Saturday, May 13, 2017

Pope Addresses SSPX Question

Edit: here is the pertinent interview point from New Catholic at Rorate:

"I would toss out any form of triumphalism. None. Some days ago, the Feria Quarta of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, their meeting - the call it the Feria Quarta, because it’s the fourth Wednesday - studied a document and the document still hasn’t reached me, the study of the document. This is the first. Secondly, the current relations are fraternal. Last year, I gave a license for confession to all of them, also a form of jurisdiction for marriages, but even before the problems, the cases they had, for example, had to be resolved by the Doctrine of the Faith. The Doctrine of the Faith carries them forward. For example, abuses. The cases of abuse, they brought them to us, also to the Penitentiary. Also the reduction to the lay state of a priest, they bring to us. The relations are fraternal. With Msgr. Fellay I have a good rapport. I’ve spoken many times… I don’t like to hurry things. Walk. Walk. Walk. And then we’ll see. For me, it’s not an issue of winners and losers, it’s an issue of brothers who must walk together, looking for a formula to make steps forward."


http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2017/05/very-important-pope-speaks-on-relations.html?m=1

AMDG

Famous Jesuit Seeks Hungarian Citizenship Because of Orban's Immigration Policy

Ex-Caritas chief for Egypt and former "Caritas Internationalis" Council for North Africa and the Middle East: "The West and the Pope do not know the true nature of Islam"

Budapest-Wien (kath.net/KAP) The well-known Jesuit Henri Boulad has been one of those voices for years, warning against a spreading Islam. A few weeks ago, the long-standing Egyptian Jesuit Provincial and director of the Jesuit Cultural Center in Alexandria has now accepted Hungarian citizenship. In order to support the restrictive migration policy of the Hungarian head of government, Viktor Orban, and to exert a corresponding influence on the European immigration policy. This is what the 85-year-old Jesuit from Alexandria declared in an interview for the Hungarian weekly newspaper "Heti Valasz", the text of which was published by the Austrian magazine "Kirche In" in his current May issue in German. 

During an Egyptian visit to the Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister, Zsolt Semjen, Boulad said that he wanted to be granted citizenship. The request was made by decree. In the middle of March the Jesuit spoke the oath at a ceremony in the Budapest Parliament. With the assumption of Hungarian citizenship, he wanted to "signal that the country led by Viktor Orban has made the right decision on the issue of the migration crisis that threatens the existence of Europe," said Boulad. "I would like to (...) fight for the future and for the Christian values on the side of the Hungarians and Viktor Orbans," explained the Jesuit.

In principle, support for refugees and poor is "right and good," said Boulad, " The Church had adapted itself to the views of the French Islamologist Louis Massignon (1883-1962), for whom mystical Sufism had meant the essence of Islam. Islam, however, historically chose not the "Meccan," but the "Median," path that still determines it: "The surprises of the Koran, which appeal to unbelievers with violence and jihad, are from the Medina period [The prophet Mohammed, note], the tolerant, msystic surprises of the Mecca period."  "Rome," said Boulad, "does not understand this, and the Christians of the East, who know Islam from the inside, are not asked, they are put to the side." According to the Jesuit, the Catholic Church is based on the expertise of "Experts in Paris, Berlin, or America who are regarded as great Islamic scholars, whose views are purely academic," and thus "fell into the trap of the Christian-Islamic dialogue, which in reality resembles a dialogue of pigeons." Boulad sees this dialogue, even after 50 years, "is still at its starting point."  Big announcements about reforms in Islam have hardly any consequences. 

The Jesuit also complained that there is little dialogue with him either, and French and Canadian bishops have banned him from entering in their countries. "Masses of moderate and intelligent Muslims and Muslima think like me. They are trying to destroy Islam to save Muslims and Muslims," Boulad said in the interview. The Liberals of Islam are "faithful to the beauties of their religion. In order to preserve and defend them, they want to free themselves from the imposed dictatorship." 

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

6,000 Police and Sharpshooters Protect the Pope

(Lisbon) The Portuguese government is taking security precautions for the Pope's visit to Fatima seriously. The Catholic Church head is  in Fatima. There, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin, Francis will celebrate a Pontifical Mass, and sanctify the two seer children, Francisco and Jacinta Marto.


Portugal has not only concentrated strong police units in Fatima and secured the access to roads to the pilgrimage site with large concrete blocks. On the roofs around the sanctuary, snipers are posted. "The great square in front of the pilgrimage churches, with all the restraint of the security forces, looks to the attentive observer, like the forecourt of the Western Wall, which is constantly being watched by Israeli snipers. Each sniper position consists of three men. Two observers with binoculars and a shooter," said a Fatima pilgrim.

The concrete blocks were already set up at the beginning of the year to prevent an assassin commandeering a truck  and driving it into the crowd, as most recently followers of the jihad militia Islamic State (IS) did on the Breitscheidplatz in Berlin and before in Nice.

A total of 6,000 policemen are deployed in Fatima to guarantee the safety of the Pope and the many pilgrims who have come to the Shrine to mark the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions and canonizations. Helena Fazenda, secretary general of the Interior Ministry has said that there were "no elements" that are expected to lead a possible terrorist attack.

Text: Andreas Becker

Image: Secretum meum mihi (Screenshot)

Trans: Tancred vekrob99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Our Lady of Fatima Please Protect Our Pope, Francis

Guest commentator, Dr. Markus Büning, would like to make a personal, conciliatory statement to the Pope's visit to Fatima, on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the first publication of the Virgin Mary in Cova da Iria. We do not want to miss his request for publication.


Guest comment by Markus Büning *

After many controversies about this pontificate, it is my time to stop. Why? Tomorrow the Catholic world looks to Fatima. For me, Fatima is, in essence, the repetition of the Lord's Word: "Repent and believe in the Gospel!" (Mk 1:15). And, here are also those who demanded a great deal of criticism, certainly justified, in this pontiff, including me. From my point of view, I have said everything about Amoris Laetitia that is to be said. Sure, many a point was very urgent. I also have my limits and it is possible that I have not understood a lot. On the other hand, there are good arguments to ask critical questions.

