NS: Is it fair to say that the relationship between Benedict XVI and Francis was “very close”, as Francis recently declared?
“Francis wants to erase Benedict XVI’s legacy”—Explosive interview with Peter Seewald
Hungarian Bishops' Conference Rejects Main Point of "Fiducia Supplicans"
Here is a perfect example of a "soft rejection" of FS. The part in bold is precisely rejecting the entire point of FS. - PAK
Communiqué
Dec. 27, 2023, Wednesday 09:00 a.m.
We celebrated at Christmas the joy that God is with us and in our midst, and has invited everyone with merciful love to communion with Him. In this spirit we, members of the Hungarian Bishops' Conference, address the ordained ministers and members of our local church with the following message.
"Fiducia Supplicans" and the Upcoming Conclave - by Roberto de Mattei
Roberto de Mattei
Corrispondenza Romana
December 27, 2023
The promulgation of the Declaration of the Doctrine for the Faith Fiducia supplicans on Dec. 18, 2023 and the reactions that followed it offer us a possible key to the next conclave.
The author of the Declaration is Pope Francis' close collaborator and ghost writer, Victor Manuel Fernández, who was appointed prefect of the new Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on July 1st, 2023 and created cardinal the following September 30th. The document is signed ex audientia by Pope Francis, in a manner that makes it unappealable. Normally the document should be an expression of the Church's ordinary Magisterium, but it is not, precisely because by departing from Church teaching it loses all character of "magisteriality."
Christmas Midnight Mass 2023: Fontgombault Sermon - Saint Francis and the Nativity Scene
Christmas
Midnight Mass
_-_History_of_Saint_Francois_of_Assisi_The_miracle_of_the_creche_of_Greccio_Saint_F_-_(MeisterDrucke-961536).jpg)
Sermon of the Right Reverend Dom Jean Pateau
Father Abbot of Our Lady of Fontgombault
Fontgombault, December 25th, 2023
Domine, ut videam.
Lord, that I may see.
(Lk 18:41)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
My dearly beloved Sons,
Eight hundred years ago, St. Francis of Assisi, three years before his death, staged in a grotto of a little town of Italy, Greccio, the first living crèche: a manger full of hay, a donkey, an ox, and inhabitants of the village impersonating Mary, Joseph, shepherds,and wise men. Some had also prepared
… torches and candles, to illuminate the night which saw the shining Star rising, that enlightens all centuries… The woods were resounding with songs, and the mountains reverberating with their joyful echoes. (Life of St. Francis of Assisi, Vita Prima, chap. 30. v. 1)
Christmas of wars: War on earth, War against the liturgy, War of shepherds in the church who defend evil: But there are still some who are faithful
A message from the Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer
Chéméré-le-Roi, France
"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light." (Is. 9:1)
Dear friends,
As is the custom, I would like to bring you a message of peace, the message that the angels sang above the manger in Bethlehem: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of good will" (Lk 2:14). But the celestial symphony is overshadowed by the din of war.
Traditional Catholic Religious Order Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer- on Fiducia supplicans
On the Declaration Fiducia Supplicans
The Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer stands with Cardinal Müller, the bishops of Malawi, Kazakhstan, Zambia and Nigeria, with Archbishop Viganò, Bishop Strickland and all bishops, priests and faithful who recognise that the priestly blessing of couples in "irregular relationships" and the blessing of "homosexual couples" is opposed to Catholic Faith and Morals; opposed to the teaching of the Church for the last two thousand years; and must be opposed by us and by all Catholics.
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (2nd largest church in Catholic Church) Rejects Francis’ Gay Declaration as Inapplicable to Eastern Catholic Churches: "A blessing can in no way contradict Church teaching on family as faithful, indissoluble, and fruitful union of love between a man and a woman."
COMMUNIQUÉ
regarding the reception
by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
of the declaration of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith "Fiducia Supplicans"
on the pastoral significance of blessings,
signed by the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
regarding the reception
by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
of the declaration of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith "Fiducia Supplicans"
on the pastoral significance of blessings,
signed by the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
Kyiv
On December 22, 2023
In response to numerous appeals from bishops, clergy, monastics, church movements, and individual laity of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church regarding the Declaration of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith "Fiducia Supplicans" (December 18, 2023) on the pastoral meaning of blessings, after consulting with relevant experts and competent institutions, I would like to inform you of the following:
Bishops of Cameroon Firmly Reject Francis’ Gay Declaration: “Homosexual Practices are a Clear Sign of the Implosive Decadence of Civilizations”
Declaration of the Bishops of Cameroon on homosexuality and the blessing of "homosexual couples".
