Free Republic

Guest Article: The Crisis of Modern EcumenismThe modern ecumenical movement, particularly in its post-conciliar manifestation, has adopted a dangerous illusion: that the various Christian denominations represent equally valid paths to God, differing merely in accidental rather than essential characteristics. This irenic approach, pursued with increasing fervour since the Second Vatican Council, fundamentally misunderstands the nature of the Church established by Christ; the Catholic Church, built sub Petro et cum Petro. Pope Pius XI, in his 1928 encyclical Mortalium Animos, provided a prophetic critique of this very tendency, warning against a false irenicism that would compromise the integrity of Catholic...

[Catholic Caucus] How the Church CHANGED overnight: controversy of Vatican IIFr. Charles Murr opens up about the spiritual and institutional unraveling that followed the Second Vatican Council, recalling how ambiguity, failed leadership, and compromises with modern ideologies destabilized the Church from within. He argues the true crisis came not from the Council’s texts but from their misinterpretation and misuse by poorly formed clergy. The aftermath of Humanae Vitae, he says, marked a collapse in episcopal authority, as public dissent went unpunished and relativism infiltrated moral theology. Liturgical experimentation and the loss of sacred discipline further unmoored Catholics from tradition. Fr....

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Sarah’s upcoming book ‘2050’ offers insights on the future of the ChurchThe defender of tradition and reverence will discuss his concerns over signs of ‘the loss of faith’ as well as his 'reasons for hope’ for the Church.Cardinal Robert Sarah announced he will be releasing on March 4 a book on the future of the Church titled 2050.Co-written with French journalist Nicolas Diat, the work will discuss Cardinal Sarah’s concerns over signs of “the loss of faith” as well as his “reasons for hope,” the cardinal shared Tuesday on X.“In 25 years, will the Church still be...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo XIV appoints bishop who rejects Catholic teaching on sexualityFr. Cyril Villareal has proposed a ‘new way’ of evaluating marriage and sexuality, departing from natural law principles reaffirmed in Humanae Vitae and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Cyril Buhayan Villareal as the new bishop of Kalibo in the Philippines, drawing renewed attention to unorthodox theological positions he defended in an academic thesis on marriage and sexuality.On January 24, Pope Leo XIV appointed Villareal as bishop of the Diocese of Kalibo, located in the central Philippines. The decision has drawn attention over...

Vatican official praises Lutheran text as model for Christian unity ahead of 2030 commemorationThe 'Confessio Augustana,' written by the Protestant theologian Philip Melanchthon and presented in 1530 to Emperor Charles V, is one of the founding texts of Lutheranism.Statue of Martin LutherShutterstockThe secretary of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity has said one of the founding texts of Lutheranism offers a model for rediscovering common ground among Christians ahead of a planned ecumenical commemoration in 2030.On January 22, Archbishop Flavio Pace made the remarks in an interview with Vatican News published on the occasion of the Week of...

Francis-Collapse of Catholicism in Latin AmericaCatholicism has been in collapse in Latin America since the aftermath of Vatican II -- but it went into vertiginous tailspin in the pontificate of the Pope from Argentina.We have often covered this in Rorate.For instance, right after the election of Francis, in 2014, in the long post "THE COLLAPSE OF CATHOLICISM IN LATIN AMERICA:New Poll, Statistics, Tables and Graphs - Extensive Analysis", as well as in "The Latin American Exodus: Catholics become Protestants in Droves".Now, the most credible research institute on religious trends, the Pew Research Center, has released a new study specifically dealing...

[Catholic Caucus] Germany’s “slime Mass” apology exposes deeper fault lines in the ChurchA Catholic diocese in Germany has issued a formal apology after a televised Christmas Eve Mass from Stuttgart provoked a storm of criticism over an unconventional Nativity scene broadcast nationwide on public television.The Mass, aired on ARD from St Mary’s Church in Stuttgart, featured an artistic portrayal of the newborn Christ by an adult female performance artist curled in a foetal position and covered with sticky rice paper, intended to evoke the vernix of a newborn child. It was quickly dubbed “slime Jesus”. The broadcast was produced by...

[Catholic Caucus] German Diocese Regrets "Slime Jesus" – But No One Is PunishedThe diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Germany, allegedly regrets its televised Christmas Eve Eucharist, which featured an adult woman covered in sticky rice paper who resembled a slimy alien in a manger.The Eucharist was broadcast Germanwide from the parish of St Mary’s in Stuttgart.The officiating priest, Thomas Steiger, said during the service: "The nativity scene shows a real human being, lying there miserable, naked and exposed."Next to him, the female actor breathed heavily and slowly writhed in the paper, which was apparently meant to represent the vernix covering a newborn...

Conciliar Catechesis Watch: IntroductionOn Wednesday, Leo launched a new initiative with an Introduction to his planned General Audience series consisting of catechesis on the documents of Vatican II. For how long this weekly series will go on is anyone’s guess, but it seems likely to go on up to and perhaps beyond Lent.In any case, beginning today, the akaCatholic Podcast will respond to each of Leo’s weekly catechetic sessions with a closer look at what he had to say and how it compares and contrasts with what the Church has always taught.Beneath the video, a transcript will be provided for...

Pope Leo calls Second Vatican Council the ‘guiding star’ of the Church’s pathLeo’s description of the Second Vatican Council as the ‘guiding star’ of the Church’s path suggests he sees this council as surpassing in importance every other council of the Church.Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday said the Second Vatican Council is the “guiding star” of the Church’s path in his strongest statement to date in support of the controversial council.“It is the Magisterium (of the Second Vatican Council) that still constitutes the guiding star of the Church’s journey,” Pope Leo said during his Wednesday general audience, Vatican News reported....

