Cardinal Refused Masonic Grandmaster Church Funeral

(Abidjan) This news has been concealed in Europe. Cardinal Jean-Pierre Kutwa, the Archbishop of Abidjan, denied the Honorary Grandmaster  and founder of the Grand Lodge of the Ivory Coast, Clotaire Magloire Coffie, an ecclesiastical funeral. Coffie had been killed in a traffic accident this January 29th.

His sudden death has shaken the economy and politics of the West African country. Freemasonry is also influential on the Ivory Coast. Alassane Quattara, Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, and that of Gabon, Ali Bongo Odimba, were among the first to be included in the condolence book. In the Congo, Gabon and Sierra Leone, there is no prospect of a higher position in the state without initiation in the lodge.

The funeral ceremonies, in addition to a Masonic "farewell", which was not publicly announced, also foresaw an ecclesiastical funeral with a Requiem Mass on February 12th. So it had been announced from Coffie's circle.

Despite massive pressure, Cardinal Kutwa refuses Church funeral

In spite of massive political pressure on him, Cardinal Kutwa has denied the Grand Master an ecclesiastical funeral. The archbishop of Abidjan remained firm, recalling that Catholic faith and Freemasonry were incompatible. Cardinal Kutwa also instructed Msgr. Ziad Sacre, head of the Catholic, Lebanese mission of the country, not to undertake an ecclesiastical funeral for Michel Georges Ghorayeb. The Lebanese Ghorayeb, a Freemason  like Coffie, had been killed together with him in the traffic accident.

Coffie was called "Le Papa" by the Freemasons. "Le Papa et un autre frère, Michel Ghorayeb, sont morts" (The father and another brother, Michel Ghorayeb, are dead), Jeune Afrique reported on 31 January, citing the Grand Lodge of the Ivory Coast.

It was the Greek Orthodox priest of Abidjan who finally agreed to perform the religious rite on 6 February as part of a vigil.

Incompatibility: Fellowship automatically leads to excommunication

The incompatibility between the secret bond of the Lodges and the Catholic Church was confirmed by Pope Clement XII. in the dogmatic bull In Eminenti of 28 April 1738. Since then, Catholics know that they merit the punishment of the excommunication latae sententiae when they join a lodge.

The founding of the Grand-Lodge of London in June 1717 is considered the "birth-hour" of Freemasonry around the world. All other lodges invoke this grand lodge. 300 years later,
nothing of what Pope Clement XII. in his bull has been altered. On 26 November 1983, the Catholic Church finally confirmed the condemnation of Freemasonry. The Declaration of the Congregation for the Congregation of the Faith, headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, took place with the express approval of Pope John Paul II. It stated that the negative judgment of the Church on Freemasonry was "unchanged". Literally it means:

"The negative judgment of the Church on Masonic associations thus remains unchanged because their principles have always been regarded as incompatible with the doctrine of the Church, and therefore, their membership in them is prohibited. The faithful who are members of the Masonic associations are, therefore, in the state of serious sin, and can not receive Holy Communion."

"Those who put pressure on Cardinal Kutwa to persuade him to allow an ecclesiastical burial for the Grand Master, despite the condemnation, may have been accustomed to dealing with a spineless clergy ready to bend, eager to please. But not all, thanks to Providence, are this way. There are Church leaders who continue to take the Catechism seriously and, above all, say no, when the sacraments and especially the Eucharist are at stake," said Mauro Faverzani of Corrispondenza Romana.

Great influence of the lodges on the policies of several African states

The funeral ceremonies for the influential Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the Ivory Coast lasted several days from the 6th to the 10th of February, and were strikingly similar to the protocol for the corresponding celebrations at the death of a head of state. A large number of politicians had appeared, including the country's Minister of Security, Hamed Bakayoko, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the Ivory Coast, who had been in office since 2015, and Alain Donwahi, the Grand Master of the Province of the Grand Center. Also present were Vice President Daniel Kablan Duncan, Minister of Economic Affairs Bruno Koné, former Prime Minister Jeannot Ahoussou Kouadio, Chairman of the Economic and Environmental Council, Charles Koffi Diby, and former Prime Minister Henriette Konan Bedié.

They presented themselves to Cardinal Kutwa. Jean-Pierre Kutwa, ordained a priest in 1971, was appointed Archbishop of Gagnoa in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. In 2006 Pope Benedict XVI appealed to him to take the archbishop's See of Abidjan. In February 2014, Pope Francis Francis raised him to the rank of Cardinal.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: MiL (Screenshot)
Trans: vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Mass Graves in Ivory Coast

Editor: It's a good thing no one burned a Koran in Ivory Coast or anything. No telling what would have happened then.

AFRICA/CÔTE D'IVOIRE - The Nuncio in Abidjan denounces the serious violations of human rights and gives witness to the aid to victims provided by the Church

Abidjan (Agenzia Fides) - “Civilians are the first victims: they suffer serious violence,” says Archbishop Ambrose Madtha, Apostolic Nuncio to Côte d'Ivoire, to the French section of Aid to the Church in Need (Aide à l’Église en Détresse, AED), which sent Fides a statement about it. “There have been many killings (by the blows from heavy weapons, slaughters, people burned alive), there are kidnappings, looting, etc.”, complains the Nuncio. “Families are fleeing the violence and taking refuge mostly in churches.” The Diocese of Man (particularly the cities of Abidjan and Duékoué, where mass graves were discovered of hundreds of corpses) and the Archdiocese of Abidjan and Gagnoa are the most affected.

“The displaced people are really deprived of everything, because they were forced to leave everything in order to escape,” said Archbishop Madtha. “They are lacking food, clean water, medicine and clothes. We are assisting these people by sharing with them the little that we have. But faced with the seriousness of the situation and their great need, we need help,” says the Nuncio.

The AED sent 25,000 euros as emergency relief funds. “We are not specialists in emergency aid,” says Marc Fromager, Director of AED, “but we can not remain indifferent to the drama that is unfolding before our eyes.”

Today, 6 April, Pope Benedict XVI launched an appeal for an end to violence in Côte d'Ivoire. “With great concern I continue to follow the dramatic events that the dear people of Côte d'Ivoire and Libya are experiencing,” adding that he issues “a new and heartfelt appeal to all parties, that they may begin the work of peace and dialogue and avoid further bloodshed.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 6/4/2011)

H/t: Tom at AQ

Combat in Ivory Coast: Christians Are Being Annihilated

The outgoing, officially Christian, president doesn't want to give up his office, his supporters are engaged in battle against the supporters of the new Muslim president -- what looks like a civil war situation: 40,000 people seek protection in churches.

Abidjan (kath.net/idea) In the appearances of civil unrest in the West African country of Ivory Coast, Christians are being annihilated. They have been attacked by Islamic extremists; a number of churches have been burned down, according to the President of the US-branch of the relief organization Open Doors, Carl Moeller (Santa Ana/State of California) to the information service of Mission Network News.

According to reports from Church workers in the Ivory Coast there have also been Christians murdered. About 40,000 people are seeking asylum in churches to escape the unrest in the city of Abidjan.

The harbour city is a center of the fighting between supporters of the President-elect Laurent Gbagbo and of the internationally supported Alassane Outtara, who had been declared the winner.

Ggagbo refuses to recognize his electoral defeat and is holding tightly to his office. He identifies himself as a Christian, while Ouattara is a Muslim.

In the fighting between the supporters of both camps, more than 400 people have been killed. UN estimates the number of refugees within the country have climbed to 300,000. Around 100,000 are on the other side of the boarder having fled Liberia. The Federal Government has increased its foreign aid by 500,000.

About 20 million inhabitants are Muslims with about 38 percent as the strongest group. 27.5 percent are Christians, of which 22 percent are Catholics and 5.5 percent are protestants. The remaining citizens are mostly members of various native religions.

From kath.net...

Related news, here.

Gun Battles Erupt in Ivory Coast [Reuters]

Ivory Coast, Getting out Alive.