One thing I must leave to this pope. He has great courage! Yes, I mean this quite sincerely. In the past few days, in a sermon, he has correctly referred to the processability of our values. Here is a quote from it.

"Think of slavery. When we went to school, they told us what they did with the slaves. How they caught them, they were sold, even in Latin America. This is a mortal sin - today we say that. At the time they saw that differently. At that time, some said: This is allowed because these people have no soul at all. One had to go on to understand the faith and morality better. - Oh, Padre, well, there are no slaves today! - Yes, there are, even more than before! But at least we know today that this is a mortal sin. We have advanced. The same applies to the death penalty, which was once normal. And today we say that it is not permissible! "

And now the improper critique is going again: the pope contradicts the Catechism. But, even in the Catechism, there can be things which are simply false, and maybe even when they do not directly concern dogma. There was, of course, a lot of things constrained by time, which we can not say now. He is right when he asks the protection of life also for the people who have fallen into grave sin, even for those who have murdered. Everyone has the right to repentance and every human being is an image of the Creator. And therefore it is imperative: Do not kill! Thank you Pope Francis for this clear impulse.

The Pope is looking forward to Fatima: On Wednesday evening he sent a video message to Portugal. Here he has said a sentence that deeply moves me. The pope utters a deeply Catholic phrase:

"As a shepherd of the world Church, I come to the Virgin Mary to offer her the most beautiful flowers that Jesus entrusted to my care - the brothers and sisters from all over the world, whom He has, without exception, redeemed by His blood. I need you all by my side, I ask for your (physical or spiritual) presence so I can entrust you all to the Virgin. "

Here I feel a profound spiritual vision which he has of his office. Yes, here I can see how much he needs to know the burden of this office. It is great that he takes us all to Fatima. And these words are also directed at we critics: I need you all! Yes, here I would like to answer the Holy Father: We also need you! We need the Pope, who guides the Church and with us the path of pilgrimage as a representative of the good shepherd. I would like to express this longing on the eve of the centennial of Fatima. May Fatima re-awaken us to all of that, in spite of all the differences of opinion, we are together and really need each other. I am very grateful to this pope's conciliatory impulse today, especially the reference to the redeeming power of the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Here the Pope is at the very center of our faith!

* Markus Büning, born 1966 in Ahaus (Westphalia), studied Catholic theology and philosophy in Münster in Westphalia and Munich as well as jurisprudence at the universities of Constance and Münster; In 2001, he received his doctorate in law, first assistant at the Universities of Konstanz and Münster, then as a lawyer in the administrative service. The proven church lawyer published numerous publications on church and theological topics and about saints. Dr. Markus Büning is married and father of two children.


Image: MiL

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Friday, May 12, 2017

SSPX Relieves Superiors Who Signed Seditious Letter

Edit: could this be the beginning of the SSPI?

On March 27, 2017, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and President of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, signed on behalf of Pope Francis a Letter addressed to the bishops throughout the world “concerning faculties for the celebration of marriages of faithful who follow the pastoral activity of the Society” of Saint Pius X.
On April 4, 2017, the General House published a press release to express “its deep gratitude to the Holy Father for his pastoral solicitude, as expressed in the letter from the Ecclesia Dei Commission, for the purpose of alleviating ‘any uncertainty regarding the validity of the sacrament of marriage.'” This communiqué recalled the Society’s intention to continue in the same spirit what it has always done, namely “to prepare future spouses for marriage according to the unchangeable doctrine of Christ about the unity and indissolubility of this union (cf. Mt 19:6), before receiving the parties’ consent in the traditional rite of Holy Church.”
In an “authorized commentary”, the official website of the Society of Saint Pius X (fsspx.news) clearly recalled the Society’s positions concerning marriages, particularly their validity, even without official delegation: “However, just as the sacrament of penance was not invalidly conferred by the priests of the Society of St. Pius X before 2015, neither were the marriages celebrated without the official delegation of the local bishop or parish pastor.” This commentary was based on what Canon Law provides in such cases.
The District Superior, Father Christian Bouchacourt, has relieved these signatories from their function as deans. He condemns this subversive act, prepared in secret, aimed to destabilize superiors and taking the faithful hostage.


http://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/concerning-letter-some-priests-faithful-french-district-29713
AMDG

Nightly Mural in Rome: Pope Francis and Trump Embrace

(Rome) A mural painted on a wall near the Vatican, shows a kiss between Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump. Francis is portrayed with halo, Trump with devil horns.


The exact meaning of the wall painting remains vague. The author (s) have not yet confessed to their nocturnal act. Upon the pope's white cassock was written, "The good forgives the devil."  The Mural is signed with "TVBoy". Some guessed behind this an Italian street artist.

US President Trump will visit the Vatican on the 24th of May and receive him in audience with Pope Francis. It is the first meeting of the two heads of state, who had a verbal duel at a distance during the US presidential election campaign.

Trump is participating in Sicily at the G7 summit in Taormina. He will also travel to Saudi Arabia, Israel and Belgium.

In contrast to the precise pasquinata at the beginning of the year, which criticized the administration of Pope Francis, the authors of the nightly Mural are not presumed to be traditional or conservative Catholics.

Photo: Atena 3

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

http://www.katholisches.info/2017/05/naechtlicher-mural-in-rom-kuss-zwischen-papst-franziskus-und-us-praesident-trump/

AMDG


Assasination Attempt on John Paul II at Fatima in 1982

On May 12, 1982, Father Juan María Fernández y Krohn, a priest of the Society of St. Pius X, attacked Pope John Paul II with a bayonet during the pope’s visit to Fatima.  

There is an interesting post by Father Cekada who knew the assassin and even belonged to the same clique of "hard-liners" in the Society.  Father Krohn was wound up pretty tight, like a lot of Sedevecantists, but anyhow.

Krohn accused Archbishop Lefebvre of being too soft during the trial.

