Francis Appoints Retired,Elderly, Old Liberal Marxist to Hong Kong

Not Auxiliary Bishop Ha, but retired Cardinal Tong,  will intervene after the death of Bishop Yeung into diocesan ministry - Tong is considered the co-architect of the disputed September agreement between China and the Holy See

Vatican City (kath.net/KAP) Pope Francis has temporarily recalled 79-year-old Cardinal John Tong Hon (photo) from his retirement to the top of the diocese of Hong Kong. This was reported by the Vatican press service Asianews. Tong, who led the diocese from 2009 to 2017, until further notice replaces bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung, who died on Thursday at age 73. The Vatican itself did not announce the appointment. In any case, the custom is considered unusual because there is a suffragan bishop in Hong Kong. In the event of the death or resignation of the diocesan Bishop, this would normally be the responsibility of an interim diocesan leader.

Tong is considered the co-architect of September's controversial agreement between China and the Holy See on bishop appointments. Tong's predecessor Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun (86) is a determined opponent of rapprochement because he fears disadvantages for the Catholic underground Church in China.

The press service Asianews reiterated fears that Tong's appointment as Apostolic Administrator for Hong Kong would be in China's favor. According to other voices Tong was a neutral choice for a transitional period. This leaves Hong Kong Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing (59) a possible candidate for proper succession.

Auxiliary Bishop Ha, unlike Tong, is considered critical of the regime. He was involved, according to AsiaNews, for imprisoned Chinese bishops, vigils for the massacre at Tiananmen Square and for more democracy.

Pope Francis had again defended the signing of the Interim Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China on the appointment of bishops in China at the New Year's reception for the Diplomatic Corps on Monday. The agreement was the result of "a long and deliberate institutional dialogue that has succeeded in defining some stable elements of cooperation between the Apostolic See and the civil authorities". The official bishops, without a papal mandate, have now been reinstated in full ecclesial communion and "invited to work generously for the reconciliation of Chinese Catholics and for a new momentum in evangelization". A visible sign of this was the participation of two bishops of China in the Youth Synod. "It is to be hoped that the continuation of the contacts with regard to the implementation of the Closed Provisional Arrangement will help to resolve the outstanding issues and ensure the spaces necessary for the true enjoyment of religious freedom," said Pope Francis.

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Appeal From Lepanto Foundation: Dare! Monsignore!

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER...

[Rorate] Twenty-five years ago, on 8 February 1994, the European Parliament voted on a resolution that invited the nations of Europe to promote and give legal protection to homosexuality. In his Angelus address on 20 February 1994, the Holy Father Pope John Paul II appealed to public opinion worldwide, affirming that “the legal approbation of active homosexuality is not morally admissible [...]. The Resolution of the European Parliament has called for the legitimization of a moral disorder.The Parliament has unduly given institutional value to deviant behaviors, which do not conform to God’s plan”.

In May of that same year, the Lepanto Cultural Center [Centro Culturale Lepanto] handed out a manifesto in Strasbourg to parliamentary representatives, called “Europe at Strasbourg: Represented or Betrayed?”. The manifesto made an indignant protest against the promotion of a vice condemned by both Christian and Western conscience, and asked the European bishops “to unite their voices to that of the Supreme Pastor [John Paul II] in order to multiply it in their dioceses, by publicly denouncing the moral fault with which the European Assembly has stained itself and warning the flock entrusted to their care of the growing attacks of anti-Christian forces in the world”.

Today, one after another, the principal European nations, including many of those with the most ancient Catholic tradition, have elevated sodomy to a legal right by recognizing, under different forms, so-called “same-sex marriage” and introducing the concept of the crime of “homophobia.” The Pastors of the Church, who should have formed an unbreakable dam of opposition against the homosexualization of society promoted by the political class and by the media-financial oligarchies, have in fact fostered it by their silence. Even at the highest levels of the Church, the practice of homosexuality and of a so-called “gay-friendly” culture that justifies and encourages homosexual vice has spread like a cancer.

Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary of Astana, Kazakhstan, said in a message dated 28 July 2018, that “We are witnessing an incredible scenario, in which some priests and even bishops and cardinals, without blushing, are already offering grains of incense to the idol of homosexuality or gender ideology, to the applause of the powerful ones of this world, that is, to the applause of politicians, social media giants and powerful international organizations”.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, in his historic testimony of 22 August 2018, denounced - using precise names and circumstances - the existence of a “homosexual current in favor of subverting Catholic doctrine regarding homosexuality” and the presence of “homosexual networks, which are now widespread in many dioceses, seminaries, religious orders, etc.,” and which “act under the concealment of secrecy and lies with the power of octopus tentacles, and strangle innocent victims and priestly vocations, and are strangling the entire Church”.

