Following the “New Pentecost” otherwise known as Vatican Council II, the Latin Church received a “New Order of Mass,” which naturally gave rise to a “New Evangelization” that is ostensibly ordered toward the dawn of a “New Springtime.”
Now, more than four decades after the Council’s closing, this “unchecked passion for novelty” (cf Pope St. Pius X, Pascendi Dominici Gregis) permeates nearly every layer of Catholic life.
We have new church architecture, new “lay ministers,” new vestments, new disciplines, new Dicasteries, a new Code of Canon Law, a new Catechism and even a new set of mysteries for the Most Holy Rosary!
With this being the case, one can hardly be surprised to discover that a novel approach to the process of canonization has also arrived on the post-conciliar scene.
No, I’m not talking about the Santo Subito fast track upon which Pope John Paul II is traveling, nor the dispensing with verifiable miracles as in the case Pope John XXIII, or even the abolishment of the Devil’s Advocate at the hands of the former.
I am referring to the new underlying force that currently drives papal causes; namely, the desire to hold up for veneration, not so much an individual whose life serves as an example of heroic virtue, but rather the new ideology that came to define their life’s work.
Setting aside for the present discussion the relative merits of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, whose canonizations are scheduled to take place on April 27th, let’s take a brief look at the causes of the last six popes predating the Council.
Pope Pius XII
Declared “Venerable” on December 9, 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI, the cause of Pope Pius XII is unlikely to move forward any time soon for fear of upsetting the Jews and various other progressive enemies of the Church, both within and without.
Pope Pius XI
In spite of any accomplishments of which his pontificate may boast, Pope Pius XI needn’t worry about being canonized anytime soon thanks to the Encyclicals, Mortalium Animos, which pulls the carpet out from under the post-conciliar approach to ecumenism, and Quas Primas, which teaches the unadulterated (even if inconvenient for moderns) doctrine concerning the Kingship of Jesus Christ.
Pope Benedict XV
The reign of Pope Benedict XV was bookended by the lengthier and better known pontificates of Pope St. Pius X and Pope Pius XI, rendering him the 20th century’s forgotten pope. Much of his pontificate was consumed with diplomatic and humanitarian efforts relative to World War I, but he is perhaps best known for having promulgated the 1917 Code of Canon Law.
As for his humble beneficence, papal biographer Walter H. Peters wrote:
When Pius XI ascended the papal throne and caught his first glimpse of the ledger of the Holy See, he was alarmed at what he saw. In fact, Cardinal Gasparri had to borrow money to pay for Benedict’s funeral and the conclave. The expenditures were clearly recorded. Benedict had spent nothing on himself. He made only the most necessary repairs in the Vatican. He had depleted the treasury in charitable contributions during the war and after. He had asked the world to contribute heroically but he himself always took the initiative in this charity. (“The Life of Benedict XV,” pp. 180-181)
Even so, his cause appears to be nonexistent. One wonders to what extent this is due, in part, to the widely accepted understanding that it was Pope Benedict’s urgent appeal to the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1917 that led to her appearance at Fatima, a topic the current regime evidently considers far too hot to handle. (One may recall Pope Francis’ “consecration” that wasn’t.)
Pope St. Pius X
Though much could be said of his pontificate, I will limit myself here to but one observation:
Had Pope Pius XII not canonized the former Giuseppe Sarto prior to the advent of the conciliar revolution, I have no doubt whatsoever that his cause would have sunk under the weight of the Syllabus of Errors, Pascendi Dominici Gregis and the Oath Against Modernism.
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII may represent something of a dilemma, albeit a minor one, for the Captains of the New Evangelization in that on the one hand, his seminal articulation of Catholic social doctrine, Rerum Novarum, is an Encyclical with which the pioneers of the modern day social justice movement would like to lay claim as a source of continuity.
On the other hand, their contempt for the very clear teaching found in such encyclicals as Libertas (regarding human liberty), Diuturnum (on the origin of civil authority) and Immortale Dei (on the matter of Church-State relations) make Pope Leo XIII a persona non grata whose cause is unlikely to see the light of day any time soon.
Pope Pius IX
Last but not least is Pope Pius IX, the only entry on our list of pre-conciliar popes whose cause has since progressed to the point of beatification, an event that took place on 3 September 2000, the same day as the beatification of Pope John XXIII.
While one might be tempted to think that the example of Pope John Paul II raising Pope Pius IX to the altars undermines the present thesis; it actually manages to provide the exact opposite.
Turning our attention once again to Pope Pius XII, while it is reasonable to believe that his cause will remain stalled for the foreseeable future, one of two things could potentially move it forward:
For one, this or a future pope could decide to give an appropriate amount of consideration to Jewish sensibilities relative to the matter (in other words, none). For another, the Captains of the New Evangelization might come to the conclusion that his beatification and/or canonization is expedient in service to their own cause regardless of the backlash it will necessarily invite.
Though the latter scenario is perhaps even more difficult to envision than the former, I would argue that this is precisely what led to the beatification of Pope Pius IX, a Pontiff whose memory also serves as a lightning rod for Jewish consternation.
