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[Catholic Caucus] At Leo’s Amoris Laetitia Jubilee, Christ Is Described as “Flirting” With the Woman at the Well — Meanwhile, Leo Cements Sacrilegious Communion as Catholic There are many ways to open a Vatican gathering on marriage.One could begin with Cana.One could begin with Christ’s words on the indissolubility of marriage: “What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.”One could read St. Paul on the union of husband and wife as an image of Christ and His Church. One could remind bishops that Our Lord restored marriage to its original dignity after fallen man had distorted it.Or,...

The Catholic Response to a (Synodal) Church in Crisis | Bishop Mutsaerts CIC 2026 In an address that received the longest standing ovation in Catholic Identity Conference history, Bishop Rob Mutsaerts of the Netherlands challenges the modern obsession with constant reform, asks whether the Synodal project has actually produced the fruits it promised, warns against confusing mercy with affirmation, defends the sacred character of the liturgy, and explains why young Catholics are often searching for precisely what the Church has been tempted to abandon: truth, sacrifice, reverence, doctrine, confession, beauty, and a supernatural faith. Below are both the transcript and...

Leo XIV backs interfaith appeal calling religions ‘privileged path’ to peace Leo XIV attended as Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Protestant, and Orthodox leaders signed an appeal with France’s leading cardinal, pledging to pursue ‘dialogue,’ ‘fraternity,’ and ‘peace.’Pope Leo XIV attended the signing of an interreligious appeal Monday in which the president of the French Bishops’ Conference signed a joint spiritual pact alongside non-Christian religious leaders.On September 28, Pope Leo XIV gathered with Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Protestant, and Orthodox representatives at the Robert Schuman Conference Center to attend the signing ceremony and receive the signatories’ pledge of commitment to the “Metz Appeal,”...

[Catholic Caucus] Michaelmas TLM in the Vatican - and a SermonA Traditional Latin Mass was celebrated at the St. Michael Altar of St. Peter’s Basilica todaySermon for the Feastby Father Richard CipollaConnecticut From the book of Revelation:Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,butthey weredefeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels...

Bishop Strickland: Catholics must reject Vatican’s view against proselytism ‘Truth is not constantly evolving,’ declared Bishop Strickland. ‘Truth is Jesus Christ present with us in the world and His Church is the vehicle for our salvation.’Bishop Joseph Strickland has issued a searing criticism of the Vatican’s new document on inter-religious dialogue downplaying the need for all people to be evangelized by the Catholic Church. He has also written a pastoral letter on the topic. (See below.) Strickland zeroed in on this troubling line: The defensive entrenchment in one’s own position and the view that proselytism is the only way to...

[Catholic Caucus] Gaudium et Spes: The birth of the Conciliar Church of ManThe document repeatedly praises the modern world while claiming that the Church has 'profited' from humanity, as if the Mystical Body of Christ has nothing more to teach.On September 2, Leo XIV began a new series of catecheses on Gaudium et Spes, the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.Following his talks on Sacrosanctum Concilium, which focused on the liturgy, Leo is signaling his intention to galvanize the faithful to the false post-conciliar religion.His audience this week delivered few surprises and followed the...

[Catholic Caucus] Professor Ratzinger Criticizes the Council The following essay was published in German on July 4, 2020, by Michael Charlier at Summorum Pontificum but the topic is relevant again, so we have made it available in translation.—PAKFor all those who feel committed to the entire Catholic tradition, the Second Vatican Council is a difficult topic. On the one hand, we know that Vatican II could not have turned anything the Church has always taught upside down. On the other hand, we live in an environment where much seems to have been turned upside down—and we are told that this...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Schneider: Leo XIV’s Liturgical Catechesis Reflects Neither Reality Nor History Bishop Athanasius Schneider has criticised Pope Leo XIV’s August 26 presentation of the post-conciliar liturgical reform. He argued that the Novus Ordo does not correspond to what the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council intended.Speaking to AdVaticanum.com on September 2, Schneider also argued that non-definitive teachings of Vatican II can be amended or corrected.Conciliar Formulations Can Be CorrectedBishop Schneider referred to the Council of Florence (1431 to 1449), citing two doctrinal statements that were later discussed and corrected by the Church.One concerned Holy Orders. Florence identified the...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Mutsaerts: The Church Will Not Be Saved by Bureaucrats Who Think Everything Must Change There is a peculiar mistake common among modern people: when they discover that the Church is full of sinners, they conclude that Christianity has failed. This is rather like discovering that a hospital is full of sick people and concluding that medicine does not work.The Church has never claimed to be an association of perfect people. She has claimed something far stranger: that God has decided to entrust His perfect truth to extraordinarily imperfect people. Those who find this implausible should look at...

Dr. Kwasniewski: Worst crisis in Church history is happening right now It is manifestly the case that the modern(ist) crisis is far worse than all the earlier ones put together.On June 8, 2026, a journalist named Wouter J. Suenens published an article at The Catholic Herald entitled “The Traditional Latin Mass does not need the SSPX.” In this article he claimed that the crisis through which the Church is passing today is just one of many in her history, and not even the worst. On this basis he maintains that the Society of St. Pius X is guilty of poor...

[Catholic Caucus] Jesuit priest says he ‘hates’ Traditional Latin Mass and criticises Pope Benedict XVI Jesuit priest Fr Thomas Reese SJ has explained why he “hates” the Traditional Latin Mass and criticised Pope Benedict XVI’s approach to liturgical reformJesuit priest Fr Thomas Reese SJ has written a column entitled “Why I hate the Latin Mass”. The column takes the form of the priest pretending to go to confession. He begins by telling the imaginary confessor: “It has been a week since my last column, I mean my last confession. Since that time, I have expressed hatred toward the old Latin...

[Catholic Caucus] An Interview with Don Pietro Leone in which he discusses his latest book: Vatican II and the Eclipse of God - A Critique of the Council 'In this final version I have been forced to level the charge of atheism against the Council'.CARL HEINRICH BLOCH - THE MOCKING OF CHRIST, 1880"Our Lord is attacked; eternal life is endangered. We have seen the consequences in these postconciliar years. An entirely reprehensible spirit of insubordination has entered the Vatican, a “fertility goddess” is venerated in St. Peter's. This belongs to a context and cannot be passed over in silence."Interview with...

[Catholic Caucus] NEW BOOK: Publication of 'Vatican II and The Eclipse of God. A Critique of the Council' by Don Pietro Leone Rorate Caeli is delighted to report that “Vatican II and the Eclipse of God” ‘A Critique of the Council’ by Don Pietro Leone has finally been published. Readers will recall that Rorate had the honour of posting instalments of this very important work over a period of two years. (See note)* Since then, the author has added further analysis to the original texts. Below is the link to Loreto Publications and a short presentation of the book. Readers...

[Catholic Caucus] Unspeakable horror: lay Eucharistic Ministers and Communion in the handIf you are presently receiving Communion in the hand or serving as a Eucharistic Minister, then please prayerfully stop. Here's why...Not a great photo but if you look carefully, you’ll see the angels catching Our Lord’s Precious Blood with chalices. There’s a reason for that so please read on…Among the many moving scenes in Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ film is the scourging at the pillar. Often sugar-coated in fine art over the centuries, Gibson depicted it as it was all those centuries ago in pagan-occupied Palestine: sheer,...

[Catholic Caucus] German Bishop: Laypeople Preach in My Diocese — and I Won’t Sanction Them The Vatican's reasoning for the ban on lay preaching is "not entirely consistent," Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz told Katholisch.de on August 11."The letter from the Prefect for Liturgy states that only the priest celebrating Mass may preach. But taken to its logical conclusion, that would mean a concelebrating priest or an assisting deacon shouldn't be allowed to preach either."Lay Preaching Is No ProblemIn the Diocese of Mainz, occasional lay preaching has become an established practice and Bishop Kohlgraf has no intention of changing that.In...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland asks whether Vatican II surrendered to modernism Bishop Joseph Strickland pointed out that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger once described Gaudium et Spes as a kind of ‘counter syllabus’ in opposition to Pope Pius IX’s Syllabus of Errors. Bishop Joseph Strickland questioned in a recent video address whether the Second Vatican Council compromised with the modern world.Strickland highlighted the dangers of modernism as well as Pope St. Pius X’s warnings against this “synthesis of all heresies.” The bishop pointed out that in 1910 the saintly pope required priests, bishops, and others “entrusted with teaching the Catholic faith” to...

[Catholic Caucus] Latest Book by Fr. Claude Barthe Compares & Contrasts the Traditional & New Sacramental RitesIn 1969, A Short Critical Study of the Novus Ordo Missae was published with the signatures of two powerful cardinals, Bacci and Ottaviani. Nicknamed The Ottaviani Intervention, it quickly become a classic, and has never gone out of print. But... where was its companion volume? You know, the one about the other six sacraments? For, indeed, the reform of the Mass was accompanied by a profound overhaul of all the other sacraments—baptism, confirmation, marriage, holy orders, penance, and extreme unction (the last two renamed...

[Catholic Caucus] Guest Post: Daniel Graham Gives a History Lesson on the Crisis in the ChurchI'm delighted to post this article from Daniel Graham, author of Lex Orandi, a book that gives a side-by-side comparison of all the sacraments before and after the changes made in the spirit of Vatican II. Every concerned Catholic should know exactly what we've lost. I highly recommend Dan's book. Only when we understand what's been lost can we be like the woman in the parable who sweeps her house looking for her lost coin and rejoicing when she finds it. Those of us who...

Catholic Star Wars: The SSPX Excommunication as You’ve Never Seen ItOne of the year's biggest Catholic controversies in a witty, self-deprecating parody (think exiles, empires, liturgical battles, etc.). Whether you agree or disagree, this take explores why so many faithful Catholics feel like they're the rebels in their own Church. A fortnight ago, I attended the illicit episcopal consecrations in Écône to bid farewell to the SSPX as newly separated brethren (again). I did so because I was in the neighbourhood and I could; more so as an observer than participant, because I was loth to incur the wrath and...

[Catholic Caucus] Benedict XVI and Vatican II Condemn Leo XIV’s Synodal RevolutionBenedict XVI's own words dismantle the Vatican's case against the SSPX. Read his statements alongside Leo XIV's current treatment of Tradition, Vatican II, and Synodality, and you'll notice that Benedict's criticism applies more to today's Vatican than to Archbishop Lefebvre.As Leo XIV stated prior to the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) proceeding with the episcopal consecrations without his approval, he believes that the real problem with the SSPX is that it does not accept certain teachings of Vatican II:“Certainly, division among Christians is always a painful matter. But...