Speaking as from a Catholic family for over 1000 years, I must say that all of this has been predicted many times, including by our beloved Jesus Christ Himself. The Church is going through its Passion. Would you even consider abandoning our Lord in His darkest hour? Stand with Him in full battle array! Never leave Him for a second. He needs our loyalty now more than ever. Viva Christo Rey!
Ah yes - to whom shall we go ? - I accepted when abortion was ‘legalised’ ?? That humanity had started the downward slope to degradation of life itself and therefore a direct challenge to God our Creator! May God have mercy on us all 🙏
I’m with Christ’s Bride-the Church to the very end! I’m a 70 year old cradle Catholic female. I’m ready to defend Her come hell or high water! Ave Maria!
Thanks to Dr Ashenden. I'm a ex Anglican convert who came over back in the 90s, and this is the first time I've had a chief Shepherd who I have no confidence in since I left the Church of England. I felt much the same about George Carey. This time there's nowhere else to go, we have to resist.
You've forgotten Holy Orthodoxy, I'm an ex Anglican convert who came over to Rome 10 years ago - I thank God i'm being received into the Holy Orthodox Church.
Thank you Dr.Ashenden for your encouraging wise words.. we have aux.bishop Rob Mutsaerts in our team and Father Elias Leyds c.s.j. but still the climate out there is still very harsh, with not much courage in the team of dutch and belgium bishops. Like a dutch fameus soccer player Johan Cruijff said: Every disadvantage has its advantage: The church is dead, long live the Church of Christ.... 😅 keep up the good spirit!
@@marcokite Does the Orthodox Church have the real presence of Christ in the communion? The real presence has been scientifically verified, in the Catholic Church. Does the Orthodox Church have the same? Do they have Confession and the forgiveness of sins? I really don't know. Sorry!
Thank you, Dr Ashenden. I, too, am a convert, albeit from American non-denomenational protestantism. I feel full of faith and hope that today is a great time to be a Catholic, for God chose this moment for each of us to be alive. The Holy Spirit is at work. This is all happening under his divine providence.
Thank you for your message. Converts who have thought and prayed their way in to the church despite all the scandals and obstacles are a real boon to Holy Mother Church! Viva Cristo Rei! Blessings to you and yours this Advent and for a holy and happy Xmas!
Thank you for your encouragement. I'm a cradle Catholic. Although we know about the bad popes it does not lessen the pain one suffers when it happens. But the Holy Spirit is in charge so we will not be afraid. God placed us at this challenging time in Church history for a purpose. It is a great time to glorify Him, to transform our cultures under the kingship of Christ and to become saints.
Excellent video. I find it difficult to understand how anyone can be taken in by it. I'm not going to destroy my peace over it. God has allowed this travesty for a reason. He is cleaning up His Church, and like any cleaning or purifying process things can look worse until it gets sorted. Thank you for your input
If you wish to repent, and want a blessing on your sincere endeavour to live in accordance with Christ's teaching - you go to confession. It's that simple. Why would we need this latest salvo from the Vatican?
This is what happens when a pope selects a homosexual activist, James Martin SJ as his spokesman. AND then Manuel Fernandez, author of "Heal Me With Your Mouth - The Art of Kissing," as head of the DDF. Like putting foxes to guard the hen-house.
@@user-or6yq3sp7v that is not necessarily true. In my local Anglican Cathedral there is a notice that a priest is available for anyone wishing to make confession. In any case the Pope's letter refers to Roman Catholics.
Mr. Ashenden. This was MAGNIFICENT!! It may be your best commentary ever. Charitable while speaking the hard naked truth. May God richly bless you and your family.🙏 A blessed end of Advent to you.
As a Mere Christian (Anglican) I have been devoted to Catholic teachings although unable to convert because of a previous marriage I love the Rosary and most of my prayers are Catholic. I wish the Anglican Church had not gone down this road too but my Church is not completely "woke" and remains high Anglican. Thank you Dr. Ashenden for having the courage to speak the truth that so many of us need to hear and have affirmed. It is the camel's nose under the tent to be sure and we all know how that ends up. The Church will survive this. Christ reigns supreme. "Let not your hearts be troubled."
If you happen to live in the USA, I want to let you know that there are solid Anglican parishes in the ACNA (Anglican Church in North America) dioceses which do not accept the modernist theology. I am a former cradle Catholic who now have been planted by the Lord in a very good ACNA Anglican parish in the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word (ADLW).
Thank you for this - I am in Canada and I am lucky that my Church is high Anglican. It is what I am familiar with and much of liturgy is the same as Catholic. If it changes to more "woke" I will find another. Cannot worship somewhere that we are not comfortable. @@rexlion4510
Well said, your calm relaxed, truthful black and white, not grey, not ambiguous and confusing delivery is truly appreciated and encouraging to the flock, if only the current shepherd would imitate.
As a convert and one who finally took the plunge after 10 years of gnarly indecision and questioning, I joined the Catholic Church. Why? Because I fully believed then and now that it is the church Christ gave us and the same the Holy Spirit has tended through the centuries. It is obvious to me that there is nowhere else to run. :) We have come to the end of the road. The church remains the church, and it will continue to do so until the time of Christ's return. For me, I can only hope to remain steadfast and ready each and every day. I am forever grateful to live in the center of the embrace of Christ's embrace within His church. Thank you for such a thoughtful expression. This is my first time hearing you speak.
I'm a cradle Catholic who left the faith as a teenager. I returned a few years ago in large part due to the Traditional Latin Mass and now I will never leave the faith even if the Pope stands on his head and produces a document stating sodomy is mandatory for all Catholics. Thank you dearly for your thoughtful commentary. It's open season on Catholicism...secular society is persecuting it and the Church seems to have joined in. Whoever doesn't yet realize that our beloved Church has been thoroughly infiltrated by cultural marxists, is not paying attention.
Dr. Ashenden,bless you. I lost my spouse over the question of “fecundity” and lost the comfort of friendship with my sister for many many years because I told her in 2010 about a certain ‘light purple’ fraternity that had infiltrated the Vatican. We eventually reconciled but only by agreeing to never speak again about the state of the Church. God wants us here and now. Ave Maria.
Commiserations, l 😮know exactly what that feels like, families are divided, hold tight to the faith. Those in error are brittle, faith gives thee rest of us unwavering resilience.
As a convert myself (2009) I am glad I got to know some church ladies early on who told me this was coming (per apparitions of Our Lady and numerous seers worldwide). I am most appalled by good and holy priests who are afraid to just say, "This is wrong." Instead they twist themselves into pretzels trying to explain away heresy, apostasy, and pure evil in the Church. The cowardice is embarassing and a scandal. The jiggery pokery at the Vatican is old news. But woe to the shepherds who do not protect their sheep from it. I pray they repent before Our Lord returns and asks if there is any faith left at all. (Btw I was not Anglican, but I have gotten a few of those ha-ha-has. :( I pray for Cardinal Sarah's elevation. I prayed he would succeed Benedict, and after these 10 years I am ready to hope and pray again.)
Yes, thank you Dr. Ashendon. I am a lifelong Catholic who now travels 100 miles (160km) each week to attend the Roman Catholic rite. Many Catholic bishops around the world reject such heterodox proposals as opposed to the Arian heresy when most of the then bishops accented to the heresy! It quite literally came down to just a couple bishops; St. Athanasius anyone? In the end, the Church emerged even stronger, almost like a sickness that sparks the “bodies” immune system. The Lord “knows what he is about” and providentially allows these unfortunate set of events. Fire fighters don’t run from fires, as Catholics we “do our duty” to fulfill our mission together in the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. Victory has been won and Our Lord invites us to draw closer to this particular cross. The Lord has never and will never abandon his bride the Church. Ave Maria.
Thank you so much Dr Ashenden. I 100% agree with what you have said. We are in perilous times and Our Lord is asking much of us. One of my favourite saints is St Therese of Lisieux, and I am sure you would know the story of her great suffering and horrible final days. Yet through it all she kept her faith and saw God as her loving Heavenly Father. I am also learning from her to do the same. To just throw myself as a little child into the arms of my Father. Humans will often let us down, even if they be a Pope, but God will not, provided we stick with Him through it all.
The wisest and most beautiful in eloquence and clarity yet peace of mind opinion on that event that I so far heard. Thank you so much Dr G. Ashenden! Merry Christmas to you and all of us!
This confusion has been very concerning for cradle Catholics like me too. I empathise with my convert brothers and sisters. You are spot on with your analysis of the death cult. God bless you.
Yes this pope has used weaponized ambiguity. He's a Jesuit, therefore he's a teacher and knows how to teach the Faith clearly but has a long pattern of choosing to be ambiguous instead. Confusion never comes from the Holy Spirit. I read a very well footnoted book THE POLITICAL POPE by George Neumayr. That was such an eye opener as well as THE DICTATOR POPE by Henry Sire. Both authors are Catholic.
I do not find the pope confusing. In my view he is perfectly clear. He supports homosexuality and irregular couples. It would be much healthier to call a spade a spade, not to cheat on ourselves. Itvis not only liberating but it allows to take the right way of action
I can not express how helpful this is for the faithful, priests and laity alike. Thank you so much for your insight and calm presentation of an explosive subject. I’m sending this to all my protestant, friends and family members. God love you!
As an EO, I find myself in agreement with you concerning the cult of death at work in the world. You have my sympathy with regard to the scandalizing behavior from the Bishop of Rome. The accuser of the brethren comes to kill, to steal, and to destroy. But our Lord came to destroy the works of the accuser. May we examine our consciences, and under the illumination of the Holy Spirit repent our sins and keep ourselves ready for our Masters return.
Thank you, Dr. Ashenden, for this excellent assessment. At middle age, teaching college courses in Western Civilization, I converted to Catholicism, despite the fumblings that had arisen out of VII. Then , in frustration over the punishment of faithful, holy priests who merely sought to defend the Truth of the faith, for a brief time I turned to the beauty and faithfulness of Orthodoxy. But I couldn't accept Orthodoxy's insistence that St. Thomas Aquinas et al were heretics as a result of the Great Schism. I soon returned to Rome, and here I shall stay. Jesus will not desert his Church, and we must stand firm in defense of the Faith. Yes, tough times ahead. We must storm Heaven with our prayers for the Church and the clergy, and help each other along the way. God bless you.
One last comment, your decision to remain a Laymen and thereby speak your mind as inspired by the Holy Spirit was the right one. You are serving the Church wonderfully through your clear commentary. 👍🙏
Dear Dr Ashenden, I very much appreciate your sound thinking and your love for Christ and your new found Catholics. Welcome home although we are going through turmoil. But Satan has always attempted to destroy Jesus’ Apostolic Church because even he knows we have the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Your words bring peace to a troubled and confused mind and I have been able to refocus my thoughts back onto Jesus. He will never let us go astray if we focus on Him. Merry Christmas!!! May you be Blessed and thank you.
Dr Ashenden, many thanks for your very helpful and ultimately hopeful exposition of this scandal. Jesus did NOT say, 'Thou art Peter, and upon this sand I will build my Church...'
We, the faithful, must stand firm in the Church, and fight for her if necessary. “Pray, hope and don’t worry.” St. Padre Pio. Our God is faithful to His children. We may not see things as He sees them, but we must trust our Abba with the trust of a loving child.
The late Fr Malachi Martin's book "The Jesuits" is very enlightening and foreseeing, considering it was published n 1987. But then, Malachi Martin was one of the few individuals who saw the contents of the third miracle of Fatima and translated it for Pope John XXIII, who then suppressed it, "Not for our time", he said. Thank you Dr Ashenden for presenting your assessment of "Fiducia Supplicans" in a calm and orderly manner, so easily understood. God bless you.
Converts to Catholicism are our best role models as they’ve investigated the Faith and recognize the stability, structure and discipline that are at the very core of the Church instituted by Christ for the salvation of all. It’s the same today, yesterday, forever in all of its beauty, truth and goodness.
First time watching this channel. Also first video I see on this topic, that at the end left me with hope and peace. Will be watching more. Thank you Sir!
I converted to Catholicism in 1983 and have consistently studied my faith. I knew that the doctrine was not changed, but still felt very troubled by the document. First, I don't know why they released the document as the doctrine wasn't changed. Why muddy the water, when it wasn't necessary to say anything at all. Your words have helped me understand the turmoil that I was experiencing. Yes it is very treacherous and damaging. I will pray for our Priests who now have to deal with the fallout of this treachery.
Beautiful, truthful, and incredibly strengthening and consoling! This was exactly what I needed. I'm profoundly grateful, Dr Ashenden! Let's prevent this scandal from overshadowing the joy of Christmas!
I am thankful to have found this channel- a comment left at Fr. Mark's video defending the document, mentioned this gentleman and I am delighted to find this brilliant explanation!!!
I had 73 years of religeon and finally left. I had become more and more confused, so I no longer knew what to believe. It gave me a headache. Thank you Dr Ashenden you help me try to find a focus.
Dr. Ashenden, I am rather new to your channel here and must say as a "Cradle Catholic" I am so grateful I found you! I enjoy your faith filled discussions and the truth it provides to nourish my soul. On this particular topic which is very sad indeed I immediately recall the words our Blessed Mother said to the children at the apparition at Garabandal: "Many Bishops, Cardinals and Priests will lead the faithful down the road of perdition and take many souls with them". If this don't authenticate that apparition then I don't know what will, we are witnessing this right now! We still await the foretold warning and Miracle that Our Blessed Mother told the children will happen at this apparition and I now believe that this will happen sometime this coming year. Thank you for bringing this issue to the forefront and I pray God will continue to Bless you for doing so! Wishing you and your Family a Blessed Christmas! From William Torio, Long Island New York. God Bless
Remember Thomas Russell wrote 60 years ago - when the pressure grows and our faith is tested - just hold on to your own ground and be sure of that !!because you will only have that small piece of ground to stand on - call on the Holy Spirit- and He will keep you safe ! Praise the Trinity !🙏
Thank you so very much Dr. Ashenden for your heartfelt and astute analysis. Like yourself, I am a convert. I was Episcopal USA. I sought the safe haven of Catholicism. And it was such for a long time for me. And now this travesty. However, among all the commentators I've listened to, yours speaks to me directly. So thank you very much for this video. ,✝️🛐💟🙏🏻🕊️🌹
Don't give up, Anne St. Peter was also leading those around him in confusion and scandal, as it says in Galatians. This was predicted the church is to go through its passion as Jesus went through His Passion, continue to say the Rosary continue going to confession when you need to and continue to receive The Body Blood Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist hold fast to these traditions as St. Paul would say. And we'll catch up on Heaven in the wise words of Padre Pio "Pray Hope and Don't worry." The church is supposed to go through this because only after going through this and having gone down to such a level that it is only Jesus Christ who can and will raise her up again and greater than when she started. This is also to show that it is the Catholic Church that is of God and from God. It is to go this low level of perversity as if it were defeated that only God can raise her up and not man, since only God can raise her up, and He will but in His good time.
just out of interest, you said you switched from the Episcopal - of they didn't change some of the things you weren't happy with would you have sought the Catholic church?
@@peterxuereb9884 Thank you so very much for all your encouragement! It is so kind of you to take the time and effort to write so much, not only to me but to others who are needing building up. Thanks so very much! For my own part, I have seen other churches: I was Episcopal and fled it! I tried the Lutheran Church; the name of Luther was prominent about 8 times! I looked into the Methodist Church; it seemed a watered-down Episcopal/Anglican Church; and it is now going through a real schism. Then I tried the "non-denominational churches." The big ones were flat, lifeless, and just not interested in being Christian. The small ones were vibrant Bible-based groups. I enjoyed them until I saw the one I was in become a cult. That was unsettling. Then I did what I knew all along was my destiny: I became Catholic! The real difference isn't style or focus. It's that Christ is here, in the Catholic Church! There is no where else to go! God bless you! ✝️🛐💟🕊️🙏🏻🌹
@@daddycool228 I had begun to feel a certain emptiness, even after Communion. The Church became like the Catholic Church used to be with processions and vestments and classical music. It was a beautiful service. But I didn't feel a difference from when I entered Church to when I left. And the decline of the Church started more than a century ago. The Priest called me a heretic because I believed Satan (and his minions) are real. The Priest was very angry at me because I wouldn't back down. They also don't believe in hell. And when I asked where my deceased loved ones were, the (same) priest told me to read I Corinthians, chapter 15. Since I was never taught how to read the Bible (I grew up Episcopal), I didn't understand what I was reading! In essence, there was no ONE Episcopal reply. And I could interpret the Bible chapter any way I wished. I lived in Manhattan NYC, so the modernism had hit the parishes hard and fast. There were other questions that might eventually have chased me away. I left just as they appointed a female Bishop. They chose an African-American woman. I overheard the Priests saying that was because people would not object a lot about a woman Bishop, because they would seem to be racist! That sneakiness turned my stomach. They were the racists, using her color to cover her femininity. So the woman Bishop was unchallenged! I recently looked to see what they are up to now. They are supporting children who want to transition their sex. They made a big hullabaloo protest about that out west in a conservative area. I stopped researching their current news! God brought me to the Catholic Church. Period! Like Thomas Wolfe wrote, you can't go home again. I was meant to be here. Oh! Now they marry same-sex couples. A full church wedding!
@AnneEloise1951 That is so true about the presence of Jesus in Catholic Church He is nowhere else if He where that mean contradiction on Dogma, Doctrine, Faith, Morals and Theology. As for myself, I don't know of what benefit, if any I have been since I am 100% trying to be 1% saint.
Thank you for being Catholic and thank you for that lucid distinction between changing doctrine and changing practice. Please keep that lucidity and do not think that leaving the Church to become Orthodox would have any benefit...
Thank God for your wonderful conversion🙏 Your calm and assured talk is very reassuring🙏 I am a 72 year old lifelong Catholic but I did wander into the wilderness for a period! However I’m a staunch Catholic and have faith only in Jesus not in weak vessels like our current Pope🙏 God is in total charge and is letting this happen and it has been foretold in the Bible and in so many of Our Lady’s apparitions so knuckle down and deepen our faith🙏
Agreed! Also the Catholic Church has always maintained every pope has limited authority. He doesn't get to make up his own version of the Faith. Galatians 1 :6-10
I listened to many Videos about this matter, but this one is outstanding, the goats and sheeps are being separated, we see the friends of Jesus Christ and the enemies. May Our Lord Jesus Christ grant us Faith to stay with Him to the end 🙏✝️⛪️
Perhaps Dr Ashenden God led you into the Catholic Church for such a time as this. You have the gifts of the Spirit and intellect required to resist. There are others like you. We - the flock know who they are. I will pray for you before mass tomorrow - there is power in prayer.
And as others have said. Mr. Ashenden, you are a great gift to the Church. I am sorry for the suffering you are gong through as a recent convert. May it only strengthen your faith. The situation is likely to get even worse after this Pope dies, but Christ is the Head of His Church, and He is allowing all of this in order to purify Her. There is yet much rot among Catholics, so the suffering is likely to increase. We have entered the desert but we will always have the living waters of His Holy Spirit until we reach the garden on the other side. May God be praised!
Thank you for your keen insight and appreciation of the unchanging teaching of the Catholic Church, Dr. Ashenden. As a cradle Catholic and a longtime parishioner of an FSSP parish in Ottawa Canada, I can assure you that, while my country has sadly embraced this culture of death, there are many who remain faithful to the Magisterium and continue to pray for the Church - Militant, Suffering, and Triumphant - and will continue to pray for the Pope, while in error though he may be. My very best to you and yours Dr. Ashenden for a Merry Christmas and a Holy and joyous New Year. I thank God for your conversion and welcome you home to the one, true, Holy and Apostolic Catholic Church. May your great work and understanding continue to educate and catechize through your channel.
Everyone who likes this video, please email your local bishops' conference, your diocesan bishop and your parish priest, and urge them to make their voices heard and uphold the orthodox, traditional, bi-millenial teaching and practice of the Church
The thought of staying has never crossed my mind. I'm now an Orthodox catechumen. O Holy and Great Archangel of God Michael, who standest, as the first of the Angels, before the ineffable and super-substantial Trinity; who art placed as a watcher and keeper over the human race; who hast with thine armies crushed the head of the proud Lucifer in the heavens and brought forever to shame his wickedness and treachery on earth! To thee we have recourse in faith, and thee we entreat with love: be thou an indestructible shield and firm rampart for the holy Church and the Orthodox Christians, guarding them by the lightning power of thy sword from all enemies visible and invisible.
In you Dr Ashenden, so many more , we see a powerful expression of the true Sensus Fidelium…. and witness to the presence of the Holy Spirit alive in the Church…. even in these dark times.
Thank you, Dr Ashenden, for speaking the truth. I was shaken, betrayed, and hurt by that shocking document. I know exactly why it was ambiguous. My faith in the church was slightly shaken by it. But God has sustained my faith through these confusing days. How good He is. Thanks to clear and steadfast minds like yourself. The words of Bl. Pope Pius IX also helped me: "If a future pope teaches anything contrary to the Catholic faith do not follow him." It's a ray of light. I now have the certainty that God does not bind us to believe even a pope who declares something opposed to the Catholic Faith. A beatified pope has affirmed it. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnessess and they do help us who are still fighting the good fight here on earth. God allows them to strengthen us. Blessed be His Name.
Thank you, Dr. Ashendon. You state the case against 'Fiducia Supplicans' brilliantly and wholly. May God bless you in your ministry. And may God bring the Roman Catholic Church to her resurrection, for surely She is undergoing her passion.
Thank you. Your words are sobering and comforting. I don't know what to make of what's happening, how such a minority can have so much power and influence over the rest of humanity.
Thank you, Dr Ashenden, for your calm reassurance. As a recent convert to Catholicism, I was deeply upset by 'Fiducia Supplicans'. You've given me much-needed hope and the will to carry on, no matter how many 'slings and arrows' with which I'll have to contend from my cradle-Catholic acquaintances, who seem to think that this document is a panacea for all the problems in the Catholic Church.
Seems we are in the “trial” Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 675 “The Church's ultimate trial” "Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth." Bishop Sheen's prophecy of "Ape of the Church" to be manifesting. We're on the same page For me, Fiducia Supplicans should never have been issued. Blessing individuals in their struggles and journey is good, but blessing a "couple" "in a Union"(para 30) gives recognition and acceptance to that status. We know where this is going ...and what example does it give? "Temptations to sin are sure to come but woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin" Lk 17:1 CCC675 The Church's ultimate trial "Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth." Bishop Sheen's prophecy of "Ape of the Church" manifesting?
It seems that the Devil doesn’t only wear Prada, he wears white as well. This development doesn’t make me feel uncertain about my Catholic faith, it is actually making me feel bolder and stronger, firming my faith. Bring it on, Francis, you’re not having my soul!
Bless you, Dr. Ashenden. You bring great comfort to those of us mourning the slow decline of our Church. This is a time of great peril, but God will not abandon us, and we should not abandon His Church.
Thank you. Your sharp, authoritative analysis cuts through the mire. Your pleas for understanding and forgiveness for those who betray is also Godly. Please stay a humble leader. Peace be with you.
Thank you for this Dr. Ashenden, I admire your honesty regarding FS, as I’ve seen some on Catholic YT contort themselves trying to justify this new decree, even by some traditionalists. As someone who is SSA, I feel so angry and demoralised with what the pope and the “kissing” cardinal have done, and as you stated, I can’t imagine how Catholic priests must be feeling right now. I will no longer continue to make excuses for the pope, I’ve had enough, we need a new pope to undo this mess. God bless you Dr. and thank you for your continued good work.
My wife is a lapsed Catholic who has returned to the one true Church and this has devastated her to the point she can’t even process the analysis of the FS document. I know God will provide us our worldly and spiritual needs, but it’s going to be a hard row to hoe. If one can be a spiritual martyr then I believe Christ is now calling for us to stand with our Holy Saints and martyr ourselves for truth. I thank God for this opportunity and offer up my own soul for His One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church now and forever more.
I came back to the faith a few years ago after losing my 9 year old daughter. I considered orthodoxy along the way, but ultimately decided to return to Catholicism. FS has made me feel as though the proverbial rug has been pulled out from under me. Its very disappointing and a very confusing time to be a Catholic.
You are in communion of faith with all the faithful who have ever lived. The current zeitgeist hierarchy burn bright momentarily, and so will burn themselves to ash and be blown away.
I’m a cradle Catholic and am heartbroken for what this pope is doing. All I can say is don’t jump the ship. God will not allow the gates of hell to prevail.
You might be well served to take a good, hard look at whether Roman Catholicism is actually The Church. There's a very good case to be made for Holy Orthodoxy.
The Catholic Church has an unbroken line of popes since the time of the Apostles. There have been saintly and bad popes. The miracle is that Christ has preserved the one Catholic Church He founded throughout the Ages. Because humanly speaking it should have folded many different times. Instead the Lord by His mercy and grace always amazingly ressurects His Bride the Church.
Please do not be discouraged for the Church that stood unnumbered doctrinal challenges will not fail to overcome the current one too, because it belongs to Christ.
@@marnatz5 After seeing all the corrupt popes, the true miracle is that Catholics still believe the pope is uniquely called and enabled to hear & follow the Holy Spirit, and he should be depended on to transmit God's truth to the laity. 😂 Every true Christian is given the Holy Spirit indwelling and should be able to hear God for themselves. But the Catholic Church does not teach its members how to be led by the Spirit of God. Shame on the Catholic Church.
Thank you Dr Ashenden for standing in the battle line. We are all sinners and none are excluded from the mercy of God but we must approach Him on His terms REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS (GOSPEL) The Church stands at Her Termopolae If the Enemy wants our faith ,the sword of Truth which is Christ Himself ,let the e nemy come and try to take it The English reformation times hymn of Catholics Faith of our Fathers should be sung with heart and mind again
My heart goes out to the converts that joined in this end of times chaotic times our true Church thinking it would be a peace of cake or less chaotic in the True Church. But more then ever it is, because it is the true Church and we are in the end of times and the spiritual battle is in full force against it. Sadly persecution has started in and out. Let's unite, pray, hope, love, prepare. Bless you for your great work. You don't know how important it is. You converted at the right time for such a brave aposlotate. Thank God you are not formal clergy or assistant to it, because you can speak freely. Trans/gay agenda is anti-life, is part of the death cult, no life or true family through nature or adoption can come through it.
It’s as if a married man goes to a popular bar with a woman, not his wife. Has he cheated on his wife? No, but he has created potential scandal and undermined his marriage.
The difference being ; the man is already having sexual relations with the other man. It is already a sinful relationship not just a future occasion for sin.
As an Anglican (ACNA), I’m so sorry that my fellow Anglicans have lobbed “I told you so” at you. We are all in the struggle to not “let the world around us squeeze us into its own mold” (a paraphrase of Rom. 12:2 - JB Phillips). We need the power of the Word, the Holy Spirit, and the Community of saints to hold us tightly together in the Truth.
Dr. Ashenden, I truly appreciate your reassuring, and even pastoral, tone of encouragement in admonishing for us to hold fast through these times. I recently left the Episcopal church here in the US and am set to be confirmed as a Catholic through the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter the week after next. This news initially made me a bit sick at heart and I wondered for a moment if I was making a mistake. Thankfully, my priest has reassured me on many of the same points you have brought out. The one, holy, catholic and apostolic church has weathered so many storms, heresies, and even "bad" popes over the millennia. Jesus will not allow his church to fail on earth. Thanks again.
Yessss!! Thank you, Dr Ashenden, for this clarification. I was so upset when I saw the headline, but remembered that God is in charge. This is His planet, we are His children, and He doesn't like what "they" are trying to do. God blesses those who have repudiated the Pope's latest word. Amen and Amen Most precious blood of Jesus Christ. R: Save us and the whole world. 500xpd.
I will add a daily rosary for all of the Converts who feel this betrayal of their trust. God bless and sustain you Doctor Ashenden. I appreciate your pain.
Thank you, Gavin, for this forthright assessment of FS. You have pulled back the veil so this document can be seen for what it really is. God bless you!
This was a very consoling reflection on the situation of apostacy in the Church. I have been watching and listening to the acts and words of Pope Francis from the beginning of his pontificate. My misgivings very quickly gave in gradually to despising his behavior and frankly despising him. To have a man at the head of the Church who seeks to destroy the Church, is so difficult for me to accept. I will try to start praying for him. I know that even miracles are possible with God grace. Yet, I have very little hope that a man like him can be converted. May God help us!!
Thank you, Dr Ashenden, for this clarification and words of comfort. They are much needed and appreciated. May God bless you always and may Our Lady protect you under Her mantle❣️🕊️🙏🏻 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours!
Thank you, as always, Gavin for your carefully and prayerfully considered analysis of the current crisis in the leadership of the Church. As a “cradle Catholic” I can assure you that the Church has never been free from problems of one kind or another. Before the Second Vatican Council, there were a great many Priests and Religious who had found their way into the Priesthood or their Religious Order otherwise than as a result of a genuine vocation. After it became possible for those who felt that they never had a genuine vocation to leave, they did leave, in droves. Nuns abandoned their convents and their habits and dressed in mini skirts and went out to work as social workers. Members of Religious Orders took up Buddhism or other Eastern mystic religions. The seminaries attracted in vocations by setting up homosexual clubs and offering an active homosexual lifestyle to seminarians. While the new form of the Mass was, generally, celebrated with reverence and due solemnity, this was not always the case. Sometimes there were rock musicians and dancing in the aisles. Unfortunately, those resisting this tide of “Modernism” were generally seen as eccentric or unbalanced (and, quite often, they were). Just as there were those in the secular world who really did think that bringing back pounds shillings and pence would solve the problem with inflation, there were those who considered that a real spiritual renewal was not required - a return to the Tridentine form of the Mass would, in itself, as if by some sort of magic, automatically restore true spirituality in the Church. One of the main problems in the Church today is that a clergy, made up of men who are, predominantly, of a homosexual orientation, are trying to minister to a laity who are, generally, of a heterosexual orientation. As Bishop Robert Byrne found, when he was appointed to Newcastle and Hexham, importing what he considered to be a perfectly normal and acceptable homosexual lifestyle into the Diocese, such as he was used to in the very “gay friendly” Archdiocese of Birmingham did not go down at all well with the laity in the North of England. He simply threw in the towel - he admitted that being a Bishop in the modern Church was an impossible assignment. The Pope wanted to encourage a homosexual clergy and the laity simply did not want it. They wanted a clergy who, at the very least, would maintain the public fiction that they were living chaste, celibate, lives. So, the current move towards acceptance of the active homosexual lifestyle and the offering of blessings to confirm this is the logical end result of decades of a weakening of the Faith. I agree with you as to the nature of the document. It starts off by asserting that the Church has not changed and could never change its doctrine. Then, it goes on to introduce a change of practice which does, for all practical purposes, operate as a change of doctrine. It is like a timber house whose timbers have been eaten away on the inside by wood boring beetles. It looks sound and solid until, one day, eaten away from within, it suddenly comes crashing to the ground. The Church has been eaten away from within now for a very long time. The fatally weakened edifice was bound to come crashing down to earth eventually. It was only a matter of time.
Thankyou. I am a convert who has personally suffered the conflict within a family and the tragedy of a homosexual brother who died from Aids. The psychological and spiritual struggles of same sex attracted people cannot be ignored. However through this smoke and mirrors act of deception, this unholy hierarchy have misled them and everyone else into thinking that salvation is not necessary because repentance is not necessary. They have led people away from Jesus. Where there is no longer a concept of sin there is no longer a concept of love that overcomes sin. They have emptied the Gospel of its meaning for everyone in the world. Either God exists or He does not. Either Jesus died and rose again or He did not. The greatest act of love that we can offer to the world is our faith. God keep our priests safe from the violence that will be directed against them. God keep them safe from doubt about their purpose and their personal choice to sacrifice all for the sake of the love of God. God change the hearts of the nest of vipers in the hierarchy, especially those actively pursuing their own sexual gratification because of their own lack of faith. God keep those who can see through this travesty safe from doubt and distress. Show all of us your love by guiding our hearts to safety in the storm.
If you read the document though it refers specifically to blessings being conferred on same sex attracted people who want to grow in holiness and turn away from sin. This is not to say I'm a big fan of the document, I think it creates confusion and liberal priests will take advantage of it.
@yankeecitygirl I read it thanks. It has already been abused by liberal priests. That is the problem. The secular media have already misrepresented the purpose of the blessing and America magazine placed a big ad in a newspaper which was also very misleading saying that the church has changed. Unfortunately the document says the priest is not allowed to comment on the situation of the couple. If he cannot say it is a sin he cannot advise them to change their situation. That is the Catch 22 statement that creates the smoke and mirrors. This applies to divorced and remarried couples too. Notice there is no attempt to reach out to the women who are acting as surrogate mothers for the children in these relationships. It is also a statement that puts priests in danger of legal prosecution and public harassment by the " bake the cake" types. Apparently lots of priests are already being targeted. Especially the Latin rite ones. America magazine also published an article stating " Is this the end of the Latin rite?". A veiled threat to drive the church into schism over this issue unless you interpret it their way. Whether this document succeeds in upholding church teaching or not will all come down to how it is put into practice.
But 4 times at least, the Declaration mentions the blessing of COUPLES. So there is nothing now to prevent a SS couple from holding hands and asking for a blessing. Whenever we see rampant confusion on any Dogmatic or Moral teaching of the Catholic Church it does not come from the Holy Spirit. As Gavin says, it is deceitful. Their purpose appears to mislead by using confusion.
God has blessed you abundantly…He is working through you to send us blessings and truth. Thank you for being open to Him who is using you as a good for us all!
Please, I beg you, follow the pope instituted by Christ himself, rather than any CZcamsr, philosopher, theologian. So much of the “confusion” is artificially created. Submitting to the Holy See is traditional, doctrinal, and biblical. The Lord will bless you with peace with your obedience.
@@Mike-JMJ Translation -- Mike likes the confusion being sown by this particular pope, as against the certainty of the previous ones, ergo, THIS pope is right.
Most converted knows and teaches the faith better than many Priests that have been ordained for many years. First time listener to Dr. and I'm hooked! Not bathing, not name calling, but humble, simple and kind, speaking as Saint Paul did, not going around the bush. He hemind me of father John Corapi, a great and true priest that was silenced by the ones that are behind this letter.
@@Dabhach1 I love each Successor of Peter, as instructed by Christ. Today we ought to approach the magisterium with the mindset of “what can I learn,” with a spirit of obedience and docility - it is what we are called to do as Catholics. Slandering the pope, twisting his words, and representing him with a hermeneutic of rupture (warned by Pope Benedict XVI) is antithetical to tradition and doctrine. If I am wrong, please refer to the appropriate text which rebukes this approach. If not, keep canon 1373 in mind.
Dear Dr Ashenden - it is lovely to have your voice within the church. May God be with you at all times. That could sound a little dramatic, but your head may now be above a parapet, although I hope not.
There could be no other purpose for this document than to introduce chaos and confusion into the Church, and to allow perverted priests to "misunderstand" and confirm people in mortal sin- risking the eternal damnation of souls. I am also a convert, thanks be to God. And I will always be faithful to the Holy Church, no matter who occupies the seat of Peter.
Yes, because Pope Francis is a close friend of Fr. James Martin S. J. and he couldn't do that photo op "blessing" with a civically "married" SS couple fast enough, immediately after the release of the horrific Declaration from the Vatican. Good priests are censored while the very public figure of Fr. Martin goes scott free. Both he and Pope Francis need our daily prayers for conversion. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.
Recently I was considering a return to the Catholic Church after years of spiritual journey through many other Evangelical churches, and righyt now I think that the only church that will remain pure and untouched by the modern ideologies will be the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Catholic Church has never officially repented for decades of sexual sins within the Church, among its clergy, so the spiritual door stayed open to entlarge the sin, this is why this now happened! The only solution against any sin is to repent and receive a new Grace from God. This goes for any sinner and the Church as whole as well!
Not logical. Orthodox allow divorce contraception etc and some orthodox bishops have already agreed with this new document. Apparently European orthodox in Serbia were blessing same sex couples 100 years ago. The church does not bless homosexual unions, just sinners. The only shock here IMO is the scandal and external appearances and the failure to condemn the sin of sodomy. Don't jump out of the frying pan into the fire. This is a pastoral disaster , not a doctrinal one. Orthodoxy is the opposite; externally and verbally robust, but doctrinally internally inconsistent and unsustainable.
The Church, or His Body, is spotless, She has no need of repentance, however, some of Her earthly members do indeed need to repent and be held accountable, from laity, to priest, to bishop, to pope, to consecrated virgins, etc. Technically, they have severed their membership by grave unrepentant mortal sin, they are no longer "in" the Church. . Eastern orthodoxy is not a logical or wise option. They also have sinners from laity to patriarchs. They are also made up of "humans". And here lies the truth of it...He has One Church, with Rome as Her visible head, but Christ is Her true Head. The Lord in His own time will deal with the rot of persons, either in this life, or in the next, or in both. I appreciate the apostolicity of the East, but they are in schism. How wonderful if they were not, then they who are faithful within it could be such a bolster to the One True Church.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I came into the Church as an adult, and couldn't agree with you more. Thank you for this articulate thoughtful analysis of what is happening...and keeping us informed.
Thank you for all you do Dr Ashenden! And thank you for speaking up for us converts who have been demonized by Austen Ivereigh. Apparently we are the rigid backwardists who are only interested in trying to be relevant! 😂
Speaking as from a Catholic family for over 1000 years, I must say that all of this has been predicted many times, including by our beloved Jesus Christ Himself. The Church is going through its Passion. Would you even consider abandoning our Lord in His darkest hour? Stand with Him in full battle array! Never leave Him for a second. He needs our loyalty now more than ever. Viva Christo Rey!
Amen…and where would you go?
Ah yes - to whom shall we go ? - I accepted when abortion was ‘legalised’ ?? That humanity had started the downward slope to degradation of life itself and therefore a direct challenge to God our Creator! May God have mercy on us all 🙏
Y que viva!!!
I’m with Christ’s Bride-the Church to the very end! I’m a 70 year old cradle Catholic female. I’m ready to defend Her come hell or high water!
Ave Maria!
SPOT ON !!!! AND AMEN !!!!
Thanks to Dr Ashenden. I'm a ex Anglican convert who came over back in the 90s, and this is the first time I've had a chief Shepherd who I have no confidence in since I left the Church of England. I felt much the same about George Carey. This time there's nowhere else to go, we have to resist.
This Ex-Episcopal(USA) convert since 1994 so agrees. Like St. Peter said, where else is there to go? Resistance is necessary. God bless you. 🌹
You've forgotten Holy Orthodoxy, I'm an ex Anglican convert who came over to Rome 10 years ago - I thank God i'm being received into the Holy Orthodox Church.
Thank you Dr.Ashenden for your encouraging wise words.. we have aux.bishop Rob Mutsaerts in our team and Father Elias Leyds c.s.j. but still the climate out there is still very harsh, with not much courage in the team of dutch and belgium bishops. Like a dutch fameus soccer player Johan Cruijff said: Every disadvantage has its advantage: The church is dead, long live the Church of Christ.... 😅 keep up the good spirit!
Eastern Orthodox?
@@marcokite Does the Orthodox Church have the real presence of Christ in the communion? The real presence has been scientifically verified, in the Catholic Church. Does the Orthodox Church have the same? Do they have Confession and the forgiveness of sins? I really don't know. Sorry!
Thank you, Dr Ashenden. I, too, am a convert, albeit from American non-denomenational protestantism. I feel full of faith and hope that today is a great time to be a Catholic, for God chose this moment for each of us to be alive. The Holy Spirit is at work. This is all happening under his divine providence.
Amen!
Thank you for your message. Converts who have thought and prayed their way in to the church despite all the scandals and obstacles are a real boon to Holy Mother Church! Viva Cristo Rei! Blessings to you and yours this Advent and for a holy and happy Xmas!
Thank you for your encouragement. I'm a cradle Catholic. Although we know about the bad popes it does not lessen the pain one suffers when it happens. But the Holy Spirit is in charge so we will not be afraid. God placed us at this challenging time in Church history for a purpose. It is a great time to glorify Him, to transform our cultures under the kingship of Christ and to become saints.
Love your comment ❤
CHRISTMAS @@paorag2937
Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot would betray him, yet he allowed him to carry on. Pray that Pope Francis be called to repentance before it is too late.
Pope Francis is only calling everybody to God. He is NOT endorsing anything different
Excellent video. I find it difficult to understand how anyone can be taken in by it. I'm not going to destroy my peace over it. God has allowed this travesty for a reason. He is cleaning up His Church, and like any cleaning or purifying process things can look worse until it gets sorted. Thank you for your input
If you wish to repent, and want a blessing on your sincere endeavour to live in accordance with Christ's teaching - you go to confession. It's that simple. Why would we need this latest salvo from the Vatican?
This is what happens when a pope selects a homosexual activist, James Martin SJ as his spokesman. AND then Manuel Fernandez, author of "Heal Me With Your Mouth - The Art of Kissing," as head of the DDF. Like putting foxes to guard the hen-house.
The bergoglian gift that keeps on giving: ambiguity, confusion and heresy...ho,ho,ho.. that is
Naughty..not nice
Why indeed?
non catholics cant go to confession tho
@@user-or6yq3sp7v that is not necessarily true. In my local Anglican Cathedral there is a notice that a priest is available for anyone wishing to make confession. In any case the Pope's letter refers to Roman Catholics.
Mr. Ashenden. This was MAGNIFICENT!! It may be your best commentary ever. Charitable while speaking the hard naked truth. May God richly bless you and your family.🙏 A blessed end of Advent to you.
As a Mere Christian (Anglican) I have been devoted to Catholic teachings although unable to convert because of a previous marriage I love the Rosary and most of my prayers are Catholic. I wish the Anglican Church had not gone down this road too but my Church is not completely "woke" and remains high Anglican.
Thank you Dr. Ashenden for having the courage to speak the truth that so many of us need to hear and have affirmed. It is the camel's nose under the tent to be sure and we all know how that ends up. The Church will survive this. Christ reigns supreme. "Let not your hearts be troubled."
You can convert tho.
Yes, speak to a religious sister connected with marriage tribunal in your local Diocese. Do not pre-judge your situation. God's mercy awaits you.
If you happen to live in the USA, I want to let you know that there are solid Anglican parishes in the ACNA (Anglican Church in North America) dioceses which do not accept the modernist theology. I am a former cradle Catholic who now have been planted by the Lord in a very good ACNA Anglican parish in the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word (ADLW).
@@rexlion4510 If you even knew the history of Anglicanism... Catholic blood on their hands.
"Not angels but Anglicans"
to misquote Pope Gregory.
Thank you for this - I am in Canada and I am lucky that my Church is high Anglican. It is what I am familiar with and much of liturgy is the same as Catholic. If it changes to more "woke" I will find another. Cannot worship somewhere that we are not comfortable. @@rexlion4510
Well said, your calm relaxed, truthful black and white, not grey, not ambiguous and confusing delivery is truly appreciated and encouraging to the flock, if only the current shepherd would imitate.
As a convert and one who finally took the plunge after 10 years of gnarly indecision and questioning, I joined the Catholic Church. Why? Because I fully believed then and now that it is the church Christ gave us and the same the Holy Spirit has tended through the centuries. It is obvious to me that there is nowhere else to run. :) We have come to the end of the road. The church remains the church, and it will continue to do so until the time of Christ's return. For me, I can only hope to remain steadfast and ready each and every day. I am forever grateful to live in the center of the embrace of Christ's embrace within His church. Thank you for such a thoughtful expression. This is my first time hearing you speak.
I'm a cradle Catholic who left the faith as a teenager. I returned a few years ago in large part due to the Traditional Latin Mass and now I will never leave the faith even if the Pope stands on his head and produces a document stating sodomy is mandatory for all Catholics. Thank you dearly for your thoughtful commentary. It's open season on Catholicism...secular society is persecuting it and the Church seems to have joined in. Whoever doesn't yet realize that our beloved Church has been thoroughly infiltrated by cultural marxists, is not paying attention.
Might you be able to name these marxists?
Amen and Amen! ✝️
@@littlerock5256Such a silly question. That ploy has no strength.
@@AnneEloiseOfCNY Who, exactly, are the marxists?
@@littlerock5256Liberal theology - South America - do a little research.
Dr. Ashenden,bless you. I lost my spouse over the question of “fecundity” and lost the comfort of friendship with my sister for many many years because I told her in 2010 about a certain ‘light purple’ fraternity that had infiltrated the Vatican. We eventually reconciled but only by agreeing to never speak again about the state of the Church.
God wants us here and now. Ave Maria.
Commiserations, l 😮know exactly what that feels like, families are divided, hold tight to the faith.
Those in error are brittle, faith gives thee rest of us unwavering resilience.
As a convert myself (2009) I am glad I got to know some church ladies early on who told me this was coming (per apparitions of Our Lady and numerous seers worldwide). I am most appalled by good and holy priests who are afraid to just say, "This is wrong." Instead they twist themselves into pretzels trying to explain away heresy, apostasy, and pure evil in the Church. The cowardice is embarassing and a scandal. The jiggery pokery at the Vatican is old news. But woe to the shepherds who do not protect their sheep from it. I pray they repent before Our Lord returns and asks if there is any faith left at all. (Btw I was not Anglican, but I have gotten a few of those ha-ha-has. :( I pray for Cardinal Sarah's elevation. I prayed he would succeed Benedict, and after these 10 years I am ready to hope and pray again.)
Because of these issues with weak priests, if you can look for a Traditional Latin Mass, they thankfully don't mince words.
Yes, thank you Dr. Ashendon. I am a lifelong Catholic who now travels 100 miles (160km) each week to attend the Roman Catholic rite. Many Catholic bishops around the world reject such heterodox proposals as opposed to the Arian heresy when most of the then bishops accented to the heresy! It quite literally came down to just a couple bishops; St. Athanasius anyone? In the end, the Church emerged even stronger, almost like a sickness that sparks the “bodies” immune system. The Lord “knows what he is about” and providentially allows these unfortunate set of events. Fire fighters don’t run from fires, as Catholics we “do our duty” to fulfill our mission together in the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. Victory has been won and Our Lord invites us to draw closer to this particular cross. The Lord has never and will never abandon his bride the Church. Ave Maria.
Well said. Fire fighters don't run from a fire!
Thank you so much Dr Ashenden. I 100% agree with what you have said. We are in perilous times and Our Lord is asking much of us.
One of my favourite saints is St Therese of Lisieux, and I am sure you would know the story of her great suffering and horrible final days. Yet through it all she kept her faith and saw God as her loving Heavenly Father. I am also learning from her to do the same. To just throw myself as a little child into the arms of my Father. Humans will often let us down, even if they be a Pope, but God will not, provided we stick with Him through it all.
The wisest and most beautiful in eloquence and clarity yet peace of mind opinion on that event that I so far heard. Thank you so much Dr G. Ashenden! Merry Christmas to you and all of us!
This confusion has been very concerning for cradle Catholics like me too. I empathise with my convert brothers and sisters. You are spot on with your analysis of the death cult. God bless you.
Yes this pope has used weaponized ambiguity. He's a Jesuit, therefore he's a teacher and knows how to teach the Faith clearly but has a long pattern of choosing to be ambiguous instead. Confusion never comes from the Holy Spirit. I read a very well footnoted book THE POLITICAL POPE by George Neumayr. That was such an eye opener as well as THE DICTATOR POPE by Henry Sire. Both authors are Catholic.
I do not find the pope confusing. In my view he is perfectly clear. He supports homosexuality and irregular couples. It would be much healthier to call a spade a spade, not to cheat on ourselves. Itvis not only liberating but it allows to take the right way of action
I can not express how helpful this is for the faithful, priests and laity alike. Thank you so much for your insight and calm presentation of an explosive subject. I’m sending this to all my protestant, friends and family members. God love you!
As an EO, I find myself in agreement with you concerning the cult of death at work in the world. You have my sympathy with regard to the scandalizing behavior from the Bishop of Rome. The accuser of the brethren comes to kill, to steal, and to destroy. But our Lord came to destroy the works of the accuser. May we examine our consciences, and under the illumination of the Holy Spirit repent our sins and keep ourselves ready for our Masters return.
Thank you so much, Dr. Ashenden. You expressed it perfectly. Any serious Catholic is suffering terribly with this news.
Thank you, Dr. Ashenden, for this excellent assessment. At middle age, teaching college courses in Western Civilization, I converted to Catholicism, despite the fumblings that had arisen out of VII. Then , in frustration over the punishment of faithful, holy priests who merely sought to defend the Truth of the faith, for a brief time I turned to the beauty and faithfulness of Orthodoxy. But I couldn't accept Orthodoxy's insistence that St. Thomas Aquinas et al were heretics as a result of the Great Schism. I soon returned to Rome, and here I shall stay. Jesus will not desert his Church, and we must stand firm in defense of the Faith. Yes, tough times ahead. We must storm Heaven with our prayers for the Church and the clergy, and help each other along the way. God bless you.
Was Thomas Aquinas validly baptised? Orthodox Churches do not agree among themselves on this.
Thank you Dr. Ashenden. Every catholic should listen to this podcast. It is that powerful.
Every Catholic should avoid this video 0:49
One last comment, your decision to remain a Laymen and thereby speak your mind as inspired by the Holy Spirit was the right one. You are serving the Church wonderfully through your clear commentary. 👍🙏
Dear Dr Ashenden, I very much appreciate your sound thinking and your love for Christ and your new found Catholics. Welcome home although we are going through turmoil. But Satan has always attempted to destroy Jesus’ Apostolic Church because even he knows we have the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Your words bring peace to a troubled and confused mind and I have been able to refocus my thoughts back onto Jesus. He will never let us go astray if we focus on Him. Merry Christmas!!! May you be Blessed and thank you.
