The Pope's Secular Appointments

A pope who does not speak the language of Catholic conservative doctrine, on July 11, 2016, appointed a secular Spanish woman, Paloma García Ovejero, who "speaks Spanish, English, Italian and Chinese," as the Vatican's new deputy spokeswoman [1] and named a secular American, Greg Burke, a celibate member of Opus Dei per John L Allen Jr. and "a former Fox and Time correspondent from St. Louis as his personal spokesman and director of the Vatican press office." [2]

"Speaking of their meeting with the Pope, García Ovejero said that Francis was 'tender,' but also 'serious and firm. He said clearly that fidelity, loyalty, and transparency are the most important things in communications.'"

It is difficult to imagine how a Vatican spokesperson, whether a member of the clergy or of the secular world, who is loyal to this pope, as opposed to God, can be transparent in his or her communications in any language with the Vatican's sex and financial scandals still being shrouded under layers upon layers of secrecy.

Just two days before the appointments, on July 9, 2016, the pope "reversed a 2014 law that had transferred the main operational section of the patrimony office [Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See ("APSA")] to Pell's Secretariat for the Economy.  ...[Cardinal George] Pell, a longtime critic of the Vatican's financial inefficiencies, had assumed control in a bid to assert authority over different areas of the Vatican's finances." [4]

With his reversal, the pope had in effect "restore[d] several important functions to [the allegedly mismanaged and possibly corrupt] APSA [under Cardinal Domenico Calcagno] that had been given to Pell’s department in 2014," [5] in order to have a clear separation of duties between operations and supervision, as if those who supervise (Pell's people) are able to examine, verify and approve in real time every time an action taken by those (Calcagno's people) who actually hold the cash.  If this were a true separation of powers with checks and balances, the "[o]ne local news agency [would not have] bottom-lined the result this way in its headline: 'The Italians win!'" [6]

The Italians might very well have won, but did God win?  Did God really choose this politically crafty and rather secular pope to be the successor of Peter?  If God had given Saint Malachy his vision, then God probably did choose him so that the saint's prophesy could be fulfilled. [7]  Only time will tell if he is truly "Peter the Roman" and the last pope.

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/07/11/pope-francis-names-first-american-and-first-woman-as-his-1-and-2-spokespeople/

[2] Ibid.

[3] http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/new-press-office-directors-given-warm-vatican-welcome-82164/
[4] http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-pope-francis-again-trims-scope-of-vatican-economy-czar-2016-7
[5] https://cruxnow.com/all-things-catholic/2016/07/10/vaticans-old-guard-may-notched-pyrrhic-victory/
[6] Ibid.
[7] https://z3news.com/w/st-malachys-medieval-prophecy-claims-pope-francis-final-pope/

Abstinence For Remarried Catholics And No Gay Apology

A few of the 115 Cardinals who voted to elevate Bergolio to the papacy on March 13, 2013, [1] probably have voter's remorse.  In December 2014, the pope "used the opportunity of his end-of-year Christmas greeting to excoriate cardinals, bishops and priests for committing the 'terrorism of gossip,' upholding the 'pathology of power' and acting like 'lords of the manor' -- superior to everyone and everything.'" [2] This is one of those rare instances this blogger stands with the pope whom he does not trust or like very much.

The degree of dislike this blogger has for the the pope pales in comparison to some of those who are going against his edicts.  For example, "[t]he head of the Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia is closing the door opened by Pope Francis to letting civilly remarried Catholics receive Communion, saying the faithful in his archdiocese can only do so if they abstain from sex and live as 'brother and sister.'" [3]  How many divorced Catholic couples who enter into a second marriage plan to have a platonic relationship with one another as siblings in the privacy of their home? What if they engaged in sex, would it be considered as incest?  These are not questions that need to be discussed since "Archbishop Charles Chaput, who is known for strongly emphasizing strict adherence to Catholic doctrine, [had already] issued a new set of pastoral guidelines for clergy and other leaders in the archdiocese that went into effect July 1, [2016]." [4]

Chaput is not the only one going against the pope's wishes. Parish priests are also not keen on doing everything the pope wants either.  How many of them had chosen a Sunday to stand in front of their congregants Mass after Mass to apologize to gays on behalf of the Catholic church? [5]  And what exactly should they be apologizing for?  In order for a blanket apology to be appropriate, the pope must believe that all gays think and behave alike, all desiring gay marriage, gay adoption and gay surrogacy and that all gays are being mistreated in the same way by the Catholic church. That is just not the case.

This blogger does not think that the Catholic church is persecuting gays.   On the contrary, gays are embraced by the Catholic church and some have become part of the clergy.  Therefore, there is no need for the Catholic church to issue a blanket apology to gays.  However, if the pope wants to change the Catholic position on homosexual sex, then that is a different matter.  An apology would not help.  It would be far simpler for the pope to say the obvious, that a sin is a sin, that no sin is gender-specific or sexual orientation-specific, and that a sexual sin committed by heterosexuals is no different than the same sin committed by homosexuals.  He has yet to make such a statement.

Some of the ideas advanced by this Argentinian pope were not so well thought out and laid out and hence they are not being carried out by his subordinates.  His latest appointment of Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago "to the influential Congregation for Bishops" effective today, July 7, 2016, [6] would probably not help heal the deep divisions within the Catholic church.

So where is God in the midst of a church that is splitting apart?  In the center, as always, looking for purity of heart and purity of love in those who serve God and neighbor with humility.


[1] https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=when+was+francis+elected+pope
[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/what-pope-francis-has-to-say-to-ultraconservatives-in-the-church_us_577d3abae4b0a629c1ab805c

[3] http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-archbishop-remarried-catholics-20160706-snap-story.html

[4] Ibid.
[5] http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-pope-gay-apology-20160626-snap-story.html
[6] http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-blase-cupich-bishop-advisory-panel-20160707-story.html

Politics, Poll And The Pope

"[A] recent local poll revealed that Francis -- the former Jorge Mario Bergolio, archbishop of Buenos Aires -- has tumbled from the first to the ninth most 'trustworthy Argentine' in just two years." [1]   It is hard to imagine that this pope's trustworthiness would fall in his own country of Argentina being the hypocrite that he is, that he could be deemed trustworthy in the first place.  This blogger has never liked this pope, from the moment he ascended to the throne of Peter and chose to name himself Francis after Saint Francis of Assisi, his first act of hypocrisy as pope. [2]

Not only is this pope losing trust in Argentina, he is also losing his base.  An article written in January, 2016, reported that "[i]n 2015, more than 3.2 million pilgrims visited and attended papal events, liturgies or prayer services at the Holy See, the Vatican said at the end of December.  That was a sharp drop from the 5.9 million visitors received by Pope Francis in 2014.  And it was less than half of the 6.6 million pilgrims who visited the Vatican during the first nine-and-a-half months of his pontificate in 2013." [3]  There could be different reasons for the 50% drop but could one of them be the pope's brand of politics and hypocrisy?  Unless a miracle takes place at the Vatican, this blogger would not be surprised to see the numbers of pilgrims continue to decline slowly over the years.


[1] http://nypost.com/2016/07/04/pope-francis-star-is-fading-back-home-and-heres-why-it-matters/
[2] There is no proof whatsoever but in the mind's eye of this blogger, it had envisioned that this pope had a sordid past, details of which he will keep to himself because his mind's eye does not really see, it just senses, more often than not inaccurately.
[3] http://www.politico.eu/article/a-pope-flop/

Young, Rich And Educated Bangladeshi Terrorists

Below is a photograph from an article written on the young, rich and educated Pakistani men who were jihadists [1]:



"The men, in their early- and mid-twenties, had attended some of Bangladesh's top schools and universities, according to classmates who identified them on social media." [2]  As to how such men who could otherwise be potentially promising citizens of society could become radicalized to such an extreme, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said: "'It has become a fashion.'" [3]

If killing is a fashion, then the contemporary fashion designer could very well have been a bellicose former president.  "Just after explosions began to rock Baghdad, Iraq's capital, [he] announced in a televised address, 'At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early states of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger.'  [He] and his advisors built much of their case for war on the idea that Iraq, under dictator Saddam Hussein, possessed or was in the process of building weapons of mass destruction." [4]

Is the world no longer in grave danger as promised after the killing of Saddam Hussein, or has it become even more unpredictable and dangerous?  Perhaps the decider of the 2003 Iraq war who like the Bangladeshi killers also came from wealth and was educated at one of the top schools in his country, has the best insight in answering this question, more than anyone else on the planet, after having time to examine his conscience which hopefully has not been permanently shrouded by pride, Satan's favorite sin [5], and perhaps layers of anger and greed as well.

Man's conscience rests in the truth.  Those who deny the truth denies God.  It does not matter which side or what religion, those who kill, who give orders to kill and who build and supply the weapons of destruction, whether it is for mass destruction or localized destruction, reject God.

One might ask if Osama bin Laden ought to have been killed. Many would say yes.  In the end, did his death make a difference?  In the end, did the many subsequent bombings and the death of this new jihadist leader and that new jihadist leader make a difference?  This blogger thinks not [6].

Only the deaths of Original Sin and its progeny can make a difference in the advancement of civilization, but man is so attached to his sins that eliminating them would be unthinkable.  Those who believe that this candidate and that candidate, if given the political power to rule, would make the world a better place than it is now suffers under a delusion.  Overall, man is happy to be living in an illusion in denial of God and in denial of God's eternal Truths.  Life is a lot easier that way.

And it is easy for other young and impressionable men of Bangladesh to live unthinking lives, or live their lives thinking that they can be just as irresponsible as those who have the power to kill without having to answer for the consequences of their actions in this life, even though it would be a different story at the Gates of Hell.


[1] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3673389/Bangladeshi-rich-kids-grew-jihadists.html
[2] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/03/dhaka-isil-terrorists-were-drawn-from-well-eduated-bangladeshi-e/
[3] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3673389/Bangladeshi-rich-kids-grew-jihadists.html
[4] http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/war-in-iraq-begins
[5] https://churchpop.com/2015/09/09/spanish-exorcist-reveals-satans-favorite-sin/
[6] Unlike major wars of the past when armed men belonged to a certain nation, and were fairly easily identified by their uniform, their weapons and the language they spoke, this current conflict is different.  Up-risers can be virtually any nationality, live in every neighborhood around the world and own generic weapons.  In contrast to the non-profit group Médecins Sans Frontières ("MSF") that saves lives, the modern jihadists can be said to have a non-profit group that kills, an unincorporated alliance of random actors that could very well be called Terrorists Without Borders because they are free to travel and Terrorists Within Borders just as aptly because their targets are local.

A Report On Wine Consumption At The Vatican

According to a report, this pope said that "'[w]ater is necessary to live, but wine expresses the abundance of the feast and the joy of the celebration.  And a wedding party which lacks wine--the newlyweds feel ashamed of this. Imagine finishing a wedding party drinking tea--it would be shameful!  There is no celebration without wine!"' [1]

Surrounded by the wealth and comfort of his abode, the Vatican, the pope had forgotten to add to his drivel these words: "There is no wine without money!"

What he had allegedly said implies that those poor, shameful newlyweds who cannot afford a wedding ceremony, let alone a wedding party with wine for the guests, can have no celebration and no joy.  What an elitist pope!

The report continued to state that the "Vatican City, with a population of just 842 people, has the highest per capita wine consumption in the world, according to the California Wine Institute, an American organization that tracks such trends.  They found that each Vatican City resident consumes an average of 74 liters of wine annually, which is twice the per capita consumption in the rest of Italy and seven times the per capita consumption in the United States." [2]

To be fair, the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the United States is not limited to wine and there is no indication that in addition to wine, kegs of beers and liters of hard liquor are also being consumed by the 842 Vatican residents annually.  Nonetheless, even if the 842 individuals at the Vatican consumes only wine and no other alcoholic beverage, 74 liters of wine drunk per person per year is still excessive.

Can the Vatican, a symbol of poverty and holy poverty for the entire world, be committing one of the seven deadly sins called gluttony? [3]  This blogger is not surprised if that is the case since many of those who served and are still serving as priests had, and may still very well be, committing another one of the seven deadly sins called lust by breaking their vows of chastity.  And of course there is pride, another one of the seven deadly sins that many priests and nuns commit. Then there are the rest, greed, anger, envy and sloth.  They are so common that it is difficult for a sinner to avoid them all.

Perhaps it is the inability of those in the Vatican to avoid all seven deadly sins at all times that they would need to commit the one that would allow them to be in denial of the rest by drinking wine (and eating) excessively, like a glutton.


[1] http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/03/vatican-priests-nuns-are-drowning-in-wine.html
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.catholicbible101.com/7deadlysins.htm

A Catholic Church In Tromsø, Norway

"A new study shows 39 percent of Norway's population identifies as atheist -- an increase of almost 20 percent from 1985, while 23 percent declare they 'don't know.'  That makes a stunning 62 percent of Norweigians who do not identify as Christian." [1]

"Norway embraced Catholicism in the 10th century and held on to the Faith until the Protestant Revolution in the 16th century, when Lutheranism took hold.  Afterwards, Catholicism was made illegal, and the number of Catholics steadily decreased to make up only a small minority of Norweigians." [2]

"Lutheranism was the state religion until 2012, when the government took away its status.  Catholicism was legalized in the mid-1800s, with the final restriction removed in 1956, allowing the Jesuit order back into the country.  The vast majority of Norway's 200,000 Catholics today are immigrants.  Those 200,000 Catholics represent a meager four percent of the total population of 5 million. [3]

Despite the history of Catholicism in Norway, the current trend toward secularism and the relatively small number of Catholics, Var Freue Kirche, a Catholic church in Tromsø still stands.  Photographs were taken by this blogger on June 18, 2016, of the church's exterior, which was under repair and the interior, where some touch-ups were seen needed.