Where on earth did I get that idea, you may wonder?
From one of the new ideology’s most celebrated promoters, Georgetown theology professor Fr. John W. O’Malley.
While there was no shortage of indignance expressed over the beatification of Pius IX, Fr. O’Malley’s rant in America Magazine is particularly useful in exposing the forces that are currently brought to bear upon the canonization process.
“It [the beatification] can only be seen as a political move, designed to provide a conservative and reactionary counterweight to the beatification of John XXIII…. The conclusion is surely inescapable that the beatification of Pius IX is the work of a small group of ultra-conservatives,” Fr. O’Malley wrote.
This, my friends, is more than just the irrelevant ramblings of a disgruntled liberal; it is truly nothing less than a slice of “inside baseball.”
You see, for Fr. O’Malley, a product of the new ideology in the extreme, the process of a given pope’s cause for canonization is essentially “political” in nature, and so it necessarily concerns matters that are open to the influence of partisan lobbyists.
Canonizations, in other words, are now viewed as useful tools for promoting, or defeating, a given agenda.
Fr. O’Malley, in my estimation, is quite correct when he speaks of the beatification of Pius IX as a “counterweight” to that of John XXIII, but he misses the point entirely when he states, “The focus on Pius has thrown into the shadows [the beatification of] Pope John XXIII.”
Call me a cynic, but I suspect that the decision to beatify both Pius IX and John XXIII on the very same day was made as part of a calculated effort to create the illusion of continuity between the Church as the former knew it, and the skeleton that emerged after the latter “opened the windows” and let the modernists in.
Now here we are less than three months away from the scheduled canonizations of John XXIII and John Paul II (if the Lord should deign to allow it), and while I hesitate to add to the understandable angst the very prospect is causing traditional Catholics, the bad news is that the lovers of novelty intend this to serve as a prelude to the church-of-man’s coming out party; the canonization of Paul VI.
Mr. Verrecchio you atributed the ,,Syllabus of Errors” to Saint Pius X, but shouldn’t that belong to Bl. Pius IX. Wasn’t you thinkig about ,,Vehementer Nos” which call separation of Church and State ,,most pernicious error”? That is more then enough to make modern man going crazy.
Will “St” Paul VI come before or after the “ecumenism of martyrs” is made official by the canonization of say Bonhoeffer or some other valiant heretic?
Would not appreciate the furthering of the cause of Paul VI. Neither would Fr. Luigi Villa or Randy Engel.
The one light of his pontificate and it is miraculous that it happened was the promulgation of Humanae Vitae.
But the disasterous changes in liturgy, consecrated life, the instruction of the faithful and the infiltrating of the sodomites are things that may take centuries to overturn.
Thanks Ziemek. I am referring to Lamentabili Sane of Pius X – Syllabus Condemning the Errors of the Modernists:
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10lamen.htm
Pope Pius IX had previously issued a Syllabus of Errors of his own:
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius09/p9syll.htm
If Paul VI is ever beatified much less canonized, I will leave the Church. I could not be part of a church that would say unequivocally that that man is without a doubt in heaven and worthy of praying to – the one truly responsible for letting the smoke of Satan into the Church. No way!!
@ Peter: Yeah, such a church clearly would not be worthy of you, now would it? But don’t pack your bags yet, I think any cause of Paul VI is already dead in the water.
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I’m still not convinced that either John XXIII, or JPII will get raised to the altars. After all, canonizations are infallible, and the Holy Spirit has a lot to say about them.
Paul
Canonizations are infallible???Not sure about that. The Church cannot tell God what to do. Our Lord is still the Head of His Church even if the visible head (the Pope) is in error. Mr. V. can you clarify this? Thank you.
Divine Intervention will stop the canonizations. (not prophecising the death of Pope Humble)…there will be a delay of some type.
How interesting that all these pre-vii Popes are ‘stiil’ punching in their purgatory cards whilst JXXIII – lets call a council of dissenters from the Faith – quick; and JPII – lets call a council of the gods – quick; apparently are walking the streets of Gold for their counter-Church-gratification. What would the Martyrs before the Throne think?
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‘canonizations are infallible?’ not necessarily:
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http://liturgicalnotes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/is-act-of-canonisation-infallible-is-it.html
dear Peter,
your Faith is in danger. Because you are a devoted and serious Trad, the enemy has targeted you. You must take steps to prevent satan’s further entry into your heart and soul.
Here is the RX for doing so:
1-beg the assistance of Our Lady to help you to trust in Divine Providence.
2-stop reading all blogs, Trad blogs or anything, {including this one, as good as it is,} for one full month.
3-consider taking an orthodox Ignatian Retreat, {even in your own home, many do that-following the basic Ignatian guidelines,} run by the SSPX.–Here is a link to obtain information: http://archives.sspx.org/retreats.htm
dear Peter, to safeguard your Faith, cont’d.-
4-listen to solid audio catechesis to strengthen and refresh/renew your Faith. I suggest this link: http://www.sspxasia.com/sermons/
5-if you are discouraged and cannot pray the entire Rosary, force yourself to pray only one decade daily of one of the Sorrowful Mysteries with the intention of offering your current discouragement united with the Sufferings of Christ in that particular Mystery.
dear Peter,to safeguard your Faith, cont’d.
