"The Gospel of Jesus Christ is an end in itself," Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, Norway, told OsvNews.com on 11 May during a trip to the USA. "Any attempt to instrumentalise the Gospel for a subsidiary purpose, whether cultural, ideological or political, is suspect." He warned against "any attempt to brandish Christianity void of the message and presence of the Wounded and Risen One". And: "Any presentation of Christianity that abstracts the scandal of the Cross, or that uses the Cross perversely as a weapon with which to strike others, is veering towards heresy or even blasphemy." However, the main focus of the interview is psychology, not religion. Some of his main points are: - absolutizing our own experience - immersed in my own experience - the drama of my existence - learn to live with my wound - being wounded is the human norm - a remembrance of healing - living enclosed in ourselves - shut myself off - a new way of being human - a human life is a drawn-out affair Picture: …Ebisinga
" Any presentation of Christianity that abstracts the scandal of the Cross..." --- I read in St. Paul's epistle: "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a scandal (skandalon)..." (1 Corinthians 1) So a question follows: is this guy a Jew?
On May 6, a man vandalized La Ermita Church in Cali, Colombia. Seven statues were destroyed, including images of the Virgin of Sorrows and the Risen Christ. The suspect was arrested at the scene.
A serious case of vandalism was reported a few minutes ago at the La Ermita chapel in Cali.
Thursday, May 14 - Ascension of the Lord - Solemnity Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 28,16-20. The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."
Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, has renewed a 2018 directive requiring the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel to be recited after Eucharists across the Archdiocese. The instruction was included in a May 12 pastoral letter published on ArchdPdx.org The prayer should be said “after the conclusion of every Mass celebrated in the archdiocese,” describing it as part of a spiritual response to challenges facing the Church. The “Mission Renewal” initiative includes consecration of the archdiocese to the Sacred Heart, novenas, Eucharistic processions, fasting and penance, and works of mercy. Explaining the reason for the prayer, Archbishop Sample wrote that “Satan seeks to divide, disrupt and interfere,” adding that united prayer against “the enemy” is crucial for renewal efforts. #newsIchjizaoee
The talk of a Catholic revival spurred by a surge in adult conversions is misplaced, writes Matthew Schmitz in FirstThings.com (May 12). Conversions show no signs of offsetting the broader decline of Catholic life in the United States. Schmitz points to statistics. In 2000, 2.6 million American children attended Catholic schools. By 2025, that number had fallen to 1.6 million. In 2001, more than a quarter-million Catholic weddings took place in the United States; by 2024, there were only around 107,000. Infant baptisms have also collapsed: more than one million infants were baptized in the Church in 2001, compared with fewer than half a million in 2024. "Catholicism" in Service of U.S. Political Interests At the same time, Schmitz argues that while the Church is shrinking institutionally, Catholic ideas and language are allegely shaping public debate in America. Discussions about immigration, war, political authority, and moral responsibility are now often conducted using Catholic concepts …Ebisinga
Blind leading the blind Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi(Latin: "the law of what is prayed [is] what is believed [is] the law of what is lived"), good luck finding that in Novus Order
"Strong Lobby Within the Church for the Homosexual Agenda": Rev Donald Haggerty of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, criticized during a May 11 homily the Vatican Synod study document proposing a “reconsideration” of homosexual relations: "It’s kind of stunning to have that coming out of a document from the Vatican." He added that "there is a strong lobby within the Church for the homosexual agenda".
Fr. Donald Haggerty denounced the Synod study document’s proposed “rethinking” of homosexuality as a disturbing challenge to Catholic teaching.
Bishop Varden on hope, AI, patience — and not weaponizing Christianity BALTIMORE (OSV News) — During his May 7 visit to St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, Norway, a member of the Trappist monastic order, sat down with OSV News to share his insights on Christian hope, the dangers of AI and weaponizing the Christian faith, and the need for patience in the spiritual life.
