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Vatican pushes ‘new way of being Church’ in 3-year Synod rollout planThe document is intended to be read alongside, and indeed formed by, the final document from the Synod on Synodality's October 2024 session in Rome.The Vatican’s synod office has issued guidelines for how to implement the three-year implementation phase of the multi-year Synod on Synodality, emphasizing that it is a manner of “growing in a new way of being Church.”As announced last week, on July 7 the General Secretariat of the Synod published a 14-page document on how the Catholic Church at the local level ought to continue with...

[Catholic Caucus] An Apostolic Church or a "Synodality" Church?Caminante WandererArgentina, May 29. 2025Saint Charles Borromeo and one of the Diocesan Synods he presided in MilanOne of the most pressing and certainly most complex issues that Pope Leo will have to resolve is that of the famous synodality. He is a canonist and a man of government and he knows, therefore, that continuing along the path of a synodal church that Francis had irresponsibly opened would lead to a catastrophe. For those of us who are laymen in theology and canon law, I recommend this article ["The Pope and the Prefectress"]...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: ‘The Church is not called to create truth, but to receive it’Cardinal William Goh of Singapore voiced concerns that the ambiguity in papal teaching has led to confusion among bishops and disunity among the laity,' observes Bishop Strickland.I repeat these words from the prophet Amos because they are critical for our time. There has been much bending away from the plumb line of truth. It should be our only measure.“And the Lord said: Behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people …” (Amos 7:8).In recent remarks, Cardinal William Goh of Sigapore...

This recent Pew survey shows why the Catholic Church cannot be ‘synodal’A recent Pew survey showing that most self-identified US Catholics reject fundamental Church teaching shows plainly the danger of the Synod's redefinition of 'sensus fidei.'In his pre-conclave address to the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Joseph Zen spoke in dramatic terms about the Synod on Synodality:The electors of the next pope must be aware that he will bear the responsibility of either continuing this synodal process or decisively halting it. This is a matter of life or death for the Church founded by Jesus.Like Cardinals Burke, Sarah, and Müller, Cardinal...

[Catholic Caucus] CONCLAVE: Restoring Unity to the ChurchFr. Claude BartheRes NovaeMay 3, 2025Even prior to the opening of the pre-conclave General Congregations, the Eternal City has entered into a state of effervescence. The question has arisen as to whether the 135 cardinal electors, nearly 80% of whom were appointed by Francis, will bring to the pontificate a man whose governance will be in the same vein, or, on the contrary, a cardinal with a will to compromise, who will take into account the grievances of the conservatives, to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the state of the forces...

[Catholic Caucus] “Blessing Gives Strength to Love”: German Bishops’ Conference Releases Authorized Pastoral Guidelines on Imparting Blessings to Homosexual CouplesIt’s as if they were just waiting for the perfect moment—the moment when the last obstacle to their plan would be removed, and no one could stop them. The German original may be found here. -PAK“Blessing Gives Strength to Love”:Blessings for couples who love each otherHandout for pastorsResolution of the Whole Conference [of German Bishops], April 4, 2025 [released April 23]“The Church wishes to proclaim in word and deed the message of the God-given dignity of every person. This message guides...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: Courage as a bishop ‘is a requirement’Bp. Strickland renewed his criticism of trends within the Catholic Church, especially the Synod on Synodality, warning that 'many souls are being led astray.’Bishop Joseph Strickland has warned of a “deliberate effort to undermine the unchanging truths of the Catholic faith from within the Church herself.”“The silence of the shepherds in the face of injustice and the erosion of truth is serious,” said Strickland in a new interview published by Spanish outlet InfoVaticana.Since being removed by the Pope as bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, in November 2023, Strickland...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Schneider: Next pope must ‘abrogate and condemn’ Francis’ errorsSpeaking to popular Catholic podcaster Dr. Taylor Marshall, Bishop Schneider affirmed the need for the next pope to condemn the errors of Francis' various documents and expressions.Auxiliary Bishop of Astana in Kazakhstan, Athanasius Schneider, told Catholic podcaster Dr. Taylor Marshall that the “next pope” must abrogate and condemn the errors promulgated by Francis.Speaking to popular Catholic podcaster Dr. Taylor Marshall on Tuesday, Schneider insisted that “the next pope must,” as his “first task,” issue a decree that “abrogates and condemns” Francis’ “documents and expressions” that contradict Catholic teaching. Schneider...

[Catholic Caucus] WHO'S RUNNING THE CHURCH? While Pope Francis remains an enigma, European bishops tip their hats to BrusselsAfter being discharged from the hospital, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had developed very serious communication difficulties, to the point that he would need to 'learn to speak again.' Cardinal Parolin says that "perhaps not as before, but the Pope will return to govern." ...So, who has been governing until now? These days we have witnessed a true strengthening of the power of the Vatican Secretariat of State.On February 14th, Pope Francis was admitted to the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome for...

Spanish bishop laments widespread loss of Catholic faith in his countrySpain has seen a dramatic fall in numbers of people identifying as Catholic as part of a wider stagnation of the Catholic faith across Europe.Spain is no longer a de facto Catholic country, the nation’s leading Catholic prelate has stated, with numbers of Catholics falling and the hierarchy also mired in a controversy to sell off Church assets.“The time has passed, settled for centuries, when we said: I’m Catholic because I was born in Spain,” said Archbishop Luis Argüello last week. The Archbishop of Valladolid was speaking at the recent...

Does the Synod’s ‘Ecclesial Assembly’ Mirror Anglicanism’s Model and Undermine Episcopal Authority?As the Vatican begins a three-year implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality, is the process — already criticized for flirting with Protestant ecclesiology — moving ever more toward a model of governance alien to the Catholic Church? On March 15, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the General Secretariat of the Synod, announced that the “Accompaniment Process of the Implementation Phase of the Synod on Synodality” will culminate in October 2028, not in a synod of bishops but in something novel in Catholic Church governance: an “ecclesial assembly” where...

[Catholic Caucus] Irony Alert: Postconciliar Iconoclasts Arrive at the Feast of St John Damascene and Smash ItSo much to observe about today's confluence in the Roman Rite, on this Thursday of the third week of Lent, with a commemoration of St. John Damascene.First, the ancient Roman liturgy keeps a station today at a church in honor of the physician brothers and martyrs Cosmas and Damian. Obviously the Gospel about the healing of Peter's mother-in-law fits right in; the propers also mention "salus," whose basic meaning is "health" although it takes on the supernatural meaning of "salvation."The TLM, by remembering Cosmas...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland urges brother priests to rebuke the ‘rot of sodomy’ attacking the ChurchNote: The following was written and distributed by Bishop Joseph Strickland at the second annual “Catholic Prayer for America” gala at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday, March 19.(LifeSiteNews) — Dear brother priests,I pray that these Lenten days we presently journey through are a time of abundant grace for you, deepening your life as a priest of Jesus Christ and renewing your heart in His truth and love.I urge you to acquaint yourself with St. Peter Damian, a fearless defender of truth who stood against the corruption of...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop: Seminarians Need Safe Place to Explore Sexuality and Integrate ItIn an interview about seminary formation of candidates for priesthood, Bishop Michael Gerber, of Fulda, Germany, supported the idea that gay man can be ordained.Bishop Michael GerberSpeaking with Katholisch.de, a major German Catholic news outlet, Gerber, who is also chairman of the Commission for Vocations and Church Services at the German Bishops’ Conference, was asked about his thoughts on the Italian bishops’ conference plan to admit gay men into priestly formation on a case-by-case basis, just as heterosexual men are assessed. Should the Catholic Church in Germany, which...

[Catholic Caucus] For Over Fifty Years, the Traditionalist Faithful Have Been Persecuted: No Repentance from the Hierarchy?... Christian MarquantPaix LiturgiqueMarch 2025(main excerpt)The website of the Bishops' Conference of France reminds us that, since 2021, at the request of the Holy Father, every year, and from now on, on the third Friday of Lent, a kind of day of repentance is organized. This is a day of prayer for people who are the victims of violence, sexual violence, or abuse of power.This year, the day will take place next Friday, March 28. “Dioceses and parishes are invited to organize, with the...

Archbishop Aguer: Vatican too full of ‘self-praise’ to recognize the serious decline of the ChurchA 'Church on the move,' in search of those who do not know Christ or have distanced themselves from Him, must not be a 'Church on the run' from her own essence and mission.The twelfth anniversary of Francis’ pontificate was recently celebrated. Vatican press releases are usually full of self-praise. It is very difficult to adjudicate ecclesial reality, which is incredibly vast and characterized by differences between countries, but from a certain vantage point it is possible to contemplate the surroundings. I can do it then...

[Catholic Caucus] Attendance at Mass and How to Fix ItIn October of every year, my diocese, the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, conducts a “head count” in order to determine average Mass attendance. The results of the 2024 count were published in the diocesan newspaper, The Arlington Catholic Herald, in the Jan. 30 – Feb. 12, 2025 edition. Out of an estimated 433,000 registered Catholics in the diocese, approximately 28.8% attended “weekend” Mass in October, 2024.The article compared this result to national attendance rates, citing a Gallup survey in 2024 that showed 23% weekly Mass attendance and a Georgetown University survey...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Schneider urges Pope Francis to ‘retract’ texts undermining the faithWith Pope Francis having now left the hospital, the Kazakhstan bishop said that he must make every effort to 'rectify some confusions and some ambiguities which were made in his pontificate and which he himself made.'Bishop Athanasius Schneider has urged Catholics to pray for Pope Francis that he might “retract” certain documents and statements which have “undermined the clarity” of the faith.With Pope Francis having recently returned to the Vatican on Sunday after spending 38 days in the Gemelli hospital for bilateral pneumonia, many of his close supporters...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholic laity grow in number as priests and seminarians continue declineThe trends of recent years have been repeated, with growth especially found in Africa while Europe stagnates.Seminarians at Oscott Catholic College in Birmingham, England, November 9, 2013.The number of Catholics globally has increased but priests and seminarians continue to decline, according to the latest figures released by the Vatican.Catholics now number 1.406 billion globally, according to the Vatican. The figures form part of the annual statistics on the state of the Church, and cover the time period from 2022 to the end of 2023.The trends of recent years...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope appoints ‘critically loyal’ theologian to ecclesiastical universities’ oversight Pope Francis appointed on Friday a Belgian theologian who describes herself as "critically loyal" to the Church to serve on a Vatican body responsible for overseeing ecclesiastical universities. The appointment is likely to prove controversial, as theologian Bénedicte Lemmelijn is dean of the theology department at a university which called last year for women’s ordination and a “rethink” on the Church’s moral theology regarding sexuality.—The Vatican announced March 21 that Lemmelijn, dean of the faculty of theology and religious studies at KU Leuven had been appointed a member of...