Hey Fishwrap! This is what “sentire cum Ecclesia” REALLY means!

Posted on 24 May 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I wonder which of the master wordsmiths at Fishwrap (aka National Schismatic Reporter) cobbled up the clucking editorial cum open letter to Pope Francis.  NSR is displaying their case of the vapors over the mean old Vatican’s treatment of the consciously evolved sister-leaders of the LCWR.  You can pretty much guess the content: Card. Müller is a meanie and men are afraid of women, blah blah blah.  I am not sure that you even need go over there to look at the editorial, unless you want to have some fun in their combox.

What I want to address hereunder is their misuse of the phrase “sentire cum Ecclesia“.  To wit:

The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith asks aloud if LCWR’s focus on new ideas robs it of the ability to “feel with the church.” [HERE … BUT… Card. Müller used the Latin “sentire cum Ecclesia“] Francis, the opposite is true. It is because LCWR feels with the church that it is exploring these new ideas. [No, I don’t think so.] Failure to explore what is new will cripple the church mission in the years ahead. Like it or not, change is the norm of contemporary society. Expressing changeless teachings requires new understandings and articulations.  [They want the Church to conform to prevailing culture.]

They really don’t have a clue, do they?

I have written already about what sentire cum Ecclesia means.  HERE On that occasion, NSR twisted what Pope Francis said to a  group of sisters.  He used sentire cum Ecclesia.   NSR didn’t get it.  They turned it into “feel”.

In a nutshell, if you have to cast your lot with one English word for sentire in the phrase sentire cum Ecclesia, you would have to pick “think” or “agree”, and decidedly not feel.  That is not to say that emotions are excluded and this is all über-rationalist.   No.  But the governing concept is the mind, not emotions.  Emotions come along under the tutelage of the mind and will.

The phrase “sentire cum Ecclesia” has its origins in Ignatian spirituality, with which we can assume Francis is somewhat familiar.

Sentire cum Ecclesia is straight out of the Spiritual Exercises.

If you want a crash course in St. Ignatius’ own 18 Rules for “thinking” with the Church, check this out HERE or HERE.

Here is a sample of what sentire cum Ecclesia REALLY means:

That we may be altogether of the same mind and in conformity with the Church herself, if she shall have defined anything to be black which to our eyes appears to be white, we ought in like manner to pronounce it to be black. For we must undoubtedly believe, that the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of the Orthodox Church His Spouse, by which Spirit we are governed and directed to Salvation, is the same;…

Tell me.  Is this how the sister-leaders of the LCWR, who are moving beyond the Church, accept the Church’s teachings and discipline?  Is this how they, who are into “conscious evolution”, are receiving direction from the Cardinal Prefect of the CDF, the Vicar of Christ’s own confirmed deputy?

It takes a lot of work to sort out the rubbish they put out in a single paragraph.

O Mary, Exterminatrix of Heresy, come to our aid!

Posted in Francis, Liberals, Linking Back, Magisterium of Nuns, Our Catholic Identity, Puir Slow-Witted Gowk, The Drill, Women Religious | Tagged , , , ,
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Brick by Brick in El Paso

Posted on 24 May 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

For your “Brick by Brick” file, in the El Paso Times:

El Paso Catholic Diocese to offer Mass in Latin [Will it be the Novus Ordo?]

“Oremus,” which means ‘let us pray’ in Latin will be heard regularly in Mass starting in late summer.

Catholic Diocese of El Paso leaders said they will welcome members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, [FSSP] a community of Roman Catholic priests who offer the Mass in the traditional Roman Rite. They will serve at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Downtown El Paso in August.

“(The Latin Mass) is both a challenge and a need and so the diocese is responding to that …. there is a segment of the population in the church that has an affinity for the Latin Mass,” said the Rev. Tony Celino, moderator of the Curia. [It isn’t all that big a challenge, as challenges go.  Also, let’s avoid using “Latin Mass” to describe this form of Holy Mass.  That could also mean Novus Ordo in Latin.  Perhaps Traditional Latin Mass or TLM would work better.  Nevertheless, Fr. Celino is right.  There is a segment.]

In a statement, Bishop Mark J. Seitz said, “The Holy See has told bishops around the world that where a stable community attached to the Tridentine form of the Liturgy exists, [and that stable community does NOT have to be large] we have a responsibility to assure that this group has the opportunity to celebrate the sacraments in this way.”

The Latin Mass was how Catholic Churches celebrated prior to the renewal that came with the Second Vatican Council.

Seitz added that the arrival of the group will be beneficial in another way.

“It was becoming more and more difficult to provide a priest to serve the parish of Immaculate Conception,” he said.  [Ah… they buried the lead.  So, the presence of the FSSP and the use of the older forms could save a parish.]

The fraternity will allow diocesan priests to continue to serve the business community by leading the noon Mass Monday through Friday in English, Seitz said. [Note how awkward that it.  This is written as if “the business community” wouldn’t be served otherwise. Piffle.  They could attend a TLM just as well.]

Celino said there is a community of Catholics who already attend Mass in Latin on Sundays at St. Anthony’s Seminary in Central El Paso. The fraternity’s Mass will replace the one at the seminary.  [BOOOO!  We need more TLMs, not status quo ante!]

[…]

Celino said Immaculate Conception will be the only church in communion with the Catholic Church in El Paso that offers a Mass in Latin. Jesus and Mary Roman Catholic Chapel, on West Yandell, offers the traditional Tridentine Mass but it is not under the diocese of El Paso.  [Yet another reason to have more TLMs.]

Fr Z kudos to the FSSP for getting that parish in El Paso and, probably, saving that parish.

Posted in ¡Hagan lío!, "How To..." - Practical Notes, Fr. Z KUDOS, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM, The future and our choices | Tagged , ,
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US Embassy flies homosexual flag, Obama Admin shouts about “rights”

Posted on 23 May 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From Breitbart:

RAINBOW FLAG FLIES OVER U.S. EMBASSY IN MADRID

The Obama administration seems to have forgotten the International Day of the Family last week that was celebrated at the UN and around the world May 15.

Yet the administration was very enthusiastic about the May 17th celebration of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, issuing proclamations by the Secretary of Defense and a statement by the President. Moreover, at least one ambassador flew the rainbow flag over his embassy.
Spanish papers reported that the rainbow flag flew over the U.S. Embassy in Madrid for at least one day last week and that former Home Box Office executive, now openly gay U.S. Ambassador James Costos flew the rainbow flag over his official residence.
President Obama compared gay rights to the fight for civil rights of African-Americans:

This year, the United States celebrates the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, and the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. In doing so, we reflect on lessons learned from our own civil rights struggles and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that the human rights of all people are universally protected.

In his proclamation noting the day, Secretary Kerry said:

It’s not lost on anyone that this year’s International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) coincides with the 60th anniversary of the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. Our commitment to advancing the human rights of LGBT persons is part of this country’s long history of fighting to ensure that all people can exercise their human rights.

[GET THIS…] Kerry went on to signal that the administration is willing to pressure private companies and religious groups:

This past week, we convened religious leaders and representatives of faith-based organizations to think about how we work together to promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons. Next week, we will convene meetings with our private sector allies to discuss the important role of the business community in promoting equality and the ways we can partner through the Global Equality Fund.

While the administration was practically shouting about gay rights, it seemed to be completely silent on the family.
The UN celebrated the International Day of the Family, this year being the 20th anniversary of its establishment.
Breitbart News could not find a single statement this year from the administration even recognizing the day. A call to the State Department press office turned up no statements either.

Evil.

Posted in Liberals, Pò sì jiù, Sin That Cries To Heaven, The Coming Storm | Tagged , ,
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Disparity: LCWR v. FFI

Posted on 23 May 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I direct the readership’s attention to a post by my friend Fr. Ray Blake, the great PP of Brighton.  He makes a great point about the Holy See’s treatment of the LCWR and treatment given to the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.

Here is an excerpt, and you can read the whole thing there. We enter in medias res with my “art”:

[…]

Perhaps it is best illustrated by the different responses to LCWR and the Franciscans of the Immaculate, the former initiated under Benedict and the latter under Francis.
The action against the LCWR has been one of ongoing dialogue, a clear statement of the problems, a firm but patient determination on the part of the Vatican to draw the American religious back into the life of the Church, even if the sisters flail around refusing to dialogue the Holy See still continues making its requests, gently increasing pressure on them, whilst ast the same time leaving them, the Leadership Conference free to do what it wants, whilst the vast majority of American women religious are completely unaffected.

The way in which the Franciscans of the Immaculate are being dealt with is in complete contrast, the Vatican Commissar has taken complete control over every aspect of the lives of individuals from novices to the founder. No one actually seems to know quite what the problem is, there are no clear complaints, except for ‘tendencies’ which frankly could mean anything. Their problems after all these months seem to be ‘thought crimes’. In contrast to Fr Volpi’s declining Capuchins or the LCWR the FFI’s were growing, were young, were faithful. Now the same terror is being applied to their female branch, the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate.

The LCWR have ‘moved beyond Jesus’, the FFI seem just be marginally a little too trad , yet the velvet Benedictine glove is applied to the former and the iron fist of Francis to the latter. The way in which the LCWR is being dealt with promotes growth and inclusion whereas the way Fr Volpi is dealing with the FFIs seems destructive and violent. Whilst Francis continues to grow in popularity in the secular media I detect growing fears amongst many that the hand on the tiller of the bark of Peter is just too firm, too South American, with too much determination for change for the sake of change. Far from a papacy that is small poor and humble Francis’ is as big as any of the past.

[…]

Posted in SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM, The Drill | Tagged , , ,
41 Comments

Fr. Murray on Card. Kasper’s proposals

Posted on 23 May 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

My friend Fr. Gerald Murray has a fine piece at The Catholic Thing about His Eminence Walter Card. Kasper’s odd proposals about the divorced and remarried, his notion that they can be, in their adulterous relations, tolerated but not accepted at the Communion rail.

Let’s have a look at the last part of Fr. Murray’s dense and useful contribution:

[…]

Here we see that Cardinal Kasper’s proposal involves a clear departure from the teaching and practice of the Church: When a Catholic spouse no longer shares common life with the other spouse, the help that the Church offers is not the facilitation of adultery, but rather the call to fidelity accompanied by the graces offered through prayer, the worthy reception of the sacraments, and the bearing of one’s cross in union with Christ. [I’ll repeat what I have offered before.  Not every problem we can get ourselves into has an easy solution.  Sometimes our problems can’t be “fixed” and we must suffer, endure the consequences.]

The idea that the Church should recognize a pseudo-marriage as an expression of God’s mercy is a contradiction of the Gospel. A married person may have failed to preserve the unity and common life of his marriage, or been the victim of the failure on the other spouse’s part. In either case, God’s mercy will not be found in the Church giving permission to commit adultery in good conscience.

This is why the only possible solutions for those who now regret having entered into an invalid second marriage are: 1) to apply for a declaration of nullity of their marriage if grounds for such exist; 2) to break off the adulterous union; 3) or if this is not possible for serious reasons, then to live as brother and sister and no longer engage in adulterous behavior.

Cardinal Kasper is correct in stating about the indissolubility of marriage, “We must enforce it, and help people to understand it and to live it out.” It is regrettable that he fails to see that his proposal does the exact opposite.

Read the whole thing over there!

Fr. Murray is more and more often appearing on Fox News, on various programs.  They couldn’t have found a better clerical commentator.

Posted in Hard-Identity Catholicism, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Mail from priests, New Evangelization, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity, The Drill | Tagged , , , ,
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“Get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward!”

Posted on 22 May 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A great commencement speech by an Admiral and a SEAL, William H. McRaven.

I wonder if this was the first time these students had ever heard, in their years of education, a real achiever tell them about life and reality.

YouTube thumbnailYouTube icon

Comment moderation is ON.

Posted in Just Too Cool | Tagged ,
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Fishwrap’s latest tacky move

Posted on 22 May 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fishwrap (aka National Schismatic Reporter) tested new depths of tacky today.  They published, on the 20th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis, a piece by the excommunicated “lady tambourine ‘priest‘” (perhaps you recall the Bob Dylan parody song HERE), who – completely deluded – thinks that wymyn have really made progress, along with their tens of followers.

This on the heels of publishing an editorial that climate change is the Church’s #1 pro-life issue and that “no sin is more heartless” than not caring for the environment.  Good grief.

Simply publishing such rubbish from an excommunicated woman, faking ordination and simulating sacraments, is bad enough.  What is worse is that NSR’s editors accept her premises and claims.  They think that these women really are validly ordained, despite the Church’s crystal clear teaching to the contrary.

Remember: The catholic Left will never stop agitating for the ordination of women.  Never.  That is their Unholy Grail, Eldorado, and much needed Fountain of Youth wrapped into one.

The bishops in these USA must officially declare that the National Catholic Reporter cannot use the word “Catholic” in their title.

Woman Priest and congregation

UPDATE

Meanwhile, in Springfield in Illinois, the great Bp. Paprocki has confirmed the excommunication incurred by a woman, Mary F. Keldermans of Springfield, who attempted to be ordained, by other women, who also were not and can never be, ordained. Paprocki wrote to her last month asking her to reconsider her plan. She went ahead and committed the grave sin.  She is now excommunicated.  The decree is HERE

As Catholic Vote put it:

The bishop also issued this statement to his diocese:

Please be advised that Ms. Mary F. Keldermans of Springfield, Illinois, has attempted to be ordained a priest for “Roman Catholic Womenpriests, Inc.” in a ceremony at the Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Springfield on May 5, 2014. As a result, she has incurred an automatic excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.

That is what you call a bishop who’s not afraid to bishop.

At the same time, we should be careful not to tout this as some sort of righteous smack-down or triumphant display of authority.  Bishop Paprocki is much too holy and charitable a bishop for that, and I have no doubt that his declaration of excommunication was issued with sorrow, not pleasure.

But he didn’t hold back from issuing the decree of excommunication either, or from publishing it prominently on the diocesan website.

Perhaps Bp. Paprocki will take up with his fellow bishops that the Fishwrap must be told not to use the word Catholic in their title.

Posted in Liberals, Our Catholic Identity, Pò sì jiù, You must be joking! | Tagged , , , , , , ,
23 Comments

PODCAzT 139: 20th Anniversary of ‘Ordinatio sacerdotalis’, on the ordination of women

Posted on 22 May 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

UPDATE: I adjusted a volume/balance problem.

___

Today is the 20th Anniversary of St. John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis, which removes all doubt about the impossibility of the ordination of women to the priesthood.

To celebrate this wonderful anniversary, I give you a podcast.

I read, for your edification, the Apostolic Letter, and then the CDF’s official Response to a dubium about the level of assent to be given and the level of teaching of the Apostolic Letter, and then the Commentary on the whole matter from the CDF which was surely penned by Card. Ratzinger, then the Prefect.

Here are links to the texts themselves:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

In this you will hear the beginnings of different version of the Creed.  There is one by Gounod, Arvo Paart, Palestrina and Mozart.  Enjoy!

Posted in Hard-Identity Catholicism, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, PODCAzT, Priests and Priesthood, The Drill | Tagged , , , ,
9 Comments

Head of Austrian “We Are Church” Excommunicated

Posted on 22 May 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Here is something that the Fishwrap won’t be happy to report.

German sources report that Pope Francis, the first Pope who ever smiled, the first Pope who ever kissed a baby, the first Pope since … well, some nice Pope who has been nice… has excommunicated the head of the dissident group We Are Church in Austria.

HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE.

In fact, the they incurred the excommunication automatically, by having committed that sin, and the censure was confirmed by a decree of the local Bishop of Innsbruck.

Martha Heizer and her partner, Gert, pretended to say Mass.  Don’t attempt this at home.  Simulation of the Eucharist, Mass, is a serious sin that incurs an excommunication.

The couple “rejected” the excommunication when the local bishop tried to deliver the decree.  That showed those Vatican meanies!

While the news reports are saying that Pope Francis excommunicated them, which isn’t the case, the couple said they were going to simulate a Mass some time ago, HERE, which means that the CDF would have been informed.  Since there was a plan announced in advance to do this, the local bishop would have informed and consulted with the CDF.  In turn, that means – more than likely – that, during one of Card. Müller’s regular meetings with the Pope, the Holy Father was briefly consulted about his will in the matter.

If the Pope didn’t excommunicate the public sinners, he surely gave his nod to the decree from the local bishop.

Let us pray that these penalties will bring about a change of heart and mind.

That said, Australian former-Father Greg Reynolds is still excommunicated.

Posted in Liberals | Tagged , ,
35 Comments

Fishwrap’s Crazy Talk: “Climate change is church’s No. 1 pro-life issue”

Posted on 21 May 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I did a double-take when I saw at Fishwrap (aka National Schismatic Reporter) the title of their most recent editorial. I am not making this up:

Climate change is church’s No. 1 pro-life issue

Is there a face-palm icon?

[…]

If there is a certain wisdom in the pro-life assertion that other rights become meaningless if the right to life is not upheld, then it is reasonable to assert that the right to life has little meaning if the earth is destroyed to the point where life becomes unsustainable.

Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodríguez Maradiaga described the problem during a talk opening the Vatican conference. He described nature as neither separate from nor against humanity, but rather existing with humans. “No sin is more heartless than our blindness to the value of all that surrounds us and our persistence in using it at the wrong time and abusing it at all times.”

[…]

Okay, let us stipulate that there is climate change.   That having been stipulated, it is unimaginably far more likely that a big asteroid out there will do us in before we can do anything about climate change on our own.   A coronal mass ejection will take us out before acid rain does.

Let us not be taken in by the n to the nth power attempt by the catholic Left to distract us from abortion by rattling the shiny object of care for Earth.

They never lose an opportunity to diminish the primal significance of defending life from conception.

(NB: We have to acknowledge that a few of the writers at Fishwrap are solidly pro-life and give no quarter on abortion.  Phyllis Zagano, for example, for all her goofy notions about ordination of women, has been, so far as I can tell, a defender of the unborn.  She may not like men, but she defends our right to be born. I give her props for that.)

They want us to divert our resources, attention, and prayers to care of the planet as if that were of greater urgency than defense of the unborn, from conception.

BTW… we can do both.  We can both care for the planet and defend the unborn.

But let us circle back to something upon which the editors of the Fishwrap hang their claim.

“No sin is more heartless“… than not caring for the environment in the way that they think it must be cared for?  Thus, NSR to say that “Climate change is church’s No. 1 pro-life issue”.

No sin is more heartless than not fighting climate change?  Really?

Without even engaging my brain, I can think of a few sins that are more heartless.  We could, first of all, consult the classic list of “sins that cry to heaven“.  Hint: ignoring climate change isn’t among them.

Heartless?  How about the slaughter of 6 million Jews?  Serial rape?  Exploitation of the poor?  Human trafficking.  Child labor?

How about sexual abuse of minors by priests?

We could list many others, and they are of far greater urgency than hand-wringing and truisms about climate change, over which we exercise infinitesimally small influence.

The Fishwrap editorial reminds me of the logic of those maniacs who see humanity as a parasite on Gaia, and who would stand by as vast numbers went back into the earth so that Earth and the innocent animals could once again flourish without the repression of blind, heartless humanity.  Fewer births!  More TLC for Mother Earth! The population bomb is ticking!

Posted in Liberals, Throwing a Nutty, You must be joking! | Tagged , , , , , ,
103 Comments