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| China’s new ‘Smart Religion’ app requires faithful to register to attend worship services |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-16-2023, 08:20 AM - Forum: Socialism & Communism
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China’s new ‘Smart Religion’ app requires faithful to register to attend worship services
![[Image: 1280px-people-singing-chant.jpg?w=670&h=447]](https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/storage/image/1280px-people-singing-chant.jpg?w=670&h=447)
A house church in Beijing, China. | Credit: Huang Jinhui/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 4.0
CNA | Mar 7, 2023
A human rights group active in China is reporting that religious believers in a populous Chinese province are now required to register on a government app in order to attend worship services.
ChinaAid, a U.S.-based Christian charity, reported March 6 that the religious department of the provincial government of Henan is rolling out a system whereby all believers must make online reservations before they can attend services in churches, mosques, or Buddhist temples.
The reservations are to be made through an app called “Smart Religion” developed by the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission of Henan Province. According to ChinaAid, applicants must fill in personal information, including their name, phone number, government ID number, permanent residence, occupation, and date of birth before they can make a reservation. Those who are allowed into a place of worship must also have their temperature taken — suggesting the app may be related in some way to COVID-19 restrictions — and show a reservation code.
Henan, located in the east-central part of the country, has one of the largest Christian populations in China — as much as 6% — according to a 2012 government survey. The communist government of China is officially secular, and the same survey suggested that just 13% of the 98 million population of Henan belongs to an organized religion.
The Chinese government technically recognizes Catholicism as one of five religions in the country, but there exists an underground Catholic Church, which is persecuted and loyal to Rome. Government-approved Catholic churches, on the other hand, have comparatively more freedom of worship but face other challenges, including pressure from the government to censor parts of Catholic teaching, while including Chinese nationalism and love for the party in preaching. Religious believers of all stripes are surveilled in China.
ChinaAid reported that there are concerns that less tech-savvy elderly people might be isolated from signing up for religious services, but officials said staff would assist them in doing so.
ChinaAid said the development and rollout of the app is part of the communist government’s efforts to “strictly manage religion in a comprehensive way,” in part by gathering data about religious believers. The group also expressed concern that the introduction of this additional barrier will turn people away from the practice of religion.
“These management measures did not stem from the intention to protect the religious rights of religious people but rather are mediums to accomplish political purposes,” the group wrote.
“China’s Henan Daily reported that on Feb. 24 this year, Zhang Leiming, member of the Standing Committee of the Henan Provincial Party Committee and head of the United Front Work Department, went to the Provincial Ethnic and Religious Committee to investigate and pointed out that it is necessary to strictly manage religion in a comprehensive way, unite and guide the majority of religious believers to follow the Chinese Communist Party unswervingly.”
Henan was the site of the razing of a Catholic Church in 2017 by government authorities, who also detained dozens of people. The government had reportedly deemed the church an “illegal structure” and ordered it removed. Church property, as well as that of parishioners and construction workers, was confiscated. The Chinese Communist Party also claimed that the church had failed to pay a “road usage fee” that villagers wanted imposed.
In April 2016 Li Jiangong, a pastor in Zhumadian, another city of Henan province, lost his wife when the couple tried to save their house church from being bulldozed in a government-ordered destruction of the church. He “barely escaped” death, according to the most recent annual report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
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| Court rules against employee fired for refusing to attend LGBTQ training session |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-15-2023, 10:02 AM - Forum: General Commentary
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Court rules against employee fired for refusing to attend LGBTQ training session
Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES said the LGBTQ training was intended to help prevent discrimination in the workplace
Fox News [slightly adapted] | March 15, 2023
A federal appellate court rejected the appeal of a former account clerk in upstate New York who was fired from his job for refusing to attend a mandatory LGBTQ training in 2018.
Raymond Zdunski was employed at Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES for seven years before his termination, which he likened to "unlawful religious discrimination." He sued the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES seeking reinstatement, back pay and $10 million in damages. The Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) is a public organization that was created by the New York State Legislature in 1948 to provide shared educational programs and services to school districts within the state.
The plaintiff had argued that the LGBTQ training and makeup session were "aimed at changing his religious beliefs about gender and sexuality," and that attending the training "would have caused him to violate the religious teachings to which he adheres," according to the lawsuit. BOCES denied his request for a religious accommodation.
District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford dismissed Zdunksi's lawsuit in 2022, concluding that his claims were "unsupported" and agreeing with BOCES that he was fired for refusing to attend the trainings, which BOCES had maintained were intended to help prevent discrimination in the workplace.
"Plaintiff's unsupported assumption that Defendants believe him to be ‘bigoted’ due to his religious beliefs is insufficient to support an inference of discrimination," Crawford said in his ruling. "In sum, no facts in the record support a finding that Mr. Zdunski was terminated because of his religion; rather, the evidence in the record supports Defendants' position that his termination was due to repeatedly refusing to attend a mandatory employee training."
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals backed BOCES this week, saying in its opinion that Zdunksi had failed to provide "sufficient evidence" for his claims.
"It just seems like the country is against the Christian way of life, and it's for everything else," Zdunski responded. "We're not allowed to practice our way of life but anyone else can, it seems."
Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Zdunski was fired for "insubordination."
"Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES is committed to providing educational and employment opportunities in an environment free from unlawful discrimination, including harassment and intimidation," David O'Rourke, Ph.D., District Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer, said. "The plaintiff in this matter was terminated for insubordination after he repeatedly refused directives to attend a mandatory cultural competency training program that was designed to facilitate a safe environment for both students and staff consistent with Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES obligations under New York State and Federal laws. We agree with the decisions of both the United States District Court and the Court of Appeals, and remain committed to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all students and staff."
Zdunski's lawyer Kristina S. Heuser, meanwhile, maintained that her client's rights were violated "for no other reason than his refusal to be indoctrinated with anti-biblical teaching."
"Though the lower courts did not find in his favor, we are not deterred and will seek redress from the U.S. Supreme Court," she added, according to The Buffalo News.
Heuser expanded in comments to Fox News Digital.
"We are very disappointed that the Second Circuit decided the matter incorrectly," Heuser said. "This country was founded upon and for religious freedom, but these days people of faith - particularly Christian faith - are among the most discriminated against in our nation. Mr. Zdunski sought a religious accommodation to avoid a training his employer was requiring aimed at teaching ‘cultural sensitivity’ towards transgender persons."
"Mr. Zdunski was an account clerk," Heuser continued. "He worked on spreadsheets in a cubicle. The training was not even remotely related to the requirements of his job. The Left will stop at nothing to force their ideology upon everyone, including stripping people of their livelihood if they do not submit to their beliefs. Mr. Zdunksi refused to violate his sincerely held religious beliefs by submitting to teaching that contradicts what Scripture teaches, which is his absolute right under prevailing federal law. The Court's ruling was clearly erroneous and we intend to petition the United States Supreme Court to hear Mr. Zdunski's case."
U.S. workplaces have in recent years experienced more of a push toward diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). But a recent study found that companies are slashing DEI jobs while workers were leaving these fields at a higher rate than non-DEI positions. The study by Revelio Labs said last year companies who had layoffs cut DEI positions at a 33% rate versus a 21% cut for other roles.
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| St. Alphonsus Liguori: Daily Meditations for the Third Week of Lent |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-14-2023, 07:12 AM - Forum: Lent
- Replies (6)
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"God is merciful." Who denies this? Yet, nevertheless how many does not God daily send to hell! God shows mercy; but to whom? His mercy is towards them that fear him.
I.
The sinner says, "God is merciful." Behold the third very common delusion of sinners, by which great numbers are lost. A learned author declares that the mercy of God sends more souls to hell than His justice; because these unhappy ones, confiding rashly in God's mercy, continue in sin, and are thus lost. God is merciful. Who denies it? Nevertheless how many does He daily send to hell! He is merciful; but He is also just, and He is therefore obliged to punish those who offend Him. He shows mercy; but to whom? To him that fears Him: His mercy is towards them that fear him. The Lord hath compassion on them that fear him. (Ps. cii. 11, 18). But as for those who despise Him, and abuse His mercy only to despise Him the more, He exercises justice in their regard. And with reason. God pardons the sin, but He cannot pardon the determination to sin. St. Augustine says that he who sins with the intention of repenting afterwards, is not a penitent but a mocker of God. On the other hand, the Apostle tells us that God will not be mocked: Be not deceived: God is not mocked. (Gal. vi. 7). It would be mocking God to offend Him as we please and when we please, and then to expect Heaven.
My crucified Jesus, my Redeemer and my God, behold a traitor at Thy feet! I am ashamed to appear before Thee. How often have I mocked Thee, how often have I promised never more to offend Thee! But my promises have all been treacherous; since, when the occasion presented itself, I forgot Thee, and again turned my back on Thee. I thank Thee that my abode at this moment is not in hell; but that Thou permittest me to be at Thy feet instead, and enlightenest me, and callest me to Thy love. Yes, I am resolved to love Thee, my Saviour and my God, and never more to despise Thee. Thou hast borne with me long enough. I perceive that Thou canst bear with me no longer. Unhappy me, if after so many graces I should offend Thee again!
II.
"But as God has hitherto shown me so many mercies, and has not punished me, so I hope He will show me mercy in future." Behold another delusion. Because, then, God has had compassion on you, therefore is He always to show compassion to you, and never to chastise you? On the contrary, the greater the mercies He has shown you have been, so much the more ought you to tremble lest He should pardon you no more, and chastise you if you offend Him again. Say not, I have sinned, and what harm hath befallen me? For the Most High is a patient rewarder (Ecclus. v. 4); I have sinned, and have not been punished; for God is patient, but He does not endure for ever. When the limit fixed by Him for the mercies He intends to show a sinner is attained, He then punishes all his sins together. And the longer He has waited for his repentance, so much the more severe will be his punishment; as says St. Gregory: "Those whom He waits for the longest, He punishes the most severely."
If, then, you perceive that you have often offended God, and God has not cast you into hell, you must say: The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed. (Lam. iii. 22). Lord, I thank Thee that Thou hast not sent me to hell, as I deserved. Consider how many have been condemned for less sins than you have committed; and remembering this, endeavour to atone for your offences against God by penance and other good works. The patience that God has had with you ought to animate you not to displease Him still more; but to love and serve Him better than you have done; considering that He has shown you so many mercies, which He has not shown to others.
Lord, I resolutely determine to change my life, and to love Thee as much as I have offended Thee. I rejoice that I have to deal with infinite goodness such as Thine. I repent above all things of having despised Thee as I have done, and I promise Thee all my love in future. Pardon me through the merits of Thy Passion; forget the injuries I have done Thee; and give me strength to be faithful to Thee during the remainder of my life. I love Thee, O my Sovereign Good; and I hope to love Thee always. My dear Lord, I will leave Thee no more. O Mary, Mother of God, bind me to Jesus Christ; and obtain for me the grace never again to depart from His feet. In thee I confide.
