“Our situation is now as follows: first, and I can give you statements from Rome that say very clearly that the Society is not schismatic. So we are Catholics and the modern church recognizes us as Catholics. But they say there is something irregular because you do not have canonical status. And they do not want to give us this canonical status before we say that the new Mass is good and the council is good. And we're not going to say it, so we're stuck here. At the same time, you have heard that the Pope gave us the power to confess everyone. Everyone can come with us, not only our faithful, everybody, and the priest has the power to give confession. This is true also for the Last Rights, that is for the Extreme Unction, and recently we have also, in a curious way, the power for marriages. It is even more than that. Just to show you that even if there are certain things which are not yet complete, on the other side many things that are already written down, where Rome is accepting us as Catholics. I give you some examples. For example, if a priest is doing very, very bad, so he needs to be punished. And so the superior, which was myself, I contact Rome and say I'm sorry one of our priests did a big thing and several time Rome did appoint myself as the judge of the case. So I think tribunal know in the name of Rome on one or several of our priests even one times they appointed me as the tribunal of second instance what is Rome made the judgement, the priest appealed against this decision from Rome, and Rome didn't recognize that they made a mistake, and they asked me to be the second judge for that case. How can this be if we are not Catholics? You see? Here we have examples in real life which shows that they consider us as Catholics. Though they say that everything is not yet finished. It is true, we all recognize that. We all say who made the first mistake?”
— conference with Bp. Fellay, St. Joseph Priory, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines, (3 September 2018).
“Pope Francis breaks Catholic traditions whenever he wants because he is “free from disordered attachments.” Our Church has indeed entered a new phase: with the advent of this first Jesuit pope, it is openly ruled by an individual rather than by the authority of Scripture alone or even its own dictates of tradition plus Scripture.”
— Fr. Thomas Rosica, (English language media attaché of the Holy See Press Office & CEO of Salt and Light)
The Ignatian Qualities of the Petrine Ministry of Pope Francis, Salt and Light TV, (31 July 2018).
“The whole concept of setting up committees, consulting widely, convening smart people around you is how Jesuit superiors usually function. Then they make the decision. This sort of discernment – listening to all and contemplating everything before acting – is a cardinal virtue of the Ignatian spirituality that is at the core of Francis' being and his commitment to a "conversion" of the papacy as well as the entire church. It’s hard to predict what will come next. Francis is shrewd, and he has repeatedly praised the Jesuit trait of "holy cunning" – that Christians should be "wise as serpents but innocent as doves," as Jesus put it. The pope's openness, however, also a signature of his Jesuit training and development, means that not even he is sure where the spirit will lead. He has said: "I don't have all the answers. I don't even have all the questions. I always think of new questions, and there are always new questions coming forward."”
— Fr. Thomas Rosica, (English language media attaché of the Holy See Press Office & CEO of Salt and Light)
The Ignatian Qualities of the Petrine Ministry of Pope Francis, Salt and Light TV, (31 July 2018).
“It seems that our God wants to sing us a lullaby. Our God is gifted at this. His tenderness is this: he is a father and a mother. Many times he said: "But if a mother forgets her son, I will not forget you. He carries us in his deep within. He is the God who with this dialogue makes himself small to make us understand, to make us trust in him and we can tell him with the courage of Paul who changes the word and says: ", Abba Father". Father ... It's the tenderness of God.”
“He is the great God who makes himself small and in his smallness he does not stop being great. And in this great dialectic he is small: there is the tenderness of God. The great that makes himself small and the small that is great. Christmas helps us to understand this: in that manger ... the little God. A phrase from St. Thomas comes to mind in the first part of Summa [Theologica]. Wanting to explain this: "What is divine? What is the most divine thing? ", He says:" “to the maximum tamen continents at the minimum divinum est", that is, do not be frightened of big things, but keep small things in mind. This is divine, both together.”
source: Vatican Radio, Pope at Mass: The tenderness of God is father and mother
Thanks to Andrew Guernsey who posted this radio sermon and scanned the two transcripts below to his youtube channel.
