How to halt The Tablet in one easy move

Tyburn Tree has posted on Facebook, with a suggestion  of how to call a halt to The Tablet and its utterances, in particular, criticising Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

As with all good ideas, it has simplicity at its base.

Here is what TT has to say on the matter:-

"This is just a thought.                        Perhaps people who attend Westminster                                     Cathedral could be encouraged to desist                       from putting money in the collection until                     such time as the Tablet is removed (and                        write to His Grace to that effect)".

Great idea. But why restrict it to Westminster Cathedral?

Why not withold normal weekly donations to the collection plate?

Always provided, of course, that you attend a parish where The Tablet is on sale.

If the thought of holding back your dues is worrying you, why not just place the money in a safe place pro tem and then pay up once the offending rag has been removed?

 For good.

Seems a sound concept to me.

Nothing focuses the attention of their Lordships better than a reduction in turnover.

So please....desist.....yes, desist......DESIST!

Coming off The Pill

In my formative years, when hookers were only found on rugby pitches and generals were the only people with aides, there were three main Catholic publications in church porches throughout the country.

Their readership was quite distinct in both class and character.

At the cheap and cheerful end there was The Universe, the working Catholic man's newspaper.

The Catholic middle classes read the broadsheet Catholic Herald and, as Sister Catherine Walsh OP used to say: "It's the only Catholic newspaper run by Catholics, boys". And so it was and still is.

And then the Upper Class Catholics had a rather upper class publication called The Tablet. This was and is, in magazine format and carried rather more copy than pictures; it would then have been described as  "an intellectual read".

I think this hierarchy still stands except that The Tablet, as we all know, has become the mouthpiece of  liberal crassness; somewhat left of Arthur Scargill.

But it still retains, (among Catholics of the cafeteria variety) a sort of air of pseudo intellectuality, of being unassailable as an organ of the thinking Catholic.

The once exclusive readership has drifted so that both the lower and middle classes like to be seen with a copy under their arm.

It lends them, so they believe, a sort of pew credibility; it adds an air of 'better than thou' to those who buy a copy and then, on returning home, consign it to the re-cycling bin unread.

A group of young Catholics has started a campaign aimed at closing down The Tablet, (Tabula Delenda Est) I wish them every success in their endeavours.

But we all need to challenge this false air of intellectual authority that surrounds the editorial team and their Directors at The Tablet.

We need to question those who wave their copy around as proof of their forward thinking capacity and charitably point out the truth of the matter to them.

The Tablet is not now the thinking Catholic's magazine; it has evolved into 'Pseud's Corner'.
Please inform your Bishop, Parish Priest and you fellow parishioners of this fact.

In this clip below you can see three Catholics.

Can you tell The Tablet reader from The Universe reader or The Catholic Herald reader?

There's also a final clip showing an interview believed to be with a young Clifford Longley

A Liebster Award - are you sure you want to read this?

My thanks go to Ches at The Sensible Bond for nominating me for a Liebster Award.



I now have a number of hoops to jump through to qualify for this honour, and the first set of hoops involves me in coming clean with eleven personal facts.

Are you sure you want to read this? Are you able to sift the fact from the fiction?

Leave a comment if you think you can identify the fictional points.

Here goes (deep breath):


Part 1

1. I am a cradle Catholic

2. I am 28 years old

3. My wife and my children are my greatest joy and I really do not deserve them

4. I like a glass of malt whisky, Paddy whiskey, red wine and Rev James bitter but not at the same time. (I also have a liking for Manhattans but now I am beginning to sound like a dypsomaniac)

5. I am a fervent admirer of Ed Stourton and Clifford Longley and read The Tablet avidly

6. Liturgical dances are a wonderful accompaniment to the Ordinary Form of Mass

7. Having voted Conservative all my life I have vowed never to give this party my support again. The same applies to Labour, Liberal Democrats and UKIP. Help!

8. For nearly 20 years I worshipped each Sunday in a chapel within our home mainly without a priest present

9. My household is dogless but, every time I see a whippet or lurcher in the street I have a strong desire to break the seventh commandment

10. Japanese food is my weakness, eaten accompanied to the strains of a Chinese Orchestra

11. My ambition is to live on the Island of Ithica but only if there is an orthodox Catholic priest also residing there, plus my family, of course

Last 'Mass' for Warwick Street

Today the last homosexual 'Mass' will be held in Soho's Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory (sob).

In the future, such Masses will take place at Farm Street, so no change there then.

It is a great pity that the group who support these Masses do not grasp the fact that the Catholic Church embraces all regardless of colour, gender or their place in society.

