I AM CONVINCED THAT THESE COMMONSENSE RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD WORK— BUT ONLY CATHOLICS WITH COMMONSENSE WILL UNDERSTAND THAT IT WILL WORK!

 

Single largest survey of Catholics ever completed in the United States.

Today the Real Presence Coalition (RPC) announced the release of the findings of its survey of U.S. Catholics to the general public.  The survey results can be found at https://realpresencecoalition.com/results/

In conjunction with the public release, the RPC also issued an open letter to U.S. bishops urging them to consider the survey’s findings as they proceed in their National Eucharistic Revival campaign.

“This is the single largest survey of Catholics ever undertaken in the United States,” said Vicki Yamasaki, spokesperson for the RPC.  “Surveys from organizations such as Pew Research and Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) come nowhere close to the number of Catholics participating in this survey.”

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) launched a multi-year National Eucharistic Revival campaign in 2021 in response to a Pew Research study which revealed a majority of Catholics no longer believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

“The Pew survey revealed a very concerning problem, and the RPC designed and initiated this survey to specifically get at the root cause of this problem and probe the question of why lay Catholics believe there has been a loss of faith in the Real Presence,” said Jim Hobart, a partner with Public Opinion Strategies (POS) who assisted in the survey effort.

The RPC survey revealed that the loss of faith in the Real Presence has been precipitated by a combination of factors, including

1) Receiving the Eucharist in the hand;

2) Scandal of offering the Eucharist to public sinners who reject Catholic teaching;

3) Lack of reverence on the part of both the laity and priests;

4) Lack of solid catechesis; and

5) Lost sense of the supernatural.

Survey respondents also offered a number of specific recommendations to U.S. bishops on how to restore belief in the Real Presence, including:

1) Encouraging the practice of receiving the Eucharist on the tongue while kneeling;

2) Catechizing the faithful;

3) Promoting greater reverence for the Eucharist;

3) Eliminating the use of Extraordinary Ministers;

4) Withholding the Eucharist from public sinners; and

5) Increasing Eucharistic events such as Adoration and Benedictions.

“The overall findings of this survey can be best summarized by ancient Latin maxim ‘lex orandi, lex credenda’” said John-Henry Westen, a RPC member.  “There’s currently a disconnect between the way we worship and what we believe. There’s no single ‘silver bullet’ answer to solving this problem. An integrated, multifaceted approach will be required.”

“How will we know when there’s been a restoration of belief in the Real Presence?” asked Fr. Chad Ripperger, an RPC member.  “When the line for confession is at least as long as the line for receiving the Eucharist.”

Public Opinion Strategies (POS) is a nationally recognized research firm that has conducted 25,000 research projects and 11 million interviews across 50 states.  POS was engaged to assist in the survey design as well as the interpretation of its results.

The Real Presence Coalition (RPC) is an informal group of influential Catholics working to restore belief in Jesus Christ’s Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. Its mission is to provide valuable input to U.S. bishops in their multi-year effort to restore belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

The massive RPC survey resulted in nearly 16,000 responses with an 80% completion rate and generated more than 250,000 words of open-ended feedback.  While the survey was open to all U.S. Catholics, those who responded could best be characterized as “highly engaged in their faith,” with over 97% of respondents attending Mass on at least a weekly basis.

The Real Presence Coalition urges the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to consider these findings as they work toward a Eucharistic Revival.  The survey’s insights provide a roadmap for restoring faith in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

WHY AREN'T WE PRAISING AND EMPHASIZING SAINT POPE PAUL VI'S HUMANAE VITAE? EVEN FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON ACKNOWLEDGES THAT AMERICANS AREN'T REPRODUCING IN THE NUMBERS NEEDED TO SUSTAIN THE PEOPLE WE NEED FOR OUR SOCIETY!

Former President Bill Clinton said it. Speaking about migration, he stated that migrants need to be vetted and there should not be open boarders where there is no screening of those trying to "break" in. 

What he said next, and this was in Georgia, near my former parish in Macon, was stunning but true.

He said we need migrants because Americans are not conceiving and giving birth to babies to keep up with what we need to do in America and the people we need to do it. 

Low birth rates among Americans, and many places in Europe, to include Rome and all of Italy, is causing a need for migrants and a generous allowance of numerous migrants entering these "barren, birthless" places.  

The Democrat party is the party of birth control and abortion on demand by the mother until and up to the end of the 9th month. They want no laws to protect the innocent unborn. They want the mother to make the decision about murdering or allowing to live the child they carry, completely dependent upon her mother! Absurd to say the least.

It would be like me saying that I don't want any laws to stop me from driving recklessly. Every driver should be able to make their own decision about how they are going to drive with no laws to curtail their murderous driving ways. The way I drive must be my decision made with the automobile I drive--no government intervention please! 

Why isn't the current magisterium of the Church, the pope and bishops in union with him, promoting Humanae Vitae to the nth degree? Why??????

BEFORE AND AFTER OF A BARN OF A FORMER PROTESTANT CHURCH BUILDING AND MY ASTUTE OBSERVATIONS!

 Before and After: St. Edward Catholic Church in Athens, Texas

BEFORE!

AFTER!

This Catholic parish purchased a former Protestant church building as is quite evident by the before picture and how the sanctuary is placed on a stage and one could easily fall off of if not careful!

But the A-frame building is like many low-cost Catholic church buildings built in the 1950's and 60's. 

The after photos shows how a traditional approach to the sanctuary can truly beautify an otherwise ugly building and/or setting. 

What I appreciate the most, though, is even though the sanctuary is traditional and with an altar railing to boot, there is only one altar, not a multiplicity of altars. And the one altar is not competing with a secondary altar behind it and placed higher! The reredos for the tabernacle is quite beautiful, quite tradtional but not on a competing "high" altar. The only altar, one that is free standing, but connected visually to its backdrop, can allow for Mass facing the nave or ad orientem. 

One altar please and make it look like this in terms of the connection to what is behind it!

Well done Texas!

AMAZING WHAT “AI” CAN SIMULATE!!!

 It’s amazing how real AI makes these look! Astounding!

Another AI simulation from 1969! A little more crude but astounding nonetheless:

IT’S MONDAY, OCTOBER 14 AND IT’S COLUMBUS DAY, STUPID!

 This is in the Ordo telling priests what Mass they may celebrate:

Apart from Thanksgiving Day, I don’t think the Mass should be used to celebrate any country’s civil holidays. 

But for today, the Ordo for Mass, the little book that tells priests what Mass to celebrate, what is optional and what votive Masses tie into the Scriptures for Mass when there is no prescribed daily Mass, goes cancel culture and woke as it concerns Columbus Day, which is a federal holiday.

Some places have tried to cancel Christopher Columbus and substitute “indigenous People’s Day”! While it might be a good idea to have such a celebration, if it isn’t anti-Christian or anti-Relgion, today, Columbus Day, isn’t the day to do that. Indigenous People’s Day evolved from cancel culture, revisionist’s history and the woke ideological movement of the last few years. 

Who put this into the Ordo is what I want to know!

WHY OR WHY BUILD A BEAUTIFUL NEW CHURCH AND HAVE DOUBLE ALTARS??? DON’T BISHOPS HAVE A CHURCH BUILDING COMMISSION TO PREVENT SUCH THINGS???

New Classical Architecture: Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Virginia

 I presume the back altar with the tabernacle is an altar and retabalo (reredos) harvested from a closed church in the northeast. That altar had to be completely dismantled to be shipped to this new church and then put back together again.

Why could they not have pulled the altar part of this altar piece forward so that it could be freestanding and allow for Mass to be celebrated in either direction? And the altar would remain on the same level as the reredos, not lower.

The new altar is competing with the old altar as though this took place in 1966 rather than 2024! A new church should be designed so that it doesn’t look like the freestanding altar was put in after the original altar. It makes no sense to me with new construction, no sense whatsoever!

WHAT A CRAZY ELECTION SEASON AS THE CURRENT PRESIDENT THROWS HIS VICE PRESIDENT UNDER THE BUS AND LET’S NOT LOSE OUR SENSE OF HUMOR…

President Biden, still reeling from being unceremoniously dumped as the chosen presidential candidate, has become passive aggressive towards his replacement at least four times as I count it:

1. He put on a mega hat!

2. He knocked Harris’ rally in Michigan off the air to tout the good news about employment as he claimed victory rather than allow Harris to do so

3. He “joked” about getting back into the presidential race 

4. He praised Governor DeSantis leadership on hurricanes, again knocking Harris off the air to do so with an impromptu news conference and contradicting the silliness of Harris’ political trick to shame DeSantis 

And then Saturday Night Live has a really funny skit as they throw Harris and her knucklehead choice of a Vice Presidential candidate under the bus. You can watch the Facebook Video HERE. IT IS FUNNY!

AT THE NEXT CONCLAVE THE MAJORITY OF CARDINALS WILL NOT KNOW EACH OTHER! GOOD, BAD OR INDIFFERNT?

 Recently, a Cardinal from a far, far,& far away country from here, told me that Pope Francis has had almost no meetings with the cardinals and thus very few know each other well.

With 21 more new cardinals, that puts the situation on steroids. 

THE EXTERNAL FEAST FOR OUR LADY OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 6TH

 Wouldn’t it have been better to have maintained “external celebrations “ on Sundays for the Modern Mass Just think, Ascension Thursday could have remained on, well, Thursday, with its external celebration also the following Sunday! Genius!

WHY IN THE NAME OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY AND LITURGICAL, ARE POST-VATICAN II SANCTUARIES SUCH A HOT MESS?

 Why does anyone think it is a good idea to hide the altar with flowers, photos, portraits, painting candles and other such things? Why are post-Vatican II sanctuaries so disoriented and a hodgepodge of banners, plants, real and plastic? Why are post-Vatican II sanctuaries such a hot mess? And those palms, those ubiquitous d**n palms! Why, O Lord, why?

SHOULD MELANIA TRUMP BE DENIED HOLY COMMUNION—YES, ABSOLUTELY…

On another post, Mark J asked me if I thought Melania Trump should be denied Holy Communion due to her support for a women to choose an abortion without any laws to prevent her from doing so throughout the nine months of pregnancy. 

Of course she should be denied Holy Communion. I don’t think, though, she attends Mass regularly as does President Biden who holds the same position.

But when I say she and Biden should be denied Holy Communion on this issue, it really is up to local bishops to direct local priests and others to deny them Holy Communion if they attend Mass in their diocese and parishes. 

But as it concerns Melania Trump, she already would have an interdict against her as she as a Catholic is required to have her marriage to Donald Trump recognized by the Church. We know that Trump has had a few previous marriages although I do not know about Melania. But she is in an adulterous relationship with Donald Trump as her marriage is not recognized by the Church.

So already she should be denied Holy Communion apart from her immoral stance concerning abortion on demand through the 9th month with no laws to prevent a woman to make that choice. 

NOT BAD BUT…

 St. Joseph Parish, Avon Lake, Ohio isn’t bad, but it could use a more traditional looking sanctuary with an added altar railing.

The main problem is the enclosed shopping mall look at it regards plants, flowers and other greenery. They’ve borrowed the look of an enclosed mall’s main runway. And most of these never are changed out, they remain for everrrr. And Palm trees in Ohio. What a hoot. But that is what malls did. I went to a mall in Halifax, Nova Scotia and they had palms too. It was/is to laugh. 

WANT TO KNOW WHY CATHOLIC LAITY ARE SO CONFUSED ABOUT THE PROPER REVERENCE FOR MASS AND THE BLESSED SACRAMENT? LOOK NO FURHTER

 Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Church, Bono, Ohio:

While I like the simplicity of the building itself, this confused configuration of the sanctuary was pushed in the 1970’s by silly, iconoclastic liturgical theologians. Even in the 70’s there was push back and big time push back for this sort of nonsense. 

