The terrible quality of many Sunday homilies damages the Church's message all over the world. An alternative way is that of explaining the Gospel with the masterpieces of Christian art. In three magnificent volumes, Timothy Verdon shows how
Chiesa
by Sandro Magister
ROME, January 21, 2010 – A stir was made recently by Bishop Mariano Crociata's criticism of the shoddy quality of many Sunday homilies.
Crociata is the secretary general of the Italian bishops' conference. Speaking at a conference on the liturgy at the end of the year, he called many of the homilies given from the pulpit every Sunday insipid "mush," almost an "inedible dish," and in any case "hardly nourishing."
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Friday, January 22, 2010
Copts Rally in Washington D.C.
In January 21, 2010 on a winter afternoon, over 2000 Coptic Christians rallied, chanted, sang, prayed, and marched outside the White House to get the attention of U.S. President Barack Obama and the American public on the continuing human rights violations of the Copts in Egypt. They came from Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and other parts of America to protest the recent terrorist attack on Copts in Egypt on January 6 (Coptic Christmas Eve), with terrorists killing Copts as they left their religious services in Nag Hammadi (near Luxor). The latest attacks were part of a continuing history of oppression, rape, murder, and forced conversion from Christianity to Islam of the Coptic people and women in Egypt.
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Discontent with Pope's Visit to England from "many" Anglicans
Surely, Scotland's Bishops aren't too happy about hosting Benedict. They're too busy doing everything but ensuring that their sheep know the Catholic Faith. Just what is it that they are enthused about besides banal liturgy and uninspiring leadership? Even the Anglicans aren't that hostile and Sky News is at a loss to drum up the kind of hostility John Paul II experienced from the Church of Scotland in 1982.
Are there really Anglicans who have taken the time out of their days being discontented with the Pope's visit? We don't think so.
Read the entire article...
Are there really Anglicans who have taken the time out of their days being discontented with the Pope's visit? We don't think so.
There is discontent in some parts [Please name them] of the Anglican Church about Pope Benedict XVI’s visit later this year.
Many see the Pope as exploiting the invitation as an opportunity to sleight the history of the Church of England, which split from Rome in the 16th century.
Perhaps this would be the most sensible action of the Pope, at a time when the Church of England seems to be in difficulty. Last year, Benedict coaxed discontented Anglicans to quit and come over to his Roman Catholic denomination, which was regarded by some to be rude, at worse, and impolite, at best.
[chop]
In 1982 some members of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly railed against John Paul as the “Anti-Christ”. Will there be demonstrations at the gates of Balmoral in September?
Probably not.
Nor is there likely to be much protest from Anglicans, who will probably be prayerful; just as the Archbishop of Canterbury always seems to be – no matter what happens.
Read the entire article...
Bishop of Nis is Serbian Patriarch Now
The bishop of Niš, Irinej Gavrilovic, 80, was elected on January 22 to succeed Patriarch Pavle as the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Belgrade-based radio station B92 said.
Gavrilovic, metropolitan Amfilohije and bishop Irinej of Bačka won most votes from the 37 bishops that make up the electoral synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Gavrilovic's name was drawn randomly in what is known as the apostolic vote, B92 said. "Such election procedure was introduced simply to protect the Church against external political influences of the state," B92 quoted local journalist and Church expert Milenko Pešić as saying.
The election procedure has been criticised in the past, since the Serbian Orthodox Church is the only one to employ it, B92 said. There were other controversies surrounding the election of the patriarch, concerning the influence of different lobbies within the Serbian Orthodox Church, but also the role of the state and politics, B92 said.
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Gavrilovic, metropolitan Amfilohije and bishop Irinej of Bačka won most votes from the 37 bishops that make up the electoral synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Gavrilovic's name was drawn randomly in what is known as the apostolic vote, B92 said. "Such election procedure was introduced simply to protect the Church against external political influences of the state," B92 quoted local journalist and Church expert Milenko Pešić as saying.
The election procedure has been criticised in the past, since the Serbian Orthodox Church is the only one to employ it, B92 said. There were other controversies surrounding the election of the patriarch, concerning the influence of different lobbies within the Serbian Orthodox Church, but also the role of the state and politics, B92 said.
