Pope Raises Armenian Saint to Doctor of the Church

Catholic Christianity gets a new Doctor of the Church - According to observers, the Pope's decision of Gregory of Narek could be made in the context of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

Vatican City (kath.net/KNA) In the anniversary year for Armenians, Catholics worldwide will receive an Armenian Doctor of the Church. Pope Francis has confirmed this weekend the raising of St. Gregory of Narek as a "Doctor of the Universal Church", as the Vatican announced on Monday. It will follow shortly. The Armenian monk, mystic and writer, was born in 950 in Armenian Andzevatsik in the former kingdom of Vaspurakan. He died around 1005 in Narek. Both towns are located in eastern Anatolia in modern Turkey.

The Holy Catholic Church, honors Saints who make significant contributions for the Doctrine of the Faith. In total there are 35 Church doctors so far. From the German-speaking comes Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), Albertus Magnus (1200-1280 to) and the Jesuit, Peter Canisius (1521-1597).

Christians world wide will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. According to observers, the Pope could be making this decision on Gregory of Narek in this context. As part of the commemoration of the genocide, the victims of the 1915 massacres in the former Ottoman Empire will be canonized by the leadership of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 24 April in Etchmiadzin. Pope Francis wants on April 12 to celebrate a memorial service in the Armenian rite in St. Peter's Basilica with the Armenian Catholic bishops.

Gregory's life fell into a more peaceful era in Armenia shortly before the Turkish and Mongol invasions, when the country experienced a golden age in literature, painting architecture and theology. Gregor's father Khosrov was later bishop and author of the first commentary on the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church, his mother Anania Vartabed, who died young, was abbess of the convent of Narek. Like his two brothers, Gregory was already a monk in early adolescence and at 25 ordained to priesthood. He taught at the convent school of Narekavank at Narek and wrote major writings on music, astronomy, geometry, mathematics, literature and theology. Gregory's letters, liturgical chants, songs and sermons were also widely spread. Many prayers written by him have been included in the Armenian Rite of Mass.

A masterpiece of the mystic is considered to be the book of Lamentations, a well-known also as "Narek" collection of 95 prayers, each of which bears the title "Talk to God from the depths of the heart." They are read today by faithful Armenians.

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Kath.net...
AMDG

Pope Francis Going on Penitential Retreat?

VATICAN CITY — according to AP international, Pope Francis is fleeing the Vatican for a retreat along with trusted members of his household to work "correcting the many defects we all have." We assume this means he's going to deal with some of the public relations disasters accompanied by many of his problematic statements.

They insist that Francis addressed tens of thousands of Romans, tourists and pilgrims in St. Peter's Square for his Angelus address that later he and top aides were starting a spiritual renewal retreat that Sunday. They will be gone until Friday morning spending time till the. To meditate, and listen to reflections in Ariccia, a Rome suburb. What about fasting?

He didn't list the "defects." But in the nearly two years since becoming pontiff, Francis has put Vatican prelates on guard against careerism, arrogance, hypocrisy, corruption and being too judgmental instead of merciful.

http://www.wxxv25.com/news/world/story/Pope-gets-away-from-Vatican-to-work-on-correcting/_csdAQWUe0WXjnUNjqV2JQ.cspx

"Aberro-Tolerance": Marian Statue Vandalized

(Rome) The face and chest have been smeared with blood. It seems that some have taken the statue of the  Most Pure Virgin  to heart. The blood flows down her white robe.Thus, the large statue in front of the church of San Giovanni Battista was found on the outskirts of the Italian city of Lecce. The statue had been bombarded with red paint. On the outer walls of the parish church, blasphemous slogans were smeared in the same "bloody" color: "God is Trans", "pedophile priests", "Mantovano Taliban."

The judge Alfredo Mantovano was from 2001-2006 and 2008-2011 State Secretary at the Ministry of Interior. In 2012 he left politics and has been a judge at the Higher Regional Court of Rome. He is regarded as a leading expert in family law. Since 1976 he has been part of the Catholic Alliance.  Last week he was speaker at a meeting in the parish of the Catholic Alliance's "War Against the Natural Family Gender Ideology, was Organized Gay Marriage ". A current, but also dangerous subject.

Gay Intolerance

Virgin Mary statue in Lecce

There are left-wing groups that do not accept the human right of free speech and assembly for others if they do not  like the topic.  The intolerance of aberrosexual groups has  left a trace of verbal and physical violence  more recently in Italy: from the assaults on the Italian Veilleurs, whom they describe as "standing guard." The original just like the French hold silent protests in places and minister against the "gay agenda" and the destruction of the family; or the political and media lynching of any organization or initiative, which promotes the natural family, mother and father, a union of man and woman. That violence is possible because there is more and benign neglect by "moderate" circles. Lecce is located in Puglia. The Italian region of Apulia is governed by the avowed homosexuals and leftists attacks WikiLeaks since 2005.

Now the usual violent offenders have struck in Lecce. The Association LeA - freely and openly wrote the day before the attack that events such as the meeting in the parish "in a democratic, secular and advanced society are harmful to the dignity of all people, not just homosexuals because they are opportunities to incite homophobic hatred, not to spread correct information on LGBT issues and to promote a climate of psychological terror."  For this reason, the union announced a counter-rally -  which was supported by a vast number of large and small groups of the homo-, left, and feminist spectrum, including anarchists and sectarian Communist groups - as always.

Virgin Mary statue "Crying" - blasphemous vandalism

The translation of the statement meant that the Catholic rally was intended to be prevented by occupation of the conference hall. In fact, the left-reinforced aberro hordes tried to storm the room, they threatened and insulted the conference participants. However, the pre-warned police managed to push them back and keep them at an appropriate distance.