In the face of semantic abuses designed to distort the value of realities and the true meaning of the notions of family, couple, spouse, sexuality and marriage.
In face of the wave of indignation, questioning, and concern that the Declaration "Fiducia supplicans" on the question of the blessing of homosexual couples has aroused among the people of God.
In the name of the truth of the Gospel and for the sake of human dignity and the salvation of all mankind in Jesus Christ.
We, the Bishops of Cameroon, on the subject of homosexuality and the blessing of "homosexual couples", unanimously declare the following:
Cardinal Ambongo, President of the African Conferences, requests a United African response to Francis’ Gay Declaration
In some explosive news today, the President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa & Madagascar (SECAM), Cardinal Ambongo (Archbishop of Kinshasa), has indicated the great “perplexity” Francis’ Gay Declaration (“Fiducia supplicans”) has caused among African Christians.
He has requested all African conferences of bishops to formulate a united African response to the declaration.
“The ambiguity of this declaration—which lends itself to many interpretations & manipulations—is causing much perplexity among the faithful & I believe that...we need to speak out clearly on this issue in order to give clear guidance to our Christians.”
Full document below (en français):
December 21st: Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle
The feast of St. Thomas the Apostle has been kept on this day, December 21 from at least the ninth century. It was moved to July 3, the day mentioned by St. Jerome as the date of his martyrdom in India, by those who revised the calendar after the Second Vatican Council. They did this so that his feast would not interrupt the major ferial days of Advent leading to Christmas. They wanted to tidy things up, calendar wise. They considered the feast of St. Thomas in later Advent out of place. Their liturgical rationalism made them blind to the wonderful interruption of late Advent made possible by the feast of this apostle.
Nigeria, the largest country in Africa — its Bishops adamantly reject Francis’ Gay Declaration
Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa. This powerhouse of the continent has a bright demographic future, and its population counts at least 30 million Catholics, most of whom attend weekly Mass.
The Nigerian Bishops Conference issued a clear statement today on Francis’ Gay Declaration “Fiducia Supplicans”. Its conclusion couldn’t have been any clearer:
“In conclusion, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria assures the entire People of God that the teaching of the Catholic Church on marriage remains the same. There is, therefore, no possibility in the Church of blessing of same-sex unions and activities. That would go against God’s law, the teachings of the Church, the laws of our nation, and the cultural sensitivities of our people.”
Full document below:
Fiducia Supplicans Shatters the Myth of Pope Francis as the "Pope of the Peripheries"
A central tenet of the myth of pro-Francis hagiography has, until this point, been that he is the "Pope of the Peripheries"- the first Pope from the Global South, with a special focus on speaking for non-Western Catholics such as the burgeoning Catholic population of Africa. His opposition, the hagiography goes, comes from the heart of the consumerist West: the United States and its Catholic conservatives, who have been drumming up opposition to Pope Francis (an opposition which is supposedly manifested in a desire for the Traditional Latin Mass).
Ukraine Bishops Conference Chooses Sides: Against Francis' Gay Declaration - "There is no blessing for living in sin": "The document does not provide clear distinctions"
Bishops of Ukraine: there is no blessing for living in sin
December 19, 2023
Communiqué of the Ukrainian Bishops' Conference on the Declaration of the Dicastery of the Faith "FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS" on the Pastoral Significance of Blessings.
The document of the Vatican's Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith examines the different types of blessings that can be given by clergy outside the liturgy. The document also emphasizes that only those who want to live a life pleasing to God and ask for a blessing can be blessed liturgically. Instead, it expands the understanding of extra-liturgical blessing, which is usually given to all people, by introducing the possibility of "blessing same-sex couples." It is this possibility that has caused a storm of reactions and misunderstandings about the moral and doctrinal issues in the Catholic Church regarding this kind of blessing.
And this is because the concept of "blessing" is perceived by many as "permission", especially as "permission to sin". While the entire document makes it clear that there is no "permission" or "blessing" for homosexual cohabitation or any life of sin, nor any change in the Church's traditional teaching on marriage, the notion of blessing same-sex couples, or sacramentally unregulated couples, can be perceived as legalizing these relationships.
The document seeks to emphasize the boundless love of God for all people, sinners included, and in this regard to show that the Church does not reject these people, namely, persons with homosexual tendencies or even actions. However, it seems that the text does not clearly distinguish between a person and his or her situation, mercifully accepting this person and expressing disagreement with his or her sin. [emphasis added]
African Catholic Bishops Choose Sides -- Against Francis' and Tucho's Gay Advocacy
First, the Conference of Bishops of Malawi:
"Blessings of any kind and for same sex unions of any kind are not permitted in Malawi."
Then, that of Zambia:
"In order to avoid any pastoral confusion and ambiguity as well as not to break the law of our country which forbids same sex unions and activities, ... the Conference guides that the Declaration from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith of December 18th, 2023, concerning the blessing of same-sex couples be taken as for further reflection, and not for implementation in Zambia."
Roberto de Mattei: “Quo usque tandem?” For How Much Longer, Francis, Will You Abuse Our Patience? - The Dicastery for the Faith Blesses Sin Against Nature
Quo usque tandem? Doctrine of Faith dicastery "blesses" sin against nature
Roberto de Mattei
December 20, 2023
The Declaration Fiducia supplicans on the pastoral meaning of blessings issued on December 18, 2023 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith marks one of the lowest points of Pope Francis' pontificate. Indeed, this document, contradicting Church doctrine, approves and in fact promotes the "blessing" of "couples" living in an intrinsically immoral situation, with a special focus on homosexual couples.
To understand the origins of what happened, one must go back to the early 1970s, when, on the wave of the 1968 Revolution, but also of the post-conciliar "new morality," forms of "openness" to homosexual relationships began to spread in the Church. According to traditional doctrine, the sexual act is in itself, by its very nature, ordered to procreation and is good only if it takes place within marriage, without being diverted from its purpose. Instead, for the new theologians, the sexual act is always good because it constitutes the most intimate and intense moment of human love, regardless of whether or not it is ordered to procreation, whether or not it takes place within marriage, and whether or not it involves men and women of different or of the same sex.
Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana officially prohibits blessings of same-sex couples
 |
| Archbishop Peta and Bishop Schneider during the pope's visit to Kazakhstan in September 2022 |
Statement of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana regarding the Declaration Fiducia supplicans, published by the Dicastery of the Doctrine of Faith and approved by Pope Francis on December 18, 2023.
SSPX on Declaration allowing “Blessings” of Same-Sex “Couples”: A Scandal and Perjury Legitimizing Sin
Rome: The DDF Authorizes the Blessing of Same-Sex or Unmarried Couples
On Monday, December 18, 2023, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) published a Declaration signed the same day by Pope Francis, authorizing, for reasons of pastoral charity, the blessing of couples “in irregular situations”—in other words, unmarried or divorced and remarried couples, as well as same-sex couples.
In this rather long text, the DDF justifies this decision by relying on the teaching of Francis, and in particular on the response he gave to the dubia of the five cardinals—strangely brought up twice in the text—justifying its action as that of “an instrument at the service of the successor of Peter.”
For that matter, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, “Tucho,” recognized in his prose an “innovative” character, which could be translated as “non-traditional.” He even thinks to give a new “pastoral” signification of blessings, “permitting a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective,” which shows above all his ignorance.
A Scandalous Text
"Pope Francis' greatest contribution: having made it clear that there is an urgent need to reform the papacy"
It has just been announced that the Italian news source "Il Sismographo" has decided to shut down. Its editor, Luis Badilla, was a great source for Church news: from an “establishment” perspective, yet not censoring things that don’t fit a convenient narrative. Below is a translation of the last article on the blog (source here), and remember, the author is by no means to be classified as a traditionalist. -- PAK
The manner, style and methods -- as well as the narrative discourse -- with which Pope Bergoglio has exercised his supreme ministry as Universal Pastor, as Bishop of Rome and Successor of the Apostle Peter, have made it clear that one man in charge in Christ's Church -- moreover absolute ruler for life -- is a form of government that is now grossly inadequate, deficient and risky. This is a story that has been dragging on for decades and which Cardinal Bergoglio emphasized a great deal in the pre-Conclave meetings of March 2013.
1962 Universal Calendar from the FIUV: free pdf download
Cross-posted from the blog of the Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce (FIUV, Una Voce International).
Hard copies will be available to buy in the New Year, from the LMS online shop.
The FIUV took up the publication of this Ordo when the PCED, which used to do it, ceased to exist. It is modelled on the old PCED Ordos.
On the Papal Deposition of Bishops — Dr John Lamont
Rorate is pleased to publish this detailed study by John Lamont on the question of whether a pope has the authority to depose bishops “at will.” After comparing the two theological positions on papal power (a strong view that sees that pope as absolute monarch and the sole source of authority in the Church, and a moderate view that sees both pope and bishops as having authority from their office), Dr Lamont refutes the strong view from accepted Catholic theological principles. A PDF of this entire essay may be found here.
On the Papal Deposition of Bishops
John R.T. Lamont
José Antonio Ureta recently published an article in OnePeterFive entitled ‘Why a Good Bishop Should Not Ignore but Obey His Unjust Deposition by a Pope’. The article was an attempt to refute Dr. Peter Kwasniewski’s claim (here and here)[1] that a pope does not have the power to simply remove a bishop at will and that a bishop should refuse to go along with an unjust attempt by the pope to remove him from office. Dr. Kwasniewski’s claim was made in the context of reports that Bp. Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, was to be removed from his see, despite the absence of any evidence of his having failed in the exercise of his office, or of any other good reason for removing him. Mr. Ureta argued, against Dr. Kwasniewski, that the pope has the power to legally remove any bishop from his diocese if he so chooses, and hence that a bishop should accept his removal by the pope regardless of whether or not this removal was justified.
The question is a topical one, because on Nov. 11th 2023 Pope Francis announced that Bp. Strickland has been removed from his office as Bishop of Tyler, without giving any explanation for this action. Mr. Ureta, unlike Pope Francis, has provided a theological argument for the Pope having the right to take such an action. This argument needs to be addressed in order to understand whether or not this is the case. Its importance is not limited to the power of the pope to remove bishops; it concerns the fundamental nature of papal power.
Fiducia Supplicans: Dicastery for Doctrine of the Faith declaration opens door to “blessings” to all “irregular couples”, including homosexuals
Declaration
Fiducia Supplicans
On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings
Presentation
This Declaration considers several questions that have come to this Dicastery in recent years. In preparing the document, the Dicastery, as is its practice, consulted experts, undertook a careful drafting process, and discussed the text in the Congresso of the Doctrinal Section of the Dicastery. During that time, the document was discussed with the Holy Father. Finally, the text of the Declaration was submitted to the Holy Father for his review, and he approved it with his signature.
“To us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6): The Importance of the Infancy of Christ
Note: This is a slightly adjusted version of a talk given by the author in December 2023.
The Incarnation of Christ is, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “the mystery of the wonderful union of the divine and human natures in the one person of the Word.” (CCC 483). At Mass, we proclaim our belief in it in the Nicene Creed: “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.” [1] So much can be said about this unique and singular event in history, but here we will be examining two questions in particular. Why did our Lord come as an infant child? And why is this important for us?
A Sacrificial and Royal Liturgy
Paix Liturgique
Letter 986
December 15, 2023
From December 1 to 3, 2023, 600 seminarians from all French dioceses gathered in Paris. On the occasion of this gathering, Mgr de Moulins-Beaufort answered the questions they freely put to him. One of them asked: "Does the Church in France have a problem with traditionalists?" Mgr de Moulins-Beaufort replied: "Yes, no doubt because of our turbulent history since the Revolution. If there's a central question, it's one of political theology and our relationship with the world. Vatican II's decree on religious freedom is very clear. Christ didn't come to build Catholic nations; he came to found the Church. It's not the same thing. By dint of harboring nostalgia for a Catholic state, we lose our energy for evangelization."
