Barren wombs

The time will come when men will say 'Blessed are the barren and wombs that never bore and breasts that never nursed' [Luke23:26-32]

Macaulay on the Church

In conclusion, it might be well to recall the words written more than a hundred years ago by Lord Macaulay, who was a Protestant. They were written to be the introduction to the English translation of von Ranke's History of the Popes. He said:

"There is not and never was on earth a work of human policy so well-deserving of examination as the Roman Catholic Church. The history of that Church joins together the two great ages of human civilisation. No other institution is left standing which carries the mind back to the time when the smoke of sacrifice rose from the Pantheon, and when camelopards and tigers bounded in the Flavian amphitheatre. The proudest royal houses are of yesterday when compared with the line of Supreme Pontiffs…. The republic of Venice was modern when compared with the papacy. The republic of Venice is gone; the papacy remains, not in decay, not a mere antique, but full of life and youthful vigor. The Catholic Church is still sending to the farthest ends of the world missionaries as zealous as those which landed in Kent with Augustine, still confronting hostile kings with the same spirit with which she confronted Attila.… She saw the commencement of all the governments and all the ecclesiastical establishments that now exist in the world and we feel no assurance that she is not destined to see the end of them all."

Card. Pole on the papacy

He turned to his secretary and said, "Scripture tells us you must not uncover your father's nakedness." It was a dramatic moment and it's one we who are devoted to the See of Peter should remember. We must not "uncover our father's nakedness."

Bp. Bruskewitz on bishops

When Henry VIII arranged to have himself declared the head of the Church, all of the bishops of England except one agreed with him. It was only St. John Fisher who disagreed and suffered martyrdom because of it. I always use this example as a caution for episcopal conferences when we have votes. Cardinal St. John Fisher was the heroic one who stood against the tide, and at the time he was reproached for that -- "How dare you stand against the views of all your brother bishops who acquiesce in the statute of Parliament?" And he said, "For every bishop you show me now I can show you hundreds of thousands throughout history who stand and agree with me." There's a certain sense in which episcopal consensus means not only those who are here now, but also those who have gone before us -- quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est.

Bp. Bruskewitz

I do not want to comment on the Common Ground Project, but you can take this remark to apply if you wish: I find it extremely difficult to understand how one can have dialogue between the fire and the fire department.

Bp. Bruskewitz

I do not want to comment on the Common Ground Project, but you can take this remark to apply if you wish: I find it extremely difficult to understand how one can have dialogue between the fire and the fire department.

Bingo & Bp. Bruskewitz

I might add that certain scholars are neo-gnostics. They feel that they have some secrets that the rest of us who play bingo and pray the rosary don't know about.