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Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East​​ ​ Seven Years Since the Kidnapping of the Bishops of Aleppo​ Beloved Brethren and Spiritual Children Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Brothers, we address you with the Pascha greeting, sharing your prayers in your home corners and bending with you the knees of the heart before Christ, who was crucified for our sake, who resurrected from the dead and made us resurrect by His divine Light, wiping away from souls the dust of bitter times and the ashes of desolation...

[Catholic Caucus] German bishops’ working doc calls for approval of contraception, homosexuality, women’s ordination The 'synodal path' working doc defended the use of contraception, masturbation, and homosexuality. January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The working documents in preparation for the assemblies of the German bishops’ “Synodal Path” defend the use of contraception, the practice of masturbation, and an active homosexual lifestyle. Additionally, neither the question of the ordination of women nor that of making celibacy optional for priests is taken off the table. In 2019, four panels of experts were preparing working documents to serve as the basis for discussion among...

NEW YORK - In addition to a tidal wave of clergy abuse cases that were filed as New York’s “look back” window took effect on Wednesday, this week also brought about new scrutiny for three members of the American hierarchy. A court spokesman said that 427 new suits were filed by the close of business on Wednesday from victims taking advantage of the Child Victim’s Act, which lifts the statute of limitations for a yearlong period for abuse claims against the Church and other institutions. By the time the window closes next August, that number is estimated to be over...

NEW YORK - Following President Donald Trump’s plans to deport “millions” of undocumented migrants, the United States Conference of Catholic bishops (USCCB) released a statement acknowledging that nations have a right to protect their borders, while urging attention toward the root causes of migration. That response sparked an online fury that continued through last weekend criticizing the bishops’ reaction as tepid and lacking the moral outrage merited by the situation. “We recognize the right of nations to control their borders in a just and proportionate manner. However, broad enforcement actions instigate panic in our communities and will not serve as...

[Catholic Caucus] Faithful Rebel Against Bad Bishops Petition for Abp. Wilton Gregory to resign is rapidly gaining signatures WASHINGTON (ChurchMilitant.com) - Faithful Catholics rising up since last August have succeeded in taking down two former archbishops from Washington and have their sights set on the current archbishop as well as several other compromised bishops and cardinals. Washington's new archbishop, Wilton Gregory, is viewed by many as a mere crony of his two disgraced predecessors, Theodore McCarrick and Cdl. Donald Wuerl. Installed for less than a month, Gregory already has more than 8,000 Catholics calling for him to become a "worthy shepherd" or resign. A recent petition is asking Gregory to become...

Stephen Brady live feed from: DoubleTree, Libertyville-Mundelein 510 E IL Route 83, Mundelein, IL on Saturday, January 5, 2019 from 5:00 -10:00 p.m.

Part 1 It has certainly caused much confusion in the consciences of a great many faithful Catholics to learn that bishops in countries such as Malta, Belgium, Germany and Argentina are giving Holy Communion to couples who live in an adulterous relationship. And the confusion is naturally attributed to the ambiguous teaching of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. Every Catholic knows that adultery is a mortal sin, and if a person dies in that state he can hardly expect to be saved. The Commandment is clear: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Period. Those that do, like David and the...

The Office of Bishop Msgr. Charles Pope • November 11, 2018 • credit: J. Lippelmann, Catholic StandardFortuitously, the first reading for this Monday, which is the day that the annual fall meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Baltimore begins, speaks to the qualifications of a bishop. The full reading from Titus is as follows:Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ for the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones and the recognition of religious truth, in the hope of eternal life that God, who does not lie, promised before time began,...

.... So, how are we in Holy Orders doing? By any reasonable measure, terribly. Indeed, some of the gravest disorder is to be found within the very ranks of Holy Orders. There is a shocking yet persistent picture of disorder, confusion, and denial up to the highest ranks, both nationally and internationally. There are, to be sure, notable exceptions in which holy and courageous bishops, priests, and deacons have sought to stand in the gap and heal the breach, often at great personal cost. The overall atmosphere, however, is one of unholy disorder, brought about by the very ones ordained...

The Catholic Church teaches that the state is supreme in temporal matters. However, what’s to be done when the politics of the day enjoin religious proclamations (such as “women have the right to kill their unborn babies” or “men must embrace the sin of homosexuality rather than simply loving the sinner”)? When politics crosses into religious territory, it claims supremacy over the human soul. Church proclamations against candidates and parties that compete with religion are not entering into political battles but fighting against religious rivals. Rebuttal has both temporal and eternal consequences for all. ... break... The Democratic Party has...