A week later an attack was perpetrated on the statue in front of the church and spray painted messages were written on the church wall. The revenge for the foiled attempt on the meeting. An action against the Blessed Mother under cover of darkness and anonymity. The State Security has launched investigations, while parish faithful cleaned the walls.  Purification of the Virgin Mary statue is proving to be difficult. The face of Mary was the main target.

"God is Trans" has been sprayed by aberrosexual activists in Lecce. It commemorates the slogan "God is woman" by the unspeakable political mercenaries of Femen. Both are expressions of ideological delusion and cultural stupidity.

The Catholics today are the main target of the new totalitarian gender thinking and the new kingdom of alleged rights. A totalitarian and intolerant thinking that will sink in the name of human rights, to attacking Christianity and the resulting civilization, the values themselves ​​that have led to human rights. It's a dangerous game.

The statue of Lecce seems to cry even if it is only just color.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: LeP / AC

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

Veilleurs in Paris protesting against embryonic research:

AMDG

Director of Canadian Basilians Curses Cardinal Burke on Twitter: Apologizes, Calls for Director's Resignation

Edit: this tweet was taken down, but not before someone at ChurchMilitant.com, or someone who sent it to them, made a copy of it and republished it. It's from Father Timothy Scott, the official spokesman of the Basilians and Executive Director of the Canadian Religious Conference. He has since apologized, but there are some who insist he follow up that apology.

Christine Niles writes on her twitter:

 He's probably not going to sue anyone, but then, it's doubtful that he'll resign either.

Commissar Volpi's Credibility --- Judicial Agreement With Manelli Family Burst

(Rome) Father Fidenzio Volpi, with the approval of Pope Francis in July 2013, has surprised again and again as Apostolic Commissioner of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, although rarely in a positive way. The Apostolic Commissioner has changed his mind and withdrew his signature on the agreement with the family of FFI Founder Father Stefano Maria Manelli.

This past February 12 Commissioner Volpi and the family Manelli had agreed following a mediation in civil matters (mediazione civile). The blog Le pagine di Don Camillo, who first reported on the agreement, falsely wrote about a "patteggiamento", a specialized institution of the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure, and has since apologized.  Since 2010, Italy has recognized in implementation of an EU directive mediation in civil matters, which serves to resolve disputes wherever possible on a voluntary basis, without letting it come to a trial. The mediation takes place before court-appointed mediators at the registered office of the competent court.

FEBRUARY 12: The Admission of Guilt by the Commissar

This past February 12  at 11 clock before the Court Mediator at the District Court of Rome, the family members of Father Manelli and their lawyer Davide Perrotta as plaintiff on the one side and on the other side the Apostolic Commissioner Fidenzio Volpi and his lawyers Alessandra Böcklin and Edoardo Boitani as defendant. The mediation took place in the proceedings pending before the District Court of Rome, First Civil Chamber of litigation for defamation of Manelli family by Commissioner Volpi (see Commissioner Volpi admits a slander ).

At the end of the mediation, both parties signed an agreement with  Commissar Volpi who apologized and explained that with respect to the family Manelli  nothing applied to what he had written in his circular letter dated 8 December-2013. The Manelli family had "absolutely nothing to do with any unlawful act."

The obligations of the Commissar

This public apology would have until March 3rd according the agreement, to be published on the message news agency AGI and on the website of the Order immacolata.com. On the website it would have to be visible for at least three consecutive months in a clear presentation as other published notices on the issue.   In addition, the Commissar was to have informed all monks and nuns, with his apology in a circular. Volpi undertook all attorneys' fees and agreed to pay the family Manelli a compensation of 20,000 euros. Everything by 3rd March. "Can there be even more guilt?" Said Riscossa Cristiana.

Volpi's admission is legally and morally significant. In addition to the legal question before a court of law, the Commissar admitted with having violated the Eighth Commandment. Thus, the credibility of the Apostolic Commissioner is badly hit. Many blogs have pointed this out following the mediation agreement.

February 18: The anger of the Commissioner and an incendiary  letter

But that seems to have so annoyed the Apostolic Commissioner because of the damage to his image that is  now breaking like  porcelain. Referring to the report, he has withdrawn his signature to the agreement again. Instead of writing the court warranted apology, Commissar Volpi has sent  an new urgent letter on the 18th February  to all members of the religious order.

In the newsletter, he withdrew his admission and told the brothers and sisters of his "will" that he would  "not to comply with the signed statement" because he "no longer considers it valid because of serious non-compliance by the other party."  But Volpi  does not say just what the "serious non-compliance" with the family Manelli happens to be. In the written mediation agreement (copy of the original document ¹ )) of 12 February 2015, there is no statement obliging the family Manelli as the complainant in the proceedings. Unlike in the mediation agreement, the Commissar has now returned to his initial allegations and is shooting fire arrows at the family Manelli.

"Little credible" Justification of the Commissioner

The Commissar, as is evident from his incendiary letter, is incensed  because the matter became public. "The fact that the news of the agreement signed by Commissioner Volpi would reach the public, was easily foreseeable," said Corrispondenza Romana. However, Volpi may have hoped that certain details, such as the payment of € 20,000 to the family Manelli, would not become known. In addition, the Commissioner was faced with new demands for his resignation. In the circular letter of 18 February he writes now that he has always been considered "innocent". He only agreed "pro bono Pacis" and  "in a spirit of brotherhood seraphic" the agreement of 12 February, which was just for the sake of peace. "A statement of little credibility," said Riscossa Cristiana, given the clear and unilateral commitments into which he entered.

The fact is that Commissar Volpi has not been convicted by any court. The mediation was voluntary. "However, the agreement of 12 February exists and is signed by Father Volpi. The signature may indeed be withdrawn, so is no longer in effect," said Cristiana Riscossa.

Commissioner Volpi is receiving a monthly € 5,000 allowance for his provisional activity, according to Italian media. A message that has never been disowned. The sum is to be paid by the Order of Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.  Soon, the Commissioner will have to stand trial. With his circular letter, he made it clear that he wants it to come to a trial in this dispute. There, too, the mediation agreement will play a role. The legal costs of the Commissioner shall be borne by the Order.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Corrispondenza Romana

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Pilgrimage Church Mentlberg: High Mass with Ashes in Traditional Mass

Pilgrimage Church Mentlberg near Innsbruck

(Innsbruck) On Sunday, February 22   High Mass will be celebrated in the traditional Roman rite with the conferring of  Ashes in the pilgrimage church Mentlberg near Innsbruck.  Mentlberg is on the heights over the Inn valley southwest of Innsbruck. The church has a miraculous image of Our Sorrowful Mother on the Gallwiese.

The statue dates from around 1500 and was originally worshiped in the church of Holzheim near  Ulm. When Protestant doctrine gained ascendancy there during the Thirty Years War, it was brought to Innsbruck in 1638.  On Mentlberg soon arose a new pilgrimage to Our Lady of Sorrows with the Saviour taken down from the cross on her lap. The magnificent baroque church was consecrated in 1770.

For several years the faithful who attend the Immemorial Roman Rite have found a home in the Diocese of Innsbruck at Mentelberg. They are supported by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.  The celebrant next Sunday will be Daniel Kaplan Kretschmar, priest of the Archdiocese of Vaduz. Kretschmar who was consecrated in 2011 by Archbishop Haas in Rome, is a trained church musician. Since then, he has been involved in the establishment of the Fraternity of St. Peter in Salzburg.

Celebrant: Kaplan Kretschmar - vocal ensemble Sonoritas sings works for two choirs

At High Mass on Sunday at the beginning of Lent, the vocal ensemble is Sonoritas for the glory of God, will sing works for two choirs: the Missa Salve by Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) and the cantata I will not leave you, for you bless me (BWV 157 ) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). The ensemble Sonoritas , is dedicated in a special way to the care of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony , and came into being parallel for the sacred liturgy in the old rite in Innsbruck.

Whoever did not have the opportunity to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday,  can catch it up on Sunday. The Sanctuary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary on Mentelberg is completely dedicated to the passion and cross of Christ.  This is concentrated in Lent on  penance in preparation for the Easter Vigil.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Wikicommons

Trans: vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Vatican Suing Bloggers? Why Do People Who Promote Dissent Object to Being Called Dissenters?

Edit: We thought being called a dissenter would be a badge of honor?

It  looks like Father Volpi is attempting to do the same. The blogger received a threatening letter insisting that he remove blog posts covering the Synod on the Family.  How can you sue someone who says things about you that you've said about yourself?

This blogger sounds absolutely terrified.




Here's a portion of an article in response to Father Rosica's call for more civility in the blogosphere back in 2011 in support of the evil Father Gravel, a Pro-Abort, aberrosexual,  Canadian priest then suing Life Site News, also had all kinds of nasty things to say about faithful bloggers.  Maybe this aberrosexual enabling, Ted Kennedy supporting priest may have bitten off more than he could chew?

[Life Site News] It is in good keeping with Christian charity to seek out and to emphasize the legitimate good that others, including our opponents, may have performed. But how strange it is that the Salt & Light CEO reserves no such kind words for LSN. Surely it is a curious form of “civility” that would rather take the side of one of Canada’s most prominent self-professed “pro-choice” priests in a potentially crippling lawsuit against a pro-life, pro-family news service that has done nothing but report what that priest has said and done during his highly public career. 

The open secret is that much of the talk about “civility” we hear nowadays is too often only a ploy to silence, dismiss, and ultimately condemn those with whom one happens to disagree. We saw this clearly in 2009, when Fr. Rosica chastised many pro-life and Catholic leaders for the position they took on the grandiose Catholic funeral given to Senator Ted Kennedy.

There was, of course, plenty of room for legitimate disagreement on the issue. However, in almost the same breath that Fr. Rosica lamented the loss of “civility, charity, mercy and politeness,” he labeled those who had criticized the public funeral for the late pro-abortion senator as “not agents of life, but of division, destruction, hatred, vitriol, judgment and violence,” and described them “as little children bullying one another around in schoolyards - casting stones, calling names, and wreaking havoc in the Church.”

Here's where Rosica lauded dissenter and ex-priest Gregory Baum [PDF Lifesite]:

TORONTO, 22 October, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Liberal Catholic press-people have recently touted a man some call Canada’s leading dissenter since the 1960s - former Catholic priest Gregory Baum - because of his role as an expert, or peritus, to the Canadian bishops at Vatican II. Baum, an advocate of homosexual ‘marriage’ and sex outside of marriage and contraception, was lauded by Fr. Thomas Rosica of Salt and Light TV, Michael Swan of the Catholic Register and also given free reign in the pages of the Scarboro Foreign Missions magazine. 

Rosica objects to the term "intrinsically disordered".

Does The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains “expressions or terminology that are offensive or that ordinary people cannot grasp”? So implied Thomas Rosica, CSB, at his lecture on the Synod of the Family broadcast on Salt and Light TV, this past Tuesday, 19, 2015. Apparently the use of “intrinsically disordered” in reference to homosexuality, is an, “expression[s] or terminology that are offensive…”. Fr. Rosica claimed that the Synod did not try to change the teaching of the Church on homosexuality. (For a moment, were we being told that the mid-term relatio was a myth?). He said that the Catechism was not being undermined. But, he then informed the sparse audience that this same relatio contained: “new language that is respectful of people, and avoids expressions or terminology that are offensive or that ordinary people cannot grasp. For example the document

In cauda venenum -- Cardinal Pell and the Czar's Favor

Cardinal Pell and the Czar

(Rome) On 14-15th  February there appeared a full wave of interviews  of the  increasingly important Australian Cardinal George Pell, Prefect of the new Economy Secretariat in the Vatican. From the Boston Globe to the Corriere della Sera up to La Croix, everything was represented, as the Vatican expert Sandro Magister represents. The cardinal announced that had prevailed on his proposal at Cardinal Consistory a "general consensus" all directions "from the left, right and center", control and management of the moveable and immovable property of all Vatican agencies to submit to the new Pontifical Council.

Roman Coordinates

The consistory was informed by the C9 Council of Cardinal Advisors on the plans for reform of the Curia and discussed this. George Pell belongs in the C9 Council as a representative of Oceania. He is considered the "most conservative" and traditional friendly member. When Pope Francis formed the Council of Cardinal Advisers for the reform of the Curia and to assist him in the management of the universal Church and from every continent appointed a representative, Cardinal Pell was the sole representative for Oceania. He was "slid" in, as it was said then in Rome. A few days ago Francis was concerned about assistance. He appointed Archbishop John Dew of Wellington, who is, so to speak, Pell's progressive counterpart. Moreover, even an unknown Bishop of Tonga. The axis on the top of the hierarchy of Oceania is moved with it. In addition, Cardinal Pell could now be replaced any time in the C9 Council, especially since he was called to Rome by  Francis and thus no longer acts on his continent.

The Cardinal did not deny to the press that he had experienced   "resistance" in some parts of the Secretariat of State and of the Governorate of Vatican City against his reform proposal, however, he was convinced that they were overcome.

At his side, the South African Cardinal Wilfrid Napier appeared before the press, a member of the Economic Council.The South African had   been appointed following Cardinal Kasper's racist belch during the current Synod of 2014 by Francis for the third Co-President. It was a gesture to calm the excited African minds who defended  Catholic teaching on marriage and family in Rome. Cardinal Napier is described by the press conference with Cardinal Pell as being among the "resisters" along with the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and especially the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, headed by Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio. The Pontifical Council had rejected the draft of the Articles of Incorporation of the new Economy Secretariat  precisely in those parts which provided for a centralization of the administration of goods.

Nevertheless, Cardinal Pell was confident of achieving his goal, as the Economic Council denied the objections of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

Pell's Account Without his Landlord? From Tsar and boyars

"But maybe Pell makes the reckoning without the landlord, which in this case, is the Pope," said Sandro Magister. On Monday the House and Palace Vaticanista of Francis, Andrea Tornielli, published  an article point by point seeming to reflect the thoughts of the Pope in Vatican Insider.

Tornielli recalled that the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts acted in the express order of the Pope. He remembered also that the Pope is entitled to make "the final decision to the statutes." In other words: "About Cardinal Pell there is one, Tsar  named Francis who is more powerful than he, and does not want to withdraw the power claimed by the  'boyars',  to use  the terminology of the Russian Empire, which has become common in English-language media," said Magister.

"The poison is in the tail"

But that is not enough, because "in cauda venenum," said Master, the poison follows to some extent at the end of Tornielli's article, which is the plea against Cardinal Pell.

"In light of what has happened in these days, it is worthwhile to read the words of Francis in his speech to the Roman Curia last December. The fifteenth and last illness  the Pope described was "worldly profit, display, when the apostle turns his ministry into power and his power was turned into merchandise to gain worldly benefits or more influence. It is the disease of people striving insatiably then to multiply powers, and which are capable of slander for this purpose, the other to defame and discredit,  even in newspapers and magazines. Of course, in order to excel and to prove himself better than the other.   Also, this disease damages the body a lot, because it leads people to justify the use of any means, just to achieve this goal - often in the name of justice and transparency."

Thus, the last paragraph in Tornielli's article is about Cardinal George Pell. Two hours after Sandro Magister expressed the belief that Tornielli directly reflects the thoughts of Pope Francis, thus confirming that Cardinal Pell is not in the Pope's favor, the last paragraph had been deleted (see also Slinky maneuver against Cardinal George Pell in progress  & Here.) The last paragraph "was published verbatim as it's here to read  and bore the title: The disease of worldly profit, " said Sandro Magister in a supplement to his article.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Settimo Cielo

Apostolic Conmissar Says He's Been Libeled, Threatens to Sue

Edit: contrary to what we've been told, (and found entirely credible) we have been alerted to the following letter in which Father Volpi, if it is he, has explained on the Franciscans of the Immaculate website that he was unjustly maligned and never lied about the Manelli's when he accused them of receiving property of the order being signed over to them by Father Manelli, basically accusing him of stealing. As far as we can tell he doesn't address that allegation and insists he has done nothing wrong.

So he's not going to apologize?


He claims that the sole source of the accusation is a "Don Camillo", but Rorate insists its seen the court order.

Moreover, Volpi, or whomever penned the letter is threatening to sue.

Here's the letter, as it appears on their website:

Letter of the Apostolic Commissioner of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate to All the Religious of the Institute



Object: Clarification concerning the civil lawsuit brought against the Apostolic Commissioner and some comments published on the subject



Dear Confreres

Pax et Bonum!

I wish to address you paternally, aware of the concerns that the dissemination of news concerning me may have aroused in your minds. This information has been spread with the clear purpose of harming fraternal communion in the Institute—a communion that distinguishes our common, united effort to restore among the Franciscans of the Immaculate the original charism that has characterised the service the Institute has rendered to the Church.

I ask you, therefore, to give your careful attention to the following account of events in which I have been involved, and in respect of which there is a malicious attempt to generate scandal.

The divine Master said: “Oportet ut eveniant scandala—It must needs be that scandals come”; this principle certainly applies to us all, so long as we are capable of discerning the truth from falsehood, and we know how to draw the correct lesson from the events we encounter.

On the occasion of the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in 2013, celebrating our Heavenly Patroness, I wrote a circular letter to all of you, summarizing the events that had taken place since my appointment as Apostolic Commissioner.

In that letter I could not fail to address one of the more difficult trials that, together, we have tackled and overcome, in a Franciscan spirit and with the heavenly protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary: I refer to the subtraction from the Institute of the capacity to use the temporal goods conferred upon it that are necessary for the accomplishment of our mission.

Referring to changes made to the Statutes of the two Associations with legal personality under civil law which own the physical assets of the Institute, I stated that these goods had been placed under the control of persons that include some family members of Fr. Manelli. This statement was no lie, and could easily be verified.

However, the brothers and sisters of the Founder (I mean, brothers and sisters according to flesh and blood), together with a brother-in-law, considering themselves offended by what I asserted in my circular letter, took up a civil action against me to obtain compensation for the damage which they had allegedly suffered.

According to current civil procedural regulations, any action may give rise to a judgement only after mediation between the parties has been attempted.

In these circumstances, on February 12 this year, “pro bono pacis” and in the fraternal spirit of our Seraphic Father, I reached for a settlement agreement with the opposite party which did not involve any acknowledgment on my part except by way of a clarification, and which had the sole purpose of avoiding further civil proceedings before the Court of Rome, with consequent additional costs to the Institute.

On the basis of this agreement, I committed myself, among other things, to publish on the official website of the Institute a clarification, agreed with the counterparty.

I was about to do what had been agreed, when, on 15 February, an article appeared in an electronic publication, whose “sole source”—in the words of its editor—was a certain “don Camillo”, qualified as “close to the Manelli family”.

In this text, it was stated verbatim as follows:

“Padre Volpi, dopo avere ammesso il suo reato di calunnie e menzogne, il 12 febbraio è stato condannato… — Father Volpi, after having admitted his crime of slander and lies, was sentenced on the 12 February...”

The intention of the author, identified expressly as linked to the family of Fr. Stefano Maria Manelli, seems clear enough: to diminish my prestige and the authority conferred upon me in the sight of you all, dear Confreres.

I have not, in fact, been convicted of any offence, nor subjected to any criminal proceedings; nor have I ever—in court or outside—admitted committing a crime, or uttering slander or lies.

I have therefore instructed my lawyers to prepare a lawsuit for the crime of defamation through the press against those responsible, and I have made known to the members of Fr. Manelli’s family my intention to no longer comply with the terms of the agreement signed on February 12, 2015, which I consider no longer valid on account of a severe failure of compliance by the counterparty.

Dear Confreres,

I know I rely on your “sapientia cordis” in considering you partakers of the sentiment that makes me regard the campaign of defamation waged against me once again—taking advantage of the Franciscan spirit with which I had resolved to put an end to the dispute with certain relations of Fr. Manelli—as an attempt to undermine the harmony which, until now, has animated all of us in promoting the good of the Institute and the Church.

I invite you therefore to strengthen further the bond of solidarity that unites us with the Holy Father and with the whole Church militant, just as it unites us among ourselves, under the mantle of the Virgin, Mother and Patroness of the Institute of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. Let us raise to Her our united prayer for heavenly grace in a particularly difficult moment in our history.

I embrace you all, reminding you of the saying in the Gospel: “NON PREVALEBUNT!”—and I bless you.

Rome, February 18, 2015







Fr. Fidenzio Volpi, OFM Cap

Apostolic Commissioner

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-
http://immacolata.com/index.php/en/35-apostolato/ffi-news/317-lettera-circolare-del-commissario-apostolico-a-tutti-i-religiosi-dell-istituto-available-also-in-english

Neo-Cardinal: "We Must Fight Capitalism, As We Fought Communism."

(Rome) The  Vatican expert, Giacomo Galeazzi   conducted an interview with the previously little-known Archbishop of Ancona, Msgr. Edoardo Menichelli, whom Pope Francis has made a cardinal this past Saturday. The interview was published by  Vatican Insider. Cardinal Menichelli is considered a "veteran of the Progressives" (Huffington Post).He was for many years the personal secretary of Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, a "herald of Ostpolitik" (Huffington Post). Now is following the critique of capitalism which coincides with papal statements and the reception of Alexis Tsipras by Pope Francis.

"Rewarded" for "Intervention for the Least"

As the  Italian weekly magazine Famiglia Cristiana, which lists in the same direction, wrote, Pope Francis wanted to "reward"  the elevation to cardinal  for those who show "commitment to the least" in a special way. Who is meant by the "least"? Menichelli is 75 and has already submitted his resignation. For which services he was rewarded left some observers to employ some guesswork. The hint maybe have even been provided by the Pope himself: Francis had appointed  Menichelli  personally at the Synod of Bishops Synod in October 2014. There, the Archbishop,   who took part in the sometimes heated debate, put in the word to give communion to "remarried" divorcees  and for the aberrosexuals. Four months later, he is a Cardinal and papal elector. 

Also, toward the faithful of the traditional rite,  the Archbishop of Ancona is considered "liberal".  Since all the other bishops of that brand  have disallowed the celebration in the Roman Rite,  he has  granted it generous hospitality.

Critique of Capitalism Evangelii Gaudium to Tsipras?

The responses from the interviews are similar to those of professional politicians in the back benches, making it difficult to attempt a substantive classification. Or is it superfluous because it remains unclear whether the baggage handler  thinks so or only repeats what the superiors want to hear. So the assembled slogans seem urgently meant for certain ears, perhaps the papal ears. Francis had received last October 28,  the Greek leftist Alexis Tsipras in the Vatican and  thus conveyed a "higher consecration."  The signal was not for the tiny crowd of Greek Catholics, but a political direction in Europe and worldwide. Tsipras is now prime minister in the country of the Hellenes.

What aggravates the crisis?

If the money is at the center, the person loses importance and society becomes a desert of values. Society reduced to the mere finance kills and the damage is visible for all to see. The politicians should remember the people and not their parties. It requires solidarity and sobriety: a policy of work for all. One must start again, restore the dignity of the person and eliminate injustices in the last.

More involvement in the social?

The social dimension is part of faith. In "Evangelii gaudium" Francis warns against the ideologies that defend an absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation. Already Benedict XVI. called for a political institution which returns the financial and monetary system to function, granting credit to the workers, families, businesses and local communities.

What more can the church do?

Charity must guide every action to rush to the aid of those who have lost their jobs, experience human suffering and risk losing their social identity. The Church is called to appear sensitive and attentive. It must not  support political oligarchies who disregard the needs of civil society and create a distance between ruling class and the people. Globalisation is to align the common good. And the Church, "which goes forth," must always intervene against selfishness and relativism.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Vatican Insider

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Gänswein on Benedict XVI.: "His Head is Working Fine" -- Resignation "Was Necessary"

Benedict XVI, Msgr. Gänswein, Lebanese Delegation Praying
Rosary in the Vatican Garden

(Vatican) Curial Archbishop George Gänswein has reported in an interview with Corriere della Sera from last February 15, about the life of Pope Benedict XVI. two years after his resignation. The frequency of such interviews indicates media interest for the unusual situation of an incumbent and an "emeritus" Pope. To Gänswein, equipped with the special authority of being the closest associate of Benedict,  it seems to fall  the task of emphasizing the "continuity" between the two pontificates. This insistence would not be necessary if this "continuity" were actually so evident. Most media representatives disagree, even among the faithful there is some doubt. Corriere della Sera refers to its formal legal nature, and less on the content.

Benedict himself was "sure": The resignation "was necessary"

"He plays Mozart, studies" and "loves to go for walks. He is very relaxed," said the Prefect of the Apostolic House.  On the question of how Benedict XVI. now sees his resignation, Gänswein replied, "Benedict XVI. is satisfied that the decision taken and announced was the right one. He has no doubt. He is sure of it: His decision was necessary"  He did everything with his conscience repeatedly tested before God and made the decision in the knowledge that his forces are dwindling and it is not about his person, but he goes "for the good of the Church."

"The reasons can be found in his declaratio," says Archbishop Gänswein with which Benedict XVI. announced  his resignation in a few words. "The Church needs a strong helmsman. All other considerations and hypotheses are wrong," said the former papal secretary, who then addressed the resignation by confirming:  "You are quite right: it was a great act of government for the Church."

Doubters Missing "Feeling with the Church" - Benedict Promised "Obedience" to Francis

Corriere della Sera turned the interview on the strong doubts about the continuity between the two pontificates. They were described as legal uncertainties that are primarily fueled by the Catholic journalist Antonio Socci. What is "be answered to those who are in doubt as to the validity of the resignation or the election of Francis?" Curial Archbishop Gänswein said this: "You can not form a hypotheses on things that are not true, but completely absurd. Benedict himself has said that he  made ​​up his mind freely and without any pressure. And has said to the new Pope, 'I promise' reverence and obedience.

Why there is then this doubt  about,  Corriere della Sera wants to know,  to include a possible answer yourself: "Does he feel absent from the Church?"  "Yes," Gänswein said, "doubts about the resignation and the election stem from the fact."

And how  was Benedict XVI. today? There are always reports of concern about his health, said Italy's  most important  newspaper. "There is a lot of malice, people who want to harm Benedict XVI., who is a man of almost 88 years. It is normal that sometimes his legs give him some problems at his age. That's all. He has his daily routine. He is very methodical. And his head is working fine. His spirit is great. Since the Urban University has asked that the Banquet Hall be named after him and Cardinal Filoni has asked him to Lectio in October for the opening of the academic year, he has written a beautiful text about the 'question of truth' and asked me to read it to him."

Benedict 'lives very methodically, receiving visits and corresponds "

How does Benedict XVI. spend the days? "His typical day begins with Mass in the morning, as always, a little later, at 7:45.  Then follows the thanksgiving, the breviary, a quick breakfast. In the morning he prays, reads, studies, drafts correspondence and sometimes receives visits. At half past one o'clock we have lunch and then take a walk on the terrace, two or three rounds before he rests. At a quarter past three we go to the Vatican Gardens. We walk to the Grotto of Lourdes, pray the Rosary and remain there in prayer. Then there is time for prayer and study. At half past seven clock we have dinner and watch the Italian news on television. Benedict prays evening Compline in the chapel and then withdraws. Sometimes he plays the piano. Especially in the past few weeks he has started to play again often! Mainly Mozart, but other pieces that just come to his mind. He plays from memory, without notes."

In allusion to his papal name after the great Benedict,  Father of Monasticism and the retreat to the monastery, Archbishop Gänswein said: "Yes, he has chosen a monastic life. Now he only goes out if Pope Francis asks him, while other invitations he does not accept."  Gänswein quoted the Pope literally:  "I chose this life, I have to be consistent in accordance with my decision."

Benedict and Francis "very different", but "united in substance"

The question of the substantive continuity has caused varying degrees of unease in the Catholic world is only nearly touched in the interview. Benedict XVI. and Francis, "are different, sometimes very different, in  expression. But they are united by  substance, of content, to proclaiming to propagation and defense of the deposit of faith," said Curial Archbishop George Gänswein.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: cristiano Umanesimo

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

"Unbearable" Papal Populism and "Non-Catholic Thinking in Catholicity"

Brueger's the Blind Leading the Blind

(Rome) For the first time it has not been my lot to participate at St. Peter's Basilica in the public consistory with the CREATION of the new cardinals. I was not the only one.

Given the dismal decline of the faithful, even in the province, given the low point in the priestly and religious vocations, and given the silence at the Islamist massacre of Christians, lay and ordained, things have - shall we say - become extremely intolerable with the lean papal liturgies and their populist touch, which is stressed by the mass media (also Catholic).

Cleric harasses the Church with human "solutions" - and deadly for the faith

"Velociter currit ad finem" even if we trust as Catholics on the cleansing work that the Holy Spirit will also act on the dying Church, which is beset by those clerics who only propose human "solutions"  as they administer the  beleaguered believers administered with cocktails that are lethal to the faith, instead of bringing them the divine healing medicine.

One should mind his own front door, but one's right of residency is not served by  blindness. So instead of a European, I'm going to talk about a Latin American message that depresses me.  The Archdiocese of Cochabamba in Bolivia announces that the number of Bolivian secular priests  has shrunk in 20 years from 900 to the current 500. A country of nine million inhabitants, of which eight million are Catholics, there will be fewer priests than in the Diocese of Vicenza in northern Italy, from which comes the Acting Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Some areas of Latin America have remained difficult   to access into the priesthood. Until 20 years ago, each year, there were 20 candidates in the seminary. In the past five years, there were on average only four. Ten years ago, the country had another 150 branches of women religious. Since then, 50  have closed down for lack of vocations. 20 years ago there were 50 male religious houses. Today there are still 20.

"When the Son of man returns to the earth will He still find faith?"

If I read sentences like these by Pope Paul VI.: "We are as a church on the way to a deep and global renewal. In order for this renewal to be truly catholic, they must intermesh all historical dimensions of the Church,"  I wonder what the Pope would be   led to say at this exact moment of such an assessment and what has become of this path. We experience in our own skin those clerics who are now so fashionable and lead the faithful to the abyss of loss of faith.[!]

From Paul VI. comes the sentence: "There is great unrest in the world of the Church and what is in question is the faith. So it happens that I find myself repeating  the dark sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of Saint Luke, 'When the Son of man returns, think ye he will still find faith on earth " (Luke 18.8)?.

It happens, not only today, that books appear, in which  belief is in decline in important ways, and that the bishops are silent, and that many clergy and laity find nothing strange about it. This, however, seems strange.

Recently, I sometimes read what the Scriptures say about the last times and realize that some characters are recognizable. Are we near the end? We will never know.  [Till it happens] The Lord says we should always be ready. This has been true for almost 2000 years. It may be to the two thousandth anniversary of His death on the cross. It may take a very long time.

Rise of the non-Catholic thought unstoppable? - The small flock

What moves me these days and has kept me from the halls in Saint Peter's Basilica Consistory, is what moved  Paul VI. to say in his speech of September 8, 1977. "What moves me when I consider the Catholic world is that within  catholicity occasionally a thought seems predominant, that is not Catholic, and it may be that  non-Catholic thought within  catholicity will even be the strongest tomorrow." 

Looking back over the past fifty years, this thought seems inexorably to seize the Church step by step. The various attempts to counter this development have not  been to be averted, only delayed. These experiments were important and correct, but not consistent enough to shortness of breath, too superficial, too tolerant and even itself made sickly by non-Catholic thinking. On the other hand: How should a faithful priest or layman who wants the best, give more, if he himself does not understand it any better because of an incomplete and incorrect training or education?

Paul VI. 1977 ended his reflections with the words: How  strong might this non-Catholic thought  in the church be. "It will never represent the thinking of the Church. It is necessary that a small flock persists, be it ever so small."

Let us pray for the Church, for the Pope and for all the faithful.

Text: Traditio Catholica 

image: The Blind Leading the Blind by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1568), Naples

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Apostolic Commissar Admits Guilt of Defaming the Franciscans of the Immaculate

Saint Peter in Chains

Edit: we were just wondering what had happened to this, as the wheels of Italian justice turned, however slowly.  We'd pointed out earlier that Father Volpi, the Apostolic Commissar of the Bishop of Rome's current persecution of the Franciscans of the Immaculate Heart, had libeled the same.  We'd also reported that the family Manelli had exonerated themselves and Father Manelli, citing Katholisches and Chiesa e post concilio) the founder of the FFI, in court.

Now it looks like Father Volpi may have to go to prison for libel, if he doesn't fulfill the requirements of publicly apologizing on all the websites he runs and paying a cash settlement to the Manellis, which is a criminal offense.  We wonder what will become of this as it plays out.  Surely, there wasn't much coverage of it when it happened, will this order be allowed, as Rorate asks, to survive and thrive as it once did in defense of the Church?

Chiesa e post concilio asks if this is the result of the prayers, fasts, rosaries offered.

Evidently, not all is lost.  Here's Rorate:

Rorate Caeli contributor Francesca Romana has translated the first report from Chiesa e post concilio reporting that Fr. Volpi will pay the family of Franciscans of the Immaculate founder Fr. Manelli a large cash sum for his "defamation and lies" and make public apologies on all websites he runs.  

For regular readers of this blog, you know that Fr. Volpi was brought in for just one reason: to crush one of the fastest-growing, traditional-minded religious orders in the world -- but not on his own: as he admitted in the past, he was "specifically ordered by the Vicar of Christ," Pope Francis to carry out his mission.
Our questions now are simple: 

Will Pope Francis now finally rein this man in and force his boot of the throat of an order that only wants to serve God as the saints have all served Him for two millennia?
And will Pope Francis finally end this unjust commissioning and allow the poor friars who have had to flee the grip of this cruel man to return to their sworn vows and live out the remainder of their vocations in peace? We pray to hear in the affirmative soon. 

Continue here...

Bishop Athanasius Schneider Visits SSPX Seminary in USA

Edit: Interesting news. More talk about an impending resolution.

Link to DICI...

Link to Rorate...

On February 11, 2015, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Astana in Kazakhstan, met with Bishop Bernard Fellay, SSPX Superior General, and also with several priests of the Society, at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona (United States). 

This was the second visit by Bishop Schneider to one of our seminaries. On January 16, 2015, he had visited the St. Cure d’Ars Seminary in Flavigny (France). Both meetings pertained to the question of the liturgical reform of Paul VI and the doctrinal presuppositions of the Novus Ordo Missae. 

On December 5, 2014, Cardinal Walter Brandmuller, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, had visited Sacred Heart Seminary in Zaitzkofen (Germany), where the discussion focused on the magisterial authority of Vatican Council II. 

These meetings are a way of continuing the doctrinal discussions between the Society of St. Pius X and the Roman authorities « in a larger and less formal context than that of the preceding meetings », according to the decision made during the meeting of Bishop Fellay with Cardinal Gerhard Muller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on September 23, 2014.

France: Marian Statue Must be Removed --- It "Violates" the Separation of Church and State

Publier: statue of Mary on Lake Geneva

(Paris) In 2011 a statue was built in a park of the French community Publier dedicated to Our Lady of Léman (near Lake Geneva). High up on a slope  the statue has since looked down on Lake Geneva.  Now was the Administrative Court of Grenoble, says the statue of Mary "violates secularism". It has stood  on public land in France since 1905, but  strict "separation of state and the Catholic Church" has rules. And because this is so, the statue has to be "removed". According to the Administrative Court, the local government should never have to issued a permit for the erection of the statue.

France's Don Camillo and Peppone Could Erect Statue of Mary

Publier is a town with 6,500 inhabitants. The town is located on the south shore about 120 meters above Lake Geneva in the midst of a wine region. With a wonderful location, the sunny-mild climate and suitable infrastructure,  Publier has grown rapidly during the past decades. In 1962, the municipality  had only 1,871 inhabitants.

Amazingly, Mayor Gaston Lacroix, a non-party leftists who belongs to the  Divers Gauche in France. He has lead since 2002 the fortunes of the community. He was able to defend the mayor's office in the local elections in 2014. In the council, he has a lush majority of 22 seats, and is faced with only five representatives of the opposition UMP and two independent rightists. His current term ends 2020th

The Mayor with the pious name Lacroix (the cross) describes himself as a "freethinker" and socialist and a member of the Association de la Libre Pensée de Haute-Savoie , as Lorenz Jäger in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported.

"Our Lady of the Lake Geneva Watch over your children"

Publier: statue must be removed from the park

He is disappointed abou the decision of the Administrative Court: "I did not think it would come so far. The statue is a reference point for all. All have supported me, even the Muslims."  Pastor Robert COLLOUD is also disappointed. He had organized together with Mayor Lacroix moving  the statue. It is a modern remake of Don Camillo and Peppone.

The free thinker and the priest knew the perils of secular state doctrine, which applies in republican France as an untouchable taboo. Since there was broad consensus for the relocation of the statue, they were looking for a way to satisfy any applicable law and still be able to put up the statue. And they believed this path has also been found.

The municipality leased a few square meters of public parks with the symbolic rent of three euros per square meter at a private club. Then on the other hand priest COLLOUD could locate it on the parish. The club was set up to make the statue and the small area in the park with the pedestal inscription: Notre-Dame-du-Léman veille sur tes enfants (Our Lady of the Lake Geneva watch over your children).

"Free thinkers" Insist on Secular State Dogma

However, not all "free thinkers" and socialists think like Lacroix. The Fédération nationale de la Libre Pensée (National Freethinkers Association) went against the statue before the Administrative Court. It is a disgrace that non-Christians would have to pass the statue in the park. The Administrative Court agreed in their favor.  Of course, the judge did not address the question of reasonableness, but referred to the applicable rules. This prohibits the establishment of religious symbols on public property.

Mayor Lacroix is one of the "false" freethinkers club. Its Association of libres-penseurs de France (Union of Freethinkers of France) founded in 1901 was divided from the Fédération in 1995. The latter sees itself as the "guardian" of the law on separation of church and state. Its guiding principle is "to promote the rational and scientific principles to overcome the dogmas" led in fact to establish a secular dogma which the municipality Publier is experiencing.

"Je suis Marie"?

The freethinkers society   celebrated the verdict: "A victory for secularism. Now the mayor must remove the statue. This will be a good example for youth. I wonder if the Catholic religion is indeed compatible with the Republic," said the representative of the Federation of Upper Savoy.

For now, it is unclear where the statue is to be placed. The freethinkers have already called for "the mobilization of all the forces of the Republic", should  the mayor Lacroix not quickly implement the Administrative Court's decision. 

Lorenz Jäger recommends: "Don Camillo should order  buttons  at the expense of the municipality: Je suis Marie".

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Tempi

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG