May 2019

• “The Church of the living God - the pillar and the bulwark of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15) Declaration of the truths relating to some of the most common errors in the life of the Church of our time

• Explanatory note to the "Declaration of the truths relating to some of the most common errors in the life of the Church of our time"

• Bishop praises pope for taking action on sexual abuse 
On May 9, Pope Francis issued a Motu proprio, a mandate directed to the Universal Church, as a follow up to the meeting held in Rome in February with bishops from around the world, including Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Archbishop of Galveston-Houston. - May 9, 2019

• President of U.S. Bishops’ Conference Issues Statement on Pope Francis’s Motu Proprio Ordering Worldwide Response to the Evil of Sexual Abuse - Q&A Included
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has issued the following statement regarding the release of Pope Francis’s Motu Proprio. . . earlier today. - May 9, 2019

• Apostolic Letter Issued Motu Proprio By the Supreme Pontiff Francis "Vos Estis Lux Mundi"
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Mt 5:14). Our Lord Jesus Christ calls every believer to be a shining example of virtue, integrity and holiness. All of us, in fact, are called to give concrete witness of faith in Christ in our lives and, in particular, in our relationship with others. - May 9, 2019

• Cardinal DiNardo Says ‘Much Progress Still Needed’ as Child-Protection Report Released
The U.S. bishops’ conference has released its annual report on the protection of children. The report records an increase in the number of new allegations of clerical sexual abuse being brought forward following the launch of independent compensation programs in some states. - May 31, 2019

• Chicago archdiocese cancels trip to see Elton John’s ‘Rocketman’ with ‘gay male sex’ scene
An outing by parishioners of Holy Name Cathedral — Cardinal Blase Cupich’s archiepiscopal see in Chicago — to watch the R-rated Rocketman film with its “gay male sex” scene has been canceled following a report by LifeSiteNews. - May 31, 2019

• New global Catholic rules against sex abuse build on decades of work
The Vatican’s global norms mandating sex abuse reporting take effect June 1, but two North American archdioceses say their recent decades’ work against clergy sex abuse means they are largely already compliant with the new global requirements for the Catholic Church. - May 31, 2019

• Cardinal Parolin says Vatican will issue declaration on McCarrick investigation
Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Wednesday that the Vatican is still investigating the documentation concerning Theodore McCarrick and will issue a declaration upon the investigation’s completion. - May 30, 2019

• Pontifical university bans top scholar who accused Pope Francis of heresy in open letter
One of the English-speaking world’s greatest living scholars of Classical philosophy was told he has been barred from all Pontifical Universities after he signed an Open Letter along with a number of prominent clergymen and scholars accusing Pope Francis of committing heresy. - May 29, 2019

• Pope Francis: If we saw ‘irregular’ couples, gays as God’s children, things would ‘change a lot’
Pope Francis said in a television interviewwith a Mexican journalist that if Christians “were to convince” themselves that homosexuals and those in “irregular” relationships are “children of God, things would change a lot.” - May 29, 2019

• Pope Francis: Chinese bishops know they ‘must be good patriots’ to Communist regime
In his recent marathon interview with a Mexican journalist, Pope Francis said “relations with China are good, very good” and that two Chinese bishops – one Vatican-appointed from the “underground” Church and one appointed by the Communist government – with whom he recently met “know that they must be good patriots.” - May 29, 2019

• Former secretary says officials knew McCarrick’s ministry was restricted
Pope Benedict XVI had imposed restrictions on the public ministry of former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick in 2008, but they were not formal sanctions and were not followed strictly, even during the papacy of Pope Benedict himself, McCarrick’s former secretary said. - May 29, 2019

• Cardinal Pell Will Not Ask for Shorter Sentence if Appeal Fails
Pell and his lawyers argue that the jury could not have been convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of Pell’s guilt due to the presence of ‘unchallenged exculpatory evidence’ from 20 witnesses. - May 29, 2019

• Pope Francis Responds to Heresy Accusation, China Concerns
Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki asked the pope how he took the accusation that he was a heretic, to which he responded, “With a sense of humor, my daughter.” - May 29, 2019

• Draft of Vatican’s New Curial Constitution Would Reform Lines of Authority
According to the most current version of Praedicate Evangelium(Preach the Gospel), the authority of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith would be reduced. - May 29, 2019

• Viganò Accuses the Pope of Lying As Vatican is Caught Redacting Papal Interview
In an interview published yesterday, Pope Francis finally addressed the allegations made by former US Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò that he knew about the illicit sexual activities of former-Cardinal (and Bergoglio-promoter) Theodore McCarrick. Viganò has always claimed since his first testimony was released in August of 2018 that he personally told the pope about McCarrick. - May 29, 2019

• Did Catholic Relief Services Director Participate in Pagan Ritual?
The Lepanto Institute has obtained a photograph of Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) director participating in a pagan/pantheist ritual.  Ruth Junkin, who is CRS’s Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality in Latin America and the Caribbean, is indicated in the image above by a red arrow.  - May 28, 2019

• Pope Francis compares Trump’s border security to Berlin Wall
In a wide-ranging television interview, Pope Francis compared President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall to the Berlin Wall that divided communist East Germany from freedom in the West. - May 28, 2019

