De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

The full episode of The World Over Live from last night where they discuss the crisis the Pope's remarks over civil unions have caused: The Pope has caused great scandal here: he is at ease with homosexual couples living together and committing sin. As Father Murray points out, this is a very sad day because it is a Pope causing grave scandal to the faithful. The discussion online has moved on from "did he or didn't he" - it's now more "he was being pastoral" versus "he's leading people away from the faith". You might remember I wrongly said he didn't , the Vatican then confirmed he did . This was me trying to think the best of the Pope and not immediately jumping to the worst possible conclusion. You see, along with most of you I imagine, I desperately want the Pope to be excellent. To hold and explain the good news about Jesus Christ and what He came to do. I want him to spread the joy of the Gospel and the excitement that comes wit...

The British Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, a group of over 500 priests in England and Wales,  has issued a statement concerning marriage and family life following the release of excerpts from the documentary 'Francesco.' The statement is a simple re-statement of Catholic teaching, including the necessity of sensitivity and compassion when dealing with sensitive and difficult issues, however it balances this compassionate approach with the need for the Church to teach the truth that the normalisation of same-sex relationships harms individuals, damages marriage and society at large. As I have long thought - this is important stuff that the Church has consistently held and taught and cannot be diminished in an off-hand comment. To do so is - at best - extremely irresponsible, not least because, as head of the Catholic Church, one would hope the Pope had some inkling that at least a few people know what the Church teaches and maybe even follow it? So what about all those peop...

  The highly regarded journalist Edward Pentin has posted comments on his personal blog from an expert canonist and priest, who prefers to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of this issue. The priest shares his views on Pope Francis’  support for same-sex civil unions. The priest comments as follows: "...it would be a grave error to protect such unions as such, i.e., as expressly immoral unions. For the harm they do to the entire society, to their own personal morality, to the education of children who grow up being presented with such unions as normal, to the progression of the species, to the notion of family and the fulfilment of one of its essential missions which is education etc., and first of all to the reverence due to God — all this is also applicable to societies as well as families." "However, wishing for a special legal frame for these sinful unions hides a sort of approval or condoning of such unions, or at least a moral indifference. Granting such le...

I'm not sure I would describe this interview as "bone-chilling" exactly. In fact, I always find these conversations deeply comforting because they generally contain important information about our lives and the need to always stay close to Jesus. I do find this sort of witness extremely interesting and powerful. The reality of the supernatural is such a contentious issue in a post-modern world formed largely by empiricist thought. He we encounter a man who has regular encounters with physical, visual proof of a spiritual reality few of us encounter in our day to day lives, yet he speaks calmly and in a matter-of-fact tone. Surely this is powerful stuff for conversion? Fr Lampert states that Jesus did not die so He could save us from a hard day, He died to save us from evil. His explanation of the way we have to invite possession and how we can remedy it by drawing close to Christ is dynamite! I pray daily as any Catholic should, but watching this interview, with it's ...

This is the most thorough examination of the gay unions debacle the pope has wrought upon us all, Steve has far more patience than I could ever muster and has done great work here laying out a detailed map of the situation:

 So in the last two weeks we've had Fratelli Tutti basically expounding Masonic doctrine. We've had the Vatican minting coins depicting a South American pagan goddess - and why they're are still running with this crap after all the push-back they've had on it I just have no idea! We've had the Vatican signing a secret deal with the Chinese which sold out the Church there allowing the Communist Party to appoint bishops: We've had the Vatican sending money to Australia to get Cardinal George Pell put in prison and away from auditing the books at the Vatican Bank And to cap it all off, the Pope issues a statement which stands in direct contradiction to Church teaching. Yesterday I had looked closely at the translation and was happy enough to accept that he had been misunderstood by the secular press. Notwithstanding that, and given the way the story took off like wild fire: the pope had changed Church teaching on gay marriage!! It wouldn't, surely, be outland...

In this talk, which is so worth listening to, Bishop Barron traces the thought that had formed the society we are living in today through history.  I've attended a lecture Barron gave first hand and he is a fantastic teacher, he teaches without notes, holding all this information in his head. He knows what he wants to say and doesn't miss a beat. This talk is a presentation given to the Knights of Malta about this convulsive time in our history, demonstrated by the global pandemic, unstable politics, and outbursts of violence.    Few people understand the ideologies that stand behind the rioting and deep unrest that we see on our city streets. But these ideas are so recognisable if you know a bit of philosophy.  In this brief presentation, Bishop Barron steps back a bit from current events and explores four thinkers who have had a profound impact in shaping the world that we are confronting: Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Michel Foucault. Once ...