Noruega: Mons. Varden reivindica la paciencia frente a la cultura de lo inmediato El Obispo Erik Varden, monje trapense y titular de la diócesis de Trondheim (Noruega), ha afirmado que no alberga «absolutamente ninguna esperanza» en la inteligencia artificial como instrumento de renovación espiritual. «Cualquier renovación espiritual digna de ese nombre es aquella que traspasa el corazón humano, y eso es algo que un algoritmo no puede hacer», ha declarado en una entrevista concedida a OSV News durante su visita al seminario de St. Mary's en Baltimore el pasado 7 de mayo. hmtv
Bishop Varden on hope, AI, patience - and not … This interview has been edited for length and clarity. OSV News: You provided the reflections for the Lenten Spiritual Exercises in the Vatican for Pope Leo XIV and others, and in your final reflection, you focused on the theme of communicating hope. In the U.S. there’s been a real interest in Nordic noir films and books — often bleak and morally ambiguous — and a perception that Nordic culture is broadly the same. Do you find any irony in a Nordic bishop focusing on hope? Bishop Varden: Well, your question makes me smile, because I’ve lived in a number of different countries, mainly in Europe, and I find that the more you move south in Europe, the more people have extravagant notions of the North, and the more they assume that it is an area of the world plunged in perpetual darkness, where everyone is given to drink and excess, and where everyone is on antidepressants, and where people keep killing themselves with axes. And it isn’t …Ebisinga
On Pentecost Monday, Cardinal Raymond Burke will celebrate the closing Mass of this year's Chartres Pilgrimage in France. With more than 20,000 pilgrims registered to take part, this is the highest number yet. Other celebrants and preachers alongside Cardinal Burke include Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, former rector of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris; Father Antonius Maria Furtado, Superior General of the Missionaries of the Holy Cross; and Father Serge-Thomas Bonino, OP. Cardinal Burke also celebrated the closing Mass of the pilgrimage in 2017. Other prelates who have previously celebrated the Mass include Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Cardinal Gerhard Müller and Cardinal Robert Sarah. #newsFfujebqnww
When Jesus Christ asserted that we would recognize evil and false shepherds by their wicked deeds, he clearly teaches us that no one who claims to be his disciple—and who possesses mental capacity—has any excuse for ignorance. Therefore, neither Burke, nor Muller, nor Sarah, nor Schneider, nor any other priest or layperson of sound mind has any excuse of ignorance. Since Prevost's rebellion against God's natural law and Catholic doctrine is public and obstinate.
Just like JPII in Poland he never been put in jail yes once Burke was removed from a post but never treated like SSPX but is kept on a leash to keep the traditionist at bay.
[St. Augustine of Hippo – IV-V Century AD; born: Thagaste, Roman Empire/died: Hippo, Western Roman Empire; (aged 75) – Church Father – Doctor of the Church – Blessed; Resting Place – Pavia, Italy] Chapter VI 16. Hence there follows most justly the statement, "Ye are the salt of the earth;" showing that those parties are to be judged insipid, who, either in the eager pursuit after abundance of earthly blessings, or through the dread of want, lose the eternal things which can neither be given nor taken away by men. "But if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted?" i.e., If ye, by means of whom the nations in a measure are to be preserved [from corruption], through the dread of temporal persecutions shall lose the kingdom of heaven, where will be the men through whom error may be removed from you, since God has chosen you, in order that through you He might remove the error of others? Hence the savorless salt is "good for nothing, but to be cast out, and trodden under …Ebisinga
Fear of persecution: "Hence the savorless salt is "good for nothing, but to be cast out, and trodden under foot of men." It is not therefore he who suffers persecution, but he who is rendered savorless by the fear of persecution that is trodden under foot of men."
