Pope to Abolish Swiss Guard? On-line Petition

The campaign was launched by the Guard sympathizers and former guardsmen, who fear Pope Francis wants to abolish the Swiss Guard - The initiative aims to "invite the Pope to make a commitment to Swiss Guard"

Zurich-Vatican City (kath.net/KAP) A petition to Pope Francis should be encouraged to maintain the Swiss Guard. This was reported by "Vatican Radio" on Sunday. The initiative, launched by the Guard sympathizers and former guardsmen began on Saturday. "We want to ask the Pope to make a commitment to the Swiss Guard", said the Swiss organizer Walter Gabriel, according to media reports. The future of the guard is something that the organizers have at heart, who fear Pope Francis may want to abolish the Guard.

Speculation about a reform or even the end of the Swiss Guard had arisen after the dismissal of the previous commander Daniel Anrig in early December. The Swiss Guard has been protecting the Pope and his palace since 1506. Today, the protection force has a nominal strength of 110 men and is responsible for the personal protection of the Pope and for the security of the entrances to the Vatican. Most recruits undertake a two-year service period these days.

Born in 1972 in Walenstadt in the canton of St. Gallen and raised in Sargans, Anrig was from 1992-1994 a Hellebardier in the Guard. After a law degree, which also included the canon law, he entered the cantonal police in Glarus, where he most recently held the rank of commander. In August 2008, he was called by Pope Benedict XVI. and appointed to succeed Elmar Mäder.

The Swearing in of the Swiss Guard:

Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr

Take Note of St. Stephen's Liturgical Rainment

Edit: some interesting aspects of this great feast which might escape notice.  From an entry by Catholic Encyclopedia.  Some will even note that this great feast will feature vestments of crimson to commemorate the Deacon's martyrdom:

The conflict broke out when the cavillers of the synagogues "of the Libertines, and of the Cyreneans, and of theAlexandrians, and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia", who had challenged Stephen to a dispute, came out completely discomfited (vi, 9 10); wounded pride so inflamed their hatred that they suborned false witnesses to testify that "they had heard him speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God" (vi, 11). 

No charge could be more apt to rouse the mob; the anger of the ancients and the scribes had been already kindled from the first reports of the preaching of the Apostles. Stephen was arrested, not without some violence it seems (the Greek word synerpasan implies so much), and dragged before the Sanhedrin, where he was accused of saying that "Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place [the temple], and shall change the traditions which Moses delivered unto us" (vi, 12 14). No doubt Stephen had by his language given some grounds for the accusation; his accusers apparently twisted into the offensive utterance attributed to him a declaration that "the most High dwelleth not in houses made by hands" (vii, 48), some mention of Jesus foretelling the destruction of the Temple and some inveighing against the burthensometraditions fencing about the Law, or rather the asseveration so often repeated by the Apostles that "there is no salvationin any other" (cf. iv, 12) the Law not excluded but Jesus. However this may be, the accusation left him unperturbed and "all that sat in the council...saw his face as if it had been the face of an angel" (vi, 15). 

Stephen's answer (Acts 7) was a long recital of the mercies of God towards Israel during its long history and of the ungratefulness by which, throughout, Israel repaid these mercies. This discourse contained many things unpleasant toJewish ears; but the concluding indictment for having betrayed and murdered the Just One whose coming the Prophetshad foretold, provoked the rage of an audience made up not of judges, but of foes. When Stephen "looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God", and said: "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God" (vii, 55), they ran violently upon him (vii, 56) and cast him out of the city to stone him to death. Stephen's stoning does not appear in the narrative of the Acts as adeed of mob violence; it must have been looked upon by those who took part in it as the carrying out of the law. According to law (Leviticus 24:14), or at least its usual interpretation, Stephen had been taken out of the city; customrequired that the person to be stoned be placed on an elevation from whence with his hands bound he was to be thrown down. It was most likely while these preparations were going on that, "falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge" (vii, 59). Meanwhile the witnesses, whose hands must be first on theperson condemned by their testimony (Deuteronomy 17:7), were laying down their garments at the feet of Saul, that they might be more ready for the task devolved upon them (vii, 57). The praying martyr was thrown down; and while the witnesses were thrusting upon him "a stone as much as two men could carry", he was heard to utter this supremeprayer: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (vii, 58). Little did all the people present, casting stones upon him, realize that the blood they shed was the first seed of a harvest that was to cover the world. 

The bodies of men stoned to death were to be buried in a place appointed by the Sanhedrin. Whether in this instance the Sanhedrin insisted on its right cannot be affirmed; at any rate, "devout men" — whether Christians or Jews, we are not told — "took order for Stephen's funeral, and made great mourning over him" (vii, 2). For centuries the location of St. Stephen's tomb was lost sight of, until (415) a certain priest named Lucian learned by revelation that the sacred body was in Caphar Gamala, some distance to the north of Jerusalem. The relics were then exhumed and carried first to thechurch of Mount Sion, then, in 460, to the basilica erected by Eudocia outside the Damascus Gate, on the spot where, according to tradition, the stoning had taken place (the opinion that the scene of St. Stephen's martyrdom was east ofJerusalem, near the Gate called since St. Stephen's Gate, is unheard of until the twelfth century). The site of the Eudocian basilica was identified some twenty years ago, and a new edifice has been erected on the old foundations by the Dominican Fathers.

