As we turned the corner into July (and the second half of 2019) there were a few Ticker Posts left from June which invite comment before being deleted. Certainly the agenda for the Amazonian Synod continues to be of real concern. So too is the increasing split between faithful bishops and those who are not (especially in their LGBT Teaching), fueling fears of schism. But it also seems more bishops are being ‘called out’, which is needed to avoid future Mr. McCarricks. Here are comments on some of the July ticker stories, in reverse chron order:
Facebook Dark Ages: The Lights go out again all over the world
So Facebook has descended further into the depths of ignorance and banned St. Augustine as ‘Hate Speech.’ No joke. Here is the paragraph which triggered the ban:
“Let us never assume that if we live good lives we will be without sin; our lives should be praised only when we continue to beg for pardon. But men are hopeless creatures, and the less they concentrate on their own sins, the more interested they become in the sins of others. They seek to criticize, not to correct. Unable to excuse themselves, they are ready to accuse others. ”
Read here how FB reviewed the matter and upheld its decision. A pro-lifer, Dominic Bettinelli from MA, noticed that two priests were censored from using this passage and, when he tried to do the same on his ‘wall’, he too was banned. But FB still hasn’t explained the ‘why’ of the matter. It actually appears, strange as it might seem at first, that the FB reviewers are having trouble with the meaning of simple English. (We may need to process some things as Latin, in size 2 font, to avoid confusion). At first I thought it was the semi-colon, an arrogant punctuation which cries out “Hah! see what I know how to use, and you don’t!” I thought that the censoring might be to bring blame on those who use a semi-colon as being insensitive to the lack of punctuational capability in the reviewers. Then just an excerpt was posted: “But men are hopeless creatures.” It too was banned. Apparently, a failure to have included women among the hopeless creatures poses a dilemma! Soon those reviewers will need to address the use of only the masculine or neuter genders for Satan. Will the women’s rights contingent argue for using the feminine gender as well? Will the dark ages fully descend again, before they are reversed?
At times like this, I just play “When the Lights go on Again All over the World,” the famous blackout music of World War II. But those lights for which we wait are enlightened minds and hearts and souls committed to God. He turns on the lights for those who seek to read and study and live by His Light.
The war, which ends in God’s triumph, is a spiritual war. It’s about time now for Christians to desert FB, and to stop playing chess with evil in the dark. Hear the music! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD8sEFpbk-w
Meanwhile, here’s censorship from Google against the 10 Commandments: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/google-censored-video-on-ten-commandments-conservative-producer-tells-congress
Horror Story in Ft. Worth Diocese: Problem of Bp. Olson
The background on the Bp. Olson abuse story can be found on Church Militant, here: https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/catholics-demand-removal-of-tx-bishop
If this much is out in the open, can you imagine what we don’t know yet? Support investigation!
An Amazon Problem
Amazon seems to be introducing a modern version of book-burning, by removing Conversion Therapy books. One Ticker post asks the question if bibles are next: https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/amazon-bans-books-on-gay-conversion-therapy-is-the-bible-next
To avoid shopping for Christian items on Amazon, try www.Christianbook.com especially for books.
God’s Intervention and Catholic Activism
LA Abp Gomez said: “… the bill … threatened the conscience of every American. If any legislature can force believers to reveal their innermost thoughts and feelings shared with God in confession, then truly there is no area of human life that is free or safe from government intrusion.” That doesn’t mean the issue won’t come up again, and again, and again.
Discussion of TLM and Novus Ordo
About 1 hour and 20 minutes into this discussion, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxAtAKU2Fi0&feature=youtu.be&ct=t%28Regular there is the very exciting assertion that if someone had been baptized in the new rite, without the exorcisms, that they can still be added in a conditional baptism. There is also interesting mention of extreme sin today, like transgenderism, being from lack of real exorcism in baptism!
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Does anyone else see a parallel between Cardinal Dolan’s refusing to let Archbishop Sheen’s body “go” and Pharaoh’s refusal to let the body of the chosen people “go”? Each time it seemed he’d have to stop his resistance, and honor the promises that were made, well he reneged and got sued and lost! It is as if the Cardinal was made to look more and more foolish. Maybe that is a way that the good Lord corrects people like Cardinal Dolan, a public chastening? It seemed also like a hardening of Dolan’s heart, just as Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, until he almost couldn’t help himself or believe he could actually lose? And Pharaoh also got deeper and deeper into sin. So is misusing a million dollars of the people’s money. Time for another investigation.
