Kreuz.net: Austrian Catholic Site Owner of 'kreuz-net.at' Found Guilty For Incitement

Edit: they haven't gone after him yet for kreuznet of 2012.
Four months for "degrading humiliation of homosexual men" on private website - judgment not legally binding
Vienna (kath.net/KAP) The responsible person of the Internet portal "kreuz-net.at" was convicted on Tuesday of the Viennese regional court for criminal cases for incitement to a four months of imprisonment. The Austria Press Agency (APA) reports this after the end of the trial, which should have taken place already in July and had to be postponed due to the lack of the defendant. The punishment was conditionally reviewed by the operator of the website, with a probationary period of three years. The judgment is not final.


The subject of the proceedings was a contribution to homosexuals published in December 2015. Among other things, it was said that syphilis is "God's punishment" for "homo-unbreeders". The accused pled "not guilty". At the hearing, according to APA, his defender Kurt Kadavy stated that the term "homo-fornicator," was "not a term of pleasantry", but "in the Catholic context, fornication is a theological concept which means a serious sinful behavior, namely, sexual intercourse outside the sacrament Marriage". "Homo" was preceded by the term "only to specify", added the defendant.

"God's punishment", according to Catholic morality, is the consequence of serious sins. Whoever does not do penance for this in his lifetime can not find an entrance into Eternal Life, said the accused. He conceded that the contribution was "pointed, no question". But he is not punishable. Whether the defendant had written the article himself, the operator of the website did not want to answer several questions asked by the judge.

"If you do not see that is detrimental, and if you do not understand that the state needs to protect this group from doing so, then there is nothing left but to condemn it," according to APA, said Gerald Wagner, the negotiating judge. There was undoubtedly a "degrading humiliation of homosexual men." The judge said that in his understanding this is a broad condemnation such as wishing syphilis upon them.

The Internet portal "kreuz-net.at", which can also be accessed under "kreuz-net.info", claims to spread "Catholic news". It is a private website. [It's a lot better than the internet commerce site kathnet.]

Previously, another website with the similar name "kreuz.net" had already been targeted in 2012 for anti-Semitic and homophobic contributions to the Austrian and German constitutional protection. [If you recall, the German Bishops made common cause with Green Volker Beck to destroy anyone associated with it.] The public prosecutor's office in Vienna undertook an investigation against the anonymous site operators. The head of the Media of the Austrian Bishops' Conference, Paul Wuthe, called for the blocking of the page in November 2012. The judiciary is engaged and has an active interest. A few weeks later, at the beginning of December, the site went surprisingly off the net and is still no longer accessible.

Shortly afterwards, a new website called "kreuz-net.info" went online at the beginning of 2013 under the Internet address "kreuz-net.at". As a media owner, editor and site manager, the now convicted person before the Viennese regional court does not appear to be legally convicted.
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

The Trevi Fountain in Rome is Colored Red "For the Blood of Christian Martyrs"

(Rome) This coming April 29, the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome will turn red as "the blood of Christian martyrs". This action seeks to raise awareness of the plight of persecuted Christians in different states.

The initiative for action comes from the Catholic aid charity Kirche in Not. Meanwhile, numerous Catholic organizations have joined the effort.

ACN published a short video to announce the action.The pictures show the horrors of the persecution of Christians. Pope Francis can  be heard in the original sound with the words:

"Our brothers shed their blood just because they are Christians."

The Trevi Fountain is the largest fountain in Rome and one of the most famous in the world. It is regarded as one of the main attractions of the Eternal City.

In 1640 the contract was issued by Pope Urban VII. for drilling the well  to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, but it was only begun in 1732.

After an extensive and thorough restoration,  the fountain was reopened five months ago.

Among visitors to Rome, it is customary to throw a coin into the fountain, which guarantees a return to the city. The coins are fished out once every year by the City Council, most recently since the restoration work began in 2013. From this point forward, this money goes to Caritas. In 2013 there were 1.2 million euros.

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Pope Francis Suspends Bishop Lovieres -- Intrigue Against Faithful Bishop Continues

Bishop Lovieres Suspended

Edit: basically, if the Pope himself were held to these standards, he would have to suspend himself.  

Of course, the media, and ambulance chasing, political activist attorneys love him too much to bring him down.

(Asuncion) Pope Francis has dismissed  Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay today. At the same time, he has appointed Bishop Ricardo Jorge Valenzuela Ríos of Villarrica del Espiritu Santo as Apostolic Administrator of the vacant episcopal chair.

The decision had already been signed off last summer, when the attention of Pope Francis  fell obtrusively upon  the Latin American Diocese and an Apostolic Visitor was sent.

After completion of the Visitation, soothing and friendly explanations of the transferees were indeed given, but whoever knows internal church practices, already feared the peace before the storm.

In a statement, the Vatican press office states:

After a careful examination of the findings of the Apostolic Visitations made ​​to the Bishop, dioceses and seminaries of Ciudad del Este, by the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Clergy, the Holy Father has proceeded with the replacement of Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano. He has appointed Ricardo Jorge Valenzuela Ríos, Bishop of Villarrica del Espíritu Santo, as Apostolic Adminostrator of the now vacant diocese.

