Cardinal Reinhard Marx, member of the pope’s inner circle of closest advisers, advocate of the Kasper proposal, and head of the German bishops’ conference, can now add to his list of titles, “Great admirer of arch-heretics.” In a report from Gloria.TV, we are treated to this quote from the aptly-named Cardinal: In a meeting with…
No comment from me is necessary here: In a nearly 40-minute prepared talk, the Pope warned new bishops against using their office to be self-serving, but rather to share the holiness, truth and love of God. “The world is tired of lying spellbinders and, allow me to say, ‘trendy’ priests or bishops. The people sniff…
On June 29, 1972, on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of his coronation, Pope Paul VI declared to the world, “From some fissure the smoke of Satan entered into the temple of God.” The pope was referencing the diabolical forces that had infiltrated the Church through the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Now a key…
Those who attend the Traditional Mass regularly are deeply familiar with, and deeply appreciative of, the recitation of the Prologue of the Gospel of John at the very end of Mass. It has always struck me, and I have no doubt it strikes many others, as a beautifully appropriate moment of meditation, a long-drawn breath…
Pope Benedict’s new book-length interview with Peter Seewald, entitled Benedict XVI — Last Testament, has offered new insights into the mind of the Pope Emeritus. From Ed Pentin at the National Catholic Register, we are treated to portions of both Benedict’s own commentary and that of his long-time personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, who spoke at…
In an essay at Rorate Caeli, Professor Roberto de Mattei takes note of the Vatican’s fairly recent and alarming habit of self-contradiction and obfuscation. He notes: Information, disinformation, truths, half-truths and lies all seem to be jumbled up in the communication strategy of the Holy See. The history of the Church is being written through interviews,…
How Can I Help the Team? This summer, I coached my oldest son’s baseball team. These seven- and eight-year-old boys were very much still learning the game; so in addition to teaching them basic skills of hitting, catching, and throwing, one of my main tasks was teaching them mental focus. That is, I couldn’t have…
If it seems self-serving to keep demonstrating our consistency on the issues we cover, it’s perhaps only because so many people have sought with such fervor to discredit me (and by extension, the other fine writers here at 1P5) on all things Francis. (The post I’m about to link, incidentally, is worth a re-read just for the documentation of scorn…
Allow me to be lowbrow for a moment. Because let’s be honest, I’m a child of American pop-culture, and no matter how much I reach for erudition, I grew up in the 80s. So yes, I think of things in terms of Star Wars. We’ve been having a lot of discussion lately over whether or…
I’ve gotten some emails from folks lately about their comments disappearing. A couple months ago, when the comment boxes were being raided by sedvacantists, I cranked up the filters to 11. This means that certain words automatically triggered moderator approval. Words like “antipope”. There were a handful. I’ve found that moderating these consistently means big…
In his homily yesterday, Pope Francis (again) chastised the very people who care most about Catholicism by accusing them of causing division and Eucharistic profanation (with my emphasis): Divisions destroy the Church, and the devil seeks to attack the root of unity: the celebration of the Eucharist. That was the message of Pope Francis on…