Order of Drought and the Order of Flowering -- the "Institute of the Word Incarnate"

San Rafael: Priestly Seminary of the Institute of the Incarnate
Word in Argentina

(Buenos Aires) Some have hardly any vocations, others have it in abundance. "It will not have a reason," writes the Spanish Catholic Church historian and blogger Francisco de la Cigoña and reports on the flourishing seminary of San Rafael Instituto del Verbo Encarnado (IVE) in Argentina.

In Argentina, the homeland of Pope Francis, the Catholic Order of the Institute of the Incarnate Word was born in 1984 in San Rafael (Mendoza).  Some years later, in addition to the apostolic, a contemplative branch of the order was also established. In 1988, with the servants of the Lord and the interior of the Virgin of Matará (SSVM), a female branch, which is also divided into an apostolic and a contemplative branch.

The founder of the flourishing religious family was the Argentine priest, Carlos Miguel Buela. In 2004, the it became a canonical establishment as a congregation in episcopal law by the Bishop of Velletri-Segni in Italy. In Segni there is also the Generalate of the religious family, which in addition to the male and female branch, also includes a Third Order. The monks and nuns take the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience including a fourth Marian vow.

Parish in Berlin, Contemplative Monastery in Luxembourg

Sisters of female religious branch

The Order is now almost a thousand priests and is active world-wide  with 14 Provinces in 40 states and nearly 80 dioceses. In Europe, the provinces of Italy exist (with Malta, Greece and Albania), the Netherlands and Ukraine. In Germany, the Order serves a parish in the German capital of Berlin. In Luxembourg there is a nunnery in Peppange. It is one of ten contemplative monasteries of the nuns of the Order.

The Order operates to care for the persecuted Christians and evangelization in a number of countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Syria and Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Palestine, Egypt and Tunisia.

Order Leadership and Spirituality

The Superior General since 2010 is the Argentine Father, Carlos Walker.  Born in Buenos Aires in 1959, he was ordained a priest in 1983. After various pastoral activities in Argentina and the USA, he joined the Order. From 1993-2001 he became Provincial in Argentina, and in 2001-2010 Vicar General.  During this time he received his doctorate at the Angelicum in Rome.

In Buenos Aires   there is also the Founder, Carlos Miguel Buela who was born in 1941 and ordained a priest in 1971. These  priests inculcated by Mary, have taught dogmatic theology at various Catholic universities in Argentina. The foundation of the religious family took place on March 25, 1984. On that day,  Pope John Paul II.  consecrated the world to the Blessed Virgin of Fatima. Father Buela was Superior General from 1984-1994 and from 2001-2010.

The spirituality of the monastic family is based on the Incarnation of the Son of God as the Incarnate Savior and God as a child. It leans heavily on the spirituality of St. Louis Marie de Montfort. Priorities for the Order are the worship of God, the salvation of souls and reparation for the de-Christianization of culture. The Spiritual Exercises are based on the model of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who hold popular missions  as St. Alphonsus Liguori.

Not Just Friends

In 2000 the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, undertook the attempt to close the religious seminary of San Rafael. He found support from the then Apostolic Nuncio for Argentina, who since then became his friend, today's Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló. The closure of the convent's Seminary of San Rafael at that time did not succeed.

Priests and Deaconal Ordinations on December 6, 2014

Bergoglio and Abril had recently attempted again to close  a blossoming seminary: Pope Francis sent the Cardinal last summer as an apostolic visitor in the Paraguayan Diocese of Ciudad del Este. The brief was to inspect the seminary under Bishop Rogelio Livieres, which had experienced extraordinary flowering   (see Vocation Boom by Old Mass - Pope Francis arranged visitation to ). In the seminary of the small diocese  (12 percent of Catholics Paraguay) had more  seminarians studying than in all the other seminaries of the other dioceses Paraguay together.

The seminary was not closed, but priestly ordinations were suspended and Bishop Livieres removed because he would disturb the "harmony" in the Episcopal Conference. The future of the seminary, where the seminarians were trained in both forms of the Roman Rite, has since been suspended. There are efforts to integrate the seminary again with all the other Paraguayan seminaries in Asuncion.

The Instituto Verbo Encarnado also works in Paraguay and this amazing little in the Diocese of Ciudad del Este.

This past December 6 was a day of rejoicing for the Congregation. Diocesan Bishop Eduardo Taussig consecrated in the cathedral of San Rafael six new priests of the Order and a number of seminarians as deacons who have been trained in the seminary of San Rafael.  Other of the order's seminaries have been established: since 1998  in Washington DC (USA), since 2001  an international seminary in Segni (Italy) and since 2002 in Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: IVE / Accion Liturgica

Trans: Tancred vekron@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Christmas Alms For Poor Student

Edit: earlier, we'd made a request for funds for a Doctoral Student whose computer had to be replaced, requiring him to stretch out his finances.

Thanks to all of those who donated, there were some very generous friends of the blog out there, and that's encouraging.

So in the spirit of the season, and considering that we will continue these intiatives in the future for supplying those engaged in serving the Church.

Once again, Our Lady keep you and protect you, all who helped out from all over the Catholic world.

-Tancred

Pope Francis is a New Psalmist and a New Bernard of Clairvaux?

(Rome) Yesterday  Katholisches.info  reported on the Papal Consultant Enzo Bianchi and the unusual visitation of the "monastery" of Bose (see Papal Visitations and Interconfessional "Monastery" Bose ). Today, the "Prior" was on hand to pay tribute to Pope Francis and applaud his Christmas spanking, which he dealt to  Curia employees on Monday. Pope Francis is a new Psalmist and a new Bernard of Clairvaux? Yes, says the progressive papal minion Enzo Bianchi, " no one has spoken like this for a thousand years."

In a commentary for Vatican Insider, Bianchi wrote: "No one has  spoken as Pope Francis in the last few years.Yesterday he said, with Parrhesia, what he thinks only excluding adumbrated language and without any diplomatic style."

The speech with which he diagnosed as the "diseases" and "sins" of the Curia staff, of which some speak rather of a public statement with no ifs or buts, and he recalls - according to Enzo Bianchi - of what a Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in the 11th century dared to say to the Pope. "Words that few knew how to write against ecclesiastical vice at a time and to say, that  a reform of the Church in capite et in corpore was urgently needed," said Bianchi.

Bianchi's Little Confusion About Roles

Bianchi overlooked  a small but not insignificant difference in his equation:  the medieval Abbot Bernard of Clairevaux addressed himself as a "subordinate" to the higher ranking Pope, it is  Pope Francis the manager who reprimanded his subordinates.

But Enzo Bianchi holds, ever the  courtier, not with such details, but rather forms the Pope's speech in a series of  Psalms, specifically Psalm 101. In his enthusiasm, the progressive Bianchi is quite "traditionalist" and raves about the desert fathers, to create catalogs of sin. "Still, the generations of Christians, like mine, have been formed before the Second Vatican Council had a register of sins available, in thought, word, works and omissions  to prepare for the Sacrament of Penance and to perform a thorough personal examination of conscience about their own inadequacy in comparison to the requirements of the Ten Commandments. "

In addition to Parrhesia, Bernard of Clairvaux, Psalms, desert fathers and consciousness of pre-Conciliar sin, the papal  Consultant also recognizes the Jesuit tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola in the   Christmas scolding of the Curia. In the middle of  the Papal Sin catalog, says the "Prior"  of Bose, is the "power" which was a "key temptation", with which  "the demon tried Jesus Christ." "Yes, the unquenchable thirst for power enables he who gives himself  the right  to defame him and others in the newspapers and blogs with the help of willing journalists, even hate  made to order, with defamation and slander."

"Pope Invents Nothing, He Just Reads Everyday About the Deformities of the Church"

Was the Pope right in his harsh criticism? Yes, says Enzo Bianchi: "Pope Francis invents nothing, he just reads  everyday, about the deformed and disfigured Church as the Body of Christ. It is an incisive analysis, which is also the result of daily experience in the 21 months of this pontificate; not an investigation of the past and the scandals before his election, but the continuing presence."

The Pope addresses in his speech "rich in biblical quotations and references to his letter Evangelii Gaudium, the testament to the roots of his words and actions in the Word of God," a " universal antidote for these pathologies," said Bianchi: the " understanding of the Church as the mystical body of Christ. '"  Including that doesn't mean the traditional understanding of the Church, although Bianchi uses words like "traditional" and "handed down"  and "tradition" frequently, this is the  "Prior's" bridge in the controversial formula of "primacy of love" which is clearly accented by the schismatic denominations to negate the papal primacy of jurisdiction. It's a position that Bianchi has embraced for a long time, since he sees the main obstacle to unity among Christians in the papacy.

"Am I a Man of God or a Trustee of Satan?"

 Bianchi, reads into  the Pope even more, as he mentions "an intimate unity of this dynamic body, and each member with the Lord." It is otherwise Pope Francis' exhortation to  every Christian, but especially applicable to  all, to take responsibility and have  in pastoral care, to understand, as he asks you to ask yourself: "Am I a man of God or a trustee of Satan ?"  An alternative does not exist, says Bianchi, because "if it is true that we are all tempted and all fall, then it is also true that the break between each occurs in that fall and  getting up again by confessing to be a sinner, and those who accept that they  fall, that they are corrupt and may even present themselves as fair and good people to others. "

The path of Pope Francis "is more gritty than any functional reform, but without a doubt innovative and at the same time deeply rooted in authentic Christian tradition:  to lead the bureaucratic apparatus Church back to its real nature of a community body in the service of the universal Church." They would say, "the diseases are so numerous, serious and widespread that rapid recovery is unlikely." In particular, the recovery time was not without the risk of relapse. "And we know well that the prerequisite for any effective treatment is an accurate diagnosis and for this the words of Pope Francis are extremely useful".

"The Farther Francis Follows this Path, the More he Will Unleash Demonic Forces"

Enzo Bianchi, therefore, concludes: "I wrote it and write it again: Pope Francis makes himself the echo of the Gospel, and his passion for the gospel leads him to the life of the Church and of each member to be faithful to the measure of the Gospel. Let us have no illusions but the more the Pope  goes on this route, the more he will unleash demonic forces acting in history and the result for the real believers will be to visualize the cross of Christ. It is not true that there will then become more comfortable in the Church; the opposite is true, the Church can only follow Jesus in  painful rejection and persecution, and they will not achieve worldly success when they embody the message of their Lord. "

That's the commentary by Enzo Bianchi, who has been since last July, the Consultant of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and "Prior" of the ecumenical progressive lay community of Bose, who because of the transport with good reason, like other progressive, senses his changing good fortune in the morning air.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Chiesa e Postconcilio

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

The Papal Visitation and the Interconfessional "Cloister" of Bose

Enzo Bianchi and Pope Francis

(Rome) Pope Francis has appointed Enzo Bianchi, the "Almighty" (Sandro Magister) founder and "Prior" the progressive ecumenical "monastery" from Bose, the Consultant of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Bianchi is one of the "favorites" of Pope Francis. He is undogmatic, anarchic about rules and autocratic.

The compulsory control of Rome is perceived as idiosyncratically complex under Pope Francis. The faithful Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, a positive anomaly in the religious world, is enslaved under provisional administration.The visitation of the declining progressive US women religious of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), who are in heresy and under suspicion of serious violations of church order were "peacefully archived" by the Pope, said the Vatican expert Sandro Magister.

The fact is that the male and female religious experience are not exactly enjoying a heyday in the West. The secretary of the Congregation of Religious, Curial Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo Fra spoke recently of several dozen Apostolic Visitations that are currently taking place. 39 orders are finding themselves for various reasons under provisional administration. 3000 religious  give up their vows  each year.

In addition to the Roman Congregation of Religious    diocesan bishops can also carry out visitations in their jurisdictions and initiate investigations. The Order itself can ask for a Visitor.

A visitation in Bose?

The latter is the case with the amazing "ecumenical monastery" from Bose. How so?

From a legal perspective, the church community of Bose is neither an Order nor is it a monastery, but a "private association of the faithful". In other words, a lay organization. It was not until 2001,  that it was ever canonically recognized and that is through the small diocese of Biella, in Bose.

There are major obstacles in the way of recognition as religious order. Two are of particular importance. There is the fact that there is a  mixed community of undistinguished women and men. Such a mixed community has never been known in the long history of monasticism.

Secondly, the Community is interdenominational. The Lutheran Swiss pastor Daniel Attinger belonga to ir, as well as other Protestants, women and men. The Orthodox Metropolitan Emilianos Timiadis spent his last years in Bose. The former Greek Catholic Ukrianian Sophia Senyk is also included in the community. She was in the Ukrainian section of the faculty at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, but then converted to Orthodoxy.

Interconfessionality   and Intercommunion

Bose has practiced intercommunion for a long time. The Eucharist is given to Catholics and non-Catholics alike which  the Catholic Church as well as the Orthodox churches strictly prohibits. For some time, the liturgies are celebrated separately by Catholics and Orthodox  in Bose, which means that the Protestants receive Communion among Catholics. The violation of the ban has simply discontinued out of consideration for the Orthodox.

Nobody really seems worried about the interconfessionality in the papal entourage today is really worried. Finally, Pope Francis has  "highly valued" him (Sandro Magister) idiosyncratically as a Catholic "Prior", appointing Enzo Bianchi as Consultant for a Roman Congregation specifically calculated in terms interconfessionality.

Current Rome doesn't seem to have any doctrinal problems with Bose and seems have been both eyes pressed shut on the Tiber. The problems seem to concern the Community's internal relationship among the "brothers" and "sisters" from Bose. Enzo Bianchi indicated there had  been such problems three years ago  in an sibylline interview with the Jesuit magazine Jesus.

"Experience with Falsehood"

"In recent years I have  internally checked  our experience with falsehood, not directly against me, but regarding the whole community. I did not have to experience such an internal destabilization, which is why sometimes I'm quite confused.  I never had such an experience. Malignancy yes, you can understand, but the falsity is not on my horizon. That was the hardest test of my life in the Church and in the life of a monk."

Bianchi meant monastic life, of course,  what  he means by monasticism. It is less clear what he means by "falsehood". It can only be imagined that his authority was challenged.

In another interview on the history of Bose, Bianchi spoke of the common coexistence of women and men is a "very stressful" knot. Not so much because of the natural attraction between the sexes, but because of the indomitable "hostility" that - has ruled since the origin of the world between man and woman - according to Bianchi.

In addition to new items and quite a few outlets, Bianchi experienced some storms. In particular, the departure of three leading members, two "brothers" and a "sister" was carried out with the fierce criticism of the "Prior".

Bianchi asked for a  Visitation and Chose the Visitors Himself

Thus, the conversation turns to the way Enzo Bianchi exerts his leadership. Several members speak of an "authoritarian" style, says Sandro Magister. In order to prevent the situation getting out of control, Bianchi decided to  take the bull by the horns. He applied for the implementation of a canonical visitation. Advantageously, he chose the visitor himself. 

It was Father Michel Van Parys, former abbot of the "ecumenical" Benedictine monastery of Chevetogne in Belgium and today Hegumen in the monastery of the Byzantine rite of Grottaferrata in Italy. For the female side, he commissioned Mother Anne-Emmanuelle Deveche, Abbess of the Trappist Cloister of Blauvac in France. Both are long-time friends of Bianchi, especially Van Parys, who is one of the most enthusiastic visitors and speakers at Bose meetings.

The Visitation took place from last January to May. At the end,  the two visitors submitted a signed declaration, Charter Visitationis ago that made ​​Bianchi, in turn, send it to the competent authorities in Rome and Bishop of Biella. Shortly afterwards Bianchi became appointed as the Consultant.

In the current Advent letter to the "Friends of Bose" Bianch writes that he is allowing  'the Community to undergo two financial checks of its financial situation."  The visitation he reasoned, "is so that the community never falls into complacency, becoming self-referential, or worse, narcissistic and sectarian". The language is strikingly similar to that of Pope Francis.

"Workshop of Unity Between the Separated Churches"

In their visitation report written by Father Parys  and Mother Deveche, the "quality" especially of Bose is appreciated as the "workshop of unity between the separated churches today."

However, they also expressed the wish that the various line offices in the community should not be authoritarian, but exercised  "transparently and synodally."

"Obviously,  Bianchi finds synodality  so precious that when he calls for reforms in the Church and the papacy, Bose in itself is not as high a priority, because it required a canonical visitation  in order to remind  the Prior about it," said Sandro Magister ,

Finally, it should also be noted that Sophia Senyk is not the only one from the faculty of the prestigious Pontifical Oriental Institute who gave up the Catholic faith and converted to Orthodoxy. The Oriental Institute is connected to the Pontifical Gregorian University. Both institutions are led by the Jesuit Order.

More sensational than the conversion of Senyk in recent months was the crossing of Father Constantin Simon to Orthodoxy.The American Jesuit of Ukrainian-Hungarian descent was  Vice-Rector of the Pontifical Oriental Institute in 2013 and is considered an expert on Russian Christianity.

The former Jesuit was solemnly received on June 7th  as a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church. The   liturgy was presided over by Archimandrite Amwrosi (Ambrose Yermakov) of Peterhof, the Auxiliary Bishop of St. Petersburg, and rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.

Text: Settimo Cielo / Giuseppe Nardi
image: Settimo Cielo
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Unexciting Turn in "Luxury Building" - Case Limburg, Which Costed a Bishop His Head

Case Limburg with amazing "end"

A National Treasure
 Limburg Cathedral

(Limburg) What was that again that happened in Limburg? Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz van Elst was harassed in the autumn of the previous year by the German media as the "Bishop of Bling". The outraged "humble" in church and media went into jealous criticism of the "luxury bishop," who was building a "monstrous opulence palace" ( Der Spiegel). As expected, the hounding of Bishop Tebartz van Elst ended in October 2013, the papal dismissal and with it his deposition, officially called for his resignation in March 2014 resignation.

But now the reigning Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese, Bishop Manfred Grothe is becoming surprisingly well known. He has turned on the faithful of the diocese with a "Position Statement in Advent." There is a lot mentioned about "realignment", "fresh start" and "reorganization" and that the diocese is felt to be "no longer the headlines in the media."

Letter from the Apostolic Administrator

The "Renovation" of the Diocese of Limburg - "The Building is to be Used for What it Was Built" 

The administrator then writes as follows: "Separate working groups with representatives of various bodies are intensively studying - out of the public view - about a use for the building complex on Cathedral Hill in Limburg. The ensemble was built as a home for the Bishop of Limburg and should basically be used. We want to employ the coming months to open it up for an open house and demythologizing. Therefore, there will be guided tours for employees and for groups from the Diocese of Limburg. It is planned that the rooms are to be used for conferences and meetings of various committees. In addition there could be exhibitions of theological and other cultural events. So we want to include the Bishop's house for events of the Diocese of Limburg in the planning. The living rooms will be excluded from the opening in view of their private nature."

"German bishops Took Advantage of Collegiality to Get Rid of Unwanted Bishop"

The construction in Limburg initially hyped by the media as a church and state affair, which led to the bishop's fall in disgrace, will now simply used for that which it was built. Not another indignant word about "swank and pomp." By public tours the construction will be "demythologized." This will allow the administrator a last breath from an artificially inflated campaign. Auxiliary Bishop Grothe has written that "luxury building" critique was advanced toward Bishop Tebartz van Elst only to overthrow the bishop. "The German bishops used collegiality to get rid of an undesirable because of the bishop's positions," said Secretum meum mihi.

Whoever wanted to see through the smokescreen, could have always done so. Few did, few wanted to do so. The scandal headlines in the media have a magical power of suggestion on the "little man on the street". This is calculated at the "top." The campaign machinery is well oiled.

There was a media campaign waged against Bishop Tebartz van Elst until he was gone. Not a word of criticism, however, was heard for the little "luxury" Archbishop Reinhard Marx allowed himself in his indulgent 13 million euros stays in Rome - which it may be added have become more frequent. This unequal treatment shows that the real reasons for the attacks in the case Limburg were to be sought elsewhere.

It is often heard frequently that Bishop Tebartz van Elst had "not always behaved joyfully." Who would not say this of themselves. On the merits, but that does not matter. The bishop had in fact never got a chance behind the scenes since his head was asked for.

The Angry Bishop Tebartz-van Elst

Following the "Demythologizing" of the Building and Will the Demythologization of the Bishop's 'Guilt'Follow?

The internally torn diocese has no bishop and the involuntary Bishop Emeritus Tebartz van Elst doesn't have a new task. Maybe he should not have to wait to get a transfer. The example also the "collegially" disposed of Bishop Rogelio Livieres of Ciudad del Este shows that there is the possibility to defend one's own initiative and remain vocal about Church doctrine. With the initiative Adelante la fe, he proves even after his fall, why he is superior to his brother Bishops and therefore, was not loved by them.

It was no secret that the Limburg bishop had held a "conservative" position in the Episcopal Conference, more than the majority of his confreres. It was also no secret that in his diocese in some circles he came, as the successor of Bishop Franz Kamphaus, into fierce resistance. Now, will someone demystify the "guilt" of Bishop Tebartz van Elst? Doubtful.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi image: Wikicommons / Diocese of Limburg
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches....
 AMDG

Pope Appoints New Post-Evangelist to Camerlengo

Edit: he's not fond of evangelism, among so many other things. Cardinal Tauran replaces Cardinal Bertone - A Camerlengo has important role in preparing the papal election in the conclave. In the election of Pope Francis, Tauran has already announced the Pope and his papal name.

Vatican City (kath.net/KNA) The French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran (71) has been appointed by Pope Francis to "Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church". Thus after a Pope leaves from office by resignation or death, play a key role in the Vatican until the election of a successor. The Camerlengo (Chamberlain) is responsible for preparations for the election of a pope in the conclave and the administration of the papal estate while the Holy See is vacant.

Tauran has, since 2007, been President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He had announced the name of Pope Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on 13 March-2013. Tauran succeeds Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. It was the last official title that the former Cardinal Secretary of State, who was 80 years in December, still held in the Vatican.

For Vice Camerlengo Francis appointed the head of the papal diplomatic academy, Archbishop Giampiero Gloder. Pope FRANCIS - The first event of the new pontificate: Habemus Papam, greeting the people in St. Peter's Square, prayer and blessing Copyright 2014 Catholic News Agency KATH PRESS, Vienna, Austria All rights reserved Link to Kath.net...

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Bishop Oster Stops Sending Written Christmas Cards

The Bishop of Passau has already received several hundred Christmas letters.

Passau (kath.net/pbp) The Bishop of Passau, Stefan Oster SDB is looking forward to his first Christmas in the diocese of Passau. "I would particularly like to invite you now to the festive Christmas church services in the cathedral, but of course also in the other churches of our diocese," he stressed. For weeks now, a lot of Christmas mail has arrived at the chancery. "I'm happy about every single letter and every card," said Bishop Stefan. "The great appreciation, the good wishes are extended to me by so many people, touches me," says the chief shepherd of Passau. Several hundred letters are already on the bishop's desk.

Furthermore, the bishop added but added: "At the same time I also have the impression that for many people and organizations in the pressure of having to do the Christmas mail, annual increases and the many hours involved, sometimes days and weeks are noticeable. Even for myself. That is a time when we little have time for little else, let alone to really turn in prayer to Christ who wants to touch us and meet us in this day."

Therefore, Bishop Stefan wants to set an example in this year and give up writing Christmas cards. He connects it with the promise that all who have written to him or are writing, are included in his prayers. He is also accessing the modern tools of electronic greeting postcards, which are to make available to all people his Christmas blessings, especially those who have written to him.

Next week, a Christmas greeting on the website of the Diocese will be available. This version also brings aid to people in need: Bishop Stefan donates the money that is saved for cards, letters and postage for the Child and Youth Services in Sierra Leone. In the local capital, Freetown, Salesian Brother Lothar Wagner works with street children and currently cares mainly about Ebola Ebola orphans or survivors. Photo Bishop Oster (c) Roman Catholic Diocese of Passau

Franciscan Order is Bankrupt? Millions in Switzerland, Maxi-Fraud in Italy

Franciscans at Prayer

(Assisi / Rome) the information is still scarce and the situation is quite opaque. The headline is, however: Is The Franciscan Order (OFM) In Bankruptcy? What role did Father Rodriguez Carballo have? The transactions occurred during his tenure as Minister General of the Order. In 2013 he was appointed by Pope Francis as secretary of the religious congregation.

Worldwide, there are just over 14,000 Franciscans, the next come Minorites (OFM Conv) and Capuchins (OFM Cap) who form one of the three branches of directly going back to Saint Francis of Assisi's first order. Characteristic features are  the coarse brown tunics with a white rope and the rope symbol, called the cross of St. Anthony.

"Financial Shortfall" in Italy - Money Laundering in Switzerland?

For three months, the order's accounts have been reviewed by  the General Curia. According to the Italian weekly magazine Panorama,  the result is clear: there was a "financial shortfall" of tens of millions of euros. The Order, or rather the religious leadership, was deeply in debt and risking bankruptcy.

The starting point were the checks after the Swiss prosecutor's office last October, which seized accounts of the Franciscan Order seized with tens of millions of euros. They were suspect to have  invested in companies that serve as money laundering.

The investments in Switzerland were made ​​in the administration of José Rodriguez Carballo as Minister General. Rodriguez Carballo was,  from 2003-2013, the 119th Minister General of the Order.  On April 6, 2013, he was appointed by Pope Francis as secretary of the religious congregation. As such, he immediately gained notoriety because of the provisional administration of another Franciscan Order, the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate . The appointment of Carballos Rodriguez was the first major personnel decision of the current pontificate.

According to Panorama  the mendicant orders of the "Poverello" of Assisi are liable to be killed by a mountain of debt and be insolvent. Specifically, it's about two different erroneous developments that might be related. In the first case there is the suspicion of deliberate mismanagement in Italy there by foreign persons may have enriched themselves with the help of the members of the orders. On the other hand it comes to bank accounts in Switzerland, which were confiscated by the Prosecutor.