Has anyone heard about Francis giving the relics of St. Peter (once housed in the private chapel of the papal apartments that he refuses to live in) and gave them to an Orthodox (aka schismatic) Patriarch?
https://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=185394
This is an absolute disgrace. How could he freely hand over the relics of St. Peter to schismatics? Some are calling this a good faith ecumenical move, but all I see is an insult and middle finger to faithful Catholics that want to see the Orthodox rejoined in full communion with Rome.
In regard to Samantha’s post: The relics of St. Peter belonged to the entire Roman Catholic Church as it is our heritage; it wasn’t personal property of Pope Francis to give away.
On a Diocesan level, certain priests who were at a church on a temporary basis, felt free to give away certain treasures, usually donated by parishioners through the years, to other priests as gifts. When confronted by parishioners, those priests seem either angry and defiant or bewildered, that they should be questioned to what they did with church property. Obviously, a wrong attitude had been propagated through the years in which that type of priest didn’t think he had to be accountable to parishioners, but make unilateral decisions regarding their property as though it was his own personal property.
I suppose you could tie that into militia’s post: Cardinal Dolan is spending the Dioces’s money, actually the parishioner’s money, for his own fight, which is an ongoing losing battle, like it’s his own personal money. Maybe we would see a different outcome if prelates were only allowed to use their personal money from their earned salary to engage in their personal court battles.
@christian, I find issue with the fact that he gave the relics of the first Pope to the Orthodox Patriarch because they do not pray for our bishops and/or the Pope in their liturgy. Giving them the relics of St. Peter is insulting, because they don’t acknowledge the Primacy of Peter (and by extension, the Papacy) in the first place!
In a secular analogy, it would be like a Michelin star chef giving the world’s finest cut of beef on a silver platter to a vegetarian. They will likely accept it out of courtesy, but ultimately it means nothing to the recipient.
If anyone disagrees with me, I take no offense. This is merely my perception of the affair at hand.
I agree with you Samantha, regarding your point about handing the relics of the first Pope to the Orthodox Patriarch as they don’t acknowledge the Primacy of Peter and do not pray for our bishops or Pope in their liturgy. But I expand that point to Pope Francis appearing to make a a huge move like that regarding such a monumental thing, seemingly without prior consultation and dialogue without other prelates and clergy at the Vatican.
There has always been such a long tedious effort to get any action or complaint through proper channels at the Vatican, but the bones of the first Bishop of Rome, the first Pope, who is the rock on who Christ built his church, was just handed off to another denomination and See not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church, seemingly by unilateral decision by Pope Francis. The bones of St. Peter belong in Rome.
Would anyone like to do a review of the following book: https://stpaulcenter.com/product/why-celibacy-reclaiming-the-fatherhood-of-the-priest/
or else conduct some on line discussion in a small group of readers? Please post your reply.
After reading the article regarding the personal opinions and political stands of Bishop Olson, which are in complete conflict of Catholic teaching, which he is trying to inflict on the priests of his Diocese, his punishment of a priest who reported the misconduct of another priest, and his gross inappropriate conduct toward clergy and parishioners, I think he should be removed as a bishop. He certainly is not putting the Catholic faith in a good light and is causing damage, malice and scandal to the Catholic Church with regard to his forced personal stand on issues of right to life and respect life which are in conflict with the Catholic faith, Christianity, and God-fearing religions in general. I think he is spreading apostasy.
Before judging Bishop Olson, I suggest everyone read the more balanced article in the Fort Worth Star Telegram by Cynthia Allen dated June 20, 2019. I was acquainted with Bishop Olson some years ago and he was always orthodox and a good friend to the pro-life community in Fort Worth. One of the comments on the Church Militant website also expresses concern that the Church Militant article on Bishop Olson is a “hit job” initiated by some disgruntled locals with an agenda. Based on what I know of Bishop Olson, I would give him the benefit of any doubt, of which I think there is a large amount.
I’m having some trouble with the defense of Bishop Olson, based on Cynthia Allen’s writing. As best I can tell, it appears she is not an investigative reporter, but just an editorialist expressing her personal opinions. Apparently she also doesn’t live in the Fort Worth diocese and there is some indication she isn’t even Catholic. Is that true, dobrienaus? Do you know her personally? Can she really have any insight into this situation? Was she paid for her article? I have also heard that the newspaper won’t print letters which oppose the Bp or the diocese. They seem to be personal supporters of His Excellency. So where is the hit job, if both sides aren’t being aired? It is more like a war of personalities without trying to dig out the truth.
See also Google’s Censorship against Ten Commandments: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/google-censored-video-on-ten-commandments-conservative-producer-tells-congress