The grave decision taken by the Holy See, under the weight of serious pastoral concerns, is for the greater good and unity of the Church of Ciudad del Este and episcopal communion in Paraguay.

The Holy Father, in the exercise of his ministry as "the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity of both the bishops and of the faithful" (LG 23) calls for the clergy and the entire people of God of Ciudad del Este to accept the Holy See’s decision with the spirit of obedience, docility and an open heart, guided by faith.

Moreover, he invites the entire Church of Paraguay, led by its pastors, to a serious process of reconciliation and to overcome any factionalism and discord, so that the face of the one Church "purchased with the blood of his own Son" is not wounded and the "flock of Christ" is not deprived of the joy of the Gospel (cf. Acts 20: 28).

The serious decision of the Holy See, judiciously because of serious pastoral reflections is governed by the higher good of the unity of the Church of Ciudad del Este and the Episcopal Community of Paraguay.

The combined Vatican statement in understandable words

Bishop Livieres celebrates Old Rite

The Vatican statement must be translated into understandable words: faithful bishops disturb the "communion of bishops" and will continue in the name of an ominous "peace"  be sent into the desert.  Msgr. Ricardo Jorge Valenzuela Ríos, Bishop of Villarrica del Espiritu Santo, who is appointed by the Pope, is one of the most liberal bishops of Paraguay, as the Apostolic Administrator. An additional slap in the face.

The faithful Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano constituted an exception among Latin American diocesan bishops. Within a few years his Diocese of Ciudad del Este had flowered. In almost every parish of the Diocese  the Holy Mass is celebrated in the Old Rite. The seminary of the diocese has more than 200 seminarians, more than the seminaries of all other dioceses in Paraguay together.  Bishop Livieres was thus among the bishops what  the Franciscans of the Immaculate were among  the Orders. He showed that faithfulness in doctrine and liturgy brings great blessing. He became a bone of contention for the other bishops, who had very different "track records" to show.  Large archdioceses such as Buenos Aires and Montevideo have less than 30 seminarians (see report Latin Mass Boom in Paraguay - Causes Pope Francis to arrange visitation ). "That explains why the development in the Diocese of Ciudad del Este was interfered with by progressive parts of the Church," said Messa in Latino.

Bishop Livieres: Annoyed by Tradition and the Old Rite

Visitor Cardinal Abril and assistant in Ciudad del Este

Bishop Livieras also did something  else that did the Franciscans of the Immaculate did, they lifted up their voice, equally among the others. However, a voice that was heard outside of the choir.

Now he is the victim of an intrigue which was quickly threaded together. The scattering of some unsubstantiated rumors, and the denunciations in Rome, which conspired to send a visitation.  The diocese refuted the rumors disseminated point by point in a detailed dossier. Bishop Livieres saw through the game quickly, and named the Archbishop of Asuncion Msgr. Eustaquio Pastor Cuquejo Verga as one of the main schemers, which he did publicly in a speech at the March for Life, where he accused him ofb "homosexuality"  and complained that he had still not been removed from office . [Of course, this happens all the time, but bishops rarely say anything in public.]

Visitation Ordered by Pope

Bishop Livieres indictment that he openly raised  and not in the form of a denunciation, as his opponents  characterize it  had totally different kinds of consequences. Pope Francis sent a Visitor from 21-26th July, not to Asuncion, but to Ciudad del Este. The Episcopal Conference of Paraguay announced the impending visitation with obvious satisfaction at a specially convened press conference, of course, without  Bishop Livieres knowing about it.

If the impression  is awakened in the Vatican statement that the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Clergy had separately or even independently performed "visitations", this is not true. There was only one visitation and it was decided by Pope Francis personally. He also sent for the Visitor, Cardinal Santos Abril, Archpriest of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Cardinal Abril, served from 2000-2003 as nuncio in Argentina and has been a close friend of Pope Francis (see report Pope suspended Ordinations in the Diocese of Ciudad del Este - A Deja-vu? ).

Believers demonstrate for Bishop Livieres

Catholic Tragedy

In Ciudad del Este is an oft repeated  Catholic tragedy,  one which has been experienced  the last 25 years  several times in the German language area. The attacks and intrigues were not always, but too often, successful. Not only bishops were deposed. In Austria a revolt of the progressive clergy and full-time employees of the Church,  rose up and put fraternal pressure and the interacted with the religion-hostile media already to prevent the consecration and inauguration of a bishop who'd just been  appointed.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Eco Ciudad del Este / Diocesis de Ciudad del Este
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Pope Suspends Bishop for Being Too Catholic

Edit: it's not like there aren't other bishops out there who've put predators in charge of things and even expose children to their influence. It's just that other bishops, like +++Daneels, don't have the requisite political and religious views.

By his own ruling here, the current Pope should suspend himself.

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has decided to remove the Bishop of Ciudad del Este, Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano.

