It's time for a rude question

Cupich, Tobin, McElroy and Farrell all got to be where they are because of the kingmaker, Cardinal McCarrick.  Big time Catholic media, you may lose your invitation to the better cocktail parties and this may be the end of your private Vatican tours  and yeah, you may lose that cushy job
but you have to ask them to their faces why McCarrick liked them so much.

Excerpts from the Vigano letter....

 ...December 6, 2006, I wrote to my superiors, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and the Substitute Leonardo Sandri, that the facts attributed to McCarrick by Littleton were of such gravity and vileness as to provoke bewilderment, a sense of disgust, deep sorrow and bitterness in the reader, and that they constituted the crimes of seducing, requesting depraved acts of seminarians and priests, repeatedly and simultaneously with several people, derision of a young seminarian who tried to resist the Archbishop’s seductions in the presence of two other priests, absolution of the accomplices in these depraved acts, sacrilegious celebration of the Eucharist with the same priests after committing such acts. In my memo, which I delivered on that same December 6, 2006 to my direct superior, the Substitute Leonardo Sandri, I proposed the following considerations and course of action to my superiors:

• Given that it seemed a new scandal of particular gravity, as it regarded a cardinal, was going to be added to the many scandals for the Church in the United States,

 • and that, since this matter had to do with a cardinal, and according to can. 1405 § 1, No. 2˚, “ipsius Romani Pontificis dumtaxat ius est iudicandi”;

 • I proposed that an exemplary measure be taken against the Cardinal that could have a medicinal function, to prevent future abuses against innocent victims and alleviate the very serious scandal for the faithful, who despite everything continued to love and believe in the Church.

Vigano saddles up

Immediately after, the Pope asked me in a deceitful way: “What is Cardinal McCarrick like?” I answered him with complete frankness and, if you want, with great naiveté: “Holy Father, I don’t know if you know Cardinal McCarrick, but if you ask the Congregation for Bishops there is a dossier this thick about him. He corrupted generations of seminarians and priests and Pope Benedict ordered him to withdraw to a life of prayer and penance.” The Pope did not make the slightest comment about those very grave words of mine and did not show any expression of surprise on his face, as if he had already known the matter for some time, and he immediately changed the subject......

from the testimony of former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States (2011-2016), Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò.                                                                                  

A lot of people are freaking out after reading the Archbishop Vigano letter  , others are thanking God that the truth is finally coming out. I am grateful that Archbishop Vigano got mad enough to give his testimony. I've noticed that the so-called Vatican insiders are silent this morning and I'm surprised that anyone is claiming surprise.  Those of you who are men think about how you behave around the homosexuals at your job. You're polite, get the work done and move on. You  do not have an after hours social relationship with them and  assume that those co-workers who do are fully aware and approve of the situation. So, when you see Pope Francis surrounding himself with cardinals and other clergy who are rumored to be homosexual and when you see men like McCarrick as kingmakers you should assume that yes, the pope knows what these men are and he doesn't care.

Pope Benedict told McCarrick to get out of that DC seminary he was living in, forbade him to say Mass in public or make appearances. Francis undid all that.  In October of 2013, then Cardinal McCarrick told a "cute" story during a speech at Villanova University.  He talked about his recovery from a heart attack in Rome and how he met with the pope after his release from the hospital. When he "piously"  attributed the recovery to the Lord still wanting him to do more work on earth the pope  jokingly replied, "Maybe the Devil did not have your accommodations ready."

 I'm sure people in the audience chuckled at what they thought was the  pope's teasing  and the cardinal's marvelous self deprecating humor.  One blogger seized on this comment and was hopeful that the pope was telling McCarrick that he was on to him and McCarrick was too arrogant to realize it. Others simply criticized the pope for joking about Hell. Now we know that it was much worse that what any of us thought.  Archbishop Vigano says he told the pope on June 23, 2013 that Cardinal MCarrick was an evil man but by October, 2013, McCarrick was still riding high. I think in that "cute" speech he was actually mocking Vigano and everyone else who had complained about him.

Rorate Caeli's writers have the weird knack at times of  being able to write like both teen aged girls with a delicious secret and a frosty old grande dame but let's give credit where it is due. Within a day or two of the habemus papam announcement Rorate was reporting that Cardinal Bergoglio was bad news. They were mocked, minimized (remember when Fr. Z. was telling us to stay calm and read Francis through Benedict?* ), or given the same silent treatment that Randy Engel got when she wrote Rite of Sodomy.  I hope some people have apologized even privately for that.

