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New study shows cancer risk higher in children born from frozen embryo transfers |
Posted by: Stone - 09-07-2022, 05:36 AM - Forum: Health
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New study shows cancer risk higher in children born from frozen embryo transfers
The study included a warning in its conclusions about the practice of freezing embryos for later use.
An embryologist pulls out of the dewar with liquid nitrogen straws with frozen embryos and egg cells.
Tue Sep 6, 2022
(LifeSiteNews) — A new study released September 1 declared that babies born after the use of frozen embryo transfers are at a higher risk of childhood cancer than those conceived naturally or through other artificial methods.
Data was collected from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, which included millions of children born between 1984 and 2015 that were all conceived with assisted reproduction technology. The study specifically considered whether babies born “after frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET)” showed a “higher risk of childhood cancer than children born after fresh embryo transfer and spontaneous conception.”
After finding that babies who come from frozen embryos do run a higher risk of cancer, the study included a warning in its conclusions about the practice of freezing embryos for later use.
“The results should be interpreted cautiously based on the small number of children with cancer, but the findings raise concerns considering the increasing use of FET, in particular freeze-all strategies without clear medical indications,” the study states.
The most common types of cancer among the children in the study were leukemia and central nervous system tumors, but the results showed an increase in risk of any type.
“The reason for a possible higher risk of cancer in children born after FET is not known,” the study states. “Each childhood cancer type has its own risk factor profile, but many childhood cancers are thought to derive from embryonic accidents and originate in utero.”
Katy Faust, founder of pro-life organization Them Before Us, reacted to the study in a Twitter post. “It’s as if people aren’t meant to be frozen,” she wrote before citing the study. “Children born after frozen-thawed embryo transfer had a roughly 1.6 to 1.7 times higher risk of cancer than children born after fresh embryo transfer and those born without the help of any fertility treatment.”
The frozen-thawed embryo transfer is a method of in vitro fertilization (IVF) that allows lab-manufactured embryos to be frozen until they are needed to be implanted into a woman’s uterus.
Last year, the UK extended its legal length of time for storing frozen embryos from 10 to 55 years. In the U.S., a baby conceived through IVF was born in 2020, 27 years after her artificial conception.
A 2013 study in the National Library of Medicine indicated that one of the main risks of IVF was the potential for various developmental birth defects in children who are conceived in this method. More recently, in 2020, research at the same institution suggested that IVF increases the risk of cancer among children with birth defects.
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Canadian health advisers recommend COVID booster shot every three months |
Posted by: Stone - 09-07-2022, 05:31 AM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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Canadian health advisers recommend COVID booster shot every three months
Justin Trudeau has threatened more COVID mandates and rules if between 80 percent to 90 percent of Canadians do not take the boosters.
Tue Sep 6, 2022
OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) – Advisers to Health Canada recommend Canadians take a “booster” of the still experimental COVID injections, which are now known to do next to nothing to stop the spread of the virus, every three months.
According to Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) officials, as reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, a “shorter interval of at least three months may be warranted in the context of heightened epidemiological risk as well as operational considerations for the efficient deployment of the Covid-19 vaccination program.”
This recommendation was stated in a September 1 Summary Of National Advisory Committee On Immunization Statement.
“Informed consent should include discussion regarding what is known and unknown about the benefits and risks of providing a booster shot,” the statement noted.
Reaction to health advisers saying a shot should be given every three months came swiftly from those opposed to COVID vaccine mandates.
“If you need to take it every three months, it’s not a vaccine,” People’s Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier tweeted yesterday.
The federal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been pushing the COVID injections on the Canadian populace and has even used questionable tactics to achieve high vaccination rates.
Indeed, last week. Trudeau threatened more COVID mandates and rules if between 80 percent to 90 percent of Canadians do not take the boosters.
“If we are able to hit that 80%, 85%, 90% of Canadians up-to-date in their vaccinations, we’ll have a much better winter with much less need for the kind of restrictions and rules that were so problematic for everyone over the past years,” Trudeau said.
However, in Canada, data shows that uptake for COVID boosters is rather low and declining, with only 49.55% of the population having had a third jab. Only 12.36% of Canadians have chosen to get more than one booster shot.
The COVID jab trials have never produced evidence that vaccines stop infection or transmission. In fact, evidence suggests that the jabs no longer even reduce severe symptoms, especially considering the ever-changing viral variants, and that they are harming more people than helping.
Recent documents revealed that the Canadian government agency Transport Canada used COVID jab mandates for travel to raise vaccine rates.
The push to promote boosters on the Canadian population by government officials also comes despite the now well-known ill effects attributed to the injections.
Recent autopsy data shows a close association between the COVID mRNA jabs and heart inflammation, instead of a link between the COVID virus itself and heart issues.
According to two recent medical studies from Europe, it is blood damage that explains the many harmful impacts of COVID shots.
Young men in particular are more likely to experience heart inflammation brought on by the COVID jabs.
Indeed, last week Alberta-based doctor and cancer researcher William Makis called on the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) to not “stay silent” regarding the “illegally mandated COVID‐19 vaccines” and their link to the sudden suspicious deaths of countless Canadian doctors.
Health Canada approves new COVID booster shot despite it not being tested on humans
Last week, Health Canada approved for use the bivalent Moderna Covid-19 booster jab, which it claims targets the so-called BA.1 Omicron subvariant.
However, Moderna’s new COVID-19 Omicron subvariant booster was approved without the jabs undergoing any human trial testing.
Canadian Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos, when announcing the approval of the Moderna Covid-19 booster jab last week, made the claim that getting a booster is like recharging your “phone battery.”
“It needs to be recharged from time to time. Recharging our protection after six months is important, otherwise, we are left without the power to protect ourselves and our loved ones,” Duclos said.
Both both Pfizer and Moderna’s new COVID-19 Omicron subvariant booster was given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the United States at the end of last month.
As it stands now, COVID boosters are only recommended for Canadians over 65 and young people with underlying health issues.
Vaccine Choice Canada recently put out a new video titled “Should I Vaccinate My Child With The Covid-19 Vaccine? The Stats, Facts & Risks Involved.”
The video “explains some of the untold or unknown facts, statistics, and information related to the Covid-19 vaccines.”
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Dutch city becomes world’s first to ban meat adverts in public |
Posted by: Stone - 09-06-2022, 01:48 PM - Forum: Great Reset
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Dutch city becomes world’s first to ban meat adverts in public
Haarlem’s move is part of efforts to cut consumption after meat was found to contribute to climate crisis
Haarlem central square in the Netherlands
The Guardian | Tue 6 Sep 2022
A Dutch city will become the first in the world to ban meat adverts from public spaces in an effort to reduce consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Haarlem, which lies to the west of Amsterdam and has a population of about 160,000, will enact the prohibition from 2024 after meat was added to a list of products deemed to contribute to the climate crisis.