Read further...
Benedict XVI is truly the Pope of Christian Unity - Catholic Herald Online
Benedict XVI is truly the Pope of Christian Unity - Catholic Herald Online
When Jesus prayed that his followers may be one, He was praying for the unity of the Church whose leadership he entrusted to St Peter and his successors. He was not prophesying that this unity would be achieved by a particular model of ecumenism. In the 20th century, the Church mapped out a route towards unity which focused on ever closer links with other Christian communities, such as the Anglican Communion; the aim was to achieve a corporate reunion. Thus, the purpose of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, so far as the Church was concerned, was an agreement in which the Archbishop of Canterbury would once again become bishop of a historic see of the Church that Anglicans describe as "Roman Catholic". Unfortunately, participants on both sides of ARCIC glossed over the fact that doctrines of transubstantiation and infallibility are unchangeable: one can do no more than tinker with the language in which they are defined.
When Jesus prayed that his followers may be one, He was praying for the unity of the Church whose leadership he entrusted to St Peter and his successors. He was not prophesying that this unity would be achieved by a particular model of ecumenism. In the 20th century, the Church mapped out a route towards unity which focused on ever closer links with other Christian communities, such as the Anglican Communion; the aim was to achieve a corporate reunion. Thus, the purpose of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, so far as the Church was concerned, was an agreement in which the Archbishop of Canterbury would once again become bishop of a historic see of the Church that Anglicans describe as "Roman Catholic". Unfortunately, participants on both sides of ARCIC glossed over the fact that doctrines of transubstantiation and infallibility are unchangeable: one can do no more than tinker with the language in which they are defined.
Vocations-Promoting Bishop Made Primate of Belgium
New Archbishop Reveals 3 Pastoral Priorities
By Jesús Colina
BRUSSELS, Belgium, JAN. 21, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Vocations, liturgy and a genuine concern for social issues are the three priorities announced by the new archbishop of Brussels.
Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard spoke of these goals Monday, the day his appointment as the primate of Belgium was made public. The archbishop was accompanied at the press conference by his predecessor, 76-year-old Cardinal Godfried Danneels.
The new archbishop noted that he will soon be 70; the age for retirement according to canon law is 75.
"This means that, on the condition that I maintain the good health I have today, I'll have no more than five years to serve this Archdiocese of Malines-Brussels," said this philosopher and theologian, who was bishop of Namur for almost 20 years.
"You can see, therefore, that I must establish priorities to use the years that in principle I have before me as effectively as possible," he stated.
In virtue of his new office, according to the tradition in Belgium, Archbishop Léonard also becomes president of the episcopal conference and bishop of the dioceses of the Armed Forces.
Worthy of God
The prelate announced first of all that he intends to carry out a systematic visit of the archdiocese to get to know the reality firsthand.
He said he hoped to promote one of the key ideas expressed in Cardinal Danneels' homilies and addresses in the last few weeks: "the importance of an elegant liturgy, faithful to the great tradition of the Church, worthy of God and worthy of the men and women who take part in it."
In his farewells, recalled Archbishop Léonard, his predecessor expressed his hopes "that our Church will be ever more a 'praying' and 'adoring' Church, also explicitly inviting to foster the practice of Eucharistic adoration."
"I would like to commit myself decidedly in this direction," the prelate confirmed.
The other pastoral priority that Archbishop Léonard will promote, following in the footsteps of Cardinal Danneels, is "social concern, especially in the matter of housing. I would like to follow his steps as best I can in this area, as in many others."
Archbishop Leonard then pointed out as a priority "concern for vocations, for all vocations."
"The commitment of so many Christians, men and women, in society and in our parishes and movements is a blessing," stressed the polyglot archbishop, who speaks seven languages.
"But we also need consecrated men and women, as well as priests and deacons," he affirmed.
Archbishop Léonard as bishop of Namur was known for the growth of his seminary: There, 35 of the 71 Belgian seminarians study.
