Latin Mass Continues In Philly - For Now!

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Latin Mass Or Modern Mass? Here's The Answer!

 

Note*

Video is from 3 years ago. It recirculated today so we assumed new.

Full interview here. https://t.co/oWbcAkuHj4

— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 18, 2021

KABOOM: Pope Basically BANS Latin Mass!

 

Below excerpted from the National Catholic Register:

Pope Francis has issued sweeping restrictions to the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, reversing previous papal decrees that had liberalized the Mass celebrated before the liturgical reforms of Pope St. Paul VI in 1970, and urging a “return in due time” to the liturgy instituted after the Second Vatican Council. 

Supporters of the Latin Mass have responded to the new papal document with concern, saying that it clamps down in an unjustifiably swift and harsh manner on its celebration of the sacred liturgy. 

In a new apostolic letter issued motu proprio titled Traditionis Custodes (Guardians of the Tradition) and signed on July 16, the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Pope has taken the “firm decision” to immediately overturn Benedict XVI’s 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum and Pope St. John Paul II’s 1988 motu proprio Ecclesia Dei that liberalized the availability of the Mass celebrated before 1970. 

One of the key elements of Benedict’s Summorum Pontificum, which stated that the Roman Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962 was “never abrogated as an extraordinary form of the Church's Liturgy,” was that it granted that any stable group of lay faithful could ask a priest to celebrate this form of the Mass (also called the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite), and he would need “no permission from the Apostolic See or from his own Ordinary.” 

Click here to read more. 

Pope's Easter Homily: 'Let The Abortion And Killing Of Innocent Lives End'

Here is the full text of the Easter Vigil homily of Pope Francis, delivered April 11 at St. Peter's Basilica.

“After the Sabbath” (Mt 28:1), the women went to the tomb. This is how the Gospel of this holy Vigil began: with the Sabbath. It is the day of the Easter Triduum that we tend to neglect as we eagerly await the passage from Friday’s cross to Easter Sunday’s Alleluia. This year however, we are experiencing, more than ever, the great silence of Holy Saturday. We can imagine ourselves in the position of the women on that day. They, like us, had before their eyes the drama of suffering, of an unexpected tragedy that happened all too suddenly. They had seen death and it weighed on their hearts. Pain was mixed with fear: would they suffer the same fate as the Master? Then too there was fear about the future and all that would need to be rebuilt. A painful memory, a hope cut short. For them, as for us, it was the darkest hour.

Yet in this situation the women did not allow themselves to be paralyzed. They did not give in to the gloom of sorrow and regret, they did not morosely close in on themselves, or flee from reality. On the Sabbath they were doing something simple yet extraordinary: preparing at home the spices to anoint the body of Jesus. They did not stop loving; in the darkness of their hearts, they lit a flame of mercy. Our Lady spent that Saturday, the day that would be dedicated to her, in prayer and hope. She responded to sorrow with trust in the Lord. Unbeknownst to these women, they were making preparations, in the darkness of that Sabbath, for “the dawn of the first day of the week”, the day that would change history. Jesus, like a seed buried in the ground, was about to make new life blossom in the world; and these women, by prayer and love, were helping to make that hope flower. How many people, in these sad days, have done and are still doing what those women did, sowing seeds of hope! With small gestures of care, affection and prayer.

At dawn the women went to the tomb. There the angel says to them: “Do not be afraid. He is not here; for he has risen” (vv. 5-6). They hear the words of life even as they stand before a tomb... And then they meet Jesus, the giver of all hope, who confirms the message and says: “Do not be afraid” (v. 10). Do not be afraid, do not yield to fear: This is the message of hope. It is addressed to us, today. Today. These are the words that God repeats to us this very night.

Tonight we acquire a fundamental right that can never be taken away from us: the right to hope. It is a new and living hope that comes from God. It is not mere optimism; it is not a pat on the back or an empty word of encouragement, with a passing smile. No. It is a gift from heaven, which we could not have earned on our own. Over these weeks, we have kept repeating, “All will be well”, clinging to the beauty of our humanity and allowing words of encouragement to rise up from our hearts. But as the days go by and fears grow, even the boldest hope can dissipate. Jesus’ hope is different. He plants in our hearts the conviction that God is able to make everything work unto good, because even from the grave he brings life.