• EXCLUSIVE: Abp Viganò says Pope is lying in latest denial about McCarrick 
For what appears to be the first time, Pope Francis has openly denied that he knew anything of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s immoral activities, directly contradicting Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s account of their conversation on the subject. - May 28, 2019

• Pope Francis releases document about ‘meanness’ to migrants to coincide with EU elections
On Monday, May 27, the day after the European Union parliamentary elections ended, Pope Francis released his World Day of Migrants address. However, according to the Vatican’s Arabic, German, and original English translations, the document was signed on April 30, 2019. - May 28, 2019

• Pope Francis: 'I knew nothing about McCarrick'
Pope Francis has said that he did not know anything about accusations of sexual abuse by Theodore McCarrick, the former cardinal and Archbishop of Washington, prior to when the accusations became public in 2018. - May 28, 2019

• Priest says McCarrick admitted sharing bed with seminarians in letter to Vatican official
A former priest-secretary to Theodore McCarrick has issued a report that claims to contain excerpted quotes from correspondence between the disgraced former cardinal McCarrick and various church officials. - May 28, 2019

• Pope Francis on McCarrick: ‘I Don't Remember’
In the newly published interview, Pope Francis responded to a question about his response to an August 2018 letter by former nuncio to the US Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, in which Viganò claimed he told Pope Francis about the allegations concerning McCarrick in 2013. - May 28, 2019

• Pope Francis Says Argentine Bishop Will Go to Trial for Sexual Misconduct
The Vatican has twice insisted it knew nothing about abuse reports against Zanchetta until the fall of 2018, though media investigations suggest that Pope Francis knew about the allegations in 2015, two years before he gave Zanchetta a Vatican job. - May 28, 2019

• Pope Again Denies Knowledge of McCarrick As New Evidence of Vatican Sanctions Emerges
In a new, wide-ranging interview with with Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki published today in Spanish by Vatican News (English summary available here), Pope Francis broke his nearly year-long silence on charges made by former papal nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò that he knew about Theodore McCarrick’s illicit sexual activities and yet continued to work with with the now-laicized former Cardinal Archbishop of Washington, DC. “Although he knew that he [McCarrick] was a corrupt man,” said Vigano in his testimony last August, the pope “covered for him to the bitter end.” - May 28, 2019

• Police in India Investigate Claim Against Cardinal Gracias for Failure to Report Abuse
The father of the boy has now claimed to authorities that Cardinal Gracias and two of his auxiliaries, Bishops Savio Fernandes and John Rodrigues, had attempted to cover up the abuse and did not properly report the accusation to authorities. - May 24, 2019

• ‘Fraud’: 3rd German bishop rejects ‘synodal path’ to revisit sexual morality, celibacy
In March 2019, after a delay of thirty minutes, an obviously exhausted Cardinal Reinhard Marx announced to the world that the German bishops, in the final minutes of their spring assembly, had “unanimously” approved a “synodal path” for revisiting the Church's teaching on sexual morality, clerical power, and celibacy. - May 24, 2019

• Cardinal Cupich’s cathedral promotes Elton John biopic ‘Rocketman’ despite gay sex scenes
The parish bulletin of Holy Name Cathedral in the Chicago archdiocese advertised that a group of parishioners is getting together to watch the pornographic film Rocketman. - May 23, 2019

• Recordings of priest grooming teenage boy for sex published, show homosexuality’s role in abuse crisis
Recordings of a priest convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault on males have been released, providing incontrovertible evidence of homosexuality as a factor in clerical sexual misconduct. - May 23, 2019

• THE PELL CASE: DEVELOPMENTS DOWN UNDER
In three weeks, a panel of senior judges will hear Cardinal George Pell’s appeal of the unjust verdict rendered against him at his retrial in March, when he was convicted of “historical sexual abuse.” - May 22, 2019

• New D.C. Archbishop Wilton Gregory Addresses Abuse Scandal, Pledges Honesty
In his homily, the successor to Cardinal Donald Wuerl and former cardinal Theodore McCarrick acknowledged that ‘we clerics and hierarchs have irrefutably been the source of the current tempest.’ - May 21, 2019

• German bishops’ plan on sex abuse crisis ‘crazy’, ‘false’: former Vatican doctrine chief
A proposed approach to dealing with the sex abuse crisis outlined by the German bishops in March of this year, which would involve possibly eliminating priestly celibacy and changing Catholic doctrine on sexual morality, is a “crazy” and “absolutely false” one, according to Cardinal Gerhard Müller, Prefect Emeritus of the Vatican’s Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. - May 21, 2019 

• Pope Francis: Bishops who do not know their priests weaken the Church
Pope Francis said Monday that each bishop has a duty to have a strong, close relationship with his priests with a firm warning that episcopal aloofness and favoritism weakens the mission of the Church. - May 21, 2019

• Burns: 'Sensational' raid on Dallas chancery was 'traumatic' and unnecessary
The Bishop of Dallas says that a May 15 police raid on diocesan offices was sensationalism, traumatic, and a waste of resources. - May 21, 2019

