A Treasure To Be Shared

O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, vouchsafe unto Thy Holy Church a wise and righteous universal shepherd, keeper of the keys, who may safeguard the Faith and direct Thy flock unto everlasting life in Thy Name; Thou who dost liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be. Holy Michael, archangel: pray for the cardinals of the holy Roman Church; pray for us.

Consider for a moment the election of Pope Saint John Paul II. The sainted pope became a vehicle through which God brought down the communist empire of Soviet Russia, which fell without a shot being fired. In the history of the world, God has spoken through popes to call people out of sin. Recall the prophetic document Humanae Vitae of Pope Saint Paul VI, which reminded all that "(t)he transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator." Many horrendous things have come to pass because people have not heeded the truth of Humanae Vitae . As the conclave approaches, the men entrusted with the selection of a new pontiff must confront the gravity of their role. They stand before God, entrusted with the election of the Successor of Saint Peter, the first pope, the Apostle chosen by Christ Himself to feed His sheep. Let's review the oaths that the cardinal-electors must take as they participate in t...

"The College of Cardinals has requested that all Catholics pray for them, so that they may listen the Holy Spirit as they discern whom to choose as the next Pope." https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-04/cardinals-general-congregation-request-prayers-conclave.html 1. Collect (For the Election of the Pope) from  Divine Worship: the Missal , p. 1005. We humbly beseech thee, O Lord: that of thy unbounded mercy thou wouldest grant unto the holy Roman Church a Pontiff, who by his tender care towards us may ever find favour in thy sight, and, studying to preserve thy people in safety, may ever be honoured by us to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 2. Adapted from  The Roman Missa l. O God, eternal Shepherd, who dost govern Thy flock with unfailing solicitude, grant in Thy boundless paternal love a pastor for Thy Church, one who shall ...

CARDINAL AI a.k.a. Mr. Roboto I'm not a robot without emotions, I'm not what you see I've come to help you with your problems so we can be free I'm not a hero, I'm not the saviour, forget what you know I'm just a man whose circumstances went beyond his control Beyond my control, we all need control I need control, we all need control I am thee modern man (secret, secret, I've got a secret) Who hides behind a mask (secret, secret, I've got a secret) So no one else can see (secret, secret, I've got a secret) My true identity Mr. Roboto by Styx (1983) N.B. This blogger acknowledges there is no sure way to predict the outcome of a papal conclave. This post is intended for entertainment purposes only. The text provided has been copied from the sources without edits. In time, we'll see whether or not technology hit or missed the mark. What do you get when you ask four AI assistants for input on the matter of leading contenders (for the papacy) or papab...

Prayer Imploring God To Grant Us Holy Popes Kyrie Eleison! Christe Eleison! Kyrie Eleison! Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art the Good Shepherd! With Thy almighty hand Thou guidest Thy pilgrim Church through the storms of each age. O merciful and gracious Lord, adorn the Holy See with holy popes who neither fear the powerful of this world nor compromise with the spirit of the age, but preserve, strengthen, and defend the Catholic Faith to the shedding of their blood, as well as observe, protect, and faithfully hand on the venerable liturgy of the Roman Church. O Lord, return to us through holy popes who, inflamed with the zeal of the Apostles, proclaim to the whole world: "Salvation is found in no other than in Jesus Christ. For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which they should be saved." Through an era of holy popes, may the Holy See—which is home to all who promote the Catholic and Apostolic Faith—ever shineth as the cathedra of truth for the whole world. Hear ...

The Holy Father Pope Francis desperately needs our prayers. Minds greater than this blogger's have weighed in and have concluded that like earlier documents of this pontificate,  Dignitas Infinita  shows signs of a familiar flaw, namely imprecision. https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2024/05/04/diane-montagna-interviews-edward-feser-on-dignitas-infinita/ The dignity of the human person, a finite creature made in the image and likeness of God, is not to be confused with the dignity that God alone possesses to an infinite degree. We share in that divine dignity by the grace of God. God shares His very life with us so that we may become like Him. God does not act beneath His sublime and eternal dignity. We humans can, indeed, act against our dignity. Some may imagine that by entering into the human condition God surrendered His dignity, and therefore that Being we call God could not be Almighty God. That conclusion would be an untenable and misleading assumption. A muslim and a her...

  The Church established by Jesus Christ is a church with synods, but not a synodal church as some might imagine or attempt to impose. The Church is not nor has she ever been a democracy nor a mere social club. Can. 342 The synod of bishops is a group of bishops who have been chosen from different regions of the world and meet together at fixed times to foster closer unity between the Roman Pontiff and bishops, to assist the Roman Pontiff with their counsel in the preservation and growth of faith and morals and in the observance and strengthening of ecclesiastical discipline, and to consider questions pertaining to the activity of the Church in the world. A synod is subject to the supreme authority of the Roman Pontiff (Can. 344).  To confine the Church to man's socio-political constructs is to attempt to undermine the authority of Jesus Christ, an authority which He, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, extends to the bishops of His Church. We hope that the bishops are u...

Icon of Christ the Redeemer toppled by a gust of wind, Easter Day 2024 Oh dear! A belated April Fool's joke? According to an NBC report - not the most reliable source, granted, but... - Pope Francis has said that Pope Benedict agreed with his thoughts about civil partnerships for same-sex couples. https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/benedict-backed-rights-lgbtq-couples-pope-francis-says-rcna146014 Political and social issues aside, Pope Francis' attempt to gain credibility by linking his thoughts to Benedict XVI's supposed position on the issue is more than a little weak. Francis' appeal to the authority of Pope Benedict XVI, one of the great theological minds of the 20th Century, amounts to an attempted theft of reputation. The Church has witnessed similar attempts to appropriate credibility in the past. Fr. Annibale Bugnini, the architect of the liturgical reform and the chair of the Consilium charged with the renewal of the liturgy in the wake of the Second Vati...

Los Angeles Cathedral | Ximo Michavila photo [ 5 minute read ] Pope Francis, i.e., to be Frank, has dug a very large hole and filled it with not an insignificant amount of silliness for the next pope - whoever that might be - to step into. The word of the season is, of course, the word 'confusion'. Here's another word which, by now, is entirely familiar to concerned Catholics: mess. Christmas 2023 was turned into Crassmess by that now infamous document issued by the DDF, written by Cardinal Tucho the eroticist. Eroticist, to put it politely. Here is another word: chaos. Chaos: the state of things wherein faithful Catholics are tempted to indulge a variety of useless distractions, emotions, and what-have-you, as a result of the introduction of the imprudent actions of hierarchs who should know better than to put souls at risk. Candy Not Candy We Catholics are not prudes. Witness the sublime Catholic art of Michelangelo, for starters, and his virtuosic respect for and renderi...

First, this post does not promote a wish for the untimely demise of Pope Francis. Second, this blogger does not pretend that the opinions, beliefs and/or facts expressed herein this blog will be heard, listened to or valued by cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. (Just keepin' it real.) Third, mindful of the second premise, the thoughts presented herein might seed the airwaves with sobering reminders so that, when we are faced with a bad pope, we will know exactly who to hold accountable and those for whom we should pray. (Read the last phrase through a lens of humility and a hint of good willed mirth. See below: Point #9.) Fourth, mindful once again of the second premise, as a thought exercise with no intention of overestimating or underestimating its potential resonance, it may be that by exploring a few ideas in public that others may weigh in (in this or their own and/or other forums) and add their own thoughts to help extend the reach of the third premise. So then, to the cardi...

I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman. ― Arnold Schwarzenegger Huh? As Catholics, we hold the Bishop of Rome in the highest regard. He is our spiritual father. He is the shepherd of shepherds. He is the Successor of Saint Peter, the Rock upon whom Jesus Christ built His Church. And yet, like us, the pope is a human being, a creature of God, in need of our prayers. Chaos, turbulent times, fractious debates. In earlier days, days before the torrent of information provided by or through social media, information spread at a slower pace and was most often constrained by what we would now refer to as technological limitations, sparing the average pew dweller a veritable flood of news, good and bad, issuing from various Church closets. Nowadays, we have immediate access to the thoughts of hierarchs and lowerarchs casting innumerable comments our way. How are we to process so much information? The obvious comes to mind: ask the Holy Spirit for the gif...

Magisterium AI (Beta), an artificial intelligence tool, provides the following responses. https://www.magisterium.com/ What are the criteria for determining if the Pope is wrong? The criteria for determining if the Pope is wrong are as follows: The Pope can commit sin and must seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance like any other person. Infallibility does not prevent him from sinning [1]. The Pope is not infallible in everything he says and does. The Holy Ghost was promised to make him infallible only in matters of faith and morals for the whole Church [2]. The Pope's opinion on any subject deserves great respect due to his learning, experience, and dignity [2]. When the Pope speaks ex-cathedra, he must meet certain criteria to speak infallibly. These criteria include speaking on a subject of faith or morals, speaking as the Vicar of Christ and to the whole Church, and indicating by certain words, such as "we define" or "we proclaim," that he intends to s...

Mickey Sean Winters [ 3 minute read ] Hey Doris, how is it that you always manage to arrive at the beginning of the Gospel, crochet your way through the homily until the Lamb of God, and then vanish right after Communion? Is there some kind of dispensation I don't know about? Mickey, I guess you'll be adding one more item to your confession today, eh? That of cutting in line, aka elbowing one's way in, aka jumping the queue. Have you enrolled your daughter in catechism class? What is catechism?! That's a program to help you mentor your child in the Faith and provides support for your child to help educate her allegedly Catholic parents. Are you new here at Saint Gregory's? You're a regular? It's just that you seem so unfamiliar with the prayers and responses. Ohhh,... you were speaking in tongues. Maybe try sticking to the script. Little Mickey really seems to enjoy causing a commotion during the consecration. That must be frustrating for you and your husban...

America Magazine Bishop Strickland relieved of pastoral governance of US diocese The Vatican has published the Pope’s decision concerning the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, following an apostolic visitation conducted by two US bishops. Read and weep. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-11/bishop-strickland-relieved-of-pastoral-care-of-us-diocese.html Excerpt from the Vatican News report: The Holy Father has removed Bishop Joseph E. Strickland from the pastoral governance of the diocese of Tyler, United States of America, and has appointed Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin as apostolic administrator of the same diocese, rendering it sede vacante. The decision came after an apostolic visitation ordered by the Pope last June in the Diocese of Tyler, which was entrusted to two US bishops, Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, and Bishop Emeritus Gerald Kicanas of Tucson. [...] “As a result of the Visitation,” the statement continues, “the recommendation was made to the...

Associated Press A recent article published at the Catholic Herald conveys the Holy Father's most recent criticism of restorationionist movements. Rome – Pope Francis has attacked the “corruption” of restorationist movements within the Church and said the Second Vatican Council has not yet been fully implemented. Corruption of restoration movements? What movements? Who are the cast members in these movements? Pope Francis has spoken out in the past about what he views as counterproductive movements or groups. In his latest surprise media interview, with a Spanish language outlet that appeared at the same time he’s in Lisbon celebrating World Youth Day, the Argentine Pontiff hit out at the “prophets of confusion” undermining the mission of the Church. (Pot calling the kettle black?   VATICAN CITY (AP) — When Pope Francis made the first foreign trip of his papacy, to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day in 2013, he urged young people to make a “mess” in their local churches, to shak...