Now as for the Church, some people are saying that they are leaving that this scandal proves that the gates of Hell have prevailed. Well now, Jesus Christ said that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church. Some people think the gates of Hell are pressing against the Church walls but that's not it at all. The Church is supposed to be attacking the gates of Hell. Some times we are blessed with popes like Gregory the Great, Peter, Pius V, and Pius X who went after Hell with battering rams and trebuchets and sometimes we get popes who timidly tap on the infernal gates and  run back several steps and sometimes we get a pope who tries to slap a coat of paint on the gates and pretends they aren't there. Pope Francis is a bad pope. People from Argentina and around the world have been telling us this from day one. It's time to face it. We are in a great war. It is heartbreaking to realize that many of our generals, if not most of them have gone over to the other side and seeing so many of our officers fail in their duty throws us into confusion and despair but we only need one brave general to act with aggression and the pragmatic ones who have decided to keep their heads down and just wait for Francis to die may rouse themselves and follow. In the mean time pray for Archbishop Vigano.  At 77, he's saddled up and  he rode out. A cannonball of malice is coming his way.

*What in Sam Hill does that mean? I never got it.

Pray for us, Mother

I

The scourge

In this interesting homily the priest talks about the rise of Islam in Europe. He noted that Christians used to pray the Angelus three times a day. Now almost no-one does and in it's place the Muslims pray five times a day. The Church has withdrawn in many ways and made friends with the world instead of converting it. Islam rejects that flatly and in place of the sweet yoke of Christ the world is facing a yoke of iron and a scourge.

And David wept...

Remember back in the 80s when we were told that the bad old days were over because we had John Paul II? Remember when people who mentioned Good Bye Good Men  in conversation were told sometimes angrily, that it was never that bad or that the so-called lavender mafia was never that strong or that the "irregular" behavior in the seminaries was all over and done with? Has everybody forgotten when we were told in 2002, that the bishops were on it and the fake priests who used the church to practice their predation on young males were all dead or kicked out?

 I never quite believed that. Great evil is like disease. You may survive the polio but do so with a paralyzed leg for the rest of your life.  Vampires are a terrific metaphor for monstrous sin. You may get lucky and stake the master vampire but the contagion may have already spread throughout the village and has to be dealt with.

When King David sinned there were people who knew what really happened to Uriah and they said nothing. Others noted the speed in which the king married Uriah's widow and the timing of her pregnancy. David got away with it before men but God was having none of it. The fearless prophet Nathan called David out in public. David did hard penance and was forgiven but the consequences of his sin did not vanish into thin air.  His first son with Bathsheba died. His daughter Tamar fell victim to her half brother's lust. His son Amnon was killed. His son Absalom rebelled and was killed.The sword never departed from David's house.

Even  if Archbishop McCarrick  repents, confesses, and does hard penance  this malignant thing will never be over. The Church has been damaged. There are those who are delighted by this and hope that it will cause people to realize that Jesus did not found a new church in the 60s.  I think a few people will discover the wondrous beauty of the Church's traditions that have been waiting for them but I'm pretty sure that most of the broken-hearted will drift into Protestantism, Mormonism, and atheism. 

At prayer

Several years ago I saw a photo of the James Tissot painting, "The Holy Women" depicting the women who followed Our Lord when they could and who offered food and lodging  to Him and the Apostles when He came to their towns. I was deeply moved and decided to dedicate myself to taking every opportunity to show kindness and helpfulness to priests, whether they are obviously holy or just good bread and butter priests.  The priesthood is under attack. It's always been under attack.  Judas has many sons and this didn't just happen with Vatican II, although that was the tip of the spear. Let's pray for the good priests out there.

At prayer

I smiled when I saw this painting. Many times from my childhood on I've sat in a pew with my head against the cool stone column and either prayed or just sat in the presence of the Lord.

Catholic 101 : How do I use the missal during Mass?

I found a good video on how to use the missal during Mass. I normally use the online Sancta Misa missal so I don't have to go back and forth. Rocky prefers to use the big missal at home or during Adoration and uses the red Eclesia Dei missal and the photocopied daily readings provided by the parish during Mass. I think this video is very helpful no matter missal you use.

A Prayer for the Redemption of Bad Priests

Divine Savior Jesus Christ, Thou are the Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep. Oh, be in a very special way the Good Shepherd of those poor lost priests who are also appointed by Thee to be leaders of Thy people, but who have broken the oath of their holy ordination and have become unfaithful to their exalted calling. Bestow upon these poorest of the poor the very fullness of that pastoral solicitude with which Thou dost so faithfully seek the sheep that are lost! Touch their hearts with the irresistible ray of grace which emanates from Thine all-merciful love! Enlighten their minds and strengthen their wills, that they may turn away from all sin and error and come back to Thy holy altar and to Thy people. O most compassionate Savior! Remember that Thou didst once redeem the souls of Thine erring priests with Thy Precious Blood and in infinite preferential love didst impress upon them the indelible character of the priesthood. Put wholly to shame those miserable helpers of Satan who lay snares for the virtue of priests and endanger the holy ideal of the priesthood. Most graciously accept our prayers and sacrifices for poor priests who have gone astray and hear our earnest petition.

 Amen 

Imprimatur - Bishop John F. Noll (April 18, 1948)

St. Anthony of Padua, defender of the Holy Eucharist, obtain for us holy priests

St. John-Mary Vianney, model of sacerdotal holiness, obtain for us holy priests

St. Francis Xavier, patron of missionary priests, obtain for us holy priests

St. Therese of the Child-Jesus and of the Holy Face, victim offered for the sanctification of priests, obtain for us holy priests

Saints and Servants of God, obtain for us holy priests.

A Word to Parents

Mary, St. Joseph, pray for us. Jesus, mercy!

Every single thing you do in front your children  is like shooting off a gun and for good or for evil, the bullet travels through multiple generations. My father-in-law made a bad decision in the early 90s and it hurt my brother-in-law's mental state. He was so unhappy that he was easy pickings for the Jehovah's Witnesses.   In December my brother-in-law's son will be 18 years old. If he chooses to go to college without permission of the elders he will be excommunicated. 25 years ago my father-in-law said "Go to this college and stick with this major or I wash my hands of you." Today my brother-in-law is saying,"Go to this college and I wash my hands of you."


50 years ago a woman had an affair. Her husband went to work and her lover sneaked in through the back door as soon as the poor husband left.  When her husband died she quickly married the lover. Years  passed and when her daughters were teenagers and scandalously promiscuous the woman tried to rebuke them. One girl angrily asked who was she-- an adulteress who betrayed their father and shamed her family--- to tell them anything about decent behavior.  Those girls went on to rocky lives and some had children out of wedlock. As they saw it, they may have made mistakes but at least they weren't hypocrites like their mother.

Thirty years ago a Catholic man left his wife for another woman. Today his daughter is an atheist. Her Catholic husband no longer goes to Mass or is doing so secretly and the kids are being raised as secular humanists.  Grandpa's lust was a wild bullet and his sins are visited on innocents who hadn't even been born at the time.

Parents, you have an awesome vocation. You have incredible society building or destroying power. The woman and the two men I mentioned here were all sorry when they got old but that just doesn't cut it when that sorrow comes decades too late. May God bless you with wisdom and sufficient grace.

McCarrick fallout

Years ago a co-worker of mine noticed that I was Catholic and happily told me that he was as well. He was an altar server at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception for high Masses and told me that Cardinal McCarrick was the most political man he'd ever met. I asked how so and he told me a tale. My co-worker was coming out of the sacristy and greeted Cardinal McCarrick in the hall. The cardinal asked him who was in the sacristy, what they were talking about and what kind of rings they were wearing. My co-worker told him and then the cardinal took a jewelry case or pouch (my co-worker may have specified but I can't recall that) from his pocket and picked from the collection an episcopal ring that most resembled the ones that the other bishops were wearing and put it on. He was ready and sailed in to charm everyone.

I myself, once met the cardinal on the street  near the DC Cathedral and  I was surprised to find him all alone. I'd read stories about the cardinal and the beach house by that time and found myself expecting to see some sign of it in his face and manner but of course I didn't. He did not behave anything like the white collar homosexual men I see everyday on the street downtown or any of the flamboyant priests I've come across. He is a remarkable, well trained chameleon.

What is interesting and hopeful is that the laity is not reacting to Cardinal McCarrick like most of us  did in 2002.  The bishops can hold another meeting and update the Dallas charter again but that won't cut it this time. People are not dropping this. They are asking awkward questions about who enabled Cardinal McCarrick and who rose high because they were close to him. I've also read a lot of discussions about protesting by withholding money, demanding lay oversight of known problem seminaries and  the feasibility of lay people buying convents and church buildings to keep them from being sold off to pay secret settlements.

Besides these there have been a few naive calls for married priests as if being forced to marry would actually keep a homosexual chaste. My mother's family are Southern Baptists. In the subset of their denomination no-one can become a pastor without having a wife. This is to avoid dating problems with young ministers. Interestingly enough, the deacons of my family's church broke this rule when they hired the current pastor. That caused a great deal of upset and later the reverend's search for a mate darn near split the congregation and resentments still simmer. One old man even told the reverend to leave when he showed up for a sick call at the old man's house with his girlfriend in tow. Sick calls with the reverend are a duty of the church's First Lady or members of the shut in ministry and the old congregation member was shocked and angry.

 To avoid all this hullabaloo many young ministers get married in the seminary. Not all of these marriages are love matches. It's not unheard of for a minister who wants to lead his own  congregation to get married to a woman who he thinks will make a good First Lady and hope for the best. He may come to love her later or he may find "comfort" elsewhere but he's not going to get his own church without her. A man who is determined to do something, will. If a predator has to get married to have a perfect disguise while he preys on the innocent, he will.

The important thing this go round is that people are talking amongst themselves and talking back to bishops and priests who try to smooth this over or act as if McCarrick was a complete surprise and a one time fluke.