(Rome) The Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta , Fra 'Matthew Festing, repeated his accusation against the fact finding mission set up by Pope Francis on the Boeselager case. This commission is not legally competent because the Maltese government is a sovereign entity of international law and the deposed Grand Chancellor Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, as a member of the Second Order of the Order, is not subject to the Vatican in his tasks and functions concerning the Order. Moreover, some of the five commissioners have personal and financial ties and would therefore not guarantee objectivity.
Grandmaster Festing expressed serious doubts about the composition of the Commission and accused three of the five Commissioners of conflicts of interest. At least three Commissioners are associated with a fund in Geneva, which was managed by former Grand Chancellor Boeselager.
According to Festing, he does not raise any personal accusations, but asserts that the personal and financial connections between at least three Commissioners and Boeselager, mean that "they are clearly prejudiced about their objective."
According to information in the National Catholic Register the three members of the inquiry commission are Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Marc Odendall and Marwan Sehnaoui. Together with Boeselager, they are linked to a gift of 120 million Swiss francs, in favor of the Order.
The Vaticanist Edward Pentin wrote in an article that the majority of the commissioners were personal friends with the ex-chancellor, including Archbishop Tomasi.
The National Catholic Register reported: Boeselager has exercised with respect to the composition of the commission of inquiry, considerable pressure on the Vatican - according to information internal to the Order. It was therefore assumed that the Commission constituted a plea in favor of Boeselager.
(Rome) Matteo Maria Zuppi of theCommunity of Sant'Egidiowas appointed Archbishop of Bologna in late October 2015 by Pope Francis as the successor to Cardinal Carlo Caffarra.He has been in office for 13 months. He is the opposite of his predecessor, one of the signatories of theDubia(doubts) to Pope Francis on the controversial post-synodal LetterAmoris laetitia.
Upon taking up his position in Bologna, Msgr. Zuppi, committed himself to build mosques. The anger of the well-known Spanish Catholic columnist and blogger, Francisco Fernandez de la Cigoña, the Archbishop moved himself to do a "stupid" gesture for Christmas.
Zuppi, together with other appointees, is reckoned, among the shepherds "with the smell of the sheep," which Pope Francis several times suggested of model shepherds.
De la Cigoña, well-known for his blunt language, described Msgr. Zuppi as "a fool who we shall soon see as a cardinal." De la Cigoña's anger was aroused by a Holy Mass celebrated by Archbishop Zuppi with the Jesus Child in a crib on a rainbow flag.
"Symbols are not meant to be playthings. The crib for the Jesus child can also not be adorned with a swastika or a communist flag or a Coca-Cola flag. It can't even be a gay flag, or the flag of a soccer club.
Perhaps in the future we will also see a Jesus child with a condom, or with the portrait of Donald Trump. With such 'original' bishops, everything is possible."
When De la Cigoña was made aware that in Italy the rainbow flag, is almost identical to the aberrosexual flag, is a symbol of the Christian peace movement, he took it into his "foolish head" and apologized to Archbishop Zuppi.
However, what de la Cigoña has written also applies to the peace movement: the crib of the Jesus child should not be draped with the flag of a peace movement.
The jury is still out on the use of a symbol that is similar to the other. There is no doubt that the aberro-movement has for the time being has carried through with the flag conflict and has usurped the rainbow, symbolizing the "covenant" with God in the Old Testament. That the Christian peace movement in Italy has continued to use the rainbow colors, although it could be confused with the gay movement, as De la Cigoña did, gives proof that has to do with the fact that this peace movement is supported mainly by the left Catholic circles who usually have no problems with the aberrosexual flag. The potential confusion is obviously accepted.
[BBC] Heavy snow and disruption caused by multiple earthquakes have hindered rescue efforts in the rubble of the Rigopiano hotel, in the Abruzzo region.
Rescuers say they have heard nothing in the rubble while sniffer dogs are reportedly unable to locate victims.
Two people who were outside the hotel at the time of the avalanche survived.
A series of strong earthquakes hit central Italy on Wednesday, including the capital Rome, forcing schools to be evacuated and rail links to close, although there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injury.
The multiple tremors, including three above magnitude five, were clustered around a region which was battered by a spate of deadly quakes last year.
Buildings in Rome wobbled and the city's underground metro system was shut as a precaution. Schools across the capital were also closed.
Artist: "I did not want to make fun of the Catholic Church or hurt the feelings of believers." - With VIDEO controversial action in Saarbrücken Baroque Basilica - UPDATE: Artists pay a fine!
Saarbruecken (kath.net) "I did not want to make fun of the Catholic Church or hurt the feelings of believers." According to the "Saarbrückener Zeitung", the 38-year-old Alexander Karle has to appear in Saarbrücken District Court. He had entered the sanctuary illegally in the Catholic Baroque Basilica of St. John in Saarbrücken (Diocese of Trier) and performed about 30 pushups on the altar. According to the prosecutor's office, this was a "crudely inappropriate behavior demonstrating a purely disrespectful attitude." The event, which took place approximately between Christmas Eve on 2015 and January 1 2016, had been recorded by Karle with a video and published in a Saarbrücken shop window and also via Youtube. Karle has studied at Saar University of the Arts and understands his action as art, as other media reported. The video, entitled "Pressure to Perform", was designed to investigate the extent to which religion and performance pressure were related.
In the Catholic church community, however, the video was perceived as provocation and defamation, said Rev. Eugen Vogt. Therefore, the church community had contacted the police. According to the public prosecutor's office, the action does not fall under the rule of freedom of artistic expression and speech and has therefore applied for a fine of 1,500 euros at the Court of Justice. Justification: violation of religious freedom and trespassing. After the artist's appeal, the court is now adjudicating the decision.
The "Saarbrückener Zeitung" summed up Karle's further explanations as follows: During the action "a few people were praying in the basilica, who did not say a word," assures Karle. And he is also a Catholic, if only on paper. "After all, he had also taken a small camera," so very discreetly, "and carefully removed the white cloth on the altar before performing his pushups, then laid it back down again.
The church of St. John was consecrated in 1758 by Pope Paul IV. [thanks DJR] as a minor Basilica. It is listed as a monument in Saarland's memorial list.
UPDATE
The Court of Saarbrücken decided a few days ago that the defendant must pay 700 euro fine for trespassing and disturbance of the free exercise of religion. This was reported by "Bild" and other media. Judge Simon explained in the reasoning of the verdict that freedom of art is not guaranteed without limits. If an altar is equated with a gymnastic mat, then that shows disrespect of faith.
The documentation: The video of the artist with the controversial action
Edit: in the US, Catholics probabaly would have bleated ineffectually about freedom
of speech and done nothing.
(Rio de Janeiro) The "pastoress" of a Protestant congregation smashed a statue of Our Lady of Aparecida. The scene was filmed and released to the public. The great indignation caused by this caused the woman apologize in a video for her deed.
The incident occurred in the hinterland of the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. In Botucatu, a Protestant female pastor of a local congregation performed a memorial service for Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil's most important pilgrimage destination, in a meadow, and beat her with a hammer. The hammer attack left the Marian statue in pieces. Brazilian media talked about it as the act of frenzy and even obsession. The fact is that in certain parts of Protestant free churches, they are strongly influenced by Calvinism, where there is a radical dislike for Mary and the worship of the Mother of God. The sectarian attitude must be repelent to all members of the Catholic and Orthodox Church.
The devotees of the "pastoress" cshouted "Hallelujah" during the destruction, praised Jesus and spoke of a "purification".
The destruction scene was filmed and the video released. The indignation was so great that the "pastoress" was compelled to publicly apologize for her misdeed.
2017 marks the 300th anniversary of Aparecida's Matian apparition. On 24th of July, Pope Francis visited the pilgrimage site in the State of Sao Paulo. At that time, the police uncovered a bomb. It was a professionally produced explosive set with deadly intent. Whoever had set the bomb could not be found out. In the run-up, left-extreme and aberrosexual organizations had protested against the papal visit. Francis had traveled to Brazil for World Youth Day.
Text: Andreas Becker
Image: Youtube (Screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekrin99@hotmail.com
AMDG
On January 23rd the third Prelate of Opus Dei will be selected to chose the successor of Prelate Javier Echevarria who passed on Dec 12th.
(Rome) This coming January 21 begins in Rome to elect a new prelate of Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei , called Opus Dei for short, the only previously existing personal prelature in the Church. Upon the death of Prelate Javier Echevarría on December 12 in Rome, an has election become necessary.
The "Work of God," founded in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás (1902-1975) in Madrid received the legal status in the Church of a personal prelature. The approximately 90,000 members are directly subordinate to the prelate of the bishop's rank and not to the respective diocesan bishop. The third successor of the founder, and also the third prelate, will be elected. Josemarìa Escrivá was sanctified in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. His feast day is June 26, his dies natalis (death).
His first successor, and also the first prelate, Álvaro del Portillo, was proclaimed as beatified in 2014 by Pope Francis. He directed the Opus Dei from 1975-1994.
As Opus Dei explains on its website, the new prelate must be a priest who has completed his 40th year of life, be a member of the electoral body, and belong at least ten years of the Prelature and be incardinated as a priest for at least five years. These prerequisites are currently fulfilled by 94 priests from 45 states.
The election meeting will begin on 21 January with the General Assembly of the Council for the female members. On the 23rd, the actual election congress will follow. Any member of the Women's Council may give a vote. The election congress, which is occupied by men, would take these recommendations into account.
If the chosen person accepts the election, Pope Francis is asked for his confirmation. Officially, he has the right of appointment for the prelate of Opus Dei. Election and appointment of a prelate is for lifetime. The favorite candidate is Fernando Ocáriz, the long-standing Vicar General of the "Work", who was named by Prelate Echevarría to be his representative a few days before his death until the choice of his successor. Ocáriz has been the primary co-author of the Declaration Dominus Iesus of 2000. Since 1986 he has been Consultor of the Congregation for Doctrine and the Faith. Under Pope Benedict XVI he was one of three theological members appointed by the Holy See who participated in doctrinal discussions with the Society of St. Pius X.
The electorate will have 194 voters, priests and laity. They must have reached the age of 32 and have been a member of the Prelate for at least nine years.
Besides the election of a prelate, the election congress will also make the choice of the General Council that supports the prelate in the management of the Prelature. The term of office of the General Council lasts eight years.
The elections, however, are not the only issue. It examines the situation of prelature and talks about worldwide apostolic activities. For the forthcoming, eight-year term of office of the General Council, the election congress will elaborate a corresponding management program.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Infovaticana
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com Link to Katholisches...
AMDG
[journalistenwach] In Brühl, in the night of December 30, the parish center was broken into. The walls were smeared with Islamic slogans, doors broken and glass panes destroyed. The officials offered a picture of the devastation, despite the Islamic slogans, the police do not assume a "situation requiring federal intervention."
It was not the only an attack on Christian communities around the turn of the year.
In Austria statues were destroyed in a chapel in Saint Radegund near Graz. The figures were beheaded. Prayer books burned.
In Auerbach in Upper Austria the glass boxes were crushed by two Marian figures and 22 murals were stolen. They were burned in a nearby forest.
Within a short distance, perpetrators broke into a chapel, stole a statue of Christ and decapitated the statue of Saint Barbara. They caused damage in excess of 5000 Euros alone.
It was only in November that Christian figures were repeatedly damaged in public places in the Westphalian town of Dülmen. The noses and fingers had been torn off; in some cases monuments were also beheaded.
In all the cases there are no suspects being apprehended, but a culprit ap motive has been suspected.
OBERLIN. The best-seller author and journalist Udo Ulfkotte is dead. He succumbed to a heart attack on Friday according to information from JUNGE FREIHEIT. Ulfkotte was 56 years old.
Ulfkotte worked for many years as a journalist for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. He then worked as a freelance journalist, including JF.
Ulfkotte wrote numerous bestsellers about news services, Islamization and immigration. Because of death threats by radical [sic] Islamists, Ulfkotte and his wife were temporarily under police protection. Since 2008, his books have been published by Kopp-Verlag. Ulfkotte frequently made the bestseller list on the Spiegel. (Krk)
LEIPZIG. The police in Leipzig on Thursday proceeded with a large operation against the organized crime. More than 500 police officers and revenue officials searched offices and apartments throughout the city. Roads were blocked because of the bust. The mission lasted until the evening.
Because of the measure was a decision of the district court of Leipzig, said Bild citing the State Criminal Office of Saxony representative, Tom Behrend. The proceedings were concerned with the infringement of weapons violations and the suspicion of tax evasion. "United Tribunes" Clubhouse Searched One of the main points of the raid is at Eisenbahnstraße. There, at the noon, the clubhouse of the so-called street gang "United Tribun" was searched. The Leipzig vice-chief of the associated rock group from Baden-Württemberg is an Iranian. [United Tribune is involved in white slavery, and prostitution.] The searches were not related to a shooting in June 2016 on Eisenbahnstraße. At that time, there was one dead and three seriously injured, all four belonged to "United Tribunes". 14 persons, excluding members of Hells Angels, were later arrested for the time being. (Mec) https://jungefreiheit.de/kultur/gesellschaft/2017/grossrazzia-gegen-organisierte-kriminalitaet-in-leipzig/ Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com AMDG
"Long before the civilized countries came to establish international law, long before they formulated the dream of a common force to protect the healthy freedom of man, the independence of peoples, and a peaceful equilibrium in their mutual relations, The Order of St. John had gathered in a religious fraternity with military discipline, men from eight different 'languages' dedicated to the defense of the spiritual values that form the common heritage and prerogative of Christianity: faith, justice, social order and peace ."
These words, which Pius XII. January 8, 1940, the Knights of the Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order taught, summarize the essentials of the oldest order of knights, the only currently existing sovereign state whose flag flew on the field of the Crusades. An order whose charism was always, that which is stated in its motto: Tuitio fidei et Obsequium pauperum (Testimony of Faith and Help the Needy).
Is it possible that a pope wants to destroy this institution, which is the glory of Christianity? Unfortunately, this impression comes from the recent events that affect the Maltese presidency.
On December 27, 2016 a first reconstruction of these events was carried out at this point. Edward Pentin deepened and enriched the scenario in an article in the National Catholic Register on 7 January 2017 with further details. The following is a summary: On the 6th of December, the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Grand Chancellor Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager,resigned in the presence of two witnesses, one of them the Cardinal Patron Raymond Leo Burke, and Fra Matthew Festing. It had come to light that Grand Chancellor Boeselager had abused his power during his term as the Grand Hospitaller of the Order by promoting the distribution of condoms and preventive means, even those with an abortive effect in Third World countries.
In spite of his promise of obedience (promises), which obliged him to the Grand Master, the Grand Chancellor refused to resign. Thereupon, proceedings against him were initiated which suspended him from the exercise of any offices. Boeselager appealed to the Vatican Secretariat for help, who appointed an investigation commission to collect "elements that were capable of informing the Holy See completely and swiftly of the matter which recently concerning the Grand Chancellor of the Order, Mr. Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager," as the Vatican Press Office said on 22 December.
On December 23, the Grand Master of the Order declared the decision of the State Secretariat "unacceptable" and reminded the Vatican that Boeselager's dismissal is an "internal administrative act in the direction of the Sovereign Order of Malta and therefore falls exclusively within its jurisdiction." In a further statement of 10 January, the Grand Master reaffirmed his intention not to cooperate with the Vatican Investigation Commission, "also to protect his own sovereignty against initiatives that occur in a form which is objective (and therefore independent of the intentions, legally irrelevant) aim at challenging or at least restricting this sphere."
The Vatican initiative immediately gave the impression of a sensational gaffe . The legal order of the Order of Malta is defined by the 1997 reformed constitution. Article 3 of the Constitution states in paragraph 1:
"The Order is the subject of international law and exercises the functions connected with the rights of sovereignty."
These functions are: the executive, represented by the Grand Master, assisted by the Sovereign Council; The Legislative, represented by the General Chapter; The judiciary, represented by the magistral tribunals. The Maltese Vicar provides diplomatic passports and has offices in Rome where he officially receives the representatives of more than 100 states with whom he has equal diplomatic relations. The Order enjoys priveleged relations with the Holy See, but in complete independence. The Holy See appoints a Cardinal Patron and an Ambassador to the Order, according to the provisions of international law. As Professor Paolo Gambi noted, the Order, in spite of its religious nature, which is common to ecclesiastical orders, occupies a completely special position, "enjoying an almost unique autonomy in the Church framework and the influence of this state [religious] is limited to members with perpetual vows" (La Soberana Orden de Malta militar en el orden juridico eclesial e internacional , Ius Canonicum , XLIV, no. 87 (2004), pp 197-231).
Article 4, paragraph 6 of the Constitution of the Sovereign of Malta, is clear:
"The religious character of the Order does not preclude the exercise of the rights of sovereignty granted to it, insofar as the Order is the subject of state recognized by international law."
The confirmation of this international law status, even against the Holy See, the Pontifical Yearbook , in which the Order is mentioned only once, not among the religious orders, but among embassies accredited by the Holy See. The 1997 Constitution has eliminated various ecclesiastical interventions that have existed before, including the approval of the Holy See to validate the vows.
Coat of arms of the Order of Malta
The responsibility of the Holy See on the religious life of the knights is limited to the members of the First Estate. These are the judges or professors who solemnly and forever take the three monastic vows. The members of the Second Class, the Knights and Ladies of obedience, take no vows, but are committed by the Promess of obedience and are therefore subject only to their superiors. Ex-Chancellor Albrecht von Boeselager is married and a father of five children, a layman and belongs to the Second Estate. He is not subordinate in any way to the Holy See. Apart from this, the Chevalier de Justice [Knight Judge] who (according to Art. 9, para. 1 of the Constitution) "Religious with all effects of Canon Law", are not obliged to live in community, which is an unicum representing the life of the Church. Fra Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere (1866-1951) was Prince and Grand Master of the Order from 1931-1951. After the death of his wife (1898), he gave solemn vows as a Judge, but still lived in the Palazzo Chigi, which until 1916 belonged to his family (at that time also home to the Austro-Hungarian Embassy and today is the seat of the Italian Prime Minister). There he led a life according to his status and rank.
Of course, the Church has the same right against the Maltese ordinance that it has against any sovereign state when it comes to problems that directly affect faith and morality. The Pope has the right and the duty to intervene in all political and social questions that have to do with the attainment of the highest goal of man, eternal life. When a state legitimates a natural sexual union, the pope has the duty to take a position and to challenge the grave violation of the Divine Law and Natural Law. When the Maltese ordinance promotes contraception and abortion, the Pope has the duty to raise his voice. Today, however, the opposite happens. The Church withdraws from its right of judgments on questions of morality which are of its own area and instead takes a position on political and administrative issues which are not part of its competence.
Christopher Lamb cited the Tablet of 5 January a letter from Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the went to Fra Matthew Festing on 21 December. In this, the Grand Master is informed that Pope Francis desires the rescission Boeselager's deposition.
"As I expressed to you in my previous letter of December 12, 2016, as far as the use and diffusion of methods and means contrary to the moral law, His Holiness has asked for a dialogue on the way in which possible problems are dealt with and can be solved. But he has never spoken of sending someone away!"
