Monthly Archives: May 2013

Is Scotland Anti-Catholic? 

May 31, 2013 By in Uncategorized, Vatican Tags: , , , , 57 Comments

Peter Kearney, Spokesman for the Scottish Bishops, provoked an angry  response from at least one priest  – Fr Paul Morton, St Bride’s Cambuslang (Diocese of Motherwell) – when he claimed, in an interview in The Herald, that Scotland is a hostile place for Catholics to live.  Fr Morton took Peter Kearney to task via the Herald letters page next day and, with the usual ecumenical double-speak, painted a glowing picture of life among the heather for Catholic Scots. So, what do you think – IS Scotland a hostile place for Catholics to live?

Odd, though, that no letters appeared in similar shock at the news that Kearney still intends to vote for the SNP, architects of the same-sex marriage legislation, despite the high profile Catholic support for the Campaign for Marriage. Peter Kearney – representing the Bishops – interviewed well on TV news broadcasts to oppose the immoral SNP legislation yet he seems not to be aware of his inconsistency in pledging to vote for the Nationalists in the future.  His rationale? “You can’t agree with everything, and it’s the party I have most in common with. I still personally support independence for Scotland.”  God help us all, if this is the way the “senior Catholics” in Scotland think.

Will sanity ever return to the Church? Anywhere? Especially here in Scotland where it’s almost impossible to find a fully believing, fully practising Catholic, lay or ordained. Increasingly, I’m meeting thoroughly protestantised laity – described as “Roman Protestants” in one very interesting article of that title sent to me by an English reader some years ago..

Is there anything more that concerned laity and clergy can do to hasten the return of said sanity?   

Feast of Corpus Christi… 

May 30, 2013 By in Real Presence, Uncategorized 58 Comments

Happy Feast Day everyone!  This thread provides an opportunity to reflect on the great gift of God to His Church – the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

Yet, how many lay people will receive Holy Communion in the hand on this wonderful Feast of Corpus Christi? How many (not so – they’re everywhere!) Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion will handle the Sacred Species on this day? Which begs the question…

What, exactly, do the laity (not to mention the clergy) actually believe about the Blessed Sacrament these days? Would they, for example, believe the miracle of Lanciano or do they hide behind the term “sacramental” in explaining the Real Presence?

Today’s glorious Feast provides an opportunity to reflect on one of the central Mysteries of our Faith, while, at the same time, urging those non-ordained who justify handling the Blessed Sacrament to think again –

For the apostles had not as yet received the Eucharist from the hand of the Lord, when nevertheless Himself affirmed with truth that to be His own body which He presented (to them). And this faith has ever been in the Church of God, that, immediately after the consecration, the veritable Body of our Lord, and His veritable Blood, together with His soul and divinity, are under the species of bread and wine; but the Body indeed under the species of bread, and the Blood under the species of wine, by the force of the words; but the body itself under the species of wine, and the blood under the species of bread, and the soul under both, by the force of that natural connexion and concomitancy whereby the parts of Christ our Lord, who hath now risen from the dead, to die no more, are united together; and the divinity, furthermore, on account of the admirable hypostatical union thereof with His body and soul. Wherefore it is most true, that as much is contained under either species as under both; for Christ whole and entire is under the species of bread, and under any part whatsoever of that species; likewise the whole (Christ) is under the species of wine, and under the parts thereof.
(First Decree, Council of Trent)

Scottish Totalitarian State?

May 27, 2013 By in Uncategorized 40 Comments

For a number of reasons, I’ve already decided to vote against independence for Scotland – this latest disgraceful tightening of the state screw is just the latest…

I mean, a state guardian for every child from birth? You kidding me? Read more…

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For the General Discussion thread click here

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Women Deacons? Gerragrip!

May 24, 2013 By in Uncategorized, Vatican 41 Comments

The president of Germany’s bishops’ conference called last month for the creation of a new specific office for female deacons. Here, a leading biblical scholar supports the idea and dismisses objections that it would inevitably lead to women priests

Reacting to recent proposals in Germany about a diaconate for women, the new Bishop of Regensburg, Rudolf Voderholzer, has stated on his website that the office of deacon is inseparably bound to that of priest and bishop, and therefore to the sacrament of ordination. He added: “The tradition that only men can be ordained is based on the Bible” (The Tablet, 4 May).

Bishop Voderholzer seems to have overlooked not only a document co-authored by his predecessor in Regensburg, Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller (now Archbishop Müller and prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith), but also an addition to the canon law of the Western Church made by Pope Benedict XVI.

As a member of the International Theological Commission (ITC), Bishop Müller belonged to a subcommission of seven theo­logians who produced a 100-page study of the diaconate, the fruit of five years of research into the history and theology of the diaconate. Published in late 2002, “Le Diaconat: Evolution et Perspectives” reached two major conclusions. The first was: “The deaconesses mentioned in the tradition of the Ancient Church – as evidenced by the rite of institution and the functions they exercised – were not purely and simply equivalent to the deacons.” This implies the recognition of some equivalence, even if it was not “purely and simply” a perfect equivalence. The other major conclusion was: in “the unity of the Sacrament of Holy Orders”, there exists a “clear distinction between the ministries of the bishop and the priests on the one hand and the diaconal ministry on the other”. If one stresses the “clear distinction” , a door could be opened for ordaining women as deacons.  Read more…

To the best of my knowledge,  women in the early Church were not “deacons” at all – certainly not as we understand the term today. They were helpers, in various roles, but not holders of any office equivalent to that of deacon.

My own first reaction on reading the above article was “why on earth, when it’s virtually impossible to fill the pews, would bishops waste their time worrying about giving (even more) titles to women?”  What is the point of this perpetual seeking after novelty? I’m with Pope Saint Pius X who said: “Far, far from our priests be the love of novelty”.  Where do they get the time to dream up these pesky ideas?