Auxiliary Bishop Rob Mutsaerts of ’s-Hertogenbosch says he was silenced on the spot (“gecanceld”) after questioning the ideology of a self-described inclusive parish. Writing on his blog on April 29, Monsignor Mutsaerts recounted celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation at a parish with a rainbow flag outside the church. Before the entrance procession began, the bishop asked one of the boys preparing for Confirmation what he thought of the flag. The teenager shrugged and replied that he would rather have seen a PSV football flag hanging there. After the Eucharist, parishioners told Mutsaerts that they considered themselves an “LGBTQ church” and a “Rainbow Church.” During conversations afterward at the coffee table, the bishop began questioning what such churches mean when they describe themselves as “inclusive.” Monsignor Mutsaerts argued that every church necessarily has boundaries because every church teaches truths about morality, human nature, and faith. In his view, the …Ebisinga
Of the first 26 bishops appointed in the USA, 11 (42%) were born outside the United States. Hailing from South America, Asia and Africa, they include a former undocumented immigrant from El Salvador and two former refugees from Vietnam.
As of May 6, 2026, he has made 26 appointments of bishops for his homeland. Eleven of these bishops — 42% — were born outside the United States.
From a former undocumented immigrant to the nation's youngest prelate, Pope Leo XIV's recent bishop appointments reflect a diverse Catholic Church in his homeland. Since his election on May 8 last year, Pope Leo XIV has named numerous bishops to fill posts around the world, also in the USA. Before becoming pope, Cardinal Robert Prevost was himself in charge of proposing new bishops for established Latin Rite dioceses around the world. So, while such decisions are never taken lightly, Leo XIV is particularly keyed in to the needs and criteria involved. As of May 6, 2026, he has made 26 appointments of bishops for his homeland. This includes raising priests to the bishopric, elevating auxiliary bishops to new dioceses, and transferring ordinary bishops to new sees. Eleven of these bishops — 42% — were born outside the United States. Sixteen of them are under 60 years old, and the youngest is 45. Only three come from religious communities: a Jesuit, a Benedictine, and an Oratorian. They …
Today, Leo XIV has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Michele Autuoro, 59, of Naples as the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Benevento, Italy. He was mentored by the pro-homosexual Cardinal Domenico Battaglia of Naples, who is famous for washing the feet of homosexuals and allowing liturgies including transvestites. "Todos, todos, todos" Talking to LaPorzione.it in November 2024, Monsignor Autuoro praised the Francis’ Church. Some quotes from this interview: - “The Church is a great construction site — the construction site of the Synod.” - “The Synod is not a conclusion, it is only a beginning.” - “There is a great desire for change.” - “The Church has only one mission: to reach everyone.” - “The Church is a banquet offered to all peoples, where everyone must sit and no one must be excluded.” Migration / anti-border rhetoric During his time as director of Missio (2013–2018), he campaigned in favour of illegal immigration and criticised "walls and closed borders". During the “Liberi di …Ebisinga
All who join the rebellion of Bergoglio and Tucho—continued by Prevost—against God are welcome in the synodal sect of Sodom. Sacrament of Confirmation Denied to a Young Man for Opposing Gay Ideology Op bezoek bij een ‘LGTBQ-parochie’
Today, Leo XIV has appointed Father Emilio Biosca Agüero, 61, as the new bishop of Venice, Florida. Biosca's parents are both Cuban. He speaks Spanish and Tok Pisin. The Venice diocese covers most of southwest Florida. Monsignor Biosca is a member of the Pittsburgh-based Capuchin Franciscan Friars. He served for over two decades in Papua New Guinea (1994-2006) and Cuba (2007-2019). His public profile is almost entirely defined by immigration ministry. Since 2019, he has been the pastor at the parish of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C., one of the city's historic immigrant parishes located five kilometres from the White House. The congregation is predominantly Latino, particularly Salvadoran, but also includes Haitians, Brazilians and Vietnamese Catholics. Under Fr Biosca, the parish expanded ministries for illegal immigrants well beyond pastoral care, including immigrant accompaniment, attending court hearings, legal support, covering rent and legal fees. Several of his parishioners …Ebisinga