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[Catholic Caucus] Cardinals, theologians gather to plan how US church can support Pope FrancisCardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago celebrates Mass March 25 in Chicago. Cupich was among about 70 cardinals, bishops and theologians gathered privately March 25-26 for conversations focused on how the U.S. church can better support Pope Francis. (NCR screengrab)Chicago — A group of about 70 cardinals, bishops and theologians gathered privately for two days here from March 25-26 for conversations focused on how the U.S. Catholic Church can better support the agenda of Pope Francis.Through a series of keynote presentations and panel discussions centered on tracing the...

[Catholic Caucus] Ember Days in the Post-Vatican II Liturgical Reforms: An Accidental Elimination? This week in the traditional Roman Rite, we have one of its most ancient celebrations, the Ember Days. The Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of the first week of Lent are one of the four times during the liturgical year (hence the Latin title Quattuor Temporum) specially set apart by the Church for fasting and abstinence, as well as prayer for farming and harvests. The Ember Days also have a traditional association with the conferral of Holy Orders. Their antiquity is attested by Pope St Leo the...

[Catholic Caucus] Argentina: Archbishop Deplores Devastating Francis EffectCatholicism in Argentina “is in full retreat,” former La Plata Archbishop Hector Aguer writes on InfoCatolica.com (March 2). Here his assessment:• many churches are depopulated,• the liturgy has “fallen into banality if not worse,”• seminaries half-empty,• religious houses decimated,• decrease in the number of marriages and baptisms,• there is no widespread Catholic youth movement,• the bishops submit to the “New World Order” and the “money imperialism”In some dioceses, there are still some “very active people” which Aguer calls “small groups," stuck with a devastated liturgy, “The lack of precision, solemnity and beauty in...

[Catholic Caucus] The False Shepherds Have Groomed Us for Globalism and Perdition In his 1984 lectures in Belfast and Dublin, the great Michael Davies began with an image to help his audience understand the manner in which the innovators had spread the novelties of Vatican II within the Church:“I understand that there is a most effective method of killing goldfish which can be employed by tender-hearted people who do not wish to inflict pain upon these colorful little creatures and yet, for some compelling reason, wish to dispose of them. I had better point out, in order to avoid...

[Catholic/Orthodox Caucus] In honor of Ukraine and of Cardinal Josyf Slipyj, at the 130th anniversary of his birth (1892-2022) — by Roberto de Mattei There are men who embody the deepest virtues and values of a people. Such was Cardinal Josyf Slipyj, major archbishop of Halych and Lviv of the Ukrainians, the 130th anniversary of whose birth is being celebrated just as his homeland is experiencing an enormous new tragedy. ​Born on February 17 1892 in Zazdrist, western Ukraine, at the age of nineteen Josyf Slipyj entered the seminary of Lviv, where he was ordained a priest on September...

[Catholic Caucus] Does Dignitatis Humanae Mean Anything? The documents of the Second Vatican Council are sometimes characterized as ambiguous. This suggests, of course, that the documents have more than one plausible meaning. There is a worse possibility, however. At least when it comes to Dignitatis humanae, a Council document might have no meaning at all.The idea is shocking, but solely as a matter of logic, it is not impossible. Consider, for example, a document which says both "A" and "not A." The document is ambiguous only if the passages are read in isolation: the document might mean "A," and...

This dissertation on Vatican II influenced Rome’s decision to lift the excommunications of the SSPX bishopsLifeSiteNews has learned that this dissertation was timely and had a positive influence upon the Vatican’s decision to remove the excommunications of the four bishops of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), who were consecrated in 1988, in January of 2009. Fri Feb 18, 2022 - 3:33 pm ESTFri Feb 18, 2022 - 3:34 pm EST (LifeSiteNews) — There lies in Rome a story that has not yet been told but that deserves our attention. In 2006, Msgr. Florian Kolfhaus, a member of the...

German traditional Catholic author says Vatican II at the root of sexual abuse crisis in the Church'Anyone who seriously asks about the causes of this catastrophe, which was growing at the time, will also have to take into account its 'When' – the years that followed the 'New Pentecost' of the Second Vatican Council,' writes Martin Mosebach. FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (LifeSiteNews) —Martin Mosebach, a German traditional Catholic and renowned book author, has written one of the best analyses of the current clerical sex abuse crisis (see full text below). Instead of using indignation about the abuse of children within...

[Catholic Caucus] The Synodal Path: Slowly Transforming Schism and Heresy into “Tradition” On this year’s feast of St. Blaise, Cardinal Cupich tweeted a picture of himself processing through the streets of Dubrovnik, Croatia with the saint’s relics, adding:“A great blessing to celebrate the 1050th anniversary of the feast of St. Blase in Dubrovnik, Croatia, today and preach on the importance of Tradition.”Perhaps someone who knew nothing of Cupich could find this edifying. However, those who have seen the man attack Catholic tradition so viciously in recent years are more likely to see it as malicious gaslighting. Quite possibly he...

[Catholic Caucus] The Mass That Was Never Forbidden: Key Dates in the Old Missal’s Rehabilitation The Mass Was Never ForbiddenPaix Liturgique NewsletterLetter 122 (9 February 2022)The following presentation follows Abbé Claude Barthe’s book, La messe de Vatican II. Dossier historique (Via Romana, 2018).1978: John Paul II receives Archbp. LefebvreThe election of John Paul II in 1978 marked a turning point in an attempt to regain control in the wake of the Council, even if it was extremely timid. On November 18, 1978, one month after his election, at the initiative of Cardinal Siri, John Paul II received Archbishop Lefebvre...