• Archbishop Gregory pledges openness at ‘defining moment’ in Washington archdiocese
Archbishop Wilton Gregory expressed “deep gratitude and immeasurable joy” as he took charge of the nation’s capital see Tuesday. - May 21, 2019

• French bishops’ conference to hear testimonies from children of priests
French bishops will meet with the children of priests in June to hear their testimonies of hidden suffering. - May 20, 2019

• Two powerhouse cardinals answer questions on Muslim migration, patriotism, contraception
Cardinals Raymond Burke and Wim Eijk answered eight questions touching on thorny modern issues after their talks at the Rome Life Forum today. - May 17, 2019 

• Bp. Schneider: Open letter accusing Pope Francis of heresy ‘went too far’
The signers of the recent open letter accusing Pope Francis of heresy “went too far,” Bishop Athanasius Schneider said, and the examples given for the charge do not constitute “formal” heresy. - May 17, 2019

• German bishop laments ‘shackle’ of Church’s refusal to ordain women
Speaking to journalists on 16 May at an annual press meeting of his diocese of Erfurt, German bishop Ulrich Neymeyr made some stunning remarks with regard to female priests. He said female priests in the Catholic Church are theologically conceivable, adding that “some things” still need to be “reflected upon.” For example, he explained, “what does representation [of Christ] mean? How far does it go? And does it need to be related to [biological] sex?” - May 17, 2019

• INTERVIEW: Dutch Cardinal Willem Eijk answers questions on crisis in Church, loss of faith
Cardinal Willem Eijk, archbishop of Utrecht, is at present one of the most outspoken defenders of perennial Catholic teaching in the Church. He has repeatedly asked for “clarity” from Rome and especially from the Pope, be it regarding the interpretation of Amoris laetitia or other points such as intercommunion in the Catholic Mass for some Protestant faithful. - May 15, 2019

• 'I was deeply moved and saddened'- How Polish bishops react to documentary on clerical abuse 
Catholics bishops in Poland are responding to a new documentary that addresses clerical sexual abuse in the country. - May 15, 2019

• German bishop supports 'Church strike' for women's ordination
At least one bishop has offered his support for a week-long “Church strike” organized by German Catholic women, during which participants organize their own prayer services rather than attending Mass. - May 15, 2019

• Police search Dallas diocesan chancery
Police are conducting a search of Church premises in the Diocese of Dallas. Officers executed a warrant on the chancery offices at 7:30 am local time. - May 15, 2019

• Professor John Rist: Why I Signed the Papal Heresy Open Letter
In an interview with the Register, the noted Catholic scholar explains what impelled him to sign the controversial letter and replies to some of the criticisms directed against it. - May 15, 2019

• Church Renewal, One Priest at a Time
Men are proceeding with their ordinations in the post-McCarrick era. While in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, Martin Vu heard the startling words of Jesus: “Martin — I want you to be my priest. And one day, you can raise up the Eucharist.” - May 15, 2019

• Cardinal keeps repeating ‘diversity,’ ‘new paths’ to come from Amazonian Synod
The German-Brazilian cardinal appointed the relator general of the Amazonian Synod has emphasized that the Church will be asked to embrace “diversity” and novelties as a result of the October meeting. - May 14, 2019

• California bishops announce compensation program for abuse victims
Bishops in California announced May 14 a new program to compensate victims of clerical sexual abuse, through which any person sexually abused as a minor by a diocesan priest can apply for compensation— no matter when the abuse occurred. - May 14, 2019

• Victims of clergy abuse sue Vatican, seek names of abusers
Five men who say they were sexually abused by Catholic priests when they were minors are planning to sue the Vatican and are demanding the names of thousands of predator priests they claim have been kept secret by the Holy See. - May 14, 2019

• Chilean bishop backtracks, gives communion to kneeling recipients after refusing to do so
The Chilean bishop who denied Communion last month to Catholics kneeling to receive the Eucharist at a diocesan Mass has since distributed the sacrament to the faithful who were kneeling at a subsequent Mass. - May 13, 2019

• Barron urges Catholics not to quit over scandals, but stay and fight
It’s now been almost a year since the latest wave of the clerical sexual abuse scandals in Catholicism erupted with news that the Vatican had removed then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick from ministry following allegations deemed credible by a review board in the Archdiocese of New York. - May 13, 2019

• U.S. church leaders in favor of new rules on sexual abuse reporting
U.S. church leaders welcomed the norms issued by Pope Francis May 9 giving clear direction to the global Catholic Church about reporting abuse and holding church leaders accountable, saying it confirms what they already have in place and also gives them a way forward. - May 13, 2019

• Fr. Larry Richards apologizes to Church Militant, admits ‘hypocrisy’
A celebrity priest has apologized to the Catholic media company he has been accused of maligning.  - May 13, 2019

• Beijing and Rome can work together, Parolin tells Chinese media
In an interview with a Chinese state-run publication, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin welcomed the opportunity for China and the Holy See to work together to “build a more secure and prosperous world.” - May 13, 2019

• Cupich denounces pastor's decision to host Nation of Islam leader
Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago is distancing himself from the decision of a pastor who invited controversial preacher Louis Farrakhan to speak at his parish, saying that he was not consulted before Farrakhan’s talk. - May 11, 2019

