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...

Traditional Bishop Appointed to Lourdes

Edit:  What's going on? Wondering why all the stuff about Lourdes today around and about. Today is the Commemoration of when Our Lady first appeared to the children. Here's the translation from Messa in Latino, it wasn't hard.  Feel free to suggest your own:

[MIL, Italia/Francia] On the day when the Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Bernadette, the Holy Father Benedict XVI has appointed the new bishop of Lourdes : it is His Excellency Monsignor Nicolas Brouwet , the youngest bishop in France, now Auxiliary Bishop of Nanterre. 

 Born in 1962 has participated, both as a priest and bishop, several pilgrimages of Pentecost of Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, from Paris to Chartres, again last Christmas he celebrated Mass in the  ancient Roman rite . His appointment to Lourdes, a Diocese which is international and highly visible, represents a significant turn for the Church of France, which significantly strengthens the bishops who want to operate in the way impressed by Pope Benedict XVI since the beginning of his pontificate.

 Aware that the restoration is proceeding in the best ways, we express to Your Excellency our warmest wishes for a fruitful ministry!

Ad multos annos! 

AC at Messa in Latino

Cardinal Ruini Says Church Should Go to its Roots

Pope Benedict XVI gives Polish President Lech Kaczynski (kneeling) Holy Communion 

13:27 11 FEB 2012 

(AGI) Vatican City - Cardinal Ruini said the Church's mission must now return to what it was in the beginning. Closing the symposium, 'Jesus our contemporary', sponsored by the Italian Bishop's Conference as part of the Cultural Project, Ruini explained: "Today the mission must return to what it was in the beginning: a life choice that involves the entire Christian community and each of its members, each naturally in accordance with the practical conditions of his life." The cardinal added "the most urgent question is one on the future of faith in Jesus by new generations." "Today probably it is no longer enough for some church members to live their faith as a mission 


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A Priest Need Not Celebrate "Versus Populum" or Facing the People

Vienese theology professor Feulner: according to accepted Liturgical order, every priest can celebrate Mass at the front side of the "people's altar" while "facing the Lord"

Wien/Vienna (kath.net) "In no document of the Second Vatican Council does it say, especially not in the Constitution on the Liturgy "Sancrosanctum Consilium"(1963), that the priest should or must celebrate the Eucharist "versus populum"." [To the people] This is what the Viennese theology professor Hans-Jürgen Feulner said in a recent interview in the newspaper "Der Sonntag".  Feulner explained then that the foundation for the alteration according to the second Vatican Council is the instruction "Inter Oecumeninici"(1964), in which it states, that the high altar must be separated from the back wall, so that one can easily go around to the back side and say Mass facing the people.

This is to begin with only precautionary clause, which had been quickly introduced, that almost in every Catholic Church so-called people's altars were to be erected, which Feulner describes as constituting "the most obvious achievement" of the Council, although there were before the Council in individual churches such "volks-altars". The designation was later addressed in the "General Introduction to the Roman Mass Book" (Nr. 262) and in the 3rd edition of the Mass book.

The theologian pointed out however on that, that at the same time the Congregation of Divine Rites is said to have clearly ordered, that Mass should not be celebrated to the people. "The rubrics themselves of the past Mass books report indirectly, that the rule for celebration "versus Dominum" ("Facing to the Lord, i.e., not facing the community) is, if it meant to say there, e.g.: "...e (except when he turns to face the people); "...facing the Community.../... turning to face the community" (at the kiss of peace and "Behold, the Lamb of God"); „turn toward the altar” (at the Communion of the priest).", observed the professor of the University of Vienna.

As to the question, why then do priests celebrate today the way they do, turned in most cases to the people, Feulner said that this was often derived from the "Meal character" of the Eucharist and calls by the General Council for "active participation", which required an awareness of what was going on at the altar. "Does this, however, overlook the fact that the meal excludes the sacrificial nature or is opposed irreconcileably to facing each other, rather the Eucharistic sacrifice is complete at least partly in the form of a meal," concluded the theologian and pointed also to the cosmic dimension of the Liturgy an the orientation of prayer "ad orientum". The East is a symbol of the Resurrection on Eastern Sunday, of the assumption into heaven and the coming of Christ at the end of all times (compare Mt 24,27; Offb 7,2).

