lifesitenews--2020-02-19--Young man: I hated going to ‘boring’ Mass—until I discovered the traditional Latin Mass

February 19 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – At a dinner between Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Dominick Lagonegro of Newburgh and myself a few years ago , I ’ d spoken about all the various mistakes in life that I made and wished I could take back all of them and do things differently .
He assured me that everything I ’ ve ever done in my life and all the things that have happened to me were all part of God ’ s plan to make me better and holier than I ever was .
What he said holds a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Through the years , I ’ ve changed from being the kid that hated going to Mass to being an adult that looked forward to attending the Mass , more specifically the Latin Mass .
I was born in the late 1980s in Cornwall , NY to two devout practicing Catholics , a father and a mother who would later bring up my younger brother and me .
This was a time when Pope John Paul II ( who would later be made a saint by Pope Francis ) was the Vicar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave the Catholic Church a voice of credibility and reason in a world still reeling from the Cold War .
I would attend both the Novus Ordo Mass at St. Thomas of Canterbury in Cornwall and the Charismatic Mass at the Oblates Center of Our Lady of Hope in Newburgh .
I even attended CCD classes at the latter on Tuesdays in the late 90s .
My faith life and spirituality at the time had its ups and downs , with great difficulty .
I hated going to Mass and thought it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to just sit at home , watch movies , and play video games to my heart ’ s content .
At one point , my mother asked me why I hated God enough to not go to Mass .
I responded in my best , albeit flawed , intellectual way : “ I love God ; I just hate going to Mass , that ’ s all.
” However , there were signs of hope for me .
I would read a children ’ s illustrated Bible from front to back cover ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the story of Exodus , even watching both The Prince of Egypt and the TV series with Ben Kingsley in it ( I even dressed as Moses for Halloween as a kid once ) ; I would even occasionally try to talk to my friends about Biblical forgiveness and kindness only to be rebuked back .
I even put together a poem about God that won me first place in my CCD writing class .
The early 2000s came with some more lows and highs in my life .
One of my childhood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowd at school due to his abusive father ’ s terrible choices in life .
It shook my faith in God and made me ask why I was seemingly betrayed by my good friend who I saw as a brother to me .
Worse still was the revelation of the sex abuse scandal that had rocked the Catholic Church , shattered the credibility of our clergy , and destroyed the faith of so many followers who opted to leave the Church at a time when their witness to the Faith was most needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of begrudging respect for my parents ’ wishes and because I was obliged to , not out of any genuine love for God .
A turning point in my faith life came in 2005 when I attended a Charismatic Mass up in Rochester , NY while visiting relatives .
Several young parishioners had invited me up to the altar during a service to give thanks to God .
It felt so pleasant to be included and welcomed by many young people my age , although I would later discover the greater joy of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were more orthodox .
The second turning point came in 2006 when The Da Vinci Code came out in theaters .
Amid the objections and protests of many Catholic faithful , I went to see it several times .
Each time , I noticed how Hollywood unfairly portrayed the Church despite the film ’ s differences from the novel .
Instead of weakening my faith , it ironically made it stronger .
In 2007 , Bishop Lagonegro heavily encouraged me to consider being a Eucharistic Minister and , after much consideration and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
The last half of the 2000s helped me grow in my faith even more than in my childhood , especially when I went off in 2009 to Ithaca College to study filmmaking and photography .
There , I developed a rapport and a strong kinship with the Catholic Community on campus despite the very liberal and progressive atmosphere up in the Finger Lakes Region .
In my time there , I wasn ’ t as strong about the essential issues ( abortion , homosexuality , etc ) as I was with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , environmentalism , etc ) .
After my graduation in 2011 , I ’ d left the community that I ’ d spent the better part of two years and without a social circle .
Bishop Lagonegro , being a close friend of my family , had helped spearhead a new Catholic youth group in Dutchess County called Ignite Young Adults and pointed me in their direction .
In January 2012 , I joined that group and found more like-minded Catholics who were on a similar faith journey like me , albeit they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counterparts .
In my darkest times in 2012 , they provided me with a shoulder to lean on and I had a place with which to confide all my worries and sadness in .
The timing could not be more perfect , as I ’ d just learned how the Obama Administration spearheaded attempts to drive Christianity out of the public square and force religious institutions to violate their conscience with contraception and abortion in Obamacare .
I subscribed to LifeSiteNews and other news outlets like National Catholic Register , One Peter Five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I learned about the Political Left ’ s attempts to destroy Christianity and all that is true , good , and beautiful , the more I found myself drawn into a conflict that spans millennia since the days of Creation .
Over the years , I stayed up to date on current events affecting the Church and the world as well , becoming more conservative and traditional as a Catholic .
It wasn ’ t until 2015 that I was added by a friend to a Facebook page devoted to Traditional Catholicism in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Traditional Latin Mass .
After repeatedly hearing about the benefits and glory of the Latin Mass , I found the closest one to my hometown and attended it for the first time in November 2015 with an open mind .
With Novus Ordo , I found myself unbalanced and unfocused .
But with the Latin Mass , I became more in tune with the celebration of Heaven on Earth .
The sheer reverence and worship , the majesty of the service , and the beauty of women wearing mantillas , the Sacred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Church ’ s ancient language really got to me .
From there , I caught the bug and gradually began preferring the Latin Mass to the Novus Ordo .
It was an experience unlike any I ’ d ever experienced up to that point .
Since then , I ’ ve been turning more and more into a Traditional Catholic .
I ’ ve learned about many of the beautiful traditions that the Church once held dear until the Second Vatican Council discarded those same traditions .
I ’ ve been regularly making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Confession , praying the rosary in Latin , fasting and giving up Facebook on Fridays , and even posting many articles on social media defending what the Church teaches and why .
I ’ ve even come into contact with many more Traditional Catholics and staunch defenders of the Faith like Rene Albert , Father Stephen Imbarrato , and Stefanie Nicholas who have helped me grow in my knowledge about the Church and her theology .
Reading from the Baltimore Catechism and meeting esteemed theologians like Scott Hahn and apologists like Bryan Mercier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than when I was a boy .
But , it hasn ’ t all been smooth sailing and rose-colored dreams .
I ’ ve also awoken to the way that Pope Francis ’ papacy , however well-intentioned it might seem , is undermining the Catholic Faith and causing so much confusion and division that is now rocking the Church .
Over the years , I ’ ve lost many “ friends ” from school classmates to teachers and people from all walks of life who have thought differently from me on so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few of them mocking and laughing at my posts just for its own sake where I ’ ve had to unfriend them altogether when it became clear that they had no intention of being respectful of my beliefs .
I ’ ve touched upon so many contentious topics in today ’ s world that I ’ ve become something of an outcast to some of them .
Case in point , one of my childhood friends who drifted away from the Church several years ago took issue with me for posting about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why the Catholic Church was wise about this issue .
She and her husband , who had conceived their son through this method , were so outraged and apparently offended that I posted this article that they saw it as an attack against their child .
They made the choice to not welcome me in their house or their lives anymore .
It didn ’ t matter that I hadn ’ t even attacked anybody who used IVF or that the article ’ s presentation itself had some research flaws or that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond to other people ’ s comments .
The fact of the matter is that I ’ ve been attacked and accused of doing things and being many things that simply aren ’ t true .
I ’ ve been called Nazi , bigot , homophobe , Bible-thumper , etc .
I ’ ve been accused of trying to preserve the “ patriarchy , ” of being opposed to “ women ’ s rights , ” of “ imposing my beliefs on the world , ” of adopting the “ us versus them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of upholding “ rigid , ” “ archaic , ” “ outdated ” views that have no place in today ’ s society .
And all this because I refuse to recognize the “ legitimacy ” of sins like sodomy , abortion , contraception , transgenderism , and all the things that are against the Catholic Faith .
My own parents and brother have also taken issue with me evangelizing on social media the way that I do .
In fact , on a few occasions , they ’ ve implored me to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stuff on Facebook like everybody else does .
They ’ re worried that instead of bringing others to the Faith that I could be driving them away and ruining the name of Christianity .
I find that extremely hard to believe because I realize that too many clergymen in the Church are all too unwilling to speak up and defend the Spotless Bride of Christ and Her teachings at a time when such decisiveness and leadership is needed .
Where are their voices at a time when the Church itself is rocked by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is undergoing the Passion and Crucifixion , as has been the case for 2,000 years now ?
Why are they so obsessed with prudential issues like poverty , immigration , and environmentalism when they should be more focused on the essential issues like marriage and the family ?
Two of the spiritual works of mercy are to instruct the ignorant and to admonish the sinner .
If I don ’ t do these things , but I excel in all the others , where is my sense of integrity ?
What does that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is supposed to try and help others get to Heaven ?
If I don ’ t speak up , who will ?
When I stand before God one day to be judged and He asks me why I didn ’ t try to warn others about the dangers of sin , what will I say ?
That I was just trying to be cautious or prudent ?
That I was trying to be “ loving , pastoral , and merciful ” ?
My faith journey has had so many ironies .
My brother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet I remained ever closer to the Church while he drifted apart from it in time .
Instead of me hating to go to Mass , I look forward to partaking in the worship of Christ ’ s sacrifice on Calvary .
I received my education in an increasingly secular public education system , yet my faith has only grown stronger .
I grew up thinking the Novus Ordo and Charismatic Masses , with their outright loud instrumental music and active participation of worshippers , were how things were always done in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in life that the Mass of the Ages had been denied me and many other young children .
Where once I was more concerned about trying to please everyone and just be nice , now I ’ m taking a principled stand as a Catholic man .
Perhaps , it ’ s these ironies that have helped define the times as the world spirals ever further into darkness under the grip of Satan while saintly heroes are being forged like Alexander Tschugguel , Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano , Cardinals Raymond Burke and Robert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The battle lines are being drawn where Christ would separate the sheep from the goats , the angels from the demons , and the wheat from the chaff .
And , I know that I ’ d rather be on the side that stands with God and be judged by the world than the exact opposite .
My Faith has helped me grow in my relationship with God the Father and taught me many things about the Church ’ s most sacred traditions that I didn ’ t learn as a child .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a life that glorifies God and yearns to one day live in heaven with Him and see the face of Jesus His Only Begotten Son .
My Faith has also taught me what it means to be a servant of God and a man .
It ’ s also brought many terrible things to my life .
It ’ s heightened tensions between the people in my life and myself over the best way to live in the world .
It ’ s also revealed the ever-growing conflict between Christianity and the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Faith has helped me gain friends and also lose friends , while gaining enemies as well .
My faith journey matters because now I ’ m embroiled in a conflict between those who still worship and honor God in all His ways and those who seek to replace Him and make themselves the center of the universe .
My journey matters because it ’ s offered me the chance to rise up and join the ranks of the Church militant on Earth who aspire for sainthood .
My journey matters because the Church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever at a time when the world is turning a blind eye to the suffering and persecution of Christians worldwide .
My journey matters because I can ’ t bear to see all the things I love and hold dear in this world ripped apart and obliterated or , worse still , distorted into something it ’ s not .
My journey matters because while the rest of my family has either fallen away from the Faith or has subscribed to modernism , I ’ m fighting to help preserve and pass on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journey matters because I ’ ve been given a birthright , an inheritance , and a legacy passed down to many faithful laity ( including myself ) to preserve , protect , and provide for .
I didn ’ t ask for this burden , but I ’ ll bear it anyway I can ; however I can , whenever I can to the best of my ability .
I didn ’ t start this conflict nor did I ask for it or want it .
But , I ’ ll take up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyway to help defend and save Christianity if it leads to a renewal of the Faith and a reawakening in the world to reject Satan and all his works .
That ’ s what it all comes down to anyway .

February 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – At a dinner between Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Dominick Lagonegro of Newburgh and myself a few years ago, I’d spoken about all the various mistakes in life that I made and wished I could take back all of them and do things differently. He assured me that everything I’ve ever done in my life and all the things that have happened to me were all part of God’s plan to make me better and holier than I ever was. What he said holds a great deal of truth and wisdom there. Through the years, I’ve changed from being the kid that hated going to Mass to being an adult that looked forward to attending the Mass, more specifically the Latin Mass.
I was born in the late 1980s in Cornwall, NY to two devout practicing Catholics, a father and a mother who would later bring up my younger brother and me. This was a time when Pope John Paul II (who would later be made a saint by Pope Francis) was the Vicar of Christ whose very wisdom and guidance gave the Catholic Church a voice of credibility and reason in a world still reeling from the Cold War. I would attend both the Novus Ordo Mass at St. Thomas of Canterbury in Cornwall and the Charismatic Mass at the Oblates Center of Our Lady of Hope in Newburgh. I even attended CCD classes at the latter on Tuesdays in the late 90s. My faith life and spirituality at the time had its ups and downs, with great difficulty.
I hated going to Mass and thought it was boring. I would be more content to just sit at home, watch movies, and play video games to my heart’s content. At one point, my mother asked me why I hated God enough to not go to Mass. I responded in my best, albeit flawed, intellectual way: “I love God; I just hate going to Mass, that’s all.”
However, there were signs of hope for me.
I would read a children’s illustrated Bible from front to back cover; I was particularly obsessed with Moses and the story of Exodus, even watching both The Prince of Egypt and the TV series with Ben Kingsley in it (I even dressed as Moses for Halloween as a kid once); I would even occasionally try to talk to my friends about Biblical forgiveness and kindness only to be rebuked back. I even put together a poem about God that won me first place in my CCD writing class.
The early 2000s came with some more lows and highs in my life. One of my childhood friends had fallen in with a bad crowd at school due to his abusive father’s terrible choices in life. It shook my faith in God and made me ask why I was seemingly betrayed by my good friend who I saw as a brother to me. Worse still was the revelation of the sex abuse scandal that had rocked the Catholic Church, shattered the credibility of our clergy, and destroyed the faith of so many followers who opted to leave the Church at a time when their witness to the Faith was most needed. Still, I attended Mass out of begrudging respect for my parents’ wishes and because I was obliged to, not out of any genuine love for God.
A turning point in my faith life came in 2005 when I attended a Charismatic Mass up in Rochester, NY while visiting relatives. Several young parishioners had invited me up to the altar during a service to give thanks to God. It felt so pleasant to be included and welcomed by many young people my age, although I would later discover the greater joy of being involved with young adult groups that were more orthodox.
The second turning point came in 2006 when The Da Vinci Code came out in theaters. Amid the objections and protests of many Catholic faithful, I went to see it several times. Each time, I noticed how Hollywood unfairly portrayed the Church despite the film’s differences from the novel. Instead of weakening my faith, it ironically made it stronger. In 2007, Bishop Lagonegro heavily encouraged me to consider being a Eucharistic Minister and, after much consideration and a little prayer, I agreed and became one. The last half of the 2000s helped me grow in my faith even more than in my childhood, especially when I went off in 2009 to Ithaca College to study filmmaking and photography. There, I developed a rapport and a strong kinship with the Catholic Community on campus despite the very liberal and progressive atmosphere up in the Finger Lakes Region. In my time there, I wasn’t as strong about the essential issues (abortion, homosexuality, etc) as I was with the prudential ones (immigration, poverty, environmentalism, etc).
After my graduation in 2011, I’d left the community that I’d spent the better part of two years and without a social circle. Bishop Lagonegro, being a close friend of my family, had helped spearhead a new Catholic youth group in Dutchess County called Ignite Young Adults and pointed me in their direction. In January 2012, I joined that group and found more like-minded Catholics who were on a similar faith journey like me, albeit they were more orthodox than my Ithaca College counterparts. In my darkest times in 2012, they provided me with a shoulder to lean on and I had a place with which to confide all my worries and sadness in. The timing could not be more perfect, as I’d just learned how the Obama Administration spearheaded attempts to drive Christianity out of the public square and force religious institutions to violate their conscience with contraception and abortion in Obamacare.
I subscribed to LifeSiteNews and other news outlets like National Catholic Register, One Peter Five, and Church Militant. The more I learned about the Political Left’s attempts to destroy Christianity and all that is true, good, and beautiful, the more I found myself drawn into a conflict that spans millennia since the days of Creation. Over the years, I stayed up to date on current events affecting the Church and the world as well, becoming more conservative and traditional as a Catholic. It wasn’t until 2015 that I was added by a friend to a Facebook page devoted to Traditional Catholicism in the Hudson Valley and I learned about the Traditional Latin Mass.
After repeatedly hearing about the benefits and glory of the Latin Mass, I found the closest one to my hometown and attended it for the first time in November 2015 with an open mind. With Novus Ordo, I found myself unbalanced and unfocused. But with the Latin Mass, I became more in tune with the celebration of Heaven on Earth. The sheer reverence and worship, the majesty of the service, and the beauty of women wearing mantillas, the Sacred Liturgy, the chants, and the Church’s ancient language really got to me. From there, I caught the bug and gradually began preferring the Latin Mass to the Novus Ordo. It was an experience unlike any I’d ever experienced up to that point.
Since then, I’ve been turning more and more into a Traditional Catholic. I’ve learned about many of the beautiful traditions that the Church once held dear until the Second Vatican Council discarded those same traditions. I’ve been regularly making more frequent use of the Sacrament of Confession, praying the rosary in Latin, fasting and giving up Facebook on Fridays, and even posting many articles on social media defending what the Church teaches and why. I’ve even come into contact with many more Traditional Catholics and staunch defenders of the Faith like Rene Albert, Father Stephen Imbarrato, and Stefanie Nicholas who have helped me grow in my knowledge about the Church and her theology. Reading from the Baltimore Catechism and meeting esteemed theologians like Scott Hahn and apologists like Bryan Mercier has helped me grow closer to holiness than when I was a boy.
But, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing and rose-colored dreams. I’ve also awoken to the way that Pope Francis’ papacy, however well-intentioned it might seem, is undermining the Catholic Faith and causing so much confusion and division that is now rocking the Church.
Over the years, I’ve lost many “friends” from school classmates to teachers and people from all walks of life who have thought differently from me on so many levels. I’ve even had a few of them mocking and laughing at my posts just for its own sake where I’ve had to unfriend them altogether when it became clear that they had no intention of being respectful of my beliefs. I’ve touched upon so many contentious topics in today’s world that I’ve become something of an outcast to some of them.
Case in point, one of my childhood friends who drifted away from the Church several years ago took issue with me for posting about IVF (in virto fertilization) and why the Catholic Church was wise about this issue. She and her husband, who had conceived their son through this method, were so outraged and apparently offended that I posted this article that they saw it as an attack against their child. They made the choice to not welcome me in their house or their lives anymore. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t even attacked anybody who used IVF or that the article’s presentation itself had some research flaws or that I was diplomatic and tactful with how I respond to other people’s comments.
The fact of the matter is that I’ve been attacked and accused of doing things and being many things that simply aren’t true. I’ve been called Nazi, bigot, homophobe, Bible-thumper, etc. I’ve been accused of trying to preserve the “patriarchy,” of being opposed to “women’s rights,” of “imposing my beliefs on the world,” of adopting the “us versus them attitude” with these issues, and of upholding “rigid,” “archaic,” “outdated” views that have no place in today’s society. And all this because I refuse to recognize the “legitimacy” of sins like sodomy, abortion, contraception, transgenderism, and all the things that are against the Catholic Faith.
My own parents and brother have also taken issue with me evangelizing on social media the way that I do. In fact, on a few occasions, they’ve implored me to stop evangelizing and just post regular normal stuff on Facebook like everybody else does. They’re worried that instead of bringing others to the Faith that I could be driving them away and ruining the name of Christianity. I find that extremely hard to believe because I realize that too many clergymen in the Church are all too unwilling to speak up and defend the Spotless Bride of Christ and Her teachings at a time when such decisiveness and leadership is needed. Where are their voices at a time when the Church itself is rocked by scandal and (like Christ Himself) is undergoing the Passion and Crucifixion, as has been the case for 2,000 years now? Why are they so obsessed with prudential issues like poverty, immigration, and environmentalism when they should be more focused on the essential issues like marriage and the family?
Two of the spiritual works of mercy are to instruct the ignorant and to admonish the sinner. If I don’t do these things, but I excel in all the others, where is my sense of integrity? What does that say about me as a Catholic who is supposed to try and help others get to Heaven? If I don’t speak up, who will? When I stand before God one day to be judged and He asks me why I didn’t try to warn others about the dangers of sin, what will I say? That I was just trying to be cautious or prudent? That I was trying to be “loving, pastoral, and merciful”?
My faith journey has had so many ironies. My brother and I grew up cradle Catholics and yet I remained ever closer to the Church while he drifted apart from it in time. Instead of me hating to go to Mass, I look forward to partaking in the worship of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. I received my education in an increasingly secular public education system, yet my faith has only grown stronger. I grew up thinking the Novus Ordo and Charismatic Masses, with their outright loud instrumental music and active participation of worshippers, were how things were always done in the Catholic Church only to discover later on in life that the Mass of the Ages had been denied me and many other young children.
Where once I was more concerned about trying to please everyone and just be nice, now I’m taking a principled stand as a Catholic man. Perhaps, it’s these ironies that have helped define the times as the world spirals ever further into darkness under the grip of Satan while saintly heroes are being forged like Alexander Tschugguel, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, Cardinals Raymond Burke and Robert Sarah, and Bishop Athanasius Schneider. The battle lines are being drawn where Christ would separate the sheep from the goats, the angels from the demons, and the wheat from the chaff. And, I know that I’d rather be on the side that stands with God and be judged by the world than the exact opposite.
My Faith has helped me grow in my relationship with God the Father and taught me many things about the Church’s most sacred traditions that I didn’t learn as a child. It’s helped me yearn for a life that glorifies God and yearns to one day live in heaven with Him and see the face of Jesus His Only Begotten Son. My Faith has also taught me what it means to be a servant of God and a man. It’s also brought many terrible things to my life. It’s heightened tensions between the people in my life and myself over the best way to live in the world. It’s also revealed the ever-growing conflict between Christianity and the world under the reign of Satan. My Faith has helped me gain friends and also lose friends, while gaining enemies as well.
My faith journey matters because now I’m embroiled in a conflict between those who still worship and honor God in all His ways and those who seek to replace Him and make themselves the center of the universe.
My journey matters because it’s offered me the chance to rise up and join the ranks of the Church militant on Earth who aspire for sainthood. My journey matters because the Church needs Her loyal soldiers now more than ever at a time when the world is turning a blind eye to the suffering and persecution of Christians worldwide.
My journey matters because I can’t bear to see all the things I love and hold dear in this world ripped apart and obliterated or, worse still, distorted into something it’s not.
My journey matters because while the rest of my family has either fallen away from the Faith or has subscribed to modernism, I’m fighting to help preserve and pass on the traditions of the Church.
My journey matters because I’ve been given a birthright, an inheritance, and a legacy passed down to many faithful laity (including myself) to preserve, protect, and provide for.
I didn’t ask for this burden, but I’ll bear it anyway I can; however I can, whenever I can to the best of my ability. I didn’t start this conflict nor did I ask for it or want it. But, I’ll take up spiritual arms and join in the fight anyway to help defend and save Christianity if it leads to a renewal of the Faith and a reawakening in the world to reject Satan and all his works. That’s what it all comes down to anyway.
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lifesitenews--2020-02-19--Critics slam Buttigieg’s defiant declaration that he ‘won’t be lectured on family values by Tr

Critics slam Buttigieg’s defiant declaration that he ‘won’t be lectured on family values by Trump supporters’

PETITION : Final 2020 Democratic debates must include questions about abortion-infanticide '' Sign the petition here .
February 19 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Same-sex “ married ” Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg went on the defensive this weekend after radio show host Rush Limbaugh asserted that America is not ready for a homosexual president .
Limbaugh had wondered aloud on his show about what many Democrat strategists and voters might be thinking : They ’ re sitting there , and they ’ re looking at Mayor Pete , a 37-year-old gay guy , mayor of South Bend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the debate stage .
And they ’ re saying , ‘ Okay , how ’ s this going to look , a 37-year-old gay guy kissing his husband onstage next to Mr. Man Donald Trump ?
What ’ s going to happen there ?
’ They ’ ve got to be saying that despite all the great progress and despite all the great wokeness , and despite all the great ground that ’ s been covered , America ’ s still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newsweek blared , “ Rush Limbaugh rips Buttigieg 's campaign , says ‘ America 's not ready to elect gay guy kissing husband on debate stage.
’ ” In repsonse to the criticism , the homosexual candidate asserted that he is proud of his “ faithful , loving , and committed ‘ marriage ’ ” in a Fox News Sunday interview .
“ I ’ m not going to be lectured on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh or anybody who supports Donald J. Trump as the moral as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Buttigieg .
Although Buttigieg went on to claim that “ America has moved on ” regarding acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex marriage , Twitter quickly lit up with remarks indicating that the candidate and his advisors may be mistaken , and Rush Limbaugh may be absolutely right .
One Twitter user recounted how earlier this month , an Iowa caucusgoer demanded to withdraw her vote for Buttigieg after discovering that she had just endorsed a man in a gay “ marriage ” : Conservative talk show personality Ben Ferguson reminded CNN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marriage ” was rejected by a majority of voters in the very blue state of California .
“ This is going to be a bigger issue , just like we saw in California when gay marriage was overturned by voters in a liberal state , ” said Ferguson .
“ Just 12 years ago on the Democratic debate stage , ” tweeted Ed Jackson .
“ Both Clinton and Obama came out against gay marriage .
So gay marriage is not as hard-wired , corner stone Democratic policy , as they now lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not lecturing Buttigieg , he was just pointing out the reality that is too politically incorrect for people to say ; that there are a lot of American ’ s [ sic ] that are not comfortable with gay marriage and men kissing , and it will therefore be a deterrent to getting their votes , ” noted Twitter user Samira M Lineberger .
Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life recounted Buttigieg ’ s words : “ I 'm not going to take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative radio show host , Sebastian Gorka , recently challenged Buttigieg ’ s presumed moral high ground , asking , “ Why is a homosexual man lecturing us about the sanctity of life in the womb ?
” Gorka , a former Deputy Assistant to the President , was referring to Buttigieg ’ s assertion that pro-life Democrats no longer have a place in the Democrat Party .
Buttigieg supports abortion on demand and recently refused to condemn infanticide .

One Twitter user commented, 'Rush was not lecturing Buttigieg, he was just pointing out the reality that is too politically incorrect for people to say; that there are a lot of [Americans] that are not comfortable with gay marriage and men kissing, and it will therefore be a deterrent to getting their votes.'
PETITION: Final 2020 Democratic debates must include questions about abortion-infanticide” Sign the petition here.
February 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Same-sex “married” Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg went on the defensive this weekend after radio show host Rush Limbaugh asserted that America is not ready for a homosexual president.
Limbaugh had wondered aloud on his show about what many Democrat strategists and voters might be thinking:
They’re sitting there, and they’re looking at Mayor Pete, a 37-year-old gay guy, mayor of South Bend, loves to kiss his husband on the debate stage. And they’re saying, ‘Okay, how’s this going to look, a 37-year-old gay guy kissing his husband onstage next to Mr. Man Donald Trump? What’s going to happen there?’ They’ve got to be saying that despite all the great progress and despite all the great wokeness, and despite all the great ground that’s been covered, America’s still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband on the debate stage president.
A tweet from Newsweek blared, “Rush Limbaugh rips Buttigieg's campaign, says ‘America's not ready to elect gay guy kissing husband on debate stage.’”
Rush Limbaugh rips Buttigieg's campaign, says “America's not ready to elect gay guy kissing husband on debate stage” https://t.co/EEaZbj5Fan — Newsweek (@Newsweek) February 13, 2020
In repsonse to the criticism, the homosexual candidate asserted that he is proud of his “faithful, loving, and committed ‘marriage’” in a Fox News Sunday interview.
“I’m not going to be lectured on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh or anybody who supports Donald J. Trump as the moral as well as political leader of the United States,” said Buttigieg.
Although Buttigieg went on to claim that “America has moved on” regarding acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex marriage, Twitter quickly lit up with remarks indicating that the candidate and his advisors may be mistaken, and Rush Limbaugh may be absolutely right.
One Twitter user recounted how earlier this month, an Iowa caucusgoer demanded to withdraw her vote for Buttigieg after discovering that she had just endorsed a man in a gay “marriage”:
Remember, only a few weeks ago, the only person who commented about Mayor Pete being gay was a woman in Iowa who wanted to change her vote when she found out he was gay… and she was a Democrat. — Jerry Rosen (@Shortrosen) February 16, 2020
Conservative talk show personality Ben Ferguson reminded CNN viewers about what happened when same-sex “marriage” was rejected by a majority of voters in the very blue state of California.
“This is going to be a bigger issue, just like we saw in California when gay marriage was overturned by voters in a liberal state,” said Ferguson.
CNN had Ben Ferguson on to talk about Limbaugh attacking Buttigieg for being gay Ferguson: Is anybody going to look masculine next to Donald Trump on stage? Scuitto: Let me take issue with your premise, what's more manly, volunteering for military service, or avoiding it? pic.twitter.com/7vdtOl5YQ7 — Lis Power (@LisPower1) February 13, 2020
“Just 12 years ago on the Democratic debate stage,” tweeted Ed Jackson. “Both Clinton and Obama came out against gay marriage. So gay marriage is not as hard-wired, corner stone Democratic policy, as they now lead people to believe.”
Just 12 years ago on the Democratic debate stage. Both Clinton and Obama came out against gay marriage. So gay marriage is not as hard-wired, corner stone Democratic policy, as they now lead people to believe. — Ed Jackson (@Roderickoooo) February 13, 2020
“Rush was not lecturing Buttigieg, he was just pointing out the reality that is too politically incorrect for people to say; that there are a lot of American’s [sic] that are not comfortable with gay marriage and men kissing, and it will therefore be a deterrent to getting their votes,” noted Twitter user Samira M Lineberger.
Rush was not lecturing Buttigieg, he was just pointing out the reality that is too politically incorrect for people to say; that there are a lot of American’s that are not comfortable with gay marriage and men kissing, and it will therefore be a deterrent to getting their votes. — Samira M Lineberger (@smlineberger) February 16, 2020
Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life recounted Buttigieg’s words: “I'm not going to take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh,” and commented:
Buttigieg: “I'm not going to take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh.” That's too bad, Mayor Pete. You don't take them from God's Word, either. & the fact that you're OK w legal killing of babies doesn't speak well of whatever values you have.#prolife — Fr. Frank Pavone ���� (Text LIFE to 88022) (@frfrankpavone) February 17, 2020
Another conservative radio show host, Sebastian Gorka, recently challenged Buttigieg’s presumed moral high ground, asking, “Why is a homosexual man lecturing us about the sanctity of life in the womb?”
Gorka, a former Deputy Assistant to the President, was referring to Buttigieg’s assertion that pro-life Democrats no longer have a place in the Democrat Party.
Buttigieg supports abortion on demand and recently refused to condemn infanticide.
Sebastian Gorka responds to Pete Buttigieg: “Why is a homosexual man lecturing us about the sanctity of life in the womb?” pic.twitter.com/oQOc6eEJPU — Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) February 12, 2020
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lifesitenews--2020-02-20--Coronavirus: Leading China expert details the reality

In today ’ s special segment of The John-Henry Westen Show , I speak with the leading expert on China @ @ @ @ @ is really going on with the coronavirus .
Mosher is the President of the Population @ @ @ @ @ person who exposed China ’ s forced abortion policy to the world .
He also @ @ @ @ @ organ harvesting protocols .
Mosher shares the facts about the epidemic and what is really @ @ @ @ @ It just might surprise you .

In today’s special segment of The John-Henry Westen Show, I speak with the leading expert on China, Steve Mosher about what is really going on with the coronavirus. Mosher is the President of the Population Research Institute and is the person who exposed China’s forced abortion policy to the world. He also exposed China’s ghastly organ harvesting protocols.
Mosher shares the facts about the epidemic and what is really going on in China. It just might surprise you.


lifesitenews--2020-02-20--Pro-abortion Joe Biden touts Catholic faith, papal visit in new campaign video

February 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Pro-abortion former vice president and 2020 Democratic hopeful Joe Biden has released a new campaign video featuring Pope Francis in which Biden says he goes to Mass and says the rosary and that faith is what has helped him through the most difficult moments in his life .
Last year , Biden told a PBS interviewer that Pope Francis gives him Communion , after he was denied Communion by a Catholic priest because of his public support for abortion .
Biden says in the new video : “ Faith is what has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life , ” which include the deaths of his first wife and eldest daughter in a car accident in 1972 and his son ’ s death from brain cancer in 2015 .
At one point in the video , Biden says : “ I go to Mass and I say the rosary .
I find it to be incredibly comforting.
” Biden is shown in the video attending Mass , speaking from church pulpits , and praying with a number of different people .
He is also shown meeting Pope Francis , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the image .
Biden ’ s 2020 presidential platform includes taxpayer-funded abortion on demand and enshrining into law the many demands of the LGBT lobby .
He has said that if he wins election , he will direct the Justice Department to “ do everything in its power ” to block state laws that place any restriction on abortion , including parental notification requirements , ultrasound laws , and waiting periods .
Last month he said on social media that “ transgender equality is the civil rights issue of our time.
” As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Biden officiated was between two men .
The Obama-Biden administration notably tried to force the Little Sisters of the Poor to participate in the provision of abortion-inducing drugs and contraception and threatened schools with the loss of federal funding if they wouldn ’ t let boys in girls ’ bathrooms and vice versa , among other things .
Biden was the frontrunner during much of the Democrat primary campaign but has now slipped to second place behind Bernie Sanders .
According to the current RealClearPolitics polling average , Biden now has a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % behind Bernie Sanders and less than 2 % more than late entry Michael Bloomberg .

At one point in the video, Biden says: 'I go to Mass and I say the rosary. I find it to be incredibly comforting.'
February 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Pro-abortion former vice president and 2020 Democratic hopeful Joe Biden has released a new campaign video featuring Pope Francis in which Biden says he goes to Mass and says the rosary and that faith is what has helped him through the most difficult moments in his life.
Last year, Biden told a PBS interviewer that Pope Francis gives him Communion, after he was denied Communion by a Catholic priest because of his public support for abortion.
Biden says in the new video: “Faith is what has gotten me through difficult times in my life,” which include the deaths of his first wife and eldest daughter in a car accident in 1972 and his son’s death from brain cancer in 2015.
At one point in the video, Biden says: “I go to Mass and I say the rosary. I find it to be incredibly comforting.”
Biden is shown in the video attending Mass, speaking from church pulpits, and praying with a number of different people. He is also shown meeting Pope Francis, with both men appearing to be smiling in the image.
Biden’s 2020 presidential platform includes taxpayer-funded abortion on demand and enshrining into law the many demands of the LGBT lobby.
He has said that if he wins election, he will direct the Justice Department to “do everything in its power” to block state laws that place any restriction on abortion, including parental notification requirements, ultrasound laws, and waiting periods.
Last month he said on social media that “transgender equality is the civil rights issue of our time.”
As vice president, the first “wedding” Biden officiated was between two men.
The Obama-Biden administration notably tried to force the Little Sisters of the Poor to participate in the provision of abortion-inducing drugs and contraception and threatened schools with the loss of federal funding if they wouldn’t let boys in girls’ bathrooms and vice versa, among other things.
Biden was the frontrunner during much of the Democrat primary campaign but has now slipped to second place behind Bernie Sanders. According to the current RealClearPolitics polling average, Biden now has a 17.8% of the vote, 10% behind Bernie Sanders and less than 2% more than late entry Michael Bloomberg.
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lifesitenews--2020-02-20--Hospital cleared of malpractice after seizing teen from parents for over a year

BOSTON , Massachusetts , February 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A jury today cleared four Boston Children ’ s Hospital doctors of medical malpractice and negligence for their role in seizing a Connecticut teenager after her parents disagreed with them about her course of care .
The state of Massachusetts took custody of then-15-year-old Justina Pelletier in 2013 after Boston Children ’ s Hospital doctors claimed the symptoms of her rare mitochondrial disease , which doctors at Tufts University Medical Center had been treating , were largely psychosomatic and an induced psychological disorder caused by her parents .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents after nearly 16 months of being locked in a psychiatric ward .
Her health significantly deteriorated while she was in state custody , and her contact with her parents was limited .
“ We are very disappointed with the jury ’ s decision today , ” the family said in a statement provided to LifeSiteNews .
“ It was especially hurtful for Justina .
However , we are a very strong and close family , and our love for each other will sustain us .
Our goal now is to work passionately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will have to endure the sufferings that we have gone through.
” The Boston Globe reports that it took the jury under six hours to clear the hospital .
The jury heard “ from nearly two dozen witnesses ” and sat “ through hours and hours of evidence presentation that included volumes of medical records and numerous doctors ’ emails , including one that referred to the family as ‘ evil , ’ ” according to the Globe .
“ The aim was ‘ to teach her to be healthy ’ and ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ herself as a sick child , ’ Ellen Epstein Cohen , a lawyer for the hospital , said in her closing argument Wednesday.
” Human rights activist Rev .
Patrick Mahoney , who has been helping the Pelletiers and was with them today in Boston , told LifeSiteNews “ these kinds of situations ” in which parents lose custody of their children or face other problems because of disagreements with doctors “ tragically are increasing dramatically across the nation on many different levels.
” The doctors who were cleared are neurologist Jurriaan Peters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newton , medical director of the Child Protection Program at Massachusetts General Hospital ; psychologist Simona Bujoreanu ; and Colleen Ryan .
Newton is “ one of the state ’ s most controversial pediatricians , admired by many but reviled in some legal circles as a messianic physician who is too eager to see a dark side in the parents and caretakers who bring ailing — or dead — children into the emergency room , ” the Globe wrote in previous coverage of the doctor .
This is a developing story .
LifeSiteNews @ @ @ @ @ @

Justina Pelletier was forcibly held in a psychiatric ward for nearly 16 months after her parents and doctors disagreed.
BOSTON, Massachusetts, February 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A jury today cleared four Boston Children’s Hospital doctors of medical malpractice and negligence for their role in seizing a Connecticut teenager after her parents disagreed with them about her course of care.
The state of Massachusetts took custody of then-15-year-old Justina Pelletier in 2013 after Boston Children’s Hospital doctors claimed the symptoms of her rare mitochondrial disease, which doctors at Tufts University Medical Center had been treating, were largely psychosomatic and an induced psychological disorder caused by her parents.
Justina was ultimately released back to her parents after nearly 16 months of being locked in a psychiatric ward. Her health significantly deteriorated while she was in state custody, and her contact with her parents was limited.
“We are very disappointed with the jury’s decision today,” the family said in a statement provided to LifeSiteNews. “It was especially hurtful for Justina. However, we are a very strong and close family, and our love for each other will sustain us. Our goal now is to work passionately across the nation to ensure no family will have to endure the sufferings that we have gone through.”
The Boston Globe reports that it took the jury under six hours to clear the hospital. The jury heard “from nearly two dozen witnesses” and sat “through hours and hours of evidence presentation that included volumes of medical records and numerous doctors’ emails, including one that referred to the family as ‘evil,’” according to the Globe.
“The aim was ‘to teach her to be healthy’ and ‘to stop encouraging her to think of herself as a sick child,’ Ellen Epstein Cohen, a lawyer for the hospital, said in her closing argument Wednesday.”
Human rights activist Rev. Patrick Mahoney, who has been helping the Pelletiers and was with them today in Boston, told LifeSiteNews “these kinds of situations” in which parents lose custody of their children or face other problems because of disagreements with doctors “tragically are increasing dramatically across the nation on many different levels.”
The doctors who were cleared are neurologist Jurriaan Peters; “child abuse pediatrician” Alice Newton, medical director of the Child Protection Program at Massachusetts General Hospital; psychologist Simona Bujoreanu; and Colleen Ryan.
Newton is “one of the state’s most controversial pediatricians, admired by many but reviled in some legal circles as a messianic physician who is too eager to see a dark side in the parents and caretakers who bring ailing — or dead — children into the emergency room,” the Globe wrote in previous coverage of the doctor.
This is a developing story. LifeSiteNews will continue to provide updates.
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lifesitenews--2020-02-20--Pope’s ghostwriter, advisor claims Francis blazed path to married priests in Amazon exhortation

February 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – An Argentinian archbishop close to Pope Francis , who is widely regarded as the principal ghostwriter of the Pope ’ s controversial 2016 exhortation Amoris Laetitia , is claiming that the Pope blazed a path to married priests in his new Amazon exhortation .
The Pope did this by means of suggesting the development of a new “ Amazonian rite ” that would , in the words of the exhortation , “ inculturate the liturgy among indigenous peoples , ” the archbishop claimed .
Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández , the archbishop of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ February 17 an article in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that offers an interpretative key to the new papal exhortation Querida Amazonia .
Additionally , he also published a similar statement on the website of his archdiocese .
In these texts , the prelate who has worked closely with Pope Francis even before his election , presents several points about how the exhortation should be interpreted : • Querida Amazonia is a “ complementary ” text to the Amazon Synod 's final document , “ without canceling it , ” which is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question of the married priesthood and “ other proposals ” of the synod are not “ off the table , ” but , instead , will come up again with respect to a new “ Amazonian rite ” to be developed ; • The key of the document is that Pope Francis wishes that the laity “ take the reins of the Church in Amazonia , ” with laymen leading the communities ; • Pope Francis has developed a new understanding of priesthood that is a “ source of grace , ” not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thus more power can be given to the laity ; • Pope Francis insists upon “ inculturation ” which “ also implies greater freedom and boldness in local actors , ” also with regard to the liturgy Archbishop Fernández , infamous for his erotic book on the “ art of kissing , ” calls for a “ serene ” re-reading of Pope Francis 's new exhortation and hopes that “ our internal ecclesiastical questions will not stifle this prophetic voice ” dealing especially with social , cultural , and ecological issues .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the papal document with regard to the Catholic Church .
Pope Francis , according to Fernández , wishes to “ create a 'markedly lay ' Amazonian Church ” and for this he demands “ that the laity be 'endowed with authority ' ( n. 94 ) .
It is here that the Pope introduces a new understanding of the priesthood that is effectively separated from authority – a proposal that also has come up in the Amazon Synod 's working document .
That document had stated that the Church must “ reconsider the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power of government ) must be linked in all areas ( sacramental , judicial , administrative ) and in a permanent way to the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
” ( n. 127 ) As Fernández explains in his L'Osservatore Romano article , there is a need for “ revising a way of understanding the priesthood that relates it too much to power.
” “ Francis specifies that when it is said that the priest is a sign of Christ the Head , one must understand Christ as the source of grace , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ source of power .
Therefore the leadership of communities can be entrusted to lay leaders with authority , ” he adds .
Fernández refers here to number 87 and 88 of the papal exhortation , both of which speak of the priesthood and its main function which is “ to preside at the Eucharist .
That is his particular , principal and non-delegable function.
” “ There are those who think that what distinguishes the priest is power , ” Francis continues , “ the fact that he is the highest authority in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ II explained that , although the priesthood is considered 'hierarchical ' , this function is not meant to be superior to the others , but rather is 'totally ordered to the holiness of Christ ’ s members ' .
When the priest is said to be a sign of 'Christ the head ' , this refers principally to the fact that Christ is the source of all grace : he is the head of the Church because 'he has the power of pouring out grace upon all the members of the Church .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ n 88 ) , the priest 's main duties are the sacraments of the Eucharist and of Penance ( which are also involved in the Sacrament of Extreme Unction ) ; other sacraments could well be administered by laymen .
As he says in number 89 : “ The laity can proclaim God ’ s word , teach , organize communities , celebrate certain sacraments , seek different ways to express popular devotion and develop the multitude of gifts that the Spirit pours out in their midst.
” Pope Francis later goes on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amazonian features requires the stable presence of mature and lay leaders endowed with authority , ” ( n. 94 ) and that the Church should permit “ the growth of a specific ecclesial culture that is distinctively lay .
The challenges in the Amazon region demand of the Church a special effort to be present at every level , and this can only be possible through the vigorous , broad and active involvement of the laity.
” Fernández points out that Francis foresees a new understanding of the relationship between priest and authority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what sacraments are “ exclusively ” to be administered by a priest .
As he writes in his own commentary on his diocesan website , Fernández states that “ It is about giving greater authority to the laity and in any case accompanying them so that they can take the reins of the Church in Amazonia.
” Cardinal Gerhard Müller , the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , has pointed to this weakness of the papal document when he wrote : “ The approach to defining the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice and to administer the Sacrament of Penance and the Anointing of the Sick , while not misleading , falls short .
Bishops and priests represent Christ , in whom he has the total ministry of teaching , sanctifying and governing ( Lumen gentium 26-28 ; Presbyterorum ordinis 4-6 ) .
” On this topic , LifeSiteNews published a statement by Professor Karl-Heinz Menke , a German theologian and member of the Vatican 's International Theological Commission , who said that “ The power of ordination ( potestas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potestas jurisdictionis ) may not be separated.
” This same point had been also refuted by Cardinal Walter Brandmüller who spoke last summer of the working document 's “ direct attack on the hierarchical-sacramental constitution of the Church , when it is being asked as to whether it would not be opportune ‘ to reconsider the notion that the exercise of jurisdiction ( power of government ) must be linked in all areas ( sacramental , judicial , administrative ) and in a permanent way to the Sacrament of Holy Orders ’ ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fernández insists that the discussion of the ordination of viri probati ( married , morally proven men ) , as well as “ other proposals ” ( he does not mention explicitly the female diaconate ) are not off the table .
He writes in L'Osservatore Romano : “ Some have argued that Francis 'closed the doors ' to the possibility of ordering some married men , as well as excluding other proposals of the synod .
The truth is that Francis did not close or open doors on this theme , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says this papal confidant , Pope Francis has just delayed this discussion , not shut it down .
Here , the Argentine prelate explains that the Pope did not replace the Amazon Synod 's Final Document : “ It should not be forgotten that in the introduction to his exhortation he [ Francis ] writes : ' I will not develop here all the questions abundantly set out in the concluding Document ' ( n. 2 ) .
So , if in Querida Amazonia he does not mention a point , it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but because it is evident that he did not want to repeat the Final Document , to the point that he avoided mentioning it .
Francis clearly says : ' I neither intend to replace nor repeat it ' .
( n. 2 ) .
” Concludes Fernández : “ If he does not replace it , he does not deny it.
” He also stresses that the Pope asks for the Final Document to be “ applied.
” That application , explains the prelate , will be “ simpler ” for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be much slower and more complex.
” Fernández points out that this is a “ new procedure ” that this papal exhortation is a “ complementary ” text to the Final Document .
As he writes in his personal commentary : “ For the first time an Apostolic Exhortation does not want to be an interpretation of the Final Document of a Synod or a restriction of its contents , nor an official text that leaves behind what the Synod concluded.
” It rather calls for the “ application ” of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is a huge synodal novelty that unfortunately has gone unnoticed.
” As another important aspect , Archbishop Fernández highlights in his article that Pope Francis has a “ strong emphasis on inculturation , which implies greater freedom and boldness in local actors , ” also with regard to the “ liturgy.
” “ This is why Francis asks us to avoid being too harsh with indigenous rituals and manifestations and not to accuse them immediately of paganism or idolatry ( n. 79 ) .
” “ Here opens a space for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' mentioned by Francis in note 120 , ” the prelate continues .
Here he points out that this Amazonian rite might include a married priesthood : “ It is a point on which the Synod accepted the challenge proposed by the Pope to come out of the controversy about the 'viri probati ' from above , aiming at a broader approach that could eventually include this theme as well.
” It is about “ addressing ” the problems “ in a different way , ” on a “ higher level , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in the discussions of the Synod , became the possibility of elaborating an 'Amazonian rite ' that would in fact be the appropriate ambit to better discern the possibility of ordaining some 'viri probati . '
” Pope Francis wrote the following about inculturation and new ministries in Querida Amazonia : “ Inculturation should also be increasingly reflected in an incarnate form of ecclesial organization and ministry .
If we are to inculturate spirituality , holiness and the Gospel itself , how can we not consider an inculturation of the ways we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” ( 85 ) As Fernández also writes in his personal commentary on his own diocesan website with regard to introducing the married priesthood in the framework of an “ Amazonian rite ” : “ Of course the application will not be automatic .
There will be several years to do it , ” some “ topics will take longer than others.
” “ Obviously , ” he concludes , “ thinking of an 'Amazonian rite ' is a work of years and decades.
” If one were to take Fernández ' words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ itself – as the indirect words of Pope Francis – perhaps also aimed at calming down the dissident faction in the Catholic Church – the message is : it will just take a little longer .
In a 2015 interview , Fernández said that the “ pope goes slow because he wants to be sure that the changes have a deep impact .
The slow pace is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the changes .
He knows there are those hoping that the next pope will turn everything back around .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to turn things back…You have to realize that he is aiming at reform that is irreversible . ''
Mauricio Lòpez , the executive secretary of the Amazonian network REPAM which was heavily involved in the Amazon Synod , stated about embarking on the path trail-blazed by Pope Francis : “ For us now begins the most important phase of the whole synodal process.
” For Lòpez , “ it is that of a profound listening to the territorial instances , of the incorporation of the different voices and of the approximately 200 proposals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Final Document , which the Pope asked us to keep in mind , ” and that of “ an understanding of the hermeneutic novelty.
” “ Pope Francis has made the Amazon a theological place , ” Lòpez adds .
For him , the Amazon thus becomes a tool for change : “ This opens a way for the same reflection to arise in other biomes of the world and for the challenges of the Church 's mission beyond the traditional structures .
The periphery breaks into the center and illuminates it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ periphery is clearly represented in Querida Amazonia.
” The remaking of the Church with what the Pope called an “ Amazonian face ” has , in the eyes of Fernández and Lòpez , slowly just begun .

February 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – An Argentinian archbishop close to Pope Francis, who is widely regarded as the principal ghostwriter of the Pope’s controversial 2016 exhortation Amoris Laetitia, is claiming that the Pope blazed a path to married priests in his new Amazon exhortation. The Pope did this by means of suggesting the development of a new “Amazonian rite” that would, in the words of the exhortation, “inculturate the liturgy among indigenous peoples,” the archbishop claimed.
Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, the archbishop of La Plata, Argentine, published on February 17 an article in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that offers an interpretative key to the new papal exhortation Querida Amazonia. Additionally, he also published a similar statement on the website of his archdiocese. In these texts, the prelate who has worked closely with Pope Francis even before his election, presents several points about how the exhortation should be interpreted:
Querida Amazonia is a “complementary” text to the Amazon Synod's final document, “without canceling it,” which is a “synodal novelty”; The question of the married priesthood and “other proposals” of the synod are not “off the table,” but, instead, will come up again with respect to a new “Amazonian rite” to be developed; The key of the document is that Pope Francis wishes that the laity “take the reins of the Church in Amazonia,” with laymen leading the communities; Pope Francis has developed a new understanding of priesthood that is a “source of grace,” not a “source of power,” thus more power can be given to the laity; Pope Francis insists upon “inculturation” which “also implies greater freedom and boldness in local actors,” also with regard to the liturgy
Archbishop Fernández, infamous for his erotic book on the “art of kissing,” calls for a “serene” re-reading of Pope Francis's new exhortation and hopes that “our internal ecclesiastical questions will not stifle this prophetic voice” dealing especially with social, cultural, and ecological issues. But then deals with the key elements of the papal document with regard to the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis, according to Fernández, wishes to “create a 'markedly lay' Amazonian Church” and for this he demands “that the laity be 'endowed with authority' (n. 94). It is here that the Pope introduces a new understanding of the priesthood that is effectively separated from authority – a proposal that also has come up in the Amazon Synod's working document. That document had stated that the Church must “reconsider the notion that the exercise of jurisdiction (power of government) must be linked in all areas (sacramental, judicial, administrative) and in a permanent way to the Sacrament of Holy Orders.” (n. 127)
As Fernández explains in his L'Osservatore Romano article, there is a need for “revising a way of understanding the priesthood that relates it too much to power.” “Francis specifies that when it is said that the priest is a sign of Christ the Head, one must understand Christ as the source of grace, especially in the Eucharist, not as the source of power. Therefore the leadership of communities can be entrusted to lay leaders with authority,” he adds.
Fernández refers here to number 87 and 88 of the papal exhortation, both of which speak of the priesthood and its main function which is “to preside at the Eucharist. That is his particular, principal and non-delegable function.” “There are those who think that what distinguishes the priest is power,” Francis continues, “the fact that he is the highest authority in the community. Yet Saint John Paul II explained that, although the priesthood is considered 'hierarchical', this function is not meant to be superior to the others, but rather is 'totally ordered to the holiness of Christ’s members'. When the priest is said to be a sign of 'Christ the head', this refers principally to the fact that Christ is the source of all grace: he is the head of the Church because 'he has the power of pouring out grace upon all the members of the Church.'”
According to Pope Francis (n 88), the priest's main duties are the sacraments of the Eucharist and of Penance (which are also involved in the Sacrament of Extreme Unction); other sacraments could well be administered by laymen. As he says in number 89: “The laity can proclaim God’s word, teach, organize communities, celebrate certain sacraments, seek different ways to express popular devotion and develop the multitude of gifts that the Spirit pours out in their midst.”
Pope Francis later goes on to say that “a Church of Amazonian features requires the stable presence of mature and lay leaders endowed with authority,” (n. 94) and that the Church should permit “the growth of a specific ecclesial culture that is distinctively lay. The challenges in the Amazon region demand of the Church a special effort to be present at every level, and this can only be possible through the vigorous, broad and active involvement of the laity.”
Fernández points out that Francis foresees a new understanding of the relationship between priest and authority in the Church, as well as what sacraments are “exclusively” to be administered by a priest. As he writes in his own commentary on his diocesan website, Fernández states that “It is about giving greater authority to the laity and in any case accompanying them so that they can take the reins of the Church in Amazonia.”
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has pointed to this weakness of the papal document when he wrote: “The approach to defining the nature of the priesthood through the exclusive power to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice and to administer the Sacrament of Penance and the Anointing of the Sick, while not misleading, falls short. Bishops and priests represent Christ, in whom he has the total ministry of teaching, sanctifying and governing (Lumen gentium 26-28; Presbyterorum ordinis 4-6).”
On this topic, LifeSiteNews published a statement by Professor Karl-Heinz Menke, a German theologian and member of the Vatican's International Theological Commission, who said that “The power of ordination (potestas ordinis) and the judicial power (potestas jurisdictionis) may not be separated.” This same point had been also refuted by Cardinal Walter Brandmüller who spoke last summer of the working document's “direct attack on the hierarchical-sacramental constitution of the Church, when it is being asked as to whether it would not be opportune ‘to reconsider the notion that the exercise of jurisdiction (power of government) must be linked in all areas (sacramental, judicial, administrative) and in a permanent way to the Sacrament of Holy Orders’ (no. 127).”
Archbishop Fernández insists that the discussion of the ordination of viri probati (married, morally proven men), as well as “other proposals” (he does not mention explicitly the female diaconate) are not off the table. He writes in L'Osservatore Romano: “Some have argued that Francis 'closed the doors' to the possibility of ordering some married men, as well as excluding other proposals of the synod. The truth is that Francis did not close or open doors on this theme, he only avoided rushed solutions.”
Thus, says this papal confidant, Pope Francis has just delayed this discussion, not shut it down.
Here, the Argentine prelate explains that the Pope did not replace the Amazon Synod's Final Document: “It should not be forgotten that in the introduction to his exhortation he [Francis] writes: 'I will not develop here all the questions abundantly set out in the concluding Document' (n. 2). So, if in Querida Amazonia he does not mention a point, it is not because he excludes its further development, but because it is evident that he did not want to repeat the Final Document, to the point that he avoided mentioning it. Francis clearly says: 'I neither intend to replace nor repeat it'. (n. 2).”
Concludes Fernández: “If he does not replace it, he does not deny it.” He also stresses that the Pope asks for the Final Document to be “applied.” That application, explains the prelate, will be “simpler” for some, while “for others it will be much slower and more complex.” Fernández points out that this is a “new procedure” that this papal exhortation is a “complementary” text to the Final Document. As he writes in his personal commentary: “For the first time an Apostolic Exhortation does not want to be an interpretation of the Final Document of a Synod or a restriction of its contents, nor an official text that leaves behind what the Synod concluded.” It rather calls for the “application” of the Final Document. Comments Fernández: “This is a huge synodal novelty that unfortunately has gone unnoticed.”
As another important aspect, Archbishop Fernández highlights in his article that Pope Francis has a “strong emphasis on inculturation, which implies greater freedom and boldness in local actors,” also with regard to the “liturgy.” “This is why Francis asks us to avoid being too harsh with indigenous rituals and manifestations and not to accuse them immediately of paganism or idolatry (n. 79).” “Here opens a space for a possibile elaboration of an 'Amazonian rite,' mentioned by Francis in note 120,” the prelate continues.
Here he points out that this Amazonian rite might include a married priesthood: “It is a point on which the Synod accepted the challenge proposed by the Pope to come out of the controversy about the 'viri probati' from above, aiming at a broader approach that could eventually include this theme as well.” It is about “addressing” the problems “in a different way,” on a “higher level,” Fernández writes. “This higher level, in the discussions of the Synod, became the possibility of elaborating an 'Amazonian rite' that would in fact be the appropriate ambit to better discern the possibility of ordaining some 'viri probati.'”
Pope Francis wrote the following about inculturation and new ministries in Querida Amazonia:
“Inculturation should also be increasingly reflected in an incarnate form of ecclesial organization and ministry. If we are to inculturate spirituality, holiness and the Gospel itself, how can we not consider an inculturation of the ways we structure and carry out ecclesial ministries?” (85)
As Fernández also writes in his personal commentary on his own diocesan website with regard to introducing the married priesthood in the framework of an “Amazonian rite”: “Of course the application will not be automatic. There will be several years to do it,” some “topics will take longer than others.” “Obviously,” he concludes, “thinking of an 'Amazonian rite' is a work of years and decades.”
If one were to take Fernández' words – as now presented by the Vatican itself – as the indirect words of Pope Francis – perhaps also aimed at calming down the dissident faction in the Catholic Church – the message is: it will just take a little longer.
In a 2015 interview, Fernández said that the “pope goes slow because he wants to be sure that the changes have a deep impact. The slow pace is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the changes. He knows there are those hoping that the next pope will turn everything back around. If you go slowly it's more difficult to turn things back…You have to realize that he is aiming at reform that is irreversible.”
Mauricio Lòpez, the executive secretary of the Amazonian network REPAM which was heavily involved in the Amazon Synod, stated about embarking on the path trail-blazed by Pope Francis: “For us now begins the most important phase of the whole synodal process.”
For Lòpez, “it is that of a profound listening to the territorial instances, of the incorporation of the different voices and of the approximately 200 proposals presented in the [Synod's] Final Document, which the Pope asked us to keep in mind,” and that of “an understanding of the hermeneutic novelty.”
“Pope Francis has made the Amazon a theological place,” Lòpez adds. For him, the Amazon thus becomes a tool for change: “This opens a way for the same reflection to arise in other biomes of the world and for the challenges of the Church's mission beyond the traditional structures. The periphery breaks into the center and illuminates it, helps it to transform itself. This periphery is clearly represented in Querida Amazonia.”
The remaking of the Church with what the Pope called an “Amazonian face” has, in the eyes of Fernández and Lòpez, slowly just begun.
Follow Maike Dr. Maike Hickson was born and raised in Germany. She holds a PhD from the University of Hannover, Germany, after having written in Switzerland her doctoral dissertation on the history of Swiss intellectuals before and during World War II. She now lives in the U.S. and is married to Dr. Robert Hickson, and they have been blessed with two beautiful children. She is a happy housewife who likes to write articles when time permits. Dr. Hickson published in 2014 a Festschrift, a collection of some thirty essays written by thoughtful authors in honor of her husband upon his 70th birthday, which is entitled A Catholic Witness in Our Time. Hickson has closely followed the papacy of Pope Francis and the developments in the Catholic Church in Germany, and she has been writing articles on religion and politics for U.S. and European publications and websites such as LifeSiteNews, OnePeterFive, The Wanderer, Rorate Caeli, Catholicism.org, Catholic Family News, Christian Order, Notizie Pro-Vita, Corrispondenza Romana, Katholisches.info, Der Dreizehnte, Zeit-Fragen, and Westfalen-Blatt.
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lifesitenews--2020-02-20--Democrat senator laughs off ‘stupid question’ about supporting late-term abortion

WASHINGTON , D.C. , February 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Alabama Democrat Doug Jones took over the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Republican Jeff Sessions partly on the premise he was an abortion moderate , but his latest reaction to being pressed on the issue suggests he has all but abandoned such an image .
A video uploaded to Twitter on Wednesday depicts someone identified as a constituent calling out “ good morning ” to Jones as he ’ s walking through a parking lot .
Apparently recognizing the questioner , Jones asks , “ What stupid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” before he can get the question out .
The constituent repeats , “ Do you think abortion should be banned after five months ?
” In response , Jones laughs and says , “ As I said , what a stupid question , ” while continuing to walk past the man .
The questioner responds , “ You ’ re voting on it next week , sir , ” to which Jones replies , “ Yeah , and I ’ ll vote on it next week , just like I did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jones joined his fellow Democrats in voting against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act , which would have banned most abortions starting at five months .
The vote was a reversal from his previous claims to support such a ban as long as it contained an exception for “ medical necessity , ” which the bill did .
At the time , the Alabama Senate passed a resolution formally condemning Jones for going back on his word .
A year later , Jones did break ranks with his party in voting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failed abortions , a modest defense of life that was mainstream in the Democrat Party as recently as the early 2000s .
His latest comments , however , indicate he has no qualms about continuing to defend late-term abortion .
Jones is the first Democrat to win an Alabama Senate election since 1992 , winning in large part thanks to particularly bitter divisions between Republicans .
Sessions ’ departure to temporarily serve as President Donald Trump ’ s Attorney General led to a three-way primary battle between establishment favorite Luther Strange , conservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore , a favorite of social conservatives for sacrificing his judgeship twice to protest judicial activism .
After Moore won the GOP nomination , allegations surfaced that he had engaged in inappropriate relationships with underage girls , and that he had committed sexual assault .
Moore strenuously denied them , with defenders raising doubts about the accusers ’ stories and questioning why none of the claims had surfaced in Moore ’ s previous campaigns .
Nevertheless , with it being too late to replace Moore on the ballot , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward .
Trump endorsed him and some called for simply electing him and leaving the charges for the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate , while others proposed either delaying the special election or replacing Moore with a write-in candidate .
Jones ’ upset is likely to be short-lived , however .
Six Republicans are currently running to reclaim the Senate seat for the GOP , including Sessions and Moore .
The top three contenders – Sessions , former Auburn head football coach Tommy Tuberville , and U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne – all currently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Jones in head-to-head matchups .

Alabama's Doug Jones continues to go against his word to support bans on abortion starting at five months.
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Alabama Democrat Doug Jones took over the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Republican Jeff Sessions partly on the premise he was an abortion moderate, but his latest reaction to being pressed on the issue suggests he has all but abandoned such an image.
A video uploaded to Twitter on Wednesday depicts someone identified as a constituent calling out “good morning” to Jones as he’s walking through a parking lot. Apparently recognizing the questioner, Jones asks, “What stupid question do you got for me today?” before he can get the question out. The constituent repeats, “Do you think abortion should be banned after five months?”
In response, Jones laughs and says, “As I said, what a stupid question,” while continuing to walk past the man. The questioner responds, “You’re voting on it next week, sir,” to which Jones replies, “Yeah, and I’ll vote on it next week, just like I did the last time.”
�� NEW VIDEO �� Constituent: “Do you think abortion should be banned after 5 months?” Doug Jones: “What a stupid question.” Constituent: “You’re voting on it next week.”#ALsen #ALpolitics pic.twitter.com/oZd5NrFHy3 — Nathan Brand (@NathanBrandWA) February 19, 2020
In January 2018, Jones joined his fellow Democrats in voting against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would have banned most abortions starting at five months. The vote was a reversal from his previous claims to support such a ban as long as it contained an exception for “medical necessity,” which the bill did. At the time, the Alabama Senate passed a resolution formally condemning Jones for going back on his word.
A year later, Jones did break ranks with his party in voting to guarantee medical care for newborns who survive failed abortions, a modest defense of life that was mainstream in the Democrat Party as recently as the early 2000s. His latest comments, however, indicate he has no qualms about continuing to defend late-term abortion.
Jones is the first Democrat to win an Alabama Senate election since 1992, winning in large part thanks to particularly bitter divisions between Republicans. Sessions’ departure to temporarily serve as President Donald Trump’s Attorney General led to a three-way primary battle between establishment favorite Luther Strange, conservative U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, and former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, a favorite of social conservatives for sacrificing his judgeship twice to protest judicial activism.
After Moore won the GOP nomination, allegations surfaced that he had engaged in inappropriate relationships with underage girls, and that he had committed sexual assault. Moore strenuously denied them, with defenders raising doubts about the accusers’ stories and questioning why none of the claims had surfaced in Moore’s previous campaigns.
Nevertheless, with it being too late to replace Moore on the ballot, Republicans were divided on how to move forward. Trump endorsed him and some called for simply electing him and leaving the charges for the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate, while others proposed either delaying the special election or replacing Moore with a write-in candidate.
Jones’ upset is likely to be short-lived, however. Six Republicans are currently running to reclaim the Senate seat for the GOP, including Sessions and Moore. The top three contenders – Sessions, former Auburn head football coach Tommy Tuberville, and U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne – all currently poll between nine and 13 points ahead of Jones in head-to-head matchups.
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