As has been recently reported in several media outlets, Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera, the Archbishop of Valencia, Spain, is now under harsh attack from feminist, homosexual, and other progressive groups for having defended the traditional family and for accusing the promoters of gender ideology and of the “gay empire” of attacking the family. Cañizares said the following, for example, in a homily on 13 May, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima:
We have [cumulative] legislation contrary to the family, the acts of political and social forces, to which are added movements and acts by the gay empire, by ideologies such as radical feminism – or the most insidious of all – gender ideology.
As Crux reports, “Spain, generally considered one of the world’s most gay-friendly [sic] nations, has had, since 1996, anti-discrimination [sic] laws including penalties for ‘hate speech.’”
In a case similar to that of the Swiss Bishop Vitus Huonder of Chur – who had been sued (though without success) in 2015 by homosexual groups and persons for quoting Old Testament passages against homosexuality and thus for allegedly calling for the actual killing of homosexuals – the Spanish cardinal is being now threatened with a law suit. More from Crux:
Soon after Cañizares’ remarks, several pro-LGTB and feminist organizations – such as Lambda, the LGBT collective of Valencia, the Collective for the Sexual-Affective Diversity and the Association of Families with Transsexual Minors – announced that they were going to file an official complaint with the “Office of Hate Crimes.”
Technically, they intend to charge Cañizares with “apologia,” [“apología de delitos de odio – i.e., advocacy of hate crimes] a term in Spanish law for encouraging or defending a criminal act.
While Cardinal Cañizares very bravely and promptly responded to these threats with another forceful defense of the Catholic Church’s teaching, nothing, so far, has been heard from Rome in defense of this valiant Catholic witness. Moreover, it is important to note, that the defenders of Cardinal Cañizares in Spain now themselves emphatically refer to Pope Francis’ own strong critique of the gender theory. It is therefore claimed that the progressive groups in Spain, to be consistent, would also have to rebuke the pope. Crux describes the situation, as follows:
“Gender theory is an error of the human mind that leads to so much confusion,” he [Pope Francis] said in March 2015, when visiting the southern Italian city of Naples. Later in that speech, he said that “the family is under attack” because of it.
[…]
Defenders of Cardinal Antonio Cañizares of Valencia, however, are [likewise] quoting Pope Francis’ latest document on the family [Amoris Laetitia], which also defends traditional marriage and criticizes gender theory, with the unspoken implication apparently being that, if the Spanish prelate is “homophobic,” then so is the pope.
Many observers, however, have pointed out that Pope Francis – in his own inconsistent and demeaning remarks about those who hold firm to the traditional Catholic moral teaching – actually helps thereby to undermine the Fight for the Faith. It will now therefore be important to see whether or not Pope Francis will forcefully, consistently, and loyally support his own cardinal – who was the prestigious former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
For these reasons, I recently contacted Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., the head of the press office of the Vatican. This is what I wrote to him:
Please allow me to ask you whether Pope Francis intends to issue a statement of support for Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, who has been recently publicly attacked for his defense of the traditional family. Please see this link for further information:
Since I intend to write upon this matter, I was wondering whether Pope Francis intends to take some steps in defense of his own cardinal, similarly to what he recently did in defense of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-stands-by-cardinal-facing-priest-sex-abuse-cover-up-claims/) – of course for different reasons.
At the time of this writing, I have not received any reply.
As many have by now likely observed, Pope Francis has in the past taken steps to defend prelates of his own liking. For example – as I mention in my e-mail to Father Lombardi – he has defended Cardinal Philippe Barbarin who is currently under state investigation as to whether he had covered up sexual abuse cases in his own diocese (Francis met with him in private audience and told him not yet to step down but to await what the state’s findings will be); he has also defended Bishop Juan Barros of Chile (Osorno), whom he made a bishop despite strong allegations that the new bishop had covered up clergy sex abuse by a priest in the 1980s and 1990s; finally – and this is the most stunning case – Pope Francis has insisted upon keeping Monsignor Battista Ricca, even though the Vatican expert Dr. Sandro Magister was able to show this prelate’s more than dubious moral background, which was later further confirmed by other sources.
We have now received other troubling news – from a report by Guiseppe Nardi on the German Catholic website Katholisches.info – that Infovaticana.com, a Spanish website, has been able to confirm (in spite of a denial by Fr. Lombardi) that Pope Francis will receive Pablo Iglesias this coming September in a private audience. Iglesias is one of the leaders of the progressive camp in Spain – the same camp that is at this very moment pressuring Cardinal Cañizares. As Nardi says:
Podemos [Pablo Iglesias’ own political party] represents – just like the whole radical left – positions which, in the field of the “non-negotiable values” (Benedict XVI), are in open opposition to the teaching of the Church. They radically defend a “culture of death” with regard to the matters of abortion, artificial conception, contraception, and euthanasia, as well as homosexuality.
Nardi then makes this piercing comment:
This deadly opposition to the teaching of the Church and to the nature of man does not especially seem to bother the leadership of the Church.
We might have come to the hour of an important, perhaps conclusive, litmus test. Will Pope Francis stand with Cardinal Cañizares, or with Pablo Iglesia? Will he back up his own formerly critical words about the gender ideology with actions, or will the pope’s words lie fallow, without meaning when they truly matter?
I have no great expectations that the present pontiff will defend true teachings of Christ or His holy Church nor those who do defend such. I have no idea where the heart of this man is but I would rather contest his statement of being a true son of the Church. I contest his statement about his own humility as well. Never has a pope denigrated faithful Catholics with the constant name calling either.
He is the chosen to represent Peter, obey with love, he is a Holy Priest of priests.
Litmus test? I think his meeting with a leader of the opposition (Pablo) to the Church in Spain has answered that question. Pope Francis stands with our enemies. How many litmus tests does he get? Every time the pope is tested, he betrays the Church. The question about the pope’s loyalties has been answered and now the question to be answered is, “Is there one Bishop with the courage to call the pope a heretic, a bad man with malice intentions?”
I agree with all you said, Peter. How many ‘litmus tests’ does the bishop of Rome get? Vox Cantoris has a salient point to make regarding the recent flip comments by Bergoglio regarding the invalidity ‘of most marriages’. Vox responds to that by asking whether or not Bergoglio’s consecration as Pope is valid. If he wants to go down the validity road, then let’s go down it. How many litmus tests does an heretical pope get??
I agree with you, Peter.
I think we should see the reality, even if bishops and Cardinals don’t…. this pope does not even like, let alone love the Catholic Faith. I do pray for him daily, but. ….my expectations for him are way below “low” …
I am praying especially for the orthodox bishops and priests who will be hung out to dry in this papacy. May Our Blessed Lord and His Mother be with them to comfort and console them.
Well done!!! As I was reading this post, I couldn’t help but feel that we, the laity, need to pressure our leaders for truth, integrity,and fidelity to Christ and His Church…….Keep the pressure up Dr. Hickson!
I have been in contact with Cardinal Cañizares offering my support & prayers. He responded quickly and with humility. I didn’t get the impression he was at this stage too concerned – he knows full well he has to stand by God. I understand that many of his Diocese support him & hopefully will not vote for Podemus in the oncoming election. Pablo Iglesias spent many years in Venezuela under Chavez so they should know what to expect.
There is very little to hope for in Spain – on the one hand we have the PP /Franco/Nazi) Party & on the other PSOE/Podemus (Marxist) Party. The others are irrelevant. I vote irrelevant as I cannot stomach either of the above choices.
Go with Franco !
Franco was very bad for women. Women weren’t allowed to have a bank account or hold property (even inherited) in their own name and of course everything legal had to have the signature of their father or husband. They couldn’t hold office of any kind. He wasn’t great with the Church either and very heavily fined priests who didn’t agree with him and did nothing for those living outside the perimeters of Madrid. He was responsible for a lot of Nazis coming to live in my part of Spain and they hold their meetings regularly with the nazi symbol & picture of Hitler taking pride of place. I still live with them as neighbours – they are not nice people. Women’s lives only improved when the EU Human Rights Act was enacted but not always enforced. There are still too many violations & always against women. Until this is put right I shall be refraining from voting PP – will stick to small parties while praying for a Catholic centre democratic party to come into being.
Franco was much better for the Catholic Church, I am with CatMom on that, Ana.
Franco was a repressive & brutal dictator with an estimated 200,000 Spanish deaths to his name (it is most likely more than this). His military tribunals led to tens of thousands being either executed or imprisoned. He combined Fascist & Monarchist parties to form his Falanga Española Tradicionalista and sent 50,000 volunteers to fight alongside the Germans in WWII, opening Spain’s ports to German ships & submarines.
For some time now there has been a great demand for the exhumation of mass graves in an effort to find those who went missing. Federico García Lorca, poet/playwright was executed by the Granada-based right wing forces in 1936. He established a network of secret police and banned the Basque & Catalan languages.
I won’t be voting for his party or the left wing Podemus & PSOE. Neither IMO are representative of Spain, but then Europe is in thrall and the EU is determined to Islamise us with the CC’s blessing.
I read the definitive biography of Franco by Paul Preston….I don’t know about that 200K dead. Franco was merciless to communist subversives, I agree. But he was a product of his times….look at what he went through in the 1930’s.
We are all products of our time, but who gives anyone the right to murder? The figure of 200K is looked upon as the least he had killed. Remember he was a Fascist with close ties to the Nazis & of course to South America to where so many of them fled. I have no time for either Fascists or Communists or Modernists.
That figure of 200,000 is high. Remember, the ‘experts’ tend to be political leftists who tend to exaggerate deaths by those on the Right while undercounting or ignoring completely Communist killings.
TENS of Millions killed in the USSR and China and the Left pooh-poohed it and denied they even took place.
Satan pits both extremes against each other as he likes to see the chaos that produces. Catholics should not allow themselves to become involved in extremism but come together to fight it. Life is too precious to be thrown away for any political cause. Extremists tend to have no religious belief or else one, e.g. Islam, which actually incites them to kill those opposed to their agenda.
I think you should read the book “Franco para Antifranquistas” by Pio Moa (I’m not a Francoist, by the way). He points out that there were more women attending university under Franco than during the II Republic. As for the claim that he did not do anything for Spain other than the area around Madrid, this is not true either. Spain saw the greatest economic growth under his rule. Women also formed part of the workforce in Francoist Spain.
If you compare Francoist Spain to life in the Spain of the Constitution of 1978, you will note that women lost out. Back then: no abortion. Today: massive, almost unrestricted abortion. When abortion was legalized in 1986, there were only 411 women who “chose”. Now there are around 100.000 abortions per year. Then take into consideration the introduction of divorce and the ever rising tide of femicides due to “violencia de género” (murders were very rare in Francoist Spain, unfortunately they no longer are today).
Franco’s relationship with the Church could have been better, but if you compare him with mayor Carmena in Madrid or mayor Colau in Barcelona, those were the good ol’ days.
I must also say that equating a liberal party such as the Partido Popular (PP) with Francoism or even Nazism is quite outlandish. After all, president Mariano Rajoy participated in the “gay wedding” of the former mayor of Vitoria, Javier Maroto of the PP.
Petition in defence of the good Cardinal….http://citizengo.org/en/sc/35192-radical-leftists-want-criminalize-cardinal-being-christian
I have signed this, but I suppose like The Remnant Petition requesting PF to either shape up or resign it will be ignored.
I have been praying for other prelates to join Bishop Athanasius Schneider in defending Truth and reality. Deo Gratias!
The pope will stand up for Cardinal Cañizares with his typical casuistic, discursive, light in the loafers, meandering.
Or maybe he will meet with him secretly, then it will be denied, Kim Davis-style.
This pontificate likes to break bread with the minions of the enemy. They all come out smiling so you know he never calls them to repentance…?
Did fallen angles repent?
Not talking about angels and they cannot repent. Talking about all the people this Pope likes to hang out with…
I have a pretty good idea what the Bishop of Rome will do….
“In this supreme moment of need of the Church, the one who should speak will fall silent.”
Our Lady of Good Success
After hearing something about Our Lady of Good Success, my husband ordered a book about her prophesies revealed to Mother Mariana. We’d never heard of her till this year, but are blown away by these prophesies for the 20th century.
If you look into the biography of this man you will find that his favorite mentor was a Communist. That alone should answer any questions as to where his heart lies.
Modern anti-male anti-family, anti-marriage Feminism began with Marxism and the same ideology is being taught in colleges today as “Women’s Studies.”
for a background article see:
“Marx, Engels, and the Abolition of the Family” by Richard Weikart
History of European Ideas Vol 18 No 5 pp 657-672 1994 Pergamon
I am Spartacus.
Please, excuse me for submitting these texts I wrote ten years ago and the Professor Bueno’s speech in spanish tongue. I hope that, nevertheless, they can be of some help. I want to manifest here, as a sheep o the Archidiocesis of Valencia, my entire support and filial gratitude to Monseñor Cañizares, one of the very few catholic bishops that still maintain the true doctrine in Spain.
Procariotas, eucariotas, maricas y homófobos: https://cmcort.wordpress.com/2007/06/29/procariotas-eucariotas-maricas-y-homofobos/
Un intercambio epistolar a ríz de la ‘falacia naturalista’ de Hume: https://cmcort.wordpress.com/2008/06/29/un-intercambio-epistolar-a-raiz-de-la-falacia-naturalista-de-hume/
Gustavo Bueno: Falacia naturalista y aborto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe_m5wpHRw0
He will stand with Senior Iglesia. Since that is already a predictable known, one should now prepare for the immediate fallout and future outcomes.
Is there anyone that trusts the elect of the Holy Spirit?, Pope Francis is the visible head, of the first Roman Apostolic Church, started by Peter, ordered so by Jesus, the Holy Head of The true Church, who in the last supper said this is my flesh this is my blood, of the new covenant, and also said, I will be with you always, till the end of the world, The Holy Eucharist is his true body and blood, search Eucharistic Miracles, and remember Mary the Woman is the new Eve, the Holy Tabernacle, our Mother, who is crying for his children born of sorrow and by the shed blood of her son, God in the flesh.
Immaculate, Mary, because God will not live in a anything stained by sin.
You should read the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on Amoris Laetitia article on this website. This particular claim by Antonio Socci is particularly disturbing.
Socci claims that, while still in his papal office, Benedict XVI was given an “opportunity” – a proposition. To him it was “proposed to accept an ‘ecumenical re-unification’ with the Protestants of North Europe and/or North America in order to create a kind of ‘common religion of the West.’” For the Catholic Church, says Socci, this would have meant to “enter the unified politically correct thought soup” and to become an “irrelevant folk museum within a ‘multicultural’ Europe.” Socci continues: “To this ‘dictatorship of relativism,’ Benedict XVI said ‘no!’ He answered: ‘As long as I am here, this will not happen.’”
Thankfully, Pope Benedict gave the answer he did but it has to be determined if his abdication is invalid as a result of such coercion. It may well be that it is and that the reigning ‘active’ part of the papacy is an intruder- an anti-pope or even false prophet. His leadership these past three years has done enormous damage to the CC and his election to the position of Pontificate has been very questionable. Canon Lawyers will have to work long & hard to get to the truth, especially with Lund on the horizon & the establishment of a NWO religion, not only embodying non-Catholic denominations but Muslims & other pagans as well.