McCarrick Scandal Spotlights Bishops’ Appointment Process WASHINGTON — When Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called for a “prompt and thorough examination” of questions posed by the scandal engulfing Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, he spoke on behalf of a lot of Catholics when he singled out one unresolved mystery. Why, asked Cardinal DiNardo, did Archbishop McCarrick’s misconduct fail to impede “his advancement” from auxiliary bishop to bishop and from archbishop to cardinal? Given the scope of the Catholic Church’s established process of identifying, vetting and appointing episcopal candidates, it is a puzzle that...

I don’t have to tell you how important this election is for the protection of human life in the womb—and for American culture as a whole. As great as our individual and collective efforts may be, they may not be enough. We need the big guns. There is one group who could change the course of history with a word, but they continue a self-imposed silence… the bishops of the Catholic Church. Catholics are demographically ¼ of the voting population nationally and as much as ⅓ in several states… including New York and California. The silence of the bishops has...

Who wants to be a bishop – after McCarrick? by Michael Davis posted Saturday, 22 Sep 2018 Cardinal Timothy Dolan (CNS) The Vatican is struggling to regain control of major American diocesesJust a few months ago – though it seems like years – Washington, DC was the most coveted see in America. Though not the largest or wealthiest diocese, its archbishop is often the most politically well-connected cleric in the United States.All that changed when its former archbishop, Theodore McCarrick, was revealed to be a serial sex abuser. Then, accusations of complicity began to pile up against his successor, Cardinal...

Eighty-five years ago, on July 20, 1933, a concordat defining the legal position of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich was signed by Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII) and German vice chancellor Franz von Papen. The Reischskonkordat was then ratified by the Nazi-dominated German parliament some six weeks later, on September 10. Pope Pius XI, under whose authority Cardinal Pacelli had negotiated this treaty, was under no illusions about German National Socialism; he detested its racial ideology. And unlike some Vatican diplomats who seem to have imagined that the Third Reich would be...

In a controversial move, China and the Vatican are preparing to sign a landmark deal this month allowing each side a voice in choosing the church's bishops in China, reports the Wall Street Journal. The details: Pope Francis will recognize excommunicated Chinese bishops that were approved without the Vatican's green light, and China will acknowledge the Pope as leader of the nation's Catholics and allow the Vatican a voice in bishop selection moving forward. The deal comes with controversy as China's current regime is largely atheist and authoritarian. The agreement is also seen as China recognizing religious autonomy — something...

Here's another collection of my tweets to my Bishop, mostly about --- what shall we call it? --- The Situation. These won't all be recyclable, but I hope some of them will. Feel free to use any of them. It's just tiny way, I suppose, to offer filial correction or support. We must obey God, not men --- as our first Pope, St. Peter said. God bless Bishop Strickland. Abp Vigano had the courage to speak up clearly and pay up personally. Let the Pope answer Vigano's Testimony if he can. The silence -- Omerta --- is not going to...

It just occurred to me that I should share all my tweets to my Bishop on FR too, so FReeper Catholics can tweet them to your bishops as well. I am not much of a social media maven, but if 60 million Catholics do the little we can -- well, you know how this gospel works: you give your 2 little fishes and 5 barley buns, and the Lord will multiply it out. So here, please free free to use my hand-crafted artisanal right-sized tweets to my bishop over the past couple weeks: Speaking of "news": USCCB statement saying that...

Article with 22 minute video about this at this source. I'll post the transcript in a bit.

FULL TITLE: Where does your bishop stand?: Catholics launch new website to track bishops’ fidelity August 31, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) — LifeSiteNews launched a new website today dedicated to providing U.S. Catholics with evidence of whether their bishop is faithful or unfaithful to perennial Church teaching. Faithful Shepherds helps hold American bishops accountable by providing years, sometimes decades, of past tweets, public speeches, sermons, actions, pastoral letters, and diocesan guidelines. Faithful Shepherds currently gives evidence of where U.S. bishops stand on nine issues: Amoris Laetitia, pro-life leadership, homosexuality, abortion politics, contraception, “LGBT” ideology, liturgy, marriage and family life, and education. More...

My wife Jacqueline and I have four sons. Thanks be to God, they never fell victim to the calculating predations of a bishop or priest seeking to gratify his disordered passions. Many fathers’ sons and daughters did.