These courageous voices remain isolated even until today. The climate of indifference and cover-up which reigns within the Church has profound moral and doctrinal roots that date back to the Second Vatican Council, when the ecclesiastical hierarchies accepted the process of secularization as an irreversible phenomenon. But when the Church subordinates herself to secularism, the Kingdom of Christ becomes conformed to this world and is reduced to a mere power structure. The militant spirit dissipates, and the Church, instead of converting the world to the law of the Gospel, surrenders the Gospel to the world’s demands.

How we long to hear resounding once again the fiery words of a new Saint Peter Damian or Saint Bernardine of Siena, instead of the infamous statement of Pope Francis, “If a person is gay and is seeking the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge them?” If it is true that the meaning of this statement was distorted by the media, such misuse should have been combatted by means of clear and solemn documents condemning sodomy, as St. Pius V did with the two constitutions Cum Primum of 1 April 1566 and Horrendum Illud Scelus of 30 August 1568. Instead, Pope Francis’ Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia of 8 April 2016 not only was silent about this most grave moral disorder but also relativized the precepts of the natural law, opening the path towards the approval of cohabitation and adultery.

And this is why we now make an appeal to you, Monsignor.

TO SERVE THE CHURCH

The term “Monsignor” evokes a certain dignity, not a power or a bureaucratic function. Each one of the bishops, as Successors of the Apostles, are recognized with the title of “Monsignor,” but simple priests are also able to receive this title. The word “dignity” seems to have lost its meaning today, despite the fact that there was an entire declaration of Vatican II dedicated to it. Dignity means an awareness of a role and mission given by God. Respect for a person’s dignity is the source of a feeling of honor. Your dignity, Monsignor, derives from the honor which you have of serving the Church, without seeking either your own interests or the approval of the powerful. You have received the dignity of Monsignor from the Church, not from the men of the Church, and it is to the Church that you must render an account. The Church is the divine society founded by Jesus Christ, ever-perfect and ever-victorious, both in time and in eternity. The men of the Church may either serve the Church or betray her. Serving the Church means placing the interests of the Church, which are those of Jesus Christ, ahead of one’s personal interests. Betraying the Church means placing the interests of a family, a religious institute, or an ecclesiastical authority taken as a private person ahead of the Truth of the Church, which is the Truth of Jesus Christ, the one Way, Truth and Life (John 14:6).

We would be insulting your intelligence, Monsignor, were we not to suppose that you already have a certain awareness of the crisis in the Church. Certain eminent cardinals, on various occasions, have manifested their unease and concern over what is happening in the Church. The same unease is displayed by the common man, who is profoundly disoriented by the new religious and moral paradigms. In the face of this unease, Monsignor, many times you have put up your hands, seeking to calm the person speaking to you, using words like: “There is nothing we can do but be silent and pray. The Pope is not immortal. Let’s wait for the next conclave”. That’s all we can do, you say. We cannot speak; we cannot act. You adopt silence as the supreme rule of your behavior. Is this attitude the result of human self-serving; of a selfishness that seeks above all else to live quietly; of the opportunism of those who are able to adapt themselves successfully to every situation? To assert this would be to make a judgment about your intentions, and a judgment about intentions cannot be made by men; only God can do this on the Day of Judgment, when we will each stand alone before Him, to listen to His lips pronounce the un-appealable sentence that will send us either to eternal happiness or to eternal damnation.

We who live on earth can only judge facts and words as they objectively appear. And the words with which you explain your behavior, Monsignor, at times appear to be more noble than your true feelings “We ought to follow the Pope, even when he displeases us, because he is the Rock on which Christ has founded His Church,” you say; or “we ought to avoid a schism at any cost, because this would be the most serious disaster for the Church".

Noble words, because they state truths. It is true that the Pope is the foundation of the Church, and that the Church can fear nothing worse than a schism. But what we would like you to reflect on, Monsignor, is that the path of absolute silence that you want to follow will bring harm to the Papacy and will hasten a schism in the Church.

It is true that the Pope is the foundation of the Church, but before being founded on him, the Church is founded on Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the primary and divine foundation of the Church, while Peter is the secondary and human foundation - even if it is true that he is divinely assisted. The divine assistance does not exclude the possibility of error or the possibility of sin. In the history of the Church, there has been no lack of popes who have sinned or erred, without this fact ever prejudicing the institution of the papacy. To say that “we need to always follow the Pope and never depart from him,” while refusing to respectfully correct him in exceptional cases, means attributing to the Church all of the errors which, over the course of the centuries, have been made by the men of the Church. The absence of this distinction between the Church and the men of the Church enables the enemies of the Church to attack her, and many false friends of the Church to refuse to truly serve Her.

Equally fraught with consequences is the assertion that to break silence, to tell the truth, and to denounce – if necessary – the infidelity of the same Supreme Pastor, would lead to a schism. The word “schism” means division, and never as in this moment of her history has the Church appeared so internally divided and fragmented. Within each nation, within each diocese, even within each parish, it is impossible to agree on a common way of living according to the Gospel, because each one experiences and lives a different Christianity – both liturgically and dogmatically – with each one constructing their own religion in such a way that the only thing remaining in common is the name “Catholic”, but the essence of Catholicism is no longer present. What are the reasons for this fragmentation? The star that lights the way has disappeared, and the faithful make their way in the darkness of night, following opinions and personal sentiments, without even one voice being raised to remind them of the unchanging doctrine and praxis of the Church. The schism is being caused by the darkness, which is the daughter of silence. Only clear voices, crystalline voices, voices which are entirely faithful to the Tradition, are able to dispel the shadows and permit good Catholics to overcome the divisions which have been provoked by this pontificate, and to avoid new humiliations to the Church beyond those which have already been inflicted upon her by Pope Francis. There is only one way to save the Church from schism: Proclaim the Truth. By remaining silent we will only further the schism.

AN URGENT APPEAL

Monsignor, you who enjoy a certain dignity, you who exercise a moral authority, you who have received an inheritance –what are you afraid of? The world may attack you with defamation and slander. Your superiors may deprive you of your authority and external dignity. But it is to the Lord that you must render an account, as must each one of us on the Day of Judgment, when everything will be weighed and judged according to measure. Do not ask us what you ought to do concretely. If you will dare to ask Him, the Holy Spirit will not fail to suggest to your conscience times, ways, and tones of coming out into the open, in order to be “the light of the world, a city set on a hill, a lamp set on a lampstand” (Matthew 5:13-16).

What we ask of you, Monsignor, is that you assume an attitude of filial criticism, of deferential resistance, of devout moral separation from those responsible for the Church’s self-destruction. Dare to openly encourage those who defend the Church from within, and who publicly profess the entire Truth of the Catholic Faith. Dare to seek out other confreres who will join you and us in issuing that cry of war and of love which St. Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort raised in his “Fiery Prayer” [Prière embrasée] with these prophetic words: “Fire! Fire! Fire! There is a fire in the house of God! There is fire within souls! There is fire even within the Sanctuary!”.

Tongues of fire like those of the day of Pentecost, as well as flashes of fire like those of Hell, seem to be hanging over the earth. A destroying fire, a purifying fire, a restoring fire – destined to engulf the entire world, to consume it and transform it. May the divine fire flare up within us before the fire of God’s wrath does, which will reduce our society to ashes as happened to Sodom and Gomorrha. And this is the reason why, twenty-five years after the unfortunate resolution of the European Parliament, I now make this appeal to you, for the good of souls, for the honor of the Church, and for the salvation of society.

Monsignor, please accept this appeal, which is also an invocation to the Blessed Mother and to the Angels, that they may intervene, as soon as possible, in order to save the Church and the whole world.

Dare, Monsignor, to take up this holy cause in 2019, and you will find us battling at your side in this good fight!

Roberto de Mattei

President of the Lepanto Foundation

Translation: Giuseppe Pellegrino

Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/appeal-from-dare-23761531

Kissing Bishop Eliminates Summorum Pontificum in His Diocese

Victor Manuel "Tucho" Fernandez, ghost writer of Pope Francis, effectively eliminated the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum in his archdiocese.

(Buenos Aires) Msgr. Victor Manuel Fernandez is one of the closest, Argentine confidants of Pope Francis. On June 2, 2018, Francis appointed him archbishop of La Plata, the second most important metropolitan See in Argentina after Buenos Aires. There he is taking action and has effectively prohibited the celebration of Holy Mass in the traditional form of the Roman rite in his Archdiocese. The evidence is mounting that the Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum of Pope Benedict XVI. is to be strangled.

The Argentinian Victor Manuel Fernandez was one of the very first personnel decisions of Pope Francis. Francis appointed him titular archbishop on May 13, 2013, exactly two months after his election as church head. Few people in the early phase of this pontificate signaled more clearly that many things would change under the new pope.

The career of the ghostwriter

Fernandez was appointed Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina in 2009 by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, whose speechwriter he was. The appointment was followed by a tenacious tug-of-war with the Roman Congregation for Education, which lasted two whole years. The Congregation did not consider the candidate of the then archbishop of Buenos Aires suitable. Doubts existed, among other things, in his theological production and even in his orthodoxy. Bergoglio prevailed nevertheless. In 2011, Fernandez received confirmation by Rome.

As a pope, Francis practiced retribution on those who opposed him in the Vatican.

Fernandez,  known as  "Tucho", he promoted demonstratively titular Archbishop. Officially still active as a rector in Buenos Aires, however, Francis often brought him to Rome, where he was especially in the first years of the pontificate, the actual speechwriter of the pope. Some statements not only brought him attention, but also criticized him. When this became too violent, he was withdrawn from the front line. Since then, he hardly appears publicly in connection with Francis. The connection between Bergoglio and his "eyeball", as "Tucho" is still called, is still good.

In May 2018 Fernandez resigned as Rector and was appointed by Francis as the new Archbishop of La Plata  Previously, the Pope had the archbishop there, Msgr. Hector Ruben Aguer, retired at the age of 75 years. Archbishop Aguer was Bergoglio's most influential opponent in the Argentine Episcopate. The replacement by Fernandez was again considered a demonstrative act, with which Pope Francis signaled his triumph and a corresponding humiliation of Archbishop Aguer.