[Catholic Caucus] Francis Equates the Traditional Liturgy with “Abuse” While Continuing to Tolerate an Abusive Rite— Crucial article by French priest How Traditionis Custodies Relegates the Traditional Liturgy to an “Abuse”Abbé Jean-Marie PerrotFebruary 1, 2022Res NovaeOne of the many reasons for the annoyance provoked by the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes and the subsequent Responses to the Dubia is the symmetry they establish between the traditional liturgy on the one hand and liturgical abuses in the Novus Ordo on the other. This means, first of all, that the Vetus Ordo in itself is reduced to the very depreciated rank of...

The Synod on Synodality: Implementing the “Ecclesiology of Vatican II”The so-called Synod on Synodality — officially, the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the theme of which is, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission” (Oct. 2021–Oct. 2023) — opened in Rome the weekend of Oct. 9-10, 2021 and in dioceses around the world the following Sunday. Unlike previous synods, each of which has been devoted either to a specific doctrinal/pastoral subject[1] or to the situation of the Church in a particular region of the world,[2] the focus of the current synod is much broader and...

[Catholic Caucus] The Silence of Good Catholics Amplifies the Lies of Tyrants “Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season; reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine but, according to their own desire, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:2-4)Just as many people have willingly smothered themselves with useless masks for two years, much of the world’s population has smothered itself in...

[Catholic Caucus] The fever virus spreads! Another bishop attacks ‘ad orientem’ worship.Bishops. Waiting to see what the other guys do. Then, boldly leaping into action!And getting it wrong. Again.The Bishop of Erie Pennsylvania is not to be confused with his predecessor, the Erie Bishop of Pennsylvania, Donald Trautman. Although, they both seem challenged by accurate translations. More on that, below.The Bishop of Erie, has attempted to restrict ad orientem celebration of Holy Mass. It’s some kind of fever that they have, manifesting symptoms of profound confusion about Latin, the loss of the use of logic, and probable fear of “Rome”.Here’s...

[Catholic Caucus] Brazilian Prelate Targets Latin Mass InstituteTraditional rite threatenedURITIBA, Brazil (ChurchMilitant.com) - A Brazilian archbishop is using Pope Francis' document Traditionis Custodes as a pretext to crush a traditionalist community.Abp. José Antônio Peruzzo rchbishop José Antônio Peruzzo of Curitiba, Brazil, is giving the boot to the local chapter of the Institute of the Good Shepherd — a traditional apostolate in full communion with Rome.On Dec. 27, Abp. Peruzzo published a letter to the faithful laying out guidelines for the application of Traditionis Custodes in the Curitiba archdiocese. Quoting Christus Dominus, the Second Vatican Council's decree on the pastoral office...

[Catholic Caucus] Backs to the wall: Can bishops ban 'ad orientem'? a.image2.image-link.image2-540-728 { display: inline; padding-bottom: 74.17582417582418%; padding-bottom: min(74.17582417582418%, 540px); width: 100%; height: 0; } a.image2.image-link.image2-540-728 img { max-width: 728px; max-height: 540px; } Bishop James Conley offers the Ordinary Form of the Mass ad orientem. Credit: Southern Nebraska Register.U.S. dioceses in recent weeks have seen new liturgical policies introduced in response to Pope Francis’ motu proprio Traditiones custodes. But while the pope’s new laws pertain to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, some dioceses have also announced new policies pertaining to the Ordinary Form, and especially to the ad orientem...

[Catholic Caucus] The war on Mass “ad orientem”And so it begins.This just in from a reader…My bishop (Venice in Florida) has just (via a letter to his priests) forbidden the use of ad orientem in any Novus Ordo Masses with a congregation. He asserts that the Novus Ordo mandates versus populum and that any other interpretation is false. It would be interesting to see that letter, wouldn’t it.

The Homily from the Bishop today focuses on the First Reading from Nehemiah detailing Ezra bringing back the Word of God to Jerusalem. Drawing the parallel with our recent post- Concilar Church, explaining why both Walls AND bridges are necessary at this point.14 min. YouTube Video.Should We Build Walls Or Bridges?

A reply: the unforgivable sin of Traditionalism Mass of Reparation, celebrated in response to clerical abuse revelations in 2018.Cross-posted on LMS Chairman.Austen Ivereigh writes that he has been troubled by a criticism of the restrictions on the Traditional Mass brought in last July by Pope Francis' Traditionis Custodes. This is the point, made even by people with no particular interest in the ancient Mass, that it was an example of collective punishment: the innocent were being deprived of the Mass alongside those, whoever they are, who are truly guilty, of whatever it is they are supposed to be guilty...

Vatican II in Light of Tradition? Traditional Catholics are often told that we ought not to reject the Second Vatican Council, but merely reject the “Spirit of Vatican II,” which is showcased by clown masses, communion in the hand, Fr. James Martin, SJ, etc. In other words, reject the implementation of the council, but don’t reject the council itself. People will quote bits and pieces from the council that can sound more conservative, and try giving the impression that Vatican II isn’t so bad after all. This is known as reading Vatican II in light of tradition, or using...