IS THIS A PUBLIC ANSWER TO THE DUBIA? I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS ANY WHERE ELSE? ODD THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO THINK A POPE WOULD HAVE TO CLARIFY THIS BECAUSE OF HIS OWN AMBIGUITIES

The Pope: "If marriage is not" forever "it is better not to marry"

21/06/2017 Francis at the general audience: "Whoever really loves has the desire and courage to say" forever "but knows that he needs the grace of Christ and the help of the saints in order to live the everlasting life forever . Not like some say "as long as love lasts". O forever or nothing »

Antonio Sanfrancesco antonio.sanfrancesco@stpauls.it AntonioSanfra

"He who really loves has the desire and the courage to say" forever "-" forever "- but he knows that he needs the grace of Christ and the help of the saints in order to live married life forever. Not like some say "as long as love lasts". No: forever! Otherwise, it's better not to marry you. O forever or nothing. " Pope Francis repeats three times in St. Peter's Square, the "forever" that is at the base of Catholic marriage. It does so during the hearing where he speaks of the Saints and the help they can give us in everyday life. Even in marriage. It is no coincidence that the Pontiff, the intercession of the saints, the "multitude of witnesses" mentioned in the Letter to the Jews proclaimed before catechesis is first invoked at the time of Baptism, and then in priestly ordination or In the sacrament of marriage for the bride and groom.
 
"But one of you," asked Francis, "may ask me," Father, can you be holy in everyday life? "Yes, you can. "But does this mean we have to pray all day?" No, that means you have to do your duty all day long: praying, going to work, guarding your children. But everything needs to be done with the heart open to God, so that work, even in sickness and suffering, even in difficulties, is open to God . And so you can become holy. May the Lord give us the hope of being holy. We do not think it's a hard thing, which is easier to be delinquent than saint! No. It can be holy because the Lord helps us; It is He who helps us. " The Pope's desire is that we can "become Christ's image for this world", "people who also live by accepting a portion of suffering because they are responsible for the fatigue of others."

 
Our story needs "mystics", people who refuse domination and aspire instead to charity. "Without these men and women the world will not hope," warns Francis, who concludes with a wish: " To you and to me, the Lord gives you the hope of being holy ."
 
Christianity, Francesco explains, "cultivates an invaluable trust: does not believe that negative and disgusting forces can prevail. The last word on man's history is not hatred, it's not death, it's not war . " And it is the saints who testify that "Christian life is not an unreachable ideal", they have known our "own labors", joys and sorrows. To assist us, then, in life is the hand of God and their presence. "We are not alone," the Pontiff assures several times: "The Church is made up of innumerable brothers, often anonymous, who have preceded us and who, through the action of the Holy Spirit, are involved in the affairs of those who still live here."

IS THE CATHOLIC SKY FALLING UNDER POPE FRANCIS? SOME SAY YES; SOME SAY NOT YET AND OTHERS NO, THIINGS ARE ALL ROSEY? WHAT SAY YOU? THIS IS WHAT MONSIGNOR NICOLA BUX IS SAYING AND IT IS NOT SO FLATTERING

FROM EDWARD PENTIN AND THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER

Monsignor Bux: We Are in a Full Crisis of Faith

Theologian and former consulter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith calls on the Pope to make a declaration of faith, warning that unless the Pope safeguards doctrine, he cannot impose discipline. 

By Edward Pentin, National Catholic Register

To resolve the current crisis in the Church over papal teaching and authority, the Pope must make a declaration of faith, affirming what is Catholic and correcting his own “ambiguous and erroneous” words and actions that have been interpreted in a non-Catholic manner.

This is according to Monsignor Nicola Bux, a respected theologian and former consulter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith during Benedict XVI’s pontificate.

In the following interview with the Register, Msgr. Bux explains that the Church is in a “full crisis of faith” and that the storms of division the Church is currently experiencing are due to apostasy — the “abandonment of Catholic thought.”

Msgr. Bux’s comments come after news that the four dubia cardinals, seeking papal clarification of his exhortation Amoris Laetitia, wrote to the Pope April 25 asking him for an audience but have yet to receive a reply.

The cardinals expressed concern over the “grave situation” of episcopal conferences and individual bishops offering widely differing interpretations of the document, some of which they say break with the Church's teaching. They are particularly concerned about the deep confusion this has caused, especially for priests.

“For many Catholics, it is incredible that the Pope is asking bishops to dialogue with those who think differently [i.e. non-Catholic Christians], but does not want first to face the cardinals who are his chief advisors,” Msgr. Bux says.

“If the Pope does not safeguard doctrine,” he adds, “he cannot impose discipline.”

***

Monsignor Bux, what are the implications of the ‘doctrinal anarchy’ that people see happening for the Church, the souls of the faithful and priests?

The first implication of doctrinal anarchy for the Church is division, caused by apostasy, which is the abandonment of Catholic thought, as defined by St. Vincent of Lerins: quod semper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus creditur (what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all). Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, who calls Jesus Christ the “Master of unity,” had pointed out to heretics that everyone professes the same things, but not everyone means the same thing. This is the role of the Magisterium, founded on the truth of Christ: to bring everyone back to Catholic unity.

St. Paul exhorted Christians to be in agreement and to speak with unanimity. What would he say today? When cardinals are silent or accuse their confreres; when bishops who had thought, spoken and written — scripta manent! [written words remain]— in a Catholic way, but then say the opposite for whatever reason; when priests contest the liturgical tradition of the Church, then apostasy is established, the detachment from Catholic thought. Paul VI had foreseen that “this non-Catholic thought within Catholicism will tomorrow become the strongest [force]. But it will never represent the Church's thinking. A small flock must remain, no matter how small it is.” (Conversation with J. Guitton, 9.IX.1977).

What implications, then, does doctrinal anarchy have for the souls of the faithful and ecclesiastics?

The Apostle exhorts us to be faithful to sure, sound and pure doctrine: that founded on Jesus Christ and not on worldly opinions (cf. Titus 1:7-11; 2:1-8). Perseverance in teaching and obedience to doctrine leads souls to eternal salvation. The Church cannot change the faith and at the same time ask believers to remain faithful to it. She is instead intimately obliged to be oriented toward the Word of God and toward Tradition.

Therefore, the Church remembers the Lord’s judgment: “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” (John 9:39). Do not forget that, when one is applauded by the world, it means one belongs to it. In fact, the world loves its own and hates what does not belong to it (cf. John 15:19). May the Catholic Church always remember that she is made up of only those who have converted to Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; all human beings are ordained to her (cf. Lumen gentium 13), but they are not part of her until they are converted.

How can this problem best be resolved?

The point is: what idea does the Pope have of the Petrine ministry, as described in Lumen gentium 18 and codified in canon law? Faced with confusion and apostasy, the Pope should make the distinction — as Benedict XVI did — between what he thinks and says as a private, learned person, and what he must say as Pope of the Catholic Church. To be clear: the Pope can express his ideas as a private learned person on disputable matters which are not defined by the Church, but he cannot make heretical claims, even privately. Otherwise it would be equally heretical.

I believe that the Pope knows that every believer — who knows the regula fidei [the rule of faith] or dogma, which provides everyone with the criterion to know what the faith of the Church is, what everyone has to believe and who one has to listen to — can see if he is speaking and operating in a Catholic way, or has gone against the Church’s sensus fidei [sense of the faith]. Even one believer can hold him to account. So whoever thinks that presenting doubts [dubia] to the Pope is not a sign of obedience, hasn’t understood, 50 years after Vatican II, the relationship between him [the Pope] and the whole Church. Obedience to the Pope depends solely on the fact that he is bound by Catholic doctrine, to the faith that he must continually profess before the Church.

We are in a full crisis of faith! Therefore, in order to stop the divisions in progress, the Pope — like Paul VI in 1967, faced with the erroneous theories that were circulating shortly after the conclusion of the Council — should make a Declaration or Profession of Faith, affirming what is Catholic, and correcting those ambiguous and erroneous words and acts — his own and those of bishops — that are interpreted in a non-Catholic manner.

Otherwise, it would be grotesque that, while seeking unity with non-Catholic Christians or even understanding with non-Christians, apostasy and division is being fostered within the Catholic Church. For many Catholics, it is incredible that the Pope is asking bishops to dialogue with those who think differently, but does not want first to face the cardinals who are his chief advisors. If the Pope does not safeguard doctrine, he cannot impose discipline. As John Paul II said, the Pope must always be converted, to be able to strengthen his brothers, according to the words of Christ to Peter: “Et tu autem conversus, confirma fratres tuos [when you are converted, strengthen your brothers].”

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE MID 1960'S THE TRIDENTINE MASS NOW KNOWN AS THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM MASS WILL BE CELEBRATED IN THE OLD SAINT ANNE CATHOLIC CHURCH ALSO KNOWN AS THE MARTA AND MARY CHAPEL BUILT BY HENRY FORD: MASS OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS--BE THERE AND BE A FORD LINCOLN AND NOT A FORD EDSEL!

PROPERS FOR THE FEAST OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS,
FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017, AT 7 PM, IN THE HENRY FORD'S MARTHA AND MARY CHAPEL OF SAINT ANNE CATHOLIC CHURCH, RICHMOND HILL, GEORGIA

INTROIT: Psalm 32: 11, 19
Cogitatiónes cordis Ejus in generatióne et generatiónem: ut éruat a morte ánimas eórum et alat eos in fame (Ps. 32: 1) Exsultáte, justi, in Dómino, rectos decet collaudátio. v. Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancti sicut erat in principio et nunc, et semper, et saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Repeat Cogitatiónes cordis Ejus...

The thoughts of His heart to all generations: to deliver their souls from death and feed them in famine. (Ps. 32: 1) Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just, praise becometh the upright. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Repeat:The thoughts of His heart...

COLLECT
Deus, qui nobis, in Corde Fílii tui, nostris vulneráto peccátis, infinítos dilectiónis thesáuros misericórditer largiri dignéris: concéde,quæsumus; ut illi devótum pietátis nostræ præstántes obséquium, dignas quoque satisfactiónis exhibeámus officium. Per eúmdem Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti,Deus,
Per omnia saecula saeculorum.
R. Amen.

O God, Who in the Heart of Thy Son, wounded by our sins, dost mercifully vouchsafe to bestow upon us the boundless treasures of Thy love: grant, we beseech Thee, that we who now render Him the service of our devotion and piety, may also fulfill our duty of worthy satisfaction. Through the same our , Lord Jesus Christ who livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God,
Forever and ever.
R.Amen.

EPISTLE: Ephesians 3: 8-19

Léctio Epístolæ beáti Pauli Apóstoli ad Ephésios. Fratres: Mihi ómnium sanctórum mínimo data est grátia hæc, in géntibus evangelizáre investigábiles divítias Christi: et illumináre omnes, qual sit dispensátio sacraménti abscónditi a sæculis in Deo qui ómnia creávit: ut innotéscat principátibus et potestátibus in cæléstibus per Ecclésiam multifórmis sapiéntia Dei: secúndum preefinitiónem sæculórum quam fecit in Christo Jesu Dómino nostro, in quo habémus fidúciam et accéssum in confidéntia per fidem ejus. Hujus rei grátia flecto génua mea ad Patrem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi, ex quo omnis patérnitas in cælis et in terra nominátur: ut det vobis secúndum divítias glóriæ suæ virtúte corroborári per Spíritum ejus in interiórem hóminem: Córdibus vestris: in caritáte radicáti et fundáti: ut possítis comprehéndere, cum ómnibus sanctis, qual sit latitúdo, et longitúdo, et sublímitas et profúndum: scire etiam supereminéntem sciénties caritátem Christi, ut impleámini in omnem plentitúdinem Dei. Deo grátias.

Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians. Brethren: To me, the least of all the Saints, is given the grace, to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ: and to enlighten all men, that they may see what is the dispensation of the mystery which hath been hidden from eternity in God, Who created all things: that the manifold wisdom of God may be made known to the principalities and powers in heavenly places through the Church, according to the eternal purpose which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord: in Whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom all paternity in Heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened by His spirit with might unto the inward man, that Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts: that being rooted and grounded in charity, you may be able to comprehend with all the Saints, what is the breadth and length, and height and depth: to know also the charity of Christ which surpasseth all knowledge. That you may be filled unto all the fulness of God. Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL: Psalm 24: 8, 9

Dulcis et rectus Dóminus, propter hoc legem dabit delinquéntibus in via. V. Diriget mansuétos in judício, docébit mites vias suas. Allelúja, allelúja. V. (Matthew 11: 29) Tóllite jugum meum super vos et díscite a me, quia mitis sum et húmilis Corde, et inveniétis réquiem animábus vestris. Allelúja.

