The Great Modernist Schism of the 21st Century

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The Great Modernist Schism in the Catholic Church will most probably occur sometime between 2011 and 2020. It's ironic that this time period will mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Schism in Europe. However, the Great Modernist Schism of the 21st century will be much bigger than anything the Catholic Church has experienced in the last millennium. The closest thing that could compare would be the Arian schism of the 4th century, in which at one time there were actually more Arians than Catholics. This Modernist schism may not likely be that big, but it will be comparable.

The players in this schism are primarily in the United States, though Europe will most certainly have a significant influence as well. However, since the founding of Catholic Christianity in the Americas five-hundred years ago, there has not been a significant schism on these shores. That is about to change. The United States leads the way and will be the principle player in this latest (and possibly final) schism of the worldwide Catholic Church. European countries such as Austria, Germany, France and England may also play a significant (but supportive) role to the primarily American led schism. The highest principle player is the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has for years been duped into supporting liberal causes and has generally been a very weak advocate of the traditional Catholic faith. The USCCB, as it is called, will ultimately play a sucker role as it will continue to be inadvertently used to promote the very schism that will ultimately tear it apart. Behind the scenes is a subversive player called the American Catholic Council. This is a liberal front group, designed to rally dissident Catholics in the years ahead in what may become direct opposition to the USCCB and the Vatican. In the opinion of this blogger, the American Catholic Council will most likely serve to replace the USCCB as THE primary consulting body for the majority of US Catholic parishes. The stated goals of the American Catholic Council are taken from their own website here, and are listed below in black. My commentary is in blue...

• We seek a Church that is inclusive, compassionate, trustworthy, and representative. (It sounds nice, but the key word here is "representative." This is code for ecclesiastical democracy. These people want to be able to "elect" their leaders, perhaps even their priests or bishops. I suspect that the term "inclusive" in this context may be a reference to female clergy.)
  
• We seek a Church that actively listens to the Spirit in its people and that worships and evangelizes in the fullness of that inspiration. (Again, this is code for a Church that tells the people what they want to hear, rather than what they need to hear.)
  
• We seek a Church that addresses the spiritual hunger of all Catholics, including marginalized and former Catholics. (The term "marginalized Catholics" is code for dissident Catholics, meaning those who oppose the teachings of the Catholic Church.)
  
• We seek to multiply the bread of the Eucharist so that a malnourished Catholic Community can encounter Christ with all the healing power of his sacramental presence through the preservation of parish community and a radically inclusive theology of ministry. (The term "radically inclusive theology" in relation to the Eucharist is almost universally recognized in religious circles as acceptance of homosexuality. The term "multiply the bread of the Eucharist" is a way of saying that communion should be open to all, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, and especially those who oppose the Church's teaching on Christian sexual ethics.)
  
• We seek reform of the governing structures in our Church so that they reflect the better aspects of the American experience: a democratic spirit, concern for human rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and a tradition of participation and representation. (Once again, this summarizes the above stated goals of changing the structure of Catholic parishes, and perhaps even dioceses, into a democracy, where leaders are elected based on what the people want to hear, rather than what they need to hear, making room for dissidents to become leaders and the Church's moral teachings to become subject to collective opinion.)

Further investigation of this group's website will reveal latent influence by homosexual and radical feminist sub-groups. The collective gathering of various dissident Catholic sub-groups, under one umbrella organization, can only spell a recipe for schism. The first meeting of the American Catholic Council is scheduled for June 10-12 of 2011. I expect more will follow.

The next big player in the Great Modernist Schism is none other than President Barrack Hussein Obama. This liberal American president has been playing the weakness of the US Catholic Church for a political angle. He knows this will be one of the largest organizations standing against his reelection campaign in 2012, and therefore in order to crack its influence over Catholic voters the organization itself must be cracked. To do this Obama has systematically been taking advantage of liberal dissidents within the US Catholic Church, by appointing as many of these dissidents as possible to the highest offices of the land. Simultaneously, Obama has accepted invitations to be awarded with honors at various dissident Catholic organizations around the nation - including the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. These public acts create confusion among the general Catholic population in the United States, presenting the image of a divided Catholic Church, which is EXACTLY what the president wants.

The final big player in this Great Modernist Schism is none other than the mainstream news media fueling the sex-abuse scandal in the Catholic Church and forming public opinion about it. Though statistics indicate that sexual abuse of minors and subsequent cover up is no higher in the Catholic Church than any other denomination or religious organization, the mainstream news media continues to focus it's spotlight on Rome. There is a reason for this and it is intentional. Because the Catholic Church is the largest Christian Church in the world, and because the players in the mainstream news media hate Christianity in general, it only makes sense to attack the largest Christian organization first. The idea is to bring down the big boys, and then watch the little boys run for cover. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. Destroy the Catholic Church, and all of the smaller Christian denominations will head for the hills. It will be much easier to take down the smaller Christian denominations once the largest is crippled. The United States is now leading the charge against the Vatican by allowing an illegal lawsuit to go forward that would implicate the Vatican (and the pope himself) as responsible for sexual abuse by Catholic priests in the United States. This is under the ridiculous notion that the Vatican acts as an "employer" to these abusive priests. The premise of the lawsuit is absurd and has no basis in reality or common law but nevertheless the lawsuit will go forward, and the ensuing media flurry that will surround it will only bolster the position of dissident Catholics. It is highly unlikely the Vatican will win the lawsuit against it, even though the Vatican is right and the lawsuit is baseless. This is because public opinion of the Catholic Church has been so soured over the years by relentless reporting of sex-abuse, that it will be virtually impossible for the Vatican to receive a fair trial. Furthermore, just the image of a Vatican official in court itself, will be enough for the mainstream news media to put the final nails in the coffin of the US Catholic Church. In the public eye, all moral credibility of the pope, Vatican and US Catholic Church will be completely destroyed. Dissident bishops, priests and laity will increasingly see no need to follow the leadership of a seemingly defunct pope or an obsolete Catholic hierarchical system. All the conditions for schism will be ripe in 2011 and in that year the process will most likely begin. When it will be complete is up for debate.

The time for straddling the fence is over. If you're a Catholic who wishes to remain faithful to the pope then it's time to get out of the progressive Catholic parishes NOW. Beware of any parish or priest that makes reference to the American Catholic Council (or ACC). Beware of any parish or priest that makes reference to the language used in the ACC's agenda listed above. Find a relatively conservative, traditional and orthodox Catholic parish as quickly as possible and get your family involved there. Spread the word to your Catholic family and friends, notifying them of the impending schism and the players involved. Try to salvage as much of US Catholicism as you can, before it's too late. Finally, the only thing left to do is pray. Pray the rosary. PRAY HARD!