Let us summarize: for those who violate the law of God and natural law, there is dialogue and the outstretched hand. For those who, on the other hand, for those who defend the faith and Catholic morality, the truncheon of the political commissioner and the commission of inquiry is ready.
The group of knights around Albrecht von Boeselager is a secularized current in the Order, which would like to convert the Maltese order into a humanitarian NGO. On the other hand, the Order's current leadership is defined by fidelity to the religious roots of the Order. Perhaps that is their greatest sin, to which another is joined. In the course of more than 950 years of history, the Sovereign Order of Malta has never lost its aristocratic, chivalrous and sovereign form. This image represents the exact opposite of miserabilism and egalitarianism, represented by those who govern the Church today. The result is that clericalism is criticized, but in fact is practiced with devastating consequences. The massive interference of the State Secretariat in the name of Pope Francis provokes chaos and division in the interior of the Order.
In its long history, the Sovereign Maltese Knights has survived all vicissitudes. In the 250 years in Palestine, the 210 years on Rhodes, the 270 years on Malta, its mission seemed to have ended many times, and yet it rose again and again, even as the storm of the French Revolution and Napoleon swept across Europe. It is to be hoped that Grandmaster Fra Matthew Festing and the Sovereign Council, who stand by him, will be able to withstand decisively the strong pressure exerted on them in these days. Nobody could ever have doubted the love and affection of Grand-Master Ludovico Chigi Albani for the Pope, who, in his function as Marshal of the Holy Roman Church, took part in the election of three Popes. Nevertheless, he resisted every ecclesiastical attempt to interfere with the life of the Order. The Holy See had to recognize the sovereign nature of the Order of Malta "without interference by a secular or ecclesiastical authority," as Benedict XVI. remembered when he received the knight on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the granting of the privilege Pie postulatio voluntatis on 15 February 1113. With this solemn act, Pope Benedict emphasized, "Paschalis II placed the young Brotherhood of Jerusalem, named after St. John the Baptist, under the protection of the Church and made it sovereign."
* Roberto de Mattei , historian, father of five children, Professor of Modern History and History of Christianity at the European University of Rome, President of Lepanto Foundation, author of numerous books, most recently appeared: Vicario di Cristo. Il primato di Pietro tra normalità ed eccezione (Vicar of Christ. The primacy of Peter between normality and exception), Verona 2013; In English translation last: The Second Vatican Council - a hitherto unwritten story, Ruppichteroth 2011.
Translation: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: orderofmalta.int (Screenshot)
Trans: Tancre vekron99@hotmail.com Link to Katholisches...
AMDG
Edit: remember when Damian wanted to take Rorate to the wood shed when Pope Francis' unsuitability for the papacy was first published, clearly and accurately documented?
[Spectator] On 2 January, the Vatican published a letter from Pope Francis to the world’s bishops in which he reminded them that they must show ‘zero tolerance’ towards child abuse. The next day, the American Week magazine published an article that told the story of ‘Don Mercedes’ — Fr Mauro Inzoli, an Italian priest with a passion for expensive cars and underage boys.
In 2012, Pope Benedict stripped Inzoli of his priestly faculties, effectively defrocking him. In 2014, however, they were restored to him — by Pope Francis, who warned him to stay away from minors.
Then, finally, the Italian civil authorities caught up with this serial groper of teenagers in the confessional. Last summer Inzoli was sentenced to four years and nine months in jail for paedophile offences. The Vatican, under ‘zero-tolerance’ Francis, refused to supply evidence that prosecutors wanted.
[EWTN] It has emerged that during a meeting between Pope Francis and Cardinal Burke in November about the scandal of the Knights of Malta distributing condoms and oral contraceptives in Africa, the Holy Father instructed Cardinal Burke to "clean out" Freemasonry from the order. The Holy Father gave this order to Cardinal Burke in his role as patron of the Knights of Malta by papal appointment.
The Vatican journalist Edward Pentin revealed details of Pope Francis's concerns about the influence of the Freemasons on the Knights of Malta:
Hopes that the contraceptive scandal would be addressed came on Nov. 10, when Cardinal Burke was received in private audience by Pope Francis. During that meeting, the Register has learned, the Pope was “deeply disturbed” by what the cardinal told him about the contraceptive distribution. The Pope also made it clear to Cardinal Burke that he wanted Freemasonry “cleaned out” from the order, and he demanded appropriate action. The concern was followed up by a Dec. 1 letter to Cardinal Burke, in which the Register has learned that the Holy Father underlined the cardinal’s constitutional duty to promote the spiritual interests of the order and remove any affiliation with groups or practices that run contrary to the moral law.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider, a collaborator with Cardinal Burke and an auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, have given a lecture on "Mary, conqueror of all heresies", in which he warned that Freemasonry is an "instrument of Satan". Bishop Schneider made this observation in the context of 2017 being the 300th anniversary of the foundation of Freemasonry with the establishment of the first Grand Lodge in London.
Bishop Schneider described the past 300 years of Freemasonry as turbulent and hidden, in pursuit of a revolutionary and subversive ambition. He described Freemasonry as a "tool of Satan" that has largely shied away from daylight since its foundation.
Bishop Schneider went on to recall St Maximilian Kolbe's recollections of the Freemasons' aggressive celebrations of their 200th anniversary in Rome during 1917, in the middle of the First World War. His Lordship related St Maximilian Kolbe's description of Freemasonry openly declaring war on the Catholic Church. The Freemason littered Rome with posters showing the Archangel Michael defeated on the ground trampled beneath a triumphant Lucifer. In their protests against the Catholic Church, the Freemasons also displayed the black flag of the heretic Giordano Bruno, a Dominican friar who promoted materialistic pantheism, a central belief of Freemasonry. (Bruno also denied fundamental doctrines of the Faith).
Celebration: In the Sistine Chapel, Pope Francis celebrates before the Last Judgement versus Deum. The People's Altar Was Removed by Pope Benedict
(Rome) Pope Francis celebrated also in this year's Feast of the Baptism of the Lord versus Deum.The feast is traditionally celebrated in the Sistine Chapel, where the Pope each year offers the sacrament of baptism to some newborn children.
Pope Benedict XVI removed the mobile "people's altar" and celebrated at the high altar below the representation of the Last Judgment versus Deum. For his first Holy Mass as pope, which Francis celebrated with the Cardinal's collegium on the day after his election in the Sistine Chapel, the plywood altar was again set up, which was feared to be a backward step. However, this remained the only exception.
Since then, Pope Francis has been celebrating this year in the presence of God for the faithful. Thus, the argument, which has been widely held since the first liturgical form of 1965, that the "people's altar" would have to be celebrated toward the people, because it would otherwise be rude to "turn your back to the people". To be precise, the argument was stupid then just as it is now. The change of the direction of celebration away from God to the people was a result of Martin Luther's Reformation-Revolution and was premiered for the first time in 1536 in the recently converted Strasbourg Cathedral.
In 2016 Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Roman Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, called to all priests worldwide to return to actual direction of celebration of the Church ad orientem or versus Deum . He firmly called upon them to make the appeal concrete and to do so from the First Day of Advent.
The Cardinal Prefect was publicly criticized by those circles close to the pope and "corrected" by the Vatican Press Office "no" liturgical changes were provided. Cardinal Sarah, who had been appointed by Pope Francis himself, has since been "left in the cold". He has been strongly isolated in his own Congregation, thus limiting his scope for action.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi Image: Vatican.va (Screenshot)
[Focus] A 28-year-old is in Hamburg-St. George has been injured and robbed by several men. The incident took place on Saturday, there are also indications of a sexual offense.
According to the first findings, the woman had rushed to a park after she had heard of an emergency there. Shortly thereafter, she was attacked by several men who had knocked her unconscious. The men are also alleged to have sexually abused the woman.
Rescuers found the woman already experiencing exposure from the cold.