"It is clear that I do not have recipes to awaken or attract vocations to consecrated life or to the priesthood, but I know that the Lord wants to give them to us and I promise to do everything I can to respond to his will," he said.
The archbishop announced on his Web page that, because of his appointment, he has changed his second name, Mutien (which he had adopted when he was appointed bishop of Namur), to Joseph, holy patron of Belgium. Archbishop André-Mutien Léonard will now be called André-Joseph Léonard.
He will take possession of the Primate See on Feb. 28.
[Anita S. Bourdin contributed to this report]
Link to original...
By Jesús Colina
BRUSSELS, Belgium, JAN. 21, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Vocations, liturgy and a genuine concern for social issues are the three priorities announced by the new archbishop of Brussels.
Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard spoke of these goals Monday, the day his appointment as the primate of Belgium was made public. The archbishop was accompanied at the press conference by his predecessor, 76-year-old Cardinal Godfried Danneels.
The new archbishop noted that he will soon be 70; the age for retirement according to canon law is 75.
"This means that, on the condition that I maintain the good health I have today, I'll have no more than five years to serve this Archdiocese of Malines-Brussels," said this philosopher and theologian, who was bishop of Namur for almost 20 years.
"You can see, therefore, that I must establish priorities to use the years that in principle I have before me as effectively as possible," he stated.
In virtue of his new office, according to the tradition in Belgium, Archbishop Léonard also becomes president of the episcopal conference and bishop of the dioceses of the Armed Forces.
Worthy of God
The prelate announced first of all that he intends to carry out a systematic visit of the archdiocese to get to know the reality firsthand.
He said he hoped to promote one of the key ideas expressed in Cardinal Danneels' homilies and addresses in the last few weeks: "the importance of an elegant liturgy, faithful to the great tradition of the Church, worthy of God and worthy of the men and women who take part in it."
In his farewells, recalled Archbishop Léonard, his predecessor expressed his hopes "that our Church will be ever more a 'praying' and 'adoring' Church, also explicitly inviting to foster the practice of Eucharistic adoration."
"I would like to commit myself decidedly in this direction," the prelate confirmed.
The other pastoral priority that Archbishop Léonard will promote, following in the footsteps of Cardinal Danneels, is "social concern, especially in the matter of housing. I would like to follow his steps as best I can in this area, as in many others."
Archbishop Leonard then pointed out as a priority "concern for vocations, for all vocations."
"The commitment of so many Christians, men and women, in society and in our parishes and movements is a blessing," stressed the polyglot archbishop, who speaks seven languages.
"But we also need consecrated men and women, as well as priests and deacons," he affirmed.
Archbishop Léonard as bishop of Namur was known for the growth of his seminary: There, 35 of the 71 Belgian seminarians study.
"It is clear that I do not have recipes to awaken or attract vocations to consecrated life or to the priesthood, but I know that the Lord wants to give them to us and I promise to do everything I can to respond to his will," he said.
The archbishop announced on his Web page that, because of his appointment, he has changed his second name, Mutien (which he had adopted when he was appointed bishop of Namur), to Joseph, holy patron of Belgium. Archbishop André-Mutien Léonard will now be called André-Joseph Léonard.
He will take possession of the Primate See on Feb. 28.
[Anita S. Bourdin contributed to this report]
Link to original...
Pope Without Illusions about the Dialogue with the SSPX
More stick than carrot, it's impossible to say anything more than that a Paris based paper wants to say something about the Holy Father's intentions, and cast doubt on the possibility of reconciliation. There are quite a few liberal churchmen, and secular types who don't want to see this happen, so it's understandable that they might fabricate reports out of whole cloth. They've done this before, as with Cardinal Schoborn's supposed endorsement for the Medjugorje apparition site.
Paris (kath.net/KNA)
Allegedly, Pope Benedict has no illusions about the reconciliation with he traditional Society of Pius X. This was reported by the French Catholic Weekly "La Vie" and quotes a Cardinal, who is [allegedly] close to Benedict XVI. "The Pope told me, he wants to grasp one last chance to end the Schism, but he doesn't have any illusions," the article in "La Vie" citing the Cardinal was published this Thursday.
Link to original...
Paris (kath.net/KNA)
Allegedly, Pope Benedict has no illusions about the reconciliation with he traditional Society of Pius X. This was reported by the French Catholic Weekly "La Vie" and quotes a Cardinal, who is [allegedly] close to Benedict XVI. "The Pope told me, he wants to grasp one last chance to end the Schism, but he doesn't have any illusions," the article in "La Vie" citing the Cardinal was published this Thursday.
Link to original...
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thank you, Holy Father, thank you
Feast of Ste Agnes, aD MMXX (kreutz.net)
The German District Superior of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X sent the Pope a video message to commemorate the anniversary of the withdrawal of the excommunication decree against the four bishops.
"Thank you, Holy Father, thank you," said the German District Superior of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X in a video speech today on the anniversary of the withdrawal of the excommunication decree against the four SSPX bishops.
The move showed the Pope's "great apostolic spirit" and also his "pastoralship".
Through the "unfortunate media spectacle" of a statement by one of the four bishops, the theological, ecclesiological and pastoral concerns of the Pope were not properly acknowledged, and even have been eclipsed, and "[w]e deeply regret this," said Father Schmidberger.
Father Schmidberger then cited two passages from the letter from the Pope to the bishops around the world from March 2009.
From this we can see more clearly the motivation of Benedict XVI:
"In our time, in which the Faith is threatened to be extinguished in many parts of the world like a flame, starved of fuel, the very first priority is to make God present in this world and show people's access to God. Not to just any god but the God who has spoken at Sinai, the God whose face we see in love until the end - in the Crucified and Risen Jesus Christ.
"Can we be a community no matter what, in which there are 491 priests, 215 seminarians, 6 Seminars, 88 schools, 2 university institutes, 117 brothers and 164 sisters?"
"I think, for example, of the 491 priests. The basis of their motivations, we can not know.
But I think that they would not have opted for the priesthood, if they did not want to minister to the multitudes of the destitute and sick, with the Love of Christ, proclaiming in Him and with Him, the living God."
The Fraternity must first make their Objections
The District Superior mentions the theological discussions between the representatives of the Holy See and the SSPX.
The dialogue has taken a "very good turn in the beginning to clear the inconsistancies of the discussion."
For the first time the Brotherhood had the opportunity to present their concerns about certain statements of the Second Vatican Council and the post-conciliar developments "at peace and in discussion," to the appropriate authorities.
Only in this way could the talks lead to success.
The aim was to the recovery of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Holy Church, "which today is bleeding from a thousand wounds," for the eternal salvation of countless people and the glory of the Triune God.
"The church must again speak with one voice as the living witness to the one true Triune God, for our Lord Jesus Christ as the only Savior of mankind and for his Church, founded by him as the only institution of Salvation."
"We want the dictatorship of relativism and the de-Christianization of society to stop."
An instrument of evangelization
Father Schmidberger repeated the call by Pope John Paul II for a new evangelization of the world.
The SSPX has created over the past forty years in more than sixty countries around the world - "despite unspeakable opposition on the part of the destructive forces within the Church and society" - an infrastructure that could make an "important contribution to such an undertaking", "And is with us despite all the existing faults, weaknesses and shortcomings."
In addition, Father Schmidberger said that about thrity religious communities stand by the side of the SSPX.
The conclusion of the District Superior's address: "If any part of the bishops support our work, and assist in increasing and strengthening the faithful, the Church's head and arms may be restored, and then Christians will be formed as the Church has always desired."
Christendom must be restored: "May Germany be returned under the Reign of Christ the King and His spotless Bride, the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church."
True Environmentalists Are Pro-Life, Says Pope
Affirms Ecology Issue Should Be Set in Larger Framework
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 11, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says efforts to protect the environment cannot be opposed to human life and safeguarding the dignity of the person.
The Pope took up this theme today when he delivered his traditional New Year address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.
The Holy Father's address for 2010 centered on the issue of respect for creation and the environment, the same theme he highlighted in his Jan. 1 World Day of Peace message.