The Vatican Says It Will Prove It's Not Liable For Sexual Abuse Committed By American Priests

(Reuters) – The Vatican has said it cannot be seen as a multinational business whose executives can be held ultimately responsible for the action of their subordinates, because dioceses around the world have their own legal status as employers.

It has also said the pope, as head of a sovereign state recognized by more than 170 countries, has diplomatic immunity from prosecution in other countries.

Pope Benedict is struggling to control the damage a sexual abuse scandal has done to the Catholic Church's image. The crisis has hit the United States and several European countries, including his native Germany.

In his statement, Lena said the Vatican defense would show that Ronan could not be considered an employee of the Vatican.

"In our view, the indicia (signs) of employment are simply not present," Lena said.

"The Holy See does not pay the salary of the priest, or benefits of the priest, or exercise day-to-day control over the priest, and any of the other factors indicating the presence of an employment relationship," he said.

Lena said the Vatican was not even aware of Ronan's "very existence" until after the suit was file. Ronan was a member of the Friar Servants of Mary religious order....

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: So the Vatican says it's not financially liable for sexual abuse committed by American priests. Indeed the Vatican is right, because the argument being put forward by the plaintiff is that priests are "employees" of the Vatican, and therefore, the Vatican operates as an "employer" and is therefore financially liable. This is pure poppycock of course. The Vatican doesn't pay any salaries outside of Rome, nor does the Vatican determine clerical assignments. All of this is done at the local level, by local bishops and their local bishop's conferences. The Vatican is right. It is not financially liable for any sexual abuse committed by any priest outside the walls of the Vatican city-state.

However, The Catholic Knight has a message for the Vatican, and I know there are some folks there who read this blog. My tracking software has tagged them on more than one occasion. My message to them is as follows...

Go ahead and offer the best legal defense you can because you are absolutely right, but don't expect to win because it won't matter. The United States legal system is corrupt, and the lawyers working this case have flooded the news media with negative stories about the Catholic Church. Public opinion has been so swayed against the Catholic Church in recent years that it will be virtually impossible to get a fair trial here. It is a trap that has been carefully planned and already sprung. So be prepared to lose in court, even though you are right, because justice is rarely ever attainable through the American legal system. If you don't believe me, just ask any law-abiding citizen of the United States. The best advice I can give you is to prepare a public relations campaign that is bigger than anything you've ever done before, because the damage this lawsuit will do to the Vatican's reputation will be far greater than any monetary value it can extort from your treasury.

The Prophecies of Saint Irenaeus

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Today, June 28, is the Feast of St. Irenaeus. This early Church Father was born in the Year of Our Lord 125, and died in 202 AD. He served as the Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (which is now Lyon in France). His tomb was destroyed by the Calvanists in 1562 AD, and all of his relics have since vanished.

Irenaeus was a prolific writer, and is best-known for his book Adversus Haereses or "Against Heresies," written in about 180 AD. It is a detailed attack on Gnosticism, which was then a serious threat to the Church, and especially on the system of the Gnostic Valentinus. As one of the first great Christian theologians, he emphasized the traditional elements in the Catholic Church, especially the episcopate, Scripture, and tradition. Irenaeus wrote that the only way for Christians to retain unity was to humbly accept the doctrinal authority of the Church councils.

The prophetic writings of Saint Irenaeus are more instructional than mystical. Rather than claiming to receive visions from our Lord, Irenaeus put his emphasis on faithfully transmitting the oral traditions of the apostles. From this we can gain some specific insights into the prophecies concerning the last days of the end times...

“He [The Antichrist] shall sit in the Temple of God as if he were Christ, and leading astray those who worship him. For when he is come, and of his own accord concentrates in his own person the apostasy, and accomplishes whatever he shall do according to his own will and choice, sitting also in the Temple of God so that his dupes may adore him as the Christ...”

“By means of the events which shall occur in the time of Antichrist it is shown that he, being an apostate and a robber, is anxious to be adored as God; and that although a mere slave, he wishes to be proclaimed as a king. For he being endued with all the power of the devil, shall come, not as a righteous king, not as a legitimate king obedient to God but as an impious, unjust, and lawless one; as an iniquitous and murderous apostate; as a robber, concentrating in himself a satanic apostasy, and setting aside idols to persuade men that he himself is God.

The Antichrist will deceive the Jews to such an extent that they will accept him as the messiah and worship him.

The disciples of the apostles say (from oral tradition) that they (Elias and Enoch) whose living bodies were taken up from this world have been placed in an earthly paradise where they will remain until the end of the world.

At the time of his reign Antichrist will command that Jerusalem be rebuilt in its splendor and will make it a great and populous city, second to none in the world and will order his palace to be built there.

- Saint Irenaeus, source

It is this last portion of this prophetic tradition from the apostles that gives us some insight into Biblical prophecy. What seems to be of particular interest is the statement that Jerusalem will be rebuilt, and it is by command of none other than the Antichrist himself.

Now at the time this apostolic prophecy was recorded by Irenaeus, the City of Jerusalem was in shambles, having been sacked multiple times by Roman forces in the Jewish uprisings against the empire. Since Irenaeus' record of this prophecy, the city has been rebuilt multiple times. First by the Christians, then by the Muslims, and now most recently by the Zionists. None of these rebuilding projects has resulted in making Jerusalem "a great and populous city, second to none in the world." Nor has any of them produced a palace for a man who would rebuild the Jewish Temple, be proclaimed the Jewish messiah, and be worshiped by his followers. So from this prophetic record we can conclude two things. (1) Jerusalem will be rebuilt again, and so by implication, (2) Jerusalem will most likely be destroyed at least one more time before this prophetic record can be fulfilled. When we consider the current tinderbox in the Middle East, and the impending firestorm that is inevitable between the Zionists and Islamists, it becomes more clear how such a future destruction could take place.

It's important also to remember the historic and traditional teaching of Orthodox Jewish rabbis. According to the few who still hold to Traditional Judaism, the Jews are supposed to wait for their messiah before they can return to the Holy Land, rebuild their temple and restore the glory that was once Jerusalem. These rabbis protest the current Zionist government that is the modern State of Israel because it defies the rabbinic teaching of nearly 1,700 years by attempting to re-establish Israel (naming Jerusalem as it's capitol) without the presence of the messiah to lead them. In other words, the Zionist agenda gets the cart before the horse, by trying to rebuild Israel (and Jerusalem) first, then hope the messiah comes to fix the whole mess. While the world waits to see which Jewish faction is correct, Traditional Jews or the Zionists, we Christians have a little insight from the prophetic oral traditions of the Church Fathers. In essence, the Zionists are wrong. The Traditional Jews are right, but only insofar as they will eventually be led back into Jerusalem by an Antimessiah (or Antichrist) whom they think is their real messiah. For this to happen, the current state of things in the Middle East must be undone, and the current Zionist regime in Israel will prophetically be uprooted.

In all likelihood, it is probable the current situation in the Middle East is temporary. The Zionist agenda is not likely to succeed. The Jews, both in the Holy Land and throughout the world, will have to wait for a messianic figure to arise and lead them back into Jerusalem. When this happens, we will know the last days of the end times have come. Until then however, what we see going on in the Middle East today is merely a dress rehearsal.

Dispensationalism - A Religion of Fear & Bad Politics

(WND) - Is there a spiritual, biblical connection to the BP oil catastrophe?

A new video on YouTube is suggesting a possible link to the disaster due to America's recent treatment of Israel, and at least one well-known Bible analyst, Hal Lindsey, thinks there's a valid correlation.

The video was produced and posted today by Carl Gallups of the Hickory Hammock Baptist Church in Milton, Florida...

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Wow! This is the reaction of some Dispensationalists to the oil catastrophe in the Gulf. I suppose IF it is a direct chastisement of God (which it probably is) it has nothing to do with our national crimes of abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research. I suppose it has nothing to do with our national immorality of rampant sexual license. I suppose it has nothing to do with our exploitation of cheap child labor in third-world countries to maintain our standard of living in the USA. I suppose it has nothing to do with our election of Marxists to the highest levels of government, nor our bloating national debt. I suppose it has nothing to do with banning prayer in public schools and persecuting Christians for street witnessing. I suppose it has nothing to do with the sad reality that most Americans care more about materialism than morality. I suppose it has nothing to do with the fact that we choose to exploit the natural resources of everybody else, rather than our own. I suppose it has nothing to do with us finally getting what's been coming to us for a VERY long time. Nooooo! Because the catastrophe happened to coincide with a certain date, plus 1 day, on the Israeli calendar, it all has to do with our lack of unconditional support of Israel and the Zionist agenda that has turned the Middle East into a tinderbox.

Wow! I would like to say I'm surprised but sadly I am not. Dispensationalism has now become a religion of 100% international politics, and 100% Zionist agenda. In other words, if you don't support the Israeli government unconditionally, regardless of their anti-Christian decisions, than by the hand of God, your nation will be laid waste.

Dispensationalism is a philosophy created by Freemasons in the middle 19th century and sold mainly to Protestants in the United Kingdom and the United States. Today it is primarily embraced by many Evangelicals, Pentecostals and some Baptists almost exclusively in the United States. Some US Catholics have even bought into this. The idea behind it is that the Church is not really the new Israel (as it says in the New Testament), but rather the land of Palestine is the "true Israel" only when it is occupied by people who call themselves Jews whether they practice Judaism or not. The political activity that promotes the return of Jews to the Palestinian area, and sponsors the policies of the Israeli government, is called Zionism. This was also a political ideology spawned by Freemasons in the middle 19th century. Since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 a convergence has developed between Zionism and Dispensationalism. It has now reached the point where the majority of the world's Zionists are American Christians operating under the Dispensational mindset. Yes, there are now more Christian Zionists in America than Jewish Zionists in the whole world.

As I stated in a previous blog entry, it is high time for Western Christians to get back into the business of promoting CHRISTIANITY rather than the Masonic-Zionist pipe dream that is the current State of Israel. Western Christians need to start supporting Christians in the Holy Land, and the indigenous churches of the Middle East. Only by doing this can we fulfill our Christian calling overseas, and ever hope to bring peace to that part of the world.

If you want to do your part to help Christians in the Middle East, it is possible. Yes, you really can. It's not hard. It's simple and safe. All you need do is CLICK HERE and start by making a small donation to bring the Gospel to this war torn region. 'The Catholic Knight' is a regular contributor to this cause. Why won't you enlist in Christ's army of love and join me in the battle for souls? What's stopping you?

Beyond that, it would help tremendously if we start practicing a little old fashioned gospel Christianity here at home too. Maybe if we did that, God wouldn't be so inclined to curse us with oil spills.

Renown Heretic Announces His Favorite Bishops

(Wikipedia) - Richard Peter McBrien (born 1936) is the Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. He is a dissident priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford and the author of several controversial books and articles discussing Catholicism. He is most well known for his authorship of Catholicism, a book which received criticism from the U.S. Catholic bishops for advocating heresy and dissent from Catholic teaching....

read more here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Naturally any list of favorite bishops from this man should raise some eyebrows, and it should cause us to look deeper into who is on this list and why. Of particular interest to me are those from Missouri, but you can read the full list on the National Catholic Register...

• John Leibrecht, Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., 1984-2008
• Charles Helmsing, Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., 1962-77
• John J. Sullivan, Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., 1977-93
• Raymond Boland, Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., 1993-2005

read full list here

Of the three bishops listed from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, McBrien writes: "whose good work the incumbent has done so much to undo." That "current incumbent" is none other than Bishop Robert Finn, whose work I deeply admire. Those of us in Missouri can only hope the current incumbent of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Bishop James V. Johnston, will someday find himself the target of similar criticism from McBrien, as it would appear to be a badge of honor.

Free Speech In America Today

read more here
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The commentator on the video is right. This is what will happen in cities all over America as the Islamic population in the United States continues to grow. However, the commentator doesn't point out a few important things....

First, not all Muslims are like this. Many of them would never dream of treating their fellow man this way. The Dearborn MI festival featured in the above video is an "Arab Festival" not an "Islamic Festival." That's important to note. The festival is designed to attract business and commerce to what has become a heavily Arab owned part of the inner city. As it stands, the theme of the festival is primarily ethnic, not religious, which is also important to note. Even Arab Christians are invited to set up their booths for retail and display. All of this is very important to remember. Naturally, with any kind of an Arab event, there is going to be a large Islamic presence, mainly because most Arabs are Muslims. Below is a short video promoting the festival which is important to note for the sake of context...

Second, what we've learned about Muslim populations is that in small quantities they are usually quiet and reserved. They usually keep to themselves, and usually don't want to stir up any trouble. That's important to remember, because we don't want to run the risk of stereotyping ALL Muslims with the inhumanity of a small few. In places throughout the Western world, including the United States, where Islamic populations are thriving, and growing to large numbers, they tend to become more emboldened. In addition, the few who are troublemakers often tend to take center stage. Often they will try to become "community organizers" or "security officials." They may even go so far as to become "spokesmen" for the Islamic community in their area, even though they don't necessarily represent the views of most Muslims. The problem we're seeing in the West is that Islam appears to have no safeguards or "checks and balances" to keep radicals from taking over a generally passive Muslim population. In Christianity for example, dangerous radicals are usually kept in check by church officials from various denominations, which usually condemn these radical tendencies as "heresy." Various apologetic agencies work feverishly to put them down, and the average Christian usually knows (can even sense) when something isn't right. We generally don't see this kind of a pro-active approach in the Islamic communities. Which is one reason why radicals often take charge.

Third, the commentator in the top video is correctly pointing out the dangers of Islamic "community organizers" abusing civil authority to push the Islamic agenda in America. It's been happening in Europe for years, now America joins into the rush for Sharia law. However, it's only fair to point out that Islamic radicals are not the first to use political and civil thuggery to get their way. It's been used by militant Secularists on these shores, as well as pro-abortion activists, militant feminists, Marxists, environmentalists, Klansmen, neo-nazis, etc. So there is nothing new about this kind of thuggery. However, the commentator correctly surmises that as Islamic populations grow, we can expect the radicals to grow, and see these kinds of abuses increase in the near future.

Finally, for all of the complaining about the dangers of Islamic growth in the United States, there is nothing the top video presents in the way of solutions. Of course, American Christians (both Catholic and Protestant) can remedy this problem by taking matters into our own hands. We need not frustrate ourselves by trying to get the government to do our bidding when we know it will not. The fact is, there is a reason why Islam is growing in the United States, and it's the same reason why it's growing in Canada and western Europe. These reasons, and their solutions are as follows...

1. The single greatest threat to Christianity in the Western world is not Islam. It's not militant Secularism, Communism, Fascism or Marxism. (Though these are all great threats!) The single GREATEST threat to Christianity in the Western world is none other than ARTIFICIAL BIRTH CONTROL or ARTIFICIAL CONTRACEPTION. For decades now, this is been reducing the size of Christian families, and thereby limiting the number of Christians repopulating the Western world - even the United States. The solution to this problem is simple, but involves sacrifice, and it is mainly the responsibility of today's young married couples. The solution is to START HAVING BABIES AGAIN! Ideally, Christian families should have no less than four children - three at an absolute minimum. The more the better though, and this serves a great purpose. By having more children, Christians are contributing to securing a better future for any and all children they have. The reason for this is simple. How comforting is it to have just one or two children, knowing that those children will inherit an Islamic majority in the distant future? By the time they're grown, and have children of their own, Sharia law will be a daily part of their lives, either directly or indirectly. Wouldn't it be better to have more Christian children now, thus reducing the likelihood of an Islamic majority later? The fact is our government will not import more Muslim immigrants from Africa and Asia if it already has a plentiful taxable population already here in the United States. Uncle Sam just wants his tax revenue. He doesn't care if it's Christian dollars or Muslim dollars. He just wants the dollars! When Christians depopulate, through artificial birth control, Uncle Sam has to get his money from somewhere. If we Christians won't produce tomorrows taxpayers, then Uncle Sam will import them from wherever he can, and there are plenty of Muslims just itching to get into the United States.
2. The second greatest threat to Christianity in the Western world is failure of parents to pass on the Christian faith to their children. Practice Christianity in your home, and be sure to transmit the faith on to your children. There is no use having more Christian children if they're only going to lose their faith as adults. Failure to practice the Christian faith in your own home may very well result in Muslim, Pagan or atheist grandchildren.
   
3. The third greatest threat to Christianity in the Western world is the failure of Christians to share their faith with non-Christians. Evangelize! And when necessary, use words! There is nothing wrong with befriending your Muslims neighbors. I'm talking about real friendship here! I'm not talking about making friends so you can preach at them. If you befriend your Muslim neighbors, the evangelism of your kindness will speak more to them than anything else. There is no need to pester them about religion, but at the same time, there is nothing prohibiting you from sharing it when the legitimate opportunities present themselves.

I guarantee if these three steps are followed, Islam will never take over the United States, and maybe, just maybe, we can even take back Canada and Europe too. I realize that's a long shot, but with God anything is possible.

Archbishop of Canterbury Finally Cracks!

(Creative Minority Report) - It is a sure sign of the degree of panic over the Pope's offer to Anglicans that the Archbishop of Canterbury is even considering such a thing, but at the end of the day its too little too late.

The head of the Anglican Communion, Rowan Williams, is reportedly considering new rules to protect Anglican traditionalists from women Bishops. The Anglican communion is slated, at their general synod, to put its stamp of approval on women Bishops. However, they are sufficiently worried that traditionalists would rightly bolt to the Catholic church that they are attempting to create a 'his/hers church...

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: So the Church of England follows the inevitable path of Protestantism once all of Scripture becomes subject to human intellect. Of course Traditionalists have splintered away from the Church of England before, but only in small numbers. Now that the pope has extended an engraved invitation to all Anglo-Catholics, who take the "Catholic" part seriously, to come into the Church and bring their Anglican patrimony with them, the Church of England has countered by deciding to consecrate women as bishops. This has thrown the Archbishop of Canterbury into a panic. His solution to the scandal? Why a fig leaf of course! Basically what he's offering to the traditional Anglo-Catholics is something like this. "Hey guys, don't you worry a bit about that whole women bishops thing. A little twist of the rules, and you can all PRETEND it doesn't even exist."

In case you missed it, the operative word here is "pretend." The fact is, woman bishops WILL become a reality in the Church of England. It WILL happen - very soon. It's already been approved. Some Anglicans can PRETEND it didn't happen all they want, but the fact is it did, and no "special provision" in the rules for male episcopal oversight is going to change that fact. If Anglo-Catholics take their "Catholic" identity seriously, why would they want to continue to be associated with an organization that has completely denied it? They should remember that it isn't just the Roman Catholic Church that has a problem with a female episcopacy. ALL of the Eastern Orthodox churches are in solidarity with Rome on this one. To consecrate a woman as a bishop is to cease to be catholic, in every sense of the word. Now I know there are plenty of supposedly "educated" people out there who will contest this, and that's just fine and dandy, but their "enlightenment" is not the source of Catholicism. The word Catholic means "of the whole," "complete" or "unabridged" and it's about accepting ALL of the Christian faith, not just the parts you like.

