The Pope in Mexico: "Para que Cristo reine"

Dear brothers and sisters, by coming here I have been able to visit the monument to Christ the King situated on top of the Cubilete [hill].  ...This monument represents Christ the King. But his crowns, one of a sovereign, the other of thorns, indicate that his royal status does not correspond to how it has been or is understood by many. His kingdom does not stand on the power of his armies subduing others through force or violence. It rests on a higher power than wins over hearts: the love of God that he brought into the world with his sacrifice and the truth to which he bore witness. This is his sovereignty which no one can take from him and which no one should forget. Hence it is right that this shrine should be above all a place of pilgrimage, of fervent prayer, of conversion, of reconciliation, of the search for truth and the acceptance of grace. We ask Christ, to reign in our hearts, making them pure, docile, filled with hope and courageous in humility.

...

Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to assist us in purifying our hearts, especially in view of the coming Easter celebrations, that we may enter more deeply the salvific mystery of her Son, as she made it known in this land. And let us also ask her to continue accompanying and protecting her Mexican and Latin American children, that Christ may reign in their lives [para que Cristo reine en sus vidas] and help them boldly to promote peace, harmony, justice and solidarity. Amen.

Benedict XVI

Homily - Mass at the Bicentennial Park

Guanajuato

March 25, 2012

Children, observe the example of the martyrs

The disciple of Jesus does not respond to evil with evil, but is always an instrument of good instead, a herald of pardon, a bearer of happiness, a servant of unity. He wishes to write in each of your lives a story of friendship. Hold on to him, then, as the best of friends. He will never tire of speaking to those who always love and who do good. This you will hear, if you strive in each moment to be with him who will help you in more difficult situations.

I have come that you may know my affection. Each one of you is a gift of God to Mexico and to the world. Your family, the Church, your school and those who have responsibility in society must work together to ensure that you receive a better world as your inheritance, without jealousies and divisions.

That is why I wish to lift up my voice, inviting everyone to protect and to care for children, so that nothing may extinguish their smile, but that they may live in peace and look to the future with confidence.

You, my dear young friends, are not alone. You can count on the help of Christ and his Church in order to live a Christian lifestyle. Participate in Sunday Mass, in catechesis, in apostolic works, looking for occasions of prayer, fraternity and charity. Blessed Cristóbal, Antonio and Juan, the child martyrs of Tlaxcala, lived this way, and knowing Jesus, during the time of the initial evangelization of Mexico, they discovered that there is no greater treasure than he. They were children like you, and from them we can learn that we are never too young to love and serve.

Benedict XVI

Meeting with children

Plaza de la Paz, Guanajuato

March 24, 2012

Happy Mini-Easter ...

Take a deep breath, Lent is more than half-way over, and today you may feast. Lest we forget, the penances and fasting cease on Sundays in Lent, which are considered "mini-Easters" as a way to remind us of Jesus' victory over sin and death, and his resurrection.

In modern times, and especially since the mid-20th century, people have made up all sorts of novelties in the Church. Even those seeking to be traditional, because they are not and neither were their parents, they even make up "tradition" that appears conservative but is in fact liberal in its essence because it is not tradition at all -- even if it seems like a good thing.

So, today, enjoy yourself. Take a break, eat, and find some joy. Because today is Sunday, and every Sunday is a feast day, and you can't feast and famine at the same time.

[Note: CIC, Can. 1247 "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass. Moreover, they are to abstain from those works and affairs which hinder the worship to be rendered to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body." / CCEO, Can. 881, 4 "The Christian faithful should abstain from those labors or affairs which hinder the worship to be rendered to God, the joy which is proper to the Lord's day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body."]

[And in the 1917 code, canon 1252.4: “On feasts of obligation the law of abstinence, or of abstinence and fasting, or of fasting alone ceases."]

A man worthy of remembrance

Exactly 21 years ago, Archbishop Marcel-François Lefebvre died in Martigny, Switzerland, a few miles away from the International Seminary of Saint Pius X, in Écône (Riddes), to which he had dedicated the last decades of his life and in which he would be buried. Regardless of one's opinion of some events of his life, or of some of his decisions, or of some of his stronger words, it would be unjust not to acknowledge that without him the struggle for the preservation of much of what we cherish would probably have been lost. The fact that 21 years after his death "the question of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre" is still discussed in the highest halls of the Church, that his name is still mentioned among the words included in some of the gravest decisions of the Supreme Authority of the Church (cf. Letter to Bishops regarding the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum), and that the universal Church experiences in our age the great impact of the publication and implementation, not without hurdles, of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum and its instruction Universae Ecclesiae show that the global movement for the advancement of the Traditional Roman Rite is inseparably linked to the life of this passionate man.

New Brighton ICRSS Apostolate

It seems like a year has gone by since we mentioned the opening of the apostolate of the Institute of Christ the King in New Brighton (Diocese of Shrewsbury, England) - it has been actually over one year since it was first reported by us, on March 15, 2011, with an update on May 30, 2011.

We are quite happy to notice the official opening of the Shrine Church of Ss Peter and Paul and St Philomena as a church dedicated mostly to the Traditional Roman Rite this Saturday, with a High Mass, and the presence of the local Ordinary at the throne, as well as a special papally granted plenary indulgence - several images available at Offerimus Tibi Domine.

We say "mostly" because, when the arrangements were approved last November, the Diocesan spokesman had this to say: “The members of the Institute will work in close collaboration with Father Philip Moor, the parish priest of the Parish of the Holy Apostles and Martyrs, since it is the wish of Bishop Davies that this shrine church will express the harmony between the two usages of the one Roman Rite." It is a great event that must be heartily celebrated; we hope it is the seed for the eventual establishment of a personal chaplaincy or parish, as envisaged by Summorum Pontificum, Art. 10 - there is still not one single example of the application of this article in the United Kingdom.

Great idea: a monastic community visits your parish

The diocesan priests who staff the church of Notre Dame des Armées, in Versailles, had a great idea to inspire their parishioners in the last weeks of Lent. 

They invited the monks of Le Barroux to stay with them for five days, praying their Office and celebrating Mass, teaching the parishioners, young and old.

Their abbot, Dom Louis-Marie, led the group of monks (a small portion of their congregation) from their house in southern France to Versailles. 

Source: Le Forum Catholique

Vatican II at 50: Message to the Church in France

Vatican II was a genuine sign of God for our time. If we know how to interpret and accept it within the tradition of the Church, and under the secure guidance of the Magisterium, it will become an increasingly important driving force for the future of the Church. For this reason I hope this anniversary will be - for you and for the entire Church in France - an occasion of spiritual and pastoral renewal.

This renewal, which is part of a continuous and ongoing process, takes many forms. For the Year of the Faith, to which I have called the entire Church, we must seek a more conscious faith and renew our adherence to the Gospel. To this end, we must become increasingly open to the person of Christ, and rediscover the pleasure of the Word of God in order to achieve a profound conversion of heart and walk the paths of the world, proclaiming the Gospel of hope to the men and women of our time, in respectful dialogue with everyone. May this time of grace also make it possible to consolidate communion within the great family of the Catholic Church, and contribute to restoring unity among all Christians, which was one of the main objectives of the Council.

The renewal of the Church also includes the witness of Christians' own lives, that the Word of Truth the Lord left us may shine forth. If you approach witnesses of faith such as St. Bernadette the humble seer of Lourdes, Pauline Jaricot who gave new missionary drive to the Church, and many others who have made the soil of France fruitful, you will gain a deeper knowledge of Christ. ... St. Joan of Arc, the sixth centenary of whose birth falls this year, is one shining example. She brought the Gospel into the most dramatic events of the history of France and of her time. Rediscovering the joy of believing and the enthusiasm of communicating the power and beauty of the faith is a fundamental challenge of the new evangelisation to which the whole Church is called.

Benedict XVI

Video message to the National Meeting of the Church in France for the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II 

March 24, 2012

[Excerpts: VIS translation]

Something's missing...

The Holy Father arrives in Mexico today in his second trip to Latin America. Even secular outlets such as The Economist fail to speak of the elephant in the room when reporting news and facts that (at least for the Church) are terrible.

See if you can find the missing link:

The Pope will stay in Guanajuato, Mexico’s most devout state, where 94% of the population is Catholic. Well before his visit, posters went up to welcome the pontiff (though many depict his predecessor).

Yet outside the bunting-lined streets of Guanajuato, the Vatican’s grip is weakening. The share of Mexicans saying they are Catholic fell by five percentage points in the decade to 2010. In 1970 the figure was 96%. Many of these souls have been claimed by evangelical Christianity, from imported groups such as Baptists, to home-grown sects such as Luz del Mundo (Light of the World). In the south-east Catholics now make up less than two-thirds of the population.

Part of the decline is the result of a falling birth rate. In the 1960s, when Mexican women each bore nearly seven children, Catholicism had a steady stream of newborn recruits. Now that the average family has just over two children, the growth of Catholicism is slower. Evangelicals are proselytising as enthusiastically as ever.

Non-Catholic denominations are strongest in areas where neither the church nor the state has much presence. In Bejucal de Ocampo, a collection of ramshackle hamlets high in the Sierra Madre mountains of Chiapas, only 19% of residents are Catholic, making it the least-Catholic municipality in Mexico’s least-Catholic state. Most are Jehovah’s Witnesses or Baptists, whose colourful meeting places sit together on a hillside looking into Guatemala.

Something else happened to the Church in the 1960s, did it not? Or is it mentioned only in those news viewed as "positive"?

[Image source]

A Vatican II moment: Creed in the vernacular, sign of unity with the local bishop

You cannot make up this sort of thing:

Father Philippe Bordeyne is the President of the Paris Catholic Institute [the main Catholic University in France] since September 1, 2011. ... At the beginning of classes ..., it was he who granted the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to Jacques Delors [one the most prominent Socialists in France, former president of the European Commission, father of the Maastricht Treaty and of the Euro], declaring at the time:

"You are the incarnation of the options made by the Catholic Church in Vatican II."

Except for Jean Madiran, no one has, to my knowledge, highlighted this scandalous declaration.

On December 8, 2011, the Patronal Feast of the Institute, a mass was presided by Father Philippe Bordeyne in Saint Joseph's Chapel. De angelis mass setting, incense, Latin... the  Creed was supposed to be sung in Gregorian chant. Well, that displeased the President. When the moment of the Creed arrived, as foreseen in the chant booklet, he stood up and said:

"Excuse me, but I am looking at the program, and I will modify it. In fact, last September, as new President of the Institute, I swore an oath with the other new Parisian priests before Cardinal Vingt-Trois. We swear the oath by reciting the Creed. But we pronounced it in French. Therefore, in order to be in communion with our Archbishop, I ask you to recite it in French."

??? 

[Source: Perepiscopus - They add that Father Bordeyne also plans to change the logo of the university, which  currently is its seal, portrayed above, and insert some English words, to make it "modern". But then the university would be in communion with what?]

Retreat update

Regarding the matter of the "touching" retreat that was to take place in St. John's Abbey guesthouse, in Collegeville, Minnesota, we have received the following letter, forwarded by a reader:

Dear Mr. X: Thank you for your message. After reviewing the content of the retreat, it is clear that the program is not consistent with the purpose and mission of the Abbey Guesthouse. Therefore, the retreat has been cancelled.

Fr. Bob Pierson OSB

Guestmaster

St. John’s Abbey Guesthouse

PO Box 2015

Collegeville, MN 56321-2015

Thanks to God Almighty - and to our readers.

TLM News from Asia - II. President of Philippine Bishops' Conference to offer Solemn Pontifical Mass

Msgr. Palma is the Archbishop of Cebu, one of the Philippines' two "red-hat" sees. (The red hat of Cebu is currently held by Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, who turned 80 last year).

This Mass will be according to the 1962 Missal.

First things first: Raising a young man from the dead - but only after Holy Mass

"Eliseus therefore went into the house, and behold, the child lay dead on his bed: and going in he shut the door upon him, and upon the child: and prayed to the Lord. And he went up and lay upon the child: and he put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and he bowed himself upon him: and the child’s flesh grew warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house, once to and fro: and he went up and lay upon him: and the child gaped seven times, and opened his eyes. And he called Giezi, and said to him, Call this Sunamitess. And she being called, went in to him. And he said, Take up your son. She came and fell at his feet, and worshipped upon the ground: and took up her son, and went out, and Eliseus returned to Galgal." (IV Kings iv - Lesson for Thursday in the Fourth Week of Lent)

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"And [Christ] said, Young man, I say to you, arise. And he who was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother. But fear seized upon all, and they began to glorify God, saying, A great prophet has risen among us, and God has visited His people." (St. Luke vii - Gospel for Thursday in the Fourth Week of Lent)

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On Ash Wednesday, which fell that year on the 28th of February, the cardinals assembled at S. Sixtus, whither the abbess and her nuns also proceeded in solemn procession. They met in the little chapter-house ... , where Dominic raised to life the widow's child. The abbess solemnly surrendered all office and authority into the hands of Dominic and his brethren; whilst they, on their part, with the cardinals, proceeded to treat concerning the rights, government, and revenues of the new convent.

Whilst thus engaged, the business of the assembly was suddenly interrupted by an incident which is best told in the language of one of the eyewitnesses:

"Whilst the blessed Dominic was seated with the cardinals, the abbess and her nuns being present, behold! a man entered, tearing his hair and uttering loud cries. Being asked the cause, he replied, 'The nephew of my lord Stephen has just fallen from his horse, and is killed!' Now the young man was called Napoleon. His uncle, hearing him named, sank fainting on the breast of the blessed Dominic. They supported him; the blessed Dominic rose, and threw holy water on him; then, leaving him in the arms of the others, he ran to the spot where the body of the young man was lying, bruised and horribly mangled. He ordered them immediately to remove it to another room, and keep it there.

"Then he desired Brother Tancred, and the other brethren to prepare everything for Mass. The blessed Dominic, the cardinals, friars, the abbess and all the nuns, then went to the place where the altar was, and the blessed Dominic celebrated the Holy Sacrifice with an abundance of tears. But when he came to the elevation of our Lord's Body, and held it on high between his hands, as is the custom, he himself was raised a palm above the ground, all beholding the same, and being filled with great wonder at the sight.

"Mass being finished, he returned to the body of the dead man; he and the cardinals, the abbess, the nuns, and all the people who were present; and when he was come, he arranged the limbs one after another with his holy hand, then prostrated himself on the ground, praying and weeping. Thrice he touched the face and limbs of the deceased, to put them iu their place, and thrice he prostrated himself. When he was risen for the third time, standing on the side where his head was, he made the sign of the cross; then with his hands extended towards heaven, his body raised more than a palm above the ground, he cried with a loud voice, saying, 'O young man, Napoleon, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I say unto thee, Arise.' Immediately, in the sight of all those who had been drawn together by so marvellous a spectacle, the young man arose alive and unhurt, and said to the blesssed Dominic, 'Father, give me to eat;' and the blessed Dominic gave him to eat and to drink, and committed him, joyful and without sign of hurt, to the cardinal, his uncle."

It must be acknowledged, there is a wonderful grandeur in this narrative. We realize at once the alarm and emotion of the bystanders, and the supernatural calm and tranquillity of the saint, who was acting under the Spirit of God. Never, perhaps, was any miracle better attested, or more accurately described ... .

The life of Saint Dominic

Archbishop Joseph S. Alemany, O.P.

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam

You have not seen this many Roman chasubles in a motion picture since the advent of the New Mass...


U.S. Release date: June 1, 2012.

A canonical contribution on the Washington Eucharistic Affair

When Church matters are filled with the marks of injustice and persecution of Priests and lay faithful who merely wish to do what they are and have always been called to do (for instance, taking the greatest of cares for the Most Blessed Sacrament), it is quite understandable that people remain moved to speak up.

That was the case with George Neumayr and his superb article for The American Spectator.

It was also the case of a reader, Scriptor, who has sent us this letter on the several canonical aspects involved in the Washington Eucharistic Affair as a follow-up to his shorter post on the same matter posted in The New Theological Movement.

Greetings in Christ,

In light of Fr. Guarnizo’s recent letter and Dr. Peters’ recent posts in response to that letter, I would like to continue discussion and reflection on the application of c. 915 vis-à-vis the Guarnizo-Johnson controversy.  I continue to find myself disagreeing with Dr. Peters’ interpretation of c. 915 in this case.  For the sake of argument, permit me to consider the situation in abstraction from Fr. Guarnizo’s own self-understanding of what he was doing when he refused communion to Ms. Johnson.  I want to focus on c. 915 and in particular on its use of the word “manifest”.     

An Insuperable Burden?

In one of Dr. Peters’ recent posts (“Canonical observations…”, March 15^th) he cites a number of canons to show that, in light of its having the effect of restricting the rights of the faithful, we need to interpret c. 915 “as narrowly as reasonably possible”.  He then goes on to cite a number of traditional commentators to the effect that before a minister refuses the sacraments to someone, he must have no reasonable doubts about whether the person is publically unworthy in the technical sense.  Both these points are well taken.  I will argue though, that when analyzing Guarnizo-Johnson case, Peters does interpret c. 915 in an unreasonably narrow fashion.  I will also argue that a priest in Fr. Guarnizo’s shoes could reasonably have been free of doubts as to whether c. 915 applied to Ms. Johnson.  Peters writes, “…the burden is, without question, on the minister of holy Communion to verify that all of the conditions listed in canon 915 are satisfied before he withholds holy Communion from a member of the faithful who approaches for it publicly.”  In the Guarnizo-Johnson case, I don’t think this is an insuperable burden. 

On the Feast of Saint Benedict, Father of Europe

It is in times like ours that God raises great men.

Like a star in the darkness of night, Benedict of Nursia brilliantly shines, a glory not only to Italy but of the whole Church. Whoever considers his celebrated life and studies in the light of the truth of history, the gloomy and stormy times in which he lived, will without doubt realize the truth of the divine promise which Christ made to the Apostles and to the society He founded "I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world." At no time in history does this promise lose its force; it is verified in the course of all ages flowing, as they do, under the guidance of divine Providence. But when enemies assail the Christian name more fiercely, when the fateful barque of Peter is tossed about more violently and when everything seems to be tottering with no hope of human support, it is then that Christ is present, bondsman, comforter, source of supernatural power, and raises up fresh champions to protect Catholicism, to restore it to its former vigor, and give it even greater increase under the inspiration and help of heavenly grace. ...

