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[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis faces new phase of papacyIn 1990, as Argentina's Jesuits were divided over the church's role in the country's politics and society, frustration with the future Pope Francis' leadership style resulted in his two-year exile in Cordoba. Then-Fr. Jorge Mario Bergoglio used his solitary time in a Jesuit residence to pray, write and read — including a five-volume series on the history of the papacy.Francis later would describe his "dark night of the soul" as a "time of purification" for his inner life. Three decades after that spiritual crisis — at age 88 — Francis is facing...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Fernández issues ‘clarification’ to Vatican document, suggests Church approval of gender mutilation in ‘severe dysphoria’ casesIn a striking departure from established Church teaching, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández has signaled that sex “change” surgeries may be morally acceptable under certain conditions. Cardinal Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) offered this perspective in a conference he delivered via video to a Theological congress organized by the Catholic University of Cologne (Germany) in mid January. But then in March, the Cardinal posted the conference as an official “clarification” of Dignitas infinita, the Church’s...

[Catholic Caucus] WHO'S RUNNING THE CHURCH? While Pope Francis remains an enigma, European bishops tip their hats to BrusselsAfter being discharged from the hospital, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had developed very serious communication difficulties, to the point that he would need to 'learn to speak again.' Cardinal Parolin says that "perhaps not as before, but the Pope will return to govern." ...So, who has been governing until now? These days we have witnessed a true strengthening of the power of the Vatican Secretariat of State.On February 14th, Pope Francis was admitted to the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome for...

Why do the Church and the world still need Pope Francis?Victor Manuel Fernández: Because this world needs a father, someone who reflects like him the fatherhood of God.He knows him perfectly, because he's been at his side for many years. Some say that Cardinal Victor Manuel "Tucho" Fernández has been Pope Francis' theological alter ego since he was his adviser at the 5th Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopate in Aparecida (2007). Therefore, he wanted him by his side and sent him to come to Rome, to entrust him with nothing less than the dicastery for the Doctrine...

Female Anglican bishop ‘concelebrates’ Mass with Catholic priestsThe incident in El Salvador has been condemned by the Apostolic Nuncio as a violation of liturgical and canon law.Anglican clergywoman (2nd from left) joining Catholic priests on the altar in El SalvadorThe Apostolic Nuncio to El Salvador has issued a correction after a female Anglican prelate joined Catholic clergy on the altar to concelebrate a recent Mass.On March 24, a Mass was held to mark the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. Held in the chapel of the Hospitalito La Divina Providencia, where Romero was assassinated, the Mass was...

[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] Francis Can Only Sign with 'F' - Parolin Calls It "Not Ideal"Pope Francis governed the Church "even in the most difficult days" of his illness, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera (March 29). He "examined reports" and "made decisions" accordingly.There are matters that Vatican dicasteries can handle independently, based on the authority a pope has entrusted to them, as in the case of a canonization.Cardinal Parolin didn't give an example of issues alone the Pope alone can and must decide.He reiterated that Francis "cannot do everything he used to do".Asked about...

Does the Synod’s ‘Ecclesial Assembly’ Mirror Anglicanism’s Model and Undermine Episcopal Authority?As the Vatican begins a three-year implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality, is the process — already criticized for flirting with Protestant ecclesiology — moving ever more toward a model of governance alien to the Catholic Church? On March 15, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the General Secretariat of the Synod, announced that the “Accompaniment Process of the Implementation Phase of the Synod on Synodality” will culminate in October 2028, not in a synod of bishops but in something novel in Catholic Church governance: an “ecclesial assembly” where...

D.C. Cardinal Slams Trump’s Migration Reforms as ‘Crusade’“The pathway of crusade and mass deportation cannot be followed in conscience by those who call themselves disciples of Jesus Christ, and we must work to make sure that that does not happen,” Cardinal Robert McElroy said in a speech to the Jesuit Refugee Service organization in D.C.McElroy called for welcoming policies similar to those established by President Joe Biden’s border czar, Alejandro Mayorkas, saying:The first pathway — which Catholic social teaching would support — is to change our laws so that they have secure borders and dignity for the treatment of everyone...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland urges brother priests to rebuke the ‘rot of sodomy’ attacking the ChurchNote: The following was written and distributed by Bishop Joseph Strickland at the second annual “Catholic Prayer for America” gala at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday, March 19.(LifeSiteNews) — Dear brother priests,I pray that these Lenten days we presently journey through are a time of abundant grace for you, deepening your life as a priest of Jesus Christ and renewing your heart in His truth and love.I urge you to acquaint yourself with St. Peter Damian, a fearless defender of truth who stood against the corruption 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] Bishop: Seminarians Need Safe Place to Explore Sexuality and Integrate ItIn an interview about seminary formation of candidates for priesthood, Bishop Michael Gerber, of Fulda, Germany, supported the idea that gay man can be ordained.Bishop Michael GerberSpeaking with Katholisch.de, a major German Catholic news outlet, Gerber, who is also chairman of the Commission for Vocations and Church Services at the German Bishops’ Conference, was asked about his thoughts on the Italian bishops’ conference plan to admit gay men into priestly formation on a case-by-case basis, just as heterosexual men are assessed. Should the Catholic Church in Germany, which...