As for the Archbishop of Canterbury, it's too little too late. Or to use an American euphemism, he's a day late and a dollar short. The time to do something was before the vote that approved women bishops. To offer this so-called "provision" now is no different than throwing a blanket over a mess and saying: "There! Now you don't have to look at it anymore." It didn't go anywhere, and nobody is doing anything to clean it up. Instead we're just going to cover it up and pretend it never happened. Can we say "panic?" Can we say "lunacy?" Can we say "not in your right mind anymore?" Not long ago, upon his visit to Rome, the Archbishop of Canterbury took the opportunity to lecture the pope on the value of women priests and bishops. It was more than a lecture really. In fact, it seemed more like criticism of the Catholic Church for refusing to ordain women. Now, the very same Archbishop of Canterbury has turned around and offered a fig leaf to his own flock, so they don't have to look at the mess of things created in the Church of England while under his watch. So which is it Rowan? Is it what you told the pope? Or is it what you're now telling the Traditionalists within your own flock? If the pope should be made to come out of the dark ages, and learn to appreciate the value of female clergy, why then shouldn't the Traditionalists within your own flock be made to do the same? Could it be that you're actually a little concerned that this whole "ordinariate" thing might actually do well in England? Could it be that you're terrified once presented with a choice, the average CofE member might eventually decide to attend an ordinariate parish? Could it be that the pope has finally called your bluff and come to find out you weren't playing with a full deck to begin with? Come on Rowan, which is it? Is it what you told the pope, or what you're saying to your own Traditionalists now? We gotta know, which is it?

2013 Solar Storm Expected To Cause Trouble

(Telegraph) - National power grids could overheat and air travel severely disrupted while electronic items, navigation devices and major satellites could stop working after the Sun reaches its maximum power in a few years.

Senior space agency scientists believe the Earth will be hit with unprecedented levels of magnetic energy from solar flares after the Sun wakes “from a deep slumber” sometime around 2013, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

In a new warning, Nasa said the super storm would hit like “a bolt of lightning” and could cause catastrophic consequences for the world’s health, emergency services and national security unless precautions are taken.

Scientists believe it could damage everything from emergency services’ systems, hospital equipment, banking systems and air traffic control devices, through to “everyday” items such as home computers, iPods and Sat Navs.

Due to humans’ heavy reliance on electronic devices, which are sensitive to magnetic energy, the storm could leave a multi-billion pound damage bill and “potentially devastating” problems for governments.

“We know it is coming but we don’t know how bad it is going to be,” Dr Richard Fisher, the director of Nasa's Heliophysics division, said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph....

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Solar storms like this happen once a generation. These storms are harmless to biological life on earth, thanks to the protective magnetic field surrounding the planet, but never before has the Western world been so heavily dependent on electricity and electronic devices. Earth's magnetic field cannot protect our electricity supply nor our electronic toys. As a result they are highly vulnerable to plasma discharges from the sun reacting with our atmosphere. That being said, the developed world will likely suffer the most during solar storms, while the third world is not likely to even notice them.

Catholic Clerics Become Victims Of Smear Campaign

(Telegraph) - I write this with some urgency. For the last week, Catholic sources have been insisting that Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, will not take up his appointment as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. Two reasons are given - one connected to his health, the other to utterly false sex abuse allegations he faced years ago.

I now have good reason to believe that Cardinal Pell - a man of towering presence and intellect, utterly faithful to Pope Benedict's vision for renewing the Church - is the victim of a smear campaign endorsed by certain bishops, especially Italian ones, who are desperate to stop Pell cleaning up what are in effect the "rotten boroughs" of their dioceses. We must pray that the Holy Father ignores the campaign....

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The first main salvo was fired earlier this year with the direct smear campaign against Pope Benedict XVI. All of it garbage - the skin of the truth stuffed with a great big lie. True, the future pope's fingerprints were all over sex-abuse cases during the 1980s and 1990s while he was Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Vatican CDF. What the media consistently and systematically (perhaps even intentionally) FAILED TO REPORT was that the reason why Ratzinger's fingerprints were all over them was because he was the one and only cardinal in the Vatican attempting to prosecute these perverts! He did have some pretty good success in most cases, but in a few cases, his efforts were blocked by higher ranking Vatican officials. This part of the story never made it to the mainstream press. It was publicized by the Vatican press office, but suspiciously censored by the national media corporations of various nations throughout the western world - particularly in Germany, Britain and the United States.

Was this intentional? Was this part of an elaborate media plot to destroy the credibility of this pope and the Catholic Church in general? We have every reason to believe so. When was the last time you saw a positive mainstream media report on Christianity in general, or Catholicism in particular? Can you remember a single one within a decade? If you can, than you'll have to admit it is the exception to the norm. The mainstream media is practically run by atheists, liberal non-Catholics and heretical cafeteria Catholics with an ax to grind against Rome. We have a motive for such a plot, and we also have the evidence in their overwhelming disproportionate negative reporting. There is no evidence, whatsoever, that sexual-abuse and cover-up is proportionally any higher in the Catholic Church than in any other religion or religious organization. Furthermore, we do have significant evidence that sexual-abuse and cover-up is significantly higher in non-religious institutions. Does this information EVER hit the mainstream press? I rest my case.

Now we're seeing critics of the Catholic Church from every corner using the sex-abuse scandal media overexposure as a tool to ruin any Catholic cleric they dislike or disagree with. These attacks come from even within the Church, as liberal Catholics use them against orthodox Catholics, and so on. Such is most likely the case with Cardinal Pell.

This is happening on a local level as well. I know of several priests in the United States who have been scandalized by false accusations and media smear. Their enemies originate from within the Church, and use the media as their weapon of personal destruction.

This has gone too far! It has to stop. It's time for the bishops of the Catholic Church to take up legal council and prepare for an aggressive response. I'm talking about deep-pocket libel lawsuits, against anyone who falsely accuses a cleric of abuse of any sort. Furthermore, media outlets need to be held to the same standard, and the Church should immediately begin organizing lawsuits against these as well. There is no reason for the Church to hemorrhage millions of dollars (pounds, euros, etc.) in justified settlements with abuse victims, without any kind of compensation for media libel and false accusations.