The question now is, with Pope Francis in Portugal, does Krohn still harbour these intense ideas about religion, and if so, will he be in Portugal this weekend to see Francis? Krohn was banned from Portugal after serving three years of a six year sentence and moved to Belgium where he practices law.

SSPX Spokesman Confirms: "No Date for Reconciliation"

(Paris) Father Alain Lorans, spokesman for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X. in France, according to AFP press agency, said: "Dialogue continues without timetable." There is no specific date.  The FSSPX spokesman thus confirms what Guido Pozzo, the secretary of the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei, and the Vatican representativr for talks with the Society, said yesterday in an interview with Rome Reports.

Both sides thus indirectly denied speculation that the erection of the Society as a personal prelature could be announced by Pope Francis tomorrow, May 13, the 100th anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima.

Archbishop Pozzo said yesterday that Monsignor Fellay would first have to sign the doctrinal preamble before the canonical recognition could be passed as a personal prelature.

In the end, seven of the Society's French district and three heads of aligned religious communities had very clearly spoken out against an agreement with Rome at the present time. AFP therefore headlined yesterday: "The Lefebvrian integralists between the road to Rome and an internal crisis."

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: AFP (screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Guido Pozzo: "Lefebvrians" Have to Sign Doctrinal Declaration

(Rome) In an interview with Rome Reports, Archbishop Guido Pozzo, the Secretary of the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei, spoke of the canonical recognition of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X. There is "no date for reconciliation with the Lefebvrians", but the spirit is "constructive," according to Rome reports, referring to the Archbishop.

Monsignor Pozzo said:

"The reconciliation will occur when Monsignor Fellay formally adheres to the doctrinal declaration that the Holy See presented to him. This is also the necessary condition to then proceed to the institutional regularization with the creation of a personal prelature. I have noticed that there is not a controversial spirit but constructive. The different points of view or opinions we have on some issues do not necessarily need to lead to division, but to a mutual enrichment. I have realized that it is a priority for them to overcome this fracture with the Holy See. For them, it's a priority over other concerns."

Prior to the establishment of the new Personal Prelature, the Vatican would consult the bishops' conferences of the countries in which the Society currently operates. Archbishop Pozzo stated that the "key to reconciliation" was a better understanding of the Second Vatican Council. The misinterpretations that some theologians, intellectuals, and media have promoted would have led to breaches like with the Lefebvrians.

The Archbishop also recalled the criticism of Pope Benedict XVI. at a "hermeneutics of rupture". It was a false interpretation to see the Council as symbolic of a break with the doctrine of the Church which preceded it. This misinterpretation produces a "climate of conflict, confusion and uncertainty" about the interpretation of the Council, which is also the "root of the criticism and difficulties raised by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X," said Pozzo.

AMDG

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

SSPX -- A Question of Papal Heresy



[SSPX USA] This final section of Part 6 of Fr. Gleize’s precise study of whether or not a heretical pope loses his investiture must be read in the light of the previous sections.
The author of this series, Fr. Jean-Michel Gleize, has been a professor in the SSPX's Seminary of St. Pius X in Econe, Switzerland for 20 years, where he is currently teaching ecclesiology. He is the author of numerous articles in Courrier de Rome and is a consultant to the SSPX commission responsible for doctrinal discussions with the Holy See.

Editor’s Note
 

This final section of Part 6 of Fr. Gleize’s precise study of whether or not a heretical pope loses his investiture must be read in the light of the previous sections. This section closes out Fr. Gleize’s critical analysis of the various speculative approaches to the issue of the papacy and heresy.

Part 6c – Does a pope who falls into heresy lose his investiture in the Primacy?

Comments on Using St. Clement as an Authority


The new explanation of Fr. Devillers presented earlier is untenable. First of all because the argument from authority that it invokes is nonexistent. In the passage quoted from the Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Clement does not maintain any of the assertions that are attributed to him by Fr. Devillers (see Part 6a).
http://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/question-papal-heresy-conclusion-6c
AMDG

Monday, May 8, 2017

Venezuelans Protest Pope's Support for Socialist Venezuelan Regime


(Caracas) In the late afternoon of May 7, the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference published a letter from Pope Francis about the situation in Venezuela. The letter is addressed to the bishops. The letter, dated 5 May, expresses the papal "concern for the difficult situation" in which the Venezuelan people live.
On the Saint Peter's Square yesterday, Venezuelan Faithful  with black crosses drew attention to the oppression in Venezuela at the Regina Coeli. The names of the dead were written with white  on the black crosses, who have been shot or killed in the latest protests against the socialist regime of Nicolas Maduro.

The dead of Venezuela as a reminder to Pope Francis
The silent protest should not only draw the attention of the world to the situation in the Latin country, which has been under the "Bolivarian Revolution" for 19 years. The protest with the black crosses was also an answer to Pope Francis'  letter to the bishops. It was an invitation to join the Venezuelan people and give up his support for the PSUV regime.
To this end, the Pope was not ready in his letter to the bishops. In this he repeated his call to seek "dialogue" with the regime and to come to "agreements" with it.
The Venezuelan prime minister, Cardinal Jorge Urosa, and the faithful protested against the oppression of the Socialist regime on Sunday in Rome with the cross in their hands. The Pope simply ignores the fact that the regime, which calls itself "revolutionary," uses "dialogue" to "suppress the people" and gain time to introduce even harsher oppressive measures to maintain power." This criticism also touches Pope Francis, who is accused of supporting the regime and of wanting to split the opposition.
Don José Palmara, one of the most famous priests of Venezuela, accused the Pope of "the complete ignorance of the situation in Venezuela".
Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Image: SMM (Screenshot)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Canon Lawyer Advises Acceptance of Adulterous & Sacrilegious Communions

 A canon lawyer, employed by a U.S. diocese, taught her audience including priests, that because no directives from the bishop have been issued about Amoris Laetitia,  the priests should follow Buenos Aires and Malta.  In those territories, priests are free to give permission to adulterous partners to receive Holy Communion, even though the couple continues to have sex, and one (or both) of the parties is already married to someone else.  This permission occurs after accompaniment and discernment by the priest.