Deposed General Treasurer of the Order

The minus due to mismanagement was, among other things, accumulated through the reconstruction of the hotel Il Cantico in Via Gregorio VII in Rome. The hotel management included the former General Treasurer of the Order, Father Giancarlo Lati. Meanwhile, he was replaced by Father Silvio De La Fuente. Officially "for health reasons" as the Order had announced. The Financial Administration of the Order is the focus of the investigation.

The Order is finding itself concerned about "financial difficulties in a critical situation," according to Father Michael Perry who has held office since 2013 as New Minister General.

The Swiss investigation must first be confirmed. If the seizure is to be valid, the question arises  as to who is responsible. It is clear that there are more than 14,000 brothers who  will suffer most because few have done wrong to the Order.

Persons Outside the Order and Members of Religious Order Under Suspicion

There are several "persons  who are not members of the religious order" under suspicion.  We are talking about maxi-rraud. After the internal checks it says in the Order, that the control and security mechanisms have been "compromised" or are "too weak" in financial matters. A more detailed clarification of who did and who did not play a role is sought.

In addition, "there seems to  be a certain number of dubious financial operations made by brothers, who had been entrusted to the custody of the finances," said the Minister General. "The extent and scope of these operations have brought the financial stability of the General Curia in great danger."

It seems that both brothers as well as some persons foreign persons outside the order have put the  Order   into the jeopardy and caused great financial loss. General Minister Perry turned to the competent authorities in Italy after completion of internal audits. The "competent ecclesiastical centers" were well informed.

State authorities and the Vatican informed - begging letter to Provincials

The  General Minister has asked  all religious provincials for "financial aid" for  the General Curia "to meet its  payment obligations and above all to pay the high passive interest."

The General Government commissioned a "qualified legal counsel" to take the necessary steps. After the dismissal of the former  Treasurer General, Father Pasquale Del Pezzo was called in turn to Rome. As special representative,  all economic and financial functions are under the care  of the General Curia.

He understood the "frustration" many brethren, as Minister General Perry. It was an "encouragement" to follow the example of Pope Francis, who had prompted with a "call for truth and transparency in the financial activities of the Church and of society."

In the Franciscan monasteries scattered all over the globe, there is much surprise. "With the contents of the letter I have" said the Minister General "thorough agreement," said Father Rosario Gugliotta, the curator of the Portiuncula Chapel and the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi, the most important church of the Franciscan Order.

What is the responsibility ex-Minister General Rodriguez Carballo?

Curia Archbishop Father José Rodriguez Carballo was Minister General, as the shady financial transactions were carried out with the assets of the Order. As secretary of the religious congregation, he signed, together with Cardinal Prefect Joao Braz de Aviz, the new "guidelines"  because  the Order's property was lackadaisically managed. In early August they were published.

He will also have to answer questions  internally and answer questions. Whether  Swiss Justice will deal with it is not yet clear.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: VaticanInsider

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

"Jesuit" School Fires Conservative Professor For Exposing Leftist Hegemony

Edit: at some point someone is going to have to fight them. Thank goodness someone won't let them get off scot-free.

[Truth Revolt] Marquette Political Science professor John McAdams has been suspended "until further notice" for exposing a leftist TA who silenced a student from discussing gay marriage in her ethics class.

Last month, an unidentified 20-year-old Marquette student stirred up controversy in his "Theory of Ethics" class when instructor Cheryl Abbate led a discussion about "applying philosophical theories to modern political controversies." Among the various political controversies listed were "gay rights" alongside other hot-button topics like gun rights and the death penalty.

In an interview with Todd Starnes of Fox News, the student said regarding the incident, "we had a discussion on all of them – except gay rights. She erased that line from the board and said, ‘We all agree on this.’”

When the student confronted Abbate after class about why they didn't discuss gay rights, Abbate said that some students who might be homosexual could get offended, clarifying that opposition to issues like gay marriage would be homophobic.

In a recorded conversation, the student accused Abbate of restricting his right to express his opinion in class and Abbate dropped the bombshell.

“You can have whatever opinions you want but I will tell you right now – in this class homophobic comments, racist comments, sexist comments will not be tolerated,” she told him. "If you don’t like it, you are more than free to drop this class.”

The student did drop the class and reported it to the Chair of the Philosophy Department, Nancy Snow, but nothing happened. However, Abbate didn't get away scot-free. When conservative professor John McAdams learned about the incident, he exposed it on his blog The Marquette Warrior where he accused of Abbate of "using a tactic typical among liberals now" when dealing with her student. He also criticized Nancy Snow for some of her own Orwellian conduct in her “Philosophy of Crime and Punishment” class where she "tried to shut up a student who offered a response, from the perspective of police" to Snow’s comments about supposed "racial profiling'" and her ordering that the student write a letter of apology to all black students.

Once McAdam's blog post went viral, Abbate and several professors signed a petition to have McAdams disciplined for his public dissent. Shortly thereafter, McAdams received the following letter of suspension from Marquette Dean Richard Holz:

Dear John:

The university is continuing to review your conduct and during this period–and until further notice–you are relieved of all teaching duties and all other faculty activities, including, but not limited to, advising, committee work, faculty meetings and any activity that would involve your interaction with Marquette students, faculty and staff. Should any academic appeals arise from Fall 2014 semester, however, you are expected to fulfill your obligations in that specific matter.

Your salary and benefits will continue at their current level during this time.

You are to remain off campus during this time, and should you need to come to campus, you are to contact me in writing beforehand to explain the purpose of your visit, to obtain my consent and to make appropriate arrangements for that visit. I am enclosing with this letter Marquette’s harassment policy, its guiding values statement, the University mission statement, and sections from the Faculty Handbook, which outline faculty rights and responsibilities; these documents will inform our review of your conduct.

Sincerely,

Richard C. Holz, Ph.D. Dean

Responding to his suspension, McAdams highlighted the absurdity of being given Marquette's harassment guidelines considering that "the behavior must be directed toward a protected class (color, race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, veteran status, age, gender or sexual orientation), and leftist philosophers are not a protected class."

Marquette's Turning Point USA chapter has since launched a grassroots initiative. Their petition to lift McAdams' suspension can be signed here.

http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/marquette-suspends-conservative-professor-exposing-totalitarian-leftist-faculty

Cardinal Brandmüller Meets With SSPX at HQ

[SSPX USA] On December 5, 2014, Cardinal Walter Brandmuller, president emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, met with Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, accompanied by several priests. The meeting was held at the Herz Jesu Seminary of Zaitzkofen, in Bavaria.

This meeting was a follow-up of the September 23, 2014 meeting in Rome, during which all had agreed to pursue the doctrinal discussions “in a broader, less formal framework than in the previous discussions.” (see DICI #302, Oct. 10, 2014). The theme was the Council and its magisterial authority.

The goal of these meetings is to make the Church’s authorities more aware of the Society and the works of Tradition, and at the same time to expose to them the serious objections and points of divergence that remain concerning the Second Vatican Council and its reforms. In this perspective, two more meetings are scheduled in the coming months, one at the St. Cure de Ars Seminary in Flavigny (France), and the other at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona (USA).

(Source: fsspx/MG–DICI #307, Dec. 19, 2014)

Pope Francis Won't Be Around in Ten Years

[The Local] The 78-year-old pontiff wished them well with their bid to host the 2024 Games, but said he would not be around to watch them.

"Dear friends, best wishes for Rome's bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games," he said. "I will not be there. May the Lord bless all of you and your families."

It was not the first time the Pope, who turned 78 on Wednesday, has hinted he does not think he will last very long at the helm of the Catholic Church.

On his way back from South Korea in August he lightheartedly remarked to reporters that he may have only two or three years left to live.

http://m.thelocal.it/20141219/pope-will-not-be-in-the-vatican-in-ten-years

Pope Francis: 2017 Catholics Will "Commemorate 500 Years of the Reformation"

German Lutherans with Pope Francis

(Rome) Pope Francis received a delegation on Thursday of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany at the Vatican. In his address to the Lutherans, the Catholic Church leader said some astonishing  things. Catholics and Lutherans should "remember together" the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  Celebrate the schism as a common event? An idiosyncratic form of "historicization" of the Reformation?

What the Pope said: "Ecumenical dialogue can not now be separated from reality and the life of our churches. In 2017, Lutheran and Catholic Christians commemorate together the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. On this occasion, Lutherans and Catholics will, for the first time, have the opportunity to keep one and the same global ecumenical commemoration, not in the form of a triumphalist celebration, but rather to  confess our common faith in the Triune God. "

This is a shared "Reformation Memorial" reported Miguel Angel Yáñez, as the chief editor of Adelante la fe  considers: "I really wonder: Are we seriously commemorating as Catholics of the unfortunate schism that  enticed by the millions of souls to the fall away from the Catholic faith"

Lutherans and Lefebvrians?

And Yáñez continued, "If this ecumenical discourse is coherent, then we would soon get to hear the following statement from Rome:

, Ecumenical dialogue can not be separated from the reality and the life of our church today. In 2018 we commemorate together with Catholics associated to Archbishop Lefebvre   the 30th anniversary of the consecration of bishops who have separated from us. On this occasion, the two sides will, for the first time, have the opportunity to keep the world one and the same ecumenical commemoration, not in the form of a triumphalist celebration, but to confess our common faith in the Triune God,'" says Miguel Angel Yáñez.

Pope Francis continued to the German Lutherans. "Let us invite all, with God's help and with the support of his spirit to make further steps towards unity and not just to limit ourselves to what we have already achieved with this Reformation Memorial"

The German Bishops' Conference is actively pursuing the "common" Memory of the Church's schism by Martin Luther. For this purpose, a separate "project office of the Reformation Memorial" was set up.

2017: 100th Anniversary of Fatima

The 2017 does not mean 500 years of Church division but really, 100 years since the apparitions of Fatima. For the latter, Pope Francis has  not taken to commemorate it so far. In Portugal they have been trying to descure a Pope visit since 2013 for the Pope's visit on the occasion of the 100th anniversary celebrations in Fatima. Last April,  the retired Portuguese Cardinal José Saraiva Martins said there is no secure commitment, but it was "normal and natural" that the Pope would come to a "so momentous occasion" to Fatima.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: InfoVaticana

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

LInk to Katholisches..

AMDG