Spiritual Reading
HEROES AND HEROINES OF THE FAITH
ST. BASIL OF ANCYRA, PRIEST AND MARTYR (March 22)
St. Basil was a priest of Ancyra, in Galatia, who, during the reign of Constantius, bravely defended the Divinity of the Son of God against the Arians, and converted many from that heresy. Upon the death of Constantius, Julian the Apostate succeeded to the empire, and used all his energies for the re-establishment of idolatry, which at this time had been almost annihilated. St. Basil, on the other hand, struggled with all his might against the impious project, and went through the entire city of Ancyra, exhorting the Christians to preserve themselves from apostasy, and to despise the promises of Julian, whom, he said, God would quickly remove. By this conduct he brought upon himself the hatred of the idolaters, who united with the Arians in persecuting him; but the Saint was not to be deterred from defending the Faith of Jesus Christ.
One day while some of the Gentiles were sacrificing to the gods, he prayed aloud that the Lord might confound them, in order that no Christian might be seduced by their example. The idolaters, upon hearing this prayer, became infuriated, and one of them, named Macarius, laying violent hands upon him, said: "Who art thou that darest to disturb the people, and to preach against the worship of the gods?" Basil replied: "Not I, but the God of Heaven, with His invincible power, will destroy your false religion." The heathens, more infuriated than ever, dragged him before Saturninus, the governor of the province, saying: "This man has been guilty of sedition, and threatens to overturn the altars of the gods."
Saturninus, turning to him, said: "Who art thou that showest so much rashness?" Basil answered: "I am a Christian, and glory in being so." "If then thou art a Christian," said Saturninus, "why dost thou not act like a Christian?" Basil: "Thou art right; a Christian ought to appear such in all his actions." Saturninus: "Why hast thou raised the people and blasphemed the emperor as the follower of a false religion?" Basil: "I blaspheme not the emperor nor his religion; but I say that in Heaven there is a Ruler Whom the Christians adore as the only true God, and Who can in one moment destroy your false worship." Saturninus: "What canst thou say against the religion of the emperor?" Basil was about to reply, but Saturninus interrupted him, saying: "All reply is useless; thou must obey the emperor." Basil: "I never yet failed to obey the Emperor of Heaven." Saturninus: "Who is this Emperor of Heaven?" Basil: "He that dwelleth in Heaven and beholdeth all things; while your emperor commands only upon earth, and is a man like the rest, and will shortly fall into the hands of the Great King."
The governor, irritated at this answer, ordered that the Saint should be suspended, and torn with iron hooks; but while Basil was returning thanks to God, he asked him whether he would sacrifice. The Saint replied: "I have placed all my confidence in the King of kings; nor is it in the power of man to change me." The tyrant, perceiving that the executioners had fatigued themselves, sent him to prison; and one Felix, a bad Christian, who met him by the way, advised him to obey the emperor, but our Saint answered: "Depart from me, O impious wretch! Enveloped as thou art in the darkness of sin, how canst thou see the light?"
The Emperor Julian was at this time at Pessinunte, celebrating the festival of the goddess Cybele, who was said to be the mother of the gods. Here Saturninus informed him of what had taken place regarding Basil. The apostate, hearing that he possessed great influence, sent two other apostates, Elpidius and Pegasus, to gain him over. When the latter went to the prison to speak to him, the Saint said: "Traitor! why hast thou renounced Jesus Christ and thy hopes of salvation? After having been cleansed in the waters of Baptism, how couldst thou stain thyself with idolatry? After having been fed with the Flesh of Jesus Christ, how canst thou sit at a feast of demons? Thou wert the disciple of truth, and art now become a master of perdition, to the eternal loss of thy own soul. What wilt thou do when the Lord shall come to judge thee?" Then raising his eyes to Heaven, he exclaimed: "Vouchsafe, O Lord, to deliver me from the snares of the devil." Pegasus, covered with confusion, related the affair to Elpidius, and they both proceeded to inform the governor, who again caused Basil to be put to torture. When the Saint was placed upon the rack, he said: "Impious tyrant, thou mayest exercise all thy cruelty, but so long as Jesus Christ is with me, I never will change."
Evening Meditation
REFLECTIONS AND AFFECTIONS ON THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST
I.
As St. Laurence Justinian says, with St. Peter Damian, the thorns were so long that they penetrated even to the brain: "The thorns perforating the brain." While the gentle Lamb let Himself be tormented according to their will, without speaking a word, without crying out, but closely compressing His eyes through the anguish, He frequently breathed forth, at that time, bitter sighs, as is the wont of one undergoing a torture which has brought him to the point of death, according as was revealed to the Blessed Agatha of the Cross: "He very often closed His eyes, and uttered piercing sighs, like those of one about to die." So great was the quantity of the Blood which flowed from the Wounds upon His Sacred Head, that upon His Face there was no appearance of any other colour save that of blood, according to the revelation of St. Bridget: "So many streams of Blood rushing down over His Face, and filling His hair, and eyes, and beard, He seemed to be nothing but one mass of Blood." And St. Bonaventure adds that the beautiful Face of the Lord was no longer seen, but it appeared rather the face of a man who had been scarified: "Then might be seen no longer the Face of the Lord Jesus, but that of a man who had undergone excoriation."
Ah, cruel Thorns, ungrateful creatures, wherefore do ye torment your Creator thus? But to what purpose, asks St. Augustine, dost thou find fault with the thorns? They were but innocent instruments--our sins, our evil thoughts, were the wicked thorns which afflicted the head of Jesus Christ: "What are the thorns but sinners?" Jesus having one day appeared to St. Teresa crowned with thorns, the Saint began to compassionate Him; but the Lord made answer to her: "Teresa, compassionate Me not on account of the Wounds which the thorns of the Jews have produced; but commiserate Me on account of the wounds which the sins of Christians occasion Me."
Therefore, O my soul, thou also didst then inflict torture upon the venerable Head of thy Redeemer by thy many consentings to evil: Know thou and behold how grievous and bitter it is for thee to have left the Lord thy God. (Jer. ii. 19). Open now thine eyes, and see, and bitterly bewail all thy life long the great evil thou hast done in so ungratefully turning thy back upon thy Lord and God. Ah, my Jesus! no, Thou hast not deserved that I should have treated Thee as I have done. I have done evil; I have been in the wrong: I am sorry for it with all my heart. Oh, pardon me, and give me a sorrow which may make me bewail all my life long the wrongs that I have done Thee. My Jesus, my Jesus, pardon me, wishing, as I do, to love Thee for ever.
II.
And bowing the knee before him, they derided him, saying: Hail, King of the Jews! And spitting upon him, they took the reed, and struck his head. (Matt. xxvii. 29. 30). St. John adds: And they gave him blows. (John xix. 3). When those barbarians had placed upon the head of Jesus that crown of torture, it was not enough for them to press it down as forcibly as they could with their hands, but they took a reed to answer the purpose of a hammer, that so they might make the thorns penetrate the more deeply. They then began to turn Him into derision, as if He were a mock king; first of all saluting Him on their bended knee as King of the Jews; and then, rising up, they spit into His Face, and buffet Him with shouts and jests of scorn. Ah, my Jesus, to what art Thou reduced! Had anyone happened by chance to pass that place and seen Jesus Christ so drained of Blood, clad in that ragged purple garment, with that sceptre in His hand, with that crown upon His head, and so derided and ill-treated by the low rabble, what would he ever have taken Him to be but the vilest and most wicked man in the world! Behold the Son of God become at that time the disgrace of Jerusalem! O men, hereupon exclaims Blessed Denis the Carthusian, if we will not love Jesus Christ because He is good, because He is God, let us love Him at least for the many pains which He has suffered for us: "If we love Him not because He is good, because He is God, let us at least love Him because He has suffered so many things for our salvation."
Ah, my dear Redeemer, take back a rebellious servant who has run away from Thee, but who now returns to Thee in penitence. While I was fleeing from Thee and despising Thy love, Thou didst not cease from following after me to draw me back to Thyself; and therefore I cannot fear that Thou wilt drive me away now that I seek Thee, value Thee, and love Thee above everything. Make known to me what I have to do to please Thee; wishing, as I do, to do it all. O my most lovely God, I wish to love Thee in earnest; and I desire to give Thee no more displeasure. Aid me with Thy grace. Let me not leave Thee more. Mary, my hope, pray to Jesus for me. Amen.
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| Pachamama idol reappears at Mass with Latin American bishops for Synod on Synodality |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-14-2023, 06:31 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
- No Replies
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Pachamama idol reappears at Mass with Latin American bishops for Synod on Synodality
Bishop Pedro Jubinville emphasized listening 'to the land, the flora, the water,' and the 'cry of the earth' in a homily while the pagan idol was promimently displayed on the altar.
![[Image: Pachamama-810x500.png]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Pachamama-810x500.png)
Facebook
Mar 13, 2023
BRASILIA, Brazil (LifeSiteNews) — The statue of the Pachamama made its appearance in Brazil at a Mass for the Regional Assemblies of Latin America and the Caribbean during the continental-stage meetings of the Synod on Synodality. Photos shows several bishops concelebrating the Mass with the pagan idol prominently featured in the sanctuary in front of the ambo.
The Diocese of San José de Mayo posted the photo on Facebook, celebrating the event.
In a homily given at the closing Mass of the Regional Assembly, which took place from March 6 to March 10 in Brasilia, Bishop Pedro Jubinville, vice president of the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference, with the pantheistic language of cultic nature religions — such as those in which the Incan idol of the Pachamama, “mother earth,” is worshiped — emphasized listening “to the land, the flora, the water,” and the “cry of the earth.”
“Synodality makes us listen not only to the ecclesial organization but also to the land, the flora, the water, also to the peoples, the communities,” Jubinville said. “A great effort of ‘mapping’ is being prepared that is not only a collection of data but an exercise of listening to what the territory tells us, a ritual of belonging and thanksgiving for the concrete land where we are.”
These rituals, the bishop insisted, are a way of “celebrating a belonging to land, which is a space that is always human,” affirming that “these networks can give us clues to respond to the great call of Laudato Sí and the cry of the earth.”
Unsurprisingly, together with the emergence of the Pachamama, the inclusion of LGBT ideology and those who live according to such lifestyles also made the agenda for the assembly.
Sister Eliane Cordeiro, president of the Conference of Religious of Brazil (CRB), insisted that synodality includes “the spirituality of welcome and itinerancy, where there is room for everyone.”