Dr. John Rao: Criminal Ugliness – The Modern Western Assault on the Good, the True, & the Beautiful
For the December installment of the ALMS Speaker Series, Dr. John C. Rao delivered a lecture on "Criminal Ugliness: The Modern Western Assault on the Good, the True, and the Beautiful."
Dr, Rao is a dynamic speaker and thinker, with a tremendous grasp of history, and a great supporter of the Traditional Latin Mass. You can watch his speech here.
Dr. Rao holds a D.Phil. in Modern European History from the University of Oxford and is a former associate professor of history at St. John's University in New York City. Since 1991 he has served as the Director of the Roman Forum.
Events and speakers like this are only possible with your support. Please prayerfully consider contributing by making a tax-deductible donation to the Arlington Latin Mass Society here.
Communion on the Hand and Catholic Totality
by Don Pietro Leone
The Institution of the Eucharist
Joos van Wassenhove (1473-75)
We place our brief treatment of “Communion on the
Hand” between an Introduction on Adoration and an Epilogue in the form of a
witness.
Introduction: Adoration
Now honour is the attitude which a subject manifests to another in virtue of the other’s superior excellence, in order to express his submission to that other; whereas adoration is that honour which a subject manifests to God in virtue of God’s superior, or more precisely, infinite excellence, which requires of the subject total submission to Him. The obligation to adore God is the consequence of this infinite excellence of God which requires on the part of every rational being an attitude of total subjection: Tibi se cor meum totum subjicit 1
“The Principle of Tradition in the Liturgical Life of the Church”: Lecture by Bishop Athanasius Schneider
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| St Clement & St Basil |
The Roman Church is the mother and teachers of all other particular churches because of the primacy of St. Peter and his successors, the Roman Pontiffs. From the beginning the Roman church was inherently committed to keep and transmit in all her life, both doctrinal and liturgical, her fidelity to tradition, or to the divine principle of tradition. Famous became the phrase of Pope Stephen I (who reigned from 254 to 257): “Let nothing be innovated which has not been handed down” (nihil innovetur nisi quod traditum est).[1] Eusebius of Caesarea wrote in his Ecclesiastical History that pope Stephen was thinking that one ought not to make any innovation contrary to the tradition that had prevailed from the beginning.[2]
Lost in a battle of interpretations: Claude Barthe on a council that did not dogmatize and a liturgy that lacks the form of law
* * *
This teaching [on ecumenism], which was intended to be neither black nor white, lacked -- and for good reason -- the ultimate authority. It was decided that this Council would be "pastoral only", i.e. without dogmatic authority, perhaps inspired by the "priority of the pastoral", elaborated by P. Congar in Vraie et fausse réforme dans l'Église, which we'll talk about later. The principle of the atypical nature of this Council, which was subsequently affirmed many times, was laid down on the first day, Thursday October 11, 1962, by John XXIII's famous opening address, Gaudet Mater Ecclesia: Vatican II, in which, said the Pope, distinguishing himself in this respect from all past councils, would dogmatize neither positively (canons) nor negatively (anathemas).
"Upon this rock...": But what about the present situation? Fr Serafino Lanzetta has answers
What does it mean to say that the Apostle Peter—and each of his successors—is kepha, the rock on which Christ has built His Church? Could this rock ever be allowed to crumble, without the Church herself crumbling? Can a successor of Peter fail in his office, or even in his faith, without negating the Church’s indefectibility? What are the nature—and limits—of the pope’s infallibility and primacy? Has the role of the supreme pontiff sometimes been exaggerated or distorted? Today questions like these are asked with greater urgency than ever, owing to the pontificate of Pope Francis.
Fr Serafino Lanzetta's new book Super Hanc Petram: The Pope and the Church at a Dramatic Moment in History has just been released by Os Justi Press. The author is a Marian Franciscan based in Portsmouth, UK, a lecturer in Systematic Theology at St Mary’s University Twickenham and at the Theological Faculty of Lugano, and an author of many articles and books. He is becoming increasingly well-known in Anglophone circles. (Not long ago, Os Justi published another work of his: God's Abode with Man: The Mystery of Divine Grace.)
Fontgombault Sermon for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (2023)
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
Sermon of the Right Reverent Dom Jean Pateau
Father Abbot of Our Lady of Fontgombault
Fontgombault, December 8, 2023
Qui me invenerit, inveniet vitam.
He that shall find me, shall find life.
(Prov 8:35)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
My dearly beloved Sons,
Have you perhaps already asked yourself, one day or another: Who in the creation has been, and that from the
very beginning of mankind, the person who has most benefited
from the fruits of redemption, namely, the fact that Christ has set
free at the price of His Paschal mystery, His death and resurrection, a mankind revolted against God?
Cardinal Gregory: "Tradition dies a slow death, sometimes a bloody death"
On Wednesday 6 December, the Archbishop of Washington, Wilton Cardinal Gregory, took part in an event at the Catholic University of America as part of their Presidential Speaker Series, entitled "Celebrating Diversity" (h/t Diane Montagna). The full video can be found below, as well as on YouTube. In this talk, His Eminence notes that "even our American Catholic comfort zone can be rattled by the vastness of God's family of cultures, languages, and expressions of Catholic worship; so much diversity can throw some people off balance and quite frankly make them feel uneasy" (16:30). He also waxes lyrical about how the "synodal process" is rooted in the "ability to give one another grace and space as you journey together, with the freedom to express yourself freely without judgment" (29:44).
Sacrosanctum Concilium at 60: Still Dead and Buried
As we all remember, just a few short days ago we had the grand celebrations of the sixtieth anniversary of the promulgation of Vatican II’s Constitution on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium (4 December 1963), the magna carta of the liturgical reforms that followed the Council, and that faithfully implemented its provisions.
"Abolish the Patriarchy"? -- It's Actually Gone, But We Should Return to It - by Roberto de Mattei
Why We Must Return to the Patriarchy
Roberto de Mattei
Corrispondenza Romana
December 2023
After the murder of a young woman, Giulia Cecchettin, last Nov. 11, Italy has discovered that it is threatened by the "patriarchy." The title of a dossier in the Nov. 24 La Repubblica newspaper is eloquent: "Feminicides: stop the slaughter." The thesis, which is the same one spread by the mainstream media, social media, and all kinds of influencers, is that there is a massacre of feminicides and the responsibility must be attributed to the still dominant culture of "patriarchy." We need to fight patriarchy to stop violence against women.
Cardinal Parolin and the Upcoming Conclave - by Father Claude Barthe
Cardinal Parolin Lying in Ambush
Father Claude Barthe
Res Novae
December 2023
Is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, the real candidate of the Bergoglian left[1]? It's worth remembering that in 2013, the self-appointed cardinals of the "St. Gallen Group", who brought Jorge Bergoglio to power, used the maneuver of putting forward the name of Cardinal Scherer, Archbishop of São Paulo, to more effectively advance their real papabile, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Similarly today, behind the 66-year-old Filipino Cardinal Tagle, prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, but depressive and rather insignificant, or behind the 65-year-old Jesuit Cardinal Hollerich, archbishop of Luxembourg, rapporteur of the Synod of Bishops for a synodal Church, but too noisily heterodox, would actually be Cardinal Parolin.
Cardinal Silvestrini's heir
New Line of Traditionalist Mugs
Looking for a stocking stuffer for an altar boy? Wondering what to get for the priest who has everything? Want to surprise someone in the family? Or equip the tradbros with new slingshot rejoinders? Are you a firm believer (as am I) that children’s education takes place in the quiet interstices of life and not just in the official homeschooling lessons?
Enter the Os Justi Press line of ceramic coffee (or tea) mugs with traditional Catholic quotations and artwork. With quotations chosen by me, artistically designed by Julian Kwasniewski, and produced by Gelato on multiple continents, these are handsome items that should wear up well under repeated washings. They are bound to please those who agree with them and to prompt interesting conversations with anyone else.
Since the main point here is the text and artwork, I’ll let the mugs speak for themselves. (Please pardon the slightly blurry photos, this was my old camera that has since died. You can see additional photos at the links.) Also, please note that a few of the mugs have subsequently been updated with full blue or red handles and interiors.