The grave is the place where no one who enters ever leaves. But Jesus emerged for us; he rose for us, to bring life where there was death, to begin a new story in the very place where a stone had been placed. He, who rolled away the stone that sealed the entrance of the tomb, can also remove the stones in our hearts. So, let us not give in to resignation; let us not place a stone before hope. We can and must hope, because God is faithful. He did not abandon us; he visited us and entered into our situations of pain, anguish and death. His light dispelled the darkness of the tomb: today he wants that light to penetrate even to the darkest corners of our lives. Dear sister, dear brother, even if in your heart you have buried hope, do not give up: God is greater. Darkness and death do not have the last word. Be strong, for with God nothing is lost!

Courage. This is a word often spoken by Jesus in the Gospels. Only once do others say it, to encourage a person in need: “Courage; rise, [Jesus] is calling you!” (Mk 10:49). It is he, the Risen One, who raises us up from our neediness. If, on your journey, you feel weak and frail, or fall, do not be afraid, God holds out a helping hand and says to you: “Courage!”. You might say, as did Don Abbondio (in Manzoni’s novel), “Courage is not something you can give yourself” (I Promessi Sposi, XXV). True, you cannot give it to yourself, but you can receive it as a gift. All you have to do is open your heart in prayer and roll away, however slightly, that stone placed at the entrance to your heart so that Jesus’ light can enter. You only need to ask him: “Jesus, come to me amid my fears and tell me too: Courage!” With you, Lord, we will be tested but not shaken. And, whatever sadness may dwell in us, we will be strengthened in hope, since with you the cross leads to the resurrection, because you are with us in the darkness of our nights; you are certainty amid our uncertainties, the word that speaks in our silence, and nothing can ever rob us of the love you have for us.

This is the Easter message, a message of hope. It contains a second part, the sending forth. “Go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee” (Mt 28:10), Jesus says. “He is going before you to Galilee” (v. 7), the angel says. The Lord goes before us. He always goes before us. It is encouraging to know that he walks ahead of us in life and in death; he goes before us to Galilee, that is, to the place which for him and his disciples evoked the idea of daily life, family and work. Jesus wants us to bring hope there, to our everyday life. For the disciples, Galilee was also the place of remembrance, for it was the place where they were first called. Returning to Galilee means remembering that we have been loved and called by God. Each of us has our own Galilee. We need to resume the journey, reminding ourselves that we are born and reborn thanks to an invitation given gratuitously to us out of love. This is always the point from which we can set out anew, especially in times of crisis and trial.

But there is more. Galilee was the farthest region from where they were: from Jerusalem. And not only geographically. Galilee was also the farthest place from the sacredness of the Holy City. It was an area where people of different religions lived: it was the “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Mt 4:15). Jesus sends them there and asks them to start again from there. What does this tell us? That the message of hope should not be confined to our sacred places, but should be brought to everyone. For everyone is in need of reassurance, and if we, who have touched “the Word of life” (1 Jn 1:1) do not give it, who will? How beautiful it is to be Christians who offer consolation, who bear the burdens of others and who offer encouragement: messengers of life in a time of death! In every Galilee, in every area of the human family to which we all belong and which is part of us – for we are all brothers and sisters – may we bring the song of life! Let us silence the cries of death, no more wars! May we stop the production and trade of weapons, since we need bread, not guns. Let the abortion and killing of innocent lives end. May the hearts of those who have enough be open to filling the empty hands of those who do not have the bare necessities.

Those women, in the end, “took hold” of Jesus’ feet (Mt 28:9); feet that had travelled so far to meet us, to the point of entering and emerging from the tomb. The women embraced the feet that had trampled death and opened the way of hope. Today, as pilgrims in search of hope, we cling to you, Risen Jesus. We turn our backs on death and open our hearts to you, for you are Life itself.

Video: Watch As Pope Yanks Hand From Faithful!

Pope Francis repeatedly pulled his hand away when worshippers attempted to kiss his papal ring at the Holy House of Loreto in Italy on Monday. Kissing the papal ring is traditionally seen as a sign of respect for the office. A close aide to the pope later said: 'Sometimes he likes it, sometimes he does not.' But papal observers and theologians said the pope's actions were cause for concern. 

This behavior by the Pope (contrary to respect and tradition, and wildly inconsistent) can only be describes as "bizarre" -- and that would be an understatement. Even for this Pope, the behavior is very peculiar and troubling.

This Should Tell You All You Need To Know

The Pope's failure to address the international priest abuse scandal and its growing dimensions and daily revelations is, well -- a disgrace, pure and simple.
The stonewalling, the evasiveness, the deceit, delay, diversion -- all are outrageous and affront to human decency and sensibility. Every Catholic should be enraged!
And the cardinal's defense? Well, it's not only brutally dismissive but it's also pitiful.
Pray for the victims! Pray for justice for the victims!

Catholic Scandal: You Don't Know The Half Of It!

By Jonathan Last of the Weekly Standard, in a superlative analysis of the crisis now gripping the Catholic Church worldwide -- a crisis which threatens to tear the Church apart. And it's all presided over by a Pope who apparently owes his papacy to a cabal that enabled the abusers and opened the door to the ever-widening scandal. This is a must read::

In the weeks after the Viganò letter was published, Francis preached a homily in which he declared, “with people lacking good will, with people who only seek scandal, who seek only division, who seek only destruction” the best response is “silence” and “prayer.” If this sounds like Francis believes the real villains in this mess are Archbishop Viganò and people who want to know what the bishops knew, and when they knew it, well, yes. 

In another homily on September 11, Francis went further, saying that not only was Viganò the real villain, but the bishops were the real victims: They were being persecuted by the devil: “In these times, it seems like the Great Accuser has been unchained and is attacking bishops,” Francis preached. And Satan “tries to uncover the sins, so they are visible in order to scandalize the people.” (The Father of Lies—as he is referred to in the Bible—has not traditionally been regarded as the revealer of sins in Catholic thought, but this pope has never been known for having a supple mind.) Francis then offered counsel for his poor, suffering brother bishops: “The Great Accuser, as he himself says to God in the first chapter of the Book of Job, ‘roams the earth looking for someone to accuse.’ A bishop’s strength against the Great Accuser is prayer.” 

Other parts of the church hierarchy also seem to view themselves as victims. In late August, Washington Post columnist Elizabeth Bruenig decided to try to get to the bottom of the Viganò story by asking McCarrick himself. She went to the church-owned property where the former cardinal now resides and knocked on the door. Whatever representative of the church—God’s vessel for Truth and Light—lives there declined to answer. Instead, he called the Post to complain about her. 

So what is to be done if the vicar of Christ is a fool who sides with bishops who enabled or hid abusers? Or is a wicked man who sides with the actual abusers themselves?

Be sure to click here to read the entire article. It's a real eye-opener. It will shake you to the core!

As Cardinal, Did Pope Stonewall On Abuse?

The following excerpted from a stunning article in Life Site News:

The world is currently focused on Pope Francis’ involvement in the affair of clerical sex abuser Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. However, the recent claims made by former apostolic nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò against Pope Francis in the matter are only the beginning of a long record of sex abuse cover-ups by Pope Francis and Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio that stretches back decades. 

Although Francis famously claimed in his 2010 book On Heaven and Earth that sex abuse by clergy “has never occurred in my diocese” and “in the diocese it never happened to me,” the evidence to date indicates that Pope Francis is involved in multiple cover-ups of clerical sexual predators in South America, including his own archdiocese. His involvement in at least two of these cases has continued during his papacy.

In a 2017 documentary by the French news program Cash Investigation, six different individuals claiming to be sex abuse victims in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires told reporters that they had been sexually abused by clergy there, and that they had written to Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio to inform him, but that he had never answered their complaints (see video below).

To this day Pope Francis has only expressed regret for one of these cover-ups, the Barros affair, following a massive public outcry in Chile over his strong-arm tactics against victims. The other cases continue to be hushed-up, ignored, and stonewalled. 

The pope recently told sex abuse survivors in Ireland that those who cover up sexual abuse are “caca” (feces) and recently said that such priests should be removed and their accusers should be accompanied in the civil courts. However, Francis has done exactly the opposite, and continues to refuse to meet with victims he not only refused to accompany, but whom he sought for years to discredit with judges. . . . . 

Click here to read the entire article. 

Catholicism Scandalized: What Must Be Done Now!

We all go through a period when we question the doctrines and the assumptions that we were raised with. And it's not uncommon during this period of questioning to abandon our faith.
But even when I questioned my faith and even, in my earlier years, when I turned away from the Catholic Church, I never felt as dismayed or disappointed or disgruntled or frankly disgusted with the Churches as I do today.
And this is happening decades after I re-embraced Catholicism and became a quite active, practicing Catholic once again.

