Jesuit College Founded After Vatican II in Brussels Closing

(Brussels) The Jesuit Institut d'Etudes Théologiques (IET) in Brussels, Belgium, is on the way out. According to the Jesuit Order, from the autumn of 2019 onwards, the theological college will no longer offer lectures.

Jesuit College Brussels


The Press Declaration of the Order endeavors to give the event a positive note. This can not, however, brush away the decline. The Institute was established fifty years ago in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. In 1968 the course of studies was established for students who saw their future as a priest in the Jesuit Order. Soon, "improvements" took place. Because of the decline in vocations, seminarians from numerous French dioceses were able to study at the university, as well as male and female religious, and even laymen from the new communities that have emerged over the past decades.

In 2004 the real purpose was abandoned. The European Jesuits, studying theology in French, were concentrated in Paris.

Despite this reorganization, the institution could not be sustained because the number of students and financial resources decreased year after year. In the press statement of the Order, it reads like this:

"The Society of Jesus, therefore, has decided to reorient its theological presence in Brussels."
After an "intensive" internal exchange and dialogue with the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, the new Jesuit General Arturo Sosa Abascal made the decision to cease teaching at the Theological University of Brussels in September 2019.

From Egenhoven to Brussels

In this way, the possibility remains to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its existence. In 1968 the school was founded in Egenhoven near Löwen. It was to have replaced the older, Flemish Jesuit College, named after St. Albert of Lions (1191/1192 Bishop of Liège). The university itself writes on its website:

"La crise qui suivit le concile Vatican II (1962-1965) toucha de plein fouet l'Église et les différentes provinces de la Compagnie de Jésus, en particulier ses maisons de formation et d'études, entre autres les philosophiques et théologats situés à Eegenhoven, près de Leuven. En 1968, au terme d'une référion lucide, les supérieurs jésuites faisaient un constat sévère sur la formation théologique de l'époque. "

The crisis that followed the Second Vatican Council hit the Jesuit Order very hard, especially its houses of study, including Egenhoven. A group of professors was asked to found a new philosophical-theological college capable of responding to the "challenges" through the development of the humanities, social sciences and theology. Against this backdrop, the study was opened to laymen, then to women. This was a development which was "a small revolution" and "not without difficulties", as described on the website of the university.

In 1972, the university moved from Egenhoven to Brussels. In 1980 the first non-Jesuit took up his studies. In 1981 Cardinal Lustiger, then archbishop of Paris, sent the first diocesan seminarist.

In the 48 years of their existence, more than 1,100 priests were trained at the Brussels College. Seven of them are bishops today. In the remaining two years, the Jesuit Order wants to redefine its collaboration with the Archdiocese. It is intended to take up less human and financial resources, but to focus on the "service to the inhabitants of Brussels with their European dimension".

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Photo: IET (Screenshots)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Billy Goat and Gardener: Pedophile Friend as Lecturer at Pontifical Center for Child Protection

Patrick Degrieck as Lecturer for the Pontifical Center for Child Protection has spoken
on the topic of "Secondary Victims" in child sexual abuse.
In the picture above (from the right) Bischop Bonny (Antwerp) und Cardinal De Kesel (Mecheln-Brüssel)

By Ferdinand Boischot

In the last 50 years, the Catholic Church has been devastated by a huge wave of pedophile and ephebophilic abuse by Church employees and dignitaries.

For a long time, and very intensely, incredible abominations have been committed, which are in total contrast to the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Particularly deplorable is the embedding of the perpetrators into large networks and the protection of the perpetrators by obstruction on many levels of the Church hierarchy.

As early as 1995, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then under the leadership of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, had been very courageous and persistently prosecuted these atrocities and called for punishment.

After his election to the Papacy, Benedict XVI.  was not infrequently sabotaged in this line by well-known bishops, cardinals, and bishops' conferences.

Under Pope Francis, dealing with the problem of pedophile offenders in the Church has fundamentally changed:

-Few and resolute statements, on the one hand, and a very different approach to pedophile offenders, where Pope Francis, apparently, personally chooses to employ perpetrators in pastoral situations (Don Mercedes case), and intervenes with the personnel of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He intervenes in such cases, if sympathetic shepherds are being prosecuted.

Patrick Degrieck as a speaker at the Center for Child Protection in Rome [Photo]

In December 2014, the CCP (Center for Child Protection) was established on the personal initiative of Pope Francis at the Pontifical University of the Gregoriana to study this problem. The director was the Austrian Jesuit and psychologist Hans Zollner SJ.

On March 9, 2017 the Gregoriana reported on two lectures held a few days earlier by Prof. Karlijn Demasure from the University of Louvain and F (ather) Patrick Degrieck from the Diocese of Bruges and a member of the Belgian Research Commission Bishops.

Belgium, and particularly the Flemish North, suffered particularly severely from pedophile atrocities.

The so-called "Catholic" University of Leuven has not done anything for decades, but has supported the pedophile-tolerating line of Cardinal Danneels (until 2010 Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels), produced totally dissipated catechesis and religious studies books, and a broad and loud campaign against Pope Benedict XVI. And Archbishop Monsignor Léonard (the successor of Danneels, was appointed by Benedict XVI).

In the end of 2014, the Religious Science Department stupidly had a lot of sermons and statements from the pedophile bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, on their website, Thomas (which was still present more than four and a half years after his unmasking).

With the priest Patrick Degrieck, a noted pedophile friend and supporter has managed to speak before a large public at the Child Protection Center CCP.

Patrick Degrieck and  Tom Flavez

On October 27, 2014, the Kerknet site, which belongs to the bishops of north Belgium, reported that the then Bishop of Bruges, Jozef De Kesel, assigned Tom Flavez as a pastor in the West Flemish coastal community of Middelkerke.

Immediately a tremendous turmoil ensued. The population protested massively, the (liberal) mayoress and the council unleashed the storm and the restaurant and hotel sector and went to the barricades: it was apparent that T.F. was a convicted pedophile.

However, Bishop De Kesel remained stubborn. He said that "... everyone deserves a second chance ... He [De Kesel] made this decision after careful consideration and with the support of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The bishop will not change his decision." The latter is extremely rare for the otherwise not very brave De Kesel).

Within 48 hours it was discovered that T.F. had repeatedly relapsed. Despite all the conditions, he had always had dealings with children, liked to be photographed and posed everywhere in churches' websites.

On the 31st of October, in the morning, Kerknet was informed that "... the bishop (De Kesel) has to withdraw the applicant from nomination."

Vangheluwe's shadow

In the following weeks, the bomb detonated of a number of uncovered pedophile rapists in the Diocese of Bruges. The bishops De Kesel and Bonny (Antwerp) were summoned before Parliament and "grilled".

It soon became apparent that both Tom Flavez and Patrick Degrieck had been ordained priests by the pedophile Bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, and knew this very well. Tom Flavez was the only one tohelp Vangheluwe move from the episcopal palace in Bruges in 2010. According to reliable testimonies, Flavez and Degrieck never missed his birthday without a visit and a small present.

Patrick Degrieck studied 1986-1989 theology and canon law in the University of Leuven. From 1989 to 1997 he was a priest-teacher at H. Hartcollege in Waregem (which was also A school affected by abuse). Since then he has been a Church jurist in Bruges (now also in Antwerp with Bishop Bonny) and professor of Holy Scripture at the priestly seminary in Bruges.

Degrieck was very practical and clever as a church jurist in 2013-2014, responsible for the case of his pedophile friend T.F., apparently supplying incomplete documents to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in order to get a favorable assessment.

The fact that Bishop De Kesel tried to unload his own serious mistakes on the back of Cardinal Prefect Gerhard Müller made the case even more shabby.

As a result, Tom Flavez had to vacate his apartment in the Ordinariat and continued "with an unknown occupation." He was caught up by his old comrade Patrick Degrieck in the convent of Our Lady of Sorrows in Ruiselede, not far from Bruges, where Degrieck (not laughing) became a "spiritual director."

Patrick Degriek in the CCP

Degrieck's "Awareness Training"

Degrieck, incidentally, was in the immediate phase after the break-up of the Vangheluwe affair and the (hesitant)investigator of the sex scandal of the Church jurist and the bishops' expert in the inner-Church "Andriessen's Investigation Commission."

In November 2010 an interview with Degrieck, deeply disturbing by the oily tone and the hypocritical content, was published in the magazine Het Teken, 83rd edition, no.5 (Nov. 2010) - notabene interviewed by Doenja van Belleghem, then director of a "Roger Vangheluwe support group".

The many crimes, deceptions and cover-ups, embedded in a pedophile, ephebo, and homophilic swamp of the local clergy, were extensively documented and analyzed at www.kavlaanderen.blogspot.be (keyword: Crisis in de Kerk ... hoezo?).

The press reported in part very thoroughly.

De Kesel, Flavez and Degrieck were badly burned.

Patrick Degrieck at the CCP

Bishop De Kesel's position in Bruges had become untenable. Not more than a year later he was called to take over the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels.

It took a very long time for a new bishop to be appointed, by the way, from East Flanders (Ghent), which is not involved in the West Flemish problems.

Pope Francis, known for his personal preferences, appointed Jozef De Kesel as Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels in spite of all the mistakes and concealments, and made him a cardinal (which he denied to the dedicated advocate for the right to life and to combat abuse in the Church, Bishop Léonard).

Billy Goat and Gardner

Since the end of 2014 Degrieck has hardly been able to do anything in Belgium.

To this end, he gave a lecture in Rome in 2017 before the Pontifical Center for the Protection of Children, and the topic "Secondary Victims".

He is a well-known specialist in the field of cover-up and embodiment of these vile deeds, and as a highlight also of the victims' offenses: considering the perpetrators as "also victims" (sic Danneels), and probably their own impulses.

Psychiatrically this is well known: denial - displacement - sublimation by association with the victims - absorption.

The perpetrators themselves give themselves absolution.

Widely and well known. Zero Consequences.

And now also with access to the highest channels of the Church in Rome.

Miserere Dei

Text: Ferdinand Boischot

Image: CCPBlog (Screenshots)

Trans: veleon99@hotmail.com

AMDG

New Archbishop of Brussels Proposes the Abolition of Priestly Celibacy

(Brussels) The new Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and Primate of Belgium, Msgr. Jozef De Kesel, said in an interview with the Free Sunday newspaper De Zondag on 8 May that the Church  could not require every priest celibacy.

The Archbishop  De Kesel was asked by De Zondag whether celibacy has not "discouraged" him:

"No, not when I was 18 years old. As you opt for the seminary, it then takes many years to become a priest. But then, when the moment has come, that ... is a difficult decision. "

"I am for the Eastern Catholic model"

De Zondag: Did you have to decide between a bride and the church?

De Kesel: No. I had good friendships,  but they never brought me in conflict with my choice of life. This is true for others, and I can understand that it is very difficult to let someone go. Maybe I, therefore, consciously or unconsciously avoided a relationship.

De Zondag: Should the Church adhere to this celibacy?

De Kesel: I'm not for its abolition. A celibate life is not a life without meaning. I chose it deliberately: It was a part of the life of Jesus. On the other hand I do not think that you can charge it of any priest, especially not in a moment in which sexuality plays such an important role. I am for the Eastern Catholic model, where married men can be ordained priests.

No "Catholic model"

With the "Eastern Catholic model" said De Kesel, is in reality the Orthodox model. The Orthodox Churches understand celibacy like the Catholic Church but this is not employed like the Catholic Church, for historical reasons. Bishops and monks are still  called to it today, which is why only. In the diocesan clergy in contrast, there was softening. Once the ordination has been received, a wedding is no longer possible with the Orthodox. The seminarian marries before ordination, he can stay married. The result is that seminarians marry very young in order to forestall the celibacy requirement. If the wife of a priest dies, he is not allowed to marry. The somewhat complicated scheme proves, however, that the ministerial priesthood is also linked to the Orthodox inseparably with celibacy. However, you can - as in the sacrament of marriage - also recognize the Orthodox discrepancy between requirement and reality, because it is the Orthodox Church in those points which concern two sacraments, and more pertinently, failed to maintain the original apostolic teaching.

When smaller parts of the Orthodox churches returned from the 16th century to union with Rome, they were allowed during the course of the ecumenism of return  to maintain certain traditions. These include the Byzantine Rite in the liturgy and the Orthodox practice of celibacy. What De Kesel falsely, but probably deliberately, sees as the "Catholic model" is called not really a "Catholic model," but a foreign practice to the Roman tradition, which was granted only for historical reasons, clearly to formerly Orthodox communities.

The true and faithful retaining of priestly celibacy in the Latin Church since apostolic times, as well as the indissolubility of sacramental marriage, are ultimately special evidence that the Roman Catholic Church is actually the one true Church of Jesus Christ. However, this evidence itself is currently not held in very high esteem  by Catholic dignitaries and sometimes, as De Kesels remarks show,  recklessly called into question.

De Kesel uses a dialectic in his claim, which suggests a retention in theory, but at the same time seeks a fundamental change in practice. A dialectic as it has been frequently heard in the past two years in connection with the recognition of divorce and remarriage. Its spokesman, Cardinal Walter Kasper made his speech to the Cardinal Consistory in February, 2014.

Pope Francis has sent mixed signals on this issue, according to his nature. According to the Vaticanist Sandro Magister, these contradictory signals would nevertheless demonstrate the desire for a weakening of priestly celibacy. The request made by De Kesel would probably come closest to the papal intention.

Cardinal Danneels' preferred candidate: Thanks to Pope Francis still Archbishop

Msgr. De Kesel was appointed by Pope Francis as the new archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, 6 November, 2015. The archbishop of Brussels is automatically Primate of Belgium and President of the Belgian Bishops' Conference. The Archdiocese has been a liberal stronghold since 1961. An epoch which was defined by Cardinal Leo Suenens (Archbishop of 1961-1979) and by Cardinal Godfried Danneels (Archbishop of 1979-2010) and was accompanied by an unprecedented decline of the Catholic Church. In the Belgian capital today,  only 12 percent of its residents profess as Catholics. Of these, only one in ten makes his Sunday duty and visits the Holy Mass.

In 2010 Benedict XVI. tried to bring about a reversal. He did not appoint  Danneels' chosen successor the leftist De Kesel, but the Bishop of Namur, André-Joseph Leonard, instead. Leonard was then equally relentlessly opposed and boycotted just like Pope Benedict XVI. Above all this was directed at Benedict XVI's personnel decision of 2010 which drew the the hostility which Danneels and his allies drew upon. Danneels was, since the 90s, a conspirator with  the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Martini, in the clandestine Sankt Gallen circle,  which had already opposed the election in 2005 of Benedict XVI.

In 2013 Daneels belonged to the so-called Team Bergoglio. Together with the German cardinals Lehmann and Kasper and the English Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, he organized, this time successfully, the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Archbishop Leonard was denied the dignity of cardinal and retired with the completion of his 75th birthday. After only five years of intermezzo,  Pope Francis appointed  Danneels' still preferred candidate De Kesel as archbishop of Brussels. The Belgian Church thus remains firmly on progressive course, as stressed by the remarks of the new archbishop to abolish the celibacy priest.

De Kesels' proposal on celibacy was also supported by the Internet platform katholisch.de of the German Bishops' Conference.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Image: Mil (Screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

After 50 Years of Liberal Church Management: 36 of 110 Churches of Brussels Will be Closed

36 of 110 Churches of Brussels shall soon be closed: The fate of
St. Nicholas (left) and Our Lady of Zavel are not certain.

(Brussels) In Brussels, capital of Belgium, 36 out of 110 Catholic churches will soon be closed and sold. The change in Archbishop also brought a change of direction back to "structural reforms" instead of spiritual renewal. It is the sad result of a homemade, progressive decline.

Brussels is also the headquarters of the European Union. The leftist city government majority in the municipal council consists of one third Muslims. These are two aspects that provide explanations for this unprecedented decline. Another key aspect is the decades-long line of liberal archbishops in the Archdiocese.

Cardinal Danneel's restructuring plans

Yet in 2010 there was a turning point: Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard tried as archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, certainly with recognizable success, to revive by the establishment and promotion of a small but faithful group in some churches that had been devastated for decades by his predecessor, Cardinal Godfried Danneels (Archbishop 1980-2010, Cardinal since 1983) which were already threatened of being put up for sale. Léonard's term of only five years, however, was too short. In addition, this churchman who fought in Europe's front line, received neither the necessary encouragement nor the necessary support.

Although Brussels has traditionally been linked to the dignity of cardinal, he was not granted it by Benedict XVI. not out of a false consideration for Danneels who was not yet 80 years old. Pope Francis did not even think to dream of it, to give a "Ratzingerian" like Léonard, the declared object of hatred of Francis-friend Danneels, the purple dignity. So Léonard's days were numbered.

On November 6, 2015, he was retired by Francis. With Jozef De Kesel, a Danneels man was named as the new archbishop, who quicly moved away from Léonard's restoration efforts and returned to the closure and sale policy of Danneels. Houses of worship would be sold off for little money. According to the plans of Archbishop De Kesel, newly established in his post on December 12, 2015 soon, there would be 36 of 110 churches closed in the "capital" of Europe. There has been no comparable action by the Church in all of its History in a European capital.

Archbishop De Kesel made his plans known in 2005

The daily newspaper La Libre published the plans with two articles. This did not only disturb the peace of Belgian Catholics. The question touches on other places of European catholicity in addition to Belgium, which are in the post-conciliar decline.

The third Christian millennium began with Cardinal Danneel's "restructuring plans". The conveyance and merging of parishes were central keywords that were given concrete shape from 2005 onwards. Jozef De Kesel was then Episcopal Vicar for the Vicariate Brussels, one of the three vicariates of the Archdiocese. It was De Kesel who announced the plans for the "future" of parishes in 2005. They were based on two considerations: as the number of Catholics decline, the number of parishes was greater than the demand, and especially greater than the funds; in addition, the high number of parishes of our Church does not fit the "multireligious and multicultural" dimension "of our modern society." It's a common choice of words to disguise Islamization. In Brussels there are more practicing Muslims than Catholics. The first name Mohammed has lead for several years on the list of newborn boys. Yet the theme of Islamization is politically undesirable among the dominant forces and must therefore must not be addressed. The same applies to the disintegration of the Catholic community through immigration into many small, independent, ethnic communities. Even immigration coming from Catholic sources has brought fragmentation rather than unity.

Current situation

 The Kingdom of Belgium is a historical artifact in a linguistic-cultural space in transition. Since Germany, the Netherlands and France have territorial claims on the region, the great powers created it in 1830 from the former Austrian-Netherlands into a separate state in order not to disturb the balance of power. The inner layer is linguistically therefore, somewhat more complex than in other European countries, and this includes Church organization.

In the area of Brussels, there are 107 parishes which employ 250 priests. 11 pastoral units are Dutch-speaking (Flemish), 25 pastoral units are French (Walloons). Plus, there are 42 different foreign-language communities. All of these parishes, units and communities are summarized in four deaneries. According to information of the weekly magazine Tempi  36 pastoral parish units will be dissolved and at least one church be closed.

This does not mean that all churches are to be profaned immediately. But it is to say that all church activities such as baptisms, first communions, confirmations, catecheses are discontinued. The profanation and the sale are the next step. The first article of Le Libre last March 22 was like a shock to the faithful.

Churches as an object of speculation?

Some parishes are hard to keep. There is a lack of faithful and the funds are scarce among Brussels Catholics. The radical deforestation leaves the faithful in fear that even vibrant parishes could fall under the bureaucrat's wheels when their churches located in "interesting" parts of the city are set aside for real estate speculation. Among the seven criteria for the conveyance of parishes is the term "urban projects."

Above all, the faithful do not understand why parishes are to be dissolved, although there are enough priests to look after them.

The pastor of a small parish that is to be abandoned, asked not to close the church, but to leave it to the Polish community which still lacks their own church. The proposal was rejected.

According to La Libre there is no definite decision which parishes are to be closed. In the near future a meeting between a group of concerned Catholics and the reigning Episcopal Vicar for Brussels, Jean Kockerols, is to take place.

New Archbishop De Kesel has Introduced His Closure Plan Again

The big "remodeling" of the Catholic Church in Brussels, which had been put in the drawer by Archbishop Léonard, had once again been put on the table as soon as De Kesel took over the office as Archbishop. De Kesel announced the "reconstruction" in his pastoral letter of 2005. Cardinal Danneels wanted De Kesel to be installed as his successor in 2010. That was rejected by Benedict XVI. who gave the assignment to Léonard, the then Bishop of Namur, with the attempt to at revival. With the election of Pope Francis, however, in which Cardinal Danneels as a member of Team Bergoglio and the secret circle Sankt Gallen is again operational, the chapter of Léonard and Benedict XVI. for the Belgian church came to an end faster than expected.

Soon numerous Brussels churches are being offered on the real estate market for sale. It's a sad highlight in the decline of the self-adulating conciliar Church which says there is "no alternative." .

