By Josephine Mckenna
VATICAN CITY - American Cardinal Raymond Burke, the feisty former archbishop of St. Louis who has emerged as the face of the opposition to Pope Francis’ reformist agenda, likened the Roman Catholic Church to “a ship without a rudder” in a fresh attack on the pope’s leadership.
In an interview with the Spanish Catholic weekly Vida Nueva, published Thursday, Burke insisted he was not speaking out against the pope personally but raising concern about his leadership.
“Many have expressed their concerns to me. At this very critical moment, there is a strong sense that the church is like a ship without a rudder,” Burke said.
“Now, it is more important than ever to examine our faith, have a healthy spiritual leader and give powerful witness to the faith.”
Burke is the current head of the Vatican’s highest court known as the Apostolic Signatura, but he said recently he is about to be demoted. There is speculation he will be made patron of the Order of Malta, a largely …More

by Sandro Magister
The leaders of the “school of Bologna” have a very ambitious new project in the works: a history of the movement for Christian unity aimed at a thorough reform of the Catholic Church, starting with the dismantling of the papacy in its current form. They believe they have an ally in Pope Francis.
ROME, November 3, 2014 – At the end of October, Pope Francis received a delegation of Old Catholic bishops of the Union of Utrecht.
Numerically this is a very small group, but it is the bearer of a model of Church that pleases not a few progressive Catholics. It recognizes a primacy of honor for the pope, but it does not accept that he is infallible or has jurisdiction over the bishops. It has its bishops elected by a synod composed of clergy and laity. At Mass it gives Eucharistic communion to all, as long as they are baptized in one of the various Christian confessions. It administers collective absolution of sins. It allows second marriages for the divorced.
It also advocates …More

(Vienna) The Votive Mass in the Traditional Rite with Cardinal Raymond Burke announced for November 5th, in the parish church of St. Leopold in Vienna Danube field-Floridsdorf was canceled.
Cardinal Burke will, as advertised, celebrate a Pontifical Mass in the Old Rite on November 4th, for the Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo in the Church of St. Charles. The Immemorial Mass also announced for his stay in Vienna, the Votive Mass of the Apostles Peter and Paul, however, was canceled (see report 5:11 .: Cardinal Burke celebrated in Vienna St. Leopold votive Mass in the Old Rite).
Rejection of the Traditional Rite and Aftermath of the Synod of Bishops?
Reasons for the rejection are not known, but they could have something to do with the traditional Rite and aftermath of the Synod of Bishops on the family. The parish of St. Leopold Donaufeld is incorporated to the Augustinian Canons of Klosterneuburg. The Klosterneuburger Provost, Bernhard Backovsky is cited, who is, as is well known, …More

Tony Flannery has done what few of us could. He sacrificed his career and his passion for his principles. It’s been anything but easy.
All four of the Galway Flannerys joined religious orders. The three priests and one nun were the children of an ambitious Irish mother who well understood that an affordable religious education was her best hope of saving them from poverty.
“So I was third on the conveyor belt,” says Flannery, now 67, who grew up to love his Catholic faith, his Church, and his work as a Redemptorist preacher traveling from Irish parish to Irish parish holding revivals to renew that faith. He would have celebrated 50 years in religious life this year, save for this: For years now, he has very publicly spoken out against the Church’s stands on the origins of the priesthood, ordaining women to it, contraception, and gays – some of the same issues cardinals debated and commented on publicly at the synod in Rome.
But Francis was not yet pope when Flannery’s Vatican superiors …More

By Mesfin Fekadu
Elton John called Pope Francis “my hero” for his compassion and push to accept gays in the Catholic church at his annual AIDS benefit.
John hosted the event, “An Enduring Vision: A Benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation,” Tuesday night in New York City, which raised $3.7 million. He said Francis is pushing boundaries in the church and told the crowd: “Make this man a saint now, OK?”
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by John L. Allen Jr.
A kerfuffle broke out last week over a lecture given by Philadelphia’s Archbishop Charles Chaput and sponsored by First Things magazine, generally considered the smartest journal of conservative Catholic opinion in America.
In itself it may not loom especially large, but it’s illustrative of something broader. We are entering Phase Two of Francis’ papacy, in which a period of good feelings has given way to an era of edge.
Before moving on, a caveat: This analysis largely applies to the West. People in, say, Ukraine or Nigeria or the Philippines – all with large Catholic populations – aren’t necessarily having the same conversation.
Though Chaput’s speech was not on the 2014 Synod of Bishops in Rome, he took a question about it from the audience. Stressing that he hadn’t been there and wanted to talk to bishops who had before reaching conclusions, Chaput nevertheless said that the “public image” of the event had created confusion, and that “confusion is of the Devil.” …More

TO grasp why events this month in Rome — publicly feuding cardinals, documents floated and then disavowed — were so remarkable in the context of modern Catholic history, it helps to understand certain practical aspects of the doctrine of papal infallibility.
On paper, that doctrine seems to grant extraordinary power to the pope — since he cannot err, the First Vatican Council declared in 1870, when he “defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church.”
In practice, though, it places profound effective limits on his power.
Those limits are set, in part, by normal human modesty: “I am only infallible if I speak infallibly, but I shall never do that,” John XXIII is reported to have said. But they’re also set by the binding power of existing teaching, which a pope cannot reverse or contradict without proving his own office, well, fallible — effectively dynamiting the very claim to authority on which his decisions rest.
Not surprisingly, then, popes are usually …More

by Steve Wood
I can’t remember where I came across this riveting Civil War question, “Why didn’t the Civil War soldiers turn in battle when facing canons loaded with canister?” I often wondered how men kept marching forward in the face of near-certain death by having their flesh mercilessly shredded. Surely there was uncommon valor and bravery. Yet, was there another dynamic moving them forward in the face of a hideous death?
Civil War soldiers marched into battle in units composed of men from their hometowns and home states. If a man turned in battle, his cowardice meant that he couldn’t go home as a man. His reputation was on the line. The vast majority of soldiers facing canister preferred to lose their lives rather than lose their manhood.
Many Catholic Church leaders desperately need to learn a critical lesson from Civil War soldiers. Men have a deep divinely-embedded instinct to preserve their masculinity and thus are repulsed by feminized and homosexual-friendly environments.
Leon …More

Commission "Ecclesia Dei" -Secretary Pozzo: There is "no doubt" that the teachings of Vatican II have a different binding, depending on the nature of the document. SSPX could expect to return with personal prelature.
Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei' has said in an interview with the French magazine 'Famille Chrétienne' that the Vatican will require no capitulation from the controversial SSPX Pius X. This was reported by "Vatican Radio". "The Holy See invites the SSPX to take its side into the framework of doctrinal issues, insofar as they are essential for a permanent attachment to the faith and to Catholic teaching and tradition," said Pozzo. Currently, there are obviously continuing talks with the SSPX. The Secretary of the Pontifical Commission then stressed: "The reservations of the SSPX over some aspects and formulations of the Second Vatican Council and to some of the reforms carried out that do not concern non-negotiable dogmatic and doctrinal …More

(Albenga / Rome) The "compassionate cure" which Pope Francis has bestowed upon the Order of the Franciscans of the Immaculate and the deposed Bishop Rogelio Livieres of Ciudad del Este, could be directed against another church representative who in some church circles is more than friendly to tradition. There is talk of Bishop Mario Oliveri of Albenga-Imperia on the Italian Riviera. Bishop Oliveri, born in 1944, was placed under de facto provisional supervision as a coadjutor bishop who has been asked by Pope Francis have an auxiliary bishop to the side.
Since the Diocese of Albenga-Imperia is located near the French border, the allegation that is made to the bishop could also be represented as: " qui veut noyer son chien, l'accuse de la rage ". There are no official allegations. However, it seems to have to do with his friendliness to tradition and above all with a "misstep" in connection with the Franciscans of the Immaculate, which Rome can not seem to forgive.
Growing Number of …More

by Sandro Magister
There was no agreement at the synod on homosexuality and divorce, but in the end it will be the pope who decides. And he already has in mind the changes he wants to introduce, or rather is already putting them into practice. A commentary by Paul Anthony McGavin.
ROME, October 24, 2014 – It is not true that Francis was silent during the two weeks of the synod. In the morning homilies at Saint Martha’s, he hammered away every day at the zealots of tradition, those who load unbearable burdens onto men, those who have only certainties and no doubts, the same against whom he lashed out in the farewell address with the synod fathers.
He is anything but impartial, this pope. He wanted the synod to orient the Catholic hierarchy toward a new vision of divorce and homosexuality, and he has succeeded, in spite of the scanty number of votes in favor of the change of course, after two weeks of fiery discussion.
In any case, he will be the one who ultimately decides, he reminded …More

The next archbishop of Chicago will live in the rectory at Holy Name Cathedral instead of the archdiocese’s North State Parkway mansion.
The Archdiocese of Chicago also said Wednesday that Blase Cupich (SOO’-pich) would create a committee to study the best uses for the historic mansion. The archdiocese says Cupich made the decision in consultation with Cardinal Francis George and several Chicago priests.
The mansion has been home to Chicago archbishops since it was built in 1885. The residence also has hosted Pope John Paul II and President Franklin Roosevelt.
Cupich is taking after Pope Francis, who chooses to live in the Vatican hotel instead of the papal apartments.
The Vatican announced last month that Cupich would succeed George, 77, who is battling cancer. He takes over Nov. 18.
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by Pete Baklinski
Lauding the Vatican’s Synod on the Family as “huge” change, a producer from Canada’s Catholic TV network Salt and Light, headed by CEO Fr. Thomas Rosica, has criticized outspoken champion of orthodoxy Cardinal Raymond Burke, suggesting that he is in an “ivory tower” and “sticking to the ideal” instead of ministering to people — such as homosexuals and the divorced — caught up in the “messiness of life.”
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(Rome) The former Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, who was not confirmed in his office by Pope Francis, has written his memoirs. "He writes calmly and with precision, but it is for sure - say people who are close to him - that he would pluck some hens," said Vaticanist Marco Tosatti.
Cardinal Bertone has not only been removed from his office by Pope Francis. The reigning Pope has appointed Bertone's predecessor, the Anti-Ratzinger, Angelo Cardinal Sodano himself, to the recently concluded Synod of Bishops on the family, but not Bertone who is too close to Ratzinger.
Considerable Part of the Criticism of Bertone Affirmed Benedict XVI.
Throughout his tenure, Cardinal Bertone has faced heavy bombardment. Contributed to by his own weaknesses in the quality of his leadership, but especially the enmity of Cardinal Sodano and his followers, who could never live down his deposition by Pope Benedict XVI. The church circles that increasingly felt Benedict XVI. was a burden,…More

by Sandro Magister
First admitted with full honors, then driven out again. This is the way it seemed from how the discussions unfolded. But here’s what really happened. Martin Rhonheimer takes stock of the question.
ROME, October 22, 2014 – Homosexuality was one of the most controversial questions at the recent extraordinary synod on the family, as proven by the vast difference between the paragraph dedicated to it in the final “Relatio” and the three paragraphs of the previous “Relatio” halfway through the discussion.
Final “Relatio”:
“55. Some families live the experience of having persons of homosexual orientation within them. In this regard it was asked what pastoral attention should be paid to this situation in reference to the teaching of the Church: ‘There exists no foundation whatsoever for assimilating or establishing analogies, however remote, between homosexual unions and God’s plan for marriage and the family.’ Nonetheless, men and women with homosexual tendencies must be …More

Archbishop Victor Manuel "Tucho" Fernández,
the Pope's closest theological adviser and first named bishop,
Rector of the Catholic University of Argentina,
member of the original 6-liberal Synod drafting commission
This remarkable man granted an interview on the Synod to Elisabetta Piqué, of La Nación, in which he said the following, among other pearls of wisdom:
"There was only a group of six or seven fanatics, somewhat aggressive, who didn't represent even 5% of the total [of the Synod Fathers]." ... "If we don't open up Pandora's box, what is done is hiding the dirt under the rug." ... "Perhaps we missed saying, at the very least, with Pope Francis: 'who are we to judge gays?' "
Who are we, indeed?...
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by Fr. Ray Blake
I must admit I still don't understand Francis. Is he the greatest thing since unsliced bread, a cunning old Jesuit, a conservative, a trad, a prophet, a fool or even the anti-Christ; a breath of fresh-air or the stench from the tomb of those rather detestable men who surrounded the Blessed Paul VI and added to his suffering?
I have never done the Benedict through Francis thing at least, but neither am I convinced of the Francis against Benedict thing entirely. I am still perplexed and confused by him. Perhaps it is in Francis who rather than being an Emperor who is wearing no clothes we actually have clothes with no Emperor. I mean those morning homilies that come out of the marble halls of Sta Martha that are full of barbs but actually teach nothing. Perhaps we should expect nothing!
It is worth remembering that what many of the Cardinals were calling for before the Conclave was a de-centralised Church and greater Collegiality. The BBC, foolish people, have been talking …More

Catherine Harmon
Cardinal Kasper: “If one of my remarks about Africans was perceived as demeaning or insulting, then I am honestly sorry.”
The controversy about statements made last week about African bishops and their contributions to the Synod on the Family by the Roman Curial prelate Cardinal Walter Kasper continues. Most recently BILD-Zeitung [a German tabloid newspaper] took up the topic last Friday and headlined its story: “Racism Blooper?” BILD also quoted a German bishop who opined, “Insulting, lying and falsely accusing is not prescribed by the Catechism.” There was criticism about Cardinal Kasper’s remarks over the weekend, as Cardinal Raymond Burke called the remarks “profoundly sad and scandalous” in an interview with CWR.
Cardinal Kasper has now offered a qualified apology for his statements and expressed his esteem for the Church in Africa. Kasper had previously denied he’d made the remarks attributed to him by journalist Edward Pentin, then stated that he had been …More

On October 19, 2014, at the close of the Extraordinary Synod on the family, Pope Francis went on with the beatification of Pope Paul VI. The Society of St. Pius X expressed serious reservations concerning beatifications and canonizations of recent popes, whose rushed proceedings dispense with the wisdom of the Church’s centuries-old rules.
It is true that Paul VI was responsible for the encyclical Humanae Vitae[1], which letter instructed and consoled the Catholic family at a time when the most basic principles of marriage were under bitter attack. So they are again, and in a scandalous fashion, by certain members of the present Synod.
But Paul VI is also the Pope who saw Vatican II to its conclusion, thereby introducing in the Church a doctrinal liberalism manifested especially in errors such as religious liberty, collegiality, and ecumenism. The result was an upheaval which he himself admitted on December 7, 1968, in the following words: “The Church is now confronted with uncertainty …More