Below please find a Vatican Radio translation of the official Holy See statement:

After a careful examination of the findings of the Apostolic Visitations made ​​to the Bishop, dioceses and seminaries of Ciudad del Este, by the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Clergy, the Holy Father has proceeded with the replacement of Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano. He has appointed Ricardo Jorge Valenzuela Ríos, Bishop of Villarrica del Espíritu Santo, as Apostolic Adminostrator of the now vacant diocese.
The grave decision taken by the Holy See, under the weight of serious pastoral concerns, is for the greater good and unity of the Church of Ciudad del Este and episcopal communion in Paraguay.
The Holy Father, in the exercise of his ministry as "the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity of both the bishops and of the faithful" (LG 23) calls for the clergy and the entire people of God of Ciudad del Este to accept the Holy See’s decision with the spirit of obedience, docility and an open heart, guided by faith.
Moreover, he invites the entire Church of Paraguay, led by its pastors, to a serious process of reconciliation and to overcome any factionalism and discord, so that the face of the one Church "purchased with the blood of his own Son" is not wounded and the "flock of Christ" is not deprived of the joy of the Gospel (cf. Acts 20: 28).

(Emer McCarthy)
Pope FrancisBishopsParaguay25/09/2014SHARE:

Jovial Cardinal Sacks Faithful Monsignor in NYC?

Edit: Matt Abbott has reported on this event.  The Monsignor was to be the Executive Director of the Fulton J. Sheen Center for Arts and Culture.  Looks like it's open season on faithful clergy.

Certain troubling developments have come out of the Archdiocese of New York in recent weeks, as covered in this column and a number of other Catholic (and secular) news outlets.
The latest development, an interesting side note to the controversy surrounding the suspension of the cause for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's canonization, is the intriguing "disappearance" of a once-esteemed New York priest, Monsignor Michael F. Hull. 

A source recently provided me with information that Monsignor Hull quietly left, or was removed from, the priesthood within the last several months. Because everything is so hush-hush on these matters, I decided to take a "wait and see" approach. (Also, it's difficult for me to truly investigate something since I'm not paid for my Catholic journalism 

I have neither the time nor the resources that many secular, and even some Catholic, journalists and commentators have. I mention this because there are still readers who assume that I make my living doing Catholic journalism. I don't.)

Link to Renew America...

The "Hushed" Case of Father Calmel

Edit: who were the figures who resisted for a time, remained true to their vocations, and died serving the true Church, only to be obscured, ridiculed, ignored, unnoticed or placed aside? Surely, many in France know this man and felt the influence of his apostolic zeal. This is one of those great men, who fought an often lonesome fight in the Garden of Gethsemane. Fr. Roger-Thomas Calmel was persecuted mightily by the hierarchy.  He was a French Dominican and taught at a school for the Dominican Sisters of Fanjeux and established a lasting legacy there which lasts to this day.  Pertinacious Papist recently posted this, and we received an e-mail from a reader, Anthony.  God bless for this, here's the article by Cristiana de Magistris:

Dominican religious and Thomist theologian of great importance, director of souls, esteemed and sought throughout the whole of France, Catholic writer of a convincing logic and unambiguous clarity, Fr. Roger-Thomas Calmel (1914-1975) in the difficult years of the Council and the post-council period, was characterized by his counter-revolutionary action, through his preaching, writings and above all by his example, both on a doctrinal as well as a liturgical level. 

But on a particular point the resistance of this son of St. Dominic reached heroism: the Holy Mass. The Catholic Faith is founded upon the Mass because it is in the Mass that our Redemption was wrought by Christ upon Calvary and this is perpetuated in the holy Sacrifice offered day after day. 

1969 was the fateful year of the liturgical revolution, prepared for at length and finally imposed with authority upon a people who neither asked for nor desired it.    

            The birth of the new Mass was not peaceful.  Against the hymns of victory of the novatores, there were the voices of those who did not want to trample upon the past––of almost two millennia––of a Mass which dated back to the apostolic tradition.  This opposition was sustained by two Cardinals of the Curia (Ottaviani and Bacci), but remained completely unheeded.

            The date upon which the new Ordo Missae became effective was fixed for 30thNovember, the first Sunday of Advent, and the opposition was not going to be placated.Paul VI himself, in two general audiences (19th and 26th November 1969), intervened, presenting the new rite of the Mass as the will of the Council and as a help to Christian piety.

            On 26th November he said: “The New rite of the Mass:  it is a change in a venerable tradition that has gone on for centuries. This is something that affects our hereditary religious patrimony, which seemed to enjoy the privilege of being untouchable and settled. It seemed to bring the prayer of our forefathers and our Saints to our lips and to give us the comfort of feeling faithful to our spiritual past, which we kept alive to pass it on to the generations ahead.  It is at such a moment as this that we get a better understanding of the value of historical tradition and the communion of the Saints. This change will affect the ceremonies of the Mass. We shall become aware, perhaps with some feeling of annoyance, that the ceremonies at the altar are no longer being carried out with the same words and gestures to which we were accustomed—perhaps so much accustomed that we no longer took any notice of them. This change also touches the Faithful. It is intended to interest each one of those present, to draw them out of their customary personal devotions or their usual torpor…”.  And he continued by saying that it was necessary to understand the positive meaning of the reforms and to make of the Mass “a school of spiritual depth and a peaceful but demanding school of Christian sociology.”

       

Turkmeninstan's Thumbscrews for Christians

(Ashgabat) police and intelligence have conducted a raid against the believers of Protestants of the Mission organization Light of the East in Dashoguz, the third largest city of Turkmenistan . A special unit stormed two houses of prayer, searched them and confiscated all religious materials, including bibles. An official of the Department of Religious Affairs, who is also the imam of a local mosque at the same time, turned to the pastor of the Christian community with an invitation to convert to Islam, because his religion was "wrong". "Christianity is a mistake and not even a religion, but a myth," said the Imam.

The police threatened a Turkmen Christian with 15 days in prison and deportation because he had supported the Christian community. Of one group of Christians who were then in one of the two houses were rehearsing songs for the Sunday service, an official claimed that "the songs of praise to God are banned here [in Turkmenistan]". The number of Muslims in the is estimated at 89-93 percent (almost exclusively Sunni, about two percent of Shiites), while the Russian Orthodox Christians probably make up 6-10 percent. The remaining one percent are Catholics, Protestants, Jews and all other religions inlcusive.

The Norwegian website Forum18 documents cases of violations of religious freedom in Central Asia, reports that the number of fines and warnings against Christians in Turkmenistan are on the increase. It is not clear whether this is anti-Christian or anti-religious measures in general. Muslims receive only a limited number of exit permits to participate in the traditional Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. The state seeks to exercise strict control.

The Pentecostal Community Light of the East is officially registered and recognized by the state since 2005. It was among the first non-Islamic and non-Russian Orthodox religious communities in Turkmenistan, where it has been allowed by the state to practice outside of the capital Ashgabat. For several weeks, however, the faithful of this community are increasingly the target of police abuses. Religious material was seized, and as the Christians were taken to the police headquarters to pick up their personal information, they were intimidated and threatened with punishment.

At the same time the number of prisoners increases who are imprisoned for crimes of opinion, especially because defense of religious freedom. In the second half of November, the Jehovah's Witness, Suhrab Rahmanberdiyyev, was sentenced to 18 months in prison because he is a conscientious objector. It is the ninth Jehovah's Witness, who ha been arrested and sentenced in Turkmenistan because of that. Of Rahmanberdiyyev it is known that he was beaten in jail because he refuses to identify himself as a Muslim and convert to Islam.

Text: Asianews / Giuseppe Nardi image: Asianews Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com Link to Katholisches... AMGD

For 1500 Days on Death Row -- Asia Bibi Refuses to Convert to Islam

(Islamabad) The now 42-year old Catholic mother has been unjustly accused, since 2009, of insulting Islam. It is a triviality to charge someone and put them in jail for this offense. It may lead to harsh prison sentences. Asia Bibi was sentenced, however, in the first instance by a court, to death. Since then, she is waiting on death row for her appeal.

For 1,500 days Asia Bibi is innocent and in prison. A "wrong" word, refusing to convert to Islam and the trap has snapped shut. Asia Bibi was reported by Muslim women, work colleagues, who were supposed to be friends. But Asia Bibi faces a stigma: she is Christian. The police arrested, allegedly to protect her, because Muslims want to practice their hangman's justice. A more accurate legal review of the indictment did not take place.

The scandal ensures worldwide attention. The Catholic minority minister Shahbaz Bhatti of Pakistan campaigned for her release and was assassinated by Islamists. The Muslim governor of the home province of Asia Bibi, Salmaan Taseer, who fought for the mother and her family, was brutally murdered by Islamists. The murderer was enthusiastically celebrated as a hero of Islam.

A fatwa was issued against Asia Bibi, that requires every Muslim to murder the Catholic. Therefore, the necessary safety precautions make life in prison for the "condemned" even more unbearable. Pope Benedict XVI. appealed to the government and the Pakistani people. Vatican diplomacy tried to reach for extradition for Asia Bibi. This is so that she would be removed as a "bone of contention" from the country, but bringing her to safety. But the Islamists have created a death zone of scorched earth for the Christian. No Pakistani politician dares after the murders to unleash the Islamist "people's anger" on earth. Western governments have kept up with symbolic "pressure" on the government of Pakistan. Pakistan is an important and historic U.S. ally in the region. The neighboring country of Afghanistan could fall into the hands of the Islamists by way of the Asia Bibi case. Thus is the fear in the Western state offices. The strategy is: peace before justice. Asia Bibi has thus become a symbol for hostages, for a country where power is not exercised by the Islamists.

In the first half of June, Asia Bibi was shifted from the high-security prison in Sheikhupura in the women's prison in Multan. For the family members, the trip also means twelve hours for each visit. Rides that always are always made by the family with special precautions to avoid detection, or falling into the hands of Islamists. "It sounds absurd, but the family members are currently living almost a more dangerous life than Asia Bibi behind the terrible prison walls," says a Christian family lawyer. Whoever was able to visit Asia Bibi in the past few months, got to hear the same words: "Please, do everything possible for my freedom. I am strong, but I'm going weaker day by day."

Asia Bibi is far from the only recent case of the tragic Islamist hounding of Christians. The list of persecuted Christians is long and the number of Christians killed grows from year to year. The young Christian Rimsha Masih was eventually acquitted because it could not be proven that the Imam falsified incriminating evidence. A rare stroke of luck, where justice came before Islam. A return to her life was still no longer available for the young girl in Pakistan yet. Islamists do not think much of the state courts. Your judgment is sure, with or without a judge. Rimsha Masih received political asylum in Canada and lives with her family recently in the North American country. However, they are there under false names and with new documents, because Islamists are present almost everywhere.

The fate of Asia Bibi might also threaten two other Christian women and their families. In one place, the southern province of Sindh, a rich Muslim landlord has tried to abduct the Catholic Nazia Masih, to marry her after the forced conversion to Islam. Her family was able to prevent the worst appealing to the local bishop. But Nazia and her aunt, the Catholic nun, Sister Marie Khurshid's lives are in danger. The Islamists have vowed revenge.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
 Image: Tempi
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMGD

State Court Fines Christian Homeschoolers in Germany

Edit: considering the previous story, which featured a chaotic and spiritually poisonous setting for what appear to be Catholic school children, we thought this story was also apropos in light of Germany's government controlled education monopoly.

Couple does not want their nine children to be raised by strangers.

Fritzlar / Homberg (kath.net / idea ) A Christian couple from the North Hessian town of Homberg has been fighting for 20 years against compulsory education. Because Thomas (51) and Marit Foam (47) teach their children at home illegally, the district court sentenced Fritzlar to a fine of 700 Euros on the 22nd of May. The prosecution had required a sentence of six months, since he is a repeat offender. Already twice before the parents have been sentenced to fines. They justify their homeschooling with  their religious faith. They could not take the responsibility to  place their children in someone else's hands or into the "dubious surroundings" of a school. In addition, the father has criticized the early childhood sex education and the teaching of evolution in biology classes, the statements which contradict  the statements of the Bible.

The couple has nine children, three of which are of school age. The five oldest are 17-25 years old, the youngest is two years old. The older children were taught by their parents, who have then each attended  the last school year and made top grades with elementary or secondary school.

 Daughter Marit (25) considers the behavior of her parents "very good," she told the local press. She works as an administrative professional employees in Homberger City Hall and takes part in a training course as a business administrator. For good performance, she receives a scholarship.

The couple announced in the courtroom that they wanted to take action against the judge saying: "We will carry on as before."  They want to decide on educational goals and the educational climate.

Will state agencies regulate?

At the trial, an employee of the School Board had stated that her office was moved to make a civil complaint because of the  violation of the compulsory education. The youth welfare office has had parents certify in writing not to endanger the child's welfare. The family live in orderly conditions. Also, the home schooling is orientated to the school curriculum.   Judge Marion Riechers also read a letter from the youth office to the school office. This shows that both offices do not want to criminalize the parents. According to the Ministry of Culture in Wiesbaden in Hessen, three families teach their children at home for religious reasons.

Link to kath.net...

Copts Demand Justice for Egyptian Christians

Egypt: there is no concern or relief for the indigenous people of Egypt in the face of continued US-backed support for Muslim Brotherhood in the region.

China: Bishop Aloyisius Jin Luxian

Shanghai (AsiaNews) - Msgr. Aloyisius Jin Luxian, official bishop of Shanghai died today at 2.46 pm local time. The prelate, one of the most important personalities of the Chinese Church, was 97 years old and had been ill for a long time. In recent months he had been hospitalized and no one was allowed to visit him.

A highly controversial personality, often accused of being "too patriotic" and friendly with the regime, Msgr. Jin, who was a Jesuit, contributed to the development of the Church in a decisive way. Several years ago he was reconciled with the Pope and the Holy See considered him the "auxiliary" bishop of Shanghai. The ordinary bishop was Msgr. Joseph Fan Zhongliang, who is also very old and sick.

The diocese of Shanghai has not yet set a date for the funeral. According to AsiaNews sources the government has been long preparing for such a ceremony, especially from the point of view of who should preside. For the Holy See, in fact, the liturgy by right should be celebrated by Msgr. Thaddeus Ma Daqin, ordained on July 7. But after having decided to leave the Patriotic Association, Bishop Ma was put in solitary confinement in Sheshan seminary. According to unconfirmed reports in recent days Msgr. Ma has been removed from the diocese, perhaps to impede his participation in Msgr. Jin's funeral.

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Msgr.-Aloysius-Jin-Luxian,-official-bishop-of-Shanghai,-has-died-27775.html

Libyan Islamists Prey on Christians -- Christians Graves are Desecrated

Libya (Benghazi) Islamists do continue to hunt for Christians working in the North African country. They are summarily accused of  proselytism. The recent incident takes place in the Mediterranean city of Benghazi, the capital of Cyrenaica. In the second largest city of Libya 48 Egyptian Christians were arrested, as Asianews reported. These are Orthodox Copts, who were reported by Libyan Islamists. The Christians, merchants and traders who visited the market of Benghazi, are alleged to have conducted religious images and representations of themselves. A  video seized from the police  shows how Christians are being held in a small room of Salafists. They appear physically exhausted. Many wounds and abrasions are visible. The Islamists have shaved all Christians bald.

The incident has caused displeasure among the inhabitants of Benghazi. Only in October, it had risen against the Salafi militias accused of perpetrating the attack on the American consulate, where the U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed.

The authorities reported on Thursday that Egyptian Christians had not been arrested for religious reasons, but for violation of immigration laws. Only in mid-February, four Christians were arrested, an Egyptian, a South African, a Swede and a South Korean with U.S. citizenship. They are accused of having spread Bibles and other Christian materials.

The spread of Islamic extremism is affecting the Catholic orders, which have been active in part for a long time on the territory of modern Libya. They have built hospitals and work with elderly people. Only in January the Islamists have succeeded in forcing the Franciscan Sisters of the Child Jesus of Barce and the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Beida, to leave the country. In October 2012, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Spoleto were forced to leave Libya due to the constant threats and attacks by the Islamists, as Father Dominique Rézeau reported.

"Not a day goes by without Christian graves being desecrated and destroyed," lamented Bruno Daimasso to the magazine Tempi, the gardener of the Italian cemetery in Tripoli. "The remains of the Christians are torn from their graves and scattered in the cemetery," as Jeune Afriquereported. "The Libyan authorities have arrived, took photos and did nothing," said Daimasso.

According to Dominique Rézeau there are officially some 200,000 Christians who lived in Libya before the fall of Gaddafi, and three percent of the population, since the so-called Arab Spring, "only a few are thousand left." As the Vicar Apostolic Bishop Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli confirmed, the churches in the Kyreinaika are indeed still open, the situation for Christians is however "very critical”.

Link to Katholisches...

Bomb Attack Against Madrid Cathedral Thwarted

Edit: it's refreshing to see enemies now attempting to do in the open what they do from within, behind a Bishop's office or a comfortable University chair.  In Spain a newly minted Anarchist organization, Commando Mateo Morral has claimed responsibility for a failed bomb attack on the Cathedral of La Almudena in Madrid.

Among their targets, the Church, they also wish to attack the Bourbon Monarchy as well.

All their majestic appearance is just the fruit of oppression and will be us the oppressed ones who will finish it through insurrectional revolutionary violence. We won't fall in the trap of awaiting for the historical conditions to come. We believe that the conditions for the attack are propitious as long as State, Capital and even more the rotten fascist Royal Family exist. We are determined. We do not wait. We take action. 

We do not have the wrong idea that with just this kind of actions we will achieve the destruction of all that oppresses us. We do not deceive ourselves. We do not fall into self-complacency. This is propaganda through action, which has existed for more than a century among the seditious and conspirators against Power. It is an appeal to war without limits using all our imagination and energy to end with this rotten reality.

The bomb was hidden in a trash bag, and was found by the local priest in a confessional, who then evacuated the church and called the police.  The bomb was made of 200 grams of gunpowder in a can of nails with an alarm clock, which they successfully deactivated.

Another interesting detail from a Spanish language blog writing in English is the following note:

Note: Mateo or Mateu Morral was a famous Catalan Anarchist who attempted to kill King Alfonso XII in 1906 with a bomb hidden in a bunch of flowers that he threw against the royal parade in Madrid, killing several but not the monarchs. A historical video can be watched here[es].

"Throw All That Baroque Junk Away!"

Edit: Neoconservative bloggers in the United States aren't the only people who ruthlessly and demoniacally attack Catholic priests.  It's behavior you'd expect from the Bolsheviks, but well-paid Catholic apologists, well... At least these people are more clearly aligned with the enemy and that's at  least a tiny consolation.

Everything which isn't hammered into place by the fake holy "We are all lovey --dovey, dovey", is brutally opposed by the Old Liberal.

Baroque Vestments Belong,
in Museums  © caribb, Flickr, CC 

(kreuz.net)  A chaplain in a south German Diocese was invited by parish members to dinner.

Unbeknownst to him, the meal became a show trial that lasted over two hours.

Only no religion

His hosts were an Old Liberal clique, who had sworn to play the Neoconservative chaplain like a violin.

His liturgies are too solemn and too rote  --  they told him.

There are too many ministers.  The constant chanting is too much.

The length of the Liturgy on Sunday is unbearable.  Upon the timid objection of the chaplain, that he had never seen his hosts there, it was explained to him that the mere existence of such things is enough to reject them.

In generaly he has -- like the others -- kindly worn the alb and is to throw away his vestments and all of that "baroque dreck".

