While the Church is weathering the storm of scandals and reformist initiatives, the faithful are also weathering storms of their own. They must confront their own shaken confidence. They must respond to those inside the Church who want to change Church teaching. They must respond to those outside the Church who do not understand Catholic governing structures.
The TFP’s work seeks to help the faithful navigate in these troubled waters, reminding them that God permits these storms so that they might be strengthened.
Amid the storm, the Church will prevail. Did not Our Lord reassure the Apostles during the storm: “Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith?”
On the 150th Anniversary of Two Events of Transcendental Significance for the Life and History of the Church The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of two events of transcendental significance for the Church’s life and history. The first is a positive event, which was the proclamation of the dogma of papal … Read more
Commenting on Pope Francis’s statements during his recent trip to Mozambique, the Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, headlined: “Pope Francis: ‘Gluttony and lust are not grave sins. Clericalism, fixated on sex, is a true perversion in the Church.’” Supporting the Sexual Revolution Reading this headline, a Catholic could be tempted to conclude that … Read more
Catholics had cause for relief on July 8, 2019, when the good news came out that the California legislature is no longer attempting to force priests to break the seal of Confession. This victory came from the efforts of tens of thousands of Catholics who protested. Among those opposing the measure were … Read more
The Church is often pictured as Peter’s Bark sailing on the seas of history. Sometimes calm winds fill Her sails and She skims over the waves with lofty and serene grace. At other times, however, the winds howl, the sea churns with frothy waves, lightning bolts crisscross the skies, thunder alarms the … Read more
A Pastoral Revolution: Six Talismanic Words in the Ecclesial Debate on the Family, Guido Vignelli Language changes over time, so the linguists say. Many changes creep in as people use and reuse a word over centuries. Sometimes, though, a change in meaning is quite deliberate. That is the topic of … Read more
September 25 is the feast of the Divine Shepherdess. This devotion dates back to 1703, when Capuchin Friar Isidoro of Seville, a scion of Spain’s most noble families, experienced a mystical illumination in which the Virgin Mary asked him to spread devotion to her as Shepherdess of Souls. He commissioned a painting, … Read more
When man is facing a crisis, his common tendency is to seek an easy, effective and complete solution. Easy solutions often come to mind without trying to understand in depth the real characteristics of the crisis and its possible causes. Thus, instead of solving crises, such solutions only aggravate them by adding … Read more
The defense of egalitarianism in the socio-political order is a philosophical error. When attempts are made to apply this egalitarianism to the Church, it becomes a theological error. It is a theological error because Scripture clearly shows that Our Lord instituted a hierarchy to govern His Church. It is additionally erroneous because … Read more
The outrage over both the sexual scandals and the complicity of members of the hierarchy is definitely morally justified. This makes a discussion of the causes all the more necessary. A Sin That Cries to Heaven for Vengeance The sin of homosexuality is extremely grave. Consequently, catechisms and other texts used to … Read more
Since the hierarchical structure of the Church is a truth of the Faith, it is not surprising that the Popes uphold this teaching. A sampling of Papal declarations on this point illustrates the importance of this truth. Old Condemned Heresies In the fourteenth century, Marsilius of Padua, in his book Defensor Pacis … Read more