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[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Burke notified of Vatican apartment changesCardinal Raymond Burke received notice Friday that he must soon begin paying market rate rent on his Vatican apartment, or vacate the residence in early 2024.The Pillar has confirmed that on Dec. 1, Burke received a letter from the Apostolic See dated Nov. 24, which explained that he is expected to begin paying market rate rents for his Vatican apartment, effective Dec. 1, or — if Burke is unable to do so — to surrender the apartment by Feb. 29, 2024. The letter did not indicate what the market rate rent on...

[Catholic Caucus] "Slandered Priests, Canceled Priests" - by Abp. Héctor Agüer: Why Does Francis Hate Good Priests?Slandered Priests, Canceled PriestsAbp. Héctor AgüerEmeritus of La Plata, ArgentinaBuenos Aires, November 28, 2023Several priests who follow the teachings of Pope Francis with attention have expressed to me their dismay and sorrow because they have recorded how often His Holiness denigrates priests. He has called them "bitter (cod-faced), spinsters, sacramental clerks, ambitious, gossipers, climbers...," and other denigrating epithets. A lack of justice and charity.There are thousands of priests in the world; among them there are some to whom some of the epithets that Francis'...

[Catholic Caucus] Francis Puts Pro-Tradition Bishop on Tight LeashPope will order French prelate to minister under new coadjutor bishopIn a move that some argue is designed to impede an incumbent's episcopal autonomy, Pope Francis will appoint a coadjutor bishop to the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon to monitor pro-traditionalist Bp. Dominique Rey. The 58-year-old Bp. François Touvet, currently bishop of Châlons in Champagne, will work alongside 71-year-old Bp. Rey and succeed him when Rey retires in the next four years, Le Figaro reported on Thursday. The unprecedented appointment follows the imposition of severe restrictions on Rey in September 2022, after the prelate...

[Catholic Caucus] A French Vatican observer ponders the ‘end of the regime’ My old friend Jean-Marie Guénois, the religion editor of Le Figaro, published a typically insightful appraisal of this pontificate last week, with the headline: “Challenged, deaf to criticism: the solitary ‘end of the regime’ for Pope Francis.” The Rorate Caeli site has a fine translation, but if you read French I strongly recommend the original, to capture the subtleties of Jean-Marie’s thoughts (not to mention the elegance of his prose style).Among the noteworthy observations:“Visions of the Church are opposed to each other and openly fight each other under...

Covid Rigorism: Vatican Dissolves Cloistered MonasteryThe 15th century Santa Caterina Benedictine monastery in Perugia, Italy, will be closed after an unexpected February Apostolic Visitation. The five nuns, not all of them old, will be transferred to other monasteries. They were expecting a postulant.“The visitor found everything in order, except that we are not vaccinated,” Abbess Mother Catherine, a former scientific researcher, told LaNuovaBQ.it (March 22): “I can confirm that this is the only explanation they gave me at the end of the Apostolic Visitation.”The strictly cloistered nuns ran a bookbinding business. Some time ago, when Mother Catherina visited Perugia Cardinal...

Judge and Defendant. The Pope’s Two Bodies, in the Trial of the CenturyAfter nine hearings blocked by procedural obstacles, there began on March 17 what the international media are calling “the trial of the century,” conducted against Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu and other defendants mainly on account of the disastrous purchase of a building on Sloane Avenue in London, by the secretariat of state.In the previous hearing of March 1, the judges of the Vatican tribunal presided over by Giuseppe Pignatone, in a 40-page decree, rejected as unfounded all the objections to the validity of the trial raised up to...

[Catholic Caucus] New documentary about traditional Carmelite nuns makes plea for dispensation from forced changesBishop Gainer explained how forcing the nuns to join a federation could have an 'influence on the internal life' of the monastery. HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Ronald W. Gainer of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has made a public plea in defense of the discalced Carmelite nuns of Fairfield, Pennsylvania, who are living the traditional Carmelite way of life.Bishop Gainer is asking that “the Holy See would grant a dispensation.” In light of the new Vatican constitution Cor Orans, these nuns are under pressure to...

Pagliarani: Mass For Everyone - No NegotiationsThe Society of PiusX fights for the Roman Mass not only for themselves but unconditionally for every priest and for the universal Church, Father Pagliarani explained (transcript of the English January 15 talk in Paris on Traditiones Custodes below).PiusX doesn't simply want to receive a little side altar or to become part of an amphitheatre where everything else is also permitted. Pagliarani doesn't ask for particular privileges because “this mass is a right for us and for all souls without exception.”Therefore, PiusX doesn’t want to negotiate to obtain, little by little, some concessions so...

Canon Lawyer Fr. Gerald Murray: The content of the Responsa “goes beyond what is canonically possible” Recently two canon law evaluations of the Responsa ad dubia of the Congregation for Divine Worship have been published. The first is written by Dominican Fr. Pius Pietrzyk, OP, STL, JD, JCD, and was published by Edward Pentin here. The second is an interview of Diane Montagna with Fr. Gerald Murray, a canon lawyer well known from his many appearances on EWTN; the full text may be found here. Both canonists maintain that Traditionis Custodes and the Responsa are canonically valid instruments and...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis’ letter to traditional Dominican nuns has all the signs of another Vatican takeoverThe history of the Dominicans of the Holy Spirit is now marked by events that some senior specialists in canon law consider highly questionable. — In a highly unusual move, Pope Francis himself has sent the sisters of the Institut des Dominicaines du Saint Esprit (Dominicans of the Holy Spirit, based in Pontcallec, Brittany) a letter of personal apology for the “shortcomings” of the Roman Curia in handling their “accompaniment” through a crisis that emerged about 10 years ago. Excerpts from the letter were...