“When we enlarge, as the prophet Isaiah asks us, we widen to embrace, so that everyone may fit in this tent,” she said. As might be expected, this meant for Cordeiro that the Church needed to do more to include women, married priests, LGBTQIA+, and indigenous peoples.
Expressing apparent disdain for the priesthood, the divinely established ecclesiastical hierarchy, and cloistered religious life, she said, “The most contrary to Jesus’ plan is the cloister in a hierarchical and clerical Church. When we talk about widening the tent, we are saying that in the Church of Jesus it is necessary to accommodate everyone.”
While the attempt to push the ordination of women to the priesthood, the acceptance of LGBT ideology, and the globalist climate change agenda has marked the Synod on Synodality from the beginning and has its patrons at the highest levels of the Church in Rome, the reappearance of the Pachamama idol has brought the synodal proceedings full circle.
As was widely reported at the time, in October 2019, just prior to the opening of the Amazon Synod in Rome, a pagan ceremony took place in the Vatican Gardens in which Pachamama idols were worshipped with dancing, prayers, prostrations, and incense as Pope Francis and other top-ranking prelates looked on. The October 4 ritual, captured on video, shows Pope Francis blessing the pagan statue before receiving it as a gift.
The idols were subsequently carried in procession, set in a place of prominence during the Synodal proceedings, and placed at several altars in the Church of Santa Maria in Transpotina near St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome before being thrown into the Tiber River in a celebrated act of Catholic defiance of the scandalous honoring of the pagan fertility goddess.
Shortly after the Amazon Synod, German Bishop Erwin Kräutler commented on the controversy surrounding the presence of the Pachamama statutes at the ceremonies in the Vatican. The German Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost reported on his words and quoted him as saying that the Pachamama statues were a “form of expression of the indigenous people,” which could be “integrated into our liturgy.”
However, Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, the host of EWTN’s “Scripture and Tradition” show, denounced the honor shown the Pachamama statues as idolatrous. “The introduction of the Pachamama into the Synod on the Amazon is something that is a major scandal,” he said. “We are forbidden to have idols. We are forbidden to worship other gods.”
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| Pope Francis: "Celibacy is a temporary prescription" in the western church |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-11-2023, 07:30 AM - Forum: Pope Francis
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“The Church is for everyone”, said Pope Francis on his 10th anniversary as leader of Catholicism
In an in-depth interview with Infobae, the Supreme Pontiff referred to the possibility of a regime change in Venezuela and the “mental imbalance” of Daniel Ortega.
He also spoke about drug trafficking in Latin America, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the possible reconsideration of celibacy and his daily life
Infobae.com [computer translated from the Spanish] | 10 Mar, 2023
Interview with Pope Francis - His view on global affairs
The mere entrance of Pope Francis into the meeting room of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, in the Vatican, refutes all speculation about his health: he walks with a normal, even brisk gait. He will later talk about the circumstances that forced him to use a wheelchair until recently, with the same nonchalant manner with which he will address all the topics presented to him in this interview, without dodging any.
From Russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine to celibacy and divorce.
From the “uncouth dictatorships” in Latin America to death and the possibility of seeing it coming.
Also the resistance he faced when promoting change in the church, his habit of handwriting, market capitalism, his desire to visit Argentina despite the difficulties. About everything.
He has served 10 years as Pope but believes that he has not changed in essence. In fact, he still has the same attitude as always, the Buenos Aires Spanish idioms, the slightly candid humor. Francis looks at the team of Infobae that has set up the cameras and smiles: perhaps the sight of Argentine faces makes him feel closer to home, soothes that nostalgia of wandering —so he says— through the streets of Buenos Aires.
To his right there is a reproduction of Our Lady Undoer of Knots, a painting by Johann Schmidtner from 1700, which Francis, when he was Jorge Mario Bergoglio in the eighties, discovered while completing his PhD dissertation in Germany. He fell in love with its emblem — an angel hands her a ribbon full of knots, which becomes undone as it passes through her hands— and introduced her in Argentina.
It is not a traditional virgin; it does not represent a manifestation of Mary, like the Virgin of the Pillar, the Virgin of Fatima or the Guadalupana. A priest asked Schmidtner to paint an image to hearten a couple of friends who were about to split up. And to her Francis entrusted himself when the covid-19 pandemic began: an inspiration to face hard times with hope. Before the interview, he briefly gazed at the picture.
—It’s now ten years since the day you were appointed Pope. I would like to know if you have any memories of that day. What comes to your mind first?
—Several times I wanted to remember what happened then. I didn’t really realize what was going to take place. “What, didn’t you have a vote?” Yes, many of us there had votes, but in the conclave there is this “deposit vote”. Sometimes you don’t know who to vote for and so you wait a bit, and give [your vote] to someone you know will not be elected, and see how things go. It is the way the Holy Spirit leads you, isn’t it?
In the morning, at noon, I came here, I was relaxed, some people made jokes as I was passing, which I did not understand. Even when I entered the dining room, some bishops from central Europe said to me “Come here, Eminence, what can you tell us about Latin America?”. They tested me. I had seen it before. As I was leaving the dining room, a cardinal comes running from the back and says “Just a moment, please, is it true that you had a lung removed?”. I told him “No, I had the right upper lobe removed, because I had cysts”. “Oh, and when was that?” And I said “In 1957″. And he said “These last-minute ploys…” and then turned away. In that moment it dawned on me. That’s when I realized there was a campaign for and against [me]. I left, I took a nap, calmed.
Another exciting memory is that when I arrived —and this is what the psychologists would call the dishonest unconscious mind—, before entering the Sistine [Chapel], I ran into cardinal Ravasi, and we started walking through the big hall in front of the Sistine [Chapel]. And I told him, “Do you know that for my sapiental classes I work —I worked, now I don’t teach anymore— with your books?”. And I began to explain, and we began to talk about sapiential books, and we drifted away until we heard a shout, “Are you coming or not? Because I am closing the door”. Unconsciously you do not want to go inside. But those are matters you can’t control.
—Was it very different from the 2005 election?
—No. No, no. The dynamics are the same, the dynamics are the same. This one went through one more round of vote. [In] the 2005 [election, he] was elected on the first ballot in the afternoon. [In] this one, on the second in the afternoon. The first one already showed the trend.
And here I want to pay tribute to a great friend, cardinal [Claudio] Hummes, who was sitting behind me and in the first round of vote came closer to say “Do not be afraid, this is how the Holy Spirit works”. I get emotional because he passed away not long ago, and I loved him dearly. And when I was elected in the second ballot —I got two thirds and the counting was still going on— he stood up, hugged me and told me “Do not forget the poor”. This is moving. A great guy, Hummes, a great man. A great man. He passed away a few months ago. Silent [man], but he led the way. Well, the poor, you know, St Francis. Francis, that’s it. So, when cardinal [Giovanni Battista] Re asked me “What will your name be?”, I said Francis. Period.
—Holy Father, can I ask you if you found out —I guess you did— those who were campaigning against you at that time?
—No.
—No.
—No, honestly no. I do not know if there was a counter-campaign. I don’t know. Obviously, there were others who voted for other people. It is true that in the end it was almost… I wouldn’t say unanimous, but quite big. In the end it was a massive vote. But against, no, I could not think of anyone. And [if] I turn to imagine it I run the risk of committing libel, so I’d rather not. [Laughs.]
—I have read El pastor [The Shepherd], the book by Sergio Rubin and the Italian journalist Francesca Ambrogetti, and it says that God always forgives, and that you forgive a lot but you do not forget those who offended you or defamed you. And perhaps I imagined, or I assumed that it was referring to…
—No, not at all. No. It didn’t occur to me to think about who didn’t vote for me. It really didn’t occur to me. I did not vote for myself, that’s for sure. But about the others, I don’t know.
—Many people who have known you for years sometimes tell me that you look much happier since you are Pope. Do you feel the same way?
—I have always been happy with my ministry, even in the tough moments, difficult moments, which I went through, because I had to solve quite thorny matters, o help to solve them, but nobody could take away my inner peace. That happiness. You can tell that people now look at me more but I have always been like this, I do not think I have changed here. Perhaps I feel a little nostalgic for Buenos Aires, because I can’t wander around like I did in Buenos Aires. But I wouldn’t be able to measure the quietness, the peacefulness, the inner joy I have. For me it has always been the same.
“Not valid” marriages and the reevaluation of celibacy
Of all the gates to enter the Vatican City, the Perugino Gate is the closest to Domus Sanctae Marthae, where Francis, dressed in white and wearing black shoes, greeted Infobae. It is a gate confusing to tourists: it is renowned for its location in the walls of the ancient city, for the frescoes by Pietro Perugino that give it its name and for being a pathway to St Peter’s Basilica, but it operates as a private entrance.
Interview with Pope Francis - The reason why he didn't visit Argentina
The reason why is simple: Francis chose not to live in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the popes, but in Sanctae Marthae. That is to say, that cobblestone protrusion of the Via della Stazione Vaticana, which ends at a gray and inconspicuous gate, is the entrance to the Supreme Pontiff’s home.
Francis decided to make this move in search of a simpler lifestyle, as he stated. It was not the only change, not even the most relevant, of a papacy probably defined by promoting new ideas for the Catholic Church.
—You travelled to Brazil in 2013 and on you way back a Brazilian TV journalist asked you about the gay lobby, and you said “I am not the one [to talk about it]”. First you denied that there was a gay lobby, you said it could be part of different lobbies, but [then] you said “I am not the one to judge anyone”. Sexual choice or preference aside, someone who has complied with the rest of the Church mandates, would be fit to receive communion? Or let me rephrase: would you administer communion to this person?
—What I said… I have said three things regarding people with homosexual tendencies. One in Brazil, the one you cite, and this is the way I said it: “If a person of homosexual tendency is honest and seeks God, who I am to judge?” On a trip back from Ireland I said —I was asked and I said—: “I ask parents, if they have a son or a daughter with homosexual tendencies, to keep them at home, not to cast them away as a punishment. Attend to them”. The third [one] was in an interview with the Associated Press in which I talked about criminalization. Criminalization is a serious problem. About thirty countries have criminalized this in one way or another. And almost ten [have] death penalty. Almost ten.
Those were the three times I spoke publicly about the subject. Jesus provided the greatest answer: everybody. All of them. Everybody comes inside. The snobbish don’t want to assist to the banquet? Go there, to the crossroads, and summon everyone: the good, the bad, the old, the young, the kids. All of them. The church is for everyone. And each one settles their stance before the Lord with the strength they have. This is a church of sinners. I do not know where the church of saints is; here, we are all sinners. And who am I to judge a person, if they have good will? If they belong to the devil’s gang, well, let’s defend them a little bit. But nowadays we focus a lot on this problem. I think we must resort to the essence of the Gospel. Jesus invites everyone and each one settles their relationship with God as they can or as they want. Sometimes you want but you cannot, but the Lord always awaits.
