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Diocesan Priest Explains SSPX State of Necessity and Pope Leo’s Missed OpportunityIn this edition of Ask Father, a diocesan priest examines the SSPX's "state of necessity" argument, reflects on the wider crisis in the Church, and imagines the pastoral address Pope Leo XIV could have given to unite Catholics instead of deepening division. Dear Father, the situation in the Church has gotten even more confusing since the consecration of the four bishops by the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). The four new bishops and the bishops consecrating them have been declared excommunicated; it seems the SSPX priests have been...

Leo Praises Liberty While He Puts Écône in ChainsAs Leo praised freedom of worship, Rome branded the SSPX, threatened the faithful, and tolerated a conciliar world where sanctuaries become playgrounds and Christendom becomes a punchline.Liberty for Everyone Except TraditionOn July 3, Leo XIV accepted the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center and spoke like a man defending freedom of conscience.He praised the American founders’ appeal to nature and nature’s God. He spoke of human dignity as something that precedes the State. He described authentic freedom as the capacity to know the truth and adhere to the good, even at...

The SSPX Crisis is not an AbstractionI have tried to stay out of the tribal warfare surrounding the SSPX because I do not belong to anyone’s faction. I just want to be left alone to practice the orthodox Faith. I am a convert, but I am not an uninformed one. Before entering the Catholic Church, I studied Catholic theology, Church history, papal authority, canon law, Vatican II, Tradition, and the Magisterium. I read the Summa cover to cover. I have continued studying ever since. I understand why the consecration of bishops without a papal mandate is treated as an extraordinarily...

Canonical Analysis: The 2026 DDF Decree on the SSPXBy the Canon of Shaftesbury, a judicial vicar in a major archdiocese.The question is whether the Decree and Explanatory Note issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) on July 2, 2026 actually accomplished what many have said, namely, the excommunication of six bishops, over seven hundred priests, and an unspecified number of the faithful. The short answer, reading the documents against the Code of Canon Law, is that they did not.The Decree itself names six individuals: four newly consecrated bishops, the principal consecrator (Bishop de Galarreta), and a...

Wow! I'm Excommunicated By My Papa...or Am I?This photo says it all. My mom always said, "Birds of a feather flock together." So here we have the scandalous porn-writing head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith sharing an intimate moment with the pope, il papa, my daddy in the spiritual life. I'm heartbroken and shaking my head after reading the explanatory note from Fernandez. [Published at the end.]Will I stop going to the SSPX? No. My conscience tells me that in order to be in "full Communion" with Rome these days, I must accept those things I...

Letter to the Holy Father regarding the Decree of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the FaithThe Superior GeneralTo His HolinessPope Leo XIVEcône, 3 July 2026Among yourselves, if a father is asked by his son for bread, will he give him a stone? Or for a fish, will he give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he is asked for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? Why then, if you, evil as you are, know well enough how to give your children what is good for them, is not your Father much more ready to...

New SSPX bishop invokes Mediatrix of All Graces in first episcopal sermonBishop Pascal Schreiber delivered his first sermon since the consecrations, calling the faithful to embrace the virtues of humility and magnanimity.Newly consecrated – and now newly excommunicated, according to Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith – Bishop Pascal Schreiber of the Society of St. Pius X delivered his first episcopal sermon on Thursday. At a Pontifical High Mass taking place on the “prairie” of the Écône seminary, Schreiber’s message centerd on the Blessed Virgin Mary, the priesthood, and the Society of...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Radcliffe concelebrates Mass honoring 50th anniversary of homosexual ‘friendship’At a Mass in Pimlico last month, heterodox Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, OP, highlighted the so-called 'good fruits' of a homosexual 'couple's' relationship.Heterodox Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, OP, concelebrated and delivered the homily for a Mass celebrating the 50th anniversary of two homosexual men’s “friendship” in mid-June at Holy Apostles Church in Pimlico.The June 13 Mass was celebrated in “Thanksgiving for 50 Years of Friendship, Partnership, and Commitment in the Pursuit of Justice” between Julian Filochowski and Martin Pendergast, two homosexual activists in a same-sex “relationship” who played key roles in...

In an appeal made public June 30, Pope Leo XIV has personally urged the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) to not follow through with their planned July 1 episcopal ordinations, which lack the Pope’s approval. “I pray for you, because to tear the seamless garment of Christ is a sin of extreme gravity,” the Pope wrote in the June 29 letter to SSPX Superior General Father Davide Pagliarani. The Pontiff began the letter by stating that he is addressing Father Pagliarani and through him all of the clergy and faithful connected to the SSPX “with a paternal heart, and...

San Bernardino LGBTQ+ Mass welcomes all during Pride monthThe church should be a place for healing and acceptance for all, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, Catholic ministry leaders in the Diocese of San Bernardino say.The second annual Embrace Family Mass was celebrated by Bishop Alberto Rojas at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral on Saturday in San Bernardino.“Jesus looks past labels and social barriers to see a human being in need of love, compassion and restoration to a family, to a community, and to our society,” Rojas, who leads the Diocese of San Bernardino, told those gathered at the...

Casualties of Legalism: Truth and Charity - Guest ArticleThe following guest article is written by Michael Kakooza, Ph.D. (Wales), who has written for Rorate in the past. It represents the view of its author and not the official stance of Rorate.In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas. [In necessary things, unity, In doubtful things, liberty, In all things, charity]But should not the great Church also allow herself to be generous in the knowledge of her great breadth, in the knowledge of the promise made to her? Should not we, as good educators, also be capable of overlooking various...

China is so CASHLESS that even beggars use WeChat QR code when they beg for money.

The Rabbi Gamaliel Test: Will Pope Leo XIV Fight the SSPX, or Listen to Bishop Schneider? Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s messages to Pope Leo XIV regarding the Society of St. Pius X bear a striking resemblance to Rabbi Gamaliel’s words to the Sanhedrin concerning the apostles: “I say to you, refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought; but if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest perhaps you be found even to fight against God.” Will this message be heard?An important article about...

[Catholic Caucus] Read This Before July 1: The SSPX Profession of Faith Unlocks the Whole the CrisisIf you're trying to understand why the SSPX is proceeding with episcopal consecrations on July 1, this is the article to read first. The newly released SSPX Profession of Faith isn't simply another doctrinal statement—it lays out, in remarkable clarity, the theological issue that has divided Rome and Tradition for decades.On June 24, 2026, the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) published a Profession of Catholic Faith of the Society of Saint Pius X to Enlighten Souls in the Face of Modern Errors, a...

Recently discovered Cardinal Fernández essay reveals his belief that all are savedA 1995 paper written by the future Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith appears to endorse the universalist view of salvation that has been condemned by the Church. The future Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández blatantly endorsed universalism, or the idea that all are saved, in a recently uncovered paper written more than 30 years ago.In a 46-page 1995 essay titled “Romanos 9-11: gracia y predestinación” (Grace and Predestination) first reported by El Wanderer, the future Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: Love, not defiance, has been the driving force behind Abp. Lefebvre and the SSPXWhile Church ‘discipline exists for healing’ and ‘the good of souls,’ Bp. Strickland wrote, it should never be used to obscure ‘the sincere love that many have for Christ and His Church.’… If I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. — (I Corinthians 13:2) (Pillars of Faith) — In moments of great tension within the Church, we must remember that every judgment made must ultimately serve the salvation of souls. Truth can...

[Catholic Caucus] Swiss diocese of St. Gallen promotes ‘working together’ for ‘election of first female pope’For the Diocese of St. Gallen, ‘women must be treated as equals to men—in all circumstances,’ apparently including ‘women’s ordination,’ according to a heterodox diocesan campaign. The Diocese of Saint Gallen, Switzerland’s, “Ich bin Dabei” (“I’m In”) campaign meant to encourage lay participation in the Church includes a poster calling for the “first female pope.”The diocese’s ongoing campaign, which officially launched in May, includes several posters displayed in about 25 villages and towns as well as on its website, with laypeople’s faces promoting the discussion...

People in China pay using their hand — but how? All you have to do is hover your hand over the POS terminal, which uses infrared cameras to scan your palm. Beforehand, you have to use a device that registers your palm print and vein pattern and connects it to your bank card.

Vance has taken a keen interest in Christians in Lebanon. To understand why Vance’s outreach matters, it’s worth looking at history. Historically the majority community, Christians in Lebanon have suffered setbacks in the last century. For instance, they lost out in the Lebanese civil war, and after the Taif Accords, they saw their traditional role running the presidency slightly weakened in favor of a Sunni-held prime minister’s office. The leader of the Lebanese Forces, [Samir] Geagea, sent a letter Monday to a US official, thanking him for his statements and urging him to completely separate the Lebanese issue from negotiations...