• Dutch bishop removes priest after ‘anti-gay’ homily upholding Church teaching
Father Marc Massaer will be leaving his present parish in the diocese of ’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, by the 1st of July. His removal is seen by many as a consequence of a strongly worded sermon he gave last December 26, speaking out against gender ideology and same-sex unions. - May 10, 2019

• Pope: Critics would be ‘happy if we had hanged 100 abuser priests in St. Peter’s Square’
If the Church had “hanged 100 abuser priests in St. Peter’s Square” at last February’s Vatican sex abuse summit, anti-abuse organizations “would have been happy” but it would not have solved the problem, Pope Francis told the International Union of Superiors General on Friday. - May 10, 2019

• Bishop Olmsted sees 'renewal' in priestly formation, despite scandal
Despite the scandals of clerical sexual abuse that the Catholic Church has suffered in past decades, the Church in the United States has also enjoyed a “renewal” in priestly formation, says Bishop Thomas Olmstead of Phoenix, Arizona. - May 10, 2019

• Former head of German sex abuse study claims bishop threatened and tried to silence him
Professor Christian Pfeiffer, a German criminologist, reveals in a Zeit interview for the first time the treatment he received from Bishop Stephan Ackermann (Trier) when they had a falling out over how to conduct the clerical sex abuse study started in 2011. - May 9, 2019

• Pope Francis issues norms for reports of abuse of minors, seminarians, and religious
New Vatican norms for the Church’s handling of sex abuse, issued Thursday, place seminarians and religious coerced into sexual activity through the misuse of authority in the same criminal category as abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. - May 9, 2019

• Cardinal Mueller: ‘There has never been an ordained female diaconate’
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former Prefect of the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, insists that in the history of the Catholic Church, “there has never been an ordained female diaconate (except a blessing, in part, similar to the minor orders and to the sub-diaconate).” - May 9, 2019

• Buffalo diocese denies ‘crackdown’ on seminarians who reported priests’ lewd talk
The Diocese of Buffalo and Christ the King Seminary are unequivocally denying a report that the seminary is conducting a leak investigation into seminarians who spoke up about diocesan priests having vulgar conversations at a party held at a parish rectory last month. - May 8, 2019

• After Vatican-China deal, Chinese bishop imprisoned for 23 years is not yet released
The nephew of a Chinese bishop who was arrested 23 years ago has said he does not know where his uncle is incarcerated, or even whether he is still alive. - May 8, 2019

• Vatican’s former doctrine chief sounds alarm on Francis’ plans to reorder curia
The Vatican’s former Prefect of the Congregation for Doctrine has strongly criticized a draft document containing Pope Francis’ plans for an overhaul of the curia — where “doctrine” is expected to take a backseat to “evangelization” —  stating that the plans do not contain a “convincing concept of the origin, essence, and mission of the Church,” and, pointing out that one passage of the document even contains “shocking theological cluelessness." - May 6, 2019

• Leading Catholics react to Open Letter accusing Pope Francis of heresy
Catholic philosophers, theologians, apologists, canonists, and journalists have responded to the April 30 “Open Letter to the Bishops” where 19 prominent clergymen and scholars accuse Pope Francis of committing heresy. - May 6, 2019

• Speaking out, hopeful, and waiting for change
Esther Harber says she was raped by a priest in 2010. Nine years later, through grace and her own courage, Harber’s story, and her life, are moving forward in hope. - May 3, 2019 

• Pope Francis calls for new ‘supranational’ authorities to enforce UN goals
Pope Francis made a strong new push for globalism on Thursday, calling for a supranational, legally constituted body to enforce United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and implement “climate change” policies. - May 2, 2019

• Catholic Relief Services listed as partner in Rwanda contraception project
On April 26, several Rwandan government agencies, including the Ministry of Health, officially launched a three-year initiative called the Baho Neza Integrated Health Campaign to encourage the use and distribution of contraception. Catholic Relief Services is identified as one of the implementing partners on this campaign. - May 2, 2019

• Archbishop Gregory Promises Transparency During State Investigation
During his time leading the USCCB from 2001-2003, Gregory helped shape the Church’s response to the sexual abuse crisis, playing a leading role in the drafting and implementation of the Dallas Charter and USCCB Essential Norms. - May 2, 2019

• Pope Francis calls for new ‘supranational’ authorities to enforce UN goals
Pope Francis made a strong new push for globalism on Thursday, calling for a supranational, legally constituted body to enforce United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and implement “climate change” policies. - May 2, 2019

• Theologians accuse pope of heresy
A group of nineteen Catholics, including some prominent academics, have published an open letter to the bishops of the world accusing Pope Francis of heresy. - May 1, 2019

• Infiltration: An idiot’s guide to the problems of the Church
To my great sadness, Sophia Institute Press has just published Taylor R. Marshall’s Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within. The publisher is offering it under its “CRISIS Publications” imprint, designed to address problems “with clarity, cogency, and force” through books that are “destined to become all-time classics.” Infiltration is certainly an all-time classic…in the category of conspiracy theories. - May 31, 2019

• The unjust punishment of a scholarly papal critic
Last year when he issued new rules for the governance of pontifical ecclesiastical faculties, Pope Francis called for a “culture of encounter” that would encourage “wide-ranging dialogue.” But there are limits, apparently, to how widely the dialogue should range. - May 31, 2019

• Critics do a disservice to Open Letter on Pope Francis’ heresies by ignoring its core arguments
In the wake of the issuance of the “Open letter to the bishops of the Catholic Church” regarding Pope Francis’ alleged guilt of heresy, critics of the letter have been eager to exploit the very real flaws in the document while evading or even distorting its many valid points. - May 31, 2019

• Vigano vindicated? Catholic voices debate Msgr. Figueiredo revelations
Catholic pundits are arguing over whether or not Archbishop Viganò was vindicated by revelations by Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo about sanctions placed on the sexually abusive then-cardinal Theodore McCarrick. - May 31, 2019

• As Amazon Synod approaches, Vatican’s claims about environment deserve scrutiny
Preparations are in full swing for the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in the Amazon Basin, set to take place from October 6 to 27, 2019. The synod will reflect on the theme: “The Amazon: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology.” - May 30, 2019

• New interview, new revelations damage Pope’s credibility
In his latest interview Pope Francis says that he does not remember whether or not Archbishop Vigano told him about Theodore McCarrick’s sexual misconduct. He also insists that he knew “nothing, obviously, nothing, nothing” about McCarrick’s misconduct. Those two claims do not sit comfortably side by side. - May 29, 2019

• Beyond the Fog of Politics
It’s not easy to interpret the recent European Union elections. Mainstream liberal and conservative parties lost considerable ground while “populists” and, in some countries, Greens showed strong gains. But the raw numbers call for careful parsing. - May 29, 2019

• VIDEO: Pope’s lack of clarity is a sign of the end times: chatting with Cardinal Eijk
In May of 2018, Cardinal William Eijk of the Netherlands, said the Pope's lack of clarity regarding intercommunion reminded him of "The Church's ultimate trial. Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Article 675). - May 28, 2019

• Cardinal’s Former Secretary: Vatican Knew About McCarrick’s Misconduct
Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo of Newark published excerpts from private correspondence on his website. - May 28, 2019

• What Comes Next, O Spirit of Vatican II?
Pope Francis left another trail of confusion and frustration with his May 23 homily to the 21^st general assembly of Caritas Internationalis. In it, Pope Francis explained that, among other things, Christ did not want the Church to be a perfect model and that the apostles “did not need a bunch of doctrines and traditions,” but rather simply to announce that “God is love.” - May 28, 2019

• Quick Hits: Questioning the priesthood, dangerous ‘proselytism’, new rules on abuse
When The Atlantic published an essay entitled, “Abolish the Priesthood,” everyone who saw the magazine’s cover knew instinctively that the author, James Carroll, was writing about the Catholicpriesthood. That’s a point that Father Paul Mankowski makes in the opening paragraph of his reaction, published by First Things. - May 24, 2019

• Pope Emeritus Benedict Is Right: The Sexual Revolution Is Part of the Problem
Pope Emeritus Benedict wrote an extended essay on the clergy sex-abuse and cover-up scandal, where he cited the sexual revolution coming of age in Europe in 1968 as a contributing factor.  - May 24, 2019

• Uprooted: For Those Concerned about the Church, You’re Not Alone
Are you struggling to make sense of all the confusion in the Church and suffering because of it? Then you need to read this book! - May 23, 2019

• A Solid Foundation for Reform
The motu proprio released earlier this month by Pope Francis – Vos estis lux mundi– is not everything the Church in the United States could have hoped for, but it is a good deal more than many expected. - May 23, 2019

• VIDEO: Does Pope Francis disapprove of having large families?
Scripture teaches us that God is the author of life. Children are truly a blessing and in procreation parents cooperate with God in creating new souls for heaven is a glorious teaching.  - May 21, 2019

• THE CRISIS CONTINUES
Vos Estis Lux Mundi, the new papal directive for handling sex abuse charges, takes a few steps toward reform within the Catholic Church. But the papal document—a motu proprio, carrying the force of canon law—falls well short of an adequate response to a burgeoning scandal. - May 21, 2019

• SO LONG, CARDINAL WUERL
Today marks Archbishop Wilton Gregory’s long-awaited arrival in Washington, D.C. But while all eyes and expectations are focused on the new man in the capital see, some thought should be spared for the one he replaces: Cardinal Donald Wuerl. - May 21, 2019

• The New Pro-Life Moment
Something out of the ordinary happened this past week. On Saturday, over 10,000 people walked the streets of Rome in defense of children in the womb. Italian lay people have organized a march for nine years now, and it grows – despite no support from the Italian bishops – including the pope. - May 20, 2019

• Reflections on the New Sex-Abuse Norms
Last week, Pope Francis issued new canonical norms to deal with the plague of the sexual abuse of minors and adults by clerics and religious. His motu proprio “You are the light of the World” (Vos estis lux mundi) establishes new provisions to deal with the questions of how crimes against the Sixth Commandment are to be reported to Church authorities, and what is to be done when the person accused is a bishop. - May 18, 2019

