Carlo Maria Viganò At It Again - This Time On Vatican II

The organization of Catholic Church is complicated and is beyond this blogger's grasp and therefore he is unqualified to either criticize or show support for either the Council of Trent, the First Vatican Council or Vatican II.

"The Council of Trent (Latin: Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento, in northern Italy), was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described as the embodiment of the Counter-Reformation." [1]

"The First Vatican Council (Latin: Concilium Vaticanum Primum) was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This, the twentieth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held three centuries after the Council of Trent, opened on 8 December 1869 and adjourned on 20 October 1870. Unlike the five earlier general councils held in Rome, which met in the Lateran Basilica and are known as Lateran councils, it met in the Vatican Basilica, hence its name. Its best-known decision is its definition of papal infallibility." [2]

"The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the Second Vatican Council or Vatican II, addressed relations between the Catholic Church and the modern world. The Council, through the Holy See, was formally opened under the pontificate of Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and was closed under Pope Paul VI on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December 1965." [3]

"[Carlo Maria] Viganò was ordained a priest in 1968 and spent most of his career working in a diplomatic capacity for the Holy See."  "[He was] born 16 January 1941[and is a Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana] of the Catholic Church who served as the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States from 19 October 2011 to 12 April 2016.  He previously served as Secretary-General of the Governorate of Vatican City State from 16 July 2009 to 3 September 2011." [4]

The dates above show that Viganò's entire priestly career started approximately 2-3 years after the Second Vatican Council ended on 8 December 1965.  Viganò now wants to abolish Vatican II after he had benefitted from it.  Why did he become a Catholic priest in the first place if he is so unhappy with Vatican II?

Catholic Family NEWS  published an article entitled Archbishop Viganò on Vatican II: “It Is Preferable to Let the Whole Thing Drop and Be Forgotten” on June 17, 2020. [5]  Did Viganò just conclude this recently?  He is silent on this question.

Even if Viganò arrived at this conclusion on June 17, 2020, it is still not too late for him to quit the Catholic Church.  Why has he not done so?  Is he still benefitting from his living arrangement paid for by the Vatican II Church that he is criticizing?

It is without a doubt that Viganò knows very well how to use his Vatican II titles to his advantage.  One can refer back to how Viganò signed his letter to the US president on June 7, 2020, with his two Vatican II titles: "Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana and Former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America". [6]

Viganò is just like his boss, Bergoglio, and perhaps many others in the Catholic hierarchy, a hypocrite.


[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Trent, quoted without hyperlinks, references and emphasis in bold.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Vatican_Council, quoted without hyperlinks, references and emphasis in bold.
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vatican_Council, quoted without hyperlinks, references and emphasis in bold.
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Maria_Vigan%C3%B2, quoted without hyperlink.
[5] https://catholicfamilynews.com/blog/2020/06/17/archbishop-vigano-on-vatican-ii-it-is-preferable-to-let-the-whole-thing-drop-and-be-forgotten/
[6] https://www.cnsnews.com/article/international/michael-w-chapman/arbp-vigano-trump-i-bless-you-biblical-battle-against-deep (scroll down for the entire letter).

Carlo Maria Viganò Puts Himself In The Political Limelight

Carlo Maria Viganò, the former apostolic nuncio to the United States, published a letter addressed to Donald Trump on June 7, 2020. [1].

Even without reading it, one could reasonably ask what is the purpose of writing a letter to a US president who will eventually leave office at the end of his term which could be as early as January 20, 2021 or at latest on January 20, 2025?

Was Viganò bored out of his mind due to the pandemic lockdown, having nothing better to do but to keep up with American politics?  What did his letter accomplish?  Is it an exercise in holiness, a sincere and humble devotion to God so that the gates of Heaven will be open to welcome him when he dies?

It is sad to see a person who was so used to be in the limelight, first as a apostolic nuncio and later as an outspoken critic of clergy sex abuse, trying to grasp as straws to climb back into the world's spotlight when it has gone dark on him.

The brightest spots these days are centered on the pandemic, on how it is being handled and on racial tensions in the US leading to demonstrations in different parts of the world.  The most prominent figure in all three of these categories seems to be the US president.

Ever so subtly, Viganò elevated himself to the same level as a powerful secular politician of a country that is superior to all others economically, politically and militarily with two separate sentences, each one written to end two of his paragraphs in the letter to the current US president [2]:

1.  "And I dare to believe that both of us are on the same side of this battle, albeit with different weapons."  Carlo Maria Viganò, June 7, 2020.

2.  "I trust that the American people are united with me and you in prayer to Almighty God."  Carlo Maria Viganò, June 7, 2020.

One ought to wonder what Viganò meant by different weapons.  At first glance the weapons of choice preferred by both men appear to be similar.  One often uses Twitter, the other wrote a letter.  They both rely on written words as weapons.

Moreover, it is seldom clear to oneself which side of the battle one is on because the Devil is so deceitful that one can be easily deceived by believing that one is on God's side when one is actually on the side of Satan.

Only God can say for certain whether a sinner is on His side or on Satan's side.  Viganò seemed not to have any doubt that he is on God's side.  He appeared to have taken over God's judgment which God has reserved for Himself alone.  Not even Satan dare to render judgment that belongs solely to God.  Satan will go only as far as to tempt, setting the trap for the unwary sinner to fall into, like Eve who wanted to be "'like God.'" [3]

One could only hope that Viganò with his "holy" sounding titles has not been overcome by his vanity, needing attention, and by his pride, overshadowing his humility, turning him from a child of light into a child of darkness, to want to be "'like God'" [4] and to judge as God judges.


[1] https://www.cnsnews.com/article/international/michael-w-chapman/arbp-vigano-trump-i-bless-you-biblical-battle-against-deep (scroll down for the entire letter).
[2] Ibid.
[3] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3%3A5&version=NIV
[4] Ibid.

Nativity of Saint John the Baptist - June 24 - "Prepare ye the way of the Lord"

From Luke 3:3-6 [1]:

3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

From Isaiah 40:3-5 [2]:

 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

"Christians have interpreted the life of John the Baptist as a preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ." [3]

How to prepare?

From Douay-Rheims Bible [4] :

And in those days cometh John the Baptist preaching in the desert of Judea. And saying: Do penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. [Emphasis  original.]

 "Do penance": Paenitentiam agite. Which word, according to the use of the scriptures and the holy fathers, does not only signify repentance and amendment of life, but also punishing past sins by fasting, and such like penitential exercises. [Emphasis  original.]

From Biblegateway [5]:

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea  and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Often many people are too obsessed with themselves, with what they want from life that is only temporal to spend even a few moments to perform periodic examinations of conscience let alone going through the necessary contrition, repentance and conversion to better prepare themselves for an eternity in Heaven.


[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+40%3A3-5%2CLuke+3%3A3-6&version=KJV
There is a song from Godspell - Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord  from the 1970's on YouTube:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSIs1MHdFQY (the movie version);
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuUl522_8jQ (the Broadway musical version).
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.newmanconnection.com/faith/saint/nativity-of-saint-john-the-baptist
[4] http://www.drbo.org/chapter/47003.htm, quoted without references.
[5] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+3%3A1-2&version=NIV, quoted without references.

Feast Of the Sacred Heart Of Jesus --Third Friday After Pentecost

The following two paragraphs are from The Roman Catholic Daily Missal 1962:

Though the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is of great antiquity in the Church, yet it was reserved to the holy Margaret Mary Alacoque [Sainte Marguerite Marie Alacoque] of the Order of the Visitation, to make this devotion public.  During the Octave of Corpus Christi, in the year 1690, our Blessed Lord appeared to His devoted handmaid, and disclosing to her His Heart, said: "Behold this Heart, which, notwithstanding the burning love for man with which it is consumed and exhausted, meets with no other return from the generality of Christians than sacrilege, contempt, indifference, and ingratitude." [1]

OFFERTORY

My heart hath expected reproach and misery: and I looked for one that would grieve together with Me, but there was none; and for one that would comfort Me, and I found none. [2], [3]

Below is a prayer of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus from Our Catholic Prayers (without boldface) [4]:

Adorable Heart of Jesus, glowing with love for us and inflamed with zeal for our salvation. O Heart that understands the misery to which our sins have brought us, infinitely rich in mercy to heal the wounds of our souls, behold me humbly kneeling  before You to express the sorrow that fills my heart for the coldness and indifference with which I have so long returned the numberless benefits which You have bestowed upon me.

With a deep sense of the outrages that have been heaped upon You by my sins and the sins of others, I wish to make reparation to Your most Sacred Majesty. It was our sins that filled Your Heart with bitterness; it was the weight of our guilt that pressed down Your face to the earth in the Garden of Olives and caused you to die in agony on the Cross. But now, repentant and sorrowful, I implore Your forgiveness.

