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[Catholic Caucus] Clash of the Catechisms: Part IAuthor’s Note: This series endeavors to correct the historical record and encourage Catholic parents and educators with a sure sign of hope for the future. Part I demonstrates the public rupture in the catechetical manuscript tradition over the past sixty years, while Part II offers a critical review of the new catechism Credo within this same manuscript tradition.In light of the Vatican’s summons to “new categories and new languages” in catechesis[1] and its formal adoption of the terms “transgender person” and “homosexual person,” one may reasonably expect another update to the Catechism of...

[Catholic Caucus] Lost in a battle of interpretations: Claude Barthe on a council that did not dogmatize and a liturgy that lacks the form of lawAbbé Claude Barthe has just published a partially revised and expanded fourth edition of his book Trouvera t-Il encore la foi sur la terre (Will he still find faith on earth?), published by Via Romana. We are publishing this passage from the introduction, which concerns the new liturgical law, which in fact is no longer a law. (Paix Liturgique Letter 984)* * *This teaching [on ecumenism], which was intended to be neither black nor white,...

[Catholic Caucus] St. Louis Archdiocese Closes Thriving Traditional Latin Mass ParishIt has been months since more than a dozen parishes in the St. Louis Archdiocese submitted appeals to the Vatican in the hopes of keeping their doors open, and now Rome has agreed to hear the appeal of two parishes: St. Elizabeth Mother of John the Baptist Parish and Sts. Philip and James Parish.Back in May, St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski announced that 178 individual parishes are being consolidated into 134. The archdiocese is also preparing to assess the future of nearly one-third of its elementary grade schools. The archdiocese...

[Catholic Caucus] Majority of religious sisters in US are now 80 or over; more are age 95+ than under 40» Continue to this story on USCCB CWN Editor's Note: Supplementing data made public earlier this week, the National Religious Retirement Office of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published a statistical report. Page 4 presents a detailed age distribution of numbers of men and women religious in the US as of December 31, 2022. There are 380 women’s institutes with 24,965 members, and 126 men’s institutes with 7,270 members. Over half of women religious—13,621 out of 24,965—are 80...

[Catholic Caucus] New Coke: If Today’s Catholics Were In ChargeIn April 1985 the Coca-Cola Company introduced a new formula for their flagship product, Coke. Called “New Coke,” it was a public relations disaster and within months the company reverted back to their beloved formula. But what if history were different? What if Coca-Cola handled the release of New Coke like many of today’s Catholic leaders handle the current crisis in the Church?July 1985Meeting of top Coke executivesCEO: So, it’s been three months since New Coke was introduced – how’s it going?Mr. Eldridge, VP of Operations: Not so good. We’re getting...

[Catholic Caucus] Italy: “Francis Spring” Makes Excellent ProgressOver the last ten years, the number of seminarians in Italy went down by 28%.According to the Italian Bishops, today there are 1,804 seminarians while in 1970 – when the number of vocations had already dropped because of the failed Vatican II - there were 6,500.Father Marco d’Agostino, the rector of Cremona seminary told IlGiornale.it that seminarians are not “heroes against the tide,” rather “anything but that.”This may explain why so many priests are dead fish tossed around by the empty waves made by the oligarchs’ media.

[Catholic/Orthodox Caucus] Can a Catholic Have “Doubts” about Vatican II?“To doubt the Council is to doubt the intentions of those very Fathers who exercised their collegial power in a solemn manner cum Petro et sub Petro in an ecumenical council, and, in the final analysis, to doubt the Holy Spirit himself who guides the Church.” This is the fundamental reason Pope Francis gives in the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes for the ultimate abolition of the celebration of the Mass according to the traditional form of the Roman Rite. The supporters of these celebrations supposedly doubt the Council and thus...

'The Council and The Eclipse of God' by Don Pietro Leone - Part XIV: The Church and The State n Chapter 4, Don Pietro turns to consider the Council’s teaching on the Church and State. He explains how the Church has a duty not only to Her members, but also to the entire world. Her role in regard to the State is to guide Kings and governors to promote the best interests of their citizens, i.e. in the final analysis the attainment of eternal life in Heaven, such as has been the constant teaching of Holy Mother Church. Readers...

Moving Beyond Vatican IIHow do you solve a problem like Vatican II? While perhaps not as catchy as the classic Sound of Music tune, this question is far more complex than trying to marry off the future Baroness von Trapp. Catholics have been arguing over the council since before it even ended in 1965. While it was intended to usher the Church into the modern world, there’s no question that Vatican II and how to properly interpret it has been the most divisive issue in today’s Church—and the raging debate shows no signs of subsiding. Perhaps, though, it’s time to...

[Catholic Caucus] WHETHER IT IS LICIT FOR A CATHOLIC TO QUESTION VATICAN II? Marco TosattiDear Stilumcuriali, Giuseppe Pellegrino, whom you know not only for his work as a translator for Stilum Curiae but also for his memory of the renunciation of Benedict XVI, has sent us a reflection of contribution to the open discussion in these days on the lawfulness or otherwise of discussing Vatican Council II. Enjoy your reading. Whether it is licit for a Catholic to question Vatican II?Objection 1. It would seem that it is not licit for a Catholic to question the teaching of Vatican II. For...

Time to stop making excuses for Vatican II and the New Mass Many good authors have told the tragic story well. Now it is time for clergy and laity both to do something about it. Editor’s note: The following article comes from an anonymous priest. June 30, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — In several recent statements, culminating in an interview with Philip Lawler, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has traced the evils that afflict the Church today back to their root within the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) and the New Order of the Mass (1969). In this he has rendered a service to...

First One Archbishop, Now Another: The Council is the Problem “Return, O ye revolting children, saith the Lord: for I am your husband: and I will take you, one of a city, and two of a kindred, and will bring you into Sion. And I will give you pastors according to My own Heart, and they shall feed you with knowledge and doctrine.” – Jeremias 3:14-15On November 21, 1974, a certain French archbishop and founder of a priestly society penned what came to be known as his Declaration. He wrote it in response to scandalous comments made by two apostolic...

Archbishop Viganò on Vatican II: “It Is Preferable to Let the Whole Thing Drop and Be Forgotten” Editor’s Note: Catholic Family News is pleased to welcome back Dr. Maike Hickson, who has contributed articles to CFN in the past and is a longtime friend of our apostolate, together with her husband, Dr. Robert Hickson. It is our honor to publish her report on the latest from Archbishop Viganò, including a full English translation of His Excellency’s newest letter (see below). – Matt Gaspers, CFN Managing Editor*****Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, in a response to an Italian law professor, discusses the question...

Open Letter to His Excellency Abp. Carlo Maria Viganò Cesare Baronio: We must fight under Christ's banner Church Militant has been asked to publish an open letter from Cesare Baronio, originally published in Italian at Marco Tosatti's website, addressing former U.S. papal nuncio Abp. Carlo Maria Viganò, who blew the whistle on what he called "the corrupt gay mafia" strangling the Church. 130 prominent lay Catholics gathered in Munich in January to protest and pray for the end of the German "synodal path" My Lord Archbishop, It was with great pleasure that I saw how the gospel adage Estote prudentes ut serpentes,...

On the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Novus Ordo: Dr. Kwasniewski’s Lecture “Beyond ‘Smells and Bells’: Why We Need the Objective Content of the Usus Antiquior” In his Apostolic Constitution Missale Romanum (April 3, 1969), Pope Paul VI specified that the Novus Ordo Missae would go into effect on the First Sunday of Advent that year — November 30, exactly fifty years ago. In my recent Minneapolis lecture, written with an eye to this important anniversary, I argue that the Novus Ordo Missae constitutes a rupture with fundamental elements of all liturgies of apostolic derivation, and that, as a consequence,...

[Catholic Caucus] NY Daily News Op-Ed -Pining for the Latin Mass: Reflecting on major changes to the Catholic liturgy, 50 years later Pining for the Latin Mass: Reflecting on major changes to the Catholic liturgy, 50 years later By KENNETH J. WOLFE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS NOV 30, 2019 | 5:00 AM Fifty years ago this weekend, the Catholic Church debuted a new version of Mass following reforms made by the 1960s’ Second Vatican Council. From the use of vernacular language instead of Latin, to the priest facing the people instead of the tabernacle, the changes became mandatory at all...

[Catholic/Orthodox/SSPX Caucus] Conservative Catholicism: An Object Lesson in Intellectual Dishonesty  A response to Ross Douthat On Nov. 10, Ross Douthat published in The New York Times a leader under the title "What Will Happen to Conservative Catholicism?" The article is very revealing, since Douthat has shown himself the spokesman of that brand of Catholicism, often in valuable ways, as in his book To Change the Church, in which he analyzes Pope Francis' revolutionary program. However, the salient lesson to be drawn from Douthat's article is the murky pool of intellectual dishonesty on which conservative Catholicism floats.  Douthat defines his school of thought...

The late Pope John Paul II was probably his most famous patient. Father Josef Eugster recalls that he had to go through three tests before he was allowed to treat the holy man on Nov 26, 2003. The late Pope John Paul II was one of Father Josef’s patients. He massaged the Pope's feet for 30 minutes. Josef's first client was far more humble. He was a 74-year-old farmer who apparently suffered severe back pain. Father Josef tried foot reflexology and the farmer felt such excruciating pain that he fled and went into hiding. After tracking him down at a...

Tom Booth and Fr. Stan Fortuna join forces to make a music video that tells the history of Pope John Paul II.

Homosexuality Our Current Crisis: TRUTH and the Homosexual issue By Deacon Keith A FournierPresident/Founder Catholic teaching on homosexuality must be clearly articulated and followed Catholic Way - Our Current Crisis: TRUTH and the “Homosexual” issueCatholic Online © Third Millennium, LLC By: Deacon Keith A Fournier I am a faithful Catholic. I love serving the Church as a member of the clergy, a deacon. I cherish and embrace the wealth of wisdom that is the Churches teaching. A Polestar of that teaching is that every single human person has an inestimable dignity because they are created in the image of...