Catholic Family News

This Month’s Edition

This month’s edition of Catholic Family News contains the articles listed below. Only a few of these are reprinted on this website. To read all of the articles contained in this month’s edition, choose one of our subscription options, each of which comes with access to the E-Edition of the paper so you can start reading these articles now.

March 2024 Contents

False Ecumenism on Display in Rome (Anthony P. Stine, Ph.D.)

During the first week of February, Pope Francis met with his Council of Cardinals (known as “C9”) in the Vatican. This group of advisors was originally convened in September of 2013 to assist the Holy Father in matters of Church governance and has met sporadically ever since. Most recently, the Council discussed the role of women in the Church and they were joined by three women, one of whom was an Anglican “bishop” named Jo Bailey Wells. Prior to that meeting, Francis allowed Justin Welby, the Anglican “Archbishop” of Canterbury, to offer an “Anglican Eucharist” inside a Roman basilica in late January. Thereafter, Francis and Welby participated in an ecumenical Vespers service at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.

All of these events caused scandal among Catholics who understand the Church’s constant teaching on engaging in common prayer with heretics and schismatics, the invalidity of Anglican orders, and the crimes of the so-called “Church of England” against English Catholics in centuries past.

Welby’s visit was part of an ecumenical summit called “Growing Together,” which commenced a few days into the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan. 18-25). The summit began on January 22 in Rome and representatives from over two dozen countries were present. Reporting ahead of the event, the Episcopal News Service explained:

“The bishops will come in pairs — Anglican and Catholic — representing different countries from around the world. More than 50 bishops are participating, from 27 countries.

Visiting holy sites in both Rome and Canterbury, the bishops will pray, reflect and learn from one another. The aim is to discuss ways of growing together in joint witness and mission in the world. On Jan. 25, near the tomb of the Apostle Paul, Pope Francis and the Most Rev. Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, will commission the bishops, sending them out in pairs, to be witnesses to Christian unity. This will be a significant moment, symbolic for Anglican-Catholic bonds and advancing ecumenical dialogue.”

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Is Francis the True Pope? Revisiting the Debate, Part II (Matt Gaspers)

Last month, we examined the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the primary arguments of those who deny the validity of his resignation. As explained in Part I, it seems that most people who reject Francis as the Pope do so because they believe that Benedict never validly resigned, which would mean that the See of Peter was not vacant when Francis was elected. Such individuals typically hold that Benedict’s resignation was invalid for one of two reasons: (1) he only renounced “the ministry [ministerio] of Bishop of Rome” (Declaratio) and not the office (munus) itself (cf. can. 332 § 2) and/or (2) he held an erroneous understanding of the Papacy (i.e., that the office can be bifurcated into “active” and “contemplative” halves and shared) and was thus in “substantial error” when he attempted to resign (can. 188).

Peaceful and Universal Acceptance

Beyond the evidence we have already surveyed, there is something else which proves that Benedict’s resignation was valid, as was the election of his successor, and that is the peaceful and universal acceptance of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the “true Pope” following his election and acceptance of office on March 13, 2013.

Brazilian scholar Arnaldo Xavier da Silveira (1929-2018) observes in his work, Can a Pope Be… a Heretic? (originally published in 1975): “In respect to a doubtful Pope, it is necessary to make it very clear here that the peaceful acceptance of a Pope by the whole Church is ‘a sign and an infallible effect of a valid election’ [Wernz-Vidal, Ius Can., II, p. 520, note 171]. This is the common teaching of the authors [i.e., theologians].” And he explains in a footnote: “The expression ‘infallible effect’ does not indicate here an effect which infallibly follows from its cause. But it indicates something which, if it occurs, can only have been produced by such a cause of which therefore it is, beyond a shadow of doubt, an effect — that is, an ‘infallible effect.’” Silveira goes on to quote at length from Tractatus de Ecclesia Christi by Cardinal Louis Billot, S.J. (1846-1931), the renowned French theologian who served in the Holy Office under Pope St. Pius X… To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

*The Popes Speak* Excerpts from Leo XIII’s Encyclical Aeterni Patris on the Restoration of Christian Philosophy

