De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

I've received an email from the Coalition for Marriage which relates to David Cameron's Brexit speech and makes some very important points (I've hi lighted some points): David Cameron named redefining marriage as one of his most significant ‘achievements’ when he gave his resignation speech on Friday.   But commentators are saying gay marriage marked the point when his party leadership went wrong . Max Hastings said he “forfeited the support of his party faithful” (Daily Mail, 25 June 2016). Simon Heffer said: “Not only did the Tory party alienate core voters, it also proceeded to bully them” (The Sunday Telegraph, 26 June 2016).   Dominic Lawson was a supporter of same sex-marriage but thought it was a political disaster for the Conservative Party. He goes as far as to say that Cameron only proposed an EU referendum in the first place in a bid to try and win back traditional marriage supporters (Daily Mail, 27 June 2016). The PM’s pledge to hold a referendum was mad...

When I expressed my heartbreak at the scandals that rock the Church once, someone said to me; "where else do you expect Satan to be at work?" Fr. Francis Coveney writes: The very act of receiving Holy Communion is a statement that we wish to be in full union with Almighty God. And we cannot be in full union with Almighty God if we are living a life (and intend to continue living a life) that is incompatible with keeping all of the Ten Commandments. For a priest (or God forbid, a bishop or a Cardinal) to celebrate the Sacraments while living in a state of mortal sin – or intending to commit a mortal sin – is to commit an act of sacrilege. At the Council of Jerusalem ( Acts 15:29 ) the Apostles decreed that although Pagan converts were not bound by the Jewish dietary and hygiene laws, they were to be bound by the moral law - and specifically mentioned avoiding " pornea " (that is illicit marital relations). As all Catholics (but especially priests and b...

Breaking news from The Catholic Herald Cardinal Pell is at it again, teaching the Catholic faith, holding true to the deposit, taking back out social capital! Thank God for him! The cardinal said the culture wars are entering a new phase which can only be fought by lay people The Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy has said that the outcome of May’s same-sex marriage referendum in Ireland and the decision of the US Supreme Court on the same issue clearly show the extent to which Western society is abandoning many of its Christian legal foundations. In his address at the Fota VIII International Liturgy Conference in Cork, Cardinal George Pell called the Irish referendum “a victory for John Stuart Mill and utilitarianism.” He told the conference delegates and speakers that the so-called culture wars “are entering a new phase of political struggle which can only be fought by lay people.” Speaking about the importance of recovering the mission of the laity and drawing f...

So today it has emerged that Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has declined to comment on the position of those Catholics who may vote Yes in Friday’s same-sex marriage referendum. It was not his policy “to tell others how to vote”, a spokeswoman said, while he stressed “that people should be informed”. With so much in the balance, the Archbishop prevaricates and fails to teach the faith or to stand up to the tide of secular wrong thinking sweeping over his people! How can an Archbishop not have a policy to tell his people the truth of so straightforward an issue as this? Influential supporters of the Yes vote are not so circumspect as the Archbishop, the recently appointed lecturer at our main teacher training college, St. Mary's, Mary McAleese has been most vocal in presenting her subjective and confused reasoning. The Irish Times article goes on to explain how Archbishop Diarmuid was pushed for a clarification on the issue because he had totally confused everyone ...

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...

Tim Stanley notes that, despite the media furore, SHOCK HORROR the Pope remains a Catholic. He reports, on his blog today that, as much as many relativists would like to see the Pope tear down Catholic doctrine and replace it with something more...Well, more Anglican, he is, in fact, continuing to hold fast to the teaching which has been passed down to us from the Apostles . I'm not sure the headline is theologically correct (sorry Tim) as people actually excommunicate themselves, as this wayward priest has done. The job of the Church is merely to inform them of the fact. Warn them of the danger their soul is in, in charity and for their own eternal benefit one would hope. Still the fact remains that Pope Francis has given his authority to the excommunication of this lost priest. Most interestingly, Tim quotes: "It's interesting to note that the former priest tells The Age that he "wants the same thing as the Pope" which is "to encourage reform an...