Adorable Heart of Jesus, Source of true consolation and ever merciful to the penitent sinner, impart to our hearts the spirit of penance that we may be sincerely sorry for our sins. Pardon them, O Lord, in Your mercy, and let all who have sinned against You in the Sacrament of Your love be converted and return to You. Deliver us from our sins. And in order to repair the sins of ingratitude by which we have grieved Your most tender and loving Heart, may we love and honor You in the most adorable Sacrament of the Altar, where You are present to hear and grant our petitions and to be the food and life of our souls.

Merciful Jesus, be our Mediator with Your heavenly Father, whom we have so grievously offended. Help us to amend our ways. As Your Sacred Heart is our refuge and our hope when we have sinned, so let it be the strength and support of our repentance, and nothing in life or death shall ever separate us from You. Amen.  [Emphasis  added.]

[1] The Roman Catholic Daily Missal 1962 (p.718). Angelus Press.  Copied in part.
[2] The Roman Catholic Daily Missal 1962 (p.721-2). Angelus Press.
[3] Ps. 68:21, http://www.drbo.org/chapter/21068.htm
[4] https://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/reparation-to-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus.html

(Note: For those interested in a Traditional Latin Mass for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus can follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgvM97qCobQ.  This Mass was celebrated by a SSPX priest.  SSPX, Society of St. Pius X, is not presently in full communion with the Holy See.)

Sufferings In Syria

Asianews.it  published an article entitled Trappist nuns: the Syrian people are starving as a result of 'unsustainable' international sanctions  on June 17, 2020.  The following paragraphs are quoted from the article [1]:

Whilst recognising that the problems in Syria are not only due to sanctions and that responsibility also falls on Syrian leaders, the nuns believe that “the time after the fighting is more difficult” as an "economic war" is underway over power, privileges, influence on the territory with the terrorists "still burning wheat fields in the north".

And yet "the domestic political-economic system, which has defended the country’s sovereignty, now risks jeopardising it if it does not adequately take care of the suffering of the people.”

For the nuns, the fact remains that sanctions "have been renewed,” indeed increased and their harmful effects are seen on the civilian population, on “people like me and you,” say the nuns, “men, women and children ... not politicians, not leaders. Sanctions are against the people.”

“Of course, whoever decides to impose them knows this well.” Their goal is “to drive people to bring down those who rule, to achieve what weapons could not achieve. But is it moral to use the suffering of peoples for political ends?”

The answer to the question above is "no" but the reality is that the world has been shaped by wars, genocides and oppression.  This on-going pandemic is a tiny equalizer between the powerful and the powerless.  The inescapable first death is the world's ultimate equalizer.  Beyond that, there is the second death [2]:

In Revelation 21:8 we read: "[A]s for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

[1] http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Trappist-nuns:-the-Syrian-people-are-starving-as-a-result-of-'unsustainable'-international-sanctions-50368.html
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_death#:~:text=In%20Revelation%2021%3A8%20we,which%20is%20the%20second%20death.%22, quoted without hyperlink.

Epistle For The Second Sunday After Pentacost

From 1 John 3:13-18 [1], [2]:

Dearly beloved, wonder not if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not, abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in himself. In this we have known the charity of God, because He hath laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. He that hath the substance of this world, and shall see his brother in need, and shall shut up his bowels from him, how doth the charity of God abide in him? My little children; let us not love in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.


[1] The Roman Catholic Daily Missal 1962 (p.715). Angelus Press.
[2] https://www.bible.com/bible/55/1JN.3.DRC1752

Christ Never Mentioned Any Of These Rules -- Not Even Saints Follow Them

Quoted below from INSIDER  are the rules that Cameron Walsh from Houston, Texas, learned from his mom in order not to arouse suspicion from law enforcement officials [1]:

"Don't put your hands in your pockets.

"Don't put your hoodie on.

"Don't be outside with no shirt on.

"Check in with your people; it don't matter even if you're down the street.

"Don't touch anything you're not buying.

"Never leave the store without a receipt or a bag, even if it's just a pack of gum.

"Never make it look like there's an altercation between you and someone else.

"Never leave the house without your ID.

"Don't drive with a wifebeater on. Don't drive with a du-rag on. Don't go out in public with neither.

"Don't ride with the music too loud. Don't stare at a Caucasian woman.

"If a cop stops you randomly and starts questioning you, don't talk back, just compromise.

"If you ever get pulled over, hands on the dashboard and ask if you can get your license and registration out."

