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  The Penitential Psalms in the Liturgy of Lent
Posted by: Stone - 03-04-2023, 10:34 AM - Forum: Lent - Replies (1)

The Penitential Psalms in the Liturgy of Lent


NLM | March 3, 2023


In his Life of St Augustine, St Possidius of Calama writes that in his final illness, the great doctor “had ordered the Psalms of David, those very few which concern penance, be written out; and lying on his bed … read the four of them (from the pages) attached to the wall, and wept copiously and continuously.” (chapter 31) He does not say which four these were, but we may safely assume that Psalm 50, often known by its first word in Latin, “Miserere”, was included among them, long recognized as the penitential psalm par excellence.

[Image: funeral-of-st-augustine-1465.jpg]

The Funeral of St Augustine, by Benozzo Gozzoli, 1465, in the church of St Augustine in San Geminiano, Italy.

In the following century, Cassiodorus (ca 485-585), in his massive Exposition of the Psalms, refers in many places to the Penitential Psalms as a group, and when commenting on the first of them, Psalm 6, lists the others, according to the traditional numbering of the Septuagint: 31, 37, 50, 101, 129 and 142. (The list is given twice more, in the comments on Psalms 50 and 142.) At the conclusion of this section, he states that these seven are especially worthy of attention, since they “are given to the human race as an appropriate medicine, from which we receive a most salutary cleansing of our souls, revive from our sins, and by mourning, come to eternal joy.” As he explains each one individually, he often relates it in some way to one or more of the other six, as for example Psalm 142, which is placed last in the group “because these psalms begin from afflictions, and end in joys, lest anyone despair of that forgiveness which he knows has been set forth in these prayers.”

Cassiodorus takes it for granted that his reader know this tradition, and therefore we may safely assume it was already part of the Church’s prayer by his time; his influence was very strong in the Middle Ages, and we may also assume that his writing did much to solidify its place in the liturgy. They were added to a variety of rites, such as the dedication of a Church according to the Roman Pontifical; in the traditional ordination rite, the bishop enjoins those who receive tonsure and the minor orders “to say one time the seven Penitential Psalms, with the Litany (of the Saints) and the versicles and prayers (that follow).”

[Image: 02%2BSan%2BGallen%2Bms.jpg]

One of the oldest manuscripts of Cassiodorus’ Exposition of the Psalms, from the library of the Swiss monastery of San Gallen. (Cod. Sang. 200, 950-75 A.D.)

Of course, they are particularly prominent in the liturgy of Lent. The customary of the Papal court known as the Ordinal of Innocent III (1198-1216) prescribes that they be said after Lauds every ferial day of Lent, together with the Litany of the Saints. To these were added the fifteen Gradual Psalms (119-133) before Matins, and the Office of the Dead, a burden which unquestionably increased the temptation to add more Saints to the calendar, since these supplementary Offices were routinely omitted on feast days. The Breviary of St Pius V distributed them over the days of the week, so that the Office of the Dead would be said on the first ferial day of each week of Lent, the Gradual Psalms on Wednesdays and the Penitentials on Fridays, if the Office was of the feria. This remained in force until the reform of St Pius X, in which all mandatory recitation of them in the Office was abolished; the Gradual and Penitential Psalms are not included as specific groups in the post-Conciliar Liturgy of the Hours.

The Use of Rome, with characteristic simplicity, simply recites the Psalms as a group with a single antiphon, based on the words of Tobias 3, 3-4: “Ne reminiscaris Domine delicta nostra, vel parentum nostrorum: neque vindictam sumas de peccatis nostris. – Remember not, Lord, our offenses, nor those of our forefathers, nor take Thou vengeance upon our sins.” In other Uses, the antiphon was followed by a series of versicles like those sung with the Litany of the Saints, and various prayers; this custom was highly developed in German-speaking lands, less so elsewhere. At Augsburg, for example, each day of the week had a different collect to conclude the recitation of the Penitential Psalms; the prayer for Monday was as follows.

Deus, qui confitentium tibi corda purificas, et accusantes se ab omni vinculo iniquitatis absolvis: da indulgentiam reis, et medicinam tribue vulneratis; ut percepta remissione omnium peccatorum, in sacramentis tuis sincera deinceps devotione permaneamus, et nullum redemptionis æternæ sustineamus detrimentum.

O God, who purify the hearts of those that confess to Thee, and release from every bond those that accuse themselves, grant forgiveness to the guilty, and bring healing to the wounded, so that, having received the remission of all sins, we may henceforth abide in Thy sacraments with true devotion, and suffer no detriment to eternal salvation.”

[Image: 04%2BLivre%2Bd%2527heures%2Bde%2BLouis%2...olles.jpeg]

The beginning of the Penitential Psalms in the Book of Hours of Louis de Roncherolles, end of the 5th or beginning of the 16th century. (Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Ms-1191 réserve, Bibliothèque nationale de France)

At Salzburg, the intentions for reciting the Penitential Psalms were summed up in the following prayer, attested in a few other breviaries and books of hours.

