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2 GUEST EDITORIAL
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
Pastoral Incoherence the communal life (communio), to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” The fraternal sharing in those elements of the Gospel constitutes the “holy communion” that is the Church without which there can be no “Holy Communion” at Mass.
Fr. Timothy V. Vaverek Editor’s note: this excellent article about the Church in America also applies to this side of the Atlantic where the failure in episcopal leadership is sadly also all too evident. The Church in America is in the midst of a controversy over socalled “Eucharistic coherence.” The debate focuses on the duties of the faithful (especially politicians) in receiving Holy Communion and of the bishops in overseeing that reception. While the issue is vital, it Is symptomatic of a graver, half-century-old crisis that, like many family dysfunctions, remains deliberately unaddressed: pastoral incoherence. Unless that root problem is acknowledged, Eucharistic coherence is destined to remain little more than a pious aspiration. The pastoral life of the Church is succinctly described in Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles and to
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The Church Fathers often reflected on the intricate nature of the communio sanctorum. In Latin, sanctorum means either “of the holy ones” or “of the holy things.” So, the communion of the “holy things” (shared belief, life, sacraments, and worship) is both the foundation and expression of the communion of the “holy ones.” Reception of the Body of Christ in Holy Communion is a sign and means of sharing his life and teaching as members of his Body and Bride, the Church, which is the Communion of Saints. The problem facing us regarding Eucharistic Coherence is that the faithful have for more than fifty years received openly contradictory presentations of “the teachings of the apostles” without pastoral correction from the bishops. This is true of preaching, spiritual guidance, catechesis, Catholic education, marital preparation, and seminary formation. The result is chaos. The seminarians trained by dissident theologians beginning in the 1960s are now bishops and senior priests. During the intervening decades, they and their progeny often ran the seminaries, staffed diocesan pastoral centres, and held tenured positions at Catholic universities. Under their “guidance,” we are now into the third or fourth generation of Catholics who have little awareness of authentic Christian faith and morals. Seminarians and priests opposed to the dissent learned early on to accommodate themselves to the situation and to avoid “rocking the boat.” During the years of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, there was a “Cold War” or “Frozen Conflict” in which contradictory versions of the
Gospel existed side-by-side within the Church. The ability to “manage” that dichotomy (i.e., “to keep the peace”) was generally considered crucial in candidates for senior leadership in the Church. This approach was already well-entrenched in the offices of the Vatican where la bella figura (keeping up appearances) has reigned longer than any pope. As with the abuse crisis, a primary concern has been to avoid open controversy. Along the way, the dissent succeeded in promoting a false, individualistic theory of conscience, which made morality and – by extension – the reception of Holy Communion matters of subjective opinion and discernment rather than of communal formation and discipline in the life of Christ. Consequently, episcopal oversight of Christian life has effectively vanished. With Catholic clergy declaring immoral activities to be moral or, at least, to be matters of subjective conscience, it is no surprise that the faithful feel free to act contrary to human dignity and the Gospel. Dissident theologians have continued to promote false teachings. Many Catholic hospitals permit contraception or sterilisation. Fr. Robert Drinan, S.J., a Congressman in the 1970s, remained a priest even though he supported federal funding of abortion. Why, then, should septuagenarians and octogenarians today, like President Biden and Speaker of the House Pelosi, think there is an incompatibility between their
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16th July 2021 Catholic Voice voting record and the reception of Holy Communion? Why should any Catholic believe that Eucharistic coherence requires conformity to the life of Christ in accordance with the Gospel authentically proclaimed by the Church? In this context, episcopal statements about the Eucharist won’t change many hearts and minds. Malformed Catholics, including clergy, will continue to act on the false notion of conscience they were taught. This outcome is all the more likely given that the bishops will studiously avoid correcting the false notion of conscience because, otherwise, they would have to correct fellow bishops who hold the dissenting view.
they settle for documents carefully written to avoid exposing the truth of their sometimes fundamental disagreements on matters of faith and morals. This fits a pattern in which statements from the hierarchy at all levels increasingly adopt a “live and let live” approach that either carefully limits their claims to their own territory or are open to multiple, indeed, incompatible interpretations. Cloaking the underlying incoherence by manipulatively appealing in the documents to “conscience” or “diversity” is like a family invoking “compassion” or “love” to hide “daddy’s little problem” of abuse.
It’s unrealistic to expect priests and laypeople to change beliefs or practices when bishops aren’t called to change. Bishops hoping to proclaim the Gospel authentically and effectively in their own dioceses or nations will have to address openly the scandal their brothers are causing – as Paul did regarding Peter.
Pastoral Incoherence is an existential threat, not to the Catholic Church, which will survive somehow and somewhere until Jesus returns, but to every particular Catholic, parish, and diocese in the world. As we have repeatedly seen, it won’t spare even the hallowed halls of the Vatican (although the Successors of Peter, worthy and unworthy, continue).
The refusal to name the root problem lies at the heart of the crisis. We lack Pastoral Coherence because our pastors do not have a common, coherent understanding of the Gospel. It’s impossible for them to evaluate situations together and arrive at a joint approach because they are heading in contradictory directions. Thus,
If the Church is to enjoy Eucharistic Coherence and to flourish, we must return, under the authentic guidance of the bishops, to “the teachings of the Apostles and the common life.” The reason is simple: without the Apostolic Gospel, we have no communion in the life of Christ and his Church.
Catholic Voice Update Dear Reader, We still continue to be adversely affected by the inconsistent covid restrictions. Events that would usually be advertised in Catholic Voice are not taking place and some parishes have not yet resumed the sale of Catholic newspapers. Therefore your continued prayerful and financial support is very important to us. We are also grateful for your ongoing prayers and the many cards and well wishes that Kim has received since her accident nine months ago. Kim’s lengthy rehabilitation continues and despite a few setbacks she is making good progress and is able to walk short distances. Currently she is experiencing some difficulties with her right leg due to the weakness of her left leg so some additional prayers to help her overcome this further challenge would be very welcome.
Yours in Christ Anthony Murphy
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4 ST MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
No Greater Love - St Maximilian Kolbe Christy Bracken
NO GREATER LOVE No more for him, the joys of spring, Or summer’s gentle breeze, Or autumn’s hue, first winter’s snow, And elegant leafless trees.
No more the Sacred Host to raise, The greatest trial of all, Heaven and earth in sweet embrace, Creation bows in awe.
Or to sit and watch the setting sun, The Galaxies a-glow, The Great Bear, Plough, the Milky Way, Nature’s star studded show.
Auschwitz, death camp, ‘41 Maximilian Kolbe, his freedom gone, Francis Gajowniczek, beside him stands, Their future now, in the tyrant’s hands.
No more the blackbird’s song to thrill, Soothing, serene, forlorn, The fox away, the bunny at play, In a field of golden corn. Nor to hear the cry of the infant babe, As the cleansing water is poured, Or young love’s boast, on their wedding day toast, To a future, where dreams are all stored.
From among the rows of those pityfull souls, Pounding hearts came through, As the surly guards walked swiftly past, “You, and you, and you”. Francis stepped out, a desolate wretch, For now he sensed the end, But through his tears, he glimpsed again, Maximilian, a forever friend.
No more the wisdom that comes with age, With trials, happiness, and tears, Golden memories of day’s that are gone, From hearts that are still young in years.
He took his sentence upon himself, His gift was total and free, Amid the despair, St. Kolbe gave hope, To Gajowniczek, and humanity.
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16th July 2021 Catholic Voice
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AUSCHWITZ PRIEST 5
6 LETTERS
Catholic Voice
Letters Dear Editor,
Lies Have Short Legs!
During and after the repeal of the Eighth Amendment, we were repeatedly told that it would be safe, legal, and rare; the title page of the “Tara Street Daily’s” June 24th edition quickly dissuaded of such naivety! However, the broken faces of Patrick Kiely and Rebecca Price told a different story as they were photographed outside the High Court. Their baby son, Christopher, was aborted when twice diagnosed with having the non-medical term of “fatal foetal abnormality,” and it was only after it had been accomplished was it discovered that there was nothing wrong with the child! Nevertheless, the image of parents broken, both mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, has stayed with me so much that I now have the picture pinned to my office noticeboard to remind me why I am pro-life and why the Irish nation believed the myths of apostate Catholics, whose desire to live up to the sentiments of 1 Sam.8:19-21.with the deluded notion that all will be well.