I think the fact we are all so ready to believe this speaks volumes about where we are in terms of Church leadership at the moment, but the truth is he didn't say what he is being reported as saying. Here is a quote from someone on a forum, hardly authoritative, but having checked it out, I think it is accurate: “If you watch the original interview in Spanish (my mother tongue) you will see that he used the words “ Leyes de convivencia civil ” which in no means is linked to “union civil”. What Pope Francis talked about were “coexistence laws” to protect people with same sex attraction among other civilians in coexistence in society. He sees the suffering of the children of God and knows they are persecuted in many countries. But NEVER was he in contradiction with church teaching.” It also seems fairly clear (even from just watching the original footage) that he was not talking about same-sex-attracted people “having families” (i.e. children), but rather, he was saying they should n...

Wonersh, a seminary since 1891 is to close. This is the legacy of the Bishops of England & Wales. The Trustees of St John's Seminary, Wonersh, in Guildford, Surrey, issued the following statement on Friday. You can read it for yourself on their website here . Following extensive consideration and discernment, especially over the past year, including communication with the Congregation for the Clergy in Rome, the Trustees have regretfully come to the decision that St John's Seminary cannot continue in its present form. The current and projected number of seminarians is too small to sustain a healthy formation community, and the building and staffing costs have simply become prohibitive. We are reminded 'that the Seminary, more than a building, is a community of formation' ( Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotali s 188) and the Trustees, Rector & Formation Staff, are aware of their responsibility to provide the best formation possible for those preparing fo...

The recent new Government guidelines which labelled the transgender movement as a dangerous political ideology which children need to be protected from was a great victory for common sense, but the battle is a long way from won and the government have made concessions on other fronts in order to make this assertion. It is important that parents are aware of the dangers associated with this pernicious ideology and inform themselves of where it comes from and what it is about. This is why I highly recommend you purchase this film from Arcadia who make films for EWTN all the time and take the time to watch it a couple of times. It is extremely well researched and stacked full of important information that explains why this battle is so important for all of us! You need to own this film so you can refer to it again and again. It exposes the agenda that is pushing forward in politics today, undermining faith and society. A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING 2: THE GENDER AGENDA from City of L...

The atmosphere surrounding the USA elections is toxic, to say the least. This is probably largely driven by the truculent, brash personality of the present President who specialises in pushing buttons and saying what you don't want him to say. At the point of the last election, I felt that neither candidate should be able to stand for such an important office. Neither candidate seemed to me to have the credentials for such high office. Alas it seems the most important factor in the race for the Whitehouse is having the money to throw at the campaign and if you have the cash, nothing else matters. It seems throughout society and across the world the crisis we face is one of leadership. Whatever you think of Trump & Biden, this election does present Catholics with a clear choice. America has the chance to overturn Roe vs Wade here, make no bones about it. Whatever else is going on, Trump has the brass to facilitate this change. What cannot be argued is that he is the most pro-lif...

  The essential questions for journalists now must be: who are Becciu's allies? Who are his supporters, his advocates, his followers? Who can he be connected to in the curia? Becciu denies interfering in Pell's trial - so where did the AUS$1M he transferred to Australia go to? Why was it sent? It needs to be laid out clearly with a full accounting! I would speculate from Beciu's reaction that he was surprised by his sudden defenestration. This would mean that however problematic his actions, he was acting with the knowledge of his superiors (Parolin & the Pope) and he is the fall guy for something...We do not know what yet (and we may never know). It is hard to see how anyone could think Becciu could have acted unilaterally here: anyone who has even a basic idea about how the Vatican works knows that he could not have blocked inspections, paid out bribes and cooked the books without full knowledge of his superiors. So what was his relationship like with Parolin? Both P...

  As the Pope promulgates another long, rambling, confusing document in which he quotes himself as the most important authority on everything again and again and again, one can only gaze with a sort of stunned incredulity of the chutzpah of a man who, less than one week after sacking the head of his own financial institutions for corruption, issues a missive to world governments on how they should be doing things. As I spend my day, working with colleagues, travelling, looking after my children, I see that I am surrounded by so many souls who do not know Jesus as well as they should: as well as they could. I deeply desire to share the joy that my faith gives me. The important knowledge about truth, beauty, honour, loyalty and integrity that have a transformative effect on one's life and relationships. The moving and comforting knowledge that Jesus died to save us from the slavery of our sin and that we do not have to simply exist: we can be more, we were created to be more! I feel ...

The month of October is traditionally dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, a most powerful weapon against Satan and all Evil Spirits.  "We do not hesitate to affirm again publicly that We put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils which afflict our times. Not with force, not with arms, not with human power, but with Divine help obtained through the means of this prayer." Ven. Pope Pius XII According to an account by fifteenth-century Dominican, Alan de la Roch, Mary appeared to St. Dominic in 1206 after he had been praying and doing severe penances because of his lack of success in combating the Albigensian heresy. Mary praised him for his valiant fight against the heretics and then gave him the Rosary as a mighty weapon, explained its uses and efficacy, and told him to preach it to others. "Since the prayers of the Rosary come from such excellent sources — from Our Lord Himself, from inspired Scripture, and from the Church — it is not surprising that...