Two decrees against the traditional Roman rite

Half a year after taking possession of his Archdiocese m, Archbishop Fernandez issued two decrees before Christmas, with which he prohibited the celebration of the traditional Mass, as introduced by Pope Benedict XVI. in the Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

The decrees were received with particular concern in traditional circles. They join in more signals that have been directed against Summorum Pontificum in the past two months. In November, during the autumn plenary assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference, a horn was blown against the Motu proprio.

Recent rumors of a dissolution of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei go in the same direction.

The measures of "Tucho" Fernandez are so far the most massive attack. Because of his close proximity to Pope Francis they are particularly noticeable.

On December 17, Fernandez issued a decree annulling "generally all previous archdiocese norms relating to liturgical celebrations".

A week later, on December 24, he issued a second decree ordering that the sacraments always be offered "in the vernacular," not Latin. The Mass, according to the same decree, also has to be celebrated "in the ordinary form" and "towards the people".

The confidant appointed by Pope Francis thus effectively eliminated La Plata’s Summorum Pontificum in the Archdiocese, ruling as if the motu proprio did not exist. With the motu proprio of Pope Benedict XVI, the need to ask the superiors’ permission, in particular the archbishop, to celebrate in the traditional form of the Roman rite was dispensed with.

Only "a blind man can deny", to quote Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, "that there is a campaign in the Church against everything that smells of tradition," said the Spanish news portal InfoVaticana. The question is, "where is the terminus, what will be the last act of this operation?"

Text: Giuseppe Nari

Image: columnasdelaiglesia (screenshot)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Pope Francis: “It is Better to Live as an Atheist”

(Rome) Although the chosen heading is abbreviated, it is still possible to quote Francis from yesterday with a sentence very unusual and probably irritating to many people.

As part of his first general audience of the year 2019, the Pope held in the Hall of Paul VI one of those "revolutionary speeches" that are so typical of his pontificate. He spoke of the "revolution of the Gospel" and used the term revolution in a sense very unorthodox for the Church, which his predecessors avoided, or even condemned.

"Where the Gospel is, there is revolution. The Gospel does not leave us alone, it urges us: It is revolutionary.”

Even more astonishing was another potentially misunderstood statement by the Pope, urging "to live like atheists:”

"It's better not to go to Church: Just live like an atheist."

He continued:

"But if you go to church, then live like a child, like a brother, and give a true testimony."

This was a spontaneous addition to Pope Francis, which was not included in the prepared text version.

This from the traditional website Messa in Latino clarifies this comment:

"The year is already starting badly ... We barely started the year 2019 and the very first statement that causes concern and confusion among the faithful - on time like a Swiss watch."

The Vatican added the official text version for publication on the website of the Holy See to the spontaneous additions of the Pope.

In the past, the prepared texts were often not subsequently corrected and supplemented to the spontaneous additions of Francis. Thus, they have two versions, one oral and one written.

As a rule, so also yesterday, the spoken word.

Here is the video from yesterday's general audience. The video starts at the beginning of the named spot.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Image: Vatican.va (screenshot)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

1,000 Migrants At Karlsruhe Castle — Throw Fireworks at Those Celebrating

(ots) - In the area of ​​responsibility of the police headquarters Karlsruhe New Year's Eve in the entire service district was initially quiet, from midnight there were always small fires, especially trash or old clothes containers, trees and also to offenses and disturbances.

The police already carried out presence and control measures in the early evening. In total, more than 230 policemen and police were on duty to handle 535 missions. 65 disturbances were recorded. In addition, 25 offenses, nine thefts and nine violations of the Weapons and Explosives Act were reported. There had to be a total of 42 place referrals. Two teenagers were found significantly intoxicated. A sexual assault was reported to the police during the night. 17 people were arrested and 25 people had to spend the night in police custody.

As in the past turn of the year, several thousand people gathered in public areas in the city of Karlsruhe. Around 2,000 people were counted on the Schlossplatz, about 1,000 of them with a migrant background, who were noticed engaging in the improper handling of fireworks and shot them into the crowd. A 3-year-old girl suffered an eye injury and had to be treated in a hospital. Presumably due to the exposure of the firecrackers, most of the visitors left the location. An Afghan-Syrian group of about 20 people committed three offenses. The suspects were arrested.

At 9 pm, a garbage bin burning directly against the wall burned a house down on Ebertstrasse. The fire had already spread to the wooden backyard door and another garbage bin. The apartment building had to be evacuated. The cause of the fire is still unclear.

At around 10:00 pm there was a brawl in the Karlsruhe-Durlach area between five people and a police unit with pepper spray and resistance against enforcement officials. A police officer suffered a knee injury.

Eight garbage containers went up in flames. Around 00.30 hours a car fire was reported in the Insterburger road. At 1 o'clock, unknown persons damaged the exit mirror at the service building of the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office in Brauerstraße.