I'll take it one step further. SHAME on any bishop who would refuse to defend a priest falsely accused of wrongdoing. SHAME ON YOU! Not only is it your responsibility to defend your flock against those wolves (predatory priests) who would victimize your sheep, but it is equally your responsibility to defend innocent priests (also your sheep) against false accusations (a different kind of wolf). Why do you carry the shepherd's crosier when you won't use it? Would you not defend the Catholic faithful if they were being falsely accused of cannibalism? This is what the ancient Pagans accused Christians of while they sent the faithful to their deaths in the coliseum. Why then do you not defend your clerics who have been falsely accused of a different kind of cannibalism? WAKE UP FROM YOUR SLUMBER!!! Do you not see the identity of the author of these attacks? Do you not recognize him? He is your sworn enemy, the enemy of God and his Church. Why do you continue to let sleeping dogs lie, when they're not sleeping at all, and are about to bite you in the ass? Why?

America's Chernobyl

(FoxNews Business) - BP PLC's damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico is leaking between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels of oil a day, U.S. government and independent scientists said in an increased estimate Tuesday. The flow rate was previously estimated at 20,000 to 40,000 barrels per day. BP equipment now in place can capture up to 18,000 barrels a day, but BP is deploying a second option on Tuesday that can expand leak containment capacity to as much as 28,000 barrels a day, the government said in a statement.

source

The Coming American War Against The Catholic Church

(CNA) -- An “anti-Catholic storm” is looming in the United States because of the Church’s stance against “postmodern ideologies” and because well-funded Catholic supporters of President Obama provide cover for Catholic politicians who dissent from Church teaching, says Catholic analyst Deal Hudson.

Hudson, who has served as an advisor to Republican leaders on Catholic issues, wrote at InsideCatholic.com that a “relentless barrage” of reporting in the mainstream media is intended to force changes demanded by dissenting Catholic groups.

Revelations of clerical sexual abuse in Europe have provided “Catholic bashers” the opportunity to attack Church teachings about abortion and same-sex “marriage,” he added. A call to arrest Pope Benedict XVI in the United Kingdom should have been regarded as “a crank call” but has led to speculation about whether the papal trip to Britain should be canceled.

While Iraqi Christians are being expelled from their homelands, this only receives “occasional mention” in the New York Times, whose reporters “dig through Vatican documents” hoping to link the Pope with clerical sexual abuse, Hudson wrote.

“The use of courts and commissions to harass and threaten Catholics and other Christians has already been auditioned in Canada,” noted Hudson. “And the expansion of hate-speech laws signed by President Barack Obama last October sets the stage for similar tussles here when a minister, priest, or voluble layperson too heatedly denounces homosexual sex.”

While the Church is not the only institution insisting on universal moral standards, it is the largest and therefore stands in the way of “postmodern ideologies achieving complete dominance in the West,” he said. Those who hold the “postmodern” belief that all truth is power “don't hesitate to use the power of the media, government, and the courts to attack any institution thwarting their influence.”

According to Hudson, political donors have combined resources with labor unions, which once had a “vital” relationship with the Church, to support “faux Catholic groups that provide cover for politicians who don’t vote Catholic.” He suggested that it is these groups’ fault that the majority of candidates who oppose abortion and same-sex marriage are Republican....

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THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The "Vatican-America War" is just around the corner. Oh, no need to worry. You won't see any bombing campaigns or invasion forces. No. This is going to be a war of words, and the battle ground is the U.S. Catholic Church. It's a battle no U.S. priest or bishop wants to see. It's a conflict the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has been trying to avoid for decades, even to the point of playing footsies with anti-Catholic organizations through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Their strategy hasn't worked. In fact, it's failed miserably, and has only managed to put the U.S. Catholic Church in a much weaker position for the battle ahead.

Over the last few decades the Democratic Party has managed to perfect the art of pitting Catholics against each other, and no politician has been more adept at this than President Barrack Hussein Obama. As I wrote in a previous article I succinctly pointed out Barrack Obama's strategy for cracking the Catholic Church in two - a schism like nothing ever seen before on the North American continent. (I strongly recommend you read the article.) This is, I asserted, part of his overall reelection strategy for 2012. It just might work. Granted, Obama is down in the polls today, and it looks like the Democrats will lose big in the congressional election this November, but don't expect Obama to just roll over and take it. He's going to rally in 2011, spring some traps he's laid the groundwork for in 2009 and 2010, and roll into campaign mode like a locomotive in 2012. I know that may seem hard for people to see today, but mark my words, by 2012 you will know what I'm talking about.

In the end this is what it's going to come down to. Catholic Americans will be forced to choose between the president and the pope, between Washington DC and the Vatican. I realize this may seem inconceivable at the time I write this, but the day is coming very VERY soon. The mainstream news media, along with gay-rights groups, other lobbyists, labor unions, universities and public education will team up to project an image of "American Catholicism" that is pro-choice, pro-gay and pro-Obama!

On the flip side is the pope. He will probably involve himself in American politics only insofar as encouraging Catholics to vote according to the teachings of the Church. This of course is diametrically opposed to everything the new "American Catholicism" image stands for as projected by the Obama-Democratic campaign machine. Catholic Americans will be forced to choose between Obama and the pope, and when that day comes, it is very reasonable to assume that as many as 50% of U.S. Catholics will choose Obama over the pope. When they do, the schism will be complete in everything but formality, and at least half of American Catholics will have proved they have no intention of ever following the pope or the moral tenets of the Catholic faith. Once Obama has effectively reduced the influence of the U.S. Catholic Church by half, the long-term campaign will begin to put the final nails in the coffin of U.S. Catholicism. This will come in the form of outright persecution against faithful Catholics, by passing so-called "civil rights" legislation that forces Catholic churches to hire openly practicing homosexuals. Any attempt to resist will be illegal, and immediately turn law enforcement against those Catholics who are faithful to the pope and the faith. The Vatican-American War will have begun!

Pope Tells Bishops To Discipline Wayward Priests

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The happy-go-lucky care free days of the post-conciliar era are over. The fact is, they've been over for some time, but you would never know it by the way most Western bishops miserably FAIL to shepherd their flocks with the rod of correction. The pope has just condemned this, and insisted that bishops start doing their jobs again! The Western Church is now literally saturated with wolves in sheep's clothing. There are nearly as many wolves as there are sheep now. Is it any wonder why Western Catholics are losing their faith? The pope's message is a call to orthodoxy and traditional Catholic values....