“Local Catholics in a Belgian town are outraged as a cruciform cow has been erected as art at the center of a consecrated Catholic church. They are urging the local bishop to have it removed and offer public prayers of reparation.
The “art” exhibit by Tom Herck is to be displayed until early December in the small parish church of Saint John the Baptist of Kuttekoven, in the Flemish town of Borgloon.
[...]
The “artist” went through the grueling process of actually nailing the 500 kg corpse of a cow to a cross before covering it with silicone paint: it is the resulting mold that hangs, “crucified” in the center of the church as a sneering mockery of one of the most sacred images of the Catholic faith: that of the crucified God and Saviour of mankind.
In contemporary art, by far the most important part of an opus resides in the “discourse” – or, more appropriately, gibberish – that surrounds it. The installation in Borgloon, Tom Herck is happy to explain, aims to make a stand against modern wastefulness. The cow on the cross, surmounting a basin containing 5,000 litres of milk, is supposed to symbolize industrial breeding and thrown-away food. Visitors are welcomed with beef and cheese appetizers.
The choice of a church supposedly points to wasted architectural space in a time of housing shortage. Herck openly admits he is particularly seeking to attract attention to the “innumerable” churches that remain empty in Flanders on Sundays because, he says, the Flemish are no longer interested in “insufferably tedious Masses.”
Katholiek Forum say the local diocese has been slow to act on the blasphemous installation in the church of Saint John the Baptist, which has never been deconsecrated and where religious services are still held. They say the “crucified cow” is a “satanic image and a disgusting insult to God and Catholicism.”
“We are disappointed by Patrick Hoogmartens. He has done nothing against this self-styled work of art because he wants to avoid confrontation. He is terrified by the media. That is why we came to pray here, because Catholicism has been dishonored,” said Dries Goethals.
Shortly after the installation was opened to the public at the beginning of the month, the diocese of Hasselt published this reaction as its sole response:
The diocese of Hasselt is astonished at the ‘Holy Cow’ exhibition in the church of Kuttekoven. We are always ready to collaborate in dialogue with art projects in a church, and we can certainly appreciate humor. But a cow on the cross, on the spot where Christ hung on the cross, that is to our mind really a bridge too far. Transformation is a trend in the art world. Deep symbolism, such as that of the cross, cannot however receive another meaning just like that. That can be hurtful or come across as a will to ridicule. Even though the church of Kuttekoven is soon to be deconsecrated, we find this way of changing its destination unbecoming. Or should we perhaps today consider certain forms of art as the ‘holy cow’?
The statement was published on November 7 and was not followed by any form of action on the part of the Catholic diocese of Hasselt to put an end to the defilement of the image of the crucified Christ in a church that, to LifeSite’s knowledge, still belongs to it. If not, similarly to other religious buildings that are property of the State in Belgium, the Catholic Church at least has full sovereignty over its use. ”
source: LifeSiteNews, ‘Crucified cow’ on display at center of Catholic church, locals outraged
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
I cordially greet all of you who attend the third International Symposium on the Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, convened by the Office for Pastoral Care of the Family of the Italian Bishops’ Conference.
The theme you have proposed: The Gospel of Love between Conscience and Norm, is of great importance, and can illuminate the path that the Churches in Italy are taking, in order to respond to the desire for family that emerges in the soul of the young generations. Love between a man and a woman is obviously among the most generative human experiences; it is the leaven of a culture of encounter, and introduces to the present world an injection of sociality. Indeed “the good of the family is decisive for the future of the world and of the Church. (Amoris laetitia, 31)” The family born of marriage creates fruitful bonds, which reveal themselves to be the most effective antidote against the individualism that currently runs rampant; however, along the journey of marital love and family life there are situations that require arduous choices, which must be made with rectitude. In the domestic reality, sometimes there are concrete knots to be addressed with prudent conscience on the part of each. It is important that spouses, parents, be not left alone, but accompanied in their commitment to applying the Gospel to the concreteness of life. On the other hand, we know well that “we are called to form consciences, not to pretend to substitute them. (Ibid., 37)”
The contemporary world risks confusing the primacy of conscience, which is always to be respected, with the exclusive autonomy of the individual with respect to the relations that he entertains in life.
