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[Catholic Caucus] Abp. Viganò: Open wide the doors to Christ - and His Churches What is at stake is not only public health but the salvation of souls, writes Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. March 14, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – What we are witnessing in these hours is dramatic — certainly throughout Italy, but in a tragically exemplary way, in Rome, the heart of Catholicism.  The scenario is all the more disconcerting as what is at stake is not only public health but the salvation of souls — and for some time now we, as Pastors, have stopped inflaming the hearts of...

[Catholic Caucus] When the Going Gets Tough … Pastors Get Weak Rome's bewildering response to coronavirus There are no words to describe the uproar caused by the March 12 announcement of church closures throughout the diocese of Rome, with the near-certainty that the ordinance would be universally applied throughout Italy, as was clear from the memo released by the Italian Bishops' Conference president, Cdl. Gualtiero Bassetti. Even if after a few hours the decision was overturned and churches reopened, the fact remains that it was a senseless decision to begin with. Moreover, as we read in the letter issued by...

[Catholic Caucus] Francis Was Forced to Reverse Closing of Italian Churches Francis was inundated by phone calls of cardinals and bishops after he closed all Roman churches on Thursday evening for fear of the coronavirus.According to LaNuovaBq.it, this was the last straw because “many” bishops were already angry about the suspension of all Masses.A source in the Vatican called the measure a sign that the Church is “no longer relevant.”The German bishops' KNA reported that “many” priests considered opening their churches secretly.Bergamo, Milan, Florence, Naples and Palermo dioceses decided to keep their churches open under certain conditions.Curia Cardinal Krajewski personally...

English Catholics implore Vatican: ‘Tear up’ deal with Communist China The letter, signed by prominent English Catholics, highlights myriad horrors overseen by the Chinese government and perpetrated against the Chinese faithful. March 13, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A group of English Catholics, including Deacon Nick Donnelly and regular LifeSite contributor Dr. Joseph Shaw, have signed an open letter calling for the Vatican’s deal with China to be “torn up.” “We the undersigned are writing to express our burning anxiety at the Vatican’s treaty with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the light of the China Tribunal’s findings into forced organ...

[Catholic Caucus] Roman Hero Priest Will Not Exclude People from his "Private Masses" The German National Church Santa Maria dell'Anima in Rome announced on March 10 that, due to the coronavirus, all masses are "celebrated privately".Yet the Rector, Rev. Franz Xaver Brandmayr, declared before VaticanNews.va that the faithful are not excluded from these Masses. He will celebrate his "private masses" aloud, preach and distribute communion.It is clear to Brandmayr that he is going very far, but for him, the prohibition of public masses is a serious mistake.He quotes a priest friend: "Right now we have to open the churches. We...

[Catholic Caucus] Protest planned after US archbishop won’t cancel ‘scandalous’ retreat for ‘gay’ clergy Archbishop William Lori has not responded to a group of concerned Catholics. BALTIMORE, Maryland, March 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A U.S. prelate appears reluctant to scratch a retreat for “gay” bishops, priests, deacons, and religious brothers scheduled to take place in his archdiocese despite calls for its cancellation from concerned Catholics who see the event as a dangerous affirmation of homosexual identity by those who wear Roman collars.  Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore is being urged to call off the event, which is sponsored by New Ways...

Abp. Vigneron Cozy With Pro-Terrorist Imam Mohammed Ali Elahi trashes Trump, mourns terrorist Soleimani DETROIT (ChurchMilitant.com) - Detroit archbishop Allen Vigneron works closely with Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, a Detroit-area Islamic cleric who recently praised a terrorist mastermind and often publicly denounces President Trump with inflammatory rhetoric.  Vigneron has a history of interfaith activity with Muslim leaders, earning the prelate the "Interfaith Partner Award" presented by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan in 2011. Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi One of the Muslim leaders Vigneron has worked closely with is Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom...

Polish bishops call for more Masses in response to coronavirus: ‘Unimaginable’ to close churches 'Just as hospitals treat diseases of the body, so the Church serves to, among other things, treat illness of the soul; that is why it is unimaginable that we not pray in our churches,' said Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, leader of the Polish bishops' conference. Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, president of the Polish bishops' conference. POZNAN, Poland, March 10, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― Poland’s bishops have called for more Masses as a response to the coronavirus epidemic.  Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, writing as the leader of the Polish bishops’ conference,...

Instead of Blocking Italy, They Have Blocked the Mass The Vatican misses an opportunity This pontificate began with the slogan "the Church that goes out," and now the pope and cardinals are literally barricaded inside the Vatican (even the Angelus is now being done via streaming) out of the fear of the coronavirus. They said they were revolutionaries but they have proven to be a lot of frightened Don Abbondios (the priest in Manzoni's famous novel The Betrothed who refuses to marry Renzo and Lucia because he is afraid). No more bridges, only very high impassable walls, behind which the pope,...

President of German Bishops’ Conference signals openness to female ‘deacons’ Bishop Georg Bätzing LIMBURG, Germany, March 9, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Bishop Georg Bätzing, the new president of the German Bishops’ Conference, has signaled that he is open to asking Pope Francis for an indult allowing female “deacons” in Germany. An indult is a special permission granted by the Vatican. In a radio interview on Sunday, Bätzing said he wanted to wait for the Synodal Path to be completed, arguing that a single bishop or even a bishops’ conference would not be able to get an indult from the Vatican. “A...

