Introducing Fr. John Cush, new Editor-in-Chief of Homiletic & Pastoral Review – HPR welcomes Rev. John P. Cush, STD, as Editor-in-Chief, with Sister Mary Micaela Hoffman, RSM, S.S.L., as Associate Editor. The New Staff of Homiletic & Pastoral Review (HPRweb.com)
Public Health Disaster – “Dr. Anthony Fauci, the most public figure associated with the government’s COVID-19 strategy of government lockdowns and mask/vaccine mandates, announced on Monday that he will leave his post in December.” Anthony Fauci Was ‘A Total Disaster’: Leading Scientist Responds to Fauci’s Retirement (Washington Stand)
LaBeouf’s Conversion – “Actor Shia LaBeouf said he converted to Christianity while shooting his upcoming film “Padre Pio” and has become a member of the Roman Catholic Church.” Shia LaBeouf converts to Catholicism after studying for ‘Padre Pio’ movie (Fox News)
The Middle Ages – “An exhibition depicts how people have reimagined the medieval period in the centuries since, and how they have revealed their own interests and ideals with each new interpretation.” What Our Fantasies About the European “Middle Ages” Say About Us (Hyperallergic)
Weakland’s Legacy – “How many thousands of the faithful in Milwaukee gave to the diocese during those years! They thought they were financing diocesan schools, or the upkeep of church buildings, or homes for elderly priests and religious sisters.” Archbishop Weakland Stole More Than Money, He Stole the Faith (Crisis Magazine)
Dominican Editor – “OSV is pleased to announce the appointment of Father Patrick Mary Briscoe, O.P., as editor of Our Sunday Visitor, the weekly national Catholic newspaper founded by Archbishop John F. Noll in 1912.” Father Patrick Briscoe named editor of Our Sunday Visitor.
A Fatuous Ideology – “One of the most remarkable developments of recent years has been the legalization—dare I say, the institutionalization?—of corruption.” The New Class (Taki’s Magazine)
Aging Pontiffs – “Given the travel and media demands of the modern age, the selection of a younger Pope could be in the Church’s interest” The case for a young Pope (Catholic Herald)
Light of Truth – “Satan is called the ‘Father of Lies,’ (Jn 8:44), Mendacii Pater in the Rite of Exorcism. I have noticed that demons will sometimes visibly react when the phrase Mendacii Pater is spoken aloud in the Rite.” Exorcist Diary: Demons Hold Onto Lies (SpiritualDirection.com)
Pre-Vatican II Liturgy – England’s new cardinal says those who are “stubbornly opposing” the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council are in danger of adopting a position that is no longer Catholic. Stubborn opposition to Vatican II ‘not Catholic’ says cardinal (The Tablet)
Gender Inclusivity – “Villanova University, a Roman Catholic college in Pennsylvania, rolled out a new guideline for faculty and staff on creating a more “gender inclusive” campus, which the school says is “fundamental” to its mission.” Catholic university criticized for new ‘gender inclusive’ guide ‘fundamental’ to school’s mission: ‘Shameful’ (Fox News)
Conservative Celebrity – Brittany Aldean, the wife of country music star Jason Aldean, is fighting back after receiving attacks from liberal country singers over an Instagram post criticizing the transgender movement’s focus on children. ‘One Of The Worst Evils’: Brittany Aldean Refuses To Back Down After Liberal Country Stars Attack Her For Transgender Post (Daily Wire)
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(“Pre Vatican II Liturgy,” fourth from the bottom)
From the English Cardinal Roche, we read: “That reform is taking place, but it’s a slow process because there are those who are dragging their feet with regard to this and not only dragging their feet but stubbornly opposing what the Church has actually decreed. That’s a very serious matter. In the end, people have to ask themselves: am I really a Catholic, or am I more of a Protestant?”
Where is the balanced statement about BOTH foot-draggers AND footloose innovators?
My humble intuition is that followers of the Latin Mass are not so much “stubbornly opposing” Vatican II as that they have not even read the documents. LIKEWISE, for so many tribalist clerics, as in Germany and elsewhere who are intent on displacing the perennial Church with a boundary-challenged “process” (historicism, relativism?), and junking whatever is left of sexual morality in the post-modern world.
About which, St. John Henry Cardinal NEWMAN, an Englishman like Cardinal Roche (!), four years after his conversion to the certainty (!) of the Catholic Church delivered several “Discourses Addressed to Mixed Congregations [Protestants]” (1849). One discourse dealt with “Illuminating Grace” and—today might we suppose—is relevant to the Church’s and the Council’s unfulfilled challenge to orient the (post-Reformation) and perennial Church toward the much deeper, and much wider, and now even internalized crises of the so-called modern world:
“…O my dear brethren [!], what joy and what thankfulness should be ours, that God has brought us into the Church of His Son! What gift is equal to it in the whole world in its preciousness and in its rarity? In this country in particular [Cardinal Roche’s England!] where heresy ranges far and wide, where uncultivated nature has so undisputed a field all her own, where grace is given to great numbers only to be profaned and quenched, where baptisms only remain in their impress and character, and faith is ridiculed for its firmness [rigidity, bigotry?], for us to find ourselves here in the region of light, in the home of peace, in the presence of Saints, to find ourselves where we can use every faculty of the mind and affection of heart in its perfection [“participation”!], because in its appointed place and office, to find ourselves in the possession of certainty [!], consistency [!]. stability [!], on the highest and holiest subjects of human thought, to have hope here and heaven hereafter, to be on the Mount with Christ, while the poor world is guessing and quarrelling at its foot, who among us shall not wonder at his own blessedness…”
A response to Ben Johnson’s [Washington Stand] critique of Dr Fauci. Most have suffered in various ways from the Lockdown policy and other issues masks and so forth. They were shown to be mistaken and damaging policy. Earlier in response to another article I referred to the necessary appreciation of the learning curve in medicine [the process of learning by trial and error], the tendency of many like columnist Johnson to expect perfect medical decision making during a crisis regarding a new disease, expectation that resembles the mindset of Scientism.
An example is the simplistic assessment of statistics. Recently Fox’s Tucker Carlson ‘proved’ the ineffectiveness of the ‘Trump’ vaccine, stating that stats showed more persons contracted Covid who took the Vax than those who didn’t. Therefore, he concluded the Vax ’caused’ the disease by deleterious effect on the recipient. However, what’s missing in this unprofessional, sensationalist assessment [sensational news improves ratings] is the medical profile of the survey. Most who declined the Vax were younger, healthier, less likely to contract Covid, whereas most who received the Vax were older, many with underlying conditions, much more susceptible to contracting Covid. The ‘Trump’ Covid Vax was shown statistically that while it may not prevent infection, the significant benefit is that if a person is older with underlying conditions, they were far more likely to survive the disease once contracted than if they did not receive the Vax. These surveys were proved by the Mayo Clinic and other reputable medical agencies.
As a final note it’s advantageous for higher ratings, good press response to join the bandwagon. From a purely moral perspective, is it morally correct?
Thank you for that Fr. Peter.
My brother lives in the UK where virtually everyone has been vaccinated. No one there doubts the vaccines still allow infection to occur (he’s been diagnosed with Covid three times now & is doing fine.)
A news source came out with a story about a higher number of vaccinated people dying from Covid or in the ICU. Well, if virtually everyone in a population has already been vaccinated then it stands to reason that the greater percentage of folks dying or in ICU’s from Covid would be vaccinated. Shoot, at that rate the number of British people run over by busses, falling down stairs, or having a bad day at work would be vaccinated also. If people would just take the time to think about these things & turn off the media for a moment…
When you politicize a virus, this is what you end up with.
While I watch and overall like the info on TC’s show. There are times when I cring on the misuse of data. When Covid started I looked for reasonable sources of data. Arizona provided a decent breadown of those ineffected, died etc by age group. In summary as I recall, those under 60 or so accounted for 70% or more of ineffections, but 25% of deaths. Those over 60 had 30% or less of effections but 75% of deaths. This data was around February 2021. So to me it was reasonable for someone like me (old) to get the shot. Those younger I felt the shot may not be needed. However 6 months after the shot I had a TIA event, it came out of the blue. I wonder of it may have been a side effect of the Covid shot, who knows. Anyways this year so far had Covid twice, once from my 2.5 yr old grandson who I baby sit, another from a wedding my wife and I attended.
Interestingly in both situations where I got Covid, aspirin knocked down the fever, and Night Quill and Robitussin knocked out a persitent cough that resulted. However this info is my unique situation, so not trying to provide medical advice.
Bottom line, the vaccine was I think helpful, however IMHO it should be emphasized for older and those with other conditions. Second I do belive there is vaccine side effects. Also not mentioned much, I think Pfizer slow walked the vaccine approval process until after the election.
A correction mrscracker. Tucker Carlson claimed that more people who took the Vax ‘died’ of Covid than those who did not, as if the Vax actually caused deaths. The reasons for more deaths were that the majority older age group, many with underlying conditions were much more susceptible to death, although had they not taken the Vax, stats showed that those in the similar age underlying condition category who hadn’t taken the Vax had a much greater percentage of hospitalization and deaths. Furthermore, the younger age group who were Vaxed had a much lower incidence of serious insult to vital organs than the same group that weren’t Vaxed.
I have four degrees in science, and the misuse of science has always intrigued me especially where it most often occurs, in the medical field. Obviously, the stupidest misuse is a failure to heed the first lesson in studying the scientific method that correlations do not establish causality, which is why on merit alone skepticism on the efficacy of the serum, falsely labeled a vaccine, was warranted due to the impossibility of gathering metrics on long term consequences. Even calculating death rates have been farcical given the willingness of hospitals to attribute almost every death of the elderly to Covid. Just being old, it seems, is an “underlying condition.”
My own moral objections left me perfectly content to die before I would accept the serum, which is still the case. I don’t accept moral advice from Vatican sources about a disconnect from abortion given the shabby moral reasoning and anti-Catholicism becoming all too common from my Church in current times. In fact, they are lying about the disconnect.
I am not impressed, and neither should you be with the data compiled by “reputable” medical agencies. And claims about assaults to vital organs by Covid with or without the serum, young or old, are still not possible to analyze, given the very short time frame. Any authority who claims they can is flat out lying and adding to the “responsible” disinformation.
Catholic Herald gives a reasonable appeal for a younger pope. What may also be considered is a layman. We had precedent in Celestine V consecrated supreme pontiff at Aquila, the notorious pope who resigned after 5 years, who Dante condemned in the Inferno as a coward. Who left is palium in Aquila, and who seems the inspiration for the Benedict XVI visit to Aquila and his resignation.
Nevertheless, as a possibility, would it be advantageous to have a Josef Seifert, a Roberto de Mattei, learned, entirely faithful to Christ and the Church, sans political affiliation within Hierarchy? A disinterested [objective and non aligned to anyone] pontiff who would be more apt to make the hard decisions to reform the Church, especially in consideration of the present morass of heterodox entanglements.
Actually Celestine V resigned from the papacy after 5 months and returned to his monastery.
England’s new cardinal says those who are “stubbornly opposing” the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council are in danger of adopting a position that is no longer Catholic.
Empowered by his new red hat, Mr. Roche is emboldened to spout nonsense. If he knew history and knew the meaning and intention of the VCII document Sacrosanctum Concilium, if only he were holy and docile enough to accept inspiration and understanding as gifts of the Holy Spirit, he would point his finger of blame for the Protestantization of the Roman Catholic faith and its liturgy to the rightful place.
As it is, as a Roman Catholic faithful, faithful to the TLM liturgy, I am in sad stitches of laughter at the caricature he makes of himself as a person of dignity loved by God, with abilities of reason and logic. He surely understands misinformation and is guilty of a disingenuous failure to perceive reality.
I don’t want to hear one more word from Cdl. Roche.