Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Germany approved guidelines for promoting ‘Fiducia supplicans blessings’ during Sede VacanteCoincidence. Or not. But in the midst of the Sede Vacante, on April 23, the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) jointly published a pamphlet titled, “Blessings Strengthen Love. Blessings for Couples Who Love Each Other.”According to the German Episcopate, this document adopts “guidelines for pastoral workers on the practice of blessing couples not married by the Church.”“The Church recognizes and offers support to couples united in love,” the document states.“Therefore, the practice, already developed in many places, of accompanying divorced couples...

[Catholic / Anglican Caucus] The Jargon-Filled Synodal TrajectoryWhen Pope Leo XIV spoke from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on the day of his election he said: “we want to be a synodal Church.” The significance of this depends, of course, on how Pope Leo understands synodality. The notion of a Church that is One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic – and now Synodal – isn’t clear to most, because synodality is a largely unknown concept. Its meaning will emerge as Pope Leo guides the “synodal path” with the help of the General Secretariat of the Synod. That secretariat’s latest contribution to...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Müller to German bishops: Same-sex ‘blessings’ are ‘diametrically opposed’ to will of GodCardinal Müller said that Christians naturally understand that lifestyles contrary to Christian ethics 'are not blessed by God.'Cardinal Gerhard Müller said that same-sex “blessings” are “a deception” and are “diametrically opposed” to the will of God.In an article published in the German Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost, Cardinal Müller reiterated his critique of so-called same-sex “blessings” in response to two German bishops implementing the heterodox practice in their dioceses.READ: German bishop suggests guidelines for blessing same-sex ‘couples,’ divorced and ‘remarried’“When the Pharisees asked Him the trick...

[Catholic Caucus] Will Pope Leo XIV Stop Sister Becquart’s Synodal Teams from Hijacking Local Churches?As Undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, Sister Nathalie Becquart now has a mandate to take all the putrid fruits of the Synod and "to implement those fruits with creativity, in the diversity of the context of the local Churches.” She and the Synodal teams are not called to make the local dioceses and eparchies more holy, orthodox, or fervent. Instead (as described below), Sister Becquart wants to compel each local church to experimentally “listen to the Spirit” to determine how to...

[Catholic Caucus] Archbishop Eleganti on Synodality: ‘I Can No Longer Listen To Your Propaganda’For the love of Christ, finally put an end to the excess of synodal documents, intermediate stages, indications for the continuation of the process, announcements of results, final documents that aren’t final, extensions to other cycles, the multiplication of commissions, at the end of an assembly in a canonical no-man’s land. The vast people of God are unaware of your documents. In my experience, almost no believer knows or reads them. Stop spinning on your axis in a process that hasn’t reawakened love for Jesus Christ in...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Joseph Strickland: Statement on the Lavender Mafia and the St. Gallen MafiaThe Lavender Mafia undermined the Church’s credibility through sin and scandal. The St. Gallen group weakened her witness through strategic manipulation of leadership and teaching.Editor’s note: The following was originally published on Bishop Joseph Strickland’s Substack on July 14, 2025.(LifeSiteNews) — In a recent post, I spoke of what many refer to as the “Lavender Mafia.” This term is commonly used to describe a hidden network of clergy within the Church who engage in or protect homosexual activity, form alliances based on mutual secrecy, and often...

[Catholic Caucus] German bishop suggests guidelines for blessing same-sex ‘couples,’ divorced and ‘remarried’Bishop Georg Bätzing recommended implementing heretical 'blessings' for 'divorced and remarried couples, couples of all gender identities and sexual orientations.'Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, president of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK), recommended implementing the conference’s official guidelines for the “blessings” of same-sex “couples,” the divorced and civilly “remarried,” and other irregular unions in his diocese this week.The Diocese of Limburg published Bätzing’s recommendation to implement the heterodox “blessings” in its official diocesan journal on July 9. The bishop’s recommendation follows April announcement from the German Bishops’ Conference and...

[Catholic Caucus] Mad Hatter Francis "Liturgist" Andrea Grillo: The Bishops Were All Wrong, I'm Right -- plus a major assessment by Sandro Magister of the Lies on which Traditionis custodes were basedWeeks after mocking soon to be canonized Carlo Acutis for having faith in the Blessed Sacrament -- a public statement that was so shocking that his own university disowned him -- the Mad Hatter of the liturgical world, Andrea Grillo, is again showing his colors. He, who was the man behind Francis document Traditionis custodes, establishing a gradual extinction of the Traditional Latin Mass, now does not deny (as...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: When wolves wear vestments – the synodal siege within the ChurchThe Cross is still here. The Eucharist is still here. But we are surrounded by hired men who abandon the sheep – or even worse, mislead them into the thorns.Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,There are moments in the Church’s history when the sheep must look up – not because of storms from the world, but because the shepherds themselves have fallen silent … or worse, have joined the wolves.St Paul once warned the Church in Ephesus with piercing clarity:“I know that, after my departure, ravening...

