Book Review: The Church of Christ by Msgr. Joseph Clifford Fenton

The Church of Christ: A Collection of Essays by Monsignor Joseph C. Fenton. Ed. with an introduction by Christian D. Washburn. Tacoma, WA: Cluny Media, 2016. 362 pp. Paperback. $24.95. Publisher's page / at Amazon.

This collection of essays from one of the greatest American theologians, Msgr. Joseph C. Fenton, makes an urgent and marvelous contribution to the renewal of Catholic theology today. The hermeneutic of rupture has been utterly disastrous. The needed renewal urged by the Second Vatican Council must be pursued once again. The thoughtful, balanced, orthodox, and acute analysis of Msgr. Fenton serves as a prime example of the kind of renewal that was and remains desirable, one in organic continuity with the great tradition, committed to the unchanging dogmas of the Church but open to new insights and corrections in matters purely speculative or hypothetical. Fenton is also clearly a man of prayer, a theologian on his knees yet one who truly practices the rigorous scientific discipline of dogmatic theology. This collection of essays is absolutely essential reading for any serious student of ecclesiology. It will serve as a corrective to the misbegotten attempts at renewal which suffer from an unwillingness to embrace all the unchanging dogmas of faith. It will also invite a return to that thoughtfulness and nuance which in fact informed pre-conciliar theology, a thoughtfulness open to legitimate development.

Sermon for the Feast of Christ the King 2016: We are being purified

Father Richard G. Cipolla

Parish of Saint Mary

Norwalk, Connecticut

From the gospel of John:  “Jesus responded to Pilate: ‘My kingdom is not of this world’”

Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage - Final Day

A short report, by a pilgrim:

The final day of the Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage to Rome was the feast of Christ the King. To celebrate this feast, His Grace The Archbishop of Portland, Oregon, the Most Reverend Alexander K. Sample, offered Pontifical High Mass at the church of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, which is the church entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter in Rome.

The Collapse of the Basilica of St. Benedict

After several earthquakes this year, and the strongest in almost forty years this morning, the Basilica of Saint Benedict in his birthtown of Nursia (Norcia) collapsed today. The monks are thankfully safe.

There was damage in several places throughout central Italy, and even in the Basilica of St. Paul, in Rome (used in recent decades for "ecumenical" happenings.)

God is sending messages, repeatedly, to the faithless people of Europe. To the adulterous people of Italy. To the Holy Church of Rome. He also uses nature, of which He is King and Master, to warn his children. Will they listen?

For thus saith the LORD of hosts: Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land, And I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. ... The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

Haggai, 2

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves; Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved.

St. Luke, 21

Ad Principis Apostolorum Sedem... - Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage - Day 3 (Mass in St. Peter's - and images)

A short report by a pilgrim:

Saturday marked the climax of the 2016 Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage to Rome.

Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage - Day 2

A short report by a pilgrim:

IMPORTANT: Congregation for Divine Worship membership overhauled. Cardinals Burke, Pell, Ranjith out, Piero Marini in. (Updated)

Today's Vatican Bollettino announced the appointment of 27 prelates as members of the Congregation for Divine Worship (CDW), a major overhaul that obviously has a direct impact on the policies and overall directions of the CDW. In the CDW, as with all other Roman dicasteries, all "matters of major importance" and all "questions involving general principles" are reserved to the "extraordinary plenary" meeting (usually held once a year) to which all members are summoned (see Pastor Bonus). Furthermore, all members who happen to reside in Rome also take part in the more frequent "ordinary plenary" meetings. Membership in a Curial dicastery is retained until a member is removed from such membership, or turns 80. As such, Archbishop Piero Marini, who is now 74, will remain a member of the CDW either until he is removed / replaced or until he reaches his 80th birthday on January 13, 2022.

The PrayTell blog has helpfully provided a list of the new members:

Cardinals:

Rainer Maria Woelki, Cologne, Germany;

John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Abuja, Nigeria;

Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State;

Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Québec, Canada;

Philippe Nakellentuba Ouédraogo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso;

John Atcherley Dew, Wellington, New Zealand;

Ricardo Blázquez Pérez, Valladolid, Spain;

Arlindo Gomes Furtado, Santiago de Cabo Verde, Capo Verde;

Gianfranco Ravasi, Pontifical Council for Culture;

Beniamino Stella, Congregation for Clergy;

Archbishops:

Dominic Jala, Shillong, India;

Domenico Sorrentino, Assisi‑Nocera Umbra‑Gualdo Tadino, Italy;

Denis James Hart, Melbourne, Australia;

Piero Marini, President of pontifical committee for Eucharistic congresses;

Bernard‑Nicolas Aubertin, Tours, France;

Romulo G. Valles, Davao, Philippines;

Lorenzo Voltolini Esti, Portoviejo, Ecuador;

Bishops:

Arthur Joseph Serratelli, Paterson, NJ, USA;

Alan Stephen Hopes, East Anglia, Great Britain;

Claudio Maniago, Castellaneta, Italy;

Bernt Ivar Eidsvig, Oslo, Norway;

Miguel Ángel D’Annibale, Rio Gallegos, Argentina;

José Manuel Garcia Cordeiro, Bragança‑Miranda, Portugal;

Charles Morerod, Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg, Switzerland;

Jean‑Pierre Kwambamba Masi, auxiliary of Kinshasa, Congo;

Benny Mario Travas, Multan, Pakistan;

John Bosco Chang Shin‑Ho, auxiliary of Daegu, Korea.

PrayTell reports that up to now, Cardinals Burke and Pell had remained members of CDW. With the new wave of appointments they have lost their membership. [UPDATE Oct. 29, 2016: According to Catholic Culture, other conservative Cardinals who had been members of the CDW up to now, but are now removed, are Bagnasco, Ouellet, Scola and Ranjith. Cardinal Piacenza was also removed according to PrayTell.]

Guest Op-Ed - The Language of the Church: On the Perennial Importance of Latin

By Veronica A. Arntz

Pope Francis has repeatedly called the Church to become a “culture of encounter.” What this has come to mean is that we engage other people and cultures, meeting them where they are at, in order to bring them the Gospel message.

While we are always called to evangelize others, this understanding of “culture of encounter” can lead toward watered down catechesis, and a watered down understanding of the Church. Central to discovering the legitimacy of this “encounter” movement is the question of language.

Fundamentally, we may ask the following question: Does the Church have one language or many languages? The premise for the culture of encounter is that the Church has many languages, and we need to speak the particular language of the culture to pass on the faith. While it is obvious that the Church is made up of many cultures that speak many languages, does this necessarily mean that the Church herself has many languages, particularly many languages for the celebration of the Roman rite liturgy? Language can be taken in two senses: internal and external. I would like to argue that the Church has one internal language, which is the essence of her beliefs, and one primary external language, the language of Latin, to express that internal reality, especially in the liturgy. 

Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage - Day 1

A short report by a pilgrim:

A few pilgrims gathered for Low Mass at Ss Trinità dei Pelligrini this evening, during which a few opening words for the pilgrimage were said.

Event: Cardinal blesses first building of Traditional Personal Parish in Houston, Texas

We are pleased to announce the upcoming Blessing in the Extraordinary Form of St. Athanasius Chapel Hall by His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo. St. Athanasius is the first building on the site of Regina Caeli Parish, which is the Apostolate of Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) in Houston, Texas. The blessing will be followed by a Solemn Mass.

The photo is of the Altar area which was built largely with the labor of the faithful and the crucifix was completely restored by a parishioner (photo courtesy of Regina Caeli Parish).

Time and date information below:

Commentary: CDF instruction on cremation - affirming the status quo while opening the door to further concessions.Zenit report: Cardinal Müller clarifies -- "not a mortal sin", "not prohibited" to scatter ashes of the deceased or turn these to mementos

Merely a preference.

The new CDF instruction on burial and cremation, which was released yesterday, is being hailed in the Catholic media as a reaffirmation of the Church's "strong preference" for burial. One finds headlines that speak of the document as putting "restrictions" on cremation, or as instituting "strict conditions" upon it. Unfortunately, after a careful reading of the document and considering the pervasive culture of permissions and exceptions in the Church, we are compelled to come to different conclusions.

To put the new instruction in context, we need to revisit the first document by which the Holy See relaxed the traditional ban on cremation on a global scale: the instruction Piam et constantem, issued by the Holy Office in 1963 and published in L' Osservatore Romano and Acta Apostolicae Sedis the following year. (An English translation of this document can be found here.) Written with the customary brevity and clarity of the old Holy Office, it speaks of the various temporal reasons that compelled the Holy Office to "relax somewhat the prescriptions of canon law touching on cremation". Henceforth, cremation was permitted, as long as it was not chosen due to "anti-Christian motives". However, it remained officially discouraged (even if no longer forbidden). This was made abundantly clear in the first and fourth articles of the instruction:

All necessary measures must be taken to preserve the practice of reverently burying the faithful departed. Accordingly, through proper instruction and persuasion Ordinaries are to ensure that the faithful refrain from cremation and not discontinue the practice of burial except when forced to do so by necessity. For the Church has always maintained the practice of burial and consecrated it through liturgical rites.

***

The devout attitude of the faithful toward the ecclesiastical tradition must be kept from being harmed and the Church's adverse attitude toward cremation must be clearly evident. Therefore the rites of ecclesiastical burial and the ensuing suffrages may never be carried out at the place of cremation itself, not even simply to accompany the body as it is being brought there.

Abbot of Mariawald Resigns

Dom Josef Vollberg, O.C.S.O.

In a letter to friends of the Abbey of Mariawald, O.C.S.O. published by Gloria.tv, Abbot Josef Vollberg has announced that he is resigning as abbot. As his reason Dom Vollberg states that he takes this step in order to avoid "the risk... that the abbey could be closed against the will of the community." The abbey will now be ruled by its pater immediatus, Abbot Bernardus Peeters of the Abbey of Koningshoeven in the Netherlands. Abbot Bernardus has appointed Dom Josef to serve as prior of the community after his resignation as abbot comes into effect on the first Sunday of Advent.

"Reverence Is Not Enough: On the Importance of Tradition" -- Dr. Kwasniewski's Lecture at Strahov Abbey in Prague

In the evening of Friday, October 14, 2016, the official launch of the Czech translation of my book Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis: Sacred Liturgy, the Traditional Latin Mass, and Renewal in the Church was held at historic Strahov Abbey in Prague. His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke gave an introduction in which he spoke of the importance of the sacred liturgy in his own life, his experience of the painful years of liturgical reform and experimentation, and his joy that Catholic tradition is being rediscovered today by young people. He then spoke about the book, recommending it to the audience of about 130 people, including journalists and a national Catholic TV station, gathered in the winter refectory of the abbey. Sitting at the same table were the book's Czech translator, Fr. Štěpán Smolen, and one of the members of the publishing team, Mr. Andrej Kutarna, who also translated the lecture below into Czech.

The text of the lecture is reproduced in full.

Instruction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on Burial and Cremation

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH Instruction  Ad resurgendum cum Christo regarding the burial of the deceased and the conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation 1. To rise with Christ, we must die with Christ: we must “be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:8). With the Instruction Piam et Constantem of 5 July 1963, the then Holy Office established that “all necessary measures must be taken to preserve the practice of reverently burying the faithful departed”, adding however that cremation is not “opposed per se to the Christian religion” and that no longer should the sacraments and funeral rites be denied to those who have asked that they be cremated, under the condition that this choice has not been made through “a denial of Christian dogmas, the animosity of a secret society, or hatred of the Catholic religion and the Church”.[1] Later this change in ecclesiastical discipline was incorporated into the Code of Canon Law (1983) and the Code of Canons of Oriental Churches (1990).

Event: Cardinal Collins to preach at Solemn High Mass in Toronto

Bishop Schneider's pontifical solemn Mass for the feast of Blessed Karl

His Excellency Athanasius Schneider is in the United States for a nine-day visit to several churches that invited him for traditional Latin Masses and lectures. His public schedule includes four pontifical solemn Masses and three pontifical low Masses, in Washington, D.C., New York City, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio, in addition to lectures and conferences around those regions.

Photos courtesy Joseph Vitacco

Event: SSPX conference with Bishop Fellay

Event: Mary and the spirit of the liturgy in Vancouver

De Mattei: To which Church does Pope Bergoglio belong?

Roberto de Mattei

Corrispondenza Romana

October 19, 2016

Two anniversaries overlap each other in 2017: the 100 years of the Fatima apparitions, occurring between May 13^th  and October 13^th 1917, and the 500 years of Luther’s revolt, beginning in Wittenberg, Germany, October 31st 1517. However, there are two other much less discussed anniversaries which also fall next year: the 300 years of the official foundation of Freemasonry (London, June 24^th 1717) and the 100 years of the Russian Revolution of October 26^th 1917 (the Julian calendar  in use in the Russian Empire: November 8^th according to the Gregorian calendar). Yet, between the Protestant Revolution and the Communist Revolution through to the French Revolution, the daughter of Freemasonry, there runs an indissoluble red thread which Pius XII, in his famous discourse Nel contemplare of October 12^th 1952, summed up in three historic phrases, corresponding to Protestantism, the Age of Enlightenment and Marxist atheism: Christ – yes, Church – no. God – yes, Christ – no. Finally the impious cry: God is dead; in fact: God has never been”.

Dear Fathers: An Advent challenge for you

A note and call to action for our priestly readers (and for our lay readers, send this post to your local parish priests):

We often hear from diocesan priests who either pray a private traditional Latin Mass but whose public Masses are Novus Ordo, or priests who say one TLM a week, with the rest of their Masses being the Novus Ordo. What they tell us is that they either have no room in their schedule to add the TLM, or that one TLM a week is all they can do, due to the ignorance of their Novus Ordo parishioners which would not support any or additional traditional Masses. 

Looking at this situation dispassionately (and without the blue hairs complaining vociferously in our ears, as we know you dear Fathers deal with), it all seems to boil down to fear of the unknown: Your parishioners don't know what they're missing, your schedule is already full even if the pews aren't and you don't know how to introduce them to the traditional Mass. 

Bold idea and challenge for priests: Whether you have a weekly TLM already or not, choose your highest attended Novus Ordo Sunday Mass and, the first week of Advent, make it a TLM.

This would preferably be a Sung Mass. If you can't pull together polyphony or chant, your typical choir will work. And if they can't pull off a full Missa Cantata, a "four-hymn sandwich" Low Mass will do. If you don't have servers trained in the TLM, just ask the nearest parish that offers it. They will surely part with two servers for one Sunday to spread tradition. And don't worry about the fine details. If you're missing certain things, most won't notice anyway.

EXCLUSIVE - The Marxist Revolutionary: New Jesuit Superior-General revealed by those who knew him in Venezuela

Hours after Cardinal Bergoglio was elected Pope, Rorate was the first to bring you inside information from Argentina on what to expect (The Horror: A Buenos Aires Journalist describes Bergoglio).

Now, Rorate, surrounded by friends around the globe, has been contacted by a Venezuelan source, eager to tell the world what exactly to expect of the new Superior-General of the Society of Jesus (the Pope's own religious society), Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal, based on his experience in his native land, now wrecked by the Socialism brought on, in great measure, by Marxist "Catholics".

In reality, the current situation in Venezuela, of widespread hunger and desperation, is exactly what Liberation Theology looks in practice. And Sosa was a big part of this.

Now to our guest-piece.

A brief note on Father Arturo Sosa

Antonio Francés (nom-de-plume)

Dear friend,

I have known Father Arturo Sosa Abascal for a long time. Unfortunately, what I have seen in him is not in line with the teaching of Christ.

Audio: On the Sixth Generation - Generational spirits of the Lost Generation to the one currently being born

The great Father Chad Ripperger has delivered a powerful talk on the demonic, how demons attack certain generations, how they are passed from parent to child and generation to generation, and what we can do to prevent this. It's well worth a listen. 

Click here to listen to this powerful conference. 

We would even recommend sending it to lukewarm Catholics who you know are history buffs as it could prove interesting to them from a historical perspective and wake them up to their faith -- and the dangers that lie ahead. 

Also: Click here to visit the main website of Sensus Traditionis. It's a stock pile of wonderful sermons, conferences, audio and video. And the written text documents mentioned in the above conference on generations is housed on the site as well. 

Last, please pray for Fr. Ripperger and his work.

THE NEW RELIGION - | free online booklet by Don Pietro Leone | SECOND PART

[First part here]

II - GNOSIS IN THE PERVERTED CABALA

We said that Gnosis was seen amongst men for the first time in Original Sin.

Before continuing however, we wish to observe that it was manifest even before, in the Fall of the Angels. For since the essence of a thing is determined by its ultimate end, we may identify the essence of Gnosis as the attempt on the part of the creature to deify himself. This, however, had already occurred with the rebellion of the angels. Lucifer and the other angels wanted to make themselves God, that is to say without God: by their own unaided and natural efforts. The consequence was their fall and their transformation from angels into devils.

King Kigeli V, RIP

The last king of Rwanda has died, Kigeli V Ndahindurwa.  As the BBC reported today: "Born Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa, King Kigeli V came to power in 1959 but was only king of Rwanda until 1961, when the monarchy was abolished and he was forced into exile."

He moved to the Washington, D.C., area after leaving Africa. Several of our readers in the eastern United States have likely encountered him over the last several decades, as he was a regular at traditional Latin Masses, lectures and events.

Event: Solemn High Mass for All Souls Day in New Orleans (by a Jesuit, praise God!)

Archbishop of Granada Adopts Buenos Aires Implementation of Amoris Laetitia

Archbishop Javier Martínez

The Archbishop of Granada, Spain, H.E. Msgr. Francisco Javier Martínez Fernández, has released a note to all the faithful of his archdiocese in which he adopts for his own archdiocese the highly objectionable directive on the implementation of chapter VIII of Amoris Laetitia, issued by the bishops of the pastoral region of Buenos Aires. This is especially discouraging as Archbishop Martínez has in the past been known for his courage and orthodoxy (cf. Rorate's 2006 report on his decision to remove his seminarians from the Granada theological college).

Socci: Scandal in the Vatican

Antonio Socci

Lo Straniero

October 14, 2016

Last Thursday, the 13^th of October,  marked the beginning of the 100-year anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima, yet Bergoglio, instead of honouring Our Lady, honoured Martin Luther by taking part in an audience (in the Vatican) where a statue of the German heretic and schismatic was exposed as if he were one of the saints.

For that matter, Bergoglio is the Pope who, for the first time in two thousand years, has wanted the profanation of the Sacraments! 

Event: Talk on English martyrs

IMPORTANT: SSPX Superior-general Bp. Fellay met Pope and CDF yesterday

Bp. Fellay, the Superior-general of the Society of St. Pius X (FSSPX / SSPX) met Pope Francis yesterday, October 13, in Casa Santa Marta.

Afterwards, he held a meeting with the highest authorities of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), Card. Müller, Prefect, and Abp. Ladaria Ferrer, Secretary. Bp. Fellay was joined by his two assistants, Fr. Nély and Fr. Pfluger.

According to the SSPX General House, the CDF meeting, "foreseen for a long time," "is the second one since September 13, 2014", and "is part of the framework of relations that the Society of Saint Pius X has always had with the Roman authorities, in particular in these past few years, by the doctrinal visitations that took place in the several seminaries of the Society, and that will continue in the upcoming months."

[Source: DICI, via La Porte Latine (District of France) - en français]

Event: Ignatian Retreat in New Jersey

Dr. Kwasniewski’s Upcoming Lectures in Prague, Olomouc, and Krakow

For the launch of the Czech and Polish editions of my book Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis: Sacred Liturgy, the Traditional Latin Mass, and Renewal in the Church, I will be giving lectures in the cities of Prague, Olomouc, and Krakow on Friday, Sunday, and Monday. Each lecture is special for its occasion, as indicated below. As noted earlier on Rorate, Cardinal Burke will participate in the book launch in Prague, while the abbot of Tyniec Abbey will participate in the book launch in Krakow.

All events are free and open to the public. Lectures will be given in English, with accompanying translations in Czech or Polish. Signed copies of the book will be on sale. I look forward to meeting in person everyone who comes. To Rorate’s Eastern European readers: please tell your friends!

Help a new TLM community -- and build a grotto for Our Lady

We at Rorate have been honored to know the good priests of the relatively new Missionaries of Saint John the Baptist and to spend time with them. The MSJB is a small congregation of traditional Latin Mass religious priests whose spirituality stems from the spiritual legacy of the 17th Century Congregation of the Priests of Mercy in France. They also travel the country giving compelling, traditional mission talks for Catholics who request them.

Now, fully established in the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, they have purchased a protestant church and need help turning it into an oasis of tradition -- and to build a grotto for Our Lady that should prove a destination for Catholics from all over and to serve as "a cave of refreshment in dark times" (go here to see the church they've purchased and the renovations already made).

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW

Please see below for a note by the good Fathers, written directly to you, our dear readers:

COLUMBUS NOSTER EST

Monastery of Sant Jeroni de la Murtra, near Barcelona,
where the Catholic Monarchs welcomed Columbus back from the Indies in 1493

Now that four centuries have sped since a Ligurian first, under God's guidance, touched shores unknown beyond the Atlantic, the whole world is eager to celebrate the memory of the event, and glorify its author. Nor could a worthier reason be found where through zeal should be kindled. For the exploit is in itself the highest and grandest which any age has ever seen accomplished by man; and he who achieved it, for the greatness of his mind and heart, can be compared to but few in the history of humanity.

Vatican II: An anniversary worth forgetting, but numbers that cannot be forgotten

Today is the 54th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. There's really not much left to be written about this -- all you need to know, frankly, is easily found by visiting a local parish. But it is a good opportunity to look at the numbers since the Council's close in 1965. It's also very interesting to look at them in comparison to Pope Venerable Pius XII, which we provide below.

The following statistics via CARA:

Event: Rosary Pilgrimage and Solemn High Mass in NYC

Guest Op-Ed: Discovering the Lord in the Silence of the Liturgy

By Veronica A. Arntz

Reflections on Cardinal Robert Sarah’s Interview

Yet again, Cardinal Robert Sarah has blessed the faithful with another interview, available in English from Catholic World Report, about the beauty, sacrality, and perennial importance of the sacred liturgy. The faithful would do wise to listen carefully to what Sarah has said concerning the liturgy, for it cannot be emphasized enough that we must change our current liturgical praxis, putting properly celebrated liturgy back into the center of our Christian life, if we wish to see any other mission within the Church succeed.

As a Church, we talk about the New Evangelization, social justice endeavors, and attempts at peace—but these initiatives never seem to get very far. While all of these activities depend solely on God’s grace, it is safe to say that the sacred liturgy is necessary to receive God’s grace, which will assist us in bringing the Gospel to others. Thus, above all else, we should be attentive to Cardinal Sarah’s words—as they are an echo of our previous pontiff, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s own thought on the liturgy—so that we can reflect on our own experience of the liturgy and the way that we celebrate it today. Specifically, I would like to highlight three key points from Cardinal Sarah’s interview: the centrality of Christ, the importance of silence, and the role of the faithful in the liturgy.

New Cardinals created by FrancisUPDATE: Initial notes on the Cardinals-elect and their leanings

(Scroll down this post to see the full list of Cardinals-elect.)

Our initial notes on the Cardinals-elect:

Liberals, Bergoglians, and a Climate Change Warrior

Three of the new Cardinal electors are prominent liberals: Cupich of Chicago, De Kesel of Mechlin-Brussels, and Tobin of Indianapolis. Two of the three are from the U.S., signalling the Pope's clear intention to move the U.S. Church sharply leftward. 

Enough has been written about Cupich (67) and we will not devote more space to him here. 

Abp. Joseph Tobin (64) was Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL) from 2010 to 2012 and is widely credited with using his position to greatly weaken the "visitation" launched by CICLSAL into U.S women's religious congregations. As Archbishop of Indianapolis he was outspoken in calling for the USCCB to "reflect" the "newness that Pope Francis is bringing to the church universal" in its agenda. Only this weekend -- literally hours before the announcement of his elevation to the cardinalate -- he reportedly expressed his support for women deacons and women preaching at Mass. 

Abp. Jozef De Kesel (69), protege of Cardinal Danneels and prominent Kasperite, was appointed less than a year ago as Archbishop of Mechlin-Brussels. In that short period he has made himself notorious for his suppression of the flourishing -- and conservative -- Fraternity of the Holy Apostles, which was founded by no less than his more orthodox predecessor, Archbishop Leonard, whose marginalization is now complete. 

As for Cardinal-elect Farrell (69), the following tweet -- which he has not deleted -- should give us an idea as to where the "Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life" is headed under him:

Abp. John Ribat (59) of Port Moresby is known for his advocacy of a low-carbon lifestyle and his outspoken opposition to the death penalty. Since 2014 he has been the President of the Federation of Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania. (CathNews has various articles about him.)

Conservatives

Abp. Dieudonné Nzapalainga (49) was one of the Synod Fathers in the Extraordinary Synod on the Family in 2014. Although not particularly outspoken or prominent, he was part of the African bloc of prelates that resolutely resisted innovations in moral doctrine. He was appointed apostolic administrator of Bangui in 2009 in the midst of the rebellion of the Central African Republic's clergy over the Holy See's attempts to enforce the law on clerical celibacy. After three years as apostolic administrator, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of Bangui in 2012. 

The Cardinals elect and the Traditional Latin Mass.

Of the 13 future Cardinal electors, three have either attended or presided at at least one liturgical ceremony celebrated according to the Traditional Latin Rite in the post-Summorum era. These are Bp. Farrell, who blessed the Mater Dei (Irving, TX) parish church of the FSSP in 2010; Abp. Tobin, who celebrated Confirmation (followed by Benediction) according to the Traditional form in Holy Rosary Church in Indianapolis in 2013, and again earlier this year; and Bp. Maurice Piat (75), who attended a Traditional Latin Mass in choro last month. 

Among the 13, in addition to Bp. Piat (who invited the Institute of Christ the King to set up a presence in his diocese this year), three others provided for the implementation of Summorum Pontificum in their sees: Kevin Farrell during his time as Bishop of Dallas; Abp. Osoro Sierra (71), who, as Archbishop of Valencia in 2014, designated a church for regular celebrations of the TLM; and Abp. Sergio da Rocha (56), who in 2014 granted  the establishment of large IBP-run, fully traditional Catholic chapel in Brasilia. 

A special mention goes to Cardinal-elect Ernest Simoni (88), who was imprisoned by the Albanian communists for 27 years (1963 - 1990). He continued to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass from memory and to give communion in secret during his long incarceration.  

Another "special mention" -- for all the wrong reasons -- goes to Cardinal-elect Renato Corti (80), emeritus of Novara. Our long-time readers might remember him for his role in the "Novara affair" of 2007-2008 (see this and this) that directly led to the formation of the Traditional Catholic community in Vocogno. He was close to the late Cardinal Martini. 

*****************

Original post (Oct. 9, 2016, 10:34 AM GMT):

Titles in Italian, but perfectly understandable, including three Americans:

1- Mons. Mario Zenari, che rimane Nunzio Apostolico nell’amata e martoriata Siria (Italia)

2- Mons. Dieudonné Nzapalainga, C.S.Sp., Arcivescovo di Bangui (Repubblica Centrafricana)

3- Mons. Carlos Osoro Sierra, Arcivescovo di Madrid (Spagna)

4- Mons. Sérgio da Rocha, Arcivescovo di Brasilia (Brasile)

5- Mons. Blase J. Cupich, Arcivescovo di Chicago (U.S.A.)

6- Mons. Patrick D’Rozario, C.S.C., Arcivescovo di Dhaka (Bangladesh)

7- Mons. Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, Arcivescovo di Mérida (Venezuela)

8- Mons. Jozef De Kesel, Arcivescovo di Malines-Bruxelles (Belgio)

9- Mons. Maurice Piat, Arcivescovo di Port-Louis (Isola Maurizio)

10- Mons. Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefetto del Dicastero per i Laici, la Famiglia e la Vita (U.S.A.)

11- Mons. Carlos Aguiar Retes, Arcivescovo di Tlalnepantla (Messico)

12- Mons. John Ribat, M.S.C., Arcivescovo di Port Moresby (Papua Nuova Guinea)

13- Mons. Joseph William Tobin, C.SS.R., Arcivescovo di Indianapolis (U.S.A.).

---

Plus 4 non-voting Cardinals:

1 - Mons. Anthony Soter Fernandez, Arcivescovo Emerito di Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2- Mons. Renato Corti, Arcivescovo Emerito di Novara (Italia)

3- Mons. Sebastian Koto Khoarai, O.M.I, Vescovo Emerito di Mohale’s Hoek (Lesotho)

4- Reverendo Ernest Simoni, Presbitero dell’Arcidiocesi di Shkodrë-Pult (Scutari – Albania).

Saints of the Old Testament: St. Abraham, patriarch

On this day the traditional Roman Martyrology commemorates the preeminent saint of the Old Testament. Heading the Martyrology on "This Day, the Ninth Day of October" is the feast of the holy martyrs St. Denis of Paris, bishop, and his companions, the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius. But immediately after them, the Martyrology lists:

"The same day, the commemoration of the holy patriarch Abraham, father of all believers."

WikkiMissa now back online as MesseMonde

WikkiMissa was the indispensable guide to Traditional Latin Masses throughout the world in the years immediately after Summorum Pontificum. Here at Rorate we used to post periodic appeals to our readers to help update it; it was important not only as a reference for travelers who wanted to attend the Traditional Latin Mass, but also as a resource for measuring the growth of the TLM celebrations from one end of the world to another. Unfortunately it went offline late last year. 

We are happy to inform our readers that WikkiMissa is now back online as MesseMonde. It seems that the website is still being rebuilt, and understandably the Mass listings are far from complete. Just like the old WikkiMissa, MesseMonde can be edited by readers, and we encourage our readers to go there and update the Mass listings as accurately as possible. 

THE NEW RELIGION - Gnosis and the Corruption of the Faith | the new free online booklet by Don Pietro Leone

In 2011, we published an extensive online book by Don Pietro Leone Monselice, "The Roman Rite: Old and New", as a gift to all our readers.

Five years later, we are honored to publish exclusively another master work by Don Pietro Leone, a bright priest celebrating the Traditional Mass exclusively in an Italian diocese.

The book deals with gnosis, and its influence on the formation a the new religious mindset in the Catholic Church. Appropriately, the book cover is a detail of Luca Signorelli's masterpiece in the Duomo of Orvietto, "The Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist" (Predica e fatti dell'Anticristo). We hope you enjoy the reading. 

The first part is published today, and the additional chapters will be published shortly.

***

Introduction

A new, friendly bishop in Virginia -- and a loss of influence for Cardinal Wuerl?

For over a year, our readers in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, where the traditional Latin Mass has flourished under Summorum Pontificum, have anxiously awaited the replacement of their current ordinary, Bishop Paul Loverde. Loverde is no lover of tradition, but he did, after 2007, finally get with the program, facing an onslaught of young, traditional-minded priests who were taking matters into their own hands. 

The anxiety came from the pervasive conventional wisdom that Cardinal Donald Wuerl would handpick the next bishop in the diocese that neighbors the Archdiocese of Washington. But with the announcement this morning that the bishop of Raleigh, North Carolina, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge will be installed in Arlington, the question is: Has Wuerl lost his influence? 

Our readers may know that Bishop Burbidge has, by most standards, embraced Summorum Pontificum in his diocese. 

Bishop Burbidge confirms youth in the traditional Latin rite.

Reminder: Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society

This is our monthly reminder to please enroll Souls of the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society. We now stand at 76 priests saying weekly or monthly traditional Latin Masses for the Souls. 

NEW! Click here to download a "fillable" PDF Mass Card to give to the loved ones of the Souls you enroll. It's free. 

Priests: The Souls still need more of you saying Mass for them! Please email me to offer your services. There's nothing special involved -- all you need to do is offer a weekly or monthly TLM with the intention: "For the Souls enrolled in the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society." And we will always keep you completely anonymous unless you request otherwise. 

How to enroll souls: please email me at athanasiuscatholic@yahoo.com and submit as follows: "Name, State, Country." If you want to enroll entire families, simply write in the email: "The Jones family, Ohio, USA". Individual names are preferred. Be greedy -- send in as many as you wish and forward this posting to friends as well.