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[Catholic Caucus] Swiss bishop: Pope Francis is undermining Church teaching under ‘democratic’ pretensesEditor’s note: This text by Bishop Marian Eleganti was written in German and translated by LifeSiteNews with permission from the bishop.(LifeSiteNews) — It is becoming increasingly clear (cf. Cardinal Fernández’s latest statements on Facebook and his response to Cardinal Duka’s dubia) what the newly propagated concept of “synodality” is really about: the dissolution of independent, hierarchical, ecclesiastical authority in terms of doctrine and governance. The ecclesiastical hierarchy is to be leveled in its exercise into democratic – that is, synodal (cf. Anglicanism) – processes.Authority then exists only in...

[Catholic Caucus] Synod, October 18: Cardinal Hollerich calls for ‘small but sensitive changes’ in Church governanceOctober 19, 2023On October 18, participants in the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops turned their attention to the Synod’s fourth topic: “Participation, governance and authority. What processes, structures and institutions are there in a missionary synodal Church?”The Synod’s first session has reached its halfway point: the session began on October 4 and will conclude on October 29. The Synod’s second session will take place in October 2024.Archbishop Grušas: The Gospel is ‘given on God’s terms, not man’s’On...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis reportedly tasked next year’s Synod with addressing same-sex ‘blessings’Cdl. Steiner noted that 'it is a wish of the Holy Father that the next session' of the Synod on Synodality meetings address topics of same-sex blessings.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Fielding questions from journalists, synod members displayed a mixed view on the topic of same-sex blessings, while also revealing that Pope Francis has planned for next year’s synod meetings to address the topic specifically.The topic of same-sex blessings and the Church’s relationship with LGBT-identifying individuals has been a key aspect of attention for those covering the Synod on...

Pope: “The Church Has to Change”In a new interview, the Roman Pontiff has elaborated on the synodal dream of Cardinal Martini, taking place now in Rome. But before we get to that, we should be fair and say that he also said a few good things:We were all unexperienced young people once, and sometimes young boys and girls hold onto miracles, to a messiah, to things being solved in a messianic way. There is only one Messiah who saved us all. The rest are all clowns of messianism. None of them can promise a solution to conflicts, unless it’s emerging...

Seeds of the Synod: Vatican II’s Forgotten Battle Over Who Belongs to the Mystical Body of ChristPius XII’s Humani Generis from 1950 was the last major encyclical warning Catholics about the dangers facing the Church prior to Vatican II. In it, he denounced what he termed the “imprudent zeal for souls” that led some Catholics to question the necessity of belonging to the Catholic Church:“Some say they are not bound by the doctrine, explained in Our Encyclical Letter of a few years ago, and based on the Sources of Revelation, which teaches that the Mystical Body of Christ and the...

[Catholic Caucus] Exclusive: Bishop on synod drafting committee expresses openness to women deaconsExclusive: Bishop on synod drafting committee expresses openness to women deacons">Share on TwitterEmail to a friendPrintOne of the 13 members of the committee expected to draft the hotly anticipated final document from Pope Francis' ongoing Vatican summit on the future of the Catholic Church has expressed an openness to ordaining women as Catholic deacons.In an exclusive interview with National Catholic Reporter, Australian Bishop Shane Mackinlay, elected to the committee role by his peers at the Oct. 4-29 Synod of Bishops, said of discussions about women's ordination: "I'm glad...

[Catholic Caucus] Synod on Synodality now discussing lay governance and ‘synodality’ as ‘standard’ for the ChurchParticipants at the Synod on Synodality are now in the fourth of five modules, with ecclesial governance taking center stage in discussions.Bishops and cardinals at the opening Mass for the Synod’s October 2023 sessionsVATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Synod participants are now examining questions related to the exercise of authority in the Church, involving laity, and particularly women, in the hierarchical and decision-making structure, and implementing “synodality” as the “standard” way of Church life at “all levels.”The assembled members and non-voting members of the Synod on...

[Catholic Caucus] Rigged Synod Experts Will Proclaim “the Will of God”So it’s October 17th, and we are more than half way through this month of the #SchismaticWay, and what do we have so far? A particular generation of theologians have more or less declared this synod to be the dream of Cardinal Martini, where they can finally find that reform they always wanted: As such, the synod has become a circus of what this pontificate has alreadty brought forth: all the cheerleaders for the St. Gallen Mafia have lifted their heads above water and shouted their filth to the world....

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis suggests the Synod is a continuation of Vatican II: ‘The Church has to change’Among the more striking changes advanced by Pope Francis is his recent encouragement of priests to bless homosexual unions, in contradiction to the unchangeable Catholic teaching that the Church cannot bless sinful acts.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — “The Church has to change,” argued Pope Francis in a recent interview, highlighting post-Vatican II changes which he said “must continue.”“Progress is necessary and the Church has to incorporate these novelties with a serious conversation from a human point of view,” declared the Argentine pontiff. In an...

Pope’s synod reforms ‘irreversible’, says Fr Vimal Tirimanna CSsRFr Vimal Tirimanna is one of the theological advisers to the synod and a professor of moral theology who teaches in Sri Lanka and Rome.A leading Asian theologian says Pope Francis’ decision to include non-ordained women and men as voting members of October’s synod assembly is a “giant step” that will irreversibly change the Church’s decision-making processes. Last month, the synod secretariat announced the Pope had authorised a reform to allow at least 70 non-bishops to be members of the 4-29 October synod assembly in the Vatican. This move will see women...

Neither the Gates of Hell nor the Synodal Church Will Prevail Against the Catholic ChurchAt this point in Francis’s Synod on Synodality, most rational Catholics who have paid attention have seen enough to know that it is a deliberate attack from hell on the Catholic Church. In hindsight, this ought to have been clear from Francis’s opening address of the Synod over two years ago, when he announced his intention to create a different church:“Father Congar, of blessed memory, once said: ‘There is no need to create another Church, but to create a different Church’ (True and False Reform in...

[Catholic Caucus] Should the Laity Ignore the Synod on Synodality?Given that the advice offered to the pope during the synodal proceedings will likely contain at least some errors and ambiguities, most lay Catholics are probably better served by simply ignoring the Synod proceedings.We are now in the second full week of the Synod on Synodality. If you are like me, perhaps you have felt a strong inclination to follow the activities of the Synod closely. In fact, at one point last week I was in Eucharistic adoration and thought, “I should read about exactly what is said and done each...

There has been a lot of talk at the Synod on Synodality about listening to the Holy Spirit to see where it is that the Spirit wants to guide the Church. But what is not being mentioned is just what, exactly, this means.Furthermore, little has been said about how to distinguish within ourselves between the Holy Spirit’s authentic voice within us and other “spirits” that are not from God and which can lead us astray. There is instead a kind of vague concept of the Holy Spirit as a kind of oracular voice within us where a conflation takes place...

A Synodal Swampy MessWhile addressing a South American youth gathering in 2015, Pope Francis defined his pontificate when he told them to go out and “make a mess.” And a mess is what he has emanating from the Vatican.Enter the Synod on Synodality where barrels of ink have been spilled leading up to its initiation that is now underway in the Eternal City. And if the recycle dumpster is to be believed, much that has been written on the synod has been deposited unopened. Many baptized Catholics have no idea what a synod is or even care.The growing progressive wing...

SYNODAL WALKATHON: Accompanying Sinners to HellNew Short from RTV ...

[Catholic Caucus] ‘Confused and confusing’: Cardinal Zen talks to the Herald about his ongoing Synod concernsROME – Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, the former bishop of Hong Kong, has become seen in recent years as something of a Confessor — one who has suffered but not (yet) died for the Faith.He has had well-documented difficulties with China’s Communist authorities, which have seen him in recent years charged under new security laws and held under house arrest, as well as his well-known struggles with the Vatican over their Ostpolitik approach to Beijing.Now he has felt forced to speak out in defence of...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: Pray and fast during the Synod as you would for LentOn this week's episode of The Bishop Strickland Show, Bishop Joseph Strickland calls for prayer and fasting during the Synod on Synodality and voices support for the recent dubia presented to Pope Francis.(LifeSiteNews) — On this week’s episode of The Bishop Strickland Show, Bishop Joseph Strickland voices support for the recent dubia by Cardinal Raymond Burke and company, comments on a quote by Archbishop Ven. Fulton Sheen, and calls for prayer and fasting during the Synod on Synodality.Beginning the show addressing the Synod, Strickland encourages us...

[Catholic Caucus] LGBTQ Catholics subject of emotional debate at synod, participants sayThe second week of Pope Francis' closely watched summit on the future of the Catholic Church included emotional debates among bishops and lay delegates over whether the church's ministries could be expanded to include LGBTQ persons.In interviews with multiple delegates from three different continents, NCR has confirmed that during the Synod of Bishop's Oct. 9-12 discussions on the theme of "communion," tensions began to emerge over how the church might extend its welcome to LGBTQ Catholics and whether use of the acronym "LGBTQ" was even appropriate. For at least...

[Catholic Caucus] Synod on Synodality: Italian nun claims St. Paul attended ‘non-ritual female liturgy’An Italian religious sister told the Synod on Synodality assembly Friday that St. Paul attended “a non-ritual female liturgy” ahead of synod discussions of women’s inclusion in the Church. Mother Maria Grazia Angelini gave an exegesis of the New Testament for synod delegates during the general congregation on Oct. 13 in which she claimed that St. Paul “inserted himself into a ‘non-ritual’ female liturgy” when he arrived in the city of Philippi in Macedonia. Speaking to hundreds of synod participants in Paul VI Hall, Angelini described how...

[Catholic Caucus] Synod on Synodality now discussing female deacons, married priests, and lay governanceSynod participants will now spend the next few days discussing controversial topics, after officials refused to commit that members had to uphold Church teaching in discussions.Pope Francis and Synod on Synodality leaders, October 13, 2023.Participants of the Synod on Synodality are currently discussing topics of married priests, female deacons, and increased lay ministry as part of the third of five modules held during the event.Opening the proceedings on Friday morning, relator general Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich gave an address highlighting the chief themes that will form the subject...