"The Boomerang Effect After the Burke Punishment: What if tomorrow a Pope of different orientation does the same?" - in Italian daily "IL FOGLIO"
EITHER WITH ME OR AGAINST ME
The Pope-King takes away the home and salary of "divisive" cardinals,
but the result will be to set the dust on fire
Matteo Matzuzzi
Il Foglio
December 5, 2023
The boomerang effect after the "punishment" inflicted on Cardinal Burke is just around the corner, especially in those United States where the rift between conservatives and progressives is increasingly wide and painful. And in the curia there are also those who say, "What if tomorrow a pope of a different orientation does the same to those in vogue today?"
ROME - In recent days the Pope confirmed, through his biographer Austen Ivereigh, that he had decided to sanction Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, taking away his home and salary because he was guilty of using such funds "to divide the Church." Francis himself made the announcement at the end of the Nov. 20 interdicasterial meeting (a sort of council of ministers of the Vatican curia), without giving further explanation. What he did want to emphasize, however, is that he never called Burke "my enemy," as appeared in various media. Cardinal Burke, a canonist of rank, was called to Rome by Benedict XVI fourteen years ago: for him the post of prefect of the Apostolic Signatura and the cardinal's purple. Francis, not long after his election, first excluded him from the then Congregation for Bishops of which he was a member - during the Ratzingerian pontificate his opinion was widely heard regarding episcopal appointments in the United States - then transferred him from the Signatura to the little more than honorific post of sovereign patron of the Order of Malta. From there, he was deposed as early as 2017, following an internal battle within the institution, with the Pope preventing him from doing anything despite having decided not to formally remove him. Only six years later, upon his 75th birthday, was news of the appointment of the new patron, 81-year-old Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda. Burke is thus an emeritus, out of the governing games of the curia, but he remains a central point of reference for traditionalist and conservative realities.
Update on the Latin Mass in Washington, D.C. and Virginia: An Eminent Priest Silenced, and an Uncertain Future
Over a year into the crackdown on the Traditional Latin Mass in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. and the Diocese Arlington, VA, Traditionis Custodes continues to have a destructive effect. Instead of joyfully celebrating the witness of families and young people returning to Catholic tradition, both dioceses have maintained a blackout on discussion of the Old Rite. The Traditional Latin Mass cannot be mentioned in parish bulletins. Latin Mass congregations continue to worship- joyfully and reverently- in converted gymnasiums. The three Latin Masses remaining in parish churches in the Diocese of Arlington face the potential expiration of their two-year permissions this coming Summer.
Fontgombault Sermon for the First Sunday in Advent: "The strains of the Rorate Cæli are hovering over this time."
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Sermon by the Right Reverend Dom Jean Pateau
Father Abbot of Our Lady of Fontgombault
Fontgombault, December 3, 2023
Should it have been given to me to believe in God, and should He have suddenly beckoned to me, knocking on my window on an evening of loneliness and inaction, I think that, without the slightest hesitation, I would forthwith have left the nets of my daily obligations, which intolerably grip and smother me, to follow Him and rely on Him with a blind trust.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
My dearly beloved Sons,
These lines were written by Dominique Bernard, a teacher savagely murdered in front of his school last October in Arras. They might surprise as an epigraph to this homily for the first Sunday in Advent. Yet, it seems to me that they are fitting.
Latin Mass listings and the Latin Mass Society
Since its inception, the Latin Mass Society has published lists of traditional Masses in England and Wales; for many years these have been available to all on its website. If you go to the relevant page now you will be asked to log in as a member. The reason for this is explained in the 'Chairman's Message' of the currant Mass of Ages, the magazine of the Latin Mass Society, which arrived with members over the weekend.
--------------
Chairman’s Message
Joseph Shaw
PATRISTICS 101: Free Online Patristics Course with Dr. John Pepino - Starting in January 2024 - Register Now
Do you have friends and family who want to discover the roots of apostolic Christianity? Would you like people in your parish and community to be better educated about the earliest sources of Church teaching? If so, you should invite them to register for the ICC's upcoming course, Patristics 101: Apostolic and Ante-Nicene Fathers.
View the course trailer and register here.
How to sing Et Cum Spiritu Tuo at the Preface
Advent is a beautiful time of year to restore traditional practices, countering the implementation of the novus ordo liturgy, which was done on the First Sunday of Advent in 1969.
Advent is also an ideal time to clean up or correct liturgical details, starting the liturgical year anew.
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