6-listen to the audios here. in any category, to further strengthen your precious Faith: http://www.sensustraditionis.org/multimedia.html
7-subscribe to Catholic Family News-once a month hard copy in your hands of cover to cover orthodox Catholic consolation and information, with zero danger of being exposed to modernism in any form.
dear Peter,
finally, to safegaurd your Faith-
8-for consolation and even further sublime enrichment, watch this video from John Vennari -a treatise on Bl. Abbot Marmion here: http://www.fatimaondemand.org/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=133:blessed-abbot-marmion-and-the-rosary&catid=20:john-vennari&Itemid=62
May the kind of Peace that only Our Lord Jesus Christ can provide, a Peace unlike the peace of this world, be to you.
You are in my prayers. See you back here no sooner than one month.
God love you.
@ Paul – it’s not a question of worthiness, for me it is a question of conscience. In my heart, a church which would raise that man to the altars, would say infallibly or semi-infallibly that he is a saint, in heaven, someone we should pray to and imitate, a man of heroic virtue, etc – for me such a declaration would force me to conclude that that church is not the Church which Jesus founded and I would have to leave. You may reach a different conclusion but I cannot answer for you on judgement day any more than you can answer for me.
@ Linda – thank you for your advice and prayers, I certainly need them. I would love to be able to disconnect from the Internet, but I think I have a moral obligation to follow what is happening in this pontificate and make informed decisions about the future of my Catholicism and while admittedly traditional leaning blogs may tend to be negative and/or polemic, I think they offer a far more accurate view of the current state of the church than what one reads in the mainstream media. I especially feel the need to follow what is going on in Germany along with the upcoming synod on the family…for the pope to say a teaching once held as infallible and inerrant really isn’t after all, would probably force me to the same conclusion as the canonization of Paul VI and I simply cannot ignore what is happening now…
While I would be one of the first to state that the previous Popes you mentioned are vastly superior to our recent ones, I believe prudence demands that we be as cautious as possible here. The evils in the Church did not spring suddenly from Vatican 2; they were a long time in the making and it is, I’m very much afraid, the poor papal performances of the past which did much to pave the way towards the current disaster.
Pius IX interestingly enough began as a real liberal but at last realized what was going on and remarkably changed his ways and so it is just to say that his papacy ended gloriously.
Benedict XV, Leo XIII, Pius XI and even Pius XII are a different matter. All of them did individual acts of greatness but also committed serious mistakes – so serious that I am not sure we can assume mere naivete on their part. Benedict XV was a protege of arch-villain Rampolla. Leo looked away when great tragedies were looming. Pius XI essentially destroyed the resurgence of Catholicism in France by banning Action Francaise and cut the legs off the Cristeros in Mexico by calling on them to put down their arms (whereupon they were slaughtered). Even Pius XII did very little to stem the liberal tide and there are some, in fact, who contend that he was the originator of the idea for Vatican 2. Then there is the issue of Fatima, which Pius XI and XII essentially ignored, Pius XII relying on the testimony of the radical Jesuit Dhanis, who hated the whole Fatima business, to keep him aloof.
So these Popes all bear some responsibility for the mess we are in, just as the Popes during the Reformation bear some responsibility for that catastrophe. We must beware of a sentimental attitude when thinking about our Pontiffs; we must celebrate the good they did, but not shy away from the bad.
Further to S. Armaticus’ report of the plight of Cardinal Fernando Sebastian Aguilar (via Eponymous Flower), I have found the details of the Spanish Embassy in the UK here:
http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/information/eu_embassies/index_en.htm
I have emailed the following message to them, which anyone is welcome to copy or adapt:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have read two news reports that the above-named Cardinal is being investigated in Malaga. I am shocked at what they write, as I can hardly believe that a country like Spain would be capable of such a tyrannical abuse of power.
As it is I am reluctant to continue with my plans to visit Spain, or even to purchase Spanish goods, until I can be sure either that the reports are unfounded, or if they are true, that the proceedings have been dropped and an apology issued to the Cardinal.
“Following the “New Pentecost” otherwise known as Vatican Council II, the Latin Church received a “New Order of Mass,” which naturally gave rise to a “New Evangelization” that is ostensibly ordered toward the dawn of a “New Springtime.””
I bring you the N.O. as it was intended to be celebrated by the founding fathers: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews/this-church-holds-naked-services-221524042.html;_ylt=AwrBEiT0UflSf3cArqLQtDMD.
Taking archeologism to it’s proper logical conclusion.
Since the ‘canonization’ of the Second Vatican Council, there have been raised many doubts, by many faithful servants of God, of the Holy Church……. regarding the doubtful process of the beatification and canonizations, since the ‘revolution’ in the Church.
THE ‘RUSH’ IS ON:………..one saint to be in the near future is Archbishop Fulton Sheen. The false, but very convenient rumors have been circulating for few decades;
…….that the good Bishop Sheen was against Vatican II and refused to say the New Mass;
…….He fell out of favor with the Vatican and the American Hierarchy for his conservative stands, and ended his days persecuted and isolated.
……from the Tradition in Action website……based on Sheen’s own popular autobiography “Treasure in Clay” (Ignatius Press, 1993), as well as on Thomas C. Reeve’s “America’s Bishop: The Life and Times of Bishop Sheen” (Encounter Books, 2001), considered a reputable source about Fulton J. Sheen.
1. In his ‘Autobiography’……he dedicates a chapter to Vatican II, calling his attendance at the general meetings and plenary sessions “one of the great blessings the Lord bestowed on my life” (pg. 281). He has only words of effusive praise for the council “that opened the Church to the world.”
2. Commenting on “Gaudium et spes”, which opened the Church to the modern world, he calls it “a master stroke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”
3. At the Council, Sheen contributed to the passage of the ‘Declaration on Religious Liberty’, in which Fr. John Courtney Murray-an American Jesuit-played an important role supported by the American Bishops. Sheen applauded the Council Prelates because ‘they generally followed the American Bishops and their stress on ‘religious liberty.” (ibid, pg. 293). Like many American Prelates of the time, he championed ‘freedom of religion’, and ‘liberty of conscience’, as established in the ‘Declaration of Independence’ of our country.
4. In promoting Vatican II decisions, he was highly active in the area of inter-confessional relations. FOR EXAMPLE, on January 30, 1967 as Bishop of Rochester, he addressed a crowd of 2,300 in a Jewish synagogue. It is good to remember that at that time to visit a synagogue was a very bold step that ONLY a few ardent promoters of Progressivism would dare to take.
5. A months later, with an audience of 900 Jewish and ‘Christian’ leaders, sharing the platform with a rabbi, he stated: “we have the same God and we are His people’. (Reeves, pg. 306-307).
6. As a Bishop of Rochester, he promoted many inter-faith meetings and events, for example, at the second annual Ecumenical Day of Prayer for Christian Unity held at Eastman Theater in 1967. When Billy Graham came to Rochester to preach, Sheen urged all his staff to attend as a gesture of good will.
7. He personally owned some 3,000 books on Scripture by Protestant scholars, which he read and encouraged his priests to use. When a priest argued that they were taught in seminary NOT to read Protestant commentators, Sheen responded, “Vicar, you’ve got to remember that the Holy Spirit works through them too.” (Reeves pp. 307, 309). In order to encourage good will with other religions he founded the ‘Sheen Ecumenical Housing Foundation’ that exists to this day.
8. Bp. Sheen always defended the reforms of Vatican II, he went as far as to qualify an reactions against it as ‘demonic’. He asserted: “It is a historical fact that whenever there is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit as in a General Council of the Church, there is always an extra show of force by the anti-Spirit or the demonic”.
9. Even before the Council, he made it clear that he was NOT adverse to changes in the Mass; in mid-1956, he had said that his hope that the Mass could one day be said in ‘the language of the people. (Reeves pg. 261). As a Bishop of Rochester in 1966, the vernacular Mass had already been introduced and the altars turned around……there’s no evidence that Sheen made any effort to return to the traditional Latin Mass.
10. There is one known letter of Sheen in which he addresses the question of the ‘traditionalist movement’ that was growing as a reaction to the liturgical changes. In a correspondence to a lady dated Sept. 21, 1978, he counseled a friend of her not to attend Masses at a traditionalist chapel, BECAUSE ‘this group has no ecclesiastical approval and, indeed, it can lead her and possibly her family into schism and even heresy. He continued: “The V II Council approved the updating of the Liturgy and amongst the changes were those recommended FOR THE MASS………. The changes made by Pope Paul VI were not doctrinal changes, they merely changed from Latin to the vernacular. There have been many changes in the Mass down through the centuries. The Lord never said Mass in Latin; He used the language of the time. Moreover, the change in translation does not alter the meaning of the text………’
He closes the letter counseling the lady to “WITHDRAW FROM THAT SCHISMATICAL SECT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCE OF POSSIBLY FINDING HERSELF OUTSIDE THE CHURCH.’ (Letters, The Angelus, Nov. 1978).
11. His aversion to the traditions of the Church as formed at the Council of Trent and the Counter-Reformation could not be better expressed than in this small episode. Sheen, a close friend of John XXIII whom he visited every year, considered him a strong and enlightened leader and praised his courage to call a Council that would usher in an era of change. Shortly after the Pope’s losing battle with stomach cancer, Fulton told reporters that, although elected in his late seventies, “JOHN XXIII IN FOUR YEARS UNDID 400 YEARS! (Reeves, pg. 271).
12. His eagerness to follow the Council caused Sheen problems as Bishop of Rochester. since he was determined to become ‘the first American Bishop to attempt to implement in a diocese the full teachings of the Second Vatican Council.