Vatican 2022 Synod on Synodality Holy See: Synodality is a 'linguistic novelty' VATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) - So-called synodality will be the topic of the next ordinary Synod of Bishops. "Pope Francis has convoked the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops," according to Cdl. Lorenzo Baldisseri via a Vatican press release issued on Saturday. Baldisseri, as general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, is saying the theme of the synod — scheduled for October 2022 — will be "For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission." Pope St. Paul VI Synodality, as it has been put into practice of late, has been a maturing concept...

South American nation holds miniature Amazon Synod, issues radical demands March 6, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The Catholic Church in French Guiana, one of the nine countries of the Amazon Basin represented at the Amazon Synod in Rome last October, recently held its second local synod with many winks to the Roman event. Several “resolutions” were made in favor of the rights of the indigenous peoples of the region. Also high on the list of priorities were reflections on the environment and the “past” of the local clergy. The most spectacular move involved a commitment on the part of the Church...

New head of German bishops’ conference on track to ‘change’ Catholic sexual teaching The German bishops' conference has made it clear today that it does not wish to be anymore Roman Catholic.’ PETITION: Join faithful German Catholics in resisting bishops’ plan to ‘Protestantize’ Church Sign the petition here. March 3, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Today, Bishop Georg Bätzing of the Diocese of Limburg was elected the new president of the German bishops’ conference. In his first interview after his election, he touched upon the question of the Church’s teaching on sexual intercourse before marriage and on homosexuality. Asked whether he sees some...

[Barf Alert] Pope Francis announces a 2022 synod on synodality Vatican City, Mar 7, 2020 / 05:00 am (CNA).- The next ordinary Synod of Bishops will be a synod on synodality, the Vatican announced March 7.In October 2022, bishops from around the world will meet in Rome to discuss the theme: “For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission.”The concept of “synodality” has been a topic of frequent discussion by Pope Francis, particularly during the previous ordinary Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith, and vocational discernment in October 2018.Synodality, as defined by the International Theological Commission in 2018,...

Did Pope Francis just encourage the communist regime in China? In the context of the current situation in China, the pope’s message is truly stunning. March 6, 2020 (CatholicCulture.org) — “Today, the Church in China looks to the future with hope,” Pope Francis said in the video message communicating his monthly prayer intentions. Yes, but that hope looks increasingly forlorn, as Chinese authorities continue to close down Catholic churches that do not accept the leadership of the government-backed Patriotic Association. “The Church wants Chinese Christians to be truly Christians, and to be good citizens,” the Pope said in his video message, adding...

Pope Francis tells Chinese Catholics to be ‘good citizens,’ not engage in ‘proselytism’ Meanwhile, Catholics are bribed to pressure priests to join the state-sanctioned church. ROME, Italy, March 6, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Pope Francis encouraged Chinese Catholics in the communist-run country to be “good citizens” and not to engage in “proselytism.” “The Church wants Chinese Christians to be truly Christians, and to be good citizens,” Pope Francis said. “They should promote the Gospel, but without engaging in proselytism, and they need to achieve the unity of the divided Catholic community,” he said, likely referring to the distinction between an...

Vatican Commission Implies that the Vast Majority of Catholic Marriages Are Invalid: Annul Away! The Pseudo-Magisterium that has afflicted the Church since the Second Vatican Council has just issued a new pseudo-doctrinal pronouncement from the “International Theological Commission” (ITC).  The ITC, which has no doctrinal authority whatsoever and is essentially a neo-Modernist think tank whose mission apparently is to undermine true Catholic teaching while pretending to explain it, has just published something called “The Reciprocity Between Faith and Sacraments in the Sacramental Economy.”I’ll skip the endless blah, blah, blah we have come to expect from Roman documents since the Council...

Faithful Catholics: New Archbishop of Atlanta Bears Watching Past and current associations make Hartmayer suspect SAVANNAH, Ga. (ChurchMilitant.com) - Pope Francis has announced that Gregory J. Hartmayer, bishop of Savannah, Ga., will be the new archbishop of Atlanta. Hartmayer succeeds Washington Abp. Wilton Gregory, who was elevated to his current role when the former archbishop, Donald Wuerl, stepped down in disgrace over his role in the Theodore McCarrick scandal. There have been two distinct periods in Hartmayer's career — one as an educator and one as a pastor. A member of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (a branch of the Franciscans) since 1970, Hartmayer completed an undergraduate degree in...

German bishop seemingly mocks praying for priestly vocations Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen is one of the most left-wing bishops in Germany. MAINZ, Germany, March 5, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – As they push to make celibacy optional to Catholic priests, one German bishop implied that praying for vocations to the priesthood does not work. Speaking in a condescending tone, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen told a press conference yesterday, “You must have a lot of trust in God not to despair in the face of the success, or the little success, that we see not only here but also in...

[Catholic Caucus] German bishops publicize ‘blessing of departure’ for couples getting divorced An article on the bishops' website describes worship services with rituals that include passing around a baking pan with frozen water and ripping a curtain at the church door. BONN, Germany, March 4, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Several priests in Germany are offering “a kind of blessing” for Catholic couples getting a divorce.  According to an article published on the news website of the German bishops, some married couples, “despite all the injuries they have suffered, wish to have a common ritual with which they symbolically want to...