Conference Of Bishops In Baltimore 2018

Quoted from Catholic News Agency  in an article entitled Cupich and Wuerl collaborated on alternative sex abuse proposal  dated November 16, 2018 [1]:

The conference’s proposed plan would have established an independent lay-led commission to investigate allegations against bishops. The Cupich-Wuerl plan would instead send allegations against bishops to be investigated by their metropolitan archbishops, along with archdiocesan review boards. Metropolitans themselves would be investigated by their senior suffragan bishops.

It has become clear that the Catholic Church prefers to do its own dirty laundry, assuming that it gets around to doing it in the first place, rather than sending it out to the cleaners for fear that they will uncover so much dirt that cannot be removed easily.

That Catholic Church has shown that it is no different from any other non-religious institution that has for its primary objective which is the need for self-preservation in order to continue to operate as an on-going concern without regard to those for whom it exists to serve.

The Church for which God sacrificed His only Son is not this Catholic Church which is mired in scandals and politics and run by hypocrites and unholy men who show no signs of humility and poverty and no interest in spending time to "lead the souls entrusted to their care toward an intimate relationship with the Lord." [2]  If their souls are not already dammed, may they waste no time in seeking forgiveness and mercy through repentence and supplication before God while restoring the Catholic Church that Christ by His crucifixion, death and resurrection had raised in three days. [3]


[1] https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cupich-and-wuerl-collaborated-on-alternative-sex-abuse-proposal-10934
[2] https://docplayer.net/23867774-The-rosary-of-the-seven-sorrows-of-our-lady.html, section 9; also at https://www.companionscross.org/sites/default/files/file-attachments/The%20Rosary%20of%20the%20Seven%20Sorrows%20of%20Our%20lady_edited.pdf, 9th page
[3] http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/2, paragraph 19.

"Good works don’t make the news"

 Quoted from Catholic.net [1]:

At Mass at the Casa Santa Marta [on or about "15 November 2018" [2]], the Pope comments on the day’s Gospel, saying that the Church is made manifest “in the Eucharist and in good works.” [Emphasis original.]

The Church grows “in simplicity, in silence, in praise, in the Eucharistic sacrifice, in fraternal community, where all are loved,” and none are rejected. That was the message of Pope Francis during the daily Mass celebrated in the chapel at Casa Santa Marta. Commenting on the day’s Gospel (Lk 17:20-25), the Pope said that the Kingdom of God “is not spectacular,” and that it grows in silence. [Emphasis original.]

Good works don’t make the news 

The Church, he said, is manifested “in the Eucharist and in good works,” even if they don’t “make the news.” The Bride of Christ has a temperament given to silence; she produces fruit “without making a fuss,” without “sounding the trumpet, like the Pharisees”: [Emphasis original.]
...

The good works of the Church that "is manifested in the Eucharist and in good works" are not in the news because Bergoglio himself does not bring them to the forefront.  Bergoglio seems to be mostly preoccupied with political matters both internal and external and obsessed with power, relegating the Eucharist, the Church and the true Word of God to the sidelines.  Thus, it is no surprise that the article cited has this caption: "Good works don't make the news."



[1] http://catholic.net/op/articles/5150/martyrdom-doesnt-make-the-news.html
[2] https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2018-11/pope-francis-homily-daily-mass-martyrdom-does-not-make-news.html

Catholic Church Sex Scandals In France

punch.com  reported on October 22, 2018, as follows [1]:

A priest in central France accused of sexually assaulting a minor committed suicide in his church, Catholic authorities said Monday, the second French priest to take his life over abuse claims in a month.

Pierre-Yves Fumery, 38, hanged himself in his presbytery in the town of Gien in the Loire valley. His body was found on Saturday.

....

Orleans bishop Jacques Blaquart, whose diocese includes Gien, called it a “moment of suffering and a tragic ordeal”. 

Blaquart said some members of Fumery’s parish had brought attention to the priest’s “inappropriate behaviour” towards children aged 13, 14 and 15, including a girl “that he took in his arms and drove home several times.”

About a month earlier, on September 20, 2018, New Strait Times  reported as follows [2]:

RENNES: A 38-year-old French priest in a northern French town committed suicide in his church after being accused of molesting a young woman, local prosecutors and police sources told AFP on Wednesday.

Jean-Baptiste Sebe killed himself Tuesday in the church north of Rouen amid allegations from a local mother that her grown-up daughter had been a victim of “indecent behaviour and sexual assault,” a police source said.

Catholic churches in France, a country where so many saints came from are apparently not exempt from sex scandals, and based on the reports, apparently not all sex scandals are homosexual even though the majority of them in the news are homosexual.

Can one therefore conclude reasonably that homosexuals are more sexually active than heterosexuals?  Probably not because priests are sexual beings regardless of whether one is homosexual, heterosexual or bisexual.  Perhaps the reason why there are more homosexual scandals in the Catholic Church is because the majority of clerics are gay.  If, however, the majority of the clerics are straight, then there would likely be many more girls and young women who would be molested and raped than boys and young men.

