BIG C CATHOLICS

To speak of the Church using political labels is a fatuous pursuit. You are either faithful to the teachings of the Church or you are unfaithful. Public opposition to the Magisterium is dissent. Then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith observed, "These doctrines require the assent of theological faith by all members of the faithful." The quotes below show that being a disciple of Christ requires total fidelity to Christ and Christ's Church. The teaching Church does not invent her doctrines; she is a witness, a custodian, an interpreter, a transmitter. As regards the truth...she can be called conservative, uncompromising. To those who would urge her to make her faith easier, more in keeping with the tastes of the changing mentality of the times, she answers with the apostles, we cannot do so. — Pope Paul VI, General Audience, January 12, 1972 It is sometimes reported that a large number of Catholics today do not adhe

Catholic Cultures' Philip Lawler, (the editor of Catholic World News ) has written a most insightful commentary about dissenters from the Church. He sums up the motives of so called "Progessive Catholics" who insist on spreading their errors within the Church. At least Martin Luther, Lawler notes, had the decency to leave: "Whatever else you might think or say about Martin Luther, give him credit for this much: having broken with Catholic teaching, he broke away from the Catholic Church. Today’s dissenting Catholics rarely show the same consistency. Even after rejecting the fundamentals of Catholic doctrine, they continue to masquerade as Catholics. Do you ever wonder why? Take the case of Donna Quinn, the object of a sympathetic profile last week in the Chicago Sun-Times . She describes the Catholic priesthood as a 'hoax.' She sees no difference between the Eucharist and a grandparent’s embrace of a grandchild. She is, however, absolutely firm in her

The Lepanto Foundation, an international foundation based in Rome that aims to defend the principles and institutions of Christian civilization, is reporting that Pope Francis has authorized a commission to 'reinterpret'  Humanae Vitae  'in the light of Amoris laetitia .' Should it lead to the sanctioning of artificial contraception by the Church it would constitute heresy – a fact the report itself acknowledges: "On the subject of contraception, Paul VI expressed himself in Humanae Vitae , in a manner which theologians judge as infallible and thus unmodifiable, not because the document in itself had the requisites of infallibility, but because it reaffirms a doctrine always proposed by the perennial Magisterium of the Church. The Jesuit theologians, Marcelino Zalba, John Ford and Gerald Kelly, the philosophers Arnaldo Xavier da Silveira and Germain Grisez, and many other authors explain how the doctrine of Humanae Vitae needs to be considered infallible, not

LifeSite reports on an opinion piece by a former Vatican official discussing Pope Francis’ refusal to answer the dubia issued by four of his cardinals concerning the doctrinal implications and proper interpretation of Amoris Laetitia , the post-synod apostolic exhortation on the family. The confusion that emerged in the wake of Amoris ’ release has resulted in myriad conclusions and widespread uncertainty . The LifeSite article begins: "Why doesn’t the Pope respond to the Dubia? The former director of the Vatican Bank thinks he knows why. Ettore Gotti Tedeschi suggests that Francis is sending two messages through his silence: that he can contradict himself if he likes and that he wishes to impose a 'New Catholic Morality' on the Church. This new morality would be based not on doctrine but on the subjective opinions of the individual conscience... Ultimately, Francis’ silence — which allows doubts to continue to flourish — is a denial of objective truth." Mr.Te

The Cathedra Petri (Chair of Peter) in the apse of Saint Peter's Basilica. On February 22nd, the Church celebrates the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter during which we remember the papacy and Saint Peter as the first bishop of Rome. This feast recalls Christ giving Peter the special mission of teacher and pastor, an office that has continued across time to the present Pope, Francis. We acknowledge the unity of the Church, founded upon the Apostle Peter, and renew our faithfulness to the Magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, extended both to truths defined ex cathedra , and to all the decrees of the ordinary Magisterium. In Caesarea Philippi, following Peter's profession of faith that Jesus was the Messiah, [Matthew 16: 13-20] Christ declares to Peter: [Y]ou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heav