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[Catholic Caucus] Pope faces abuse scandals, lays out template for Catholicism in a secular milieuROME – In a country still reeling from a deep clerical sexual abuse crisis, Pope Francis on Saturday bitterly acknowledged that such abuse “generates atrocious suffering and wounds,” vowing that the path of reform includes learning from survivors.The realities of abuse, the pontiff said, can even “undermine the path of faith.”“There is a need for a great deal of mercy, to keep us from hardening our hearts before the suffering of victims, so that we can help them feel our closeness and offer all the help...

Francis to Muslims, "Inherited Religious Rites Must be Protected"On Thursday, Francis visited the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, to meet with representatives of dozens of false religions.He was received by the Grand Imam, Nasaruddin Umar.In the mosque, Francis and Umar listened to passages from the Koran sung by a young woman and the parable of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke read by a priest.Then, Francis and Umar signed another joint declaration on "fraternity," entitled: Fostering Religious Harmony for the Sake of Humanity. The interreligious scribble is at least below 400 words long. It pledges to defend "human...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis says criticism is ‘always helpful.’ His record suggests he thinks otherwise'Critics are always helpful, even if not they are not constructive,' said Pope Francis, whose attacks on clergy for 'rigidity' have not gone unnoticed.Pope Francis has welcomed critics as being “always helpful” although he is on record as saying his critics carry out the “work of the devil.”“Critics are always helpful, even if not they are not constructive because they make one reflect on one’s actions,” the Argentine pontiff said recently. He made the remark during the May 24 interview, released today, that he gave to...

[Catholic Caucus] Gays in the seminary, pope eats his wordsAfter the remark on ‘faggotry’ in the priesthood, a sensational turn by Pope Francis: he encourages an aspiring gay seminarian not to give up. An inconceivable contradiction, which turns into a victory for the LGBT lobby.By now it can't even be called a surprise. After the uproar caused by the remark about the ‘atmosphere of faggotry’ in seminaries and among priests, obviously, the gay lobby could not sit idly by. So first a BBC report broke on a young Sicilian gay man who claims he was subjected to reparative therapies resembling...

[Catholic Caucus] The pope, the chatter, the corruptionWe know that Pope Bergoglio is obsessed with the idea of ​​chatter. Every time he meets priests and nuns he brings up this concept. He did it countless times and, punctually, he did it again in the house of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master nuns, where on Wednesday he met seventy-two priests from the diocese of Rome (more than one hundred and fifty had been invited) ordained in the last ten years . It is not difficult to imagine the multiple problems of these priests in a metropolis like Rome. Yet...

[Catholic Caucus] Hypocrisy at its Best: Abortion Activist in the VaticanFrancis, who has no time for his own cardinals, received in private audience on 8 February Mariana Mazzucato, 55, a puppet of the oligarchs who is at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) in London.She is an atheist, promoter of left-wing decadence and pro-abortion activist whom Francis appointed a full member (sic) of his Pontifical Academy for Life in October 2022.Mariana Mazzucato is one of the forces behind the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, which promote abortion, contraception, sexual indoctrination and homosexuality, and obviously a member of the World...

[Catholic Caucus] Hypocrisy and same-sex blessingsBlessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples is not analogous to blessing an individual businessman who may exploit people.Today I saw the headline, “Pope denounces ‘hypocrisy’ of those who criticise LGBT blessings.” I found that disconcerting, because I have been critical of LGBT blessings. It grieves me to be regarded as a hypocrite by the Holy Father.Why does Pope Francis call such criticism hypocrisy? He explains: “Nobody gets scandalised if I give my blessings to a businessman who perhaps exploits people, and this is a very grave sin. But they get scandalised if I...

[Catholic Caucus] Can Doctrinal “Development” Flout the Laws of Logic?Above: Cardinal Burke at the Vatican. The new “Dubia Brothers” include two of the original four (the other two now deceased), plus the modern confessor Cardinal Zen, the contemplative Cardinal Sarah, and Mexican stalwart Cardinal Íñiguez.Editor’s note: as the subject of doctrinal development is at the heart of the new Dubia, and indeed, the whole question of Modernism and neo-Modernism, we present again the work of theologian Fr. Brian Harrison with his logical analysis of the death penalty controversy. This analysis can be applied to evaluate all the alleged “developments” now...

[Catholic Caucus] Synod assembly won’t be secret, but won’t be open to press, pope saysABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM MONGOLIA (CNS) — The Synod of Bishops is not a television show or a parliamentary debate, and its discussions will not be open to the public or to reporters, Pope Francis said.“We must safeguard the synodal climate,” the pope responded Sept. 4 when asked by journalists about access to the discussions at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops Oct. 4-29.“This isn’t a television program where you talk about everything; no, it is a religious moment, a religious exchange,” he told...