13. There is no foundation for the notion that Fulton Sheen suffered persecution and isolation the years after his retirement as Bishop of Rochester in 1969. It is common knowledge that he left the diocese because he revealed himself to be a quite poor administrator. Paul VI accepted his resignation and gave him the honorific title of ‘Titular Archbishop of Newport (Wales)’ without any practical duties.
14. He returned to NY, and throughout the early 1970’s, he continued to give talks and write at a ‘breakneck speed.’ He gave innumerable retreats for priests and religious around the world. He also continued to speak at ecumenical events. In 1972, for example, he traveled to Orange County, California, to preach at Robert Schuller’s Garden Grove Community Church, where 6,000 persons came to hear Sheen’s sermon. (Reeves, pg. 339).
15. When he died thousands packed St. Patrick’s Cathedral for his funeral Mass…….a concelebrated NOVUS ORDO MASS……on December 13, 1979.
……..When betrayal, scandals, human respect tempts us to waver, we should repeat St. Francis of Assisi’s daring words: “KNIGHT OF CHRIST, ARE YOU AFRAID?”……we must find the strength to continue the battle for ‘saving souls’…..and to win.
Peter- You don’t stay in the Catholic Church b/c it’s easy or free of suffering or scandal…you stay in the Catholic Church b/c it is true…it is Christ’s ONLY Church. Will you suffer? Yes. But Our Lord told us we would. We are called to pick up our cross and follow Him…our cross may include betrayal from our own just like Peter and Judas betrayed Our Lord. Keep your eyes focused on Him…He is our true shepherd. Don’t follow your emotions, follow your intellect informed by faith and surrender your will to Him. Trust that this suffering will mold you and make you stronger, make you more like Him. We’ve had plenty of evil Popes, Bishops etc in the past. Just stay the course and offer it up:+) God bless~
Halina, about bishop Sheen, even the best and holiest were blinded by the diabolical disorientation. Bishop Sheens pre conciliar works are a gift to the church. His writings and witness were prophetic for our times
Dear Peter,
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Whatever “Church” you may decide to leave in the future, for Heaven’s sake, please let it not be the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church!
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“Extra ecclesia nulla salus” – Outside of the Church there is no salvation. This is a thrice defined dogma of the Catholic Church.
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Francis may very well be an apostate “pope” but this doesn’t mean in any way, shape or form that the promises of Christ to His spotless Bride, the Mystical Body of Christ, the Catholic Church are false.
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The apostasy we are currently experiencing has been FORETOLD in sacred scripture (2 Thessalonians 2, gospel of Luke). Doesn’t this, if anything, PROVE that the Catholic Church is the TRUE church, because what we are witnessing was PROPHESIED TWO THOUSAND years ago?
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The saints have always recommended the pious meditation of the most sorrowful passion of Our Blessed Lord as a most salutary exercise for our souls. I would highly recommend to anyone to practice this often throughout their spiritual lives. Think of Our Blessed Lord exclaiming from the cross, “My God, My God,why have you forsaken me?” We ourselves might occasionally have the same sentiment, but Christ was really saying these words for our sake to comfort us in times of tribulation.
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Practice the 5 Saturday devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary with much devotion and fervour as it is pleasing to the Lord:
http://www.fatima.org/crusader/cr48/cr48pg10.asp
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God Bless brother.
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“But yet the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth?” Luke 18:8
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PS It is the Holy Catholic Church that gave the world holy scripture by the way ; )
Backtothefuture…….Yes, I agree with you, I have given many of his books as gifts, especially, to my fallen away Catholics. The good Bishop ‘was’ gifted abundantly……..did he fall into ‘pride?’. Was his ‘fame’ the cause of his ‘fall’ into the ‘diabolical disorientation’?……..Only God Knows.
….’THE KNOW IT ALL’, sometimes become victims of ‘blindness’.
This is a lesson for all of us, we must imitate always the ‘Simplicity’ of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. This imitation of Their holy ‘Simplicity’ is the ‘key’ to ‘God’s Wisdom’…..and a healing for our souls for eternity.
Jesu, Maria I love you, save souls!
@ MMC and Edu
Thank you for your prayers and advice. These are confusing times for me and others though I can only obviously speak for myself. I’m becoming a believer in the so-called hermeneutic of rupture, that a new church was formed after the Council. To canonize Paul VI or to change Church teaching on divorce and remarriage would only confirm that belief for me, the latter not so much on the issue itself but because one would be saying that a teaching on a matter of faith and morals of an ecumenical council (Trent) was not inspired by the Holy Spirit, not infallible, and if one such teaching can be in error and changeable than all such teachings could be erroneous. Where that would lead me I don’t know – sspx?, Orthodoxy? – only God knows, I just don’t think in conscience I could stay in what we call, or what the world refers to as the Catholic Church…
Peter, find yourself a good parish that offers the tlm, stick to the sacraments, the rosary and our lady. And if churchmen want to try to destroy the church, let them try, many others have failed miserably
It seems that even many of those who regularly attend the Society don’t know how the canonizations of two objectively bad popes will change things in this prolonged crisis in the Church.
Edu, I might practice the 5 Saturday devotion, except I’d have to able to afford a plane ride to the nearest parish that offers a Saturday Mass. Also, we’ve got a new priest; at Sunday mass he didn’t bother to get the two altar girls to dress the altar with candles etc. till after his homily which informed us that the ten commandments were for Jews, while the beatitudes were for ‘us’. he seems a nice chap, but since I base my confession on the ten commandments, do I need to bother anymore?
I think the Vatcan should have a dear frankie, blog.
heh, heh, heh, very good, dear Saluto.
I’ll suggest that to the Supreme Pontiff when he phones me.
One for the “trash heap of history file”: the reformers of the reform throwing in the towel. Link here:http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-end-of-reform-of-reform-kociks.html.
Now this is what I call movement:)
Can the hermeneutic of continuity be far behind? 😉
Linda; make sure to record the call when he phones so that we can dismiss mistranslation issues.
God bless.
Peter,
Sorry but I’m just going to have to beat you up with a little honesty here:
Saying “I’m going to leave the Church IF_______” means you were never devoted to Christ in the first place. Creatures do not put stipulations on their discipleship to their God and King. There is no salvation outside the Catholic Church so if the smell of animal is not to your liking you can either man up and stay the course (animal manure and all) or jump ship, which may I remind you is the Ark. Jumping the Ark during the flood is absurd.
Get your priorities in order – follow some of the advice already given about the Ignatius Retreat, stop whining and get on your knees in humility and tell Christ you’re going to follow Him wherever He goes and mean it.
Some physical activity and less net would do you some good as well.
Peter,
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Is it really that important WHAT the world decides to call the “Catholic Church”? Since when have Catholics been concerned (other than post VII) about what the world thinks of the Mystical Body of Christ? Is it outside the bounds of the imagination to think that when the Anti-Christ comes and gains to himself throngs of apostate “Catholics” as followers, his false prophet (Revelation 13:18), might masquerade as some sort of Supreme Pastor of the “Catholic Church” – nay, perhaps even as the “Bishop of Rome”?
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Bear in mind that Our Lord already warned us beforehand that a future generation would be called to go through incredible trials and that their faith would be tested for the benefit of the elect and the damnation of the reprobate: “For there will rise up false Christs and false prophets, and they shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce (if it were possible) even the elect.” Mark 13:22
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Fr Malachi Martin said that if an apostate “pope” were ever to be elected, even the faith of the saints would be tested; it is thus clear we are living through incredibly challenging times. Having said this, we should bear in mind that NEVER have Catholics been supplied with so many heavenly weapons to fight against the Adversary as the faithful have today: we have the rock solid encyclicals of the saintly popes of the 19th and 20th centuries leading up to (and including) Pius XII, full of salutary exhortations to keep the flock of Christ strong and safe from the ravening wolves, we have the Rosary, Scapular, the promises of the Sacred Heart to St Margaret Mary Alacoque, the promises of Our Lady to Sr Lucia of Fatima in the devotion of the five first saturdays , and the edifying and faith fortifying apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima to three humble shepherd children. What we are witnessing now in the Church is the words of Holy Scripture being played out in slow motion before out very eyes. Fear not, everything will come to pass to the last dot: “Then he said to them: O foolish, and slow of heart to believe in all things which the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into his glory?” Luke 25:26
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Which side are you on?
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“Also, from now on we must choose sides. either we are for God or we are for the devil.” Interview of Sister Lucia of Fatima to Father Fuentes
cUFF OF,
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Well said. I second your statement entirely.
Saluto,
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The devotion in reparation for the thorns pierced into the Immaculate Heart of Mary can also be performed (for good reasons) on Sunday. I’ve known this for a long time, but a quick google search showed up this: http://www.themostholyrosary.com/appendix2.htm
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Not being able to attend mass on Saturday should not be an excuse for the sons of Mary to avoid performing this most pious and salutary practice, which does much to console the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the offenses and indifference of men towards Her Divine Son.
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Even if we are not able to receive communion on Sunday because the abuses in the mass are such as to render the mass invalid, we at least can offer a spiritual communion and spend fifteen minutes keeping Our Lady company as good sons meditating the mysteries of the rosary.
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God Bless.
For anyone getting ready to jump from the Barque of Peter, I would seriously think twice. I bring you the “fight back”. Link here: http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/02/update-on-announced-events-traditional.html
And just for the record:
” 1. The non-denominational chapel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was completely filled with Catholics and curious onlookers in the first Traditional Latin Mass celebrated there since the advent of the Novus Ordo, on Sunday, February 9.
It is heartwarming to see the Mass of St. Gregory the Great in an environment meant to look merely “spiritual” in an almost industrial sense…”
Got that… “the first TLM celebrated there since the advent of the N.O….”
That is what I call taking the fight to the enemy!
And this:
http://www.pblosser.blogspot.com/2014/02/extraordinary-community-news_9.html
I quote: “Many of our readers have expressed interest in the ongoing search for a new Extraordinary Form Mass site in Oakland County. After many years of organizing efforts, a one-time Mass was held on All Souls Day at the beautiful St. Hugo Stone Chapel in Bloomfield Hills. The church was filled to capacity, not surprisingly as our research has shown that there is substantial demand for a Mass in the northern suburbs of Detroit. While the Stone Chapel is an ideal location for the Traditional Liturgy, the parish is unable to accommodate a regular Mass at this point in time.”
Yes sports fans, the N.O. is going the way of the polyester leisure suit.
…from the article “The Incorrupt Pope and the Pharaohs”, by Atila Sinke Guimaraes
…..”It did not come as a surprise to me that John Paul II should ‘beatify’ John XXIII. Since all the items that regulated beatifications and canonizations were eliminated in the new ‘Code of Canon Law’, everything now seems left to the arbitrary personal discretion of the Pontiff. And this has not shown itself to be as rigorous as the prior requirements. More or less everywhere he is beatifying whomsoever he desires.
What did surprise me was to hear that the body of John XXIII was found incorrupt. The report was published in the Italian weekly ‘Famiglia Cristiana’ (n. 22, 2001) and I base myself on the information given in the French bulletin La Contre-Reforme Catholique (n. 8, August 2001).
John XXIII had chosen Professor Valdoni as his personal doctor, and the latter was assisted by Professor Mazzoni. These two doctors had heard about the discover of a young colleague, Dr. Gennaro Goglia, assistant Professor at the Institute of Anatomy of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of the Sacred Heart in Rome. Goglia had discovered a system to keep cadavers incorrupt. The two doctors of the Pope contacted the young scientist, and when the cancer of the stomach reduced John XXIII to his final stage, they asked Goglia to be ready to apply his invention on the Pope after his death. The two doctors had already spoken with John XXIII on the matter, and the latter had given them a written document leaving them in charge of preserving his mortal remains.
Therefore, as soon as he died on the evening of June 3, 1963, Goglia was contacted and brought to the Vatican. In the Papal quarters, he set up next the cadaver a tripod that held a plastic bottle containing ten liters of his liquid preservative. He then began the process of injecting this liquid with a tube and needle into the body of John XXIII. It was a long procedure, crowned with success. Those present during the proceedings in addition to Goglia were Prof. Mazzoni and two valets of John XXIII, the Gusso brothers. Dr. Goglia provided these details to “Famiglia Cristiana” in the interview. Until then, the whole operation had been kept rigorously secret.”
I would like to let the reader read for himself the end of the testimony of the doctor, who today is age 78. Here are his words: “We put the bottle containing the liquid on the tripod. We made a small cut in the right wrist and inserted the needle there. I was afraid that the blood would exit through the tube or that the liquid could cause the skin to rupture….At 5 a.m. on June 4 the operation ended. The liquid had reached all the capillaries, blocking the process of decomposition. We then injected some liters of the liquid into the Pope’s stomach, destroyed by cancer, in order to kill the bacteria there.”
Here is the explanation. The incorrupt body of John XXIII is due to a scientific achievement, NOT to a miracle that would confirm the sanctity of Angelo Roncalli. If the fact of a body remaining incorrupt would itself reveal sanctity, then the Pharaohs of Egypt that were mummified should be considered saints………..
Peter, please don’t leave. Where is there to go?
Whining?! Really is that what I am doing. Ok let me put on my man pants here. To make an extreme example, if the magisterium, pope and bishops united with him were to canonize Hitler or say abortion is perfectly acceptable one might react by saying such a church cannot be the church Jesus founded. It either never was or at some point it lost its way. Paul VI is not Hitler and allowing divorce and remarriage is not the same as allowing abortion, but my point in this, to canonize Paul VI or to say a teaching of faith and morals of an ecumenical council is not infallible to me would be sufficient to say this can’t still be the Church founded by Jesus, a tree being known by its fruit and all that. So if this pope and his German buddies want to turn this institution into some type of hippy love fest where everything goes, then they can do that, but it won’t be the Church Jesus founded and all those who want to stay, good luck to you. Better?
Dymphna – I would have to prayerfully consider either the SSPX or the Orthodox Church. Russian Orthodoxy is looking good these days. I’m a big Putin/Kirill fan…
Peter,
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Russian orthodoxy is looking good these days? You might want to rethink that… Orthodox church allows for evils such as contraception under the pretext of “dispensation” or “economy”, whatever that means…
http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/contracep.htm
Orthodox also allow for divorce in direct contradiction to Sacred Scripture.
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Although Russia has made some healthy moves recently, the reality of the country is still very dire indeed… Rampant abortion, alcoholism, incredible amount of children in orphanages, corruption, and a population that whilst professing to be “orthodox” still by and large does not believe in the afterlife (see the recent rorate article with the link).