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
 Image: Wikicommons (assembly)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Brussels Casts Covetous Eyes on Famous Abbey of Monte Cassino?

Famous Abbey of Monte Cassino Belongs to the
State of Italy. Does the EU Cast Covetous Eyes on
Her?

(Rome), the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino amazingly does not belong to the  UNESCO World Heritage sites, while it is like no other place for its spiritual and cultural heritage of the West and of the Latin monasticism.  When it was fought over during  the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944 and destroyed by Allied air raids, the abbey is also inextricably linked with the horrors of the Second World War. Currently, there are some dark clouds over the ancient abbey which have to do with its juridical and administrative future, because what only few people know:  that the Abbey belongs to the Italian Republic and in the EU there seem to be secular mentalities who have thrown their eyes on iconic monastery.

1500 Year Old Abbey was Destroyed Three Times and Suspended Twice

In 529 the Abbey of the Holy Father monk Benedict of Nursia (480-547) was founded, which was named after him with the Benedictine Order as the cradle of Latin monasticism. Monte Cassino has since been regarded as the "mother of all abbeys." In her what will soon by her  1500 year long  history, the abbey was destroyed three times by human hands. The first time in 577 by the then Arian Lombards, then 883 by the Muslim Saracens and 1944 by American bombers. For a long time it was claimed after the war, German troops were entrenched in the monastery. Indeed, such did not consider  to spare the abbey from fighting. A strategic consideration, which the Vatican and this also the allies were informed. The recent historical research assumes that the Allies had rear view of the monastery was just annoying, which is why the British commander of the Allied forces in Italy, Sir Harold Alexander (1891-1969) gave the order to carpet bomb in February, which transformed the monastery in a rubble. Only the crypt with the grave of the holy founder was spared. He was reportedly standing in 547 and died during prayer at the altar as angels became visible taking his soul aloft into the sky before the eyes of his confreres.

Monte Cassino after the destruction

According to various types of reports, 250-430 were killed during an air raid 250-430, especially refugees, who hoped to find safe refuge in the monastery, but also several monks. The survivors, including the abbot, were taken by the German side to safety. Previously,  units of the 1st Hermann Goering Parachute Panzer Division brought, by the unauthorized initiative of Lieutenant Colonel Julius Schlegel the invaluable library and precious works of art to safety in the Vatican. Only then did German units barricade themselves in the ruins of the abbey and kept the Allied attacks at bay for still some months. In the battle of Monte Cassino  around 20,000 German and more than 50,000 Allied soldiers fell. Monte Cassino has since been regarded as a symbol of senseless destruction.

Pope Pius XII. called for the rebuilding of the monastery in 1947 with the encyclical Fulgens radiatur as a symbol of the reconstruction of the Christian West. The Pope named the Abbey as the "home of mercy", which has so far survived all the turmoil of many centuries, as the monks returned again and again to the mountain above Cassino. The largely faithful reconstruction after the Second World War, especially with German and American help, was a sign of reconciliation in the joint cooperation of the former enemies. The abbey church was rebuilt in 1964 and consecrated by Pope Paul VI.  The last year  Pope Benedict made him the Holy Patron of Europe.

Abbot as Diocesan Bishop, Territorial Abbey as a Separate Diocese

The monastery has in the Benedictine Order in 1504 the rank of an Abbey of Cassianese Congregation. In canon law, the abbot not only has the rank of an Archabbott, but also  a diocesan bishop. The abbey has the status of a territorial abbey. The territory belonging to the Abbey is almost 600 square kilometers with about 80,000 inhabitants in 53 parishes, forms a separate diocese whose bishop is the abbot of Monte Cassino.

The reason for this canonical norm was the Italian unification in the wake of the Risorgimento. Already in 1807 it was dissolved once under Napoleon, where it was also ordered by the new Italian state in 1866, the repeal of the abbey and the monastery told unceremoniously in an act of confiscation as a "National Monument". Since then, the monastery has been owned by the state. Only at the beginning of the 20th century was the Abbey be reestablished under the protection of the Lateran Pacts.

Concordat protects Abbey before the State

To protect the abbey and monastic community as much possible from nationalization, the abbot was elevated to the rank of bishop after the signing of the Lateran Pacts of Pope Pius XI.. The abbey church has since, the rank of a cathedral and the monks form the Chapter with the rank of canons. To mitigate the precarious tenure, the abbey has since been under the protection of the Convention signed in the Concordat between the Holy See and the State of Italy. 

In early July there were loud rumors, Pope Francis would dissolve the territorial abbey  in the course of a general reorganization of the Italian dioceses, and thus the diocese of Monte Cassino and annex it to the territory of the neighboring diocese Sora-Aquino-Pontecorvo. It's an opportunity to nullify it provided by the current vacancy of Abbatial and Episcopal See. The official announcement of the resolution was expected on 19 July. At that time it was said that Pope Francis had already signed the corresponding decree. Already in 1986 it had come under the new Concordat for "merging" several dioceses, a term with the removal of some dioceses was accomplished. Decisions of bureaucrats who hardly took into account the historical connectedness of individual regions and the impact  on the spiritual life.

Plans to Abolish the Diocese

In addition to Monte Cassino in Italy there are more venerable abbeys, which were expropriated by the state and then brought from the Church to territorial abbeys, to protect the monastic communities and monasticism, which have an essential spiritual and cultural contribution to evangelization.

In the Vatican, the plans were initially shelved, after a "secular rumble" was heard from Brussels. A representative of the EU is to have apparently expressed the idea in a "joke" to convert the Abbey of Monte Cassino or any part thereof in a branch of the European Union for human rights, as soon as it could be removed by  Concordat from the status of a territorial abbey and thus of special protection. Since the Abbey is owned by the state, the Republic of Italy could make a unilateral reclassification.

Brussels "Jokes"

The Brussels flights of fancy on the secularist side was taken seriously enough in the Church at the Vatican - so far successfully - to push for a postponement of a repeal of the diocese. In Rome it has forced the maintaining of the Concordat protected right, to protect the abbey, the abbot and the monks, but especially this icon and this lighthouse of Western Christianity and Christian culture against the appetite of some EU-secularists. It is feared that a "Human Rights Center" would, under the current EU, mean an ideological distortion of the human rights idea, with the risk to go to the expense of human dignity and thus to contradict the Christian principles. So the real risk is seen that a center of Christianity could be converted by the EU among others into a center of the new non-Christian gender ideology.

The Abbey of Monte Cassino is suffering from the same ailment as other religious communities in Europe. On 12 June 2013 Pope Francis had accepted the resignation of the then only  51 year old Arch-abbot Pietro Vittorelli. The Abbot, reigning since 2007,  had asked  for a resignation after a heart attack due to health reasons. Since then, the Abbeyhas been  waiting for the election of the 191st successor to Saint Benedict. "The Lord may at any time allow a fundamental renewal of the monastic community. But if the state has other purposes for the Monastery, it is lost to the church," says Messa in Latino .

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Messa in Latino / Nara

Belgium's "Next Strike": Euthanasia Without Application

(Brussels) Euthanasia, "this was the second strike, but the third will follow immediately." The new euthanasia law just went into effect  that allows the euthanasia of children and of the mentally ill in Belgium without age limit, on their request. But the death ideologues have claimed  that to achieve this objective the next "expansion" is already at hand.

On 23 September 2002  Belgium's  first euthanasia law came into force. "Only" those who are not mentally, ill adults should be euthanized having expressed their request, and been tested.  Critics have warned for years that the reality is quite different and people will be cheerfully euthanized by the law.

Phased Disinhibition of Killing

Nevertheless, Parliament voted last 13 February, recently reading an extension of the law to minors and the mentally ill. Critics thought, however, that both groups were not in a position to make such a far-reaching and definitive decision and were therefore expressly excluded in order to prevent abuse. But a large majority of Belgian MPs consider it logical and conceivable that a two year old child is able to make decisions, that a two year old is in any way capable of making a request for euthanasia of their own free will. In fact,  this majority tacitly accepted that third parties could  decide on the killing of wards.

210,000 Signatures for King Philippe -- Not to Sign the Child Euthanasia Law

(Brussels) Philippe, King of the Belgians,  was presented with 210,000 signatures  by citizens who asked him not to sign the law for the child euthanasia.  Without the signature of the King, the law can not attain legal force. Belgium would be the world's first country that allows euthanasia of children.

The example of his predecessors in similar situations is inconsistent. His uncle, King Baudouin (1951-1993), refused to sign the law legalizing abortion. To resolve the constitutional conflict and to prevent the abolition of the monarchy, he resigned for a day. On this day the law was put into force without his intervention.  Because he had no children, his younger brother Albert II was succeeded as King of the Belgians. He had   no qualms of conscience in 2002 to sign the euthanasia law in force. Reigning since 2013,  King Philippe is the son of Albert II.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Wikicommons

Intolerant Tolerance -- Archbishop Leonard's Visit to Catholic Religious Instruction Refused

(Brussels) Laizisismus al la Belge . Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard of Brussels-Mechelen has been conducting pastoral visits since the beginning in many deaneries and parishes in Walloon Brabant. In Baisy-Thy parents on behalf of state neutrality obligation refused him to visit the Catholic religious instruction at the school. The pastoral visits are an occasion, in addition to the Holy Mass, are meetings in the parish church with the priests of the place, the Catholic organizations and groups, and the faithful. The Archbishop also visits the Catholic schools and kindergartens, but also the Catholic religious instruction taking place in public schools.

It was not possible to visit at the School of Baisy-Thy, the visit to religious instruction planned for the past 22 October at the state school. Some parents protested against this. The visit of a representative of religion in a public school violates the principle of neutrality of the state, they argued.

Finally, the Archbishop decided not to go to the school, which program is unproblematic in other places. To avoid further controversy and because the mayor, Gérard Couronné, feared riots of some parents, the mayor himself agreed with the Archbishop, to waive the intended visit to the grade school the 5th and 6th Classes. "We go everywhere where we are welcome", said Archbishop Leonard through his spokesman to the press.

The incident shows how the alleged "tolerance" of laicism [secularism] is intolerant. In Belgium, a radical fight by the enemies of the Catholic Church is in progress, with radical attempts to marginalize the Church from public life. Against this background, it is has also been seen that Archbishop Leonard has twice this year already been paid visits by the activists of FEMEN (see separate report on the first attack and the second attack ). Why always against the Primate of Belgium? The FEMEN activism works on demand. You can order it in some ways ( see separate report on FEMEN forthcoming). Who pays, decides. In Belgium there are obviously forces which are willing to pay for public aggression against the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi Image: L'Obersevatoire de la Christianophobia Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to katholisches...