Yes, the priest sex abuse scandal has me more than angry. Im actually incensed!
And the massive scale of the scandal (it's been going on for half a century or more and it's international in scope) makes me feel that the coverup went all the way to the very top -- and I do mean The Vatican.
Hey, the Catholic Church has always been shrouded in secrecy. Convents, monasteries, friaries, seminaries -- they've all been places apart, walled off and mostly closed to the outside world.
This sort of sequestered environment incubates and nourishes the kind of sealed enclave where dastardly deeds can easily be carried out and then denied -- indeed, denied with the sort of complicity and authority that lend the denials a cloak of credibility.
So these culprits have been able to brutally abuse young, innocent victims at will. And if many of the perpetrators were secretly engaged in the same acts amongst themselves, then they had added reason to endlessly deflect, deceive and deny. It's a veritable cabal of evil.
No wonder authorities are impaneling grand juries and opening wider and wider ranging probes everywhere.
As for the present Pope, who can possibly be encouraged by his [so far] petty, peevish and petulant response to all this?
Most recently the Pope put those who presently accuse the Church in the same league as the devil himself. You got that right: it's the accusers (those who demand truth and justice) who are the evil ones, according to Pope Francis. What the hell kind of ass backwards thinking is that?
And weeks and weeks went by before we got even this response. Can you imagine!
Now, the Pope has called for a "summit" to address the matter and plans to call cardinals (probably just the mostly friendly prelates) together in February. But it's already way, way, way too late. And February is five long months away anyway. Nonsense!
Here's the bottom line: The game is basically over. The Church has lost any semblance of moral authority it might have had. It has brokered away its credibility. Zilch. Zero. Nada.
Too many deceits. Too many lies. It's all too horrendous and there's been too much of it for far too long.
The faithful must take matters into their own hands.
They must join together to reclaim their Church, no matter what!
Right now, Catholics must demand a massive, thorough, no-holds-barred independent investigation with a clear timetable and definable outcomes. And this must go hand-in-hand with a complete and thorough housecleaning. For there to be any chance of restoring any credibility at all (and this is still a long shot) many clergy, many Church leaders -- right to the top -- will have to be shown the door. And this includes anyone with even a taint of connection to the scandal. Anyone!
We're not enjoying this.
And we don't enjoy having to say this.
But it must be said. And it must be done. Yes, the reclamation of the Church by its own members must begin now!

And It Just Seems To Get Worse Every Day!

Never have I seen a moment like this in the Catholic Church. Where in the midst of a scandal, partisans seek to dismiss charges of abuse as weapons in some political war. While Catholics savage each other, the innocent abandon the faith in disgust. And Rome remains silent.

— Raymond Arroyo (@RaymondArroyo) September 8, 2018

With the most sprawling investigation of two-decade trail of abuse scandals now facing US Church, the crisis’ “Dragnet” is set to spread across the Northeast – and likely beyond – for years to come: https://t.co/yjXf2wwZcS pic.twitter.com/jLaXXLfcLs

— Rocco Palmo (@roccopalmo) September 7, 2018

This saddens, me to know that a subject will go and report any kind of violation , be it of any kind, and no action is taken.
This is why so many Catholics leave .

— davilamaria621@gmail (@davilamaria621) September 3, 2018

 

Actually, the wait’s been even longer – per several Whispers ops, Card DiNardo requested a papal audience for USCCB Exec at the time of McCarrick’s resignation from the College (late July)... indeed, no answer yet – nor on the petition for Apostolic Visitation of US @morninganna pic.twitter.com/0Gw08qyAIR

— Rocco Palmo (@roccopalmo) September 7, 2018

 

Asked why Benedict XVI didn't issue stricter sanctions against McCarrick when he had disobeyed them, the source said McCarrick was still very active, he wasn't in the media any more, and so "sometimes it’s better if something is sleeping to let it sleep” https://t.co/TJTSwYrPm3

— Edward Pentin (@EdwardPentin) August 31, 2018

 

Shutting Down And Closing All The Doors?

Actually, the wait’s been even longer – per several Whispers ops, Card DiNardo requested a papal audience for USCCB Exec at the time of McCarrick’s resignation from the College (late July)... indeed, no answer yet – nor on the petition for Apostolic Visitation of US @morninganna pic.twitter.com/0Gw08qyAIR

— Rocco Palmo (@roccopalmo) September 7, 2018

One By One, More And More Voices Are Heard!