When asked as to whether the priest may celebrate the Liturgy away from the participants of the liturgy, if there were an [editor: unsightly] people's altar in this church/chapel, Feulner then explained, that both ways of celebration are correct. "According the current valid Liturgical order every priest can thus celebrate at the Euchastic celebration self-evidently (except for the offertory) also stand during Mass at the front side of the altar "facing the Lord", that means, facing the same way as the Community, which corresponds to an ancient tradition of Christians.

Orthodoxy Averse Bishop of Regensburg is Campaigning for CDF

Heretical goat is being considered for the Church's faith gardener.
 -kreuz.net

(kreuz.net, Regensburg) The Pope has to decide whom he will name to the Congregation of Doctrin and the Faith.

This is what Heresy-Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller (64) of Regensburg said yesterday for the German agency 'dpa'.

Msgr Muller has already had talks in Rome about his appointment to the Congregation for Doctrine and the Faith.

The current incumbent, Cardinal Levada (75) will soon retire.

Disclaimer He needs the appointment for his ego


Msgr Muller is at the moment working to improve his heretic image by saying conservative things.

As far as the office goes, he's interested in:

"It would not irritate me in the sense that I needed the nomination for my own ego, but of course it is an activity that has to do a lot with my career as a theology professor.

Dubious theology career

As a theology professor Msgr. Muller presents a very mixed record.

In his wordy and long winded work "Catholic Dogmatic" he denied, among others, the Virgin birth.

Upon this it happened -- says Msgr Muller -- "not to deviate from physiological particularities in the natural process of birth (such as something like the non opening of the birth canal, the non-injury of the hymen and not experiencing the pains of birth), rather it's in the healing and saving influence of the Grace of the Savior on human nature."

The heretical work appeared in 2010 in an uncorrected third edition.

A denier of the Dogma of Transubstantiation



In 2002 Msgr Muller's work " Die Messe – Quelle christlichen Lebens". [The Mass: Source of Christian Life]

There he says that the body and blood of Christ are not "in reality" the material parts of the person Jesus during his lifetime, nor would it be represented by his transfigured body.

Or he believes that the Eucharist is present in that we participate in Community with Jesus Christ through eating and drinking the "bread and wine".

Msgr Muller compared Holy Communion with a small gift: "Already in the interpersonal area it may represent an approximate message of friendship between people and the receiver is to embody and demonstrate, so to speak, the emotional connection to the addressee.

Thus expressions pass like: "The natural purpose of bread and wine must be attached anthropologically.

He denies the Dogma of Transubstantiation -- the essential change in the Eucharistic substance:

The natural essence of bread and wine will be transformed by God in this sense that the being of bread and wine only are understood to consist, realized and present in the holy community with God."

An Ecumenical Kamikaze Attack


Last October Msgr Muller proposed numerous ecclesiological heresies.

He did this with scandalous praise for the Lutheran Laybishop and homosexual propagandist Johannes Friedrich.

As far as the relationship between the Church and the Protestants he said: "We define our relationship to one another no longer actually with existing differences in teaching, life and constitution of the Church, but over the commonalities, which are fundamental, are where we stand."

He openly denied the unity of the Church: "There is therefore -- strictly speaking -- not several churches together, but there are divisions and splits within the one people of God and his house."

Msgr Muller made complete fools of his audience by claiming that 'Dominus Jesus' -- the Declaration of the Congregation for the uniqueness of Christ and the Church he built in 2000 -- did not deny protestants were part of the Church.

On the contrary: The Doctrine is "far away from that", the Protestants adhere to the being of the church -- stated the distorter.

He "won't say no" to the Pope


Msgr Muller will not refuse an offer to the post:

"Formally, you could probably say no, but is simply not enough to say no to the Pope' -- he joked.

The Pope said he desired a correction to the incorrectly translated German words of transubstantiation, which has yet to be carried out in his diocese today.

