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| St. Alphonsus Liguori: Daily Meditations for Nineteenth Week after Pentecost |
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Posted by: Stone - 10-19-2025, 06:40 AM - Forum: Pentecost
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St. Teresa received from God the gift of Faith in so full a measure that she has written in her Life: "The devil never had power to tempt me in any way against the Faith. It even seemed to me that the more impossible, naturally speaking, a truth of Faith was, the more firmly did I believe it, and the more difficult of belief, the more did it inspire me with devotion."
I.
St. Teresa received from God the gift of Faith in so full of measure that she has written in her Life: "The devil never had power to tempt me in any way against the Faith. It even seemed to me that the more impossible, naturally speaking, a truth of Faith was, the more firmly did I believe it, and the more difficult of belief, the more did it inspire me with devotion."
One day she was told she might be denounced to the Holy Office as a heretic. "This made me smile," she writes, "knowing so well that for the things of holy Faith, or for the least of the ceremonies of the Church, I would give my life a thousand times."
This love for the Faith gave her the fortitude, when but seven years of age, to set out from her father's house with her little brother, to go amongst the Moors, in order that she might sacrifice her life for the Faith. Later on in life, such was her conviction of the truth of our Faith, that she felt as if she could convince all the Lutherans and bring them to an acknowledgment of their errors.
In a word, the satisfaction she experienced at seeing herself among the number of the children of the Church was such, that at the hour of her death she could not often enough repeat to herself these words: "After all, I am a child of the Holy Church! After all, I am a child of the Holy Church!"
Let the fruit of this consideration be that of continual thanksgiving, in union with the Saint, to the Lord, for having bestowed upon us the great gift of the Faith, in making us children of the Holy Church, from which so many millions of souls, perhaps less guilty than ourselves, in the sight of Divine justice, remain separated.
My most loving Jesus, Who, although thou didst foresee my ingratitude, hast never ceased to bestow upon me an abundance of graces, above all, the grace of the Faith -- ah, of Thy mercy enkindle such a flame within my heart, that my daily life may be always conformable to my Faith. O Divine, true and only Lover of my soul, when will the day at length arrive on which I shall begin to love Thee with my whole heart? Oh, would to God that today were this day of happiness for me, the day on which I have, in the present Novena, begun to honour Thy dear spouse and my tender advocate, Teresa! Ah! my Redeemer, by the merits of Thy Blood; by the merits of Mary, Thy most holy Mother and by those of Thy beloved Teresa, grant me, I pray Thee, so burning a love for Thee as may make me continually deplore the sins I have committed, and may urge me, henceforth, to study nothing but Thy good pleasure, in order that I may please Thee only, as Thou dost deserve. Amen.
II.
From the wonderful gift of Faith which the Saint possessed arose the great love she bore towards the Most Holy Sacrament, which is preeminently the Mystery of Faith. She used to say that God has conferred upon us a greater grace in giving us the Holy Eucharist than in becoming man; and so, one of the principal virtues the Saint possessed was her special affection towards Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, as she herself revealed after her death. When the Saint heard someone say he wished he lived at the time Jesus was upon earth, she would smile and say: "And what more do we want, having Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament? Surely, if it was enough, while He was upon earth, to touch His raiment, in order to be healed of infirmities, what will He not do for us now when He is within us in Holy Communion?" "Oh, how sweet it is," she wrote, "to see the Shepherd become a Lamb. He is a Shepherd, because He gives food. He is a Lamb, because He is Himself the food. He is a Shepherd, because He nourishes. He is a Lamb, because He is the nourishment. When, therefore, we pray to Him for our daily bread, we are asking that He, the Shepherd, may be our food and sustenance."
The Divine Lover responded to the love with which this cherished spouse of His desired Him, and with which she disposed herself to receive Him under the sacramental species. As darkness disappears before the sun, so at the moment of Communion the obscurities and troubles of the Saint used to vanish. It then seemed to her that her soul lost all its affections and all its desires, being perfectly united with God and absorbed in Him. Although she was usually pale in consequence of her penances and infirmities, her biographer says, that no sooner had she communicated than her countenance became shining as crystal, ruddy, extremely beautiful, and with such an air of majesty about it, that it was easy to recognize what a Divine Guest she had received into her heart. At those times her virginal body seemed ready to quit the earth, raising itself in the air in the presence of the Sisters.
