In the days leading up to Pope Francis' Consecration on March 25th, 2022, a video was widely circulated in which Fr. Paul Kramer, in a video interview with Fr. Gruner in 2012, answered a question about who would perform the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart. 

I first saw this video on gloria.tv and on three other sites but here is a version on YouTube:

Quote:

Antonio Ruffini was born in Rome in 1907 on the 8 December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. He was named in honour of St Anthony, the eldest of three boys and lived in a devout family with a very caring attitude to the poor. His mother died when Antonio was very young. Antonio only had a primary school education but, from an early age, he prayed with his heart rather than from books. He had his first vision of Jesus and Mary when he was 17 years old. He saved his money and went to Africa as a lay missionary. He stayed for a year visiting all the villages, entering the huts to take care of the sick and to baptise the newborns. He went back to Africa a few more times and seemed to have the gift of xenoglossy, which is the ability to speak and understand foreign languages without ever having studied them. He even knew the dialects of the various tribes. He was also a healer in Africa . He would ask the people questions about their ailments and then God would heal them with the herbal remedies that Antonio would find, boil and hand out. He didn’t know what he was doing - it was all instinctive. Word soon got around to the other villages.

The manifestation of the bloody stigmata in Antonio Ruffini occurred August 12, 1951 while returning from work as a representative of a company wrapping paper, along the Via Appia, from Rome to Terracina, on an old car. It was very hot and Ruffini was seized with unbearable thirst. After stopping the car, he went in search of a fountain he found shortly after. Suddenly, he saw a woman in the fountain, barefoot, covered in a black cloak, which he believed to be a local peasant also came drink. Just arrived, she said, "Drink if you are thirsty! "And added:" How did you hurt? "Ruffini, who approached her hands like a cup to drink a sip of water, saw that the water was changed into blood. Seeing this, Ruffini, without understanding what was happening, turned to the lady. She smiled at him, and immediately began talking to him about God and his love for men. He was surprised to hear his truly sublime words and in particular those referrer sacrifice of the Cross.

When the vision disappeared, Ruffini, moved and delighted, walked to the car, but when he tried to start, he noticed that on the back and the palms of his hands were open appeared large bubbles of reddish blood shed as if was bleeding. A few days later, he was suddenly awakened in the night by a loud noise from wind and rain and got up to close the window. But he saw to his astonishment that the sky was full of stars and the night was quiet. He remarked even time at his feet a little moisture, something unusual and noticed with surprise, that on the back and on the soles of his feet had appeared wounds like those he had on his hands. From that time, Antonio Ruffini is given completely to men, charity, the sick and the spiritual assistance of humanity.

Antonio Ruffini had the stigmata on his hands for over 40 years. They went clear through his palms and have been examined by doctors, who could offer no rational explanation. In spite of the fact that the wounds went clear through his hands they never become infected. Venerable Pope Pius XII authorized the blessing of a chapel on the spot where Ruffini received the stigmata on the Via Appia, and Father Tomaselli, the miracle worker, wrote a booklet about him. Riffuni is also reported to have had the gift of bilocation. After receiving the stigmata Antonio became a member of the Third Order of St Francis and took a vow of obedience. He was a very humble man. Whenever someone asked to see the stigmata, he would mumble a short prayer, kiss the crucifix, remove his gloves and say: “Here they are. Jesus gave me these wounds and, if He wants, He can take them away.”

Father Kramer some years ago wrote these comments with regard to Antonio Ruffini: “I myself knew Ruffini for many years. In the early 1990s Ruffini was asked point blank in his home: “Is John Paul II the Pope who is going to do the Consecration of Russia ?” He answered: “No, it’s not John Paul. It will not be his immediate successor either, but the one after that. He is the one who will consecrate Russia."

Antonio Ruffini died at age 92, and even in his death bed, vehemently stated that the wounds in his hands, similar to what Christ had to leave the nails for the crucifixion, were "God's Gift.

Quote:Antonio Ruffini was born in Rome in 1907. At the age of 17, he had his first Marian vision, in which he was told that he would carry the Cross of Calvary. Despite this call to religious life, Antonio continued to live as a layman, marrying and becoming a commercial agent. However, on 12 August 1951, at the age of 44, he saw a mendicant child and a woman dressed in black. The woman was the Sorrowful Virgin and she informed him that he had been chosen as a sacrificial victim soul. On the same day, the visible stigmata appeared on his hands. In the following weeks, they also appeared on his feet and chest. Antonio communicated the news to his family and to the Roman clergy, dividing the community between sceptics and the faithful.

He subsequently joined the Third Order of Saint Francis, and undertook several missions in Africa, where he was a miracle worker and had visions and prophecies. His stigmata were always open and they bled every Friday, especially during Lent.[Emphasis mine.]

• Physicians do not succeed in curing these wounds with remedies.
  
• On the other hand, unlike natural wounds of a certain duration, those of stigmatics do not give forth a fetid odour. To this there is known but one exception: St. Rita of Cassia had received on her brow a supernatural wound produced by a thorn detached from the crown of the crucifix. Though this emitted an unbearable odour, there was never any suppuration or morbid alteration of the tissues.
  
• Sometimes these wounds give forth perfumes, for example those of Juana of the Cross, Franciscan prioress of Toledo, and Bl. Lucy of Narni.
  

THE STIGMATA AND MODERN SCIENCE
By Rev. Charles M. Carty



Nihil Obstat: Gualterus H. Peters, S. T. L., Ph. D. Censor Librorum

Imprimatur: Gulielmus O. Brady, D. D., S. T. D. Archiepiscopus Sancti Pauli

Paulopoli, die 24a Aprilii, 1958.

The NIHIL OBSTAT and the IMPRIMATUR indicate only that this manuscript has been read before publication by one who is competent; that in the manuscript he has found nothing contrary to the faith of the Catholic Church nor to its moral teachings. In indicating that nothing such has been found, there is no implication that those who grant the NIHIL OBSTAT or the IMPRIMATUR agree with the contents, opinions or statements expressed in the manuscript.

Quote:'Because the stigmata make the most difficult demands on the soul, on its ability and willingness to suffer in its mystical life, these souls must undergo long trials and sufferings. Only after a period of purgation in the glowing flame of pain do the wounds begin to make their appearance . . . Before they themselves appear, they prepare the body by means of manifold suffering, as though it were necessary to cultivate and harden it for continuous suffering. The bestowal of the stigmata is always preceded by corporeal sufferings; and the soul, thus cleansed by pain, is attuned to higher things and trained to valiant courage . . . .

'Practically the same process takes place in all the stigmatists; first severe illness or great interior commotion, then the appearance of one or other wound, rarely all of them together . . . .

'Thus a long illness preceded Teresa Neumann's stigmatisation. . . . In the measure that the painful sufferings increased and continued, her soul through the mysterious operation of grace became more perfect. The great difference between the condition of her soul at the beginning of her sickness and at the climax of her painful sufferings can be almost perceptibly measured. In the beginning we notice an actual yearning for an active life, against the visitation of the cross. At the end, however, we notice that she dies to all that is not God's will and is completely resigned to the divine guidance.

• Calling for an end to any laws that “restrict abortion by grounds,” thus allowing for sex-selective abortion. (Recommendation 2)
  
• Calling for an end to “laws and other regulations that prohibit abortion based on gestational age limits,” thus arguing for abortion up to birth in order to prevent the “unwanted continuation of pregnancy.” (3)
  
• Demanding abortion on demand, without the mother having to seek “authorization of any other individual, body or institution,” including a doctor or medical professional. (7)
  
• Calling for an end to pre-abortion ultrasound scans, linking this recommendation to the removal of pregnancy term limits on abortion. (10)
  
• Calling for a wider range of medical professionals who can offer abortions. (21)
  
• Calling for an end to “conscientious objection” on the part of a medic who refuses to participate in abortion. Such an objection “may become indefensible” if the state cannot “protect and fulfill abortion seekers’ rights,” wrote the WHO. (22)
  
• The widespread use of abortion pills for “at home” abortions. (48)
  
• Calling for an end to a “routine follow-up visit” after an “uncomplicated surgical abortion or medical abortion.” (34)
  
• Removal of need for prescriptions for “over-the-counter oral contraceptive pills.” (52)
  

Quote:“For the panel includes numerous individuals who work for major abortion providers or lobby groups, including two of the largest abortion providers in the world – MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes International) and Planned Parenthood.”

Unbeknown To Most, A Financial Revolution Is Coming That Threatens To Change Everything (And Not For The Better)

Quote:“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has put an end to the globalization we have experienced over the last three decades As a result, a large-scale reorientation of supply chains will inherently be inflationary…

“The war will prompt countries to re-evaluate their currency dependencies. Even before the war, several governments were looking to play a more active role in digital currencies and define the regulatory frameworks under which they operate…

A global digital payment system, thoughtfully designed, can enhance the settlement of international transactions while reducing the risk of money laundering and corruption. Digital currencies can also help bring down costs of cross-border payments, for example when expatriate workers send earnings back to their families.”

Quote:The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub, the Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank Negara Malaysia, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the South African Reserve Bank today announced the completion of prototypes for a common platform enabling international settlements using multiple central bank digital currencies (mCBDCs).

Led by the Innovation Hub’s Singapore Centre, Project Dunbar proved that financial institutions could use CBDCs issued by participating central banks to transact directly with each other on a shared platform. This has the potential to reduce reliance on intermediaries and, correspondingly, the costs and time taken to process cross-border transactions.

The project was organised along three workstreams: one focusing on high-level functional requirements and design, and two concurrent technical streams that developed prototypes on different technological platforms (Corda and Partior).

The project identified three critical questions: which entities should be allowed to hold and transact with CBDCs issued on the platform? How could the flow of cross-border payments be simplified while respecting regulatory differences across jurisdictions? What governance arrangements could give countries sufficient comfort to share critical national infrastructure such as a payments system?

The project proposed practical solutions for addressing these issues, which were validated through the development of prototypes that demonstrated the technical viability of shared multi-CBDC platforms for international settlements.

Quote:You might assume that you are already using “digital currency” regularly if you rarely use physical cash anymore and instead buy almost everything with a credit card or a digital payment app. In truth, the process of moving money from A to B is vastly more complicated than that. It involves a tangle of payment processors, banks, financial clearinghouses, and, if your money is crossing borders, international communication and exchange systems, such as the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). The money itself doesn’t move anywhere fast, so each intermediary institution must assume risks to fulfill your transaction by accepting promises, sending transfers, verifying receipt of funds, and so on. Many fees get collected along the way for such services.

A CBDC system would be radically simplified. A customer would open an account directly with a country’s central bank, and the central bank would issue (create) digital money in the account. Crucially, this makes the money a direct liability of the Fed, rather than of a private bank. Using a simple smartphone app or other tools, the customer can then initiate direct transactions between Fed accounts. The digital money is deleted in one account and recreated in another instantaneously. Moving money across borders no longer requires something as complex as SWIFT or wire transfers, and currencies can be exchanged instantly as long as friendly central banks have agreements to do so. No promises or trust are necessary; every transaction is permanently recorded on a digital cryptographic ledger in real time—a bit like Bitcoin, but exquisitely centralized rather than distributed.

• By supporting a resilient payments landscape.
  
• By avoiding the risks of new forms of private money creation.
  
• By supporting competition, efficiency and innovation in payments.
  
• By meeting future payment needs in a digital economy.
  
• By improving the availability and usability of central bank money.
  
• By addressing the consequences of a decline in cash.
  
• As an enabler for better cross-border payments.
  

Quote:The Fed could directly subtract taxes and fees from any account, in real time, with every transaction or paycheck, if it wished. There could be no more tax evasion; the Fed would have a complete record of every transaction made by everyone. Money laundering, terrorist financing, any other unapproved transaction would become extremely difficult. Fines, such as for speeding or jaywalking, could be levied in real time, if CBDC accounts were connected to a network of “smart city” surveillance. Nor would there be any need to mail out stimulus checks, tax refunds, or other benefits, such as universal basic income payments. Such money could just be deposited directly into accounts. But a CBDC would allow government to operate at much higher resolution than that if it wished. Targeted microfinance grants, added straight to the accounts of those people and businesses considered especially deserving, would be a relatively simple proposition.

Quote:Even proponents of CBDCs admit that central bank digital currencies could have serious drawbacks, including further exacerbating income and wealth equality.

“The rich might be more capable than others of taking advantage of new investment opportunities and reaping most of the benefits,” says Eswar Prasadm a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and author of The Future of Money: Hoe the Digital Revolution Is Transforming Currencies and Finance. “As the economically marginalized have limited digital access and lack financial literacy, some of the changes could harm as much as they could help those segments of the population.”

So, not only will the introduction of CBDCs strip global citizens of one of the last vestiges of freedom, privacy and anonymity (i.e., cash), it could also exacerbate the upward transfer of wealth and power that many societies have witnessed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Quote:The Green Markets North American Fertilizer Index, already high, jumped 16% last Friday. Urea, a major fertilizer ingredient, went up 22%. Potash, another major ingredient (Russia is the top producer), increased 34% in Brazil, the world’s leading fertilizer importer. The price for standard “starter fertilizer” 10-34-0 is up 49% from a year ago and likely to go much higher.

Bloomberg analyst Alexis Maxwell calls it “a slow-moving disaster.”

The issue is that farmland without fertilizer is vastly less productive. Without fertilizer, corn and wheat yields in the United States would decline by more than 40%. But as prices promise to go much higher, farmers will either have to skimp on fertilizer or raise prices of their own products a lot.

Then, too, there are skyrocketing prices for gasoline and diesel, which are essential for today’s mechanized farming and for getting food to consumers. Add these increases in cost and decreases in production to the shortages likely to come from the Ukraine invasion, and we’re looking at really dramatic increases in food prices.

In the event that anyone doubts the continued progress of the SSPX towards modernist Rome, there is an "official announcement" on their website detailing that Fr. Pagliarani met with Francis on February 8th. One wonders why this announcement was made six weeks after the fact and on the same day as the blasphemous "consecration",  when we should rather be honoring Our Lady and her Divine Son in the mystery of the Incarnation. One also wonders how it is possible to share polite conversations and memories of Argentina with the enemies of the Church, rather than denouncing the heresies of Vatican II. This is yet another scandal and betrayal of the spirit Archbishop Lefebvre. God bless our faithful priests, few though they may be, who are fighting on the front lines for Truth without compromise in the spirit of their Founder!