[Catholic Caucus] New Book Tells the Dramatic Story of Traditionalist Movement in the USA In many conversations online and in person about the situation in which we traditional Catholics find ourselves in 2022, one thing I have seen again and again is a temptation to discouragement or despair on account of the threat—or the reality—of that which we love so dearly being torn out of our churches, our of our towns, out of our families. This is a natural reaction but it’s one we need to take steps to redirect in a positive and fruitful direction. I think the...

[Catholic Caucus] EWTN priest: Latin Mass restrictions have ‘harmed the church,’ seek to suppress traditional liturgyFr. Gerald Murray gave a lengthy interview in which he thoroughly analyzed Traditionis Custodes and the subsequent Responsa ad Dubia, warning how they had 'harmed the Church.' Thu Feb 17, 2022 - 11:42 am EST (LifeSiteNews) — A Canon lawyer frequently featured on EWTN has responded to the Vatican’s most recent restrictions on the Latin Mass and pointed out a number of potential canonical errors in the Responsa which placed restrictions on the traditional sacraments, saying that the Vatican’s restrictions on the traditional liturgy “have...

[Catholic Caucus] Guarding the Flock: A Canon Lawyer’s Advice to Bishops on Latest Vatican Crackdown on Tradition ew York canonist Father Gerald Murray has said that a recent Vatican document on applying Traditionis Custodes goes beyond what is canonically possible in restricting the celebration of most of the traditional sacraments and that bishops are free to dispense with its disciplinary provisions if they judge them to be unfavorable to their flock.In an interview with The Remnant, Father Murray discusses in detail the canonical questions surrounding the Responsa ad dubia issued on December 18, 2021 by Archbishop Arthur Roche, Prefect...

[Catholic Caucus] NFL Star Speaks Out in Defense of the Traditional Latin MassHarrison Butker, an NFL kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, is an altar server at Traditional Latin MassesSuper Bowl Sunday is a day of great tradition for many Americans, but for Super Bowl champion Harrison Butker, the tradition he wanted to bring attention to that day was one of eternal significance: the Traditional Latin Mass and his frustration with new Vatican rules restricting its use.Butker, 26, is the starting placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs. His 2020 Super Bowl ring is a symbol of great accomplishment. But during...

Pope Francis’ deal with Communist China has led to greater persecution of CatholicsPope Francis previously said the deal will usher in a ‘new chapter of the Catholic Church in China,’ which so far has been marked by increased persecution of the Catholic faithful. Sun Feb 13, 2022 - 6:00 am ESTThu Feb 10, 2022 - 3:42 pm EST (LifeSiteNews) – While Pope Francis’s Vatican enjoys the televised spectacle of the 2022 Winter Olympics, which are reportedly “close to the Pope’s heart,” it seems that something that is not close to his heart is the Catholic Church in China, as Francis...

Wife of Former Holy See Ambassador Accuses Francis Rome, 4 February 2022Pope Francis:I greet you with great sadness and pain towards my Church because of the news I heard yesterday on social media where a man is seen shouting: “This is not the Church of God! No more masks in the Church! You are not a king!” In response to this situation you commented: “He is a brother in difficulty, we must pray for him.”Watch this incident and its aftermath at minute 18:40 of Michael Matt's latest video, below: In the comments on that news item, many people wrote:...

Venite Adoremus: Archbishop Viganò Calls on All Bishops and Priests to Offer the Traditional Mass Archbishop Carlo Maria ViganoEditor’s Note: Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has issued his most rousing call to date for the complete restoration of the Traditional Roman Rite. He shares his personal experience of the liturgical revolution. He relays the long-forgotten memories of his youth in which he was nurtured by the Old Rite. Yet, at the beginning of his priesthood the revolutionaries substituted what he calls a “counterfeit ritual”. He relays that the need to go into hiding — due to threats to his life following...

[Catholic Caucus] The Mass That Was Never Forbidden: Key Dates in the Old Missal’s Rehabilitation The Mass Was Never ForbiddenPaix Liturgique NewsletterLetter 122 (9 February 2022)The following presentation follows Abbé Claude Barthe’s book, La messe de Vatican II. Dossier historique (Via Romana, 2018).1978: John Paul II receives Archbp. LefebvreThe election of John Paul II in 1978 marked a turning point in an attempt to regain control in the wake of the Council, even if it was extremely timid. On November 18, 1978, one month after his election, at the initiative of Cardinal Siri, John Paul II received Archbishop Lefebvre...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Vetter Cancels All 1962 Latin Masses in Diocese of HelenaOn February 1, 2022, Bishop Vetter made the decision to rescind his original position regarding the continuation of the Traditional Latin Mass (1962 Missal) in the Diocese of Helena. The position of the Diocese of Helena is that all Masses according to the Missal of 1962 are to cease as of Ash Wednesday. This was announced at St. Richard in Columbia Falls, on February 6th, via a sermon by Fr. Sean Raftis.Bishop Vetter did not issue an official statement, and instead stated via Fr. Bart Tolleson that he...

[Catholic Caucus] Back to the 70’s: What if All Traditional Priests are Suspended? (Part II) See Part I hereIn Part I of this article, I pointed out that on January 18, 2022, La Croix reported that new documents on the Ecclesia Dei communities are due in March. If the Ecclesia Dei priests take a stand in not saying the New Mass, and continue to say the Latin Mass, it is foreseeable that they will incur disciplinary action from Rome. I also went on to point out the absolutely miserable state of the Novus Ordo liturgy in most dioceses since...