Vatican Rejects Accreditation to Lebanese Diplomat --- Because of Lodge Membership

Masonic Grand Lodge of England (London), the Mother of All
Lodges, which celebrates its tricentennial this year

(Rome) The Vatican has refused accreditation to the Lebanese ambassador to the Holy See for his membership in a Masonic lodge.

"I am a Mason, but not active"

Consul General Ibrahim visiting an Armenian Hierarch in the United States

Johnny Ibrahim, who currently serves as the Lebanese Consul General in Los Angeles, has been appointed Ambassador for the Holy See by his country's government. As the Vaticanist Franca Giansoldati reported yesterday, the reason his nomination was rejected by the Holy See attributed to his Freemasonry.

Johnny Ibrahim is said to be associated with the Masonic Grand Orient of France. He himself confirmed his lodge members, but assures us that he is not active. This is similar to how Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen explained himself last year. In three television debates, the two candidates of the Federal presidential ballot met each other. Each time his opponent confronted him with his lodge membership. Van der Bellen denied it twice, the third time he admitted it by saying that he had been active "only" for a few years, then ten years passively, and finally lapsed.

The Grand Orient of France is one of the world's largest Masonic organizations. The refusal of accreditation for Ibrahim equals a renewed condemnation of Freemasonry.

1717 - 2017: 300 years of Freemasonry

The lodges are celebrating their 300th anniversary this year. In 1717, the first Grand Lodge was built in London. A short time later, the Church pronounced the first condemnation because the worldview of the lodges was incompatible with Christianity. In recent decades, attempts have been made several times, especially in German-speaking countries, to lift the sentence. When the new Codex Iuris Canonici (CIC) was published in1983 and no explicit mention of Freemasonry was found in it, the matter was considered finished, the promoters of the Catholic-Mason reconciliation jubilated. Then came a damper.

Cardinal Biffis warning - Cardinal Ratzinger's clarification

Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, who co-authored the CIC, is said to have rushed to Pope John Paul II to voice his concern that some Church leaders see a "rapprochement" with Freemasonry. He is said to have told the pope:

"If Your Holiness cancels the canonical ban on Masonry, the next conclave will look like a Lodge."

Whether it actually happened that way can not be proven. The fact is that the then prefect of the Faith, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, made it clear in the same year that in relation to Freemasonry there is no change in the ecclesiastical position. Due to the change of canon law, a Catholic, anyone initiated in the lodge, no longer automatically incurs excommunication. Instead, the CIC Canon 1374 demands that a "just punishment" be imposed upon the declaration of a lodge membership.

However, Cardinal Ratzinger made it clear that Catholics who belong to a Lodge are still not admitted to the sacraments, not because they are excommunicated, but because they are in a state of grave sin.

The Lebanese government will have to nominate another diplomat for ambassador to the Holy See. Lebanon is the country with the largest proportion of Christians in the Middle East.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi 
Image: Wikicommons / Westernprelacy (Screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Hezbollah is Recruiting Christians Against "Islamic State"

The Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, according to a newspaper report, have recruited volunteers of all faiths for resistance brigades against the "Islamic state", even Christians have applied.

Beirut (kath.net/KNA) The Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, according to a newspaper report, have recruited volunteers of all faiths for Resistance Brigades against the "Islamic State". Several young men were trained directly by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the Lebanese newspaper reported, "An Nahar" (Wednesday). Also a number of Christians had applied.

According to Hezbollah, they have not posted any of the new fighters to Syria, but are preparing for a spillover of the Syrian civil war or an invasion of extremists in Lebanon. In the past, Hezbollah militias have supported Syria's President Bashar al-Assad against the majority Sunni insurgents. Assad belongs to the Alawite religious community, which emerged from the Shiite Islam. (C) 2014 Catholic News Agency KNA GmbH. All rights reserved.

Link to Kath.net... Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com AMDG

Attack on Pope Benedict XVI is Prevented -- Islamic Terror Cells Arrested in Lebanon

(Berlin)  As it has now been revealed, a planned Islamic terror attack upon Pope Benedict XVI had been planned during his Papal trip to Lebanon.  This was written on a site of the Shi'ite website close to Hezbollah.  The terror cells were arrested on September 16th on the last day of the Papal visit.

The Lebanese security service was able to locate and neturalize the terror group, according to the report from the Shi'ite news site Elnashira which is associated with Hezbollah,  which appeals to a "high-level  information source".  The attack is supposed to have been carried out by two cells, whose members were arrested in the early morning of the 16th of September by Anti-Terrorist units.  On Sunday Pope Benedict XVI celebrated a solemn Mass of departure for 350,000 faithful.

According to Elnashra the Lebanese security services held information, that terrorists clothed as security service officials would gain access to the area for the Papal Mass. The police employed an entire unit, in which the terrorists had infiltrated, near other armed units, but without live ammunition.  The internet site reported additionally that the Vatican security forces were immediately informed at the point of time which they were informed about the exact position of the anti-terrorist operations, but that the Pope in any case wanted no alteration of the program.

On Saturday, the 15th of September Pope Benedict XVI directed a dramatic appeal for peace to the world.  He demanded the building of a "culture of peace" and for the creation of a "new model of brotherhood".  The head of the Catholic Church demanded in addition a stop to every attack on human life.  On the following day, he is to have been murdered by Islamic terrorists.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Bild: Paroquia de Martins/Tempi
Translation: Tancred

Link to Katholisches....

Lebanon Gets New Maronite Patriarch

In addition to the new and very young Patriarch to replace the outgoing Old Liberal, papabile, ++Lubomyr Husar in the Ukraine, the Maronites are getting a new Patriarch too [their 77th] who is going to probably continue the increasingly understated presence of the Patriarchate in party poltics, says Phalange Party official, to represent almost a million Maronite Catholics, who are an ancient Arabic lineage in Union with the Holy See of Rome and always have been.

Following the 2005 elections, the rivalry between the two-biggest Christian blocs in the Lebanese Parliament led to the FPM distancing themselves from the church leadership at Bkirki over Sfeir’s stances regarding Lebanon’s political disputes.

“Rai’s election is a great achievement for Lebanon … and he has a strong relationship with everyone in the country,” said Abi Ramia.

The election of Rai has led to uncertainty within the country as to how the policies of the church’s leadership will respond to the country’s major issues.

“Bkirki should be completely removed from the competition between political parties, which drag the church into routine conflicts resulting from the rivalry of parties to attract electoral votes,” Abi Ramia added.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=126340#ixzz1Hcf8oBzX
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

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