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June 20 is the Feast of Pope Saint Silverius, a 6th century martyr who was deposed and starved to death for the sake of political expediency by order of the Christian Roman empress, Theodora. Pope Saint Silverius is truly a saint for our times. Faced with persecution by the Christian Roman imperial government which insisted that he embrace heresy, he nonetheless held courageously to the truth of the Catholic faith, despite lies, corruption, intimidation and threats to his office and his life. Almost no one today knows him, but Silverius is a saint that Catholics should invoke when faced with...

[Catholic Caucus]The Papal-Coronation OathThe following is the Coronation-Oath made by most or all Pope-Elects from at least 678 AD until the 1960s (when it was eradicated.) Notice what old-school Popes used to call down upon themselves, should they divert from Jesus Christ’s teaching as given to the Apostles:“I vow to change nothing of the received Tradition, and nothing thereof I have found before me guarded by my God-pleasing predecessors, to encroach upon, to alter, or to permit any innovation therein;“To the contrary: with glowing affection as her truly faithful student and successor, to safeguard reverently the passed-on good, with my...

Throughout the history of the Church, several Popes have been deposed for a variety of reasons. Pope Liberius was deposed and exiled by the Arian emperor, Constantius II in the mid-4th century. Six hundred years later, Pope Gregory VII was deposed by anti-Pope Clement III, the creature of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV. During the reign of Justinian, Pope Saint Silverius, who I have written about previously on this blog, was not only deposed—he was martyred by the political forces who coveted his ecclesiastical power as head of the Church. In my previous post, I included an excerpt from...

[Catholic Caucus] The Lefebvre/Mindszenty ConnectionEditor’s Note: I am pleased to present Father Wilson’s crucial historical observation about the context of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s reservations where trusting the Vatican in 1988 was concerned. With rumors flying today that Francis is allegedly claiming the “SSPX is not in schism” and that he may even be planning to confirm a SSPX bishop or two, I can’t help but to ask the obvious question: Do those celebrating this rumor somehow imagine that the Vatican hadn’t offered Lefebvre the same deal in 1988? I lived through that drama. I remember it well. It wasn’t that...

Today, September 3, is the feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great on the modern calendar. This great pope who is simultaneously considered the last Father of the ancient Church and the first of the medieval Church, has featured frequently on this blog (see his rebuke of the bishops of Dalmatia and his ponderings on Purgatory, in particular). I had not previously looked into Gregory’s early life, however, and falling as it does in the mid-6th century which is right in my wheel-house, I figured I would do a little research. It seems that the earliest Vita of Gregory was...

Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce star in this intimate look at a historic turning point in the Catholic Church. Directed by Academy Award nominee Fernando Meirelles. On Netflix December 20.

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Danneels admits being part of clerical ‘Mafia’ that plotted Francis’ election September 25, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) - The authorized biography of Cardinal Godfried Danneels, out next week, is even more of a bombshell than expected. Not only do the two authors, Jürgen Mettepenningen and Karim Schelkens, reveal that the Cardinal was a regular member of a secret pressure group of Churchmen that met in the Swiss town of Sankt-Gallen, but the Cardinal himself has publicly and good-humoredly admitted the fact. Danneels even said that what was officially but discreetly labeled “the Sankt-Gallen group” was referred to by its...

On April 19, 2019, Frontpage Mag published Milo Yiannopoulos’ lamentation on the burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral. While I share his grief over this irreplaceable loss to Western Civilization and Christianity, I was shocked to discover that he felt the necessity to trash the Jews. He did so under the convenient cover that he is a Jew -- as he states, through matrilineal descent. But, more significant than his bloodline, his belief system seems to be Catholic as evidenced by his adoration of the Virgin Mary: Mary—the ‘Our Lady’ of Notre Dame—is proof of the incarnation. It is her...

Saint Catherine of Siena to the Pope: "Don't believe in the counsels of the devil! Alas, sweet my father, with this sweet hand I pray you, and tell you to come to discomfit our enemies. On behalf of Christ crucified I tell it you: refuse to believe the counsels of the devil, who would hinder your holy and good resolution. Be manly in my sight, and not timorous. Answer God, who calls you to hold and possess the seat of the glorious Shepherd Saint Peter, whose vicar you have been. And raise the standard of the holy Cross; for as...

For some reason, a certain provision of Gratian’s Decretals, an early collection of canon law, has been the subject of renewed interest in recent times. The relevant text runs: “No mortal shall presume to rebuke [the pope’s] faults, for he who is to judge all is to be judged by no one, unless he is found straying from the faith” (Dist. 40 c.6). The last condition “unless he is found straying from the faith” has sometimes been interpreted to mean that a pope who strayed into heresy could be deposed. At the end of March a scholarly conference on the...

