Tag Archive for: Cardinal Raymond Burke

What are the chances of the next pope being conservative … like truly conservative?

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Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea and Cardinal Raymond Burke of the U.S. best fit the bill, but what are their chances of getting the needed votes? 

Following the death of Pope Francis on Monday, the internet was aflame with speculation about his potential successors. One of the names to pop up as a favorite in conservative circles was Cardinal Robert Sarah, who comes from the African country of Guinea (pictured above).

After enduring 12 years of persecution and doctrinally bizarre statements from the first Jesuit pope, the Marxist Pope Francis, many traditionalist Catholics have expressed a desire for an “anti-woke Pope,” and Cardinal Sarah certainly fit the bill.

He has consistently stood firm in opposition to same-sex marriage, gender ideology, Western secularism, the threat of Islam, and the impact of uncontrolled migration on European culture and values.

Before the pope’s death, many Catholic conservatives considered Cardinal Sarah an unlikely choice because of his outspoken conservative views. His age, at 79, could also work against him, although there is some truth to the saying “young cardinals vote for old popes.”

But the biggest reason why a conservative like Cardinal Sarah will likely not emerge as the next pope is because the deck has already been stacked against him.

Elizabeth Yore, an attorney, international child advocate and close follower of Vatican politics, told me in the wake of Francis’s death that getting a real conservative as the next pope will be a tall task.

“He (Francis) has packed the conclave,” she said. “There are very few conservative cardinals and they won’t have the votes.”

Here’s the bottom line: Francis made sure he will not be succeeded in the papacy by anything but another liberal. Even if the eventual choice is portrayed in the media as a “moderate” or “moderately conservative,” perhaps someone like Cardinal Pizzaballa of Jerusalem, don’t believe it. You can bet your last dollar he will not be a true conservative like Cardinal Sarah of Guinea or Cardinal Raymond Burke of the United States.

In fact, betting sites have only given Sarah a 2% chance of being elected. Burke, less than that.

An unattributed video interview featuring Cardinal Sarah discussing the threats posed by unfettered migration into Europe began circulating on social media within hours of the Pope’s passing.

When asked what concerns him, Sarah immediately responds with his view of a fading Europe, which he said seems to no longer be interested in practicing, preserving or defending its Christian heritage. He states:

“It has lost its roots. A tree without roots, it dies. And I’m afraid the West is dying. You see plenty of signs. No more nationality. You are invaded, still by other cultures, other peoples, which will progressively dominate you by their numbers, and completely change your culture, your convictions, your values.”

In another video, Cardinal Sarah is heard saying that you cannot vote for a pro-abortion politician and call yourself a Catholic.

That’s not the language of the woke Vatican, nor is it the type of message that the woke global media wants to hear. So it would take a miracle for two-thirds of the mostly woke Conclave of Cardinals to cast their votes for a conservative cardinal from Africa.

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RELATED ARTICLE: German cardinal hopes new pope will backtrack on Islam, LGBT issues

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Will U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke be the next Pope?

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The race for the Holy See: The White House is pushing American Cardinal Raymond Burke as the Pope’s successor. 

Pope Francis’ death is causing growing concern, and the succession battles have already begun openly among Vatican circles.

The scenario of electing a new pope is no longer a distant speculation, but a process taking place in the background, with ideological divisions within the Catholic Church at its center.

In this atmosphere, American Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the prominent leaders of the conservative opposition, is receiving special attention. According to a report by the German BILD, the White House is pushing Burke’s candidacy to lead the Catholic Church, a move that could fundamentally change the face of the Vatican.

If elected, Burke would become the first American pope in history.

Burke is considered one of the harshest critics of the current Pope Francis, and he leads the ultra-conservative current in the church. Since being removed from his post as head of the Vatican’s highest court, he has been an uncompromising voice against papal reforms, which he sees as endangering the religious foundations of the church. He is known for his staunch opposition to immigrants and liberal reforms such as the legalization of same-sex marriage and easing the sacraments for the divorced.

Donald Trump, who has forged strong alliances with the Christian right in the US since taking office, sees the struggle within the Vatican as an integral part of the broader culture war he is waging.

Trump has attacked Pope Francis in the past, mainly for his pro-immigrant stances and his opposition to nationalism. 

Now, according to BILD reports, the Trump administration is continuing to cultivate support for Barak out of a broader interest in influencing the ideological direction of the Catholic Church. Despite the apparent support from Washington and Burke’s popularity among conservatives, his chances of being elected are not high.

Since the beginning of Francis’s term, the number of progressive cardinals in the Vatican has increased, and they now constitute a majority in the conclave, the body that elects the next pope. Most cardinals tend to choose a unifying candidate rather than a polarizing figure like Burke, whose election could lead to a deep rift within the church. When a pope dies or resigns, the process of choosing his successor is conducted according to The rules are clear.

Meanwhile, the struggle behind the scenes continues. While Burke and his conservative supporters seek to lead a sharp change of direction in the Vatican, Francis’ camp is trying to ensure that his reforms continue after his term.

In the midst of this struggle, the figure of Trump — who for years has turned religion and nationalism into powerful political tools — could turn the religious arena into a new stage of confrontation, in which not only the cardinals determine the direction of the church, but also international political forces.

AUTHOR

Dr. Kobby Barda

Kobby Barda was born and raised in Holon, Israel and is an expert on US-Israel relations and a contributor for Israeli T.V. Dr. Barda is a senioe fellow at the Haifa Laboratory for Religious Studies, University of Haifa,Israel. Dr. Barda was the head of the “Gal Program” for Political Leadership at The Academic Center for Law and Science, Hod Hasharon, Israel. Barda holds a M.A. degree from Haifa University where his dissertation focused on AIPAC, and currently is P.HD Candide at Haifa University. Kobby is the Autor of The Key to Understanding Donald J. Trump.

RELATED ARTICLE: Who Is on the Shortlist To Be the Next Pope?

EDITORS NOTE: This Newsrael column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Cardinal Says Biden Not a Catholic in Good Standing. Shouldn’t Receive Communion. Would the Pope Agree?

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The Catholic News Agency reported Tuesday that Cardinal Raymond Burke, “a canon lawyer and formerly the prefect of the Church’s highest court, has said that Catholic politicians supporting abortion should not receive Holy Communion, including pro-choice Catholic presidential candidate Joe Biden.” That’s the kind of statement that makes you formerly the “prefect of the Church’s highest court.”

Biden, Burke asserted, “is not a Catholic in good standing and he should not approach to receive Holy Communion,” because “a Catholic may not support abortion in any shape or form because it is one of the most grievous sins against human life.”

If that is the case, then Biden is clearly not a Catholic in good standing. Accordingly, Burke stated, “I would tell him not to approach Holy Communion out of charity toward him, because that would be a sacrilege, and a danger to the salvation of his own soul. But also he should not approach to receive Holy Communion because he gives scandal to everyone. Because if someone says ‘well, I’m a devout Catholic’ and at the same time is promoting abortion, it gives the impression to others that it’s acceptable for a Catholic to be in favor of abortion and of course it’s absolutely not acceptable. It never has been, it never will be.”

The good Cardinal is right in a sense. That is indeed the teaching of the Catholic Church. But teaching is one thing and practice is quite enough. Pope Francis has repeatedly made it clear that as far as he is concerned, the real sins, the real serious sins that get you a tongue-lashing from the Roman Pontiff and doubtless a date with hellfire in the age to come, are opposing mass Muslim migration into the West and believing that Islam is not a religion of peace. Abortion? Come on, man! That’s child’s play, so to speak, compared to the big sins.

Last September, Pope Francis, who back in 2014 fired Burke from his position as “prefect of the Church’s highest court,” made clear what the big sins really are as far as he is concerned, when he emphasized that Christians had a responsibility before God to take in migrants: “This loving care for the less privileged is presented as a characteristic trait of the God of Israel and is likewise required, as a moral duty, of all those who would belong to his people.”

On that same occasion, the Pope unveiled a huge statue in St. Peter’s Square, “Angels Unawares,” which depicts a boat full of migrants and a pair of angel wings, so as to emphasize that the migrants into Europe, among whom have been numerous jihad terrorists, rapists, and other criminals, are saintly and deserving of Christians’ support and protection.

What about Christians in Europe who are concerned about the spiraling crime rates and the strain on the welfare systems of nations that have taken in large numbers of migrants? Are they allowed to exercise charity toward their neighbors and friends by opposing mass migration and trying to preserve and defend their own cultural heritage?

Not on your life. Or at least they can’t do that and remain Catholics in good standing. And Francis’ Brave New Church has other newly-minted “grievous sins” as well. The Pontiff has claimed risibly that “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence.” As ridiculous and readily disproven as this is, it has become a superdogma in the Catholic Church: if you don’t believe that Islam is a Religion of Peace, you will be ruthlessly harassed and silenced by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the hierarchy elsewhere as well. The bishops of the Catholic Church are much more concerned that you believe that Islam is a religion of peace than that you believe in, say, the Nicene Creed. And so what possible reason could there be to be concerned about these “refugees”? It’s a religion of peace!

As of several years ago, the U.S. Catholic bishops had 91 million reasons — indeed, 534 million reasons — to turn against the truth and disregard the safety and security of the American people: “In the Fiscal Year 2016, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) received more than $91 million in government funding for refugee resettlement. Over the past nine years, the USCCB has received a total of $534,788,660 in taxpayer dollars for refugee resettlement programs.” And how much have pro-life organizations given to the Church in that span? Not $534,788,660.

As Ilhan Omar might say, it’s all about the Benjamins.

And so Cardinal Burke may say Biden is barred from Communion, but it’s certain that there are numerous others who will readily administer Communion to the candidate. After all, he’s right on the really important things.

“Leave them; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Cardinal Burke Endorses Thomas More Law Center for ‘Restoring Christian Culture’

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ANN ARBOR, MI – The Thomas More Law Center (“TMLC”), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, today announced that Cardinal Raymond Burke, who is viewed as a leading traditionalist and conservative within the Catholic Church, endorsed the Thomas More Law Center, for its “most important service for the restoration of Christian culture.”  The extraordinary endorsement was transmitted in a letter, dated July 26, 2017, to Richard Thompson, the President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center.

Text of Cardinal Burke’s Endorsement

“During these difficult times in which we are living, in which secularization has ravaged the culture of our homeland, alienating culture from its only true source in God and His plan for the world, theThomas More Law Center provides a most important service for the restoration of Christian culture by promoting the sanctity of human life, defending religious liberty, and protecting the good of the family. Through the intercession of its holy patron, may the Thomas More Law Center courageously continue to serve the true good of our beloved homeland of the United States of America.”

Thompson commented, “We are deeply honored and profoundly grateful to Cardinal Burke for his uncompromising defense of America’s traditional Judeo-Christian culture and moral values, and for his unprecedented endorsement of the Thomas More Law Center.”

In June 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cardinal Burke as the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Holy See’s highest court. He was the first American named to head the Tribunal and became the second highest ranking prelate at the Vatican.  However, in 2014 he was removed from that position by Pope Francis.

Regarded as a leading traditionalist within the Church, Cardinal Burke is a courageous and outspoken defender of the Catholic Faith and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Cardinal Burke’s views on key issues facing American culture and Western Civilization, are shared by the Thomas More Law Center and traditional Christians of all denominations.

On Islam . . .

In a 2016 interview with Italian newspaper, II Gioranle, Cardinal Burke stated:

“It is clear that Muslims have as their ultimate goal conquest and power over the world.”

“Islam, through sharia, their law, will rule the world and permit violence against infidels, such as Christians.  But we find it hard to recognize this reality and to respond by defending the Christian faith.”

“Many people do not understand what Islam really is.  They created these slogans: we all believe in the same God, we are all united by love and so on.  It’s not true.

On Same-sex marriage . . .

In a November 10, 2013 interview with The Wanderer, Cardinal Burke said that same-sex marriage . . .

“. . . is a work of deceit, a lie about the most fundamental aspect of our human nature, our human sexuality, which, after life itself, defines us. There is only one place these types of lies come from, namely Satan. It is a diabolical situation which is aimed at destroying individuals, families, and eventually our nation.”

On Abortion . . .

In a March 2, 2009 Interview with the founder of ‘Operation Rescue’, Cardinal Burke stated:    

“The service of the Church in the world of today has to begin first and foremost with the protection of the life of those who are the most defenseless and the most innocent, namely the unborn.” 

In his January 22, 2017, sermon on the Roe v. Wade Anniversary Mass, Cardinal   Burke stated:

“We recognize in that decision of the highest court of our nation a rebellion against God and His Law written upon every human heart in its first and most fundamental tenet: to safeguard and to foster human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

In March 2009, Burke called on American bishops to withhold the Eucharist from Catholic politicians who support legalized abortion. The bishop’s failure to do so, Burke said, “is weakening the faith of everyone. It’s giving the impression that it must be morally correct to support procured abortion.”

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life.  It supports a strong national defense and an independent and sovereign United States of America.  The Law Center accomplishes its mission through litigation, education, and related activities.  It does not charge for its services.  The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization.  You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at(734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.