—I have friends of my generation that are on their so-called second administration, their second marriage, and they are very happy. They married too young or maybe it didn’t work well. And they have children, and maybe they send them to Catholic schools, or Catholics universities. And many times, they have doubted about being fit to receive communion. Could you help me understand?
—Yes. We cannot narrow down a human situation to a preceptive one. Pope Benedict —who knew about these matters and was a great theologian, he did not fiddle in theology, he was knowledgeable— he said three times, once in Alto Adige, another time in Piamonte and the third one in Rome, that a great number of marriages in the church are not valid due to a lack of faith. And look, sometimes you go to a wedding and it seems to be more a social gathering than a sacrament. In other words, they get married, yes, [but] when these young people say forever, who knows what they mean by forever. While the good vibes last, I don’t know. And Benedict said that because of that lack of consciousness a great number are not valid. You have to take that into account. A very wise lady once told me: “You priests are very smart. To be ordained priests you have to spend six, seven years in the Seminary. In contrast, we, to marry, which is for life —because a priest can leave the Church, while for us is a life deal—, we are fixed with four lectures”. Very wise. That is why we always speak of a catechumenate towards marriage and the first years of marriage.
I come back to this, so as not to fall under the discipline of communion, [for] people that the marriage is invalid. Maybe they cannot prove it, and that is where the bishop’s conscience comes in. I advise separated couples to approach their bishop, to go and submit their situation to him.
—I said that it was the last [question] regarding theological matters or church matters, and I was wrong, I did not lie to you. But nowadays there is some talk, and I do not know the numbers, that there are not a lot of vocation. Or maybe there is, but it is not voiced. But regardless of that, if celibacy was not mandatory —not that celibacy disappears but if it were not mandatory— do you suppose that the possibility of priests with the faculty to be married, as is the case in other churches, might help to encourage more people to join the priesthood?
"The church is for everyone", Pope Francis underscored. "And each one settles their stance before the Lord with the strength they have".
—I do not think so. In fact there are married priests in the Catholic church, the whole eastern ritual has marriage. The whole eastern ritual. Here in the Curia we have one —just today I came across him— who has his wife, his son, [and he] comes [here]. In the western church, celibacy is a temporary prescription, I do not know if it is settled in one way or another, but it is temporary in this sense, it is not perpetual like priestly ordination, which is forever, whether you like it or not. Whether you leave [the church] or not is a different matter, but it is forever. Celibacy, on the other hand, is a discipline...
—In other words, it could be reconsidered.
—Yes. Yes. In fact everyone in the eastern church is married. Or those who want to. They make a choice. Before being ordained, the opt to marry or to be celibate.
Resistance against the papacy of Francis
The Catholic church of the future will carry the imprint of Francis. We already see some of that: the austerity of his former office as archbishop of Buenos Aires has infused the Vatican atmosphere, and some of the traditional circles have lost privileges. In the industrious balance that defines this work, the Pope has achieved an important triumph facing the coming times: he has appointed half of the cardinals who are currently electors.
However, it is known that his papacy is not a smooth experience. He has been criticized since March 13, 2013, the day he was elected and promised to open wide the doors of Catholicism to let in all those who wish to join the community. Some of those criticisms have been constructive and others not so much, he differentiates. To talk about both, he slightly accommodates himself in the armchair and lightly touches the metallic crucifix over his chest.
—Holy Father, did you sense at the beginning —I don’t know if know— any resistance, from the church or from the bishops in Rome, to some of the ideas or changes you promoted?
—Resistance, as [Sandro] Pertini, that great Italian president, said… He always talked about resistance. And I called him the chufi-chufi, the [device] that heats the water with a resistor… Resistance is a sort of ever-present self-defense stance in the face of anything new, anything at all. I would be suspicious of decisions without any resistance. Of that I would be suspicious. There may be some obvious [decisions], but if they don’t meet any resistance the thing was too oiled, it doesn’t work. Resistance is very normal. I would be suspicious of a Congress, for instance, where they do not fight each other. Without a diversity of views. That they resist themes of the Executive and vote against them. A passive Congress is not a Congress, it is an elementary school, or even less.
—I am going to read verbatim because it seems to me that each word is strong, and this was said by Julian Herranz, who I believe is the oldest cardinal in the Vatican.
—A great guy.
—He has been here, in the Vatican, for about sixty years. And he said, word by word: “I have worked for six popes and all of them have been criticized. Of the six pontiffs, maybe the devil has been merciless with two, Paul VI and Francis. Always to divide the church and hinder the spread of the Gospel”. How do you feel about it?
—Herranz is an experienced man. Herranz is a medical doctor, then he joined the Opus Dei, he was ordained a priest. He is ninety-two years old. Just the other day he wrote me a very nice letter. I am very close to Herranz, very friendly. Very close friend. I did not know he had ever said this. I cannot judge if it true or not. But sometimes there is resistance but of the wrong kind. Not the right kind. Because the right resistance is that if I have a good project, let’s take a look, let it be discussed. The wrong resistance is when you discuss over here and [then] you go in the back looking for betrayal as well. But either I am naïve or I don’t care about that.
The [resistance] that existed has been solved. And if there is one, it is in a corner, hiding, and those who support it talk about it. [When those get us] On the verge of schism, that is the bad thing. For example, the story of the American bishop [some believe Francis is here referring to Archbishop [font=-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Cantarell, Oxygen-Sans, "Nimbus Sans L", "Liberation Sans", Verdana, "Lucida Grande", "DejaVu Sans", "Bitstream Vera Sans", Tahoma, system-ui, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"]Viganò[/font], though he is Italian - The Catacombs], one that is over there, who was a nuncio. You can’t tell if this man is Catholic or not, he’s just on the edge Those mismanaged resistances, right? From the beginning there was resistance in the church. When St Paul tells “and I confronted Peter and I told him that he was a devious guy, that he did not talk much”… Devious is a word as if he were two-faced, right? “And why did he pretend with the Jews that he did not eat meat, and with us he did? I confronted him”. That is not resistance: that helps the government. When they criticize me head-on, I am grateful for it. Sometimes I don’t like it, but I am grateful.
—Has a cardinal told you not to do so many interviews?
—Yes, one.
—One.
—How do you know this?
—Well, it’s my job [laughs]. It’s my job.
—One, two months ago.
The daily life of the Pope
In the hour he spent with Infobae, the Pope not only shared his profound ideas and definitions. He also revealed his habits, the small repeated actions that weave each day, including his mannerisms such as his aversion to cell phones. But even when he talks about these lesser details, mere colorful facts of life, his religious passion shines through.
He seems to be happy doing what he does. At 86 years of age, there is nothing left of the chemistry technician who thought about the possibility of studying medicine. Compared to himself 10 years ago, the Francis of 2023 comes out on top: he looks more mature, serene and balanced. And his mental quickness still sets the pace of his conversation.
—I am going to ask you something —don’t take this the wrong way— about your daily life. I see you walking just fine, but a few months ago I spotted you in pictures in a wheelchair. Could you tell us what happened?
—It was a somewhat strange thing. My tendons were hurting due to inflammation, it seems, and I was walking poorly. And that improper gait broke a small bone in my knee. My doctor told me “You need surgery”. I said “Again? It requires anesthesia, and six hours of procedure”. A year and some months ago… And the anesthesia takes two or three years to wear off. The effects. “No, but it is local”, he tells me. “What, are you going to pour some distilled water in there?” So I said no. And the physiotherapist told me “No, this can be healed with magnetotherapy, laser and a little physiotherapy”. And he succeeded in getting the bone to weld. Now I’m going through rehabilitation for all that, that is to say, stretching the tendons, the muscles. The bone is fine. That’s what happened.
—How many hours a day do you sleep?
—Six. From 10 a 4. After lunch, a half hour.
—A nap.
—Yes, half an hour.
—In the book El pastor you mentioned that you haven’t watched TV since 1990. May I ask why?
—Yes, July 15th, 1990. I was with the community, watching TV, and some stuff came up that is not good for your heart. Not sinful stuff, but those relativisms that gradually weaken the heart. I stood up because I didn’t like it, and I left. I was very disquiet, I do not know why I left if it wasn’t a big deal. The following day —that was July 15th at night—, the following day, during the mass for Our Lady of Mount Carmel, I felt I did not have to watch [TV], period. I said “Enough” and made this promise. It’s not a completely immovable matter. For instance, when a president takes office, when I was in Argentina and one of them took office, I watched TV. When that planed crashed at Aeroparque [LAPA flight 3142, in August 1999] I also watched TV. I allow myself a few little things but short, short. In general, however, I do not watch [TV], not at all. I do not watch [TV].
[i]—When the Argentine National Team played in the World Cup did you watch it?
—I did not, I was in a meeting, here, with six Alitalia pilots and their wives. I was at a meeting here. At some point I left to get something and when I came back, one of them told me “They’re winning 3 to 0″, o 2 to 0, or 3 to 1, I don’t remember. And that’s fine, I said, but that left me thinking about something, that I allow myself to say with no offense because I am Argentine as well, but it somehow [reflects] a bit our idiosyncrasy.
In both matches, the one against the Netherlands and the finale, they start winning 2 to 0, 3 to 1; ah, the Argentines are all happy; we move to the second half and they end up winning both by a penalty kick. By chance. We Argentines are like that: we start everything with enthusiasm and we have the habit —I don’t know, at least I have it— of leaving things halfway through. And we kind of give up before time, or we win before time. In the positive or in the negative. It’s hard for us to get to the final shape of things. This is my thinking based on these two objective facts.
—You told me earlier that you missed wandering around Buenos Aires city. What else, if anything, do you miss about Argentina?
—That is essential because it kept me in touch with the people all the time, and that is true diversity. Things that remain in my mind and that sometimes changed my ways. When I had to take the bus that ran past the Devoto Penitentiary —I had to go to a parish in [the neighborhood called] Devoto—, this happened to me several times: I was waiting in line and almost all of the people waiting were mothers. Almost all of them were mothers. So, I always thought about the mother of an inmate: what that woman feels, what that son feels. And that fostered within me a certain closeness to the detainees. Every year for Holy Thursday I go to a prison to wash feet.
And by the way, I want to say something that I found out here. The male prison wardens are very good here. They are very good. But the women are better. A female warden, I don’t know how she does it, but she has an ability to manage, an ability to be close [to the inmates]. You feel a different atmosphere in a prison run by a woman than in one run by a man. Although the men’s prison is doing very well.
For example, just the other day I had six inmates from a prison in a province of Italy that wanted to visit me, and they came with the warden, and a judge and a policeman were with them. Here, six inmates were in a meeting with me. So, the male warden was very good. But the female warden is much better because, I don’t know, it’s the motherliness, it’s the way… I have some stories about this, of course. Every Holy Thursday I go there, so I see great diversity.
—Many more women are working at the Vatican.
—Yes. And that’s necessary. Male chauvinism is bad. And sometimes celibacy can lead to machismo. A priest who doesn’t know how to work with women is lacking something. He is not mature. The Vatican was very sexist. But it’s part of the culture, it’s nobody’s fault. It was always done that way. Today more [women] work [here]. For instance, the Council of Economy is made up of six cardinals and six laypeople. The laypeople are all men, of course. It was necessary to renew and I appointed one man and five women. This is how things changed. We had to appoint a deputy governor in the Vatican. The governor is the cardinal, he is 80 and... No, he is 78 or so. Cardinal [Fernando] Berges, a Spaniard, very capable. He had been secretary to Msgr [Eduardo] Pironio. A very experienced man. And instead of appointing a male deputy governor, I appointed a female deputy governor. And he feels a lot more supported because they deliver; women deliver, and they do it well.
On one occasion I was visited by a head of government of the highest level, a mother and a professional, a professional who later entered politics and is doing well. And I asked her how she had managed to solve a very tough conflict in her district. Nobody had been able to solve it, and she managed to do it. The answer was this, I think it can help a lot, she is a woman. She looked at me, silence. “As we moms do”. What she meant, I don’t know, but “as we moms do” settled the matter. Women have a different method. Their sense of time, of awaiting, of patience, is unlike men’s. This does not diminish men, they are different. And they have to complement each other.
—Is it true that you don’t have a cell phone?
—I have never had one.
—Never.
—When they made me a bishop they gave me one, in 1994, 1992, which at that time was [like] a shoe. It was like that. I said “I will never use this”. “Well, make a phone call”. There, next to the person who gave it to me, I called my sister: “How are you doing?”. Bang, I hung up. I gave it back to him. And never again.
And that grants me great freedom. Because I keep track of everything. You have my number and call, and I call you later. That is to say, for mi is not an inconvenience. Of course, I admit that my secretaries have cell phones.
—That means you don’t check out Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.
—No, not that world.
—But somebody tells you about it.
—Yes, yes, I am up to date. And I write by hand.
—Wait, what?
—When I was a student in Germany, I bought a typewriter in one of those Angebot [garage sale] the German have, for 45 marks. On Fridays, they get rid of as much as they can. I became fond of it, a one-line memory [typewriter]. I brought it with me to Buenos Aires and I used it until I came here, and that’s where it stayed. And then I took up [writing] by hand.
—How do you send emails?
—What do you mean?
—An email, how do you send an email.
—By hand.
—But to pass it to someone.
—And I give it to the secretary, and he sends it. Yes, everything by hand. You may have seen how I handle some of them. Note that I don’t want to say this is better than the other, no. It is a limitation I have, let’s say an impairment.
—When was the last time you took a vacation?
—In 1975. Let’s see, I’m getting confused here. Yes. Isabel was overthrown in 1976, right?
—Yes, on March 24th.
—There was talk about a military coup coming in 1976, and in 1975, in Mar del Plata, with the community… the community had a place in Mar del Plata, and I was there with the community. In 1976 I said “look, there’s talk of a coup, I do not want to leave this alone”, I was [a] provincial [minister] at that time. “So go back”. Besides I was getting ready to move the provincial Curia to San Miguel. And precisely on that day, March 24th, the moving took place. I stayed at home. And thus, I got a taste for a different kind of vacation. Reading more, listening to music, praying more, getting more rest. And in the end, I liked that style. And it is what I always do.
—Holy Father, do you pray at a particular time? In your room, at the chapel? Where do you pray?
—In the morning I celebrate mass right away, if I don’t have mass outside. That is, at six o’clock am I hold mass. Before that, I pray a little bit and after that too, right? I get up at four o’clock, at five o’clock I am already praying, there, in my room. At 5:50 I go to the chapel and there I celebrate mass. Generally alone or with a priest who comes and keeps me company, and that helps me: when there is another priest, I get more help, don’t I? And then I start my day.
Definitions and political views
Many skills are needed to be a Pope, but perhaps one of the job requirements is the most noticeable: you have to know how to wear three different hats. When speaking with Francis, sometimes you hear the pastor, sometimes you hear the voice of the Supreme Pontiff and sometimes you hear a Head of State.
This also reveals the range of subjects that concern him: one day he has to say something sensitive about death and the next day he has to discuss the criminal Russian invasion of Ukraine. In his conversation with Infobae he dealt with these issues, refuted the preconceptions that portray him as an anti-capitalist and condemned -almost always in a diplomatic, cautious tone- all dictatorial populisms.
—I am going to read you four very short statements you made, and you tell me if I arranged them correctly and if I understand them correctly. “I am not condemning capitalism”, “I am not against the market”, “In no way it is wrong to create wealth for the benefit of all”, “That who generates jobs should be recognized”. Is that correct?
—Correct.
—Why some media or some figures see you as someone who maybe is not in favor of capitalism?
—They have ideological biases and label people before listening to them. Listen to them, then speak. The biggest step in capitalism was taken by St John Paul II who spoke of social market economy. Market capitalism. He nuanced it as something licit, not bad in itself. The opposite would be the depersonalizing communism. Both are depersonalizing, but a social market economy —that little word, social, that St John Paul II chose— I think is the one that matches the ideas of the church. Later on, much progress was made. But that definition drew attention at its time.
—Next question deals with something that every human being knows it is going to happen, and we never know when, which is death. Are you, the highest authority in the church, afraid to die?
—No. I know it will come. Once, when I thought there could be a risk, I prepared myself, when I had to undergo a surgery that was risky. But I asked the Lord not to take me when I was not conscious, not in that way. [To] Let me at least see it coming. They say that the fear of death is rare, that the fear is to see death coming. So I had to see it coming to understand the end.
—Luis Novaresio, an Argentine journalist that carries out very intimate interviews, always asks the same final question. He says: “We die, and then what?” What do you think happens next?
—A very bright light, a huge happiness. A grand encounter, on the path of encountering God. Some diehards out there think that… or maybe they do not see that path. But I believe that God waits and assists until the very last moment. There is a very beautiful medieval capital in the cathedral of Vézelay, I don’t know if it is from the 10th or 11th century, in the South of France, Vézelay. The capital is very beautiful. On one side there is Judas hanging and the devil pulling him down. On the other side is the good shepherd dragging him away with an ironic smile. That is the drama: who wins in the end. And this one wins. Always.
—I’m going to take you to harsher topics, international topics, and here I think the question is no longer for the pastor but for the Head of State, who will be able to answer me the best he can. But knowing you I imagine your enormous concern for what begun a little more than a year ago, so close from here, which is the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the amount of war crimes that are being committed. The bombing of the civilian population in Ukraine has been impressive. I know that at the beginning, or before the beginning, of the Russian invasion, your diplomacy made calls, efforts... Do you talk to [Volodimir] Zelenski, have you ever talked to [Vladimir] Putin during this period?
—Not during this period. I spoke with the Russian ambassador, a very honorable person, excellent [person]. And I was there once, he came here several times. He is an excellent person. I received a very correct reply from [Sergei] Lavrov to my request to go to visit Putin, that yes, of course, but later on. But I did not [talk to] Putin after the war [broke]. Before that, he came here three times. He is an educated person, very educated.
—Do you foresee a solution in the short term?
—Everybody is working on this. Everybody is working. [Narendra] Modi may do something, I don’t know. I am aware that a number of leaders are making progress. There is an Israeli group that is moving well. But we don’t know how it can end up. Working for peace... I would like to highlight one point about the war.
This war is very painful for us because it happens next to us, but the world has always been at war. At least for the last century. We forget Yemen, for example. The children of Yemen. We forget about the Rohingya, Myanmar, all that war drama. We forget about Goma, in northern Congo, and Rwanda. Of course, since this war takes place in a nearby neighborhood, we are already close to it. That’s why it catches our attention. But we do not stop waging war.
A serious person, an academic, a very serious professor, told me once: “Look, if we didn’t manufacture weapons for one year, we would end hunger in the world”. The weapon industry is impressive. Four years ago, I think, a shipment of weapons bound for Yemen arrived in Genoa from another country in Europe, on a fairly small ship, not very large, in order to be transferred to a larger ship that was going to Yemen. And the dockworkers didn’t want to load it. A gesture. But it’s nothing. The weapon industry is impressive. Well, I was told this: when an empire feels weak, it needs a war to get stronger. And also, a war to sell the weapons it possesses and to test new weapons. Someone says —I don’t know if it’s true— that some weapons for the II World War were tested in the Spanish Civil War. But there is always something of the order of testing new weapons.
I think the world has always been at war. We have been at war for a century, if we do not to go back further. From 1914 to 1919 there was one; 1939 to 1945, another one. And this one. But one after the other. On the 60th anniversary, I think it was, of the Normandy Landings, all the heads of government got together to pay tribute, and they made me look at the pictures. But we often forget that there were 30,000 young men left on the beach. I think of the mother who receives the letter: “Madam, we congratulate you and I have the honor to inform you that your son is a hero”. But her son is no more. Every November 2nd I celebrate mass in a cemetery. Once I went to the Anzio Cemetery, which is the famous American landing here, near Rome. American cemetery. I was scanning the graves: nineteen, twenty, twenty-two years old. That’s war.
On a trip to Romania and Slovakia, I had to drive through several villages because they couldn’t use a helicopter and because that was the way. And the people knew at what time we were passing, because they know these things on the radio right away. And in the villages they were waiting outside, in front of the houses, to say hello. Kids, young people, young couples, everybody. But among the old ones, there were only old women. And where are the old men? They are not here. They were left behind in the war of 39/45.
—My last three questions concern Latin America. The UN Bachelet Report mentions rapes, electric shocks, political prisoners, enforced disappearance of people. Perhaps it reminded me of the dark night Argentina went through during the military dictatorship, but forty years later. Do you foresee any hope that the Venezuelan regime can be modified?
—I think so. I think so because the historical circumstances are going to force them to change the type of dialogue they have. I think so. In other words, I never close the doors to possible solutions. On the contrary, I encourage it.
—The second one is about Nicaragua. At first it seemed that they targeted only the opposition or those who thought differently; in fact they have just sent 222 opponents into exile. But I can also see a really fierce attack against the Catholic church. They have expelled the nuncio, now they are banning Holy Week processions. And [there’s] this remark by the president about the bishops, the priests, the popes being a mob. What do you think about this?