[Catholic Caucus] California priest says God is ‘proud’ of ‘LGBT Catholics’ during homily at ‘Family Pride Mass’Father David Andel defended the 'Pride' Mass, saying, 'We wanted LGBTQ Catholics and their families to have a spiritual alternative.'HIGHLAND, California (LifeSiteNews) — Father David Andel told “LGBT Catholics” during a sermon for the Diocese of San Bernardino’s first-ever “Family Pride Mass” last month that God is “proud” of LGBT Catholics and their families.Andel, a priest in the diocese, emphasized during his homily that God loves and is proud of Catholics who identify as LGBT as well as their families for persevering in their...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo will have much to ponder during his vacation in Castel GandolfoAs Pope Leo XIV arrives in Castel Gandolfo for his summer break, it is unlikely to be a real vacation for the new pontiff.When Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected on May 8, it was the post-Easter period in Rome. This, now, is the slow-down time in Rome, since the Vatican almost shuts down after the June 29 celebration of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.Unlike his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo is continuing the tradition of spending the summer in the lakeside town about 15...

[Catholic/Orthodox Caucus] An Interview with Monsignor Bux: "The Bishops weren't responsible for launching the War Against Tradition."Right after the explosive news on the actual positive nature of the global bishops' report on Summorum Pontificum was published last week, Monsignor Nicola Bux, one of the great liturgical names of our times and a major advisor under Benedict XVI, released a book with more details on the event. We now know that Vatican insiders close to Francis lied about it, and Francis himself did not tell the truth about it (on paper, in Traditionis custodes, the restrictions document).Monsignor Bux spoke at length...

[Catholic Caucus] Even the German Conference news website concedes: Francis liedIn a piece on the explosive revelation of the generally positive response of the world's bishops to Summorum Pontificum, the news website of the German Bishops' Conference uses the most diplomatic of languages:Pope Francis appears to have ignored the advice of the bishops previously consulted worldwide when he restricted the Traditional Latin Mass. According to documents that have now become public, the responses to a survey conducted by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the implementation of the rules for the pre-conciliar liturgy put in place by...

[Catholic Caucus] EXCLUSIVE: Official Vatican Report Exposes Major Cracks in Foundation of Traditionis CustodesPreviously undisclosed documents raise serious questions about the stated rationale for Pope Francis’ 2021 decree restricting the Traditional Latin Mass.A Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated at the tomb of St. Catherine of Siena at the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, Sept. 15, 2017 (Photo: Edward PentinVATICAN CITY, July 1, 2025 — New evidence has come to light that exposes major cracks in the foundation of Traditionis Custodes, Pope Francis’ 2021 decree that restricted the traditional Roman liturgy.This journalist has obtained the Vatican’s overall assessment of...

[Catholic Caucus] 90% of German Bishops Deny Catholic Sexual Moral TeachingOn 1 July, German Catholic author Gabriele Kuby told Edward Pentin's Substack.com-account that almost 90% of German bishops support a distorted sexual education that involves teaching children that homosexual acts and gender ideology are normal and acceptable.Two German bishops have recently indicated their support for such indoctrination in Catholic schools.On 20 June, Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz said that biblical statements about homosexuality should not be read as timeless truths, although morality is timeless.Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers of Dresden-Meissen recently called for a "new" way of thinking concerning the sexual morality...

[Catholic Caucus] Controversial Synod study groups delay reporting on findings by 6 monthsAll ten groups had been due to issue their reports by the end of June, but due to the death of Pope Francis and the ensuing conclave they have had a six-month extension.The study groups which emerged from the Synod on Synodality are now set to issue their findings at the end of the year, rather than at the end of June.Following a meeting with Pope Leo XIV last Thursday, officials at the General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops have delayed a key development from the multi-year...

[Catholic Caucus] Journalist Obtains Exclusive Access to World Report on Summorum Pontificum: Francis' Restrictions Based on LiesAmerican journalist Diane Montagna, who has long covered the Vatican, has obtained a explosive exclusive document: the original summary and report of the Global Assessment of the Application of Summorum Pontificum, the 2007 document by Pope Benedict XVI that freed the Traditional Latin Mass and Liturgy.Summorum Pontificum itself foresaw a report, in order to adjust any issues with implementation -- and the report now obtained was generally positive. As Montagna reports:The previously undisclosed text, which forms a crucial part of the official report by...

[Catholic Caucus] Tradition and VocationsMy small parish gave birth to a priestly vocation in less than seven years. How did we do it? It’s not rocket science. It’s called the Tradition. And this includes the source and summit of Tradition: the holy Mass.A young man, who was converted away from a worldly and hedonistic lifestyle by exposure to the traditional Latin Mass, quite logically figured out that his continued conversion would more likely than not be best supported by such continued exposure. We offered what he was seeking: daily traditional Mass and spirituality. He flourished and cemented his commitment to...

[Catholic Caucus] Rip Down the Pride FlagTwenty years ago few could have imagined that the last stronghold of truth, the Catholic Church, would have fallen to the LGBT lie of "Love is Love."Many years ago, I decided to attend daily Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Each morning on my way to Mass, I would drive past a house that flew the flag representing pride in all the different sexual identities that fell under the LGBTQ (this was pre-IA+ times) banner. I didn’t take much notice of it at the time,...

[Catholic Caucus] His Own University is Now Against Him: Andrea Grillo, Francis' Liturgist and the Father of Traditionis Custodes, Hates the Eucharist and Must Have His Imprint ErasedAndrea Grillo: has any man done more to rekindle the liturgical wars?The detestable Italian professor was introduced by some malevolent Vatican spirit to Francis and created the document that would later be signed by the late pope as "Traditionis custodes", whose aim is explicitly to destroy the Traditional Latin Mass in the long term.But it seems Grillo has at last bitten more than he can chew (or at least at last because it...