A cleric's inability to remain chaste is not a function of sexual orientation but is dependent on the cleric's ability to control his sexual impulses.  One's inability to curtail one's sexual drive is not limited to clerics (straight, gay or bi) but is common among men, not just those who are famous, powerful and wealthy.


[1] https://punchng.com/priest-commits-suicide-after-abuse-claims/
[2] https://www.nst.com.my/world/2018/09/413090/french-priest-commits-suicide-church-over-accusation-molesting

Suggested Read: Theodore McCarrick, Donald Wuerl & The Papal Foundation

Written by Matthew B.O'Brien, a publication entitled THE PAPAL FOUNDATION & MCCARRICK’S CONFLICT OF INTEREST  reads like a fiction filled with intrigue [1].


[1] https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2018/09/the-papal-foundation-mccarricks-conflict-of-interest

Truth & Evidence - Viganò's Third Letter

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò's third letter was reviewed by americamagazine.org  in an article entitled In third letter Viganò repeats accusations but offers no new evidence on McCarrick case [1]. The entirety of the letter is published by lifesitenews.com  in an article entitled Archbishop Viganò issues third testimony, refutes accusations of Cardinal Ouellet [2] in which Archbishop Viganò specifically said, "Let me restate the key points of my testimony," [3] key words that americamagazine.org  failed to mention in its article.

Archbishop Viganò's third letter was a continuing dialogue between him and those who in the Catholic hierarchy subservient to Bergoglio.  It was never intended to introduce new evidence.  The conclusion that this third letter repeats the first without presenting new evidence misses the point, the point being that evidence so difficult to obtain in this world is not the case before God.

Before God one does not need to offer documents or testimony to prove the truth.  God knows everything.  From God one cannot run or hide.  One can do nothing but tremble (this blogger had experienced this once -- it was absolute fear in full mental nakedness).  Archbishop Viganò apparently knows this, quoting from his third letter [4]:

But I am an old man, one who knows he must soon give an accounting to the Judge for his actions and omissions, one who fears Him who can cast body and soul into hell. A Judge who, even in his infinite mercy, will render to every person salvation or damnation according to what he has deserved. Anticipating the dreadful question from that Judge – “How could you, who had knowledge of the truth, keep silent in the midst of falsehood and depravity?” -- what answer could I give?

This Judge, sometimes referred to as the "terrible" Judge, is considered by some to be "terrible" not because the Judge is nasty, wrong or unfair but because "[He] will render to every person salvation or damnation according to what he has deserved" "even in [H]is infinite mercy," [5].  He is feared because of one's sins.  This blogger believes that upon seeing humility and repentance, the Judge lets His abundant love and mercy take over, leading souls to Heaven, possibly through Purgatory.

The question in the above-quoted passage would probably not be the only "dreadful" one asked of Carlo Maria Viganò, if indeed there is even a question and answer period.  This blogger thinks that there is none.  In absolute silence before the Judge, the soul knows with unbearable clarity (too much clarity) every truth and every sin resulted from commission and omission sending unmitigable fear throughout its entire constitution.

If anyone thinks that the game of "hide and seek" with the truth has to do only with worldly evidence and ends when life ends, one needs to think again, carefully.


[1] https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/10/19/third-letter-vigano-repeats-accusations-offers-no-new-evidence-mccarrick-case
[2] https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archbishop-viganos-third-testimony
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.

Some Ambivalence Over The Possibility Of Building Up The Catholic Church In A Digital World

Quoted from an article entitled Synod of Bishops on Young People: Becoming digital missionaries  published by Vatican News  on October 17, 2018 [1]:

Today at the Synod briefing the press were told that a repeated theme in conversation in the Synod assembly was how the Church can be part of the digital world. For this, the Church needs “digital missionaries”.

Admittedly, having "'digital missionaries'" is not quite the same as having a virtual Catholic Church, but it is a step closer to having one.  Whether or not a "digital" Catholic Church is a good idea is hard to say.

This blog's existence is made possible by digital technology.  Without it, this blogger's thoughts would likely either not be written or if written, would be on paper that would be piled up in a dark corner of a closet that would never again see the light of day, so that not a single person on earth would have a clue as to how disturbed and convoluted a mind can be, one that allows for crazy thoughts to form.  Not having this blog could actually be better for society by not filling up cloud storage space with worthless words, but the same cannot be said for having a virtual Catholic Church, in some cases.

By being in this blogosphere, one is able to reach readers in far away places one has never seen and readers who may be nearby whom one would likely not ever meet or know personally.  This is amazing indeed, considering that this blogger who is a nobody, who is insane and incoherent at times, has unexpectedly reached a handful of readers (often less than that), but blogging in cyberspace with a tiny audience is quite a different matter from building up the Catholic Church in it that has the potential to reach 1.28 billion Catholics worldwide [2].

This is a good thing on the one hand, particularly for those who live alone in seclusion or in remote areas who would then be able to connect with "'digital missionaries'" which is better than having no connection at all but on the other, is it enough to have encounters via various internet portals with no chance of any direct one on one interaction with a person as opposed to an image of one?  Is watching a Mass online sufficient to satisfy the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation?  If not, then why not?  Adoration of a virtual Blessed Sacrament is already available on You Tube [3].  What about receiving Holy Communion from a 3-D virtual priest by logging in and using one's own unique 3-D emoji?

How would the crucifixion of Christ be accepted and believed if it were digitized as opposed to real suffering on the cross?  A digitized version would be like an animation based on a fantasy that is no different from any other kind of morbid entertainment, except that the crucifixion of Christ is real, historic and not entertainment.  The most important moments of Christianity are the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ, without which the Last Supper would have little to no meaning which is the underpinning of the Catholic Mass.  Would watching the consecration of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ on a screen in 4K (or better) and in 3-D be more like having "make-belief" friends on social media that one never truly knows than like having real friends one can meet, hug and laugh together?  The answer is an unequivocal "yes."  Therefore, watching is the opposite of participating in real time the moment of transubstantiation when the Holy Spirit descends in the space in which one is present (body, mind and soul) and awakens one's faith in God and calls one's attention to the real presence of Christ.

For some it is challenging enough to have unwavering faith in God Whom they do not see or hear.  A distance between them and God therefore exists.  Having a virtual Church, one that replaces a structure into which one is able to walk and be in awe and perhaps even for a fleeting moment feel the true presence of Christ within it and within oneself, the distance between one who is already lacking absolute faith in God could increase.  Not that it is only possible to feel Christ's presence kneeling before a cross in a church or a chapel as compared to sitting at home in front of a screen, the sensation between the two is different and in this blogger's opinion, are not perfect substitutes, until he is convinced that during a future apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that She would ask a for a digital shrine be built in cyberspace instead of asking as She did San Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin [4] to construct a shrine on Tepeyac Hill where the apparition occurred [5].

Is the world about to arrive at a juncture where one is able to to choose between what is real and what is pretense while not being able to distinguish clearly one from the other?  Perhaps the foundation of pretense within the Catholic Church has already been laid long ago since there is no more incense to elevate prayers to Heaven and the Body and Blood of Christ have been treated as substances that can hardly be deemed as holy and reverential under the Novus Ordo Mass in contrast to the Tridentine Mass.  In a fully digital world, none of this would matter since the Church and the entirety of the Mass would be virtual.

Whether a virtual Catholic Church will deepen one's faith or distances one further and further from God remains to be seen.  The results will likely be mixed.  Those with unyielding faith in God will likely not be affected one way or the other.  Those who are in remote areas and who are living in isolation because of their nature may benefit from having a virtual Church, but those who are half-hearted,  hypocritical and not prayerful may be even more perfunctory and superficial in their faith.


[1] https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-10/synod-youth-2018-press-briefing5.html
[2] https://www.ncronline.org/news/world/global-catholic-population-tops-128-billion-half-are-10-countries
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqW1lENuph0
[4] http://www.ewtn.com/spanish/saints/santos/juan_diego_biograf%C3%ADa.htm
[5] "On 9 December 1531, when Juan Diego was on his way to morning Mass, the Blessed Mother appeared to him on Tepeyac Hill, the outskirts of what is now Mexico City. She asked him to go to the Bishop and to request in her name that a shrine be built at Tepeyac, where she promised to pour out her grace upon those who invoked her." See https://www.guadalupeshrine.org/resources/saint-juan-diego

Women Demanding Greater Participation In The Catholic Church

EWTN News Nightly  raised the issue on women not having enough say in the decision-making process in the Catholic Church in its October 16, 2018 broadcast on You Tube [1].  This blogger has a response, not only on this issue but on every other issue everywhere in the world about which women have complained bitterly for not having enough participation, because men have been largely in charge, relegating women to the periphery.  His response is in the form of a question: where do men come from?

Every male come from the womb of a woman.  This woman is his mother.  He owes his life to her.  She is the most important person in his life, from infancy to boyhood, even to adulthood.  While he is growing up, he relies upon his mother who feeds him, raises him, teaches him and who sets an example for him so that when he grows up, he can become the man his mother wants him to become.

A man, therefore, is the product of his mother, a woman.  How can women, as a group, claim that they do not have participation in areas dominated by men?  Is a woman not the first person who has the most influence in the life of a boy?  This influence is critical to the formation of boy who is to become a man.  Based on this assertion, why do women blame men for excluding them when women are the ones with the greatest impact upon the life of a man?

What about those boys whose mothers have left them during infancy or boyhood, and boys whose mothers do not love them and who find them to be burdensome?  Can women blame these boys for excluding women in their lives when they grow up to become men?

Look at Jesus Whose Mother is the Virgin Mary Who is blessed among women, Who loves Her Son dearly, and look at where She is now and the powers She has -- even Satan fears Her.


[1] https://youtu.be/W-f61sXJH4Q?t=707