Society of St. Pius X priest admits to years of sexual misconduct with minors

Rome Newsroom, Oct 22, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa has concluded his four-year mandate as apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Since 1990, shortly after his priestly ordination, the Italian bis… […]

Pope Francis meets participants in the international conference ‘Lines of Development of the Global Compact on Education’ in a room adjacent to the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, June 1, 2022. / Vatican Media.

Vatican City, Jun 1, 2022 / 12:35 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday criticized people who “call themselves guardians of traditions, but of dead traditions,” saying that failing to move forward is dangerous for the Church today.

Speaking to the organizers of a conference on education on June 1, the pope said that it was vital to make progress by “drawing from the roots.”

He said that “there is the fashion — in every age, but in this age in the Church’s life I consider it dangerous — that instead of drawing from the roots in order to move forward — meaning fine traditions — we ‘step back,’ not going up or down, but backward.”

“This ‘back-stepping’ makes us a sect; it makes you ‘closed’ and cuts off your horizons. Those people call themselves guardians of traditions, but of dead traditions.”

Pope Francis underlined that “the true Catholic Christian and human tradition … grows, progresses.”

“Education, for its part, is always rooted in the past, but it does not stop there: it is directed towards ‘forward-looking initiatives,’ where the old and the new converge to create a new humanism,” he said.

The pope underlined that true tradition is “what that fifth-century theologian described as a constant growth: throughout history, tradition grows, progresses: ut annis consolidetur, dilatetur tempore, sublimetur aetate.”

The pope was referring to St. Vincent of Lerins, who wrote about the development of Church teaching, saying that it “is solidified over the years, extended with time, and refined with age.”

Pope Francis has invoked this quotation numerous times since his election in 2013, including in a letter on Amoris laetitia in 2018.

The pope did not mention the liturgy or Catholic doctrine in his June 1 address, but focused his speech on education.

He said that Virgil’s Aeneid contains an image that “can serve to illustrate the mission of educators, who are called to preserve the past … and to guide the steps of the young towards the future.”

“An eloquent example of how to confront the crisis can be found in the epic figure of Aeneas, who amid the flames of his burning city, carries on his shoulders his elderly father Anchises and takes the young son Ascanius by the hand, leading them both to safety,” Francis said.

“Aeneas saves himself, but not by himself. He brings with him his father, who represents his past, and his son, who represents the future. And so he moves forward,” he added.

Pope Francis said that this representation of tradition being respected and preserved reminded him of “what Gustav Mahler said about tradition: ‘Tradition is the guarantee of the future,’ not a museum piece.”

The pope met at the Vatican with participants in a conference organized to evaluate the work accomplished so far by his Global Compact on Education and to plan for its development in the years to come.

“I thank you for all that you do in the service of education, which is also the specific contribution that you are offering to the Church’s synodal process. Keep moving in this direction, from the past towards the future, continuous growth,” he said.

“And be attentive to the ‘back-stepping’ so much in vogue today, which makes us think that by stepping back, we can preserve humanism,” the pope added.

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Mark Houck gives a speech at the Men’s March in Boston on Oct. 15, 2022. / Credit: Screenshot of Facebook Livestream “My Mother Mary”

Boston, Mass., Oct 17, 2022 / 16:11 pm (CNA).

Mark Houck, the Catholic pro-life father of seven who was arrested last month after a controversial early-morning FBI raid at his home, says Mother Teresa’s nuns in the Missionaries of Charity have placed a photo of his family on her tomb in Kolkata, India.

“They placed it right on the crypt and every morning they pray over that image,” he said.

“Praise God, right?” he added.

Houck made the comments Saturday in Boston, where he was a featured speaker at a pro-life event known as The Men’s March.

Houck was arrested Sept. 23 on charges he violated the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act by allegedly assaulting a Planned Parenthood clinic escort in an altercation outside a Philadelphia abortion clinic in October 2021. Houck, who maintains he shoved the man to stop him from verbally haranguing one of Houck’s sons, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Since his arrest at his family home, the Department of Justice and the FBI have faced severe criticism from lawmakers, clergy, pro-lifers, and media personalities, while Houck has received support from Catholic bishops and most recently German Cardinal Gerhard Müller, who paid a visit to the Houck family Oct. 12 at their home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, an online fund drive has raised more than $382,000 for the family.

The Boston event, officially The National Men’s March to Abolish Abortion and Rally for Personhood, is a national pro-life march that calls men to stand for life. Last year’s march was held in Baltimore during the U.S. bishops’ fall assembly.

Houck began his speech by talking about his trust in Jesus in the midst of his family’s trials.

“First of all, be not afraid. What’s happening to me is a good thing. It’s a way to know you’re in God’s holy will. Amen?” he told the crowd.

“When they come after you and they persecute you, you know you’re in the will of God. And my wife and my children, my seven babies, we have great trust in the Lord. So be not afraid. Stand in the gap. And that’s where you’re called to be as men,” he said.

Houck said that numerous people — including the Missionaries of Charity — have assured him of their prayers since his arrest. CNA sought comment from the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata but did not receive a response prior to publication.

“We have people in Uganda and Europe praying. We have people all over the world praying. We have people in Boston praying. We are very encouraged by that,” Houck said.

One man, who called himself “a lousy Catholic,” told Houck that “after seeing what happened to you, I’m going back to the Church,” Houck told the marchers, who wore suits for the event.

“We will stay the course. We will fight the good fight. We will run the race,” Houck said.

You can watch Houck’s full speech on Facebook here.

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