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!

Sunday Meditation: Real Catholicism is This!

One of my readers left a link to a good sermon that outlines how we should respond to the pope. I found it personally challenging and a bit of a reprimand. The unnamed priest talks about "real Catholicism." He begins by making the distinction between the two ways the pope speaks, the first as the authoritative head of the Church expressing Catholic truth that is binding on the flock. 

Will Pope Leo Lead Us Away from the Path of Confusion?

I pray so. It's no fun to be lost, not to know which way to turn, even to wonder whether up is down and down is up. How many pilots have crashed over that kind of spatial confusion?

It’s not an uncommon occurrence for pilots, especially in poor visibility, and it’s incredibly dangerous. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, between 5 percent and 10 percent of all aviation accidents are caused by spatial disorientation, and of those crashes, 90 percent are fatal.

An Argentinian Bishop Speaks

Don't miss this article by Argentine bishop Archbishop Héctor Aguer, archbishop emeritus of LaPlata. Don't you wonder what he could tell us about Pope Francis if he chose to? Here's the beginning:

The twelfth anniversary of Francis’ pontificate was recently celebrated. Vatican press releases are usually full of self-praise. It is very difficult to adjudicate ecclesial reality, which is incredibly vast and characterized by differences between countries, but from a certain vantage point it is possible to contemplate the surroundings. I can do it then from this corner of the far south that is Argentina, a nation that is (or was?) mostly Catholic. As the saying goes, “one example is enough to prove it.”

Are Some Catholics Fomenting Schism?

Some commenters on my blog insist that I take a position on whether Francis is or is not the pope. I've always replied that to make that decision is definitely "above my pay grade." In fact, it's above the pay grade of almost every Catholic on earth. And if it isn't, if someone is truly competent to come to that determination because of his ecclesial or scholarly position, he should bring his argument privately to those with the competence to act; that is, the college of cardinals. 

Whether Francis is a valid pope will soon be a moot point. He is clearly not going to live much longer. Then we will see the next conclave and, since Francis has nominated a majority of the current voting bishops, 78% in fact (Source), it is likely that the next pope will be cut from the same cloth. Hopefully, the cardinals are sick of the confusion and chaos of the past decade and will make a better choice. We need a holy, faithful pope. Will we get one? Let's pray for him and those with the electoral duty to protect the Church.

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.

Does a Heretical Pope Lose His Office?

Despite his many material heresies, the cardinal said in an interview last year that Francis
 has not committed formal heresy and that, even if his election was flawed,
acceptance of Francis as pope has made up for it. 

There's been quite the disagreement about whether or not Pope Francis is really pope. Lots of people say he's not for varying reasons, especially the sedevacantists. Here are some of those reasons:

• His election was invalid.
• He's made some heretical statements.
• St. Robert Bellarmine says a heretic can't be the pope and he's a heretic.
• He pals around with those who embrace intrinsic moral evils.
• He's mean and nasty.
• Whatever.....

"A Liturgy from Hell"? Traditionis Custodes Cannot Suppress the Traditional Latin Mass

As regular readers know, I'm a big fan of Chronicles Magazine. The February issue included an article by George Kendall an octagenerian who grew up with the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), but "for much of his life...has been a conservative Novus Ordo (NO) Catholic." Kendall's article, A Liturgy from Hell, illustrates his return to tradition and the realization that the liturgical chaos after Vatican II decimated Holy Mother Church. He laments the fact that "...our hierarchy was foolish enough, all those years ago, to twist a great parable, selling the pearl of great price in order to buy a truckload of trash chosen by committee."

Whoa! Let me pause here to emphasize that the NO, although seriously deficient and more Protestant than Catholic, is a valid Mass. I hesitate to call it a "truckload of trash."

Is Francis a Valid Pope? Archbishop Vigano Appears to be Saying No.

The talk below is the one Archbishop Vigano intended to give at the 2023 Catholic Identity Conference (CIC). The original plan was for an interview with Michael Matt, the same format as Archbishop Vigano's zoom appearance at the 2022 conference.

That was the plan. But the Archbishop changed the agreed upon agenda just a few days before the conference was to begin and sent in the transcript of his talk. 

Is Francis a Valid Pope? Bishop Schneider Believes So.

See Bishop Schneider's website 

One of the voices in the Church that I trust the most is Bishop Athanasius Schneider. Below, I reprint his statement on the validity of a pope, not simply Francis, but any pope. Is Francis a valid pope? He has certainly been accepted as one by most of the cardinals and bishops of the world. Is he a good and holy pope? Stop laughing. 

Another Day Another Dubia -- One More for Francis to Ignore?

Five Cardinals issued a dubia this summer about the upcoming Synod on Synodality which is shaping up to be a terrorist attack on the faith, particularly the priesthood. As scripture says, strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. The initial dubia received a vague and elusive response according to the bishops (reported by LifeSiteNews), so the cardinals wrote a second with the questions reworked to be answered with a simple yes or no. Since the second dubia sent on August 21st received no response, the Cardinals released it to the faithful. I'm reprinting the second dubia followed by their letter to the faithful. But where are the other cardinals? Do we not have even one U.S. cardinal who wants answers to these questions? The synod sessions begin tomorrow. This is a time for prayers and sacrifice for Holy Mother Church. May God protect her from the wolves within. "Woe to the false shepherds."

The Dubia

To his Holiness, Francis, Supreme Pontiff

Most Holy Father,

Return to the Twilight Zone Part I: Traditionis Custodes and Its Accompanying Documents

Where have all the Catholics gone? Out the door to join the "nones."

I'm re-reading Traditionis Custodes (TC), the Motu Proprio that abrogated Summorum 
Pontificum and sent traditional Catholics to the reeducation camps. I'm also re-reading the papal letter that accompanied it as well as the Responsa ad Dubia (RaD). Why inflict that punishment on myself? Because it's important to understand and be able to discuss the impact of these documents on the faithful, particularly those who are seeking refuge in the SSPX. 

Hey, Traditionalist Scum, You Deserve to Be Cancelled!

Do traditionalists only care about the vestments and altar linens? Is it a negative to give
 God dignified and beautiful worship? Read Exodus 35-39 and Leviticus!

I used regularly to read the blog of a Catholic which I found interesting and often thought-provoking. Ultimately, however, there came a parting of the ways. I stopped visiting because he closed his eyes to every scandalous thing the pope did defending what was indefensible. More and more he and those who commented on his blog condemned Catholics for defending the faith against Francis's very un-Catholic behavior: his promotion of abortion, sodomy, etc., his reverencing Pachamama and the circle spirits, his syncretism that leads others to think all religions are the same. None of this is Catholic and to point that out is to defend the faith and protect those being led into sin by the scandal. 

Anastasia Romanov, Sr Lucy, Franco, Putin and the Consecration

My question is this: Who will be appointed to tell us if the Consecration that Francis is going to do on March 25 was accepted by Heaven? When John Paul II did the Consecration on March 25, 1984, Sister Lucy said on November 8, 1989, that the Consecration had been accepted by Heaven, yet no one but the Blue Army believed her. Please don't say that the answer to my question will be what happens with Russia afterwards, because spectacular things happened to Russia after the 1984 Consecration including the breakup of the Soviet Union and the fall of Communism in 1989. Additionally nuclear war was averted (that same nuclear war that the current leftist global elites, Obama, Soros, Biden, Trudeau, Macron, Klaus Schwab, Hilary Clinton, Zelensky, etc., seem to so eagerly want now) but no one wanted to believe any of that had anything to do with the 1984 Consecration.

This is a story about the world not believing what is before everyone's eyes. The following 4 people on the world stage were disbelieved by the powers that be. What would have happened if they had been believed? 

I - Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna (Romanov) of Russia - June 1, 1901 - February 12, 1984

Everyone knows the story of the Communist left murdering the Romanov family in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg, Russia, on July 17, 1918, one year after Our Lady of Fatima appeared to Lucy dos Santos and Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The world wants to believe the narrative that all of Russia's royal family died that night, their bodies tossed down a mine shaft and burned to ash.

Fathers, You Are "Obliged to Resist" Traditionis Custodes and the Responsa ad Dubia

‘Sitting on the fence is not an option’: It is our duty to resist suppression of the traditional rites according to Dr. Peter Kwasniewski.

Okay, folks, we're not in Kansas anymore! The shockwaves of the atomic bombs of Traditionis Custodes and the Responsa Ad Dubia have thrust us head over heels into the land of Oz where the white-robed warlock of the west rules with a wooden stang given to him by Ozian youth in the name of Ozma during a synod for young people....

Well, enough of that nonsense!

If It Can Happen in Dijon....

Why is a French Catholic archdiocese expelling the FSSP?

After 23 years serving the faithful in the diocese of Dijon, France, the FSSP are being thrown out by the current bishop. The coup de grace comes as he nears retirement age and looks very much like a reprisal because the fraternity declined to concelebrate a Novus Ordo Chrism Mass with him during Holy Week. The FSSP only celebrate the Tridentine Mass. 

Chinese Water Torture: Topsy and Tuptim Discuss Chapter VI of Fratelli Tutti

Topsy and Tuptim pack a lunch and snacks and meet at the playground with seven of their grandchildren who immediately disperse on the playground. The bigger kids grab the soccer ball and run out on the field. 

Topsy: I love this playground and it's so healthy to get the kids away from all the electronics and outside. They can climb all over the equipment or run up and down the field and everyone's in plain sight. [Calling to the eleven year old...] Keep an eye on your little brothers, honey. Send them to me if you have any problems. [ Her granddaughter waves and takes the boys to the swings.]

Topsy and Tuptim Take Fratelli Tutti for a Ride on Skyline Drive - Part II

(See part 1 -- Topsy and Tuptim meet at IHOP to Discuss the Latest Papal Document and Other Things)

Topsy and Tuptim take advantage of a glorious fall afternoon to pack their backpacks with Fratelli Tutti and  some snacks for a ride on the Skyline Drive. They begin at the Front Royal Entrance and make their first stop at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center.

Tuptim: This was such a great idea, Topsy, if I do say so myself. 

Unity is Not the Preeminent Catholic Issue: False Unity Creates a Monster!

Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne 1678 (Detroit Museum of Art)

At the Last Supper, Jesus prayed for the unity of his followers – as He and the Father are one. “I pray that they may be one in us...I living in them, You living in me – that their unity may be complete.” (John 17:21-22) Earlier in the gospel John describes the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep including some who “do not belong to this fold.” But Jesus calls them too, “And they shall hear my voice. There shall be one flock then, one shepherd.” (John 10:16) 

Fr. Tom on Catholic Liberal Logic 101 (Hat Tip to Jonathan Swift)

If pro-aborts thought of babies as puppies, would they protect them?

Editor's note: I used to sidewalk counsel at an abortuary in Falls Church where one of the deathscorts was a gay retired postman named Jim. (Not a Catholic) Jim had a dog named Pumpkin. When Pumpkin got sick and was at the vet's, they had no employees overnight. Pumpkin died alone during the night. Jim fought to get legislation to require vets to have their clinics staffed at night. I asked him to think of the poor babies as puppies.