In such a mighty storm and universal upheaval, from where did hope shine? Where did help and protection arise in order to save humanity and what was left of its treasures from shipwreck? It came from the Catholic Church. All earthly institutions begun and built solely on human wisdom and human power, in the course of time succeed one another, flourish and then quite naturally fail, weaken and crumble away; but the organization which Our Redeemer established has received from its divine Founder unfailing life and abiding strength from on high.

...

The special and chief task that seemed to have been given to him in the designs of God's providence was not so much to impose on the West the manner of life of the monks of the East, as to adapt that life and accommodate it to the genius, needs and conditions of Italy and the rest of Europe. ... Thus the special norms of eremitic life and their particular precepts, which were generally not very certain or fixed and often depended on the wish of the superior, gave way to Benedictine monastic law, outstanding monument of Roman and Christian prudence. In it the rights, duties and works of the monks are tempered by the benevolence and charity of the Gospel.

...

During a dark and turbulent age, when agriculture, honorable crafts, the study of the fine arts profane and divine were little esteemed and shamefully neglected by nearly all, there arose in Benedictine monasteries an almost countless multitude of farmers, craftsmen and learned people who did their utmost to conserve the memorials of ancient learning and brought back nations both old and new -- often at war with each other -- to peace, harmony and earnest work. From renascent barbarism, from destruction and ruin they happily led them back to benign influence human and Christian, to patient labor, to the light of truth, to a civilization renewed in wisdom and charity. ...

Furthermore, all the classes of society, if they studiously and seriously examine the life, teaching and glorious achievements of St. Benedict, cannot but fall under the influence of his gentle but powerful inspiration; indeed they will spontaneously recognize that even our age troubled and anxious for the vast material and moral ruins, perils and losses that have been heaped up, can borrow from him the needed remedies. But before all, let them remember and consider that the sacred principles of religion and its norms of conduct are the safest and soundest foundations of human society; if they are disregarded and compromised, everything that promotes order, peace and prosperity among men and nations, as an almost necessary consequence, gradually collapses.

...

Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, on the feast of St. Benedict, the twenty-first day of March, in the year 1947, the ninth of Our Pontificate.

Pius XII

Fulgens radiatur (Centennial celebrations of Saint Benedict)

March 21, 1947

For the record: Monsignor Nicola Bux's letter to Bishop Fellay and the Priests of the SSPX

To His Excellency, Bishop Bernard Fellay, and to the Priests of the Society of Saint Pius X

Your Excellency,

Most dear Brothers,

Christian brotherhood is stronger than flesh and blood because it offers us, thanks to the divine Eucharist, a foretaste of heaven.

Christ invited us to experience communion, this is what our "I" is made of. Communion means loving one's neighbor a priori, because we have the one Savior in common with him. Based on this fact, communion is ready for every sacrifice in the name of unity; and this unity must be visible, as the last petition addressed by Our Lord to his Father teaches us - "ut unum sint, ut credat mundus" -, because this is the decisive testimony of Christ's friends.

It is undeniable that numerous facts of Vatican II and of the period that followed it, related to the human dimension of this event, have represented true calamities and have caused intense pain to many great Churchmen. But God does not allow His Holy Church to reach self-destruction.

We cannot consider the severity of the human factor without having confidence in the divine factor, that is to say, in Providence, who guides history and, in particular, the history of the Church, while respecting human freedom.

The Church is at once a divine institution, divinely protected, and a product of men. Her divine aspect does not deny her human one - personality and freedom - and does not necessarily hinder it; her human aspect, while remaining whole and even compromising, never denies her divine one.

For reasons of Faith, but also due to the confirmations, albeit slow ones, that we are able observe at the historical level, we believe that God has prepared and continues to prepare, throughout these years, men who are worthy of rectifying the errors and the ommissions we all deplore. Holy works already exist, and will appear in still greater numbers, that are isolated ones from the others but that a divine strategy links at a distance and whose actions add up to a well-ordered design, as it miraculously happened at the time of the painful Lutheran rebellion.

These divine interventions seem to grow in proportion to the complexity of the facts. The future will make it clear, as we are convinced, and it seems dawn is almost at hand.

During some moments, the uncertain dawn struggles with darkness, which fades slowly, but when it appears we know that the sun is there, and that it will invariably pursue its course in the heavens.

With Saint Catherine of Siena, we wish to say: "Come to Rome in complete safety," next to the house of the common Father who was given to us as the visible and perpetual principle and foundation of Catholic unity.

Come take part in this blessed future in which we can already foresee dawn, despite the persistent darkness. Your refusal would increase darkness, not light. And yet the sparks of light we can already admire are numerous, beginning with those of the great liturgical restoration effected by the motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum". It stirs up, throughout the whole world, a large movement of adherence from all those who wish to increase the worship of God, particularly the young.

How to ignore the other concrete gestures, full of meaning, of the Holy Father, such as the lifting of the excommunications of the bishops ordained by Abp. Lefebvre, the opening of a public debate on the interpretation of Vatican II in light of Tradition, and, for this purpose, the renewal of the Ecclesia Dei Commission?

Perplexities certainly remain, points to be deepened or detailed, as those regarding ecumenism and interreligious dialogue (which has been, for that matter, already the object of an important clarification given by the declaration Dominus Iesus, of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, of August 6, 2000), or regarding the way in which religious liberty is to be understood.

Also on these matters, your canonically assured presence within the Church will help bring more light.

How not to think of the contribution you could give to the welfare of the whole Church, thanks to your pastoral and doctrinal resources, your capabilities and your sensibility?

This is the appropriate moment, the favorable time to come. Timete Dominum transeuntem: let not the occasion of grace the Lord offers you pass by, let it not pass by your side without recognizing it.

Will the Lord grant another one? Will not we all one day appear before His Court and answer not only for the evil we have done, but above all for the good we might have accomplished but did not?

The Holy Father's heart trembles: he awaits you anxiously because he loves you, because the Church needs you for a common profession of faith before a world that is each day more secularized and that seems to turn its back to its Creator and Savior hopelessly.

In the full ecclesial communion with the great family that is the Catholic Church, your voice will no longer be stifled, your contribution will be neither ignorable nor ignored, but will be able to bring forth, with that of so many others, abundant fruits which would otherwise go to waste.

The Immaculate teaches us that too many graces are lost because they are not asked for; we are convinced that, by answering the offer of the Holy Father favorably, the Society of Saint Pius X will become an instrument to enkindle new rays from the fingers of our Heavenly Mother.

On this day dedicated to him, may Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patron of the Universal Church, inspire and sustain your resolutions: "Come to Rome in all safety".

Rome, March 19, 2012.

Feast of Saint Joseph

d. Nicola Bux

The original French text of the open letter, courtesy of Scuola Ecclesia Mater.

The sounds of normalcy

One does not have to understand a single word of German to enjoy the sights and sounds of the film produced by the German public network ARD and broadcast by its main channel, Das Erste, a while ago on the Society of Saint Pius X: "Revolte gegen Rom".

The film producer follows the Society in Germany through the lives of a young woman, Veronika Fleischer, a student in the St. Teresa School, in Schönenberg (Ruppichteroth, North Rhine-Westphalia), and of a young man, Fr. Elias Stolz, a Deacon in the weeks leading up to his priestly ordination, in the Sacred Heart Seminary (Zaitzkofen, Bavaria).

The most impressive thing is how unimpressive it all looks: there is no secret, it is not a "sect", there is really nothing to hide, in a film produced by a public broadcaster that is not expected to be sympathetic in such matters. The wonder of Catholic normalcy pervades it all: we will not say other things are not Catholic, but this surely looks like it is. 

[Tip: SSPX German District - this video merits English subtitles!!!]

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This is our 4000th post: thanks to our contributors, our friends, those who constantly send us tips, those who pray for us - and, of course, to our faithful readers!

Two cardinalatial sees filled in North America

The Most Rev. William Edward Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore, and the Most Rev. Christian Lépine, Archbishop of Montreal

(Bolettino of the Holy See Press Office)

Apostolic Visitation to Ireland Summary of the findings

The Summary of the findings of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland, published herewith, offers a synthesis of the results of the Visitations to the four Archdioceses, to Religious Institutes and to the Irish Seminaries. It has been approved by the Offices which conducted the Visitation and it also contains some further observations from the Holy See, in addition to those that the individual Dicasteries communicated to the leaders of the respective Archdioceses or Institutes:

Now that the Apostolic Visitation to certain Dioceses, Seminaries and Religious Institutes in Ireland has been concluded, it is intended here, in accordance with what was stated in the Communiqué of 6 June 2011, to offer an overall synthesis indicating the results and the future prospects highlighted by the Visitation.

It should be borne in mind that the Visitation was pastoral in nature; the Holy Father’s intention was that it should "assist the local Church on her path of renewal" (Pastoral Letter of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, 19 March 2010). It was not intended to replace or supersede the ordinary responsibility of Bishops and Religious Superiors, nor to interfere "with the ordinary activity of the local magistrates, nor with the activity of the Commissions of Investigation established by the Irish Parliament, nor with the work of any legislative authority, which has competence in the area of prevention of abuse of minors" (Communiqué of the Holy See Press Office, 12 November 2010).

In communicating this summary of the Findings of the Apostolic Visitation, the Holy See re-echoes the sense of dismay and betrayal which the Holy Father expressed in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland regarding the sinful and criminal acts that were at the root of this particular crisis.

* * *

The Encyclicals of March 1937: Divini Redemptoris and the ever-present dangers of Communism

Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, on the feast of St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church, on the 19th of March, 1937... 

This is a (Lenten) month of celebration for us, with the 75th anniversary of three encyclicals of one of the greatest pontiffs in living memory, Pius XI: in their order of publication, Mit brennender Sorge (March 14); Divini Redemptoris (March 19); and Nos es muy conocida (March 28). In very different ways, the three encyclicals deal with the same matter: how do the Church and the Catholic faithful deal with a Totalitarian regime, run by National-Socialist pagan nation-worshippers, Communist Atheists, or "Fraternal" Mexican post-Revolutionary lords?

There is no doubt that the most relevant of them is Divini Redemptoris, not because its original text was in Latin, but because, as this linguistic aspect already makes clear, it is a universal encyclical for a universal problem, which endures up to our days: Communism. In the months leading to the release of the encyclical on the Feast of Saint Joseph, 1937, the greatest concern in the mind of the Pontiff as political tensions reached feverish proportions throughout the world was undoubtedly the Spanish situation.

Pius XI is often and unjustly accused of "silence" regarding the unbelievably gruesome persecution of Catholics in the Republican-occupied territory of Spain since the early days of the Republic and particularly since the Nationalist alzamiento of July 18, 1936, which marked the beginning of the Spanish Civil War (see our series on "The Passion of Spain"). There was no silence -- but there was caution so that the slaughter of Catholics would not reach even greater proportions; this while the Holy See did all it could to protect the Spanish faithful under persecution (does this "silence accusation" sound familiar?):

...the most persistent enemies of the Church, who from Moscow are directing the struggle against Christian civilization, themselves bear witness, by their unceasing attacks in word and act, that even to this hour the Papacy has continued faithfully to protect the sanctuary of the Christian religion, and that it has called public attention to the perils of Communism more frequently and more effectively than any other public authority on earth.

Pius was aware, more than any other leader of the age, of the violence perpetrated by Marxists in Spain, as he used it as a warning to all civilized nations, two years before the war and the persecutions were over:

Even where the scourge of Communism has not yet had time enough to exercise to the full its logical effects, as witness Our beloved Spain, it has, alas, found compensation in the fiercer violence of its attack. Not only this or that church or isolated monastery was sacked, but as far as possible every church and every monastery was destroyed. Every vestige of the Christian religion was eradicated, even though intimately linked with the rarest monuments of art and science. The fury of Communism has not confined itself to the indiscriminate slaughter of Bishops, of thousands of priests and religious of both sexes; it searches out above all those who have been devoting their lives to the welfare of the working classes and the poor. But the majority of its victims have been laymen of all conditions and classes. Even up to the present moment, masses of them are slain almost daily for no other offense than the fact that they are good Christians or at least opposed to atheistic Communism. And this fearful destruction has been carried out with a hatred and a savage barbarity one would not have believed possible in our age. No man of good sense, nor any statesman conscious of his responsibility can fail to shudder at the thought that what is happening today in Spain may perhaps be repeated tomorrow in other civilized countries.

From the past, Pius XI seems to warn us even today: "Catholics, never forget what Communism is, what inspires it, what Communists have done, still do, and will always do to Christians, given the opportunity! Catholic faithful, never forget '36! Always forgive, but never forget what Socialists and Communists did to you!"

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Divini Redemptoris was not an exercise in rhetorical craftsmanship, but a real response to a real problem: the severe persecution of Catholics by Communists.

Yet, it was so much more than a protest. Pope Pius had already made clear several years earlier that "no one can be at the same time a good Catholic and a true socialist" (Quadragesimo Anno). He was now ready to explain to the Universal Church and to the whole of mankind why Communism must be fought, how Communists infiltrate Holy Mother Church, and how much all should be prepared to detain and reverse its advance.

Pius XI warns the Church and the world of the danger of Communist deceitfulness and infiltration:

[Communism] has therefore changed its tactics, and strives to entice the multitudes by trickery of various forms, hiding its real designs behind ideas that in themselves are good and attractive. Thus, aware of the universal desire for peace, the leaders of Communism pretend to be the most zealous promoters and propagandists in the movement for world amity. Yet at the same time they stir up a class-warfare which causes rivers of blood to flow, and, realizing that their system offers no internal guarantee of peace, they have recourse to unlimited armaments. Under various names which do not suggest Communism, they establish organizations and periodicals with the sole purpose of carrying their ideas into quarters otherwise inaccessible. They try perfidiously to worm their way even into professedly Catholic and religious organizations. Again, without receding an inch from their subversive principles, they invite Catholics to collaborate with them in the realm of so-called humanitarianism and charity; and at times even make proposals that are in perfect harmony with the Christian spirit and the doctrine of the Church. Elsewhere they carry their hypocrisy so far as to encourage the belief that Communism, in countries where faith and culture are more strongly entrenched, will assume another and much milder form. It will not interfere with the practice of religion. It will respect liberty of conscience. There are some even who refer to certain changes recently introduced into soviet legislation as a proof that Communism is about to abandon its program of war against God. See to it, Venerable Brethren, that the Faithful do not allow themselves to be deceived!

Pope Pius XI explains that Catholics cannot accept Communist deception, because Communism has only one nature: it is intrinsically wrong, perverse, evil (pravus):

Since Communism is intrinsically perverse, no one whose aim is to save Christian civilization and culture from destruction may collaborate with it in any undertaking whatsoever.* Those who permit themselves to be deceived into lending their aid towards the triumph of Communism in their own country, will be the first to fall victims of their error. And the greater the antiquity and grandeur of the Christian civilization in the regions where Communism successfully penetrates, so much more devastating will be the hatred displayed by the godless.

The Holy Father exposes Communism for what it is: an inherently distorting ideology whose nature is crushing to the human soul:

Communism... strips man of his liberty, robs human personality of all its dignity, and removes all the moral restraints that check the eruptions of blind impulse. There is no recognition of any right of the individual in his relations to the collectivity; no natural right is accorded to human personality, which is a mere cog-wheel in the Communist system. In man's relations with other individuals, besides, Communists hold the principle of absolute equality, rejecting all hierarchy and divinely-constituted authority, including the authority of parents. What men call authority and subordination is derived from the community as its first and only font. Nor is the individual granted any property rights over material goods or the means of production, for inasmuch as these are the source of further wealth, their possession would give one man power over another. Precisely on this score, all forms of private property must be eradicated, for they are at the origin of all economic enslavement.

Communism is not a danger of the past. It is impossible not to see in our own age the heavy influence of Communist ideology, that "new gospel which ... Communism offers the world as the glad tidings of deliverance and salvation", in the perversion of modern Civilization, in the destruction of family life, and of the dignity of women - and in the ongoing debate on the redefinition of marriage to include the protection and promotion of unnatural and abhorrent practices and of an "objectively disordered" lifestyle:

Refusing to human life any sacred or spiritual character, such a doctrine logically makes of marriage and the family a purely artificial and civil institution, the outcome of a specific economic system. There exists no matrimonial bond of a juridico-moral nature that is not subject to the whim of the individual or of the collectivity. Naturally, therefore, the notion of an indissoluble marriage-tie is scouted. Communism is particularly characterized by the rejection of any link that binds woman to the family and the home, and her emancipation is proclaimed as a basic principle. She is withdrawn from the family and the care of her children, to be thrust instead into public life and collective production under the same conditions as man. The care of home and children then devolves upon the collectivity. Finally, the right of education is denied to parents, for it is conceived as the exclusive prerogative of the community, in whose name and by whose mandate alone parents may exercise this right. ... Communists claim to inaugurate a new era and a new civilization which is the result of blind evolutionary forces culminating in a humanity without God.

May Saint Joseph, under whose patronage Pius XI placed "the vast campaign of the Church against world Communism", protect us from the dangers of Communism, as great today in its most insidious forms as ever. "While the promises of the false prophets of this earth melt away in blood and tears, the great apocalyptic prophecy of the Redeemer shines forth in heavenly splendor: 'Ecce nova facio omnia'."

[REPOST OF THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION POSTS, 2007]

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*(Communismus cum intrinsecus sit pravus, eidem nulla in re est adiutrix opera ab eo commodanda, cui sit propositum ab excidio christianum civilemque cultum.)

Pray tell us: what is wrong with these people?

What will be their motto? "What happens in Collegeville stays in Collegeville"?

Incarnational Prayer:

Connecting to God through Our Bodies

October 5-7, 2012

A retreat sponsored by the Catholic Association for Lesbian and Gay Ministry to be held at St. John’s Abbey Guesthouse in Collegeville, MN, facilitated by Bob Pileggi.

This retreat is for LGBT folks and their allies to connect to God and themselves through the body. Life has given us this great gift of a body. We can open more to God's love, acceptance and guidance by having a fuller experience of the body; by appreciating it. Various religious teachings might tell us to deny the body in order to get closer to God; this retreat will be healing from that idea - offering us renewed love for our body, self and God. Reconnect to your body in a compassionate way; feel rejuvenation; and open to more empowered self-expression. And in the process learn some simple spiritual practices that have foundations in most of the world's major religions (awareness, breathing, mindful movement, etc.) that you can use on your own at home and share with others.

Come, Father Damien, come!

148 years ago, Damien (Jozef) de Veuster, still in minor orders, arrived in the Kingdom of Hawaii. It was the day of his patron saint, the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin. He would be ordained a priest in Honolulu on May 24, 1864.

When, in 1873, the Vicar Apostolic, Bp. Louis Désiré Maigret, asked for missionaries who could volunteer to minister to the lepers of Molokai, the Flemish priest was not afraid to offer his life. When the sick, the physically as well as the spiritually sick, are in need of priests, the priests must not be afraid of helping them, of entering their infected areas, of ministering to their needs.

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Damien was COARSE.

It is very possible. You make us sorry for the lepers, who had only a coarse old peasant for their friend and father. But you, who were so refined, why were you not there, to cheer them with the lights of culture? Or may I remind you that we have some reason to doubt if John the Baptist were genteel; and in the case of Peter, on whose career you doubtless dwell approvingly in the pulpit, no doubt at all he was a ‘coarse, headstrong’ fisherman! Yet even in our Protestant Bibles Peter is called Saint.

Damien was DIRTY.

He was. Think of the poor lepers annoyed with this dirty comrade! But the clean Dr. Hyde was at his food in a fine house.

Damien was HEADSTRONG.

I believe you are right again; and I thank God for his strong head and heart.

Damien was BIGOTED.

I am not fond of bigots myself, because they are not fond of me. But what is meant by bigotry, that we should regard it as a blemish in a priest? Damien believed his own religion with the simplicity of a peasant or a child; as I would I could suppose that you do. For this, I wonder at him some way off; and had that been his only character, should have avoided him in life. But the point of interest in Damien, which has caused him to be so much talked about and made him at last the subject of your pen and mine, was that, in him, his bigotry, his intense and narrow faith, wrought potently for good, and strengthened him to be one of the world’s heroes and exemplars.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Open Letter to the Rev. Dr. Hyde of Honolulu

[Letter by the Protestant writer in response to

the accusations of Dr.C. M. Hyde, Presbyterian minister in Honolulu]

Sydney, February 25, 1890

Ite ad Ioseph

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In festo Sancti Ioseph,
Eum deprecemur pro Beatissimo Papa nostro Benedicto

Ad te beate Ioseph, 

in tribulatione nostra confugimus, atque, implorato Sponsæ tuæ sanctissimæ auxilio, patrocinium quoque tuum fidenter exposcimus. Per eam, quæsumus, quæ te cum immaculata Virgine Dei Genitrice coniunxit, caritatem, perque paternum, quo Puerum Iesum amplexus es, amorem, supplices deprecamur, ut ad hereditatem, quam Iesus Christus acquisivit Sanguine suo, benignus respicias, ac necessitatibus nostris tua virtute et ope succurras.

Tuere, o Custos providentissime divinæ Familiæ, Iesu Christi sobolem electam; prohibe a nobis, amantissime Pater, omnem errorum ac corruptelarum luem; propitius nobis, sospitator noster fortissime, in hoc cum potestate tenebrarum certamine e cælo adesto; et sicut olim Puerum Iesum e summo eripuisti vitæ discrimine, ita nunc Ecclesiam sanctam Dei ab hostilibus insidiis atque ab omni adversitate defende: nosque singulos perpetuo tege patrocinio, ut ad tui exemplar et ope tua suffulti, sancte vivere, pie emori, sempiternamque in cælis beatitudinem assequi possimus.

Amen.

A Leone XIII scripta (Source: Fides)

English

Caussin in Lent: Jesus flies from scepters and runs towards the Cross

Fr. Nicolas Caussin, S.I., confessor to Louis XIII exiled by Cardinal Richelieu and heavily criticized by many Jansenists, is well-known as the author of "La Cour Sainte" ("The Holy Court"). In his "Entretiens" ("Entertainments") for Lent, some of his sermons for the Season are presented in a devotional format: an examination of the traditional scriptural readings for the day in the Roman Rite followed by the aspirations of the soul thirsty for Christ. He is our main inspiration for seasonal posts this Lent.

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"When, therefore, Jesus had lifted up His eyes and seen that a very great crowd had come to Him, He said to Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? But He said this to try him, for He Himself knew what He would do." (From the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, St. John vi)

What a happy thing it is to serve God, whose conversation is so worthy of all love! See how he carried himself toward this poor multitude which followed him with such zeal and constancy. It seems as if they were his children, that he carried them all upon his shoulders, that he had their names, their country, their qualities, and the conditions of their small fortunes graven in his heart. He is so tender over them, he so afflicts himself about them as a shepherd over his poor flock. He instructs them, he speaks to them of heavenly things, he heals their maladies, he comforts their sadness, he lifts his eyes up to heaven for them, and for them he opens his divine hands, the treasures of heaven, and nourishes them by a miracle, as they had wholly resigned themselves to him with such absolute confidence.

O, how are we cherished by heaven, since God binds himself to help us: and we would be unfaithful not to trust him who makes nature itself so faithful to us. There is here much to be observed, that God does no miracles for his own profit; he does not change stones into bread in the desert, to nourish himself after that long fast which he did there make, but for his faithful servants he alters the course of nature; and being austere to himself, he becomes indulgent to us, to teach us that we should despoil ourselves of self-love, which ties us to our own flesh, and makes us so negligent to our neighbor.

Update: "Why Rome does not give up hope on an agreement with the Lefebvrists"

Full comment on today's events by Jean-Marie Guénois, of French daily Le Figaro, as an update to the main post.

Updates on today's SSPX-Holy See meeting

Updates in the main post.

SSPX-ROMEHoly See Communiqué: SSPX invited to "clarify"UPDATES: today's meeting; why the Pope will not give up

COMMUNIQUÉ: MEETING BETWEEN THE PREFECT OF THE

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

AND THE SUPERIOR GENERAL OF THE SOCIETY OF SAINT PIUS X,

MARCH 16, 2012

During the meeting on September 14, 2011, between His Eminence Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, and His Excellency Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X, a Doctrinal Preamble, accompanied by a Preliminary Note, was delivered to the latter, as the fundamental basis for achieving full reconciliation with the Apostolic See. This Preamble spelled out certain doctrinal principles and criteria for interpreting Catholic doctrine that are necessary to ensure fidelity to the Church’s Magisterium and sentire cum Ecclesia.

The response of the Society of St. Pius X to this Doctrinal Preamble that arrived in January 2012 was submitted to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for their review and was then forwarded to the Holy Father for his judgment. In compliance with the decision by Pope Benedict XVI, the evaluation of the response of His Excellency Bishop Fellay was communicated to him by a letter delivered to him today. This evaluation notes that the position that he expressed is not sufficient to overcome the doctrinal problems that are at the basis of the rift between the Holy See and the aforesaid Society.

At the conclusion of today’s meeting, out of a concern for avoiding an ecclesial rupture with painful and incalculable consequences, the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X was invited to be so kind as to clarify his position so as to heal the existing rift, as Pope Benedict XVI wished.

[Original languages: Italian and French ; we have replaced the VIS translation with one by Michael J. Miller, which closely follows the French text.]

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Addendum (Radio Vaticana):

"Bp. Fellay is invited to clarify his position, in order to be able to heal the existing rift, as is the desire of Pope Benedict XVI, from now until April 15."

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[UPDATE - 1500 GMT] In an article on today's events, Salvatore Izzo reports the following for Italian news agency AGI:

The Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, delivered [the content of the communiqué] to the Superior General of the Society, Bishop Bernard Fellay, in a conversation that lasted for over two hours ... . During today's meeting in the Palace of the Holy Office - in which the Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Abp. Luis Francisco Ladaria, and the Secretary of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, Mgr. Guido Pozzo, also took part, while Bp. Fellay was joined by his assistant Fr. Nély - a complete rupture was avoided by the Holy See, making it clear that Benedict XVI still expects a recomposition.

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[UPDATE: 1800 GMT - Comment on the events of the day, by Jean-Marie Guénois, blogger for Religioblog, the religion blog of major French daily Le Figaro -  we have also replaced the VIS translation above with one that more accurately reflects the French text.]

Why doesn't Rome give up hope on an agreement with the Lefebvrists?

Jean-Marie Guénois - March 16, 2012 17h46

This deformation of information is quite curious... While Rome reveals today that a new meeting took place this morning between Bp. Fellay, leader of the Lefebvrists, and Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the scope of reaching an - admittedly very hard - agreement, many colleagues [in the media] speak of an "ultimatum" imposed by the Vatican in order to find a solution within "one month".

I have read and reread the official communiqué and I do not find in it either the word "ultimatum" or above all any trace of a spirit of ultimatum. That is to say, of a pressure attached to a calendar in order to reach a result by forcing down the power lever.

No ultimatum

And what is worse: to affirm that is to profoundly deform the information published today by the Vatican. Especially since this matter of the ultimatum came from the interpretation of the words of Fr. Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, who answered the question of a journalist on the "deadlines". It is estimated that the Vatican would expect a response from now "up to around one month". He did not speak, as far as I know, of an ultimatum. Which would be, for that matter, ridiculous, for a crisis that has been open for... fifty years, since the opening of Vatican II!

Here is in fact the whole text of the communiqué. It is short enough to be quoted:

[TEXT OF THE COMMUNIQUÉ]

Not a meaningless courtesy

This very Roman courtesy is not at all meaningless. Quite the opposite, it indicates that the Pope still wants an agreement, whether we want it or not. And that Bp. Fellay wants it as well, whether we want it or not.

It seems to me, on the contrary, that the negotiation enters the homestretch. It has changed in its nature: it is no longer of a doctrinal, but of an ecclesial nature.

Allow me to explain myself: for three years, one might say, the systems engineers, on the Lefebvrist side and on the Vatican side, have worked in order to try to make two versions of the same "Catholic" software compatible. But... dating from two very different times.

They have tried it all. And they have indeed concluded that there is a technical and ...definitive incompatibility. That is, a theological "incompatibility" between Vatican I and Vatican II, to make this simple.

But this disagreement, formally established, does not mean that an "ecclesial" solution - we would say "political" in worldly language - is henceforth impossible.

It is this new negotiation that begins today with the letter delivered to Bp. Fellay.

Rome, it seems to me, is not looking for a cheap compromise. The Lefebvrists would not accept it, anyway. That would be the source of difficult problems in the mid-term.

Not a matter for bookkeepers

Rome wants an agreement, founded on a grand vision of Catholicism. A vision that is capable of integrating several families some of which are very far ones from the others. A spirit capable of accepting an internal debate, this "disputatio" that belongs to the great intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church - now currently lost.

In sum, an exit from this crisis through the high road. And not by the low way of these compromises of petty bookkeepers, who will never be in agreement on the interpretation of their results and their spreadsheets, because they are in fact limited to millimeters and commas almost with the meticulousness of Swiss clockmakers.

The Benedict XVI style is not there as far as I could observe it. With him, intellectual precision and rigor go along with grandness of vision and spiritual and intellectual vitality. He will never let himself be locked within the numbered notes of a supposed ultimatum, especially taking into consideration the time scale of the Church.

A meeting with the Pope?

And, after all, it cannot be excluded that, once the response of Bp. Fellay to today's mail comes to the Pope's hands, the latter, who has for a long time longed for finding this unity, would invite this rebellious son, once again, as he did shortly after his election in 2005.

And that he puts to him, like a father to a son - that is to say, man to man, and not as technician of a theology to technician of another theology - the matter of trust. Such is the will for reconciliation, even if all its details and all its past affronts will never be fixed. 

This is of the essence of the audacity of Christ's disciples. But it is also the characteristic of great men who know how to make, when the time has come, a true decision.