Open Letter to Bishop Michael Burbidge with Cover Letter to Apostolic Nuncio: We are are not excommunicated schismatics!

OPEN LETTER TO MOST REVEREND MICHAEL BURBIDGE, 

BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE OF ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

July 13, 2026

Your Excellency,

How grateful I am for your vocation to the priesthood and the privilege of calling you my spiritual Father. We met only once several years ago after Fr. Clarence Trinkle's funeral at St. John the Baptist. I left by the front door thinking to slip away quietly, but you were standing alone next to the hearse only a few feet away. I stopped, genuflected and kissed your ring, introduced myself, and thanked you. I considered our brief exchange providential and was delighted to receive a personal blessing. I recall that meeting today as I write in grief over the recent decree of excommunication of the SSPX bishops. Since my purpose is not to defend the Society consecrations, I will not address that topic.

SSPX Files Appeal of July 2nd Decree

Below is the Society's press release of yesterday announcing their appeal of the July 2nd decree of excommunication and schism. This act indicates several important things. First of all, the Society recognizes the authority of Rome. If they didn't they would just walk away. The appeal of the decree shows a recognition of papal authority. The Society has never rejected the papacy; they reject the novelties and errors being introduced in violation of the Catholic faith. They stand with Eternal Rome!

Of Validity and Excommunication and the Insanity of the Present Time

I have some really smart readers and how blessed I am to learn from them. In fact, I appreciate and pray for all my visitors even the trolls. They are particularly helpful to my retaining my sense of humor. 

But as for my fellow well-catechized Catholics, often I'm humbled by what they share.  So today I'm offering a few recent comments that are so smart and insightful they deserve wider viewing. Thank you to all my faithful readers for your kindness and prayers.

The first comment is about Pascal's wager. You've no doubt heard of it. Pascal defended the wisdom of living and acting as if you believe in God. You have nothing to lose (unless you consider living a virtuous life instead of a licentious one a loss). When you die, if there is no God you will be none the wiser. If there is a God and you lived the virtuous life of the believer, you go to heaven to glorify God forever. On the other hand, if you lived a sinful life ignoring God's laws, you will meet the God you didn't believe in and go to hell. Isn't the wiser course obvious?

Wow! I'm Excommunicated By My Papa...or Am I?

This photo says it all. My mom always said, "Birds of a feather flock together." So here we have the scandalous porn-writing head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith sharing an intimate moment with the pope, il papa, my daddy in the spiritual life. I'm heartbroken and shaking my head after reading the explanatory note from Fernandez. [Published at the end.]

How Do You Like Living the Chinese Curse in the Church?

The Chinese curse wishes you to live in "interesting times." Well, we certainly can see that these days in the Catholic Church, interesting in a horrifying way like a Stephen King novel. The pope is getting ready to excommunicate the SSPX and the latest rumor is that all the priests of the Society and the laity will be excommunicated as well. Wow! Can that be true?

About 40 years ago a bishop in Hawaii excommunicated several lay members over the TLM and they appealed to Rome and won. How times have changed, eh? They probably would get the cricket treatment today and the excommunication would be allowed to stand. They likely would be accused of "breaking the unity of the Church." Really, folks, do you want to be in unity with a lot of what goes on in the conciliar, synodal church these days? I sure don't!

Are Francis and Leo the "Two Worm Ridden Popes"

The other day when I was doing bee hive inspections I was disturbed to pull out a frame filled with small white worms. They looked like wax moth larvae. That's no joke in a beehive. Wax moth can turn a hive into a horror movie scene pretty quickly. Only once have we had a serious infestation and we had to burn everything in that hive except the box which we treated with bleach. So when I hear the term "two worm-ridden popes" it's no joke!

Pray for Bishop Tissier de Mallerais and for the SSPX

SSPX bishop, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, took a serious fall about a week ago and has not regained consciousness. Please pray for him and for the SSPX bishops and priests.

Guest Post: Is It Time for Cuomo and his Infanticide-supporting Buddies to have a Canossa Moment?

Catholic NY governor Andrew Cuomo celebrates
passage of legislation allowing murder of babies
in the womb through birth and beyond!

Editor's comment: In 1077 Pope Gregory VII excommunicated King Henry IV stripping him of his right to rule the Holy Roman Empire and releasing his vassals from their obligation of service? Why? Because Henry demanded the right to name bishops. (Hmm...does this sound like the current situation in China?) Henry, fearing loss of power, went to Canossa in winter, waited three days to see the pope, and then walked barefoot through the snow to meet him and beg for forgiveness. Since then a "walk to Canossa" has come to mean a humiliation. It also indicates that controversy between Church and state is nothing new. James Thunder gives us a modern situation that is a Canossa moment. Will the hierarchy of the Church in the United States take any action to address the horrifying attacks on life? Or will it be the hierarchy bending their knees to the state out of fear of losing the Almighty tax dollar? How will our bishops respond to these evil attacks on the unborn popping up like poison mushrooms all over our beloved country?

RESPONDING TO THE

SO-CALLED NEW YORK “REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ACT”

by James M. Thunder *

Abortion, Vaccines, and Atrocities

In light of the videos from the Center for Medical Progress, this testimony is enlightening.

Barcelona Priest, Manuel Pousa, to be Formally Excommunicated

Sometimes heretics get what they deserve and what the good of the Church demands. Fr. Manuel Pousa bragged about paying for abortions and blessing homosexual unions. He was automatically excommunicated when he abetted the abortion. But now the bishop will make it official -- finally!

Here's an excerpt from the LifeSiteNews article on this rogue shepherd:

Fr. Manuel Pousa first acknowledged he had paid for abortions in 2008. While his statements were reported widely in the Catholic press, Cardinal Sistach did not act against the priest at the time, instead calling him into his office for a private conversation.
However, the cardinal has decided to act in the face of new statements made by Pousa in a book recently published about the priest, “Manel Pousa: Closer to earth than to heaven.”

In the book Pousa admits to having paid for an abortion, as well as having blessed homosexual unions, including a union between a female prison guard and an inmate. He also rejects the obligation of clerical celibacy, supports the ordination of priestesses, and admits to having a girlfriend - with whom he claims to maintain a celibate relationship.

The priest's excommunication is overdue, but it seems unlikely that it will bring about a change of heart. Some demons are only driven out by prayer and fasting. So please offer your Lenten fast for this false shepherd who has scandalized so many.

Will Obama Risk Holy Hell Over FOCA?

Ray Kerrison of the New York Post has a powerful article,Obama's Holy Hell questioning whether, as new president, Obama will really risk all-out war with the Catholic hierarchy over FOCA. It begins:

"IF President-elect Barack Obama goes through with his campaign pledge to sign into law the Freedom of Choice Act, holy hell is going to break loose.

"FOCA may be the most radical social legislation in decades. It seeks to strip every last restraint from abortion - outlawing states' requirements for waiting periods, informed consent or parental consent; preventing health and safety regulation of abortion clinics and abortionists - and even ending restrictions on partial-birth abortion.

"With one stroke of the president's pen, it would nullify every one of the 330 or so federal, state and local abortion laws on the books, most of them supported by a majority of Americans.

"And that's just the start.....(more)

The E- word, that is excommunication, comes up with Cardinal George saying, depending on the wording of the law, it may be a real possibility for any Catholic politician who would formally cooperate with evil by voting for FOCA.

As a serious Catholic who has watched the bishops tapdance and sway over many issues, I hope they will finally find their spines and stand firm on a moral position that is unnegotiable. It's long past time for them to enforce Canon Law 915 and refuse Communion to pro-abortion Catholic politicians like Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Ted Kennedy and all the rest who call themselves "devout Catholics" while they vote to murder children and destroy marriage. Faithful Catholics need to hold their bishops' feet to the fire and take back the Church demanding that the bishops preach Humanae Vitae, discipline those scandalizing the flock, and stop waffling on doctrine. If the evil positions of Barack Obama cause that to happen, his election may turn out to be a blessing even if it results in active persecution.

Why Can't Our Bishops Speak So Clearly?

A bishop in Uruguay, Archbishop Nicolas Cotugno of Montevideo, recently said that any politicians voting for abortion incurs automatic excommunication. No nuance there - just the plain truth. You vote for abortion; you are excommunicated. Obviously, he believes voting for abortion involves direct cooperation with evil. The bishop didn't dance around the issue. He said, “all those who vote, support and promote abortion are, in fact, excommunicated. And it is an excommunication that, according to canon law, is immediate. They are ipso facto excommunicated.”

Wow! Why can't our bishops speak so clearly? Cardinal George danced around the issue at a press conference this week when he was asked whether politicians voting for FOCA would be directly cooperating with evil. Unfortunately, most of our bishops sound like politicians trying to please both sides of every issue, you know, the "common ground" approach. But where is the common ground between killing babies and defending babies? There isn't any. Could this courageous bishop's clear teaching have something to do with the president of Uruguay's recent veto of an abortion law?

Archbishop Cotugno isn't the first Latin bishop to warn pro-abortion politician. Last May Mexican bishops warned that lawmakers who voted for the legalization of abortion during the first 12 weeks would incur automatic excommunication. The pope affirmed it when reporters asked him enroute to his American visit.

With FOCA looming on the horizon expanding abortion and limiting every iota of protection for unborn children, their mothers, minor children, and health care professionals isn't it time for some clear teaching from the American bishops to Catholic politicians? The Church Militant needs leaders giving marching orders not toe dancers in tutus dancing around the issues.