(Rorate Caeli) - The Church too must use the shepherd’s rod, the rod with which he protects the faith against those who falsify it, against currents which lead the flock astray. The use of the rod can actually be a service of love. Today we can see that it has nothing to do with love when conduct unworthy of the priestly life is tolerated. Nor does it have to do with love if heresy is allowed to spread and the faith twisted and chipped away, as if it were something that we ourselves had invented....

read full story here

The bishops need our help in this. There are now so many wolves operating under the bishop's nose that it is difficult for any one bishop to keep track of them all. Therefore, sadly, it's up to us to make sure each and every local bishop knows of heresies, liturgical abuse and moral scandals unfolding around him. Here is how you can help. When you see, hear or read something that is an obvious heresy, liturgical abuse or moral scandal, write an email (or letter) to your local bishop and make sure you forward a copy to the Vatican CDF. Sometimes the bishop will provide his email address on the diocesan website. If not, you may have to go trough his secretary. If all else fails, get the P.O. Box (or mailing address) off the diocesan website and simply use snail mail. The letter should always be addressed directly to the bishop. Here is an example of the type of format you should use....

Your Excellency,

Make a short, concise and polite statement of your concern. Provide details in a short and concise way. Conclude by requesting his episcopal assistance in this matter.

Sincerely in Christ,

Your name
Your contact information

As I said, the contact information for your local bishop can usually be obtained from your diocesan website. The email address for the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) is: cdf@cfaith.va

Be sure to place the CDF email address into the "CC" header of your email, so your bishop knows the CDF was contacted about this. It will help solicit his immediate action. If you have to use snail mail for your local bishop, just email a copy of your letter to the CDF, then at the bottom of your snail mail letter to the bishop write: "cc: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith". This will again let your bishop know the CDF has been contacted and thus solicit his swift response.

I'm afraid this is what it has come down to. The pope is calling on all of us to be his eyes and ears for him. Let's get these bishops doing their jobs again, and if they refuse to, then let's pray for their early retirement.

Anglican Communion Cuts Off The Episcopal Church USA

(AP) - The Anglican Communion has suspended U.S. Episcopalians from serving on some interfaith bodies because of the election of a lesbian as a bishop in California.

The U.S. church opened a rift in the global communion, and within its own ranks, seven years ago by electing a gay man, V. Gene Robinson, as bishop of New Hampshire. Conservative African Anglicans have taken a lead in opposing moves in the United States and Canada to promote gays and to bless homosexual relationships.

Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, had called for a moratorium on appointing homosexuals to leadership positions. He asked for action against the Episcopal Church after the Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool was named an assistant bishop of Los Angeles.

The Anglican Communion is an association of 44 regional and national member churches, most founded by Church of England missionaries, with more than 80 million members in more than 160 countries....

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: So begins the long and torturous process of self inflicted amputation. It begins here, with the suspension of The Episcopal Church (TEC) from ecumenical discussions. As time goes by, and TEC shows no signs of remorse, other suspensions will be added to the list, until finally it's time for the next Lambeth Conference in 2018. Will delegates from TEC be invited to participate in Lambeth 2018? Only time will tell.

During the interim period however, there may be a lot of changes in the overall structure of the Anglican Communion. By then Archbishop Rowan Williams will be approaching retirement age, and it is widely expected that his replacement will most probably be a woman. Whatever the case, the Church of England and the provinces of the Anglican Communion in North America, Australia and New Zealand will most certainly continue down the road of greater innovation and capitulation to the Tyranny of Relativism. Because of this we can expect to see the continued unraveling of the worldwide (Protestant) Anglican Communion.

Vatican Decries Recent Events - Calls Israeli Occupation Of Palestine "Unjust"

(Catholic Culture) - The Vatican has expressed intense concern about the Israeli raid on the "Freedom Flotilla" headed for the Gaza Strip on May 31.

Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, decried the "needless loss of lives" in the attack, which left at least 20 people dead and others wounded.

Reminding reporters that Pope Benedict XVI will soon be traveling to the Middle East for a pastoral visit to Crete, Father Lombardi said that the Pontiff will follow the latest crisis there with great care....

read full story here

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(Herald Sun) - A VATICAN document leaked overnight calls the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories a "political injustice".

The occupation is a "political injustice imposed on the Palestinians," the Vatican says, according to extracts quoted by Italy's ANSA news agency.

"The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories makes daily life difficult for freedom of movement, the economy and social and religious life," the text says.

The Instrumentum Laboris, a working document on an upcoming synod of bishops on the Middle East, was embargoed for release until Monday, when Pope Benedict XVI was to present it during a visit to Cyprus...

read full story here

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(AP) – The Vatican said Sunday that the international community is ignoring the plight of Christians in the Middle East, and that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the war in Iraq and political instability in Lebanon have forced thousands to flee the region.
A working paper released during Pope Benedict XVI's pilgrimage to Cyprus to prepare for a crisis summit of Middle East bishops in Rome in October also cites the "extremist current" unleashed by the rise of "political Islam" as a threat to Christians....

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The problem here is twofold. The Israelis have an embargo on all ships approaching the Gaza Strip. They believe this gives them the authority to board and search every ship that attempts to come into port. In this most recent case, the Turkish government (one of the most moderate Islamic governments in the middle east) sponsored a relief flotilla to help the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip. The Israelis boarded the ship in a surprise commando style, which is part of their embargo enforcement, and they were greeted with violence.

The Turkish government stands by the claim that the flotilla contained no weapons, and no weapons were being shipped. This may very well be the case from the perspective of the Turkish government, however, it looks like the type of weapons used against the Israeli commandos were personal weapons - such as knives, slingshots, metal bars, etc. The Israelis opened fire, and as a result twenty people lost their lives.

The situation in Israel is a difficult one for Christians in the West to fully comprehend. Of course, many American Evangelicals (influenced by the heretical teachings of Dispensationalism) believe the modern nation-state of Israel is the "real Israel" promised by God for the last days, and they will support the Zionist agenda of Israeli supremacy whether it's right or wrong, no matter who it hurts. On the flip side, the Islamic regimes of the Middle East have a history of being extremely intolerant tyrannies. To make matters worse, some of them have been influenced by radical Islamist ideologues who's only agenda is to wipe Israel off the map and kill every non-Muslim in the region.

It helps to step back and look at things in a dispassionate historical way.

First and foremost, as Catholic Christians we need to understand who we are, in order to understand our relation to Israel. A non-biased study of the New Testament, along with the context of early Christian writings, reveals that the Church (particularly the Catholic Church) is the "New Israel of God." The Lord brought the strictly Jewish Kingdom of Israel to an end in 33 AD with the death and resurrection of Israel's messianic King - Jesus Christ. In AD 70 the physical remnants of that strictly Jewish Kingdom were brought to an end with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. According to St. Paul the Apostle, an astute Jewish rabbi and author of two-thirds of the New Testament, the Jewish people can continue to be part of the Kingdom of Israel by submitting to Israel's King - who is none other than Jesus of Nazereth - the promised Messiah. Upon submitting to the King, they will fulfill their faith and be grafted into the New Kingdom of Israel - which is the Catholic Church. Jews who refuse to acknowledge their King will remain outside this New Kingdom of Israel - the Catholic Church. They are still Jews of course, and retain their identity as God's original chosen people, but they are incomplete without their King and are outside their own Kingdom! This was the accepted view of the early Christians and should be our view today.

What complicates this is recent history. In the late 1800s two religious-political movements began to take shape in the Western world - Dispensationalism and Zionism. Some believe these two movements were spawned by the same source known as Freemasonry, or the Masonic Lodge, and there is evidence to support this. Dispensationalism was designed for Protestant Christianity, while Zionism was designed for Judaism. A hundred years later the two would merge into what we might call "Dispensational-Zionism," and become the driving political influence of the Middle Eastern mess we know today. To make a long story short, Dispensationalism is the theology created by John Nelson Darby, and popularized by Cyrus I. Scofield (creator of the Scofield Reference Bible), which teaches that the Church is not Israel. Instead, it teaches that Israel is primarily a piece of real estate in the Middle East. That real estate, according to Dispensationalism, becomes prophetically energized once it is occupied by people who call themselves "Jews" regardless if they practice the religion of Judaism or not. Dispensationalism regards the Church as God's mere afterthought, and "accident of providence" so to speak, in which God is simply using it as an external vehicle to bring in the Gentiles while he prepares his real plan of salvation for the Jewish people (or "true Israel"). Because of this, Dispensationalism teaches that Protestant Christians MUST support the political State of Israel financially and politically, at all costs, and without reservation or doubt. As for Catholic Christians, well, they just need to stop being Catholic you see, because Dispensationalism is usually accompanied by a hefty dose of anti-Catholicism. There are many examples of this from contemporary Dispensationalist teachers, too many to count here.

As for Zionism, that was designed primarily for the Jews of the 1800s and early 1900s. However, now that Zionism has merged with Dispensationalism, we can honestly say that the majority of the world's Zionists are not Jews - but Evangelical Protestants!!!

Nevertheless, classical Zionism is simply the teaching that Jews need not wait for the Messiah to lead them back to the promised land, even though that is what their rabbis have taught them for centuries. They can and should, according to Zionism, go back themselves (without the Messiah), build up Israel all on their own, and do so using force if necessary. The history of the Jewish people in the 20th century is both complex and tragic. Zionism began in earnest during the first decades of the 20th century. It's biggest supporters initially were none other than Communist Russia and Nazi Germany. It was seen as a way to "get rid of the Jews" and simultaneously create a model socialist republic in the Middle East. It was only after World War II that Zionism took on a more humanitarian role as a refuge for persecuted survivors of the Holocaust and began to align more closely with the West - particularly the United States. In 1948 the Zionist dream became reality as the State of Israel was created. The very next day war broke out between Israel and it's Arab neighbors. The State of Israel has been fighting a series of perpetual wars (external and internal) ever since. The Turkish relief flotilla raid that has recently sparked outrage around the world is just the latest episode.

Epic heresies, over a hundred years in the making, have brought us to this point in history. The heresies that denied the Church as the New Kingdom of Israel effectively denied Jesus as the King, and in doing so not only coddled those Jews who continued to reject him, but also turned millions of Protestant Christians into their supporters. Today, the United States of America stands as the Dispensational-Zionist capitol of the world. National foreign policy is built on this religious-political ideology. A large number of the American Jewish population is strongly Zionist, while an even larger number of the American Evangelical population is strongly Dispensational. Because of this, the United States has been Israel's strongest supporter, and because of this the Israeli government has grown accustomed to thinking it can do whatever it wants because it knows the United States will back it. This is abruptly changing with the Obama administration, and as a result, Israel is now caught in a very precarious situation.

We cannot know how World War III will start, but we can be sure of how it will end. As far as the Middle East is concerned, World War III will end with the profound crippling of the Arab states, and the total annihilation of the Israeli state. Such a thought is inconceivable to many American Evangelicals who are convinced that God is miraculously protecting the Israelis. The destruction of the Israeli state will inevitably be a faith-shaking event for most American Evangelicals, unless they unshackle themselves from the Dispensational-Zionist heresy. Don't think however, the Arab nations will get off the hook. The devastation that Israel alone can bring upon them is enough to blow away a hundred years of industrial development. So in any kind of all out Arab-Israeli war will only result in losers - no winners.

As Catholic Christians there is not much we can do about this whole situation. It is the result of Protestantism meets Judaism in an epic heresy most probably spawned by Freemasonry over 150 years ago. At this point the ball is already in motion, it has been for some time, and all we can do is wait to see the outcome. There is no sense in choosing sides, or rooting for one group against the other. The Zionists and Dispensationals have in mind the very anti-Christian goal of undermining the New Kingdom of Israel (the Catholic Church) with the modern Nation-State of Israel. While the surrounding Islamic powers are just anti-Christian in general. Caught in the middle are Christians on both sides - Israeli Christians and Palestinian Christians. The one and only group we should side with is our Christian brethren. That is all. Beyond that we should simply decry the violence and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. It can be tempting at times for Catholic Americans to side with Israel. While it is also tempting for Catholic Europeans to side with Palestine. The best thing we can do is leave politics out of it. The whole situation was spawned by heresy -- anti-Catholic heresy at that! We must resist temptation to choose sides and simply support our Christian brethren trapped in the middle. Pray for peace for all parties involved, and that both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims will discover the gospel of Jesus Christ as the one and only workable "roadmap to peace."