Tag: Pope Francis

At consistory, Cardinal Zen slams synodality as ‘ironclad manipulation’ and ‘insult’ to bishops

By Edward Pentin Jan 10, 2026 / 11:30 am / Catholic News Agency Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun delivered a forceful critique of synodality at the extraordinary consistory of cardinals this week, decrying the process as an “ironclad manipulation” that was an “insult to the dignity of the bishops.”  The bishop emeritus of Hong Kong also described… Read More At consistory, Cardinal Zen slams synodality as ‘ironclad manipulation’ and ‘insult’ to bishops

SDH

On the Doctrine of the Modernists. Pope St. Pius X – 1907

“…Although they express their astonishment that We should number them amongst the enemies of the Church, no one will be reasonably surprised that We should do so, if, leaving out of account the internal disposition of the soul, of which God alone is the Judge, he considers their tenets, their manner of speech, and their… Read More On the Doctrine of the Modernists. Pope St. Pius X – 1907

SDH

“Generous Exemptions” from Pope Francis’ Restrictions on The Latin Mass On Route?

This week Raymond Arroyo, Father Gerald Murray, and Robert Royal break down new reports suggesting Pope Leo may be easing the Latin Mass restrictions through broader exemptions. They examine what this means for bishops, traditional communities, and whether these changes signal the beginning of a quiet shift away from Traditionis Custodes. The Posse also unpacks… Read More “Generous Exemptions” from Pope Francis’ Restrictions on The Latin Mass On Route?

SDH

In the Most Grave Confusion(s): “The People Are Not Oblidged to Know…”

St. Antoninus writes: In the Event of the Most Grave Confusion(s): “The people are not oblidged to know…” And St. Thomas Aquinas on whether one must avoid (ipso facto or otherwise) excommunicated persons before sentence has been passed Principles St. Antoninus, commenting on the Great Western Schism. (1054 A.D.) “The question was much discussed and much… Read More In the Most Grave Confusion(s): “The People Are Not Oblidged to Know…”

SDHLeave a comment

Dr. Ralph Martin on Bishop Barron and the fraught legacy of Francis

… and the Challenges for Leo. “In his May 12 article in First Things — “Francis is Full” — Bishop Robert Barron eloquently wrote of the late Pontiff’s many positive accomplishments as well as some very serious problems like a legacy of disunity. Bishop Barron’s evaluation of Pope Francis’ ministry provides a lens through which… Read More Dr. Ralph Martin on Bishop Barron and the fraught legacy of Francis

SDH

Michael Davies on the Indefectibility of the Mass of Paul VI.

by Michael Davies.From Catholic, October 1996. The Catholic Church was founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son made Man. He has promised His Church that She will continue to exist exactly as He constituted her until He comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead. The Catholic Church is the Church that is indefectible. The… Read More Michael Davies on the Indefectibility of the Mass of Paul VI.

SDH

Insularity

Insularity: speaks only to insiders or fans, alienating broader audiences. For example, a critic might say: “The film collapses under its own self-referential weight, obsessed with referencing itself rather than telling a compelling story.” God forbid that we Christians devolve into this kind of self-referential vanity. For all his problems, Pope Francis was correct in… Read More Insularity

SDH

Did Pope Francis Deliberately Mislead Church Regarding TLM Survey?

“A secret Vatican survey finally surfaces—and it tells a very different story than the one Pope Francis used to restrict the Latin Mass. In this explosive episode of The Prayerful Posse, Raymond Arroyo is joined by canon lawyer Fr. Gerald Murray and editor Robert Royal to unpack the newly leaked document that exposes how most… Read More Did Pope Francis Deliberately Mislead Church Regarding TLM Survey?

SDHLeave a comment

Farewell, Francis. Hello, Leo XIV

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK By Pieter Vree, Editor | June 2025 | New Oxford Review Notebook. Well, that’s finally over. Pope Francis died on April 21, bringing to a close a chaotic pontificate characterized by chronic confusion and polarizing polemics. The late Pope, an imprecise thinker, writer, and speaker, was known to engage in studied ambiguity and to issue pointed barbs.… Read More Farewell, Francis. Hello, Leo XIV

SDHLeave a comment

The post-Francis Era

I suspect most of his legacy will be allowed to fade away. It will matter only to small aging liberal sects until they pass too. The history of the Church shows this. Who thinks of Hans Küng much anymore? Certainly not Catholics. That there is a so-called ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ in Catholicism is a ridiculous thing. Certainly… Read More The post-Francis Era

SDH

John XXIII, Benedict XVI and Francis. 2015.

See also, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and a New World Order. Our complex theological predicament, which only the hierarchical Church may, in time, formally adjudicate. By Stephen Hand. 2015. If Francis and Cardinal Kasper have taught us anything over the past few years, it’s that without resurrecting that final “checkmate,” which popes from the… Read More John XXIII, Benedict XVI and Francis. 2015.

SDH3 Comments

LBC interviews Gavin Ashenden on Pope Francis.

LBC interviews Gavin Ashenden on PopeFrancis on Palm Sunday 2025, on Death, resignation of popes, & the Latin Mass. ++ Cardinal Gerhard Müller and participants of the 13th Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage Oct. 26, 2024 St. Peter’s Basilica. + Summorum Pontificum Conference Celebrates Benedict XVI’s Liturgical Legacy (2015) + Cardinal Raymond Burke offers Traditional Latin Mass,… Read More LBC interviews Gavin Ashenden on Pope Francis.

SDH

Is Shane Right?

