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[Catholic Caucus] IMPORTANT ARTICLE: LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS ON THE RESPONSA ON TRADITIONIS CUSTODES - "Congregation cannot make authoritative interpretations. Juridical status of document highly questionable, does not have legally binding force." On 18 December 2021, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS) issued a peculiar document, a "Responsa ad dubia" regarding the 16 July 2021 motu proprio of Pope Francis, Traditionis Custodes. At the outset, some formal considerations on this document must be stressed. The main lines of the competencies of the CDWDS can be found as sketched in Pastor Bonus, the 28 June 1988...

A top South African doctor tells Israeli television that the Omicron variant appears much less deadly than the Delta strain of coronavirus. "People are not dying as you have seen with Delta," Dr. Angelique Coetzee says in an interview with Kan public broadcaster. "Delta---it's totally different." Coetzee, who heads the South African Medical Association, says cases have begun declining since December 9. "We don't see that doubling or increase we had seen right in the beginning," she says. "Maybe it will be a different picture in the rest of the world but for now the caseloads in the hospitals are...

I have a question - it's probably 'dumb' to those who know about these things, but I once received a lot of good information on modern lightbulbs, here; so I'll try. We bought a new shower head today. I have long hair, and need a higher-pressure one to wash it. We usually remove the 'flow restrictor' (so, arrest me!) but this one claims to have a 'flow regulator'. What, if anything, is the difference between a regulator and restrictor? Thanks for any help. P.S.: We saw a really nice Christmas movie tonight - 'The Christmas Candle': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Christmas_Candle

“When the shepherd becomes a wolf, the flock must defend itself”: Dr. Michael Fiedrowicz The following essay by the eminent patrologist and scholar of the Roman liturgy, Michael Fiedrowicz, discusses classical theologians on the right of resistance to the abuse of ecclesiastical authority. It was written prior to the release of the CDW document but in anticipation of it. First published in IK-Nachrichten of Pro Santa Ecclesia, December 2021/January 2022, the translation appears exclusively at Rorate Caeli.—PAKSaints Athanasius & Cyril“When the Shepherd Becomes a Wolf, the Flock Must Defend Itself”Prof. Dr. Michael FiedrowiczExpect the worstIt is part of the...

All I want for Christmas is . . . . .

EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Schneider on Latest Vatican Crackdown on Tradition ROME, December 22, 2021 (The Remnant)—In his first print interview since the release of the Responsa ad dubia (“Response to doubts”) on certain provisions of Pope Francis’ Traditionis Custodes by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Bishop Athanasius Schneider has said the new document “needlessly reopens” old wounds in the Church, “borders on mockery,” and betrays a “hostile inflexibility” towards Catholics attached to the traditional liturgy of the Roman Rite. “Remarkably, we are witnessing an intransigent Inquisition-like method being employed in a pontificate that has...

This initiative of the Diocese of Rome results from the Pope’s desire to enhance the cultural heritage entrusted to his protection.Picutres of the Palazzo Lateranense in Rome now open to the public. (photo: Daniel Ibanez/Solène Tadié / EWTN)ROME — Starting Dec. 13, pilgrims as well as art and history lovers are now able to access the Lateran Palace, a high place of the history of Christianity in Rome. Adjacent to the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral Church of Rome and the seat of the pope as the bishop of Rome, the palace served as the residence of popes...

CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen said Wednesday on CNN’s “Newsroom” that President Joe Biden should “go further” in placing restrictions on Americans who have not gotten COVID vaccines. Wen said, “I think what we will see with Omicron is a very large number of infections due to Covid-19.”

Bill Gates said he called off his holiday plans as the omicron variant ushers in what he predicts could be the "worst part of the pandemic." He also predicted, however, that the current surge in COVID-19 cases could be over within months, and the pandemic itself may end next year “if we take the right steps.”“Just when it seemed like life would return to normal, we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic,” he tweeted on Tuesday. "Omicron will hit home for all of us. Close friends of mine now have it, and I’ve canceled most of my...

'I consider that it is our duty to participate in the collective effort to avoid the further spread of the coronavirus," said Cardinal Lacroix.QUEBEC CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The Archdiocese of Quebec City announced that in light of the recent resurgence in COVID hysteria, all Christmas Masses are cancelled. The archbishop of Quebec City, Cardinal Gérald C. Lacroix, announced Wednesday that as part of the “fight against” COVID-19, all public Masses starting from midnight December 23 to January 10 are canceled. According to the statement, the only exception will be for funerals. “Given the seriousness of the health situation, in consultation...

