Let’s put the thing everyone wants to know right out in front: no, the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Querida Amazonia does not, within its text, explicitly provide for the ordination of “viri probati” — married men, likely married permanent deacons — to the priesthood in the Amazon region. Many early reactions to the document are celebrating the…
Robert Mickens — a man notorious for his dislike of Pope Benedict XVI, so keep that in mind going in — has a fascinating piece (paywall) at La Croix about the Gänswein sidelining. Mickens says that Francis was stuck with Gänswein by Benedict, who didn’t see Bergoglio coming, and had, just before his abdication, elevated…
According to a new report at Corrisepondenza Romana, the Catholic news agency run by the eminent Church historian & author Professor Roberto de Mattei, the post synodal apostolic exhortation on the Amazon Synod, which is expected to be promulgated very soon, is now, based on a partially leaked text, expected to strike a definitive blow…
A couple weeks ago, I posted my interview with Joe and Mike at Restoring the Faith Media on their new show, Full Disclosure. RTF is yet another Catholic apostolate making great video content, so if you haven’t checked out their channel yet, you should. Today, I wanted to share another one of their interviews, this…
2020 has certainly not gotten off to a slow start. The “Bookgate” controversy (every bureaucratic debacle has to have a “gate” at the end, obviously) has been really remarkable. It’s really not possible to say it’s over yet, or what the repercussions might be for Cardinal Sarah, Pope Benedict, and Archbishop Gänswein in the coming…
In 2017, Bishop Guo Xijin of Mindong in China’s Fujian province disappeared. At that time, he was pressured to sign a document stating his willingness to “voluntarily” be demoted to coadjutor bishop as a condition that he be recognized by the government during his one-month detention. This would have been bad enough. But in 2018, Pope Francis…
As the controversy surrounding the former pope’s contribution to a new book about clerical celibacy has shifted, in part, to the role of the personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and prefect of the papal household, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has accused Gänswein of “abusively and systematically” exercising control “towards the…
The controversy over the new book on priestly celibacy by Cardinal Robert Sarah and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has only continued to escalate over the past 48 hours. News of the book broke on Sunday, and by Monday afternoon, rumors had begun percolating on social media that Benedict had not, in fact, co-authored the book.…
It has been less than 24 hours since the news broke about the book arguing in favor of priestly celibacy co-authored by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Cardinal Robert Sarah, and it seems to be the thing everyone is talking about across Catholic social media. Many see the book and its premise as a direct…
By Giuseppe Pellegrino & Steve Skojec Le Figaro has published a preview today (French language; paywall) of a forthcoming book co-authored by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Cardinal Robert Sarah in support of priestly celibacy, entitled “Des profondeurs de nos cœurs” – “From the Depths of our Hearts,” scheduled to be released on January 15. The…
In a recent article, John Paul II biographer and Catholic author George Weigel suggested that among the New Year’s resolutions the faithful should adopt this year, they should, “Resolve to limit … exposure to the Catholic blogosphere. In 2019, many Catholic websites went bonkers. There is no need to click on sites that specialize in…