We do not need 'gay' Masses any more than we need Masses for divorced people or eccentric people or bank robbers. We are all sinners and all in need of God's grace which is not distributed according to sexual inclinations but is freely available to all who are deserving of it.

The Tablet's spokesman on the subject, one, Christopher Lamb, stated on this morning's Radio Four news, that Archbishop Nichols had stopped the Masses due to "pressure from the authorities in Rome".

I know not Christopher Lamb but he needs to feel the firm grip of a crozier around his neck to haul him back into line for making such silly statements; failing that perhaps the Archbishop should sling out copies of the said rag from the back of the Cathedral.

When in Rome.....more on re-evangelisation

Thanks to a good priest friend and following my post of yesterday, I have been pointed in the direction of Rome.

Of course, where else would one look for guidance?

I only hope that those movers and shakers in the Vatican who are helping the Holy Father in his plans for breathing the flame of the Holy Ghost into those of the Faithful who might be better described as the "Faithless" also look to this same source, right on their doorstep so to speak.

A certain Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli, Rector of the International Ecclesiastical College, San Carlo and Primicerio of the Basilica of SS Ambrogio il Carlo al Corso, set about re-educating the great unwashed.

His method was to produce concise leaflets, roughly A5 in size and covering key elements regarding Catholic Doctrine and Social Teaching.

These leaflets he left at the back of the Basilica and, within two years, he found that he had distributed over 2 million of them. Two million leaflets! What an achievement!

Now, just think...these leaflets are all online.......all within reach of every parish priest AND every member of the Church (we are all bound to be teachers of the Faith are we not?)

Mgr Martinelli's website is HERE

And here is one of his leaflets on the subject of the devil - of course, these would need some trimming on the translation front as, at present, they are Google translations:-

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What power does the devil have over us?

• In the First Letter of John we read: "The whole world lies in the power of the evil one" ( Jn 5:19). Saint Paul speaks of our battle against spiritual powers (cf. Eph 6:10-17). It 'also because of his sin and its consequences (disease, suffering, cataclysms, and especially death) entered the world.
• The devil generally acts through temptation and deception, he is a liar, "father of lies" ( Jn 8:44). He can deceive, mislead, or deceive. As Jesus is the Truth (cf. Jn 8, 44), so the devil is the liar par excellence. The French writer Charles Baudelaire said that the most perfect cunning of Satan is to persuade us that does not exist.
• The devil has great power of seduction:
  • seduced Adam and Eve, of all the works done by the devil "the most serious in its consequences was the mendacious seduction that led man to disobey God" ( CCC , 394);
  • tried to seduce Christ directly (cf. Lk 4:1-13) or using Peter (cf. Mt 16:23); 
  • tries to seduce the disciples of Christ. The strategy followed to achieve this is to convince the man that a life lived in disobedience to God's will is better than living in obedience. Deceives the people persuading them that they do not need God and are self-sufficient, without the need of Grace and Salvation. Even deceives men falling, even by removing the sense of sin.
• "The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that it is pure spirit, but still a creature can not prevent the building up of the Kingdom of God "( CCC , 395). 
• His action, in addition to being limited, "is permitted by divine providence, which guides the history of man and of the world with strength and gentleness. Providence should permit diabolical activity is a great mystery, but "we know that all things work together for good to them that love God" ( Rom 8:28) "( CCC , 395).

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Because God "allows" Satan to "harass" the man?

Life on earth is a time of trial, during which God allows the devil to groped and 'test' the man, but never beyond his strength. But we know by faith that God is able to bring this evil a greater good because, by his grace, my heart goes out purified by the test and faith becomes stronger.

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How Jesus acts with demons?

• He first speaks frequently of the devil (see eg. Mt 4:10; Mk 4:15; Lk 10:18; Jn 8:44).
• He also acts against the devil:
  • see the temptation of Jesus in the desert, he reacts strongly (cf. Lk 4:1-13). "The temptation in the desert shows Jesus, the humble Messiah, who triumphs over Satan by his total adherence to the plan of salvation willed by the Father" ( CCC , 566);
  • in the Gospel of St. Luke, we read that Jesus commands the demons, who recognize him as the Son of God (cf. Lk 4.41, 8.28 ...);
  • between the miracles that Jesus performed, there is liberation of diabolical possessions (cf. Mk 1.25 to 26, 5.2 to 20): realizing such healings, he "took our infirmities and bore our diseases" ( Mt 8:17);
  • several times the Evangelists tell us that Jesus practice various exorcisms , by which free people from the torment of the demons, thus anticipating the great victory that he will implement the prince of this world (cf.Mk 1.25 to 26), with his death and resurrection;
  • Jesus preached the coming of the kingdom of God, which is the defeat of Satan's kingdom: "If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God has come upon you the kingdom of God" ( Mt 12:28);
  • devolves power to cast out demons even to his apostles (cf. Mk 3:15; 6,7.13; 16:17); 
  • wins the whole world of evil with His death and resurrection. Jesus Christ defeated Satan and has definitely broken the rule of the evil spirit (cf. Col 2: 15; Eph 1, 21, Rev 12, 7-12), he is "the stronger one" who won "the strong" ( cf. Lk 11, 22). "Trust - says the Lord - I have overcome the world" ( Jn 16, 33); 
  • when, after his death, descended into hell , Jesus reduced "impotence, through death, he who has the power of death, that is, the devil" ( Heb. 2:14).

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How do you win the devil?

In many ways, complementary

• First with a genuine life of faith, characterized by trusting abandonment to the fatherly love and providence of God (cf. Lk 12, 22-31), and obedience to his will (cf. Mt 6, 10), in imitation of Christ the Lord. This is the safest shield.The most beautiful victory over Satan is the ongoing conversion of our life, which has its own special and continued implementation of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, by which God frees us from sins committed after our baptism, he gifts us his friendship , and confirmed with us the grace to withstand the assaults of the devil.
• With a permanent vigilance "Watch. Because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour "( 1 Peter 5:8). 
• Welcoming and witnessing, increasingly, by word and deed, the Gospel. This requires a full and courageous announcement of the Gospel: we must not be afraid to speak of the devil, and especially the victory that Christ has already reported on it and continues to bring in the person of his faithful. 
• Struggling against her seductions and temptations. "The whole history of man is in fact pervaded by a monumental struggle against the powers of darkness fight started from the beginning of the world and will continue, as the Lord says, until the last day. In this conflict, the man has to struggle continuously to be allied to goodness, nor can he achieve his own integrity without great effort, with the help of God's grace "( Second Vatican Council , Gaudium et Spes , 37, 2).
• Fleeing to avoid sin, which "is an offense against God:" Against you, you only, have I sinned. What is evil in your sight I have done "( Ps. 51.6). Sin sets itself against God's love for us and our hearts away from him. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become "like God" ( Gen 3:5), knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus love of oneself even to contempt of God "( CCC , 1850).
• Using discernment. "The Holy Spirit makes us discern between trials, necessary for the growth of the inner man with a view to "perseverance," and the temptation that leads to sin and death. We also need to distinguish between "being tempted" and "allow" the temptation. Finally, discernment unmasks the lie of temptation, whose object appears is "good, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable" ( Gen 3:6), while in reality its fruit is death "( CCC , 2847). 
• Praying. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" ( Rom 8:31). The same Lord, the prayer of the Our ​​Father taught us to pray to God the Father: 'Deliver us from evil. " "Ask to be delivered from evil, we pray as well to be freed from all evils, past, present and future, of which he (the devil) is the author or instigator. In this petition, the Church brings before the Father all the misery in the world. Along with deliverance from the evils that overwhelm humanity, she implores the precious gift of peace and the grace of perseverance in Christ's return.Praying thus, anticipates in humility of faith the gathering together of everyone and everything in him who has "the keys of Death and Hades" ( Rev 1:18), "who is and who was and who is coming, the ' Almighty "( Rev 1:8) "(CCC , 2854).
• Sometimes even resorting to exorcism.

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What is an exorcism?

• Exorcism is an ancient and particular form of prayer which the Church uses against the power of the devil.
• Is called an exorcism "When the Church asks with his authority, in the name of Jesus, that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion" ( CCC 1673).
• It is "a kind of sacrament prayer" ( Rite of Exorcisms , Praenotanda , 11). The sacramental "are sacred signs instituted by the Church, by which sanctify different circumstances of life. They include a prayer accompanied by the sign of the cross and other signs "( Compendium of the CCC , 351). Among the sacramentals which occupy an important place blessings (of persons, meals, objects, places), the consecration of persons, the dedication of things to the worship of God, the blessing of holy oils, exorcisms. 

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In what forms is practiced exorcism?

In two forms: simple and solemn.

1. The simple form is one in which ordinary exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. "Since Baptism signifies liberation from sin and from its instigator the devil, are pronounced one (or more) exorcism (i) the candidate. These are anointed with the oil of catechumens, or the celebrant imposes upon him the hand, and he explicitly renounces Satan. Thus prepared, he may profess the faith of the Church which will be "delivered" by Baptism "( CCC , 1237).
2. "The solemn exorcism, called a major exorcism can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. In what must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church (cf. Canon Law, can. 1172). Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Very different is the case of illness, especially mental, whose care falls within the scope of medical science. It is therefore important to ensure, before an exorcism is performed, which is dealing with the presence of evil, not a disease "( CCC , 1673).
   