[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...

Parish talk by transgender hermit rescheduled after negative commentsPastor where event taking place said he couldn't 'let people believe that haters in the Catholic Church have the final say'A flyer advertises a parish event in Lexington, Kentucky, that was to feature a talk by Br. Christian Matson, a diocesan hermit who is transgender. Comments on social media prompted organizers to postpone the event. (Courtesy of Stan "JR" Zerkowski)A swarm of angry, vitriolic comments on social media prompted organizers in Lexington, Kentucky, to postpone a parish event that was to feature a talk by Br. Christian Matson, a diocesan hermit who...

Archbishop Aguer: Vatican too full of ‘self-praise’ to recognize the serious decline of the ChurchA 'Church on the move,' in search of those who do not know Christ or have distanced themselves from Him, must not be a 'Church on the run' from her own essence and mission.The twelfth anniversary of Francis’ pontificate was recently celebrated. Vatican press releases are usually full of self-praise. It is very difficult to adjudicate ecclesial reality, which is incredibly vast and characterized by differences between countries, but from a certain vantage point it is possible to contemplate the surroundings. I can do it then...

[Catholic Caucus] Attendance at Mass and How to Fix ItIn October of every year, my diocese, the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, conducts a “head count” in order to determine average Mass attendance. The results of the 2024 count were published in the diocesan newspaper, The Arlington Catholic Herald, in the Jan. 30 – Feb. 12, 2025 edition. Out of an estimated 433,000 registered Catholics in the diocese, approximately 28.8% attended “weekend” Mass in October, 2024.The article compared this result to national attendance rates, citing a Gallup survey in 2024 that showed 23% weekly Mass attendance and a Georgetown University survey...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Schneider urges Pope Francis to ‘retract’ texts undermining the faithWith Pope Francis having now left the hospital, the Kazakhstan bishop said that he must make every effort to 'rectify some confusions and some ambiguities which were made in his pontificate and which he himself made.'Bishop Athanasius Schneider has urged Catholics to pray for Pope Francis that he might “retract” certain documents and statements which have “undermined the clarity” of the faith.With Pope Francis having recently returned to the Vatican on Sunday after spending 38 days in the Gemelli hospital for bilateral pneumonia, many of his close supporters...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholic laity grow in number as priests and seminarians continue declineThe trends of recent years have been repeated, with growth especially found in Africa while Europe stagnates.Seminarians at Oscott Catholic College in Birmingham, England, November 9, 2013.The number of Catholics globally has increased but priests and seminarians continue to decline, according to the latest figures released by the Vatican.Catholics now number 1.406 billion globally, according to the Vatican. The figures form part of the annual statistics on the state of the Church, and cover the time period from 2022 to the end of 2023.The trends of recent years...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope appoints ‘critically loyal’ theologian to ecclesiastical universities’ oversight Pope Francis appointed on Friday a Belgian theologian who describes herself as "critically loyal" to the Church to serve on a Vatican body responsible for overseeing ecclesiastical universities. The appointment is likely to prove controversial, as theologian Bénedicte Lemmelijn is dean of the theology department at a university which called last year for women’s ordination and a “rethink” on the Church’s moral theology regarding sexuality.—The Vatican announced March 21 that Lemmelijn, dean of the faculty of theology and religious studies at KU Leuven had been appointed a member of...

Pro-abortion, female Anglican ‘priest’ to speak at Catholic faith formation eventAnglican Lizzi Green, who will be 'reflecting on some of the Holy Father’s signs of hope in this time of jubilee' at a Lenten event in the UK, has had two abortions herself.A female Anglican vicar who is a strong supporter of abortion is scheduled to speak at a Catholic faith formation event next week. Anglican priest Lizzi Green was invited by Father Mark Skelton, the head of ongoing formation of clergy in the Catholic Diocese of Plymouth in the UK, to speak at a virtual Lenten faith formation event...