Link to original...

Related:
Bishop Muller Decries SSPX

Comunitates Iesus Sacerdos et Rex und Agnus Dei -- Two Traditional Societies

(Rome) Father Theodossios of the Cross in the Archdiocese of Genoa founded the Fraternitas Beatissimae Viriginis Mariae with the permission of Cardinal Siri in1968. It is today active in Italy and France and operates numerous contacts to Scandanavia and to the Orient, but above all to Greece. The Society consists of two branches of consecrated life. The men's branch has the name Communitas Sacerdotalis Jesus Sacerdos et Rex and is a Society of Apostolic Life. The female branch is called Comunitas Agnus Dei and is in a canonical sense a religious institute.

The Society originated in the confusion which immediately followed the Second Vatican Council, with the objective, to protect and defend priestly identity and the unadulterated Catholic doctrine of the Faith. "In a time of upheavals and alteration Father Theodossios detected a necessity for renewal in the truth of the great tradition of the Church." He saw the roots of the society in the Apostolic School of St. Pope Pius X.

Close to the defense of the patrimony of the Faith, the concern for the Liturgy is the second column of the Society. The priests of the Society celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass simultaneously in the ordinary as well as in the Immemorial Mass of All Ages of the Roman Rite. They also concern themselves with Gregorian Choral and church music. The Society promotes consecration to Mary above all things.

All members of the Society are consecrated to the Mother of God. The priests operate parishes for the Diocese, in which they are recognized. The sisters devote themselves primarily to the spiritual apostolate as catechists, in the education of children, in hospital service and by spiritual retreats for families, custodians of churches and in service to the sacristy.

The General Superior of the Society at the time, Father Giacomo Maria di Jesus Sacerdos et Rex has his seat in Bagnoregio in the Italian region of Latium about 100 kilometers north of Rome. The male as well as the female branches operate educational institutions and retreat houses.

Comunitas Jesus Sacerdos et Rex
via Fidanza 62
01022 BAGNOREGIO (VT)
Tel. (0039) 0761 792101
jsr.bagnoregio@libero.it
www.viasacra.net

Comunitas Agnus Dei
Piazza S. Agostino 7
01022 BAGNOREGIO (VT)

Der Sitz der Gemeinschaft in Frankreich:
Comunitas Jesus Sacerdos et Rex
3 rue du Château
F-89660 Mailly le Château
Tel. (0033) 03 86 81 43 63

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Bild: divinavocacion

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...

Factions Fighting for Position in the Vatican

Edit: Considering how the Jesuit, Father Becker, was passed over for a Cardinal's hat, when he's clearly in good health, there's a lot going on at the Secretary of State. It seems that Cardinal Bertone is opposing some of the more conservative appointments, but then, it also seems as though the criticisms being leveled against him aren't very substantial either. It's also interesting in light of frantic reports in the Italian press about a supposed threat on the Pope's person.

It is not impossible that these Cardinals have a foreseeable future in the Congregation of Doctrine and the Faith.

(kreuz.net) On the 12th of January the journalist Franco Massimo reported about apparent factionalism in the Milan daily 'Corriere della Sera'.

There are two factions: the group of State Secretary Cardinal Bertone and his opponents.

Between the lines, Massimo ascertained that the opponents of the Secretary of State are to be found in the ranks of the Italian Bishops Conference.

There was  [?]  even a group of Cardinals who intend to draw up an anti-Bertone memorandum.

Inner-Italian Conflict

Massimo says that with the most recent increase in the Consistory of Cardinals -- 30 of 120 -- has generated a lot of frustration.

At the same time, the Italian Bishops' Conference and the Vatican agrees that the Italians will not be able to agree on a candidate at the next Papal election.

Thus, Massimo points out the lines of conflict.

The Confidence of the Secretary of State


Of the new Cardinals there are three followers of Secretary of State Bertone:

- Archbishop Domenico Calgano, the President of Apsa, which manages the assets of the Holy See.

- Archbishop Giuseppe Versaldi, the President of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See.

-Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello, the President of the Vatican Governorate.