• The ‘distraction’ of priestly celibacy
In the five weeks that have passed since Pope-emeritus Benedict published his letter on the roots of the sex-abuse scandal, critics of the former Pontiff have been remarkably successful at repressing his message. Their strategy has been to question the propriety of Benedict’s message—whether he should have spoken out at all—rather than its content. - May 17, 2019

• The Church, The Crisis, and The Parable of the Bear
Everywhere we look, the signs are clear: the crisis in the Church is ubiquitous. If anything, things are continuing to escalate, and there’s no end in sight. I spend a good bit of time in the comment boxes here at 1P5, and I see the outrage, the frustration, and the sadness. I see the questions that people are asking. They want to know what’s going to happen. They want to know what to do next. - May 17, 2019

• Making the best case for that open letter on papal heresy
John Rist, perhaps the most distinguished scholar among those who signed the open letter charging Pope Francis with heresy, has explained his action in an interview with the National Catholic Register. I would strongly urge all concerned Catholics to read the entire interview. - May 16, 2019

• The Fatima Message & Our Ongoing Battle for the Soul of the Church
Earlier this week, the 102nd anniversary of the first Fatima message came to pass. Many Catholics never expected to see the end of the centenary year without some great miracle transpiring — some heavenly signal to bring about the end of the present chastisement. - May 16, 2019

• Bishop Barron’s New Book Shows How to Defeat the ‘Devil’s Masterpiece’
Scandal is driving many Catholics from the Church, but L.A. prelate urges: ‘Stay and fight.’ Bishop Robert Barron pulls no punches in Letter to a Suffering Church: A Bishop Speaks on the Sexual Abuse Crisis, making a direct and powerful appeal to every Catholic tempted to flee the Church after a hellish year of unremitting scandal. - May 15, 2019

• German Catholic women, in thrall to the world, boycott Mass
This may be stating the obvious, but there is a great deal wrong with the widely-supported decision of German Catholic women’s groups to boycott Mass and refuse Church work in order to protest episcopal inaction on (a) sex abuse, and, wait for it, (b) women’s ordination. It is one more compelling indicator of how secularized Catholicism has become in Germany. - May 14, 2019

• VIDEO: Is Pope Francis trying to open the door to contraception?
The Catholic Church has faced an internal war against her teaching on contraception for decades with the Popes fighting valiantly to defend and explain why the Church promotes openness to life. - May 14, 2019

• Bishop Barron’s letter on the abuse crisis is a gift to the Church
Bishop Robert Barron’s new book, “Letter to a Suffering Church: A Bishop Speaks on the Sexual Abuse Crisis,” is a gift to the Church. - May 13, 2019

• ‘Motu proprio’ provides firm, universal response
The document Vos estis lux mundi (“You are the light of the world”), issued motu proprio (“on his own initiative”) and signed by Pope Francis on May 7 and published two days later, sets the stage for a new and revolutionary approach to fighting sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. - May 13, 2019

• Analysis: 'Vos estis' and 'vulnerability'
Pope Francis’ recently promulgated policy on sexual abuse allegations made against bishops, Vos estis lux mundi, offers a new and much expanded interpretation of what constitutes a canonical sexual crime by a cleric. - May 13, 2019

• The Church’s teaching on homosexuality
Readers of The Washington Post were treated several Sundays ago to an op-ed diatribe by columnist David Von Drehle in which he assailed “finger-pointing bedroom police” who have the nerve to say — as nearly all Christians and Jews have said until quite recently — that homosexual sex is wrong. - May 12, 2019

• They Will Hunger and Thirst No More 
The celebration of the wonder of the Resurrection must include the celebration of its stupendous effects. They are so profound that the Church just touches on one each Sunday in the Easter Season. - May 12, 2019

• The Dubia Were Answered
Perhaps it was because Notre-Dame de Paris was burning. Perhaps it was because the best place to hide something from view is in plain sight.  Or perhaps it was because we look for power in wind, earthquake, and fire, but miss the “still small voice” of God when He passes by. (1 Kgs 19:11-13) - May 11, 2019

• Cardinal Müller on the Truth
Gerhard Cardinal Müller, who served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2012 to 2017, has sometimes been compared with his great predecessor, Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI), who not only appointed him but filled that position himself from 1981 until his election to the papacy in 2005. - May 10, 2019 

• Pope Francis issues law requiring clergy, religious to report sex abuse
Pope Francis on Thursday issued an apostolic letter that requires all priests and other religious to report to their superiors any credible accusations of clerical sexual abuse and cover-ups. - May 10, 2019

• Analysis: Is Pope Francis' new abuse plan the answer Catholics are looking for?
Pope Francis, the “pope of surprises,” lived up to his nickname this morning, by releasing a comprehensive canonical plan to address the investigation of bishops accused of sexual abuse or coercion, or of interfering in investigation of such conduct. - May 9, 2019

• Good points and bad in new Vatican sex-abuse guidelines
The new canonical norms for the handling of sex-abuse complaints, issued by Pope Francis today, resolve some of the problems that have contributed to the scandal. Other important problems, unfortunately, remain unresolved. - May 9, 2019

• Unfinished Business
Next month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will meet in general assembly in Baltimore. The bishops left their November meeting without any decisive action towards ensuring accountability for bishops. - May 9, 2019

• New Motu Proprio on Clerical Sex Abuse Raises Standards, But Questions Remain
A new papal motu proprio letter, Vos Estis Lux Mundi, makes some important changes to the way the Vatican handles clerical sexual abuse. The plan, promulgated today, goes into effect on June 1, 2019. - May 9, 2019

• If You Had All the Time in the World, How Would You Attack the Church?
The recent Open Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church, accusing Pope Francis of heresy, precipitated a large number of commentaries. A common response was to cite ecclesiastical law for the proposition that “no one judges the pope” and then ask, “So what is the point of accusing him of heresy?” - May 9, 2019

• Catholic Culture Has Changed Forever: And That’s a Good Thing
COMMENTARY: The sex-abuse scandal has given ordinary laypeople the ability to facilitate real change. Case in point: the Diocese of Buffalo, New York. - May 8, 2019

• Papal Heresy Open Letter: Was It a Bridge Too Far?
Many Church leaders agree that doctrinal confusion needs to be addressed, but strongly disagree that accusing Pope Francis of heresy will help remedy the situation. - May 8, 2019

• Analysis: Power, and its appearance, in Vatican curial reform
In the coming months, Pope Francis is expected to approve a final draft of a new governing constitution for the Roman Curia. Evangelium praedicate, as it is expected to be called, will mark the culmination of six years of reforming efforts led by the pope’s Council of Cardinals. - May 8, 2019

• Once the crazy talk starts, it is hard to stop
The pope who took office in 1958 when I was ten was Pope Saint John XXIII. He died when I was in high school and so, understandably, he was the first pope whom I considered at all in relationship to the tensions in the Church of which I was slowly becoming aware. - May 8, 2019

• The Many and the One
An old philosophical question concerns the relationship between the Many and the One, which seems like the kind of abstraction that only troubled long-dead philosophers and theologians. But there’s more at stake – much more – in the question than first appears, everything from living a life of integrity to the meaning of heresy. - May 8, 2019

• The right and the not so right in the open letter accusing Pope Francis of heresy
What should we think of the recent open letter accusing Pope Francis of heresy, signed by Fr. Aidan Nichols, Prof. John Rist, and other priests and academics (and for which Prof. Josef Seifert has now expressed his support)? - May 8, 2019

• Pope Francis tells Swiss Guards: ‘Religious diversity’ is ‘human wealth’
Pope Francis extolled the fact that not all people yet believe in Christ in a recent speech he gave to the Swiss Guards. - May 8, 2019

• Bp. Schneider: Pope must formally correct statement that God wills false religions
In a new interview, Bishop Athanasius Schneider makes it clear that the pope’s private correction of his official Abu Dhabi statement — according to which the “diversity of religions” is “willed by God” — that Bishop Schneider himself was able to receive from Pope Francis on March 1 is not sufficient. - May 8, 2019

• When Creeping Normalcy Bias Protects a Chaotic Pope
Reactions to the Open Letter accusing Pope Francis of holding seven heretical propositions — a letter that now bears the signatures of 81 clergy, religious, and scholars — have ranged from strong support (Zmirak, Coulombe, Verrecchio) to sympathetic critiques (Lawler, Feser, Weinandy, Shaw) to undisguised hostility (Akin, Armstrong, Condon, most media outlets). - May 8, 2019

• On saving the Church by breaking the tensions intrinsic to the Church’s life
The furor over the question of how we should respond to Pope Francis’ alleged heresies reminds me of the tensions between the human and the Divine which run all through the Church, and the Faith, and Christian thought. In nearly every case, it is a refusal to be willing to live with this inherent tension that causes people to fall into deadly beliefs and practices. - May 7, 2019

• A Brief Update on the Open Letter on Papal Heresy
There have been a number of developments on the Open Letter accusing the pope of heresy since I first summarized it in this space on April 30. - May 7, 2019

• Guilty or Not Guilty? Withhold Judgment in Abuse Cases
We are in the midst of the Easter season: He is Risen, alleluia, alleluia! We read in the book of the Apocalypse that Jesus Christ is “the first and the last” (22:13). Indeed, He is first in the eternal sense, but He is also first in what we as Christians are to value. We know from Scripture that Christ, the Word of God Incarnate, is the Truth and that we are to follow the truth. - May 7, 2019

• Benedict’s Essay Broadens Conversation on Causes of Crisis
COMMENTARY: The pope emeritus’ essay invites examination of three particular causes of the sex-abuse problem that has plagued the Church. The recent essay of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, “The Church and the Scandal of Sexual Abuse,” was an apt summary of a long life of ecclesial and theological service, as I commented previously. At the same time, it significantly advances the Church’s handling of the sexual-abuse crisis. - May 7, 2019

• IS POPE FRANCIS A HERETIC?
Nineteen theologians and academics recently released a letter to all Catholic bishops throughout the world, accusing Pope Francis of being a heretic and urging the bishops to take action, even canonical, in order to rectify this dire state of affairs. - May 7, 2019