He writes, “Pope Francis has already done irreparable damage to the office of the papacy itself. Never again will a (non-ex cathedra) papal teaching just be accepted by the Faithful without scrutiny or criticism. It is done. It cannot be undone. Francis has left his mark, and it’s permanent”. If we do not elect a… Read More Is Shane Right?

SDH

Pope Francis and The Two Minds of (Cardinal?!) Timothy Radcliffe

…. and Fr. Gerald Murray on the new “altar” of the new Notre Dame Cathedral. If the altar is absurdist, “unworthy, unsuitable, modernistic” does it not mock the very beauty which is supposed to enshrine it? Making war on the Catholic Tradition. Catholic thinker and apologist Trent Horn writes, “Pope Francis announced that he would… Read More Pope Francis and The Two Minds of (Cardinal?!) Timothy Radcliffe

SDH

Why Was the Synod So Silent on the Traditional Latin Mass?

Edward Pentin. National Catholic Register. Traditional Latin Mass communities are flourishing around the world with rising vocations and strong Mass attendance but their existence was ignored in the Synod on Synodality’s October assembly and final report. VATICAN CITY — One of the persistent criticisms of the final assembly of the Synod on Synodality has been… Read More Why Was the Synod So Silent on the Traditional Latin Mass?

SDH

NPR and the TLM

Mocking retro-politics, retro-sexual morality and “Q-Anon Adjacent” traditional Catholics: “Beneath the veil of the internet’s ‘Trad Caths’”. “… there’s been an uptick in “Trad Cath” content — internet for “traditionalist Catholic” — promoting traditions like the Latin Mass and women wearing veils in church. A lot of these traditions are vibes and aesthetic-based, and easily… Read More NPR and the TLM

SDH

Cardinal Gerhard Müller warns against bishops betraying their divine mission

Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register reports, “At the IX Pax Liturgica Meeting in Rome today, Cardinal Gerhard Müller warned against bishops betraying their divine mission by relativising doctrine and failing to uphold the orthodox faith. “We must not give in to the following suggestion: If you want to reach people today and be… Read More Cardinal Gerhard Müller warns against bishops betraying their divine mission

SDH

Cardinal Gerhard Müller Questions Canonical Legitimacy of Synod

OSV. German Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Vatican Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2012 to 2017, spoke with OSV News briefly as he wound down a three-week visit to the United States with a quick stop at a health care ethics seminar hosted by the National Catholic Bioethics Center in… Read More Cardinal Gerhard Müller Questions Canonical Legitimacy of Synod

SDH

German ‘Synodality’ and the World Church. George Wiegel.

“…Can the Holy Spirit really be calling the Church to abandon structures of ecclesial governance whose evolution over time the Holy Spirit presumably inspired? How can the Holy Spirit teach us one thing about the ethics of human love and the nature of marriage for two millennia, and then “surprise” us by calling the Church… Read More German ‘Synodality’ and the World Church. George Wiegel.

SDH

Revisiting The Kasper-Ratzinger debate

… and the state of the Church.. unfinished controversy? | New Oxford Review 2001. Cardinal Walter Kasper famously contested Cardinal Ratzinger’s defense of the “ontological primacy of the universal church” over the local churches. By Philip Blosser | April 2002Philip Blosser, Professor of Philosophy at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, North Carolina. “When Cardinals clash in… Read More Revisiting The Kasper-Ratzinger debate

SDHLeave a comment

Shame. African Archbishops: ‘They Are Sending Us Missionaries of Evil’

National Catholic Register. Church leaders tell the Register that rogue NGOs and recruitment into sex parties are among the ways Western entities are imposing LGBTQ ‘proselytization’ in Africa. Youth — street kids in Kampala, Uganda, are shown — are particularly vulnerable to the ideologies of Western aid groups working in Africa; various groups aim to… Read More Shame. African Archbishops: ‘They Are Sending Us Missionaries of Evil’

SDH

“Horrific in the Extreme”. Rupnik art on Vatican website again & in Popes’ apartment

CWR: “Despite calls from abuse victims and their advocates to stop displaying artwork by the disgraced former Jesuit priest Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, the Vatican has again used one of the artist’s images to illustrate an online article. In addition … a video was published by Argentine public TV channel Canal de la Cuidad that… Read More “Horrific in the Extreme”. Rupnik art on Vatican website again & in Popes’ apartment

SDH

UK cultural grandees urge Vatican to keep TLM in new ‘Agatha Christie’ letter

The Pillar. “Prominent U.K. figures in the arts, business, journalism, and politics have appealed to the Vatican not to impose new restrictions on the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass. In a letter to the Times of London, published July 3, more than 40 signatories, Catholic and non-Catholic … Read More UK cultural grandees urge Vatican to keep TLM in new ‘Agatha Christie’ letter

SDH

Archbishop Vigano’s Fate

A discussion between Robert Moynihan, editor of Inside the Vatican magazine, and Fr. C. Murr on the reportedly imminent excommunication of Carlo Maria Viganò who served as Apostolic Nuncio to the United States 2011 to 2016. Archbishop Vigano previously served as secretary-general of the Governorate of Vatican City State from 2009 to 2011. Vatican officials have said that if such… Read More Archbishop Vigano’s Fate

SDH

Will Pope Francis kill the Latin Mass?

“He regards the liturgy as reactionary and effeminate” Damian Thompson. A month ago, 18,000 young people walked on pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres Cathedral in order to demonstrate their love of the Traditional Latin Mass — an intricate and solemn ceremony which, to the horror of Pope Francis, is attracting an unlikely following among Generation Z Catholics. Inside the… Read More Will Pope Francis kill the Latin Mass?

SDH