Adverts will not be allowed on Haarlem’s buses, shelters and screens in public spaces, prompting complaints from the meat sector that the municipality is “going too far in telling people what’s best for them”.
Recent studies suggest global food production is responsible for one-third of all planet-heating emissions, with the use of animals for meat accounting for twice the pollution of producing plant-based foods.
Forests that absorb carbon dioxide are felled for the grazing of animals while fertilisers used for growing their feed are rich in nitrogen, which can contribute to air and water pollution, climate change and ozone depletion. Livestock also produces large quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
Ziggy Klazes, a councillor from the GroenLinks party, who drafted the motion banning meat advertising, said she had not known the city would be the world’s first to enforce such a policy when she proposed it.
She told the Haarlem105 radio channel: “We are not about what people are baking and roasting in their own kitchen; if people wanted to continue eating meat, fine … We can’t tell people there’s a climate crisis and encourage them to buy products that are part of the cause.
“Of course, there are a lot of people who find the decision outrageous and patronising, but there are also a lot of people who think it’s fine.
“It is a signal – if it is picked up nationally, that would only be very nice. There are many groups of GroenLinks who think it is a good idea and want to try it.”
The ban also covers holiday flights, fossil fuels and cars that run on fossil fuels. The ban is delayed until 2024 due to existing contracts with companies that sell the products.
here is some opposition within Haarlem’s council to the move, with critics arguing that it restricts freedom of expression.
Sander van den Raadt, the leader of the Trots Haarlem group, said: “It is remarkable that the municipality of Haarlem is holding a large poster campaign that you can be yourself in Haarlem and love whoever you want, but if you like meat instead of soft grass, ‘the partronising brigade’ will come and tell you that you are completely wrong.”
Greenpeace research suggests that to meet the EU target of net zero emissions by 2050, meat consumption must be reduced to 24kg per person per year, compared with the current average of 82kg, or 75.8kg in the Netherlands, which is the EU’s biggest meat exporter.
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Mass of Luther From A Lecture Given by His Grace ARCHBISHOP MARCEL LEFEBVRE |
Posted by: ThyWillBeDone - 09-05-2022, 08:49 AM - Forum: Uncompromising Fighters for the Faith
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http://traditionalcatholic.net/Tradition...uther.html
traditionalcatholic.net
Mass of Luther
Mass of Luther
An Examination of the Shocking Similarities Between the "New Mass" and Luther's "Mass"
From A Lecture Given by His Grace
ARCHBISHOP MARCEL LEFEBVRE
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish to speak to you this evening about the evangelical Mass of Martin Luther, and of the striking resemblance between his Liturgical innovations of more than four centuries ago, and the recently promulgated new order of the Mass, the Novus Ordo Missae.
Why are such considerations of significance? Because of the prominent role, according to the President of the Liturgical Commission himself, accorded to the concept of ecumenism in bringing about these reforms. Because, further, if we are able to ascertain that a close relationship does indeed exist between Luther's innovations and the Novus Ordo, then the theological question, that is the question of the faith, must be asked in terms of the well known adage, "lex orandi, lex credendi"; the law of prayer cannot be profoundly changed without changing the law of belief.
It is well, in order to assist our understanding of the present liturgical reforms, to examine carefully actual historical documents on Luther's reforms.
To grasp Luther's goal in bringing forward his reforms we must briefly recall the Church's doctrine with respect to the Priesthood and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
The 22nd session of the Council of Trent (1652) teaches that Our Lord Jesus Christ, wishing His Priesthood to continue after His death on the Cross, instituted at the Last Supper a visible Sacrifice destined to apply the salutary effect of His Redemption to the sins of mankind. Christ therefore, instituted Holy Orders, and choosing His Apostles and their successors to be the priests of the New Testament, marked them as such with a sacred and indelible character.
This Sacrifice instituted by Christ is performed on our altars by the sacrificial action of the Redeemer Himself, truly present under the species of bread and wine, offering Himself as a victim to His Father. And by partaking at Communion of this Victim, we unite ourselves to the Body and Blood of Our Lord, and offer ourselves also in union with Him.
Thus, the Church teaches, first, that the Priesthood of the priest is essentially different from that of the faithful, who do not have the Priesthood but who belong to a Church which essentially requires a Priesthood. It is deeply fitting that this Priesthood be celibate, and that its members be differentiated from the faithful by clerical dress.
Secondly, the essential liturgical act performed by this Priesthood is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, different from the Sacrifice of the Cross only in that the latter was a bloody sacrifice, and the former is an unbloody sacrifice. The Sacrifice of the Mass is accomplished by the sacrificial action of reciting the words of the Consecration, and not simply by reciting a narrative, or by a remembrance of the Passion or of the Last Supper.
Thirdly, it is by virtue of this sublime and mysterious act that the effects of the Redemption are applied to the souls of both the faithful on Earth and the souls in Purgatory. This doctrine is most admirably expressed at the Offertory of the Mass.
Fourthly, the Real Presence of the Victim is thus required, and comes to pass through the change of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of the Body and Blood of Our Lord. Accordingly, we are required to adore the Eucharist and reserve for it the very highest respect, whence comes the tradition that priests alone distribute the Holy Eucharist and see to Its custody.
It follows, finally, that although a priest celebrates the Mass and takes Communion alone, yet he performs a public act, a sacrifice equal in value to any other Mass, and of infinite value to both the celebrant and the entire Church. Privately celebrated Masses, accordingly, are highly encouraged by the Church.
The above principles are the basis of the prayers, the music and the ceremonies which have made the Latin Mass of the Council of Trent a veritable liturgical jewel. The Council of Trent's deeply moving doctrine on the Canon, the most precious element of the Mass, states:
"As it is becoming that holy things he administered in a holy manner and of all things this Sacrifice is the most holy, the Catholic Church, to the end that it might be worthily and reverently offered and received, instituted many centuries ago the Holy Canon, which is so free from error that it contains nothing that does not in the highest degree savor of a certain holiness and piety and raise up to God the minds of those who offer. For it consists partly of the very words of the Lord, partly of the traditions of the Apostles, and also of pious regulations of holy Pontiffs." (Acts of the Council of Trent, session 22, chapter IV).