On the 7th September, the Liberal Democrat MP for Brent, Sarah Teather, announced she would not be standing for Parliament in the next General Election. Sarah is a Catholic and has featured on my blog before because of her eloquent polemic against Same-Sex-Marriage  which bravely flew in the face of the bigot label, since her track record is one of defending the rights of people with homosexual tendencies. I was initially disappointed, because I feel that we need more politicians like Sarah, not less. Rather than simply towing the party line on SSM, she voted, and argued, for what she believed to be right. Her arguments are intelligent and well reasoned, and can only add to a proper debate. I do not agree with her position on every issue; I believe she is a member of ACTA  for example. She has also been part of a call for more contraception and sex education in response to higher rates of teenage pregnancies in some parts of the country. Whilst on the whole, I agre...

This man is an Anglican. Just to be clear. It appears I was not alone in feeling somewhat dismayed at reading the man who pretends to be the bishop of Salisbury's letter to Lord Alli of Norbury in the Telegraph. I was made aware of the existence of this letter by Peter Tatchell on Twitter who put it as follows: Perhaps it is too obvious to even point out, but clearly Peter is disinterested in the integrity of what people say as long as what they say supports his skewed view of the world. Let me explain: It seems, in a tour de force of relativism, The 'Bishop' of Salisbury, the Rt Rev Nicholas Holtam, suggested Christians should “rethink” their interpretation of Scripture in light of changing attitudes towards homosexuality in society. In a strongly worded intervention as members of the House of Lords prepare to debate the Government’s draft legislation introducing gay marriage, Bishop Holtam told peers that allowing gay couples to wed would be a “very str...

This weekend Bishop Thomas' Pastoral statement on the Same Sex Couples Marriage Bill was read out in all Brentwood parishes. Here is the contents: As you will be aware, lat week saw the publication of the same sex marriage Bill. There is no doubt that every national government is at liberty to legislate on how marriage is celebrated in a particular country and as to its legal consequences there. However, no government anywhere has the right to re-define or change the essential nature of marriage itself. This is because marriage both comes from God, as revealed through the Scriptures, and is equally a fundamental part of universal natural law. We have all heard that exemptions are being promised for religious bodies unable to accept this proposed change in the Law. But there are serious questions as to how effective these exemptions would be in the long term since they could be challenged in the Courts or indeed changed by Parliament itself in the future. As a result, ther...

Wonders will never cease it seems! Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, the former archbishop of Westminster, has spoken out this morning, presenting  a withering analysis in the Telegraph of the current ' shambolic ' handling of the gay marriage debacle. He eviscerates David Cameron's election commitment to strengthen marriage as an institution and is highly critical of Cameron's understanding of the nature of marriage. He also, rightly, attacks the Prime Minister's honesty in the Conservative Party's manifesto. It could seem a little too little too late, but I have heard, and I do believe that Church leaders have been working hard behind the scenes to present a proper understanding of the argument in private. It now seems that they all are feeling a little betrayed by assurances received and are resorting to the only means of defending marriage left open to them, having instigated- and demonstrated the over-whelming public support for a proper understa...

Part of my initial response to the the news that our bishops were finally speaking out about the gay marriage consultation process was to wonder, somewhat uncharitably I'll admit, if the Archbishops of Westminster and Southwark were kind of forced into making their statement by Bishop Philip Egan's speedy response . Irrespective of why, I am glad they did respond, and I thought Archbishop Peter Smith, who I personally had the pleasure of hearing speak very eloquently on this matter last year at Southwark's Familiaris Consortio  conference, gave a strong argument on the BBC website . Whatever the motivation, I am just so glad Bishops of the U.K. are speaking out on this matter. It's probably not political expedient to say that it may in future be the fruits of Bishop Egan's Episcopacy that embarrasses others to speak out on important issues. It seems to me he is fulfilling his duty as it should be, leading Christ's people with firm information about publ...