en.news

Bishop Fernando Rifan to Remain in Office Until 2027

The governance of Bishop Fernando Arêas Rifan, 75, of the Old Rite Apostolic Administration in Campos, Brazil, has been extended until spring 2027. He announced the extension in a pastoral letter published on January 11 on AdApostolica.org.
Monsignor Rifan recalled his meetings with Leo XIV in the autumn.
On 15 November 2025, he was received in private audience by Leo XIV, to whom he presented his resignation and the situation of the Apostolic Administration.
Leo XIV asked whether Bishop Rifan also celebrates the Novus Ordo. “I told him that in our churches we celebrate the ancient rite, but that when invited I concelebrate with our diocesan bishop, Bishop Roberto Paz, using the current rite, and likewise when I or our priests, when invited, celebrate Mass in the churches of the dioceses, we celebrate the Mass in the current form.”
Bishop Rifan on Leo XIV’s reaction: “He showed himself satisfied.”
On 17 November, Monsignor Rifan was received at the Dicastery for Bishops. There, he …More

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Christopher+Maria

God's Desire to be Loved

165
Father Karl A Claver

What must we do to gain Heaven? We must know, love and serve God.

Orthocat

Another piece of evidence: Leo's new pastoral staff has a "resurrected Christ" flying off the Cross.

catholicnewsagency.com

The story behind Pope Leo XIV’s new papal staff

Jan 12, 2026 / 12:25 pm
Last week during the Jan. 6 closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV used a new papal staff, or ferula, which is used by pontiffs in solemn ceremonies and represents their leadership as bishop of Rome and supreme pastor of the entire Church.
According to the
Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Holy See, popes have traditionally received this insignia after their election, when they took possession of their see in St. John Lateran Basilica.
The papal staff, used only by the pope and topped with a cross or a crucifix, is different from the bishop’s crozier — the shepherd’s staff — which ends in a curve and is used by bishops and archbishops.
It was St. Paul VI who, in 1965 on the occasion of the closing of the Second Vatican Council, used a silver ferula with a crucifix designed by the sculptor Lello Scorzelli. The pontiff began to use this cross with increasing frequency in liturgical celebrations, as his successors would later do. …

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Orthocat

Close up:

Wilma Lopez

Former Irish president Mary McAleese argues in an op-ed for The Irish Times that the baptism of children violates human rights and should be outlawed, a stance critics liken to historic anti-Catholic measures under Elizabeth I. Since leaving office, McAleese has pushed for sweeping reforms of Catholic doctrine—especially on marriage, sexuality, abortion, and the male-only priesthood—while holding academic posts at institutions such as Boston College and University of Notre Dame, and earning a canon law doctorate from the Pontifical Gregorian University. The author contends that her rhetoric is often imprecise, particularly in blaming canon law itself for failures to address abuse, arguing instead that church leaders failed to use the authority the law already granted them.

irishtimes.com

Mary McAleese: Baptism is a key Catholic recruitment tool. It denies babies their human rights

Throughout the world, there continues a long-standing, systemic and overlooked severe restriction on children’s rights with regard to religion. This warrants, but has yet to receive, serious examination. It impacts Ireland in a special way and contemporary circumstances make Ireland an ideal place to conduct that examination.
Let me set the scene with a couple of brief, inter-related stories.

2148
Father Karl A Claver

What a bunch of malarky. Ireland is getting more woke and liberal than ever. Saints Patrick, Kevin and Bridget are not impressed.

giveusthisday

en.news

Cardinals on Consistory: "Everything Was Very Controlled"

Reports from the extraordinary consistory on January 7-8 in Rome point to significant internal disagreements. TheCatholicHerald.com cites several cardinals, most speaking anonymously. Main quotes.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Jerusalem: “Reform is not a Church language. In the Church there are no reforms. We must reflect on our mission and vocation according to the times, but faithful to the roots and to the mission of the Church.”
Cardinal Frank Leo, Toronto: “I don’t think the College of Cardinals is divided at all.”
Anders Arborelius, Stockholm, on liturgy: “I hope we can find a compromise.”
Another Cardinal: “Some of Pope Francis’ friends spoke about a new Church and absolute change.”
Conservative cardinal, anonymous: “This whole synodal style doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t understand the intelligent men who write on and on about it.”
Progressive cardinal, anonymous: “Sitting around tables rather than facing leaders at the front is a brilliant sign of collegiality.” …More

1590
Boanerges Boanerges

"Smiling Leo" is ready to hear everyone...tutti, tutti, tutti, what a great change compared to Bergoglio. NOT!

Mike the Pike shares from steack

Vatican II is no longer being treated as one council received by the Church. It is being treated as the interpretive tribunal before which all other councils must now appear. If something from the past fits the conciliar vocabulary, it may remain. If it resists that vocabulary, it must be “re-read,” “re-framed,” or quietly set aside. This is why the language matters so much.

Bishop Strickland about the fateful council

My Brothers and Sisters In Christ,
A watchman does not cry out every hour of the night. He speaks when something has shifted – when the air itself feels different, when the ground beneath familiar landmarks has begun to move.
What has unfolded in Rome this week is not something to panic over, nor something to ignore. It is something to notice.
There has been a gathering of cardinals occurring – an extraordinary consistory – called not to define doctrine, not to correct grave error, not to defend the altar or clarify confusion, but to reflect, to listen, to converse, and to continue a process.
And the way this gathering was framed tells us far more than any single sentence spoken within it.
From the very beginning, the emphasis was clear: The Church was asked once again to look at herself – and to do so through one particular lens. Not through the accumulated wisdom of councils stretching back to the Apostles. But through the Second Vatican Council, presented not as a chapter in the …More

1553

While the rest of the world is plotting and planning on destroying countries around the world, While they are destroying them now. While they plot and plan to destroy Russia she is preparing for the showdown. When GOD is ready they will all learn pride and hatred and arrogance is not what wins wars. When that day comes, I am sure Russia will hit every underground city they have built and all their bunkers. I am sure of it because I am positive GOD is in complete control and that is His Will. Not that He will be in control later. But always in control.

rt.com

Russia is turning its military into a high-tech arsenal – here’s what’s next

From nuclear-powered subs to AI-powered drones, these upgrades are set to transform Russia’s battlefield reach
In 2026, Russia’s military-industrial complex is set to introduce a new wave of weapons systems across nearly every domain of warfare. A number of long-running projects are expected to reach key testing stages or enter service, while others will appear in updated configurations shaped by recent operational experience. Together, these developments offer a useful snapshot of where Russian military technology is headed in the near term.
RT provides an overview of the most significant platforms and systems that are likely to define the next stage of modernization for Russia’s armed forces – from strategic missiles and submarines to air defense systems, combat aircraft, and unmanned technologies. These programs reflect a consistent focus on survivability, automation, and asymmetric advantage, as well as a clear intent to integrate new solutions rapidly into active service.
Seen in …

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en.news

“Church of Benedict XVI Doesn’t Exist Anymore” - Cardinal Müller

Leo XIV’s setting of the consistory is “not normative”, Cardinal Gerhard Müller told TheCatholicHerald.com (January 11): “This is a method of the synods, and I think it’s helping the Pope not as Bishop of Rome but as a diocesan bishop.”
Cardinal Müller sought to dispel what he described as a false dichotomy in the Church’s internal debates. “The Church of Benedict XVI doesn’t exist anymore.”
Picture: vatican media, #newsXaqahjlxet

4678
Irishpol

@Boanerges Boanerges You are absolutely correct!
—We can complain til the cows come home but nothing will change for the better. It is a near certainty that things will only get worse.
—Jesus Christ created only one Church (now known as the Roman Catholic Church). Moreover, He established only one set of “truths” and commanded the appointed leaders of His Church to teach those “truths,” exclusively, to “all nations.” Those “truths” are the teachings, practices and beliefs of the Catholic religion.
—The Second Vatican Council created a counterfeit religion (which faithful Catholics call the “Conciliar” religion). All post-Vatican II popes, bishops and priests follow and promote some or all of the many false teachings contained in the Conciliar religion.
—Each and every one of those men of the Conciliar religion who have been responsible for leading unwitting Catholics away from the authentic teachings of the Catholic religion (many to perdition) will one day answer to Jesus Christ …More

Orthocat

"When one of you says, I am for Paul, and another, I am for Apollos, are not these human thoughts? Why, what is Apollos, what is Paul?"1st Corinthians 3:4. Jesus Christ is the head of His Church. The pope should be his "vicar" - a servant of the servants of God who protests the Deposit of Faith. If a man fails in that, woe to him. It would have been better if he hadn't been born!

Super Omnia Veritas

THE CONCILIAR RELIGION IS PURE MODERNISM.

"The heresy of Modernism continues to grow. None of our Church leaders seem to care." - Raymond Marcin - 06/01/2026.
First of all, what is the heresy of Modernism? It’s important to understand that this essay refers to the formally declared heresy of Modernism -not “modernism” in the artistic, cultural, political, or purely philosophical usages of the word. Modernism in Catholic theological doctrine, however, is indeed a heresy -a heresy that progressive-minded Catholics often dally with, and that tradition-minded Catholics have always avoided like the plague.
Related: 1. LEO XIV AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE - Robert Prevost … - 2. "For collaboration between different religious … - 3. Leo XIV Presides over Neo-Pagan Water Ritual at … - 4. POPE LEO ON LGBT ISSUES AND WOMEN'S ORDINATIONS - 5. THE VATICAN CALLS FOR A NEW PLANETARY ALLIANCE - … - 6. LEON XIV HERO OF ECOLOGICAL GLOBALISM - Related: … - 7. "2013-2022: Nine Years With Francis" - 8. DIEZ AÑOS CON FRANCISCO. - 9. 12 …More

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Super Omnia Veritas

These are the quotes from Ratzinger on Vatican II contained in the article:
Source: Principles of Catholic Theology - Building …
Related: The Oath against Modernism vs. the ‘Hermeneutic … - Benedict XVI pays homage to the United Nations

en.news

Leo XIV Will Not Bury Francis – Tucho on Continuity between Popes

Leo XIV will certainly introduce changes with respect to the previous pontificate, but the challenge posed by Evangelii Gaudium "cannot" be buried — Cardinal Víctor “Tucho” Fernández told the consistory on January 7–8. His intervention was published by his friends of ReligionDigital.org.
“In fact, Evangelii Gaudium specifies that it is not an obsessive proclamation of all the doctrines and norms of the Church, although necessary and valuable, but above all the proclamation of the core of the Gospel, the kerygma.”
Tucho believes that "creativity is needed" to ensure that the proclamation reaches everyone.
Protestant-sounding language
He argues for an alleged “need to remain open to reforming our practices, styles, and organizations.”
Even if denied, he uses the phrase “not out of an obsession with change” and wants “inculturating anew”.
He then invokes the anti-Catholic slogan “Ecclesia semper reformanda”, drawn from Reformed theological literature.
Tucho also argues against …More

51.1K
sp2 . .

Those guys who just left the Church and went to the Isle of Scotland, don't have to worry about things like this any longer.

JANET ZIMMER

That guy being able to keep his job is the best evidence that Leo is just Francis II.

In Principio

Anthony Hopkins ~ 'The arrogance of atheism is believing that we already know everything'

Anthony Hopkins ~ 'The arrogance of atheism is believing that we already know everything'

1235
Lazarus Peter Kalamation.com

Heard a true story of him visiting Thomas Aquinas College in California.

Original Douay-Rheims Audio Series

Genesis 2
Listen here: patrick.com.ng/audio/?f=bible/Genesis+2.mp3

188
Arise Shine

Is baptism necessary for salvation ?

mastercatechism.com
Yes, baptism is necessary for salvation. The Church teaches that without baptism, one cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven, as stated by Christ: "Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).
However, there are exceptions recognized by the Church. Those who die without baptism but have not committed sin through no fault of their own will not go to hell, but they will not see God or heaven. Instead, they will be in a state of natural peace, deprived of the beatific vision (V16 Kinkead Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism 1891 226:1).
Additionally, the Church acknowledges two other forms of baptism that can substitute for the sacrament of water baptism under certain circumstances: the baptism of blood (martyrdom) and the baptism of desire (a sincere desire for baptism combined with perfect contrition for sins) (V17 Cafferata The Catechism Simply Explained 1932 244:2; V8 Frassinetti A Dogmatic Catechism …More

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Christine M G

Thanks, Arise Shine, for this crucial article! In the month of March, Fred will be celebrating his 10-year anniversary since he converted to Catholicism (and got baptized along with the other sacraments). Glory be to God, Jesus Christ Christine (Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish)

Arise Shine

2 Timothy 4:22 -- The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. -- Will unbaptized infants go to heaven?
mastercatechism.com -- Provided the following:
The Church teaches that unbaptized infants do not enter heaven, as they lack the beatific vision of God due to original sin. However, they do not suffer the same penalties as those who have committed personal sin. Instead, it is believed that they may experience a state of natural happiness, without the pain of sense, as they are not aware of their deprivation of the beatific vision (V0 Schneider Credo 2023 273:5; V18 Gasparri The Catholic Catechism 1932 211:2).
The destiny of these infants remains a mystery entrusted to God's loving providence, and while we can hope for God's mercy, their ultimate fate is not definitively known (V0 Schneider Credo 2023 274:1; V8 Frassinetti A Dogmatic Catechism 1872 65:4).
SOURCES:
Chapter 7: Baptism: Destiny Of The Non-Baptized
257. Then What Happens To Infants Who Die Without …More