Quote:Suscipere digneris, omnipotens Deus, hos septem psalmos consecratos, quos ego indignus et peccator decantavi in honore nominis tui, et beatissimæ Genitricis tuæ Virginis Mariæ, in honore sanctorum Angelorum, Prophetarum, Patriarcharum, in honore sanctorum Apostolorum, in honore sanctorum Martyrum, Confessorum, Virginum et Viduarum, et sanctorum Innocentum, in honore omnium Sanctorum, pro me misero famulo tuo N., pro cunctis consanguineis meis, pro omnibus amicis et inimicis meis, pro omnibus his qui mihi bona et mala fecerunt, vivis et defunctis: concede, Domine Jesu Christe, ut hi psalmi proficiant nobis ad salutem et veram pænitentiam agendam, et vitam æternam consequendam.

Deign thou to receive, almighty God, these seven holy psalms, which I, though unworthy and a sinner, have sung unto the honor of Thy name, and of Thy most blessed Mother the Virgin Mary, to the honor of the holy Angels, Prophets and Patriarchs, to the honor of the holy Apostles, to the honor of the holy Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins and Widows, and the Holy Innocents, to the honor of all the Saints, for myself Thy wretched servant, for all my relatives, for all my friends and enemies, for all those who have done me good and ill, both living and dead; grant, o Lord Jesus Christ, that these Psalms may profit us unto salvation and the doing of true penance, the obtaining of eternal life.”

The Penitential Psalms were also generally used at the beginning of Lent, at the ceremony by which the public penitents were symbolically expelled from the church, and again on Holy Thursday, when they were brought back in. These ceremonies were particularly elaborate in the Use of Sarum, but similar rites were observed in a great many other places. After Sext of Ash Wednesday, a sermon was given; a priest in red cope, accompanied by deacon, subdeacon and the usual minor ministers, then prostrated before the altar, while the choir said the seven penitential psalms. At the end of these were said a series of versicles and prayers, most of which refer directly to the public penitents.

Quote:Dómine Deus noster, qui offensióne nostra non vínceris, sed satisfactione placaris: réspice, quæsumus, super hos fámulos tuos, qui se tibi gráviter peccasse confitémur: tuum est enim absolutiónem críminum dare, et veniam præstáre peccántibus, qui dixisti pænitentiam te malle peccatóris quam mortem. Concéde ergo, Dómine, his fámulis tuis, ut tibi pænitentiæ excubias celebrant; et correctis áctibus suis, conferri sibi a te sempiterna gaudia gratulentur.

Lord our God, who are not overcome by our offense, but appeased by satisfaction; look we beseech Thee, upon these Thy servants, who confess that they have gravely sinned against Thee; for it is Thine to give absolution of crimes, and grant forgiveness to those who sin, even Thou who said that Thou wishest the repentance of sinners, rather than their death. Grant therefore, o Lord, to these Thy servants, that they may keep the watches of penance, and by correcting their deeds, rejoice that eternal joys are given them of Thee.”

The ashes were then blessed, followed by a procession, which, as I noted in an article last week, was a normal part of the Ash Wednesday ceremonies in the Middle Ages. The Sarum Processional specifies that a cross was not used, but an “ash-colored banner” was carried instead at the head of the procession. At the door, the penitents were taken by the hand, and led out of the church, while the following responsory was sung, reprising an ancient theme of meditation on the Fall of Man in the readings of Genesis in Septuagesima.

[Image: 03%2BSarum%2BProcessional.png]

An illustration from a Sarum Processional of the Ash Wednesday procession; the captions reads “The station on the day of ashes, when the bishop expels the penitents.” The ash-colored banner is seen up top.  Reproduced in a modern edition by WG Henderson, 1882. (This would seem to be one of the inspirations for Fr Fortescue’s famous little illustrations in the Ceremonies of the Roman Rite.)

R. Behold, Adam is become like one of us, knowing good and evil; see ye lest he take of the tree of life, and live forever. V. The Cherubim, and the flaming, turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life. See ye…

On Holy Thursday, when the penitents were brought back into the church, usually referred to as their “reconciliation”, the process was reversed, again by a priest in a red cope, accompanied by the various grades of ministers and the ash-colored banner. This ceremony deserves its own post, which I shall do on Holy Thursday; suffice it therefore to note here that the penitential Psalms are said again before the final absolution is imparted.

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  France green-lights biometric medical ID
Posted by: Stone - 03-04-2023, 08:24 AM - Forum: Global News - No Replies

France green-lights biometric medical ID
Upcoming centralization.

[Image: france-digi-id.jpg]


reclaimthenet.org | March 3, 2023


French data protection agency CNIL has greenlit the use of facial biometrics for the verification of users of the country’s upcoming digital health card, the Carte Vitale.

According to a report by French news outlet The Connexion, CNIL claims that facial recognition will make the health card app more “secure.” However, facial recognition on the Carte Vitale app will only be used until the country’s upcoming national digital ID, the France Identite, is available.

France Identite will replace or complement traditional physical identity cards.

Carte Vitale is aimed at replacing physical health cards. Last fall, the app was trialed in several regions. During the trial, users verified their identities using selfies.

To access health services, users in the trial scanned their digital health cards using a QR code or NFC (near-field communication) technology.

Aside from approving the use of facial recognition in Carte Vitale, CNIL has also approved its wide rollout. The government plans to make the health app available to all health-insured people living in France by the end of 2025.

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  EPA Head Admits Kids Should Be Nowhere Near East Palestine Water
Posted by: Stone - 03-04-2023, 08:21 AM - Forum: Health - No Replies

EPA Head Admits Kids Should Be Nowhere Near East Palestine Water


ZH [sligltly adapted] |  MAR 03, 2023


The aftermath of the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, persists, with residents and rail workers reporting illnesses and the Biden administration facing criticism regarding an inadequate federal response. The 38-car derailment occurred one month ago and resulted in the release of vinyl chloride into the air via a controlled burn, and questions swirl about why testing for dioxins wasn't conducted immediately after the derailment.

Earlier this week, EPA Administrator Michael Regan visited East Palestine. He addressed reporters about the ongoing situation. Journalist Nick Sorter asked the commissioner:

"Mr. Commissioner, let me ask you really quick, would you allow your children to touch the water? We've seen the rainbow sheen, we've seen all of these chemicals popping up from the bottom of the streams that these kids used to play in. Would you allow your kids anywhere close to these streams right now?"

Regan's response:

"I would not. I'm a father of a 9-year-old. I think we have to all agree we wish this accident didn't occur, but the accident occurred and as a result some of our creeks and streams have pollution in them."

Here's the video:


On Thursday, environmental activist Erin Brockovich returned to East Palestine for the second time in less than a week. She met with people experiencing health issues after last month's train derailment.

"I have been on a lot of environmental situations, and I have never seen anything in my life be so mismanaged ever," Brockovich said.

During last night's public meeting, about 200 residents showed up in the high school auditorium. Frustration quickly erupted when EPA regional administrator Debra Shore told residents:

"EPA monitors have not detected any volatile organic compounds above levels of health concerns in the community that are attributable to the train derailment."

The situation worsened when Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw was a no-show again to the public meeting. Instead, Darrell Wilson, an official with Norfolk Southern, attended the meeting. He told concerned residents:

"We're ready to start tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. … That is not our decision to make. We are no longer in control of the site.

"We're going to do the right thing. We're going to do the right thing. We're going to clean up the site. We're going to clean up the site."

While Wilson was speaking, a woman in the crowd yelled:

"You should have done it right the first time."


Another woman told local news WKBN that she experiences headaches inside her home and cannot sell her property due to fears that the next owner's children may develop cancer. Other residents shared a similar story.

Despite residents and workers in the town getting sick and animals dying at surrounding state parks, the EPA only decided on Thursday to enforce Norfolk Southern to test the area for dioxins.

It is possible that both the EPA and Norfolk Southern understand the dissipation of dioxins over time, which could be the reason behind the one-month delay in testing for dioxins.


In an op-ed on The Guardian, Stephen Lester, a toxicologist and the science director of the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, a project of the People's Action Institute, wrote, "Here's the real reason the EPA doesn't want to test for toxins in East Palestine."

Quote:The decision to release and burn five tanker cars of vinyl chloride and other chemicals at the site of a 38-car derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, just over three weeks ago unleashed a gigantic cloud full of particulates that enveloped surrounding neighborhoods and farms in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

It is well documented that burning chlorinated chemicals like vinyl chloride will generate dioxins. "Dioxin" is the name given to a group of persistent, very toxic chemicals that share similar chemical structures. The most toxic form of dioxin is 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or TCDD. TCDD is more commonly recognized as the toxic contaminant found in Agent Orange and at Love Canal, New York and Times Beach, Missouri, both sites of two of the most tragic environmental catastrophes in US history.

Dioxin is not deliberately manufactured. It is the unintended byproduct of industrial processes that use or burn chlorine. It is also produced when chemicals such as vinyl chloride are burned such as occurred in East Palestine.

The organization I work for, the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, has worked with communities affected by dioxins for over 40 years. We have seen the impact of exposure to dioxins in communities from Love Canal and Times Beach to Pensacola, Florida. And now, we are asking, why isn't EPA testing for dioxins in East Palestine, Ohio? Are dioxins present in the soil downwind from the site of the accident?

At a townhall meeting in East Palestine last week, people talked about what it was like when the black cloud reached their property. One person who lived 15 miles away described burned ash material from the fire that settled on her property. Another who lived 3 miles away described how the black cloud completely smothered his property. Repeatedly people asked: was it safe for my kids to play in the yard? Is it safe to grow a garden? What is going to happen to my farm animals?

These are important questions that deserve to be answered. Today there are no clear answers. Why? Because no one has done any testing for dioxins anywhere in East Palestine. No one. And, it seems, that the EPA is uninterested in testing for dioxins, behaving as though dioxin is no big deal.

This makes no sense. Testing for dioxin, a highly toxic substance, should have been one of the first things to look for, especially in the air once the decision was made to burn the vinyl chloride. There is no question that dioxins were formed in the vinyl chloride fire. They would have formed on the particulate matter – the black soot – in the cloud that was so clearly visible at the time of the burn. Now, the question is how much is in the soil where people live in and around East Palestine. Without testing, no one will know and the people who live there will remain in the dark, uncertain about their fate.

This is important because of the adverse health effects associated with exposure to dioxins. Exposure to dioxins can cause cancer, reproductive damage, developmental problems, type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, infertility in adults, impairment of the immune system and skin lesions.

The EPA is very familiar with dioxins. For more than 25 years, the agency evaluated and assessed the risks posed by exposure to dioxins. They published multiple draft reports on the health effects caused by exposure to dioxins. They published an inventory of dioxin sources and devoted an enormous amount of time to studying dioxins. The agency knows this chemical very well.