This small, humble wooden church in Tromsø is simple.  It does not have the fame, the size and the opulence that the Vatican has but that does not matter for God, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit, as well as the Mother of God are present and are attentive to those who are faithful.

The day this blogger visited the church, the door was unlocked for anyone who wished to enter and there was no attendant.  In his opinion, a true Catholic church is always open, always welcoming and unafraid of vandalism.  It was a wonderful experience to be able to spend a few moments inside the church alone with God without anyone present.

Before leaving, he went to the back of the church and saw small stacks of the Order of the Mass [4] booklets.  He flipped through one of them and decided to take pictures of all the pages.  They are shown below, hopefully without violating copyright laws (click on the image to sharpen it).

Some of the photographs have a glare on the right side of the page where the language is Norsk.  To compensate for it, here is a link to the prayers in Norsk: http://www.stpaul.no/kirken/messinnh.htm.

The following are close-ups:

[1] http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/atheists-outnumber-christians-in-norway
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] http://catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/Mass.htm

The EU Is Not At Peace

This blogger was in Norway when a majority of voters in the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union ("EU"). Norway is the seventh richest country in the world and the second richest in Europe after Luxembourg in terms of Gross Domestic Product in 2016 [1] and is not a member of the EU [2].

In comparison, the United Kingdom is not ranked among the top 13 richest countries [3] and was a member of the EU [4] since August 2, 1993, [5] making it one of the 12 countries that together symbolizes "the identity and unity of Europe" [6].  They even came up with a flag with 12 gold stars forming a circle against a blue background.  It would be a mistake, however, to assume that the 12 gold stars represent the first 12 members of the EU because according to some accounts, "[t]he number of stars has nothing to do with the number of member countries." [7], [8].

The fact that UK exiting the EU ("Brexit") [9] has no effect upon the EU flag is in a way parallel to the fact that Brexit has no bearing on this blog.  So why mention it?  Because Brexit has created uncertainty in the marketplace, causing stress upon those who have tied their financial fate to the supposed indissolubility of the EU.  This supposition was proven wrong by the June 23, 2016, referendum, wiping out global equity wealth totaling US$2.08 trillion [10].  The currency markets were also affected with the British pound dropping to a 31-year low against the US dollar on June 27, 2016, with £1 equaling to US$1.3320 [11].

Those who are in turmoil ought to realize that God is still at the center and Divine Love has not wavered.  It is a good time to step back and meditate on these words of Christ separating what is secular from what is sacred: "'[G]ive back to Ceasar what is Ceasar's, and to God what is God's.'" [12]

Man's artificial constructs such as political alliances and trade unions can be dissolved as easily as they can be formed, the value of a currency can depreciate to reflect reality [13] and material possessions can be destroyed in a natural disaster and in a war.  Even if society remains somewhat intact, it depends on a functional and reliable planet with the right amount of sunshine, air, water and gravity for its inhabitants to exist, but these things are often overlooked in this dysfunctional world of economics, politics and secularism.  Sometimes, it is necessary to pause and be reminded of the this planet earth and all that it offers, and to recognize the Creator Who has dominion over it and the universe in which it spins.

For those who might stumble on this entry and are troubled by uncertainties of this world, below are a few photos taken in Norway, affirming that planet earth is still providing for the existence of each and every life, not only the bare minimum of what is needed but in abundance and in inexplicable beauty.

[1] http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-richest-countries-in-the-world.html
[2] http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/
[3] http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-richest-countries-in-the-world.html
[4] http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/
[5] http://www.thegreenpapers.com/ww/EuropeanUnion-MembershipAndHistory.phtml
[6] http://europa.eu/about-eu/basic-information/symbols/flag/index_en.htm
[7] http://europa.eu/about-eu/basic-information/symbols/flag/index_en.htm
[8] http://www.cvce.eu/en/education/unit-content/-/unit/eeacde09-add1-4ba1-ba5b-dcd2597a81d0/2b4e569f-9aa3-48dd-b877-13d0d5f1d177
[9] http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brexit.asp
[10] http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-stocks-idUSKCN0ZC12G
[11] https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2016/jun/27/pound-shares-markets-brexit-crisis-osborne-lew-business-live?page=with:block-5770f8f5e4b0f4303810a01c#block-5770f8f5e4b0f4303810a01c
[12] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22:15-22
[13] The United States of America will soon celebrate its 240th year on July 4, 2016, after gaining independence from Great Britain on July 4th, 1776.  Since then, it would have amassed an estimated debt of US$19.3 trillion at the close of its fiscal year, 2016.  To be sure, the US dollar is no longer backed by gold and has no real value; the only value it has is the faith the peoples of the world give it.  How many more generations of people will continue to place their faith in the US Federal Reserve Bank and the money it prints remains uncertain.