De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Rorate caeli recently posted an insider report  which purports to represent the present climate inside the Vatican walls. The main inference of the report is that Pope Francis is not well liked by anyone; "neither by bishops, nor by priests, nor by the faithful." Having lived through ten years of this papacy, Mandatums with Muslim prisoners, Pachamamma worship in the Vatican gardens, the numerous abuse scandals and now, especially, following Tradiones custodes and the subsequent clarifications and corrections, I must admit to having some sympathy with this idea. I honestly cannot believe that we are living in a time when the priority for the pope is to shut down liturgy and the sacraments, to kick faithful Catholics out of their churches. Despite the awfulness of the situation, I find it hard to believe he doesn't have fans. There seem to be plenty of people who do really like him, even if, in my experience, these people are ignorant of the faith or looking to change it...

 From Rorate Caeli : The following article by Domenico Agasso appeared in La Stampa on January 7, 2023. ( link ) VATICAN CITY. "Pope Francis' clampdown on the Latin Mass was an imprudence. I suggest to the Pontiff that he be more attentive to all sensibilities within the Church, even those furthest from his own." And he warns of a possible schism on the left in Germany, sounding a sharp "no" to the blessing of gay couples: "It is against the word of God." German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, 75, was a student of Benedict XVI and his successor at the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Bergoglio created him a cardinal in 2014, but then in 2017 did not renew his mandate as prefect. The cardinal reflects on the future of the Church after celebrating Mass for the Epiphany. He argues that "we are not a political or merely human organization, but a creation of Jesus Christ" with the task of "working for the eternal salvat...

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski comments at Rorate Caeli on this recent interview with Archbishop Arthur Roache, infamous for being so inept as bishop of Leeds he was shipped off to Rome , unbelievably now Prefect for the CDW: Kwasniewski  explains that, in said interview  Archbishop Roche  "does not merely tell lies, but says the exact opposite of the truth."  He continues: However, he will not leave his opponents speechless. One can hardly read a paragraph of this article without cringing at his befuddlement. Here is a brief commentary on some of his more egregious statements. “I think one of the problems that we are facing today is that we are living in a very individualistic world, a very relativistic world, and where the individual preference promotes itself above the common good and the common expression,” he said. “I think that that is a very dangerous thing, and it is something that as Christians, we really need to take very careful note of.” So: how exactly does a li...

Image from the  Rorate Caeli blog My friend Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone (San Francisco) has instituted a monthly Traditional Latin Mass at San Francisco’s Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, and has been leading the faithful in a Litany of Reparations for abuses against the Eucharist CNA reports . The first of the Masses, on Aug. 4, falls on the feast of St. Dominic, and so will be said in the Dominican rite. Archbishop Cordileone’s establishment of the monthly Masses was in response to “requests from the faithful and the overwhelming response to the first Latin Mass in July.” Apparently over 900 people have already signed up. Thank God for Archbishop Cordileone and his faithful ministry! Archbishop Cordileone joins a growing list of bishops  who are ignoring the Pope's clamp down on the Latin Mass and even instigating new Latin Masses! Notorious papal tailgater & apologist for inconsistency and all things Francis Austen Ivereigh claims he has been told that t...

Some great news from Rorate Caeli here. Orders which hold to the Apostolic Tradition of the Church continue to thrive, while diocese with liberal bishops continue to struggle for vocations, and talk about closure and re-structure. Rorate Caeli report: The growth of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) has been well known. This year, however, was a record-setter for the Fraternity as it ordained 19 young men into the priesthood -- its' most ever in a single year. Some key takeaways, articles and photos: 1) First authorized traditional Latin Mass ordinations in the UK in decades by Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool on June 17: Catholic Herald's latest article Ordination Ceremony: Pictures & Video First Mass in Warrington by Fr Alex Stewart, FSSP First Mass in Ramsgate by Fr Krzysztof Sanetra, FSSP Solemn Vespers on Ordinations day First Corpus Christi Procession across Warrington 2) Cardinal Raymond Burke ordains 7 in Bavaria on July...

Cardinal Godfried Danneels is a name synonymous with "progressive" ideas and (as seems to always be the case) the associated decline in faith and vocations. The 81 year old was the top "progressive" papabile in the 2005 conclave, however, a couple years later his reputation nose-dived as it was revealed that he knew of the sexual abuse of children by priests in his diocese, yet did nothing . Thankfully, even "progressives", who appear to hate what the Church stands for on so many levels, recognise that this is unacceptable. Danneels has been demonstrably responsible for the decline in vocations and of the faith in general in Belgium as I noted here . He publicly questioned the Church’s teachings on the ordination of women, homosexuality, and contraception, and, in this period, Belgian Mass attendance fell to between 5 and 10 percent. Belgium was among the first nations to legalise abortion on demand, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage—with little ...