News Item: : Pastores Dabo Vobis (Jeremiah 3:15)
(Category: Torch of The Faith News)
Posted by admin
Saturday 04 February 2017 - 00:01:39

It has been another tough week for Catholics with the news that Pope Francis has permitted the disgraced Boeselager to be restored to his mischief-making at the Knights of Malta; from where Boeselager has uttered threatening-sounding statements regarding the good Cardinal Raymond Burke. Then there came the release of those sacrilegious Amoris ''guidelines'' by the Bishops' Conference of Germany.

Still, there have been a number of uplifting stories this week regarding orthodox priests and their solid defence of the Faith. Here are the ones that most encouraged us in recent days.

1. Fr. Luis Carlos Uribe Medina Reinstated.

We first mentioned Fr. Medina of Colombia a couple of weeks ago when he was sadly suspended a divinis from the priestly ministry, because of his faithful refusal to go along with heretical and sacrilegious orders to give Holy Communion to adulterers.

A couple of days ago, 1 Peter 5's Steve Skojec reported that Fr. Medina had been reinstated and restored to his priestly duties on 31st January.

It seems from Skojec's report, that Fr. Medina told a group of Catholics that Bishop Rigoberto Corredor Bermudez had ''recognized his mistake, accepted the arguments of the priest re-instituting the priestly magisterium and announced that he forbids in his diocese to give Communion to the divorced and remarried in civil or free union. Also the bishop said to be obedient, first of all, to the Sacred Catholic Doctrine.''

As Skojec went on, ''some observers are already speculating that this incident may demonstrate that public back-lash against heavy-handed implementations of Amoris Laetitia may be having an effect.''

It is marvellous to hear that Fr. Medina has been vindicated in this manner. Whilst we think it important to keep a watchful eye on this situation as it develops, we rejoice to hear that Bishop Bermudez appears to have had this change of heart and practice. At the end of the day, this is the kind of happy outcome we all really desire; with those who have been promoting sinful adultery and sacrilege coming to their senses, repenting and making good within the unity of Christ's Church. So, hopefully, this is the end of that particular saga, and we therefore give thanks for Bishop Bermudez' restorative actions and ask for God's blessing on him; and for ongoing strength and protection for the good Fr. Medina.

2. Fr. Blake's account of the ''brightest and best''.

On Tuesday, Fr. Ray Blake posted up a story about a priest-friend of his who had been speaking to his diocesan bishop about Amoris Laetitia.

The priest had asked whether the Bishops of England and Wales would be making a statement along the lines of that issued by the two Maltese bishops.

The bishop had replied that this would not be happening: ''not only would there be division, even war amongst the bishops, at least a strong division between the bishops, but in his own diocese he knew that several of the younger clergy would resign from their parishes, and be welcomed by other sympathetic bishops. The problem he said would be with the brightest and the best, the most hard-working, especially amongst the younger of the diocesan clergy''.

Whilst this information does reflect very badly on the lack of even the most basic orthodoxy among some of our UK bishops, and the resulting disunity this continues to cause, it nevertheless demonstrates that the most orthodox priests are typically the most inspiring and reliable.

It also shows that the small but significant rise in the numbers of orthodox young priests, who came through during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, continues to make a difference at the grassroots level.

3. Thousands of Priests from Around the Globe Defend the Dubia and the True Faith. 

In his blog-post earlier this week, the Modernistic Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington D.C., smoothly suggested that ''only a very small number of people, whose voices have been amplified by some of the Catholic media, have challenged the integrity of Pope Francis' post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia''.

Even if that were the case, it would not make any difference to the nature of truth: truth is truth, regardless of the numbers prepared to defend it.

In any case, before the week was out, and if I may be permitted to employ a local Liverpool expression, Wuerl ''had his eye wiped'' by the release of the Statement of the Confraternities of Clergy.

The fact that this statement has given a voice to thousands of faithful priests from around the globe is splendid. We find the document's particular power to be in its balance, orthodoxy, respectful tones and subtlety.

Given the supposedly ''progressive'' mentality of those being addressed, we also think its employment of Gaudium et Spes to be a slick and sophisticated manoeuvre.

Pope Francis and those following the heretical and sacrilegious line might well ignore this fine statement, but they will find it hard to suppress its message. It also provides a kind of ''insurance policy'' for priests everywhere, in that large elements of the clergy have demonstrated that there is a vast, and ever-growing, groundswell of resistance to the present culture of heresy and sacrilege.

So, pour yourself a coffee and enjoy reading the statement through in the certain knowledge that so many faithful priests from all around the world have acquitted themselves very well this week. May God bless them all!

Statement of the Confraternities of Catholic Clergy

As members of the International Confraternities of Catholic Clergy we believe that there would be great value in an authorative interpretation of the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia in line with the constant teaching and practice of the Church. This statement comes in light of continuing widespread divergence of understanding and growing divisions in practice. A clarification is clearly needed to correct the misuse of the Apostolic Exhortation to undermine sacred Tradition. We therefore thank the four eminent cardinals who have recently submitted their dubia to the Holy See, requesting such clarification. The Confraternities recognize that this action has been taken out of love for the Church and concern for the salvation of souls. As the Cardinals themselves have made clear, this step has been taken with deep respect for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and should not in any way be used to foster divisions in the Church.The grave danger to the unity of the Church due to increasing moral relativism must be honestly faced and clearly remedied.

As pastors of souls, we are well aware of the many challenges facing the men and women of today. We strive to help our people, often living in complex situations, to hear the call of Christ and his Gospel. This task is made easier when the Church expounds her teaching boldly and clearly. It is also essential that the Church's discipline must always follow her dogmatic teaching. In particular, since at the present time there is much confusion, it is necessary to make clear that Holy Communion cannot be given to someone choosing to live in a sexual relationship with a person other than their validly espoused husband or wife. Those who find themselves in this situation are of course deserving of pastoral support and must be helped to play as full a part in the life of the Church as their circumstances allow. In connection with this, it is important to state that conscience is not a law unto itself replacing the holy law of God with private judgment, but rather an echo of the voice of the Creator. The dignity of conscience must be assisted to overcome all ignorance and protected from becoming 'practically sightless as a result of habitual sin' (Gaudium et Spes, 16). 

Requesting such a clarification, which reiterates the perennial teaching of the Church, is an act of filial love by faithful sons of the Church who turn to our Supreme Shepherd seeking his paternal guidance. It is our desire that this elucidation will enable us and other Catholic priests and deacons to carry out our ministry in ways that are faithful and effective. We hope that this request for clarification may be an occasion for the Holy Father to feed and tend the flock entrusted to him by the Lord, and to support us, the clergy, in doing the same.

It was a good week for the priesthood: let's keep the priests in our prayers in these times.

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This news item is from Torch of The Faith
( http://www.torchofthefaith.com/news.php?extend.1544 )