Pope Francis Condemns Quran Burning in Interview With UAE NewspaperPope Francis has spoken to Al-Ittihad in his first interview granted to an Arabic news outlet, according to the United Arab Emirates newspaper.In the July 3 interview the Pope praised UAE authorities and spoke about interfaith cooperation, peace-building, and his 2019 Document on Human Fraternity.Francis also commented on a protester’s burning of a Quran in Sweden on June 28. The Muslim holy book was burned by an Iraqi-born refugee outside a mosque in Stockholm. The incident has sparked outrage among Muslims around the world and led to a raid on the...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis, a Master of Contradiction, “Physician, heal yourself!”Reuters, the news agency, informs us that the Vatican's communications department released on Monday, May 29, 2023, a 20-page document dated 28 May 2023, Solemnity of Pentecost, entitled, "Towards Full Presence. A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media." In it the Vatican urged bishops and high-profile lay Catholic leaders to tone down their comments on social media, saying some were causing division and stoking polemics that harmed the entire Church. It warns of the dangers of fake news on social media and other forms of abuse. It condemned polarization...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland to Pope Francis: Denying Communion to Nancy Pelosi is ‘pastoral care’‘Pastoral care for Mrs. Pelosi is to tell her that she should not receive the Body of Christ until she stops advocating the murder of unborn children,’ wrote the Texas bishop.TYLER, Texas (LifeSiteNews) – Bishop Joseph Strickland told Pope Francis pro-abortion and self-acclaimed “Catholic” Nancy Pelosi should be denied Holy Communion. In a July 4 tweet responding to Pope’s Francis’ criticism of denying pro-abortion politicians Communion, Strickland stated that denying pro-abortion U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is treating her with “pastoral care.” “I thank Pope Francis...

[Catholic Pope] Pope Francis transfers responsibilities to bishopsPope Francis on Tuesday issued a new Apostolic Letter “motu proprio” – on his own initiative – modifying the Code of Canon Law (CIC) and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO) to favour greater decentralization.With a new motu proprio published on Tuesday, Pope Francis has modified canon law for both the Latin Church and the Eastern Churches, changing the areas of competence for various bodies within the universal Church. Specifically, with the Apostolic Letter Assegnare alcune competenze (“Assigning certain competencies,” taken from the opening words, or incipit” of the document),...

Pope: Church courts must never manipulate facts for a desired endVATICAN CITY (CNS) — The promotion of justice, including in marriage tribunals, requires a “synodal spirit” of pastoral accompaniment, heartfelt listening and using “the right reasoning” in discernment, Pope Francis said.This attitude of synodality, he said, “allows for bringing out the essential characteristics” of the judicial process, which is to be at the service of a justice that is inextricably linked to truth and the salvation of souls.In fact, “any deliberate alteration or manipulation of the facts, aimed at obtaining a pragmatically desired result, is not permissible,” he said. This...

Religious persecution an ‘insane’ act, pope saysTo discriminate against or persecute those who profess their faith is an intolerable act that threatens the fraternal bonds shared by humanity, Pope Francis said.“How can we allow that in this society — which is so civilized — there are people who are persecuted simply because they publicly profess their faith? Not only is it unacceptable; it’s inhuman, it’s insane,” the pope said.In a video message released by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network Jan. 3, the pope offered his prayer intention for the month of January, which he dedicated to people who suffer from...

[Catholic Caucus] A Parody? Francis Prays For "Those Suffering Religious Discrimination"Francis’ prayer intention for January 2022 is "for true human fraternity."He writes, "We pray for all those suffering from religious discrimination and persecution; may their own rights and dignity be recognised, which originate from being brothers and sisters in the human family.”Alluding to Francis' persecution of Roman Rite Catholics, Scott Gauley wrote on social media that this prayer intention is “like a parody” while Francis "is persecuting his own faithful!”Tibor Székely, a Roman Rite Catholic, declares: “It seems that we are not among the brothers and sisters in the Church...

Hungary-Slovakia: Don't Wonder About What the Pope Says Returning from his trip to Hungary and Slovakia from September 12 to 15, 2021, Pope Francis answered questions from journalists on the plane. Several of his responses drew harsh comments in Italy.Thus, on Aldo Maria Valli’s blog of September 16, a “young priest” had this to say on the subject of “marriage for all”: “The Pope, after having correctly reiterated that the Church is against same-sex marriage because it does not have the power to change the sacraments… Only to say an outrageous remark as if it were taken for granted,...