So why is EPA unwilling to test for dioxins in the soil? My guess is because they know they will find it. And if they find it, they'll have to address the many questions people are asking. It will not be easy to interpret the results of the testing for dioxins in soil, but to avoid testing is irresponsible. The EPA's mission is to protect human health and the environment. Clearly the situation in East Palestine is the place where EPA should follow its mission and do right by the people who live in this town. EPA must test the soil in East Palestine for dioxins.

The people who live there need to know so they can make informed decisions about their future.

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  US Treasury Introduces CBDC Working Group, Discusses Potential Routes For Digital Dollar
Posted by: Stone - 03-03-2023, 02:04 PM - Forum: General Commentary - No Replies

US Treasury Introduces CBDC Working Group, Discusses Potential Routes For Digital Dollar


ZH | MAR 03, 2023
Authored by 'BTCCasey' via BitcoinMagazine.com,

The Treasury’s statements explore the potential forms and implementations of an American CBDC...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has released comments from Undersecretary for Domestic Finance Nellie Liang on the “Next Steps to the Future of Money and Payments,” addressing CBDCs and the approach the American government is taking to their potential implementation.

The original Treasury report released in September 2022 described the formation of a CBDC working group that would advance work on a CBDC. Liang’s remarks confirmed the formation of that group.

Quote:“One of the central tasks for the CBDC Working Group is to complement the Fed’s work by considering the implications of a U.S. CBDC for policy objectives for which a broader Administration perspective is helpful,” Liang said.

“To give you a sense of how we are pursuing this work, I will describe our approach to thinking about CBDC options, the policy questions we are attempting to answer, and the kinds of recommendations we hope to develop.”

Highlights from this description include a look at the potential forms that a CBDC could take, the potential for a separate retail and wholesale CBDC and the possible core features of the CBDC.

Also discussed is the idea that a “potential U.S. CBDC, if one were created, would best serve the United States by being ‘intermediated,’ meaning that the private sector would offer accounts or digital wallets to facilitate the management of CBDC holdings and payments. In terms of technology, a retail CBDC might involve a different architecture compared to a CBDC that is intended solely for wholesale use.”

In his piece for Bitcoin Magazine, Mark Goodwin described how Bitcoiners may have “spent so much time looking for CBDCs, we missed the private-entity stablecoin monster right in front of our eyes.”

The Treasury’s released remarks suggest that a CBDC may well come on the backs of private entities, with major incentives to participate. The United States has gotten serious in regards to its consideration of a CBDC. And all this just as legislation has been introduced by Republican lawmakers that would “prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC directly to anyone.”

Although this bill may not have much of a chance of passing, notable is the specific angle of preventing a Federal CBDC, potentially leaving free those “intermediated” by private parties.

The remarks also described how a CBDC is one of many directions for the government to take, another being real time payment systems. The Federal Reserve, according to Liang, “has indicated that it expects to launch the FedNow Service this year, which will be designed to allow for near-instantaneous retail payments on a 24x7x365 basis, using an existing form of central bank money (i.e., central bank reserves) as an interbank settlement asset.”

This would differ from a CBDC in that it would utilize an existing form of central bank money versus the new form a CBDC would introduce, in addition to a potential new set of payment rails.

Regardless of the path that the Treasury takes, new payment systems are seemingly on the horizon for the United States.

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  Archbishop Lefebvre: The Maccabees Connection
Posted by: Stone - 03-02-2023, 07:43 PM - Forum: Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre - No Replies




May the precious few remaining faithful 'sons' of Archbishop Lefebvre remain so and not 'go the other way' of the Conciliar Church:


Macchabees 1:22  

We will not hearken to the words of king Antiochus, neither will we sacrifice, and transgress the commandments of our law, to go another way.



Macchabees 1:49-64 

49 Now the days drew near that Mathathias should die, and he said to his sons: Now hath pride and chastisement gotten strength, and the time of destruction, and the wrath of indignation:  50 Now therefore, O my sons, be ye zealous for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of your fathers.

51 And call to remembrance the works of the fathers, which they have done in their generations: and you shall receive great glory, and an everlasting name.  52 Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation, and it was reputed to him unto justice?  53 Joseph in the time of his distress kept the commandment, and he was made lord of Egypt.  54 Phinees our father, by being fervent in the zeal of God, received the covenant of an everlasting priesthood.  55 Jesus, whilst he fulfilled the word, was made ruler in Israel.


56 Caleb, for bearing witness before the congregation, received an inheritance.  57 David by his mercy obtained the throne of an everlasting kingdom.  58 Elias, while he was full of zeal for the law, was taken up into heaven.  59 Ananias and Azarias and Misael by believing, were delivered out of the flame.  60 Daniel in his innocency was delivered out of the mouth of the lions.

61 And thus consider through all generations: that none that trust in him fail in strength.  62 And fear not the words of a sinful man, for his glory is dung, and worms:  63 Today he is lifted up, and tomorrow he shall not be found, because he is returned into his earth; and his thought is come to nothing.  64 You therefore, my sons, take courage, and behave manfully in the law: for by it you shall be glorious.

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  Pope Francis claims Vatican II is a central theme to his pontificate
Posted by: Stone - 03-02-2023, 08:01 AM - Forum: Pope Francis - No Replies

Pope claims Vatican II was ‘renewal’ of the Church ‘in tune with the signs of the times’
Pope Francis argued that Vatican II ‘rejuvenates the Church’ despite evidence suggesting the opposite.

[Image: Pope-Francis-1-810x500.jpg]

Pope Francis greets the crowd at a general audience in February 2023.
Screenshot/Facebook


Mar 1, 2023
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) – In a recently published interview Pope Francis praised the Second Vatican Council as an event which “rejuvenate[d] the Church” to be “more in tune with the signs of the times.”

The Pontiff made his comments in a December interview with Catholic Belgian weekly “Tertio” along with the French language “Dimanche,” marking the second interview he has granted to Tertio. Vatican News published an abbreviated English translation of the interview, with a more complete translation in Italian.

Answering questions about how Vatican II is a central theme to his pontificate, Francis began by saying that “I am so committed to the Council because that event was actually a visit of God to His Church.”

He continued: “The Council was one of those things that God brings about in history through holy men.”

Francis expanded upon his bold claim by stating that Vatican II was a “renewal” and a rejuvenation of the Catholic Church.

“The Council did not only involve a renewal of the Church,” he said. “It was not only a matter of renewal, but also a challenge to make the Church more and more alive.”

Citing not only a “renewal” of the Church, Francis argued that the Council “rejuvenates the Church,” turning it into a “mother always moving forward.”

Echoing a recurring talking point made by those arguing for “updating” Church teaching in light of modern thought, Pope Francis claimed that “the Council opened the door to greater maturity, more in tune with the signs of the times.”

READ: The differences between traditional baptism and the new rite matter: here’s why

Tertio noted that in order to implement and represent the Second Vatican Council, the Synod on Synodality is necessary – a point which Francis agreed with. Praising the development of the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops by Paul VI, Francis stated that this was necessary because Paul VI believed “the Western Church had almost lost its synodal dimension.”

According to the Pope, the 2019 Synod on the Amazon presented a “maturation” in the role of women in the Church, after which bishops reportedly asked for a synod to be held on priesthood and then synodality. “Evidently it was a shared theme that all the bishops felt it was time to address,” he said.

“We come from afar, now we are here and we have to move forward. This is what we do through the current Synod process, and the two synods on synodality will help us clarify the meaning and method of decision-making in the Church.”


Misrepresenting St. Vincent of Lerins

As has become a regular occurrence, in making his arguments Pope Francis referenced the 5th century theologian St. Vincent of Lerins, whose famous Canon has been increasingly used as the basis for modern arguments proposing “development” in doctrine.

Quoting from St. Vincent, Francis argued that “starting from the root, we always continue to grow.”

Quote:The Council took such a step forward, without cutting off the root, because you cannot do that if you want to produce fruit. The Council is the voice of the Church for our time, and we are now in the first century of putting it into practice.

Francis has previously employed these phrases from St. Vincent to justify theological arguments appearing to defend contraception.

However, St. Vincent of Lerins did not advocate for a rejection of Church teaching – despite the manner in which his words are commonly used today – but rather he stated that as an individual’s physical body grows in accordance with the Divinely ordained plan, so must any development of Church doctrine follow the same law of progress.

The saint wrote that such a process should “be consolidated by years, enlarged by time, refined by age, and yet, withal, to continue uncorrupt and unadulterate, complete and perfect in all the measurement of its parts, and, so to speak, in all its proper members and senses, admitting no change, no waste of its distinctive property, no variation in its limits.”

But the saint was in fact very clear in his opposition to novel doctrine which had no grounding in the Church’s Tradition. In instances where confusion abounds within the Church, due to a part having “cut itself off from the communion of the universal faith,” St. Vincent presents clear teaching on the Catholic response:

Quote:What, if some novel contagion seek to infect not merely an insignificant portion of the Church, but the whole? Then it will be his [a Catholic’s] care to cleave to antiquity, which at this day cannot possibly be seduced by any fraud of novelty.


Theologian: Vatican II’s errors must be ‘anathematized’

While Pope Francis and many modern theologians issue praise for the Council, its benefits have also long been disputed by Catholics.

A recent debate was respired in 2020, due to an intervention by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. Weighing in on the topic, liturgist and theologian Peter Kwasniewski wrote of the Council that “it must be remembered with shame and repentance as a moment in which the hierarchy of the Church, to varying degrees, surrendered to a more subtle (and therefore more dangerous) form of worldliness.”

“Moreover,” he continued, “the errors contained in the documents, as well as the many errors commonly attributed to the Council or prompted by it, must be drawn into a syllabus and anathematized by a future pope or council so that the controverted matters may be laid to rest, as former councils have wisely and charitably done in regard to the errors of their times.”


A recent analysis published by French historian Guillaume Cuchet examined the “collapse of practice among Catholics in France.” While notably reluctant to conjecture, Cuchet argued that “there must have been an event behind a phenomenon of this magnitude, at least to provoke it. My hypothesis is that it was the Second Vatican Council.”

Evidence certainly points to a seismic shift in the Catholic Church following the Council. Whilst 75% of U.S. Catholics attended Mass weekly in 1955, that figure had dropped to 50% by the mid 1990s and had further dropped to 39% by 2014-2017. A 2015 study then found a considerably large portion, 76% of Catholics, did not believe it was sinful to use contraceptives, whilst 39% did not believe homosexual behavior was sinful.

A 2014 study found that Catholicism in the U.S. had experienced the greatest loss of numbers, more than any other religion.

Church historian Michael Davies recounts the findings of Kenneth Jones on the post-Conciliar rapid decline in the number of priests, ordination, seminarians, religious and Catholic schools. Whilst there were 58,000 priests in 1965 in America, there were only 45,000 in 2002 despite the population growth: there were also 1,575 ordinations in 1965 with only 450 in 2002.

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  Pope eliminates housing subsidy for cardinals
Posted by: Stone - 03-02-2023, 07:53 AM - Forum: General Commentary - No Replies

Pope eliminates housing subsidy for cardinals, citing ‘commitments’ to ‘universal Church and the needy’
Pope Francis has issued yet another document appearing to centralize control of the Vatican's finances and remove the accommodation allowance previously granted to the cardinals.

[Image: francis-epiphany-810x500.jpeg]

Pope Francis attends a Mass for the feast of the Epiphany at St. Peter's Basilica on January 06, 2023

Mar 1, 2023
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) –– Authorized by Pope Francis, the Vatican’s Secretariat for Economy has overturned the accommodation allowances granted to cardinals and Vatican curial officials, meaning that they will have to now pay the considerably expensive standard asking prices of the property.

Issued in a rescript, the new directives were the result of a private meeting Pope Francis held with the newly appointed Prefect for the Secretariat for the Economy, Dr. Maximino Caballero Ledo, on February 13. The rescript was reported first by Italian Catholic blog Messa in Latino, with Vatican News and Reuters subsequently publicizing some of its contents one day later.


The rescript was placed in the San Damaso Courtyard, reportedly without any fanfare, for officials in the Vatican to see.

The rescript affects cardinals, along with heads of Vatican dicasteries, their presidents, secretaries, undersecretaries, executives and their equivalents. Additionally affected are members of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota.

Citing the “growing commitments” of the Holy See to the “universal Church and the needy,” Francis called upon all those affected “to make an extraordinary sacrifice.”

Thus, effectively immediately, the free or reduced rate accommodation offered to the cardinals and upper-level curial officials named in the rescript is revoked. This applies to individuals residing in any property owned by the curia or any entity governed by the Holy See’s statutes outlined in the Council for the Economy.

The Domus Sancta Marthae – the hotel used by Pope Francis instead of the Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace – is also included under the changes, since it functions as a guest house for those visiting the Vatican.

Under the rescript, all the property shall be offered at a charge it would be to those who “are without assignments of any kind in the Holy See and in the Vatican City State.”

Francis granted that any accommodation agreements already in place would remain so until their expiration, at which point the new rules would take effect. However, for any arrangements for free or reduced accommodation submitted after December 31, 2022, the Pope ruled that they should be dealt with under the terms of the new rescript.

Any exceptions to the document are to be handled by the Pope directly, the rescript states.

It is unclear exactly how the property will be valued by the Holy See and at what price it will be offered to the cardinals and curial officials. The area surrounding the Vatican is one of the most expensive in the city, with a regular-sized apartment of around 60 m² costing a minimum of €500,000 and rising swiftly to upward of €1 million.

Yet the Vatican’s property is much older and has never before been rented to those with no Vatican connection, thus making the precise value unknown.

Additionally, while many of the Vatican-owned properties are used by active curial cardinals and officials, they are also home to retired cardinals.

Cardinals are widely understood by Vatican observers to receive around €5,000 per month. Just under two years ago, Pope Francis reduced the salaries of cardinals by 10%, and those of department heads and secretaries by 8%. Priests and religious had their wages cut by 3%.

Explaining this move at the time, Francis cited the Vatican’s flailing finances – a situation he said had been made worse by the COVID-19 restrictions.

There has been a considerable amount of news regarding the Vatican’s finances in recent weeks, much of which appears to be centralizing power and money in the Vatican away from those who had previously enjoyed the use of the Holy See’s assets.

Only last week, Francis issued a motu proprio regulating the Holy See’s ownership of assets, stipulating that any assets acquired by the Roman Curia or connected institutions are “ecclesiastical public property” and thus owned directly by the Holy See.

The Pontiff noted that no “institution or entity” could lay claim to “private and exclusive ownership or titling” of any of the Holy See’s assets, since the institution must “always” act “in the name, on behalf of and for the purposes of the Holy See as a whole, understood as a unitary moral person, only representing it where required and permitted in the civil orders.”

That motu proprio, Il diritto nativo, came after the Vatican was revealed to have accepted the gift of a convent from a group of nuns who were eager to save the property, only to then order them to leave days later. The historic monastery was assessed to be worth €50-60 million and of great prominence for the order.

Prior to that was a December 6 motu proprio from the Pontiff, accompanied by a new law issued by the Governorate of the Vatican City State, both of which became effective on December 8.

The two texts enacted more control over the financial governance of certain entities within the Holy See but excluded the “Institutions” of the Roman Curia. Under the December law, Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy retained wide-reaching financial oversight of all such entities, and also consult with the relevant curial office on matters relating to the entity’s financial budget approval.

The Vatican’s finances have been plagued with scandal for decades, and the late Cardinal George Pell’s attempted reform of the Holy See’s finances are widely believed to have faced strong opposition, notably from former number two in the Secretariat of State, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, opposition that has even been linked to the allegations of sexual abuse made against Pell.

Meanwhile, the Vatican’s former auditor general, Libero Milone, is suing the Holy See, arguing that he and his deputy were unlawfully fired after Becciu unjustly accused them of spying and embezzlement in June 2017, accusations that, they argue, stemmed from their audit, which uncovered widespread corruption within the hierarchy of the Holy See.

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  Albany, NY diocese bans Latin Masses
Posted by: Stone - 03-02-2023, 07:41 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism - No Replies

Albany, NY diocese bans Latin Masses

gloria.tv | March 1, 2023

Effective immediately, parish churches in the diocese are prohibited from celebrating the Latin Mass in accordance with the “Missale Romanum” of 1962, according to a statement from the diocese. “In light of the rescript, which the Vatican sent last week, the celebration of the Usus Antiquior is currently on hold in parish churches,” the diocese noted in a statement.

“In light of the rescript, which the Vatican sent last week, the celebration of the Usus Antiquior [Traditional Latin Mass] is currently on hold in parish churches in the Albany Diocese,” the diocese noted in a statement provided to CNA. “As we explore various possibilities, the Usus Antiquior can continue at Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville, which is not a parish church in the diocese.”

Holy Family Parish in Little Falls, which offered the Latin Mass at noon on Sundays and at 8 a.m. on Wednesdays, cannot celebrate the ancient form of the Mass for the time being. St. Ann’s Church in Fort Ann, which offered the Latin Mass on certain weekdays, was also informed it can no longer celebrate this form of the Mass.

At this time, the only church within the diocese that can offer the Latin Mass in accordance with the Missale Romanum of 1962 is the Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville.

Bishop Scharfenberger was promoted to the episcopate and appointed Bishop of Albany by Francis.

- Albany, NY diocese bans Latin Masses - The Catholic Thing

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  'Does Your Department Have A Problem With Anti-Catholic Bias?': Hawley Laces Into Merrick Garland
Posted by: Stone - 03-02-2023, 07:34 AM - Forum: General Commentary - Replies (1)

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  10 myths told by Covid experts — now debunked
Posted by: Stone - 03-01-2023, 01:54 PM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular] - No Replies

10 myths told by Covid experts — now debunked
In the past few weeks, reports published by highly respected researchers have exposed a truth about public health officials during Covid.


news.com.au | February 28, 2023




In the past few weeks, a series of analyses published by highly respected researchers have exposed a truth about public health officials during Covid:

Much of the time, they were wrong — the New York Post reports.

To be clear, public health officials were not wrong for making recommendations based on what was known at the time. That’s understandable. You go with the data you have.

No, they were wrong because they refused to change their directives in the face of new evidence. When a study did not support their policies, they dismissed them and censored opposing opinions.

At the same time, the Centre for Disease Control weaponised research itself but putting out their own flawed studies in their own non-peer reviewed medical journal, MMWR.

In the final analysis, public health officials actively propagated misinformation that ruined lives and forever damaged public trust in the medical profession. Here are 10 ways they misled us:


Misinformation #1: Natural immunity offers little protection compared to vaccinated immunity

A Lancet study looked at 65 major studies in 19 countries on natural immunity. The researchers concluded that natural immunity was at least as effective as the primary Covid vaccine series.
In fact, the scientific data was there all along — from 160 studies, despite the findings of these studies violating Facebook’s “misinformation” policy.

Since the Athenian plague of 430 B.C., it has been observed that those who recovered after infection were protected against severe disease if reinfected. That was also the observation of nearly every practising physician during the first 18 months of the Covid pandemic.

Most Americans were fired for not having the Covid vaccine already had antibodies that effectively neutralised the virus, but they were antibodies that the government did not recognise.


Misinformation #2: Masks prevent Covid transmission

Cochran Reviews are considered the most authoritative and independent assessment of evidence in medicine. And one published last month by a highly-respected Oxford research team found that masks had no significant impact on Covid transmission.

When asked about this definitive review, CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky downplayed it, arguing that it was flawed because it focused on randomised controlled studies.
But that was the greatest strength of the review! Randomised studies are considered the gold standard of medical evidence. If all the energy used by public health officials to mask toddlers could have channelled to reduce child obesity by encouraging outdoor activities, we would be better off.


Misinformation #3: School closures reduce Covid transmission

The CDC ignored the European experience of keeping schools open, most without mask mandates. Transmission rates were no different, evidenced by studies conducted Spain and Sweden.


Misinformation #4: Myocarditis from the vaccine is less common than from the infection

Public health officials downplayed concerns about vaccine-induced myocarditis — or inflammation of the heart muscle. They cited poorly designed studies that under-captured complication rates. A flurry of well-designed studies said the opposite. We now know that myocarditis is six to 28-times more common after the Covid vaccine than after the infection among 16- to 24-year-old males. Tens of thousands of children likely got myocarditis, mostly subclinical, from a Covid vaccine they did not need because they were entirely healthy or because they already had Covid.


Misinformation #5: Young people benefit from a vaccine booster

Boosters reduced hospitalisation in older, high-risk Americans. But the evidence was never there that they lower Covid mortality in young healthy people. That’s probably why the CDC chose not to publish their data on hospitalisation rates among boosted Americans under 50, when they published the same rates for those over 50.

Ultimately, White House pressure to recommend boosters for all was so intense, that the FDA’s two top vaccine experts left the agency in protest, writing scathing articles on how the data did not support boosters for young people.


Misinformation #6: Vaccine mandates increased vaccination rates

President Biden and other officials demanded unvaccinated workers, regardless of their risk or natural immunity, be fired. They demanded that soldiers be dishonourably discharged and nurses be laid off in the middle of a staffing crisis. The mandate was based on the theory that vaccination reduced transmission rates — a notion later proven to be false. But after the broad recognition that vaccination does not reduce transmission, the mandates persisted, and still do to this day. A recent study from George Mason University details how vaccine mandates in nine major U.S. cities had no impact on vaccination rates. They also had no impact on Covid transmission rates.


Misinformation #7: Covid originating from the Wuhan Lab is a conspiracy theory

Google admitted to suppressing searches of “lab leak” during the pandemic. Dr Francis Collins, head of the NIH, claimed (and still does) he didn’t believe the virus came from a lab. Ultimately, overwhelming circumstantial evidence points to a lab leak origin — the same origin suggested to Dr Anthony Fauci by two very prominent virologists in a January 2020 meeting he assembled at the beginning of the pandemic. According to documents obtained by Bret Baier of Fox News, they told Drs Fauci and Collins that the virus may have been manipulated and originated in the lab, but then suddenly changed their tune in public comments days after meeting with the NIH officials. The virologists were later awarded nearly $9 million from Fauci’s agency.


Misinformation #8: It was important to get the 2nd vaccine dose 3 or 4 weeks after the 1st dose

Data was clear in the Spring of 2021, just months after the vaccine rollout, that spacing the vaccine out by three months reduces complications rates and increase immunity. Spacing out vaccines would have also saved more lives when Americans were rationing a limited vaccine supply at the height of the epidemic.


Misinformation #9: Data on the bivalent vaccine is “crystal clear”

Dr. Ashish Jha famously said this, despite the bivalent vaccine being approved using data from eight mice. To date, there has never been a randomised controlled trial of the bivalent vaccine. In my opinion, the data are crystal clear that young people should not get the bivalent vaccine. It would have also spared many children myocarditis


Misinformation #10: One in five people get long Covid

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claims that 20% of Covid infections can result in long Covid. But a U.K. study found that only 3% of Covid patients had residual symptoms lasting 12 weeks. What explains the disparity?

It’s often normal to experience mild fatigue or weakness for weeks after being sick and inactive and not eating well. Calling these cases long Covid is the medicalisation of ordinary life.

What’s most amazing about all the misinformation conveyed by CDC and public health officials, is that there has been no apologies for holding on to their recommendations for so long after the data became apparent that they were dead wrong. Public health officials said “you must” when the correct answer should have been “we’re not sure.”

Early on, in the absence of good data, public health officials chose a path of stern paternalism. Today, they are in denial of a mountain of strong studies showing that they were wrong.

At minimum, CDC should come clean and the FDA should add a warning label to Covid vaccines, clearly stating what is now known. A mea culpa by those who led us astray would be a first step to rebuilding trust.

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  What's going on at the KY camp?
Posted by: Catholic01 - 03-01-2023, 11:05 AM - Forum: General Commentary - Replies (2)

Email i received:
We are trying to reach out to Faithful who are looking for the Traditional Sacraments and holding the Faith without compromise. Our goal is to get them in touch with the Priests here and make it possible for them to receive the Sacraments they need. Currently there are five priests under Bishop Pfeiffer who are traveling the United States and Canada administering the Traditional Sacraments.

Please give me a call/text at [omitted].

God Bless,
-Sister Theresa of the Child Jesus
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"Which five priests are under your bishop and what is his lineage?"

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Bishop Pfeiffer was Consecrated two years ago by Bishop Webster and his lineage is from the Thuc Line.

The Priests are Fr. Pancras, Fr. Poisson, Fr. Croisette, Fr. Cooke, and Fr. Parker.  Fr. Pancras and Fr. Poisson have been with the us for five years.  Fr. Croisette, Fr. Cooke, and Fr. Parker were ordained by Bishop Pfeiffer.

Here is a link to a video explaining more about the Seminary here and why it exists   [omitted]

God Bless,
-Sister Theresa of the Child Jesus

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  WEF Globalists boast of their improved tracking
Posted by: Stone - 03-01-2023, 06:39 AM - Forum: Great Reset - No Replies




Quote:The Canadian Alibaba Group president J. Michael Evans boasts at the World Economic Forum about developing an individual carbon footprint tracker to monitor what you buy, what you eat, and where/how you travel.

That individual carbon footprint tracker, however, most likely won’t apply to corporate jets, yachts, or emissions from homes greater than 5,000 sq ft.

This growing obsession with ‘tracking people’ is worrisome and needs to stop!

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  Audio Excerpts: On God's Anger, Threats, and Mercy by S.t Alphonsus
Posted by: Stone - 03-01-2023, 06:29 AM - Forum: Resources Online - No Replies

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  Fr. Hewko: Sermons of St. Vincent Ferrer for Lent
Posted by: Stone - 03-01-2023, 06:23 AM - Forum: Rev. Father David Hewko - Replies (2)

Fr. Hewko: St. Vincent Ferrer on Ash Wednesday


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  Mens Ignatian Retreat - UK
Posted by: Stone - 02-28-2023, 07:57 PM - Forum: Event Schedule - Replies (1)

Five-day Men's Ignatian Retreat
Taken from TheRecusant.com

[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3...%3DApi&f=1]


When: 27th May - 1st June

Where: TBC

Who: Fr. David Hewko

Cost: whatever you can afford - financial help is available for those of limited means...



Please save the date in your diary and let us know if you wish to attend: recusantsspx@hotmail.co.uk

A similar retreat for ladies will follow later in the year.

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