Catholic Church

By Msgr. Charles Pope, EWTN News - Many today rightly speak of the need for courage in the midst of the current sexual abuse scandal and its coverup. It does indeed take courage to speak out and engage in the awkward task of insisting on accountability and reform from our bishops and the Pope, whom we have been taught to revere and respect. There are potential dangers, especially for clergy and lay leaders in the Church, who may risk sanctions of some sort for speaking up...  There are also consequences for speaking out that are more irksome than dangerous, such as being labeled divisive, negative, unjust or a scandal-monger.

By Roberto de Mattei, LifeSiteNews - If the ecclesiastical authorities teach error, it is lawful to resist them, and the right of resistance becomes a duty when the common good is at stake, according to the model taught by Saint Paul… But resistance is not always enough. There are situations in which our resistance must be expressed in the suspension of all habitual coexistence with bad shepherds. And also here balance is needed. We are not talking about a juridical separation from bad shepherds. We are talking about a spiritual and moral separation, which does not question, on the juridical level, the legitimacy of those who govern the Church.

Msgr. Charles Pope - Woe to the soul that does not have Christ to cultivate it with care to produce the good fruit of the Holy Spirit. Left to itself, it is choked with thorns and thistles; instead of fruit it produces only what is fit for burning. Woe to the soul that does not have Christ dwelling in it; deserted and foul with the filth of the passions, it becomes a haven for all the vices (St. Macarius, bishop, Hom. 28: pp. 34, 710-711).

By Phil Lawler, Director, Catholic Culture - Archbishop Scicluna says that the February conference on sexual abuse will be “the start of a global process“ to plan a worldwide response to the scandal... The start? You mean the process didn’t start when Pope Francis formed the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors? And it didn’t start in 2015, when the Pope told abuse victims in Philadelphia that “we will follow the path of truth wherever it may lead?”....