This just in from The Wall Street Journal:  

Cardinal Joseph Zen, the most senior Chinese cleric in the Catholic Church, believes the Vatican is fast approaching a tragic mistake in China.

Within days church leaders could conclude a landmark agreement with the Chinese government after 65 years of acrimony and persecution. Pope Francis isn’t known to have signed off, and before he does Cardinal Zen prays to be heard.

The former bishop of Hong Kong speaks with passion that belies his age (84) and recent hospitalization for a lung virus. As we meet at the church complex where he has lived since 2009—and where he first moved as a novitiate from Shanghai in 1948—he warns of “surrender”: that Chinese leaders are demanding it and Vatican officials appear willing to give it “in the hopes of achieving an agreement.”

Proponents say the deal would help millions of “underground” Catholics and open the world’s most populous country for evangelization. Cardinal Zen says it would sacrifice church principles, abandon the faithful, undermine evangelization and invite further repression.

Cardinal Zen slams Vatican diplomats who say that embracing the Patriotic Association is needed to preserve the church’s hierarchy and sacraments. “I would prefer no bishops,” he says. “With fake bishops you are destroying the church.”

That’s what nearly happened in Hungary and other Soviet satellites in the 1970s after Rome embraced an Ostpolitik (“Eastern Policy”) of cooperation with Communist authorities. “The Churches in those countries have not been saved through the Vatican diplomacy,” he wrote recently, “but thanks to the unswerving faith of the simple faithful!”

He believes the same would happen in China if the Vatican refused to bow to Beijing. “I’m sorry to say that in his goodwill he has done many things which are simply ridiculous,” the cardinal says of the pope. READ ARTICLE HERE

REMNANT COMMENT: I'm going to go with the Cardinal on this one. Francis, who seems to be letting his massive ego get the best of him again, evidently wants a feel-good unity at any cost, with his name as “architect” written all over it. And if the various factions in China (and elsewhere) cannot find a way to unify without terrible compromise and at risk of an even worse persecution, Francis seems prepared to just declare it a fait accompli and let the chips fall where they may--in this case to the delight of Chinese Communists and detriment of persecuted Chinese Catholics.

What is this, if not unprecedented papal recklessness.  We must pray for a Divine intervention, that God Himself will finally stop Francis’s March to the Sea.

The Umpteenth Scandal Before Which We Cannot Remain Silent

(Translated for The Remnant by an European ally who asks for your prayers)

On Sunday 30^th October a strong earthquake destroyed the basilica built in Norcia on the site of the birthplace of Saint Benedict, only leaving intact its façade. The photos which show this sad event are emblematic and symbolic of a Christian Europe, of which Saint Benedict is the Patron, but which is repudiating its own roots. These photos are even more-so symbolic of a Church which is gutting itself of its contents, concealing the ruins behind a media façade which cannot deceive those who love the Spouse of Christ and know doctrine and history.

The visit of Pope Francis to Sweden to commemorate the 500^th anniversary of Luther’s revolt, whose errors caused the loss of thousands of souls and provoked wars which ravaged Europe, is only the latest glaring confirmation of this. How can one declare oneself to be “profoundly grateful for the spiritual and theological gifts received through the Reformation”, thanking God for this, as happened in the ecumenical liturgy of Lund? How can one say that “Lutherans and Catholics have wounded the visible unity of the Church” without betraying one’s Faith?

To thank God for the spread of heresy is tantamount to attributing evil to God Himself, with a truly blasphemous act.

Faced with this umpteenth scandal one cannot remain silent, especially if one has an important role in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, since he who remains silent consents and makes himself an accomplice.

SOURCE: http://www.sanpiox.it/articoli/crisi-nella-chiesa/1886-un-ennesimo-scandalo-di-fronte-al-quale-non-si-puo-tacere

 

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, New York, November 2, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Support for abortion by candidates for public office is a deal-breaker, according to one New York bishop who said supporting abortion is “sufficient reason” on its own to disqualify them from receiving our vote.

In a recent letter, Rockville Centre Bishop William Murphy also directly shot down the “personally opposed” argument often used by pro-abortion candidates and those who support them to justify backing legalized abortion. READ ARTICLE HERE

REMNANT COMMENT: Excellent, but with one small caveat: Supporting abortion, according to the bishop of Rockville Centre, 'disqualifies them from receiving our vote"...but does not necessarily disqualify them from receiving Holy Communion? 

It's so encouraging to see His Excellency speaking out on this, as he did in defense of marriage last year, but one wonders why these more conservative bishops will not take the same stand against pro-abort politicians already in office.  

In this excellent statement Bishop Murphy is adamant against voting for pro-abort politicians, even though he has yet (to our knowledge) to counsel his priests to deny the same pro-aborts Holy Communion. 

A more consistent message from the more conservative bishops, all day every day, would it seems to us cause these rather desperate, eleventh-hour admonishments against voting for pro-aborts to become something of a moot point.

Thanks to Bishop Murphy for a strong statement against voting for pro-aborts. Now let us pray that an equally strong statement against giving them Holy Communion is forthcoming.

(Remnant Translation of La Porte Latine Press Release) Nov. 2, 2016 - On reading the joint declaration which the Pope made with the representatives of the Lutheran church in Sweden on 31^st October, on the occasion of the fifth centenary of Luther's revolt against the Catholic Church, our sadness has reached new depths.

Faced with the genuine scandal represented by such a declaration in which historical errors, grave attacks on the preaching of the Catholic Faith and a false humanism, source of so many evils, follow one after the other, we cannot remain silent.

Under the fallacious pretext of love of neighbor and the desire for an artificial and illusory unity, the Catholic Faith is sacrificed on the altar of that ecumenism which puts the salvation of souls in peril. The most enormous errors and the Truth of Our Lord Jesus Christ are put on an equal footing.

How can we be “profoundly thankful for the spiritual and theological gifts received through the Reformation”, when Luther manifested a diabolical hatred towards the Sovereign Pontiff, a blasphemous scorn for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as well as a refusal of the saving Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ? He also destroyed the doctrine on the Eucharist by refusing Transubstantiation, turned souls away from the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and denied the existence of Purgatory.

No, Protestantism brought nothing to Catholicism! It ruined the unity of Christendom, separated whole countries from the Catholic Church, plunged souls into error, putting their eternal salvation in peril. We Catholics want Protestants to return to the unique fold of Christ which is the Catholic Church and we pray for this intention.

In these days when we celebrate all the Saints, we call out to Saint Pius V, Saint Charles Borromeo, Saint Ignatius and Saint Peter Canisius who heroically fought the Protestant heresy and saved the Catholic Church.

We invite the faithful of the District of France to pray and do penance for the Sovereign Pontiff so that Our Lord, whose Vicar he is, may preserve him from error and keep him in the Truth of which he is the guardian.

I invite the priests of the District to celebrate a Mass of reparation and to organise a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament to ask pardon for these scandals and to beg Our Lord to calm the tempest which has been shaking the Church for more than half a century now.

Our Lady Help of Christians, save the Catholic Church and pray for us!

Father Christian Bouchacourt

District Superior of France for the Society of Saint Pius X


REMNANT EDITOR’S RESPONSE: Amen! The clear sensus Catholicus that marks this powerful statement from Fr. Christian Bouchacourt, SSPX, is precisely what is missing from the Church today, and what has been missing from the Church since December 8, 1965. In fact, its absence explains the great apostasy. Thank you, Fr. Bouchacourt. May God bless you abundantly for your courage. MJM

Brace for Impact!

Editor’s Note: The Font of Error Update is a new series featured regularly here on the Remnant website as well as in The Remnant’s print/e-edition.  This particular installment appeared in our October 15th print-edition only. We hope our web visitors will consider subscribing to The Remnant, and thus help support the operation of this website. MJM

Never in the history of the Church has there been a Pope who habitually indulges in remarks off the top of his head on the weightiest matters of faith and morals, telling us what he thinks as opposed to merely affirming what the Church teaches infallibly. Consequently, never has there been a Pope who, as this series documents, is literally a font of error. Give Francis a microphone and an opportunity to speak off-the-cuff, especially in the exercise of his justly parodied “Airplane Magisterium,” and he will almost invariably say something that undermines the authentic Magisterium.

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Persecuted Christians in the Mideast, Trying to Defend Their Borders

The Remnant Underground: Continuing the discussion the single issues that may justify a vote for Trump/Pence, Michael Matt tackles the question of what open borders really mean for the future of our country. The 2016 presidential election is all about destroying what's left of U.S. sovereignty. If you vote for nothing else on November 8 -- please, vote against that.

Plus, Judge Roy Moore is sacked in Alabama, while speech against Islamic terrorism is banned in Florida.