Dr Ashenden, many thanks for your very helpful and ultimately hopeful exposition of this scandal. Jesus did NOT say, 'Thou art Peter, and upon this sand I will build my Church...'
We, the faithful, must stand firm in the Church, and fight for her if necessary. “Pray, hope and don’t worry.” St. Padre Pio. Our God is faithful to His children. We may not see things as He sees them, but we must trust our Abba with the trust of a loving child.
I'd like to thank you for this Dr. Ashenden. Your warm candour mixed with a sense of imbued joy is very comforting in these cold, harsh times.
The late Fr Malachi Martin's book "The Jesuits" is very enlightening and foreseeing, considering it was published n 1987.
But then, Malachi Martin was one of the few individuals who saw the contents of the third miracle of Fatima and translated it for Pope John XXIII, who then suppressed it, "Not for our time", he said.
Thank you Dr Ashenden for presenting your assessment of "Fiducia Supplicans" in a calm and orderly manner, so easily understood.
God bless you.
Converts to Catholicism are our best role models as they’ve investigated the Faith and recognize the stability, structure and discipline that are at the very core of the Church instituted by Christ for the salvation of all. It’s the same today, yesterday, forever in all of its beauty, truth and goodness.
First time watching this channel. Also first video I see on this topic, that at the end left me with hope and peace. Will be watching more. Thank you Sir!
I converted to Catholicism in 1983 and have consistently studied my faith. I knew that the doctrine was not changed, but still felt very troubled by the document. First, I don't know why they released the document as the doctrine wasn't changed. Why muddy the water, when it wasn't necessary to say anything at all. Your words have helped me understand the turmoil that I was experiencing. Yes it is very treacherous and damaging. I will pray for our Priests who now have to deal with the fallout of this treachery.
Beautiful, truthful, and incredibly strengthening and consoling! This was exactly what I needed. I'm profoundly grateful, Dr Ashenden! Let's prevent this scandal from overshadowing the joy of Christmas!
I am thankful to have found this channel- a comment left at Fr. Mark's video defending the document, mentioned this gentleman and I am delighted to find this brilliant explanation!!!
I, for one, am delighted that you converted and have added your voice on our side.
I had 73 years of religeon and finally left. I had become more and more confused, so I no longer knew what to believe. It gave me a headache. Thank you Dr Ashenden you help me try to find a focus.
Dr. Ashenden, I am rather new to your channel here and must say as a "Cradle Catholic" I am so grateful I found you! I enjoy your faith filled discussions and the truth it provides to nourish my soul. On this particular topic which is very sad indeed I immediately recall the words our Blessed Mother said to the children at the apparition at Garabandal: "Many Bishops, Cardinals and Priests will lead the faithful down the road of perdition and take many souls with them". If this don't authenticate that apparition then I don't know what will, we are witnessing this right now! We still await the foretold warning and Miracle that Our Blessed Mother told the children will happen at this apparition and I now believe that this will happen sometime this coming year. Thank you for bringing this issue to the forefront and I pray God will continue to Bless you for doing so! Wishing you and your Family a Blessed Christmas! From William Torio, Long Island New York. God Bless
I pray for the illumination of consci
Remember Thomas Russell wrote 60 years ago - when the pressure grows and our faith is tested - just hold on to your own ground and be sure of that !!because you will only have that small piece of ground to stand on - call on the Holy Spirit- and He will keep you safe ! Praise the Trinity !🙏
Thank you so very much Dr. Ashenden for your heartfelt and astute analysis. Like yourself, I am a convert. I was Episcopal USA. I sought the safe haven of Catholicism. And it was such for a long time for me.
And now this travesty. However, among all the commentators I've listened to, yours speaks to me directly.
So thank you very much for this video.
,✝️🛐💟🙏🏻🕊️🌹
Don't give up, Anne St. Peter was also leading those around him in confusion and scandal, as it says in Galatians. This was predicted the church is to go through its passion as Jesus went through His Passion, continue to say the Rosary continue going to confession when you need to and continue to receive The Body Blood Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist hold fast to these traditions as St. Paul would say. And we'll catch up on Heaven in the wise words of Padre Pio "Pray Hope and Don't worry." The church is supposed to go through this because only after going through this and having gone down to such a level that it is only Jesus Christ who can and will raise her up again and greater than when she started. This is also to show that it is the Catholic Church that is of God and from God. It is to go this low level of perversity as if it were defeated that only God can raise her up and not man, since only God can raise her up, and He will but in His good time.
just out of interest, you said you switched from the Episcopal - of they didn't change some of the things you weren't happy with would you have sought the Catholic church?
@@peterxuereb9884 Thank you so very much for all your encouragement! It is so kind of you to take the time and effort to write so much, not only to me but to others who are needing building up. Thanks so very much!
For my own part, I have seen other churches: I was Episcopal and fled it! I tried the Lutheran Church; the name of Luther was prominent about 8 times! I looked into the Methodist Church; it seemed a watered-down Episcopal/Anglican Church; and it is now going through a real schism. Then I tried the "non-denominational churches." The big ones were flat, lifeless, and just not interested in being Christian. The small ones were vibrant Bible-based groups. I enjoyed them until I saw the one I was in become a cult. That was unsettling.
Then I did what I knew all along was my destiny: I became Catholic! The real difference isn't style or focus. It's that Christ is here, in the Catholic Church! There is no where else to go!
God bless you! ✝️🛐💟🕊️🙏🏻🌹
@@daddycool228 I had begun to feel a certain emptiness, even after Communion. The Church became like the Catholic Church used to be with processions and vestments and classical music. It was a beautiful service. But I didn't feel a difference from when I entered Church to when I left.
And the decline of the Church started more than a century ago. The Priest called me a heretic because I believed Satan (and his minions) are real. The Priest was very angry at me because I wouldn't back down. They also don't believe in hell. And when I asked where my deceased loved ones were, the (same) priest told me to read I Corinthians, chapter 15. Since I was never taught how to read the Bible (I grew up Episcopal), I didn't understand what I was reading! In essence, there was no ONE Episcopal reply. And I could interpret the Bible chapter any way I wished. I lived in Manhattan NYC, so the modernism had hit the parishes hard and fast.
There were other questions that might eventually have chased me away. I left just as they appointed a female Bishop. They chose an African-American woman. I overheard the Priests saying that was because people would not object a lot about a woman Bishop, because they would seem to be racist! That sneakiness turned my stomach. They were the racists, using her color to cover her femininity. So the woman Bishop was unchallenged!
I recently looked to see what they are up to now. They are supporting children who want to transition their sex. They made a big hullabaloo protest about that out west in a conservative area.
I stopped researching their current news! God brought me to the Catholic Church. Period! Like Thomas Wolfe wrote, you can't go home again.
I was meant to be here. Oh! Now they marry same-sex couples. A full church wedding!
@AnneEloise1951 That is so true about the presence of Jesus in Catholic Church He is nowhere else if He where that mean contradiction on Dogma, Doctrine, Faith, Morals and Theology. As for myself, I don't know of what benefit, if any I have been since I am 100% trying to be 1% saint.
Thank you for being Catholic and thank you for that lucid distinction between changing doctrine and changing practice. Please keep that lucidity and do not think that leaving the Church to become Orthodox would have any benefit...
Thank you of your words they gave me some peace in such a confusing and dark time.
The Church is from God, but the devil wants us to believe it is human. Best commentary. Thank you sir for this comforting sincere talk.
Thank God for your wonderful conversion🙏
Your calm and assured talk is very reassuring🙏
I am a 72 year old lifelong Catholic but I did wander into the wilderness for a period!
However I’m a staunch Catholic and have faith only in Jesus not in weak vessels like our current Pope🙏
God is in total charge and is letting this happen and it has been foretold in the Bible and in so many of Our Lady’s apparitions so knuckle down and deepen our faith🙏
Agreed! Also the Catholic Church has always maintained every pope has limited authority. He doesn't get to make up his own version of the Faith. Galatians 1 :6-10
I listened to many Videos about this matter, but this one is outstanding, the goats and sheeps are being separated, we see the friends of Jesus Christ and the enemies. May Our Lord Jesus Christ grant us Faith to stay with Him to the end 🙏✝️⛪️
Well said. A powerful and insightful talk!
How wonderful you are, so eloquent and beautifully explained. God be with you
Perhaps Dr Ashenden God led you into the Catholic Church for such a time as this. You have the gifts of the Spirit and intellect required to resist. There are others like you. We - the flock know who they are. I will pray for you before mass tomorrow - there is power in prayer.
And as others have said. Mr. Ashenden, you are a great gift to the Church. I am sorry for the suffering you are gong through as a recent convert. May it only strengthen your faith. The situation is likely to get even worse after this Pope dies, but Christ is the Head of His Church, and He is allowing all of this in order to purify Her. There is yet much rot among Catholics, so the suffering is likely to increase. We have entered the desert but we will always have the living waters of His Holy Spirit until we reach the garden on the other side. May God be praised!
Thank you for your keen insight and appreciation of the unchanging teaching of the Catholic Church, Dr. Ashenden. As a cradle Catholic and a longtime parishioner of an FSSP parish in Ottawa Canada, I can assure you that, while my country has sadly embraced this culture of death, there are many who remain faithful to the Magisterium and continue to pray for the Church - Militant, Suffering, and Triumphant - and will continue to pray for the Pope, while in error though he may be. My very best to you and yours Dr. Ashenden for a Merry Christmas and a Holy and joyous New Year. I thank God for your conversion and welcome you home to the one, true, Holy and Apostolic Catholic Church. May your great work and understanding continue to educate and catechize through your channel.
Everyone who likes this video, please email your local bishops' conference, your diocesan bishop and your parish priest, and urge them to make their voices heard and uphold the orthodox, traditional, bi-millenial teaching and practice of the Church
Sounds good. I am very impressed w this !!
Dr. Ashenden, you are a great gift to the Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ. God bless you and your family for Christmas.
The thought of leaving has never crossed my mind. St Michael defend us!
The thought of staying has never crossed my mind. I'm now an Orthodox catechumen.
O Holy and Great Archangel of God Michael, who standest, as the first of the Angels, before the ineffable and super-substantial Trinity; who art placed as a watcher and keeper over the human race; who hast with thine armies crushed the head of the proud Lucifer in the heavens and brought forever to shame his wickedness and treachery on earth!
To thee we have recourse in faith, and thee we entreat with love: be thou an indestructible shield and firm rampart for the holy Church and the Orthodox Christians, guarding them by the lightning power of thy sword from all enemies visible and invisible.
In you Dr Ashenden, so many more , we see a powerful expression of the true Sensus Fidelium…. and witness to the presence of the Holy Spirit alive in the Church…. even in these dark times.
This is a supremely level headed and reasonable response to an unreasonable circumstance. Thank you, Dr.
Thank you, Dr Ashenden, for speaking the truth. I was shaken, betrayed, and hurt by that shocking document. I know exactly why it was ambiguous. My faith in the church was slightly shaken by it. But God has sustained my faith through these confusing days. How good He is. Thanks to clear and steadfast minds like yourself.
The words of Bl. Pope Pius IX also helped me: "If a future pope teaches anything contrary to the Catholic faith do not follow him." It's a ray of light. I now have the certainty that God does not bind us to believe even a pope who declares something opposed to the Catholic Faith. A beatified pope has affirmed it.
We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnessess and they do help us who are still fighting the good fight here on earth. God allows them to strengthen us. Blessed be His Name.
Bl. Pope Pius IX was reaffirming Galatians 1 :6-10
I now believe that there are people who are more catholic than the pope.
In this instance, we can seriously ask the old rhetorical question "is the Pope Catholic?"
EVERYONE is more Catholic than this pope - even protestants
Great comment.
Thank you, Dr. Ashendon. You state the case against 'Fiducia Supplicans' brilliantly and wholly. May God bless you in your ministry. And may God bring the Roman Catholic Church to her resurrection, for surely She is undergoing her passion.
Thank you. Your words are sobering and comforting. I don't know what to make of what's happening, how such a minority can have so much power and influence over the rest of humanity.
An excellent, respectful , informed and truthful presentation. Lord have mercy 🙏
I'm pretty sure you got it right, but change of practice once normalized is the slippery slope.
Dr. Ashenden, thank you for the claity of your explanation and your frankness. I feel like I've been holding my breath.
Thank you, Dr Ashenden, for your calm reassurance. As a recent convert to Catholicism, I was deeply upset by 'Fiducia Supplicans'. You've given me much-needed hope and the will to carry on, no matter how many 'slings and arrows' with which I'll have to contend from my cradle-Catholic acquaintances, who seem to think that this document is a panacea for all the problems in the Catholic Church.
What a time to be alive ...
God bless.
Seems we are in the “trial”
Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 675 “The Church's ultimate trial”
"Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth."
Bishop Sheen's prophecy of "Ape of the Church" to be
manifesting. We're on the same page
For me, Fiducia Supplicans should never have been issued. Blessing individuals in their struggles and journey is good, but blessing a "couple" "in a Union"(para 30) gives recognition and acceptance to that status. We know where this is going ...and what example does it give?
"Temptations to sin are sure to come but woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin" Lk 17:1
CCC675 The Church's ultimate trial
"Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth."
Bishop Sheen's prophecy of "Ape of the Church" manifesting?
It seems that the Devil doesn’t only wear Prada, he wears white as well. This development doesn’t make me feel uncertain about my Catholic faith, it is actually making me feel bolder and stronger, firming my faith. Bring it on, Francis, you’re not having my soul!
Bless you, Dr. Ashenden. You bring great comfort to those of us mourning the slow decline of our Church. This is a time of great peril, but God will not abandon us, and we should not abandon His Church.
Thank you.
Your sharp, authoritative analysis cuts through the mire.
Your pleas for understanding and forgiveness for those who betray is also Godly.
Please stay a humble leader.
Peace be with you.
Thank you for this Dr. Ashenden, I admire your honesty regarding FS, as I’ve seen some on Catholic YT contort themselves trying to justify this new decree, even by some traditionalists. As someone who is SSA, I feel so angry and demoralised with what the pope and the “kissing” cardinal have done, and as you stated, I can’t imagine how Catholic priests must be feeling right now. I will no longer continue to make excuses for the pope, I’ve had enough, we need a new pope to undo this mess. God bless you Dr. and thank you for your continued good work.
My wife is a lapsed Catholic who has returned to the one true Church and this has devastated her to the point she can’t even process the analysis of the FS document. I know God will provide us our worldly and spiritual needs, but it’s going to be a hard row to hoe. If one can be a spiritual martyr then I believe Christ is now calling for us to stand with our Holy Saints and martyr ourselves for truth. I thank God for this opportunity and offer up my own soul for His One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church now and forever more.
I came back to the faith a few years ago after losing my 9 year old daughter. I considered orthodoxy along the way, but ultimately decided to return to Catholicism. FS has made me feel as though the proverbial rug has been pulled out from under me. Its very disappointing and a very confusing time to be a Catholic.
You are in communion of faith with all the faithful who have ever lived. The current zeitgeist hierarchy burn bright momentarily, and so will burn themselves to ash and be blown away.
Yes, because FS is built on sand, it will collapse. The Catholic Church is built on Christ our firm foundation.
I’m a cradle Catholic and am heartbroken for what this pope is doing. All I can say is don’t jump the ship. God will not allow the gates of hell to prevail.
You might be well served to take a good, hard look at whether Roman Catholicism is actually The Church. There's a very good case to be made for Holy Orthodoxy.
The Catholic Church has an unbroken line of popes since the time of the Apostles. There have been saintly and bad popes. The miracle is that Christ has preserved the one Catholic Church He founded throughout the Ages. Because humanly speaking it should have folded many different times. Instead the Lord by His mercy and grace always amazingly ressurects His Bride the Church.
The Church is undergoing her purgation!
Please do not be discouraged for the Church that stood unnumbered doctrinal challenges will not fail to overcome the current one too, because it belongs to Christ.
@@marnatz5 After seeing all the corrupt popes, the true miracle is that Catholics still believe the pope is uniquely called and enabled to hear & follow the Holy Spirit, and he should be depended on to transmit God's truth to the laity. 😂 Every true Christian is given the Holy Spirit indwelling and should be able to hear God for themselves. But the Catholic Church does not teach its members how to be led by the Spirit of God. Shame on the Catholic Church.
Thank you Dr Ashenden for standing in the battle line. We are all sinners and none are excluded from the mercy of God but we must approach Him on His terms REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS (GOSPEL) The Church stands at Her Termopolae If the Enemy wants our faith ,the sword of Truth which is Christ Himself ,let the e nemy come and try to take it The English reformation times hymn of Catholics Faith of our Fathers should be sung with heart and mind again
My heart goes out to the converts that joined in this end of times chaotic times our true Church thinking it would be a peace of cake or less chaotic in the True Church. But more then ever it is, because it is the true Church and we are in the end of times and the spiritual battle is in full force against it. Sadly persecution has started in and out. Let's unite, pray, hope, love, prepare.
Bless you for your great work. You don't know how important it is. You converted at the right time for such a brave aposlotate. Thank God you are not formal clergy or assistant to it, because you can speak freely.
Trans/gay agenda is anti-life, is part of the death cult, no life or true family through nature or adoption can come through it.
Partiarch Sviatoslav has repudiated it, stating that it does not apply to the UGCC.
YES!!!!😊
It’s as if a married man goes to a popular bar with a woman, not his wife. Has he cheated on his wife? No, but he has created potential scandal and undermined his marriage.
The difference being ; the man is already having sexual relations with the other man. It is already a sinful relationship not just a future occasion for sin.
@@katherinegans5040 I think the point was the visuals of the blessing being scandalous, more than the moral equivalency.
As an Anglican (ACNA), I’m so sorry that my fellow Anglicans have lobbed “I told you so” at you. We are all in the struggle to not “let the world around us squeeze us into its own mold” (a paraphrase of Rom. 12:2 - JB Phillips). We need the power of the Word, the Holy Spirit, and the Community of saints to hold us tightly together in the Truth.
You speak the truth, God will save His Church, and God bless Cardinal Sarah. Gbu
Dr. Ashenden, I truly appreciate your reassuring, and even pastoral, tone of encouragement in admonishing for us to hold fast through these times. I recently left the Episcopal church here in the US and am set to be confirmed as a Catholic through the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter the week after next. This news initially made me a bit sick at heart and I wondered for a moment if I was making a mistake. Thankfully, my priest has reassured me on many of the same points you have brought out. The one, holy, catholic and apostolic church has weathered so many storms, heresies, and even "bad" popes over the millennia. Jesus will not allow his church to fail on earth. Thanks again.
Yessss!! Thank you, Dr Ashenden, for this clarification. I was so upset when I saw the headline, but remembered that God is in charge.
This is His planet, we are His children, and He doesn't like what "they" are trying to do.
God blesses those who have repudiated the Pope's latest word. Amen and Amen
Most precious blood of Jesus Christ.
R: Save us and the whole world. 500xpd.
I will add a daily rosary for all of the Converts who feel this betrayal of their trust. God bless and sustain you Doctor Ashenden. I appreciate your pain.
Thank you - bless you.
The best video and the deepest insight about this document so far. Thank you sir God bless you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Galvin.
Thank you, Gavin, for this forthright assessment of FS. You have pulled back the veil so this document can be seen for what it really is. God bless you!
This was a very consoling reflection on the situation of apostacy in the Church. I have been watching and listening to the acts and words of Pope Francis from the beginning of his pontificate. My misgivings very quickly gave in gradually to despising his behavior and frankly despising him. To have a man at the head of the Church who seeks to destroy the Church, is so difficult for me to accept. I will try to start praying for him. I know that even miracles are possible with God grace. Yet, I have very little hope that a man like him can be converted. May God help us!!
Thank you for this. 🙏🏻 It has helped more than I can say. God bless you.
I want God to forgive my sins, not to bless them.
Thank you, Dr Ashenden, for this clarification and words of comfort. They are much needed and appreciated.
May God bless you always and may Our Lady protect you under Her mantle❣️🕊️🙏🏻
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours!
This was so good that I even watched it whilst staying up late.
Thank you, as always, Gavin for your carefully and prayerfully considered analysis of the current crisis in the leadership of the Church. As a “cradle Catholic” I can assure you that the Church has never been free from problems of one kind or another. Before the Second Vatican Council, there were a great many Priests and Religious who had found their way into the Priesthood or their Religious Order otherwise than as a result of a genuine vocation. After it became possible for those who felt that they never had a genuine vocation to leave, they did leave, in droves. Nuns abandoned their convents and their habits and dressed in mini skirts and went out to work as social workers. Members of Religious Orders took up Buddhism or other Eastern mystic religions. The seminaries attracted in vocations by setting up homosexual clubs and offering an active homosexual lifestyle to seminarians. While the new form of the Mass was, generally, celebrated with reverence and due solemnity, this was not always the case. Sometimes there were rock musicians and dancing in the aisles. Unfortunately, those resisting this tide of “Modernism” were generally seen as eccentric or unbalanced (and, quite often, they were). Just as there were those in the secular world who really did think that bringing back pounds shillings and pence would solve the problem with inflation, there were those who considered that a real spiritual renewal was not required - a return to the Tridentine form of the Mass would, in itself, as if by some sort of magic, automatically restore true spirituality in the Church. One of the main problems in the Church today is that a clergy, made up of men who are, predominantly, of a homosexual orientation, are trying to minister to a laity who are, generally, of a heterosexual orientation. As Bishop Robert Byrne found, when he was appointed to Newcastle and Hexham, importing what he considered to be a perfectly normal and acceptable homosexual lifestyle into the Diocese, such as he was used to in the very “gay friendly” Archdiocese of Birmingham did not go down at all well with the laity in the North of England. He simply threw in the towel - he admitted that being a Bishop in the modern Church was an impossible assignment. The Pope wanted to encourage a homosexual clergy and the laity simply did not want it. They wanted a clergy who, at the very least, would maintain the public fiction that they were living chaste, celibate, lives. So, the current move towards acceptance of the active homosexual lifestyle and the offering of blessings to confirm this is the logical end result of decades of a weakening of the Faith. I agree with you as to the nature of the document. It starts off by asserting that the Church has not changed and could never change its doctrine. Then, it goes on to introduce a change of practice which does, for all practical purposes, operate as a change of doctrine. It is like a timber house whose timbers have been eaten away on the inside by wood boring beetles. It looks sound and solid until, one day, eaten away from within, it suddenly comes crashing to the ground. The Church has been eaten away from within now for a very long time. The fatally weakened edifice was bound to come crashing down to earth eventually. It was only a matter of time.
Thankyou. I am a convert who has personally suffered the conflict within a family and the tragedy of a homosexual brother who died from Aids. The psychological and spiritual struggles of same sex attracted people cannot be ignored. However through this smoke and mirrors act of deception, this unholy hierarchy have misled them and everyone else into thinking that salvation is not necessary because repentance is not necessary. They have led people away from Jesus. Where there is no longer a concept of sin there is no longer a concept of love that overcomes sin. They have emptied the Gospel of its meaning for everyone in the world.
Either God exists or He does not. Either Jesus died and rose again or He did not. The greatest act of love that we can offer to the world is our faith.
God keep our priests safe from the violence that will be directed against them. God keep them safe from doubt about their purpose and their personal choice to sacrifice all for the sake of the love of God.
God change the hearts of the nest of vipers in the hierarchy, especially those actively pursuing their own sexual gratification because of their own lack of faith.
God keep those who can see through this travesty safe from doubt and distress. Show all of us your love by guiding our hearts to safety in the storm.
If you read the document though it refers specifically to blessings being conferred on same sex attracted people who want to grow in holiness and turn away from sin.
This is not to say I'm a big fan of the document, I think it creates confusion and liberal priests will take advantage of it.
@yankeecitygirl I read it thanks. It has already been abused by liberal priests. That is the problem. The secular media have already misrepresented the purpose of the blessing and America magazine placed a big ad in a newspaper which was also very misleading saying that the church has changed. Unfortunately the document says the priest is not allowed to comment on the situation of the couple. If he cannot say it is a sin he cannot advise them to change their situation. That is the Catch 22 statement that creates the smoke and mirrors. This applies to divorced and remarried couples too. Notice there is no attempt to reach out to the women who are acting as surrogate mothers for the children in these relationships.
It is also a statement that puts priests in danger of legal prosecution and public harassment by the " bake the cake" types. Apparently lots of priests are already being targeted. Especially the Latin rite ones. America magazine also published an article stating " Is this the end of the Latin rite?". A veiled threat to drive the church into schism over this issue unless you interpret it their way.
Whether this document succeeds in upholding church teaching or not will all come down to how it is put into practice.
But 4 times at least, the Declaration mentions the blessing of COUPLES. So there is nothing now to prevent a SS couple from holding hands and asking for a blessing. Whenever we see rampant confusion on any Dogmatic or Moral teaching of the Catholic Church it does not come from the Holy Spirit. As Gavin says, it is deceitful. Their purpose appears to mislead by using confusion.
Thank you for this meditation Dr Gavenden. I too am a convert and this explanation was very helpful.
Thank you for this Dr Ashenden it’s been a great help to me
Thank you so much for this, Dr. Ashenden. So very helpful.
God has blessed you abundantly…He is working through you to send us blessings and truth. Thank you for being open to Him who is using you as a good for us all!
As a cradle Catholic, I have to say I value the leadership of this convert beyond measure.
Please, I beg you, follow the pope instituted by Christ himself, rather than any CZcamsr, philosopher, theologian. So much of the “confusion” is artificially created. Submitting to the Holy See is traditional, doctrinal, and biblical. The Lord will bless you with peace with your obedience.
@@Mike-JMJ Translation -- Mike likes the confusion being sown by this particular pope, as against the certainty of the previous ones, ergo, THIS pope is right.
Most converted knows and teaches the faith better than many Priests that have been ordained for many years. First time listener to Dr. and I'm hooked! Not bathing, not name calling, but humble, simple and kind, speaking as Saint Paul did, not going around the bush. He hemind me of father John Corapi, a great and true priest that was silenced by the ones that are behind this letter.
@@Dabhach1 I love each Successor of Peter, as instructed by Christ. Today we ought to approach the magisterium with the mindset of “what can I learn,” with a spirit of obedience and docility - it is what we are called to do as Catholics. Slandering the pope, twisting his words, and representing him with a hermeneutic of rupture (warned by Pope Benedict XVI) is antithetical to tradition and doctrine. If I am wrong, please refer to the appropriate text which rebukes this approach. If not, keep canon 1373 in mind.
@@Mike-JMJ You first. Please refer me to where I have said the words you're putting into my mouth.
Excellent Dr. Ashenden! Thank you and may God graciously bless you!
Dear Dr Ashenden - it is lovely to have your voice within the church. May God be with you at all times. That could sound a little dramatic, but your head may now be above a parapet, although I hope not.
There could be no other purpose for this document than to introduce chaos and confusion into the Church, and to allow perverted priests to "misunderstand" and confirm people in mortal sin- risking the eternal damnation of souls. I am also a convert, thanks be to God. And I will always be faithful to the Holy Church, no matter who occupies the seat of Peter.
Yes, because Pope Francis is a close friend of Fr. James Martin S. J. and he couldn't do that photo op "blessing" with a civically "married" SS couple fast enough, immediately after the release of the horrific Declaration from the Vatican. Good priests are censored while the very public figure of Fr. Martin goes scott free. Both he and Pope Francis need our daily prayers for conversion. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.
Thank you for such an encouragement in this time of CONFUSION. God bless you! And all who are defending the Truth.
Thank you Dr.Ashenden for explaining this so clearly.
Thank you and God bless you Gavin. Your insights brings clam to the storm.
Magnificent! From start to finish!
Recently I was considering a return to the Catholic Church after years of spiritual journey through many other Evangelical churches, and righyt now I think that the only church that will remain pure and untouched by the modern ideologies will be the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Catholic Church has never officially repented for decades of sexual sins within the Church, among its clergy, so the spiritual door stayed open to entlarge the sin, this is why this now happened! The only solution against any sin is to repent and receive a new Grace from God. This goes for any sinner and the Church as whole as well!
agreed! I'm Catholic but will be received into the Eastern Orthodox Church next year
Not logical. Orthodox allow divorce contraception etc and some orthodox bishops have already agreed with this new document. Apparently European orthodox in Serbia were blessing same sex couples 100 years ago. The church does not bless homosexual unions, just sinners. The only shock here IMO is the scandal and external appearances and the failure to condemn the sin of sodomy. Don't jump out of the frying pan into the fire. This is a pastoral disaster , not a doctrinal one. Orthodoxy is the opposite; externally and verbally robust, but doctrinally internally inconsistent and unsustainable.
(Also, for Catholic to apostasize to Orthodoxy is a mortal sin.)
@@johnkehoe1067 How?
The Church, or His Body, is spotless, She has no need of repentance, however, some of Her earthly members do indeed need to repent and be held accountable, from laity, to priest, to bishop, to pope, to consecrated virgins, etc. Technically, they have severed their membership by grave unrepentant mortal sin, they are no longer "in" the Church.
.
Eastern orthodoxy is not a logical or wise option. They also have sinners from laity to patriarchs. They are also made up of "humans". And here lies the truth of it...He has One Church, with Rome as Her visible head, but Christ is Her true Head. The Lord in His own time will deal with the rot of persons, either in this life, or in the next, or in both. I appreciate the apostolicity of the East, but they are in schism. How wonderful if they were not, then they who are faithful within it could be such a bolster to the One True Church.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I came into the Church as an adult, and couldn't agree with you more. Thank you for this articulate thoughtful analysis of what is happening...and keeping us informed.
Thank you for all you do Dr Ashenden! And thank you for speaking up for us converts who have been demonized by Austen Ivereigh. Apparently we are the rigid backwardists who are only interested in trying to be relevant! 😂
I wonder about Ivereigh's sanity sometimes.
Nonsense