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Theory, Practice, and the Church

January 15, 2016 breaking Comments Off on Theory, Practice, and the Church

Doctrine articulates faith, and makes it usable as a path to truth, so the Church must take it very seriously even in the face of difficulties By James Kalb There has been a great deal of talk in the Church lately about a supposed opposition between rules and reality, theology and life, doctrine and pastoral considerations. Some of the talk has gone to extremes, suggesting that rules, doctrine, and organized thought matter little in comparison with the pastoral needs of the immediate situation. Such talk, like other extreme pos…

Belgian archbishop: ‘Time has come’ for Pope Francis to defend Church’s Tradition

January 8, 2016 breaking Comments Off on Belgian archbishop: ‘Time has come’ for Pope Francis to defend Church’s Tradition

In a sweeping interview, the archbishop emeritus of Brussels warns that the ambiguity in the Synod’s final text was ‘very risky,’ but says he trusts the Pope will hold to his word and defend Catholic Tradition. BRUSSELS, January 8, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Shortly after leaving the see of Mechelen-Brussels at the age of 75 – the official retirement age for prelates of the Roman Catholic Church – Archbishop André Léonard, former primate of Belgium, gave a wide-ranging interview to the French weekly Famille chrétienne. Bishop Léonard made unusually direct remarks about the crisis of vocations, the dangerous “ambiguities” of the recent Synod on the Family and other controversial topics. In liberal Belgium he had the reputation of being conservative and…Continue Reading

Interview With Cardinal Burke . . . Insights On The State Of The Church In The Aftermath Of The Ordinary Synod On The Family

January 4, 2016 breaking Comments Off on Interview With Cardinal Burke . . . Insights On The State Of The Church In The Aftermath Of The Ordinary Synod On The Family

By DON FIER Part 1 (Editor’s Note: His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, recently traveled from Rome to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wis., a magnificent place of worship which he founded and dedicated. (His Eminence graciously granted an extensive interview to The Wanderer during which he shared his insights on a variety of topics, including the recently concluded Ordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family and his recommendations for how we should contend with the uncertainty and confusion that is currently prevalent among the clerical and lay faithful.) + + + Q. Several weeks have passed since the Synod on the Family, and I presume you…Continue Reading

Angelus: Church invites us to welcome the Word of salvation

January 3, 2016 breaking Comments Off on Angelus: Church invites us to welcome the Word of salvation

(Vatican Radio) At St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis lead the faithful in the recitation of the Angelus on the first Sunday of the new year. Speaking on the day’s Gospel, the Holy Father noted the dramatic contrast between God’s gift of love in the Incarnation, and man’s failure to receive Him. The solemn opening of John’s Gospel, which was already proclaimed on Christmas day and which is read again on this Sunday, “is the invitation of Holy Mother Church to welcome this Word of salvation, this mystery of light,” the Pope said. If we welcome Jesus into our hearts, he continued, “we will grow in understanding and in the love of the Lord, we will learn to be merciful as…Continue Reading

Pope Francis: the good always wins

December 31, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Pope Francis: the good always wins

(Vatican Radio) “How meaningful it is to be gathered together to give praise to the Lord at the end of the year!” Those were the words of Pope Francis as he celebrated First Vespers for the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God in St Peter’s Basilica on Thursday evening. The liturgy at the conclusion of the civil year included the singing of the Te Deum, the Church’s solemn hymn of praise and thanksgiving. “The Church on so many occasions feels the joy and the duty of lifting up her song to God with these words of praise,” the Pope said in his homily. In particular, the final words of the hymn – “Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon…Continue Reading

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki: ‘Conscience’ a complicated matter at Communion

December 29, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Bishop Thomas John Paprocki: ‘Conscience’ a complicated matter at Communion

It is important to set the record straight about some incorrect statements made by John Freml in his letter to the editor (December 21, 2015). He notes that Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago has said that people in “irregular” situations, such as those who are divorced and civilly remarried and those who are in same-sex government marriages, should work with a spiritual director to come to a decision “in good conscience” about receiving Holy Communion. Of course, those who are in “irregular situations” should talk to a qualified spiritual director or a priest in the context of sacramental confession, but forming a “g

Pope tells Roman Curia to “return to the essentials

December 22, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Pope tells Roman Curia to “return to the essentials

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has urged the Roman Curia to “return to the essentials” and follow a path of gratitude, conversion, renewal, penance and reconciliation as indicated by the Year of Mercy. The Pope was addressing members of the Curia gathered in the Vatican Clementine Hall for the annual Christmas Greetings. Recalling briefly this same occasion last year during which he made a long list of curial diseases that adversely affect and infect the Church, Pope Francis said that some of those “diseases became evident in the course of the past year, causing no small pain to the entire body and harming many souls”. Reiterating his determination to move forward with ecclesial reform – which is necessary, he said, to…Continue Reading

ANALYSIS: Marriage and Religious Freedom: Consequences of Recognizing Same-Sex Couples

December 20, 2015 breaking Comments Off on ANALYSIS: Marriage and Religious Freedom: Consequences of Recognizing Same-Sex Couples

“The consent-based view of marriage now enshrined in law teaches that marriage is more about the desires of adults than about the needs – or rights – of children”  Father John Flynn  Dec 20  ZENIT.org   Rome |  One of the big events of 2015 was the decision by the United States Supreme Court in the Obergefell v. Hodges case that upheld the decision to allow same-sex marriage. The decision’s consequences were examined in the recent book “Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom,” by Ryan T. Anderson. The Supreme Court’s decision has brought the sexual revolution to its apex, Anderson commented in his introduction. Anderson, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, also accused the…Continue Reading

“To equate a papal position on abortion with a position on global warming is worse than wrong; it is an embarrassment for the Church.”

December 19, 2015 breaking Comments Off on “To equate a papal position on abortion with a position on global warming is worse than wrong; it is an embarrassment for the Church.”

ROME, December 18, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) – A heated exchange regarding global warming and magisterial teaching between a top Vatican official and various other presenters ended a December 3 Acton Institute conference in Rome.  Argentinean Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, a close advisor to Pope Francis and the Chancellor of both the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences stressed that the pope’s declarations on the gravity of global warming as expressed in the encyclical Laudato Si’ are magisterial teaching equivalent to the teaching that abortion is sinful. Father Joseph Fessio, SJ, the founder of Ignatius Press who obtained his doctorate in theology under Joseph Ratzinger prior to his elevation to the pontificate, told LifeSiteNews, “Neither the pope…Continue Reading

Pope celebrates his birthday with young Catholics involved in project to welcome migrants

December 18, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Pope celebrates his birthday with young Catholics involved in project to welcome migrants

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received Birthday Wishes and a celebratory cake on Thursday as he greeted members of the Italian “Azione Cattolica” movement thanking them for their commitment to welcome migrants. It was a special morning in the Vatican as a large group of children and young people who belong to the non-political lay organization sang “Happy Birthday” to the Pope as he received them for the annual Christmas audience on the day that marks his 79th birthday. In a festive atmosphere, the Pope commended them for their desire to live the Gospel to the full, and for their mission to involve family members, parishes and communities in an actively Christian life. He said that by participating actively in the…Continue Reading