Pope Leo begins a new catechism series dedicated to Vatican IIPope Leo on Wednesday praised the ‘liturgical reform’ launched by Vatican II that laid the groundwork for the revolutionary Novus Ordo Missae, the new Mass.Sculpture on St Peter's basilica door: Vatican IIVATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV announced Wednesday that he is beginning a catechesis series to “closely” study the Second Vatican Council, which many priests and scholars have affirmed to be in need of correction.“We are beginning a new catechesis series dedicated to the Second Vatican Council and to a fresh reading of its Documents,” Leo wrote in...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope at Audience: Second Vatican Council still guiding star of Church’s journeyPope Leo XIV begins a new catechesis series on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, emphasizing that the Council's teaching still serves as the guiding star of the Church’s journey."It is the Magisterium [of the Second Vatican Council] that still constitutes the guiding star of the Church’s journey today."Pope Leo XIV expressed this during his Wednesday General Audience, on January 7, in the Vatican, as he began a new catechesis series, which is dedicated to Vatican Council II and a rereading of its Documents, following the...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo opens first consistory with strong emphasis on synodality, Vatican IISources told LifeSiteNews that key roles in the opening phases of the consistory were assigned to figures closely aligned with the approach of Pope Francis.Pope Leo XIV opened his first extraordinary consistory with an agenda centered on synodality, liturgy and the legacy of the Second Vatican Council.On Wednesday, January 7, Pope Leo began the first extraordinary consistory of his pontificate at the Vatican, convening cardinals from around the world in the Paul VI Hall and the New Synod Hall to reflect together, advise the Pope, and discuss...

[Catholic Caucus] The heresy of Modernism continues to grow. None of our Church leaders seem to careIt seems as if the current hierarchy regards the Second Vatican Council as having somehow tacitly 'repealed' on the sly our Church's settled 1907 dogma condemning Modernism as a heresy.First of all, what is the heresy of Modernism? It’s important to understand that this essay refers to the formally declared heresy of Modernism—not “modernism” in the artistic, cultural, political, or purely philosophical usages of the word. Modernism in Catholic theological doctrine, however, is indeed a heresy—a heresy that progressive-minded Catholics often dally with, and...

[Catholic Caucus] Tucho's Marian Kerfuffle - by Roberto de MatteiThe Consequences of the Marian Note of Cardinal Fernandezby Roberto de Matteifor Corrispondenza RomanaOn November 4, 2025, the doctrinal note Mater Populi Fidelis was published, with which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sought to clarify the meaning and limits of certain Marian titles referring to Mary's cooperation in the work of salvation. The statement caused dismay and consternation among the faithful, but also among Mariologists, because it represents an objective diminution of the privileges traditionally reserved for Our Lady by the Tradition of the Church. One wonders now...

[Catholic Caucus] “Today's Modernism is more subtle, more camouflaged, more forceful and more hypocritical.”"[...] as time goes on, we need to realize more that the divergence between the two currents [one faithful to the Magisterium of the Church and the modernist one] is not of form, but of substance; it is not about the way the truth should be expressed and taught, but about the truth itself. We are in full-blown modernism. Not the naive, open, aggressive, and combative modernism at the time of Pius X. No. Today's Modernism is more subtle, more camouflaged, more forceful, and more hypocritical. It...

[Catholic Caucus] Why the New Document From the Italian Bishops Is a Warning SignThe new synodal document of the Italian Church confirms a pastoral approach fully aligned with progressive ideology, paving the way for the abandonment of the natural family.The participants in the last Italian synodal assembly have overwhelmingly approved a document that explicitly encourages support in civil LGBT events, such as the Gay Pride marches. The text also alludes to the possibility of female access to the diaconate and signals a broader openness to progressive social causes.Though presented as a pastoral initiative, this move reflects a deeper realignment within...

Transalpine Redemptorists Condemn Vatican Nostra Aetate EventIn our recent Open Letter we wrote: “Through years of trials and experience we have come to the unfortunate conclusion that the Traditional Catholic Faith, the Faith of all times and of the saints, is incompatible with the new, modern Church, the fruit of the Second Vatican Council. They simply cannot coexist in one body.”Some people seem quite shocked that we could consider there to be a new, modern Church at all, or that we could think that the old Faith is not compatible with it. Some have said that our letter “is incompatible...

[Catholic Caucus] Irony Alert: Postconciliar Iconoclasts Arrive at the Feast of St John Damascene and Smash ItSo much to observe about today's confluence in the Roman Rite, on this Thursday of the third week of Lent, with a commemoration of St. John Damascene.First, the ancient Roman liturgy keeps a station today at a church in honor of the physician brothers and martyrs Cosmas and Damian. Obviously the Gospel about the healing of Peter's mother-in-law fits right in; the propers also mention "salus," whose basic meaning is "health" although it takes on the supernatural meaning of "salvation."The TLM, by remembering Cosmas...

[Catholic Caucus] For Over Fifty Years, the Traditionalist Faithful Have Been Persecuted: No Repentance from the Hierarchy?... Christian MarquantPaix LiturgiqueMarch 2025(main excerpt)The website of the Bishops' Conference of France reminds us that, since 2021, at the request of the Holy Father, every year, and from now on, on the third Friday of Lent, a kind of day of repentance is organized. This is a day of prayer for people who are the victims of violence, sexual violence, or abuse of power.This year, the day will take place next Friday, March 28. “Dioceses and parishes are invited to organize, with the...