There have been different bad pastoral ideas. But I think recently I may have seen one of the worst. During COVID, a dying woman wanted to confess before she died. Then the Deacon attending her suggested she shouldn’t confess. What!?! Really, this unfortunate thing is reality. I now offer a translation of the piece with the author’s permission. For months, many have discussed the pastoral response of the Church during the COVID pandemic. I can’t agree with complaints that there… Read more
November 7, 2020
A Deacon Discouraged a Dying Woman from Confessing
November 7, 2020 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
November 5, 2020
Nuncio Further Clarifies Pope on Civil Unions
November 5, 2020 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
We are now at about two weeks since the documentary Francesco came out. This documentary misconstrued the Pope’s position on civil unions. The Vatican was slow to respond but now we have an official English version of the clarification they offered. Skip to the second section if you already know the background. Background First, a little background can be found in my two prior articles. This documentary had a bunch of clips of the Pope taken out of context and resown together… Read more
October 31, 2020
Ask Politicians About Assisted Suicide or It Becomes Law
October 31, 2020 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
States have slowly been adopted assisted suicide legislation. This is unethical as it is taking a life before it is over. It often means the elderly or disabled are pushed towards taking pills to kill themselves. Almost any state could be next. And as a Catholic, this is a top voting issue as it involves the taking of human life. Until Roe v. Wade is overturned, states are unable to make significant abortion restrictions. If no significant restriction of abortion… Read more
October 27, 2020
“Cost-Savings” Claimed as Euthanasia Benefit in Canada
October 27, 2020 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
Canada approved “Medical Aid in Dying” in 2016. This law legalized both assisted suicide and euthanasia. Now, with a possible expansion in the works, some claim that this offers great cost-saving. This claim dates back to the passage but now it is in a government report. Right now, many US states are passing assisted suicide laws. These are happening quickly and stealthily without large public debate. And once passed, it seems like only a matter of time before insurance companies start… Read more
October 24, 2020
Full Text Proves Francis Meant Civil Unions IN PLACE OF “Gay Marriage”
October 24, 2020 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
On Wednesday, quotes from a new documentary came out where Pope Francis seemed to indicate support for civil unions for homosexuals. On Thursday, I posted an article here analyzing this in light of Francis’s prior comments and the interview in question. I proposed that Pope Francis was supporting civil unions instead of or in place of “gay marriage.” Most media was still assuming an absolute approval of civil unions. Now on Saturday, the full transcript came out. Not only was I right that that… Read more
October 22, 2020
Pope Francis’s Words on Civil Unions Distorted by Editing
October 22, 2020 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
On October 21, 2020, I woke up to find every news source in the world claiming Pope Francis approved civil unions. Then, when I looked at the video, I see a bunch of statements of the Pope being switched together to give a certain impression. Putting the statements together like that contradicts the Pope’s words on other occasions. Pope Francis seems to approve of civil unions in place of “gay marriages” but many might listen to the segment in the… Read more
October 20, 2020
Embryonic Stem Cell Research Underperforms in California
October 20, 2020 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
Do you remember the top bioethical topic of discussion in 2004? It was California voters approving a $3 billion bond for embryonic stem cell research. Now they are asking for even more money 16 years later. But despite promising all kinds of therapies 16 years ago, there is still no FDA-approved therapy using human embryonic stem cells. This 2004 initiative was in response to George W. Bush cutting off federal funding for research on new embryonic stem cells in 2001…. Read more
October 14, 2020
Clarifying Catholic Teaching on Vaccines re: Fr. Michael Copenhagen
October 14, 2020 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
Several times people have sent me talks or writings by Fr. Michael Copenhagen claiming that he explains the actual Catholic teaching on vaccines. This is despite the fact that he disagrees with the overwhelming majority of bishops and theologians, as well as official Vatican statements. I maintain the position of the Vatican and the majority of theologians. I have responded in personal correspondence or in general terms before. However, as Fr. Michael has decided to speak at a national anti-vax… Read more
October 4, 2020
Key Quotes from Fratelli Tutti: Part 2 (Chapters 5-8)
October 4, 2020 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
Today, Pope Francis released Fratelli Tutti. I read it all today. As I read through I highlighted lines I liked and added them in order to this big file as a kind of mid-sized summary fo the document. Fratelli Tutti was a little harder to summarize than many other papal documents so this ended up about 15% the length of the Encyclical and split into two parts (see part one). I try to provide as much direct quotation as possible… Read more
October 4, 2020
Key Quotes from Fratelli Tutti: Part 1 (Chapters 1-4)
October 4, 2020 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
Today, Pope Francis released Fratelli Tutti. I read it all today. As I read through I highlighted lines I liked and added them in order to this big file as a kind of mid-sized summary fo the document. Fratelli Tutti was a little harder to summarize than many other papal documents so this ended up about 15% the length of the Encyclical and split into two parts (part two). I try to provide as much direct quotation as possible to… Read more
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