 “Some bishops and some cardinals have to go. Maybe the pope has to go, too. Because when you start telling people ‘Who am I to judge?’, that’s where the problem is. Nobody wants to make a judgment anymore [of] what’s right [or] what’s wrong.”

-Father Michael Orsi, a Catholic priest and Christian Television Network host. Click here for more.

Can You Hear Them Chanting 'Vigano, Vigano'?

At the end of the Pope's customary Wednesday General Audience the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square can be heard chanting "Viganò, Viganò, Viganò", before Vatican Media cuts the microphones pic.twitter.com/gh1lsQLBFl

— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) August 29, 2018

Vigano is the cleric who has implicated Pope Francis in the priest sexual abuse scandal and coverup.

Bombshell Testimony May Now Implicate Pope!

Here is a VERY special message from CatholicVote.org: There’s no sugarcoating this.  The allegations are explosive.  By now I suspect you have heard about the 11-page letter issued Saturday night by former Vatican ambassador to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. Viganò served as the Papal Nuncio from 2011 - 2016.  His testimony alleges that Pope Benedict XVI sanctioned Archbishop McCarrick as far back as 2009, yet Pope Francis revoked these sanctions and allowed McCarrick to serve publicly in the Church, live with seminarians, and collaborate on the appointment of several high-ranking members of the Church in the United States.  Our recent survey made clear: Catholics want the truth. No matter who is involved. And they want those responsible to be held accountable.  Late yesterday, reporters asked the Holy Father about these allegations. Pope Francis replied:  “I read the statement this morning, and I must tell you sincerely that, I must say this, to you and all those who are interested: Read the statement carefully and make your own judgment. I will not say a single word on this.” You can read the full testimony by Archbishop Viganò here.  Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is taking these allegations very seriously. Moments ago, he released the following statement:  "The recent letter of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò brings particular focus and urgency to this examination. The questions raised deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence.” Cardinal DiNardo makes the very good point that without conclusive answers based on evidence, we run the risk of tainting innocent men or allowing guilty men to continue in positions of power. These allegations must be investigated and substantiated.  However, we also cannot allow ideologues to demonize Viganò, as some are already doing, as if this were some kind of election campaign to protect a political party. The investigation now required cannot devolve into a flashpoint over different “factions” in the Church. If these are lies, let the evidence prove them false.  But if leaders in our Church truly covered up criminal activity, predators, rape and abuse of children, seminarians, and young priests, then justice must prevail. No person is immune. Lay people, priests, bishops, cardinals, and even popes must be held accountable.  Open the files.  Be transparent. Hide nothing.  Who knew what? And when did they know it?  If and when evidence substantiates wrongdoing, for the sake of the Church (and the good of their own souls) -- those responsible must resign or be removed.  Now.  Brian Birch, President CatholicVote.org

Catholics Are VERY Angry - And With Good Reason!

Here is a VERY special message from CatholicVote.org Catholics are hot with righteous anger.  And deservedly so.  That’s why I call it the Revolt of the Sheep.  But these emotions are borne of our deep faith and love for our Church. We are sons and daughters of Jesus Christ and His mystical body on earth. This isn’t another political fight to be resolved on Twitter or at the ballot box. The Church is, quite literally, the very means of our salvation.  After all, we don’t call her “Holy Mother Church” by accident.  The Catechism explains:  “‘The Church . . . will receive its perfection only in the glory of heaven, at the time of Christ's glorious return.’ Until that day, ‘the Church progresses on her pilgrimage amidst this world's persecutions and God's consolations.’ Here below she knows that she is in exile far from the Lord, and longs for the full coming of the Kingdom, when she will ‘be united in glory with her king.’”  And it’s precisely because of this promise of hope that we are responding to the recent revelations with demands for justice and genuine reform. St. Augustine famously wrote:  "Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are."  Click here to see the full results from the survey  IMPORTANT: Keep in mind this survey was taken prior to the release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report. Over 30,000 people participated.  Some quick highlights:  Catholics are paying close attention. In fact, over 75% of CV members are following the revelations “very closely” or “somewhat closely.” Respondents are overwhelmingly in agreement that the McCarrick scandal is not merely a “procedural” problem. In fact, 83% said it was a sign of a deeper spiritual crisis in the Church. 69% believe “homosexuality is central to the problem.” Lastly, nearly 80% of respondents believe that those that knew of McCarrick’s behavior but did nothing to stop him should be removed from leadership roles in the Church. Click here to see the full results from the survey  We continue to read and watch the reaction among Catholics -- many of whom disagree on what should happen next. More and more Bishops are stepping forward, some courageously so, pointing to the true source of the crisis. This is a good sign.  We are also hearing from Catholics around the country who are reporting on the courage of faithful and holy priests in parishes everywhere, preaching on the scandal, and why the Church must now act.  Please take a look at the survey findings. Given the size of the survey, we are hopeful that every Bishop will take seriously the results.  We’re discussing how CV can best serve the Church at this moment.  I’d be grateful for your input.  Brian Birch, President, CatholicVote.org P.S. In addition to our focus on the crisis in the Church, our election team remains deeply engaged in our goal of building a pro-life majority in the United States Senate this November. In the last week, things got a lot more interesting -- in a good way. I hope to write tomorrow on that subject.  And of course the confirmation hearings on Brett Kavanaugh begin in 12 days…

After The Long Wait, Nothing But Bromides!

It's been almost a week.
Yes, nearly a full week!
And we've waited and waited and waited for some formal word, some response, some action from on high to the shocking revelations that pierced our hearts once again as we learned of a story of evil that's incalculable and, sadly, all too familiar. This time, it's the discovery that more than 300 Catholic priests across Pennsylvania sexually abused children over seven decades, protected by a hierarchy of church leaders who covered it up. This, according to a sweeping state grand jury report released last Tuesday.
And this involves higher-up church leaders such as Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik and Washington DC Cardinal Donald Wuerl who formerly served as Bishop of Pittsburgh.
This is nothing less than a scandalous indictment of the Catholic Church and its leaders -- particularly the Church in America but really, the Catholic Church throughout the world and right up to the Vatican as this is, regretably an international scandal and one that has alarmingly been enabled by the highest leaders of the Church -- indeed, not only enabled but repeatedly covered-up!
And so now, one week later, we finally get a statement from Property Francis.
And, guess what? It's full of bromides!
It attempts to heap on to all the members of the Church -- all Catholics, everywhere -- a sense of collective shame and guilt and it pleads with us to fast and pray.
Image! We should apparently feel a sense of shame. We should fast. We should do penance, one would suppose. But for what, exactly?
Of course, we are praying. We're praying for the thousands of victims and their families -- praying for them again and again as we can't even begin to imagine the pain they continue to suffer.
In his statement, the Pope shockingly seems to lump these horrendous atrocities (carried out by the supposed servants of God) in with a variety of other "communal" maladies. Here's what he says as he calls on us to "fight all forms of corruption, especially spiritual corruption."

The latter is “a comfortable and self-satisfied form of blindness. Everything then appears acceptable: deception, slander, egotism and other subtle forms of self-centeredness, for ‘even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light’ (2 Cor 11:14)” (Gaudete et Exsultate, 165). Saint Paul’s exhortation to suffer with those who suffer is the best antidote against all our attempts to repeat the words of Cain: “Am I my brother's keeper?” (Gen 4:9).

And while the Pope says he's "conscious of the effort and work being carried out in various parts of the world to come up with the necessary means to ensure the safety and protection of the integrity of children" and he admits that "we have delayed in applying these actions and sanctions that are so necessary," he adds that he is still "confident that they will help to guarantee a greater culture of care in the present and future". Really? He's actually confident that moving along the same excruciating, bungling, dubious path will solve the problem? Seriously?
And then the Pope embraces his by now all-too-familiar call for collectivism, declaring: "every one of the baptized should feel involved in the ecclesial and social change that we so greatly need. This change calls for a personal and communal conversion." Ecclesiastical and social change? What's he talking about? Is this more social justice nonsense? At best, this portion of his statement is obtuse.
Following that, the Pope spends quite a bit of time blaming and lambasting clericalism, which is the tendency to keep things within the ordained ministry of the Church -- within the religious community. Well, sure -- now that the cleric themselves are in hot water (via an atrocity that they created, fostered, hid and allowed to fester) let's slough all this off  onto the parishioners.
Church to faithful: Hey, guess what? We've made a mess and now it's your job to clean it up! From the Pope's own words, what else are we to conclude?
The Pope's entire statement is nothing more than pablum.
It largely scatters blame aimlessly. It appears to hold no one responsible. It seems to call no higher-ups into account. It offers no new initiatives. Indeed, it takes no action whatsoever.
The Church has failed.
And it has failed horrendously.
Bishop Zubik and Cardinal Wuerl should be removed now! And that should be just the beginning.
It's time -- long past time, actually -- for Pope Francis to stop offering us a sort of pop psychology, feel-good, "Who am I to judge?" Catholicism and start getting down to the hard work of cleaning up the Church and reconnecting it to its roots. Before he lectures us once again about the environment or income inequality or capital punishment or any one of another real or imagined ills (which we invariably wind up being blamed for) the Pope needs to clean house -- his own house!
Until then, neither he nor the Church can expect to claim any credibility whatsover.

They Really Oughta Be Ashamed Of Themselves!

Sadly, the release of the grand jury report on predator priests (along with the recent revelations about Cardinal McCarrick) represent a new low for the Catholic Church in America. 

This is both disheartening and depressing.

Instead of lecturing the rest of us about climate change and his other politically "correct" concerns, Pope Francis should get to work on cleaning up the Church and get back to speaking out on the horrors of abortion and the menace of growing secularism. And as for the American bishops, they should stop telling us that we are duty bound to welcome illegals and instead honor the law of the land while turning their attention inward, not leftward. 

If Mother Angelica were still around, she'd rap all their knuckles, starting with Francis!

And Now, A Rather Unlikely Movie Review . . .

This week's column from Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput:

I’ve always loved the movies. As a child, I dreamed of directing films. Obviously that didn’t work out. Nonetheless, I’ve seen hundreds of them. Many, like the current release A Quiet Place, have been wonderful: an unexpected mix of great cast and directing, terrific science fiction scares, and the powerful beauty of family love. Others, not so much. But one of my all-time film favorites is Wings of Desire(1987), the story of an angel in Berlin who chooses to become mortal to experience human love.

Wings was directed and co-written by the German filmmaker Wim Wenders, a master of film drama and an accomplished documentarian. Much of Wenders’ work is marked by a Christian-inspired spirituality; he and his wife are candid about their belief in God; and in past interviews he’s noted that his life and work have been “profoundly formed by growing up in a Catholic family.” Impressed by the encyclical Laudato Sì on the environment, and encouraged by a priest friend, Wenders embarked on a documentary of Pope Francis’ papal ministry and thought. The result – A Man of His Word – will be in theaters on May 18 from Focus Features.

At this point in his career, Wenders is at the top of his craft, and it shows in the beauty and excellence of this production. He focuses compellingly on the Pope’s concern for the environment, the poor, and immigrants. He also captures the Pope’s vigorous commitment to marriage, the family, and the complementarity of men and women, a fact we witnessed firsthand here in Philadelphia during the World Meeting of Families 2015.

The most absorbing moments in the film, not surprisingly, are spent with Francis himself visiting immigrants, the poor, the sick, the Shoah memorial Yad Vashem in Israel, and the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Wenders weaves an on-going, intimate, one-on-one interview with the Pope throughout the film. It’s a hugely effective technique; one has a sense that Francis is looking directly at, speaking directly to, the individual viewer.

But the technique only works because Francis himself is an appealing presence who does well in exactly such an environment. The Pope expresses himself simply and persuasively on a wide range of issues: the dignity of work; the importance of poverty both as a call to service and a discipline for authentic Christian life; the need to make time for rest and worship; the negative impact of macho and feminist ideologies; and the urgency for all of us to be “apostles of the ear,” i.e., persons who learn to listen well.

The documentary, while strong, would have been even stronger with tighter editing. It’s too long by 30 minutes. Its portrait of Francis of Assisi, while useful to the narrative, is selective and only lightly acquainted with the real saint, who was a complex and formidable man concerned for Creation as a reflection of God’s glory, not as a limited natural resource. Wenders also misses (or avoids) the opportunity to present the holistic Catholic vision of human dignity that Francis serves, i.e., the reason why Catholic concerns for the unborn child, the disabled, the elderly, the environment, and the immigrant are inextricably linked in a network of priorities.

These concerns though subtract nothing of substance from the beauty and impact of the film. I urge everyone who reads this column to see it. Wenders and Focus Features (and the Holy Father himself) deserve our gratitude for offering the world such an exceptional encounter with the Successor of Peter. May it touch thousands of hearts.

A Precipitous Drop Is Cause For Concern . . .

We hate to have to bring you the following excerpt but here it is from Life Site News:

The Catholic Church is seeing its biggest decline in Mass attendance in the U.S. in decades that started between the papacies of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, a new Gallup poll says. 

"From 2014 to 2017, an average of 39% of Catholics reported attending church in the past seven days. This is down from an average of 45% from 2005 to 2008 and represents a steep decline from 75% in 1955," the poll found.
Francis became Pope in 2013.

Weekly Mass attendance among Catholics dropped six percentage points, the findings said, with fewer than four in 10 Catholics going to Mass in any given week.
In contrast, the survey said church attendance remained strong over the last decade with U.S. Protestants.

The number of weekly Mass-attending Catholics had leveled out at the 45 percent mark in the mid-2000s after dropping significantly during the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and its tumultuous aftermath.

The downhill shift in Mass attendance has picked back up under Francis with the biggest drop since the 1970s.

Click here to read more from this story.

Want These Changes? Consider The Consequences

From Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput:

This week’s column has two simple goals.

The first is to alert people to an important new religious liberty initiative at Villanova University. The Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion, and Public Policy, founded just last year, is led by University Professor of Law and Religion Michael Moreland. Professor Moreland is a veteran of First Amendment issues and a longtime source of valuable scholarly help to the Church, both locally and nationally, on religious freedom and related matters In the Center’s own words:

“At this crucial period in American history, the McCullen Center . . . seeks to bring together concerns about the First Amendment and economic freedom in a common framework that situates both topics amid a larger conversation about freedom and the rule of law. The [Center] aspires to broaden the academic and public appreciation for the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of speech and freedom of religion and for economic freedom as essential components of a free society.”

The McCullen Center is exactly the sort of effort Catholics in the metro area should be aware of and support in the years ahead – years that will likely challenge the Church’s freedom to preach the Gospel and pursue her various ministries in the public square. I’m grateful to Mr. Joseph McCullen (a Villanova alumnus) for generously backing Professor Moreland in his vital work.

My second goal connects to the first. On Tuesday, April 10, the McCullen Center will host New York Times columnist Ross Douthat for a discussion of his new book, To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism (Simon and Schuster), and the issues facing Catholics in the future. Douthat is among the most articulate cultural observers in the United States. His previous book, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics (2013), is a penetrating explanation of the American temperament and the religious landscape it has produced. To Change the Church is an equally intelligent and absorbing work, even when the reader finds himself questioning or disagreeing with it.

I’ve been pleased to welcome Ross Douthat as a speaker at the Archbishop’s Lecture Series here in Philadelphia in the past. It’s a pleasure now to encourage readers to attend his April 10 presentation at 4 p.m., at Villanova’s Charles Widger School of Law, in the Arthur M. Goldberg '66 Commons. Admission is free; there's no charge.

In his shrewd recent First Things review of To Change the Church – a review almost as interesting as the book itself – the distinguished (and quite Catholic) Cambridge University scholar of the Reformation, Richard Rex, wrote that:

 

“The little debate in the Catholic Church about Communion for the divorced and remarried is a microcosm, then, of a much broader argument about the nature of humanity, human life, and human sexuality. The current tensions within Catholicism reflect changes and tensions in Western culture as a whole, relating to an entire alphabet of beliefs and practices: abortion, bisexuality, contraception, divorce, euthanasia, family, gender, homosexuality, infertility treatment . . . Western society is moving in a very different direction from Catholicism on all these issues. Not from Catholics—from Catholicism. Opinion polls seem to indicate that, while lagging some way behind, opinion among those identifying as Catholic is shifting on almost all these issues in the direction set by society at large. This is a moral shift of an epochal nature. But whatever individual Catholics may think, the new moral consensus, or at least spectrum, is utterly irreconcilable with Catholicism. If Catholicism were to reconcile itself to the new moral order of Western society, then it would be abandoning its past, its tradition, and thus its identity. It would give up its claim to truth and, therefore, its claim upon our faith . . .

“If, after all, marriage is not a divine union of male and female in one flesh, dissolved only by the inevitable dissolution of that flesh in death, then the Catholic Church has, in the name of Christ, needlessly tormented the consciences of untold numbers of the faithful for twenty centuries. If this teaching were to be modified in the name of mercy, then the Church would already have been outdone in mercy not only by most other religions but even by the institutions and impulses of the modern secular state. Such a conclusion would definitively explode any pretension to moral authority on the part of the Church. A Church which could be so wrong, for so long, on a matter so fundamental to human welfare and happiness could hardly lay claim to decency, let alone infallibility.”

 

My thanks go out to Professor Michael Moreland for his courage and good sense in creating the McCullen Center. May it be fruitful, effective, and grow.