Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine, et benedic hereditati tuæ.
Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in æternum.
Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
Govern and uphold them now and always.  - Hymn. Te Deum

In these last hours that mark the conclusion of the civil year, each of us is preparing to take part in the solemn functions with which the Church raises to the Divine Majesty the praises of thanksgiving contained in the hymn Te Deum.

This RTV Spotlight was excerpted from GLOBALISM’S GOD COMPLEX: Fake News on Steroids.

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SOME YEARS AGO I heard an extraordinary story from a friend who lived for a time in the extreme northern end of the country, in a remote and beautiful valley of the Alps, the Val d'Ossola. In brief, three priests one day told their bishop that they would no longer celebrate the Mass in the new rite, and adopted the traditional Mass when Summorum Pontificum was published. And despite immense pressure and months of struggle, they never did again.

"We are in greater danger than all others, because we are beset by the 'elegant demon,' who does not make a loud entrance, but comes with flowers in his hand." — Francis, 2022 Christmas Greetings to the Roman Curia

Francis’s 2022 Christmas Greetings to the Roman Curia included several elements that are genuinely Catholic, and even edifying, when read out of context. One of the dominant themes, for example, is the need for conversion:

“Conversion is a never-ending story. The worst thing that could happen to us is to think that we are no longer in need of conversion, either as individuals or as a community. To be converted is to learn ever anew how to take the Gospel message seriously and to put it into practice in our lives. It is not simply about avoiding evil but doing all the good that we can. That is what it means to be converted.”

Editor’s Note: It is my pleasure to reintroduce my great-grandfather Hugo Klapproth and his “new” book, Letters to a Protestant Friend (Available Here). Full disclosure: The book is new only to English-speaking readers living 130 years after it was published in the original German here in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Apart from being a thoughtful historical sketch, this little book also makes a considerable contribution to Catholic apologetics. As a convert from Lutheranism and a professional newspaper editor, Hugo Klapproth’s apologetical arguments to his Lutheran friend are some of the most effective I have ever read. Mary “worship,” Faith alone, sola scriptura, the papacy, the “non-biblical” roots of purgatory, and the Sacrament of Confession—all the go-to Protestant arguments are refuted with expert biblical exegesis, considerable historical acumen, and the patient reproach of one old friend to another. Here, then, is an excerpt from Chapter 3 on Mary and Papal Infallibility. MJM

Rex pacificus magnificatus est,
cujus vultum desiderat universa terra.^[1]

The whole earth desires to contemplate the blessed face of the King of peace, who deigned to be born according to the flesh, two thousand twenty-two years ago, to redeem us from the yoke of Satan and acquire us for the glory of heaven with His most holy Passion.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this (Is 9: 6-7). These solemn words, referring to the coming Redeemer, spur us on to recognize the sign of sovereignty and to cooperate so that peace, which is stability of order, founded on law and justice, may triumph.

In this world that is rebellious and indocile to the Child King; in this world that deludes itself that it can build peace without the One who is its eternal foundation, may each of you bear witness to Faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ with courage and coherence of life, offering Him your heart as a mystical manger in which He can rest, as a throne in which He sits and reigns first and foremost over you, your families, and your community.

In this world that is rebellious and indocile to the Child King; in this world that deludes itself that it can build peace without the One who is its eternal foundation, may each of you bear witness to Faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ with courage and coherence of life, offering Him your heart as a mystical manger in which He can rest, as a throne in which He sits and reigns first and foremost over you, your families, and your community. May your actions and your words make the blessed Face of the Lord shine forth, so that all the peoples of the earth may convert to Him, bend their knees to Him in adoration, and restore to Him the royal crown that the Revolution snatched from Him.

And so may it be.

+ Carlo Maria, Archbishop
Most Holy Christmas MMXXII

We Made It

Congratulations! You’ve made it through one of the weirdest years in human history, with manifestations of Godlessness never even conceived of: Men “getting pregnant”, bearded women, Dr. Moreau wannabes injecting humanity with Mystery Juice, popes committing regicide (against Christ the King), robots taking over the workforce. 

VATICAN CITY —The Remnant has obtained a copy of a letter sent six months ago by an alleged victim of Jesuit artist Father Marko Ivan Rupnik to top Church leaders, asking why no action had been taken as the Slovenian priest continued to be held up as a reliable teacher in the Church.

Agere sequitur esse. So we are taught by scholastic philosophy: the action of every being depends on the nature of that being. It follows that a person’s actions are consistent with who that person is. We find confirmation of this principle of ontology in the canonical sanctions recently imposed by the Holy See on Father Frank A. Pavone, a well-known and appreciated pro-life priest, who for decades has been committed to the battle against the horrible crime of abortion. If a Roman Dicastery decides to electrocute a priest with reduction to the lay state, accusing him of blasphemy and preventing him from having the ability to defend himself legally in a canonical trial; and if, at the same time, analogous decisions are not taken with regard to notorious heretical, corrupt, and fornicating clergy, it is not out of place to ask if such a persecutory action reveals a persecutory mind, and if an action against a good priest who has worked strenuously to oppose abortion reveals the hatred of the persecutor with regard to the Good and those who fight for it. This unjust and illegitimate punishment becomes all the more hateful the closer we come to Holy Christmas, if we consider that by the killing of innocent children the Enemy of the human race wants to kill the Infant King.

“And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people. For this day is born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.” (Luke 2: 10-11)

The angel announced “good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people,” and yet the angels ended their heavenly message with reference to a narrower subset of people to whom the blessings of peace would apply:

“Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.” (Luke 2:14)

Popes Benedict XV and Pius XII praised the works of Blessed Dom Columba Marmion (1858-1923) for their holiness and wisdom, and few other writers living in the past 100 years have offered anything as spiritually nourishing as the books of the Abbot of Maredsous Abbey. His Christ: The Ideal of the Monk (1922) is no exception — his great love for God and the Faith shines forth from every page — but it is the book’s description of the differences between Catholics and Protestants that deserves particular attention in connection with the ongoing crisis in the Church. His holy wisdom shows us why we can never make peace with the Spirit of Vatican II and must vigorously oppose Francis’s Synod on Synodality.