the unity, the faithfulness, the fruitfulness, that openness to life."  That is not a definitive defense of the Church's teachings.  All he claimed here is that these teachings were not called into question during the SinNod; the interim relatio contradicts the Holy Father here.

So that little bit was cleared up.  Cardinal Burke did not attack the pope - as if I ever believed he did.  Will these other questions be answered?

With The Ouster Of Cdl Burke And Misconduct Of SinNod, The "Lovable" Mask Comes Off Pope Francis

No longer can any thinking, alert Catholic believe that Pope Francis is an affable "good ole boy" who likes to live simply and put clown noses on his face for silly selfies.  It is becoming painfully obvious that he is quite skilled in Machiavellian and Alinskyan tactics for advancing his agenda.  These skills have been displayed all too well at this SinNod.

A few days ago, after the release of the interim relatio, Cardinal Burke publicly urged - challenged - the Pope to defend unambiguously the teachings of the Church regarding marriage.  It should be emphasized that these teachings are those of Jesus Christ Himself.  Yesterday Cardinal Pell echoed that challenge.  However, it does seem that the agenda of the SinNod was planned well in advance - and that the relatio may have been written before the SinNod convened!

California Catholic Daily goes into detail about the planned short-comings of the SinNod:

• The prohibition against the publication of bishops' statements, unheard of in any other such gathering
• No mention of chastity or pursuit of holiness
• Over-emphasis on divorced/remarried issues to the exclusion of others (pornography, polygamy in Africa, etc)
• An obvious deference to the opinions of the secular world as to what constitutes "mercy"

Cardinal Walter Kasper of Germany appears to be the "front man" for the Vatican apparatus that is pushing for doctrinal changes in regards to distributing Holy Communion to de facto adulterers.  There is much information about Kasper and his thinking; I won't delve into it here lest I digress from the main points of this post, but I do urge all to read it. 

I will also link to a National Catholic Register article by Edward Pentin (the same who caught Kasper in a lie regarding his African quip).  The evidence he cites, plus other points cited by others and me (review my postings from this past week) during the past few days, indicates that this SinNod is not much more than an engineered "dog and pony show" conducted to give cover to the advancement of a diabolical agenda masterminded by a select few.  If true, we can only conclude that Pope Francis is one of those select few.  If this isn't Machiavellian and Alinskyan, I don't know what is.

Pope Francis has yet to answer the challenges of Cardinals Burke and Pell for defense of the Church's teachings on families.  Cardinal Burke had some words to say on this, stating that "the Pope has done a lot of harm by not saying openly what his position is", and that the "synod was designed to change Church teaching".  Both Buzz Feed and Rorate Caeli have accounts of this interview today.  In this same interview, His Eminence confirmed that he has been ousted from the Apostolic Signatura.

Some might think my words regarding Pope Francis to be rather caustic. But look at the events of the past few days and consider that they could not have happened without permission from the Pope.  I regret to say that his refusal to affirm Church teaching regarding the divorced/remarried seems to be a glaring signal of things to come.

I close now with a Vortex that was done just after Voris et al got word of the Cardinal's interview.