In October of 2016, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the head of the German Bishops’ Conference, along with Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, the head of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), together made an official visit to Israel. In spite of the fact that this visit was meant to be an ecumenical event, it turned out, in part,…
Yesterday, I published an excerpt of Cardinal Burke’s interview with Catholic Action. At the time of publication, I had not yet seen his separate interview with Edward Pentin, in which he took an even firmer stance. The importance of what is being said here can’t be understated. Again, I will highlight several important passages: Are you…
Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the signatories of the so-called “Four Cardinals Letter,” gave an interview to Catholic Action in which he explained the reasons behind the letter and why it was time to take the step of releasing it to the public. I believe this interview is a major step in the direction of an official…
The maxim is “Qui tacet consentire videtur”: the maxim of the law is “Silence gives consent”. If therefore you wish to construe what my silence betokened, you must construe that I consented, not that I denied. -St. Thomas More, A Man for All Seasons It is not without a sense of irony that I have…
During this week where Americans have been distracted by the unexpected upset of a presidential election that could very well change the course of our collective future, Pope Francis has been busy making political statements of his own. In yet another interview with Eugenio Scalfari (see our standard rebuttal to “you can’t trust Scalfari!” here), this…
The German branch of Vatican Radio just reported that Pope Francis has made an unusual visit today. According to today’s Radio Vatikan article, Pope Francis went privately this Friday afternoon to Ponte di Nona on the outskirts of Rome in order to meet with seven families together in a private apartment. All fathers of these families…
Last night, I posted this message on my various social media accounts. I wanted to share it with you, too: Tonight as I sat to pray the rosary with my boys, I prayed for our country and for this election. But I became suddenly aware that I couldn’t pray for justice or prosperity without caveat;…
The days are darkening, and I am angry. Yes, angry, along with so many others who observe with growing pain and confusion what is happening to our Church from within, far more grievously than from outside. But this anger isn’t a bitter, despairing anger; rather, it is a zealous, irrepressible anger that pulses hot against…
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is prudence. – Proverbs 9:10 Today is All Souls’ Day. The Catholic Encyclopedia defines the feast as follows: The commemoration of all the faithful departed is celebrated by the Church on 2 November … The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine…
While teaching a theology class to men in formation for the diaconate, I asked, “When was the last time you heard a homily on Hell?” None of the sixteen could recall. “And Heaven?” Only two. The exchange reminded me of an observation made by Christoph Cardinal Schönborn in his book Loving the Church (Ignatius Press,…
As several outlets have now reported, on 28 October 2016 – just before his going to Lund, Sweden – Pope Francis replaced all the members of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. That is the dicastery currently (but perhaps only temporarily) headed by Cardinal Robert Sarah. Several Catholic authors from…