Hired Prostitutes Attack Archbishop of Brussels

(Brussels) Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard of Brussels-Malines was again attacked by pseudo-feminists of FEMEN. As of last April the disturbed, paid "political activists" came from the red light district to a meeting, in which Monsignor Leonard participated in as a speaker. The reaction of the Archbishop, now already familiar with the methods of the extremists, robbed FEMEN of some of the peak of their performance.

In the red light district hired "political activists" are hired to appear topless and again target the brave Archbishop of Brussels-Mechelen. There are probably lush cash payments for the FEMEN-strippers in the background in Belgium (see separate report Who's behind FEMEN protest and their anti-Christian activities? Paid activists from the red light district). The incident occurred last Friday night in Brussels during a meeting of the Catholic St. Michael's College.

Attack against Archbishop Leonard

While the former French minister and member of the Pontifical Family Council, Christine Boutin spoke, topless FEMEN stormed onto the stage and wrapped her with a rainbow flag. The FEMEN activists were accompanied by a bunch of left-wing extremists, which were meant to serve as a sort of bodyguard and extras in the stylized media appearance. After they had interrupted Madame Minister, they hurled a pie at Archbishop Leonard's face. The Archbishop stole the show from the horde by tasting the cake with a subtle smile.

The First Aggression

The first attack against Archbishop Leonard by FEMEN occurred last April during a podium discussion at the University of Brussels. The women shouted sodomophilic slogans and poured water on the archbishop. He said nothing, but reposed himself in prayer.

The European Bishops' Conference lent their support to the Brussels Pastor with their solidarity. The FEMEN activists were described by the bishops as "completely implausible and without any sense of decency." That Archbishop Leonard's discussion with an atheist was disturbed by FEMEN, was proof that the Church has standing in the debate in a pluralistic society, while FEMEN tries to prevent this.



Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Bild: RTBF (Screenshot)
 Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMGD

The Enormous Crisis of the Catholic Church in Belgium -- There is Danger in a De-Christianized Land

(Brussels) The Belgian church is facing financial collapse. The annual accounts of the dioceses have large losses in a country that was particularly affected by the pedophile abuse scandal. The Church of the ethnically divided land between Flemish and Walloons, which was a thriving Catholic landscape until half a century ago, is going through a serious crisis. The seminaries are largely empty, the number of practicing Catholics has shrunk to a loyal core. The bishops enjoy only a touch of prestige and weight in public life that they once had. Progressive bishops like Cardinal Leo Suenens, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and the like-minded bishops promoted by him have brought the secularization of the country and the alienation of the faithful of the Church.

At Cardinal Suenens liberal church de-Christianized society follows

Since the Second Vatican Council, when the Cardinal Suenens was included as part of the Rhenish alliance as one of the big "makers", propagated in Belgium even church leaders such as the Dominican theologian Edward Schillebeeckx a "rising in the modern" church. Pedophile child molesters, such as the former Bishop Roger Joseph Vangheluwe of Bruges, who abused his nephew even after his episcopal ordination, did the rest.  Symptomatic high point culminated in June 2010 with the development of a scandalous desecration of the tomb of Cardinal Suenens in the Cathedral of St. Rumold Mechelen, worse copy than Dan Brown  by a special unit of the Belgian police in search of incriminating material in connection with the pedophile scandal. Nothing was found. What the competent Belgian court did not prevent, later  declared the desecration of the rest of the dead to be legal.

Declining Inhibition of Hostility Toward the Church

To get out of this crisis is difficult. For this reason, Pope Benedict XVI appointed the Bishop of Namur, Andre-Joseph Leonard as the new Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and thus Primate of Belgium in 2010. Leonard was the only Bishop with significant growth in priestly vocations. With the appointment an anti-Church campaign was discharged with an unprecedented aggressiveness.  Feminist extremists are only the most visible, but by no means the most important point.  The cake attacks and recently, a scandalous attack by bare breasted FEMEN-activists  against Archbishop Leonard, however, helps to undermine the reputation of the episcopal dignity and to reduce the threshold in dealing with the ecclesiastical dignitaries. The attacks against Archbishop Leonard are meaningful. The archbishop, who had nothing to do with the abuse scandal, except his energetic work for "maximum transparency", would have actually pleased indignant citizens. But he is, as a faithful representatives of the Church, an eyesore. This creates the bizarre situation that he of all people is the scapegoat of  Church hostility, which is justified by the abuse scandal. The pedophile scandal seems to many only to serve as a welcome springboard to be preachy to rise above the Church and renounce her. Using the example of Belgium can be seen that a de-Christianized society is not "neutral" but is morally acidic and anti-Church.

Revenues decrease, expenses increase due to pain and suffering payments to abuse victims

The numbers posted by the Church center to address the abuse cases are  interestin. 72 percent of reported cases involve Flanders and upwards of 80 percent of the men were born for the most part in the 50s and 60s. The data confirms that the "opening" of the Church to the world as it propagated the atmosphere during and after the Second Vatican Council, and the meeting with the contemporaneous "sexual revolution",  has hurt the Church. However, a discussion of these correlations with possible conclusions did not take place. Meanwhile, the Church must pay abuse victims for pain and suffering, as revenues decline.

The study L'iris et le Croisssant by Professor Felice Dassetto of the Catholic University of Leuven, the Belgian Church also sees problems through rapid changes in society, which was rebuilt in many multicultural cities. The proportion of the native population and the proportion of Catholics has rapidly declined in many Belgian cities.

Multicultural reconstruction of society means loss of traditional identity and rapid growth of Islam

According to the ACS report, 25 percent of the inhabitants of Brussels are Muslims. It's a  rapidly rising trend. In the Belgian capital, there are already 77 mosques.

In this climate of radical social reconstruction through the loss of local traditional cultural identity and different religious immigrants from other cultures, comes  the new phenomenon of increasing violence against religious institutions. For example, the arson attack on the Church of Begijnendijk in Couvin in the diocese of Namur or damage to seven churches.

The attack against Archbishop Leonard during a discussion on the topic of all freedom of expression at the State University of Brussels by FEMEN activists has already been mentioned. The feminists have accused the church of "homophobia".

Way Out of Crisis Through Renewal of the Church in Faith and Discipline - Bishops against Euthanasia of Children and Alzheimer's Patients

The way out of the crisis is not easy, but there has been a change in the episcopate, since Andre-Joseph Leonard has been primate. The bishops expressed their solidarity with him in the assaults of FEMEN.  In a statement, they said the violent and blasphemous feminists have lost "all credibility". They whose behavior stands to lead  "stark contrast to the topic of discussion and the style with which the Catholic Church in its dialogue with pluralistic society".

Archbishop Leonard promotes faithful groups and communities. A work in silence, where the church is truly renewed. The bishops with Leonard at their head have entered the ring against a legislative bill. The capital, Brussels, Belgium as well as the ruling Socialist party under the Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo and avowed homosexuals would like to expand the legalized euthanasia in 2002 to children younger than 15 years old  and Alzheimer's patients by law.

In Belgium,  life is mortally threatened in many ways. This is also a product of de-Christianized society. It's no easy stand for the Catholic Church.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Sancte Pater

Translation: Tancred

Christmas Cancelled in Brussels

Here's a little something from Friends of Hungary.

THE END OF CHRISTIANITY IN BRUSSELS - NO CHRISTMAS THIS YEARAccording to Brussels city government's representative Bianca Debaets Brussels will not place a Christmas tree on its historical Grand Place square, because the tree, as a symbol of Christianity, could harm the feelings of people of other faiths. The electronic timber that has been granted and already placed is called "winter tree". The "Christmas market" thus receives a new name, from which the word "Christmas" is missing. (The muslim community reached 25% of Brussel's total population. According to most analysts the size and influence of the muslim community in Belgium was a key factor in making the decision.) 

The Old Mass Only Behind Closed Doors: Milan

Italy [Kreuz.net] Recently Father Jean-Pierre Herman - the Secretary of Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard of Brussels -- wanted to celebrate the Immemorial Mass in Milan's Cathedral.  This is according to the website 'BLOG messalatino.it'.  Father Herman was there for a meeting about Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman and the Liturgy in Milan.  For starters he was forbidden to celebrate the Old Mass in the Cathedral.  Then he contacted the Papal Commission 'Ecclesia Dei'.  They intervened and concluded that the priest could celebrate the Mass behind closed doors within Cathedral with only one altar boy.

Editor: This is +Tettamanzi's watch.

The Most Traditional Bishop in Belgium is Selected for Brussels

This just in from kreuz.net, 69 year old Bishop André-Mutien Léonard of Nur will be the new Archbishop of Brussels to the rejoicing of Traditionalists everywhere.

According to Tornielli, he is a friend of the Immemorial Mass of All Ages, strong in matters of pro-life and is an uncompromising conservative with a backround as a Moral Theologian.

He takes up the office to replace the now retiring Cardinal Daneels who is now 76, and Tornielli says he was "hand picked" by the Holy Father Himself.

Mr. Gillibrand at Catholic Conservation thinks it will infuriate Cardinal Daneels; we hope so.

Italian mayors respond to Strasbourg ruling by hanging more crucifixes in schools

No one tells the Italians what to do. Brussels sprouts bouncing all over the place on this one. Will they attempt to enforce this or their other attempt at lawmaking in Lithuania when the Brussels sprouts attempted to declare this law illegal in September?

Rome, Italy, Nov 12, 2009 / 01:49 pm (CNA).- A number of Italian officials have responded to the ruling by the European Human Rights Court that ordered schools in Italy to remove crucifixes from the classrooms by taking unprecedented measures to preserve the Christian symbol.

According to the Italian daily “Avvenire,” the mayor of Sezzadio, Pier Luigi Arnera, has leveled a fine of 500 euros against anyone who removes a crucifix from a public place.

Arnera explained that the displaying of the crucifix in “places other than churches does not affect the dignity of anyone, because it is one of our cultural references.”

Likewise in the cities of Sassuolo and Trapani, officials have acquired dozens more crucifixes to display them in public schools.

In Montegrotto Terme, digital billboards that normally are used to inform the public are now displaying the crucifix with the phrase, “We will not take it down.” The mayor of Assisi has ordered that Nativity scenes be displayed in addition to the crucifix in public offices.

In Varesotto a local contractor placed a 16-foot cross on his farm in order to express his indignation over the EU court ruling.

Article here...

Bishop Mixa of the Diocese of Augsburg and military chaplain of the Bundeswehr says the ban on the Crucifix will be easy to ignore according to kath.net. He points at the ridiculousness of the ban since many nations actually have a cross as part of their national colors.