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.

“The Dictatorship of Fear and the Coming Persecution” — Sermon by a Traditional Priest

A traditional priest sent us the text of a sermon he preached recently and offered it to be shared with our readers.

My brethren, the world in which we live is falling apart. When we look at the political situation that we have in this country right now, or when we look at any other country in the globe, we cannot help but be scared, worried about is coming next.

An Apologia for the Underground: Objections and Replies on the Subject of “Underground” Masses during COVID-19

The following article was submitted to Rorate from a writer in the American Midwest.

The unprecedented suspension of public Masses during COVID-19 left many lay Catholics with the question: “During suspension of public Masses ordered by the bishops of the Church in response to COVID-19, could members of the lay faithful assist with clear consciences at Masses where priests ignored their bishops’ rulings and did not lock the doors?” In the following objections and replies, I develop an answer to this question. I am not a canon lawyer; I claim to have no authority in matters of Church law. With Saint Teresa of Jesus, I simply say,

If these writings contain error, it is through my ignorance; I submit in all things to the teachings of the holy Catholic Roman Church, of which I am now a member, as I protest and promise I will be both in life and death. May our Lord God be forever praised and blessed! Amen, Amen. [1]

Objection 1: 

The lay faithful don’t necessarily have a right to be present at Holy Mass. Therefore, their concern at being barred from Mass by their bishops during the COVID-19 pandemic is not warranted.

A Victory for the Liberty of the Church in the Courts -- But When You Need to Count on the Bishops, Don't (John Rao)

Snatching Defeat From Victory

by Dr. John C. Rao

[For background: Judge rules New York churches can reopen in line with businesses.]

Chris Ferrara’s victory in the case he represented against the City and State of New York was the first really happy moment I have experienced in these three and one half months of medico-media mayhem. I could not wait to enjoy that victory with my fellow traditionalists at mass the Sunday after the judge’s decision.

But once again I was, as a friend frequently chastises me, “surprised by the obvious”. Why, in heaven’s name should I have thought that the bishops of the State of New York would be thrilled by Chris’s victory and make proper use of it? Sure enough, they were not, and did not. Twenty-four hours had not gone by before the following announcement was published: "The New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the bishops of the state, told CNA on Friday that churches would probably continue to follow state health guidelines for reopening, even though they are no longer bound by law to do so." The only thing that seems not to have been accurate in that statement was the word “probably”. It was definitely true. Our noble prelates had snatched defeat from victory.

There seem to be only two reasons for this craven episcopal sell-out, both of them rooted in a fear that does no honor to their noble position. The first is fear of lawsuits on the part of unscrupulous fortune hunters claiming that the church authorities, allowing bigger crowds than the State deems suitable, created a situation where they fell ill with the Plague. The second is a deeper fear: that of offending the Zeitgeist and the Cuomos and Di Blasios that administer its ever more willful, ignorant, perilous, and anti-Catholic demands. Supermarkets do not seem to be terrified by the lawsuits in question; the Successors of the Apostles in the United States are. Quite frankly, there is not a single opportunity for secular bootlicking that the bishops seem capable of resisting and which the grotesquely materialist and legalist world in which we live can provide some “practical” explanation for justifying.

Archbishop Gregory bashes Knights of Columbus, President

Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, DC, has essentially been missing for about three months.  March 8 was the last Sunday of public Masses in the Archdiocese of Washington, with a ban announced by Gregory on March 12.  The government of Washington, DC, has limited church congregations to a whopping ten people -- even in the first COVID-19 phase of reopening.  Considering all of the other large public gatherings in Washington, an outrage.  Not a public word from Wilton Gregory.

No public Masses are being offered in the nation's capital -- not even at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest church in North America.  The DC government limit of ten people applies to that church, which seats thousands. Not a public word from Wilton Gregory.

Today, though, Wilton Gregory woke up and spoke up.  Not on public Masses, or confessions, or any sacraments.  He chose to make his most public statement of the year to condemn the Knights of Columbus and the U.S. president for a visit to the John Paul II shrine in DC for an event on international religious freedom. Today marks the anniversary of JPII's famous nine day pilgrimage that started with a liturgy in Warsaw on June 2, 1979. 

Wilton Gregory, doing who knows what

The JPII shrine, owned by the Knights of Columbus, issued a response to Gregory's attack.

Traditional Catholics get French Highest Court for Administrative Matters to Act for the Liberty of the Church when Bishops didn't

Note: The following is an article published in the French daily Le Monde, not known for Catholic sympathy.  The remarkable fact referred to in this article is that a group of Traditional Catholic priests and laity brought a suit to what is the French equivalent to the Supreme Court on administrative and governmental matters to celebrate Mass within the situation of the Covid-19 crisis.  The French Bishops Conference protested against the situation but did not follow up with an appeal to the Court.  This shows where the power lies in the battle that will be engaged in the future between a secular state that is inimical to the Christian faith and its practice and those Catholics who believe and will fight for their rights against a secular and anti-religious State.  