The Lord is sweet and righteous: therefore He will give a law to sinners in the way. V. He will guide the mild in judgment: He will teach the meek His ways. Alleluia, alleluia. V. (Matthew 11: 29) Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. Alleluia.

GOSPEL: John 19: 31-37

In illo témpore: Judæi, quóniam Parascéve erat, ut non remanérent in cruce córpora sabbáto, (erat enim magnus dies ille sábbati,) rogavérunt Pilátum ut frangeréntur eórum crura et tolleréntur. Venérunt ergo mílites, et primi quidem fregérunt crura et altérius qui crucifíxus est cum eo. Ad Jesum autem cum veníssent, ut vidérunt eum jam mórtuum, non fregérunt ejus crura: sed unus mílitum Iáncea latus ejus apéruit et continuo exívit sanguis et aqua. Et qui vidit testimónium perhíbuit: et verum est testimónium ejus. Et ille scit quia vera dicit, ut et vos credátis. Facta sunt enim hæc ut Scriptúra implerétur: Os non comminuétis ex eo. Et íterum ália Scriptúra dicit: Vidébunt in quem transfixérunt.
Laus tibi Christe.

At that time: The Jews (because it was the parasceve), that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath day (for that was a great sabbath day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken: and that they might be taken away. The soldiers therefore came: and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers, with a spear opened His side, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he knoweth that saw it, hath given testimony: and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true, that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture might be fulfilled: "You shall not break a bone of Him." And again another Scripture saith: "They shall look on Him Whom they pierced."
Praise be to Christ

OFFERTORY: Psalm 68: 21
Dominus vobiscum.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
Impropérium exspectávit Cor meum et misériam, et sustínui qui simulmecum contristarétur et non fuit: consolántem me quæsivi et non invéni.

My heart hath expected reproach and misery: and I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none.

SECRET
Réspice, quæsumus, Dómine ad ineffábilem Cordis dilécti Fílii Tui caritátem: ut quod offérimus sit tibi munus accéptum et nostrórum expiátio delictórum. Per Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum.
R. Amen.

Have regard, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to the inexpressible love of the Heart of Thy beloved Son: so that what we offer may be a gift acceptable to Thee, and an expiation for our offenses.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.
R.Amen.

PREFACE OF THE SACRED HEART

Vere dignum et justum est, æqum et salutáre, nos tibi semper, et ubíque grátias ágere: Dómine sancte, Pater omnipotens, eatérne Deus: Qui Unigénitum tuum in cruce pendéntem lancea militis transfigi voluisti, ut apértum Cor, divines largitatis sacarium, torréntes nobis fúnderet miserationis et gratias, et quod ambre nostri flagrare nunquam déstitit, piis esset réquies et pceniténtibus patéret salútis refúgium. Et ídeo cum Angelis et Archángelis, cum Thronis et Dóminatiónibus, cumque omni milítia coeléstis exércitus, hymnum glóriæ tuæ cánimus sine fine dicéntes:

SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS...

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God Who didst will that Thine only-begotten Son, while hanging on the Cross, should be pierced by a soldier's spear, that the heart thus opened, a shrine of divine bounty, should pour out on us streams of mercy and grace, and that what never ceased to burn with love for us, should be a resting-place to the devout, and open as a refuge of salvation to the penitent. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing the hymn of Thy glory, evermore saying:

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY...

COMMUNION: John 19: 34
Unus militum láncea latus ejus apéruit, et contínuo exívit sanguis et aqua.

One of the soldiers with a spear opened His side, and immediately there came out blood and water.

POSTCOMMUNION

Oremus. Præbeant nobis, Dómine, Jesu, divinum tua sancta fervórem: quo dulcíssimi Cordis tui suavitáte percépta, discámus terréna despícere, et amáre cæléstia: Qui vívis et regnas, cum Deo Patre in unitáte Spíiritus Sancti, Deus,
Per omnia saecula saeculorum.
R. Amen.

Let us pray. May Thy holy mysteries, O Lord Jesus, impart to us divine fervor: whereby having tasted the sweetness of Thy most loving heart, we may learn to despise earthly things, and to love what is heavenly: Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God,
Forever and ever.
R. Amen.

WE ARE IN A EPOCAL CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS REVOLUTION THAT MAKES THE 1960'S LOOK LIKE FATHER KNOWS BEST; BUT IS FRANCIS AMBIGUITIES THE WAY--SOME THINK SO

When I was in Macon Catholics were outraged when a male teacher was fired from a Catholic school for marrying his same sex partner--I would say that was a major shift showing major cracks in Catholic identity and morality brought on by the dictatorship and shaming of the world's all powerful new religion--SECULARISM. Press the title for the CRUX article:

‘If you don’t think Francis is the cure, you don’t grasp the disease,’ CL head says

Are you saying that those faithful Catholics who criticize Pope Francis, for instance over Amoris Laetitia, haven’t understood what’s at risk in this culture?

I think so. I think what’s missing sometimes is a deep understanding of the human challenge we’re facing. Sometimes [critics] just want [the pope] to repeat certain phrases, certain concepts, but they’re empty for most people and have been for a long time. Or, they want a list of rules to follow, as if that’s going to heal the human person or lead anyone to ‘verify’ the faith in their experience. The problem, and we suffer from it too, is that often we’re not able to transmit faith in the future to our colleagues at work, to our friends. Only if we’re audacious about recognizing the situation, without always feeling the need to defend ourselves, maybe we’ll learn somethin

• John L. Allen Jr. and Ines San Martin
  June 21, 2017
  AUTHOR
• 
  Father Julián Carrón, leader of the Catholic movement Communion and Liberation. (Credit: Communion and Liberation.)

A DIFFERENT TAKE ON POPE FRANCIS

From John Allen of Crux (press title for full article):

Bishop says secular Danes like Francis enough to ‘forgive him’ for being Catholic

• John L. Allen Jr. and Ines San Martin
  June 17, 2017
  AUTHOR

• June 17, 2017
  AUTHOR

Bishop Czeslaw Kozon in St. Ansgar's Cathedral after celebrating Mass. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons.)

Denmark, like other Nordic countries, is considered to be one of the most thoroughly secular cultures on earth, which means that traditional Catholic teaching on issues such as abortion, women priests and gay marriage often generates reactions ranging from incomprehension to hostility. Such is Pope Francis's popularity, however, that Bishop Czeslaw Kozon says most Danes "forgive him" for upholding those positions.

THE NEXT TIME FLAKY PROGRESSIVES COMPLAIN ABOUT EF ORNATE ROMAN VESTMENTS SHOW THEM THIS:

Well this is embarrassing! Don't think models are priests or seminarians:

Zwiedzający mogli zobaczyć oryginalne projekty ornatów ks. Marka Wójcika, oraz te bardzi tradycyjne - firmy Haftina. W rolę modeli wcielili się zawodnicy MKS Piotrkowianin z Piotrkowa Trybunalskiego.

IF ALLIGATORS KNOCKING AT YOUR DOOR, POISONESS SNAKES CONGREGATING ON YOUR LAWN AND GIANT TURTLES MAURADING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AREN'T ENOUGH, THEN THERE ARE THE PRE-HISTORIC BIRDS READY TO SWOOP DOWN AND DESTROY IN THE LOW COUNTRY AND COASTAL EMPIRE--OH MY!

Of course need I mention Black Widows and Brown Recluses and arachnophobia?

POPE FRANCIS' CENTRALIZED AUTHORITARIANISM, A BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR FUTURE MORE TRADITIONAL POPES?

Pope Benedict wanted to propose to the bishops of the world his agenda of reform in continuity with the pre-Vatican II Church to show there was no rupture in Scripture and Tradition especially as it regards the Liturgy, the priesthood and religious life.

Pope Benedict was not authoritarian unlike Pope Francis while promoting "decentralization" in the Church interferes directly in other dioceses, religious orders, the Knights of Malta, the lives of Cardinals, priests in Nigeria and even calls parishioners of other dioceses and tells them to go to Holy Communion.

This, God willing,  will embolden a  more traditional minded pope in the future to be as authoritarian as Pope Francis when it comes to mandating the EF Mass where it is requested; the reform of the Ordinary Form Mass as Pope Benedict and Cardinal Sarah propose, a return to traditional forms of Religious Life to include the mandating of the habit and intervening in the lives of priests like the Jesuit from America Magazine who is promoting a heterodox sexual morality or should I write "homodox" that is at odds with the teachings of Christ?

Time will tell, but Pope Francis seems to be paving the way for popes to flex more muscles and be less willing to simply propose ideas!

POPE AGAIN FLEXES PAPAL MUSCLE TO KEEP TABS ON CARDINALS

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis is once again flexing his papal muscle by seeking to keep tabs on his cardinals who live in Rome.

Francis asked the head of the College of Cardinals to remind his fellow Rome-based princes that they must inform him when they leave town and where they're going.

It wasn't known if there was a particular cardinal whose activities irked the pope, but some of his more conservative critics have delivered speeches and lectures abroad that have questioned Francis' pastoral line, particularly concerning his divisive opening to letting civilly remarried Catholics receive the Sacraments.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano reminded his confreres in a May 31 letter that there is a "noble tradition" of cardinals informing the pope of their whereabouts. He asked that they revive it, particularly when away from Rome for long periods.

Asked Wednesday about the letter, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said merely that it was a good and "long-standing tradition."

Francis' request comes on the heels of an extraordinary display of papal power last week, when he ordered all the priests of the Nigerian diocese of Ahiara to write him a letter within 30 days pledging their obedience. Failure to do so, he warned, would result in suspension.

The ultimatum stemmed from the refusal of Ahiara's priests to accept the 2012 appointment of a new bishop.

The most striking display of Francis' papal power came late last year, when he took over the Knights of Malta lay religious order. Francis intervened in the sovereign order during a governance crisis, forcing the ouster of its leader and naming a top Vatican official to help oversee the election of a new top knight and the revision of the knights' constitutions.

Francis has prided himself on the broad consultation and discernment process he engages in before making decisions that is typical of a Jesuit superior. But like any good Jesuit, he is also decisive and knows how to wield his authority.

In one of his earliest interviews as pope, he acknowledged that he ran into trouble when he was a young Jesuit superior in Argentina, where "my authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of being ultraconservative."

Ironically, Francis' latest display of papal muscle comes as he and his cardinal advisers wrapped up another round of consultations about decentralizing authority from the Holy See to local churches. According to a Vatican statement Wednesday, the three-day consultation touched on allowing local bishops' conferences to make decisions about ordaining permanent deacons as priests.

TODAY IS CORPUS CHRISTI--NOT! NOT EVEN IN ROME FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

Is it better to transfer Corpus Christi processions to the following Sunday so as not to disrupt businesses on busy streets, like the fashionable ones in Rome that have to put up with our Lord's display right in front of their open doors? I ask; you answer!

This is a rerun of a 2010 post:

CORPUS CHRISTI OR THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

2009's Corpus Christi Procession at St. Joseph Church, Macon, Georgia!

This photo is cool, look at the glass facade of the hospital in the background and you can make out the spires of St. Joseph Church being reflected!





In some parts of the world including those places that will celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, today is Corpus Christi. The emphasis is not only on the Mass celebrated either today or when transferred to this coming Sunday, but also on adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance. The word monstrance comes from our English word "demonstrate." You can see and understand the similarities.

Many liturgists over the years, but thankfully less so today, have decried adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament as a devotional that only came into being when Catholics felt so on worthy to receive Holy Communion at Mass that they seldom if ever did. They preferred to look at the Eucharistic elements in adoration often with head and body bowed in humble adoration. Modern liturgists see this as a grave abuse.

Others would say that adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament is a logical extension of Catholic devotion given what the Church teaches and believes to be true about the Most Blessed Sacrament, that ordinary bread and wine become by the power of the Holy Spirit and the liturgical ministry of the priest acting in the Person of Christ the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Risen Lord. This is what is called "transubstantiation." The substance of the the bread and wine becomes our Lord's Risen Body and Blood, but the "accidents" the visual look, taste, feel,and smell of the bread and wine remain the same.

Without in any way questioning the reality of transubstantiation, I do believe that we can look at the "accidents" that remain after consecration as a simile or metaphor for Whom it is we actually receive. In a sense, we can say that Jesus becomes Bread for the hungry soul starving for salvation. Jesus becomes Wine for the soul in search of eternal happiness and joy and the warmth that communion with Him brings to the heart. Jesus is the Wine that heals the sin sick soul. So in a sense we can say that Jesus is like bread and He is like wine in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Or we can say Jesus is Bread and Jesus is Wine in the Most Blessed Sacrament and explore all the ramifications of the symbol of bread and wine as it pertains to the real and substantial presence of our Risen Lord.

So without denying transubstantiation, we can say that the bread and wine are symbols for Christ which even an atheist or an agnostic would have to accept. But it takes no faith to believe that Jesus is symbolically present in these elements, therefore an atheist would agree to the elements being symbols. But it does take faith to believe that the bread and wine actually and substantially become the Risen Body and Blood of our Lord. An atheist or agnostic or non Christian would not agree to that or else they would become believers and thus convert to the Catholic Faith.

Press the following for the link to a more scholarly and historical understanding of Transubstantiation:
MINISTRY OF PRIESTS AND TRANSUBSTANTIATION 

ITS A WRECKOVATION THAT COULD EASILY BE REMEDIED. BUT WHY IN THE NAME OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY WOULD SOMEONE DO THIS TO THE MASS AND THIS MAGNIFICENT MOTHER HOUSE CHAPEL FOR THE SISTERS OF SAINT JOSEPH OF CORONDELET IN ST. LOUIS?

A picture is worth a thousand words:

DON'T MESS WITH THIS POPE!

Tribalism is a problem in Nigeria. If a traditionalist pope exerted such authority, His Holiness would be applauded.

12 giu 

Obey Or Be Suspended "A Divinis." The Pope's Aut Aut For Rebel Priests

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> All the articles of Settimo Cielo in English

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That of Ahiara, in Nigeria, is not the only African diocese whose bishop, appointed by the pope, has been rejected by the local community because he belongs to an outside ethnicity. Less than a month ago Settimo Cielo documented a similar case in the diocese of Makeni, in Sierra Leone:

> When the Appointment of a Bishop Unleashes a Tribal War

But for the diocese of Ahiara he did not delegate the solution of the conflict to anyone else. He himself came to grips with the question. He set up a debriefing in Rome with the parties in the dispute - the unwelcome bishop, Peter Okpaleke, a representation of the local clergy and faithful, the leaders of the Nigerian episcopate - in the presence of cardinal secretary of state Pietro Parolin and prefect of the congregation “de propaganda fide" Fernando Filoni. And he decided to take action himself, immediately after listening to them.

The meeting (see photo) was held at the Vatican on June 8. At the end of the meeting a statement was released with the announcement that the pope “has reserved it to himself to take the appropriate measures.”

In reality Francis has taken those measures, and how. Right away. Two days later, on June 10, the official transcription of the words he said at the end of the meeting was sent out.

Words that are very severe, scathing. Francis has ordered the rebel priests to surrender in writing, in a letter addressed to him personally. On penalty of suspension “a divinis.”

Here below, word for word, is what the pope ordered and threatened against the delegation of the diocese of Ahiara. An instructive example of the leadership style of the Jesuit Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who evidently does not agree with those progressives who want bishops to be elected by the local communities.

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"A CHURCH LIKE A WIDOW"

I cordially greet the delegation and thank you for coming from Nigeria in a spirit of pilgrimage. For me, this meeting is a consolation because I am deeply saddened by the events of the Church in Ahiara.

In fact, the Church (and excuse the wording) is like a widow for having prevented the Bishop from coming to the Diocese. Many times I have thought about the parable of the murderous tenants, of which the Gospel speaks (cf. Mt 21:33-44), that want to grasp the inheritance. In this current situation the Diocese of Ahiara is without the bridegroom, has lost her fertility and cannot bear fruit. Whoever was opposed to Bishop Okpaleke taking possession of the Diocese wants to destroy the Church. This is forbidden; perhaps he does not realize it, but the Church is suffering as well as the People of God within her. The Pope cannot be indifferent.

I know very well the events that have been dragging on for years and I am thankful for the attitude of great patience of the Bishop, indeed the holy patience demonstrated by him. I listened and reflected much, even about the possibility of suppressing the Diocese, but then I thought that the Church is a mother and cannot abandon her many children. I feel great sorrow for those priests who are being manipulated even from abroad and from outside the Diocese.

I think that, in this case, we are not dealing with tribalism, but with an attempted taking of the vineyard of the Lord. The Church is a mother and whoever offends her commits a mortal sin, it’s very serious. However, I decided not to suppress the Diocese. Instead, I wish to give some indications that are to be communicated to all: first of all it must be said that the Pope is deeply saddened. Therefore, I ask that every priest or ecclesiastic incardinated in the Diocese of Ahiara, whether he resides there or works elsewhere, even abroad, write a letter addressed to me in which he asks for forgiveness; all must write individually and personally. We all must share this common sorrow.

In the letter
1. one must clearly manifest total obedience to the Pope, and
2. whoever writes must be willing to accept the Bishop whom the Pope sends and has appointed.
3. The letter must be sent within 30 days, from today to July 9th, 2017. Whoever does not do this will be ipso facto suspended a divinis and will lose his current office.

This seems very hard, but why must the Pope do this? Because the people of God are scandalized. Jesus reminds us that whoever causes scandal must suffer the consequences. Maybe someone has been manipulated without having full awareness of the wound inflicted upon the ecclesial communion.

To you brothers and sisters, I would like to express my sincere thanks for your presence; and also to Cardinal Onaiyekan for his patience and to Bishop Okpaleke, whose patience and humility I admire. Thank you all.

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"L'Osservatore Romano" of June 11 has also revealed that “the cardinal prefect of the congregation for the evangelization of peoples, Fernando Filoni, has asked Francis - who has accepted - that at the conclusion of this affair the diocese of Ahiara, with its bishop, may make a pilgrimage to Rome and meet with the Pope.”

(English translation by Matthew Sherry, Ballwin, Missouri, U.S.A.)

SOME PEOPLE LIKE IT; SOME PEOPLE DON'T--WHAT ABOUT YOU?

I am of the school of thought that for Pope Francis to have continued in continuity with Pope Benedict's recovery of the papal wardrobe and more elegant liturgical tastes, that for Pope Francis, given his poverty ideology, it would have been truly a sign of authentic humility, especially the second depiction in the photo below.

But I acknowledge also that many people, especially our t-shirt, shorts and flip-flop culture applaud the pope's nod to the casual culture (disculture) of our day. What about you?

However, in the south, if you go to the poorest black parish, where the poor people there, by the way, have not taken a vow of poverty to show forth some fuax humility or to glorify poverty, as those religious who glory and take pride in the vow of poverty, that these authentically poor folks will dress to the nines when they go to church on Sunday. They give the very best they have to God and sacrifice to make sure they have nice, dignified and stylish fashions for the going to church clothes. They are not poverty ideologues and expect their ministers to wear nice rings, big cars and fine fashions. 

But maybe the first two do look silly on him?

(Credit: Claire Giangravè.)

Press the title of the Crux article below for the complete article.

Vatican tailors, cobblers try to adapt to Francis’s ‘papal athleisure’

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  Claire Giangravè
  June 12, 2017
  
  
  

Pope Francis's emphasis on simplicity and frugality is a hit all around the world, but it's produced just a bit of backlash among fashion-conscious Italians, including an exclusive club of tailors     and shoemakers who outfit pontiffs -- some of whom are a little nostalgic for the days when being pope also meant dressing to the nines.

HOW CAN ANYONE, A BISHOP IN PARTICLAR, THINK THE SECOND CHAPEL INSPIRES FAITH AND IMAGES HEAVEN?

Bishop Fulton Sheen, private New York Chapel:

A French bishop's "spirit" of Vatican II new chapel. I would say the color violet is very appropriate or perhaps sackcloth and ashes. What do you think?