Priests Alone Are Serene

With the interjection of the chaplain, if one had with regards to the subject, theologically or even in human terms to criticize him with, the answer was:  "We just can't stand you and that's enough already."

This incident shows three things:

1. The modernistic limitations, to crucify priests, sinks to new lows.

2. In the meantime even harmless Neoconservative priests are attacked, who have represented no definitive Catholic positions.

3.  Everything which isn't hammered into place by the fake holy "We are all lovey --dovey, dovey", is brutally opposed by the Old Liberal.

Conclusion:  One priest after another withdraws with inner resignation.

They can't expect anything from the Pope or from the Bishops.

Link to kreuz.net....

Islamic States Condemn Attacks Against Churches in Israel

Edit: Israeli settlers have often been hostile to Christians living in Palestine in the past and many Christians have fled the Middle East to escape the violence coming from all sides in the conflict.

General Secretary of the Union of 57 Islamic States, Ihsangoglu, weighed sharp criticisms.

Riad (kath.net/KAP) The organization for Islamic Collaboration  (OIC) have roundly condemned the anti-Christian defacement of a Church in Jerusalem and are holding Israel responsible.  The attack against Church property occurred in succession with other attacks of Israeli extremists against Christian and Muslim property, explained the General Secretary of the Union of 57 Islamic States, the Turkish historian Ekmeleddin Ihsangoglu, on Wednesday in the Saudi Jeddah.

The international community must protect the holy places and put pressure on Israel, in order to bring an end to such activities and enforce the adherence to International Law, says Ihsanoglu.  Previous attacks by the radical Islamic Hamas against Christian and Islamic structures were condemned.  The occurrence is a witness of an "Israeli racism, which is established against a Palestinian presence in Jerusalem, whether it is Islamic or Christian."

On Monday anti-Christian slogans were discovered  on a Baptist church in the center of Jerusalem.  Additionally, three cars parked there had their tires slashed.  According to media reports the things that are on the church, things like curses against Jesus and his Mother Mary, and also "Death to Christendom" and "We will crucify you".

Two weeks previously there were threatening slogans written in Hebrew on the Greek Orthodox Holy Cross Monastery near the Israeli Parliament.

Link to kath.net...

Exiled Loyal Polish Priest Returns to St. Pölten!

Edit: he had been untreated by the old scandal Diocese of Linz, and despite having the entire board of the Parish behind him, was asked to leave on the say so of the Austrian media and a few disgruntled parishioners who rarely went to Church and demonstrated even less knowledge of the Catholic faith than they did actual charity from the indeterminate and baseless accusations made against the priest.

The well-known Polish priest is active right now in the Diocese of St. Pölten in the Parish of Neuhofen on the river Ybbs in the Deanery Amstetten and thus is nearer to Linz than before when he was serving at Kopfing.

St.Pölten-Linz (kath.net)The famous Polish Priest Andreas Skoblicki, who is also loved by many, is returning back to Austria and is this weekend at the Diocese of St. Pölten in the Parish of Newhofen on the Ybbs in the Deanery of Amstette as a priest. Interesting detail: Skoblicki is with that, has been moved closer to Linz. The distance to Kopfing from the Diocesan Bishop's residence is 68 kilometers, while the distance to the Parish of Neuhofen to Linz is only 63 kilometers, according to Routenplaner.

After a month of bullying in December, on the part of Linz Diocesan circles, the Polish Priest finally left the Diocese of Linz. From previous letter to KATH.NET by the priest, it was revealed that he was "forced into this decision".

A statement by the Diocese of St. Pölten said the following: "The Diocese of St. Pölten offers Herr Magister Andreas Skoblicki the possibility for a new beginning under another situation. Skoblicki will be employed as a pastoral chaplain in the Parish of Neuhofen on the Ybbs in the Deanery of Amstetten. He is thus subject to the Pastor and Episcopal Vicar Dr. Helmut Prader."

We are happy for all, who work in the kingdom of God," said the press agent of the Diocese of St. Pölten, Markus Riccabona. "We invite all to give Father Skoblicki a fair chance and judge him according to his ministry in the parish."

Link to original kath.net...

Jerusalem: Anti-Christian Slogans Smeared on Monastery Walls

Christian clergy and nuns were spit on or had stones thrown at them, New Testaments were burned.  Radical Jewish settlers are prime suspects.
Jerusalem (kath.net/idea) The walls of a Greek Orthodox Monastery in Jerusalem are smeared with anti-Christian graffiti. Unknown individuals sprayed among other things, "Death to Christians". Press reports suggest that the signature "Maccabees of Mignon" point to settlers as the originators of the defacing. "Maccabees of Mignon" is the name of an illegal settlement near Ramallah in West Jordan.

In the past Christians were repeated victims of attacks by ultra-Orthodox Jews. The ecumenical news agency ENI news reported that Christian clergy and nuns were spit on or had stones thrown at them, and that anti-Christian statements were sprayed on the walls of church buildings. The religious court Beth Din Tzedek, the highest authority for ultra-Orthodox community in Haredi, has sharply condemned these activities. Also, messianic Jews, who believe in Jesus Christ as the chosen Messiah of Israel, complain about stalking by Orthodox Jews. They accuse the anti-Christian recruits of Jewish Orthodox Groups Yad L'Achim of passing out fliers and holding demonstrations, accusing them of 'steeling souls and attempting to "brainwash" Jews'. A New Testament was burned. Of the 7.7 million inhabitants of Israel, 76 percent are Jews, 15 are Muslim and 2 percent are Christian. The number of Messianic Jews stands from 10.000 to 15.000.

  Link to kath.net...

Rome: Letter of Protest Written in 1930 by Priest -- Found by Jesuit at Archive

White Sea. Solovetskie islands ( Solovki ). Golgofa-hill. 
Golgotha and the Crucifixion (Golgotho-Raspyatsky) 
hermitage

Imprisoned priests wrote the Central Committee of the Communist Party in 1930 -- Jesuit found document in the archive of the Papal Oriental Institute.


Rome (kath.net/KAP) A till now unknown document about the persecution of the Church in the Soviet Union during the Second World War was recently discovered in the archive of the Papal Oriental Institute in Rome. The periodical "Pro Oriente" reported this on Saturday, which appeared in an article by "Osservatore Romano" (Friday Edition). The uncovered Russian language document was by a Polish Priest Eugeniusz Senko, who was a researcher from 1917 for years in the Papal Oriental Institute, about the Communist Church persecution.

The document dealt with information resulting from a letter of protest by a Catholic Priest Adolf Filipp to the Central Committee of the Party, dated from 29 June 1930. Filipp was incarcerated with 31 other priests on the island of Anzerskij -- a Solovki Island. How the document came to Rome, may not be reconstructed, it is said.

Before the October Revolution, one of the largest Orthodox monastic cities was located on the Solovki islands. Following the Bolshevik seizure of power it was used for holding, and then established as a work camp for political prisoners, above all, Christians of all confessions. The camp on the Solovki islands formed the foundation of the so-called "Gulag". On the island Anzerskij, on which the Catholic priests were imprisoned, a dungeon was constructed in the consecrated Church of the Trinity.

Adolf Filipp's letter of protest was, according to information by P. Senkos, clearly written by hand originally and then typed on a machine -- the errors in writing the names of the priests incarcerated with Filipp were explained, it said in the broadcast.

The priest described "illegal methods" of the " "Gossudarstwennoje Polititscheskoje Uprawlenije" (GPU), the former Secret Service of the Soviet Union. These were said to have made constant infringements against the codes of the Soviet Constitution regarding freedom of conscience. Filipp stressed that the incarcerated priests, in view of the "enormity of the constitutional infringements" by the GPU could not remain silent any longer, because even such silence could be constituted as a "crime". The priest also described the unbearable conditions in the camp.

He wrote, describing information about the Communist Party promoted campaign of atheism, for example, the mass closing of churches, extreme taxation of churches and their members, as well as the imprisonment and deportation of clergy and their followers and the oppressive activities ascribed to the organizations founded by J.M. Jaroslawksij  or "Societies of Godless Militants".

P Senko published the protest letter in the Italian language which included footnotes, to make the background more clear. Till now it is not known if the letter of protest actual reached the Central Committee and what consequences the letter of complaint against State Atheism and the activities of the GPU had for the author, it read.

Link to kath.net...

Link to photo...

Putin Promises to Protect Persecuted Christians Abroad

Edit: like the Czars of old, Putin promises to defend Christendom from its oppressors.

Presidential Candidate promises action for the oppressed abroad -- Putin responds to statements by the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Illarion, that every five minutes a Christian must die for his faith.

Moscow(kath.net/idea) The Russian Premier Minister and Presidential candidate, Vladimir Putin wants to protect persecuted Christians abroad. He made this promise on February 8th in Moscow at a meeting of members of various confessions. Putin responded to a statement by Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Illarion, that every five minutes a Christian must die for his faith. Especially noteworthy are the persecutions, so says the Director of the Foreign Office of the Moscow Patriarchate, in lands like Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan and India. [Not Syria?] For Putin it is important that the various confessions continue to cooperate internationally, according to the Russian news agency "RIA Novosti". Link to kath.net...

Herod, Henry VIII, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, and now Obama

Obama vs. Catholic Church


Edit: Herod, Julian the Apostate, Frederick II, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Cromwell,  Napoleon Bonaparte, Victor Emmanuel,  Bismarck, Hitler, Stalin and now Obama.


The Catholic Church has had colossal foes of profound stature and like the Dragon of John the Evangelist, have waited outside the womb to devour the child.  Each has been vanquished in turn, if not by the power of the Church, but the power of God acting through the Church


Each has been struck down or stymied in his own way from his horse, humbled in his power and majesty.  They have all fallen into the stream of history to be washed away like Pharaoh's army.

Leo I Confronting the Hun

Painting from, Raffello da Urbino/