As I said recently to the Pontifical Academy for Life, “There are those who even speak of ego-latry, that is, of a true worship of the ego, on whose altar is sacrificed everything, including the dearest affections. This perspective is not harmless: it molds a subject that looks constantly in the mirror, until it becomes incapable of turning its eyes to others and the world. The spread of this attitude has most serious consequences for all the affections and ties of life. (5 Oct., 2017)” This is a “pollution” that corrodes souls and confounds minds and hearts, producing false illusions.
Romano Guardini, in a text on the subject of conscience, indicates the way to the search for the true good. He writes: “From this imprisonment in myself I am free only if I find a point, which is not my ego: a height higher than myself; something solid and working in my interior – and behold! Here we are come to the core [...] that is, to religious reality. That good [...] is something alive. [...] It is the fullness of worth, which belongs to the selfsame living God. (La coscienza, Brescia 1933, 32-33)”
In the very depths of each one of us there is a place wherein the Mystery reveals itself, and illuminates the person, making the person the protagonist of his story. Conscience, as the II Vatican Council recalls, is this, “most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths. (GS 16)” To the Christian falls the task of being vigilant, so that in this sort of tabernacle is no want of divine grace, which illuminates and strengthens married love and parental mission. Grace fills the amphorae of human hearts with an extraordinary capacity for gift, renewing for the families of today the miracle of the wedding feast at Cana.
Commenting on that Gospel episode, I have been able to say that, “By transforming into wine the water of the jars used ‘for the Jewish rites of purification’ (Jn 2:6), Jesus preforms an eloquent sign: he transforms the Law of Moses into the Gospel, bearer of joy. (Gen. Audience, June 8, 2016)” Jesus points in particular to the medicine of mercy, which cures the hardness of the heart, restoring the relationship between husband and wife, and between parents and children.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I wish all the best for your work in this Symposium. Let the Church in Italy help to assimilate and develop Amoris laetitia’s content and style; may she contribute to the formation of family group animators in parishes, associations, and movements; may she support the journey of so many families, helping them to live the joy of the Gospel, and to be active cells in the community. I bless you, and I ask you, please, to pray for me.
Moreover, with what the pope is doing, there have been protests by cardinals on moral questions, on the question of marriage, on the question of communion for divorced-and-remarried persons. A certain number of them have clearly and openly said that they refuse, declaring: “No, that will not be done.” Then there are the African bishops, who have clearly said that there is no question of giving communion to divorced-and-remarried persons. This is a reaction that is saying no to the supreme authority. Which we have been doing for fifty years. This is becoming extremely interesting. We are no longer the only ones.
Then some people say: “Careful! Careful! If you make an agreement, afterwards they will silence you.” But that is passé! That’s over! There are others who are talking. We are no longer the only ones. We no longer have a monopoly on protests. They are not very numerous, but this number is increasing. And then, from time to time, I receive letters. Like this one: I will read it to you in English because it is an image: “Stick to your guns. Always stick to your guns.” This means: Keep your hands on your revolvers. Hold them firmly. In other words: “Defend yourselves. Always. And refuse to compromise in these matters that do not really pertain to the substance of the faith: religious liberty, ecumenism, dialogue with non-Christian religions. There are many of us in the hierarchy who think and believe in what you are doing about these questions.” It is a bishop who wrote that to me. He does not write “I”, he writes that there are many of “us”. He wrote other things too that I dare not read to you, they are so laudatory, but here is the gist: “We need voices that tell us the limits of our freedom in those areas.” He says that the Church, which teaches the truth, is now lost in the gray areas, in vagueness. “Come to our aid.” And also: “Do not let go of anything, continue like this, we need it!” This is new! There was nothing like this before! The bishops used to tell us: obviously there are problems, but at the end of the day…. And here they are telling us: “Resist, we need it!” Actually they do not speak too loud because they know very well that if they do, they will be cutting off their own heads.
But they are working silently, they are working to reestablish the old Mass, like one archbishop who told me: “I have a generation of priests that is lost. You can’t do anything with them. What do I do, then? I take care of the young ones.” And he gave me two criteria: priestly formation in theology is the Summa of Saint Thomas, and in spirituality, in liturgy, it is the old Mass. I am not telling you their names because we do not want to burn out these prelates, but there are several of them. I discover some, just like that, by surprise, and there are a certain number of them! And these are young bishops! And some of them were appointed by Pope Francis! He is not just appointing bad ones! He is all mixed up, like his whole attitude, which has also increased the general confusion. But it is extremely interesting to see that there is this movement, and I am certain that it will no longer stop. Why? Because these bishops see where the truth is, and they will not give in. They are annoyed, they are cornered, because they are in the system, but they will no longer give in. Just like these priests who have discovered the old Mass, they will do all that they can, they are annoyed, cornered, but they will keep it. These are skirmishes that have been won.
The Franciscan friars of Lahore celebrated the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad along with some Muslim families. The interfaith celebration was held yesterday at the "Dar ul Naeem", center of Franciscan formation, during which the two religious communities also exchanged Christmas wishes.Fr. Jamil Albert, coordinator of the Justice Peace and Integrity with Creation (JPIC), told AsiaNews: ""This is the first time we invited everybody for the joint Eid and Christmas feast. The clerics are more than our friends, many showed up despite differences within Islamic sects as to whether the day should be observed or not. The example of Eid celebration in Christian's house will inspire the whole country".
The ceremony began with the recitation of excerpts from the sacred books of both religions. Some Islamic clerics offered evening prayer in the chapel of the Franciscan center. Then Christmas carols and the naats (songs of praise to Muhammad) were sung and later Christians and Muslims shared dinner. The festivities ended with the cutting of a cake, gifted by the Muslims.
Inventor of Christianity? On December 17th, the anti-Catholic Italian journalist Eugenio Scalfari, to whom Pope Francis talks regularly, revealed in La Repubblica how Francis answered the question which saint he prefers. Francis said, “The first is obviously Paul. He is the one who constructed our religion.”
Lutheran theses coincide with what happened in the first centuries: At the end of his article, Scalfari writes, "In the early centuries of Christianity, the sacraments were celebrated directly by the faithful and the priests only served.” Scalfari continues, “Francis agrees on these Lutheran theses that coincide with what happened in the first centuries." The Vatican did not deny Scalfari’s claims.
“When Pope Francis participated in the celebration of Martin Luther and his Reformation it captured the essence of the Lutheran thesis: the identification of the faithful with God with no need of intermediation of the clergy but occuring directly. [from the people] This brings us to the one God and assigns a secondary role to the priesthood. So it was in the early centuries of Christianity, when the sacraments were celebrated directly by the faithful and priests only did the service. Francis agrees on these Lutheran theses that coincide with what happened in the first centuries.”
Pope Francis told Father Spadaro he wonders why some young people, who were not raised with the old Latin Mass, nevertheless prefer it.“And I ask myself: Why so much rigidity? Dig, dig, this rigidity always hides something, insecurity or even something else. Rigidity is defensive. True love is not rigid.”
“For the Jubilee Year I had also granted that those faithful who, for various reasons, attend churches officiated by the priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, can validly and licitly receive the sacramental absolution of their sins.[15] For the pastoral benefit of these faithful, and trusting in the good will of their priests to strive with God’s help for the recovery of full communion in the Catholic Church, I have personally decided to extend this faculty beyond the Jubilee Year, until further provisions are made, lest anyone ever be deprived of the sacramental sign of reconciliation through the Church’s pardon.”
“There is a big sin against ecumenism: proselytism. You must never proselytize the Orthodox. They are our brothers and sisters, disciples of Jesus Christ.”
“Blessed are those Christian communities who live this authentic Gospel simplicity! Poor in means, they are rich in God.”
“Blessed are the Shepherds who do not ride the logic of worldly success, but follow the law of love: welcoming, listening, serving.”
“Blessed is the church who does not entrust herself to the criteria of functionalism and organizational efficiency, nor worries about her image.”