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What other features does the solemn exorcism?

• "The exorcism should take place in an atmosphere of faith and humble and trustful prayer, so as to avoid any impression of effectiveness automatic: the liberation from the influence is evil if and when God wants. If, as indicated in 35 of the Preamble, are some of the faithful, they are encouraged to pray intensely in accordance with Rite. 
• Despite the confidence with which it is usually celebrated the rite of exorcism is not a private matter, but an event that involves the whole community. The Exorcist is in fact a member of the community, acting in the name of Christ and in the name of the Church, has a specific ministry. Even the faithful asking for exorcism is a member of the community, one of those members of the community must love of a preferential love: when it is in the power of the Evil One, in fact, he is the poorest of the poor, in need of help, understanding and consolation "( Rite of Exorcisms , Presentation CEI , nn. 13, 16).
• Every act of exorcism is yes prayer for the release of the person possessed by the devil, but at the same time is the announcement:
• the Kingdom of God and of Christ, who takes upon himself our infirmities, and that, as the only liberator and savior, delivers us from evil;
• of total liberation (spiritual and physical) and mediated (through the Church) by the influence evil;
• of the eschatological reality: a sign heralding the final victory of Christ over Satan, illness, death.

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How do you become exorcists?

• The Exorcist (a term related to the greek verb exorkízein = ward) is a man of prayer, acting on behalf of the Church with the power of the Holy Spirit. A ministry that is God's gift, conferred by the bishop exclusively to priests in the diocese, and thus they exercised through the Church. Piety, knowledge, integrity of life, balance, discernment, theological and spiritual experience, listening skills are the essential requirements for a ministry that is also a path to holiness particular it leads to direct confrontation with the devil. In particular, the exorcist prudence is required to detect the presence of the evil one, and to observe the rules laid down by the Church.
• The ministry of the exorcist, as well as liberation, it is also a ministry of consolation.

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How to recognize a demonic possession?

Certainly. In fact:

• "The extraordinary diabolical phenomena of possession, obsession, of harassment and infestation are possible, but in fact, according to experts, are rare" ( Rite of Exorcisms , Presentation CEI , 7).
• The ritual of exorcism noted several criteria and clues that allow you to arrive with prudent certainty, the conviction that we are faced with a demonic possession. It is then that the exorcist authorized can perform the solemn rite of exorcism. 
• Some of these criteria are: 
• speak with the tongues of many words or understand; 
• disclose distant or hidden things; 
• prove forces beyond their condition;
• vehement aversion to God, the Virgin Mary, the Saints, the Cross and the sacred images.

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There are prayers to be recited in minor cases of influence of the devil? 

Certainly. In the Rite of Exorcisms are also:

• prayers to be recited publicly by a priest, with the permission of the bishop, when judging wisely that there is an influence of Satan on places, objects or people, but without reaching the stage of a real possession;
• a collection of prayers to be recited privately by the faithful, when they suspect with the merits of being subject to evil influences (cf. . rite of exorcism , Appendix II, Prayers of the faithful for private use ).

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What other tips gives the Church in regard to the influence of the evil one?

Here are a few:

• "Do not search for the sensational and avoid both foolish credulity that sees evil actions in each event and difficulties, and rationalism bias that excludes any form of intervention of the evil in the world;
• be on guard against books, television programs, information media, which for profit exploit the widespread interest in unusual phenomena or unhealthy;
• never use those who practice magic or profess to holders of occult powers or mediumistic or presume to have received special powers. When in doubt about the presence of an evil influence is necessary to apply first of all to the discernment of the priests and exorcists support of grace offered by the Church especially in the sacraments;
• know the true meaning of the language used by the Sacred Scripture and Tradition and develop a proper attitude about the presence and action of Satan in the world;
• remember that superstition, magic and, a fortiori, Satanism are contrary to human dignity and rationality and faith in God the Father Almighty and in Christ Jesus our Savior "( Rite of Exorcisms , Presentation CEI , 8).

Of course, this is a little more than my friend MC was suggesting; we are now getting on to CTS territory but to think that this resource is there just at a few clicks of the keyboard........

Elena Curti on the Soho Masses: Export it to Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh

Coming to a town near you? The Rainbow Roadshow...

Elena Curti believes the Soho Masses are so great at communicating the Catholic Faith to men and women with same-sex attraction that they should be exported to Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and, well, seemingly everywhere where there might be 'a gay' and 'a Church'. Wherever there is a gay, there should be a gay Mass. So now we know why St Pio of Pietrelcina once threw a communist out of his confessional box by force, simply for being a communist...

Elena pines for the day when every Church will have its own Gay Mass for the gay contingent. What could possibly go wrong? And how's this for a cracking start to a blogpost:

'Gay Catholics are called to life-long friendship, the Archbishop of Westminster told BBC2's Newsnight programme last week. It was as far as Archbishop Vincent Nichols was prepared to go in articulating the Church's pastoral concern for its gay members. But he could have referred to the bi-monthly Soho Masses for gay Catholics and their families, which continue in his diocese in spite of complaints to Rome by traditionalists.'

How much further did she expect the Archbishop to go? All the way?

Indeed, he could have referred to the bi-monthly Soho Masses, but there is an outside possibility that the Archbishop finds these Masses a little embarrassing at this time, when the dissent emanating from Soho runs in contradiction to Catholic Teaching and while they continue to draw criticism from 'traditionalists' and, presumably, other Catholics of sound faith in Rome. Full of praise for the Soho Masses, Elena opines:

'These, more than anything else, have demonstrated that the Catholic Church takes seriously its ministry to gay members. It counters the argument from those advocating gay marriage that the Church is homophobic.'

It certainly does counter the argument from those advocating gay marriage that the Church is homophobic. If you listen to what some of the organisers actually say, it counters that argument so much that you get the distinct impression that there is very little difference between what supporters of 'gay marriage' believe and what organisers of the Soho Masses believe. Then, as if to finally confirm what many already believed, that The Tablet editorial team is comprised of fantasists, Elena says:

'As for Cardinal Keith O'Brien, what better way to counter the furore that greeted his outburst against the notion of gay marriage?'

Good luck with that one, Elena, love. I think you need a lay down, dear.

And, of course, no Tablet article would be complete without perpetuating the lie that the Universal Church has any support whatsoever, or ever shall, for gay civil unions, even though the parallel Magisterium of The Tablet and (at times, some of) the English Hierarchy can give people the impression that this is the case:

'If we as Catholics are to argue convincingly that marriage is the nucleus of our society, that to tamper with it has implications for the care of children and that civil partnerships are the way to recognise stable, committed gay unions, we need the Church to show support for its gay members. Extending the gay Masses would be a good way to do that.'

I suppose they would be a good way to do that, if, into the bargain, you wished to scandalise the good faith of Catholics, undermine the Church's teaching on sexuality, create breeding grounds for dissent around the country and introduce the Marxist liberation theology of the gay movement into every city and town into the country. Yep, that sounds like The Tablet to me. Love it or loathe it, it can always be relied upon to show us the direction in which Holy Mother Church should be going. Just read The Tablet and remember to go in the opposite direction where the compass is pointing.

Another Catholic Priest Speaks Out Over 'Gay Marriage'...

Fr Ceirion Gilbert has penned a dodgy article in The Tablet

Unfortunately, the diseased organ in which he has spoken out over 'gay marriage' is The Tablet.

'Dissenter's Weekly' is really bending over backwards to be as 'inclusive' as inclusive can be in this intense and 'heated' debate. Why's it so 'heated' I hear you cry? Because the fires of Hell are lapping up against the walls of Holy Mother Church and The Tablet and its supportive clergy are pouring petrol on the flames.

If you thought Fr Timothy Radcliffe's piece on same-sex marriages was ambiguous in its treatment of the issue of homosexual unions, then wait until you get a load of Fr Ceirion Gilbert. When we have liberal clergy speaking out in contradiction to the Bishops of England and Wales, then we can tell Houston we have a problem. My thoughts, bold, gold.

'"Marriage" is a word, and yet its content is heavily determined by factors of culture and belonging, faith and history. The Catholic hierarchy believe [rightly] that however there is an essential "core" to the meaning of that word that is inalienable and non-negotiable; others (including other Christian communities and, interestingly, many members of the Catholic laity) disagree [But do you disagree, Father?].

As a priest who deals daily with young people, teachers and catechists [to whom you are duty bound to correct error when you hear it], I fear that yet again the Catholic Church is aligning herself with the wrong side, portraying herself as the "defender" of a position and an interpretation of society and humanity at odds with that of younger generations and almost incomprehensible to them in its rigidity and - to use an admittedly "loaded" term, bigotry. [The Church is defending marriage, truth, Herself and society, but that is 'bigotry'. Is this Priest taking brown paper bags from Stonewall or something?]

I sense that once again, as so often on issues of sexual morality [would you care to elaborate?], that there is a gulf between the diktats of the institution [That'll be 'The Church'] and the "sensus fidelium" [That'll be 'The Schismatics'] , that concept that seems to have almost disappeared in recent years for some reason from the ecclesiastical vocabulary. [Not really, but the concept needs to be understood in its proper sense. That is, in its Magisterial sense.]

I welcome the debate on the meaning of marriage and its role and purpose in a liberal diverse society. [Why? So that you can sow seeds of doubt over the Church's teaching?] But growing ever stronger in my mind is the fear that while as a Church we worry about language and words - Welsh or English or Latin; rock or plainsong; marriage or civil partnership - the message and meaning that we are here to proclaim is passing us by. [Clearly, the Church's message of Salvation is passing some by, indeed...]

Surely if there is one constant and common theme throughout the scriptures it is in the gradual discovery and recognition of the reality of God as a God of an inclusive and all-embracing Love whose ultimate expression is found in the Paschal Mystery of Death and Resurrection of his "Word" incarnate, Jesus of Nazareth. [Nobody says Our Lord doesn't love homosexuals. Indeed, He loves everybody and anybody. He is Love. However, sacramentally, naturally, biologically, societally, traditionally, legally and by any standard you wish to take, the State has no right to redefine marriage. That is what is under discussion, Father. Why can liberals not stick to the point?]

[...] Fortunately the letter read out in many Catholic churches over the weekend written by Archbishops Nichols and Smith was far more balanced and conciliatory in tone, although the arguments presented in it in defence of the status quo are not above logical and theological questioning.' [Neither, Father, are your own ambiguous statements in this article above logical and theological questioning. Except, I guess that over at The Tablet, you won't find too many people challenging your article, because, let's face it, they, too, have more or less deserted the Faith of Christ also.]

The purpose and mission of the Church, surely, is to be an effective and coherent witness to and expression of that love in our world and our time - however we do it, and in whatever language, for everyone. [Bringing Truth and Salvation to the World is just a footnote of the Church's mission, then?]

I saw little of that, sadly, in the words of the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh last week. Society sees little of that, sadly, when it sees a church hierarchy that all too willingly goes into convulsions when moral issues are called into question but remains silent when faced with the real social scandals of our time. [Which are? Abortion? The early sexualisation of children through explicit and amoral sex education programmes?]

But I do see it in the people, young and old, who still come faithfully to fill the pews and celebrate the mystery of a love that defies all our definitions and the limits we place on it [the mystery of a love indeed that, unlike you, does not deny Truth and Mercy to those with the condition of homosexuality]. I see it in their acts of sacrifice and solidarity, in their innate sense of dignity, justice and a shared and sacred humanity. Perhaps when as a Church we begin to speak about that a bit more, the world will once again sit up and listen.

Helpful, eh? Apparently, Fr Gilbert is Director of Youth Services in the Diocese of Menevia in south Wales, and editor of the diocesan magazine. God help Menevians and Tabula Delenda Est.

Tabula Delenda Est!

Thanks to my friend Lawrence who played harmonica on this song and to the Blessed Virgin and the Saints who inspired me. If you like it then Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. If you don't then, sorry. I chose a car park for recording because the acoustics are good and we are the Catholic underground.

Tabula Delenda Est

Well I walked into the Mother Church of England and Wales

To light a candle, say some prayers and confess

Took a stroll around and found a magazine

Enigmatically titled, ‘The Tablet’

So I read a couple of the articles and the more that I read,

The more it dawned on me this mag once had Catholic zeal

Now its a vehicle for dissent

So I said:

‘Tabula Delenda est!’

Now I know why so few Catholics genuflect

They're so comatosed by this infernal, liberal journal

They don’t believe in the Real Presence

‘Tabula delenda est’

The barely beating heart of the Catholic Establishment

Surely its days are numbered

If their faith is so encumbered by liberalism’s foul-smelling stench

Domine exaudi orationem meam

Et clamor meus ad te veniat

When will the axe fall upon this moribund magazine

And its liberal editrix?

No subject is taboo, no line can be drawn

Nothing's sacred, no Teaching unchallenged

And if you dare to tell them they’re writing into oblivion

They’ll say you’re a fundamentalist

Tabula delenda est!

The intelligensia ain't that intelligent

 Because they’re losing readers by the weeks, months, years

And its obvious they’re best years are spent

Tabula delenda est!

And we wonder where all of the Catholics went

They either lapsed or died of boredom readin' this nauseatin'

Excuse for the Catholic press!

An insult to the energy Cardinal Vaughan spent

On a Catholic journal called The Tablet

That would explain Catholicism rather than end up in schism

That would be loyal to Christ to the end

Now we get articles by Bobby Mickens wishing that our

 Beloved Pope was dead

But who'll be Bobby’s successor?

And who's a rank outsider?

Have a word with Archbishop Vincent

Living proof for the Doctrine of Original Sin

But at least in Adam and Eve’s defence

Although they picked from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

At least they knew the difference

More than we can say for…

Tabula delenda est!

The barely beating heart of the Catholic Establishment

When will the Archbishop of Westminster tell Catherine Pepinster

 She's non dignus of her monthly pay cheque

Tabula delenda est!
What kind of Catholic does this weekly represent?
Not the ones who adhere to the Magisterium
 You'll find them all on the internet

Tabula delenda est!

Are you wondering where all of the Catholics went?

Their faith collapsed, possibly, when they swallowed the Suppository

 Implausibly, bitter Tablet


Tabula delenda est!
Why not consider reading the Herald instead?

The Pill's dwindling readership's still cryin’ over Humanae Vitae

So they read The Tablet

Tabula delenda est!
Let's burn copies of The Tablet 'til there's no Tablets left
And then return to the Church to adore Our Blessed Lord
In the Most Holy Sacrament

Tabula delenda 
Tabula delenda
Tabula delenda est! 

Tabula delenda
Tabula delenda
Tabula delenda est!

Oath Against Modernism

Cardinal Vaughan: "Oath against modernism? No problem!"

I have a book for sale at my Catholic store which I obtained recently. From the passages I have read, the 'Letters of Herbert Cardinal Vaughan to Lady Herbert of Lea - 1867 - 1903', may not sound a riveting read, but it really does give a great insight into the heart, mind and soul of a much loved Cardinal who apparently led Catholics heroically in England and Wales as a great Shepherd and pastor to the Faithful. I suspect there will be at least one person who reads this blog who will happily take it off my hands.

Cardinal Vaughan's school, or at least the school set up in his memory, is at the centre of an ongoing disagreement with the Diocese of Westminster. That issue has been documented by bloggers such as Damian Thompson with much more knowledge of the situation than myself. Could it be, however, that there is a sense in which the battle over Vaughan may touch slightly upon the problems of modernism within the Catholic Church in the wake of the 'spirit of Vatican II'? Could it be that a whole raft of issues in the Church today touch upon the problems of modernism? Do I hear a resounding, "No s**t, Sherlock?!"

As I say, I know that I am ignorant of many of the issues debated concerning the school, but I doubt, for instance, that Cardinal Vaughan would have had a problem with a Catholic school verifying the Catholicity of parents, for instance, before allowing admission to their children to the school.  I also doubt very much whether Cardinal Vaughan would have had a problem signing the Oath Against Modernism posted up by Fr Z and Fr Blake and Fr John Boyle today.

The oath raises questions: Would Tina Beattie, professor of theology at Roehampton University, sign it, for instance?  Would the editorial team of The Tablet, sign it? Would Catholic teachers and teachers of seminarians sign it?  How many individuals in the Church today would 'get it'? Would, even, the majority of our Bishops today be willing to sign it? Reading over the extraordinary oath, it is almost as if Pope Pius X sensed an immediate future for the Church that was a little more than bleak, as if the foundations of the Church were about to be shaken and that while knowing the gates of Hell shall never prevail against Her, desperately wanted to protect Her from the new age of 'rationalism' that was to assail Her and, to a point, infect Her. Popes, thankfully, desire to protect the Bride of Christ.

The very fact that he wanted this document signed by professors, preachers, priests, teachers and everyone who was anyone in any kind of teaching role within the Church makes it clear that if he didn't see the enemies of the Church within Her already, attempting to dismantle the Faith, then he at least saw them at Her gates.  The same goes for Pope Pius XII with his definition of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Something that had long been believed by Christians perhaps has to be defined as an article of Faith, because a new age of 'progressive' thought believed by 'rationalists' seeks to undermine the supernatural origin of the Church and the uniqueness and sinlessness of the Blessed Virgin. Both Popes seem to have had a prophetic foresight of things to come after their reign.

The same can even be said for Pope Paul VI, so often criticised by traditional Catholics, with Humanae Vitae. Every Pope must be 'in the thick of it' and can perhaps see the 'wolves' surrounding the Church at different times and epochs when new philosophies threaten Her, not with extinction, but with persecution and a new variety of unbelief and heresy. And so it is today, with Pope Benedict XVI with Summorum Pontificum, the subsequent clarification, Universae Ecclesiae and the new translation of the Roman Missal.  The actions of Popes can be mystifying to some, but looking back and even to the present day, it is as if many are gifted with foresight and like true defenders of the Faith, strategise a generation, maybe two, in advance, sometimes, even as a kind of 'damage limitation' exercise.  They look out onto the horizon and see dark clouds on the way, in a way in which we cannot or do not, and plan for what is to come.

Anyway, back to Cardinal Vaughan, here is a nice excerpt from the book which, as I say, is available to anyone who wants it who can make me an offer if they choose. My store is something of an online car boot sale...

'I shall say Mass for you tomorrow, that we may both grow during the next year more and more fervent in His service, more and more dead to self, more and more purified from earthly motives and more and more helpful to one another.  How much we have to be thankful for during the past year!  We have both been permitted to do much in His service, more than in any former year, so far as I am concerned, for of your past I cannot judge: but, however that may be, how mch has been accomplished by our feeble hands: the College is where I could hardly have expected this time last year; the Tablet and now the Vatican are certainly heralds and champions of the Truth; the Catholic Truth Society has taken a hold and will spread still more.  These three are important national works and are limited to no local or subordinate object and end.  And these three have been emphatically our works, in which you have certainly had as great as, and probably a more meritorious share than, I have.  Then there are all your more local works at Salisbury.  And your books, which will spread truth and piety like the widening circles in the water. Let us then thank Our Lord tonight and say our Te Deum, and never give way to thoughts of sadness and despondency. There is still always one great dark cloud before you, I mean your children: but have patience and believe that patience hath a perfect work, and that by prayer and work we shall in the end obtain all we ask of God. What a sermon! Forgive me...'

The Tablet? A herald and champion of the Truth? I guess that someone there forgot to sign the Oath Against Modernism...

An idle post....

Just a couple of jottings until I can gather a few minutes to do a fuller post on the Bishops of Wales...Bishops? Now there's a surprise!

The first concerns the Editor of The Tablet (aaaagh, never thought I would mention it on my blog), Catherine Pepinster.

It appears Ms Pepinster has a sense of humour - if you read her entry in Debrett's she lists Belgium Culture as one of her pastimes.....Ha, ha! Good one Ms P - (unless, of course, you are serious - Heaven help me!)

The second is an old joke but worth the re-telling ................

Q. How many Traditional Catholics does it take to change a light bulb?

A. CHANGE??!!*&?

And me a Traditionalist too!

Ramblings.....(or rantings)

Served at Mass on Corpus Christi but, after Mass the celebrant left the procession to meet with the congregation as they left the church. We servers, complete with 3 non participating priests, proceeded to the Sacristy where we knelt for a blessing. The lead priest looked aghast and I had to explain that we wanted his blessing - he gave it, in English and with a look of shock and concern on his face.
At OF Masses are blessings not extended to the altar servers after Mass?

In correspondence with an Indian seminarian and fellow blogger. I posed the question as to how he regarded the fact that we in Great Britain are now recruiting young Indian priests to plug the lack of vocations gap. He stated that, as we (GB) had helped India over the years with missionaries, legal systems, railway networks etc, he was pleased that his country could reciprocate by sending us missionary priests to support us in our hour of need. Great sentiments but I still believe it to be a poor practice on behalf of the CBEW.

If tobacco commercials are banned on British television - why has the go ahead been given to screen commercials for abortion clinics?

If a 'Red Mass' may be held for Lawyers and a White Mass for Physicians shouldn't the Warwick Street Masses be Pink ones?

Has anyone seen Melanie Lately.....lately? This is The Tablet stringer who wrote on how striking one's chest at the Confiteor equates to child abuse. Can't find her on Google, even Ozzy Google.

Can we just agree that Shakespeare was obviously a Catholic - and move on?

Is Archbishop Nichol's style of management autocratic? (Vaughan School and Catholic Prison Chaplains episodes spring to mind).

Can we just close down the Catholic Church  in Austria and start again with a clean slate?

Just who is going to queue to confess their sins to the Holy Father in Madrid? Must be very brave or completely barking.

When will the LMS tackle Menevia Diocese regarding their website information on availability of EF Masses? - it is wrong on 4 counts (which is a lot when you only have 6 venues to list)

Why are Syro Malabar rite Masses springing up everywhere yet we still struggle to find a Church with a Sunday EF Mass?

Oh, and when will nuns learn that dressing a la British Home Stores marks them out more than a wimple and habit?