Mary’s Advocates is sharing the audio recording, though the person that made the recording said the diocese must be kept anonymous. All identifying information has been removed from the recording publicized here, though the full recording has been shared with personnel in the diocese for whom the canonists works.
The mission of Mary’s Advocates is to reduce unilateral no-fault divorce and support those who are unjustly abandoned. The silence from the Catholic diocese tribunals about the injustice of no-fault divorce gives scandal. Granting so many annulments, with no involvement at the time of separation, has made matters worse.

Read further:

http://marysadvocates.org/us-canon-lawyer-tells-diocese-to-follow-malta-buenos-aires/

AMDG

Bishop of Frejus-Toulon Opens Churches to SSPX

(Paris) The bishop of Frejus-Toulon, Mgsr. Dominique Rey, issued a decree on May 4, 2017, which allows priests of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X to hold funerals in all churches and chapels of the diocese.

The French bishop, who is known as a friend of the tradition, cited the letter of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei on the occasion for his decree. The Commission had announced last March 27 that Pope Francis officially acknowledged the blessings made by priests of the Society in addition to the Sacrament of Penance.

"Each priest who is a member of the FSSPX, has, from the date of the signing of this decree in the territory of our Diocese of Frejus-Toulon, the necessary authority to accept the marriage promise between the bride and groom who turn to a FSSPX priest for their marriage."

The canonical validity and recognition is valid when the marriage takes place in a church or chapel of the Society before a priest, and the episcopal office is informed in advance. A separate form for these notifications has been attached to the decree. The vows are recorded in the marriage register of the Society, the copy of which is sent annually to the diocese's office.

According to the decree, the funeral ceremony can be celebrated by a priest of the Society in every church or chapel of the diocese. The priest of the FSSPX has to arrange the day and time with the local pastor and inform the Chancellery. In this case, the marriage will be entered in the parish register of the parish in which it was witnessed.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Diocese of Frejus-Toulon (screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Fatima Canonization With 80 Cardinals and Bishops Coming Up

Vatican announces details of the Pope's program in Fatima.

Vatican City (kath.net/ KAP)  Around 80 cardinals and bishops are expected for the canonization of the shepherd children of Fatima on 13 May by Pope Francis. This was announced by a spokeswoman for the Portuguese Shrine on Friday in the Vatican. Two thousand priests will attend the Mass with Francis. More than 40,000 people also wish to join the event as pilgrims, according to spokeswoman Carmo Rodeia.

Francis travels to Portugal on 12 and 13 May to sanctify Francisco (1908-1919) and Jacinta Marto (1910-1920). The 13th of May is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Marian Apparitions, which lasted from May to October 1917. With millions of pilgrims, Fatima is now the second largest place of pilgrimage in Europe. 

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke announced that before the canonization, Francis would meet the oldest priest of Portugal, a 104-year-old. Prior to this, a brief meeting is planned between the head of the Church with Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

The Pope will be welcomed by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on 12 May at the Air Force Base in Monte Real. After an interview and a visit to the chapel of the airfield, Francis goes by helicopter to Fatima, 40 kilometers away.

There he will first pray privately in the Chapel of the Apparition before he sends a greeting to the faithful in the evening and prays the Rosary with them. Subsequently, Cardinal Secretary Pietro Parolin, with thousands, will celebrate a Vigil Mass on the square of the Shrine.

With the Sacred Ceremony on the 13th of May, the pope brings the seer children, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, into the list of the deceased who are allowed to be venerated in all Catholic churches worldwide. For the third seer, Lucia dos Santos (1907-2005), the beatification process is still ongoing. There were speculations that on the same day, she could also be blessed or sanctified. However, such a step would be unusual.

According to Rodeia, 350 clinically ill people are expected to attend the Mass of Saints; an encounter of the pope with them is expressly provided for. Francis then wants to have lunch with the bishops of the country. In the afternoon he leaves Monte Real for Rome.

AMDG

Saint Joan of Arc Takes Orléans

On this day in 1429 Saint Joan of Arc ended the Siege of Orléans. She had been pierced with an arrow and pulled it from her shoulder and returned to the fight to lead the final charge. 

Marquette Warrior Defeated in Court

Edit: we've been following the travails of the most Catholic man on the Marquette University faculty, who isn't even Catholic, but he has our sympathy.  And given this kind of Stalinist treatment, who could blame him for refusing to convert? Notice, with all the navel gazing going on in supposedly Catholic Traditionalist circles for a while, there are no articles complaining about the Marxist and uncharitable tone among Catholic insititutions or among "mainstream" Catholics and their Gathering Spaces being rigid, pathologically mean and generally indifferent as well as spineless in their magazines and well-endowed periodicals.

Here's the link to the judgement.

AMDG

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Bishop Huonder's Retirement Postponed -- "It's a Complete Surprise"

Bishop Huonder
(Chur) "The surprise is complete," the reaction of a Swiss priest friend last night when he communicated the news. Bishop Vitus Huonder of Chur has had his retirement put off for another two years by Pope Francis. Hardly anyone reckoned with this confirmation, even those closest to the bishop.
Msgr. Huonder has been bishop of the oldest Swiss diocese since 2007. On the 21st of April, he completed his 75th year and submitted his resignation on the same day. "That's it," was what the same priest said ten days ago.
Yesterday, Bishop Huonder wrote a letter to "all priests, deacons and pastoral staff in the Diocese of Chur".
"On April 21, 2017, I offered Pope Francis my resignation as a diocesan bishop. In the meantime Pope Francis, after weighing all the circumstances, has already decided and told me that my resolution, now pro-doc, has now been accepted. 'Tunc', so 'then', will be Easter 2019. I will be able to work as a diocesan bishop for two more years."
The Bishop recalls that the Holy See also left his predecessor in the office, Monsignor Amédée Grab, who remained until the age of 77, and till an Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese was appointed until the election of a successor.
Since this was the course under Pope Benedict XVI., however, nobody had expected the usual procedure under Pope Francis. Last autumn, a campaign had been launched against Bishop Huonder, who was already seeking his successor. It was requested that no bishop at all be appointed.
The surprise is also "complete," since Bishop Huonder, with has opposed Amoris Laetitia with the "excellent" Pastoral letter "The Holiness of the Marriage", against the Kasperians and the ambivalent attitude of Pope Francis, who refuses to make a clarification. This faithful confession of the traditional faith and morality has met with little satisfaction in the past few months at the papal court.
Bishop Huonder wrote in his letter:
"The sign of confidence on the part of the Pope, which is connected with his decision, has stirred great gratitude within me. I will continue to use all my powers to continue pastoral service, together with our Auxiliary Bishop Marian, with all priests, deacons and pastoral staff, for the salvation of the souls and the well-being of the Church of Chur."
"I am grateful to Pope Francis for his decision favoring continuity for our diocese.  And I thank him for giving me the opportunity to continue and accompany non-completed work within the diocese as well as at other levels."
Bishop Huonder is the first diocesan bishop of the German-speaking world and beyond, who has appointed his own diocesan vicar to the faithful attending the Immemorial Roman Rite in his diocese. Since diocesan vicars are appointed by the incumbent bishop, the extension also applies to Father Martin Ramm of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.
"The surprise is complete," as the Swiss friends repeated.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Bishopric of Chur (screenshots)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Protestant Theologian: Conservative Party Has Capitulated to the Zeitgeist on Abortion

Rector of the Freie Theologische Hochschule Gießen: "It is not conceivable that the CDU has nothing to say" - although abortion is punishable, the actual handling of the population leads to the impression that abortion is legal

Cologne (kath.net) In the topic of abortion, Stephan Holthaus has charged politicians and especially the CDU of a "capitulation before the Zeitgeist". Holthaus is a rector of the Freie Theologische Hochschule in Giessen and a professor of Christian ethics and apologetics. He spoke at a discussion in an Lutheran Freikirche in Cologne, which was also attended by deputy CDU chairman Armin Laschet. The Protestant "pro media magazine" reported on this. "100,000 abortions a year are an ethical catastrophe. I can expect that a political system that inscribes a Christian human image on the flag will protect life. "For him," it is not conceivable that the CDU has nothing to say." Although abortion is a punishable offense, the actual impression among the citizenry is that abortion is legal.

Holthaus demanded that politicians should speak more clearly about the fact that only a small percentage of abortions would be carried out because of problematic pregnancies. In addition, said Holthaus, according to the "pro media magazine", they should support the policy initiatives that accompany women in conflicts during pregnancy. Laschet replied that his state did exactly that, he then criticized the fact that the Lutheran Church did not have a clear position here.

Laschet had previously appealed to the participants to participate politically: "There are too few Christians in politics. It is good for the entire political spectrum that Christians engage. "It is conceivable to actively participate or at least choose to go."


Trans: vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Monday, May 1, 2017

Oh Dear, Those N-n-nasty Trads Are at it Again


Edit: every few months a post appears in some of the more well travelled fora, like the leftist Patheos, for example, where a Catholic commentator takes aim at the "legitimate aspirations" of the shellshocked survivors and refugees of the liturgical revolutions and almost universal heresy with the accompanying social decay and disappearance of what were once vibrant Catholic communities. The author of the blog  expects, we suppose, that certain parties among the clergy who try to implement Summorum Pontificum, are beyond reproach and that when they fall short, as they sometimes do, they do so in good will, or at least deserve the benefit of the doubt.  Understandably, lacking concrete examples, we don't necessarily have a lot to go on concerning the legitimacy of these complains, but we can point an accusing finger of blame at who are supposed to be the usual suspects. Who should bear the blame if the faithful Catholic layman seems threatening, unpleasant and ungrateful?
Let's assume that faithful Catholics are as uniformly as described. So what? If they don't participate in parish life, is it entirely their fault? Is it perhaps possible that the NO laity themselves resent the large families of faithful Catholics and their "strange" and somber attire, suits, mantillas, and their silent, prayerful, modest demeanor at Mass, while the NO poppinjay himself,  noisily and thoughtlessly promenades through the church on his way to some event or other, from which they, with an equal amount of carelessness and indifference, tacitly exclude faithful Catholics? We understand that priests of a certain mindset might take issue with the lack of actuosa participatio, but did they really understand what motivates the faithful Catholic in the first place?  It's amazing how much fellowship once upon a time developed in the muddy ground outside our country church where local farmers would stand and chat cheerfully for hours in the mud and drizzle after Sunday Mass, but we digress.
If the long-suffering Catholic laity don't like particular things about a the Liturgy celebrated by "enthusiastic" clergy, is it necessarily the case that a faithful Catholic who is concerned about a doctrinal or liturgical misstep, lacks a legitimate point? How about some charity? Why does the writer presume that the faithful laity are always in the wrong while the "enthusiastic" clergy always right? It's a twisted kind of clericalism, which in reality justifies the worst kind laicism.
Yes, Catholics who are allowed to have "legitimate aspirations" are sometimes strident, perhaps they are unreasonable, but even when they are unreasonable, does that vitiate those aspirations, and perhaps require an earnest reassessment as to whether those aspirations should be allowed in the first place? This is right around the corner, believe us. They will now say, we've tried, but it didn't work and those people were so mean, hypocritical and pharasaical, truly embarrassing if you ask us. Why couldn't they be more like our communicating adulterers and protestantized, religiously indifferent sheep....
Frankly, the kinds of things that Boniface complains about in his blog below are pretty mild. Is it really so bad if the clergy hears a needed or a thoughtless and strident correction? At least they're paying attention. We regularly get annoying emails, and occasional death threats at this blog and field annoying comments that don't seem well-intended by an ungrateful public. So what, it goes with the territory. By the way! Some of you really are annoying!
In any case, if one is so frightened,  put out and annoyed by the faithful laity airing its views, especially when they generally make more sacrifices to attend a Holy Mass on Sunday than the more cheery and fun-loving parishioners, perhaps one is unsuited to his vocation?  Rather than whine about the laity complaining when one falls short in one's duties, why not look within and ask, "where have I gone wrong?" Why not rather look at the senior clergy who frequently wipe their lips and say they have done nothing wrong?
Since we're not naming names, perhaps a belligerent laity is a just reward and a symptom which addresses what we've been noticing  over the years, the indifference if not indifferentism of the Roman clergy in the Western world.
"Sobering" comments by priests that just confirm the kinds of confabulation Boniface has always had, that trads just aren't the right sort of people. I can just hear him now, "the Latin Mass, in fact, the Catholic Church would be jolly good if it weren't for the laity."
[Unam Sanctam] I had a chance some time ago to speak to two different priests on the question of Summorum Pontificum and the traditional Latin Mass as it is celebrated by diocesan priests and regular parish churches. Both had eagerly embraced Summorum Pontificum upon its issue in 2007. Both were eager for the traditional liturgy and Catholic tradition. I wanted to know how things had gone for them over the past ten years. The discouraging nature of their answers was sobering.  
The first priest was a seminarian when Summorum Pontificum was promulgated. He always had a deep respect for Catholic tradition and the traditional liturgy. Like many other traditional-minded seminarians, he had to kind of keep his head down throughout seminary. He maintained a respectful silence in the face of progressive indoctrination, did his required reading by day but studied Aquinas and the Fathers by night, and practiced penance privately while his fellow seminarians were spending their free time watching movies. He is a good and gentle soul. When Benedict XVI issued the motu proprio, he was excited to make himself available to the faithful to celebrate the traditional Mass. 
After ordination and his first parish assignment, this priest was generous in promoting the traditional Latin Mass and offered it to a "stable group" on a semi-regular basis. 


 http://unamsanctamcatholicam.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/priests-sober-reflections-on.html?m=1


Photo credit: http://www.traditioninaction.org/RevolutionPhotos/A230rcNiederauerHomo.htm


AMDG

Saturday, April 29, 2017

UPDATE: Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto Elected as New Lieutenant of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta



(Rome) The 56 electors of the Grand Council of State have elected the new Grand Duke of Rome, Fra Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, as the new prince and grand master of the Sovereign Order of Malta. The election took place in the Villa Magistrale in Rome, an extraterritorial area under the Sovereignty of the Order.

The 80th Grand Master in the almost thousand-year-old history of the Order will be sworn in on the Aventine on Sunday. This will not take place before the Cardinal Patron of the Order, Cardinal Raymond Burke, but the Apostolic Special Envoy, the Apostolic Special Envoy, the Archbishop of Cordoba, Angelo Becciu, appointed by Pope Francis on February 4, Substitute of the Vatican Secretariat of State.

The new statthalter of the mayor

The new Order Head of the Order until the election of the 80th Grand Master
Giacomo Count Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto was born in 1944 in Rome. He comes from the ancient Catholic nobility from the area of ​​Treviso. He studied at the University of La Sapienza in Rome, specializing in the field of Christian Archeology. At the Pontifical University of Urbaniana , he was a professor for ancient Greek and chief librarians and archives of important collections of the university. In his writings, he appeared mainly with essays on the art history of the Middle Ages.
In 1985, he became a member of the Maltese Vicar, and in 1993 he took the solemn vows. He became a member of the First Order of the Order, for which he has since exercised numerous leading functions. From 1994-1999 he was Grand Priest of Lombardy and Venice, from 1999-2004 member of the Sovereign Council, from 2004-2008 Grand Commander of the Order. As such he directed the order after the death of the 78th Grand Master, Fra Andrew Bertie, already as a statthalter until the election of the 79th Grand Master. Since then he has been the Grand Prince of Rome.

The Dalla Torre del Tempio, Count of Sanguinetto

The Counts di Sanguinetto are closely connected with the papal court. The grandfather of the present head, Giuseppe Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto (1885-1967), was the City Councilor of Padua for the Catholic Union and in 1915 he became president of the Catholic Action of Italy. As such he supported the peace course of Pope Benedict XV. against Italian participation in the First World War. In 1918, the Pope appointed him President of the board of the Osservatore Romano, and in 1920 he became chief editor. It's an office he held until 1960. Before and during the Second World War, he turned against the neo-Nazi (ideals) and atheist (Communism) ideologies and their despotic racial and class antagonisms. In constant friction with the fascist regime, he and his family lived in the Vatican for security reasons. The election of John XXIII. and the appointment of Cardinal Secretary Domenico Tardini led to his resignation.
The father, Paolo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto (1910-1993), was a renowned art historian who also dealt with the Church history of the modern age. Since 1938 he worked for museums of the Vatican. From 1961-1975 he was Director-General of the Vatican Museums . As City Councilor of Rome for the Democrazia Cristiana (DC), he also held political positions after the Second World War.
Giuseppe Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, the President of the Vatican, and the General Council of the Knights of the Tomb (Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem). After teaching at various universities, he was a rector of the Catholic, Roman private university LUMSA, President of the Association of Italian Catholic Lawyers, adviser to Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti (2011-2013) and member of the National Bioethics Council of Italy.

Priority constitutional reform

In a declaration by the Maltese Order about the Lieutenant of the Grand Master,
"One of the most important tasks" of Fra Dalla Torre as a Lieutenant of the Grand Master "will be to work on the reform of the Constitution and the Codex of the Order."
The current Constitution entered into force in 1961 and was last reformed in 1997.
"The proposed constitutional reform aims to remedy potential institutional weaknesses. The recent crisis has revealed some weaknesses in the control mechanisms of leadership. These will be taken into account in the reform. In the foreground, the reform will need to strengthen the spiritual life of the Order and gain more professed members. In addition, more appointments are to be admitted to the first class. The talks have already been started, and all members of the Order are invited to make proposals."
On the powers of the Lieutenant of the Grand Master, the press release states:
"According to the constitution of the Order, the Lieutenant of the Grand Master remains in office for one year, and during this time he is endowed with the same authority as a Grand Master. Before the end of his mandate, the Lieutenant of the Grand Master must convoke the Grand Council of State.

The Lieutenant of the Grand Master who is sovereign and religious head of the Order, has to devote himself entirely to the prosperity of the Order and must be a model for all members with a life according to Christian values. He exerts the highest authority. Together with the Sovereign Council, he enacts statutory provisions that are not contained in the Constitution, announces government acts and ratifies international agreements. The magisterium of the Grand Master resides at the Magistrate's palace in Rome. "
[Update] A short version, which was first published in error, is to be regarded as irrelevant.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: MiL
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Austrian Community Rejects Orthodox Monastery

Prerequisites for the meaning and goals of a monastery in the place no longer given - Eisenstadt Bishop Zsifkovics: "I am very sorry and I am ashamed that in the Burgenland such a thing is possible"


Vienna-Eisenstadt (kath.net/KAP) The Orthodox Church has stopped the monastery project in St. Andrä / Zicksee. As Metropolitan Arsenios (Kardamakis) wrote to the St. Andrä's Mayor  Erich Goldenitsch and the municipal council in a letter, he withdrew the application for re-assignment of the property concerned. Thus, the monastery is definitely not to be built in St. Andrä and also the June planned popular vote is invalidated. The Orthodox Church will now examine all alternatives, according to the Metropolitan, "in all inner freedom" and "the decision is being made without a new location." He was "sad but convinced of the moral correctness of this decision," said Karadamakis.

"Emotions and anxiety were fueled, rumors were scattered, many of them injurious to the Orthodox and the Catholic Church," the letter said. Nevertheless, all were confident that a "Christian monastery would ultimately speak for itself."

The monastery should be a symbol of peace, reconciliation and ecumenism, emphasizes the Metropolitan in his letter. After all, it was a question of providing a "spiritual center", "a Christian place of pilgrimage", to the "orthodox Christians" and to all people of good will in the Pannonian region, which was "a strong symbol for a quarter of a century after the fall of the Iron Curtain of spirit of peace and reconciliation in Europe." Such a monastery is a "sign in the world," a "reminder of the possibility for every person to turn back and return to God." It is also a "continuation of the rich history of the Greeks in Austria," which goes back to the time of the Babenbergs, and even into the Roman era," as Metropolis Arsenios states in the letter.

An Orthodox monastery is a place of communion that tries to live the fundamental message of Christianity "live existentially" - in prayer and meditation, in celebrating the Divine Liturgy, through works of mercy and hospitality, as well as through a simple and respectful lifestyle, which is in harmony with God's creation."

After two and a half years of patient waiting and hope, valuable encounters, and conscientious reconnaissance, one must now realize that this message was not accepted by all inhabitants of Zicksee. "Respect for the other must be observed and allowed for, even if one had hoped for something else."

At the same time, the Metropolitan emphasizes that in St. Andrä over the past two and a half years, in spite of all the irritations, a lot of goodness has emerged that will continue to bring rich fruit in the future. Kardamkis pointed out the many supporters and friends of the monastery project. Together with Bishop Aegidius Zsifkovics, he will now work out ways to make the blessing and the ecumenical message of Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew perceptible and effective for the people connected with the monastic project and the concrete church establishment.

The Metropolitan also reminds us that Pope Francis thanked the people of St. Andrä in a letter addressed personally to them "for their openness and blessed the monastery project." Patriarch Bartholomew had also visited St. Andrä and blessed the grounds of the diocese of Eisenstadt "and celebrated a moving feast for the meeting with the people of St. Andrä".

Zsifkovics: "decision absolutely understandable"

In a first statement, Eisenstadt diocesan Bishop  Aegidius Zsifkovics expressed his deep regret for the "chance of a century" passed by the municipality of St. Andrä: "I regret this and am ashamed that Burgenland can do such a thing. The Metropolitan's decision, as he himself writes, after the patient waiting, hope and initiative is absolutely understandable.Metropolitan Arsenios has informed me of the decision to revamp the location question in a personal, and always friendly, conversation."

At the same time, Zsifkovics assured himself that he was still standing by the side of the metropolitan: "It is great to see with what noblesse and truly Christian attitude metropolitan Arsenios has shown in the face of shameful actions at the community level."


http://kath.net/news/59367

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Russia is Becoming Orthodox State?

The head of the Russian partner organization "Light in the East" laments the anti-religious policy in Russia.


Korntal (kath.net) Evangelical Christians in Russia are complaining that their government is increasingly pursuing an anti-religious policy, as they were used to from the former Communist rulers. The church representative reported on the anniversary of the missionary "Light in the East" for idea. At the conference, the head of the Russian partner organization "Light in the East", Pyotr Lunitschkin, reported that the unexpected freedom of religion after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union was obviously coming to an end. Lunitschking spoke at the meeting of "godless people" at the head of the state, who have allowed an antiterror law to be directed against evangelical Christians, so that no worship services are to be celebrated in apartments or offices, but only in "religious buildings".

Books that are passed on must be individually stamped with the full name of the religious organization responsible for its dissemination. Otherwise, penalties for individuals of up to € 100 and for organizations of up to € 20,000 were threatened. "Such laws did not even exist when atheists were at the helm," said Lunichkin. Despite these strict laws, one could not speak of a systematic persecution of Christians. In the media, there are also opposites, so Protestants are compared to terrorists, as enemies of the people and spies of the USA. In some places evangelical congregations had been robbed and struck by unknowns. However, the police do not undertake any special efforts to identify the perpetrators.

http://kath.net/news/59380

AMDG

Friday, April 28, 2017

Miracle? Mexican Faithful See Christ's Head Incline

(Mexico City) Did the figure if Christ in the Criss Inclined its head on Good Friday in the parish of Santa Ana of Tepetitlan in Zapopan, a neighboring town of Guadalajara in the Mexican state of Jalisco on the Pacific coast?