O Seraphic Saint, who by thy purity and ardent love, were upon earth the delight of thy God -- thou whom He loved so much as one day to tell thee that as Magdalen was His beloved one when He was on earth, so thou wert in the same degree His beloved one now that He is in Heaven -- oh thou dear Saint, whom He treated with such tenderness whether He admonished thee as a Father, or conversed with thee as a Spouse communicating Himself to thee so frequently in Holy Communion and with such abundant outpourings of grace-O Teresa, plead with thy God for me who, alas! am not the object of His delights but the cause of His sufferings by my evil life. Pray to Jesus to pardon me and to give me a new heart, a heart pure and full of Divine love like unto thine own. Amen.
Spiritual Reading
TERESA'S LOVE FOR JESUS IN THE EUCHARIST
The holy mother Teresa never ceased to deplore the injurious treatment that Jesus received in the Sacrament of His love at the hands of heretics. She would complain to God: "Now how, O my Creator, can such tender love as Thine endure that what was instituted with such ardent affection by Thy Son, and the more to please Thee, should be so undervalued that at this day these heretics despise the Most Holy Sacrament? For they rob it of its home by demolishing the Churches. Was it not enough, O my Father, that whilst Jesus lived on earth He had no place to lay His head, without now taking from Him the holy places where He deigns to abide, and whereunto He invites His friends, knowing, as He does, their need of such food for their comfort?"
For twenty-three years she communicated every day, and every time with such fervour and desire, that in order to receive Communion, she would, as she said, willingly have made her way against the spears of a whole army.
One Palm Sunday as she was considering that among all those who at Jerusalem had proclaimed Jesus Christ as the Messias, there was not one to receive Him into his house, she invited Him to come and enter her poor heart, and with this pious thought she went to receive Communion. The affectionate invitation of His beloved was so agreeable to the Divine Spouse, that when she received the Sacred Host it seemed to her that her mouth was filled with warm blood, accompanied with a heavenly sweetness. Then she heard the voice of Jesus saying: "My daughter, it is My will that My Blood should be for your profit: I have shed it in great suffering, and you enjoy it, as you see, with great delights."
With regard, therefore, to this greatest of all gifts that Jesus has bequeathed to us in the Sacrament of the Altar, in leaving Himself, whole and entire, to be our Food, our Companion and our Shepherd, let us practise the excellent instruction that the holy mother once revealed from Heaven to a certain soul: "The inhabitants of Heaven and those of earth should be one and the same in purity and in love: we, in a state of joy; you, in that of suffering. And, what we do in Heaven with the Divine Essence, you ought to do on earth with the Most Holy Sacrament. You will mention this to all my children." Treating of the love and tender devotion that are due to Jesus in the Holy Sacrament, she has again left us in her works the following directions: "Let us act so as not to be at a distance from our Shepherd, nor lose sight of him, because the sheep that keep near their shepherd are always more caressed and better taken care of than others, and because he is always giving them some morsels of his own food. If it happens that the shepherd sleeps, the faithful sheep keeps close beside him, until he awakes, or it will arouse him, and then he lavishes upon it his caresses anew."
St. Philip Neri, that other seraph of love, on seeing Jesus entering his room to be his Viaticum, could not refrain from crying out in a holy transport: "Behold my Love! Behold my Love!" So let us, when we see the King and Spouse of our souls coming to meet us in Holy Communion, cry out and say: Behold my Love! Behold my Love! And we know that God wishes us to give Him this appellation. God is love (1 John iv. 16). He does not wish to be merely called a Lover, but to be Love itself, to make us understand that, as there is no love that does not love, so He, the Divine Goodness, is of His own nature so loving, that He cannot live without loving His creatures.
Evening Meditation
CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD*
I. EXCELLENCE OF THIS VIRTUE
Our whole perfection consists in loving God Who is in Himself most lovely: Charity is the bond of perfection (Col. iii. 14). But, then, all perfection in the love of God consists in the union of our own with His most holy will. This, indeed, is the principal effect of love, as St. Dionysius the Areopagite observes, "such a union of the wills of those who love as makes them one and the same will." And, therefore, the more united a person is with the Divine will, so much greater will be his love. It is quite true that mortifications, meditations, Communions, and works of charity towards others are pleasing to God. But when is this the case? When they are done in conformity to God's will; for otherwise, not only does He not approve them, but He abominates and punishes them. Take the case of two servants, one of whom labours hard and incessantly all day long, but does everything after his own fashion; while the other may not work as hard, but acts always in obedience to orders. Is it not certain that it is the latter, and not the former, who pleases his master? In what respect can any works of ours tend to the glory of God, where they are not done according to His good pleasure? It is not sacrifices that the Lord desires, says the Prophet to Saul, but obedience to His will: Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed (1 Kings, xv. 22). To refuse to obey is like the crime of idolatry. He who will act according to his own will, and independently of God's, commits a kind of idolatry; since instead of worshipping the Divine will, he, in a certain sense, worships his own.
II.
The greatest glory, then, that we can give to God is the fulfilment of His holy will in everything. This is what our Redeemer, Whose purpose in coming upon earth was the establishment of the glory of God, principally came to teach by His example. See how Jesus addresses His Eternal Father: Sacrifice and oblation, thou wouldst not; but a body thou hast fitted to me ... then said I: Behold, I come -- that I should do thy will, O God (Heb. x. 5). Thou hast refused to accept the victims which mankind have offered Thee. It is Thy will that I should sacrifice to Thee the body which Thou hast given Me; lo, I am ready to perform Thy will! And hence it is that Jesus so often declares He had come upon earth not to fulfil His own, but His Father's will only: I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me (Jo. vi. 38). And on this account Jesus wished that the world might know the love He bore His Father, from the obedience to His will which He manifested in sacrificing Himself upon the Cross for the salvation of mankind; just as He said Himself in the Garden when going forth to meet His enemies who had come to take Him and lead Him away to death: That the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father hath given me commandment, so do I; Arise, let ye go hence! (Jo. xiv. 31). And for this reason, too, He said He would recognize as His very own brother him who acted according to the Divine will: Whosoever shall do the will of my Father, he is my brother (Matt. xii. 50).
*This is a golden treatise that seems rather to have been inspired from Heaven than to have emanated from the human mind. The holy author himself, St. Alphonsus, used often to read it. He constantly practised the wise maxims it contains and always endeavoured to inculcate its practice on others. He was accustomed to say: "The Saints became Saints because they always remained united to the will of God." When the Saint's eyesight began to fail, him, he took care to have this little treatise read to him. -- ED.
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| Pope Leo appoints priest who expressed support for ‘women’s ordination’ as archbishop of Vienna |
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Posted by: Stone - 10-18-2025, 08:10 AM - Forum: Pope Leo XIV
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Pope Leo appoints priest who expressed support for ‘women’s ordination’ as archbishop of Vienna
The Holy See announced today that Pope Leo appointed Msgr. Josef Grünwidl, who belonged to a group that promoted ‘women’s ordination’ and giving Holy Communion to non-Catholics.
![[Image: GettyImages-2215687053.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2215687053.jpg)
Pope Leo XIV
Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Oct 17, 2025
VIENNA (LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted - not all hyperlinks included from original]) — Pope Leo XIV has officially appointed modernist Msgr. Josef Grünwidl as new archbishop of Vienna.
In an October 17 publication from the press office of the Holy See, the Vatican announced Pope Leo XIV”s appointment of 63-year-old Josef Grünwidl, known for his heterodox activism, as archbishop of Vienna.
“The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Josef Grünwidl, until now apostolic administrator of the same archdiocese, as metropolitan archbishop of Wien, Austria,” the announcement read.
LifeSiteNews’ John-Henry Westen responded to the appointment, voicing concern over Grünwidl’s modernist positions which contradict centuries of Catholic doctrine.
“It’s official: Pope Leo has appointed an ultra-liberal who pushed women’s ordination and communion for non-Catholics as the Archbishop of Vienna Austria,” Westen posted on X. During his time as a priest, Grünwidl has become known for his modernist stances, which includes encouragement of “female ordination” and attempts to decentralize authority within the Church as part of the leftist push for “synodality.”
He has publicly called for an “urgent need for clarification” on the “ordination” of women, specifically supporting further discussion and potential implementation of a “female diaconate.” He has also expressed openness to admitting women to the College of Cardinals and has appointed three women to the diocesan leadership team in Vienna.
Furthermore, the ORF reports that Grünwidl belonged to a heterodox group titled “Call to Disobedience” that openly pushed for “ordaining” women and married men as priests and giving Holy Communion to the divorced and “remarried” and non-Catholics, among other things, through a flagrant “call to disobedience.”
Grünwidl’s activism is in direct contradiction to the teachings of the Catholic Church, which reserves the vocation of priesthood to “baptized men.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the Church is bound by Christ’s decision to ordain men to the priesthood and “for this reason the ordination of women is not possible.”
In another dissent from Church teaching, Grünwidl has previously stated that while he chose to remain celibate as a priest, the practice is “not a matter of faith” and should be left to the discretion of individual clergy.
At the same time, the Catechism clearly states that “all the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate ‘for the sake of the kingdom of heaven’ and to devote themselves entirely to the service of God and the service of others.”
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| Pope Leo gives Charles III, head of Church of England, permanent chair at papal basilica |
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Posted by: Stone - 10-18-2025, 08:08 AM - Forum: Pope Leo XIV
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Pope Leo gives Charles III, head of Church of England, permanent chair at papal basilica
Charles will also pray alongside the Pope in the Sistine Chapel as part of a public 'ecumenical service.'
![[Image: GettyImages-1962952390.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/GettyImages-1962952390.jpg)
King Charles III
Carl Court/Getty Images
Oct 17, 2025
ROME (LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted - not all hyperlinks included from original]) — Pope Leo XIV is set to do something unprecedented when King Charles III takes part in his official visit next week.
Leo is designating Charles, the head of the Church of England, as a “royal confrater” of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, one of the four papal basilicas. To that end Charles will be granted the use of a special, permanent chair.
Charles will also pray alongside the Pope in the Sistine Chapel as part of a public “ecumenical service.”
“It will mark a significant moment in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England, of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor, recognising the ecumenical work they have undertaken and reflecting the Jubilee year’s theme of walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope,’” said a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace.
The two will also take part in a private meeting to discuss “climate sustainability,” according to Reuters.
This is a developing story…
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| Heir to Louis XVI denounces France’s euthanasia plan: ‘I’m pro-life. At all stages’ |
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Posted by: Stone - 10-18-2025, 08:06 AM - Forum: Global News
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Heir to Louis XVI denounces France’s euthanasia plan: ‘I’m pro-life. At all stages’
Louis Alphonse de Bourbon also affirmed his willingness to serve as king if the French people desire it.
![[Image: GettyImages-117981131-scaled-e1760643771159.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-117981131-scaled-e1760643771159.jpg)
Louis Alphonse de Bourbon
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Oct 17, 2025
(LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted - not all hyperlinks included from original]) — The heir to the line of French kings which reaches back to Saint Louis IX has declared his commitment to life and announced that he is ready to serve France in a re-established monarchy, if the French people desire it. The news comes amid political chaos and the government’s third collapse since the 2024 elections – in a scenario mainstream speculation suggests could entail the end of the French Fifth Republic.
Louis Alphonse de Bourbon, Duke of Anjou and Legitimist claimant to the French throne as Louis XX, warned in an October 8 Journal du Dimanche column that “the Fifth Republic, like its sisters before it, seems to be on the verge of collapse.” This follows the disintegration of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s government on October 6, after 27 days, intensifying fears of the Fifth Republic’s demise under President Emmanuel Macron.
In the same October 11 Canal News interview where he affirmed his willingness to serve as king if needed, Bourbon, a pro-life traditional Catholic, condemned France’s proposed euthanasia law, declaring, “I have always spoken in favor of life — and I’m pro-life. At all stages: from birth to the end.”
When asked about the possibility of the monarchy’s re-establishment in such circumstances he stated: “My family have served France for centuries. And if France asks for it, I will be at her service.”