Probably fireworks set a fire in Pfinztal in the castle garden street around 2.00 in a carport including the parked vehicle. The Fire Department of Pfinztal enaged with 29 units and was able to extinguish the fire. The property damage is estimated at around 15,000 euros.

Several trees were in flames in Karlsruhe district. At midnight in Kraichtal in the Südendstraße, around 0.15 clock a tree burned in the Richenstraße, at 3.20  a bringing tree was reported in Bretten in the Bahnhofstrasse.

In Walzbachtal-Jöhlingen in the Jöhlinger road a fire was set  at 0.45 and burned a passenger car.

Presumably two groups of offenders, who committed a total of five robbery offenses in the city of Pforzheim, kept the police in readiness. In east Karl Friedrich street presumably two young people robbed 20 Euros after a physical assault and threat from a knife from the injured party. In Leopoldstrasse, two perpetrators held out a knife to their victim and robbed some cash. Two perpetrators committed three robbery offenses holding a knife in the wider area of ​​the station square for small amounts of cash. The investigation is ongoing. Shortly after the turn of the year Leopoldplatz experienced considerable disturbances in the presence of 500 people, most of them with a migrant background, firing fireworks at firefighters and damaging their uniforms. Luckily nobody was injured.

After disputes in the area of ​​the police station Mühlacker  a  34-year-old received superficial stab wounds in his stomach from his two companions with a knife and was arrested.

In Neulingen-Göbrichen unknown adolescents removed three manhole covers in the Bauschlotter road around 0300 whereupon a car driver damaged her vehicle while driving over a lid. This was the cause of a dangerous interference with road traffic.

In the district of Calw, New Year's Eve was largely quiet. In Dobel a trash can burned around 23.30. In the Calw area several fires were reported, which then turned out to be a false alarm So the suspicion of a hedge fire in the Breiten Heerstraße was not confirmed, just like an alleged hedge fire at 01.30 in Holzbronn. Around 00.15  a rocket landed in Bad Wildbad in the Wilhelmstrasse on the balcony. Fortunately, the fire brigade was also unable to detect a fire in this case.

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

New Ethiopian President Opposes Open Borders

President of Ethiopia wants youth to stay in Africa and not take the dangerous journey to Europe - Sebastian Kurz reports on African politicians who criticize the EU's open borders

Vienna (kath.net) Sahle-Work Zewde, the new president of Ethiopia, has warned criminal smugglers in a double interview with Sebastian Kurz with the BILD newspaper and made it clear that people should stay in Africa. One should not lose one's own youth. "We must keep the people here who will lead Ethiopia - and Africa - into a better future." The President also wants a clearer distinction between migrants and refugees.

Sebastian Kurz also wants the African youth to stay in 

Africa and not come to Europe at all. "On my trip through Africa two weeks ago, by the way, I've heard of some heads of state who said clearly, 'Stop your policy of open borders in Europe, which only motivates African youth to break away' that many people fall for the lies of the smugglers via social media like Facebook and then pay thousands of euros for dangerous crossings.

Trans: vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

A Pact Between Pope Francis and the Society of Saint Pius X for the Isolation of Tradition?

Is Pope Francis preparing to eliminate the Ecclesia Dei communities with the help of the Society of Saint Pius X. 

(Rome) More and more voices are dealing with the rumors that the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei is about to be dissolved.

The two authors Fabrizio Cannone and Alessandro Rico see it as a papal maneuver to assassinate tradition from behind. Fabrizio Cannone, born in 1974, holds a Doctorate in Church History and Religious Studies, and has written for Corrispondenza Romana, Fides Catholica, Homme Nouveau and numerous other Catholic media. Most recently, he published the book: "The Inconvenient Pope. History and background of the beatification of Pius IX." (1)

Alessandro Rico, born in 1991, studied philosophy at the Sapienza and Political History of Ideas at the LUISS in Rome. In 2017 he published together with Lorenzo Castellani the book "The end of politics? Technocracy, Populism, Multiculturalism". (2) He calls himself a "Catholic, Conservative and Opponent of Political Correctness". Both are close to the Catholic tradition.

Vatican Speaker Greg Burke Fired

On December 18, Pope Francis appointed his house Vaticanista Andrea Tornielli editor of all Vatican media. The office was newly created.

The informal papal spokesman has become an official one. Losers included the Vatican Press Office. The question was how Vatican spokesmen and papal speakers should coexist.

The question has become obsolete with the resignation of Vatican spokesman Greg Burke.

The American journalist was appointed in 2015 as the deputy of the then Vatican spokesman P. Federico Lombardi SJ. On August 1, 2016, he has since taken over his office. He fulfilled his task faithfully, but he did not have it easy with Francis and his communication policy. Burke failed to get close to the Pope. A relationship of trust was denied by the head of the Church.

While Andrea Tornielli had direct access to Pope Francis from the very beginning, Burke's predecessor, P. Lombardi, was not informed about some of the actions or only inadequately. His answers to journalistic questions were sometimes a sweat-splitting balancing act.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Vatican.va (screenshot) 

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com AMDG

Successor War in Vatican Media

The new top of all Vatican media: Andrea Tornielli, and the new editor-in-chief of the Osservatore Romano: Andrea Monda.

(Rome) The surprising change at the head of the Osservatore Romano is confirmed as the first "official act" of the papal house Vaticanista, Andrea Tornielli in his new post in the Communications Dicastry. However, the Cardinal Secretary of State should not have known about it and be "very irritated" about it.

The winners

According to the daily La Verità, the former editor-in-chief of the Pope's daily newspaper, Giovanni Maria Vian, was dismissed by joint intervention of Fr. Antonio Spadaro SJ, editor of the Roman Jesuit magazine La Civiltà Cattolica, and Andrea Tornielli, Pope Francis's house Vaticanista. Both belong to the Pope's closest circle of acquaintances.

Tornielli had been called to the Holy See by Francis on 18 December. Since that time, he has directed all Vatican media as a publisher with central alignment and coordination powers.

On the one hand, Tornielli's appointment represents a crucial step in Pope Francis' media reform. The Italian journalist has had privileged access to Francis. Now he exercises his alignment and control function directly. The Vatican media are thus available to Francis directly and in close association with Santa Marta.

The intervention triggered within the papal court, however, also has "some abdominal pain". The State Secretariat and the Secretary of State was evidently not informed of the dismissal. Cardinal Pietro Parolin was "very irritated" about it.

The appointment of Tornielli is seen by the media as a "reckoning" within Pope Francis' closest but heterogeneous circle of intimates. Winners of the power struggle are Tornielli and Spadaro. The Jesuit is considered the most influential adviser to the Pope in this area. In 2017, an agreement was signed with the Jesuit Order to secure its influence over the Vatican media.

The losers

The loser is first and foremost Giovanni Maria Vian. He has since been replaced by Andrea Monda. Monda is close to Spadaro. He is the President, Spadaro the founder of the Roman cultural project with the unusual name Bomba carta (letter bomb).

However, one of the losers is the Vatican State Secretariat, which was overrun by the events. By the evening before Vian's release, Cardinal Secretary Parolin is said to have known "absolutely nothing" about it. Pope Francis had neither involved him in the decision-making process nor informed him in advance, although in the past the Secretariat of State had a not inconsiderable influence on the Vatican newspaper and on the Vatican Press Office.

According to Vatican sources, Vian's work as editor-in-chief under Francis had never been contested. The historian and philologist was still employed under Pope Benedict XVI. Under Francis he opened the pages of the Osservatore Romano, however, to readily heterodox, feminist and heretical voices and positions.

The daily La Verità sees "small orthodox methods" at work that are part of an "internal power struggle between many roosters in the same chicken coop".

As far as reconstructable, it was Pope Francis himself who wanted to replace Vian, in order to make the more than 170 year old Osservatore Romano stronger as a house medium in duty for the direct support of the line of Pope Francis. However, the decisive step came from Spadaro and Tornielli.

Had it gone to Francis, Spadaro should have taken over the job of chief editor, but this was refused. On his recommendation, however, the close collaborator, Andrea Monda was meanwhile used.

The internal power struggle for influence and closeness to the pope

More than four years after media reform began in 2014, the operation seems complete. Pope Francis was also not deterred by unexpected and unwanted setbacks, such as the tragicomic overthrow of his first communications chief, Dario Edoardo Viganò. At the beginning of the year he had manipulated a letter from Pope Benedict XVI. to give Pope Francis a particularly flattering gift for his five-year jubilee on the throne. Viganò, not to be confused with the former nuncio in the United States, fell easily. Pope Francis caught him again immediately and set up a new office ad personam for him in the same communication dicastery.

There is not only a tough fight in the Catholic Church between faithful and modernist circles in progress, but also a massive struggle within the very heterogeneous entourage of Pope Francis. Tornielli and Spadaro seem to have taken control of all Vatican media. The method used to push the last rival out of the field is not endorsed by all the pope's confidants. At least not by those whose influence was curtailed. Cardinal Secretary of State Parolin belongs to the media. The new mighty power that unites Tornielli in his hands has also weakened the position of the Vatican press service and Vatican spokesman Greg Burke.

Tornielli was so far only an informal papal spokesman. Now he is officially taking over this function. That will not be without consequences in Tornielli's activism. Francis used Paolo Ruffini as Viganò's successor after he had to accept more reluctant than willing Viganò's resignation. Ruffini, however, is more of a placeholder. Real influence is not attributed to him. The role that Dario Edoardo Viganò will play in the media in the future remains to be seen. At least he will not be able to oppose Tornielli.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Picture: MiL
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
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Is the Vatican Going to Dissolve Ecclesia Dei?

Is the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei facing dissolution?