Editor’s Note: In honor of St. Thomas Aquinas, who is commemorated this month on the traditional Roman calendar (March 7), we have decided to reprint Leo XIII’s Encyclical on the Restoration of Christian Philosophy, which will appear in full over the course of the next several issues. In Aeterni Patris, Pope Leo identified bad philosophy as one of the root causes of “the evils which now afflict, as well as those which threaten,” and he prescribed the teaching of Aquinas as an effective remedy. CFN has always maintained a special devotion to St. Thomas, whose contributions in the fields of philosophy and theology are truly unparalleled in Church history, so we are pleased to offer readers this Encyclical in which the Vicar of Christ called upon the Church to return to Thomism as to a sure foundation and an antidote to modern problems.

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1. The only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, Who came on earth to bring salvation and the light of divine wisdom to men, conferred a great and wonderful blessing on the world when, about to ascend again into heaven, He commanded the Apostles to go and teach all nations [Matt. 28:19], and left the Church which He had founded to be the common and supreme teacher of the peoples. For men whom the truth had set free were to be preserved by the truth; nor would the fruits of heavenly doctrines by which salvation comes to men have long remained had not the Lord Christ appointed an unfailing teaching authority to train the minds to faith. And the Church built upon the promises of its own divine Author, Whose charity it imitated, so faithfully followed out His commands that its constant aim and chief wish was this: to teach religion and contend forever against errors. To this end assuredly have tended the incessant labors of individual bishops; to this end also the published laws and decrees of councils, and especially the constant watchfulness of the Roman Pontiffs, to whom, as successors of the blessed Peter in the primacy of the Apostles, belongs the right and office of teaching and confirming their brethren in the Faith. Since, then, according to the warning of the Apostle, the minds of Christ’s faithful are apt to be deceived and the integrity of the faith to be corrupted among men by philosophy and vain deceit [Col. 2:8], the supreme pastors of the Church have always thought it their duty to advance, by every means in their power, science truly so called, and at the same time to provide with special care that all studies should accord with the Catholic Faith, especially philosophy, on which a right interpretation of the other sciences in great part depends. Indeed, Venerable Brethren, on this very subject among others, We briefly admonished you in Our first encyclical letter; but now, both by reason of the gravity of the subject and the condition of the time, we are again compelled to speak to you on the mode of taking up the study of philosophy which shall respond most fitly to the excellence of faith, and at the same time be consonant with the dignity of human science. Click here to continue reading

Christian Militancy in the Prayer of the Church, Part I (Peter A. Kwasniewski, Ph.D.)

Editor’s Note: The following talk was given at a Call to Holiness event at Assumption Grotto in Detroit on Sunday, March 6, 2022. CFN thanks Dr. Kwasniewski for permission to reprint this transcript (the second half will appear next month).

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A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, at an event called the Republican National Convention, a religious sister named Deirdre Byrne gave a rousing pro-life speech that concluded with a promise of prayers for then-President Trump: “You’ll find us here with our weapon of choice, the Rosary.” The liberal Franciscan theologian Fr. Daniel P. Horán reacted with what a celebrity blogger would call a spittle-flecked nutty: “Weapons are, by definition, instruments of violence. Prayer is NOT a weapon, sacramentals for prayer like rosaries are not weapons. Christ preached and lived a message of nonviolence, and prayer is always about love — God’s love! Weaponizing faith is disgusting and idolatrous.” Here Dede and Daniel offer us a perfect contrast: you might even call them “Sr. Rambo and Br. Bambi.” Which one has the right perspective on Christianity? It seems pretty clear, whatever else may be the case, that Fr. Daniel hasn’t cracked open the letters of St. Paul in a good long while, for he might have stumbled across some verses in 2 Corinthians that could have put ideas into Sr. Deidre’s head: “As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities…with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left” (that’s from chapter 6); and again, “the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (that’s from chapter 10). One is reminded of how the Pope said this past Epiphany [2022] that “faith is not a suit of armor,” seeming to forget that St. Paul in Ephesians tells Christians to “take up the full amor of God” and to use the “shield of faith.” One would think Scriptural literacy is a job requirement for the papacy, but I guess there are exceptions to every rule.

“The life of man upon earth is a warfare” (Job 7:1). These words from the Book of Job express a fundamental truth of the Christian life. We are born into enemy territory: the world is in the grip of the Evil One, to whom our first parents gave the keys to the city. Scripture really leaves no doubt about it. The Apostle John writes: “We know that whosoever is born of God does not sin, but the generation of God preserves him and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one [mundus totus in maligno positus est]” (1 Jn 5:18–19). Within this world Christ has established a fortress, a beachhead, a kingdom that is at the same time not of this world, but of the enduring world of heaven, where the Evil One has already decisively lost. The fury with which he campaigns on earth is an expression of his despair at having been driven forth from heaven into hell. Either from malice or from ignorance and foolishness, many men end up enlisting in Satan’s army, and we are engaged with them in a struggle not only to repel their attacks but to capture them, if possible, and bring them over to our side. The life of man is a battle in another and more distressing way: we have enemies within us, too, that we can never fully escape from — disordered concupiscence, bad habits, the memories of our past sins — although we can bring them into subjection. That, indeed, is what the season of Lent is supposed to help us to do. To paraphrase St. Benedict, our whole life should be salted with a Lenten spirit, but the Church wisely asks us to set apart a segment of time each year when we can hit the spiritual “restart” button. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

St. Alphonsus and Archbishop Lefebvre: Seven Similarities (Stephen Kokx)

During the last weekend in January, I was invited to give a talk to a group of young Traditional Catholics in the Cleveland, Ohio area. I was there to promote my book, St. Alphonsus for the 21st Century: A Handbook for Holiness (St. Peter’s Press, 2023).

Aside from providing insights on who St. Alphonsus was, as well as why he became a priest and what his most well-known teachings were, I also discussed areas of overlap between him and Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the founder of the Society of St. Pius X.

I can’t recall which of these two holy men I encountered first on my journey out of the Novus Ordo and into Tradition during the early 2010s. I think it was St. Alphonsus’ book Dignities and Duties of the Priest that got me interested in the Latin Mass, at which point Archbishop Lefebvre’s They Have Uncrowned Him found its way across my desk. Whichever was first, both men have had an outsized influence on me.

In this article, I’d like to present seven similarities between St. Alphonsus and Archbishop Lefebvre. By no means is this an exhaustive list of these two giants of our faith, one of whom is a Doctor of the Church while the other is surely a Doctor in waiting. But it can serve as a simple reminder of how God raised up both of them to address similar needs in His Church at different times.

1. Both founded priestly orders to help those who were left behind by the mainstream Church. The motto of the Redemptorists is to serve “the most abandoned souls.” Founded in the Kingdom of Naples in 1732, the Redemptorists focused their efforts on laity who lived in remote areas that the dioceses refused or didn’t have the ability to help. Alphonsus and his companions believed that every soul, especially the most uneducated and poor, deserved spiritual assistance. In like manner, Archbishop Lefebvre established the SSPX to help Catholics who were neglected by the Conciliar authorities. He wanted to ensure they had access to the Church’s traditional sacraments. In the early days of the SSPX, priests would often say Masses in houses, hotel rooms, and basements. Such spartan environments were probably not that dissimilar from the places the first Redemptorists would have offered their own Masses in. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

EXCLUSIVE: Traditional Mass in Covington Diocese Moves after Bishop Cancels Missionaries of St. John the Baptist (Brian Mershon)

Cancel culture continues to accelerate unabated against priests and laity attached to the Faith of all time. The priests of the Missionaries of St. John the Baptist (MSJB) had their faculties cancelled by Covington Bishop John Iffert in January. Their alleged crime? Apparently, the bishop is upset that the superior of the order would not concelebrate the Holy Week Chrism Mass with him, and he apparently did not like a sermon preached by the same superior. Bishop Iffert effectively closed down the canonically established personal parish due to alleged “errors” he said that Fr. Shannon Collins, MSJB, a priest in good standing, preached about the Novus Ordo in a sermon.

