De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

I have been looking forward to getting together with Gavin and Katherine to discuss some of the extraordinary developments in the Catholic world over the last couple of weeks and we managed to find some time on Saturday. We talked about Fr. Altman's claims that Pope Francis is not the Pope , the Vatican launching a very public attack on Bishop Joseph Strickland  and Cardinal Müller, Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope Benedict XVI, who gave an interview to Spanish news website InfoVaticana last week - I posted an English translation here - in which he states (among other things): Q-What would happen if, for example, the Synod Assembly approved the blessing of homosexual couples, the change in sexual morality, the elimination of the obligation of priestly celibacy or allowing the female diaconate? Would you accept it? A-Priestly celibacy must be eliminated from this list, since the connection of the sacrament of Holy Orders with the charisma of vol...

We start this episode by laying out some ideas we have had to develop Catholic Unscripted as we move forward. Given we are all agreed that the current culture war requires a profoundly Catholic response, we are branding ourselves as CR² - Gavin explains why. That leads us into a discussion of D.I.E. - Diversity - Inclusion - Equality and the Catholic response. We then talk about being Married to a non-Catholic and each of us gives our own experiences of relationships with non-Catholics and how to minister and evangelise in these, often quite tense situations.  

This episode of Catholic Unscripted takes us in a slightly different direction after Katherine's Step-Daughter asked us to address a question she had which was, basically, "why?" - what is the point of all this? Big question, we have a go at answering it and I think we hit some really valuable theological notes! Make yourself a cup of tea and have a watch:

In this episode we talk about the posthumous publication of a new book by Pope Benedict XVI. Many were wondering if the timing of this book's release meant we would finally see Joseph Ratzinger settling scores with Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who genuinely had humiliated him by trashing his ruling on the Latin Mass? The answer is, in fact no, as anyone who knew Pope Benedict XVI should have guessed. The book is a collection of essays, infinitely better written and far more theologically literate than Pope Francis’s writings — but the late Pope Emeritus would have considered it just as wrong to break his promise to show loyalty to his successor after his death as before it. It did, however, contain some interesting relationships about problematic and influential groups within the Vatican! We also discuss the strange overturning of Fr Rupnik's ex-communication as this scandal, which integrates the Pope in an unclear way continues to rumble on as more and more victims come forward and ...

In this episode we share some reflections about Cardinal Pell's extraordinary contribution to the Church, his courage and stoic faith. This is especially boosted by a conversation Gavin recently had with Vatican Journalist Edward Pentin. You can listen to the whole thing here .  Please do like and subscribe to our channel for more Catholic chat.

  Recorded on the 29th December before Pope Benedict XVI died. We discuss the incongruity between the laicisation of pro-life hero Frank Pavone & the cover up of abuse committed by Marko Rupnik. I wrote extensively about Pavone here . Although the problems that led to this sanction are well documented, it is extremely difficult to reconcile the removal of his vocational calling, given he has responded with humility and always sought obedience while maintaining the mission he has been a part of for numerous years, with the leniency given to disgraced Jesuit abuser Rupnik.  I was one of the first to report on the Rupnik scandal for the Catholic Herald (see my article here ). On the 21st December, I was asked to write a summary for Rorate Caeli , which you can read here . Pavone was laicised, according to the letter to US bishops from the Nuncio, for disobedience and blasphemy. What precisely was the blasphemy that Pavone committed and what precisely was his disobedience? As ...

In our most recent episode, we discussion the wonderful visit of the Emeritus Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship to  Corpus Christi Church in Maiden Lane and the impact that a truly Holy man has on the faithful. You can see pictures of the visit on my Twitter feed @sitsio or by checking out Corpus Christi's Facebook page . Katherine has since had a piece published in The Catholic Herald . In it, she explains: "..the scales were lifted from my own eyes through the witness of holy men and women I met along the way. This witness is hugely important in the life of the Church. There is a lot of talk today about how to reach young people, but all too often the conversation centres around secular assumptions about what will make them happy and not on sanctity." We also discuss the cancelling of Father Sean Sheehy, who delivered a Sunday homily on sin which ended up going viral on the internet. You might expect the homily to be extreme, given that his bishop remove...

  Some important issues discussed in this week's episode of Catholic Unscripted. The Seal of the Confessional.  The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has taken aim at the seal of the confessional, purportedly in an attempt to protect children. Secular society is looking for scapegoats for the rampant abuse of minors in our society. Does this exist because of sexual moral or because it naturally comes when you relax the norms that protect intimate relationships. As religious illiteracy grows in society, one repercussion is seen through IICSA taking aim at the sanctity of the seal of confession. Our discussion about why is this challenge is problematic quickly turns into an explanation of the importance, power & beauty of this incredible Sacrament of grace. For more on what the seal of confession is see here https://www.catholic.com/magazine/onl...   Priestly celibacy  This discussion was sparked by Gavin's podcasted conversation with Ann Widdecom...

  In this episode of Catholic Unscripted, we were contacted by a viewer to discuss the promotion of abortion on the Graham Norton chat show on BBC 1. We talk about the way abortion has become mainstream in the UK and ask why it's not more of a priority for our bishops (rather than climate change!). We also discuss Pope Francis' attempt to frame tradition as infidelity which I wrote about here .

In this episode we discuss the new Puritanism as exposed in the recent arrest of a mother of five over an allegation someone made that she had posted something on the internet that she didn't. When we fail to teach the truth and people have less and less idea of objective moral truth. We also discuss the growing trend of Anglicans swimming the Tiber and becoming Catholic. Is it far to say that the only thing that separates Anglo-Catholics from unity with Rome is a failure to embrace the moral obligations? What draws an evangelical Anglican like the former bishop of Rochester to come home to Rome?

  In this episode we discuss the election in Italy of a politician who is using Christian language to win broad support. Is this a con or is it something we can get behind? We also discuss the Vatican's horrendous treatment of Cardinal Zen. Please do like, comment and subscribe!

  Many of you have suggested it would be useful to have a Catholic Youtube channel where we can build a community. Well, now we have. I am very pleased to announce that, along with Katherine Bennett of Choose Agape and Dr. Gavin Ashenden I will be involved in this new project, Catholic Unscripted, where we will meet weekly to discuss Catholic issues and the joy of the Catholic faith. English accents and informed discussion. Let me know if you have any comments/ suggestions or if there's anything particularly you would like to hear discussed. We will be recording our next episode tomorrow! Please do like and subscribe: