#ShariaRape

Last week, the good people at OnePeterFive were gracious enough to publish an article I wrote entitled Pornography and the Prophet: Islam, Feminism and the Myth of the "Willing Whore." In the article, I discuss the very real threat that unregulated immigration from Muslim countries represents to European women. If you haven't read it, you can do so here.

I admit that, after having done a fair amount of research for the article, I have become more sensitive to the issue than I was before. But I don't go scouring the internet for stories which might substantiate my findings. Nonetheless, when they pop up in my news feed or Twitter timeline, I pass them along. Today, I started re-tweeting them with the hashtag #ShariaRape. This made me aware of just how many cases there are right now. These all appeared within the space of an hour:

Police and BBC ‘hushed up sex attack on 14-year-old girl by gang of Syrian migrants’ #ShariaRape https://t.co/tM6BXFGxQM

— Radical Catholic (@RadicalCath) July 13, 2016

Mom of Idaho rape victim: ‘We’re being treated as criminals’ #ShariaRape https://t.co/nBPhcmYEK8 via @worldnetdaily

— Radical Catholic (@RadicalCath) July 13, 2016

Germany Updates Its Rape Laws #ShariaRape https://t.co/44F2PVLNHF

— Radical Catholic (@RadicalCath) July 13, 2016

Leftist Refugee Activists Worry Anti-Rape Laws Will Hurt Muslim Migrants #ShariaRape https://t.co/79vpSalIUr

— Radical Catholic (@RadicalCath) July 13, 2016

Norway: 5 Migrants Arrested For Rape After Dragging Girl Into House Near Asylum Centre #ShariaRape https://t.co/OJhiiYKz5c

— Radical Catholic (@RadicalCath) July 13, 2016

(German) Mass Sexual Harassment > 30 Migrants chase down 3 German Girls #ShariaRape https://t.co/RhLkRwTtDM via @kn_online

— Radical Catholic (@RadicalCath) July 13, 2016

I'm not a hashtag activist or whatever, I just decided to start indexing cases to make it easier to find them in the future. If you're on Twitter, please consider doing the same. If there is any kind of response, I might do a follow-up story in the future.

Congratulations, People of Great Britain!

Mathias von Gersdorff: 1000 Missionaries to Turkey

Mathias von Gersdorff, director of the German office of the Society for the Protection of Tradition, Family and Property (Germany; America), has penned an appeal to the German Bishops collectively and German Chancellor Angela Merkel specifically to approve the sending of 1000 Catholic Missionaries to Turkey to preach the Gospel with the hope of converting them to Christ and His Church. I provide you with an English translation of the appeal below, without comment:

***

Re: Appeal to the German Bishops Conference and Chancellor Angela Merkel - 1000 Catholic Missionaries to Turkey

Your Eminence Reinhard Cardinal Marx,

Lady Chancellor Merkel,

A cursory glance through the newspapers is sufficient to ascertain that Islam will be one of the dominant themes in global affairs for some time to come.

The Catholic Church is faced with the following question: How can the Gospel of Christ be brought to the Muslim population? How can they be won over to the Christian Faith?

If nothing else, the fact that Christians are being persecuted, murdered and/or driven out of once predominantly Christian areas by Muslims should promt us to action.

Hitherto, exclusively political and military measures have been taken in the attempt to manage the crisis.

In the long term, however, this is not enough.

Missionizing Islamic countries is the only means to a sustainable resolution of the crisis.

Therefore, I appeal to the German Bishops:

Send 1000 missionaries to Turkey and other Islamic countries. Turkey has already sent 1000 Imams to Germany. Our response: We shall send 1000 Catholic missionaries to Turkey and other Islamic countries. Individuals willing to go on mission and bring the message of Christ to the Muslims can be found in a number of countries, such as Poland, Croatia, etc.

I appeal to Chancellor Angela Merkel:

Provide the German Bishops with any necessary diplomatic assistance so that this undertaking does fall victim to political chicaneries. Also, please provide financial assistance: the Federal Government has ample means to ensure the success of this mission.

Sincere reagrds,

Mathias von Gersdorff

(Original [German]: link)

On the Soon-To-Be `Ideal´ of Priestly Celibacy

The official internet portal of the Catholic Church in Germany, katholisch.de, published an article today which might well represent the opening salvo of the next battle in the war being waged against the remaining elements of Tradition in the Church: priestly celibacy. I present an English translation of the original article for your consideration below, without comment (emphasis mine):

***

"Non-Celibates, too, should lead the celebration of the Eucharist"

Bishop Emeritus Kräutler urges more intrepidity from priests and laymen

Bishop Emeritus Erwin Kräutler

(Salzburg) - In the opinion of retired Amazonian Bishop Erwin Kräutler, celibacy should no longer be seen as a prerequisite for a priest to celebrate the Eucharist. A decoupling is needed, said the longtime bishop of Xingu, Brazil, in an interview appearing in the Salzburg Rupertusblatt. To decide in favor of a life without marriage is "certainly a special grace," according to the native Austrian. The celebration of the Eucharist, however, must not depend upon whether "perchance a celibate priest" is present.

Admittedly, Pope Francis doesn't want to decide this matter alone, said Kräutler. He recalled the audience of 2014, during which the Pope encouraged the bishops of the Amazon to propose courageous solutions to the problem of priestless parishes. In regard to the ordination of women, too, Kräutler opined: "Nothing is impossible!" After all, many decisions made at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) would have been considered heretical at the time of the First Vatican Council (1869-1870). [!]

Women's Ordination "somewhat more difficult"

Nevertheless, the question of women's ordination is "somewhat more difficult" than the decoupling of the Eucharist and celibacy, as Pope John Paul II, in his Apostlic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis of May, 1994, "ostensibly once and for all firmly closed that door and sought to cement his opinion for all times," said Kräutler. The Letter, however, touches no tenet of faith, and "doesn't even possess the authority of an encyclical."

Principally, the retired bishop wishes for more "boldness, audacity, intrepidity and simultaneously trust and passion" and less "paralyzing despondency" from laity, priests, bishops and religious.

On Wednesday (27 April) in Salzburg, Kräutler presents his new book with the title: "Be Brave! Change the World and the Church Now".

Rise Up, Faithful Catholics: Bishop Gracida Calls for Open Resistance

The following short video, published yesterday by Church Militant, contains part of an interview with the Most Reverend René Henry Bishop Emeritus Gracida of Corpus Christi wherein all faithful Catholics are encouraged to stand up - quite literally, and even in the middle of a homily, if necessary - and call out the various errors and heresies being promoted in our churches on a regular basis. The time of "suffering in silence," the Bishop says, is over; the time for open confrontation has come. When heresy is preached from the pulpit, it deserves conspicuous and immediate contradiction.

Please share this video far and wide, especially with those who have yet to realize that we are in the middle of a crisis of truly epic proportions. As the Bishop remarks:

Today we need people to stand up in their churches and say to the priest, to the homilist or to the bishop: "No! You're wrong! You cannot give Holy Communion to abortionists or to abortion-promoting legislators or to the divorced and remarried! You cannot do it! It's like Paul says: You do not feed the Eucharist to dogs!"

The Proper Response to Paris Attacks

Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Thine altar. We are Thine, and Thine we wish to be; but, to be more surely united with Thee, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Thy Most Sacred Heart.

Many indeed have never known Thee; many too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart. Be Thou King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken Thee, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned Thee; grant that they may quickly return to Thy Father’s house lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.

Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.

Be Thou King of all those who are still involved in the darkness of idolatry or of Islamism, and refuse not to draw them into the light and kingdom of God. Turn Thine eyes of mercy towards the children of the race, once Thy chosen people: of old they called down upon themselves the Blood of the Savior; may it now descend upon them a laver of redemption and of life.

Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: "Praise be to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to it be glory and honor for ever." Amen.

Synod 2015: Initial Media Reactions

Within minutes of the release of the much-anticipated Relazione Finale, as well as a surprise address made by Pope Francis to the Synod Fathers, the media spin went into overdrive. Like most faithful Catholics, I will withhold any detailed comment on the document until an official translation has been provided. Until then, we can poke fun at the huge spectrum of spin being put on the matter. Here are the major headlines published to date. The articles can be accessed by clicking on the link in the titles:

• Bishops Hand Pope Defeat On His Outreach to Divorced Catholics - Francis X. Rocca, The Wall Street Journal
• Synod Verdict: The Catholic Church Is Still Catholic - Tim Stanley, The Telegraph
• The Vatican Synod On The Family Is Over And The Conservatives Have Won - Damian Thompson, The Spectator
• Final Synod Document Strongly Backs Church Teaching, Beauty of Family Life - Elise Harris, Catholic News Agency
• Catholic Bishops End Divisive Synod of Family - Caroline Wyatt, BBC
• Synod Ends With No Consensus on Communion or Homosexuality - Elena Curti, The Tablet
• Catholic Bishops Call For Church To Be More Welcoming Towards Gays, Other Groups - Nicole Winfield & Daniela Petroff, Time
• Vatican Synod Holds Its Line On Gay Couples But Offers New Hope to Catholic Divorcees - Rosie Scammell, The Guardian
• Tense Vatican Summit Ends By Opening Door For Divorced, Punting On Welcome To Gays - David Gibson, Religion News Services
• After The Synod, Can Catholics Put Humpty Dumpty Together Again? - John L. Allen, Crux
• Synod Offers Striking Softening To Remarried, Proposing Individual Discernment - Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter
• The Synod Approves Final Document, Leaves The Door Open For The Pope To Move Forward On Key Issues - Gerald O'Connel, America

Perhaps nothing captures the spirit of subterfuge and obfuscation permeating certain strains of coverage of this event as does the following tweet from Austen Ivereigh:

For the record, synod doc does not open door to d&r Catholics to receive Communion. But nor does it shut it.

— Austen Ivereigh (@austeni) October 24, 2015

Cardinal Schönborn: Continence Is Not Necessary

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn

In an interview published by Vatican Insider today, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the Moderator of the German-language Group attending the Synod on the Family, went on record as standing opposed to the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and John Paul II's Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio. When asked to explain his position in light of the magisterial teaching contained in the latter document, which requires that divorced and civilly "remarried" Catholics practice "complete continence" if they desire to receive Holy Communion, the Cardinal - apparently speaking for the entire German delegation - said:

We don't believe that [continence] is the only way.

This is a plain and open rejection of two important teaching documents of the Church, viz. (emphasis added):

Catechism of the Catholic Church §1650: "Reconciliation through the sacrament of Penance can be granted only to those who have repented for having violated the sign of the covenant and of fidelity to Christ, and who are committed to living in complete continence."

Familiaris Consortio §84: "Reconciliation in the sacrament of Penance which would open the way to the Eucharist can only be granted to those who, repenting of having broken the sign of the Covenant and of fidelity to Christ, are sincerely ready to undertake a way of life that is no longer in contradiction to the indissolubility of marriage. This means, in practice, that when, for serious reasons, such as for example the children's upbringing, a man and a woman cannot satisfy the obligation to separate, they 'take on themselves the duty to live in complete continence, that is, by abstinence from the acts proper to married couples' (Homily at the Close of the Sixth Synod of Bishops, §7 [Oct. 25, 1980])."

The same teaching was confirmed verbatim by Cardinal Ratzinger as Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in 1994, and as Pope Benedict XVI in a 2005 address.

To find that Cardinal Schönborn materially rejects the teaching of the Church on this matter is not new. What is new is that, when directly confronted with the authoritative teaching of the Church, confirmed by centuries of traditional practice, the Cardinal explicitly rejects the same, saying "I don't believe that," and then goes on in the same breath to propose the very opposite, i.e. that people living in a mortally sinful condition can continue in their objective sin and nonetheless be admitted to Holy Communion - a formally condemned thesis (Council of Trent, Session 13, Canon 11). His only option to escape this condemnation would be to say that, in some cases, adultery is not a mortal sin. But this would be to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire, for the same stands directly opposed to the 6th Commandment, i.e. "You shall not commit adultery."

As laypeople, it's not our place to condemn the man. But it is our place to condemn his opinion as being directly contrary to the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church. Further, it is our place to inquire as to why this man is being allowed to spread his error without correction from his brother Bishops - including the Holy Father, whose primary task is the preservation of the Doctrine of the Faith.

Am I beating a dead horse? Probably. But the only tool I have available to me is my voice, and I wish not be found guilty of having remained silent in the face of such a brazen repudiation of Church teaching, even if that repudiation comes from one claiming the office of Prince of the Church.

Synod 2015: German Bishops Unhappy

Vatican Radio is reporting that the German Group has issued sharp criticism in reaction to the interventions of some of the other Synod Fathers. The Group's Relatio, i.e. the report documenting the work of the Ciculus Germanicus delivered to the plenary session on Tuesday, begins with the words:

The images and comparisons which have been made use of are not only lacking in differentiation and false, but also injurious.

The report went on relate that the Germans felt "great dismay and sadness" upon hearing the statements of certain Synod Fathers regarding the "individuals, content and procedure" of the Synod itself, and wished to clearly distance themselves from what they claimed stood in contradiction to "the Spirit of Accompaniment, the Spirit of the Synod and its fundamental rules."

In other news:

Catholics discover the meaning of Schadenfreude

Archbishop Coleridge: A New Language Free of Jots and Tittles

Archbishop Mark Coleridge

In yesterday's press briefing, Archbishop Mark Coleridge attempted to pass off as Catholic pastoral theology what can only be described as situational ethics in action:

In the case of the divorced and remarried, we're always dealing with sin. There's no news in saying that, so that's just taken for granted. The Church has traditionally spoken of the second union as adulterous, and I understand why, and I understand the teaching and what lies behind it, including the biblical background. But at the same same time, not every case is the same, and that's where a pastoral approach needs to take account of the difference from situation to situation. For instance, just to say that every second marriage or second union - whatever you want to call it - is adulterous is perhaps too sweeping. For instance, a second marriage that is enduring and stable and loving, and where there are children who are cared for is not the same as a couple skulking off to a hotel room for a wicked weekend. So, the rubrik "audultery" in one sense is important, but in another sense it doesn't say enough. And I think what a pastoral approach requires is that we actually enter into what the Synod is calling a "genuine pastoral dialogue of discernment" with these couples. And the start of that is for people like me to actually listen to their story, and not just swamp them with doctrine or Church teaching. That's crucial, obviously, as the overall framework of any kind of dialoge of discernment.

Just in case anyone stands in need of a refresher, let's review the words of Our Lord:

Whosoever [Latin: Quicumque] shall put away his wife and marry another committeth adultery against her. (Mark 10:11)

Could the flat contradiction between the words of Our Lord and those spoken by this successor to the Holy Apostles be any clearer? Quicumque doesn't leave any pharisaical loophole for permitting some objectively adulterous relationships, even if they appear to be enduring, stable, loving, and fruitful. Our Lord was very specific and very clear: whosoever, i.e. irrespective of all other considerations. Adultery is an objective sin of a particularly grave sort, as it violates both the Commandment of God and a Holy Sacrament of His Church. No amount of "pastoral attentiveness" can plaster over that incontrovertible fact.

When asked what the Archbishop hoped would result from the Synod, he said:

My hope is that we will move towards, without actually accomplishing it this Synod, a genuinely new pastoral approach. Now, at the heart of this, I think there has to be a whole new language. And here, I think of what's been said about Vatican II: that it was primarily a language event. That it was, therefore, something that was far from cosmetic. And I have in mind what the Bible says, that words create worlds. In other words, a new language that can open new doors that we might not even see at the moment, and can create new possibilities.

This matter of a "new language" is one which deserves more careful attention - particularly in light of the above comments from Archbishop Coleridge. We have been led to believe that the substance of Church teaching is not under attack at the Synod, and will not be changed; that all that is being sought after is simply a new mode of expression. But that is not at all what the Archbishop is describing here. His comment that "words create worlds" is a clear allusion, not only to the first chapter of Genesis, where God literally speaks the substance of the universe into existence, but also to the Word of God, through whom all was created. He is speaking of changing language in order to bring about a substantial change. He even tells us that the change being sought after is "far from cosmetic". He is talking - quite plainly, in fact - of preaching a new Word.

Accordingly, the faithful Catholics of Twitter gave the Archbishop the internet equivalent of a sound thrashing. I confess that I, too, joined in the fray with a few cutting remarks of my own. And I don't regret it one bit.

Today, Archbishop Coleridge took to the diocesan blog in defense of his comments:

The big surprise for me has been the ferocious reaction in some quarters to what I regard as my quite moderate remarks. Twitter has been frothing with invective, which shows what's out there - by which I mean the fear, even the panic this Synod seems to have provoked in some. That sort of thing doesn't look like the Holy Spirit to me - red-eyed joylessness cannot be of God. The impression is that, if you touch the slightest jot or tittle not so much of what the Church teaches but of what her pastoral practice has been or how her truth has been expressed, then the whole edifice built up over 2000 years will come tumbling down. If I believed that, I’d be panicking too and hurling lemon-lipped diatribes this way and that. But I don’t believe it and therefore find myself trusting in the path that’s opening before us, with the abuse rolling like water off a duck's back. Voices of fear, even panic, have also been heard in the Synod Hall and the small groups, but what's clearer to me now is that those voices within have strong links to similar voices without. It's also clear that those voices, clinging desperately to some imagined or ideologised past, cannot point the way into the future. History will have its way, however much we try to cling to illusions of timelessness.

Jot or tittle. Where have I heard that before?

Vaticanist Confirms Danneel's Ties to St. Gallen Mafia

The German Edition of Catholic News Agency published an interview with Vaticanist Paul Baade today, in which the latter reveals what knowledge he had of the St. Gallen "Mafia-Club" back in 2005, as well as few interesting details regarding the election of Pope Benedict XVI. The relevant section of the interview is posted below in an original Radical Catholic translation (to be updated if CNA puts out their own English translation):

Vaticanist Paul Baade
(Photo: CNA)

CNA: There's a minor scandal brewing in the background [of the Synod on the Family]: Pope Francis invited former Belgian Archbishop Godfried Danneels, who recently admitted before rolling cameras to having belonged to a kind of "Mafia Club" within the Church, to the Synod.

Baade: Correct. I'm not sure whether it's a minor or a major scandal. But it's certainly mysterious. Because it is indeed the case that Cardinal Danneels covered for a Bishop who had abused his nephew. He also pressured - supposedly - King Baudouin to sign into law a proposed bill on abortion, and to be less fussy on the issue. What advice this Cardinal is supposed to be able to give to a Catholic Synod discussing the "vocation and mission of marriage and the family" is a mystery to many, to put it lightly. In regards to the claim he made last month about being a member of some kind of "Mafia" in the College of Cardinals, I can confirm it from personal experience.

CNA: How do you mean that? Did you have information on this beforehand?

Baade: Yes. In April of 2005, I received a reliable tip according to which, a mere three days after the funeral service for John Paul II, Cardinals Martini of Mailand, Lehmann and Kasper of Germany, Bačkis of Lithuania, van Luyn of Holland, Danneels of Belgium and O'Connor of London met in the so-called Villa Nazareth in Rome with the no longer papabile Cardinal Silvestrini in order to formulate together a secret plan to prevent the election of Joseph Ratzinger. I then wrote an article for WELT, published on 17th April, 2005, referring to the meeting and that it violated the directives of the deceased Pope in the 1996 Instruction Universi Dominici Gregis, which laid down new regulations for the order of succession, including the strict directive that no agreements which could influence the outcome of the election were to be made, either befor or during the conclave. Three days later, Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope by a large majority. The retired Cardinal Meisner of Cologne could tell you how, exactly, that came to pass - if it weren't for the order of secrecy regarding all the proceedings of a conclave. But it is no secret that Meisner was, at the time, the most fervent opponent of this group - and especially of Cardinal Danneels. Now, however, it was not him, the old friend of Joseph Raztinger, who was personally invited to the Synod, but rather the equally retired Godfried Danneels, who is six months older than the Archbishop of Cologne. That's a fact.

Italian Archbishop Welcomes SSPX

Archbishop Lorenzo Ghizzoni

The French newsletter Riposte Catholique is reporting that Italian Archbishop Lorenzo Ghizzoni of Ravenna and Cervia has authorized a priest of the SSPX to celebrate two Holy Masses on the first and second Sunday of October in his diocese. Once a bitter enemy of all who desired the traditional Mass, Archbishop Lorenzo recently invited Fr. Enrico Doria (SSPX), priest of the Priory Madonna di Loreto, to celebrate the Extraordinary Form with an eye towards satisfying the demands of a stable group of faithful who have been consistently requesting the traditional Mass. Prima Pagina Reggio's Andrea Zambrano suggests that the change of heart is due in large part to Pope Francis' decision to grant the priest of the Society of St. Pius X faculties to validly and licitly absolve from sins during the 'Year of Mercy', set to begin December 8th. It is hoped that the welcome signals a period of increased cooperation between diocesan bishops and the Society.

Germans Ready to Jettison Church Unity

Abbot Jeremias Schröder

At today's Holy See press conference, Abbot Jeremias Schröder, OSB, said the following:

I am from Germany, and it seems to me that, for example, the question of divorced and remarried people - or people who are divorced and who are living again in a stable union with children - is felt very strongly and very broadly in the German Catholic public; it seems to be much less of a concern elsewhere and that seems to an area where maybe regional pastoral solutions could be envisaged. I also have the impression that the understanding of homosexuality - the social acceptance of homosexuality - is culturally very diverse, and that seems to me also to be an area where Bishops' Conferences should be allowed to formulate pastoral responses that are in tune with what can be preached and announced and lived within a given context.

This merely echoes Bishop Franz-Josef Bode's position, as well as Bishop Kurt Koch's remarks to DomRadio.de regarding his expectations for the Synod:

Moreover, I would find it good if the decision in some matters were to be left to the individual Bishops' Conferences. I can't imagine that, given the different perspectives with which I am familiar, all such questions will be answered in Rome. The Vatican is not a pastoral office.

All of this was summarized by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn in the German Language Group Report as follows:

I would like to make an additional remark in regards to the perception and evaluation of varying cultural realities. A synodal document must take proper account of respective cultural peculiarities and differences - especially when dealing with elements of today's cultural reality which are ambivalent or problematic from the perspective of the Church. A differentiated analysis and evaluation is absolutely necessary here in order to contribute to a proper and nuanced ecclesiastical-intercultural exchange.

Thus, as many predicted, it seems that the German faction indeed desires "regional pastoral solutions" - "solutions" which will, of course, result in nothing less than the dissolving of Roman Church unity in matters of faith and morals.

Actually, it only makes sense, doesn't it? We've already destroyed the liturgical unity of the Church by the promulgation of a rite which is celebrated differently, not merely from diocese to diocese, but from priest to priest, and - in some cases - from day to day. Why should it be any different in matters of morals?

Right?

Archbishop Gadecki's Intervention at the Synod

[Note: The following is shamelessly borrowed from the excellent JPL Press Agency. If you have yet to bookmark their site and check regularly for updates, now is the time. -RC]

Saturday, 10th October, 2015

His Eminence Archbishop Gądecki

I wish to stress at the start, that this speech is not only my personal opinion, but the opinion of the whole Polish Episcopal Conference.

1.  It is obvious, that the Church of our time must - in the spirit of mercy - support the divorced living in repeated civil unions, caring with a special love, that they do not feel that they are cut away from the Church, when in fact, as baptized persons, they have a duty to take part in the life of the Church.

Let them, therefore, be encouraged to listen to the Word of God, to take part in the Sacrifice of Holy Mass, to persevere in prayer, to support works of charity and common initiatives for justice, to bring up their children in the Christian Faith as well as nurturing a spirit of and acts of penance, so that in this way, on a day to day basis, they can work for God’s Grace. Let the Church show itself to be a merciful mother and in this way strengthen them in faith and hope. (St John Paul II, Familiaris consortio, 84).

2. Nevertheless the Church - in teaching about giving Holy Communion to the divorced living in new civil unions - cannot bend to the will of the person, but to the Will of Christ (see Paul VI, Speech to the Roman Rota, 28.01.1978; John Paul II, Speech to the Roman Rota, 23.01.1992, 29.01.1996). The Church cannot allow itself to be sub-ordinate to either feelings of false sentiment towards people or to the false - though popular - models of thinking.

To agree that those living more uxorio [as if they were married] in non-sacramental unions, should be able to receive Holy Communion, would be against the Tradition of the Church. Already documents from the earliest Synods in Elvira, Arles, Neocesaria, which took place in the years 304-319, confirm the doctrine of the Church, that the divorced living in new unions cannot receive Holy Communion.

The basis of this position is the fact that, their state and way of life is objectively a denial against the bonds of love between Christ and the Church, which is expressed and realised by the Eucharist” (St John Paul II, Familiaris consortio, 84; por. 1 Cor 11:27-29; Benedict XVI, Sacramentum caritatis, 29; Francis, Angelus, 16.08.2015).

3. The Eucharist is the Sacrament for the baptized, who are in a state of Sacramental Grace. Permission, for people who are not in a state of Grace, to receive Holy Communion, could do immense harm not only in the pastoral ministry for families, but also for the doctrine of the Church about Saving Grace.

In reality the decision to give them Holy Communion would open the door to this Sacrament for everyone living in mortal sin. In consequence this would write-off the meaning of the Sacrament of Penance and distort the meaning of life lived in a state of grace. It is also necessary to stress, that the Church cannot accept so-called gradualism of the law. (St John Paul II, Familiaris consortio, 34).

(Original: JLP Press Agency)

Charges Dropped Against Swiss Bishop

His Excellence Vitus Bishop Huonder

Giuseppe Gracia, Media and Communications Coordinator for the Diocese of Chur, reported today that the charges of public incitement of violence made against Swiss Bishop Vitus Hounder by homosexual activists have been found without legal merit by the state prosecutor. His communiqué, published on the official webpage of the Diocese, reads as follows:

The state prosecutor for the Canton of Graubünden has issued an order for the withdrawal of prosecution on 8.10.2015 in regards to the charges mades by "Pink Cross" and others. As expected, the accusations made against Bishop Vitus Huonder have thus proven themselves as foundless, and the same is hereby acknowledged with satisfaction. The Diocese of Chur reserves the right to revisit the issue once the legal matter has been formally resolved, at the earliest in ten day's time.

As reported on August 9, the good Bishop had been accused of inciting Catholics to acts of violence against sodomites by homosexual activists due to his having publicly quoted two passages from Sacred Scripture (Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13) which state that homosexual activity is considered an abomination before God.

German Bishop Bode: Let's Keep Things Ambiguous

Bishop Franz-Josef Hermann Bode

On Moday, Bishop Franz-Josef Hermann Bode of Osnabrück, Germany - one of the members of the Circulus Germanicus at the 2015 Synod - expressed his hope that the final document, expected from Pope Francis some time after the conclusion of the Synod in three weeks time, would retain the ambiguous and even duplicitous character of the Instrumentum Laboris by "simply letting things remain juxtaposed." Making things clear - speaking in "black and white" terms, as Bishop Bode described it - would be counterproductive, as it would fail to allow a sufficient degree of differentiation in each individual case.

Readers will recall the bombshell admission by Cardinal Walter Kasper two years ago (L'Osservatore Romano, April 12, 2013) regarding the intentional ambiguities left in the documents of Vatican II:

In many places, [the Council Fathers] had to find compromise formulas, in which, often, the positions of the majority are located immediately next to those of the minority, designed to delimit them. Thus, the conciliar texts themselves have a huge potential for conflict, open the door to a selective reception in either direction.

Bishop Bode justified his hope for a continuation of this policy of ambiguity by doling out progressive catchphrases such as "unity in diversity" and appealing to what he termed "asynchronicities" (Ungleichzeitigkeiten) between various cultures, a rather transparent attempt at whitewashing the widening gulf between faithful Catholics around the world and the general apostasy in the West as the product of differing levels of cultural "development." He finished by offering the most strained of theological foundations:

Our God is not a monad; therefore, our community cannot be monolithic in the sense of a unified party.

Goodbye, Unity of Faith and Morals. Hello, Rainbow of Diversity.

What's Really Going On In Syria? In Eight Images

Image N°1

This is the South Pars / North Field Natural Gas-Condensate Field, located in the Persian Gulf. As can be seen from this image, it's positively gigantic, covering ca. 9,700 square kilometers, and has been ranked by the International Energy Agency as the world's largest known gas field, comprising roughly 51 trillion cubic meters of gas in addition to some 50 billion barrels (7.9 billion cubic meters) of natural gas condensate. Unfortunately - for reasons which will become apparent shortly - the field straddles the imaginary line running down the Persian Gulf separating the territorial waters of Iran (in green) and Qatar (in yellow).

Image N°2

This is a map showing the relative distribution of the two largest sects of Islam in the Middle East: Shia (green) and Sunni (blue). Note that, whereas Iran is ca. 90% Shiite, Qatar is ca. 90% Sunni.

Image N°3

This is a map of two competitive pipeline plans which propose to bring the South Pars /North Field natural gas to market, i.e. Europe: The Islamic Pipeline (red), and the Qatar-Turkey Pipeline (pink). It should not be surprising to learn that the two have been called the Shia Pipeline and the Sunni Pipeline, respectively. The important thing to note in this image, however, is where the two pipelines meet: Syria.

Image N°4

This is an image of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite (Shia) Muslim. In 2009, he was approached by representatives of Qatar and Saudi Arabia with a proposal to build the Qatar-Turkey Pipeline - a proposal in which Syria represents a key stretch of real estate. Assad, a long-time ally of Russia, obstinately refused, and instead struck a deal with fellow Shias in Iraq and Iran to build the competing Islamic Pipeline. Within two years, there would be an uprising which, with weapons and training from the U.S., would escalate into an armed insurgency with the aim of toppling his regime.

Image N°5

This is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). He rose to power in 2010 and restructured the largely fragmented AQI (al-Qaeda in Iraq), forging it into a rigidly organized and well-equipped fighting force with its sights set on conquering most of Sryia and the oil-rich wasteland of western Iraq.

Image N°6

This is a map of the approximate territory held by ISIS. Notice the inconvenience the presence of ISIS represents for the completion of the Islamic Pipeline.

Image N°7

This is an image of U.S. Secretary of State and former Presidential Candidate John Kerry gabbing delightfully with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. On September 11, 2014, the two men met at the King's royal palace to forge an agreement in which Saudi Arabia would provide support for U.S. airstrikes in Syria against ISIS if the U.S. would support Saudi Arabia's plans to topple Assad and complete the highly lucrative Qatar-Turkey Pipeline. By September 22, the U.S. had switched from sending small arms and supplies to Syrian rebels to running bombing raids.

Image N°8

This is Russian President Vladimir Putin. As Russia is currently the largest single provider of oil and natural gas to Europe, he has no interest in either pipeline ever being built, yet every interest in retaining control of a Russian naval facility in Tartus, Syria, which gives his military direct access to the Mediterranean.

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If this brief summary has whet your appetite for more information, do yourself a favor and read the following article by U.S. Army Major Rob Taylor, which appeared in Armed Forces Journal (March 21, 2014):

• Pipeline Politics in Syria: You Can't Understand the Conflict Without Talking About Natural Gas

Come Out, Demon of Sodom!

Fr. Krzyztof Charamsa

Make no mistake: this man is the plaything of the Demon of Sodom. To his credit, he has finally dropped the mask and revealed his true intentions, which is nothing less than bringing about the corruption of the moral doctrine of the Church. He's even published a list of demands, a "New Manifesto of Liberation", which details the extent of the corruption he desires. While you condemn his efforts in the harshest of terms - and you should spare nothing in this regard, gentle reader - do not forget to pray for his poor soul, that he may be released from the clutches of this most unclean spirit.

With that being said:

How about the rest of them? Now that this very public proclamation has been made, any sodomite prelates, as well as those sympathetic to their unholy cause, who continue to hide their own perversion while secretly agitating for its acceptance must be called out. It is absolutely imperative that we compel the feculent servants of the Demon of Sodom to emerge from their dens of sin and nail their sullied colors to the mast.

With Fr. Charamsa having just been sacked from his position at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the iron is white-hot. If we ever wanted to draw the Lavender Mafia out from its hiding place and into the light, now is the time.

**UPDATE**

(via Toronto Catholic Witness) Bishop Ryszard Kasyna of Peplin (Gdansk, Poland) has issued a formal canonical warning to Fr. Charamsa: "return to the way of Christ's priesthood." This is generally the first step on the road to dismissal from the clerical state.

**UPDATE**

(via Toronto Catholic Witness) Fr. Dariusz Oko, the priest who wrote the explosive With the Pope against the Homoheresy (2012), which exposed the Homoheresy undermining the Benedictine Papacy, has conducted an interview with Polish news outlet Super Express Poland (se.pl) on the issue of Fr. Krzyztof Charamsa's attempt to pressure the 2015 Synod by "outing" himself as a flaming sodomite in an active homosexual relationship. As to how, exactly, such a priest could not merely finish seminary, but be promoted to such an important position in the Vatican, Fr. Oko had the following to say:

This is, unfortunately, the dark side of the Church. I myself wrote about the homolobby. There were in the Church people like Archbishops Juliusz Paetz and Jozef Wesolowski. It would seem that people of their kind have provided a career for Fr. Charamsa. Those people are very supportive; it is the so-called 'Lavender Mafia'. This sick part of the Church has always existed. Judas among the twelve apostles constituted 8.5 percent. If you convert that to the 30,000 priests in Poland, it turns out that more than 2,500 priests are living badly, like Judases. Charamsa belongs to this group of Judases, of Cains. Betraying the Church, the person places himself above the bishops, theologians, popes, one can even say: above God. Pope Benedict XVI said that genderism is worse than Marxism. Pope Francis said it is like a tsunami, demonic, satanic. Jesus spoke of 'whitewashed tombs', a 'brood of vipers', 'murderers of the prophets'. According to Fr. Charamsa, these words are unacceptable; our language should instead purr sweetly. If someone thinks he knows better than God on how to speak of this, it indicates a madness or possession.

My sentiments exactly.

**UPDATE**

(via El Periódico) Krysztof Charamsa has been officially suspended from priestly ministry. As was to be expected, Charamsa reacted to the dismissal by playing the victim of unfair treatment, saying that he was suspended not for being in an active sodomite relationship, but rather simply for being "gay."

President of the Ghana Bishop's Conference: "Homosexuals Go to Hell"

 by
 Giuseppe Nardi

His Excellence Joseph Bishop Osei-Bonsu

(Accra) Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu of Konongo-Mampong in Ghana disagreed with the notion that homosexuals go to heaven. The President of the Ghanaian Bishops' Conference, a descendent of the ancient royal house of Ashanti, is of a very different opinion.

Homosexuality, said Bishop Osei Bonsu, is "not natural." The Ghanian prelate relegated the assertion that some are born homosexual to the realm of "political myth-making," saying that it was invented in order to agitate for "gay rights" and to justify one's actions. Msgr. Osei-Bonsu told Nii Arday Clegg, host of Ghana Radio Starr 103.5 FM's Morning Starr, on Monday:

The Bible clearly tells us, in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, that those who practice homosexuality and those who support gay marriage - whether politically, religiously or howsoever - make themselves guilty before God. [...] Gays, lesbians, liars and child molesters and the like do not get into heaven, and the Bible says that very clearly. It is neither a man nor a Bishop who says that they do not go to heaven, but rather the Bibel. It is Sacred Scripture which declares that they do not go to heaven.

(Original: katholisches.info)

Event: International Symposium: The Two Shall Become One

In anticipation of the re-opening of the Synod on the Family in October, an international symposium on the creation of Adam and Eve as the foundation of the Catholic doctrine on Holy Marriage will be held on September 26, 2015, at the Centro Congressi Cavour – Via Cavour 50/A (near Termini Station) in Rome. Experts in theology, philosophy, and natural science will demonstrate that the traditional doctrine of the Church on the divine creation of Adam and Eve harmonizes with the best arguments in theology and philosophy, as well as with sound natural science, including the latest findings in biology, genetics, and paleontology.  

At the end of the nineteenth century, the first wave of the modern assault on Holy Marriage began as social revolutionaries attempted to introduce divorce into Catholic countries.  In response to these coordinated attacks on Holy Marriage, Pope Leo XIII exhorted the Bishops and theologians of the Catholic Church to defend the divine institution of Holy Marriage on the foundation of the divine creation of Adam and Eve.  In his encyclical Arcanum he told the Bishops:

The true origin of marriage, venerable brothers, is well known to all. [...] We record what is to all known, and cannot be doubted by any, that God, on the sixth day of creation, having made man from the slime of the earth, and having breathed into his face the breath of life, gave him a companion, whom He miraculously took from the side of Adam when he was locked in sleep. [...] And this union of man and woman [...] even from the beginning manifested chiefly two most excellent properties [...] namely, unity and perpetuity. (Pope Leo XIII, Arcanum, 5)

According to Monsignor Barreiro, long-time director of Human Life International in Rome:

The international symposium will demonstrate the timeless wisdom of Pope Leo XIII’s teaching while exposing the serious errors in theology, philosophy and natural science that beset alternative explanations for the origins of the first human beings.

Participants in the symposium include:

• Fr. Chad Ripperger, Ph.D., Philosophy (formerly professor of Dogmatic Theology at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary)
• D. Q. McInerny, Ph.D., Philosophy (professor of Philosophy at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary) 
• Fr. Thomas Hickey, M.A., Theology (Faculty, Holy Apostles Seminary)
• Mr. John Wynne, (author, A Catholic Assessment of Evolution Theory)
• Dr. John Sanford, Ph.D., Plant Genetics (author, Genetic Entropy)
• Bai Macfarlane, (Director, Mary’s Advocates)
• Fr. Francesco Giordano, STD (Director, Human Life International, Rome Office).

For further information in Europe, please contact, Fr. Francesco Giordano, STD, Director, Vita Umana Internazionale, Roma (vuiroma@tin.it); in North America and elsewhere outside of Europe, please contact Hugh Owen (howen@shentel.net).

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Please visit the Symposium's website to read Cardinal Raymond Burke's letter of welcome to participants. The event will also be streamed live.