Free Republic

It’s Time to Shine or It’ll Be Over Soon - A Meditation on Being Called the Light of the World Msgr. Charles Pope • June 8, 2016 • In the Gospel yesterday (Tuesday of the 10th week) the Lord describes what a Christian is and what He expects of us. He uses two different metaphors: salt and light. Yesterday’s post considered the metaphor of salt.Today let’s consider the metaphor of light. The Lord says,You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it...

Salt or Bust! A Consideration of the Lord’s Uncompromising Stance in Calling Us the Salt of the Earth Msgr. Charles Pope • June 7, 2016 • In the Gospel today (Tuesday of the 10th week) the Lord describes metaphorically what a Christian is and what He expects of us.You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the World … But if salt goes flat it is good for nothing … No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket.Note the metaphor of salt: You are either salt, or you are nothing—in fact,...

During Pope Francis’s first Angelus address after ascending to the chair of Peter, he approvingly cited Walter Cardinal Kasper’s book Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life (2012), saying that he had read it recently and it had done him “much good.” Since that papal audience, Francis has spoken frequently about God’s mercy, even calling an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy and issuing a book-length interview, The Name of God is Mercy: A Conversation with Andrea Tornielli (2016). Cardinal Kasper has also played a prominent role in discussions about how to extend mercy in the...

The dazzling critique by an Australian scholar on the post-synodal exhortation. “We have lost all foothold, and fallen like Alice into a parallel universe, where nothing is quite what it seems to be” by Sandro Magister ROME, June 7, 2016 - Keep an eye on the author of the volume above, the first critical version of a masterpiece by Saint Basil the Great lost in the original Greek but come down to us in an ancient Syrian version attested to in five manuscripts, published two years ago by the historical publisher Brill, active in Holland since the 17th century. The...

When God Says No – A Meditation On the Sometimes Mysterious Providence of God Msgr. Charles Pope • June 6, 2016 • In last Sunday’s Gospel, we heard the story of the widow at Nain, whose son Jesus raised from the dead. Beautiful though that story is, there are some who may wonder sadly why they did not receive a better answer to their prayers; why their loved one died. Such stories might even serve to deepen their sorrow.All of us struggle with the great mystery of God’s providence and will. Sometimes it is our own struggle and sometimes...

An incredible class about the infamous lineage of King David. The Book of Ruth is read by Jews during the holiday of Shavuos (this year Saturday night the 11th.) How could Boaz have married Rus (Ruth) the Moavite? The Torah says explicitly not to marry Amonites and Moavites? Scholars-- feast your ears. Christian apologize-rs...come hear the majesty and secrets of the Torah. NOTE: The rabbi uses some Hebrew and Yiddish but translates everything at least once. PM me or consult your local Orthodox Jewish rabbi for clarification. Why does King David come from a seemingly illicit relationship and lineage? What...

The chief Vatican expert of the Italian public broadcaster RAI distances himself from the pastoral line of Pope Francis, which he describes as "muddled". "Surprise: The almost unanimous chorus of Italian Vaticanists who were entranced by the pontificate of Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been losing more of its members," says the newspaper Italia Oggi . "Last May 28 Aldo Maria Valli, a respected expert on sacred palatial architecture on RAI, has written quite a strong article on his blog about Amoris laetitia, written by Pope Francis with the conclusion of the Family Synod between autumn 2014 and autumn 2015."

In the fourth year of his pontificate, Francis continues to deliver regular payloads of explosive off-the-cuff remarks that delight the media and shock the Catholic faithful. It would be easy at this point simply to ignore these spectacles, but then one would be ignoring a key element of the manner in which Francis is attempting to realize his “vision” of the Church. As Francis himself has insisted, his “magisterium” includes an endless stream of informal speech in various venues: “I’m constantly making statements, giving homilies. That’s magisterium. That’s what I think, not what the media say that I think. Check...

On 31 May 2015, the official website of the German bishops, katholisch.de, reported an interesting and revealing press event, at which a German theologian and the managing director of the International Diaconate Center (Internationales Diakoniezentrum, Rottenburg, Germany), Dr. Stefan Sander, has promoted the idea of women deacons. He is currently in Rome, said katholisch.de, because of “an international meeting.” Additionally, katholisch.de stated: “On Saturday [4 June], he [Sander] will – together with other experts – be received by Pope Francis [in a papal audience].” The German branch of Vatican Radio, Radio Vatikan, published on 29 May its own report on...

At Heat Street, Damian Thompson asks: “Is the Pope Catholic?” That site is a mess to read, so let’s see some of it here. My emphases and comments: Is the Pope Catholic? Here’s Why Many of Pope Francis Flock Aren’t Sure Pope Francis, we learned this week, will take part in a service next year to celebrate a great moment in Christian history. The Reformation. Yes, you read that right. ‘Pope celebrates Reformation’ sounds like an Onion headline, but it’s actually going to happen – when Francis travels to Sweden next year to mark the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s...

Soon after the publication of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, three priests of the Diocese of Novara (Piedmont, Italy) tried to celebrate the Traditional Mass exclusively (we reported on these developments here and here). In an interview released a few days ago, Father Alberto Secci tells his story, and presents us with the wonderful account of his life after Summorum. Yes, there is a life for diocesan priests celebrating the Sacraments according to the ancient use exclusively. And it can be beautiful, and powerful, and glorious, despite the normal difficulties of life. "Can you imagine what would happen if all...

Radicati Editorial: "Thank God We Did Not Obey Those Forcing the New Mass Upon Us" The New Mass, Source of Pious Naturalism Editorial: Radicati nella fede, June 2016 Newsletter of the Catholic community of Vocogno, Diocese of Novara, Italy Thank God we did not obey. We are going to shock you, but some provocations are beneficial and useful. Thank God we did not obey those, who, in order to keep us within “ordinary pastoral care” (while allowing us reluctantly an occasional Traditional Mass) asked us not to be closed to the Council’s New Mass. Thank God we did not obey:...

(Madrid) Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Roman Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments expressed his hope that the Church in Spain would introduce "in the coming year," the words of consecration pro multis. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI. approved a decree of the Congregation, to more accurately adjust the translation of the words of consecration in the local language to reflect the Church's Latin language and the Gospels. Cardinal Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship 2002-2008, wrote to all bishops' conferences: "The Bishops' Conferences of the countries where currently the wording 'for all'...

Pondering the Collection Basket in an Age of Electronic Giving Msgr. Charles Pope • June 5, 2016 • New financial realities and mechanisms raise questions for the traditional collection and offertory procedures at Mass. For as far back as most of us can remember, the “collection” has always taken place after the Creed and Intercessory prayers. A basket is passed and people drop in cash or a check, often inside an envelope. It is often brought up along with the bread and wine as an actual offering to the Lord and His Church.But the problem is that cash, and...

In a response to The Remnant’s Chris Ferrara (“An Open Letter to Bishop Athanasius Schneider“; May 10, 2016), Bishop Athanasius Schneider has not backed off of his existing criticism of Amoris Laetitia, but rather, has encouraged further resistance to it:

When Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013, many wondered what role a retired pope might have in the Church. After the election of Pope Francis, many continued to wonder whether the presence of a retired pope would be a threat in any way to the authority of the new one. Given those concerns, the low-profile role chosen by the pope emeritus has been quite reassuring. Similarly, Francis’ acceptance of his predecessor’s draft of his own first encyclical letter, Lumen Fidei, in June 2013, was more than a gracious gesture of civility. Despite initial apprehensions, these developments can be seen as...

A Prescription for Peace in a World of Woe – A Homily for the 10th Sunday of the Year Msgr. Charles Pope • June 4, 2016 • Today’s Gospel provides a kind of prescription for peace in a world of woe. Let’s look at this Gospel in four stages. I. The Place – The text says plainly, Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.The name of the city, Nain, means fair (in the sense of beautiful). And it was, for it sat upon a high hill and commanded a magnificent...

Vatican Radio reports on the issuance of a new motu proprio letter from Pope Francis that aims to deal with episcopal enablers of clerical sex abuse: In a new Apostolic Letter, issued motu proprio, Pope Francis has established new norms providing for the removal of Bishops (or those equivalent to them in Canon Law) from their offices in cases where they have “through negligance, committed or omitted acts that have caused grave harm to others, either with regard to physical persons, or with regard to the community itself.” The Apostolic Letter “Come una madre amorevole” (As a Loving Mother) also...

A representative of the Holy See, in an intervention at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva last week, welcomed Sustainable Development Goal 3 and all its targets, despite target 7 calling for “universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services.” These terms are defined as including abortion and contraception by many powerful governments and agencies. Monsignor Jean-Marie Musivi Mupendawatu, secretary to the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers told the WHA that the Holy See commended the report on health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes the United Nations’ Sustainable Development...

Is every lie intrinsically evil? Q. Is every lie intrinsically evil? I remember 60 years ago, when the Jesuits were still faithful teachers of Holy Mother Church, being taught that if a person was not entitled to the truth, one could, in fact, lead them away from the truth, by lying. For example, if I knew the hideout of Anne Frank, and the Gestapo asked me if I knew her whereabouts, according to you (“Intrinsically Evil?” TCA Faith, November/December 2015), if I said I did not, that would be intrinsically evil? Ed Siering, Muscatine, Iowa A. Permit a personal reply...