The next weekend, after the closing of Our Lady of Lourdes personal parish of 200 families (located in Park Hills, Kentucky), the diocese had another priest, who had been banned from offering the Traditional Latin Mass about two and a half years ago, provide two TLMs that were offered, and continue to be offered, every Sunday at St. Ann Mission Church. Shortly after this unexpected salvo by the bishop, Fr. Collins and Fr. Sean Kopczynski, both in good standing, offered the use of Our Lady of Lourdes by the diocese.

A third priest, who was never given faculties by the bishop after first being assured of moving to the personal parish, is also apparently sitting on the sidelines. He has not been given permission to publicly exercise his priestly faculties for more than a year after moving there. After his move, the bishop requested that he offer the Novus Ordo regularly. The priests are reportedly consulting with a canon lawyer regarding the bishop’s sudden and unforeseen actions. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Surviving the Current Conundrum of Francis’ Election (Brian McCall)

Elsewhere in this issue, Matt Gaspers concludes his two-part series on the question of universal acceptance of the pope. In it, he demonstrates that theologians have overwhelmingly taught that we can know with certainty that if a man is universally and peacefully accepted as holding the office of Supreme Pontiff, then that man is truly the Supreme Pontiff.  At the same time, however, we have Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò calling for the Swiss Guards to arrest Pope Francis. What are we to make of such a situation? In light of the theological history outlined by Matt Gaspers, what do we do practically?

Being Clear on Levels of Authority

To understand why the arguments skillfully laid out in Matt’s article mean we cannot simply act as if Francis is not the Pope, we must put Matt’s sound conclusions in context. The first step is we always need to be clear about our knowledge of authority and the particular attributes of beliefs. We first must deal with truths taught by the extraordinary and ordinary magisterium. Dogmas proclaimed by the extraordinary magisterium are both infallible and irreformable. That means that we can know with divine assurance that a pronouncement on faith or morals that fulfills the requirements defined by Vatican I for an exercise of extraordinary magisterium is free from error (infallibility) and that such a dogmatic definition cannot be altered by any future pope or council (irreformable).

Likewise, a dogmatic teaching of the ordinary magisterium is also infallible and irreformable. Unfortunately, the Church has not defined with the same level of precision what constitutes an act of the ordinary magisterium. Although Vatican I referred to the fact that truths taught by the ordinary magisterium carry the divine assurance of certainty, it did not define with the same precision the conditions for clearly determining what constitutes ordinary magisterium in the same details as done for extraordinary magisterium. It stated in pertinent part: “Further, by divine and Catholic faith, all those things must be believed which are contained in the written word of God and in tradition, and those which are proposed by the Church, either in a solemn pronouncement or in her ordinary and universal teaching power, to be believed as divinely revealed.” The one requirement contained in this passage is that the teaching must be “universal,” which has always been understood both temporally and spatially, so always and everywhere. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Hater of Heresy: St. Cyril of Alexandria’s Defense of Catholic Orthodoxy (John A. Monaco)

For several years, now, the popular and controversial Fr. James Martin, S.J., has offered daily Scriptural reflections to his hundreds of thousands of online followers. At their best, they are basic lessons drawn from the Scripture’s text — God is loving, we are called to serve others, and so on. At their worst, however, they espouse errors that are dangerous to those ignorant of traditional Catholic theology. For example, when reflecting upon the story of Jesus and the Canaanite woman (Matt. 15:21-28), Fr. Martin stated that Jesus “learned from the woman,” who helped Him change His mind and move beyond prejudices. This interpretation differs greatly from the Patristic and Medieval understanding of the encounter. St. Thomas Aquinas, in his commentary on St. Matthew’s Gospel, notes that the Canaanite woman is rewarded for her piety, faith, and humility, and that Our Lord’s comment to her (“It is not good to take the bread of the children, and to cast it to the dogs”) is meant to elicit these virtues from her soul. Fr. Martin’s interpretation, like much of his “theology,” reflects a poor grasp of Christology.

In my own theological studies, I have seen seemingly ancient heresies as surprisingly relevant to today’s controversies. In light of this, I would like to draw attention to St. Cyril of Alexandria, an important Christological theologian and Doctor of the Church (as proclaimed by Pope Leo XIII in 1882).

Historical Context

St. Cyril of Alexandria was born around A.D. 376 in Lower Egypt, in Theodosiou, a small town bordering the Nile River. He was from a family of Christians and his uncle, Theophilus, was a student of St. Athanasius of Alexandria, the famous Patriarch and defender of orthodoxy. Cyril became close with his uncle, Theophilus, who was later a successor to St. Athanasius, becoming the Patriarch of Alexandria, himself. Cyril, inspired by his uncle, received the highest quality education possible for the time. Cyril studied reading, writing, and arithmetic, followed by the other liberal arts, finishing with philosophy and theology. In 403, Cyril traveled with his Patriarch-uncle to the Synod of the Oak, the council that unjustly deposed St. John Chrysostom. This began Cyril’s ecclesiastical career. He eventually succeeded Theophilus as Patriarch of Alexandria and imposed several policies, including suppressing pagans, heretics, and Jews, as well as developing good relations with the Church of Rome and the local monasteries. His patriarchal tenure was marked by turbulent times, as theological controversies and doctrinal disputes within the Church reached their zenith. Cyril, known for his firm commitment to orthodoxy, found himself at the center of these controversies, particularly in the Nestorian and Christological debates that threatened the unity of the Church. St. Cyril is most famous for his defense of Christian orthodoxy during the Council of Ephesus in 431. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Irish Monasticism: A Unique Example of Christian Asceticism (Phillip Campbell)

Between the fifth and eighth centuries, Ireland was home to one of the most vibrant strains of Christian monasticism. The contributions of the Irish monks to the development of Christianity in the West are well known; their beautiful illuminations, their heroic missionary endeavors, and their diligent labor copying the literature of antiquity are universally acclaimed. Less understood is what kind of monastic regimen these holy folk of Éire actually lived under. Early Irish monasticism existed entirely prior to and outside of the Benedictine tradition, and thus was unlike monastic life anywhere else in the West. What kind of life did these monks live? What sorts of monastic disciplines did they embrace? How did their communities function?

As there was no uniform rule of life among the early monastic foundations, the subject is easiest to approach by a series of case studies of the most influential monastics, from which we may deduce some commonalities. We shall therefore examine the monastic disciplines of Sts. Enda, Columba, Finnian, Columbanus, and Maelurain.

St. Enda’s Monastic Community

One of the first Irish monastic settlements about which we know anything with detail is St. Enda’s monastic community on the Aran Islands, three rocky islands guarding the mouth of Galway Bay on Ireland’s west coast. St. Enda (450-530) was the son of King Conall Derg of Airgíalla who rejected worldly power and embraced religious life under the influence of his sister, St. Fanchea. Around 480, St. Enda founded a monastery called Killeany on the largest island, Inishmore. Before long a community of brothers joined him, eager to put themselves under St. Enda’s discipline. Life on Inishmore was harsh, as the island is little more than moss-covered rock. In order to survive, Enda’s community had to make their own soil by mixing seaweed and sand, use it to fill cracks in the rock, and protect it with walls so it would not wash or blow away. They lived off oats and barley from their meager gardens, as well as fish caught from the sea and roots scavenged from amongst the rocks. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

The Virgin, the Ark of the Covenant, and the End Times (Marianna Bartold)

On the day which we call the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25), St. Gabriel the Archangel appeared to the Virgin “full of grace” (Luke 1:28), she who was in the Old Testament both foreshadowed and prophesied. Of the Virgin’s many figures, the Ark of the Covenant still exists but, by God’s command, remains hidden until the end times when it shall (as it seems) play in the future a salvific role.

“The saints and pious writers,” wrote a 19th-century priest and author, “are unanimous in their opinion that the Blessed Virgin Mary was, in ancient times, announced by various prophecies and foreshadowed by many symbols. The reason, no doubt, must be sought in Mary’s excellence and dignity. She was not only the purest of creatures but, moreover, she was destined to be associated in a singular manner in the great work of our Redemption. When, therefore, the coming of the Messias is foretold and described, it is but natural that the Mother of the Redeemer should be, if not always as clearly depicted as in Genesis and Isaias, at least obscurely announced, and represented, or insinuated, by figures and comparisons.”

In explaining why the Lord gave us in the Holy Scriptures various types and symbols, the same author reminded us, “They are, as it were, what pictures are to the uneducated who cannot read. What others see in letters, they behold in the production of the artist’s pencil. They obtain, at a glance, at least a superficial and limited knowledge of that which others learn more perfectly by studying the letters. Now, as regards the great works of God, we cannot boast of much learning; but if we wish to become acquainted with them, we must begin by acknowledging our ignorance. If, then, we desire to know something concerning the Mother of God, let us look attentively at the pictures given of her in Holy Scripture. And if we study them well, we shall not fail to find them both pleasing and instructive. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

*Apologetics Series* Msgr. Fenton’s Handbook on Catholic Apologetics: The Story of Apologetics (Matthew Plese)

The Story of Apologetics Through the Centuries

In the final chapter of Laying the Foundation: A Handbook of Catholic Apologetics and Fundamental Theology, Msgr. Joseph Clifford Fenton highlights the role of apologetics through the centuries. This final chapter of completes our study of his renowned text.

He opens this chapter by explaining its purpose:

“A treatise of this sort would be hopelessly incomplete without some indication of the stages through which the science of apologetics has passed in attaining its present condition of methodological perfection. It is very definitely a science with a history. Each thesis set forward within that science has, at one time or another during the life of the Catholic Church, been asserted against serious opposition. The claims and the verification of the claims asserted in scientific apologetics were both put forward by Jesus of Nazareth. Since the time He ascended into heaven, the men of the Church have been faced with the necessity of presenting both the claims and the proofs of Jesus to men who have denied His teaching and tried to discountenance His organization.”

Apologetics in the Early Church

Msgr. Fenton highlights the contributions of each stage of the Church’s history to the science of apologetics. For instance, the early Church was aided by writings such as the so-called Epistle of Barnabas and those of Ariston of Pella, who defended Christianity against Jewish criticism. The early Greek apologists, such as Quadratus, Aristides, and St. Justin Martyr, emphasized the miraculous nature of Christ’s life and argued for the truth of Christian doctrine. St. Justin Martyr, in particular, compared pagan philosophies to Christian teachings, seeking common ground and arguing against Christian persecution. Other figures like Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus of Antioch, and Melito of Sardis contributed to early apologetics, addressing various issues and defending Christian beliefs. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Pope Pius IX: The First Modern Pope, Part II (Mark Fellows)

The Mortara Case

Pope Pius IX governed the Papal States in Italy. The Papal State of Marches contained the city of Bologna, where in 1851 Salomone Mortara hired Anna Morisi to assist Salomone’s wife, Marianna, who had just given birth. At the time, it was illegal for Catholic Anna to work for the Jewish Mortaras, not just in the Papal States but by canon law that applied to all of Christendom. The ban against Jews hiring Catholic servants was occasionally ignored by Jewish and Catholic families alike. Jews needed non-Jews to do work on the Sabbath. In turn, Catholic families sought to earn money for a daughter’s marriage dowry.

At age one the Mortara’s baby, Edgardo, contracted neuritis, which appeared to be fatal. Anna remembered the Mortara parents “sad and crying at Edgardo’s crib, reading from a book the Jews read when one of them is about to die.” Anna later testified: “I went over to the boy’s crib and repeated the words (of baptism) I’d been taught, with the fixed idea of sending a soul to heaven. I put the fingers of my right hand in the glass of water, and sprinkled a few drops on the boy’s head without anyone noticing.”

To the surprise of all, shortly after being baptized Edgardo recovered completely. Later Anna admitted her secret baptism of Edgardo to Fr. Feletti, the Inquisitor. To the Church, Edgardo Mortara was now a baptized Christian and had to be raised in the true religion. On Friday, June 25, 1858, six-year-old Edgardo was removed from his home and taken to Rome to receive a Christian education.

This became known as the “Mortara Case,” and is being advertised as an upcoming motion picture produced by Steven Spielberg. In recent years it has been erroneously called a “kidnapping,” after David Kertzer’s book The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara. This is misleading because a kidnapping is illegal. Whatever you think of the Mortara case, it is a fact that Edgardo Mortara was not illegally removed from his home. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Echoes of Prophecies: Cardinal Newman’s View of the Antichrist (Murray Rundus)

In these times of darkness, when clouds of contradiction and evil overshadow even the sacred precincts of the Eternal City, many of our traditionalist fold have found themselves looking for answers in the ancient prophecy of the Apocalypse. Across the world, seats of power as high as the American Empire and the Holy See itself are held by men who, claiming to be members and even representatives of God’s fold, are found to be men of scandal and even men of sin. This has naturally led a few of us to wonder if any one of the men of sin might be the man of sin from 2 Thessalonians.

“Let no man seduce you by any means: for unless there come a revolt [Greek, apostasia] first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and is lifted up above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself as if he were God” (2 Thess. 2:3-4).

But let us not think that such fervor is exclusive to our age. Throughout the chronicles of history, we find that whenever the winds of chaos howl, many men flee to the prophecy of Scripture and conclude that the time foretold really is now at hand. At the forefront of the issue is the identification of the Antichrist. Such turmoil seems to present a number of temptations that, if fallen into, have historically led to heresy, schism, and mass hysteria. A guiding light on this issue of the Antichrist shone forth within the past two centuries as a man who stood by reason and tradition rather than rashness and temerity. The great Cardinal John Henry Newman, a man so often misunderstood, abused, and underappreciated in our times, speaks with remarkable clarity on the subject of the Antichrist, and in his writings on the subject, we can find the roots for his conversion to the Catholic Church. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Reflections on the Marvels of Being ‘With Child’ (Amanda Evinger)

Last December, my children and I prayed our annual St. Andrew’s Novena as usual, but this time we took it more seriously than we ever have. We prayed with great fervor and hope for a couple of intentions, one of them being that a new child would come into our family soon. During the novena, my children asked me a few times, “Is it true that we are supposed to get what we pray for on Christmas?” I wasn’t sure why they were so intent on this possibility, other than that they were a little mystified by it. “Well, I guess that is supposed to be how it goes. If it is God’s will, you should get what you offer the novena for on Christmas,” I told them as I relished in their sweet, childlike fascination with prayer.

On Christmas Eve day, I felt overly tired and hungry, so I took a pregnancy test, but it was clearly negative. That night, we were truly blessed to attend a beautiful Midnight High Mass in the traditional rite. My daughter was playing the organ for it, and she needed to get there very early to practice, which made the night into a long evening for all of us. After Midnight Mass, our parish has a tradition of hosting a potluck feast. I spent most of the potluck trying to console and advise my friend who had terrible morning sickness, all the while trying not to envy her for being pregnant — regardless of how miserable she looked! By the time the celebration wound up around 3 a.m. or so, I was bone-tired, and once again, starving. We trekked home, and I took a long nap. With great joy in my heart, I woke up on Christmas morning, and something told me to take another pregnancy test, so I did, and it was clearly positive! One symptom led to another and I soon began to relish in the awe-inspiring fact that I really did have a tiny child in my womb. It felt especially incredible because I had turned 45 years old a month before Christmas! Even after experiencing so many pregnancies, the marvelous, ineffable wonder of God’s creative power touched my heart in a beautiful way that morning, and gave me the courage to go forward in embracing His gift of life.

Encountering the Trials of Pregnancy with God’s Bountiful Grace

I have extraordinarily difficult pregnancies and deliveries for a number of reasons, so after the initial elation of discovering I am pregnant is savored, I need to make a lot of preparations to deal with what is to come. Honestly, every pregnancy of mine has been grueling. Each time, it has taken more strength to get to the end than I could possibly even think of rousing up by myself. To bear each day of pregnancy — sometimes each hour — I have to remember that the trials of pregnancy will not last forever, but the most precious, immortal soul who has been given a home deep within me will. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News