He noted not humanity in this new year "continues to be marked by the dramatic crisis of the global economy and consequently a serious and widespread social instability."
The "deeper causes" of this situation, the Pontiff contended, "are to be found in a current self-centered and materialistic way of thinking which fails to acknowledge the limitations inherent in every creature."
Read further...
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 11, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says efforts to protect the environment cannot be opposed to human life and safeguarding the dignity of the person.
The Pope took up this theme today when he delivered his traditional New Year address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.
The Holy Father's address for 2010 centered on the issue of respect for creation and the environment, the same theme he highlighted in his Jan. 1 World Day of Peace message.
He noted not humanity in this new year "continues to be marked by the dramatic crisis of the global economy and consequently a serious and widespread social instability."
The "deeper causes" of this situation, the Pontiff contended, "are to be found in a current self-centered and materialistic way of thinking which fails to acknowledge the limitations inherent in every creature."
Read further...
The Tablet Cites Schönborn's fake Interview at Medjugorje
As if the Tablet couldn't be any less credible, they comit this act of untruth.
The Tablet promotes Medjugorism by quoting a Fake interview: Quote: A cardinal close to Benedict XVI has signalled his support for the controversial Marian shrine of Medjugorje. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna indicated that Pope Benedict himself might one day visit the spot where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared to a group of local children. Speaking on his return from a three-day visit to the shrine in Bosnia at the turn of the year, he told journalists in Vienna that the time had come to integrate the "Medjugorje phenomenon" into the Church's ordinary pastoral work. Asked in an interview with the Bologna-based daily Il Resto di Carlino what he would tell Pope Benedict XVI about the trip, he said: "The Pope does not need my advice. He knows very well how important the Virgin Mary is for the Catholic Church and he is a fervent devotee. He has visited many Marian shrines and I think one day he might even come here." He added that Medjugorje could "become something very important and profound". But that interview on Il Resto del Carlino (that's the real name) does not exist! It is "a fantasy" according to Erich Leitenberger, Card. Schönborn's speaker. Please go to Papa Ratzinger blog, January 9, 2010. Thanks and God bless U all!
http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29836
The Tablet promotes Medjugorism by quoting a Fake interview: Quote: A cardinal close to Benedict XVI has signalled his support for the controversial Marian shrine of Medjugorje. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna indicated that Pope Benedict himself might one day visit the spot where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared to a group of local children. Speaking on his return from a three-day visit to the shrine in Bosnia at the turn of the year, he told journalists in Vienna that the time had come to integrate the "Medjugorje phenomenon" into the Church's ordinary pastoral work. Asked in an interview with the Bologna-based daily Il Resto di Carlino what he would tell Pope Benedict XVI about the trip, he said: "The Pope does not need my advice. He knows very well how important the Virgin Mary is for the Catholic Church and he is a fervent devotee. He has visited many Marian shrines and I think one day he might even come here." He added that Medjugorje could "become something very important and profound". But that interview on Il Resto del Carlino (that's the real name) does not exist! It is "a fantasy" according to Erich Leitenberger, Card. Schönborn's speaker. Please go to Papa Ratzinger blog, January 9, 2010. Thanks and God bless U all!
http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29836
In other news about the triumph of International Communism over the Ancient Superstition
In other news about the triumph of International Communism over the Ancient Superstition
We just couldn't help but be reminded of this novel by Bryusov, The Republic of the Souther Cross, which depicts a dystopic and technological civilization in Antarctica and its collapse.
We just couldn't help but be reminded of this novel by Bryusov, The Republic of the Souther Cross, which depicts a dystopic and technological civilization in Antarctica and its collapse.
Liberal Bishop of Scandaldiocese Linz Blows His Top
Father Wagner attacks Linz pseudo-clerical elite and Bishop hits back
Catholic Church Conservation
Father Wagner attacks Linz pseudo-clerical elite and Bishop hits back
More to come!
Catholic Church Conservation
Father Wagner attacks Linz pseudo-clerical elite and Bishop hits back
More to come!