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You might also want to rethink your enthusiasm for Putin. Again, while Russia is proving to be a powerful counterweight against the Washington-London-Paris “axis of evil” the crude reality is that Putin’s past in early post-Soviet Russia is dark indeed (see documentary on Khodorkovsky).
…..from “Divine Intimacy” by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen
To be a “Child of the Church” is the most glorious title for a Christian and second only to that of “Child of God.” These two titles can never be separated—one depends upon the other; for, as St. Cyprian has said, “He who does not have the Church for a Mother, cannot have God for a Father.” Jesus wishes to save and sanctify us, but He wishes to do it by means of the Church.
THE GAVE HIS LIFE AND SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US; HE PUT HIS MOST PRECIOUS MERITS AT OUR DISPOSAL; HE GAVE US THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND LEFT US THE HERITAGE OF HIS DOCTRINE, BUT HE WISHED THE CHURCH TO BE THE SOLE DEPOSITORY AND DISPENSER OF THESE INESTIMABLE BENEFITS, SO THAT ALL WHO WISH TO ENJOY THEM MUST HAVE RECOURSE TO HER.
LET US LOVE THE CHURCH, THE MOST PERFECT IMAGE OF CHRIST; LET US LOVE THE CHURCH THE MOST PURE SPOUSE OF CHRIST AND OUR MOTHER; AND AS HE LOVED HER WHOM……’HE HATH PURCHASED WITH HIS OWN BLOOD’ (Acts 20,28), SO LET US LOVE HER WITH A TRUE SPIRIT OF OBEDIENCE AND FILIAL DEVOTION, OFFERING OURSELVES COMPLETELY TO SERVE, GLORIFY AND DEFEND HER.
….Colloquy
“Your Church, O Christ, is a strong city built on a mountain, visible to all and enlightening all. You are her Founder and fore most Citizen, O Jesus Christ, Son of God and our Lord.
We beseech You, eternal king of souls, Christ our Lord, stretch Your omnipotent Hands over Your holy Church and the holy people who belong to You; defend them, guard them, preserve them; combat, challenge, subdue all their enemies.
May Your Church always remain pure and living! May she chant Your praises under the guidance of the holy angels! We pray to You for all her members; grant them pardon and remission of all their sins; grant that they may sin no more. Be their defense; take away from them all temptation. Have pity on men, women, and children; reveal Yourself to all, and let the knowledge of Your Holy Name be written in their hearts.” Amen. (from an ancient Liturgy).
“In spite of any accomplishments of which his pontificate may boast, Pope Pius XI needn’t worry about being canonized anytime soon thanks to the Encyclicals, Mortalium Animos, which pulls the carpet out from under the post-conciliar approach to ecumenism, and Quas Primas, which teaches the unadulterated (even if inconvenient for moderns) doctrine concerning the Kingship of Jesus Christ.”
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## He does however have a Cause – Benedict XV & Leo XIII are the only Popes since & including Bl. Pius IX not to be at least Servant of God.
“Canonizations are infallible??? Not sure about that. The Church cannot tell God what to do. Our Lord is still the Head of His Church even if the visible head (the Pope) is in error. Mr. V. can you clarify this? Thank you.”
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## Agreed. That they are infallible seems to be majority view among theologians, but the overwhelming majority did not have to ask themselves whether the canonisation of Popes who acted like J23, JP2, or P6 would be infallible, b/c the theologians did not live under Popes who promoted indifferentism, profaned the Blessed Sacrament, Protestantised the Mass, betrayed the Faithful to their persecutors, were friendly with persecutors of the Church, punished Confessors for making known the crimes of persecutors, practiced pan-religionism, etc. Such theologians would no more have envisaged the canonisation of those 3 Popes, than they would envisaged the canonisation of Henry VIII of England, Martin Luther, or Judas Iscariot.
The question is being wrongly posed, because the conditions in which a canonisation today might be regarded as infallible are not those of the past, when it could be “taken for granted” that Popes were orthodox Catholics who would not presume to butcher the Liturgy. Today’s conditions are very different, so any solution to the question whether canonisations are infallible, has to take account of the conditions of today.
Edu, thanks for the information. This is a comfort – another weapon to guard against the NOminalism of the new mass. God bless.
If It helps, I don’t think there is any good whatever in worrying about what *might* or *might not* happen. Whatever happened to trust in Divine Providence ? It is not man who is in charge, ever, but God, always. If we really believed that, STM we would be a lot happier, and a lot more effective. But worry never solved anything.
Don Luigi Villa may not be very well known outside Italy.
He dedicated almost his whole priestliy life to fight masonry within the church.
Due to his publication about Pope Paul VI, the process of beatification came to a halt. Some of his publication were translated.
http://chiesaviva.com/paoloVI%20beatoin.pdf
Louis I agree with you that certain other pope’s from the recent past have not been considered as to the more recent pope’s. But I am not to sure about Venerable Pius XII because the archives of his Papacy are now being opened and he has been on Record as saying that he admires Pius and may decide to canonize him like John XXIII without a miracle. He is doing this with John so it could possibly happen you never know with this Pope.