Or, put another way: a word in the ear of the President of the German Bishops’ Conference – gerragrip!

That’s what I’d like to say to him (or, at least, that’s the polite version) – what about you?

SSPX: Will UK Priests Split?

May 22, 2013 By in Uncategorized 109 Comments

Dear Fr. Morgan, Dear Fathers,

We beg of you in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, high priest and lover of souls, in the name of his Blessed Mother, in the name of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, and in the name of all the wonderful, holy ideals which led you to answer the call to become a shepherd and a lover of souls – aid our souls now, in our moment of need. Read more

The above letter is a blatant piece of rebel-propaganda designed to encourage the SSPX clergy of the UK to abandon the Society and set up shop with them. What a nerve!

We hope that the priests who receive the above “letter of entreaty” will bin it without a second thought.

Give serious consideration, rather, to the following entreaty from Catholic Truth:

STAY!

And that’s the purpose of this thread – to offer many more reasons for staying within the Society than for abandoning ship.

The chaos and confusion, the danger to souls of such a split as that being promoted by these unconscionable rebels, is just too great to contemplate. So let’s encourage the District Superior to remain faithful to the Society. Hopefully, he doesn’t need our encouragement but in case it helps him to keep the wolves, the rebels, at bay please offer him, and all the UK Society priests, your encouragement.

In summary: to the rebels we say “Go!” (Well, that’s the polite version).

To the clergy, we say: “Stay!”

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For the General Discussion thread click here

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Archbishop Müller in Glasgow

May 21, 2013 By in Uncategorized, Vatican 23 Comments

glasgowmottoThe Annual Cardinal Winning Lecture will take place at 10.30am in the Bute Hall, University of Glasgow on 15th June 2013.  This year the lecture will be given by Archbishop Gerhard Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican, to mark the launch of the new St. Andrew’s Foundation for Catholic Teacher Education. Read more

I‘ve written to Archbishop Müller ahead of his visit here, informing him of the dire state of affairs that describes itself as the Catholic Church in Scotland. I encourage others to do the same; here’s the address –

Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller.
Prefect for The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Piazza del S. Uffizio ll
00l93 Rome Italy
Europe

Time is short, so I recommend getting your letter off to Rome as soon as possible. This thread is to provide an opportunity for everyone to offer suggestions about what to write, ask questions etc.  Here’s one question that springs to my mind: out of all the scandals we’ve suffered over recent years, which one(s) would you include in your letter?  And don’t forget to tell the Archbishop why you are writing to him – to ask him to DO something, use his authority to deal with the crisis of the Church here in Scotland, and by that I don’t just mean the Cardinal O’Brien scandal. Get it? 

General Discussion…

May 19, 2013 By in Uncategorized 630 Comments

If there’s something of interest in the news that’s not covered in one of the topic threads, or you have a question to ask, a comment you’d like to make about anything under the sun, more or less, this is the thread for you.

Feel free, also, to share your favourite prayers and devotions. Whatever.

Enjoy!

Welcome to our new-look blog.

May 18, 2013 By in Uncategorized 36 Comments

Welcome to the new look blog which is a work in progress. The design is not completely finished, so be prepared for further changes/improvements.

Unfortunately, webmaster was unable to save our posts, but – always something to be glad about – this allows us a fresh start in a number of ways. Not, sadly, in the content of our first topic:  below  is a fresh look at the Cardinal O’Brien scandal, thanks to Ms Deveney who just can’t get herself out of the limelight…

Unfortunately, too, although. webmaster had saved the usernames to import,  for technical reasons this proved to be not possible. So, everyone will need to re-register. Sorry about that, folks.

Catherine Deveney…

May 18, 2013 By in Uncategorized 49 Comments

Same Old, Same Old…

Catherine Deveney, the Observer journalist who broke the Cardinal O’Brien scandal, is nothing if not relentless in her determination to keep the “story” alive.

Here’s how her latest update, dated 18 May, concludes:

The four complainants say an investigation is about justice, not vengeance. “I will give forgiveness if asked,” says one, “as long as the damage has been recognised. At times, we don’t do ourselves a lot of good by throwing pardon around like confetti without a change of heart. I am angry at the system that licked his boots and allowed him to get on with it.”

Ms Deveney  is only interested (if she is interested) in the alleged damage to four adults, who kept silent about their “damage” for many years before, curiously, spilling the beans when their “tormentor” had effectively retired.

There is no concern at all, from Catherine Deveney, about the damage caused to the Church by the Cardinal and – if all the intelligence coming to us is correct – the Cardinal’s accusers, who are dissenters to a man.  After all, the reason given for the sudden “outing” of the Cardinal, is his vociferous opposition to same-sex marriage, so priests and laymen supportive of same-sex marriage do not fit into the category of faithful Catholics. The damage to Catholicism – and to scandalised souls – is far greater than any damage claimed by the “victims”.

In her tour of the TV news studios, Deveney has been unable to hide her contempt for the Church.  Ditto the accusers, who speak about not liking “the system” (i.e. Christ’s Church) without ever distinguishing between Church and churchmen.  Indeed, in his CV, if our source is correct, one of the accusers, the former priest now married, dismissed his priesthood as time spent working for a “not-for-profit” organization.

The key point which has passed over the head of Ms Deveney (and every other journalist in Scotland) is that the damage inflicted on the Church in Scotland by Cardinal O’Brien goes way beyond the fallout from the sexual misbehaviour for which he has at least offered a cursory apology. We’re still waiting for an apology for the damage he has done to the Catholic Church in her Liturgy, Catholic schools, and every other aspect of the Faith.