• Before Pope Francis was accused of heresy, Catholics reached out to him numerous times
The April 30 Open Letter to Bishops has caused much discussion among Catholic circles. The authors of the letter have appealed to the bishops of the world, for the sake of the salvation of souls, “as our spiritual fathers, vicars of Christ within your own jurisdictions and not vicars of the Roman pontiff, publicly to admonish Pope Francis to abjure the heresies that he has professed.”  - May 7, 2019

• Pope Francis, the Open Letter, and the Pesky Preface
Several days have now gone by since the release of an open letter to the world’s Catholic bishops which accuses Pope Francis of the delict of heresy (see “Prominent clergy, scholars accuse Pope Francis of heresy in open letter”). The full document issued by these scholars may be found here. As I said in a prior article about this “Open Letter” (see “Regarding the Open Letter accusing Pope Francis of Heresy”), “it provides a very strong case for the accusation it makes, one which the cardinals and bishops of the Church would be derelict not to take up and sincerely consider” (1). - May 6, 2019

• Is the Pope a heretic? The danger of asking the wrong question
Was it sheer frustration that prompted a group of Catholic scholars to issue their open letter charging Pope Francis with heresy? If so, I can understand. I share the frustration. The silence of the Catholic hierarchy, in the face of confusion that is tearing the Church apart, is maddening. - May 3, 2019

• Theories that Francis is not the Pope (or can be deposed) destroy the credibility of the Church
This essay, originally published on November 7, 2017, explains why any effort to depose the pope or declare that he has automatically been deposed through heresy is not only untenable but fundamentally damaging to the Church. - May 2, 2019

• Analysis: Serious and unserious allegations of papal heresy
On April 30, a group of 19 Catholics released an open letter to the bishops of the world, accusing the pope of heresy and demanding that the college of bishops act to make him “adjure.” - May 2, 2019

• On Charging a Pope with Heresy
If you are going to charge anybody (especially the pope) with heresy, you need to prove your case, and this letter doesn’t. - May 2, 2019

• Theories that Francis is not the Pope (or can be deposed) destroy the credibility of the Church
This essay, originally published on November 7, 2017, explains why any effort to depose the pope or declare that he has automatically been deposed through heresy is not only untenable but fundamentally damaging to the Church. - May 2, 2019

• Theories That Francis Is Not the Pope (or Can Be Deposed) Destroy the Credibility of the Church
Dr. Jeff Mirus reminds us that "no power on earth can remove him or declare him removed from office, and to think the contrary is simply to fall into another form of Protestant chaos." It leads us down the road to "private judgement" about the Church's divine constitution and away from catholic faith in the Holy Spirit's protection of the Church. - May 2, 2019

• Serious and Unserious Allegations of Papl Heresy
Don't be so quick to accept at face value the April 30, 2019 open letter accusing the pope of heresy, says Ed Condon. He highlights the letter's lack of distinction between formal and material heresy among other concerns. - May 2, 2019

• The Crisis of Ecclesial Communion
The Catholic Church in the United States is frequently said to be suffering its most serious crisis ever. History will have the final say on that. - May 1, 2019

• Analysis: With bishops in a tight spot, will priests get squeezed?
Last week, Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo suspended three priests who were accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual conversations with diocesan seminarians. - May 1, 2019

• New book exposes diabolical scheme used by Catholic Church’s enemies to gain access to papacy
Dr. Taylor Marshall, a well-known theologian and expert in Thomism as well as a supporter of the Traditional Latin Mass, has written a book on the infiltration of the Catholic Church by anti-Catholic forces. The book is titled Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church From Within, and it is published by Sophia Institute Press. - May 28, 2019

• Clergy Sex Abuse

•St. Anthony Messenger Issue on Sex Abuse in the Church - May 27, 2019

• An urgent call to pray for priests through prayer and sacrifice
“No words I can use would be too strong to state that the Catholic priesthood needs prayer and sacrifice as never before since Calvary,” wrote the late Jesuit Father John Hardon in “The Value of Prayer and Sacrifice for Priests.” He reflects on 30 years of teaching priests, living with priests “and having labored for them, loving them and suffering with them.” - May 21, 2019

• Roberto de Mattei on Resisting the Pope in the Modern Age
For those seeking to navigate the turbulence in the life of the Church, Professor Roberto de Mattei has just published a collection of addresses and essays that provide a profound historical perspective on the present moment that is completely faithful to the Tradition of the Church and to her Founder, Jesus Christ. - May 21, 2019

• Make Fidelity Great Again
Let your wife and children see the hero in you. In the past few years, I have witnessed an increasing number of married Catholic friends and acquaintances leave their wives. It’s sickening, heartbreaking and confusing. Obviously, outsiders can never be completely aware of the details; indeed, the couple themselves may not be fully aware of all the causes that led to the sad effect. - May 14, 2019

• Vos estis lux mundi
On May 9, Pope Francis issued a Motu proprio, a mandate directed to the Universal Church, as a follow up to the meeting held in Rome in February with bishops from around the world, including Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Archbishop of Galveston-Houston.   - May 9, 2019