N O T I C E S . . .

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The document, issued yesterday, includes provisions for the automatic excommunication of and laicization or “defrocking” for any priest who sexually abuses a minor. Additionally, priests who are found to have used child pornography or who abuse the mentally ill or disabled face the same penalty – the most severe possible in the Church’s law.

Also noteworthy, the new norms extend the period of limitations for sex abuse allegations from ten to twenty years after the victim’s 18th birthday, allowing adult victims who were abused in childhood the opportunity to lodge formal complaints, and put in place “fast-tracking” procedures to deal with serious allegations.

But even as the Vatican has moved decisively to clamp down on the crime of sex abuse by clergy, much of the mainstream media, as well as feminist and leftist Catholic groups, are instead focusing their attention on another aspect of the Vatican document – its inclusion of the attempted ordination of women amongst the “delicta graviora,” or grave crimes, under Church law. Read more

“First on the new archbishop’s list,” she went on, “will undoubtedly be putting an end to the sacrilegious Masses held every first and third Sunday of the Month in the Church of Our Lady and St Gregory in Soho.”  Click here to read more

Msgr. Gherardini who is the author of Vatican II: An Open Discussion, which appeared in french early this year, presents in Quod et tradidi vobis a very pertinent analysis of the theological debate between Tradition and Vatican Council II. Here is the large extract that can be found in the Courrier de Rome, offering a list of 9 stumbling blocks; to which list we have added the three paragraphs that follow, where Msgr. Gherardini does not hesitate to pass a very explicit personal judgment.   Click here to read more

We might  also reflect on the importance of the priesthood, since today is traditionally “ordination day” for so many new priests. Quite shockingly, this week’s Tablet includes a leaflet promoting women’s ordination. To think that this will be read by Catholics up and down the land, some of whom will be tempted to tick the boxes to sign up for more information and even send financial donations to bankroll this heresy. Remember, because it is sold in Catholic churches and bookshops, the majority of laity will think this is OK – we’re all entitled to our opinions, aren’t we?  So, talk about the fact that women’s ordination is never going to happen. The Church’s teaching is final on that matter.

And discuss, too, the nature and extent of papal authority – something about which most Catholics are in the dark.

However, really, since we’re closing down at midnight – 30 June – feel free to post more or less anything!  Especially, something to make us smile!

“[T]he faithful would conclude that ‘the Pope has changed the Rosary,’ and the psychological effect would be disastrous.

Any change in it cannot but lessen the confidence of the simple and the poor.”…Pope Paul VI

Posted 6/23/10 www.RemnantNewspaper.com) In the May 15th issue of The Remnant I noticed an advertisement placed by the Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius promoting “The Traditional Rosary” and recommending that one pray “the Psaltery of Our Lady—150 Hail Mary’s.” The reference to the Psaltery is telling, for the traditional Rosary is modeled on the ancient Psalter of 150 Psalms: 150 songs to Mary; fifty Aves for each of the triad of mysteries—the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious; a triune prayer addressed to the Mother of the triune God.

The reference to the Psaltery is telling for another reason: It is indirectly an unfavorable comment on the “new” Rosary of John Paul II, which added five “luminous” mysteries, and thus 50 more Aves, to the traditional Rosary. That makes a total of 200 Aves, which would destroy the Rosary’s ancient correspondence to the 150 Psalms of the Psalter; the Rosary would no longer be “the Psaltery of Our Lady.” Then, of course, the “new” Rosary would no be longer triune, but rather would have four parts involving 50 Aves each: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and “Luminous.”

That the “new” Rosary was an improvident innovation is demonstrated by the approval it received from the New York Times, that relentless foe of traditional Roman Catholicism: “Time and again,” wrote Frank Bruni, “Pope John Paul II has boldly gone where other popes had not: a synagogue, a ski slope, distant countries with tiny populations. On Wednesday, he will apparently cross another frontier, making a significant change in the Rosary, a signature method of Catholic prayer for centuries now.” The article quotes a “senior Vatican official” to the effect that this change in the Rosary was in keeping with “his [the Pope’s] creativity and his courage.” (“Pope is Adding New Mysteries to the Rosary,” Frank Bruni, The New York Times, October 14, 2002) Click here to read more

Well, I don’t know any Catholics who accept the “Luminous” mysteries – I’ve made a point of not even finding out what they are.  Haven’t a clue.  It is so incredible that any pope would take it upon himself to change the rosary – what a nerve!  Especially when you remember that the very same modernists who attacked the rosary as “boring, repetitive and too lengthy” are now singing the praises of this newer, longer rosary and attending retreats on the subject delivered by priests who very likely haven’t said a rosary in years.

So, what do you think - is it time to say goodbye to the  new “mysteries of light” as Christopher Ferrara suggests?   Or what?

Below is a message from blogger Kevin1.  Since we’ve never had a thread on Islam, I thought I would seek permission to use his message to kick start a discussion on the topic before  30 June.

Kevin1 writes:

A thought for your blog before it closes – I saw this video recently,   What do your readers think about Islam in relation to Fatima, being as it was never mentioned by Our Lady of Fatima?  Islam could hardly be described as ‘Russia’s errors’ . . . Where does Islam fit into all this?  When Russia is consecrated, will they all convert?  End

Tell us your thoughts about the Fatima Connection to Islam – is there one?

There does come a day when you actually finish home schooling your children. I have reached that day this year with our daughter’s graduation from high school. As I work my way through the empty ‘school desk’ syndrome and begin to look at myself anew and consider my possibilities for the future, I can’t help but reflect back on what I found most important in our experience.There were many days when home schooling was a test of endurance, patience and faith, and other days when I turned it into race and almost burned out, but mostly I managed to keep the pace even, trying not to pass up too many rest stops. I had to completely remake our home life. I learned the Faith, and also received the Catholic education I was never given – both of these gifts were worth the work of home schooling and I doubt that they would have happened without it.   Click here to read more

We’ve never had a thread on the topic of home-schooling before, so for those who are concerned about the state of a Catholic Education System that lets heretics like laisized priest, Professor Thomas Groome loose to malform the teachers, home-education is an option you may wish to consider. As you will see from the above article, however, it is not at all plain sailing, so the question for discussion has to be – is it worth the hassle?

…whether they realize it or not, all who agree on the revealed truth, under the guidance of the sacred magisterium, belong to the faithful. Their agreement on the truth and allegiance to the magisterium gives them universality, i.e., spiritual unity. The truth interiorly possessed gives them consensus, and not the other way around, as though their consensus on some doctrine made it true.”…  click here to read more

As those of you who read the so-called Catholic newspapers and journals will know, it is a favourite ploy of dissenters to misinterpret the “sensus fidelium” (the sense of the faithful) to mean “democratic consensus” in matters of  faith and morals.  Tell us if the linked article helped you to understand this concept because it is very important to be able to rebut the erroneous belief that if enough Catholics want a teaching to change, then that’s the sensus fidelium at work.  It isn’t.

The Extraordinary Form? Sure, but one day it will again be the only form of the Roman Rite, and then perhaps the spirits of the early Traditionalists can rest in peace. You say EF, I say TLM; but if it hadn’t been for them we’d all be saying NOM. Click here to read more

I keep saying I’m not going to post another thread on the Mass – but this one I just couldn’t resist!