Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Our Long Collective Nightmare is OverEarlier today, another sign that, no matter what happens, at least a sense of Catholic normalcy is returning to the Vatican.After each of the past conclaves, one of the first meetings of the elected Roman Pontiff is a salutation to the men and women of the media who covered the interregnum and conclave. In 2013, at the end of his rambling, Francis refused (simply refused) to impart the traditional blessing, just remaining in silence for a while and saying he was giving a "silent blessing" out of "respect" for "non-believers." Today, Leo XIV...

[Catholic Caucus] On Silence about the Papal Tyrant"He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers." ~Charles PeguyNow we learn. For a dozen long miserable years, they all kept their mouths shut about Bergoglio. They all covered up the chaotic madness of this man, yet whispering and gossiping and cowering in the halls of Casa Santa Marta about the man in white. They breathed not a word about the man, who subjected the Catholic Church to 12 years of brutal tyranny, blatant material heresy, vindictive psychopathy, and rampant predator...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope in a poncho, symbol of Bergolio’s pontificatePope Francis’ recent appearance in St Peter's, which stunned the world, is the latest and most striking demonstration of how, in complete contrast to his predecessor, he has lived his pontificate at the service of his own ideas. A systematic deconstruction of the papacy.The image of Jorge Mario Bergoglio in a wheelchair, wearing a white long-sleeved vest half covered by a striped poncho, his hair dishevelled and black trousers, is perhaps the most eloquent expression of how he - and his entourage - have understood the papacy, and the umpteenth, perhaps...

[Catholic Caucus] The Scapegoat in the Pit: A Girardian Reflection on the Suppression of the Latin MassAbove: Joseph’s Bloody Coat Brought to Jacob by Diego Velázquez, 1630I Am the ProblemWe are familiar with the famous story of G.K. Chesterton, who was once asked to write an essay answering the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” His ‘essay’ reply for publication was disarmingly simple. Two words: “I am.” These two words, juxtaposed with God’s eternal “I AM,” underscore the paradox of our existence. Where God’s “I AM” is the fullness of truth and life, our own “I am” is often the...

Bishop Strickland: Novus Ordo Mass, priestly formation have led to problems in the ChurchBishop Joseph Strickland said the ‘more comfortable’ Novus Ordo Mass has shifted priests toward acting like ‘social workers’ and declared that the Latin Mass ‘will stay with us’ in a recent interview.Bishop Joseph Strickland said that the shift to the Novus Ordo Mass from the Traditional Latin Mass has led to a decline in the priesthood and called out the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for pushing bishops to “forget that they’re successors of the Apostles.” The former bishop of Tyler, Texas, who was removed...

[Catholic Caucus] Florida bishop preserves thriving Latin Mass community by establishing shrineBishop Gregory Parkes said the new Latin Mass shrine in Tampa Bay will be a ‘place of pilgrimage for those throughout the Diocese devoted to the liturgical fruits of the antecedent liturgy.’A Florida bishop has announced that a growing parish with a strong devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) will become a diocesan shrine and be placed under the pastoral care of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP).Bishop Gregory Parkes of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida, announced on March 25 that the Epiphany of...

[Catholic Caucus] The Rule of Law and the Francis Pontificate>h2>The problem for the Church’s life, and for the application of justice, comes when the Pope appears to convey disregard or indifference for the uniform application of the law—even laws he has written—choosing to ignore them or apply them to some while reserving different treatment for others. Pope Francis greets then-Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik during a private audience at the Vatican in this Jan. 3, 2022, file photoThe rule of law is never subject to the slightest exception, even in times of crisis. The reason is that the rule of law...

[Catholic Caucus] More Synodality (cringe)! Pope Francis’ 3-year plan to Revolutionize the ChurchPope Francis just announced a new plan for the synodal process. The hospitalized Pope has approved a three-year process to consider reforms for the global Catholic Church. Need we remind him: The Church was not established to be governed by popular opinion.Joshua McElwee with Reuters informed us on Saturday, March 15, 2025, in his article "Pope Francis, showing plans to stay on, starts new Catholic reform process," that the hospitalized Pope has approved a new three-year process to consider reforms for the global Catholic Church. This latest initiative,...

[Catholic Caucus] THE FUTURE OF TRADITIONIS CUSTODES -- AND OF THE TRADITIONAL MASSTraditionis custodes is back in the news. Following DDW Prefect Arthur Cardinal Roche’s interview with The Catholic Herald, even non-traditionalist commentators are wondering: does Traditionis custodes have a future? (One of the individuals interviewed was RC contributor Joseph Shaw.) In considering this question, I would like to take a slightly different approach, and also directly answer one of the stated justifications for it in the article.The Zone is FloodedOne of the biggest threats to the survival of Traditionis has been the ability of traditionalists to dominate the discourse...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholics thank Bishop Strickland with billboards, newspaper adA digital billboard reading ‘Thank you Bishop Strickland!’ appeared in the city of Tyler, Texas, this month, and a full-page ad saying the same has been published in the Tyler Morning Telegraph.TYLER, Texas (LifeSiteNews) — A group of Catholics are honoring Bishop Joseph Strickland in a very public way.A digital billboard reading “Thank you Bishop Strickland!” appeared in the city of Tyler, Texas, this month, and a full-page ad saying the same has been published in the Tyler Morning Telegraph. Another billboard thanking the former ordinary of the Diocese of Tyler...

[Catholic Caucus] Poor Clare abbess criticizes Vatican order to close convents with fewer than 5 nunsThe Poor Clare abbess of the Monastery of Santo Cristo de Balaguer in Lérida province in northeast Spain is criticizing a 2018 rule established by Pope Francis that dissolves communities of women religious with fewer than five nuns, a rule that does not apply to male communities.Sister María Victoria Triviño, OSC, made her critique in an article published by the magazine Catalunya Cristiana regarding the recent closure of the Monastery of Santa María de Pedralbes in Barcelona that had been in existence for 700 years.Asked...

[Catholic Caucus] Father Cusick’s Statement on Withdrawal of Spiritual Assistance for Homeless Souls Migrating to HeavenA few years, the Holy Father wrote to the bishops of the United States giving them permission to starve thriving parishes and families by arbitrarily and illegally banning the immemorial Roman rite of Holy Mass in their church buildings. Some gleefully worked on behalf of this cruel and senseless edict of shame by, in some cases, kicking up to 90% of a parish population out of their spiritual home. Spiritual homelessness and starvation have as a result reached new heights, placing countless souls in eternal...

[Catholic Caucus] Traditional Catholicism: Religion for the Mentally IllRemarks by the Pope in his latest book about the mental capacity of Traditional Catholics really came as no surprise to anyone. He has been spouting similar opinions for years, and backing them up by his disrespectful behaviour including acts like prying apart the hands of a pious altar boy or swatting away the faithful who want to kiss his papal ring.Apart from an unhealthy obsession with Traditionalists which borders on, well .... mental illness, his comments show a complete lack of concern for his flock, many of whom do suffer from...

[Catholic Caucus] The Inspector Arrives: FSSP Starts a NovenaThe Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) is renewing its novena and consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the midst of the Vatican's Apostolic Visitation.In a January 18 press release, the Superior General Father John Berg called on Catholics to pray with them, beginning on February 2 through the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.Three years ago, the FSSP invoked the Immaculate Heart of Mary "in a moment of deep uncertainty" because of Francis' 'Traditionis Custodes' and is now repeating that prayer during the visitation.Copies of the...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis cautions nuns with “vinegar faces” but omits the real cause of decline in religious lifeThe pope with some of the sisters on January 4thIn the Clementine Hall of the Papal Palace on January 4th, Pope Francis addressed a gathering of the general chapter of the union of ‘St Catherine of Sienna’ school missionaries.Founded in 1924 by Luigia Tincani, the order comprised Dominican tertiaries, mainly college students or teachers and were, according to their current website, ‘intending a precise and sympathetic presence of consecrated persons in state schools and in society.’ Tincani and her companions made their...

[Catholic Caucus] The SSPX: Questions and AnswersEditor’s note: this is our final weekly serialisation of Dr. Edward Schaefer’s new book A Simple Man’s Case for Tradition. This book is an excellent introduction to Traditionalism and provides an easy way for Trads to introduce the movement to fellow Catholics who are seeking deeper answers to today’s questions. Proceeds from the book sale also help promote the Collegium Sanctorum Angelorum, one of only two traditional Catholic colleges in the United States.Read the IntroductionRead chapter 1: Equally Valid and HolyRead chapter 2: the New MassRead chapter 3: LatinRead chapter 4: Practice & BeliefRead...

Michael Knowles compares Vatican’s Latin Mass crackdown to Henry VIII’s hijacking of Catholic churchesThe Daily Wire host shared with Raymond Arroyo how they had seen or experienced the profoundly transformative impact of the Traditional Latin Mass firsthand.Daily Wire host Michael Knowles compared the Vatican’s suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass to King Henry VIII’s Protestant hijacking of Catholic churches in England.In an interview aired on EWTN’s The World Over with Raymond Arroyo, both the EWTN and Daily Wire host shared how they had seen or experienced the profoundly transformative impact of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) firsthand.Arroyo told how “many...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Sarah: Plans to ‘abolish’ Latin Mass would be ‘diabolical’Cardinal Robert Sarah has blasted efforts from the Vatican to ‘abolish’ the Traditional Latin Mass, describing the move as a ‘diabolical project’ that breaks with 1,600 years of tradition.Any attempt to “abolish” the traditional Mass would be a “diabolical project” that “seeks to break with the Church of Christ,” said Cardinal Robert Sarah this week.“In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but not rupture,” noted Sarah at an event Monday.Drawing from Pope Benedict XVI’s now famous remark, Sarah made it his own, stating that “what...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis’ hatred of the Latin Mass evidenced in his new memoirOn this episode of Faith and Reason, the panel discusses Pope Francis’ new memoir, specifically his criticism of priests and faithful devoted to the Traditional Latin Mass and his alleged comparison of Trump to Hitler, and much more.On this episode of Faith and Reason, John-Henry Westen, Father Charles Murr, and Frank Wright discuss Pope Francis’ new memoir, specifically his criticism of priests and faithful devoted to the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) and his alleged comparison of Trump to Hitler, pro-LGBT Cardinal McElroy’s appointment as the new archbishop...

[Catholic Caucus] Victim of Francis: Don Alejandro Gwerder - Dedicated Priest and PastorOn 16 January, the anti-Catholic Jorge Scheinig, Archbishop of Mercedes-Lujan, Argentina, announced in an unsigned document - "even in this they are cowards" (Caminante-Wanderer) - that Francis' Dicastery for the Clergy had dismissed Don Alejandro Gwerder from the clerical state for alleged offences against "obedience and communion".The same dicastery that takes decades to convict sexual abusers, or pardons them once convicted, that remains impassive while priests commit the most flagrant acts against obedience and communion in the Church - by preaching heresies, presiding at blasphemous liturgies and blessing...