Here is the page on TikTok  where many people reacted to Cameron Walsh's lessons Cameron learned from his mom: https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6819336017926048518.  Of the many viewed, this one is the most demonstrative:
https://www.tiktok.com/@dreamersdaze/video/6833166997056949510.  This viewer provided subtitles: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrscannadyasl/video/6833625351323749637

Is there any other country in the world besides the United States of America where children had to be taught in the same way Cameron Walsh was taught at a young age to fear officials that carry batons and guns who are supposed to enforce the law and protect them?


[1] https://www.insider.com/watch-black-teenager-moving-tiktok-video-unwritten-rules-mother-taught-2020-6

George Floyd Inspired Synonyms Not Found In A Thesaurus: Prejudice And Favoritism

Mr. George Floyd died likely from a combination of cardiac arrest and asphyxiation in Minneapolis, Minnesota while under arrest by police for committing possibly a misdemeanor, suspected for passing a US$20 counterfeit bill [1].  His death prompted mass demonstrations not only in the United States but also in parts of Europe [2] and in Canada [3].  Many demonstrations that began peacefully in the United States had unfortunately disintegrated into violence, vandalism and theft [4], [5].  Demonstrations turning violent was mentioned only as part of the background, not central to this blog post.

The underlying cause can be traced to systemic racial discrimination and profiling.  Race is not the only identifier that separates one from another.  There are many others such as regional language accents, physical appearances and handicaps, customs and costumes, food and culture, religions as well as socioeconomic status and so on.  It is unrealistic to think that such demonstrations and non-discrimination laws will affect the ways people think and behave.

For example, in the United States, "[t]he Equal Protection Clause is part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Many view it as the attempt to uphold the professed 'all men are created equal' clause written in the Constitution. The Equal protection law implies that no State has the right to deny anyone within jurisdiction equal protection of the law."  [6]  The police force is an extension of the State and has the duty to uphold laws.

In France there is "'Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité'" [7] but that did not deter the 2019 riots in Paris from happening. [8]  In India, the caste system is still alive and well today. [9]

People often prejudge one another based on what they observe and interpret from their personal perspectives.

Prejudice can be very subtle.  When it is silent or unspoken but acted upon affirmatively, it is called favoritism.  One who plays favorites is not as socially reprehensible as one who is clearly prejudiced.  But to the one who has experienced prejudice and who is overlooked again and again favoring someone else who is different in one way or another, there is no difference.  This is the reason for the title of this blog post.  The words "prejudice" and "favoritism" are therefore synonyms.

One ought to follow Christ's examples when treating people who are different.  An example is when Christ talked with a Samaritan woman at the well asking for a drink of water [10].  Another example is what Christ said to His disciples before He ascended into Heaven: "'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'" [11] [Emphasis  added.]



[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_George_Floyd
[2] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/thousands-protest-george-floyd-s-death-in-london-belgium-and-across-europe/ar-BB14QMdD
[3] https://thehill.com/policy/international/500379-protesters-in-london-berlin-toronto-take-to-streets-in-support-of-george
[4] This is just a sample:  https://news.yahoo.com/george-floyd-death-violence-breaks-002922043.html
[5] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8381451/Peaceful-protests-continue-George-Floyd-U-S.html
[6] https://constitution.laws.com/equal-protection-clause
[7] https://franceintheus.org/spip.php?article620
[8] https://www.afar.com/magazine/what-travelers-need-to-know-about-the-paris-riots
[9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8idvu5zJ8c&t=7s
[10] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jOHN+4&version=NIV
[11] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+1%3A7-9&version=NIV, quoted without references.

Politics & Religion

Politics and religion is as old as the two have been around.  They are actors in a never-ending drama that plays around the world including China, India, the Mideast and the Vatican.  A scene also played out in Washington, D.C.  US News  published an article dated June 2, 2020, entitled Archbishop of Washington: Trump's Visit to Shrine 'Baffling and Reprehensible' [1].

Below is Psalm 109 [2]:

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at my right hand:

Until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.

The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies.

With Thee is the principality in the day of Thy strength, in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot Thee.

The Lord hath sworn, and He will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech.

The Lord at Thy right hand hath broken kings in the day of His wrath. [Emphasis  added.]

He shall judge among nations, He shall fill ruins: He shall crush the heads in the land of many. [Emphasis  added.]

He shall drink of the torrent in the way: therefore shall He lift up the head.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.



[1] https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2020-06-02/archbishop-of-washington-trumps-visit-to-shrine-baffling-and-reprehensible
[2] Copied from The Roman Catholic Daily Missal 1962 (p.99). Angelus Press.