(Rome) Inside and outside the Leoninian walls of the Vatican there are always numerous rumors circulating. It is not always easy to screen them properly. This also applies to the latest "horror message" that overshadows Christmas in Rome. Rumor has it that Pope Francis plans to abolish the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

So far, it was rumors that went from mouth to mouth. Yesterday it was first reported - by the traditional site Messa in Latino. Accordingly, there is not only the papal intention to dissolve the commission established in 1988 by Pope John Paul II. The repeal should rather be imminent.

The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei was established 30 years ago in the course of the same motu proprio, with which John Paul II responded to the unauthorized but valid episcopal ordinations of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre for the Society of St. Pius X (FSSPX). The Commission is responsible for the traditional form of the Roman Rite and the communities that cultivate it. This refers to those communities as the Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), which emerged from the Society of Saint Pius X, but remained in full unity with Rome.

Messa in Latino sees a connection between the rumors and the attacks on the Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum of Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, which were expressed at the autumn assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference. Earlier this past June, Pope Francis's "house liturgist" had  attacked the motu proprio of Benedict XVI.

Messa in Latino is therefore "extremely worried" about the prospect of "destroying what was created on so much good in those years".

The traditional site addresses several questions to the responsible authorities and to sensitize the faithful. One question is whether the intentions are "merely" an organizational restructuring "within the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith," or whether hand will be placed in the Summorum Pontificum and the Universae Ecclesiae.

Another question concerns Curial Archbishop Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Commission, who yesterday celebrated his 67th birthday, and his future use in the Vatican. "Or will he end up like Cardinal Müller?" Cardinal Gerhard Müller was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. as Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in 2012, and Pope Francis removed him from office in 2017 and since then, despite his young age, has been given no new task.

Changes in the Commission Ecclesia Dei would also affect the talks with the Society of Saint Pius X, as Curial Archbishop Pozzo is coordinating these talks and is the first contact person in the Vatican. In addition Messa in Latino says:

"The dissolution of the Commission Ecclesia Dei corresponds to a long-standing wish expressed by the Society, who has always seen in the Commission a patron for the 'rival' Trad groups who are in unity with Rome. The FSSPX prefers to negotiate directly with the Congregation of the Faith, rather than with a commission dependent on it. It seems the Holy See considers it opportune to meet these demands ... "

The voices that Messa in Latino  pick up, speak of Pope Francis trying to "destroy the traditionalist charism in the Catholic world". To this she counters with  the word of Gamaliël from Acts 5:34:

"Then in the high council rose a Pharisee named Gamaliël, a law teacher respected among the people; he had the apostles led out for a short time.
Then he said, "Israelites, think well what you want to do with these people.
Some time ago, Theudas appeared and claimed that he was special. He was joined by about four hundred men. But he was killed and all his followers were scattered and wiped out. After him appeared in the days of the census Judas, the Galilean; he left a lot of people behind and made a turmoil. He too was killed and all his followers were scattered.
Therefore I advise you now: Let go of these men and release them freely; because if this project or work comes from people, it will be destroyed;
but if it comes from God, you can not destroy it; otherwise you will still stand as a fighter against God. They agreed with him. "

Katholisches.info has been confirmed by Vatican contacts, which is well known that nothing has changed in Pope Francis' lack of understanding of the Immemorial Roman Rite and the communities that favor it. However, the specific rumors were not confirmed, but even denied by some sides. One source said that Pope Francis had an interest in "keeping the Ecclesia Dei communities in unity with Rome, and thereby controlling them".

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Picture: MiL

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Pope Denies Immaculate Conception

(Rome) The bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, has denied the virginity of Mary just before Christmas. But even Pope Francis, who appointed him to this office in March, seems to have his difficulties with the Most Blessed Virgin and Mother of God. In his less-publicized address on December 21 at the Christmas reception for the Holy See and Vatican City staff, the Catholic leader spoke about Mary and Joseph.

Pope Francis de facto denied on this occasion the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, proclaimed in 1854. Mary is revered by the Church as comceived without sin. She was born without the stain of original sin, and remained without sin for the rest of her life. In the Eastern Church, she is addressed with the title of Panagia.

In contrast, Pope Francis said in his speech:

"So who is happy in the crib? The Blessed Mother and St. Joseph are full of joy: they look at the Infant Jesus and are happy because, after a thousand worries, they have received this gift of God with much faith and love. They are 'overflowing' with holiness and therefore with joy. You will say to me, "Of course! It is the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph! 'Yes, but we should not think that it was easy for them: One is not born holy, but they will become it, and so will you.”

"Perhaps the Pope does not know the dogmas of his own Church?" Asks today the Roman website Chiesa e post concilio (Church and the post-counciloar period).

The Bishop of Porto corrected himself two days after his denial of virginity. From Pope Francis six days after that, nothing is known. The Vatican officially published its confusing statement on its website in Italian and English.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Vatican.va (screenshot)
Trans: Tancred velron99@hotmail.com
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Saint Stephen Protomartyr Challenges the Jews

... You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you also. ... Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them who foretold of the coming of the Just One; of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers: ... Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. ... Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed with their teeth at him. ... But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.

And he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. ... And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord ran violently upon him. ... And casting him forth without the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. ... And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. ... [59] And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his death.

Schönborn Covering up for Financial Irregularities of His Bishop

Works Council Chairman of the Catholic Church Carinthia is sharply criticizing Schönborn: he should cease to write the public of as stupid. Rome has long been aware of all the information. "Profil”: Schwarz also in the Economic Council of the Archdiocese of Vienna

Vienna (kath.net) The Viennese Cardinal Christoph Schönborn is now under pressure in the Causa "Bishop Alois Schwarz". He said in an interview with ORF Niederösterreich on Wednesday that he was "confident" that there would be an "honest clarification" of the allegations against the former Carinthian Bishop Alois Schwarz. "If charges are made against a bishop, then you have to of course explore, examine and look at it.” This statement makes Carinthia shake his head.

On Thursday, Gabriel Stabentheiner, Organizational Officer in the Church Contribution Service of the Diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt and Chairman of the Works Council of the Catholic Church, Carinthia, published an open letter to Cardinal Schönborn. Schönborn is sharply criticized in this letter. And Schönborn is called upon to stop "constantly placating the public with such statements or writing  them of as stupid.” According to Stabentheiner, Rome has known about everything for a long time. He himself was with a group of people a few years ago to visit the competent Bishop, Alois Kothgasser to inform him about the conditions in the diocese, writes Stabentheiner and who continues to ask. "Why was Schwarz made the financial bishop?" However, he already knew everything, Stabentheiner then asks Schönborn why he also made Schwarz the financial bishop of the Episcopal Conference. Schwarz himself is silent to all accusations so far.

Meanwhile, in the Cause "Bishop Schwarz" now another Austrian news magazine has weighed in. As reported by the news magazine "Profil", the Diocese of Gurk owns a house on the Rabensteig in downtown Vienna, in which Schwarz rented an apartment. The rent for the apartment, which has more than 100 square meters, is estimated at 1900 euros. However, Black paid less than half of it, reports "Profil." According to a spokeswoman the present bishop of St. Pölten, Schwarz, has dissolved the lease.

In addition, according to the magazine Schwarz has violated canon law. This is evident from the test report submitted by the Gurk cathedral chapter, which at the beginning of the year 2018 dissolved the economic council provided for in the statutes of the diocese of Gurk. Incidentally, according to "Profil,” Schwarz is even on the Economic Council of the Archdiocese of Vienna, where he supervises its conduct.

Link...

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

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Chinese Communists Storm Faithful Monastery — Nuns Have One Hour to Vacate

(Beijing) On the night of December 19th, a women's monastery in the People's Republic of China was evicted by the police and largely destroyed. The monastery is located in Gannan County, Qiqihar District Free City, Heilongjiang Province.

The police forced the nuns to leave the monastery within an hour. The authorities say the building was illegally built and houses an underground church community.

Bishop Wei Jingyi announced today that the nuns have found an emergency shelter. They also managed to convince the authorities to leave at least a part of the monastery building. So the part with the chapel could be saved.

The remaining parts were destroyed.

On December 18, at around 11 pm, police intruded. The nuns had until midnight to leave the monastery. In Qiqihar, temperatures below freezing prevail at this time.

The sisters informed Bishop Wei Jingyi. On December 19, demolition work continued. Construction crews expanded doors, windows, and window sills. Meanwhile, the bishop and some priests and faithful were seeking to inquire with the authorities.

The monastery building, according to the authorities, was illegally built and houses illegal religious gatherings. The monastic community belongs to the faithful Underground Church and not to the Patriotic Association. Bishop Wei Jingyi is also recognized by the Pope, but not by the Communist government, even though, according to AsiaNews, he seeks "a good relationship with the authorities.”

Believers think that the action serves to put pressure on the sister convent to submit to government control as an officially registered community.

Bishop Wei Jingyi announced this morning that a new shelter for the sisters could be found. They hope to continue to use the chapel in the largely destroyed monastery.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Picture: AsiaNews

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Bishop Barron Betrays Christ, Again

Edit: what do you expect from a byproduct of Cardinal Bernardin and Father Andrew Greeley?

[Chuth Militant] Well, he's at it again, the "reasonable" Bp. Robert Barron, the quintessential modern bishop who can speak in educated-sounding tones and look all smart and, above all, sound reasonable and unobjectionable to the modern world, but in the end falls flat.

In a recent interview on Ben Shapiro's show, Barron was asked by Shapiro, a well-known conservative commentator who is unabashedly an Orthodox Jew, the essential question — which he termed as "awkward" — could he be saved, since he's Jewish?

[Transcript unavailable]

There is so much deceptively wrong with that answer, it's hard to know where to begin. But the sneaky part of it is, there's some stuff in it that is right. But the part that is right is shrouded in such obscurity that someone with little understanding would hear that and I think, "Got it. I'm good then. Thanks, Padre."

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