De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

 An opportunity to discover the power and beauty of Catholic Marriage and partake in the greatest adventure of your life! If you have questions or simply want to celebrate all that is good about Catholic Marriage, come along to Cardinal Bourne Hall on 10th June for an exposition of this subject by Fr Matthew Bemand-Qureshi and GP wife Lucy.

In the context of this article by the excellent Phil Lawler, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski offers the following comment: Not long ago, I was involved in a fairly intense discussion of whether Pope Francis is an evil man. One side said "yes, absolutely, you can see that from his years-long patterns of equivocation, ambiguity, and deception, his personnel selections and promotions, his attitude of contempt for tradition, his arrogance, insults, etc." The other side said "no, we don't know enough about his internal state, his knowledge, his capacities, to be able to make such a claim. All we can say is that he's confused, mistaken, and misled." I tried for a while to hold the second position, but then I gave up, as it's so counterfactual. Just read this piece (if you dare) by Phil Lawler about the pope's recent Roman Rota speech, and see what conclusions you draw about the kind of pope who could say such things. As another friend said to me: "I truly beli...

This morning I wanted to share this beautiful and powerful video released by the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC). Thanks to Ian Paul for sharing it and introducing me to it. It beautifully and powerfully presents the case, in accessible terms, for the ethic that sex belongs in marriage between one man and one woman, the Apostolic teaching of the Church, enshrined in Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium: the position laid out by Jesus Himself in Sacred Scripture.   The presentation locates the discussion of sexuality in the wider question of what has been happening in society at the moment, and our call to share the good news about Jesus. Importantly, in the opening comments by Jason Roache, it highlights the fact that the Church’s teaching is not something we just improvise, but something we both inherit and pass on, just as Paul comments in 1 Cor 15.3 that he is passing on what has been passed to him. Of course the idea that we are constantly "discerning" the...

As part of the Jubilee Year of Mercy instigated by Pope Francis, the community at Brentwood Cathedral have had a series of Masses where they have made a special outreach to the stranger, the wounded and all those searching for spiritual sanctuary to join them in the presence of our all compassionate God. On Sunday 10th July, the special outreach was to all those in single parent families. This is a really important area for ministry in the current social climate. You can read Fr Martin's full homily here . I spotted the link to the homily on Facebook and, despite misgivings I have about matching Masses to various forms of human brokenness, this comment literally melted my heart: This brought my mind straight to Mt 18:12-14  and the rejoicing in heaven when one sinner repents . Surely, if even one soul is welcomed back into the Church because of this special effort, going out to the peripheries, it is well worth it, the Father's work is being done! I me...

It is so confusing for our children these days as the gay agenda moves forward with unstoppable momentum and screaming "bigot!" as loud as possible at anyone who dares raise a voice of concern or disagreement. This strikes me particularly at the moment with the "Gay Marriage" thing being debated in Ireland as Bruvver Eccles alludes to here . The desperate reality strikes me as I lead forty young people in my parish toward Confirmation. Just their understanding of relationships reveals a quite shocking breakdown in any concept of what constitutes Marriage, let alone Catholic teaching; and these are good, normal, Catholic kids. The plight of our children can only be made worse because the source of clear teaching on these matters, The Church, seems, in places, rather at odds with itself. Sadly, some priests prevaricate on this issue which can ultimately achieve nothing else but to lead their flocks into confusion and dismay. Or they say nothing, which leads par...

Back in December the bishops of England and Wales released a series of documents to help us to reflect and prepare for the Synod on Marriage and Family Life in October. Part of that document was a survey  which purports to be an invitation for us to respond to the Bishops of England and Wales invitation to reflect on the gift of marriage and family life. The suggestion is that our thoughts will help to inform Cardinal Nichols and Bishop Doyle as they prepare for the debates and discussions at the Ordinary Synod on the Family in Rome later this year. I have to say I feel a little uncomfortable about what the purpose of this consultation actually is. Cynically, I can't help but feel it proffers a pretense of consultation; that is, it aims to make us feel like we have been consulted. After all, our opinion cannot change the deposit of faith, so what's the point? Perhaps the exercise could be useful to expose and examine the gulf between Catholic doctrine and the degree...

I was greatly heartened to read the pastoral letter from the Bishop of Shrewsbury, read out on the Feast of The Holy Family on December 28th. It presents a wonderful synthesis of Church teaching on family and asks that we look deeper at the gifts that the Church presents to us in this regard and reflect how we can engage more deeply with Church teaching. I have hi lighted some of the bits that really caught my eye: My dear brothers and sisters, I write to you today in the light of the Child born for us, the Saviour who was given to us within the love and unity of a human family. On this Feast of the Holy Family, as we celebrate the holiness of family life and begin a “Year for Vocations” in the Diocese, I want to reflect on the “Vocation and Mission of the Family.” This is the title Pope Francis has given to the Synod of Bishops to take place in the New Year. It will be a year for Catholics across the world to reaffirm our faith in God’s plan for the family, and to do so a...