Month: June 2017

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Is Pope Francis Promoting a A New Kind of Cross?

Is Pope Francis looking to promote a “new kind” of Cross – one that does NOT include Jesus Christ?  On numerous occasions, the Pope has used, received as a gift, and even kissed crosses whose design does not include Jesus, and which bear startling resemblance to occult symbolism. In this article, we review three of these important instances where the Pope was publicly seen with the “new” crosses.

A “Snake” Cross in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

BRAZIL-POPE-WYD-CARDINALS-BISHOPSDuring his visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for World Youth Day on July 27, 2013, Pope Francis was seen holding a most unusual cross during a meeting with cardinals and bishops.

The Pope was likewise seen kissing the unusual cross (with what seems like a serpent’s head) during the same meeting. The original photo can still be found in Getty Images.

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A Communist Cross in Bolivia

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On July 8, 2015, Pope Francis received – and subsequently kept – a “Communist crucifix” as a gift from Bolivian President Evo Morales (left).  The cross was presented by President Morales to Pope Francis upon his arrival in Bolivia during his South American tour.

According to reports, Morales told Francis that the “Communist crucifix” was modeled on a design created by the Rev. Luis Espinal, a politically active priest killed in Bolivia in 1980. The Pope stopped and prayed at the site of the shooting of Rev. Espinal.

One of Espinal’s friends and fellow Jesuits, the Rev. Xavier Albo, said Espinal’s intent was for the church to be in dialogue with Marxism, and said Espinal had altered his crucifix to incorporate the Communists’ most potent symbol: the hammer and sickle. Espinal was one of the foremost proponents of Liberation Theology – a Marxist-leaning theology movement born in South America that was condemned by both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II.

In an interview with the press on his way back to Rome after the trip, the Pope defended the “Communist cross” and praised Espinal:

Espinal was an enthusiast of this Marxist analysis of the reality, but also of theology using Marxism. From this, he came up with this work. Also the poetry of Espinal was of this kind of protest. But, it was his life, it was his thought. He was a special man, with so much human geniality, who fought in good faith, no? Making a hermeneutic like this, I understand this work. For me it wasn’t an offense, but I had to do this hermeneutic, and I say it to you so that there aren’t any wrong opinions.

Feast of Corpus Christi

IMG_0927.jpgOn June 18, 2017, during the Feast of Corpus Christi, Pope Francis held another different version of the Cross without the image of Jesus Christ.  Photo above shows the Pope holding the unusual Cross.

Many Catholic commentators, including priests such as Fr. Kevin Cusick, expressed serious concerns about the “new cross” that the Pope publicly carried. See below the Twitter reaction of Fr. Cusick.

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“A New Form of the Cross Will be Introduced”

Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI had never deviated from the traditional design of the Cross, which has as its center the person of Jesus Christ.  This historically unique situation – of a living Pope seemingly introducing unusual, different interpretations of the Cross – reminds us of a prophecy given to Maria Divine Mercy, an Irish seer who has received numerous messages and prophecies from the Holy Trinity since 2010.  Click on this article for a more comprehensive and critical analysis of Maria Divine Mercy –  The Book of Truth: A Critical Review.

One of those prophecies included a prediction that “a new form of the cross will be introduced”.

In a message given on April 30, 2013 to Maria Divine Mercy, Jesus warned about the upcoming “new form of the cross” that was to be introduced by the False Prophet:

The letter is being written now to beckon all those in the service of the Catholic Church. Soon, all of My sacred servants will be informed of the changes, which they will be told are for the good of the Church.

The new rules, which will see amendments made to prayers during the Holy Mass, will seem innocent. To many, they won’t notice the significance, but it will relate to the Holy Eucharist and My Presence within It. The word ‘commemorate’ will be used and all churches will soon be stripped bare of their treasures. The taking of treasures, including gold Tabernacles – which will be replaced by those made of wood and stone – will be one of the signs that they are being gathered for the New World Religion.

Churches will be changed within their walls and this will involve the desecration of altars. The Monstrance,  holding the Holy Eucharist, will begin to disappear and the days when My Holy Host is exposed will come to an end.

Cast scorn upon My Word now, and you will weep tears when these acts are brought before you. Soon, not long afterwards, the garments worn by My sacred servants, will be altered and a new form of the Cross will be introduced. The new atrocity will not be based on the simple cross. Instead it will feature, discreetly, the head of the beast.

I ask you to gather My holy Crosses now and keep them in your homes, along with Holy Water. I urge all of you to hold onto the Truth of what I have told you. Then I want you to trust in Me completely. Never believe that I Am leaving you at the mercy of the evil one. I will remain close to you at all times. I will pour special blessings on the heads of My beloved, loyal sacred servants to keep them entwined with My Sacred Heart.

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Vatican doctrine chief: Amoris Laetitia cannot be interpreted in a way that refutes previous teachings of popes

Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, said that Amoris Laetitia cannot be interpreted in a way that contradicts magisterial teachings of previous popes and councils.

In his December 1, 2016 interview with the domradio.de, the radio station of the Diocese of Cologne, Germany, the Vatican’s doctrine chief said:

The binding declarations of the popes, of the Councils of Trent and of the Second Vatican Council and of the Congregation for the Faith on the essential characteristics of marriage and on the precondition for a fruitful reception of the Sacraments in the state of justifying [i.e., sanctifying] grace may not be pushed aside by anyone under the pretext that marriage is, after all, merely an ideal which only can be reached by a very small number of people.

Regarding Communion for “remarried” divorced Catholics, Muller cites a 1994 letter by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, which denied the possibility for bishops to permit Communion for the couples in question. The letter  by Cardinal Ratzinger was a response to a 1993 Pastoral Letter of three progressive German bishops (one of them being the then-Bishop Walter Kasper) who were then already pushing for Communion for the “divorced and remarried.”

The indissolubility of marriage must be “the unshaken foundation of teaching and of every pastoral accompaniment,” Müller emphasizes.

Cardinal Müller likewise said:

The Holy Father, at the same time, wishes to help all people whose marriages and families are in a crisis to find a path in accordance with the ever-merciful will of God. We can always assume that the just and merciful God always wants our salvation in whatever need we find ourselves. But it does not stand in the power of the Magisterium to correct God’s Revelation or to make the imitation of Christ comfortable.

As a follow-up question, the interviewer asked Muller: “Would the bishops’ conferences thus then be asked to help? Francis himself, after all, writes in Amoris Laetitia that not all questions need to be clarified in Rome….”

When answering this pertinent question, the German Cardinal first explains that bishops’ conferences “are merely working groups with certain competences” and, thus, are not of “Divine Law.” He continues:

Only in fidelity to the teaching of the Apostles, to the whole of the revealed Faith, can the bishops of a conference speak, for example, about the pastoral application of Amoris Laetitia. Otherwise, the Church would disintegrate into national churches and, in the end, would atomize. The Sacrament of Marriage, however, is in Korea just as valid as it is in Germany.

When asked whether the individual bishop may make his own independent decision as a response to Amoris Laetitia, Muller responded that  “Nor can the individual bishops do whatever they want according to their own private taste. They are servants, not masters of the Faith.”

Muller emphasized that marriage is not an “ideal” to which we aspire to, but rather a Sacrament founded by God Himself:

Marriage is in truth not a wishful image produced by ourselves, but, rather, a Sacrament, that is to say a reality founded by God Himself. It is an expression of the Mercy of the Creator and of the Redeemer. God does not put excessive demands upon us so that he then can show His Mercy toward us in the face of our own failure. With the help of Grace, we are able to fulfill the Commandments – among them the Sixth Commandment – and thus find peace of heart in a life in accordance with God’s will. ∎

by Paul Michaels, Veritas

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Revisiting the Story of Medjugorje

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More than 40 million pilgrims have visited Medjugorje in the last three decades – despite a previous lack of official Vatican recognition. Photo above shows a procession in Medjugorje led by several priests.

On June 24, 1981, in a small town in Bosnia-Hercegovina called Medjugorje, the Blessed Virgin Mary started appearing to six young children. Since the apparitions began, an estimated 40 million people from all over the world have visited Medjugorje. Thousands of healings and deep conversions have been reported. Even today, more than 36 years after the apparitions began, some of the seers still receive daily messages from Our Lady. Our Lady has mentioned that the apparitions in Medjugorje will be her last apparition on earth. Similar to other apparitions of Our Lady like Fatima, the apparitions in Medjugorje predict future important, world-changing events – a series of ten secrets entrusted to the seers that will be revealed very soon to mankind.

Why Did Our Lady Appear in Medjugorje?

On the third day of the apparitions of Our Lady, Ivanka, one of the visionaries, asked Our Lady why she came. She responded: “I have come because there are many true believers here. I wish to be with you to convert and to reconcile the whole world…”

Mirjana asked the Lady who she was, and the Lady responded, “I am the Blessed Virgin Mary.” The children requested from the Lady a sign to prove the apparition to those who didn’t see her. She responded: “Blessed are those who have not seen and who believe.”

After the apparition had ended, the six children began going down the hill. Marija, who was more fleet-footed, went ahead of everyone else. On her way down, suddenly she felt a mysterious force push her off to the side of the trail. Our Lady then appeared to her alone, with a bare wooden cross behind her. The Lady was very sad, and speaking through tears, said: “Peace, Peace, Peace! Be reconciled! Only Peace. Make your peace with God and among yourselves. For that, it is necessary to believe, to pray, to fast, and to go to confession.”

And thus, on the third day, the purpose of the apparitions were made clear. Our Lady had come to convert and reconcile the whole world to God.

The Ten Secrets

Our Lady has revealed ten secrets to the children – secrets foretelling future events that will occur very soon.

One of the secrets involves a “visible sign” that will be given to mankind that will appear on the site of the apparitions in Medjugorje for all the people to see. The sign will be given as a testimony, confirming the apparitions and in order to call people back to faith.

Before this visible sign is given to mankind, there will be three warnings to the world. The warnings will be in the form of events on earth. Mirjana will be a witness to them. Ten days before one of the admonitions, Mirjana will notify a priest of her choice (Fr. Petar Ljubicic), who will then fast for seven days and announce the secret to the world.

The ninth and tenth secrets are serious. They concern chastisement for the sins of the world. Punishment is inevitable, for we cannot expect the whole world to be converted. The punishment can be diminished by prayer and penance, but it cannot be eliminated. Mirjana says that one of the evils that threatened the world, the one contained in the seventh secret, has been averted thanks to prayer and fasting. That is why the Blessed Virgin continues to encourage prayer and fasting.

The Church’s Final Period of Trial

Mirjana has related an apparition she had in 1982 which sheds light on current events happening in the Church. She spoke of an apparition in which Satan appeared to her, asking her to renounce the Madonna and follow him. Mirjana rejected him, and immediately the Virgin gave her the following message, in substance:

Excuse me for this, but you must realize that Satan exists. One day he appeared before the throne of God and asked permission to submit the Church to a period of trial. God gave him permission to try the Church for one century. This century is under the power of the devil, but when the secrets confided to you come to pass, his power will be destroyed. Even now he is beginning to lose his power and has become aggressive. He is destroying marriages, creating division among priests and is responsible for obsessions and murder. You must protect yourselves against these things through fasting and prayer, especially community prayer. Carry blessed objects with you. Put them in your house, and restore the use of holy water.

How to Prepare for the Forthcoming Events

In a July 30, 1987 message, Our Lady said: “Dear children, this is the reason for my presence among you for such a long time: to lead you on the path of Jesus. I want to save you and, through you, to save the whole world. Many people now live without faith; some don’t even want to hear about Jesus, but they still want peace and satisfaction! Children, here is the reason why I need your prayer: prayer is the only way to save the human race.”

When the visionaries were asked of the secrets: “What should we do? How should we prepare? Should we be afraid?” – they gave the following answers.

Mirjana: “Our Lady’s messages here, prepare us for what is to come. She calls us to conversion now which means complete surrender to God. If we do that, we are not afraid, not even of death.”

Ivanka: “Nothing should frighten us except disobeying God’s Will.”

Vicka: “People should not be afraid if they are prepared. If we are afraid of these kinds of things, we don’t have confidence in God. Fear of this kind does not come from God. It can only come from Satan who wants to disturb us, so that we close ourselves to God and are not able to pray. With God, you can only have confidence – and strength to go through any troubles. The best preparation is to pray every day, go to Mass, and read the Bible. With prayer and penance the chastisements can be lessened. I can only say: prepare. For all eternity, you will thank God if you do.”

Marija: “This is a time of great grace and mercy. Now is the time to listen to these messages and to change our lives. Those who do will never be able to thank God enough.” ∎

 

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Vatican reportedly working on “Ecumenical Rite of Mass” for joint worship with Protestants

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Pope Francis meets with Rev. Jens-Martin Kruse at Rome’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on Nov. 15 2016

Italian journalist and Vatican expert Marco Tosatti has reported that Pope Francis has formed a top-secret commission tasked with implementing a new kind of “mass” that is acceptable to Catholics, Lutherans and Anglicans.

The commission consists of representatives from all three denominations, all bound to secrecy.

The journalist, who is well known in Italy for his accurate reporting of all things happening in the Vatican, has said that while this news is merely a “rumor” at this point, his “sources are usually good.”

According to his sources, the commission is finding little difficulty in finding common ground in the “liturgy of the word”.  Tosatti reports: “After the confession of sins, asking for forgiveness, and reciting the Gloria, there would be the readings and the Gospel.”

He also said that the commission is allegedly studying the problem of the Creed. Protestant churches prefer to pray the Apostles’ Creed, although they do recognize the Nicene Creed. The Catholic Church alternates between them. So not even this point should be a major problem.

The presentation of the gifts likewise does not present a major  obstacle to the project.

According to Tosatti, the central issue lies in the Eucharist, since the  Catholic understanding of the Eucharist is profoundly different from that of the Lutherans or of other Protestant denominations. Catholics believe in Transubstantiation and the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, while Protestants believe that it is merely a memorial.

But how can a common liturgy be celebrated that clearly differs in the wording right at the most important point of the event?

Tosatti reports that a possible “solution” being proposed is that the words of Consecration be replaced by silence.  It would mean that after the Sanctus, at the moment in which normally during the Mass the priest would say the words: “Father, you are holy indeed…” the different celebrants would keep silent, everyone mentally repeating “his own” formula.

The silence is broken in the congregation with the recitation of the Our Father. It is still not clear how the lines for Communion would be formed.

In light of this well-founded rumor, we should take heed of the remarks of Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, a close collaborator of Pope Francis and currently the President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. The Vatican cardinal has suggested that we stop thinking of sacraments so rigidly as only either valid or invalid. For the sake of ecumenism, he opined that we should start looking into sacraments perhaps having “imperfect” or “partial” validity. Below are his exact words, as published in his exclusive interview with Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register:

We say, everything is valid; nothing is valid. Maybe we have to reflect on this concept of validity or invalidity. The Second Vatican Council said there is a true communion [between Catholics and Protestants] even if it is not yet definitive or full. You see, they made a concept not so decisive, either all or nothing. There’s a communion that is already good, but some elements are missing. But, if you say some things are missing and that therefore there is nothing, you err. There are pieces missing, but there is already a communion, but it is not full communion. The same thing can be said, or something similar, of the validity or invalidity of ordination. I said let’s think about it. It’s a hypothesis. Maybe there is something, or maybe there’s nothing — a study, a reflection. ∎

by John Supplers, Veritas Vincit

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Pope Francis doubts Medjugorje: “These alleged apparitions have no great value”

medjugorje-apparition-hill-pilgrimage1Despite the Vatican commission’s formal recognition of the Medjugorje apparitions as authentic, Pope Francis expressed his doubts on the apparitions, declaring them to be of “no great value”.

Speaking to journalists on May 13, Pope Francis said that, regarding Medjugorje, his “personal opinion” is that “these alleged apparitions have no great value.”

He also expressed his doubts on the thousands of subsequent apparitions that have continued to take place until the present day.  He said: “I prefer Our Lady to be a mother, our mother, and not a telegraph operator who sends out a message every day at a certain time — this is not the mother of Jesus.”

The Pope’s opinion that the Medjugorje apparitions “have no great value” runs counter to thousands of testimonies from pilgrims who have reported healings, miracles, and conversions when visiting the Medjugorje shrine. This is likewise in stark contrast to Pope John Paul II, who loved Medjugorje, and who said: “Medjugorje is the spiritual heart of the world”.

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Pope John Paul II: “Medjugorje is the spiritual heart of the world”

Pope John Paul II once powerfully observed, “Today’s world has lost its sense of the supernatural, but many are searching for it –and find it in Medjugorje, through prayer, penance, and fasting.” The late pontiff and future saint  spoke these words on August 1, 1989, while addressing a group of Italian physicians studying the apparitions in Medjugorje with medical and scientific investigations.

It is no secret within Rome that John Paul II absolutely loved Medjugorje, once even acquiring the nickname “Protector of Medjugorje” within the Vatican.  While it is known that the late Polish pope never personally visited Medjugorje, what is less known is that throughout the last two decades of his life Pope John Paul II held personal meetings and correspondence with Medjugorje visionaries, Medjugorje priests, even Medjugorje inner locutionaries, and numerous pro-Medjugorje bishops.

Mons. Maurillo Kreiger, former bishop of Florianopolis (Brazil), visited Medjugorje four times. His first visit was in 1986. He writes as follows:”In 1988, I was with eight other bishops and thirty three priests on spiritual retreat in the Vatican. The Holy Father knew that many of us were going to Medjugorje afterwards. After a private mass with the Pope, before leaving Rome, he said, without having been asked anything, “Pray for me in Medjugorje”. On another occasion, I told the Pope “I am going to Medjugorje for the fourth time”. He concentrated his thoughts and said, “Medjugorje, Medjugorje, it`s the spiritual heart of the world”.∎

by Mark Jeffreys, Veritas

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The End Times as Revealed to Fr. Stefano Gobbi

Fr. Stefano Gobbi (left), with St. Pope John Paul II.
The messages of Our Lady to Fr. Gobbi were compiled in a book entitled “To the Priests: Our Lady’s Beloved Sons”

In a series of messages given by the Blessed Virgin Mary as interior locutions to Fr. Stefano Gobbi (seen in photo above with St. Pope John Paul II), Our Lady has unequivocally said that the Second Coming of Jesus will happen very soon, in fact in the present generation. The messages, which carry the imprimatur from several cardinals and bishops, are compiled in the book “To the Priests: Our Lady’s Beloved Sons” .  The messages have spawned a worldwide movement – the Marian Movement of Priests and Laity – which have hundreds of priests and bishops as members, as well as millions of lay faithful.  Below is an excerpt of a message on the End Times given by Our Lady on December 31, 1992:

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I have announced to you many times that the end of the times and the coming of Jesus in glory is very near.  Now, I want to help you understand the signs described in the Holy Scriptures, which indicate that His glorious return is now close.

These signs are clearly indicated in the Gospels, in the letters of  Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and they are becoming  a reality during these years.

The first sign is the spread of errors, which lead to the loss of faith and to apostasy.

These errors are being propagated by false teachers, by renowned theologians who are no longer teaching the truths of the Gospel, but pernicious heresies based on errors and on human reasoning.  It is because of the teaching of these errors that the true faith is being lost and the great apostasy is spreading everywhere.

“See that no one deceives you.  For many will attempt to deceive many people.  False prophets will come and will deceive very many.” (Mt 24:4-5)

“The day of the Lord will not come unless the great apostasy comes first.” (2 Thes. 2,3)