VATICAN CITY — Pope emeritus Benedict XVI today sent his best wishes and three mysterious gifts to Pope Francis as he celebrates his 80th birthday. The pope emeritus first offered birthday greetings in a “very warm” written message that was “particularly appreciated,” according to the Vatican. Then, in the afternoon, the pope emeritus called Francis personally. Benedict XVI also sent Pope Francis three gifts which were received “as three very personal and meaningful signs” for them both. The Vatican has not said what the gifts are. The pope began his 80th birthday by inviting 8 homeless people, two women and...

Before answering the title question, let's look at a few facts drawn, for the most part, from an episode on Saul Alinsky and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) produced by Church Militant T.V. Find it here: http://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/ciax-2010-03-07. The broadcast dates back to 2010, but Catholics, Protestants, and religious skeptics alike should watch it because the fruits of the Alinsky-USCCB partnership have ripened. In 1938 when atheist Saul Alinsky was working with juvenile delinquents in Chicago, he struck up a friendship with two Catholic brothers, Joseph and Msgr. Peter Meegan who together acquainted Mr. Alinsky with the inner...

Catholic Church traces its origins back to Jesus Christ himself. Jesus Christ established a church nearly two thousand years ago. (1 Timothy 3:15) He said he will build one church not multiple churches. He said “Upon this Rock I will build My church." (Matthew 16:18) and "There shall be one fold and one shepherd." (John 10:16).The Holy Spirit will guide the Church.( John 16:13) through Apostles(Acts 4:8).Jesus Christ is the truth, then the Church which He founded and guides has all truth (John 14:6).If all denominations claiming to bible based churches all those 38,000 denominations teach and preach differently for...

If I have to read one more email explaining that modern popes have failed the Church by preaching socialism instead of the Gospel, I will not be held responsible for my reply. This complaint surfaces from time to time in orthodox Catholic circles for the simple reason that most politically conservative Catholics are orthodox. Such persons sometimes react as if political and economic conservatism is a Divine standard for judging Catholicism. But the reality is just the opposite. One also tires of the protestations of the ignorant. The word “socialism” has a clear and specific meaning. It refers to a...

Listers, we’ve catalogued the first ten Vicars of Christ for the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Save the information on our first pope – St. Peter – all the information presented is taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia and links for further reading are provided. 1. Pope St. Peter (32-67) St. Peter held a primacy amongst the twelve disciples that earned him the title “Prince of the Apostles.” This primacy of St. Peter was solidified when he was appointed by Jesus to the Office of the Vicar – demonstrated by Christ giving St. Peter the Keys to the Kingdom. To...

The origins of the Papacy can be traced to St. Peter, one of the original disciples of Jesus. The current pope, Francis I, is the 265th successor of St. Peter. Needless to say, all 266 popes are male. Yet, during the middle ages, there existed a story about a pope who was actually a female in disguise. The name of this supposed female pope was Joan. Who was this mysterious Pope Joan, and did she really exist? The statue that still stands in Rome is Joanna with a papal crown.(ericcostanzo.com)The first written account of Pope Joan can be traced to...

Roman Catholic “presuppositions” on the early papacy are in retreat Galileo: “If I can do it, Bergoglio can do it” A “presupposition” is an elementary assumption in one’s reasoning or in the process by which opinions are formed… [In the case of Protestant/Catholic discussions], a “presupposition” is not just any assumption in an argument, but a personal commitment that is held at the most basic level of one’s network of beliefs. Presuppositions form a wide-ranging foundational perspective (or starting point) in terms of which everything else is interpreted and evaluated. As such, presuppositions have the greatest authority in one’s thinking,...

The frescoes of the Santa Priscilla catacombs in Rome call our knowledge of the past into question and challenge the teachings of the Church. Amanda Ruggeri investigates. When archaeologists in Rome at the end of the 19th Century began to excavate the Catacombs of Santa Priscilla, they hoped to find treasure: intricately carved monuments and vibrant frescoes of the type found in other ancient, underground cemeteries. Instead, they found devastation.

One man whom I know holds that all popes since Pius X were heretics. Whole groups maintain that all popes after Vatican II are heretics, even John Paul II. He invited leaders of other religions to Assisi to pray together, but he failed to evangelize them or insist in uniqueness of Catholicism. At Vatican I, several notable figures did not accept the infallibility doctrine. The Reformation itself mostly declared all popes heretical back to Peter. Pope Paul III excommunicated Henry VIII precisely over the question of the indissolubility of marriage. The Eastern Orthodox have rejected the papal position for centuries....

1. During the first days in June 1981, after interrogation of all the ‘seers,’ Fr. Jozo Zovko concluded: “You have seen satan, not the Gospa; there is no sign, there is no message.” These words of the curate of Medjugorje have been tape-recorded, and are in the possession of the Bishop of Mostar (I wrote the text). Later on, Fr. Jozo manipulated the children. He refused to exorcise them. Ref.: Ces 10 jours qui ont fait Medjugorje, J.Bouflet, Ed. CLD,Tours 2007, ISBN 978-2-85443-512-2, pp. 147-8. 2. Ex-Father Tomislav Vlasic insinuates in a letter to the pope that his bishop is...