What People Are Commenting
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Death Penalty, Russian ‘Saints’ & CPA
‘Brilliant Move’ on Death Penalty
AMDG
I am sure you will get many letters about the Supreme Pontiff's recent supposed reversal of Church Dogma on the death penalty. I beg you to be patient with me in adding my thoughts.
I will set aside for a moment other consequences of this charade by the Supreme Pontiff, such as the lack of justice for those criminals who deserve the death penalty, the disregard of the fact that knowing one's time of death can be a great help for repentance and dying a good death.
What I want to point out is that this change of criteria from natural law to "human dignity," as well as the intrusion of Church officials into the prudential judgments that are the proper prerogative of lay politicians with these further "updates" to the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes a mockery of the unchanging dogmas passed down to us from Our Lord Jesus Christ himself. We are also seeing the total inability of the public to distinguish a press release from an ex cathedra pronouncement.
In my opinion, the most damaging aspect of this move by the Supreme Pontiff is the confusion it produces regarding what is proper obedience to the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ, given to us by the Church through the succession of the Popes and the Apostles.
I found an example of the confusion in the first article I read on the issue in the New York Times - as articulated though the following quote:
Chester L. Gillis, professor of theology at Georgetown University, described Francis’s new teaching on the death penalty as “part of the regular teaching of the Church” and “binding.” But that does not mean that Catholics who believe differently will face penalties or be denied the sacraments, he noted.
“There are lots of other teachings in the Catholic Church that not everybody abides by,” he said. “Is practicing birth control a mortal sin? If true, there would be a lot of couples in mortal sin.”
This only confirms the common misconception among the baptized that holding a belief contrary to "binding" teaching of the Church caries no penalties.
This is a brilliant move on the part of the Supreme Pontiff to enhance the diabolical disorientation of the faithful.
Viva Cristo Rey
B.W.
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Old Attack of Catholic Culture against TIA
Have you seen this criticism of TIA posted some ago by Women of Grace?
Fr. P.A.
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TIA responds:
Rev. Fr. P.A.,
Thank you for sending us this criticism, which practically repeats the critique of Catholic Culture.
You may read the answer that we gave to the latter at that time here.
Cordially,
TIA correspondence desk
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Data on Russian ‘Saints’
Re: Pius XII and the Russian ‘Saints’
I came across your website (and the above referenced discussion) when researching the question of second-millennium Orthodox saints being included in the Martyrologium Romanum (2004).
As I found other online discussions of this issue, and specific unanswered requests for the written sources supporting the assertion that Pope Pius XII approved the celebration of certain Orthodox saints for Russian Catholics, I thought I would provide here what I found nowhere else offered – the title of the Russian Catholic liturgy approved by Pope Pius XII:
Divina Liturgia Sancti Patris nostri Ioannis Chrysostomi, grandiore magnitudine et diversa litterarum varietate typis expressa, 1940
As recently as 2017, it was still listed for sale in the online catalogue of the Libreria Editrice Vaticana (p. 158 here). I don't read Russian, and I have not put my hands on the text in question, but I would hazard a guess that this document includes a calendar of liturgical celebrations. I offer this information for whatever it may be worth.
Pax,
B.L., M.A.
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Our Lady of Bethlehem
What a privilege to tell you what happened as a direct result of your book, Discovering Our Lady of Bethlehem; Her Journey with Fr. Serra, with co-author Mrs. Judith Mead (wonderful d minor name..)
Last night for the first time we received an email using the new international term TRUE MARY TM from a staff member. She joined out team after our meeting at... yes... The Lourdes Shrine Enhancement here! This is a real TRUE MARY tm shrine!
Story coming soon on the August 10th, St. Philomena feast; only several days away!
Thank you again and Mrs. Mead,
E.K.
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Even More Control on the Chinese CPA
China is demanding that its government-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) make more concessions to the Communist government.
Does that slow down the Vatican talks with China to integrate the Underground Church with the Communist church? Nope.
The Vatican officials continue on pace. Francis is determined that the Vatican reach a deal with the State-backed CPA - even when some Church leaders are warning that the Vatican is “selling out the Catholic Church in China”.
Read the article below to see the new State demands.
M.G.
World Watch Monitor - 27 July 2018 - Catholic dioceses in China have been told to come up with a five-year plan outlining how they will adapt more to Chinese culture and show loyalty to the Communist Party, reports the Catholic news site UCAN.
A 15-page document, given to the churches by the state-approved Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China and Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, provides guidelines on how to deepen the political, legal and social identity of Chinese Catholicism, as well as promoting the faith.
Churches are to use the guidelines to create a five-year plan, which should be ready by the end of August.
The guidelines include how churches should be managed based on policies with “Chinese characteristics”, and how elements of church architecture, painting and sacred music should reflect Chinese culture and traditions, according to UCAN, which saw a copy of the document.
The two state-approved Catholic organizations said there was a need for a more strategic approach as they have started to promote Sinicisation in workshops and seminars but church members do not “accurately understand its implications and goals”.
Christians should understand their responsibility in “loving the motherland”, as well as accepting the nation’s leadership and the socialist system, according to the document, which highlights the importance of education and historical research to help with this.
The Sinicisation of religion has long been a core message of China’s president. In his speech at the Communist Party Congress in October last year, President Xi reiterated the importance of Chinese nationalism, saying the government would “uphold the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation, and provide active guidance to religions so that they can adapt themselves to socialist society”.
The new regulations on religious affairs that came into force on 1st February included guidelines on religious education, the types of religious organizations that can exist, where they can exist and the activities they can organize.
Original here.
Posted August 7, 2018
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The opinions expressed in this section - What People Are Commenting - do not necessarily express those of TIA
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Re: Pope changes doctrine on death penalty
I believe our “learned” Pope Francis should read again the Gospel before trying to change Catholic doctrine on death penalty. Indeed, in Luke anyone can read these words of Our Lord Jesus Christ:
"But as for those my enemies, who would not have me reign over them, bring them hither, and kill them before me." (Luke 19:27)
In this text, it is clear that Our Lord admits the death penalty.
By the way, in the Old Testament there are so many instances where the death penalty is applied that I don’t need even to quote them.
How can a Pope ignore the New and Old Testaments and 2,000 years of Catholic Tradition teaching the opposite of what he pretends?
This clearly demonstrates that we should not follow him in everything he does.
It is unfortunate, but true.
P.N.