The latest crisis began with Macron’s June 2024 snap elections. The vote produced a hung National Assembly. It split among the left-wing New Popular Front, Macron’s centrists, and the far-right National Rally. No bloc secured a majority. Macron has since cycled through five prime ministers. Lecornu’s cabinet, a reshuffle of prior figures, resigned under no-confidence threats.
France’s 5.4 percent GDP deficit and €3 trillion debt sparked market volatility. The euro dipped and bond yields spiked. The Telegraph has warned of “regime change.” Politico described unprecedented convulsion. Macron tasked Lecornu with caretaker duties until October 15, after which the future remains unclear. New elections or a sixth prime minister loom as Macron is under mounting pressure to resign – though he has repeatedly refused to do this.
In his Journal du Dimanche column, Bourbon wrote, “The political, institutional, and social state of our country continues to worsen.” He decried “a political crisis that is becoming more insoluble every day.” Parties, he said, “play their own game” rather than serve “the higher interests of France and therefore of the French.” He criticized the Republic’s “partisan logic” and “total absence of questioning.”
The system, he argued, is “a space of immobility and powerlessness.”
On Canal News, he stated, “I’m not in a position to remain silent…. At the moment I see France in an absolutely blocked situation, and I am filled with concern.” He added, “The tone of my discourse has never changed, but the situation has never been so grave. The French need hope.”
READ: UN warns France’s euthanasia plan undermines ‘right to life of persons with disabilities’
Bourbon envisions the monarchy as “above party quarrels, pacifying, unifying, to the defense of the common good.”
In his column, he praised monarchy’s “stability, the long term, a vision over several generations.” Leaders, he said, should “not transmit chaos to their successor.” He urged the people of France to “not forget that it was in the shade of the lilies that your freedoms flourished and that France reached its peak.” He hopes “monarchical heritage” is “sufficiently alive in the hearts” of the French to inspire “hope.”
On Canal News, he clarified, “The indispensable condition would be that France wants the return of the monarchy.”
Bourbon’s faith shapes his stance. A Traditional Latin Mass devotee, he is a member of the Order of Malta. He has long opposed same-sex marriage and adoption, arguing they undermine natural family structures. At the 2019 World Congress of Families, he urged a return to a “Christian society.” His views resonate with traditionalists who see the crisis as a chance for restoration.
Bourbon’s conservative ties extend abroad. He is close to Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s Vox party. He serves as honorary president of the Francisco Franco National Foundation (Franco is his maternal great-grandfather). In 2018, he led protests against Franco’s exhumation. He also demanded Spain’s Socialist prime minister’s resignation. These stances align with his vision for France.
Bourbon, 51, lives in Madrid, where a branch of the Bourbon family ascended to the Spanish throne. He is married to María Margarita Vargas Santaella and have five children. He is descended from Louis XIV – the fondly-remembered Roi Soleil (Sun King) – to Hugh Capet in 987 A.D.
Bourbon calls himself a monarchist “but not anti-republican.” He envisions a constitutional monarch who would act as moral authority and national unifier. However, before a near decade of political crisis, a 2016 poll found support for monarchical re-establishment was low – only 17 percent.
Bourbon often attends ceremonial public events alongside the military and other institutions in France. In 2021 France – a nation with a history of coups d’etat – was on the verge of a constitutional crisis after an open letter was signed by former generals and military leaders which warned of civil war and demanded the government clamp down on excessive “anti-racism” measures.
The Fifth Republic, designed by Charles de Gaulle for stability, continues to falter without a parliamentary majority. Bourbon’s call for a monarchy offers an alternative which promises stability over chaos. His pro-life stance and Christian vision appeal to conservatives who are moving quickly rightwards amidst a national revival in Catholicism and traditional Catholicism.
As Bourbon’s words gained national attention, France continues to weigh fragile coalitions against a return to its roots.
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| Pope Leo appoints Cupich to Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State |
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Posted by: Stone - 10-17-2025, 12:56 PM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
- Replies (1)
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Pope Leo appoints Cupich to Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
Cardinal Blase Cupich recently faced backlash from other bishops for planning to award pro-abortion,
pro-LGBT Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin with a ‘lifetime achievement’ award.