—With great respect, I have no other choice but to think that the person in power [Daniel Ortega] is mentally unbalanced. We have an incarcerated bishop there, a very responsible man, a very capable man. He wanted to testify and did not accept exile. This is something that is out of line with what we are currently experiencing; it is like bringing back the 1917 communist dictatorship, or the 1935 Hitlerite dictatorship, bringing those back… They are a type of crass dictatorships. Or, to use a nice Argentinean expression, guarangas. Uncouth.
—The last one regarding Latin America is about drug trafficking. It has taken over states, it has penetrated governments from Mexico down to the South. Argentina is going through a horrible experience in Rosario, and perhaps in other areas where there is not so much coverage or publicity. Several trends of thought view decriminalization or legalization of drug use as a possible solution —and I say possible because I am not familiar. Do you believe that?
—No, I don’t think so in principle. To tell you the truth, I have not delved into that matter. But to me it seems like... I am offering a crass example, hand in hand, right? Like the son who beats his mother and well, to remedy the problem we are going to change the whip, so that it is not so harmful, and we are going to give him a softer whip. These is about destruction. The problem of drugs is the destruction of the person, of the mind. You destroy yourself. It is self-destruction.
—My last two questions. The first one is just human: if you ever cry and, if so, when was the last time you remember crying.
—Yes, from time to time I cry in secret. Once I was in public and I couldn’t hold back the tears, it was because of the war. I was making a speech and this came out of me and I couldn’t repress it. But in secret. Let the psychiatrists do the interpretation [laughs], I don’t analyze myself. Sometimes I express myself in this way, alone.
—I watched the soccer finale. I am not living in Argentina, I am living in the US, but I expressly traveled to Argentina because I wanted to see, would Argentina win, the celebrations. And it was a marvelous moment of catharsis for a long-suffering society. When I talk with friends, sometimes I hear —and many people say so— that something similar could happen if Pope Francis visits Argentina. Have you thought about it? Have you dreamt about it? Do we have that chance?
—I have thought about it. I have. It was planned for December 1917. First we would go to Chile and then to Argentina and Uruguay. That was the plan. But what happened? That [Michelle] Bachelet was leaving office and the elections would take place precisely at that time. So we had to switch Chile to December and then we would be going to Argentina and Uruguay in January. In January no one stays home [it’s the summer vacation in the south], right? So we changed the schedule and we did Chile and Perú. And Argentina and Uruguay were left for a later moment. And that later moment we are still waiting for, the circumstances. In other words, there is no refusal to go, no, not at all. The trip was planned. I am open to the opportunity.
—What would that depend on?
—Thousands of factors. Thousands of factors.
—Can I ask you for two or three?
—First, the willingness to have me go. I think that is there. Second, the socio-political situation. Sometimes the visit of a pope can be exploited, anywhere. It should not be used in favor of one sector or the other, right?
—It could happen after an election.
—It could happen. After an election, it certainly could. That is why in electoral times we do not travel through countries, to avoid our presence being exploited by the ruling party for reelection or something like that, right? I want to go to Argentina. I want to. But…
—Would you venture to offer a range, how long could it be?
—No. I don’t know because these things are set up there. But it was certainly planned. And if we didn’t go it was because of the month, you know?
—First and foremost, I am grateful for the time you have given me.
—Thank you for the patience to listen to a priest. Please pray for me.
—Thank you very much.
—[Pray] in favor, not against, ok?
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| German Synod approves same-sex "Blessing" |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-11-2023, 07:10 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
- Replies (2)
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German Synod Approves Homosex "Blessing"
gloria.tv | March 10, 2023
The German Synod approved on March 10 a document entitled “Blessings for Couples Who Love Each Other” including homosexuals and adulterers.
Only nine bishops voted against openly contradicting truth and Holy Scripture. 38 bishops voted in favour and 11 abstained. If the latter had voted "no", they would have blocked the "abomination" (Bible, Catechism).
The bishops' voting against the text did not impress. Eichstätt Bishop Gregor Hanke announced that he would vote against because such "blessings" draw a parallel between homosex relationships and marriage - as if this were the real problem.
Regensburg Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer justified his no vote by saying that he was “not sure” that a blessing was the way "to respect homosexuals."
The German bishops will now work on a ceremony for homosex blessing and officially begin this abuse in March 2026. In reality, this mockery of God is already being practiced and a priest who opposes it will be sidelined.
The Antwerpen homosexualist Johan Bonny, Belgium, participated “spontaneously” as a guest speaker. He said that the Flemish bishops went to Rome in November 2022 and talked about their homosex "blessing" with Francis. He said neither yes nor no to the homosex "blessing" but called this “your pastoral domain in your country” - while brutally forbidding Mass.
Francis only requested to remain united [in sin]. He asked Bonny twice, “Are you all going this way together?” Bonny replied “Yes." Homosexual acts are a mortal sin that leads to eternal damnation.
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| Farmers Fear Contamination At Start of Growing Season Near Train Derailment |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-11-2023, 07:06 AM - Forum: Health
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Farmers Fear Contamination At Start of Growing Season Near Train Derailment
![[Image: APTOPIX_Train_Derailment_Ohio_2303565327...k=xyZRKwX7]](https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/APTOPIX_Train_Derailment_Ohio_23035653276274-700x420.jpg?itok=xyZRKwX7)
Portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, were still on fire at mid-day, on Feb. 4, 2023. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)
ZH | MAR 10, 2023
Authored by Beth Berlje via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
With spring planting just around the corner, Ohio and Pennsylvania farmers near the Norfolk Southern train derailment are worried about the effect spilled chemicals will have on their crops and livestock.
In a joint letter on Wednesday, Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) asked Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas Vilsack and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Michael Regan to address the concerns of farmers and agricultural producers in the affected areas around East Palestine, Ohio, and Darlington Township, Pennsylvania.
The letter asks the USDA and EPA to send resources to the region to help farmers test soils, plant tissue, and livestock to determine their safety and marketability.
It also asks for a review of what disaster assistance could be offered to farmers.
So far, the letter says, no agency has provided clear guidance to farmers about the safety of their crops and livestock and whether they will be able to safely sell them.
“Farmers in the region are already reporting receiving requests to cancel orders due to health concerns,” the letter said. “Farmers and food producers in East Palestine and Darlington Township need assistance in responding to this manmade disaster.”
Despite testing results, the letter said, some consumers will still be apprehensive and refuse to purchase agricultural products from the region because of the contamination. That is why farmers have specifically asked for disaster assistance.
“Senators Casey and Fetterman have worked tirelessly to support Pennsylvanians and Ohioans impacted by this disaster in the short term, namely advocating for resources and holding Norfolk Southern accountable for the harm the derailment has inflicted, in addition to working to prevent similar disasters from happening in the future,” a press release about the letter said. [...]
Questions for Norfolk Southern
Another letter was sent to Alan Shaw, president and CEO of Norfolk Southern Corporation. It was signed by Fetterman, Casey, Brown, and U.S. Representatives Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), and J. D. Vance (R-Ohio).
In it, they asked the following questions:
- How does the company plan to assist individuals or municipalities with short-term water needs? What will be done in the long-term if water sources are contaminated by the hazardous materials that leaked out of tanker cars or that were created during the explosion and subsequent fires?
- What is the company’s plan to reimburse local farmers if their crops, soil, or livestock are found to be injured, killed, contaminated, or in any way rendered less valuable by the derailment or its effects?
- How will the company determine the amount of direct financial compensation it will provide to municipalities affected by this derailment, including East Palestine, Ohio, and Darlington Township, Pennsylvania?
- What steps will the company take to make information regarding reimbursements and financial assistance available to local residents, organizations, businesses, and relevant public officials? Following the emergency phase of the clean-up, what subsurface remediation activities are anticipated being needed and what is the anticipated length of time required for those activities?
- What are the company’s plans for remediation and disposal of impacted soils? Will any of the materials need to be transported off-site for treatment and disposal? And how will the company ensure communities are protected along the transportation route?
- Since the adoption of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), how has Norfolk Southern’s staffing changed? Can you confirm that Norfolk Southern’s workforce has reduced by approximately 40 percent due to PSR? Further, please provide data on the size of the Norfolk Southern workforce that conducts inspections of trains since adoption of PSR.
- How much has Norfolk Southern expended on stock buybacks and dividends in the past 10 years? And during that period how much has Norfolk Southern expended on maintenance and repair of infrastructure and rolling stock?
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| Archbishop Lefebvre 1988: Stupefied by the Lack of Resistance |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-10-2023, 08:07 AM - Forum: Sermons and Conferences
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Archbishop Lefebvre: Stupefied by the Lack of Resistance
Spiritual Conference, Econe, 8 October, 1988
Adapted from here
What would the Archbishop think about the current betrayal of the SSPX, and especially about the lack of resistance against those who are actively trying to place the SSPX under the authority of Conciliar and modernist authorities? The following spiritual conference the Archbishop gave in 1988 gives us the answer in no uncertain terms: "lamentable", "stupefied", "really sad"..
And so we must also pray for all those who are hesitating or who are troubled in the current situation!
For us, there is no problem, as we are always in the framework of the Society, in the framework of the Church of all time, in fidelity to the Church of all time. But there certainly are [problems] for those who, as for example the monks of Le Barroux or the nuns of Le Barroux, many who are anguished or who are struggling to make a decision.
I also think of all those people in parishes who are hesitating. There is the case of the Guitton parish, and, I don’t know if it’s true, of Marly, of Port-Marly. So, for a certain number of people, they are wondering what they should do, whether they should leave the parish, to leave, to resist, to try to change the priest, whatever, it’s proving a real problem for them.
I don’t know for sure, but there’s a rumor it’s the same in Versaillles. I must admit that I doubt this a little bit because of two letters Canon Porta wrote me after the consecrations, assuring me of his fidelity. I’d be very, very surprised if it is true. There, that would cause some problems for all those who go to Notre-Dame-des-Armées, which is quite an important group. Will these questions and hesitations also arise for Wagram? It’s not certain. There may well be some hesitations in this area too.
So really, we must pray for all those faithful who are faced with difficult problems, even though no doubt most of them are with us, follow us and have no intention at all of leaving the Society. But faced with priests who are kind of abandoning them, and who are encouraging them to put themselves under the modernist authority of bishops, this is quite serious, obviously, and this poses a serious problem.
So if we have the opportunity either to correspond or to have contact with people who are in this situation, let us not be afraid to help them make courageous and firm decisions : we must remain in the Church of all time. There’s no question of us wavering.
No doubt you’ve all read the article in ‘Si Si No No’, which luckily was translated for ‘Courier De Rome’, which shows quite well that it is not just since today we’ve had to make these choices. It’s not just since the consecrations. It is since the Council! This article, ‘Neither Schismatic, Nor Excommunicated’ is in my opinion quite well written. In fact, this evening I received a letter from the Dom Putti’s nuns who take care of the publication of ‘Si Si No No’, in which they told me that this same article was fortunately a real big success. They gave me the example of a person of the village of Gênes who asked them for 1500 copies, which he all distibruted. I think it was written in a most admirable way, if you ask me. It really summarizes our position right from the start. It justified our position from the start right up to and including the consecrations, giving the reasons for the consecrations and resolving the difficulties one may have on this subject. It’s admirable and I find this a really extraordinary article.
So when they said at the start, effectively, Catholics are torn apart, it is really like that of course. This is how they put it:
Quote:Thus, to take a few examples, he has to choose between St. Pius X's encyclical Pascendi which condemns modernism and the present openly modernist ecclesiastical orientation. He has to choose between the monitum from the Holy Office in 1962, condemning the works of the Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin and the present ecclesiastical trend, which does not hesitate to quote these works, even in papal speeches. He has to choose between the already defined invalidity of Anglican ordinations and the present-day ecclesiastical orientation in pursuance of which, in 1982, a Roman pontiff, for the first time, took part in an Anglican rite in the Canterbury Cathedral and jointly blessed the crowd with the lay primate of this heretical and schismatic sect. He has to choose between the ex cathedra condemnation of Martin Luther and the present ecclesiastical trend which, "celebrating" the 5th centenary of the birth of the German heretic, declared in a letter signed by His Holiness, John Paul II, that today, thanks to the "common researches made by Catholic and Protestant scholars ...has appeared the deep religiosity of Luther."
And a little further..
Quote:He has to choose between the historical truth of the Gospels and the present ecclesiastical orientation. He has to choose between the Holy Scripture which declares the Jews unbelievers "by hatred of God," according to the Gospel, and the present ecclesiastical orientation which, in the speech of the first pope to visit the synagogue in Rome, discovers in the Jews, still unbelievers, "the elder brothers" of ignorant Catholics.
And so, I think that is exactly how it is, one must choose. There’s nothing else to do. We must choose the faith of all time. That is why I think, as in the declaration I had the opportunity to make after the first visit of these Belgian prelates who came in 1974, on the 11 November, and as in the declaration I had to make on the 21 November, saying : “We choose eternal Rome. We don’t want modernist Rome. We don’t want the new Rome, which is modernist.” That is what I said!
So, for us this poses no problem, I’d say because we find ourselves in a framework that allows us to do that [i.e. make these choices]. But among all these poor faithful who are pulled to the left and to the right, there are some who are truly troubled, it’s really serious!
It is sad to think that all these monks and nuns who went back to Le Barroux or to the Benedictines went back precisely because they made this choice. They did not return to modernist monasteries, who are under the Conciliar Church, who are under this modernist Church. They expressly chose Le Barroux in order to remain with Tradition, to remain with the Faith of all time. And now, they put them under the authority of the Conciliar Church. So we are really stupefied to think that, despite the things they surely see, and despite what they surely know, no.. they stay! They don’t make this decision to move on or to found another monastery, or to demand the resignation of Dom Gérard so he can be replaced, no, nothing.. they just obey.
That was also the case with Fontgombault, where Dom Roy has accepted the new mass. It was the case with Dom Augustin, who also accepted the new mass. And on it goes.. with Randol, and Jouques, the Benedictines of Jouques, these Benedictines who are very close to Tournaye. And it is lamentable to see with what ease a monastery that was with Tradition is placed under the authority of Conciliar and modernist authorities. And the whole world is quiet. It’s a pity and really sad to see this.
As for us, we rejoice when we see such clear articles as the one in ‘Courier De Rome’, which can really open the eyes of the faithful and give them the courage to resist and to persevere.
Likewise it is with the declaration which the good Father Thomas Aquinas made. Truly, his declaration is included in the little journal which our Swiss colleagues have started. Well, the statement is there and I note especially what it says here, and which is very clear:
Quote:We don’t follow Msgr. de Castro Meyer or Msgr. Lefebvre as ringleaders. We follow the Catholic Church. And at this moment, these two confessors are the only bishops who are against the auto demolition of the Church. It is not possible for us to disassociate ourselves from them. And so it is now as it was in the fourth century during the time of Arianism, when it was a sign of orthodoxy to be in communion with Athanasius.
That is very true. He is right, it shows the reason for the choice he made. Fortunately, there are at least a few monks who managed to escape the clutches of the Conciliar Church.
Then of course there are those who, like Dom Gérard and his Sisters, says:
Quote:But we haven’t changed in any way, there is no change with us. We continue the same office, the same liturgy, the same laws. What change is there in us ? Why are you disturbed ? There is no reason, we continue as we always have. We just continue under a different authority.
There is the danger! This other authority really exists. And she has already made herself felt. It is enough to look up in this same journal the declaration of the Archbishop of Lyons. That much is clear, when he concludes:
Quote:Let’s help one another along this road, to remain firmly attached to the second Vatican Council, to the whole Council, which is part of the Traditions of the Church. Let us carry on our apostolic work with full confidence. Let us give our best to announce the gospel, that is the essential part. That is the objective of our diocesan Synod, whose preparation will start in October.
The diocesan Synod, which will regulate the relations between the diocese and the monastery! And what will be the guidelines that will be given at that point in time ? That’s something we will have to find out. It’s all well to say that nothing has changed, but let’s wait a little bit.
So, we did not have to wait long for the decisions they took, for example those in regard to Fr. Bissig and Fr. Baumann. You know, they both used to be.., one was rector of a seminary and the other vice-rector. They were professors for a good number of years. They have taken our seminarians, they gathered them up, they guard them and they look out for them. We should believe they are not as bad as that? And then, in this seminary that is to be erected, how is this going to work in this seminary that, in principle, is supposed to remain with Tradition ? This seminary will need to make a pilgrimage to Igraspa, which is right on the border between Austria and Germany. And during this pilgrimage they will only celebrate the new mass, completely submitted to the bishop of Augsburg, and the professors and rector of the seminary will be diocesan priests, instead of Fr. Bisig and Fr. Baumann, who themselves will have to attend [the seminary] for a year and then pass an exam with the bishop in order to take up their assignment, if they get one at all! Can they not see this coming? This is exactly the stranglehold, not just on the formation, a formation which will be given by priests who are clearly Conciliar, of the Conciliar Church, but also on the liturgy. They will be forced to submit to the new liturgy. What will these seminarians do then? Will they accept all that, just like that ? Incredible ! They won’t say : “O, nothing has changed, nothing has changed..” So wherever possible, the Conciliar Church will immediately subject them to obedience to the Conciliar Church.
Obviously, with Dom Gérard it seems to be more difficult, more delicate. They don’t want to move too fast, because they know that if they went a little too hard and too fast, maybe they would cause the monastery to go back, and that would mean a step backwards. So they proceed skilfully, gently, a little bit at a time. What will probably happen, is that they will tell you:
Quote:“You must accept that the priests who will come on retreat with you, the diocesan priests, that they will be allowed to say the new mass, obviously, because they are used to the new mass. There’s no question about that. Then, when these diocesan priests present themselves to you for communion in the hand, we’ll permit them to receive communion in the hand in all the diocesan parishes. We don’t see why, now that you are part of the diocese and now that you share in the pastoral work, why you should be able to refuse communion in the hand to these diocesans who present themselves to you."
What will they do then, at that point, these monks of Le Barroux? Well, they will probably do what Dom Augustin did, accept. They now give communion in the hand at Dom Augustin’s. That’s how it is, there’s nothing they can do about it. This transfer of authority, that’s what’s grave, that’s what makes this really serious. It is not enough to say: “we haven’t changed on a practical level”. It’s this transfer [of authority] which is very serious because the intention of these authorities is to destroy Tradition. It is clear, the destruction of Tradition. We can’t do that. "Everyone must submit", this is what Cardinal Ratzinger very clearly said in an interview with the Frankfurt paper. He said: “It is inadmissible that there are Catholics who don’t submit to the thoughts of the whole of the episcopate.” That much is clear.
So let us pray for these brave people who need to make some decisions, that they may be firm and that they keep the faith.
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| UK Parliament passes buffer zone bill prohibiting silent prayer outside abortion facilities |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-10-2023, 07:36 AM - Forum: Socialism & Communism
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UK Parliament passes buffer zone bill prohibiting silent prayer outside abortion facilities
'Parliament’s introduction of censorship zones across the country today will mean that many more innocent people like Isabel Vaughan-Spruce will be unjustly criminalized for their silent thoughts, or for peacefully offering leaflets about charitable help available to women who might want to hear about other options,' ADF UK legal counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole said.
Thu Mar 9, 2023 -
WESTMINSTER, England (Alliance Defending Freedom) — Members of Britain’s Parliament have approved the introduction of censorship zones (also known as “buffer zones”) outside of abortion facilities across England and Wales.
Clause 11 (formerly Clause 9 then Clause 10) of the Public Order Bill could criminalize any form of “influence” outside of abortion facilities – including in the form of silent prayer.
READ: Kentucky court rules ‘buffer zone’ outside abortion clinic violates First Amendment
An amendment to permit silent prayer and consensual conversations within the censorship zones was proposed by Andrew Lewer MP, but failed to pass after a vote of 116 to 299.
“Today’s vote marks a watershed moment for fundamental rights and freedoms in our country. Parliament had an opportunity to reject the criminalization of free thought, which is an absolute right, and embrace individual liberty for all. Instead, Parliament chose to endorse censorship and criminalize peaceful activities such as silent prayer and consensual conversation,” said Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, the legal organisation working to promote fundamental freedoms.
He continued:
Today it’s abortion. Tomorrow it could be another contested matter of political debate. The principle remains that the government should never be able to punish anyone for prayer, let alone silent prayer, and peaceful and consensual conversation. Thankfully, where the clause initially called for a prison sentence for those convicted of engaging in these peaceful activities near abortion facilities, the penalty now has been reduced to a fine. Nevertheless, it is extremely regrettable that Parliament, which exists to protect and champion the rights of the electorate, has taken a clear stance against fundamental freedoms, opening the door for nationwide thought-crime prosecution.
READ: 40 Days for Life sues New York county for ‘buffer zone’ law suppressing pro-life speech
Concerns about criminalizing thought
The vote comes despite the most recent government review (2018) finding that censorship zones would be an unnecessary and “disproportionate” restriction on rights, given that harassment is already criminalized under existing legislation, and instances of harassment outside abortion facilities were found to be “rare.”
Most frequently, according to the review, volunteers pray, or offer leaflets about help services available to women who would be interested in alternatives to abortion.
According to BBC polling last year, almost 1 in 5 women who have abortions do so against their will.
Arrests for silently praying
The move comes the day after news that charitable volunteer Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested for the second time for praying silently, in her mind, near an abortion facility in Birmingham, where local authorities have implemented a “buffer zone” via a Public Spaces Protection Order.
The arrest, which was attended by six police officers, comes only weeks after Vaughan-Spruce was found “not guilty” for the same activity by the Birmingham Magistrates’ Court. She had been criminally charged in December on the basis that her silent, imperceptible prayers amounted to “intimidation.”
The prosecution was not able to present any evidence to the court to substantiate the “thought-crime,” and Vaughan-Spruce’s name was cleared, along with Father Sean Gough, who was similarly charged and acquitted.
“Only three weeks ago, the Court made clear that my silent prayers were not a crime. And yet, again, I have been arrested and treated like a criminal for having the exact same thoughts in my head, in the same location. The ambiguity of laws that limit free expression and thought – even in peaceful, consensual conversation or in silent, internal prayer – leads to abject confusion, to the detriment of our essential fundamental rights. Nobody should be criminalised for their thoughts,” said Vaughan-Spruce.
“Parliament’s introduction of censorship zones across the country today will mean that many more innocent people like Isabel Vaughan-Spruce will be unjustly criminalized for their silent thoughts, or for peacefully offering leaflets about charitable help available to women who might want to hear about other options. In the name of choice, these zones actually eliminate the options available to women. A free society should never prohibit the peaceful exchange of information,” commented Igunnubole.
READ: UK abortion facility ‘bubble zone’ prohibits pro-lifers from praying and making the Sign of the Cross
MPs raise concerns
Speaking in Parliament, Conservative MP Andrew Lewer (Northampton South) backed his proposed amendment to protect silent prayer and consensual conversation. He condemned harassment against women in every circumstance, but made clear that such actions are “a world away” from the police being able to detain people and question them for praying silently.
“Police shouldn’t be asking ‘What are you thinking about?!’” said Lewer.
“Censorship of this sort is a notoriously slippery slope. It might not be your thoughts that are criminalised today, but I think we should all be careful not to open the door to that tomorrow about some other opinions that people may hold about something else,” the MP continued.
Sir John Hayes, Member for South Holland and The Deepings, emphasized that this amendment should not be seen as an opportunity to debate abortion, but was a matter of protecting free speech. “This is about freedom – it’s not about the purpose of freedom or the location of it. It’s about the ability to think, and speak, and pray freely,” he explained.
Danny Kruger, MP for Devizes in Wiltshire, cautioned other Members that “we are making a momentous step, we are crossing an enormous river. When we criminalize prayer… or indeed consensual conversations… we are doing something of enormous significance.” He ended his remarks with the question, “What are we doing, by saying that people should not be allowed to pray, quietly, on their own?”
Nick Fletcher, MP for Don Valley, reminded the chamber that women “might actually want somebody to turn to… And if somebody is being coerced… to have a forced abortion, that [volunteer] could be somebody… who is actually there to help.”
Sir Edward Leigh, MP for Gainsborough, expressed his views on Vaughan-Spruce’s arrest before making a comparison with George Orwell’s 1984:
There was nothing [Vaughan-Spruce] was obviously doing which was harassment or in any way objectionable. The police officer had to actually go into her mind… this is what surely is quite dangerous.
Reprinted with permission from the Alliance Defending Freedom.
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| Sorrowful Heart of Mary Newsletter - Lent 2023 |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-10-2023, 07:14 AM - Forum: Sorrowful Heart of Mary
- No Replies
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Lent 2023
To The Last-Standing-Flank of the Holy Church Militant,
This quote is from Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s last testament to his priests, Spiritual Journey, p. 13, Angelus Press [English Edition], 1991:
“Vatican II’s desire to integrate into the Church, non-Catholics ‘such as they are’, is a scandalous and adulterous desire. The Secretariat for the Unity of Christians by favoring the granting of mutual concessions - dialogue - leads to the destruction of the Catholic Faith, the destruction of the Catholic Priesthood, and the elimination of the power of Peter and the bishops. The missionary spirit of the apostles, the martyrs and the saints is eliminated! For as long as this Secretariat keeps the false Ecumenism as its orientation and Roman ecclesiastical authorities approve it, we can affirm that they remain in open, official rupture with all the past of the Church and with its official Magisterium. It is, therefore, a strict duty for every priest wanting to remain Catholic to separate himself from this Conciliar Church for as long as it does not rediscover the Tradition of the Church and of the Catholic Faith!”
What here goes for priests, goes also for bishops and the faithful. As one believes (doctrine), so one acts (morals). Doctrine influences morals. Morals follow doctrine. For example, Billy won’t tell lies (morals) because he believes (doctrine) in the Ten Commandments of God.
But if the doctrine is false, the morals will necessarily be twisted. Luther rejected Holy Orders and celibate clergy, so he broke his vows as a priest and married an ex-nun who broke her vows to God.
So the doctrinal heresies and errors of Vatican Council II necessarily lead to bad morals! Abp. Lefebvre understood this well, which is why he fought like a tiger to defend the true doctrine, because he saw the moral consequences that would follow on the errors of, e.g. Religious Liberty, which are: contraception, abortion, pornography, legalized drugs, euthanasia, rotten public schools, etc., etc.
How farsighted he was, when we now see the horrors coming out of Modernist Rome! Recently, the Associated Press Agency commented: “(Francis) called on Catholic bishops … to welcome LGBTQ people into the Church. Bishops need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone.” That’s the new trend! The whole world has seen the images of Pope Francis in Rome openly receiving homosexual couples with embraces and smiles, encouraging them in their vice. Indeed, a scandal to the whole world! He has, like all his predecessors following the “spirit of Vatican II,” failed to punish, defrock and remove clergy found guilty of these crimes.
Can this really be happening? Modernist Rome is now plunging further and further into the pit of another Sodom and Gomorrah and Pope Francis is requiring the bishops to conform to his degenerate direction. This is a crime against God and His Commandments and any honest Catholic out there, must also separate himself from this Church of Apostasy. Rather than showing these poor souls the evil of their ways and seeking their conversion, which is the way of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Conciliar Rome now approves their wicked ways and supports the LGBTQ people on their road to Hell. It is indeed, what Our Lady of LaSalette warned about a “clergy polluted with impurity.”
On the other hand, how often Sacred Scripture warns against these vices of unrepentant sinners, who publicly flaunt and boast proudly of their debauchery! Here’s the mind of God:
“Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind, because it is an abomination … Every soul that shall commit any of these abominations, shall perish from the midst of his people” (Leviticus 18:22,29).
“If any one lie with a man as with a woman, both have committed an abomination, let them be put to death: their blood be upon them” (Lev. 20:13).
“And the Lord said: The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is multiplied, and their sin is become exceedingly grievous … And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And He destroyed these cities, and all the country about, all the inhabitants of the cities, and all things that spring from the earth” (Genesis 18:20; 19:24, 25).
“For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools … wherefore, God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonor their own bodies among themselves … Who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator (the New Mass!), who is blessed forever. Amen … For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature. And in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts one towards another, men with men, working that which is filthy … God delivered them up to a reprobate sense…” (Romans 1:22-28).
“Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind (i.e., LGBTQ and the like), nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God!" (I Corinthians 6:9,10).
In the light of this, it is no surprise that the Popes of Vatican II: who received the mark of the goddess Shiva (John Paul II); gathered all religions at Assisi to get “together to pray” and face Mecca in a Mosque while praying with Muslims (Benedict XVI); who received the Devil “Pachamama” into St. Peter’s and planted a tree in its honor (Francis) are being blinded and plagued with vices of Sodom & Gomorrah! It is a clear punishment for their “Vatican II religion” and the Man-centered New Mass! It contaminates the entire Conciliar Church!
Pope Francis demands that the bishops, in the name of “dignity”, approve all sexual perversions, including “Q” - perversions related to sadomasochism, necrophilia or sexual homicidal manias. If the Conciliar bishops don’t fall in line and approve LGBTQ perversions, then they will be removed from office. So, he calls for their “conversion” which is, in fact, the last step of apostasy, the thirtieth piece of silver in the betrayal of Christ the King, the New Age anti-Church. It is the logical conclusion of Vatican II, the New Mass and the New Code of Canon Law! Yes, bad morals do flow from bad doctrine!
This is why Abp. Lefebvre treated the Second Vatican Council as St. Polycarpe (who personally knew St. John the Evangelist) treated Marcion the heretic, who denied the Human Nature in Christ. Once, when they encountered each other in the streets of Rome around 150 A.D., Marcion asked whether he recognized him, St. Polycarpe replied: “Yes, I recognize the one who is the firstborn of Satan.” Truly, all Catholics faithful to Tradition can admit the same thing regarding the Revolutionary Council and New Mass! Hence, the Archbishop’s well-known phrase: “I accuse the Council!”
It was the great Apostle of Charity, St. John, who warned early Catholics against the false charity of welcoming unrepentant LGBTQ people into the Church: “Receive them not into your home (church), nor say to him, God speed you. For he that saith unto him, God speed you, communicateth with his wicked works!” [In other words, “whoever welcomes them has a share in their wicked activities!”].
When Abp. Lefebvre said we must separate ourselves from this Conciliar Church, he was chiefly standing against the new doctrines of Religious Liberty, Ecumenism, Collegiality, the New Code, the New Mass & sacraments. Consequently, those hellish doctrines have spawned their infernal “morals”, namely, every immorality!
The answer then, as always, is to restore Catholic Tradition with no compromise, obey the Immaculate Heart of Mary and fight for Her triumph! The Divine Heart of Jesus wants His victory to come through Her’s! Come, O Queen of the Holy Rosary, come reign over us with thy Divine Son! At last, “...Only She can help you! (Fatima).
In Christ the King,
Fr. David Hewko
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| Ignatian Retreats 2023 - US |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-08-2023, 04:27 PM - Forum: Event Schedule
- Replies (4)
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IGNATIAN RETREATS 2023
Fr. Hewko is planning again to hold Ignatian Retreats (a week for the men and a week for the women) this year. The dates are as follows:
- Women’s Retreat will be Monday, June 26th (beginning at 12:30 PM) through Saturday, July 1st (ending after lunch).
- Men’s Retreat will be Monday, July 3rd (beginning at 12:30 PM) through Saturday, July 8th (ending after lunch).
The venue will be the same as last year - at the Red Rock Guest Ranch in Soldier, Kansas, USA.
More details to follow.
May many graces flow from these powerful retreats!
Please contact Mr. Tim Cline at sspxmariancorps@gmail.com or 770-820-6476 with any questions.
*Fr. Hewko is also asking for generous souls to assist with the cooking for any portion of time during those two weeks!
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