De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Pretty much every single priest I know thinks Pope Francis is an utter disaster. I am aware of a few who don't think that, or, at least, they don't openly say that he is a disaster. Instead they talk about how wonderful he is and promote him and his globalist objectives (#LaudatoSi and all that). You can easily recognise these priests because they are the ones who are either openly ambitious and place their ambition way above their belief in Christ and the Gospel, or they simply stopped bothering years ago and are trying to push the Church in a different direction, usually a direction which suits their own sin. The vast, vast majority I know are utterly devastated. They might discuss this with people they know and trust, but why not more openly? Why, if the Pope is so wrong, don't they actually come out and say so? Well, there's canon law for one thing. Canon 273 states: Clerics are bound by a special obligation to show reverence and obedience to the Supreme Pontiff and...

I remember a grave scandal that took place in my diocese. I pursued it as far as I could but found the establishment were totally against taking any action. They didn't say that, they just didn't act. A priest I moaned to about this told me the best way to deal with scandalous things was to "draw the curtains and wait for everything to just die down". This only served to scandalise me more and also to make me feel deeply disillusioned with the men who lead the Church. If this is the Church in my own local microcosm, we can clearly see the same mechanisms at work presently in the Church in macrocosm. It was 13 months ago now that Pope Francis promised a thorough investigation into the abuses committed by Theodore McCarrick, even saying himself: "We we will follow the path of truth wherever it may lead" as we scour through "the entire documentation." What have we had since? They've simply drawn the curtains. We are supposed to put up (ou...

Truly scandalous headlines for Christians emerged yesterday as Eugenio Scalfari of the Italian journal  La Repubblica , purportedly a friend of Pope Francis and someone he has granted interviews to repeatedly, claimed Pope Francis told the self-professed Italian Atheist that he believes that “Jesus of Nazareth, once he became a man, though a man of exceptional virtues, was not a God at all.” (“ Sono la prova provata che Gesù di Nazareth una volta diventato uomo, sia pure un uomo di eccezionali virtù, non era affatto un Dio. ”) Back in April 2018 , the Vaticanista Antonio Socci reported that at least one non-Italian Cardinal (apparently representing a group), had approached Pope Francis to protest in the strongest possible terms over his interview with the Italian Atheist/ Marxist nonagenarian Eugenio Scalfari. This interview was published on the morning of 29th March. In it Scalfari directly quoted Pope Francis as saying — for example — that hell does not ...

Welcome to my reflection on this week's Sunday readings at Mass, where I look at the Scripture we will hear at Mass on Sunday in its historical, social and theological context to see what wisdom can be gleaned. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I sincerely hope that this reflection will inspire you, answer some questions you may have, help you to see how fantastic Sacred Scripture is and perhaps begin to share some of my love and passion for the Bible as you begin to comprehend how layered and multi-faceted, and what a carefully considered part of the Mass the readings are. If you want to know how these posts came about, please read my first post in this series  here . This Sunday the theme for the readings might be summed up as: The Work of the Holy Spirit in Our Hearts The readings are: Numbers 11:25-29 Psalm: 18:8, 10, 12-14; Response: v. 9. Second Reading: James 5:1-6 Gospel: Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 First, a litt...

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...

Let them, as fathers in Christ, take care of the faithful whom they have begotten by baptism and their teaching.(186) Becoming from the heart a pattern to the flock,(187) let them so lead and serve their local community that it may worthily be called by that name, by which the one and entire people of God is signed, namely, the Church of God.(188) Let them remember that by their daily life and interests they are showing the face of a truly sacerdotal and pastoral ministry to the faithful and the infidel, to Catholics and non-Catholics, and that to all they bear witness to the truth and life, and as good shepherds go after those also,(189) who though baptized in the Catholic Church have fallen away from the use of the sacraments, or even from the faith. ~ Lumen Gentium 28. OK I defended Cardinal O'Brien, I pleaded that we didn't know the circumstances, I thought we should have held off until we knew what was going on. But if this report in the Herald Scotland is at all ac...