Thursday, May 7, 2015

Archbishop Pozzo at the Shroud of Turin --- "Do Not Relent in the Pursuit of the Traditional Mass and Resist Any Undue Resistance"

Curial Archbishop Pozzo in
the Chiesa della Misercordia of
Turin
(Turin)  Until June 24, 2015 the grave cloth of Christ, the most precious relic of Christendom, the visible proof of God in time and space will be on display. Communities tradition organize pilgrimages to see the grave cloth and worship. In the Chiesa della Misericordia you can find in the old town in the recording Arciconfraternità di S. Giovanni Decollato, detta "della Misercordia" (Confraternity of John the Baptist Beheaded, known as "Mercy"). "Mercy" is the motto of the pontificate of Pope. The Church of Mercy of Turin is the center of the tradition.
The Archconfraternity received permission  with the Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei  to maintain the traditional Rite. The church was built by the Confraternity founded in 1578 at the beginning of the 18th century. The chancel from the period has been preserved intact.
Around the church,  Coetus Fidelium the Association Cardinal G. Saldarini to promote the tradition in the Archdiocese of Turin within the meaning of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum has been formed. From 30 April to 3 May, the traditional Parisian parish of St. Eugène undertook a pilgrimage together with the Schola of Sainte Cécile to the Shroud. On May 3  Archbishop Curia Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei celebrated Missa Praelatitia.in the Chiesa della Misericordia, 

"Do Not Relent in Pursuit of the Traditional Mass and Resist Any Undue Resistance"

Benedict XVI.  Venerating the Grave Cloth (2010)
The Association Cardinal G. Saldarini had the opportunity to provide Msgr. Pozzo detailed information on their experiences and also about difficulties and obstacles. The Curial Archbishop encouraged the faithful to persevere in their commitment to the dissemination of the traditional liturgy and to oppose any undue resistance. At the same time he assured the faithful of adequate protection, because it is the right of all believers to come to the traditional Rite without obstacles. 
The Arch confraternity was formed for implementing the physical and spiritual works of mercy for the care of those sentenced to death. They took care of their spiritual guidance, for a Christian burial and for the Holy Masses for their souls. Even today, the Confraternity operates inmate care.
Contact and Info for pilgrims:
Chiesa della Misercordia: Tel. + 39-11-817.39.67 (RA Tealdi) - info [a] arciconfraternitadellamisericordia.it
SSPX: Tel + 39-11-983.92.72 - Montalenghe [a]. sanpiox.it
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Messa in Latino
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG







Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Unconfirmed: Father Fidenzio Volpi OFM. Cap Has Died

Edit: we are in the process of confirming, but the Apostolic Commissioner of the Franciscans of the Immaculate has died as we've been informed by a reader, who particularly asks for prayers:


"May I take advantage if this comment section to inform you and your readers of news which is beginning to come out, but which has not yet been confirmed (therefore completely unofficial)? It seems Fr Fidenzio Volpi O.F.M. Cap. has died today, 6 May 2015, Feast of St John before the Latin Gate. May I ask everyone to pray a little while to Ss. Francis and Claire to ensure that his time in Purgatory is as short as possible. "

Oremus!

Monday, May 4, 2015

KGB Invented Liberation Theology

Edit: a reader sent this fascinating report from Breitbart. We thinking could be of general interest.

In a startling new interview, a 3-star general and former head of Communist Romania’s secret police who defected to the United States in 1978, claims that the Theology of Liberation was the creation of the KGB, who exported it to Latin America as a way of introducing Marxism into the continent.

Ion Mihai Pacepa has been called “the Cold War’s most important defector,” and after his defection, the Romanian government under Nicolae Ceausescu placed two death sentences and a $2 million bounty on his head. During the more than ten years that Pacepa worked with the CIA, he made what the agency described as “an important and unique contribution to the United States.”

He is reported in fact to have given the CIA “the best intelligence ever obtained on communist intelligence networks and internal security services.”

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/05/02/highest-ranking-cold-war-defector-the-kgb-invented-liberation-theology/

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Jesuit, Jesuitical, Jesuitized -- Applied Sybyline Semantics

(Rome) Chiesa e postconcilio published nearly a spotlight on one of the hot topics of our time which is moving the Church. And the language in which Pope Francis deals with the subject.The suggestion comes from the Catholic Blog Esistenzialmente PerifericoCitations from the catechesis of Pope Francis at the General Audience of 15 April 2015th.
The main vice of Jesuits today: the problem with the clarity ...
"I wonder, for example, whether the so-called gender theory is not an expression of frustration and resignation, which aims to obliterate the difference between the sexes, because they no longer understand how to deal with it. [...] The covenant of marriage and the family is something serious, this is true for everyone, not just for the faithful. I would call on the intellectuals, not to neglect this issue as if it had become irrelevant for adoption in favor of a freer and more just society. "

Applied Sibylline Semantics

The Jesuit representation is, in most cases, a treatise of applied  sibylline semantics:
The formulation of the doubt ("I wonder ..."); misleading terms ("expression of frustration and resignation"); Generalities ("the covenant of marriage and the family is something serious"); multifunctional tags, which are found again  and which can be thrown in any order ("for use in favor of a freer and more just society become irrelevant").
The slogan of the current pontificate is: "Who am I to judge?" It is packaged equally advantageously with the question. The media have raised it to papal motto. And Pope Francis has so far made ​​ no attempt to correct this. Qui tacetconsentirevidetur .

