Euthanasia, the Holy See makes matters clear. At last
The dignity and sacredness of life always remain, even in vegetative states or with minimal conscience; assisted suicide is never permissible; no absolution to those who practise it, and those who participate or help are complicit. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith publishes a document on the end of life which goes against the trend of the Pontifical Academy for Life. It belies false compassion and the concept of best interest. And an admonishment: the first cause of this death mentality is the lack of faith.
Order of Malta: Becciu stops the German “coup”
A fierce clash over the religious nature of the Order of Malta in the face of its secularization: less power to its religious members and more to the pro-UN faction led by Baron Boeselager. The German governing group has attempted a putsch by calling for an extraordinary Chapter, but in so doing has gone against the rules. The Holy See, which intervened in 2017 in favor of Boeselager who was hit with the condom affair, has picked up on the maneuvers of the German group and stopped them.
"No more streamed Masses nor bowing to governments."
There’s urgency to return to the normalcy of Christian life. The Eucharist needs to be celebrated inside churches. Televised and streamed Masses are a far cry from a personal encounter with God. Liturgies should be respected in their entirety despite health directives, including the distribution of Communion. We must promote Eucharistic adoration and emphasize the primacy of eternal life over that of earthly life. These are the fundamental points of a letter addressed to the presidents of bishops’ conferences around the world and written by Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and with the approval of Pope Francis. But will it be enough to jump start the Catholic community after months of abuse and attention only to the anti-Covid safety regulations?
“I’ll tell you about some intimate details” about Karol Wojtyla and Padre Pio
Nine years ago on September 3, cardinal Andrzej Maria Deskur passed away. He was a close friend of Karol Wojtyla, ever since his days in seminary where the Polish saint manifested the gift of "infused prayer." Few people know that Deskur played an important role in the relationship between the future pope and Padre Pio. Nor is it very known at all that Deskur was commissioned by John Paul II to meet Sr. Lucia of Fatima to find out whether the 1984 Marian consecration had taken place as requested by Our Lady. The Daily Compass interviewed the director of Padre Pio TV, Stefano Campanella, who has gathered and studied Deskur's confidendential conversations with John Paul II.
The “Time of Creation” – or better said the “Time of Pantheism”
From September 1 to October 4 it is again the “Time of Creation,” an ecumenical initiative calling people to reflection on creation. In reality, it is the celebration of a new pantheism that is in vogue today among Christians, including within the Catholic Church.
Jesus Christ’s great absence in today’s Church
The idea that there can be Christianity without Christ is creeping more and more into general acceptance. After all, secular power likes a religion that cares for the poor, the environment and that obscures the burdensome figure of Christ as the one and only Truth to follow. Just read what Luigi Giussani and Romano Amerio have to say in this regard.
A Note condemning do-it-yourself liturgy: but now it must be applied
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in its Responsum of August 6, has clarified that arbitrary sacramental forms are invalid, such as “We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” and that it is necessary to baptize “in an absolute form.” In the attached Doctrinal Note, it recalls that the Sacraments are not subjects of personal taste but are to be administered in fidelity to Christ who instituted them. It is a truly Catholic document that should always be applied
Communion on the tongue, Benedict XVI clears a path
In 2005 Msgr. Laise wrote to the then-Prefect of the CDF Cardinal Ratzinger to suggest that during the Synod on the Eucharist he should address the topic of the approval of Communion in the hand and propose an examination of conscience for the entire Church. When he became Pope, Benedict XVI directed that during Papal Masses Holy Communion would be administered only on the tongue and kneeling. Laise’s “legacy” is now in the hands of Cardinal Sarah.
Hackers lurk in Vatican shadows. Were spies involved in the China-Vatican Agreement?
Recorded Future, a US-based company, reports Chinese hackers (RedDelta) broke into servers at the PIME headquarters and the Holy See’s Study Mission in Hong Kong. Why? To gather information in view of a renewal of the controversial agreement on the appointment of Chinese bishops.
The excuse is Covid as bishop closes down seminary in communion row
Faithful and seminarians of the San Rafael Dioccese have protested the prohibition of receiving Communion on the tongue. After a Rosary was interrupted by police, the local bishop closed the diocese’s model seminary with 39 seminarians and more than 150 families associated with the institution, all active Catholics in a region called the “Vendée of the Andes” where Christianity is lived according to the Benedict Option. This is why it is suspected that the moment was exploited to close a thriving community filled with vocations and one which is "too Catholic" for our times.
Communion in the hand: Bishops attacked John Paul II
After the publication of the Instruction Memoriale Domini, Paul VI was subjected to considerable pressure to extend the indult to distribute Communion on the hand, even John Paul II was criticised. As was the case of the Bishop Battazzi of Ivrea who harshly called out Wojtyla.
Communion in the hand: legitimised disobedience
Communion in the hand was not talked about either at the Council or in the liturgical reform movement. It is rooted in the post-conciliar period in the rebellious diocese of Northern Europe. Paul VI sought to curb it with his 1969 Instruction Memoriale Domini, which was intended to prohibit it and granted an indult only to the rebellious diocese in which there had not been success in curbing the abuse. On the first anniversary of his death, The Daily Compass remembers Bishop Juan Rodolfo Laise, the bishop who wrote the truth about communion in the hand and who opposed this practice, which is contrary to the universal law of the Church, in his diocese.
2. A PROTESTANT ATTACK ON THE PRIESTHOOD, by Nicola Bux