![[Image: 1B14526C-3F0E-4768-938B-549EEB96A1BD_1_1...05551.jpeg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1B14526C-3F0E-4768-938B-549EEB96A1BD_1_105_c-e1758744105551.jpeg)
Cardinal Blase Cupich entering the 2024 Synod
Michael Haynes
Oct 16, 2025
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted - not all hyperlinks included from original]) — Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday appointed heterodox Cardinal Blase Cupich to the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State.
In an October 15 bulletin, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo had named Cupich to the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State. Such appointments are often considered a reward for loyalty to and alignment with the Holy Father’s vision for the Church.
Cupich, who serves as the archbishop of the pontiff’s hometown of Chicago, has recently made headlines for planning to award pro-abortion Illinois Senator Dick Durbin with a “lifetime achievement” award, has a long history of suppressing the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), and has opposed the pro-life movement.
LifeSite’s editor in chief, John-Henry Westen, noted Cupich’s history of suppressing the TLM and embrace of pro-abortion politicians in an X post.
The Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State is the Vatican’s legislative body responsible for many of the state’s functions and activities, including economics, security and public order, customs and postal services, public health and the environment, and overseeing the Vatican Museums. It’s worth noting that all laws proposed by the commission must ultimately be approved by the sovereign pontiff.
In recent weeks, Cupich had planned to honor the radically pro-abortion and pro-LGBT Democratic Senator Dick Durbin with a “lifetime achievement” award, citing his support for liberal immigration policies, at the Archdiocese of Chicago’s “Keep Hope Alive” benefit in November.
READ: Cardinal Cupich to honor pro-abortion Sen. Durbin with lifetime achievement award
Since his election to the U.S. Senate in 1997, Durbin has supported every possible brutal method of abortion, as well as even post-abortion infanticide, voting against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Durbin’s horrendous voting record has earned 0 percent pro-life scores and 100 percent pro-abortion scores from the National Right to Life Committee.
Several American bishops, including Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Durbin’s bishop, and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, denounced Cupich’s decision, noting that awarding the pro-abortion senator risks “grave scandal.”
Cupich responded by doubling down on his decision and dismissing concerns that he risked “grave scandal” by presenting Durbin with the “lifetime achievement” award, claiming that Catholic teaching on life and dignity “cannot be reduced to a single issue, even an issue as important as abortion.”
However, after continued backlash, Cupich announced that Durbin had declined to receive the award. Just hours before the archbishop of Chicago’s announcement, Pope Leo raised eyebrows by appearing to defend the cardinal’s decision to honor the pro-abortion senator when pressed by a reporter.
“I think that it is very important to look at the overall work that a senator has done during … 40 years of service in the United States Senate,” the American pontiff stated.
READ: Pope Leo says support for death penalty is ‘not pro-life,’ defends awarding pro-abortion politician
Leo then echoed Cupich’s erroneous equation of abortion to the death penalty and migration policy: “Someone who says I’m against abortion but says I’m in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life,” the pope said. “Someone who says I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”
Cupich has also been a vocal opponent of the Latin Mass, placing sweeping restrictions on its celebration as well as the celebration of old rite sacraments in the Chicago archdiocese. The cardinal has also repeatedly criticized traditional Catholics, recently denouncing “traditionalism” as the “dead faith of the living.”
READ: Cardinal Cupich decries ‘traditionalism’ as the ‘dead faith of the living’
Liturgical scholar Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, in a Facebook post, remarked that the faithful shouldn’t be “freaking out” over Cupich’s appointment, emphasizing that the commission is a minor appointment and suggested that perhaps the pontiff’s intention behind this nomination is to lessen the cardinal’s influence elsewhere.
Pope Leo on Wednesday also appointed Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the vicar general for the diocese of Rome, to the commission.
In one of the pontiff’s first major appointments, Leo had named Reina as the grand chancellor of the Pontifical Theological Institute “John Paul II” for the Sciences of Marriage and the Family, replacing the controversial Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia. Reina’s appointment was welcomed by pro-life Catholics as his record on pro-life matters is believed to be more orthodox than that of the man he replaced.
Pope Leo also confirmed McCarrick-linked Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life; Cardinal Arthur Roche, the prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, who was responsible for many of the Francis Vatican’s restrictions on the TLM; Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect for the Dicastery for the Clergy; and Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches in their current roles on the pontifical commission.
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