16th July 2021 Send your letters to: Letters Page, Catholic Voice, St Michael’s House, Castlemitchell South, Athy, Co Kildare or email to letters@catholicvoice.ie
The next two days saw me searching the paper, confident that it would be filled with moral outrage and even a hint of illiberal liberalism’s admission that it had got things wrong. But of course, I was wrong because the letters page was filled with the fear that the new Maternity hospital would still be advocacy for Vincentian moralism and thus deny the precious dark sacraments of abortion, gender reassignment, and of course, the hoped ability to put old auntie Brigid out of our misery with euthanasia. Only the token Papist in the vocal advocacy of Breda O Brien did ask the right questions, only to share the abandonment of the Baptist as a voice in the wilderness (Mark 1:3-4)! But the likes of Breda O’Brien and probably the parents of baby Christopher matter little to the masses that rejoiced on that sunny yet sad Saturday afternoon when the death wish of baby Christopher and other thousands were passed. To the likes of Harris, Varadkar, it is just a glitch in the system, and tomorrow is, after all, another day, so order the cafe lifestyle darling, and move on! But to those amongst us who can only vocalise our feelings in such publications such as this paper, the Italian saying: “Le bugie hanno le gambe corte” comes to mind, since this is truly a case where lies have short legs and that the truth always has the final say! Fr. John McCallion, M.Phil,cc Clonoe Co. Tyrone Dear Editor,
Hungary
Have we ever said to ourselves “We haven’t a clue what goes on in Brussels on our behalf!” or “We don’t hear from our MEPs, from election to election, what they’re doing on our behalf in Brussels!” Since every EU-wide survey shows a sustained lack of connection between EU citizens and the EU surely it’s in the EU’s interest to keep its citizens objectively appraised of the goings-on in Brussels. Its citizens should not have to rely on a biased liberal, secular media for this information! Take last week as a case in point. If you opened any main-stream media source last week you’d be informed of the virtual unanimous objections by member states to Hungary’s recent legislation protecting its nation’s traditional Christian heritage and values. Universally perceived as being anti-LGBT, it bans the promotion of homosexuality to minors and cracks down on paedophilia. Its parliament voted it in by 157 : 1. In support of this legislation its Premier, Victor Orban (a Christian but not a Catholic), said
16th July 2021 Catholic Voice “Education in schools must not be in conflict with the will of parents” and “parents can rightly expect that platforms used by Hungarian children e.g. pornography, sexuality for its own sake, homosexuality and gender reassignment programs, should not be available!” So. how could Hungary be so out of sync with the rest of Europe? What the main stream media will not tell you is that, for about 10 years now (it has had right-wing governments since 2010), Hungary’s pro-family policies are amongst the most successful in Europe in ensuring that marriage (one man and one woman), starting a family and having children are encouraged. According to the Hungarian Central Statistics Office marriage numbers are rising significantly, divorce rates are falling, birth rates are rising and there are less and less abortions. Family property ownership is encouraged and motherhood and grandparenthood are appreciated. For example, the fertility rate increased from 1.25 per thousand citizens per year in 2010 to 1.55 in 2020, which is the highest since 1996. The number of live births increased by 2.1% and the number of abortions virtually halved.
LETTERS 7
Census trends show that about 90% of young people want children; 43% at least two and 18% want three or more. So, have these pro-marriage, pro-family and pro-maternity policies affected female employment in Hungary? Not at all. Female employment increased from 54.6% in 2010 to 67% in 2020. In fact, during the current C19 pandemic, employment reached 75% - well above the EU average - and unemployment was 4.2%, the 6th lowest in the EU. So, how does Hungary achieve this level of success, and, why is it such a secret? Its policies are quite nuanced e.g. subsidies for young marriages, state-backed home loans and mortgage credit progressively linked to the arrival of children, - many families with 3 or more children pay little or no tax. There are a whole range of pro-family and pro-employment supports e.g. purchase of large family vehicles, incentives for stay-at-home mothers, creche financial supports, incentivised schemes for grandmothers to mind children, companies are incentivised to employ mothers. Hungary spends almost 5% of its GDP on families the most of any EU member state. Contrary to popular opinion, it seems, having a healthy economy and profamily priorities are not conflicting objectives!
Interestingly, in stark contrast to Hungary’s left-wing Have spouse - will travel! governance between 2002 - 2010 when the number of marriages decreased by 23%, since 2010 marriages NAME AND ADDRESS WITH EDITOR increased by 89% and divorces decreased by 57%. The devotion to the Cord of St. Joseph took its rise in Belgium, in 1637, in consequence of a miraculous cure effected by the wearing of this precious girdle. During this year of Saint Joseph you may wish to wear the cord to avail of the GRACES ATTACHED TO THE WEARING OF THE CORD. Graces precious to the piety of St. Joseph’s servants are attached to the wearing of this cord. They are: 1. St. Joseph’s special protection 2. Purity of soul; 3. The grace of chastity; The Cord 4. Final perseverance; 5. Particular assistance at the hour of death.
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The pack containing a St. Joseph’s Cord, a prayer card, St. Joseph’s medal and an information leaflet is available now for €/£10 (inc. p&p). To order your cord/s please complete the form below. Please send me ___ (insert number required) St Joseph’s cord/s Name: _________________________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Telephone: _________________________________________________________________ Eircode ____________________ Credit/Debit Card No:__________________________________ Expiry Date:_________ C.V.V. ____________ Please send completed form with cheque or postal order made payable to Catholic Voice to; Catholic Voice, Castlemitchell South, Athy, County Kildare ***PLEASE ALLOW UP TO 21 DAYS FOR DELIVERY ***
8 FRIENDSHIP
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
On The Necessity Of Friendship And The Loss Of It In Our Times Monsignor Charles Pope
A recent article on Friendship from the Survey Centre on American Life reports: Many Americans do not have a large number of close friends. Close to half (49 percent) of Americans report having three or fewer. More than one-third (36 percent) of Americans report having several close friends — between four and nine. Thirteen percent of Americans say they have 10 or more close friends, which is roughly the same proportion of the public that has no close friends (12 percent). One of the many troublesome aspects of the modern age is the demise of friendship. While the terms “friend” and “friendship” might be bandied about rather easily today, they do not usually mean friendship in its deeper and original sense. Rather, we use the terms to refer to acquaintances rather than friends. True friendship has a depth, history, and stability. It involves some sort of commonality of life and a deeper knowledge of the other. Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, drawing on the Thomistic tradition, has this to say about friendship: Every true friendship, St Thomas tells us, implies three qualities: it is first of all the love of benevolence. By which a man wishes good to
another as to himself … [Further] Every true friendship presupposes the love of mutual benevolence, for it is not sufficient that it exist on the part of one person only …. Lastly … friendship requires a community of life (convivere). It implies that people know each other, love each other, live together, spiritually at least, by the exchange of most secret thoughts and feelings. Friendship thus conceived tends to a very close union of thought, feeling, willing, prayer, and action (GarrigouLagrange, The Three Ages of the Spiritual Life, Vol II, pp. 188-189 Tan Publications). Notice the emphasis on sharing private thoughts and feelings, as well as the close union of thoughts, feelings, actions, prayers, and wills. True friendship involves more than the knowledge of acquaintances. A director of a clinic for the treatment of psychological matters once recounted that as he conducted entrance interviews for those beginning an inpatient treatment program, he would ask them how many friends they had. He would often receive expressive answers such as “Oh, I have lots of friends!”
Their answers indicated that they did not really understand what he meant. So he would rephrase the question: “How many people do you share deeply with? How many people on this planet know almost everything about you? How many know that you’re here at this treatment program and why? Did any of them help to get you here?” Questions like these tended to generate blank stares. Fewer and fewer people have relationships of this deeper nature. True friendships, with all the qualities described above, are increasingly rare in our culture today. There are many reasons for this. 1. People today are quite mobile. It is not unusual for people to move several times during their lifetime. Fewer and fewer people grow up, live, and die in the same town, and even those who do have long roots in a certain community will tell you how dramatically it has changed over the years. 2. Our daily activity takes us far and wide. Because of the automobile, trains, and
16th July 2021 Catholic Voice
FRIENDSHIP 9
especially planes, many people no longer limit their activities to their home town or places nearby. They may commute a couple of hours each day and be involved in activities far away from their neighbourhood churches, schools, doctors, and hospitals. They may not even frequent the neighbourhood shopping centres. It seems there is little opportunity or need to interact with people who live close by. 3. The pace of life today is rapid. We all seem to be in a big hurry to get somewhere else. The idea of lingering over a cup of coffee seems rare. The few times we do take our time to converse and such things, it is usually in loud bars where communication is actually quite difficult. And if perchance we are in a setting where we are in the presence of others for a lengthy period (e.g., a subway, train, or plane) most people are focused on their cell phones. We seem more interested in information about people far away, many of whom we have never even met.
¾ Woe to the solitary man! For if he should fall, he has no one to lift him up (Ecclesiastes 4:11). ¾ Let your acquaintances be many, but your advisers one in a thousand (Sirach 6:5-6). ¾ A faithful friend is a sure shelter, whoever finds one has found a rare treasure. A faithful friend is something beyond price, there is no measuring his worth. A faithful friend is the elixir of life, and those who fear the Lord will find one. Whoever fears the Lord makes true friends, for as a man is, so is his friend (Sirach 6:14-17). ¾ Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy (Prov 27:6) ¾ A true friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity (Prov 17:17). ¾ A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Prov 18:24). ¾ Better is a neighbour who is near than a brother who is far away (Prov 27:10).
Do you have close friends?
None of these factors helps in the development of deep, lasting friendships. Most people in our lives are merely acquaintances. We know very little about most of the people we interact with, even those we encounter on a daily basis. Even family relationships are often shallow. Long dinners or extended conversations are rare as family members run off to practices, meetings, shopping, and work.
Therefore, our friends should not necessarily be numerous. We ought to be selective in what we share and with whom. All the more reason, then, that we should have close friends with whom we share almost everything.
I pray that you do have true friends, but true friendship is rare in this changing, hurried, and polemic culture. Consider well the need for true friends, for deep friendships that are stable and lasting. We all need true friends.
The lack of deep friendships in the true sense of the word causes many issues. True friends help form our personalities, completing what we lack. True friends rebuke sins and other troublesome quirks we can develop. True friends encourage and enrich us. Without true friends we remain incomplete. Without the necessary rebuke that friends can give, we can suffer from pride and other egotistical character defects. Scripture both commends friendship and warns against regarding mere acquaintances as friends.
¾ Are there people who know almost everything about you? ¾ Are there people who can rebuke you, correct you, or summon you to humility? ¾ Are there people about whom you know almost everything and whom you can rebuke with love for their own good? ¾ Is there anyone who looks to you for advice, and who can turn to you for necessary encouragement? ¾ Is there anyone whom you love and esteem for his or her own sake, not merely for what you can get? ¾ Is there anyone whom you are not anxious to impress, to whom you can speak the truth, and who will speak to you truthfully? ¾ Is there anyone who would care enough about you to be present with you in great adversity? ¾ Is there anyone whom you would gladly assist in his or her time of need? If so, who? Please consider naming your true friends in your heart.
10 THE GREAT RESET
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
Cardinal Müller Discusses Cancel Culture, ‘The Great Reset,’ And ‘Gender Language’ As Part Of Totalitarian Rule Maike Hickson
‘Cancel culture is just another word for the brainwashing that the communists in China and the Soviet Union developed to the highest perfection.’ Cardinal Gerhard Müller has granted an interview to Lothar Rilinger, a German lawyer and book author. The larger interview deals with aspects and foundations of free speech, and in the selection published here, Cardinal Müller strongly criticises the totalitarian tendencies of our time, including the Great Reset, the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBT “fanatics,” as well as the Communist cancel culture. In defence of a free academic discussion, the German prelate rejects the idea of police or public institutions controlling such a discussion, commenting: “That’s just decadence, when professors are invited or thrown out by the intellectual measure of gender activists, Black Lives Matter zealots and LGBT fanatics.” The former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith goes on to say that there is an attempt “on a grand scale” to codify into law what is politically correct. Here, Cardinal Müller sees that American billionaires and the pharmaceutical industry go along with the Chinese communists in the implementation of a socalled Great Reset: “The American super billionaires, big tech giants and the pharmaceutical industry are trying to impose their poor view of humanity and their economically limited world view in combination with the Communist Party Chinese model on the whole world via their foundations and the opportunities for the Great Reset after the Corona crisis.” With unambiguous words, the German prelate condemns attempts at dictating to people what to think and how to speak. This includes so-called cancel culture, which rejects parts of a nation’s heritage, as well as the imposition of “gender language,” a way of writing and saying German words by using an asterisk that includes men and women, as well as any other possible gender identity. Cardinal Müller calls such attempts “simply barbarism, intellectual vandalism,” as well as an “imitation of the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century in the style of
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Orwell’s nightmares.” He proposes to describe this cancel culture with words such as “cancel vulture, the vulture culture, or of political respectlessness.” “Cancel culture,” the German cardinal goes on to say, “is just another word for the brainwashing that the communists in China and the Soviet Union developed to the highest perfection.” More specifically with regard to “gender language,” Müller calls it an “instrument of domination” used by people with “block warden mentality.” “The vast majority of Germans,” he concludes, “flatly reject the misuse of their language to mentally terrorise people.” This is not the first time that Cardinal Müller has sharply criticised the current international political development which is fostered in a close collaboration between American high finance and big tech, as well as the Chinese Communists. In a May 2021 interview with Mr. Rilinger, he described this new collaboration – which he calls neo-Marxist socialism of capital – with the following words: In China we have a mixture of capitalism in the economy and communism in ideology, in a way that both systems become means of absolute dominion. In the West, during the crisis of the coronavirus, the ten richest men in the world have been able to increase the value of their fortunes by 550 billion dollars, while millions of people have lost their work or slipped
16th July 2021
THE GREAT RESET 11
Catholic Voice
below the poverty line. At the same time, the large media corporations are in their hands. Thus they hold a monopoly on the interpretation of world events, and the common people are regarded as a newborn to be cared for. This is a new form of mixing capitalism with Marxist control and domination of the masses. Why do you think that interested circles in the West admire the Chinese system of surveillance and control? “The prevailing aligned thought today,” Müller also explained, “is hostile to the spirit. From the point of view of faith we cannot negotiate with totalitarian ideologies, but we ought to remove the mask from their faces.” Below is the text of the new Cardinal Müller interview: R.: Do you consider the right to express opinions to be the core content of an intellectual debate? M.: Spirit and freedom cannot be separated. I can’t imagine that the police and the public prosecutor’s office are the mainstays of academic discussion. That’s just decadence, when professors are invited and thrown out by the intellectual measure of gender activists, Black Lives Matter zealots and LGBT fanatics. After all, Socrates was sentenced to death by mediocre power politicians, and Aristotle shunned democracy, which had degenerated into mob rule, “so as not to give the Athenians a second opportunity to sin against philosophy.” R.: The state can determine the limits of freedom of expression. Can you imagine an ideological elite determining what may be considered politically correct, and thus applied, without those standards being either codified in law or established by judicial decisions? M.: That is being attempted on a grand scale. The American super billionaires, big tech giants and the pharmaceutical industry are trying to impose their poor view of humanity and their economically
limited world view in combination with the CP [Communist Party]Chinese model on the whole world via their foundations and the opportunities for the Great Reset after the Corona crisis. It is so nice to belong to a community where everyone is the same, thinks the same, feels the same, and is homogeneous in outrage at the dissenters and full of admiration for the brave heroes in the sense of the powerful. R.: Do you think it is justified to purge works of world literature in the context of the phenomenon of cancel culture, if an ideological elite thinks that certain passages do not conform to political correctness? M.: This is simply barbarism, intellectual vandalism, the imitation of the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century in the style of Orwell’s nightmares. One should rather speak of cancel vulture, the vulture culture, or of political respectlessness. Cancel culture is just another word for the brainwashing that the communists in China and the Soviet Union developed to the highest perfection. How did those end up who threw the books of renowned writers into the fire because of “un-German” passages? Instead of purification of thoughts, these violent people should start thinking themselves for once and not underestimate the
ability of others to criticize. I don’t need Fouché, Goebbels, and Lenin to read works of world literature without danger for my mental hygiene. R.: As an emeritus dogmatist and dogma historian as well as honorary professor of the University of Munich, do you consider it justifiable that criteria such as political correctness or the use of non-official gender language are used to judge the value of scientific work? M.: Gender language [a way of writing or saying a German word that includes men and women, as well as any other gender identity] is not a scientific criterion, but an instrument of domination by mediocrities, the intellectually inferior, and authoritarian leaders with a block warden mentality. The vast majority of Germans flatly reject the misuse of their language to mentally terrorize people. R.: Do you see the danger that through the ideological restriction of freedom of speech the relationship of people to each other as well as the freedom of science will be impaired and the intellectual debate will suffer? M.: It is the eternal debate between the spirit of freedom and the bigotry of power, between individuality and forced lockstep.
12 PRAY FOR VOCATIONS
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
The Harvest Indeed Is Great, But The Labourers Are Few. Pray Ye Therefore The Lord Of The Harvest, That He Send Forth Labourers Into His Harvest. Matthew 9:37-38 John Lacken In this article I would like to take a break from the bad news and focus on some good news, a light shining in the darkness, if you will. But let us begin by praying an Ave for our bishops. Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. Sometime in either 2009 or 2010, my family and I were attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the parish church of St John the Baptist in Knock. The Mass was a Latin Mass and was celebrated by Canon Wulfran Lebocq, Prior of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, in Ireland. Afterwards, a lady we know informed us that the Canon and two seminarians that were with him, had nowhere to stay for the night. We offered to put them up in our house as we were living in Knock at the time and had a room to spare. We ended up having a wonderful musical evening at the house as some of my children and our visitors played musical instruments. Thus began our friendship and relationship with the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest. In September, 2011, four members of the Institute stayed with us in Knock as Cardinal Burke was visiting the Shrine and would celebrate a pontifical High Mass in the parish church. On that occasion five of my sons assisted with serving at Holy Mass.
Most of the Lacken Family meet with Cardinal Brandmuller, Monsignor Wach, and other members of the Institute of Christ the King. Gricigliano 21/03/2012
In late 2011, I approached Canon Lebocq and asked him if it was possible to have one of my sons confirmed using the traditional Latin formula for the sacrament. I wasn’t aware of exactly what this would entail as my return to the Latin Mass was relatively recent and only on Sundays. I had served the Latin Mass as a boy but the changes had come in before I finished my time. Canon Lebocq informed me that it would not be possible to have my son confirmed in Ireland using the Latin any time soon but, if I was able to visit their seminary in Gricigliano, in Florence, Italy, there were many occasions where bishops visited the seminary and confirmation could be arranged. My reply was, if we go to Italy, I want two for the price of one, as my youngest son would also be approaching confirmation age. The
Canon enquired after his age and if he was properly prepared for confirmation. Raphael was eleven at this time and home schooled so he knew his catechism. The following year the Canon informed me that there would be a bishop visiting the seminary in March of 2012 and asked if that would suit us. I checked for flights on Ryanair and I was able to get return flights for eight of us relatively cheaply and so we made arrangements to visit Italy for ten days where we would stay at the Institute’s seminary. One of the priests of the Institute contacted me some weeks before to say that he would be in Knock and could he come for a visit. After tea, this priest examined my two sons, Oscar and Raphael, on their catechism to make sure that they were prepared for confirmation and had a proper understanding of the
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sacrament. I was very impressed with this because I knew, that if they were not ready, they would not be confirmed. When we arrived in Gricigliano, we learned that the visiting bishop was none other than Cardinal Walter Brandmuller, who with Cardinal Burke and two other Cardinals would issue the ‘dubia’ regarding Amoris Laetitia in 2017. On March, 21st, the Feast of St Benedict, my sons Oscar and Raphael were confirmed and afterwards we got to meet with Cardinal Brandmuller where he encouraged us to keep up the home schooling on account of the liberal agenda infiltrating the public schools. We have very fond memories of our time with the Institute in Gricigliano and our relationship has deepened over the intervening years. The high point to date, arrived on Tuesday 29th, June, 2021, when my youngest son Raphael took the cassock with the Institute of Christ the King after completing his first year of studies for the holy Catholic priesthood. Another young Irish man from County Offaly, Darrell Lally, also received the cassock, whilst a third Irish seminarian, Abbé Bryan McDermott, completed his second year of studies. These young men must still complete their journey to ordination and there are no guarantees that any of them will be ordained. What is certain is that the devil will use all of his cunning, deviousness and lies, to try to put them off track. My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee. I beg pardon of Thee for all those that do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee. Amen. Angel to the Children of Fatima 1916
Raphael Lacken is confirmed by Cardinal Walter Brandmuller 21/03/12
This is why it is so important for Catholics to pray for our seminarians, to pray for more holy vocations to the Catholic priesthood and to offer our sacrifices and our sufferings at the foot of the cross in order to gain graces for these courageous young men who desire to leave the things of this world so that they can minister to the flock of Christ. In chapter nine of St Matthew’s Gospel we see Jesus going about His priestly ministry. Jesus forgives the man suffering from the palsy and when the Scribes and Pharisees are thinking that this is blasphemy, Jesus in response cures the man saying: “Why do you think evil in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee: or to say, Arise, and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (then said he to the man sick of palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house. And he arose, and went into his house.” (Matthew 9:4-7)
Afterwards Jesus calls St Matthew to leave everything and to come and follow Him. Again the Pharisees complain when they see the ‘bad company’ that Jesus is keeping. “Why doth your master eat with publicans and sinners?” (Matthew 9:11) While Jesus is responding to a question about fasting, Jairus comes and asks Him to raise his daughter who has died. As Jesus follows Jairus, the woman who had been haemorrhaging for twelve years touches His cloak and is healed. Jesus raises Jairus’s daughter back to life, and as he continues on His journey He is approached by two blind men and later, another man who is dumb and possessed by a demon, is brought to Jesus. Jesus heals them all. “And as Jesus passed from thence, there followed him two blind men crying out and saying, Have mercy on us, O Son of David. And when he was come to the house, the blind men came to him.
14 PRAY FOR VOCATIONS And Jesus said to them, Do you believe, that I can do this unto you? They say to him, Yea, Lord. Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith, be it done unto you. And their eyes were opened, and Jesus strictly charged them, saying, See that no man know this. But they going out, spread his fame abroad in all that country. And when they were gone out, behold they brought him a dumb man, possessed with a devil. And after the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke, and the multitudes wondered, saying, Never was the like seen in Israel.” (Matthew 9:27-33) The Pharisees accuse Jesus of being in league with the devil, but He goes about the towns and cities teaching and preaching and healing every disease and infirmity. When Jesus sees the distressed multitudes, who are like sheep without a shepherd, He urges His disciples to pray for vocations. They have witnessed what is expected of the priestly followers of Jesus, and He urges them to pray that more men will enter the vineyard of the Lord to help with the rich harvest of souls. “And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them: because they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:36-38) This call to pray for vocations should resonate with each one of us. The harvest is daily growing but the labourers are in serious decline.
Catholic Voice This is true especially in the western world, where the true vision of the mission of the Catholic Church has been lost or obscured. Those religious orders who understand Tradition as the Catholic Church understands it, do not have a shortage of vocations, quite the opposite in many cases, but we must still continue to pray for them, so that those who wish to join them can be accommodated. The mission and the glory of the Catholic priesthood should never be underestimated. It is through our priests that we receive the Sacraments which open up to us the channels of sanctifying grace which enable us to resist temptation and the wiles of the devil and to become saints. St Paul recounts the power of sanctifying grace in his second letter to the Corinthians. “And lest the greatness of the revelations should exalt me, there was given me a sting of my flesh, an angel of Satan, to buffet me. For which thing thrice I besought the Lord, that it might depart from me. And he said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee; for power is made perfect in infirmity. Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) It is indeed a great blessing to have a priestly vocation in the family, but it is not without its struggles. I was speaking recently to one of the Sister Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus, in Galway, and I was telling her about some of our own family struggles. She told me that it is not uncommon for families where there is a vocation to the priesthood, to experience a greater share of the cross. As soon as she said this, I understood. The devil will do all in his limited power to destroy vocations to the priesthood. He will seek to dissuade the candidate and he can make life difficult for the
16th July 2021 family, all in an effort to bring the vocation to an end. The priest becomes an ‘alter Christus’, and Christ redeemed us through the suffering and sacrifice of the cross. Our struggles and our sufferings have great merit when we accept them with good grace and bring them to the foot of the Altar and the foot of the Cross of Christ. Our Lady told the children in Fatima, on the nineteenth of August, 1917: “Pray! Pray a great deal and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to Hell because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them.” We have within our grasp the ability to help to save souls from Hell through our prayers and our sacrifices. The Catholic priest has the power from God to forgive sins and restore poor sinners to the state of Grace. It is so easy to lament all the troubles we experience in this world but let us try not to waste a single opportunity to win graces for sinners and for priestly and religious vocations. Let us remember the words of St Paul to the Romans. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18) In your charity, can I please ask you to remember in your prayers and sufferings, the young Irish men who are training for the priesthood with the Institute of Christ the King, Abbé Raphael Lacken, Abbe Darrell Lally and Abbé Bryan McDermott. Can I ask you to please pray that more young men will answer the call to the priesthood. Oh Lord, grant us priests, Oh Lord, grant us holy priests, Oh Lord grant us many holy priests and religious vocations. May God bless you.
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Catholic Voice
Abbé Darrell Lally & Abbé Raphael Lacken with Canon Lebocq after receiving the cassock, Griciglaino, 29th June 2021
LIBERALISM IS A SIN
Don Félix Sardà y Salvany: – was
CATECHISM ON MODERNISM
Holiness Pope Pius X, issued the Encyclical ‘Pascendi Dominici Gregis’ which translates as “Feeding the Lord’s Flock”. Pope Pius X was aware that the Catholic Church had been infiltrated by modernists who were seeking to undermine her doctrines from within.
born on May 21, 1844 in Sabadell, Catalonia, Spain. He was a Catholic priest and writer who wrote against Liberalism which he considered a grave sin. He was the editor of the weekly Spanish Catholic magazine
Father J. B. Lemius, produced this ‘Catechism on years. He died on January 2, 1916 at Modernism’ in the familiar the age of 71. This book, Liberalism question and answer format is a Sin, is particularly relevant to of the time, in order to make the teachings of the the times we live in today where Liberalism permeates every Encyclical more accessible to ordinary Catholics and aspect of our society and has deeply infiltrated the thinking of by way of explaining in a clear and concise manner the many of the Catholic hierarchy. reasons why the Encyclical was published. ‘La Revista Popular’ for over forty
Paperback €/£13.50 inc p&p Published by Lumen Fidei Press
Paperback €/£13.50 inc p&p Published by Lumen Fidei Press
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16 RESIST THE ENEMY
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
The Only Way to Defeat Our Accuser Al Costa
When we study biblical passages about judgment, it is clear that people are stuck in a vicious loop, under constant condemnation from an accuser: Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one (John 8:15). Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37). What is striking in the above verses is God the Father does not judge anyone in the first, Jesus says He does not judge anyone while He was in the flesh because it was the time for repentance and proclaiming the Kingdom in the second, but the one who does judge us constantly is not named in the third verse. So, this raises the question: who does Christ refer to when He says that we are being judged constantly while we are on earth. Now, just to be clear, Jesus will indeed be our judge at the end of time: Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well
as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul — a destiny which can be different for some and for others (CCC 1021 ). However, Jesus is referring to another accuser in Luke. Our Enemy We have an enemy that is convinced that he was misjudged and that he does not have to apologise for anything. An enemy who uses every single misdeed we do to prove his point. An enemy who knows that God is so just and correct that He would grant him passage to heaven (He even let his Son be killed, didn’t He?) if his enemy could prove that he was wronged. This is the judge Jesus speaks of. Someone who uses each and every little thing the entire human species does to try to make a point to grant himself entry to a place he does not deserve. It is no wonder that his name “satan” means in Hebrew “accuser” and the bible says “The accuser
of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them day and night before our God” (Revelation 12:10). Now, one can say: “OK, so let’s just not do anything wrong, and our accuser will have nothing to say about us!”. That’d be great, but still does not solve the problem for 2 reasons: First, satan is a known liar: Jesus said, He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). So, if he cannot come up with something, he will just make up something. Second, even when he cannot come up with a lie, he will just say that what we have, what we are, what we do, is unfair and undeserved. We see that at the Book of Job when it describes him:
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RESIST THE ENEMY 17
This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1), and we see satan saying to God “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face (Job 1:11). Now, what’s really interesting is that it is not God who takes away all of Job’s possessions, but the enemy: “The Lord said to satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man, himself do not lay a finger” (Job 1:12). So, what can we do then? If we misbehave, our accuser will have grounds to accuse us. If we do everything right, he will make up a lie or just say we don’t deserve what we have. Apparently, there is no escape here! What Can We Do? There is something we can do; turn to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. Jesus said to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque: In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my allpowerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments, and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour. Jesus also promised Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque : I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.
I will establish peace in their houses. I will comfort them in all their afflictions. I will be their strength during life and above all during death. I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy. Tepid souls shall grow fervent. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection. I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honoured. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.
I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My allpowerful love will grant to all those who shall receive communion on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment. So, in the end, we see that there is nothing we can do to not be judged by our enemy, the accuser, but these promises, given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, clearly show only Jesus has the power to get us out that loop. It is no wonder He said, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
18 PUBLIC MORALITY
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
The Church Should Demand The Restoration Of Public Morality Christopher Monckton of Brenchley
When Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Health was secretly filmed in an amorous embrace with someone who was not his wife, he gave as his reason for resigning his high office his failure, by that furtive embrace, to keep a safe and infection-beating distance from a non-member of his household in accordance with pettifogging, incomprehensible and no longer necessary rules that he had himself eagerly inflicted upon everyone else. However, there was not a word of apology from Mr Hancock for the real harm done by his extra-marital liaison – namely, the grave harm done to his family and to that of his inamorata, who was herself married. The news media, who always enjoy and exploit the moment of Schadenfreude when a great one is brought low by events, clambered huffing and puffing up to the amoral high ground and gaseously expatiated upon the wickedness of one law for the great and the bad and another for the hoi polloi. They also maundered on at the failure of Boris Johnson, himself a serial adulterer, to dismiss Mr Hancock at once when the affair came to light. As usual, the scribblers and gibberers missed the main point. There was barely a squeak of protest from any of them at the callous breakup of not one but two families that is the usual consequence of adultery, and was its consequence here. The law of God, so much shorter and sounder and plainer than the laws of men, sets out the relevant principle in five blunt words: Thou shalt not commit adultery. The reason for that commandment, as for all ten of them, is that adultery
“Therefore now they are not two, But one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, Let no man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:6)
is a serious failure to adhere to the overriding principle upon which the universe is constructed and governed: that thou shalt love. Like all sins, the gravity of adultery is measured by the harm that it causes to its victims – the cuckolded spouses and, above all, the children. Now, it is not for us to judge either party in this affair. The strain under which Mr Hancock and all who serve in his department have laboured for more than a year has been intense enough to break the strongest will. However, it cannot be doubted that the removal of all legal restraints upon adultery has encouraged even those in the highest offices in the land to set a dismal example to those over whom they rule by their frequent failures to stand by their spouses for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do them part. This is the age of statistics. The demographic data could not be clearer. Children of broken families are more prone than children of united families to physical as well as mental illness, more likely to
fail at school, less likely to go to university, more likely to resort to drugs and crime, less likely to find good, steady jobs, and more likely to have dysfunctional families in their turn. The Church’s hierarchy, however, seems to possess no strategic plan for amending the law of the land to align it ever more closely with the law of God, for the benefit of all. It is now a century since an emissary sent by Lenin himself instructed the Third Extraordinary Congress of the Communist Party of the United States that it was to promote divorce, adultery, the “community of women” as the common property of men, abortion, homosexuality and everything that would tend to undermine and destroy the traditional, Christian family. For the hate-filled Kommissars of the Kremlin had recognized that it was the traditional family that was the strength and mainstream of the free, democratic and prosperous West. If they could bring down the family and eventually make it the exception rather than the rule, they
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could inflict untold damage upon the Western nations, without a shot being fired. That Communist Party Congress in the United States duly and dutifully adopted the resolutions that Lenin’s emissary had required them to adopt. The destruction of the family has been one of the principal objectives of Communism ever since. The merchants of hate, the pedlars of the poisonous political system that has killed and maimed and starved and infected more people on Earth than any other in the entire history of our race, have been sedulously relentless in their demands that the family should be destroyed forever. Here, then, is what our too-passive Bishops (for whom we must daily pray, for they too are under agonizing pressure as a result of the Chinese-virus pandemic, which has emptied the Church’s coffers and has left her struggling desperately to survive financially) should do. They should establish a committee of lawyers and policymakers to draw up an anti-adultery and thus pro-family law along the following lines. 1. There should be a special and substantial tax relief, and perhaps also a cash benefit, available only to those who are married and have not committed adultery. 2. Anyone found to have committed adultery will forfeit any such relief or benefit 3. Any adulterer will be automatically required to pay half of his or her income, for life, to the cuckolded spouse and children, on penalty of imprisonment in default, and to leave them all of his or her possessions by way of a legacy. That way, the co-respondent will not be able to benefit by his or her adultery. 4. Any adulterer who subsequently deserts his or her spouse and children will be automatically required to pay them twothirds of his or her income
for life, again on penalty of imprisonment in default. 5. There should be a standard form of marriage contract, by which each spouse undertakes to be enduringly faithful to the other and to any children of the marriage, and which specifies any penalties (in addition to those at 2-3 above) that an adulterous spouse shall pay to the cuckolded spouse. 6. Any married person who has committed adultery will be forbidden to remarry until his or her original spouse has died. 7. Anyone who conceives a child outside marriage will be obliged to marry his or her partner, on pain of imprisonment. Yes, these are stiff penalties. They are intended to be. They will make everyone realize that the welfare of the nation’s children comes before anyone else’s convenience, and that neglecting that principle will expose the adulterer to lifetime financial and social costs. In the United States, the Supreme Court is at last beginning to get to
PUBLIC MORALITY 19 grips with the moral imperative to support the traditional family for the sake of the children. It has recently ruled, unanimously, that no government agency may violate the religious beliefs of those administering faith-based adoption agencies by compelling those agencies to place children in the “care” of same-sex or cohabiting adults. The justices ruled that the city of Philadelphia had acted improperly and violated the Church’s right of freedom of religion under the First Amendment to the Constitution when it ceased to refer fosterchildren to Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia because agency’s practice was not to place children in same-sex households. It is time for our Bishops to take the lead in drawing up legislation that will focus the public mind once again on the main reason why public law should support and defend private morality: that otherwise it is the children who will be hurt first and worst.
“Offer up everything within your power as a sacrifice to the Lord in an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended; and of supplication for the conversion of sinners. Thus invoke peace upon your country. I am her Guardian Angel; the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings that the Lord may send you.” (The Angel of Portugal to Fatima children 1915)
20 SNOWFLAKE CATHOLICISM
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
Mass And The Snowflake Generation Mary Kearns
Due to the restrictions arising from the Covid 19 Pandemic, the sacraments of First Penance, First Holy Communion and Confirmation have been delayed. However many parishes are now beginning to celebrate these sacraments with the months of July, August and September being for the first time the months when children will receive the sacraments. When we take a look at their religion books and the things some children say, we might have some concerns as to what these boys and girls are taught and what their understanding of a sacrament is. Take the Eucharist for example. Although thank God we are past the time when the sacred host was referred to as “holy bread” it is doubtful if many children are instructed in the mystery of transubstantiation and the actual presence of Jesus under the appearance of bread and wine. Jesus’ offering of himself to the Father through the ministry of the priest is seldom emphasised. One word is conspicuous by its absence and that is the word “sacrifice.” We will hear it said that the concept of sacrifice is too hard for young children to understand and so they are not told of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. This is a sincere concern for faithful parents and teachers. What way can we explain it to young children? Children know that baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem at Christmas time. Although he is the king of kings and lord of lords, he was put to sleep in a manger because there was nowhere else available. How can this same Jesus be the man on the cross with nails in his hands and feet? Of course we must
recount the life of Jesus. He is the child of Nazareth who was lost for three days and who grew up with his parents Mary and Joseph into the man whose preaching inspired the multitudes, who worked great miracles of healing and conversion and who died an innocent victim. That part is not too hard to grasp but how does this relate to Mass and Holy Communion? Although stating the obvious, it is worth reminding ourselves that the boys and girls of 2021 are not the first generation to be taught the great truths of the Faith. This however, is the “Snowflake” generation. Everything has to be softened for them or they can’t cope, at least so the experts tell us. The Catechism can help us and here we are told that the Mass is the same sacrifice as that of the cross. Years ago children learned this at school at an early age and accepted it in faith. Things as we all know are very different now and since children are no longer taught in this way, we have to find a different
method - a way of communicating the truth and at the same time avoiding the displeasure of parents who do not want their children to hear about anything disturbing. Are some parents “snowflakes” too? The concept of sacrifice and in particular the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, is incomprehensible to many. With this in mind, where do we start? How do we attempt to explain this awesome mystery, a mystery so profound that it is beyond our own understanding? We are in the element of faith. While the depth and height of God’s love for us is too much to grasp, yet there are parts of this that are accessible to us, and these are what we have to try to get across to children. Starting with the familiar, we can for instance, remind them of sacrifices we make when we go without something we like and send the money to hungry people in the Third World. Daddy and Mammy love to have a bottle of wine with their dinner
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SNOWFLAKE CATHOLICISM 21
but during Lent they don’t buy the wine and they put the money in the Trocaire box instead. This is a little sacrifice, just like not buying treats for children sometimes and giving the money to poor people.
on from generation to generation by people who believed it. We do not have to be theologians or indeed have studied in any formal way, in order to educate our young people in the faith.
We can then widen the screen and talk about sacrifice in a much larger context. We can use stories of people who give up their whole lives to serve the poor and the sick.
We need not engage with heretical views because the Church is clear in what she teaches with regard to Mass. When challenged, we need simply say, either you follow Church doctrine or you don’t, and if you don’t follow this, who or what are you following?
Children will surely have heard of Saint Teresa of Calcutta and other famous people who sacrificed what might have been a very different lifestyle in order to serve others. Then there is the supreme sacrifice of giving one’s very life so that another might live. St. Maximilian Kolbe is a clear example of this sacrifice and it should be possible to recount the story of his martyrdom without going into detail. When we come to the sacrifice of Jesus it is harder to explain. The reason is that there doesn’t appear to be an immediate gain. In the case of St. Maximilian, the sacrifice of his life meant that another man’s life was spared and the connection between sacrifice and gain is clear. It is hard to understand why the sacrifice of Jesus was necessary unless it is clear what has been lost. This brings us into the realm of sin. At this point perhaps it is only necessary to say that the sins of the human race had broken their relationship with God and caused heaven to be closed. Heaven could only be opened by a human being who was also God and this human being is Jesus. But to do this, he had to sacrifice his own life. This is what he did by allowing himself to die on the cross. The Church has survived over two thousand years and faith was handed
Where does the authority for alternate beliefs come from? Those who claim the Mass is only a celebration and/or a community meal cannot have read what the Church herself teaches. The significance of what salvation means becomes clearer when we tell the children that it is only through Jesus that we can become friends again with God. They will hear this at Mass when at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer the priest holds up the host and chalice and says: “Through him and with him and in him, O God Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honour
and glory are yours forever and ever...” The response of the people of God is the great Amen, which is our way of saying “Yes!” to the mystery of faith. Through his intercessory ministry in heaven and through the Mass, Jesus continues to offer himself to his Father as a living sacrifice, and he does so in what the Church specifically states is “an unbloody manner”—one that does not involve a new crucifixion. The concept of the eternal present is something we cannot hope to understand in this life, so straight away we are into the area of faith. We have seen that the Church teaches us that Mass is the means by which the sacrifice of the cross is made present. Obviously the age and experience of the child will determine how much or how little we convey regarding the great mystery of the death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the paschal mystery which is re-presented daily on the altar. For catechesis and liturgical formation: marykeenankearns@gmail.com 087 7794687
22 HEROIC WITNESS
Catholic Voice
What Heroic Faith Looks Like Jeffrey Bruno What heroic faith looks like: Love in the face of hate, courage in the face of fear, and mercy despite the cost To be heroically faithful means to steadfastly witness to Christ in the face of resistance and attack. It’s to love in the face of hate, to have courage in the face of fear, and offer mercy in spite of the hurt. At 8:06am, what began as a peaceful Saturday morning ended abruptly as a crowd assembled before the doors St. Paul’s Church in Brooklyn chanting “This church harasses women! This church harasses women!” As the altar bell rang and the faithful rose from the pews of the diocese’ oldest continuously operating church, the reason everyone inside… and outside the church, albeit for different reasons, began; to Celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and to offer prayers for all of those affected by abortion. As voices rose in song against the chanting beyond the doors, a cacophonous symphony of opposing notes and points of view echoed against the frescoed walls. As Mass concluded the faithful stepped from the peace of the church and entered the gauntlet. Rage filled screams, taunts and attempts to prevent them from peacefully praying as they walked to a nearby abortion clinic ensued. It took an hour to walk 6 blocks. Undeterred, a priest from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and a priest the Diocese of Brooklyn led the group down Court Street in a procession that resembled Jesus’ walk to Calvary. Complete with falls, spit and hate. They prayed and bore the weight of a hatred that existed since Jesus’ time. And they brought the invitation of Christ’s Mercy and Love. “But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well” Matthew 5:29.
16th July 2021
16th July 2021 Catholic Voice They say that to be heroic there needs to be a challenge to rise above. To be truly heroic means to place the well being of others above that of your own. And to be heroically faithful means to steadfastly witness to Christ in the face of resistance and attack. It’s to love in the face of hate, to have courage in the face of fear, and offer mercy in spite of the hurt. And, on the dirty streets of Brooklyn, two priests and a group of faithful reminded a world at war with itself that heroic faith still exists, and in the end, will save the day. Jeffrey Bruno is an award winning photographer, writer and creative director who focuses on issues and stories relating to the Catholic Church in the spirit of ‘Evangelisation through Imagery’. His vocation is to present the beauty and mission of the Church to inspire, educate and inform.
HEROIC WITNESS 23
24 CAMINO PILGRIM
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
The Light of The Way- La Luz del Camino Seamus O’Connor The Pandemic and the Pilgrim As in many other parts of the world, Spain experienced a prolonged lockdown from March to June 2020. The Camino Way was emptied of pilgrims. Northern Spain was hit particularly hard by the first wave of the virus which originated in China. Santa Domingo de la Calzada, for example, a town on the Camino Francés suffered a high death rate per capita. The weight of the deaths from the first wave of the pandemic hung heavy on many hearts. During the first lockdown of 2020, I connected with pilgrim discussion groups on social media. Devotees to the Way of St James shared stories, blogs and photos of past pilgrimages and looked forward to the reopening of the Camino Way. Jesus Ciordia from Pamplona felt a responsibility to the memory of those who had passed away in sad and unfortunate circumstances and who due to Covid restrictions were not afforded a proper funeral. He came up with the idea that a light would be carried in relay along the Camino Frances, as a tribute to
A Camino pilgrim near San Juan de Ortega. - (Photo H. J. Weinz CC3)
those who had died. His vision of a light carried by relay as a memorial to the dead, was welcomed by other devotees to the pilgrim path. La Luz del Camino -The Light of the Way was born and planning began for a very special pilgrimage which would take place as soon as government restrictions permitted. A lady named Marilo Lopez joined him to coordinate volunteer carriers, companions, hospitality and Masses along the Way from Roncevalles to Santiago, a journey of 720 kms. With the relaxation of restrictions in June 2020, they began to turn his vision into reality while adhering to government regulations on sanitation, mask wearing and gatherings. Onwards to Santiago de Compostela A little light was attached to a bright red backpack and christened ‘la nina’. On June 19th, Archbishop Francisco Perez blessed the light and prayed for the dead in the Collegiate Church in Roncevalles. The leaders and their companions departed on the first leg of this unique relay pilgrimage of memory and hope.
This small group of visionaries were the only walkers on the path. They walked through woods and farms amidst the undulating landscape of the Basque region. They passed the closed hotels, hostels and cafes in the eerily quiet towns and villages. They walked by the vineyards of La Rioja and the sunflower fields of Navarre into towns with evocative names such as Najera and Belerado. La Luz backpack was passed from one group leader to another at different points along The Way. As news of the relay initiative spread small groups of people came out to show support. The volunteers were greeted with applause, Buen Camino wishes, coffee, food and in some cases accommodation. People were inspired by this special pilgrimage which illuminated the path after the darkness of the previous months. As I followed La Luz del Camino on Facebook and watched the live-streamed clips I could hear the rhythm of footfall, the tap of a walking pole the hum of chatter and joyful laughter. I followed the light bearers along dusty trails, on gravelly paths, by busy roads and
16th July 2021 Catholic Voice
CAMINO PILGRIM 25
across the gentle rise and fall of landscape. I admired their tenacity as they tackled the steep inclines or gripped their feet to the earth on shifting down-slopes. They crossed many beautiful bridges or set off under starry starry skies on early morning departures. I paused with them in prayer at churches, at statues and at memorial plaques. This special pilgrim group prayed with their feet as well as with their hearts. Their tenacity and vitality was evident throughout. The display of generosity by people along the way resonated with the long history of charity over the centuries. Priests prayed with them and Mass was celebrated in various churches including the Romanesque Iglesia de San Martin’s Church, Fromista and St. Techla’s chapel in the majestic Catherdral in Burghos. In the Sanctuario de la Virgen Peregrina in Sahagun the backpack was placed beneath a beautiful statue of Our Lady dressed in the traditional Santiago pilgrim attire. La Luz traversed the peaceful plains of the Meseta to reach the walled city of Leon where local people in pilgrim costume organized a procession to St Isidoro’s Cathedral. The Association of friends of the Camino joined them for Holy Mass. They continued on to Ponferrada famous for its impressive castle, iron bridge and historically a place of protection for pilgrims. Here they were welcomed by men and women dressed in Knights Templar costume. Saints of The Way Camino walkers are familiar with the statues of St James dotted in town plazas and inside of churches along the route. The saint is depicted with staff in one hand, bible in the other and a scallop shell on his hat. Memorable moments were captured as the group placed La Luz backpack at the foot or in the arms of the different statues they encountered.
By the 16th July the walkers left the region of Castilla y Leon behind and crossed into Galicia. On approach to O’Cebriero, a significant gateway on the Camino, they were welcomed by the sound of bells ringing at the church of Santa Maria Real. The chalice and paten associated with the 14th century Eucharistic miracle which occurred there, is on display in this beautiful church which is steeped in history. The body of Fr. Don Elias Valina Sampedro, lies inside the chapel while a bust in his memory can be seen in the town square. He continues to guide pilgrims on their path as the yellow arrows are part of his legacy. Fr. Javier Castro welcomed the group to Santa Maria church where ‘la nina’ was blessed and placed before the altar while Holy Mass was celebrated. In his homily Fr Javier spoke about the hospitalerosthe Benedictine monks who arrived in Galicia in 1072 and built a hospice beside the church. ‘They were healers of body and soul,’ he said, ‘angels of the Camino’. The history of the Camino Santiago is a narrative of life and death through the ages. Wayside plaques commemorate those who have died on route. Buildings along
the way which in the past were hospitals are a poignant reminder that life and death are part of the pilgrimage path. Devotion to St Roque, the patron saint in times of plague is significant. The church at Melide in Galicica is dedicated to this miraculous saint. The statue facing into the wind at Alto de St Roque, further along the route, has become one of the iconic symbols of walking the Camino. Triumph of spirituality over adversity Nearly 200 volunteers of various ages were involved in the relay. These included and a 13 year old with her mother, a parolympian and two nine year olds who walked with their parents at different stages. After 36 days la nina arrived into Santiago de Compostela on June 24th the eve of the feast of St James. A special Compostela Certificate was printed and the little light on the red backpack is now in the Museum of Pilgrimages in Santiago. One man’s vision was realised by the commitment of all participants. The core belief, that the Camino prevails even in time of adversity, was reinforced by the La Luz del Camino pilgrimage. A journey which in this case, represents the triumph of the human spirit in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
26 PRAY THE LORD OF THE HARVEST
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
“Pray The Lord Of The Harvest To Send Out Labourers!” Pope Benedict XVI “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers.” This means that the harvest is ready, but God wishes to enlist helpers to bring it into the storehouse. God needs them. He needs people to say: Yes, I am ready to become your harvest labourer; I am ready to offer help so that this harvest which is ripening in people’s hearts may truly be brought into the storehouses of eternity and become an enduring, divine communion of joy and love. “Pray the Lord of the harvest” also means that we cannot simply “produce” vo-cations; they must come from God. Unlike other professions, we cannot simply recruit people by using the right kind of publicity or the correct type of strategy. The call which comes from the heart of God must always find its way into the heart of man. And yet, precisely so that it may reach into hearts, our cooperation is needed. To pray the Lord of the harvest means above all to ask him for this, to stir his heart and say: “Please do this! Rouse labourers! Enkindle in them enthusiasm and joy for the Gospel! Make them understand that this is a treasure greater than any other, and that whoever has discovered it, must hand it on!” We stir the heart of God. But our prayer to God does not consist of words alone; the words must lead to action so that from our praying heart a spark of our joy in God and O Jesus, it is for the love of Thee, in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the conversion of poor sinners [that I do this]. Amen. Our Lady of Fatima - June 13th, 1917.
in the Gospel may arise, enkindling in the hearts of others a readiness to say “yes.” As people of prayer, filled with his light, we reach out to others and bring them into our prayer and into the presence of God, who will not fail to do his part. In this sense we must continue to pray the Lord of the harvest, to stir his heart, and together with God touch the hearts of others through our prayer. And he, according to his purpose, will bring to maturity their “yes,” their readiness to respond; the constancy, in other words, through all this world’s perplexity, through the heat of the day and the darkness of the night, to persevere faithfully in his service. Hence they will know that their efforts, however arduous, are noble and worthwhile because they lead to what is essential, they ensure that people receive what they hope for: God’s light and God’s love. Benedict XVI - Meeting with the priests and deacons in Freising, Germany, 14 September 2006.
This address of Pope Benedict XVI, from 2006, was taken from a booklet which was published by the Congregation for the Clergy in 2007. The booklet is called “Eucharistic Adoration for the Sanctification of Priests and Spiritual Maternity” and is free to download from several websites. Simply type in the title into the search engine of your web browser and you will be able to find it. The booklet is focused on the spiritual motherhood of priests and encourages women in particular, to pray for vocations to the priesthood. “The vocation to be a spiritual mother for priests is largely unknown, scarcely understood and, consequently, rarely lived, notwithstanding its fundamental importance. It is a vocation that is frequently hidden, invisible to the naked eye, but meant to transmit spiritual life. Pope John Paul II, was so convinced of its importance that he established a cloistered convent in the Vatican where nuns would pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.”
SPIRITUAL MOTHERHOOD 27
16th July 2021 Catholic Voice The booklet looks at the life of St Monica and her influence in winning the grace of conversion for her son, St Augustine, and his vocation to the priesthood. St Augustine said, “I have my mother to thank for what I have become and the way that I got there!”
religious sisters who have given their lives entirely to God for the sanctification of others. Pope John Paul II even thanked a child for her motherly help: “I also express my gratitude to Blessed Jacinta for the sacrifices and prayers offered for the Holy Father, whom she saw suffering greatly.” (13 May 2000)
There are many beautiful stories of priestly vocations in this booklet, all of which have a connection to women of prayer. The purpose of this is to encourage and to urge women to take on the role of spiritual motherhood in order to gain vocations to the priesthood.
Given the great need in our day for holy priests, it would be great if many of our readers were to obtain a copy of this booklet in order to build up a great prayer house beseeching God to send many new labourers into His vineyard to work for the salvation of poor sinners.
“Independent of age or social status, any woman can become a mother for priests. This type of motherhood is not only for mothers of families, but is just as possible for an unmarried girl, a widow, or for someone who is ill. It is especially pertinent for missionaries and
On the next page you can read the story of Eliza Vaughan. She was a convert to the Catholic faith and she spent an hour each day in adoration praying for vocations in her family. The Lord heard her prayers and blessed her abundantly and she was the mother of six priests and four religious sisters.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God With thy whole heart, And with thy whole soul, And with thy whole mind. This is the greatest And the first commandment.
There’s A Place For Us
Homosexuality in the Divine Plan of Redemption There’s A Place For Us: This testimony does not shirk away from difficult Catholic teachings but shows with piercing clarity why the Church teaches as she does in the area of human sexuality. In our lives we are called to a lot more than sexual satisfaction. Rather, we are granted the privilege of living life on the highest possible plane in responding to the call of the greatness of being the Sons and Daughters of God.
There’s a Place for Us Homosexuality in the Divine Plan of Redemption Jesus said to those who would stone her: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
John Cassidy - Bio Ex-homosexual and New Man John Cassidy has been serving the Catholic Church as a full-time Lay-Man since his conversion in 2014. John has founded the Association of Believing Catholics which is a lay initiative to promote and defend the fullness of Catholic truth.
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28 SPIRITUAL MOTHERHOOD
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
Eliza Vaughan It is a fact that vocations to the priesthood must be prayed for; Jesus speaks about it himself in the Gospel: “The harvest is abundant, but the labourers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out labourers for his harvest!” (Mt. 9:37-38) The Englishwoman Eliza Vaughan is a particularly encouraging example of a mother imbued with a priestly spirit who frequently prayed for vocations. Eliza came from a strong Protestant family; in fact, it was one of the founders of the Rolls-Royce car company. Yet even during her childhood education in France, she was deeply impressed by the exemplary efforts of the Catholic Church toward the care of the poor. After she married Colonel John Francis Vaughan in the summer of 1830, Eliza converted to the Catholic Faith, despite the objection of her relatives. During the Catholic persecution in England under Queen Elisabeth I (1558-1603), the Vaughan’s ancestors preferred imprisonment and expropriation to being unfaithful to their beliefs.
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Courtfield, the ancestral family home, became a place of refuge for priests during the decades of terror in England, a place where the Holy Mass was often celebrated secretly. Nearly three centuries had now passed, but the Catholic beliefs of the family had not changed. So profound and zealous was Eliza’s religious conversion that she proposed to her husband to offer all of their children back to God. Convinced of the power of silent, faithful prayer, Eliza spent an hour in adoration every day praying for vocations in her family. The mother of six priests and four religious sisters, her prayer was bountifully heard. Mother Vaughan died in 1853 and was buried in the grounds of her beloved family property, Courtfield. Today, Courtfield is a retreat center for different groups in the Welsh diocese of Cardiff. In consideration of Eliza’s holy life, the family chapel was consecrated as the shrine of “Our Lady of Vocations” by the bishop in 1954 and confirmed as such in the year 2000. This remarkable woman made a habit of praying for an hour each day before the Blessed Sacrament in the house chapel at Courtfield. She prayed to God for a large family and for many religious vocations among her children. And her prayers were answered! She bore 14 children, and died shortly after the birth of the last child, John, in 1853. Of the 13 children that lived, six of her eight boys became priests: two priests in religious orders, one diocesan priest, a bishop, an archbishop and a cardinal. From the five daughters, four became nuns in religious orders. What a blessing for the family, and what an impact on all of England! The Vaughan children enjoyed a pleasant childhood because their virtuous mother knew how to educate
16th July 2021 Catholic Voice them in a very natural way by uniting spiritual and religious obligations with amusement and cheerfulness. Thanks to their mother, prayer and daily Mass in the house chapel were just as much a part of everyday life as music, athletics, amateur theatre, horse riding and playing. It was never boring for the children when their mother told them stories from the lives of the saints, who little by little became their dearest friends. Eliza happily let her children accompany her on visits to the sick and needy of the area. On such occasions, they learned how to be generous, to make sacrifices and to give away their savings or their toys. Shortly after the birth of her 14th child, Eliza died. Two months after her death, Colonel Vaughan wrote in a letter that he was convinced divine providence brought Eliza to him. “I thanked the Lord in adoration today that I could give back to him my dearly beloved wife. I poured out my heart to him, full of
thankfulness that, as an example and a guide, he gave me Eliza with whom I am still now bound by an inseparable, spiritual bond. What wonderful consolation and grace she brought me! I still see her as I always saw her before the Blessed Sacrament: her inner purity and extraordinary human kindness which her beautiful face reflected during prayer.”
How could he have known that his son would one day be the Archbishop of Westminster, founder of the Millhill Missionaries and then a Cardinal?
The many vocations from the Vaughan family are a unique legacy in British history and a blessing which came especially through their mother, Eliza.
Extract from “Eucharistic Adoration for the Sanctification of Priests and Spiritual Maternity” Congregation for the Clergy, 2007.
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Yet the father also bowed to his wishes writing once to his friend. “If God wants Herbert for himself, he can have all the others as well.”
At the age of 16, Herbert, the oldest son, shared his priestly vocation with his parents. Their reactions were very different. His mother, who had prayed a great deal for it, smiled and said, “Child, I have known it for a long time.” His father, however, needed a little time to come to terms with the decision, since the inheritance goes to the oldest, and he had hoped Herbert would have a prestigious military career.
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SPIRITUAL MOTHERHOOD 29
Cardinal Herbert Vaughan
Fatima Prayer
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He Himself is offended, and through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg of thee the conversion of poor sinners. Amen.
“To forestall this [the second world war], I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. “If they heed My requests, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace. If not, she shall spread her errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecutions of the Church; the good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated; in the end, My Immaculate Heart shall triumph. (Our Lady - Fatima July 13th 1917)
30 BOOKS
Catholic Voice
16th July 2021
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is a series of reflections on topical issues concerning the Catholic Church and the practice of the faith ranging from ‘Faith and Culture’, to ‘GLBT – New thinking’, to ‘Purgatory and Remembrance’. Fr Hahesy’s style is conversational and he weaves through the various topics all the while pointing to the soul’s need for God. “The daily prayers at the end of this book, will ensure the salvation of our soul and a happier life here. Please believe me. It does not seem much to ask for such a great reward. To know and love God is the ultimate good whether people know this or not, accept it or not.”
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EGO EIMI - IT IS I
“May the present book of Rev. Fr. de Malleray FSSP, a beautiful and impressive “paper shrine to the Most Holy Eucharist”, have a wide diffusion and be a practical spiritual aid in order to renew the Catholic Faith, the Catholic Love and the Catholic Worship of the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist.” + Athanasius Schneider. “This highly readable, informative, and edifying treatise on the Holy Eucharist will enrich the understanding and devotion of Catholics regardless of their prior knowledge of the subject: I recommend it wholeheartedly.” Dr Joseph Shaw PhD,
SCIENCE SAYS NO
In this book, Dr. van den Aardweg debunks many of the myths created by the global homosexualist movement. The argument for gay “marriage” is exposed as a deception in this ground breaking book. For many years the public has been indoctrinated with unfounded assertions which in fact are no more than modern fairy tales sold as science. In other words, as regards homosexuality, people hear and read mostly lies. The book explains why the deception is possible and shows why no assertion of the gay ideology has been scientifically validated. €/£9 inc p&p Ireland €/£10.50 inc p&p outside Ireland
SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
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Reflections on the Abortion Issue in Ireland.
Oxf, Chairman of The Latin Mass Society.
The book also teaches us about sins of omission. After discussing sin, the book then speaks of the great graces offered to us in the sacrament of confession, it teaches us about temptations, about Christ’s suffering and death on the cross, and then it finishes with a very hope filled chapter on the joys of the resurrection.
Many countries, including Ireland, have removed the right to life from the Constitution and given the legislature the power to legalise abortion, which by definition is the intentional killing of the unborn child. The assumption is that unborn babies have no human rights. The essays in this monograph expose the fallacy that unborn babies do not have the right to life and may be ‘terminated’ if that is the ‘choice’ of the mother. In the New Ireland, human killing is now legal. It is estimated that 800 – 900 unwanted unborn babies are ‘terminated’ every month. Abortion has become the murder machine of our time.”
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16th July 2021 Catholic Voice
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32 ADVERT Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee:
Catholic Voice
CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH Note on the morality of using some anti-Covid-19 vaccines
16th July 2021 And before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)
The question of the use of vaccines, in general, is often at the centre of controversy in the forum of public opinion. In recent months, this Congregation has received several requests for guidance regarding the use of vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19, which, in the course of research and production, employed cell lines drawn from tissue obtained from two abortions that occurred in the last century. At the same time, diverse and sometimes conflicting pronouncements in the mass media by bishops, Catholic associations, and experts have raised questions about the morality of the use of these vaccines. There is already an important pronouncement of the Pontifical Academy for Life on this issue, entitled “Moral reflections on vaccines prepared from cells derived from aborted human foetuses” (5 June 2005). Further, this Congregation expressed itself on the matter with the Instruction Dignitas Personae (September 8, 2008, cf. nn. 34 and 35). In 2017, the Pontifical Academy for Life returned to the topic with a Note. These documents already offer some general directive criteria. Since the first vaccines against Covid-19 are already available for distribution and administration in various countries, this Congregation desires to offer some indications for clarification of this matter. We do not intend to judge the safety and efficacy of these vaccines, although ethically relevant and necessary, as this evaluation is the responsibility of biomedical researchers and drug agencies. Here, our objective is only to consider the moral aspects of the use of the vaccines against Covid-19 that have been developed from cell lines derived from tissues obtained from two foetuses that were not spontaneously aborted. 1. As the Instruction Dignitas Personae states, in cases where cells from aborted foetuses are employed to create cell lines for use in scientific research, “there exist differing degrees of responsibility”[1] of cooperation in evil. For example,“in organizations where cell lines of illicit origin are being utilized, the responsibility of those who make the decision to use them is not the same as that of those who have no voice in such a decision”.[2] 2. In this sense, when ethically irreproachable Covid-19 vaccines are not available (e.g. in countries where vaccines without ethical problems are not made available to physicians and patients, or where their distribution is more difficult due to special storage and transport conditions, or when various types of vaccines are distributed in the same country but health authorities do not allow citizens to choose the vaccine with which to be inoculated) it is morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted foetuses in their research and production process. 3. The fundamental reason for considering the use of these vaccines morally licit is that the kind of cooperation in evil (passive material cooperation) in the procured abortion from which these cell lines originate is, on the part of those making use of the resulting vaccines, remote. The moral duty to avoid such passive material cooperation is not obligatory if there is a grave danger, such as the otherwise uncontainable spread of a serious pathological agent[3]--in this case, the pandemic spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19. It must therefore be considered that, in such a case, all vaccinations recognized as clinically safe and effective can be used in good conscience with the certain knowledge that the use of such vaccines does not constitute formal cooperation with the abortion from which the cells used in production of the vaccines derive. It should be emphasized, however, that the morally licit use of these types of vaccines, in the particular conditions that make it so, does not in itself constitute a legitimation, even indirect, of the practice of abortion, and necessarily assumes the opposition to this practice by those who make use of these vaccines. 4. In fact, the licit use of such vaccines does not and should not in any way imply that there is a moral endorsement of the use of cell lines proceeding from aborted foetuses.[4] Both pharmaceutical companies and governmental health agencies are therefore encouraged to produce, approve, distribute and offer ethically acceptable vaccines that do not create problems of conscience for either health care providers or the people to be vaccinated. 5. At the same time, practical reason makes evident that vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary. In any case, from the ethical point of view, the morality of vaccination depends not only on the duty to protect one’s own health, but also on the duty to pursue the common good. In the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic, the common good may recommend vaccination, especially to protect the weakest and most exposed. Those who, however, for reasons of conscience, refuse vaccines produced with cell lines from aborted foetuses, must do their utmost to avoid, by other prophylactic means and appropriate behaviour, becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent. In particular, they must avoid any risk to the health of those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons, and who are the most vulnerable. 6. Finally, there is also a moral imperative for the pharmaceutical industry, governments and international organizations to ensure that vaccines, which are effective and safe from a medical point of view, as well as ethically acceptable, are also accessible to the poorest countries in a manner that is not costly for them. The lack of access to vaccines, otherwise, would become another sign of discrimination and injustice that condemns poor countries to continue living in health, economic and social poverty.[5] The Sovereign Pontiff Francis, at the Audience granted to the undersigned Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on 17 December 2020, examined the present Note and ordered its publication. Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on 21 December 2020, Liturgical Memorial of Saint Peter Canisius. Holiness, Honorable Brethren it now seems morally licit to publish a Luis F. Card. Ladaria, S.I. + S.E. Mons. Giacomo Morandi “Note...” which promotes the use of on-going experimental vaccines which Prefect Titular Archbishop of Cerveteri Secretary do not attract corporate liability against vaccine injury. Also, it would seem
Exsurgat Deus et dissipentur inimici eius et fugiant qui [1] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Dignitas Personae (8th December 2008), n. 35; AAS (100), 884. oderunt eum a facie eius [2] Ibid, 885. [3] Cfr. Pontifical Academy for Life, “Moral reflections on vaccines prepared from cells derived from aborted human foetuses”, 5th June 2005. [4] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruct. Dignitas Personae, n. 35: “When the illicit action is endorsed by the laws which regulate healthcare and scientific research, it is necessary to distance oneself from the evil aspects of that system in order not to give the impression of a certain toleration or tacit acceptance of actions which are gravely unjust. Any appearance of acceptance would in fact contribute to the growing indifference to, if not the approval of, such actions in certain medical and political circles”. [5] Cfr. Francis, Address to the members of the “Banco Farmaceutico” foundation, 19 September 2020.
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that all of you promote “remote”, “passive material cooperation” in evil in consideration of “...those who have no voice in such a decision.”
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