Act of Consecration of the Human Race, to Jesus Christ King

11-23-2025Weekly ReflectionFr. Leonard F. Villa

Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before you. We are yours, and yours we wish to be; but to be more surely united with you, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to your Most Sacred Heart. Many indeed have never known you; many, too, despising your precepts, have rejected you. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to your Sacred Heart. Be King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken you, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned you; grant that they may quickly return to their Father's house, lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.

Be King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and the unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd. Grant, O Lord, to your Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give tranquility of order to all nations; make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to it be glory and honor for ever. Amen.

What A Bishop Ought to Be… Cardinal Dominik Duka RIP

Blessed Clemens von Galen had as his motto Nec Laudibus Nec Timore (Neither Paise Nor fear) It was taken from the ritual for a consecration of a bishop where it says: may he be in watchfulness diligent, may he detest pride, may he love humility and truth, may he never desert the truth overcome either by praise or fear… This motto can also apply to Cardinal Dominik Duka, the Cardinal-Archbishop emeritus of Prague who just passed away. His motto was In Spiritu Veritatis (in the Spirit of Truth). Cardinal lived defending and proclaiming the truth. Below are highlights that appeared in an essay about Cardinal Duka in La Nuova Bussola Quotidiano (the New Daily Compass)

-The Cardinal-Archbishop emeritus of Prague suffered communist persecution and in recent years had openly denounced the dangers of gender. He was an "oak tree" capable of courageous positions, even in recent ecclesiastical debates. He was a prominent figure in public life in the Czech Republic, and not only in the local Church. He was a factory worker and entered the Dominican order clandestinely during the years when Czechoslovakia was experiencing the harshest antiChristian persecution among the Soviet satellite countries.

-Duka paid the price personally, ending up in prison for 15 months in Plzen-Bory prison. His cellmate was Václav Havel, a political persecutor and future president of the Czech Republic. He remained an anti-communist even after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the USSR, continuing to emphasize even in recent times that Catholics should not sympathize with organizations that deny fundamental Christian values. In recent years, in particular, his apostolate had focused on denouncing the dangers of gender ideology.

-Duka spoke without reticence: "Today's ideologues talk about the 'new man' and want to reshape the world and humanity. According to gender studies, today we have up to eight genders. Instead of Mom and Dad, we have Parent A and Parent B. Can we therefore be surprised that Europe is dying out?" During the years of Francis's pontificate, Duka took courageous positions against the German Synodal Path and against the Provisional Agreement between China and the Holy See, in addition to having presented dubia (doubts) to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on communion for divorced and remarried people.

-He said the Pope's intervention was needed to recognize the failure of the Agreement on Bishops with China and the request for a change of direction at the former Holy Office to repair the damage caused by Fiducia supplicans giving the notion that same sex “couples” could be blessed. The African bishops roundly rejected this document. He remained an authoritative and genuine voice in church and national debate until the end.

-The Cardinal said that the 1950s marked the beginning of a transformation of the diplomatic service: "The principles of the struggle for freedom and human dignity began to be set aside in favor of a policy of détente promoted primarily by the left and communist states," and "Vatican diplomacy sought to conclude bilateral agreements to safeguard the lives of local communities, even sacrificing the wishes and expectations of local Churches." (See the NOTE below.)

-The Czech cardinal argued that "in attempting to 'cooperate' with communist regimes, the Vatican sought a softer approach, yielding on issues of human rights and religious freedom." Thus, as Cardinal Duka recalls, prelates like Cardinal József Mindszenty became the conscience of the Catholic Church while dozens of bishops were held in communist prisons in Europe, China, and Vietnam. "During those years, we found ourselves following in the footsteps of heroic bishops like Theophilus Matulionis of Lithuania, examples who showed that ideals should never kneel before unacceptable realities,"

-Duka was particularly critical of the Holy See's position toward China and its notorious secret pacts with the communist regime, and rebuked Pope Francis and Cardinal Pietro Parolin for this, without naming them: "Just as silence and complicity with the communist regime have damaged my country and made it easier for the government to imprison dissidents, the Church's silence in the face of human rights violations by communist China harms Catholics in China." (END)

NOTE: Regarding the transformation of the diplomatic service of the Vatican, Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani pointed out the damage that would arise from this. In the past the Holy Office, now the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, was the supreme congregation now called a dicastery. Pope Paul VI demoted this office in favor of the Secretariat of State which conducts diplomacy. Ottaviani called that a dark day in the history of the Church and this is not something simply about titles and formalities but of substance. The supreme governing principle of the Church is revealed doctrine whose custody of and right interpretation of is entrusted to the Pope who makes use of the Holy Office in that governance (Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith). That’s why it was the Supreme Congregation. Ottaviani expressed his fear that the principle of governing the Church would be diplomacy and contingency rather than the doctrine of the Church and hence the Church would suffer much damage. This is exactly what has happened and is happening, noted also by Cardinal Duka. However, Cardinal Ottaviani also remarked that because she is guided by the Holy Spirit the Church will reverse course and return to her essential teachings.(END)