Sandro Magister: Gay Lobby in the Vatican Increasingly Stronger

Once again, the famous Vatican expert Sandro Magister  put the finger in the wound, which is now an open secret: the existence of a massive, militant, homosexual lobby in the Church and especially the Vatican. A lobby that has grown stronger at a prodigious rate under this pontificate.
Despite the incredible incidents at the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family (with the relatio post disceptationem which even ascribes transcendent "qualities" to homosexuality, this lobby has not yet dropped its mask. It does it slowly.
On the other hand, the  homo-ecclesiastical coming out, the emergence of "Lady Cardinals" and "bishops" with the "small" vices (often inseparable fromt the homo-Ephebophilia that of the media describes tout court as  "pedophilia") will sooner or later emit from hidden poison canisters. Better sooner rather than later.
You know by the way, how much the homosexuals - from a series of psychological motives - love Exhibition,  the inflated and cathartic display of their problematic identity.
Text: Esistenzialmente Periferico / Chiesa e postconcilio / Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Actualidad
Trans: Tancred
AMDG

Mercenary Shepherd Casting Out Catholic Hermits for Teaching Truth About Aberrosexualism in England

Edit: just look at the seething ire of this article.  It's fairly easy to see that the Tablet approves of the course of action being taken by the "Catholic" ordinary.  The state is going after them and their ordinary.  Kyrie Eleison!
Three hermits living in a presbytery in the Diocese of Northampton say they have been asked to leave by the bishop following complaints about the behaviour of one of their number who regularly preaches and leaflets against homosexuality. 
The self-styled [sic] “Black Hermits” led by Br Damon Kelly say they have been told they have until 20 July to leave the presbytery at St Patrick’s, Millais Road, Corby. 
Br Damon was arrested last December under Section 5 of the Public Order Act for issuing leaflets that were considered by Cambridge police to be of a homophobic nature but did not constitute a criminal offence. His lawyer has said distributing material on the street is protected by freedom of speech although it is understood Brother Damon enters private property to put leaflets through letterboxes.

NB the order is registered in Scotland for tax purposes. Thanks to a kind reader who corrected us.

Link to Table...

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Jihadists Destroy Armenian Cathedral of Aleppo

The Cathedral of the 40 Martyrs, Destroyed
on April 28th, 2015 
(Beirut) "Just in time" for the 100th anniversary of the genocide of the Armenians, jihadists destroyed the Armenian Cathedral of Aleppo. Ignatius Joseph III. Younan, Patriarch of the  Syrian Catholic Church of Antioch in union with Rome, speaks of a "tragedy in Aleppo", the second largest city of Syria. On April 28, the city was bombarded by Islamist militias. Here also, the Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs  of the Armenian Apostolic Church was destroyed.
The cathedral in the Christian district Jdeydeh is dedicated to the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. It was built in 1429 in front of a smaller predecessor. In its present form, it was enlarged 1499/1500. She is one of the oldest churches in the Armenian diaspora and the old city of Aleppo.
The patriarch spoke of his visitations in twelve Syrian parishes. In all he had found a precarious situation, but above all the desire of Christians and Muslims, "that the slaughter come to an end as soon as possible".

"West Does not Want to Understand Real Problem"

The bell tower of the cathedral from destruction
The bell tower of the cathedral before destruction
In Syria there is an incumbent, internationally recognized government, "which can not be put on the same footing as the rebels," said the Patriarch to the daily newspaper Avvenire. "But the West, particularly the United States, France and Great Britain, do not want to understand the real problem: that the Sunni majority does not accept the various minorities."
The West must seriously ask themselves whether or not to put an end to this tragedy, said the Patriarch. "If we really want, then the flow of arms must stop. In addition, the borders must be controlled so that the jihadists who come even from Indonesia and Nigeria can not just to enter the country. Unfortunately, the West also gets its advantage from the war, because some thought to be able to resolve the crisis at least in part, by selling weapons to the fighters. "
Of the Islamic State, the Patriarch said: "I can not discuss the Islamic state. The problem of IS would be solved within a short time if it were not militarily  supported by some countries in the region such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with the tacit approval of the West."

Turkey and Genocide: "Why the Patriarch of Antioch Can Not Reside in This City?"

Magnificent Christian reliefs of Armenian religious art were lost
Magnificent Reliefs of Armenian Religious Art Were Lost
Regarding the Turkish reactions to Pope Francis, who spoke about the genocide of the Armenians, Ignatius Joseph III .Younan said: "Last Sunday we commemorated the tragedy of our Armenian brothers with a Holy Mass who also included  both Catholics and Orthodox Syrians. The genocide took place. If the Turks do not want to acknowledge this, that's their problem. But that's the truth. We need not be afraid of their reaction. We should rather ask: Why is there, in the area of ​​present-day Turkey, where Christianity was represented historically since ancient times, only a population of 50,000 Christians out of 80 million?  Why did none of the five patriarchs of Antioch, three Catholic and two Orthodox headquarter in this city? I myself am the son of refugees. My mother and my father had to leave Turkey when I was a kid. Given certain attitudes we must firmly and decisively remain here."

EU could make great contribution to the solution of the Middle East conflict

Considering the EU the Patriarch added, "I think of the European Union in a particular way. If the EU is united, their cultural identity rediscovered and  not be determined by the United States: Where does that leave Turkey? Unfortunately, the West is often a prisoner of a certain cowardice, which is reflected in a politically correct mentality. In reality, the EU could make a major contribution to solving the Middle East problem."
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: ora pro Siria
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Evil Feminist Ridicules Church at "Catholic" School

[Cardinal Newman Society] Abortion advocacy, support for euthanasia and applause for excommunicated and “ordained” women priests—such were the highlights of last week’s “dialogue” with radical feminists Gloria Steinem and Bell Hooks on the Catholic campus of St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis.

The event was held in the College’s campus theater on April 21, despite initial exposure by the Cardinal Newman Society last October, public protest by Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay in January, and assurances from the College that Steinem was invited only to headline a “discussion of the history of the women’s movement, especially as it may be understood in the context of domestic violence.”

Bishop Ricken lamented that Steinem’s “whole career and life is a grand affirmation of the pro-abortion movement.” And the Newman Society called on the College to rescind Steinem’s invitation, stating that its refusal to do so “adds insult to injury by disregarding Bishop Ricken.”

Nevertheless the College went forward, and the activists’ dialogue, titled “Talking Together: A Legacy of Solidarity,” predictably highlighted contempt for “patriarchal religions” and pushed support for abortion rights and euthanasia. A video of their dialogue indicates that Steinem and Hooks barely touched on the subject of domestic violence but focused instead on “reproductive rights” and societal ills caused by the patriarchy.