Parish church of Saints Anna and Joachim of Tepetitlan
The incident took place during the Tres Horas (three hours), an extra-liturgical form of devotion, which is widely used in Latin America, and considers the Seven Last Words of Jesus. This devotion goes from 12 to 3 pm of the Good Friday.
Like today, parts of devotion in the Mexican parish were filmed amateurishly by one of the faithful. The records show what they were able to observe with their own eyes: the head of the crucified lower.
The video has received a lot of attention since then. On April 24, Mexican television reported on the incident. Rev. Juan Antonio Guerra Lule speaks of a "divine sign". He prefers not to use the word "miracle": "I would rather speak of a benevolent gesture that has happened exactly at the last word. It was three o'clock in the afternoon, when it came to this movement, which is natural," the priest told Univision.
The Christ representation of the Crucified is more than 300 years old. The life-size figure is most of the time behind a glass pane in the "Holy Sepulcher". Only on Good Friday and on the Day of the Dead (All Saints, All Souls) is it fixed to the cross, which is done by cords, which also make it possible to spread out the arms. The head, however, is not movable.
Video link in YouTube: https://youtu.be/NCGkl4OS3j0
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Photo: Univision (Screenshots)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Manif pour tous: "We say no to Macron" -- Rothschild, Grand Orient Freemasons and Grand Mosque

"Manif pour tous" say "No to Macron".  "His politics are
anti-family, the exact continuation of the politics of the last five years."
(Paris) France is preparing for the presidential elections. Last Sunday, the electorate succeeded in what the opinion research institutes had already said in the weeks before. In four months the establishment, with the help of the mass media, succeeded in catapulting a former socialist baggage carrier, the Rothschild banker and minister of the outgoing president François Hollande as a "wonder worker" in a few months.The civil rights movement Manif pour tous warns against Macron and has published an denunciation: "We say no to Emmanuel Macron on 7 May."
While the government of Hollande lost all citizens' credibility and their official candidate Hamon could barely earn more than a disastrous six percent of the vote, Emmanuel Macron seems to be bursting with reliability.

Storybook career und stroke of genius: Who can, he does

Macron would be the eighth President of the Fifth Republic, but he would already be the second employee of the Rothschild Bank in the highest state office. The other was Georges Pompidou, who on 3 January 1973 prohibited the Banque de France by law from lending money to the state. Since then, the latter has had to squeeze money from private banks at high rates of interest and interest rates, including the Rothschild Bank. The four-year interim  at Rothschild made Macron a millionaire. Hollande took him as an advisor to the presidential chancery after his election victory, while Macron "qualified" among the "Young Leaders" of the 2012 Graduate Class of the French-American Foundation as a Euro-Atlantic lobbyist for higher offices. In 2014 he took part in the Bilderberg meeting in Copenhagen and was promoted shortly thereafter as Minister of Economic Affairs.
The stroke of genius by the French establishment with Macron, captivating sociologists and political scientists, if they are left free and uninhibited, will continue. The masterpiece shows the importance of PR agencies, programmed image campaigns that have been thoroughly studied. It also shows how helplessly large parts of the population are at the mercy of the media manipulation of those who control the opinion-forming media. When even provincial papers from other countries, uncritically celebrated Macron after the Sunday election as a "young high flyer" of politics, they only repeat that which they themselves are fed by others. The election campaigns have long had nothing to do with reality. As a clever head said, "If elections were to change something against the will of the establishment, they would be forbidden."
Macron has a picture book career behind him, his work history reads impressively, but can not, on closer inspection, conceal the fact that he was a protege during his lifetime. And precisely as such, he is now standing as a candidate for the Elysée Palace for others who have held their protective hand over him.

Representatives of the voted out socialist establishment

On the evening of the election, the representatives of the establishment had tended to assure Macron of their vote. The citizens movement Manif pour tous , however, warns of Macron's voice, because "it is openly anti-family."
The citizens' movement had arisen from the resistance to the socialist social policy which Hollande began to enforce with uncompromising harshness after his election victory in 2012. Whether promoting abortion, legalization of gay marriage, legalizing euthanasia and  "surrogacy", introduction of adoption rights for aberrosexuals and gender ideology, to kindergartens and schools, whether the criminalization of the pro-life movement or Manif pour tous, whether the open declaration of war against the Catholic Church by Socialist Ministers, Macron had never heard a word of contradiction. As a socialist party soldier, president, and minister, he was unconditionally involved in the campaign against the natural order of the family and the state.

Grand Orient of France: "We choose Macron"

So maybe a look at those who support Macron? This is yet again the freemasonic Grand Orient of France. The Grand Master of the Grand Orient, Christophe Habas, who has been influential in France, left no doubt. On Monday he declared:
"We choose Macron."
On June 21, 2016, Macron, at that time still a socialist party member and an economic and industrial minister, had presented himself at the headquarters of the Grand Orient of France. Before the fraternal brothers, he was allowed to give a lecture on "Is globalization compatible with progress?" This was a non-public event. There can hardly be any doubt that it in fact involved his bid as a potential candidate for presidential elections. Two months later, he resigned party membership and ministry.

Manif pour tous: "Macron is the continuation of the policy of the past five years"

Manif pour tous, the movement which gathered millions of Frenchmen to rallies in opposition to the anti-family policy of the Hollande government, published the statement "No to Macron!" For the families, for the children, for the upcoming election. The future we will say no to Macron on 7 May," said Ludovine de la Rochére, the chairman of the movement.
"The Emmanuel Macron program is a continuation of the anti-family policy that has been imposed on France for five years."
A victory Macron means the "destruction of civilization" with "new injustices and inequalities for women and children." Politicians are bound to the general good. Macron's program represents "other" interests, "which is why we call upon all to go to the polls and vote against Macron."

Candidate of Islam

Macron is not only the candidate of the Rothschild Bank and the Grand Orient of France, but also of Islam.The Grand Mosque of Paris called on the Muslims of the country to elect Macron at the election on Tuesday. Macron stands for a policy of "openness," which primarily means "open borders" for the Muslim umbrella association for mass immigration.
Text: Andreas Becker
Photo: Manif pour tous (Screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG