De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

From 14-17 November 2022, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales gathered in Leeds for their autumn plenary meeting at Hinsley Hall. They issued a podcast of a press conference on the meeting, you can listen to it here but I warn you, it is deathly dull. Bishop John Sherrington is the lead on life issues and talks about clause 9 which seeks to criminalise a broad range of activities around abortion clinics. Sherrington is "concerned" about this. That's it. That's all they could muster. "Concern". More practically, Right to Life UK ( @RightToLifeUK ) have created a handy tool to contact your MP in advance of the debate on Monday on the abortion buffer zones, you can find it here . We covered the buffer zone exclusion issue in some detail on Catholic Unscripted a month ago. The situation is quite extraordinary. It is a shame the bishops offer no teaching or practical advice in their "resolution". The huge irony is that a resolution is, by defini...

Some incredible things going on this week - Steve summarises it better than I can in this short video, especially the ridiculous new proposal from the useless Catholic Bishops of England & Wales! Tagle is interesting. He is largely reported as being a problematic liberal but I think it is important that we avoid guilt by association. Cardinal Tagle is a seriously respected theologian (unlike Pope Francis's chosen personal theological adviser and scribe  Archbishop Víctor Manuel “Tucho” Fernández ). Tagle was appointed to the International Theological Commission under Cardinal Ratzinger's Presidency, consecrated bishop by Pope St John Paul II, archbishop by Pope Benedict XVI who then created him Cardinal. He did not not abuse their trust in him. Some commentators are suggesting he has been an advocate for and on behalf of the position that divorced and civilly remarried Catholics should be admitted to Holy Communion. The fact is that he offered a cautious opinion ...

Lifesite have this really sad article  about the number of Catholic Dioceses with so-called "LGBT Masses". Salford, Clifton, Nottingham, Northampton, Middlesborough & Westminster dioceses are all mentioned along with sacrilegious religious artefacts daubed in the all pervading, garish LGBT rainbow and evidence of the explicit support of the bishops of all these dioceses. Of course, there is the same activity in my own diocese of Brentwood as well, where at least one priest is actively pushing the direct opposite of Church teaching and we have had a "gay Mass" in the Cathedral , although the Lifesite article doesn't mention this. To be honest I am not surprised at the news, especially as the leader of the Catholic Church in England & Wales, Vincent Cardinal Nichols, has so openly advocated for homosexuality over many years . He even openly supported a gay group banned by Cardinal Hume for opposing Catholic teaching. Of course, the justificat...

Following the Bishops of England and Wales plenary meeting and as widely rumoured was going to happen, they issued a statement about gender. It is quite wet, but not as bad as it could have been (I have come to expect so little, I almost feel joy when they say something that isn't directly problematic). Here is the statement, what do you think? Today there is intense public debate about gender. It highlights not only the suffering and discomfort of some, but also raises profound questions about human nature, how we understand ourselves, relate to one another and our capacity for self-determination. We recognise that there are people who do not accept their biological sex. We are concerned about and committed to their pastoral care. Through listening to them we seek to understand their experience more deeply and want to accompany them with compassion, emphasising that they are loved by God and valued in their inherent God-given dignity. There is a place of welcome for everyon...

Yesterday's Vortex was particularly excellent I thought, one of those episodes which speak directly to so much that seems so obvious about being an active Catholic today. People are utterly dismayed with the lack of Catholic in the Catholic Church. This comment probably sums it all up: Do you want to be Catholic with Max? If so, good luck with that. It's not an easy thing to do in the Catholic Church today. In fact, it can get you into quite a bit of trouble! I have spent the last year or so trying to work in service to the Church, but despite a strikingly successful track record in business and management and a degree in Catholic theology (or perhaps BECAUSE of these things) I have found myself rejected at every stage (even being appointed to a senior position in Westminster Cathedral, only to be told Cardinal Nichols wanted the appointment withdrawn a day or so before I was to start). A number of clergy have forwarded and backed me for numerous positions within th...

I think this post on the Muniment Room has some really important and necessary insights. It really joins together the dots so that you can see how things fit together. It begins by examining the position of Catholic Voices , how much authority does the organisation  have to speak on catholic issues? Who guarantees their Catholicity? These are questions which were voiced at the organisation's inception. Officialy, the authoritative source about Catholicism in the UK is the Catholic Communications Network (CCN) of the CBCEW. Catholic Voices then, is a conduit; a simple way for a media outlet to find an "every day Catholic" to comment when it needs somebody who isn't an official spokesman for the Church (mind you, when was the last time you saw any "official spokesperson for the Church"?). However, Ttony reports "that any call to the CCN asking for a Catholic comment on an issue of the moment gets forwarded routinely to CV and that, furthermore,...