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[Barf Alert] Vatican Council II: A seed that continues to grow A great grace, a true prophecy for the life of the Church, a new Pentecost: these are some of the expressions used by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to describe the most recent Council – a small seed that has become a tree and continues to bear fruit through the working of the Holy Spirit. By Sergio CentofantiThis year 8 December will mark the 55th anniversary of the end of the Second Vatican Council. It is an important moment in this period since a new debate...

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...

Archbishop Viganò to Phil Lawler: Council Fathers “Were the Object of a Sensational Deception” In response to questions from Phil Lawler, book author and news director of CatholicCulture.org, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has issued yet another statement (see full text below) clarifying his position concerning the Second Vatican Council, some of whose teachings have recently been critically examined – especially in light of Pope Francis’ February 4, 2019 Abu Dhabi statement – by Bishop Athanasius Schneider.Archbishop Viganò, who says publicly he has been inspired by Bishop Schneider’s critique of certain aspects of the teachings of Vatican II (1962-1965), now describes...

[Catholic Caucus] (Archbishop Vigano's) Interview with Phil Lawler Lawler: First, what are you saying about Vatican II? That things have gone downhill fast since then is certainly true. But if the whole Council is a problem, how did that happen? How do we reconcile that with what we believe about the inerrancy of the magisterium? How were all the Council fathers deceived? Even if only some parts of the Council (e.g. Nostra Aetate, Dignitatis Humanae) are problematical, we still face the same questions. Many of us have been saying for years that the “spirit of Vatican II” is in error....

[Catholic Caucus] Why the Latin Mass Matters in the Real World: A Review of Dr. Kwasniewski’s Powerful New Book (A guest review by Fr. William Slattery) In writing this review, I am seeking to pay off a debt I owe to Dr. Kwasniewski. It was largely due to his first Angelico book, Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis (2014), that I converted to the Traditional Latin Mass. As a priest ordained by Pope John Paul II in 1991, my entire liturgical life before and after priesthood had been the Novus Ordo. During my years in Rome, while studying for my...

ROSARIO, Argentina – Three Spanish-born cardinals on Wednesday offered up their “red hats and cardinal rings” to any woman who wants to be a member of the Catholic Church’s most exclusive club. Yet, there’s a catch: they argue that there’s a need to rediscover the priesthood as Jesus perceived it, saying “it’s about service, not power.” “Women, like men, have to rediscover baptism and the dignity of being children of God that the baptism gives us,” said Cardinal Cristobal Lopez, archbishop of Rabat. “Our joy is not in being bishops or cardinals, ordained or not. Our joy must come from...

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist Luke 1:57-66, 80 Friends, today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. From time immemorial, God has sent messengers, prophets, and spokespersons. Think of that whole line of prophets and the patriarchs of Israel. John the Baptist sums up all of these figures. In the Gospel of John, the Baptist identifies himself as "the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’" The point John makes is that Jesus is not just one more biblical figure. He’s something altogether...

Why “What are the bishops doing about it?” is the wrong question A vandalized statue of St. Junipero Serra in San Francisco is seen June 19, 2020. Recently, the bishops of California made a statement regarding the attacks on the statues of St. Junipero Serra in San Francisco, Ventura, and Los Angeles. While acknowledging that there are legitimate concerns about racism both historical and contemporary, we insisted that the characterization of Serra as the moral equivalent of Hitler and the missions he founded as tantamount to death camps is simply unconscionable. I put a link to this statement on my...

55 YEARS LATER: Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s Appraisal of Vatican II Bishop Schneider’s reflections, based in great part on his book-length interview Christus Vincit: Christ’s Triumph Over the Darkness of the Age, expand on certain points of its discussion of Vatican II, in light of recent debate. Originally published by Angelico Press in October 2019, Christus Vincit is set to be released this week in German and Portuguese.His Excellency has kindly given the official English text exclusively to The Remnant, the Italian and Spanish to Corrispondenza Romana, and the French to the Blog of Jeanne Smits. All rights reserved.Some reflections on...

French priest and liturgist: Abp. Viganò can help other prelates talk about ‘defective points of Vatican II’ There has been an ongoing discussion between Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò and Bishop Athanasius Schneider about the Second Vatican Council. June 22, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Abbé Claude Barthe, a French diocesan priest who lives in Paris and who is a liturgy expert, author, and editor, has responded to the recent interventions of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò concerning the Second Vatican Council and its problems. In an intervention published by our Italian colleague Marco Tosatti (see full text below), the French priest says now...

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...

VIGANÒ WRITES ON THE VATICAN II. WE ARE AT THE REDDE RATIONEM Dear friends and enemies fo Stilum Curiae, we publish an article written by Abp. Carlo Maria Viganò for the news site Chiesa e PostConcilio. Enjoy your reading. §§§ 9 June 2020 Saint Ephrem I read with great interest the essay of His Excellency Athanasius Schneider published on LifeSiteNews on June 1, subsequently translated into Italian by Chiesa e post concilio, entitled There is no divine positive will or natural right to the diversity of religions. His Excellency’s study summarizes, with the clarity that distinguishes the words of those...

Bishop Schneider: Catholics and Muslims share no common faith in God, no common adoration 'That we Catholics adore with the Muslims the one God is not true' June 8, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Bishop Athanasius Schneider has once more raised his voice concerning the controversial February 4, 2019 Abu Dhabi Statement on Human Fraternity where Pope Francis and a Grand Imam jointly declared, among other problematic statements, that God wills a “diversity” of religions.  Bishop Schneider’s intervention (read full text below) comes after Cardinal Gerhard Müller wrote an extensive interpretation and explanation of that document. While Cardinal Müller presents an “interpretative...

[Catholic Caucus] Francis pontificate proving to be ‘catastrophe’ for Church: Renowned historian I hold, with all respect for the office which he holds, that the pontificate of Pope Francis has proven to be a catastrophe for the Church' May 22, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The “religious and moral crisis” that followed Vatican II was a worse chastisement than the two world wars and led logically to the “catastrophe” of Pope Francis’ pontificate, says Italian historian and author Roberto de Mattei. "I hold, with all respect for the office which he holds, that the pontificate of Pope Francis has proven to be...

‘Politically correct’ modifications to prayers do not help the Church to know the truth In the reformed liturgy, to the detriment of the people, the language is softer and 'nicer.' May 12, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) -- If one pays close attention to the differences between older (pre-Vatican II) and newer (post-Vatican II) prayers that are supposed to be for the same intention, one sees ample evidence of a disturbing tendency: the “doctoring” of prayers to say something softer and “nicer” than they used to say. This was no mere accident; it was part of a deliberate program to encourage a vaguer...

[Catholic Caucus] The State’s Authority over the Church: Since when? Over the past month, I’ve posted several articles in defense of the Sovereign Rights of Christ the King, in particular as reflected in the eminent freedom of His Church from the dictates of civil rulers in matters pertaining to her mission. This post will be far briefer.During a recent press conference (via video, of course), Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte commented on his decision to continue his nation’s ban on public Mass, saying:For weeks the Church has been trying to convince the government to allow the celebration of the Holy...

[Catholic Caucus] Idaho Bishop Bans Mass ‘Ad Orientem’ Bp. Peter Christensen's order comes amid rapid expansion of Traditional Latin Mass BOISE, Idaho (ChurchMilitant.com) - While the traditional Latin Mass is growing prolifically in Idaho and elsewhere, the bishop of Boise has forbidden priests from facing east, using Communion rails or incorporating traditional elements when offering Novus Ordo Mass.    Bp. Peter Christensen Published in the March-April issue of the Idaho Catholic Register is a February memo from Bp. Peter Christensen clarifying liturgical practices in the diocese, ostensibly to "reduce confusion among the faithful and the increasing disinformation regarding liturgical matters" and "promote harmony and...

The Popes Refute the Monsters of Liberalism The Monsters of Liberty What kind of man would cite Holy Scripture to justify the brutal murder of unborn children even at the moment they are being born — even as their very heads are emerging from the birth canal?  What kind of man would drag a nine-year-old boy up on stage during a political rally to give that poor child advice before the whole world on how to “come out” as “gay”? Such a man would be a monster. And such a man is Pete Buttigieg: an apostate Catholic who pretends to have...

Nuns Perform Hindu Ritual During Doxology at Cdl. Cupich Mass ROME (ChurchMilitant.com) - Catholics all over the world have been scandalized by nuns performing a distinctive Hindu ritual during the elevation of the Holy Eucharist at a Mass celebrated by Cdl. Blaise Cupich in Rome.       The "arati" ritual is one of twelve Hindu symbols, rituals and ceremonials approved by the Vatican for the "Indian Rite Mass" and has led to widespread syncretism, liturgical abuse, confusion among the laity and a moratorium on evangelization in India.  A trio of Indian nuns, who had completed their diploma in safeguarding at the Gregorian Pontifical University's Center...