Read further at Cardinal Newman Society link:
http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/4166/Feminist-Steinem-Touts-Abortion-Ridicules-Church-at-St-Norbert-College.aspx

H/t: Badger Catholic

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Father Nicholas Gruner, RIP


29/04/15 21:33


Father Nicholas Gruner, RIP

It is my sad duty to announce the sudden death of Father Nicholas Gruner
He died suddenly late today of a heart attack while working at his Fatima Center office.
At the moment, I do not know more than this. Please re-visit our page for updates.
He was truly the world expert on Fatima. He was more knowledgable on this subject, and on the true nature of the Fatima Message than anyone else.
Please remember Father Gruner in your prayers, a good friend and a true Catholic Crusader.
- John Vennari

SSPX Statement on Situation With Rome

Pozzo's actions speak louder than words!


[SSPX District USA] We publish here a Le Seignadou editorial by Fr. Michel Simoulin, SSPX chaplain of the Dominicans of Fanjeaux. Fr. Simoulin comments on the behind the scenes denial of the celebration of Mass during the pilgrimage the sisters and their students made last February in Rome, which contradicts the recently assertions made by Archbishop Pozzo of the Ecclesia Dei Commission.

There is Rome…and then there is the Vatican and the Vatican officials, the guardians of the law and of the Temple! Alas, it is not always the same thing! The Vatican of our times very often manifests a spirit that is not the spirit of Rome, that Rome sung by Dante, Dom Gueranger, Louis Veuillot, Fr. Berto, Archbishop Lefebvre…and long before them by the Fathers of the Church: St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Tertullian, Origen, St. Cyprian of Carthage…

Good old Corneille proclaimed in his time that “Rome is no longer in Rome; she is wherever I am” (Sertorius, III, I), and we are, alas, obliged to make a distinction between Rome and the Vatican, between what comes from Rome and what comes from the Vatican! And it was to Rome that our sisters led their schools, in thanksgiving and out of fidelity to Rome, under the astonished eyes of the Vatican officials.

Oddly enough, a small noisy group criticized this pilgrimage: it would seem that the children were forced, obliged against their will, forcefully dragged to the feet of the pope…outrageous fees were “extorted” from the parents…in short, meanness vies with stupidity, and those who say these things should take a look at, read and meditate on the accounts given by and about those who participated! When they threw their berets in the air at St. Peter’s Square, it seemed spontaneous and rather joyful to me!

Cont...

http://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/actions-speak-than-louder-words




Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Notable "Catholic" Convert Decides to Join Church of England: Not a Big Surprise

Coren Selling His Literary Prowess and Reputation to the Anglican
Communion 
Edit: interesting point.  Some people are going to be surprised by this, but I'm not sure how.  Do these Literary Catholics really embrace the true religion sincerely, or is this an opportunity to appear on EWTN, Catholic Answers and ChurchMilitant.com, in order to sell books. Michael Coren has recently left the Catholic Church again (the first time was in 1993), and returned to the Anglican Communion. He's written quite a lot about CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and Ronald Knox.

We'd say it was pretty obvious just what he was back in 1992 when he was scandalized by the then Archbishop of Toronto saying things like "fricken" from Wikipedia:
In a 1993 book review he said "Can anyone imagine a detective priest? Regrettably, it is easier to conjure up the image of a priest being questioned by secular detectives over abuse charges." Also in 1993, Michael Coren had a falling out with the Catholic Church over an unflattering profile he wrote of Archbishop Aloysius Ambrozic for Toronto Life magazine[citation needed]. The bishop, who made Coren a "Knight of the Holy Sepulchre" in a ceremony in October 1992, was quoted using words including "friggin" and "bitch", and said that Francisco Franco was a "conservative Roman Catholic and not a bad fellow." Coren defended himself, saying "He's an archbishop and he was vulgar...obviously what thousands of Roman Catholics expected me to do was lie. I still get hate mail about the article."
Although he was born in a Jewish family, Coren has found various temporary homes in various different Christian denominations where he's found plenty of opportunities to be nasty and polemical, to put it mildly. More recently, Coren has been a champion of the sin that cries out to Heaven for vengeance.


It certainly does bring to mind the almost programatic way in which other professional Catholics spirit themselves into Church circles to spread their "wisdom", but what can you expect from a spiritual and moral vagabond like this?

Wagner's Tannhäuser With Jesus in Bordello -- Freedom and the German Feature Pages

(Moscow) The director's theater can sometimes spoil  the full musical experience in an opera house. Theater managers  and directors who put themselves in scene and trample over music, composer, librettist and their intentions with the "lightness" of elephants in a magnificent rose garden.
Actually the Russian Novosibirsk with a wanted to honor the Tannhäuser of Richard Wagner with an adaptation. But the theater director Timothy Kuljabin intended to deface the "most Catholic" of Wagner operas with a "Jesus-sex scene" (Die Welt). The redemption theme in conjunction with the Catholic Church is difficult for a disbelieving director to do.  Intellectual honesty would require one  to refuse a commission with which you can not identify. In general, the artist director decided not to do without, but to enjoy himself  by the "deconstruction" of the works.
After protests from the audience and the Orthodox Church, the Novosibirsk  cancelled the staging  and dismissed theater director Boris Mesdritsch. He had defended Kuljabins sacrilege and refused to publicly apologize for offending religious feelings.

Is there a "right" to blasphemy?

Kuljabin presents himself remains unapologetic and complained of the "right" to offend God, religion and the religious feelings of Christians. A charge of blasphemy was rejected in a court in Novosibirsk.
Since then, Kuljabin has portrayed himself as a defender of  "common sense" and as a victim of "ultra-radicalism", "censorship" and "paternalism". Doubts about Kuljabins common sense abound.
The daily Die Welt  immediately aligned itself on the side of "artistic freedom" and denounced critics of blasphemy and Tannhäuser  together as "militant Orthodox activists". In no time there were well-known alliances of the liberal left-crowd and old-communist cliques to defend an egocentric "freedom".

Unknown Director Was an Overnight "Celebrated Young Star" in German Feature Pages

Timothy Kuljabin
The 30-year Kuljabin  Tannhäuser scandal was indeed known  to Russia insiders, but outside he was unknown.  Since  presenting his blasphemy on stage, he has mutated overnight into a "star" for the German culture journalist. The features section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung made ​​him even the "much celebrated young star ".
What catapulted Kuljabin  to media darling, is Tannhäuser, which comes from the   film "Venus Grotto" about Jesus in a brothel. Tannhäuser is the film director, Jesus one of the actors, who is surrounded by half-naked prostitutes. The advertising promoting the production shows  Jesus between two woman legs on a large movie poster.

Protest by Metropolitan Tikhon

Metropolitan Tikhon of Novosibirsk initiated a charge last February for blasphemy. The lower court judge ruled on the side of director and artistic director, and decreed that religious symbols have been used in "artistic context".
Mesdritsch offered the Archbishop a public debate on Kuljabins Tannhäuser adaptation. Metropolitan Tikhon felt duped and sent a letter to the Governor of Nowosibrisk. In the letter, he explained that a public debate only makes sense if the performance in the current production is to be suspended.

 Novosibirsk Director Dismissed

Christians gathered in front of the Opera House in protest and prayer. The new director of Novosibirsk was the artistic director of the St. Petersburg Mikhailovsky Theatre, Vladimir Kechman. Kechman had a week-long discussion  on Kuljabin's Tannhäuser blasphemy and criticized him for it. There was no cause for government art programs to insult people and to serve as a stage for the self-promotion of individuals.
The Lenkom- and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow however, have offered Kuljabin the opportunity to be able to produce on their stages "what he wants". This too is a form of defending "freedom of art" or in other words to express the aversion to Christianity.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Picture: Channel 24 (Screenshots)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Tacky Liberal Incoherence, No. 2

Of course, people have a right to free speech. But people also have a right to freedom from certain kinds of hate speech. That’s why I think governments should outlaw and punitively punish all anti-choice (wrongly called “pro-life”) speech. Plus, if such unacceptable (and therefore justly censured) speech isn’t censured, our universities won’t be safe places for all of us.

Friday, April 24, 2015

2005-2015 -- Ten Years After the Enthronement of Pope Benedict XVI

(Vatican)  It was April 25th 2005 on a Sunday, a day with picture perfect weather as the enthronement of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI took place beyond the magnificent facade of St. Peter's. The new Pope gave an impressive sermon, which was already in a series which he gave as Dean of the College of Cardinals in the Exequies before the burial of John Paul II on April 8th and for the Mass Pro Eligendo Romano pontifice on April 18th. The speech was most notable for the statement: "Pray for me, that I do not flee for fear of the wolves." 

Ten years later it is appropriate to read again what the German Pope said then at the beginning of his pontificate.

Your Eminences,
My dear Brother Bishops and Priests,
Distinguished Authorities and Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Dear Brothers and Sisters
,

During these days of great intensity, we have chanted the litany of the saints on three different occasions: at the funeral of our Holy Father John Paul II; as the Cardinals entered the Conclave; and again today, when we sang it with the response: Tu illum adiuva – sustain the new Successor of Saint Peter. On each occasion, in a particular way, I found great consolation in listening to this prayerful chant. How alone we all felt after the passing of John Paul II – the Pope who for over twenty-six years had been our shepherd and guide on our journey through life! He crossed the threshold of the next life, entering into the mystery of God. But he did not take this step alone. Those who believe are never alone – neither in life nor in death. At that moment, we could call upon the Saints from every age – his friends, his brothers and sisters in the faith – knowing that they would form a living procession to accompany him into the next world, into the glory of God. We knew that his arrival was awaited. Now we know that he is among his own and is truly at home. We were also consoled as we made our solemn entrance into Conclave, to elect the one whom the Lord had chosen. How would we be able to discern his name? How could 115 Bishops, from every culture and every country, discover the one on whom the Lord wished to confer the mission of binding and loosing? Once again, we knew that we were not alone, we knew that we were surrounded, led and guided by the friends of God. And now, at this moment, weak servant of God that I am, I must assume this enormous task, which truly exceeds all human capacity. How can I do this? How will I be able to do it? All of you, my dear friends, have just invoked the entire host of Saints, represented by some of the great names in the history of God’s dealings with mankind. In this way, I too can say with renewed conviction: I am not alone. I do not have to carry alone what in truth I could never carry alone. All the Saints of God are there to protect me, to sustain me and to carry me. And your prayers, my dear friends, your indulgence, your love, your faith and your hope accompany me. Indeed, the communion of Saints consists not only of the great men and women who went before us and whose names we know. All of us belong to the communion of Saints, we who have been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we who draw life from the gift of Christ’s Body and Blood, through which he transforms us and makes us like himself. Yes, the Church is alive – this is the wonderful experience of these days. During those sad days of the Pope’s illness and death, it became wonderfully evident to us that the Church is alive. And the Church is young. She holds within herself the future of the world and therefore shows each of us the way towards the future. The Church is alive and we are seeing it: we are experiencing the joy that the Risen Lord promised his followers. The Church is alive – she is alive because Christ is alive, because he is truly risen. In the suffering that we saw on the Holy Father’s face in those days of Easter, we contemplated the mystery of Christ’s Passion and we touched his wounds. But throughout these days we have also been able, in a profound sense, to touch the Risen One. We have been able to experience the joy that he promised, after a brief period of darkness, as the fruit of his resurrection.

The Church is alive – with these words, I greet with great joy and gratitude all of you gathered here, my venerable brother Cardinals and Bishops, my dear priests, deacons, Church workers, catechists. I greet you, men and women Religious, witnesses of the transfiguring presence of God. I greet you, members of the lay faithful, immersed in the great task of building up the Kingdom of God which spreads throughout the world, in every area of life. With great affection I also greet all those who have been reborn in the sacrament of Baptism but are not yet in full communion with us; and you, my brothers and sisters of the Jewish people, to whom we are joined by a great shared spiritual heritage, one rooted in God’s irrevocable promises. Finally, like a wave gathering force, my thoughts go out to all men and women of today, to believers and non-believers alike.
Dear friends! At this moment there is no need for me to present a programme of governance. I was able to give an indication of what I see as my task in my Message of Wednesday 20 April, and there will be other opportunities to do so. My real programme of governance is not to do my own will, not to pursue my own ideas, but to listen, together with the whole Church, to the word and the will of the Lord, to be guided by Him, so that He himself will lead the Church at this hour of our history. Instead of putting forward a programme, I should simply like to comment on the two liturgical symbols which represent the inauguration of the Petrine Ministry; both these symbols, moreover, reflect clearly what we heard proclaimed in today’s readings.

The first symbol is the Pallium, woven in pure wool, which will be placed on my shoulders. This ancient sign, which the Bishops of Rome have worn since the fourth century, may be considered an image of the yoke of Christ, which the Bishop of this City, the Servant of the Servants of God, takes upon his shoulders. God’s yoke is God’s will, which we accept. And this will does not weigh down on us, oppressing us and taking away our freedom. To know what God wants, to know where the path of life is found – this was Israel’s joy, this was her great privilege. It is also our joy: God’s will does not alienate us, it purifies us – even if this can be painful – and so it leads us to ourselves. In this way, we serve not only him, but the salvation of the whole world, of all history. The symbolism of the Pallium is even more concrete: the lamb’s wool is meant to represent the lost, sick or weak sheep which the shepherd places on his shoulders and carries to the waters of life. For the Fathers of the Church, the parable of the lost sheep, which the shepherd seeks in the desert, was an image of the mystery of Christ and the Church. The human race – every one of us – is the sheep lost in the desert which no longer knows the way. The Son of God will not let this happen; he cannot abandon humanity in so wretched a condition. He leaps to his feet and abandons the glory of heaven, in order to go in search of the sheep and pursue it, all the way to the Cross. He takes it upon his shoulders and carries our humanity; he carries us all – he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. What the Pallium indicates first and foremost is that we are all carried by Christ. But at the same time it invites us to carry one another. Hence the Pallium becomes a symbol of the shepherd’s mission, of which the Second Reading and the Gospel speak. The pastor must be inspired by Christ’s holy zeal: for him it is not a matter of indifference that so many people are living in the desert. And there are so many kinds of desert. There is the desert of poverty, the desert of hunger and thirst, the desert of abandonment, of loneliness, of destroyed love. There is the desert of God’s darkness, the emptiness of souls no longer aware of their dignity or the goal of human life. The external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast. Therefore the earth’s treasures no longer serve to build God’s garden for all to live in, but they have been made to serve the powers of exploitation and destruction. The Church as a whole and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us life, and life in abundance. The symbol of the lamb also has a deeper meaning. In the Ancient Near East, it was customary for kings to style themselves shepherds of their people. This was an image of their power, a cynical image: to them their subjects were like sheep, which the shepherd could dispose of as he wished. When the shepherd of all humanity, the living God, himself became a lamb, he stood on the side of the lambs, with those who are downtrodden and killed. This is how he reveals himself to be the true shepherd: “I am the Good Shepherd . . . I lay down my life for the sheep”, Jesus says of himself (Jn 10:14f). It is not power, but love that redeems us! This is God’s sign: he himself is love. How often we wish that God would make show himself stronger, that he would strike decisively, defeating evil and creating a better world. All ideologies of power justify themselves in exactly this way, they justify the destruction of whatever would stand in the way of progress and the liberation of humanity. We suffer on account of God’s patience. And yet, we need his patience. God, who became a lamb, tells us that the world is saved by the Crucified One, not by those who crucified him. The world is redeemed by the patience of God. It is destroyed by the impatience of man.

One of the basic characteristics of a shepherd must be to love the people entrusted to him, even as he loves Christ whom he serves. “Feed my sheep”, says Christ to Peter, and now, at this moment, he says it to me as well. Feeding means loving, and loving also means being ready to suffer. Loving means giving the sheep what is truly good, the nourishment of God’s truth, of God’s word, the nourishment of his presence, which he gives us in the Blessed Sacrament. My dear friends – at this moment I can only say: pray for me, that I may learn to love the Lord more and more. Pray for me, that I may learn to love his flock more and more – in other words, you, the holy Church, each one of you and all of you together. Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves. Let us pray for one another, that the Lord will carry us and that we will learn to carry one another.

The second symbol used in today’s liturgy to express the inauguration of the Petrine Ministry is the presentation of the fisherman’s ring. Peter’s call to be a shepherd, which we heard in the Gospel, comes after the account of a miraculous catch of fish: after a night in which the disciples had let down their nets without success, they see the Risen Lord on the shore. He tells them to let down their nets once more, and the nets become so full that they can hardly pull them in; 153 large fish: “and although there were so many, the net was not torn” (Jn 21:11). This account, coming at the end of Jesus’s earthly journey with his disciples, corresponds to an account found at the beginning: there too, the disciples had caught nothing the entire night; there too, Jesus had invited Simon once more to put out into the deep. And Simon, who was not yet called Peter, gave the wonderful reply: “Master, at your word I will let down the nets.” And then came the conferral of his mission: “Do not be afraid. Henceforth you will be catching men” (Lk 5:1-11). Today too the Church and the successors of the Apostles are told to put out into the deep sea of history and to let down the nets, so as to win men and women over to the Gospel – to God, to Christ, to true life. The Fathers made a very significant commentary on this singular task. This is what they say: for a fish, created for water, it is fatal to be taken out of the sea, to be removed from its vital element to serve as human food. But in the mission of a fisher of men, the reverse is true. We are living in alienation, in the salt waters of suffering and death; in a sea of darkness without light. The net of the Gospel pulls us out of the waters of death and brings us into the splendour of God’s light, into true life. It is really true: as we follow Christ in this mission to be fishers of men, we must bring men and women out of the sea that is salted with so many forms of alienation and onto the land of life, into the light of God. It is really so: the purpose of our lives is to reveal God to men. And only where God is seen does life truly begin. Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is. We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary. There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him. The task of the shepherd, the task of the fisher of men, can often seem wearisome. But it is beautiful and wonderful, because it is truly a service to joy, to God’s joy which longs to break into the world.
Here I want to add something: both the image of the shepherd and that of the fisherman issue an explicit call to unity. “I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must lead them too, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd” (Jn 10:16); these are the words of Jesus at the end of his discourse on the Good Shepherd. And the account of the 153 large fish ends with the joyful statement: “although there were so many, the net was not torn” (Jn 21:11). Alas, beloved Lord, with sorrow we must now acknowledge that it has been torn! But no – we must not be sad! Let us rejoice because of your promise, which does not disappoint, and let us do all we can to pursue the path towards the unity you have promised. Let us remember it in our prayer to the Lord, as we plead with him: yes, Lord, remember your promise. Grant that we may be one flock and one shepherd! Do not allow your net to be torn, help us to be servants of unity!

At this point, my mind goes back to 22 October 1978, when Pope John Paul II began his ministry here in Saint Peter’s Square. His words on that occasion constantly echo in my ears: “Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!” The Pope was addressing the mighty, the powerful of this world, who feared that Christ might take away something of their power if they were to let him in, if they were to allow the faith to be free. Yes, he would certainly have taken something away from them: the dominion of corruption, the manipulation of law and the freedom to do as they pleased. But he would not have taken away anything that pertains to human freedom or dignity, or to the building of a just society. The Pope was also speaking to everyone, especially the young. Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? And once again the Pope said: No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation. And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life. Amen.

Photo: Trinta Giorni
Post: Giuseppe Nardi
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Old Liberal Bishop of Chicago Commits Sacrilege

Edit: as covered on ChurchMilitant.TV, one of the most Leftist prelates in the American Church commits sacrilege by cynically using the Blessed Sacrament as a bargaining chip, if you'll excuse the expression.
As follows:
Therefore, what appears to be a grave violation of Canon 844 has been committed. Present at the Mass was Chicago's new archbishop Blase Cupich.
In addition to the violation of canon law, the question is being asked: Was a sacrilege committed on the new archbishop's watch?
According to canon law, since the governor is a non-Catholic, he is unable to be given Holy Communion unless a number of conditions are all met:
  1. Foremost, there must be a grave and urgent need, usually understood to mean danger of death.
  2. The governor must demonstrate Catholic faith in the Real Presence.
  3. He must be duly disposed, and not conscious of any grave sin

Bishop of Brixen Gives Veto for Renovation of Altar Space

Proposed Altar Space in Parish of Brixen: Altar and
Ambo Equal
(Brixen)   Bishop Ivo Muser of Bolzano-Bressanone (South Tyrol)  has given an absolute no to the reorganization plans for the presbytery of the Brixen parish church of St. Michael.
The parish church in Brixen will undergo an extensive renovation. On this occasion, the sanctuary was to be "modernized". Zealous lay with some clerical support were to effect a transformation of the presbytery of the Baroque style Gothic parish church.

Art Contest: Winner Project with a Lack of Understanding of the Liturgical

The church renovation has been in swing since May 2014.  The sanctuary is untouched. A competition was held to determine what to do in   which nine South Tyrolean artists participated.The winning project chosen was the sculptor Lois Anvidalfarei.
When the project was presented to Bishop Muser,  it  was so hair-raising that he gave his veto. Since then, there have been long faces and volunteers among the church apparachiks, who sometimes have significant problems with episcopal or papal authority. The parish council feels offended and says that the negative decision of the bishop to Easter was "not good news".
Bishop Muser is committed to conciliatory language but remains in the matter. The project has been buried by him and should remain so. The bishop was particularly offended by the arrangement or fashionable disorder in the newly planned sanctuary, which lacks liturgical understanding. In particular,  Bishop Muser considered the altar arrangement unacceptable.
Parish Church of St. Michael to Brixen
Parish Church of St. Michael to Brixen

Altar and ambo equivalent

According to Anvidalfarei and the parish council, the altar should not take (Volksaltar) the central position, but be laterally offset and placed at the edge to allow an appreciation of the Ambo.  The Ambo and altar as equal members of the presbytery. It is a protestantantic reorganization, which reveals prolixity and especially a lack of awareness of the Eucharist as the central moment of the Mass and its sacrificial meaning.
The intentions of transformation  confirm a stunning lack of liturgical knowledge and  is everywhere to be found among the leading Catholic laymen. The middle and younger generation were  often never consulted.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Facebook page FF (screenshot) / Wikicommons bookseller
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Tacky Liberal Incoherence, No. 1

Women don't need men. No. They only need someone to provide them with the emotionally satisfying, heterosexual intimacy and biological children they need to be happy.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Earthquake at Pontifical Oriental Institute --- Dismissals, Depature and a Murder

(Rome) There is an earthquake in the Pontifical Oriental Institute (Pontifical Institutum Studiorum Orientalium) in Rome, which is run by the Jesuit Order.  Jesuit General Adolfo Nicolas deposed the Rector, the Vice Rector and the two Deans, effectively the entire leadership. The new Provisional  rector was the renowned Islamic scholar and orientalist Samir Khalil Samir, who is also a member of the Jesuit Order.

The Death of Lanfranco Rossi

Last week  the Pontifical Oriental Institute (PIO) mourned the death of Lanfranco Rossi, who was a visiting professor on Oriental  Spirituality. The 60 year-old priest, who  also taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University, was found dead in a field not far from Rome, close to a nearby religious community whose spiritual director he was. According to media reports, the investigators are certain after the autopsy that the priest was murdered. The corpse has stab wounds to the head and strangulation marks on the neck. Rossi had been strangled and left dying by his perpetrators. The Superior of the religious Community "I ricostruttori nella preghiera", however, emphasized in the official press statements that Rossi had died a natural death.  [!] Investigations have been entrusted to a special squad of the Carabinieri.
In the room of the deceased, three skulls were found. The investigators concluded a satanic motive from this. The skulls  had been, according to the Order, "relics". Critics speak of controversial prayer practices of non-Christian traditions. Murder in the course of a robbery  is expressly excluded as a motive in this case.  The community, to which Rossi belonged, lives in absolute poverty.

The Community of "Rebuilding in Prayer"

Rossi, a priest of the Diocese of La Spezia, belonged to the community of "Ricostruttori nella preghiera"  ( Rebuilding in Prayer). The community was founded in the early 80s by the Jesuit Gian Vittorio Cappelletto (1928-2009), who was inspired in the 70s by an encounter with an Indian guru about eastern forms of life. Cappelletto wanted to lead people who had turned away from the faith,  back to prayer. Community members sleep on the floor, eat only vegetarian, shave neither beard nor hair and pray at night in cemeteries.
The mixture of oriental spiritual forms from alien religious "masters" and Christian spirituality is not without controversy. The Community has been accused of having "syncretic" and "neo-Gnostic"  elements. In the meditation courses with a five-point "knowledge extension" are elements of yoga and include the Ananda Marga doctrine. Father Cappelletto was sponsored by the Society of Jesus and they asked him to make the convent's facilities available for its new forms of meditation, the so-called "deep meditation."
The community, which consists of men and women living in common, was canonically approved by the Bishop of La Spezia. In 1989, the first two priests were ordained. Today, it has 27 priests, seminarians and twelve postulants, about 100 devotees and a wider group of several hundred laymen.

Jesuit General Dismisses the Entire Management  of the Oriental Institute 

Quite apart from the murder case, far larger earthquakes shattered the meditative peace of the Pontifical Oriental Institute. In fact, the entire senior management of the Institute was dismissed by the Superior General of the Jesuits.
The dismissal decree, signed by General Adolfo Nicolás Pachón Provost, Vice Chancellor of the Institute, was only posted for a day on the bulletin board of the Institute.
Since Tuesday, April 14, Rector James McCann, Vice Rector Massimo Pampaloni and the Deans of the two faculties of Oriental Studies and Oriental Church Canon Law, Philippe Luisier and Michael Kuchera, all members of the Jesuit Order, are relieved of their duties.

Samir Khalil Samir New Interim  Rector of the Institute

For the time being of the 77-year-old Orientalist and scholar of Islam Sami Khalil Samir Father is an interim lead the institute with the rank of pro-rector. Originally from Egypt, the Jesuit enjoys worldwide reputation. He has taught at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut and many universities in Europe and the United States.
The two faculties are being provisionally conducted with the rank of pro-deans by Father Edward Farrugia and Father Sunny Thomas Kokkaravalayil. Farrugia is Professor of Oriental and Patristic Dogmatics. Kokkaravalayil is an associate professor of legal doctrine and legal methodology, legal theology, Malabarite law and Chaldean law.
The dismissal decree entered into force with immediate effect before the start of the new academic year forthcoming in the fall. In a letter accompanying the decree, the Superior General blamed the "loveless" Spirit which had demoralized the faculty with serious consequences for the mission of the institution.

"Loveless" Climate or Incompetence?

The Pontifical Oriental Institute founded in 1917 by Pope Benedict XV. together with the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. The Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation is the Argentine Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Grand Chancellor of the Institute.
In 1922 Pope Pius XI. made it an Institute of the Jesuit Order. The appointment of the director is subject to the Pope on a proposal from the Jesuit General, after consultation with the Jesuit faculty.
In recent months, some of the deans and professors had called for the dismissal of the rector. A native of the US, Jesuit McCann was accused of inability to conduct an academic operation. Jesuit General Nicolas sent an inspector with Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda. Father Ghirlanda is a former rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University and canon law expert.  The result of this inspection was the removal of the entire senior management of the Institute.
"That Father McCann enjoyed no special appreciation in the Vatican, one could imagine already on 19 February 2014 when Pope Francis, appointed Vice-Rector Pampaloni and deans Luisier and Kuchera to consult the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, but not him, the incumbent Rector: an all the more pressing humiliation as the secretary of the Congregation was and is his brother in the Jesuit order, the Slovak Archbishop of the Greek rite, Archbishop Cyril Vasil."

Decline of the Institute?

That something was amiss at the Institute  was at least publicly known since  the retirement of the American liturgist, Father Robert Taft, on 15 December 2011. The Laudatio for Father Taft was held by Stefano Parenti, Professor of Oriental liturgies at the St. Anselm Pontifical Athenaeum and students of Taft. Parenti is currently working with Taft in the publication of a monumental history of the Byzantine Liturgy in several volumes.
The Laudatio was published in the journal Studi sull'Oriente Cristiano. Parenti said at the time: "Unlike today, the Pontifical Oriental Institute was until the end of the 80s of the 20th century a superb place for the study of Oriental liturgies, especially the Byzantine liturgy. Who undertake the burden  in the future to write the history of the Institute, will know who is responsible for that  which led to such a spectacular debacle in a massacre that outsiders observed from a distance,  and revealed a desolate arena without winners and losers."
And further:
"We find ourselves in what is described in politics as  a 'systematic error', which has long been known, but was ignored by those who were supposed to be vigilant. Added to this is the uncertainty of many contracts and singular recruitment and promotion procedures for doctorates, which is why there are full professors who had remained only assistants in good state European or American universities in the best of cases until retirement. "

Harried Eastern Christians - Bangert Institute

In fact, "a glance at the list of the faculty," said   Sandro Magister, there can be seen the precarious situation of fixed-term contracts to teaching assignments. Many teachers teach at other universities and are only briefly committed by the Institute to complete a program with the students within a few weeks, for which at other universities an entire semester is scheduled.
"Above all, however, it is striking that the Institute, particularly in a time in which the Oriental Christianity located in the Middle East, North Africa, but also in Ukraine is in an acutely deep crisis and  hard pressed, has  very little to say. Its expert advice, in-depth specialist studies and reports would not only be of special importance "for the local Christian communities, but also for the Holy See," says Magister.

Vice Rector Converted to the Russian Orthodox Church

Last year, the Institute was rocked by a spectacular departure. Former Vice-Rector (until 2013), the American Jesuit of Ukrainian-Hungarian descent, Father Constantin Simon, a specialist in Russian Christianity, turned his back on  the Jesuit Order and the Catholic Church. On June 7, 2014 he was officially incorporated as a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church. The initiation liturgy was led by Archimandrite Amwrosi of Peterhof, the Russian Orthodox Auxiliary Bishop of St. Petersburg, and Rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy of the Moscow Patriarchate.
"Some see in the earthquake of these days only the prelude to a temporary closure of the Institute for the purposes of a radical restructuring," said Sandro Magister.
Text: Settimo Cielo / Giuseppe Nardi
Photo: PIO
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Abuse-Hoax Claims Another Conservative Bishop

Edit: As you all know, Lefty Bishops get special treatment when it comes to the media inspired harassment campaign against the Catholic Church. Of course, other traditional institutions get singled out, but when it comes to those in power, like the various political parties, the oversight, in many cases frankly unjust, doesn't come to this level when it comes to Democratic or Republican legislators, and their ecclesiastical supports.

Moreover, why hasn't Francis been questioned when it comes to Cardinal Daneels whose record on sexual abuse by aberrosexual clergy actually is abysmal? Some will recall the Francis has given Daneels a prominent advisory position at his Bishops' Synod.

Also, why hasn't the Abbot of Collegeville been singled out for this kind of treatment. He really does protect vicious pederasts of the most criminal kind, who presently lurk in various haunts in Minnesota as we speak. Surely, liberal Catholic media organs would prefer to dwell on Bishop Finn's alleged rigidity and "unpopular" leadership styles.

This unequal treatment makes this entire thing much easier to understand when we see that this is a war of Powers and Principalities.

Monday, April 20, 2015

"Backfire" -- Call for Archbishop Cordileone's Ouster Creates Solidarity for Him

Archbishop Cordileone
(New York) In the US, a paid advertisement has become a national issue. This past April 16   a full page advertisement appeared in the newspaper, The San Francisco Chronicle  with an appeal to Pope Francis.  It appealed to impeach Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone   and drive him out of the city. It's an unusual initiative,  but for   Catholics in the German-speaking world, however, this is quite familiar.
The accusation is made by financially wealthy signatories of the appeal? The Archbishop is contrary to the papal postulate "Who am I to judge?".  The occasion are guidelines by the Archbishop of the 4th of February, about the Catholic schools in his archdiocese, which he demanded that   Catholic marriage and morality be recalled and called on schools to ensure it's disseminated  to the students (see report Rebellion Against Archbishop: "Who are you to judge? ").

Accusation: Archbishop is Contrary to Postulate "Who am I to Judge?"

The gay lobby within and outside the Catholic Church feels challenged by the Archbishop, who dared to recall the Catholic doctrine in terms of homosexuality. Specifically,  the archbishop asked that school personnel have to adhere to Catholic doctrine in their teaching in word and deed.
"Too intolerant" is the archbishop and he should therefore be removed from office, opine a hundred signatories of the appeal, which describe themselves as Catholics or to be exact, as a "dedicated Catholics, inspired by the Second Vatican Council."
Among the signatories is Brian Cahill, former director of Catholic Charities of San Francisco and "a number of rich patrons," says Vatican expert Sandro Magister. Among them are also Charles Geschke, President of Adobe Systems and former Chairman of the Board of the University of San Francisco. Among the Americans  there was also Tom Brady Sr. the father of Tom Brady JR., a quarterback for the New England Patriots , in the National Football Leagueplay.

Progressive Catholics in Alliance with Major Media

Appeal against Archbishop Cordileone: Pope to remove him from the Office
Appeal against Archbishop Cordileone: Pope to remove him from the Office
The San Francisco Chronicle , the largest daily newspaper in Northern California, which published the appeal as a paid ad, placed the signatories as "prominent Catholics." It belongs to the Hearst group, which also includes the Internet platform San Francisco Gate.
To give the publication even more importance   San Francisco Gate launched a survey with four pre-formulated answers - two for and two against Archbishop Cordileone - to the question: "Should Pope Francis remove Archbishop Cordileone from the Archdiocese of San Francisco?"
But the shot backfired. The survey showed that the overwhelming majority of citizens are not identified with the signatories of the appeal, but in solidarity with Archbishop Cordileone.[!]

The Survey, Which Was to Demolish Cordileone, but in Reality Strengthens

On the evening of 20 April, the answers to the questions were: "Should Pope Francis remove Cordileone as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco?"
76 percent, "No, the archbishop promotes the values ​​of the Catholic Church";
12 percent: "Yes, the Archbishop stoking a climate of intolerance";
10 percent, "No, the archbishop is right to oppose same-sex marriage";
2 percent, "Yes, his moral code for the teachers of Catholic schools is contrary to the law."

"Liberal" Catholics in the "Most liberal" City in the US only Small Minority

"The signatories of the appeal may be 'prominent Catholics' but they are not in tune with the faithful nor do they have a great following and not even in the city in the USA, which the media portrays as the most liberal," said Sandro Magister. "And that Pope Francis is considering: That he  remove Archbishop Cordileone from his office, is simply unthinkable".
The personnel policies of Pope Francis for the US is mostly opaque since the disempowerment and finally, the removal of Cardinal Raymond Burke of the Roman Curia, but shows  a strong  progressivist bent in its counter-tendency to the American episcopate.
The hitherto most important appointment concerned the successor of Cardinal Francis George as Archbishop of Chicago. For this diocese, one of the most important in the United States, Francis appointed Bishop Blaise Cupich, a progressive outlier.

Appointment of Bishops from Pope Francis' Progressive List

This past March 3rd, Francis appointed  with Robert McElroy Bishop of San Diego, another progressive. McElroy is a priest of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, where he was the personal secretary of ultra progressive Archbishop John R. Quinn. Quinn had even been raised by Pope Paul VI. to the office. In 1995 a turnaround  came with his retirement in the archdiocese. John Paul II. Replaced him with William Levada, later Prefect of the Congregation. He was succeeded by George Hugh Niederauer and 2012 finally Salvatore Cordileone.
Cordileone was from 2002-2009 Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego, the  Southern California diocese   on the border with Mexico, which the Pope has entrusted to McElroy. Archbishop Cordileone, a wise man with a clear voice and determination, has become the target of fierce attacks since his inauguration in San Francisco. They come from both inside and outside of the Catholic Church. One reason is that the Archbishop is friendly to tradition  and has even celebrated  in the Immemorial Rite. As already indicated in the past,  Cordileone's opponents hardly shrink from attempting  to discredit the Archbishop and force him out of office.
However, the latest attempt backfired.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: TLDM / Settimo Cielo
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG