lifesitenews--2020-01-17--Catholic bishop expresses ‘sadness’ woman won’t be made Episcopalian ‘bishop’ at Catholic church

WILLIAMSBURG , Virginia , January 17 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia will no longer use a Catholic parish for the “ consecration ” of a female “ bishop ” on February 1 , following intense backlash from Catholics around the commonwealth .
The Diocese of Richmond had granted permission for St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg to be used for the Protestant ceremony .
Both St. Bede pastor Monsignor Joseph Lehman and Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout defended allowing the ceremony in a Catholic church .
The Catholic Church teaches that it is ontologically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordained ” and does not recognize any Episcopalian denomination ordinations as valid .
Catholic women who attempt to be ordained incur automatic excommunication .
“ It is with great sadness that I have received a letter from Bishop-Elect ( sic ) Susan Haynes stating that , due to the controversy of the proposed use of St. Bede Catholic Church for her consecration as the bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia , she has decided to find another location for the ceremony to take place , ” Knestout announced Friday .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Southern Virginia said : The decision to change the location from St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg arose out of concern and respect for the ministries and leadership of both the Catholic parish and the Catholic Diocese of Richmond .
Learning that its intended use of the building was causing dismay and distress , the Episcopal Diocese withdrew from its contract with St. Bede .
As Bishop-Elect Haynes observed , “ in the 8th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians , the Apostle Paul cautioned Christians to be careful about pursuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within their community.
” According to the press release , Haynes wrote to Knestout , “ We have so appreciated and admired your grace and courage in extending this hospitality and abiding by your invitation even under fire from those within your own flocks.
” Neither a Diocese of Richmond spokesperson nor Bishop Knestout answered a previous inquiry from LifeSiteNews about whether the Episcopalian church had paid to use St. Bede , and if so , how much .
In his statement expressing “ sadness ” that the Episcopal “ ordination ” would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Knestout said his diocese had been “ welcoming ” and ecumenical .
“ In granting permission for this ordination to be held at St. Bede , we were welcoming , as the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council encouraged , those who have in common with us ‘ the written Word of God ; the life of grace ; faith , hope and charity , with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit ’ ( Decree on Ecumenism , 3 ) , ” he claimed .
“ We were following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis who enthusiastically engaged in ecumenical outreach and hospitality.
” Knestout and Lehman were not , however , following the example of many popes and saints throughout history who condemned “ ecumenical ” activities that affirm error and do not attempt to draw people into the Catholic Church , such as by Pope Pius XI in Mortalium Animos .
“ I ’ m overjoyed at the news that a sacrilegious mockery of the sacrament of Holy Orders will not be taking place at St. Bede ’ s , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lepanto Institute , told LifeSiteNews .
He had organized a rosary protest outside the February 1 event .
More than 3,200 people signed a petition asking Knestout to stop the ceremony from occurring at St. Bede .
“ That having been said , I find it perplexing that a bishop of the Catholic Church would express ‘ sadness ’ at the moving of the event off Catholic property while the Episcopalians explained that they did so out of respect for Catholics who were distressed by it , ” Hichborn continued .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more concern for faithful Catholics than does their own bishop.
” “ Furthermore , it is incomprehensible that a Catholic bishop would refer to the event as ‘ an ordination ’ and the woman at the center of it as ‘ bishop-elect ’ if he did not believe that an actual consecration of a new bishop was truly taking place , ” said Hichborn .
“ The truth of the matter is that , according to Catholic teaching , the conference of holy orders upon a woman is impossible , and Episcopalians do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event was no more a ‘ consecration ’ than a ‘ wedding ’ of two members of the same sex is a ‘ marriage.
’ ” The Episcopalian service will now take place at Williamsburg Community Chapel .
It is unclear if the reception – originally scheduled to take place in St. Bede ’ s Kaplan Hall – following the ceremony will also be held there .
One of the reasons Lehman gave for allowing his parish to be used for this non-Catholic event was that it had handicap accessible parking and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available ” at Williamsburg Community Chapel , the according to the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia .
“ This event stands as a clear sign of the depth of the crisis in the Catholic Church , ” commented Hichborn .
“ When bishops can ’ t or won ’ t distinguish between actual sacraments and pageantry in Protestant sects , there can be little wonder why there is so much confusion about the Church today .
”

In his statement expressing 'sadness' that the female 'ordination' would no longer occur inside a Catholic church, Bishop Barry Knestout said his diocese had been 'welcoming' and ecumenical.
WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia, January 17, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia will no longer use a Catholic parish for the “consecration” of a female “bishop” on February 1, following intense backlash from Catholics around the commonwealth.
The Diocese of Richmond had granted permission for St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg to be used for the Protestant ceremony. Both St. Bede pastor Monsignor Joseph Lehman and Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout defended allowing the ceremony in a Catholic church.
The Catholic Church teaches that it is ontologically impossible for a woman to be “ordained” and does not recognize any Episcopalian denomination ordinations as valid. Catholic women who attempt to be ordained incur automatic excommunication.
“It is with great sadness that I have received a letter from Bishop-Elect (sic) Susan Haynes stating that, due to the controversy of the proposed use of St. Bede Catholic Church for her consecration as the bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, she has decided to find another location for the ceremony to take place,” Knestout announced Friday.
A press release from the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia said:
The decision to change the location from St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg arose out of concern and respect for the ministries and leadership of both the Catholic parish and the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. Learning that its intended use of the building was causing dismay and distress, the Episcopal Diocese withdrew from its contract with St. Bede. As Bishop-Elect Haynes observed, “in the 8th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul cautioned Christians to be careful about pursuing behavior that might cause problems for others within their community.”
According to the press release, Haynes wrote to Knestout, “We have so appreciated and admired your grace and courage in extending this hospitality and abiding by your invitation even under fire from those within your own flocks.”
Neither a Diocese of Richmond spokesperson nor Bishop Knestout answered a previous inquiry from LifeSiteNews about whether the Episcopalian church had paid to use St. Bede, and if so, how much.
In his statement expressing “sadness” that the Episcopal “ordination” would no longer occur inside a Catholic church, Knestout said his diocese had been “welcoming” and ecumenical.
“In granting permission for this ordination to be held at St. Bede, we were welcoming, as the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council encouraged, those who have in common with us ‘the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit’ (Decree on Ecumenism, 3),” he claimed. “We were following the example of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis who enthusiastically engaged in ecumenical outreach and hospitality.”
Knestout and Lehman were not, however, following the example of many popes and saints throughout history who condemned “ecumenical” activities that affirm error and do not attempt to draw people into the Catholic Church, such as by Pope Pius XI in Mortalium Animos.
“I’m overjoyed at the news that a sacrilegious mockery of the sacrament of Holy Orders will not be taking place at St. Bede’s,” Michael Hichborn, President of the Lepanto Institute, told LifeSiteNews. He had organized a rosary protest outside the February 1 event.
More than 3,200 people signed a petition asking Knestout to stop the ceremony from occurring at St. Bede.
“That having been said, I find it perplexing that a bishop of the Catholic Church would express ‘sadness’ at the moving of the event off Catholic property while the Episcopalians explained that they did so out of respect for Catholics who were distressed by it,” Hichborn continued. “It’s as if the Episcopalians have more concern for faithful Catholics than does their own bishop.”
“Furthermore, it is incomprehensible that a Catholic bishop would refer to the event as ‘an ordination’ and the woman at the center of it as ‘bishop-elect’ if he did not believe that an actual consecration of a new bishop was truly taking place,” said Hichborn. “The truth of the matter is that, according to Catholic teaching, the conference of holy orders upon a woman is impossible, and Episcopalians do not have valid ordinations. The scheduled event was no more a ‘consecration’ than a ‘wedding’ of two members of the same sex is a ‘marriage.’”
The Episcopalian service will now take place at Williamsburg Community Chapel. It is unclear if the reception – originally scheduled to take place in St. Bede’s Kaplan Hall – following the ceremony will also be held there.
One of the reasons Lehman gave for allowing his parish to be used for this non-Catholic event was that it had handicap accessible parking and a social hall.
“Ample parking is available” at Williamsburg Community Chapel, the according to the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia.
“This event stands as a clear sign of the depth of the crisis in the Catholic Church,” commented Hichborn. “When bishops can’t or won’t distinguish between actual sacraments and pageantry in Protestant sects, there can be little wonder why there is so much confusion about the Church today.”
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lifesitenews--2020-01-18--BREAKING: Viganò comes out of hiding to protest German bishops’ ‘synodal path’ of destruction

January 18 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – In his first public appearance since going into hiding over a year ago , Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò joined other prominent Catholics in Munich today in prayer and protest against the German Episcopal Conference and its President Cardinal Marx .
The Vatican whistleblower joined Catholic laity to oppose the German prelates ’ plan to embark on a “ synodal path ” that critics say would create a “ new church ” that departs from Catholic teaching on priestly celibacy , contraception , homosexuality , and fornication .
Viganò had gone into hiding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 his McCarrick report accusing Pope Francis of ignoring Pope Benedict XVI 's earlier restrictions on then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick on account of McCarrick ’ s preying upon and abuse of seminarians .
Viganò said that Francis should resign .
Pope Francis abolished the pontifical secret with regard to sex abuse cases in December 2019 .
He issued a decree according to which the pontifical secret binding Church officials to confidentiality in specific matters , “ does not apply to accusations , trials and decisions ” concerning sexual abuse of adults , minors and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possession and distribution of pornography ( cf .
Vos estis lux mundi , art .
1 ) .
This will enable a person who files an accusation of sexual abuse , for example , as well as “ the person who alleges to have been harmed and the witnesses shall not be bound by any obligation of silence with regard to matters involving the case.
” It is perhaps in light of this new decree that Archbishop Viganò feels less restrained in appearing in public .
In any event , he continuously raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and doctrinal aspects of the current Church crisis , such as the clerical sex abuse crisis , some problematic developments during and since the Second Vatican Council , the important role of the Blessed Virgin Mary , as well as the recent 6-27 October 2019 Amazon Synod in Rome .
READ : Catholic laity protest Cdl Marx , call him to repent for leading German church down schismatic ‘ synodal path ’ An international coalition of lay Catholic faithful , the Acies Ordinata , met in Munich today in order to pray in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the German Episcopal Conference and its President.
” About 100 Catholics stood quietly for an hour in prayer in front of the Theatinerkirche at the center of Munich .
Among the participants were Professor Roberto de Mattei , John-Henry-Westen , Alexander Tschugguel – who is known for having removed the Pachamama statues – as well as Michael Matt from the Catholic newspaper The Remnant .
As the organizers of this event explain in a press release , they came to Munich , the place of residence of Cardinal Reinhard Marx , in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Synodal Path ” whose first assembly is to take place at the end of January .
They explain that “ the German Bishops , after promoting the Synod on the Amazon ideologically and financially , today constitute the most advanced place of the Revolution in the Church.
” Under the guidance of Cardinal Marx , who is the President of the German Bishops ' Conference , the German bishops are undermining binding Church teachings with regard to such important matters as priestly celibacy , female ordination , contraception , cohabitation , homosexuality , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had agreed upon this synodal path at their spring assembly in 2019 , and there are so far only two German bishops – Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg and Cardinal Rainer Woelki of Cologne – who warn against this process which might very well , in the words of Bishop Voderholzer , lead to a “ path of destruction.
” At a press conference today , six speakers and participants of the Munich prayers assembly discussed and criticized different aspects of this synodal path , for example their idea of promoting women in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parallels in German history where German Catholics were pressured to adapt to the spirit of the times ( Michael Matt ) ; the danger of the Church 's becoming an NGO ( Alexander Tschugguel ) ; legal problems of the synodal path ( José Antonio Ureta ) ; Cardinal Marx ' personal encouragement of homosexual and other immoral acts ( John-Henry Westen ) ; as well as the call upon German Catholics to stop paying the obligatory Church tax ( Professor de Mattei ) .
The full texts of their speeches can be @ @ @

January 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – In his first public appearance since going into hiding over a year ago, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò joined other prominent Catholics in Munich today in prayer and protest against the German Episcopal Conference and its President Cardinal Marx. The Vatican whistleblower joined Catholic laity to oppose the German prelates’ plan to embark on a “synodal path” that critics say would create a “new church” that departs from Catholic teaching on priestly celibacy, contraception, homosexuality, and fornication.
Viganò had gone into hiding after he published on August 25, 2018 his McCarrick report accusing Pope Francis of ignoring Pope Benedict XVI's earlier restrictions on then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick on account of McCarrick’s preying upon and abuse of seminarians. Viganò said that Francis should resign.
Pope Francis abolished the pontifical secret with regard to sex abuse cases in December 2019. He issued a decree according to which the pontifical secret binding Church officials to confidentiality in specific matters, “does not apply to accusations, trials and decisions” concerning sexual abuse of adults, minors and vulnerable persons, and the production, possession and distribution of pornography (cf. Vos estis lux mundi, art. 1). This will enable a person who files an accusation of sexual abuse, for example, as well as “the person who alleges to have been harmed and the witnesses shall not be bound by any obligation of silence with regard to matters involving the case.”
It is perhaps in light of this new decree that Archbishop Viganò feels less restrained in appearing in public. In any event, he continuously raised his voice with regard to important moral and doctrinal aspects of the current Church crisis, such as the clerical sex abuse crisis, some problematic developments during and since the Second Vatican Council, the important role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as the recent 6-27 October 2019 Amazon Synod in Rome.
READ: Catholic laity protest Cdl Marx, call him to repent for leading German church down schismatic ‘synodal path’
An international coalition of lay Catholic faithful, the Acies Ordinata, met in Munich today in order to pray in silence, in “firm protest against the German Episcopal Conference and its President.” About 100 Catholics stood quietly for an hour in prayer in front of the Theatinerkirche at the center of Munich. Among the participants were Professor Roberto de Mattei, John-Henry-Westen, Alexander Tschugguel – who is known for having removed the Pachamama statues – as well as Michael Matt from the Catholic newspaper The Remnant. As the organizers of this event explain in a press release, they came to Munich, the place of residence of Cardinal Reinhard Marx, in order to protest the German bishops' “Synodal Path” whose first assembly is to take place at the end of January.
They explain that “the German Bishops, after promoting the Synod on the Amazon ideologically and financially, today constitute the most advanced place of the Revolution in the Church.” Under the guidance of Cardinal Marx, who is the President of the German Bishops' Conference, the German bishops are undermining binding Church teachings with regard to such important matters as priestly celibacy, female ordination, contraception, cohabitation, homosexuality, and gender theory.
The German bishops had agreed upon this synodal path at their spring assembly in 2019, and there are so far only two German bishops – Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg and Cardinal Rainer Woelki of Cologne – who warn against this process which might very well, in the words of Bishop Voderholzer, lead to a “path of destruction.”
At a press conference today, six speakers and participants of the Munich prayers assembly discussed and criticized different aspects of this synodal path, for example their idea of promoting women in the Church (Jeanne Smits); parallels in German history where German Catholics were pressured to adapt to the spirit of the times (Michael Matt); the danger of the Church's becoming an NGO (Alexander Tschugguel); legal problems of the synodal path (José Antonio Ureta); Cardinal Marx' personal encouragement of homosexual and other immoral acts (John-Henry Westen); as well as the call upon German Catholics to stop paying the obligatory Church tax (Professor de Mattei). The full texts of their speeches can be read here.
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