The original decisions of the Conseil d'État are available here (the main one is number 440366)

 Conseil d’Etat lifts the "disproportionate" ban on religious celebrations in France

By Cécile Chambraud for Le Monde 

May 19, 2020

The government has eight days to relax the ban on public religious ceremonies in places of worship, in effect since March 15. The Conseil d’Etat ruled Monday, May 18, that the general and absolute ban on all gatherings in churches, temples, synagogues and mosques, if it could be admitted in the first phase of the fight against the epidemic Covid-19, is “disproportionate” during this period of post-confinement.

A theologian analyzes the morality of the cancellation of public Masses and the closure of churches by the State — superb Thomistic treatment

The author of this letter, a priest and an experienced teacher of moral theology, shared the following text with Rorate Caeli. It was originally prepared as a letter to the priest’s local ordinary. I find it the best treatment I have read so far of these questions.

Letter Reflecting on the Cancellation of Masses and Closure of Churches

+Pax+

8 May 2020

Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces and Queen of All Saints

Your Excellency,

For nearly two months now the Catholic faithful have been deprived of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, of Holy Communion, and for many, even of Confession, many priests refusing this ministry. This time has been one of great suffering for all. The unexpectedness of the situation found us all wondering what to do, and those in positions of leadership had to make some very tough and very quick decisions.

An Empty Apostolic Square: The Wolf Came, the Sheep Scattered

It was impossible for us not to think of the empty squares, churches, chapels today with the words of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on this Good Shepherd Sunday.

The governmental wolves ordered churches closed, as if they were not essential. The bishops (the "shepherds" in name only) fled, and the sheep scattered and left the field.

O tempora!...

At that time Jesus said to the Pharisees: I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and flieth: and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep. [From the Gospel for the Second Sunday After Easter.]

The Pandemic Crisis: The Absence of the Catholic Church -- The Dereliction of Duty of the Hierarchy

The crisis into which we are all immersed—there is no escape—is showing forth in a clear way, clear at least with those whose eyes are not clouded by false piety, the complete irrelevance of the Catholic Church within this crisis. The Catholic Church throughout her two thousand year history has been involved in very many crises: heresy, war, plague, ecclesial strife, famine—you name it and the Church has been involved in these crises within civilization, which civilization in the end means people, not merely groups of people, but individuals: he and she and their children.  And the reaction of the Church in the past was to be radically involved with the crisis facing the society in which she lived.  This is not to romanticize the past as if bishops have always responded to these crises of life and death in the best possible way.  But we do have the image of St. Aloysius Gonzaga carrying victims of the plague in Rome to the hospital on the Isola Tiburina.  But then again, Aloysius was not a bishop or even a priest. He was just a Jesuit novice.

And what do we see today?  

The Bishops Have Abandoned Us: These Wolves Deserve All Our Contempt and Disdain

The worldwide situation is serious. 

The underlying illness causing the situation is also serious.

But the attitude of most bishops in most affected countries is simply despicable, repugnant, deserving all our contempt and disdain. Not content with having thrown the faithful for decades to the care of sexual abusers, now, in the moment of greatest need, they simply abandon us.

The suspension of large gatherings (including public masses) is quite understandable. But the other measures are abusive, and a sign of the complete disregard of these wolves who pretend to be shepherds for the souls of the faithful. The act of many, apparently most, bishops to close churches to simple individual prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament? And, much worse, to "ban" confessions in the time of greatest need? To "ban" last rites, including the viaticum and extreme unction in the time of greatest peril?

What is the point of the Church at all, of the priesthood, if these physicians of the soul abandon the sick right now? How come Francis mentioned the church as a "field hospital" from day one of his pontificate, and, when the need for actual field hospitals is here, priests and bishops simply do not show up? Do they have to despise the laity that much? THIS is clericalism of the worst kind. 

Note this, bishops who have "banned" confessions and last rites in this time: WE WILL NOT FORGET THAT YOU ABANDONED US IN THE MOMENT OF GREATEST NEED.

Op-Ed - Bishop Schneider: The Rite of Holy Communion in times of a pandemic'The ban on Communion in the mouth is unfounded compared to the great health risks of Communion in the hand in the time of a pandemic. Such a ban constitutes an abuse of authority.'

By Bishop Athanasius Schneider

Nobody can force us to receive the Body of Christ in a way that constitutes a risk of the loss of the fragments, and a decrease in reverence, as is the way of receiving Communion in the hand. Although it is true that one could receive Communion on a small white and clean handkerchief (purificator, small corporal) directly in the mouth, this way is not always practicable and even refused by some priests.

In these cases, it is better to make a Spiritual Communion, which fills the soul with special graces. In times of persecution, many Catholics were unable to receive Holy Communion in a sacramental way for long periods of time, but they made a Spiritual Communion with much spiritual benefit.

Communion in the hand is no more hygienic than Communion in the mouth. Indeed, it can be dangerous for contagion. From a hygienic point of view, the hand carries a huge amount of bacteria. Many pathogens are transmitted through the hands. Whether by shaking other people's hands or frequently touching objects, such as door handles or handrails and grab bars in public transport, germs can quickly pass from hand to hand; and with these unhygienic hands and fingers people then touch often their nose and mouth. Also, germs can sometimes survive on the surface of the touched objects for days. According to a 2006 study, published in the journal "BMC Infectious Diseases", influenza viruses and similar viruses can persist on inanimate surfaces, such as e.g. door handles or handrails and handles in transport and public buildings for a few days.

Many people who come to church and then receive Holy Communion in their hands have first touched door handles or handrails and grab bars in public transport or other buildings. Thus, viruses are imprinted on the palm and fingers of their hands. And then during Holy Mass with these hands and fingers they are sometimes touching their nose or mouth. With these hands and fingers they touch the consecrated host, thus impressing the virus also on the host, thus transporting the viruses through the host into their mouth.

Communion in the mouth is certainly less dangerous and more hygienic compared to Communion in the hand. In fact, the palm and the fingers of the hand, without intense washing, undeniably contain an accumulation of viruses.

The ban on Communion in the mouth is unfounded compared to the great health risks of Communion in the hand in the time of a pandemic. Such a ban constitutes an abuse of authority. Furthermore it seems, that some Church authorities are using the situation of an epidemic as a pretext. It seems also that some of them have a kind of cynical joy to spread more and more the process of trivialization and de-sacralization of the Most Holy and Divine Body of Christ in the Eucharistic sacrament, exposing the Body of the Lord himself to the real dangers of irreverence (loss of fragments) and sacrileges (theft of consecrated hosts).

Chilean Conference of Bishops Sides with Marxist Protesters

The situation in Chile is very dramatic and, once again, the Church is on the wrong side, as this article from The New American indicates.

Chile's Conference of Bishops have echoed the calls of protesters for a new Chilean constitution as protesters ransack, loot, burn, and desecrate Catholic churches throughout the country.

This past month Chileans have seen their country ravaged by a small minority of revolutionaries, supported by the media, United Nations, and foreign international powers. Their aim is to destroy the legal system of the country and establish a communist tyranny similar to that of Venezuela and Cuba.

The protesters have an apparent affinity for fire, as they have burned down subway stations; supermarkets; small town markets and shops; commercial malls; government offices, such as the civil register for births, marriages, divorces and deaths; and they have set a couple of female police officers on fire.

Even the Catholic Church has not been spared from these acts of arson. Protesters have ransacked churches, removing pews and other works of art only to burn them in a pile outside. They have even gone as far as setting fire to the once-beautiful Iglesia de la Vera Cruz (Church of the True Cross) in Santiago, where an actual splinter from the original cross on which Christ was crucified is venerated. Fortunately, the splinter was saved from the flames.

DC Archbishop Wilton Gregory's disgraced guest

At the "installation" of Wilton Gregory as archbishop of Washington this afternoon, eyebrows were raised when disgraced Cardinal Roger Mahony was spotted near disgraced Cardinal Donald Wuerl in the sanctuary.

Roger Mahony in 2011 while still archbishop of Los Angeles

Tweeted by Washington Post religion reporter Michelle Boorstein, it is a telling sign of where the Archdiocese of Washington is headed.  Following his step down from public ministry in Los Angeles in 2013, at the request of Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, Mahony has been very selective on his public appearances.  He attended the "installation" of like-minded Bishop Robert McElroy in 2015.

Washington, D.C. (officially) gets a liberal archbishop

4/4 UPDATE: It's now official. The problems that have plagued the Archdiocese of Washington will most likely pale in comparison to what is coming next. And with this See being the political capital of the world, with an enormous pulpit and microphone, the effects of this disastrous appointment will be felt well beyond the Beltway. Wilton Gregory will make Donald Wuerl sound like Raymond Burke.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Original post [3/28/19]

The good news is the next archbishop of Washington, D.C., is not Cardinal Cupich, Cardinal Tobin or Bishop McElroy.  The bad news is, according to Catholic News Agency, the new archbishop will be Wilton Gregory.

A disciple of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Gregory is not just liberal on some things; rather, he is liberal on everything.

On abortion.

On natural law and the traditional family.

On dissident priests.

On the translations of the novus ordo.

Even on dressing for the beach at Mass.

Homily for the 4th Sunday after Epiphany: “There are Pirates in the Boat”

A traditional Catholic priest sent us his homily from last Sunday to publish for our readers.

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

At that time, Jesus got into a boat, and His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was covered by the waves; but He was asleep. So they came and woke Him, saying: Lord, save us! We are perishing! But He said to them: Why are you fearful, o you of little faith? Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the sea, and there came a great calm. And the men marveled, saying: what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him? (From the Gospel of the day: Matthew VIII, 23-27)

Dear Brethren,

The words of the Holy Gospel that we just heard tell us of what happened when the boat where Jesus was with his disciples was faced with a terrible storm. The waves were so big that it seemed that the boat would sink. So the disciples cried out to the Lord and the storm disappeared.

Pope Francis the Problem

In the print edition of today's USA Today, online here, is a sad commentary by Melinda Henneberger, a former Vatican correspondent for the New York Times, where she announces her apostasy.

Henneberger, who is known to be center-left (dissident on, for instance, Humanae Vitae, but sympathetic toward limited pro-life causes) via her many years of writings, blamed her apostasy decision on "these men" and "the men who run the church" while avoiding any blame toward the man who runs the Church.

Who runs the Church?  Who is the Supreme Pontiff?  Who blocked the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops this week from moving forward with a plan to get serious about the abuse crisis?  Even Tom Reese, S.J. (deemed too liberal for America magazine), called the move this week a "disaster" that would result in "terrible public relations for the pope."

The Francis Effect: A beautiful apology to traditional Catholics

Many of us have been heartened by the recent words of Msgr. Charles Pope. This interview, admission and apology to traditional Catholics everywhere is a wonderful example of how the current, rotten pontificate has brought together faithful Catholics whose disagreements were once a major obstacle.

There has been a lot of this lately. While many who have criticized traditional Catholics over the years have apologized, we were very heartened by the gracious words of Taylor Marshall:

This is how men of good will act toward one another. This is how all serious Catholics must begin to unite. This is how we survive, as a remnant in the words of Msgr. Pope, during this most awful time in the Church under a dictator pope and a cadre of rotten bishops.

FSSP to offer Masses, Adoration two blocks from USCCB meetings

Two blocks from this month's U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) meetings stands the shrine of Saint Alphonsus, administered by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.

Today the FSSP announced the following:

The USCCB will meet for the 2018 Fall General Assembly next week in our nation’s premier See, that of Baltimore, Maryland. Among the issues they will be discussing is the current abuse crisis in the Church. The National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori, our apostolate in Baltimore, located just two blocks from where the Bishops will meet, is aware of the importance of this Assembly and will be supporting the Bishops in prayer with a special Mass and adoration schedule during the time of the meeting. Our North American Superior, Fr. Michael Stinson, will join the parish this weekend as they prepare to begin the three days of prayer.

All Roads Lead to Washington, D.C.

For those interested in the latest news, we bring you our summary:

1) Bishop Michael Bransfield resigned and the resignation was accepted.  Bransfield served for 24 years at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., most of the time as rector. He was then ordained a bishop, choosing Theodore McCarrick as co-consecrator.

2) Archbishop William Lori, who ran the Archdiocese of Washington (D.C.) throughout the 1990s (holding several high-level positions, including moderator of the curia and auxiliary bishop), will investigate allegations against Bishop Bransfield.  During Bransfield's time at the D.C. basilica shrine, Lori had oversight over Bransfield.  (For instance, the Washington chancery instructs which bishops -- and even cardinals -- are banned from offering sacraments at the basilica shrine, a practice that still continues).

3) All this follows the scandal of Theodore McCarrick, former archbishop of Washington, who handpicked his successor in D.C., Donald Wuerl.  The two men were the leaders of the movement to give Communion to politicians who openly dissent from Church teachings.

4) Cardinal Donald Wuerl has announced he will be going to the Vatican to discuss his resignation, which implies it will soon be accepted by Pope Francis.  Not mentioned yet is Wuerl's membership on the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, where Pope Francis chose him to replace Cardinal Raymond Burke just nine months into this papacy.  Two Americans sit on the extremely prestigious congregation that selects all new bishops -- Cardinal Blase Cupich being the other.

New Online Database Tracks Episcopal Fidelity, Including in Liturgy

LifeSiteNews, for which I am a daily columnist, has just launched an initiative called Faithful Shepherds. It is an idea that I have heard people speculate about for years and wish would come true, without having the organizational resources to make it happen. Needless to say, it is welcome at this critical moment in the life of the Church. From the official announcement:

Faithful Shepherds helps hold American bishops accountable by providing years, sometimes decades, of past tweets, public speeches, sermons, actions, pastoral letters, and diocesan guidelines. Faithful Shepherds currently gives evidence of where U.S. bishops stand on ten issues: Archbishop Vigano's testimony, Amoris Laetitia, pro-life leadership, homosexuality, abortion politics, contraception, “LGBT” ideology, liturgy, marriage and family life, and education. More will be added as new evidence is gathered.