Catholic Bishops in Paper: Iraq War Caused Extremism; Christians Are Victims
[Memri/Al Zaman, Iraq] According to a preparatory document for the Synod of the Catholic Bishops in the Middle East, to be held later this year, the relationship between Muslims and Christians in the entire regime are going through difficult times because of what it called the growth of "political Islam" and the mingling of religion and politics.
Read further...
Read further...
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Defacto Schism in Scotland
Clerical Whispers and the Scottish Bishops talk about there being a lack of interest in the Immemorial Rite of the Mass in Scotland, but others are seeing a lack of enthusiasm in the Scottish Episcopacy for everything up to and including orthodoxy.
The Clerical Whispers blog entitles its most recent entry about the Pope's visit is misleadingly, "Just a fraction of catholics wants a Traditional Latin Mass." The mistaken view is supplemented by some suspiciously unannotated and unscientific "data:"
Some statements by a few liberal geezers of the clerical type:
On the other hand, James MacMillan was concerned about the issue, and too mildly proceeded in defense of the Mass, saying:
But there were other voices, indeed another view brought out by the Scotland Herald, whose article entitled, "Depth of Rift amongst Catholics over church worship", stands in stark contrast to the article by Clerical Whispers. The Scotland Herald article itself challenged the erroneous view of the Scottish Bishops on the matter of whether or not there's much demand for the Traditional Mass, or whether or not they are enthused about anything, much less the upcoming Papal visit. It dutifully cites Damian Thompson's critique of the Scottish Bishops, which was challenged by the spokesman of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, whose view was ultimately, and finally challenged by Patricia McKreever, the authoress of the Catholic Truth blog. The exchange and the contrast between the renditions of the issue points to a unfolding development of greater control of information on the part of conservative (or Traditionalist) laity and control of the perceptions and who controls them. Once again, we're seeing that the new medium of the internet is making it difficult for episcopal liberals to control how they're perceived, and more importantly, it is increasingly difficult for them to distort the facts for their agendas, in this case, ignoring Vatican commands as far as the Immemorial Mass and Summorum Pontificum is concerned.
The Clerical Whispers blog entitles its most recent entry about the Pope's visit is misleadingly, "Just a fraction of catholics wants a Traditional Latin Mass." The mistaken view is supplemented by some suspiciously unannotated and unscientific "data:"
But the Archdiocese of Glasgow says there is little appetite for traditional Tridentine mass in Latin among worshippers, with only 0.05% in favour.
Some statements by a few liberal geezers of the clerical type:
Father Tom Boyle, treasurer of the Archdiocese of Paisley, said: “There has never been a great demand for it as far as I am aware.
“Unlike other parts of the world, the church in Scotland has never been polarised on this.”
Canon Donald MacKay, of St Columba’s Cathedral in Oban, said there was more support for a Gaelic mass than a Latin mass among parishioners.
Canon Edward Glackin, of the Diocese of Motherwell, said he conducted one weekday Latin mass, which had an attendance of 25 to 30, compared to the 1000 who attend mass on Sunday.
On the other hand, James MacMillan was concerned about the issue, and too mildly proceeded in defense of the Mass, saying:
“The low numbers mentioned by the Archdiocese would indicate that they don’t know what the issues are.
“They don’t know what they are missing or what the higher standards of liturgy can be. It would be a shame if Scottish Catholics were denied it through a basic disobedience of The Vatican.”
He said Latin mass had the ability to reduce the “slovenliness and banality” found in some services, stressing the issue was not a division between Latin or new mass, but the need to “make liturgy better”.
But there were other voices, indeed another view brought out by the Scotland Herald, whose article entitled, "Depth of Rift amongst Catholics over church worship", stands in stark contrast to the article by Clerical Whispers. The Scotland Herald article itself challenged the erroneous view of the Scottish Bishops on the matter of whether or not there's much demand for the Traditional Mass, or whether or not they are enthused about anything, much less the upcoming Papal visit. It dutifully cites Damian Thompson's critique of the Scottish Bishops, which was challenged by the spokesman of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, whose view was ultimately, and finally challenged by Patricia McKreever, the authoress of the Catholic Truth blog. The exchange and the contrast between the renditions of the issue points to a unfolding development of greater control of information on the part of conservative (or Traditionalist) laity and control of the perceptions and who controls them. Once again, we're seeing that the new medium of the internet is making it difficult for episcopal liberals to control how they're perceived, and more importantly, it is increasingly difficult for them to distort the facts for their agendas, in this case, ignoring Vatican commands as far as the Immemorial Mass and Summorum Pontificum is concerned.
According to Damian Thompson, a commentator on the UK Catholic Church, many Scottish bishops were close to retirement and set in their ways, with some preferring that the Pope did not come to Scotland.
But Ronnie Convery, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Glasgow, describes such claims as imaginative and uninformed.
In a separate letter to The Herald, he writes it was “spectacularly wide of the mark” to state that Scottish bishops did not want the Papal visit “because they are too old and can’t be bothered; too trendy and can’t cope with the Pope’s liturgical preferences or too sensitive and don’t want to upset the ecumenical or interfaith applecart”.
However, Patricia McKeever, editor of The Catholic Truth, claims apathy amongst Catholic bishops extends beyond the visit. She writes: “What informed, orthodox Catholics want now is a complete clear-out of the Episcopal palaces because the current crop are apathetic about a great deal more than just the Pope’s forthcoming visit to Scotland.
“The Scots bishops, without exception, ignore important directives from the Vatican. The Scottish bishops operate independently of Rome. We will continue to press for that Episcopal clear-out, before, during and after the Papal visit.”
Making Sense of Benedict’s Jewish Policy – Forward.com
Making Sense of Benedict’s Jewish Policy – Forward.com
We see that John Allen is as slavishly devoted as ever to the party line, but he is right after all considering Holy Father's ultimate concern in his policy that, "Benedict’s top priority is internal, directed at the inner life of the Catholic Church. His aim is to restore a strong sense of traditional Catholic identity, in order to inoculate the church against infection by radical secularism." However, there are others, in Israel, who view things a little bit differently, like this Jewish paper which views Benedict's maneuvers as essentially hostile. We've seen a lot of negative reaction to Benedict's various changes and some of his public acts which don't bode well for an integralist Catholic viewpoint, like changinig the Good Friday prayers to make the Jews and the traditionalists happy at the same time. The prayer actually called for the conversion of the Jews, and a loud minority were, not suprisingly, unhappy with the prayer and their views were reported far and wide. Fact is, most Jews don't care about Benedict's activities, they don't go to services either. Why don't we spend more time talking to those Jews and get them to come to Mass, permanently!
Vatican Blames Israel for Driving Christians Out of the Area
John Allen
By this stage, outsiders trying to make sense of Pope Benedict XVI’s approach to Jewish-Catholic relations might be forgiven for wondering if the pontiff suffers from an undiagnosed case of schizophrenia.
After all, this is the pope who made a point of visiting a Cologne synagogue in 2005 on his first foreign trip, and Auschwitz on his second, only later to revive a controversial Good Friday prayer for the conversion of Jews. More recently, this is the pope who rehabilitated a Holocaust-denying traditionalist bishop and who announced that Pope Pius XII (whose alleged “silence” during the Holocaust remains a bone of contention between Jews and Catholics) is a step closer to sainthood, only to visit Rome’s Great Synagogue on January 17 to express his “esteem and affection” for Judaism, and to pledge that the “faces, names, tears and desperation” of Holocaust victims must never be forgotten.
We see that John Allen is as slavishly devoted as ever to the party line, but he is right after all considering Holy Father's ultimate concern in his policy that, "Benedict’s top priority is internal, directed at the inner life of the Catholic Church. His aim is to restore a strong sense of traditional Catholic identity, in order to inoculate the church against infection by radical secularism." However, there are others, in Israel, who view things a little bit differently, like this Jewish paper which views Benedict's maneuvers as essentially hostile. We've seen a lot of negative reaction to Benedict's various changes and some of his public acts which don't bode well for an integralist Catholic viewpoint, like changinig the Good Friday prayers to make the Jews and the traditionalists happy at the same time. The prayer actually called for the conversion of the Jews, and a loud minority were, not suprisingly, unhappy with the prayer and their views were reported far and wide. Fact is, most Jews don't care about Benedict's activities, they don't go to services either. Why don't we spend more time talking to those Jews and get them to come to Mass, permanently!
Vatican Blames Israel for Driving Christians Out of the Area
January 20, 2010
A Vatican synod being convened by Monsignor Nikola Eterovic will address an internal document addressing the plight of the dwindling Christian minority in the rapidly growing Islamic population in the Mideast. 150 bishops are expected to attend the synod which will be held on October 10-24.
The internal Vatican documents pertaining to the meeting place the ongoing Israel-PA (Palestinian Authority) conflict at the heart of regional instability and conflict, adding “radical terrorism” over recent years exploited the conflict towards advancing political Islam in countries including Egypt.
Israel’s “ongoing occupation” is blamed for restricted access to houses of worship in those areas, hampering religious life. In Iraq, the report states all Iraqis became victims but the small and weak Christian population was among the principal victims.
The Vatican believes the solution remains in the hands of “the stronger countries, to settle the conflict between Israel and the PA.
A Vatican statement added “Violence is in the hands of the strong and weak alike, the latter resorting to whatever violence is within reach in order to be free.”
When asked if the Vatican document was referring to yishuvim throughout Yehuda and Shomron and ongoing construction in the eastern capital, Eterovic explained that while the Vatican was not making policy decisions, it does adhere to and accept the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, which in this case, support the Roadmap Plan and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
The bishop added that while many of the 17 million Christians living between Iran and Egypt have fled, the numbers of Christians in the region has grown due to the influx of manual laborers, Christians, in a number of Arab countries, some that had a minimal or no Christian presence prior to their arrival.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
Bishop Pfeifer at the Abortion Clinic in San Angelo
Bishop Michael Pfeifer of the Catholic Diocese of San Angelo led a rosary Wednesday to protest abortion outside Abilene’s Planned Parenthood clinic.
Approximately 75 people turned out, some with anti-abortion signs, and formed a prayer semicircle around the facility on North 10th St.
“We’re here to remind people, especially those that come here to Planned Parenthood, about the evil that they perform in the killing of a precious unborn — the taking of human life,” Pfeifer said.
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Approximately 75 people turned out, some with anti-abortion signs, and formed a prayer semicircle around the facility on North 10th St.
“We’re here to remind people, especially those that come here to Planned Parenthood, about the evil that they perform in the killing of a precious unborn — the taking of human life,” Pfeifer said.
Read further...
New Corpus Christi Bishop is Into Focolare Cult
We were over whispering at the Loggia and people thought we were crazy, we were whispering to ourselves whispering these words like a curse, "the new ordinary of Corpus Christi is into Focolare?" But what Rocco won't tell you, because he can't tell you, is that there is a problematic aspect to the Focolare movement. Most of you who are self-described Traditionalists probably know that Focolare is a movement of masonic proportions rooted in the heretical Sillonist Movement condemned by Notre Charge Apostolique. But this site isn't just for you, we're trying to inform other people, we hope, things that we pick up that the ordinary person in the pew won't see and doesn't realize, actually teaches some things that are contradictory to what the Church teaches. Now before you go on accusing us of setting up a parallel magisterium of our own creation, take the time to find out what Focolare stands for. You don't have to be a fire breathing traditionalist to be upset about a cultic, pentecostal group like Focolare. I wouldn't want my children participating in it and you shouldn't either.
And don't be participating in ad hominem attacks, y'all.
Reference works dealing with the phenomenon of Focolare:
The Pope's Armadas...
Christian Order...
Pope convenes Irish bishops for talks on priestly sex abuse
By Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has convened Ireland's bishops for a two-day meeting at the Vatican to discuss the ongoing fallout from the priestly sex abuse scandal in the country.
Link to original...
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has convened Ireland's bishops for a two-day meeting at the Vatican to discuss the ongoing fallout from the priestly sex abuse scandal in the country.
Link to original...
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