The 28-year-old victim had called the rescue team. They found the woman in the park. According to the "initial" report, parts of their clothes were torn from the body and her money had been stolen.
The woman described the four men to the police as follows: Male, African appearance, 20-30 years old, about 180 cm tall, darkly dressed.
The woman remembers a fifth man:
Male, African appearance, end 30 / beginning 40, over 180 cm large, bright points on both cheeks, thick figure, green or turquoise garment with several glittering seams, stripes in the chest area, dark jacket. The police are asking witnesses to report at the telephone number 040 / 4286- 56789.
Cp / dpa
(Warsaw) There is "another Europe". The latest figures from Poland make it clear. The number of visitors to Sunday Mass has risen to 40 percent in 2016.
According to the statistical institute of the Catholic Church in Poland, the proportion of visitors in the survey population increased from 39.1 percent in 2015 to 39.8 percent in 2016. The number of Communion recipients rose from 16.3 percent to 17 percent, as Pawel Rytel-Andrianik for Zenit reported.
Poland has one of the densest parish nets in the Catholic world. About seven percent of all parishes are run by religious orders. 92 percent of Poles profess the Catholic faith. The number of priests working in parishes is almost 21,000. More than 7,000 religious are also active in the parishes.
In 2015 369,000 baptisms and 270,000 First Communions were offered and 134,000 marriages were consecrated. The figures point to a healthy, positive demographic development.
In more than 60,000 parishes around 2.5 million believers are active. A further 1.8 million believers are voluntarily active in the social sector, in child care, disability facilities, schools and hospices.
Polish catholicity is characterized by a rich Marian tradition and diverse forms of popular piety. The rosary and liturgical functions, which are based on the Marian works of Fatima, play a particularly strong role.
Edit: anyone with a rudimentary catechism would know Medjugogoo is fake.
[UNAMsanctamcatholicam] We haven't heard much from Medjugorje lately - I was following the Ruini Commission for awhile, which was charged with investigated the alleged apparitions by the Holy Father and was supposed to come up with some sort of definitive judgment. I still haven't heard anything from Cardinal Ruini, but this 2008 interview with Bishop Andrea Gemma, one of the Church's foremost exorcists, has recently come to light in which the bishop soundly condemns Medjugorje as a diabolical phenomenon.
Here's a background item on the Medjugorje case, a May 2008 interview with Bishop Andrea Gemma from Gianluca Barile's website Petrus. It was reported in the press at the time, and some quotations did appear, but I never came across the full text until recently.
Medjugorje: the accusation of the bishop-exorcist Mons. Gemma: "The apparitions of the Madonna? Completely false: the seers lie under the inspiration of Satan to profit economically"
Edit: we're not sure what's going on in a nave where there's a lot of idle chit chat before and after Mass, but it's probabaly not holy. The Sisters of St. Joseph Crandolet, even as they were declining in the seventies used to whack us and give us severe looks for talking before and after Mass. This is probabaly before Father Whackadoodle had instilled a sense of celebration and secular merriment in their minds. This article is long overdue:
[Liturgy Guy] I remember the general quiet and stillness associated with test taking back when I was in school. Everyone understood the necessity of maintaining silence in order to allow for each student to achieve his or her best possible results. Teachers for their part facilitated this by establishing an atmosphere conducive to learning through limiting noise and movement.
Schools of Prayer
What do you experience when you participate in the Holy Mass each Sunday? Do you enter into the sacred, thereby experiencing the same comparable stillness that you would expect to have in a classroom at school? Is noise and motion minimized so that concentration and silence can be maximized? Does your parish allow for the necessary environment that is conducive to deep prayer?
In his 2001 Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Inuente Pope St. John Paul called for our christian communities to become “genuine schools of prayer”. He continued:
Learning this Trinitarian shape of Christian prayer and living it fully, above all in the liturgy, the summit and source of the Church’s life…is the secret of a truly vital Christianity, which has no reason to fear the future, because it returns continually to the sources and finds in them new life. (NMI, 32)