Msgr Versalde had originally been Cardinal Bertoni's candidate for the Archdiocese of Turin.

Actually, the Italian Bishops' Conference chose another candidate -- Msgr. Cesare Nosiglia (67).

Thus Msgr Versalde has been summoned to Rome, where he is to receive a Cardinal's hat before the current Archbishop of Turin.

In any case, the Secretary of State had no luck when the Patriarch of Venice, Angelo Cardinal Scola was named Archbishop of Milan.

According to Massimo's information, he is to have opposed this nomination.

The Charges Against Cardinal Bertone

The journalist explains that the Pope had not once succeeded in calming the conflict between the Bertone group and their opponents -- although he has publicly and privately called them to order.

Against Cardinal Bertone there are many -- often unspecific -- charges:

-Through the naming of new Cardinals his power base will -- in so far as a powerless Vatican generally allows -- grow further.

-He has made the Secretariat of State into a kind of Vice-Pope.

-He is one of the worst Secretaries of State, which the Vatican has ever had.

- He is indebted to provincialism and has reduced the international profile of the Catholic Church.

Two Unmentioned Things


Two important things were left unmentioned by Massimo.

Cardinal Bertone is already 77 -- and consequently a Secretary of State on call for retirement.

Other than that, there is a Salesian of Cardinal rank, the Old Liberal Prefect of the Congregation for Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato (72).

Like Cardinal Bertone, he is a former Secretary of the Congregation of Doctrine and the Faith.
It is not to be ruled out that Cardinal Amato could could return to there as Prefect.

Italian Media in Frenzy About "Plot Against Pope"

Edit: Rorate Caeli has reported a feeding frenzy in the Italian press over speculation that there is a plot against the Holy Father.  (from Corriere della Sera):

Milan - "Vatican, plots and intrigues. A plot against the Pope, he will die in the next 12 months" This is the title in the first page of Il Fatto Quotidiano in its February 10 edition. Written in German - The news would have been given in a letter handed by Cardinal Castrillon to Benedict XVI. Included in the note, a report of a conversation [in a trip to China in November 2011] of the Archbishop of Palermo, [Cardinal] Romeo, in which he affirms that the Holy Father is in great risk and that an attack is feared within 12 months. The document is dated from December 30 2011, but it was given to the pope in January 2012. ... Romeo would have also spoken of the probable successor and indicated [Cardinal] Scola, Archbishop of Milan. The author of the article is journalist Marco Lillo. The director of Il Fatto Quotidiano, Antonio Padellaro, has said that the document will be published in its entirety in the paper. ... Soon afterwards, the reply of the Vatican arrived through Father Federico Lombardi, spokesman of the Holy See: "These are clearly ravings, which are not at all taken seriously. This is madness."

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/02/for-record-italian-media-in-frenzy.html

Will Castro End His Life as a Devoted Catholic?

Fidel Castro will be received back into the communion of the Roman Catholic Church during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the island in March, the Italian press is reporting. If true, this is a remarkable story — and one that has yet to catch the attention of editors this side of the Atlantic.


On 1 Feb 2012, La Republicca — [Italy’s second largest circulation daily newspaper, La Republicca follows a center-left political line and is strongly anti-clerical; not anti-Catholic per se but a critic of the institutional church] — reported that as death approaches, the octogenarian communist has turned to God for solace.

ABC’s Global Note news blog is the only U.S. general interest publication I have found that has reported this story.  It referenced the La Republicca story and said that Castro’s


Link to GotReligion...

A Progressive Referendum Against Homosexuality in Slovenia

Slovenia.  A progressive citizen's initiative in Slovenia has enough signatures collected against a homosexual law of June 2011 in order to bring a referendum to a vote.  The signatures were presented to Parliament last Friday.  The homosexual law allows Gomorrhists to adopt.  The Church supports the proposed referendum.  The Slovenian people foresee bringing the law to account by March.

Link...

Similar measures are being undertaken in Russia, in St. Petersburg, which promise to punish those promoting homosexuality with a fine of $16,700.  The measure is intended to protect the virtue of Russian youth.

New Pravda seems unhappy about the measures as it points out that homosexuality was only legalized under Boris Yeltsin, when it was specifically prescribed under Soviet Law.  They point out that, "anti-gay sentiment is still widespread."


Link at pravda...

Vatican Talks with SSPX: Recylcing Tornielli's False Report of Last Week

(Vatikan/Econe)Some people can't help themselves. The supplement Christ und Welt(ex Rheinischer Merkur)the weekly paper of Die Zeit reported in today's edition, that "according to the estimate" of the Italian Vaticanista Andrea Tornielli, the negotiations between the Society of St. Pius X and the Holy See have been a "failure". The Catholic news agency KNA has distributed the information further. Even so it is being assumed by countless worldwide Catholic media.

In fact, it is just the (false) message that Alessandro Speciale spread last week on the 3rd of February which appeared on the same day as Tornielli's report. Speciale stated that the Superior General of the SSPX, Bishop Bernard Fellay had declared the talks a failure. Nothing of the kind was done.

Instead, it was the same day that Speciale had already spread his message in the morning that a meeting between Pope Benedict and Cardinal Levada took place instead, the Prefect o fthe Congregation who led the negotiations with the SSPX. The them of the meeting were the discussions with Econe. The Pope himself discussed the current status with Cardinal Levada and also what the next steps of the Holy See will be. It is in fact the Vatican's turn to answer the SSPX.

A failure of the talks is not excluded, however, any more than there being an agreement between Rome and Econe. What Speciale and others more widely published, was targeted at disruption and torpedoing the talks, an attempt to influence from the outside, which makes the father of this wish easy to surmise. The report from the Christiches Welt and Tornielli's analysis corresponded to the 3 February 2012 (this time only in German). Since then nothing more in Italy has been published on the subject, not even in his own blog. The question of whether or not there has been an agreement or a failure of the talks between Rome and Econe is still open.

Die Zeit's editorial appears to appeal to thoughts which appeal to the failure of the talks, which have newly warmed themselves with the report of last week. That parts of the Catholic Church are interested in the failure of the discussions was known then. The dissemination of these premature negative reports serve to sketch a map, of whom is attaching themselves to this kind of wishful thinking. This is thoroughly decisive for observers of the Catholic Church. It is at the present time, nothing more and nothing less.

Link to katholisches...

Demons Driven Out During Papal Audience

The Vatican quakes at the knees by the thought that the incident could become known. -kreuz.net

Father Amorth's new book cover in Italian

(kreuz.net) Pope Benedict XVI. had driven the devil from two men at a Papal audience in 2009 at St. Peter's Square.

This is what famous Roman exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth said in his new book "The Last Exorcist".

The Italian boulevard magazine 'Panorama' published the excerpt yesterday.

Thrown back three meters


Father Amorth described them both by their first nnames Giovanni and Marco.

Two attendants brought the men to the Wednesday audience at St. Peter's Square. They were located in the section which is reserved for the handicapped.

While waiting for the arrival of the Holy Father, they were increasingly disturbed.

As Benedict XVI. neared them in the Popemobile, they men were thrown on the ground, struck their heads on the earth and began to wail.

As the Pope held his hand outside of the car to raise in blessing, the men were hurled back three meters.

Finally, they became calm.

Fear of the rage of the demoniac


The speaker for the Vatican, Father Federico Lombardi, indirectly described the incident.

E said that the Pope had not known that there were two demoniacs were present at St. Peter's Square on that day.

Then he proceeded quickly to downplay the incident:  If the fact was really true, one could not speak of a spiritual cleansing by the Pope.

Because he had "no intention" to conduct an exorcism.

Actually, that's not really true.  Because every blessing has an exorcising function.

The Vatican fears that the case being widely discussed could subsequently bring throngs of possessed  to the Vatican as pilgrims.

That would be a significant disturbance of the normal course of Wednesday audiences

Link to original...

Underground Bishop Lorenz Zhang Wenchang is Dead -- 24 Years in Concentration Camp

Bishop Lorenz Zhang Wencheng

(Hong Kong) At the age of  92 Msgr Lorenz Zhang Wencheng has died.  The Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Kunming had passed twenty four years of his life in Communist concentration camps.  The Bishop died on the 5th of February.  His burial is planned for the 12 of February.

Bishop Zhang, who died in his home village of Shilin, was the Apostolic Administrator of three church districts south of Yunnan: Kunming, Dali and Zhaotong.

In 2006 the Communist regime has been on a collision course with the Vatican and recently on its own and without the approval of the Pope its own Bishop loyal to the regime in Kunming.  The unjustly consecrated Ma Yinglin drew an excommunication upon himself immediately.  Subsequently the Communist Party in china has promoted him to become the President of the Council for China's Bishops.  The Council, not being recognized by Rome, is true to the regime in opposition to the Bishops Conference which is loyal to Rome.

Despite the support from the regime for the loyal Patriotic Union, Ma Yinglin is avoided by the Catholic Faithful.  Where ever he goes out in public, Catholics leave and refuse to receive the Sacraments from him.

Bishop Zhang belongs to the underground Church.  Till his life's end he lived under strict police surveillance.  His life was that "typical" of the Martyrs to Communism.  Born in 1920 in a Catholic family, he went to Catholic schools. In 1946 he was ordained a priest by Bishop Alexandre Derouineau.  Msgr Derouineau was expelled by the Communist takeover of China in 1952.

Msgr Zhang served next at the Cathedral Church in his home Diocese.  In 1953 he had to give up his pastoral activity during the Maoist persecutions and became a rabbit and chicken farmer.  in the underground he continued to work as a priest and cared for hidden Christians.

In 1958 Msgr Zhang was imprisoned during the Communist campaign, "Agains the Reaction" and condemned to 20 years of imprisonment.  Under the cynical motto "Reeducation Through Work", the priest passed his period of forced labor in a concentration camp till 1982.  Till 1987 he was recognized as a pries t by the state and worked openly as a clergyman again.

The Church of Yunnan numbers around  60.000 Catholics.  The majority belong to ethnic minorities.  Since the expulsion of Bishop Derouineau in 1952, the See has been officially vacant.  The government has prevented since then the appointment of Bishops by Rome.  Instead, the Communist regime installed its own loyal Bishops in 1962, without the agreement or recognition by the Pope.  Msgr Kong Lingzhong usurped the Bishop's See till his death in 1992.  Since 2006 Ma Yinglin  has unjustly occupied the Bishop's See.  The Holy See has since named underground Bishops for the vacant Diocese, which are occupied by a standing persecution.

Link to Katolisches...

Text: Asianews/Giuseppe Nardi
Bild: Asianews

Have Archaeologists in Turkey Discovered Apostle's Tomb?

An international group of archaeologists are attempting to identify the grave of the Apostle Philipp in Turkey.


Lecce (kath.net/KNA) An international group of archaeologists are attempting to identify a grave of the Apostle Philip in Turkey. The resting place of the twelve closest followers of Jesus is located in Hieropolis near Pamukkale in the southwestern part of the country, reported the Italian newspaper >>Lecce Prima<< (Online Edition Monday). The scientific team has discovered a second church beneath the St. Philipp Church from the 5th century, which contains a Roman grave which was erected in the first century, explained the leader of the campaign, the archaeologist Francesco D'Andria of the University of Salento in Italy.

D'Andria describes the previous church as a hall church, a building whose aisles are as tall as its nave.  As to the identification of the grave of St. Phillip, the scientist is quoted by the paper as saying that it is ascribed to >>Tradition<<. The report described those taking part in the expedition as a team of 65 Italian scientists. The Apostle Philip should have suffered martyrdom in his 80th year in the vicinity of modern day Ukraine. Another tradition puts his death in southwest Turkey.

Link to kath.net...

Record Numbers Catholic of Seminarians in Muslim Country

(Jakarta) In central Java, a part of Indonesia, in which there are strong radical tendencies registering among the population, the Catholic Church is experiencing a substantial increase in vocations.  The Jesuit led seminary of St. Peter Canisius in Mertoyudan has recorded a record number of candidates to the priesthood.  The largest part of the 250 seminarians come from the Diocese of Semarang.  The seminary celebrates in 2012 its  100th year since founding.



On the island of Java there is a seminary and three junior seminaries in Wacana Bhakti, in Garum and in Yogyakarta.  In the academic year  2011/2012, 256 young Indonesian Catholics are preparing for the priesthood  in the previous year 225, 2009/2010 198 and 2008/2009 there were 166. The Diocesan Bishop Msgr. Julianus Sunarka, himself a Jesuit, has shown himself pleased.


Link katholisches....

SSPX: There is Already a New Dogmatic Preamble

The Society of St. Pius X is on a sound path.  On the other hand, the German speaking Bishops now as ever are striving with every effort to prevent them from attaining full unity with Rome.  by Jacqueline Jeannerat [translation]

'The German Bishops' Conference' Endorsement  of Würzburg Synod 

(kreuz.net) The General Superior of the Society of St. Pius X., Bishop Bernard Fellay (53) has produced a new Dogmatic Preamble for the Congregation of the Faith.

This comes from reports unconfirmed so far.

The new version should be signable by the Society.

A possiblity Existed Already in 2001


Already in 2001 there was the possibility that the Society had received from then Pope Johannes Paul II. († 2005) even without a signed consent, to receive a Apostolic Personal Prelature.

At this point however, the preconditions which Bishop Fellay was seeking were still not fulfilled.

The three were: the rehabilitation of the Old Mass, a lifting of the excommunications of the four Pius-Bishops and the possibility of a theological dialog between the Vatican and the Society.

The next big problem

Through the critical exploration of the non-dogmatic conclusions of the second Vatican Council the Society would like to bring a fruitful dialog process into play.

Against that the German dialog Bishops are against any further dialogue.

Even so the schismatically oriented German speaking Bishops are refusing to reach any efforts in order to bring full unity with Rome.

These are the terms

The following terms would be necessary:
- The withdrawal of the immoral Königsteiner Declaration of August 1968. [When the German Bishops met in opposition to Paul VI's Humanae Vitae on behalf of 'primacy of conscience'. It was a rebellious act against the Papacy.]

- The withdrawal of the Würzburg Synod. [It was formed by dissident priests of Würzburg, in order to distort the conclusions of the Second Vatican Council. It was endorsed by Julius Cardinal Döpfner of Munich and Freising.]

- The understanding that withdrawing from the Church will not include excommunication [German Catholics have legitimate reasons to leave the Church so as not to pay the Church-tax and support the leftist and heretical agendas of the German Bishops, including their participation in abortion and pornography.]

- The correction in German of the poorly translated words of institution [The German Bishops are steadfastly resisting the Holy Father's efforts to change the words of institution to "many" vs. "all".]

- Public reparations for the participation of the Old Liberal official Church in the mass murder of abortion, - the freedom of making declarations free of heresy,

- support for societies true to Rome,

- compliance of lay instruction,

- the greatest possible promotion of the Old Mass.

Link to kreuz.net...

Connecticut Catholic School Abolishes Skirts

Edit: The rationale employed by the administration is as ridiculous as the overall homogenization of human sexuality by the state.

It would be interesting to know if the faculty and administration actually believed the Catholic Faith.  They often don't.

St. Bernadette Catholic School will be updating the girls uniforms next fall. After many female students have been rolling up their plaid skirts to make them shorter, the school has decided to ban their current skirts and jumpers and replace them with khaki pants. Parents are upset that they'll have to shell out more money for new uniforms, but they're also angry that their daughters will look less feminine.

According to the New Haven Register, principal Sherry Steines recently wrote a letter to parents claiming the new dress code is the result of "many conversations and input from the school survey." Apparently some parents never took any such survey or were consulted about the dress code. As a result about 20 parents signed a petition to meet with the the principal about the changes, but they were ultimately turned away.

"They said the jumper is going to last a couple of years and then, boom, it's gone," parent Brenda Abel told the Register. She said tuition is costly enough and she'd prefer not having to buy new uniforms. Her daughter, Jessica, is in sixth grade and keeps her skirt at the required knee length. Several mothers told the Register the school should forbid skirt rolling, but let them keep their uniforms. One parent who wished to remain anonymous told the paper, "I would like to carry on with the beautiful tradition that the kids wear their proud uniform." Kayla Bailey agreed, saying, "People see my daughter and they know she goes to St. Bernadette." Nancy Owens, who crafted the petition, said she too prefers the current recognizable plaid girls uniforms. "I don't want my kid looking like a magnet school kid," she said. 

Link to article...

Hungary's Prime Minister: "If the Church Were Stronger, The Nation Would be Much Stronger"

The Hungarian Prime Minister is a lighthouse in a circle of unscrupulous political criminals, who want to impose their absurd Democracy.

(kreuz.net)The Hungarian Constitution asserts that the foundation of all life has its origins in the family.

That's why homosexual unions are not protected by the same rights as families.

It forbids homosexuals to adopt children.

Viktor Orbán (48)anounced this at the end of January in an interview with journalist and musician Jan Pospieszalski (57) in a broadcast for ‘Blizej’ on Polish state television.
Orbán is evangelical reformed and the father of five children.

As a younger politician he belonged to the opposition against dehumanizing Communism.

The interview discussed above all the giant majority of the new Constitution of Hungary. It is a milestone of progress.

That is the reason why it was bitterly fought against by obscurantist left circles.

A European Politician


The Hungarian Constitution declares that human life must be protected from the beginning.

With that it struck the barbarism of abortion down.

Orbán stressed that the defense of human life isn't merely valid for Hungary, but concerns all of Europe.

No Money for the Violence of Abortion


Orbán will be distorted by a left-obscurantist discussion.

These despisers of people are angered that the Hungarian Government are distributing the EU-payments to the promotion of adoption instead of abortion.

One inhuman individual attacked Orbán even in the EU-Parliament.

In his answer Orbán insisted that life is still widely "not respected".

That is -- according to Orbán -- a relic of the Communist regime, which hold people and life in contempt.

He continued: "If we had a strong Church, then the nation would be much stronger."

And: "I in the process of attempting an alliance with politicians, for whom Christendom and traditional values are important."

That is a great power for me


Orbán also stressed that prayer has a long tradition in Central Europe:

"For me this tradition has great significance."

Before difficult undertakings people would pray for him: "That is a great power and help for me."

"I would like to thank you for this talk and wish God's blessing on every single citizen of the Polish nation."

Here's the Interview in German, unfortunately, where he also thanks Poland for its demonstrations on behalf of Hungary:

German Jesuit to Receive Cardinal's Hat After All [?]

[Update]  The report from the German District website was from January 6th and has since been corrected to reflect the current situation that the German Jesuit, Father Becker, is NOT to receive a Cardinal's hat at the Consistory.  It is thought that the situation will be corrected, since someone in the Vatican is confused about Father Becker's state of health.  Thank you for your patience.


About three days ago, the traditional portal 'Rorate Caeli' reported that Father Karl Becker was to be passed over for a Cardinal's hat "for health reasons".  Today it is revealed that this is not the case. In fact, Father Becker is in very good health, and is looking forward to continuing his work in the service of God and of his holy Church.

Vatican Information Service had reported:

Today's communique also announces that, due to ill health, cardinal-designate Fr. Karl Josef Becker S.J. will not be created a cardinal during the public ceremony of 18 February, but in private at another time.

Imagine Father Karl Becker's astonishment at being told he was in bad health. Now the German District of the Jesuits is reporting that Father Karl Becker, one of the architects of the hermeneutic of continuity, is going to receive the honor after all. The translation as follows:

On the 6th of January the Vatican has announced that Pope Benedict XVI will name 22 Cardinals on 18. February 2012. One of them is to be the German Jesuit, Professor Dr. Karl Josef Becker SJ. The German Province of the Jesuits warmly congratulates him for this appointment.

The German Jesuit was a key figure in the doctrinal discussions with the Society of St. Pius X.