De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

A priest friend reminded me of an interesting coincidence of dates. On the 25th July is was the 55th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's historic and prophetic encyclical Humanae vitae. As the opposition to Humanae Vitae in the USA was led by Fr Charles Curran, I wonder if the date of the second document is a coincidence? https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae.html PAUL VI July 25 1968 https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19860725_carlo-curran_en.html Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the CDF, July 25, 1986

I have blogged before about the CBEW "lead bishop for life" John Sherrington and his feeble approach to life issues, constantly he seems to say as little as possible and usually late. First of all, ALL our bishops should be bishops for life, why do we just have one who speaks on life issues? Does this mean that the rest can simply delegate their responsibilities to Sherrington? (Because that certainly seems to be, broadly, the case).  We are facing an growing epidemic of child murder. Between January and June 2022, there were 123,219 abortions performed on residents of England and Wales. This compares with 105,488 over the same period in 2021 according to the latest government statistics . The Catholic Church's stance on abortion is a deeply held and consistent teaching, guided by its understanding of human dignity and the principles of natural law. The basic key aspects are: Sanctity of Human Life: The Catholic Church believes that human life is sacred and begins at co...

Cynthia Bailey Manns, one of the original members of the Lay Advisory Board that advises Archbishop Bernard Hebda and adult learning director at St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis, is one of 10 non-bishop voting delegates chosen by Pope Francis to represent the North American region at the first general assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality in October. The delegates were announced July 7 at a Vatican news conference. Bishops appointed to attend include Bishop Robert Barron of the Winona-Rochester diocese. The theme of the Oct. 4-29 synod in Rome is For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission. Synod members are being asked to continue a “process of spiritual discernment” that was begun in 2021 and will continue with a second synod assembly in October 2024. Bailey Manns, 65, said she is humbled and excited about the prospect of experiencing the Holy Spirit “as we do this sacred work of vulnerable sharing, deep listening and discernment regarding important issues impac...

Dr. Gavin Ashenden gives his devastating analysis of the working document (the Instrumentum Laboris ) of the Synod of Synodality in the Catholic Herald . Gavin says that “By their fruits” but also their language “shall ye know them.” and laments that the document is saturated with "the fingerprints of progressive leftism whether you meet them in political, LGBTQ+ or climate change circles." His conclusion having read the document is that it ignores the basics of Christian teaching and the Jesus of the Gospels. He explains:  "There is of course too much war. But there is no recognition in Instrumentum Laboris that original sin is at the root of this; that repentance, conversion and salvation are the remedies. The proposed remedies are instead that the resources of “listening, inclusion and affirmation”- the constant reiteration of “walking together” will provide the remedy. This is of course profoundly sub-Christian, and perhaps worse." Gavin, who was the former cha...

If you want the word on the ground in Rome regarding the Synod on Synodality - you really need to listen to the podcast below. In it Dr Gavin Ashenden speaks to the veteran Catholic journalist Edward Pentin and attempts to get to the bottom of just what is going on in the lead up to October's Synod. Pentin says "We have never had a pope who has impinged on doctrine in the way this pope has" confirming what we already know about the belligerent, arrogant Argentinian Pontiff. Gavin asks Edward if it is correct that the Synod theology has an overarching direction which is geared according to the reader - the hypothetical person imagined in the text - which, as he explains, is a subjective approach which assumes too much and leads us to a strategy led by identity politics.  This pseudo-consultative methodology is an approach common to other politically motivated  progressive groups and it's pointlessness was probably best revealed in the minimal numbers responding to the ...

  The Pope gives blasphemous "artist" Andres Serrano the thumbs up at an audience in the Vatican last week. From very early on it seemed to me that the main theme of this Pontificate was confusion. There seemed to be a disparity between the words and actions of the Holy Father you could drive a truck through. Initially this provided a kind of loophole where you could assume the best even if he seemed to be doing the worst. But that didn't last very long. It soon became clear that his actions where either so ignorant of the role and function of the office as to be a complete embarrassment, or that he was deliberately acting in a way that is contrary to the deposit of faith. The contrast with his predecessors is incredibly stark. As someone who grew up with JP II and really found his Catholic faith under Benedict XVI, this stark contrast was devastating and incredibly difficult to reconcile. And for good reason. The Pope is the focal point of unity in the Christian Church....

  Dr Janet Smith is a true gift to the Church. She is an American classicist and philosopher, and former professor of moral theology at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. She is now retired and works helping victims of the sex abuse crisis where she does amazing work. It's my great pleasure to count her among my friends and I can assure you she loves Jesus and His Church with an incredible depth and honesty. She is wonderful company especially in that she is as sharp as a tack but also extremely warm and funny. This is a talk she gave recently at the Coalition for Cancelled Priests Conference at the end of June in Chicago. It's a must listen talk if you want to know the painful reality of the corruption in the Catholic hierarchy, corruption of all kinds, sexual, financial and spiritual/ theological. Having defended the Church during the paedophile crisis she was devastated when, after the Dallas Charter, the McCarrick scandal broke. She addresses the critici...

I can hardly bring myself to write about yesterday's announcement that Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández to be the new head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith replacing Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, S.J. (now 79) who was previously the secretary to Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller. Fernández is certainly one of the Pope's men, his whole career has been crafted and guided by Jorge Bergoglio. He headed the Faculty of Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (CUA) and then on December 15, 2009, the then Cardinal Bergoglio appointed Fernandez as rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. However, much to the frustration of Cardinal Bergoglio, Fernandez was not able to take the oath of office until May 20, 2011, after he had answered objections to his appointment raised by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which assessed concerns about the orthodoxy of certain elements of his scholarship...