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Bishop Robert McElroy The following comes from a Southern Cross article by Aida Bustos: SAN DIEGO — “Think big.” That’s what Bishop Robert W. McElroy urged parish delegates to do leading up to the first general assembly in the diocese in 40 years. This assembly, called a diocesan synod, will be held on Oct. 29 and 30. Its focus will be on how the San Diego Diocese and its individual parishes can strengthen marriage and families, give pastoral support to divorced Catholics and invite unmarried couples into the fold, all challenges faced by the Church. The seed for the synod...

October 20, 2016 Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Eph 3:14-21 Brothers and sisters:I kneel before the Father,from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his gloryto be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;that you, rooted and grounded in love,may have strength to comprehend with all the holy oneswhat is the breadth and length and height and depth,and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,so that you...

It appears that Pope Pius XI’s documents are missing from the Vatican website where they were once stored. We walk you through just one of the missing documents, the link for which is still available through Google. Since the (somewhat impromptu) video below was made earlier today, we did some more digging, and it appears that the documents of other popes are still there going back to Pope Clement XII. Pius XI is the one missing page in the list. Pope Pius XI was a staunch opponent of the kind of ecumenism the Vatican now favors. He also wrote about...

A thrown knife plunges menacingly into the wall. A handgun slides in from off-screen to fire a warning shot. Words of caution appear on the screen: “The only thing I can tell you is to watch your step.” When I was a young boy playing Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, silly warnings like these told me I was hot on the trail of the villain. And now, thirty years later, these same images come immediately to mind after reading Andrea Tornielli and Giacomo Galeazzi’s flailing, indignant riposte to papal critics in the October 16 edition of Vatican Insider....

The charge made against AsiaNews that we are against the Pope and in favor of Putin, is an opportunity to outline what motivates our commitment to evangelization. And also to ask for greater professionalism from those who write about the Pope. The Pope does not need public defenders. Facilitating dialogue between "conservatives" and "progressives" to realize the Council and concern ourselves with the world so that it encounters Jesus Christ. Christ’s “enemies” were also his "friends."Rome (AsiaNews) – Not a day goes by without AsiaNews publishing reports of the Pope's homilies, speeches, audiences, summaries of encyclicals. We are among the...

McDonald’s plan to open its first restaurant in Vatican City has prompted criticism from cardinals living above the proposed site. The fast food giant is reportedly willing to pay “a few tens of thousands of euros per month” to rent a property within sight of St Peter’s Square, according to the Guardian. Cardinals claim that they were not consulted by APSA, the Vatican agency that owns the property, about the plans. Instead, residents were only informed after APSA had agreed to rent the ground floor of the property to McDonald’s. Cardinal Elio Sgreccia told LaRepubblica: “It’s a controversial, perverse decision...

The totally reconstructed, brand-new Estonian National Museum opened on September 28 with a blasphemous attack on Mary, the Mother of God. Here’s what’s happening, according to several news outlets: “Visitors at Estonian National Museum [are] offered to kick Virgin Mary’s image” - - and it’s definitely true. I’ve verified it. “The National Museum which opened in Estonia in the presence of President Toomas Hendrik Ilves last week, is offering its visitors to kick one of the exhibits, an interactive image of Virgin Mary, causing the picture to fall into pieces.” [my emphasis] The display is “a depiction of Virgin Mary...

October 14, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Chicago Archbishop and Cardinal-elect Blase Cupich told an Italian newspaper that his support of Communion for the divorced and remarried is the same position as the pope’s, the bishops of Argentina, and Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. “My position is the same as that of Pope Francis, who has indicated that the proper interpretation of ‘Amoris Laetitia’ was given by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn and then again by the bishops of Argentina, for which the Pope noted ‘no further interpretation is needed,’” Cupich said. “So if people want to know what I think, they should refer to...

Four More Trends that Challenge the Modern Evangelizer Msgr. Charles Pope • October 18, 2016 • It is critical for us who would preach the Gospel to ponder what sorts of presuppositions our listeners bring to the conversation. Today, sadly, there are many trends that have poisoned the culture and thus make our task much more difficult.Yesterday we explored six problem areas. Today we’ll look at four more. It helps to describe modern mindsets, not to despair of them, but rather to look at them with some insight rather than being only vaguely aware of them. If we are...

October 19, 2016 Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs Reading 1 Eph 3:2-12 Brothers and sisters:You have heard of the stewardship of God’s gracethat was given to me for your benefit,namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation,as I have written briefly earlier.When you read thisyou can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,which was not made known to human beings in other generationsas it has now been revealedto his holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit,that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same Body,and copartners in...

HOMS, Syria — Father Jacques Mourad was prior of the Mar Elian Monastery, a pilgrimage center near Al Quaryatayn, about 65 miles southeast of Homs, until he was abducted by Islamic State militants in May 2015. He managed to escape after nearly five months of captivity, yet that August the Islamic State had captured Al Quaryatayn and destroyed the monastery. The city was later liberated by Syrian forces in April 2016. Now based in Europe, Father Mourad spoke Oct. 17 with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need about the situation in Syria. In early April 2016, Al...

If Islamization ever comes to America—and it may come quickly depending on the outcome of the November election—certain Catholic individuals and institutions will bear a heavy burden of responsibility. I’m thinking in particular of Georgetown University and its Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU). ACMCU’s Bridge Initiative released a report in September on “American Catholic views of Islam, and the way Islam is discussed in Catholic publications.” The report, “Danger & Dialogue,” is particularly concerned that the way Islam is presented in Catholic media is unduly influenced by Catholic “Islamophobes” who are connected to the “Islamophobia industry.” Now...

A closed Catholic church in Bristol Township has been sold to a Muslim cultural society. The former Immaculate Conception B.V.M. Catholic Church, on Emilie Road, was sold for $1,775,000 last Friday to the United American Muslim Society of Brooklyn, LevittownNow.com reports. The group is the parent corporation for the Turkish American Muslim Cultural Association on Levittown Parkway in Bristol Township, according to the story. The announcement of the sale made during weekend masses was “positively received by parishioners,” Archdiocese of Philadelphia spokesman Ken Gavin told LevittownNow.com.

This sermon will knock your socks off! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=881aDDE5qFY&feature=youtu.be

Father Arturo Sosa Abascal, SJ, of Venezuela was elected the 31st Superior General of the Society of Jesus at the Jesuits’ General Congregation 36 (GC 36) today in Rome. Fr. Sosa is the first Latin American Superior General of the Society of Jesus, the largest religious order of priests and brothers in the Catholic Church. Fr. Sosa, Delegate of the General for the International Houses and Works of the Society of Jesus in Rome, was elected by 212 Jesuit electors at the General Congregation, the supreme governing body of the Society, which is currently being held at the Jesuit Curia,...

Well, the enemy is busy, as usual, and I fear being more successful than usual. I tend to look at things in a binary fashion and for the election, I see the Christian view, and everyone else's view. During the Primary, I had my picks based on what I saw in the character of the candidates and used the guidelines of what they believed, what fruit they displayed, Biblical knowledge, ect. My picks one by one fell off the list. Now we have, at last, a binary choice. What I see and hear from fellow Christians is misery, complaining, depression,...

The new "Black Pope" is a Venezuelan. The Society of Jesus (Societas Jesu), better known as the Jesuits, elected Fr. Arturo Marcelino Sosa Abascal on Friday, October 14th, as the new religious superior, which the Jesuits officially call the Father General. The Vaticanist, Sandro Magister, drew attention to the Marxist past of the new General, after learning of the election.

Six Cultural Trends that Challenge the Modern Evangelizer Msgr. Charles Pope • October 17, 2016 • It is critical for us who would preach the Gospel to ponder what sorts of presuppositions our listeners bring to the conversation. Today, sadly, there are many trends that have poisoned the culture and thus make our task much more difficult.But difficult does not mean impossible. It helps to describe modern mindsets, not to despair of them, but rather to look at them with some insight rather than being only vaguely aware of them. If we are more clear on the presuppositions that...

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas doesn’t mince any words in a new editorial he posted on the web site of the Catholic archdiocese he heads. He says Hillary Clinton’s running mate Time Kaine is just a “cafeteria Catholic” because he supports abortion.

Our series on the font of error that is Pope Francis continues with his performance before an audience of Lutheran “pilgrims” from Germany at the Vatican on October 13. That date was the 99th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima; but Francis, who is supposedly devoted to the Blessed Virgin and had his pontificate consecrated to Our Lady of Fatima (which accounts for my early optimism concerning his disastrous pontificate), completely ignored the occasion. Instead, he devoted the day to celebrating the memory of Martin Luther in the Paul VI Audience Hall. A statue of the arch-heretic...