What a hot mess and the choir or music group or ensemble, whatever you call it, takes on an importance equal to the altar. What a hot mess this is. Did I say this is a hot mess?

This kind of thing and some less radical have contributed to the state of Catholicism today and only about 6% to 20% of American Catholics who bother to attend Mass on Sunday with any regularity. And of those, a significant percentage don’t believe or know what to believe about the Sacrificial aspect of the Mass and the Transubstantiation and the implications for Catholics in terms of piety, reverence and a sense of awe and wonder in the Real Presence of the Glorious re-presentation of the One Sacrifice of Christ and His Glorious Real Presence. 

BOMBSHELL: POPE FRANCIS NAMES 21 NEW CARDINALS AT THE ANGELUS FOR OCTOBER 6!

 I post this from SILERE NON POSSUUM and apart from them, I beat Crux, NCR, The Pillar as well as Vatican News and others!

The Holy Father Francis, during the Angelus of this Sunday, October 6, 2024, announced a new consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals to be held on December 8, 2024. This is the tenth consistory of his pontificate. The last one dates back to September 30, 2023 and the Pope announced it on July 9, 2023. In the previous consistories the Pontiff created 142 cardinals of which 113 voters.

Who are the new cardinals?

1. H.E. Msgr. Angelo Acerbi, Apostolic Nuncio

2. H.E. Mgr. Carlos Gustavo CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO Archbishop of Lima (Peru)

3. H.E. Msgr. Vicente BOKALIC IGLIC C.M., Archbishop of Santiago del Estero (Primado de la Argentina).

4. H.E. Msgr. Luis Gerardo CABRERA HERRERA, O.F.M., Archbishop of Guayaquil (Ecuador).

5. H.E. Msgr. Fernando Natalio CHOMALÍ GARIB Archbishop of Santiago de Chile (Chile).

6. Archbishop Tarcisio Isao KIKUCHI, S.V.D., Archbishop of Tokyo (Japan).

7. H.E. Msgr. Pablo Virgilio SIONGCO DAVID, Bishop of Kalookan (Philippines).

8. H. E. Msgr. Ladislav NEMET, S.V.D., Archbishop of Beograd -Smederevo, (Serbia).

9. H.E. Msgr. Jaime SPENGLER, O.F.M., Archbishop of Porto Alegre (Brasil).

10. H.E. Mgr Ignace BESSI DOGBO, Archbishop of Abidjan (Ivory Coast).

11. H.E. Mgr Jean-Paul VESCO, O.P., Archbishop of Alger (Algeria).

12. H.E. Mgr. Paskalis Bruno SYUKUR, O.F.M., Bishop of Bogor (Indonesia).

13. H. E. Msgr. Dominique Joseph MATHIEU, O.F.M. Conv., Archbishop of Tehran Ispahan (Iran).

14. H.E. Msgr. Roberto REPOLE, Archbishop of Turin (Italy).

15. H.E. Msgr. Baldassare REINA, Auxiliary Bishop of Rome, formerly Vice-gerent and, as of today, Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome.

16. H.E. Msgr. Francis LEO, Archbishop of Toronto (Canada).

17. H.E. Msgr. Rolandas MAKRICKAS, Archpriest Coadjutor Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major.

18. H.E. Mgr Mykola BYCHOK, C.S.R., Bishop of the Eparchy Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians

19. R.P. Timothy Peter Joseph RADCLIFFE, OP, theologian (NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOTE AT THE NEXT CONCLAVE AS HE IS NOT A BISHOP).

20. R. P. Fabio BAGGIO, C.S., Under Secretary Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development

21. Mgr George Jacob KOOVAKAD, Official of the Secretary of State, Responsible for Travel

SINCE VATICAN II AND THE TWO RELIGIOUS PARTIES THAT HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE CHURCH, THE CONSERVATIVE/TRADITIONAL/ORTHODOX AND THE LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE/HETERODOX, POPE FRANCIS AND HIS NON-TRADITIONAL SYNODAL DOCTRINE IS POLITICIZING THE CHURCH ON STEROIDS

Turning the Church into a coalition of political camps truly developed in the immediate post Vatican II period of the past 55 years. One political party’s platform is to dump Vatican II, another is renewal in continuity, another is a post-Catholic Church that bows to the world’s ideologies on sex and everything to do with sex and making sex neutral. 

We see this politicization of Catholicism and religious/political lobbies on steroids on Pope Francis’ novel ideas about synodality, which have nothing to do with the Eastern and Orthodox Churches on synodality which are, well, orthodox. 

This politicization of the Magisterium by Pope Francis’ unique form of synodality which has nothing to do with the Eastern Church’s form of it, will create new doctrines and dogmas and develop dogma in a way that reverses defined Magisterial teachings that have been declared dogmas. 

The traditional lobby group in the Church has made clear that traditionally, the development of doctrine and dogma means clarifying it, not changing it in a way that makes it unrecognizable. 

Here are two examples of politicizing and lobbyizing the Catholic Church and her governance and all fomented by Pope Francis:

Two Crux articles on October 6:

Synod participants lament focus on ‘niche issues’ such as women’s ordination

ROME – Participants in this month’s Synod of Bishops on Synodality, who were chosen by the Vatican to take part in a news conference Friday, condemned what they said is an overly western agenda obsessed with “niche issues” such as women’s ordination, which, they said, takes attention away from other important topics.

Women’s group announces protests over ‘catastrophic’ approach in synod

ROME – Referring to the handling of questions about the role of women in the church at the current Synod of Bishops on Synodality as “catastrophic,” a coalition of progressive reform groups has announced plans to stage protests.

“I see no desire on the part of the Vatican to seriously address the issue of women in church offices,” said Regina Franken, European chair of the Catholic Women’s Council, in remarks to KNA, the official news service of the Catholic bishops in Germany.

THIS ISN’T A POLITICAL BLOG, BUT I FIND THIS INTRIGUING…

President Biden made a surprise appearance at the White House Briefing Room and took reporter’s questions. 

First, let me make a religious point, since I am a priest. A reporter mentioned that Pope Francis is asking for prayer and fasting for peace on October 7th, the first year anniversary of Hammas “invasion” and murder of Jews in Israel and the resultant chaos in the Middle East. The reporter asked if President Biden would be praying and fasting and the President said he would, although at almost 82 he would be dispensed from the fasting.

But what was intriguing is that this was the first time Biden as President went to the White House Briefing room to gloat about the good economic and employment report, as well as ending the strike of eastern ports. 

WHAT IS INTRIGUING is that Presidential Candidate, Kamala Harris, who pushed President Biden out of the Presidential race, against his will, was speaking at the same time in Michigan where she was claiming credit for the good report.

Biden knocked her off the air as all the cable stations went to Biden and not the Harris! 

You can’t make this stuff up.

And when asked if he was going to return to being a presidential candidate, he “jokingly” said he was!

You’ve heard about passive aggressive people who don’t get mad with those they dislike, but get even. I suspect there is tension, to put it mildly, between Harris and Biden, to say the least, and today’s events show it.

We saw that too, when President Biden put on a Maga hat! You can’t make this stuff up. 

POPE FRANCIS HAS A UNIQUE WAY OF ANGERING AND POLARIZING POLITICS AND RELIGION, ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT…

 

From Crux:

Belgium, Vatican in diplomatic row over pope’s language on abortion

ROME – Belgium’s Prime Minister has announced that he will summon the Vatican’s ambassador to protest remarks on abortion by Pope Francis at the close of a visit to the country last Sunday, which he claims constitute “unacceptable” interference in his country’s domestic affairs.

“It is absolutely unacceptable for a foreign head of state to make such statements about democratic decision-making in our country,” Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said Thursday during a session in Belgium’s Chamber of Deputies.

“We do not need lessons on how our parliamentarians democratically approve laws,” De Croo said. “Fortunately, the time when the church dictated laws in our country is long gone.”

De Croo had used his own meeting with Francis last Friday to publicly scold the pontiff for the church’s handling of clerical sexual abuse scandals, which have hit Belgium particularly hard.

THE LOOK AT ME MODERN MASS AND THE LOOK AT GOD ANCIENT MASS BOTH ARE LOSING PRIESTS—WHY IS IT?

 It is not clear to me if Fr. Daniel Horan, famous, somewhat heterodox, contributor to the National Catholic Reporter, is seeking laizization or is leaving just the Franciscans. He has written a long, somewhat narcissistic, explanation as to why he is leaving the Friars Minor. You can read it here.

Here is a photo of the then Franciscan celebrating his look at me Modern Mass. Please note the container for the bread to be consecrated are baskets with a napkin under the hosts. This was done in the 70’s and I did it at my first Mass for Corpus Christi, June 8, 1980. Talk about a throw-back to a liturgical abuse that was dealt with in the two papacies prior to Pope Francis:

But lest we blame just the “look at me” Modern Mass, many so-called orthodox priests, technically neo-orthodox in my book, are leaving the priesthood even though they celebrate the “look at God” Ancient Mass.

We know to that orthodox and heterodox Catholics often don’t last too long in Holy Matrimony either. What accounts for a lack of desire to follow through on lifelong religious promises and vows.

FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME, POPE FRANCIS’ VATICAN IS SAYING NO TO WOMEN IN HOLY ORDERS, SPECIFICALLY, THE DIACONATE

 How many times does the pope have to say no??????

THE PAPAL MASS FOR THE OPENING OF THE UNPOPULAR SYNOD OF INCESSANT TALKING, SEES THE SMALLEST CROWD EVER!

 These are screen shots of the Vatican Webcam feed of St. Peter’s Square, just a moment before the Mass began. 

I was speaking with a priest who just returned from Rome this past Saturday night after a nine day vacation.  He said he had never seen Rome so packed with tourists, packed he said!

Yet, not even the tourists are showing up to attend a papal Mass, because, quite frankly, papal Masses under Pope Francis are blah and the pope isn’t the celebrant for some odd reason beyond my comprehension.

I am not sure if it is the synod or the pope that Romans and Roman tourists find so boring and uninspiring. I know that in 2013 and 2016 I distributed Holy Communion at papal Masses with Pope Francis and the piazza was packed. So this is rather remarkable and should seen a message to the cardinals as they continue to prepare for the next Conclave. 

Here are the screenshots:

VANCE AND WALZ, THE ARTICULATE POLITICIAN AND THE SELF-DESCRIBED KNUCKLEHEAD: WHICH IS THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS?

Overall the skilled tone of the vice presidential debate was very edifying. It was good and it was wholesome. I wish these two were the presidential candidates rather than the two clowns we have, one completely uncharitable and the other a cackling, empty headed hen who never lays that egg as Lucy once describe a cackling friend on I Love Lucy, “Marion, stop that cackling, I’m been waiting ten years for you to lay that egg!”

But clearly Senator J.D. Vance’s star shone more brightly than the nervous, self-described knucklehead, who also has lied about his personal life and serving in war and being in China during a major revolt there. 

Pope Francis recently said during a high altitude interview that Catholics in the USA have to choose between the lesser of two evils as His Holiness described the anti-life stances of Trump and Harris as it concerns migration and abortion.

As it concerns migration, Pope Francis would prefer the “lesser evil” policies of the Harris-Biden administration for the past three years and not what Trump is proposing in terms of the wall to stop free flowing illegal migration. His Holiness would see Trump’s desire to shut down illegal migration as anti life and certainly would see as anti-life the deportation of illegal migrants especially if it separates family members. 

I am not sure how Pope Francis would feel about Harris’ flip flops on migration in order to get votes. These flip-flops in the pope’s eyes would be more evil than her previous stance. 

As it concerns abortion, the pope’s words in no way can make the migration issues on an equal plane as how His Holiness describes abortion. He calls it murder and His Holiness recently doubled down on that in another high altitude interview. There is no wiggle room for the pope when it comes to the intrinsic evil of abortion which he says is murder because it is. 

While, unfortunately, Vance and Walz aren’t the presidential candidates, the lesser of evils still applies on these two issues. Abortion is always murder and at least one person always dies. We never hear about the number of women who die because of a so-called safe abortion, so in addition to the baby who is murdered, the mother also dies in many cases. At least one person always dies in a horrible way in a safe abortion and sometimes more than one to include the mother and twins, triplets, etc. 

I am dismayed that Vance has had to sell his soul to the grotesque immorality of the American people when it comes to the murder of babies. I wish he had promoted good, affordable health care for both the mother and child/children during pregnancy and adoption for any unwanted children. 

But Vance’s flip flop on abortion due to political pressure is no where near what Walz is proposing. Walz wants no protection for babies under the mandate of law. He wants the Wildwest where the mother and her doctor decide who will live and die with no interference of law. How flawed and evil is that—it’s intrinsically evil. 

CLUTTER, DISTRACTIONS AND JUST WHO AND WHAT IS WORSHIPPED?

 Please note in this before photo of the stunningly beautiful cathedral in Toledo, Ohio, that the sanctuary is clean, crisp and uncluttered. The altar, a symbol of Christ and his sacrifice along with the Baldachine, which is a symbol of the consummation of the sacrificial heavenly marriage of Christ the Bridegroom with His bride the Church, is spectacularly made clear:

Look what was done after Vatican II and the hot mess of clutter and jumbled, confused theology of the post-Vatican II period. Look what was done to the symbol of the marriage of Christ and the Church consummated by the Sacrifice of the Cross as a free standing altar replaces the old altar under the Baldachine. But look at the clutter:

And notice in the pre-wreckovation of the sanctuary and in an ad orientem Mass, even if this was the Novus Ordo, which it isn’t, how clear it is that the Body of Christ, the Church, is worshipping her Head, Jesus Christ. No one feels as though the prayers of the Mass are directed to them, but to Christ the High Priest. This is not “let us sing Kumbaya and hold hands” way of worship, where those worshipping within a closed circle as Pope Benedict XVI once described it. This direction of the Mass suppresses the banal, didactic expereiences of the Modern Mass, its confusion of focus and clutter, and tiresome banter and commentary by the celebrant at various points of the Mass, directed in a didactic way toward the congregation:

POPE FRANCIS IS INSULTED BY BELGIUMS ULTRA HETERODOX CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY AS IT CONCERNS THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE CHURCH

High altitude press conference shows how angry he is at heterodox Catholics  after all he has done to coddle them. Will there be a Vatican visitation of this university????

Annachiara Valle (Famiglia Cristiana)

Thank you, Holy Father. Yesterday, after the meeting at the Catholic University of Louvain, a statement was released where, I read, “The University deplores the conservative positions expressed by Pope Francis on the role of women in society.” They say that it's a bit restrictive to talk about women only in terms of motherhood, fertility, and care, and that indeed this is somewhat discriminatory, because it is a role that also belongs to men. And related to this, both universities have raised the issue of ordained ministries in the Church.

First of all, this statement was released at the moment when I was speaking. It was pre-written, and this is not moral.

Regarding women, I always speak of the dignity of women, and in this context I said something that I cannot say about men: the Church is woman; she is the bride of Jesus. Masculinizing the Church, masculinizing women is not humane; it is not Christian. The feminine has its own strength. In fact, women—I always say—are more important than men because the Church is female; the Church is the bride of Jesus. If this seems conservative to those ladies, then I am Carlo Gardell (a well-known Argentinian tango singer, ed.). It's not understandable… I see that there is an obtuse mind that does not want to hear about this.

Woman is equal to man. In fact, in the life of the Church, woman is superior because the Church is feminine. Regarding ministry, the mysticism of woman is greater than ministry. There is a great theologian who studied this, asking which is greater: the Petrine ministry or the Marian ministry. The Marian ministry is greater, because it is a ministry of unity that involves others; the other is a ministry of management.

The maternal nature of the Church is the maternal nature of a woman. Ministry is a much lesser ministry, meant to accompany the faithful, always within a maternal nature. Various theologians have studied this, and say this is a real thing; I don't say modern, but real; it is not outdated.

An exaggerated feminism, which means that women are chauvinists, does not work. One thing is a masculinism that is not okay; another is a feminism that is not okay. What works is the feminine Church being greater than the priestly ministry. And this is not often considered.

But thank you for the question. And thank you all for this journey and for the work you have done. I'm sorry that time is tight here. But thank you, thank you very much. I pray for you; you pray for me. Pray on my behalf!

OF COURSE MY BLOG IS AN EDITORIAL PLATFORM, BUT LET ME EDITORIALIZE TO VATICAN NEWS AND ANDREA TORNIELLI, NO ONE CARES ABOUT SYNODALITY!

Why does the Vatican need Andrea Tornielli to write an editorial on synodality? It is ridiculous to say the least that editorials are needed from the Magisterium of the Church to make a case for this, that or the other. Let me say that again, it is ridiculous as is synodality and the confusion, bureaucracy and endless meetings it has wrought for an elite few of all classes in the Church with a good smattering of heterodox clergy and laity.

And a Vatican strapped for cash wastes, like drunken soldiers, monies best spent to assist the poor around the Vatican. 

The pope is doing damage control in Belgium where only about 2% of Catholics go to Mass, yes, you read that correctly, 2% to 6% of Catholics there go to Mass and you have the damn president of the Catholic University there tell the pope that no universal truths are needed in the Church and people of any gender of the LBGTQ+++ ideology of whatever marital status should be ordained priests. The nerve.

And so Tornielli tells us that the pope wants to bring people closer to the Church. Is the Belgian model a model of success for the Church?

Thus the pope says we can’t go backwards to a time when we had 90% of Catholics at Mass or forwards to a Church that kills itself like in Belgium. 

Perhaps the pope should fire everyone in the Vatican, resign and call a conclave? But will that help? Only by the grace of God!

From Vatican News:

The purpose of the Synod and 'fashionable' reforms

Our Editorial Director, Andrea Tornielli, reflects on Pope Francis' words to the clergy and religious of Belgium about the second session of the Synod on Synodality, which takes place in October.

By Andrea Tornielli - Brussels

What is the priority of the Synod that is about to begin? What is the main and most important purpose of the Church's synodal reform?

From Brussels, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Koekelberg, where he met with bishops, clergy, religious, and pastoral workers, Pope Francis outlined an answer by posing a question.

“The synodal process,” he said, after listening to a testimony, “must involve returning to the Gospel. It is not about prioritizing 'fashionable' reforms, but asking: 'How can we bring the Gospel to a society that is no longer listening or has distanced itself from the faith?' Let us all ask ourselves this question.”

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No "fashionable" reforms, then. Neither is there place for agendas that—on the one hand—advocate for functional changes but end up clericalizing the laity, nor those that—on the other hand—aim to restore a past era influenced by neo-clericalism.

Both are perspectives that ultimately downplay the urgent and fundamental question that Pope Francis has reiterated: the proclamation of the Gospel in secularized societies.

Both of these perspectives end up forgetting the sole true purpose of any reform in the Church: the salvation of souls, the care of God's holy faithful people.

By putting the Pope's question back at the center, which was the reason for the Second Vatican Council, and by placing the well-being and care of God's people at the center, it becomes clear that synodality is the way to live communion in the Church.

It is not an additional bureaucratic task for clergy and laity who adopt it reluctantly and only in words, remaining in practice still tied to models from a century ago. It is not the passepartoutthrough which to justify every worldly initiative.

Instead, synodality is the full expression of a lived communion. We can only bear witness to our brothers and sisters when we are aware that we are all loved by God and when we joyfully live the Gospel, conscious of the fact that—whatever our role in the Church—we are called by the Other, and it is He who guides His Church.