I’ve been haunting youTube quite a lot for a good while, and I first happened onto Suzanne Venker, and posted a thread How to Get Hitched (and Stay Hitched): A 12-Step Program for Marriage-Minded Women about her anti-feminist podcasts. The latest guru in that cause, tho, is someone Suzanne Venker interviewed - Alison Armstrong. She has a super positive message.

The World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) warned Tuesday there is too much at stake to celebrate Christmas this year, cautioning it is better to either cancel or postpone the annual festivities than risk the death of a loved one. W.H.O. director-general and Ethiopian biologist Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in Geneva the “fastest way” to “get back to normal” is for people to cancel or delay Christmas events, the Daily Mail reports. Dr Ghebreyesu continued to say, “an event cancelled is better than a life cancelled. It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve...

Official statistics show that 51% of the general population adheres to Christianity, more women than men. London is the most religiously diverse region in the UK.The number of people who define themselves as Christians in England and Wales has fallen to 51%, a 8% decrease since the 2011 census. New data published by the Office for National Statistics shows that while 71.4% of women and 61% of men aged between 60 and 69 adhere to Christianity, the number falls to 35% when young people aged between 20 and 29 are asked. “No religion” is now the most common answer among...

Thanks to some Philly grit and neighborly assistance, the 80-year-old machine that threatened Termini's Christmas is back up and rolling. Vincent Termini Jr. was panicking. As the Christmas season, the busiest time of year for his family’s famous South Philadelphia bakery, got underway, a large piece of equipment in their main bakery had seized. It just stopped. This wasn’t just any machine. The “dough breaker” is an 80-year-old piece of specialty equipment straight from Italy that’s a critical component in the process of making cannoli, by-far the most popular item at Termini Bros. during the holidays. That key step in...

‘Ambassador Hussain is well placed to advance the US government’s promotion of international religious freedom,’ said the chair of a religious freedom watchdog. (RNS) — Rashad Hussain has been confirmed as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, making him the first Muslim American in the role. Hussain was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Thursday (Dec. 16) by an overwhelming vote of 85 to 5. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom hailed the decision on Hussain, who has been director for partnerships and global engagement at the National Security Council. “With his years of knowledge and experience, Ambassador...

[snip] "Wednesday afternoon, at around 2:45 p.m., Congresswoman Scanlon was carjacked at gunpoint in FDR Park. [snip] Police say Scanlon was approached by two black males, aged approximately 20-30, as she walked to her vehicle before they demanded she hand them the keys.[snip]Scanlon represents Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District, which includes part of South Philadelphia.In 2021 so far, the Philadelphia Police Department has reported 521 homicides, which is a 13% increase compared to 2020 and the city's highest number of killings since at least 2007. Incidents involving a shooting have also increased by 4.4%, and the number of people who are...

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) announced on Wednesday evening that he tested positive for COVID-19 in a breakthrough case of the virus. “Tonight, I received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. This is a breakthrough case, and I am asymptomatic,” Clyburn tweeted. “America is in a new phase of this pandemic. No one is immune. I urge anyone who has not done so to protect themselves by getting vaccinated and boosted.”

After getting a stage four metastatic colon cancer diagnosis, this 92-year-old immediately began planning to do his favorite things for the last time, including one more meal at the beloved Lower East Side institution Katz’s Delicatessen. “This pilgrimage to the temple of pastrami was among a handful of items on the bucket list that my father, Rabbi Israel S. Dresner, drew up within 24 hours of the doctors telling him last month that he would not make it to his 93rd birthday in April,” wrote Avi Dresner to in a moving essay about the recent bittersweet afternoon he brought his...

I talked to him this morning about what led him down the anti-vax path nearly 20 years ago. Here's the story, condensed to make it a quick read.

My brother-in-law, Ruben, was just put on a ventilator this afternoon at Scripps Green Hospital. He’s 70, in reasonably good health, and lives in San Diego. Ruben started feeling sick right after Thanksgiving so he got a Covid test which was NEGATIVE! He kept getting sicker but figured it was just a cold. Then his wife tested positive, although she got the monoclonal antibodies right away and recovered quickly. Ruben retested and this time it was positive. However, since he’d been sick for more than 2 weeks, he didn’t qualify for the MAB. On Saturday, December 18th, she took him...