De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Gavin gives a particularly excellent explanation of why the only place to be to be close to Jesus is the Catholic Church in this, our latest Catholic Unscripted video. I really enjoyed Gavin's explanation of why he is a Catholic and his discussion of some of the arguments he has encountered from Anglicans as to why they are not Catholic. He goes on to discuss the abuse crisis and explains why we should not be surprised and why we must stand behind the sanctity of the priesthood.

Mgr Robert Mercer with Mgr Keith Newton, left, and Auxiliary Bishop Alan Hopes of Westminster Mgr Robert Mercer is one of those brave former Anglican bishops who put their integrity and faith before their personal well-being, affluence, and influence, and prioritised unity over their position by joining the Catholic Church. He was educated at Grey School, Port Elizabeth and St Paul’s Theological College, Grahamstown. Ordained as a deacon in 1959 and as a priest a year later, his first post was as a curate at Hillside, Bulawayo. After time at St Teilo’s Carmarthen, he returned to his homeland. In 1970, he was deported from South Africa because of his stand against apartheid, specifically for running, with other Anglican clerics, a multi-racial parish at Stellenbosch University. He was then chaplain of St Augustine's School, Penhalonga and then rector of Borrowdale, Harare. Mercer was ordained as a bishop in Matabeleland in 1977 and served in the midst of a civil war....

In Chapter 1 , I attempted to lay a foundation of the history of the Shrine in order to show how my first visit to Walsingham was primarily a insight into the human divisions history has wrought in our supernatural revelation. All parties at Walsingham recognise these supernatural truths of Annunciation, Incarnation, Revelation, bitter death and sacrifice, then Resurrection. These truths are born out by the long history of pilgrimage, prayer and miracle which are an indelible part of the Walsingham story. Despite our common acknowledgement of these divine realities, our shared kerygma , koinonia , and even didache , Walsingham is physically, very divided. For a Catholic like me, the immediate question this experience begs in a place like Walsingham, is why? My overwhelming sense was of the Mother of God holding all her squabbling children together. Perhaps you might think I should have been concentrating on my prayers, but I could not help thinking of Matthew 5: 22-24  whi...

Fr. Ed Tomlinson posted this little video on FB today: I have to say my feelings are of dismay rather than anger or disappointment. This is Anglican, but that's not to say things like this haven't happened in the Catholic Church.  Apparently, the Diocese of Exeter held a 'taster' for the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage, which included Mass celebrated by 'bishop' John Ford of Plymouth. The explanation is that 'Having used bubbles earlier to consider their beauty, uniqueness and specialness - just like us - filled with breath which ultimately goes right back to God, we were encouraged to blow bubbles as the holy elements are raised, and fill the sacred space with light, airy prayer-filled bubbles...' The Anglican Blogger Cranmer has commented  as follows: His Grace is so convulsed with incredulity, he can scarcely type. He is so used to writing about those who inhabit the metaphorical Westminster Bubble that it had completely escaped hi...

Abraham Offers Tithes to Priest-King Melchizedek of Salem—Peter Paul Rubens. Thanks to Luke O'Sullivan for providing the inspiration for the title of this post. I have been fascinated by the events in the Anglican church over the last few days. I have also come to recognise how ignorant I am regarding Anglicanism (is that the right terminology even?) which seems impossibly complex and bureaucratic, which is saying something coming from a Catholic! I was taken to task by someone I know on Twitter last week for referring to Anglican 'bishops'. This was considered patronising and I was admonished to accept the validity of Anglican religious orders out of respect for them. This struck me as somewhat disingenuous. I am a Latin Rite Catholic and the Papal Bull  Apostolicae Curae issued in 1896 by Pope Leo XIII declared all Anglican ordinations to be "absolutely null and utterly void". The issue, as best I understand it, is regards the intention with which o...