Let us examine the manner in which Luther achieved his reform of the liturgy, that is implemented the "evangelical Mass", as he himself called it. Of particular interest in this effort are the actual words of Luther himself, or of his disciples, with respect to the reforms. It is enlightening to note the liberal tendencies which inspire Luther:
"In first place", he writes "I would kindly and for God's sake request all those who see this order of service or desire to follow it: do not make it a rigid law to bind or entangle anyone's conscience, but use it in Christian liberty as long, when, where, and how you find it to be practical and useful."(T,C. Tappert, ed., Selected Writings of Martin Luther, vol. 3,p. 397). "The cult", he continues, "was formerly meant to render homage to God; henceforth it shall he directed to man in order to console him and enlighten him, Whereas the sacrifice formerly held pride of place, henceforth the most important will be the sermon". (from Léon Christiani, Du luthéranisme au protestantisme (1910), p. 312)
Luther's Thoughts on the Priesthood
In his work on privately celebrated Masses, Luther seeks to demonstrate that the Catholic Priesthood is a creation of Satan. He bases this assertion On the principle, henceforth fundamental to his thinking, that what is not in Holy Scripture is an addition of Satan. Accordingly, for Luther, since Scripture makes no mention of the visible Priest hood, there can be but one priest and one Pontiff, Christ. With Christ we are all called to the Priesthood, thus making the Priesthood at once unique and universal. What folly to seek to limit it to the few. Similarly, all hierarchical distinctions between Christians are worthy of the Antichrist; "Woe therefore, to those who call themselves priests". (Christiani, Ibid., p. 269)
In 1520, Luther wrote "To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Concerning the Reform of the Christian State", in which he attacks the Romanists and urges the convocation of a free council:
"The first wall built by the Romanists is the distinction between the clergy and the laity. It is pure invention that pope, bishop, priests, and monks are called the spiritual estate while prince', lords, artisans and peasants are called the temporal estate. This is indeed a piece of deceit and hypocrisy. All Christians are truly of the spiritual estate, and there is no difference among them except that of office... The pope or bishop anoints, confers the tonsure, ordains, consecrates, and prescribes garb different from that of the laity. He might well make a man into a hypocrite in so doing, but never a Christian or a spiritual man... Whoever comes out of the water of baptism can boast that he is already a consecrated priest, bishop, and pope, although of course it is not seemly that just anybody should exercise such office". (Tappert, Ibid., vol. 1, 2i3-65)
It was from this doctrine that Luther concluded against both clerical garb and celibacy. He and his disciples, in fact, showed the way by marrying.
How many of the reforms of Vatican II reflect Luther's own conclusions? The abandonment of clerical and religious dress, widespread marriages of the religious sanctioned even by the Holy See, the suppression of distinctions between priest and layman. This egalitarianism is further manifested in the sharing of liturgical functions formerly reserved to the Priesthood.
The abolition of the minor orders and the sub-diaconate, and the creation of a married diaconate, have also contributed to the purely administrative conception of the priest, to the detriment of his essentially priestly character, Thus one is ordained primarily to serve the community and no longer for the purpose of offering Christ's Sacrifice which alone is the justification for the Catholic concept of the Priesthood.
Worker priests, priests in labor unions, or in positions remunerated by the State similarly contribute to the blurring of distinctions between Priesthood and laity. In fact, the innovations go much further than those of Luther.
Luther's second grave doctrinal error flows from the first and is founded upon its guiding principle: salvation comes from faith and confidence in God alone, and not from good works. thus negating the value of the sacrificial act which is the Catholic Mass.
For Luther, the Mass is a sacrifice of praise, that is an act of praise, of thanksgiving, but most certainly not an expiatory sacrifice which recreates the Sacrifice of Calvary and applies its merits.
Describing the liturgical "perversions" he observed in some monasteries, he wrote: "The Principal expression of their cult, the Mass, surpasses all impiety and abomination in that they make of it a sacrifice and a good work. Were this the only reason to leave habit and convent and abandon the vows, it would be amply sufficient". (Christiani, p. 258)
For Luther, the Mass, which is meant simply to be a communion, has been subjected to a triple bondage: the laity has been deprived of the use of the chalice, they have been bound as to a dogma to the Thomistic opinion on transubstantiation, and the Mass has been made into a sacrifice.
This is central to Luther's theology:
"It is, therefore, clearly erroneous and impious", he declared, "to offer or apply the merits of the Mass for sins, or the reparation thereof, or for the deceased. Mass is offered by God to man, and not by man to God". (Christiani)
"With respect in the Eucharist, since it ought first and foremost to move one to the Faith, it is fitting that it be celebrated in the vernacular in order that all may comprehend the grandeur of God's promise to man". (Christiani, p. 176)
The logical consequence of this heresy was for Luther to abolish the Offertory of the Mass, which expresses unequivocally the propitiatory and expiatory aims of the Sacrifice. Similarly, he abolished a major part of the Canon, retaining only the essential passages as a narrative of Christ's Last Supper. In order better to emphasize the latter event, he added to the formula of the Consecration of the bread the words "quod pro vobis tradetur" ("which will be given up for you"), and deleted both "mysterium fidei ("the mystery of faith") and "pro multis" ("for many"). He considered that the passages which both immediately precede and follow the actual Consecration of the bread and Wine were essential.
For Luther, the Mass is firstly the Liturgy of the Word, and secondly a Communion. For us that fact that the current liturgical Reforms have adopted precisely these same modifications is nothing short of astounding. Indeed, as we well know, the texts in use by the faithful today no longer make reference to the Sacrifice, but rather to the Liturgy of the Word, to the Lord's Supper and to the breaking of bread, or to the Eucharist. Article vii of the instruction which introduced the new Liturgy reflected a clearly Protestant orientation. A corrected version which followed in the wake of the outraged protests of the faithful remains sadly deficient.
It goes without saying that, added to these substantial alterations, the large number of lesser liturgical modifications have contributed further to the inculcation of Protestant attitudes which seriously threaten Catholic doctrine: the suppression of the altar stone, the use of a single altar cloth, the priest facing the people, the Host remaining on the paten rather than on the corporal, the introduction of ordinary bread, sacred vessels of less noble substances, and numerous other details.
There is nothing more essential to the survival of the Catholic Church than the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass', to play it down is to threaten the very foundation of Christ's Church. The whole of Christian life, and the Priesthood, is founded upon the Cross, and upon the re-enactment of the Sacrifice of the Cross, upon the altar.
LUTHER DENIES TRANSUBSTANTIATION AND THE REAL PRESENCE AS TAUGHT BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. For Luther the substance of bread remains. Consequently, in the words of his disciple Melanchton, who strongly opposed the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, "Christ instituted the Eucharist as a memorial of His Passion. To adore It is therefore idolatry".
It follows that Communion is to be taken in the hand and under both species, which reinforces the denial of the presence of Our Lord's Body and Blood; it is thus normal to consider the Eucharist as incomplete under a single species.
Once again we note the strange resemblance between the present renewal and Luther's Reform. Every recent promulgation on the Eucharist tends towards a lessening of respect, a retreat from adoration: Communion in the hand and its distribution by lay men and lay women; the reduced number of genuflections, which many priests have discontinued altogether; the use of ordinary vessels and ordinary bread, all of these innovations have diminished belief in the Real Presence as taught by the Catholic Church.
One cannot but conclude that, principles being inseparable from practice ("lex orandi, lex credendi"), the fact that the Liturgy of the present day imitates Luther's reforms leads inevitably towards the adoption of the very principles propounded by Luther. The experience of the six years which have followed the promulgation of the Novus Ordo is sufficient proof. The consequences, of this so-called ecumenical effort, have been nothing short of catastrophic, primarily in the area of faith, and especially in terms of the perversion of the Priesthood and the serious decline in vocations, in the scandalous divisions created among Catholics the world over, and indeed in the Church's relations with Protestants and Orthodox Christians.
Protestant concepts on the essential questions of the Church, the Priesthood, the Sacrifice and the Eucharist are irrevocably opposed to those of the Catholic Church. It was for no idle purpose that the Council of Trent was convened, and that the Church's Magisterium has spoken so frequently on these very questions for more than four centuries since Trent.
It is impossible in psychological, pastoral and theological terms for Catholics to abandon a Liturgy which has always been the true expression and sustenance of their Faith, and to adopt in its place new rites conceived by heretics without exposing this Faith to the most serious peril. One cannot imitate Protestantism indefinitely without becoming Protestant.
How many of the faithful, how many young priests, how many bishops even have lost their Faith since the adoption of the new liturgical Reforms? One cannot expect to offend both Faith and nature and not expect that these in turn should reap their own vengeance.
In order to grasp the striking analogy between the two Reforms, it is well worth reading contemporary accounts of the early Evangelical Masses. Leon Christiani's descriptions remain vivid:
"During the night of December 24/25 1521, large crowds began arriving at the parish church... The evangelical Mass was about to begin; Karlstadt goes to the pulpit; he is to preach on the Eucharist. He claims that Communion under both species is obligatory and that prior Confession is not required. Faith alone matters. Karlstadt approaches the altar in secular dress, recites the Confiteor, and begins the Mass proper in the usual manner, up to the Gospel. The Offertory and the Elevation, that is those parts which express the idea of the Sacrifice, are omitted. After the Consecration comes the Communion. Many of the congregation have not been to Confession and many have not fasted, not even from alcohol. They approach the Communion table with the others. Karlstadt distributed the hosts and offers the chalice. The communicants receive the consecrated bread in the hand and casually drink from the chalice. A host falls to the ground and Karlstadt beckons to a lay person to pick it up. The layman demurs, and Karlstadt allows it to remain where it is for the time being, cautioning the congregation, however, not to step on it." (Christiani, p. 281-83)
That same Christmas day another priest in the same district gave communion under both species to about fifty persons, of whom only five had gone to Confession. The rest had received a general absolution, their penance being the recommendation to resist sin.
The very next day - December 26 - Karlstadt announced his engagement to Anna de Mochau. Numerous priests followed suit.
In the meantime, Zwilling, having left his monastery, was preaching at Eilenberg. He had discarded the habit and was now bearded. Dressed in lay clothes, he fulminated against privately celebrated Masses. On New Year's Day, he distributed Communion under both species. The hosts were passed from hand to hand. Several were pocketed by the communicants. One lady, while receiving, allowed fragments to drop to the ground. No one appeared to notice. The faithful helped themselves generously to the chalice.
On 29 February 1522, Zwilling married Catherine Falki. By this time there had occurred a rash of marriages of priests and monks. The monasteries were beginning to empty. Those monks who remained removed all altars save one, destroyed statues and images and even the Holy Oils.
Among the clergy, Anarchy reigned. Each priest celebrated Mass in his own fashion. It was resolved finally to prescribe a new Liturgy with a view of restoring order and consolidating the Reforms.
The order of Mass was set to include the Introit, the Gloria, the Epistle, the Gospel and the Sanctus, followed by a sermon. The Offertory and the Canon were both abolished. Henceforth the priest was to simply narrate the institution of the Lord's Supper, reciting aloud in German the words of the Consecration, and distributing Communion under both species. The Agnus Dei, the Communion prayer and the Benedicamus Domino were sung to end the Mass. (Christiani, p 281-85).
One of the preoccupations of Luther at this time was the institution of a repertory of appropriate hymns. With considerable difficulty he was able to enlist the efforts of lyricists. The Saints feast days were abolished. Generally, however, Luther attempted to minimize out-and-out abolitions. He directed his efforts to retaining as many of the ancient ceremonies as possible, seeking rather to orient their significance toward the spirit of his Reforms.
Thus for a time the Mass retained in large measure its external appearances. The churches retained the same decor and the same rites, with modifications but directed towards the faithful, for henceforth much more attention was to be paid to the faithful than formerly, in order that they, might be conscious of a more active role in the Liturgy: thus, they were to participate in the singing and in the prayers of the Mass. And, gradually, Latin gave way definitively to the German vernacular.
Even the Consecration was sung in German, in these words: "Our Lord on the night He was betrayed took bread, rendered thanks, broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying: Take you and eat of this for this is My Body given up for you. Do this, as often as you shall do it, in memory of Me. In like manner, when the supper was done, taking also the chalice saying; Take you and drink of this for this is the chalice of the new covenant, of My Blood which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you shall drink of this chalice, in memory of Me."
Thus were added to the Consecration of the bread the words "which is given up for you", and deleted from the Consecration of the wine, the words "the mystery of faith" and "for many".
Do these considerations on the Evangelical Mass not reflect our very feelings towards the reformed liturgy since the Council?
All of these changes which comprise the new Liturgy of the Mass are truly of perilous consequence, especially for younger priests. Not having been nourished with the doctrines of the Sacrifice, of the Real Presence, of Transubstantiation, these no longer have any significance for young priests who, as a result, soon lose the intention to perform what the Church performs. Consequently, they no longer celebrate valid Masses.
Older priests, on the other hand, even when they celebrate according to the Novus Ordo, may still have the Faith of all time. For years they have celebrated Mass according to the Tridentine rite, and in accordance with the intentions of that rite, we can assume that their Masses are valid. To the degree, however, that these intentions disappear, even their Masses may become invalid.
It was intended that Catholics and Protestants draw closer together, but it is evident that Catholics have become Protestants, rather than the reverse.
When five cardinals and fifteen bishops participated recently in a "Council of Youth" at Taizé in France, how were young people to distinguish between Catholicism and Protestantism? Some received Communion from Catholics, others from Protestants.
Recently Cardinal Willebrands, in his capacity as the Holy See's Envoy to the World Council of Churches at Geneva, declared solemnly that we shall have to rehabilitate Martin Luther!
And what has become of the Sacrament of Penance with the introduction of general absolution? Is it truly a pastoral improvement to teach the faithful that, having been granted general absolution, they may receive Communion provided, should they be in the state of mortal sin, that they take the opportunity to go to Confession within the following six months, or year? Who will suggest that this is indeed a pastoral improvement? What concept of mortal sin are the faithful to retain from this argument?
The Sacrament of Confirmation is in a similar situation. A common rite today is to pronounce simply "I sign you with the Sign of the Cross. Receive the Holy Spirit." In administering Confirmation, the bishop must indicate precisely the special sacramental grace whereby he confers the Holy Ghost. There is no Confirmation if he does not say, "I confirm you in the name of the Father..."
Bishops frequently reproach me, and remind me, that I confer the Sacrament where I am not authorized. To them I answer that I confirm because the faithful fear that their children have not received the grace of Confirmation, because they have a serious doubt as to the validity of the Sacrament conferred in their Churches. Therefore, in order that they might at least be secure in their knowledge of the validity of the sacramental grace, they ask that I confirm their children. And I respond to their plea because it appears to me that I may not refuse those who request that their confirmation be valid, even if it may not be licit. We are clearly at a time when divine natural and supernatural law takes precedence over positive Church law when the latter is opposed to the former, when in reality it should he the channel leading to it.
We are living in an age of extraordinary crisis, and we cannot accept its Reforms. Where are the good fruits of these Reforms, of the Liturgical Reform, the Reform of the seminaries, the Reform of the religious congregations? What have all of these General Chapters yielded; what has become of their congregations? The religious life has all but disappeared: there are no more novices, no more vocations!
Archbishop Bernardin of Cincinnati recognized the problem clearly when he declared to the Synod of Bishops in Rome, "In our countries" - he was speaking for English-speaking countries of the world - "there are no more vocations because the priest has lost his sense of identity," It is essential, therefore, that we remain loyal to Tradition, for without Tradition there is no grace, no continuity in the Church. If we abandon Tradition, we contribute to the destruction of the Church.
I have had occasion to say to the Cardinals, "Do you not see that the Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom is a contradiction? Whereas the Introduction states that the council leaves untouched traditional Catholic doctrine, the body of the document is entirely opposed to Tradition: it is opposed to what has been taught by Popes Gregory XVI, Pius IX, and Leo XIII."
We are now faced with a grave choice: either we agree with the Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom, and thus oppose the teachings of the Popes, or we agree with the teachings of the popes, and thus disagree with Vatican II's Declaration on Religious Freedom. It is impossible to subscribe to both. I have made my choice: I choose Tradition. I cling to Tradition over novelty which is merely an expression of Liberalism, the very Liberalism condemned by the Holy See for a century and a half. Now this Liberalism has penetrated the Church through the Council, and its catchwords remain the same; liberty, equality and fraternity.
The spirit of Liberalism permeates the Church today, though its catchwords are thinly veiled: liberty is religious freedom; fraternity is ecumenism; equality is collegiality. These are the three principles of Liberalism, the legacy of the 18th century philosophers and of the French Revolution.
The Church today is approaching its own destruction because these principles are absolutely contrary to nature and to faith. There is no true equality possible, and Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical on freedom clearly explained why.
And fraternity! If there is no Father where shall we find fraternity? If there is no Father, there is no God, how then shall we be brothers? Are we to embrace the enemies of the Church, the Communists, the Buddhists, the Masons?
And now we have word that there is no excommunication for Catholics who become Freemasons. Freemasonry nearly destroyed Portugal; Freemasonry was with Allende in Chile, and is now in South Vietnam. Freemasons see it as important to destroy Catholic States. Thus it was during the First World War in Austria, thus it was in Hungary and in Poland. Freemasonry seeks to destroy the Catholic nations. What is in store for Spain and Italy and other countries in the near future? Why does the Church feel compelled to open her arms to the enemies of the Church?
Now we are bound to pray, to redouble our prayers! We are witnessing an assault by Satan against the Church, as has never been seen. We must pray to Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to come to our assistance, for we can have no idea what horrors tomorrow may bring. It is not possible for God to tolerate indefinitely these blasphemies, these sacrileges which are committed against His Glory and Majesty! One need only reflect on the horror of abortion, on rampant divorce, on the ruin of moral law and of truth itself. It is inconceivable that all of this can continue without God punishing the world by some terrible chastisement.
This is why we must beg God's mercy for ourselves and for all mankind, and we must struggle, we must fight. We must fight fearlessly to maintain Tradition, to maintain, above all, the Liturgy of the Holy Mass, because it is the very foundation of the Church, indeed of Christian civilization. Were the true Mass no longer to be celebrated in the Church, the Church would disappear.
We must, therefore, preserve this Liturgy, this Sacrifice. Our churches were built for this Mass and for no other: for the Sacrifice of the Mass, and not for a supper, a meal, a memorial or a Communion. Our ancestors built magnificent cathedrals and churches, not for a meal or a simple memorial, but for the Sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ which continues upon our altars.
I count on you for your prayers for my seminarians, that they may become true priests, priests who have the faith, in order that they may administer the true Sacraments and celebrate the true Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Thank you.
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COVID app that detects virus in your voice 'more accurate than lateral flow tests' |
Posted by: Stone - 09-05-2022, 05:52 AM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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COVID app that detects virus in your voice 'more accurate than lateral flow tests'
Users will be required to give information about their medical history, smoking status and demographics and record some respiratory sounds, such as coughing and reading a short sentence.
Sky News | Monday 5 September 2022
A mobile phone app can detect COVID in people's voices with "potentially high precision" using artificial intelligence (AI), according to researchers.
An AI model was said to be 89% accurate and is cheap to use, which means it could be adopted in low-income countries where PCR tests are more expensive.
Results can be provided in less than a minute and are said to be a "significant improvement" on the accuracy of lateral flow tests, scientists said.
Infection normally impacts the upper respiratory tract and the vocal cords and so researchers decided to analyse changes in voices using an AI model to detect COVID.
Wafaa Aljbawi, a researcher at the Institute of Data Science at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, said: "These promising results suggest that simple voice recordings and fine-tuned AI algorithms can potentially achieve high precision in determining which patients have COVID-19 infection.
"Such tests can be provided at no cost and are simple to interpret. Moreover, they enable remote, virtual testing and have a turnaround time of less than a minute.
"They could be used, for example, at the entry points for large gatherings, enabling rapid screening of the population."
Data was used from the University of Cambridge's crowd-sourcing COVID19 Sounds app. This included 893 audio samples from 4,352 healthy and non-healthy people.
Users need to give information about their medical history, smoking status and demographics and record some respiratory sounds, such as coughing and reading a short sentence.
A voice analysis technique - called Mel-spectrogram - identified different voice features to "decompose the many properties of the participants' voices".
Ms Aljbawi added: "These results show a significant improvement in the accuracy of diagnosing COVID-19 compared to state-of-the-art tests such as the lateral flow test.
"The lateral flow test has a sensitivity of only 56%, but a higher specificity rate of 99.5%. This is important as it signifies that the lateral flow test is misclassifying infected people as COVID-19 negative more often than our test.
"In other words, with the AI LSTM model, we could miss 11 out of 100 cases who would go on to spread the infection, while the lateral flow test would miss 44 out of 100 cases."
The AI model is also being used for an app to predict exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The research is due to be presented to the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Barcelona on Monday.
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Pope Francis beatifies John Paul I, pope for 33 days |
Posted by: Stone - 09-05-2022, 05:48 AM - Forum: Pope Francis
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Pope Francis beatifies John Paul I, pope for 33 days
Pope Francis beatified Pope John Paul I in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 4, 2022.
CNA Vatican City [adapted] | Sep 4, 2022
Pope Francis beatified John Paul I, who reigned as pope for only 33 days, amid a thunderstorm in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.
In his homily for the rainy [thunderstorms] beatification Mass on Sept. 4, Pope Francis said that John Paul I “embodied the poverty of a disciple” through his “victory over the temptation to put oneself at the center, to seek one’s own glory.”
Often called “the smiling pope,” John Paul I died unexpectedly on Sept. 28, 1978, a month after the conclave that elected him.
In one of the shortest pontificates in papal history, John Paul I gained a reputation for his humility and his dedication to teaching the faith in an understandable manner.
Cardinals stood in the rain under yellow and white umbrellas as Pope Francis read out the declaration that Pope John Paul I can now be venerated locally on his feast day on Aug. 26.
“With a smile, Pope John Paul I managed to communicate the goodness of the Lord,” Francis said.
“How beautiful is a Church with a happy, serene and smiling face, that never closes doors, never hardens hearts, never complains or harbors resentment, does not grow angry or impatient, does not look dour or suffer nostalgia for the past. Let us pray to him, our father and our brother, and ask him to obtain for us ‘the smile of the soul.’”
During the beatification, a large banner on St. Peter’s Basilica unveiled a portrait of Blessed Pope John Paul I as the pope’s postulator processed through the square with a relic—a handwritten note by the blessed pope on the theological virtues.
John Paul I presided over only four general audiences as pope, offering catecheses on poverty, faith, hope, and charity. Pope Francis quoted these catecheses throughout his homily.
“As Pope John Paul I said, if you want to kiss Jesus crucified, ‘you cannot help bending over the cross and letting yourself be pricked by a few thorns of the crown on the Lord’s head’ (General Audience, 27 September 1978). A love that perseveres to the end, thorns and all: no leaving things half done, no cutting corners, no fleeing difficulties,” Pope Francis said.
John Paul I was the first pope to be born in the 20th century and the most recent pope to be born in Italy. Born Albino Luciani on Oct. 17, 1912, the future John Paul I grew up in relative poverty in Italy's northern Veneto region.
At the age of 22, he was ordained a priest for the Italian diocese of Belluno e Feltre in 1935. He served as the rector of the diocese's seminary for 10 years and taught courses on moral theology, canon law, and sacred art.
He participated in all of the sessions of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) as the bishop of Vittorio Veneto and he worked to implement the guidelines council in the following decade as the Patriarch of Venice.
As a cardinal, Luciani published a collection of “open letters” to historic figures, saints, famous writers, and fictional characters. The book, Illustrissimi, included letters to Jesus, King David, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Christopher Marlowe, as well as Pinocchio and Figaro, the barber of Seville.
He made history in 1978 when he became the first pope to take a double name, after his two immediate predecessors, Popes John XXIII and Paul VI. His episcopal motto was simply: “Humilitas.”
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Congresswoman blasts Biden Justice Department for silence on anti-Catholic violence |
Posted by: Stone - 09-03-2022, 06:55 AM - Forum: Anti-Catholic Violence
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Congresswoman blasts Biden Justice Department for silence on anti-Catholic violence
'I’m tired of going to church on Sunday and being surrounded by cop cars at church.'
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris laugh during a meeting of the pro-abortion 'Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access' during an event at the White House complex August 3, 2022 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Sep 2, 2022
WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews [adapted]) – Republican U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan took aim at the history of the Biden Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday over their refusal to take left-wing violence against religious pro-lifers seriously while framing concerned parents protesting school boards as potential terrorists.
“The attorney general and the DOJ have an obligation to uphold the Constitution, and they completely and utterly are not doing that,” McClain said during an appearance on Fox News morning show Fox & Friends. “Instead, this Department of Justice, and Merrick Garland, is focusing on parents at school board meetings. They took an oath to uphold the Constitution, which includes the First Amendment. Over 160 attacks on the Catholic Church. You don’t hear about it, you don’t have any investigations going on about it. What’s going on?
“I’ll tell you what’s going on: It doesn’t fit their narrative,” she continued. “They would prefer to deal with parents going to school board meetings and labeling them as terrorists, then they would deal with the over 160 attacks on the Catholic Church. It’s shameful, it’s disgraceful, and that is why the American people are so frustrated with Merrick Garland.”
“I’m tired of going to church on Sunday and being surrounded by cop cars at church,” the congresswoman lamented.
On August 30, McClain and 19 GOP colleagues sent a letter to Garland pressing him for answers and action.
“Under your leadership, the Department of Justice (DOJ) persecuted Americans for speaking out at school board meetings and harassed peaceful protesters by investigating them for domestic terrorism,” they wrote. “At the same time, the DOJ ignored blatant acts of violence committed by groups such as Antifa, who targeted and destroyed the property of small businesses and government facilities in Portland, Seattle and beyond. Americans are watching in horror as your DOJ fails to respond to the violence threatening religious freedom across the country and wondering why certain criminals seem to always avoid your interest.”
The pro-life group Catholic Vote has identified more than 200 attacks on Catholic Churches in the United States since May 2020. Pro-life crisis pregnancy centers have also been targeted with threats and violence after June’s overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Last year, Garland and the Biden DOJ alleged a spike in threats to educators driven by opposition to the use of controversial instructional materials based on “critical race theory” (CRT), which asserts that race is a “socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of color” through American institutions.
The announcement followed a letter by the leaders of the National School Board Association (NSBA) to President Joe Biden alleging that a smattering of examples of alleged unruly behavior at various school board meetings, all of which (if illegal) fell within the scope of local law enforcement, “could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes.” Emails later showed that the White House gave feedback on the letter’s contents prior to Garland’s public reaction, and that the administration considered parental disapproval of leftist educators a matter of potential terrorism to be tracked using counter-terror tools.
By contrast, the most the administration has said so far about Roe-related extremism was a bulletin suggesting that “individuals who advocate both for and against abortion” are equally prone to violence.
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“Smart” thermostat locks customers out, declares “energy emergency” |
Posted by: Stone - 09-03-2022, 06:42 AM - Forum: General Commentary
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“Smart” thermostat locks customers out, declares “energy emergency”
One of the problems with centrally controlled "smart" tech.
Reclaim the Net | September 2, 2022
Thousands of Xcel customers in Colorado were locked out of their smart thermostats, meaning they had no control of the temperatures in their homes. The company said the problem was caused by an “energy emergency.”
Tony Talarico explained how he was not able to turn up air conditioning while at his partner’s home in Arvada.
“I mean, it was 90 out, and it was right during the peak period,” Talarico said. “It was hot.”
The thermostat displayed a message saying he could not turn up the cooling because he had been locked out due to an energy emergency.
“Normally, when we see a message like that, we’re able to override it,” Talarico said. “In this case, we weren’t. So, our thermostat was locked in at 78 or 79.”
Social media was filled with thousands of such complaints on Tuesday, some saying they had been locked out of the thermostat at temperatures as high as 88 degrees.
Speaking to Contact Denver7, Xcel confirmed that some customers had been locked out of their thermostats for hours on Tuesday. Vice President of Customer Solutions and Innovation Emmett Romine said that the 22,000 customers who could not control their thermostats had registered for the Colorado AC Rewards program.
“It’s a voluntary program. Let’s remember that this is something that customers choose to be a part of based on the incentives,” he said. For participating in the program, customers received $100 in credit and $25 annually.
According to Romine, by signing up to the program customers agreed to give up some control in order to save money, energy, and make the system more reliable.
“So, it helps everybody for people to participate in these programs. It is a bit uncomfortable for a short period of time, but it’s very, very helpful,” said Romine.
He added that it was the first time in the six years since the program was launched that customers were not able to override their thermostats. He said there was an “energy emergency” caused by hot weather, heavy usage of air conditioners, and an unexpected outage in Pueblo.
But customers like Tolarico did not know that the company had that much control.
“To me, an emergency means there is, you know, life, limb, or, you know, some other danger out there — some, you know, massive wildfires,” Talarico said. “Even if it’s a once-in-a-blue-moon situation, it just doesn’t sit right with us to not be able to control our own thermostat in our house.”
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Some Dutch churches to skip Mass due to energy costs, priest shortage |
Posted by: Stone - 09-03-2022, 06:02 AM - Forum: Global News
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Some Dutch churches to skip Mass due to energy costs, priest shortage
FILE PHOTO: A deacon drinks a cup of coffee after blessing a dog in the Holy Heart church in Schiedam October 4, 2009. Catholic churches around the world hold ceremonies honouring animals on October 4 every year in commemoration of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. REUTERS/Jerry Lampen/File Photo reuters_tickers
September 1, 2022
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Rocketing energy bills and a shortage of priests have driven a Dutch Roman Catholic Diocese to cut down on religious services in some churches.
The southern Diocese of Roermond, which oversee roughly 290 churches in the province of Limburg, wrote to its parishes last week to encourage some to periodically skip Mass, spokesman Matheu Bemelmans said on Thursday.
"Finances cannot be a dominant factor, but we cannot ignore them either. If you only have a handful of people each donating a euro ($1), that's not enough to cover the heating bill," Bemelmans said.
Numbers of churchgoers and priests are on the decline in the Netherlands.
"Sometimes it's simply not possible to find a priest to give a service at every church, every weekend," Bemelmans said. "If there are churches with only a few visitors, we are saying: be practical and skip a week and ensure those people can follow Mass at another church."
The measure was expected to initially affect 10-15 churches, he said.
Most Dutch households and companies rely on gas for heating or business operations.
Prices soared 90% year on year in August, driving up inflation to more than 13%, tracking similar sharp increases throughout Europe since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
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Pope Francis on liturgy: Traditionalism is the dead faith of some of the living |
Posted by: Stone - 09-02-2022, 05:20 AM - Forum: Pope Francis
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Pope Francis on liturgy: Traditionalism is the dead faith of some of the living
RR | September 1, 2022
Pope Francis met with the Italian Association of Professors and Practitioners of Liturgy.
The Pope explained that the liturgy is a work of Christ and the Church—a living organism and not something static.
Quote:It is not a marble or bronze monument; it is not something in a museum. The liturgy is alive like a plant and must be cultivated with care.
Pope Francis said that the liturgy must be rooted in tradition but the temptation to make tradition an ideology or traditionalism must be avoided.
He added that this way of acting, "even if it is disguised as liturgy and theology," is worldly. The Pope went so far as to say that "traditionalism is the dead faith of some of the living." He recalled that it is something that the Second Vatican Council dealt with at length.
Quote:One of the main contributions of the Second Vatican Council was precisely to try to overcome the divide between theology and pastoral care, between faith and life.
Lastly, Pope Francis recommended that liturgists prioritize prayer in their academic work.
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Abp. Viganò to bishops of the world: How can you be silent while Pope Francis undermines marriage? |
Posted by: Stone - 09-01-2022, 10:54 AM - Forum: Archbishop Viganò
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Abp. Viganò to bishops of the world: How can you be silent while Pope Francis undermines marriage?
Consider that your silence takes away from the Glory of Heaven the souls entrusted to you by the Supreme Shepherd, to whom even the one who sits in Rome will one day answer.
Archbishop Viganò prays the rosary at the 2017 Rome March for Life
Claire Chretien / LifeSiteNews
Sep 1, 2022
(LifeSiteNews) — In the glorious martyrs, Holy Church gives us examples of heroic virtues to imitate, showing us how the Grace of God assists those who love Him even to the point of facing torments and death. And while the wicked rage in vain against the bodies of the Martyrs in order to afflict their immortal souls, the Saints triumph with Christ precisely in witnessing to the primacy of Incarnate Truth over error, and of Immolated Charity over the seductions of the world. The palm of Martyrdom draws it sap from the wood of the Cross, and the crown of the Martyrs shines with the rays of the Redeeming Sacrifice of Our Lord.
Let us consider the example of the Πρόδρομος, the Forerunner, Saint John the Baptist, who preceded his Divine Master not only in announcing His Coming and the Baptism for the remission of sins, but also in facing death at the hand of the Tetrarch of Galilee, Herod Antipas, whom John admonished for the scandal that he gave to the people of Israel by keeping company in public concubinage with the wife of Herod the Great’s brother, Herodias.
These events, documented by historians, are mentioned in the Gospel along with the role played by Salomé in asking her stepfather for the Baptist’s head. Saint Ambrose comments: Ab adulteris justus occiditur, et a reis in judicem capitalis sceleris pœna convertitur. The just man is killed by adulterers, and the death sentence is pronounced by the guilty against their judge. Clauduntur lumina non tam mortis necessitate quam horrore luxuriæ: Baptist’s eyes closed not so much because of death but because of the horror of lust. Os aureum illud exsangue, cujus sententiam ferre non poteras, conticescit, et adhuc timetur: His golden mouth, now bloodless, whose sentence you Herod could not bear, grows silent, but yet you still feared it.
How can your voice be silent, dear brothers, in the face of the legitimization of adultery? Will you choose to make yourselves accomplices of those who bow to the spirit of the world and show obsequious deference to the powerful, going so far as to admit to the Eucharistic Table those who by their conduct violate the Commandments of God, despise the law of the Church and give scandal to the faithful?
How much longer will you allow the sanctity of marriage and the witness of Saint John the Baptist to be trampled underfoot? How much longer will you ignore the words of Saint Ambrose, on whose Cathedra sits today a successor who winks at the concubinaries to make himself acceptable to the guests of the new Herod? (here and here)
The Forerunner was not afraid to raise his voice against Herod, facing death with the serene abandonment of the just to the will of God. Will you be afraid to preach the Word, to insist in season and out of season, to correct, to rebuke, to exhort with all patience and doctrine (2 Tim 4:2), when the errors and deceptions of Amoris Lætitia are inspired by Salomé more than by the Forerunner? When the author of Amoris Lætitia can at worst remove you from your Cathedra because of your fidelity to Christ? And even if you were to be brought before the courts, would you agree to renounce proclaiming Christ, and Christ crucified (1 Cor 2:2), in order to save your earthly life and lose eternal life?
I exhort you, most beloved Brothers, you who are the Successors of the Apostles, Ministers of Christ and dispensers of the Mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1), to consider your responsibility in supporting the doctrinal and moral deviations of those who abuse their role and authority to sow error, offend the Majesty of God, humiliate the Holy Church and lose souls.
I exhort you, through the Wounds of Christ: awaken from your lethargy that makes you accomplices of a betrayal, for which you will have to give an account to the Just Judge on the day of your death. Consider that your silence takes away from the Glory of Heaven the souls entrusted to you by the Supreme Shepherd, to whom even the one who sits in Rome will one day answer. Do not make the Passion of the Redeemer to have been in vain, for He shed his Most Precious Blood in order to save repentant sinners, not to confirm them in sin.
The Lord asks you to be the guide of the Lord’s flock, using your Crosier to lead the sheep to the pastures of Heaven. Your destiny is to accompany them with Charity to the Eternal Glory for which they were created and redeemed, and not to precede them into the flames of hell.
+ Carlo Maria Viganò, Archbishop
August 29, 2022
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Pope declares mankind is 'experiencing the outbreak of World War Three' |
Posted by: Stone - 09-01-2022, 10:46 AM - Forum: Pope Francis
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Pope declares mankind is 'experiencing the outbreak of World War Three'
- Pope Francis told his Vatican audience that we are already experiencing WWIII
- The pontiff has been criticised for not coming down hard enough on Russia
- He spoke a day ahead of the anniversary of the outbreak of World War II
DM | 1 September 2022
Pope Francis has declared mankind is experiencing the outbreak of World War Three.
In his address to Polish-speaking pilgrims at the end of his weekly audience in the Vatican yesterday, the pontiff encouraged prayers 'in a special way' for the people of Ukraine.
He said: 'Tomorrow you will remember the anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, which so painfully marked the Polish nation.
'Today we are experiencing the third.
'May the memory of past experiences spur you to cultivate peace in yourselves, in families, and in social and international life.'
In April, Francis said humanity is moving towards WWIII like it is 'unavoidable', and he has frequently warned of imminent global conflict.
It comes as the Vatican moved to defend Francis from allegations that he has not come down hard enough on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
The church said the pontiff clearly views the war launched by Moscow as 'senseless, repugnant and sacrilegious'.
Last week, Ukraine summoned the top papal diplomat to complain about recent comments by Francis.
At an audience a day earlier at the Vatican, Francis had referred to a national Russian TV commentator who was killed by a car bomb in Moscow as a 'poor girl'.
Francis was speaking about Darya Dugina, the daughter of right-wing Russian political theorist Alexander Dugin, who fiercely backs the war.
Russia has accused Ukrainian intelligence of involvement in the bombing, which Kyiv denies.
In his remarks, Francis also said orphans in Ukraine and Russia were among the 'innocents' victimised by the 'insanity of war'.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba summoned the Vatican ambassador to Kyiv last week and told reporters that 'the Ukrainian heart is torn apart by the Pope's words'.
In a statement the Vatican said: 'In recent days, public discussions have arisen about the political significance to attribute' to comments by Francis.
'The words of the Holy Father on this dramatic question should be read as a voice raised in defence of human life and of the values linked to that, and not taken as a political position,' the Vatican said.
'As for the war of wide dimensions in Ukraine, begun by the Russian Federation, the interventions of the Holy Father Francis are clear and unequivocal in condemning it as morally unjust, unacceptable, barbaric, senseless, repugnant and sacrilegious.'
On the day Ukraine condemned the Pope's remarks, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church cancelled a meeting with him planned for September.
Francis has said he wants to go to Ukraine if it could further the cause of peace but logistics have made the trip impossible for the 85-year-old pontiff who has mobility issues.
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