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News Roundup: May 11, 2024

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JMJ

There has been a lot of activity over the last month, but not all good and not all bad.

 



Wars and Rumours of Wars

Just as the War goes on in Gaza creating the fear of a global war, the war goes on between the Church and the World. 

The Catholic Church or at least the people within Her, was the first to loathe Her Doctrines and Dogmas.  Now the West loathes the actions of the past.  

It is true that there were men and women involved in the worst of colonialism for worldly gain.  What is forgotten is what was done for the spiritual and material good.  There are examples of Jesuits doing good work for the good of the peoples that they found on the various continents outside of Europe. Then the men and women who came for profit arrived and undid what had been started.

Around the world civilization is pulling in the walls on top of themselves.

 
Netherlands: Euthanasia Accounts for More Than 5% of Deaths in 2023 | FSSPX News
Ground News - Woman, 28, to be euthanized in May after psychiatrist’s diagnosis: report
Ukraine Debates Mobilization of Priests | FSSPX News
Donald Trump Changes His Position on Abortion | District of the USA
St. Nicholas Owen — Builder of Secret Hiding Places for Persecuted Priests| National Catholic Register
WATCH: Mental Health, Wounds, and Healing with Fr. Ripperger - Catholic Family News
Should We Have AI Doing Catholic Apologetics? - Crisis Magazine

Crisis of the Catholic Church

Pope Francis' gift  of 'teaching' keeps on giving ... or taking as some rightly call it taking ... continues.
 
Bishop Chaput Resists Francis Ahead of New Document - OnePeterFive
Brussels: A Former Novus-Ordo Church Stripped Off Its Parish Status – Gloria.tv
The French Conference of Bishops Revises Its Statutes | FSSPX News
Ethiopia: Opposition to Western Pressure to Favor Homosexuality | FSSPX News
Switzerland: Capuchins Leave the Olten Convent | FSSPX News
The Catholic Church in Numbers – 2022 | FSSPX News
Is the New Mass legit? | District of the USA
LES FEMMES - THE TRUTH: "A Liturgy from Hell"? Traditionis Custodes Cannot Suppress the Traditional Latin Mass
Bishop Strickland to offer Mass live on LifeSite to counter expected satanic activity during solar eclipse - LifeSite
The TLM in Hagerstown
How Will Cardinal Fernández Influence the Vatican’s Gender Ideology Response?| National Catholic Register
RORATE CÆLI: The Declaration Dignitas infinita and the Mystery of the Church in our time - by Roberto de Mattei
RORATE CÆLI: “Dignitas Infinita” as a Naturalistic Vision of Mankind — Article by Jeanne Smits
RORATE CÆLI: Vatican II and the Re-emergence of the Traditional Latin Mass
RORATE CÆLI: Divine dignity alone is strictly infinite - Edward Feser, for Rorate Cæli
RORATE CÆLI: On the 55th Anniversary of the Novus Ordo: "The Problem with Judging a Book by its Cover" -- by Fr. Richard Cipolla
RORATE CÆLI: The Eucharist: What is said and done around this sacrament and during its celebration
Vatican document shows Church is neither 'left' nor 'right,' Bishop Barron says | Fox News
Ground News - Vatican blasts sex change surgery, surrogacy and gender theory as grave threats to human dignity
Communicantes: Is That Chair Vacant? A SSPX Dossier on Sedevacantism 
Is There Really Hope for Judas? - Crisis Magazine
The Resurrection of the Church – Padre Peregrino
Vatican reins in German bishops amid dispute over national reforms | Crux
Hong Kong diocese says no risk to confession with security law | Crux
Ground News - Catholic Group Defrocks AI Priest After It Gave Strange Answers
The impossible synodal debate on ‘deaconesses’ The Church Welcomes a Wave of New Members in 2024 | District of the USA  
RORATE CÆLI: The Associated Press on the future of the Church  
The rise and fall of 'Father Justin' highlights Catholic sexism | National Catholic Reporter
 RORATE CÆLI: Synodal Cancellations - by Archbishop Héctor Agüer  

Popes Past Present and Future

As usual the only good news here is that one day Pope Francis will give an account of his stewardship to a Just Judge.
 
 
On the Deposition of a Pope by John of St. Thomas - Catholic Family News
Pope withdraws from Good Friday event at last minute ‘to preserve health’ | Pope Francis | The Guardian
Pope Francis skips Good Friday event to preserve health for Easter | National Post
Pope Francis releases meditations ahead of Via Crucis at Colosseum - Vatican News
Francis Has Given up Presiding at the Novus Ordo Eucharist – Gloria.tv
Pope Francis breaks with tradition in annual ritual by washing the feet of women only
Pope Francis appoints Auxiliary Bishop Gerard Battersby to lead Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin | Catholic News Agency
Vatican secrets exposed in Pope's book | CTV News
Is Pope Francis Pumping the Brakes? - OnePeterFive
RORATE CÆLI: Francis: a Pontificate filled with Bad Omens - The Icon of Christ the Redeemer Falls Down During Vatican Easter Mass
🚨BREAKING NEWS | Pope Francis recovers the title “Patriarch of the West” as an ecumenical gesture - YouTube
Switzerland: Francis and the Davos Forum | FSSPX News
RORATE CÆLI: MAJOR STATEMENT: The Crimes and Heresies of Pope Francis, Their Causes and Effects, and the Action to Be Taken  

Persecution Within The Catholic Church

The analogy of the 'Spirit of the Second Vatican Council' being a virus seems apropos. Eventually, the Catholic Anti-Bodies will kill the virus that has infected the Church for over a hundred year.
 
Bishop Chaput Resists Francis Ahead of New Document - OnePeterFive
Cardinal Burke Remains in his Roman Apartment – Gloria.tv
Pope Francis meets FSSP head, confirms right to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass  – Catholic World Report
Concelebration and the FSSP: Identifying the real problem - Where Peter Is
Traditionis Custodes Comes to England and Wales - OnePeterFive
RORATE CÆLI: Joseph Shaw on Traditionis Custodes and the Future of the TLM
RORATE CÆLI: International Campaign for the Total Freedom of the Traditional Liturgy

Traditional Catholic Responses

Over the past month, I have noticed three articles from a different perspective concerning the crisis of the Church and the situation of the SSPX - the first three links below (Prophets of Doom, Much Ado and Why I left).  I was going to write an article about each, but other priorities prevent devoting that much time to it. 

So, I have taken the critical reading approach of mapping out each article, deleting the paragraphs that don't contain any useful content and added my thoughts to the map.  I intend to write a short summary / comment for each ahead of their link.

The overall summary is that, from my read, the arguments put forward more relate to emotion and lack key principles. They also have some glaring issues with Church Doctrine and the gap between pre and post conciliar (i.e. V2) times.

Here's the map:






 
Pope Francis and the Prophets of Doom - Where Peter Is: Ok, I read this an realised it is just a rambling commentary that wasn't worth the effort to read.  There is nothing of substance in this article.
Why I left the Society of St. Pius X: An Open Letter to Fr. Gołaski – Catholic World Report: Ok so this is, in essence, a story of Mr. Bartel's family as it responded to the Crisis of the Church as well as the 2012 crisis within the SSPX.  There are few stable principles because the experience of one or even dozens of families doesn't prove the point because not prove causation as there are just as many that don't suffer in the same manner as his family. 
Much Ado About Traditionalism - Where Peter Is : My conclusion is that Mr. Massett makes the mistake of thinking that the SSPX is influencing the Church whereas, the actions of the Hierarchy are simply evoking a similar reaction fifty years later.
Sachin Jose on X: "Stephen Minnis, the president of Benedictine College in Kansas, leads the students in praying the Rosary on their knees every Wednesday for the nation and the world. From the recent Associated Press report on the college’s enrollment growth and expansion: “At a time when U.S.… https://t.co/H80JiLitCY" / X   
CanonLaw.Ninja 

General Interest

I've gone through a few layoff's, the Stellantis is an example of a new and ruthless way.  I've also added some links that looked interesting.
 
Stellantis uses ‘mandatory remote work day’ to cut 400 white-collar jobs: ‘It was a mass firing of everybody that was on the call’: Layoffs are nasty events and this was a particularly bad way of doing it.
Home | God And Country: Voris et al are back at it.
Oldest man in the world dead at 114; prayed the rosary twice daily | Catholic News Agency
What John Saw and What Lúcia Saw, 2024 – Return to Fatima

SSPX

So there are two key news items from the SSPX. First the death of Bishop Huonder. Second, the guilty plea of an SSPX priest.

+Huonder

 
Prayers Requested for Bishop Huonder | FSSPX News
Bishop Vitus Huonder and the SSPX | FSSPX News
His Lordship, Bishop Vitus Huonder, Has Departed This Life | District of the USA
Live Stream of Bishop Vitus Huonder's Funeral | FSSPX News
Swiss bishop to be buried alongside SSPX founder Archbishop Lefebvre - Catholic news – La Croix International
Swiss bishop defends attending predecessor’s SSPX funeral
 

Another Criminal In the SSPX

 I've known or met three of the priests who committed the sin of sexually abusing boys or girls. The news of the latest charges and guilty plea saddened me. However, justice will be meted out sometimes here always at the particular judgement.
Communiqué of the Society of Saint Pius X | District of the USA
Report: Society of St. Pius X priest admits to years of sexual misconduct with minors | Catholic News Agency
Former SSPX Superior Pleads Guilty to Sex Abuse - OnePeterFive
PR Amateur Hour: SSPX and the Rostand scandal -
The Remnant Newspaper - SSPX Former U.S. Superior Charged with Abusing 7 Boys
LES FEMMES - THE TRUTH: Did the SSPX Really "Cover Up" the Fr. Rostand Case?
The SSPX Sex Abuse Case: the Full Story - OnePeterFive
 

Doctrine: Nourishment for the Soul and Acts of Charity

 
On Christ’s Salvific Death on the Cross | District of the USA
Rosa Mystica Mission 2024: Live From Alabel in the Philippines | FSSPX News
Frs. Altamira & Pierre Roy to be consecrated - page 1 - Crisis in the Church - Catholic Info
Practical Advice for Converting Muslims | District of the USA  
Letter from Fr. Fullerton on the Poor Souls | District of the USA 
2024 Angelus Press Conference for Catholic Tradition

Toxicity - Male and Female

The words Toxic Masculinity are bandied about and used with such a large variety of meanings that the are meaningless.  I think that a Toxic Femininity could also be identified, but it misses the point.

From the Wikipedia article on Toxic masculinity - Wikipedia, we have:

The concept of toxic masculinity is used in academic and media discussions to refer to those aspects of hegemonic masculinity that are socially destructive, such as misogyny, homophobia, and violent domination. These traits are considered "toxic" due in part to their promotion of violence, including sexual assault and domestic violence. Socialization of boys sometimes also normalizes violence, such as in the saying "boys will be boys" about bullying and aggression. 
In the training of both my female and male children, I have striven to raise people that are self-disciplined and virtuous.  The idea that bullying and mindless aggression are 'masculine' are simply savage traits.   They are vice, not virtue.  
 
My children know how to fight. I do not have a fear of violence in the sense that seems prevalent in this age.  Violence sometimes needs to be met with overwhelming violence to protect the weak and innocent.  That is the virtuous use of strength.
 
The world is not a kind place and the social scientists who sit in their offices and dream up these nice theories should go somewhere less civilized, less Christian and see how the real world operates when not oriented towards God.  They need a reminder that human sacrifice was a normal part of life on the South American Continent and that was stopped by the 'Colonizers'.

Toxic Feminity is not defined in the same manner as the male version. The male version is related to external behaviours. The female version is, or seems to be, focused on internalised behaviours and norms that the female acts in accordance with social norms deemed 'toxic' by some academic.  
 
Both are hopeless definitions as both tend to the destruction of self-image with reference to neither vice nor virtue. Both so that true masculinity and femininity are under attack by external forces.

To sum up, I think that anything that deviates from virtue is toxic. Injustice, no matter who, male or female, is the perpetrator of the office politics, club or whatever group,   is toxic. 

P^3

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