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[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Burke criticizes Mass changes after Vatican II, says continuity with Latin Mass is ‘so strained’Cardinal Burke said massive changes to the Mass after Vatican II were an ‘abuse’ of the council and stressed that proper worship is essential for morality in an interview with Raymond Arroyo.ardinal Raymond Burke said that the Holy Mass was “radically reduced” after Vatican II with the “stripping away” of “beautiful elements” in the Traditional Latin Mass and praised the “transcendence” of the older rite in an interview with EWTN host Raymond Arroyo.Cardinal Burke, a renowned canon lawyer and former prefect of the...

LEO AND SYNODALITY (A Silent Implosion?) - Part II in the Series "The First Year of Leo XIV"This is the second of several analyses written for Rorate by our contributor Serre Verweij on Leo XIV's first year.Series: The First Year of Leo XIVII - LEO AND SYNODALITY[Part I: Leo and the Germans]As Pope Leo XIV is approaching the 100 day mark of his pontificate (today is day 97), more and more decisions are coming out which appear indicative of the course of his papacy. Our new Pope is starting to address difficult dilemmas described in Leo XIV: The First 50...

How Liberals Gaslighted Traditional Catholics 50 Years AgoSo many putative leaders of the Catholic Church have no problems with the Synod on Synodality, Fiducia Supplicans, or widespread cafeteria-Catholicism but are wholly supportive of Rome’s persecution of Traditional Catholics through Traditionis Custodes and other measures. This, of itself, tells us that many influential figures promoting the Vatican II revolution are gaslighting us.In his August 2, 1975 letter to Libre Belgique, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre sought to defend himself against certain criticisms related to his adherence to what the Catholic Church taught and practiced prior to Vatican II:“The repeated attacks in your columns...

They will Use Newman for Their HeresyI got back from a 12-day retreat to read the happy news that the Holy Father has confirmed the plans to proclaim St. John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church. I’ve never read much Newman myself, but he seems to be universally respected by all Catholic men of letters… but with a dark side. But let me return to that in a moment.The Apostasy of AlbionFirst, even though I haven’t read much from Newman, we can already see the immense significance of this news in the history of the Church. In many ways...

Why Does the Synodal Church Revere St. John Henry Newman?On July 31st, Vatican News reported that St. John Henry Newman will become the newest Doctor of the Church. Why would the current hierarchy go for this? Well, it seems for them that the true appeal of Newman appears to reside in the way in which his works can be manipulatively interpreted in support of the Synodal Church. Let's rescue Newman from their agendas!On July 31st, Vatican News reported that St. John Henry Newman will become the newest Doctor of the Church:“Pope Leo XIV has ‘confirmed the affirmative opinion of the...

[Catholic Caucus] Conclusion of Major New Economic Research Paper: "Vatican II, in 1962-1965, triggered a decline in worldwide Catholic attendance relative to that in other denominations." From the summary of a major new paper just published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), in Cambridge, Massachusetts, authored by some of the greatest names in Economic research, including the famous Dr. Barro, of Harvard University, Dr. Dewitte, of the University of Oxford, and Dr. Iannaccone, of Chapman University:Looking Backward: Long-Term Religious Service Attendance in 66 CountriesRobert J. Barro, Edgard Dewitte & Laurence IannacconeIssue Date July 2025The attendance rate at religious...

[Catholic Caucus] Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s Holy Wisdom on the Crisis in the Catholic ChurchUnderstanding this holy wisdom from Archbishop Lefebvre does not make the crisis go away, but it does help us serve God without feeling “lost and confused” because of what we see from Rome. Perhaps this is why those who seek to perpetuate the crisis in the Church never stop trying to disparage the man who did more than anyone else to oppose the Vatican II revolution and preserve the Traditional Latin Mass.One of the many interesting aspects of Diane Montagna’s report on the document which purportedly served...

[Catholic Caucus] The Council of Nicaea and Vatican IIIs there a relationship between the Council of Nicaea, celebrated in the year 325, and the Second Vatican Council, the last of the twenty-one councils recognised as ecumenical, concluded on 8 December 1965?In a letter written on 29 June 1975 to Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who was criticising Vatican II, Pope Paul VI stated that “the Second Vatican Council is no less authoritative, indeed in some respects it is even more important, than the Council of Nicaea” (cf. La Doc. Catholique, 58 (1976) p. 34). The statement left many astonished at the time....

Here Are the Vatican II Passages That the Church’s Enemies Demand We AcceptAs Diane Montagna highlighted in her report on Francis’s fraudulent promulgation of Traditionis Custodes, Rome’s battle over the Traditional Latin Mass continues to hinge on the question of whether Traditional Catholics “reject the Second Vatican Council”. The Vatican II passages below did not “cause” the crisis in the Church, but they and others like them have been used by the Church’s enemies to offend God, lead souls to hell, and cause inestimable harm in the world.As Diane Montagna highlighted in her report on Francis’s apparently fraudulent promulgation of...

Vatican II’s Own Words Thoroughly Rebuke the Vatican II RevolutionIf Pope Leo XIV actually applied the words of the Council as set forth below, he could use Vatican II to justify the complete overturn of the Vatican II revolution that has plagued the Church and world for six decades. Here's how that could be accomplished: In his famous “1974 Declaration,” Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre left no doubt about how he viewed the Council at which he had played an important role:“We hold fast, with all our heart and with all our soul, to Catholic Rome, Guardian of the Catholic Faith and...

[Catholic Caucus] Why Ambiguity Was the Most Lethal Weapon of Vatican II’s ArchitectsEvery single ambiguity of Vatican II tended to undermine Catholic teaching in precisely the way against which the pre-Vatican II popes emphatically warned. This is not mere coincidence. Moreover, the presence of so much ambiguity fundamentally undermines the Catholic Church’s role as truth-teller. The Church obviously knew how to speak clearly and unambiguously on all of the matters that have become so contentious after the Council.In his 2024 book Flee From Heresy: A Catholic Guide to Ancient and Modern Errors, Bishop Athanasius Schneider provided the following question and...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholic man rips down, burns ‘pride’ flag from heterodox New York parishAn anonymous man, who says he is a recent Catholic convert, stole and burned a ‘pride’ flag from heretical, pro-LGBT All Saints Catholic Church in Syracuse, New York.An anonymous man has stolen and burned a “pride” flag that was flown outside an openly heterodox, pro-LGBT Catholic parish in Syracuse, New York.Over the night of June 6-7, a Catholic man, whose identity remains unknown, ripped down a “pride” flag from All Saints Catholic Church in Syracuse, New York, according to the parish website.“As noted at our masses last...

[Catholic Caucus] Traditional Catholicism’s Enemies Routinely Fail These Three Common Sense ChecksAll of this is like a Monty Python skit except that it is only humorous to the enemies of God and His Catholic Church. God has permitted the crisis in the Church to reach this point to which those who persecute Traditional Catholics are unmistakably wrong.Although we pray that the tide will turn with Pope Leo XIV, one of the most astoundingly bizarre realities in the world today is that Traditional Catholics are persecuted by the putative leaders of the Catholic Church. The crime committed by Traditional Catholics is...

[Catholic Caucus] The only Mass that was ever imposed by force upon the Church is not wantedN.B. The novus Ordo is a botched product. And a failed experiment. Sure, many people attend but there are always many people who just do what everyone else is doing for a variety of reasons. Some get paid to go, parish staffs and employees for example, some go because they are getting something like Catholic grade school or high school or sacraments like Confirmation. Some think that’s all there is. (Won’t they be surprised. And many constantly are when they finally discover what it...

[Catholic Caucus] Archbishop Aguer: Pope Leo XIV’s presentation brings ‘more glorious times’ to mindFrancis' long pontificate will be left behind, his witticisms forgotten. The Church always faces her mission according to the Lord's command: to make disciples of all nations.The presentation of the new Pope Leo XIV brought to mind more glorious times of the Church. He appeared on the loggia dressed in papal vestments, and the name he chose refers to Leo XIII, the pope of Rerum Novarum, the initial document of an updated exposition of the Catholic social teaching.From 1903 to 1958, within a history full of contrasts,...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican II’s Dignitatis Humanae and the June Battle of FlagsWere it not for Dignitatis Humanae, there would be no supposed theological justification for this demand that human dignity requires us to refrain from questioning the “transness” of those claiming to practice the Catholic Faith. Thanks in large part to the defenders of Vatican II, though, Fr. Martin and the New Ways Ministry can insist that Catholics ought to celebrate Pride Month in recognition of the human dignity of the Catholic LGBTQ community.As reported by LifeSite, Fr. James Martin recently shared his opinion about why Catholics ought to celebrate...

Bishop Strickland: Novus Ordo Mass, priestly formation have led to problems in the ChurchBishop Joseph Strickland said the ‘more comfortable’ Novus Ordo Mass has shifted priests toward acting like ‘social workers’ and declared that the Latin Mass ‘will stay with us’ in a recent interview.Bishop Joseph Strickland said that the shift to the Novus Ordo Mass from the Traditional Latin Mass has led to a decline in the priesthood and called out the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for pushing bishops to “forget that they’re successors of the Apostles.” The former bishop of Tyler, Texas, who was removed...

[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...

Vatican II and the Most Wicked Swindle Since Satan Tempted Eve in the GardenIn the name of a fraudulent unity based on appeasing Protestants, Cardinal Bea managed to deceive the apparent leadership of the Catholic Church into abandoning the Great Commission. It was the greatest swindle in salvation history since Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden.To set the stage for understanding the second greatest swindle in salvation history, it is useful to consider which of the following two statements would sound most correct to the ostensible leaders of the Catholic Church today:Membership in the Church is necessary for...

The Post-Conciliar Ecumenism and the Great DiscontinuityThere is no other error (or, rather, sum of errors) as specifically (neo)modernist as the so-called “ecumenism.” This is why rejecting it and the relativism and indifferentism it generates is absolutely necessary.One of the most debatable directions inaugurated by the Second Vatican Council is that in favor of ecumenism. In blatant contradiction to the Church’s constant Magisterial position regarding the positive reception of religious pluralism, this new teaching has become the dominant feature of post-conciliar Catholicism. Things have gone so far that, in addition to the formation of a special dicastery for the “promotion...