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Ordination of Women
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
Only a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination. The Lord Jesus chose men to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ’s return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible (CCC 1577-1580).
In his apostolic exhortation, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, Pope John Paul II put the issue of women’s ordination to rest when he infallibly taught that:
Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.
This infallible teaching has not stopped some from continuing to advocate for women’s ordination.
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Confession
Confession is the means by which God forgives sins after baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states “Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion (CCC 1422).”
After his resurrection, Jesus passed on his mission to forgive sins to his ministers, telling them, “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. . . . Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:21–23).
Most Protestants and even some Catholics object to the sacrament of confession, asking the question, “why do I have to go to a priest for confession instead of going straight to God?” Jesus wants us to come to him when we fall into sin. He wants to bring us forgiveness so much that he gave the apostles the power to forgive sins. This power given to the apostles and their successors does not come from within them but from God.
The sacrament of penance is the most private of spaces; the penitent confesses sins to a priest who is acting in persona Christi (in the person of Christ). The seal of the confessional is absolute and guaranteed by the succession of multiple interlocking padlocks and tightly worded turnstiles within the Church’s own laws.
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The Great Apostasy
Our Lord Jesus Christ warned us that before His Second Coming, there would be a falling away from the Faith enabled by a great deception, a deception so convincing that even the elect themselves would fall for it if they were not specially prevented by God (see Matthew 24:3-25).
In 1973, Our Lady of Akita stated:
“The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres…churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness.”
In 1977, Pope Paul VI stated:
“The tail of the devil is functioning in the disintegration of the Catholic world. The darkness of Satan has entered and spread throughout the Catholic Church even to its summit. Apostasy, loss of faith, is spreading throughout the world and into its highest levels in the Church.”
Are we in the times of the Great Apostasy that has been foretold by saints, popes and our Mother Mary? While no one can be certain, there are certainly warning signs all around us.
Cardinal Burke and Cardinal Brandmüller have both described the Amazonian Synod working document as an Apostasy. A panel of lay leaders from around the globe conducte a 3-hour round table discussion just prior to the Synod in which they identified specific problems with the Synod working document.
Since the sins of apostasy and heresy are a grave matter, they are mortal sins and endanger a person’s salvation. Further, the person engaged in these sins may also incur automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication. Canon law says: “An apostate from the faith, a heretic, or a schismatic incurs a latae sententiae excommunication.” (CIC 1364)
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Evangelization
Cleric and lay leaders have been critical that the Amazon Synod has a hidden agenda as its objective instead of the evangelization of the Amazonian people.
Just before he ascended into heaven, Jesus told the apostles:
“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
Beginning on Pentecost, the apostles did just that, and the work of evangelization continues to this day. It is a calling that has not changed over the years, as Pope Paul VI affirmed in his letter on “Evangelization in the Modern World.”
We wish to confirm once more that the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church. It is a task and mission which the vast and profound changes of present day society make all the more urgent. Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize.
Evangelization is not an optional add-on. It is at the very heart of what it means to be Catholic followers of the Lord. Yet, in spite of this clear mandate, we may still be tempted to respond to this call to evangelization by saying that “Catholics evangelize with how they live their lives, not by our words.” We may even quote the words attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary.” But this doesn’t mean that we can choose between proclaiming and witnessing the gospel, as if they both accomplish the same thing. Paul VI went on to explain in “Evangelization in the Modern World” the important interplay between word and witness in this way:
The Good News proclaimed by the witness of life sooner or later has to be proclaimed by the word of life. There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed.
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Idolatry
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
The first commandment condemns polytheism. It requires man neither to believe in, nor to venerate, other divinities than the one true God. Scripture constantly recalls this rejection of “idols, [of] silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.” These empty idols make their worshippers empty: “Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them.” God, however, is the “living God” who gives life and intervenes in history. Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” Many martyrs died for not adoring “the Beast” refusing even to simulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God (CCC 2112-2113).
The opening ceremony for the Amazon Synod that took place on the grounds of the Vatican, included an Amazonian rite that many Catholics saw as a pagan ritual. After this ceremony, the idols in question were moved to Santa Maria in Traspontina, a Catholic church in the street Via della Conciliazione, and will be displayed there for the remainder of the synod.
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Divinity of Jesus Christ
The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is both True God and True Man (CCC 464). This belief establishes the underpinnings of our Catholic faith.
During the first week of the Amazon Synod, Pope Francis’ longtime atheist friend and interviewer, Eugenio Scalfari, claims that the Pope told him that Jesus Christ became incarnate, he became a man, a “man of exceptional virtues” but “not at all a God.” While the Vatican has issued a statement suggesting Scalfari’s reporting cannot be trusted, Pope Francis has not personally denied the report, despite being encouraged to do so.
The first letter of John refers to one who denies the divinity of Jesus as an Antichrist (1 John 2:22), since Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is from eternity one in being with God, His Father (CCC 663).
Be a Beacon of Light in this Time of Darkness
Our Church is now suffering one of the greatest trials in its 2000 year history. Scandal and confusion are causing many to abandon the faith, putting countless souls at risk.
It is easy to become overwhelmed with anger and anxiety. But in times of trial, we must cling to Jesus and the one true faith which is found in the Catholic Church. Each of us is called to be an apostle, especially in difficult times like these. We must proclaim the gospel, both in and out of season.
A beautiful new short film has been released which can help us in this mission. It is entitled “Manifesto of Faith: The Movie.” The film is based upon a document by the same name issued in February 2019 by Gerhard Cardinal Müller, former Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith.
The producers of this film have assembled a collection of resources each of us can use to help share this message of truth and hope with others. Please watch the film and then answer the call to become an evanglist for the faith.
Cardinal Müller’s ‘Manifesto of Faith’ Film Illustrates ‘Dire Crisis’ in Church
“Manifesto of Faith: The Movie” has been released by Arcadia Films. This beautifully illustrated movie is a 22-minute cinematic presentation on Cardinal Gerhard Müller’s February 2019 “Manifesto of Faith”, which he wrote in order to combat what he called “growing confusion about the doctrine of the Faith” in the Church.
Manifesto of Faith: The Movie — A ‘Visual Catechesis’
Richard and Stephen Payne of Arcadia Films, producers of the award-winning Saul Alinsky exposé A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (2016), are bringing to life Cdl. Gerhard Müller’s Feb. 8, 2019, “Manifesto of Faith.”
The father-and-son team have been laboring since February to illustrate Müller’s exhortation visually. Now, after more than seven months of work, their project is being made available to viewers worldwide. “Manifesto of Faith: The Movie” will premiere online at 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 1; anyone interested joining in the debut can register at the film’s website.
