THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: There has been a lot of talk lately about the TEA Parties, what they are and what they represent. There has even been talk about them forming their own third party. Let me state here definitively that the TEA Parties are not about any one candidate, or any one political party, or any one demographic. The TEA Parties are essentially about states' rights. They are both a protest and a statement that Americans are "Taxed Enough Already" (TEA) and are sick and tired of an ever expansive federal government, which knows no limits, spends too much and has mortgaged the future of our children and grandchildren with a massive federal debt which we will never be able to pay off.
States' rights are outlined by the ninth and tenth amendments of the U.S. CONSTITUTION...
ARTICLE IX The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
ARTICLE X The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
TEA Party participants agree the federal government has overstepped these Constitutional restraints for a very long time, and it is now time to return many powers, previously seized by the fed, back to the states. The principle of TEA Party governance is not "anarchy" is some on the Left would have you believe, nor is it "the government that governs least governs best," as some Right-wing talk show radio hosts would have you believe. Rather, the principle of the TEA Party movement is simply "the government that governs best, governs close to home." In other words states' rights.
So when you see those yellow flags at TEA Parties across the nation, please understand what they're about. They're about bringing government back home, to the states, which have proved to exercise far more fiscal responsibility over the last century than the federal government.
For the record 'The Catholic Knight' supports the TEA Party movement, insofar as TEA Parties remain peaceful and family-friendly demonstrations. This is because the underlying TEA Party message is virtually identical to the Principle of Subsidiarity taught by the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Principle of Subsidiarity is the "hinge" upon which the rest of Catholic Social Justice turns. If you believe in Catholic Social Justice, then you must believe in Subsidiarity, and if you're a Catholic American who believes in Subsidiarity, then you are a supporter of the TEA Party movement, whether you realize it or not.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: In another example that the Church is truly 'Catholic' we find that the income levels among Catholic Americans are virtually identical with the national average as reported by the study above. Click Here or on the above image to see a more detailed picture.
You will not find this to be the case with other major religious bodies in the United States. In addition to being the largest religious body in the United States, the Catholic Church is also the most ethnically diverse, with ratios that once again parallel the national average.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say the Catholic Church is a "rich church" or a "religion for the wealthy." I honestly have no idea where they got this notion. From a nation have has been flooded by poor Irish immigrants and Mexican migrant workers, nearly all of them Catholic, it seems inconceivable that Americans would develop this kind of inaccurate stereotype. Nevertheless it has happened, in spite of numbers that prove otherwise.
Maybe it's the image of beautiful chapels with marble walls, porcelain statues and golden instruments . I suppose a lot of people don't realize the instruments are usually made out of brass and not gold, and the statues are often carved and painted wood not porcelain. The marble is often real, but usually not very thick. Cost is one factor, but weight is another. Most chapels are built with wood beams, and would crumble under the weight of full marble tiles. In other words, Catholics have a desire to make their places of worship beautiful, but at the same time, they tend to be practical about it too. Let alone the fact that virtually all of the material is donated, and the labor is usually donated as well.
All of this comes from a Church that is the largest charitable institution in the world. The Catholic Church feeds more hungry souls than anyone else. It provides more medical help than any other charitable organization, and educates more children than anyone in the world. In fact, a Catholic parish of any size almost always has a school attached to it. The Church founded the Catholic hospital system, and invented modern universities. Maybe this is why some Americans think the Catholic Church is "rich." Well, I guess if you call giving all your money away "rich," then they may be on to something.
Saint Albert Gore Patron of Green Fraud and Scientific Deception
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Straight from the California Catholic bishops, a whole new way of observing Lent is being promoted, one which flushes the traditional meaning of Lent, and replaces it with a trendy new way to make Lent accommodate liberal Marxists, reshaping the thinking of all Catholics across the United States. Under this trendy new way of approaching Lent, the liberal Marxist environmentalists will make for better "Catholics" than those who have been faithful all their lives, because you see the environmental Marxists are already practicing and promoting the very things the California bishops are recommending. Meanwhile Catholics who observe Lent in the more traditional way will obviously not be as "good" or as "conscientious" as those that follow the trendy new way...
(California Catholic) - In its latest Public Policy Insights newsletter, emailed to subscribers on Feb. 12, the Catholic Legislative Network is recommending a new way to observe Lent, which begins tomorrow. The newsletter is produced by the California Catholic Conference, the lobbying arm of the state’s bishops.
“As the Lenten season arrives, the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change has provided Catholics, schools and organizations with more tools and resources for its annual Catholic Climate Covenant,” says the newsletter. “The Coalition was formed three and a half years ago to help implement the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) 2001 initiative ‘Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence and the Common Good.’ Launched last year, the Covenant revolves around the St. Francis Pledge, which correlates five key actions -- pray, learn, assess, act and advocate -- to the issues of the environment and poverty.”
According to the newsletter, “the Archdiocese of Washington's Environmental Outreach Committee has created a particularly useful new tool: a calendar that lists 40 carbon-fasting measures individuals can take to reduce their carbon footprint.” The newsletter provides a link to the full calendar.
The Catholic Knight observes three main problems with this whole thing...
The "science" backing man-made global warming (climate change) is flawed and in many cases fraudulent. Therefore, there is little real evidence that reducing one's "carbon footprint" really does anything to stop global warming, which no longer exists by the way, as temperatures have been trending downward for years now (2005 to 2010).
The "message" of the global warming (climate change) environmentalists is Marxism plain and simple. It is a shrouded attempt at wealth redistribution and massive government control over the private sector and the daily lives of everyday people. It is harmful to the developing third-world, and threatens to turn their poverty into desperation.
The "effect" of global warming (climate change) is to focus on mankind and it's relationship to the earth, more so than mankind's relationship with God, let alone somebody's personal relationship with God. It is a man-centered philosophy at best, or an earth-centered form of Paganism at worst, and completely inconsistent with the Catholic Christian faith.
Now there is a place for green thinking within Catholicism. The pope has laid out the framework for this already. It would be nice if the California Catholic bishops followed it. For starters, our green thinking must not replace our general thinking in regards to our relationship with God and our fellow man. Second, any actions taken to help the environment must not be done in a way that harms our fellow man, especially the weakest among us who are poor, and especially those in the developing third world. Third, our interventions should be based on sound science, and not panic driven hype based on pseudo-science (and falsified records) for the purpose of driving people and governments into doing something they wouldn't ordinarily do.
It is the opinion of "The Catholic Knight' that the California Catholic bishops, along with the U.S. Catholic bishops (USCCB), have a lot more important things to do then issue ridiculous new trendy ways of observing Lent that are not based in reality and do little to nothing to help the spiritual development of everyday Catholics. In an age of a cultural holocaust called abortion-on-demand, a homosexual takeover that threatens our religious freedom, and rampant sexual promiscuity among our youth that has lasted some two generations now, it seems to me the California Catholic bishops could think of a few better ways to observe Lent this year.
On a personal note, 'The Catholic Knight' has been ignoring trendy Lenten fasts for years now. My personal Lenten observance involves traditional practices, such as fasting and abstinence from meat and sweets on Fridays at the very least. The money saved on meat and sweets is given to the poor and 'crisis pregnancy centers.' Then of course I engage in traditional Lenten meditations to get back to the core of what the Catholic Christian faith is all about. That's it. It's all I have time for in my busy life, and it's practical. As far as I'm concerned, putting an emphasis on my "carbon footprint" as a main focus of Lent is a distraction from the true meaning of Lent, and in the end will only serve to pull more Catholics away from the faith, as they become more and more confused on what the faith is really about.
(Telegraph) - Good news from Rome: the Vatican has further underlined the freedom of priests to celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form whenever they choose. Two important points have been clarified by Ecclesia Dei, which will make it more difficult for the English, Welsh and above all Scottish bishops to stall the implementation of Summorum Pontificum:
1. A priest does NOT have to be approached by a “stable group” of the faithful in order to schedule a PUBLIC celebration of the Extraordinary Form – he may choose to do so, for example, in order to introduce his parishioners to this ancient form of the Roman Rite. Or because it’s his aunt’s birthday. Any reason, really.
2. A Mass in the Extraordinary Form may replace a regularly scheduled Mass in the Ordinary Form.
You can find more details of the Ecclesia Dei ruling here, on the excellent New Liturgical Movement blog....
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Rome has spoken again. While rebel priests and bishops from all over the western world seek new ways to twist canon law and thwart the pope's will, the Vatican has now ruled the following. Any Roman Rite Catholic priest may celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass (Tridentine mass, Extraordinary Form or Usus Antiquior) or "Ancient Use" at any time, whenever he wants, for any reason, or no particular reason at all. It can be done privately (with or without guests), or publicly, and it may replace any ordinary mass at any time. The one and only requirement is that the priest be competent to celebrate it, and there are many means through which a priest may attain competency, either through training videos or short workshops.
Pope Benedict XVI has effectively given the Usus Antiquior ("Ancient Use") just as much freedom in the modern Church as the ordinary modern mass. This freedom will prove essential to younger priests, just coming out of the seminaries, who tend to be more traditional in their liturgical practices, and will immediately be confronted by retro-1970s priests serving as rectors, chancellors and bishops. The retro-1970s clergy tend to express an open hostility toward the Usus Antiquior and/or anything having to do with traditional liturgical practices. For years now, young priests have found themselves immediately immersed in a culture of intimidation if they should display any traditional tendencies in diocesan parishes. "When you're fresh out of the seminary, and trying to please your superiors, there is tremendous pressure to just go along with the flow and maintain the status quo" said one newly ordained priest to 'The Catholic Knight' under condition of anonymity.
That "pressure" may still be there, but the "power" of these retro-1970s throwbacks to do any harm has now been significantly diminished. Young priests, fresh out of the seminaries, can now offer the Usus Antiquior whenever they want, and while they may incur the frowns and glares of their superiors, there is nothing they can lawfully do to stop them anymore. This most recent act by the Vatican signifies that the retro-1970s post-conciliar neopriests are now finally being put out to pasture.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The enemies of the pope have reared their ugly heads (yet again) as Anglicans move toward Rome...
(Telegraph) - Revealed: Anglo-Catholic bishop in talks with CDF to stop English bishops 'smothering' Pope's Anglican plan
...But the important point is this. Although of course Bishop Burnham wouldn’t want his private correspondence revealed in this way, it does show that he has been doing the sensible thing, which is to deal directly with the CDF to stop the Magic Circle (the name of a certain monsignor comes to mind) putting a spanner in the works. He’d be neglecting his duty to his flock if he wasn’t doing so.
This email was leaked by an enemy of the Pope who timed it to throw Anglo-Catholics into confusion just before their day of prayer on Monday. They mustn’t let that happen....
Clearly this is a Satanic attack, orchestrated by literal "spies" embedded deep within Catholic chanceries orchestrating leaks of sensitive emails to their bosses printing the liberal newspapers. How they got a hold of this email we may never know, but one thing is for sure. It's an inside job.
Simultaneously, this positive news came out....
(Telegraph) - Australia's traditional Anglicans vote to convert to Catholicism
Forward in Faith Australia, part of the Anglo-Catholic group that also has members in Britain and America, is setting up a working party guided by a Catholic bishop to work out how its followers can cross over to Rome.
It is believed to be the first group within the Anglican church to accept Pope Benedict XVI’s unprecedented offer for disaffected members of the Communion to convert en masse while retaining parts of their spiritual heritage.
So far only the Traditional Anglican Communion, which has already broken away from the 70 million-strong Anglican Communion, has declared that its members will become Catholics under the Apostolic Constitution.
The Rt Rev David Robarts OAM, chairman of FIF Australia, said members of the association felt excluded by the Anglican Church in Australia, which had not provided them with a bishop to champion their conservative views on homosexuality and women bishops.
"In Australia we have tried for a quarter of a decade to get some form of episcopal oversight but we have failed," he told The Daily Telegraph.
"We're not really wanted any more, our conscience is not being respected."
Bishop Robarts, 77, said it had become clear that Anglicans who did not believe in same-sex partnerships or allowing women to be ordained as bishops had no place in the "broader Anglican spectrum".
"We're not shifting the furniture, we're simply saying that we have been faithful Anglicans upholding what Anglicans have always believed and we're not wanting to change anything, but we have been marginalised by people who want to introduce innovations.
"We need to have bishops that believe what we believe."
Crossing over to Rome under the new scheme would give the group the chance to retain their Anglican culture without sacrificing their beliefs, he said....
It's no coincidence that these two stories came out at virtually the same time. It is but a foretaste of things to come. As more and more Anglicans move toward Rome, we can expect the Liberals within the Protestant Anglican Communion to get more and more nasty about it. It starts with hatchet jobs in the press, and it will soon lead to public insults, displays of hatred, and before long lawsuits and legal action. That's how the Liberals in the Protestant Anglican Communion work these days. It's just how they roll. I suppose it's no wonder the Traditional Anglicans are bolting. Is there anyone who can blame them?
If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion to both Traditional Anglican leaders and officials within the Vatican. There is a wonderful little program on the Internet called "Pretty Good Privacy" which is designed to prevent email leaks like this from ever happening. Outside of government decryption software run on supercomputers, it's pretty hard to crack the encryption method used by this program. I would suggest officials at the Vatican, and leaders within the Traditional Anglican groups consider using this software ASAP. Here's the link: http://www.pgp.com/
I trust somebody reading this will forward this article to those concerned.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Most statistics indicate that the overall divorce rate in the United States, among all people, religious or non-religious, is about 40% to 60%. The range is based on an average between first marriages, second marriages and third marriages. A first marriage has about a 50% chance at survival in the United States. Chances of survival go down with each consecutive marriage.
Now based on this information, and the statistical graph above, we can instantly see that the practice of any Christian religion does significantly help the survival chances for a marriage. Case in point; if the married Christian couple practices Catholic or Lutheran Christianity, the divorce rate is about 21%, which indicates the marriage has about a 79% chance at survival. If the married Christian couple practices Baptist Christianity, the divorce rate is about 29%, which indicates the marriage has about a 71% chance at survival. If the married Christian couple practices one of the new trendy "nondenominational" forms of Christianity, the divorce rate is about 34%, which indicates the marriage has about a 66% chance at survival.
What I find interesting about these statistics is that the more "ancient" and "traditional" the form of Christianity, the more likely a marriage is to survive. Granted, these are statistics, and based on an overall picture. We cannot apply them to each and every individual couple, and of course, there are always exceptions to every statistical rule. However, when we're looking at odds alone, we find that the best chance a marriage has at survival, in our incredibly decadent culture, is for the couple to practice some form of Christianity. However, of all the different forms of Christianity, Catholicism is one of two that is MOST LIKELY to increase the chances of a marriage survival. The only Protestant form of Christianity that compares is Lutheranism.
Disclaimer: 'The Catholic Knight' does not endorse Pat Robertson or his television ministry. This YouTube video is provided strictly for the news report contained therein.
(FrontPageMag.Com) - When the US-led coalition invaded Iraq in March 2003, few would have imagined that the move might lead to the formation of an alliance between the radical Left and hard-line Islamists in Western Europe. But this is precisely what happened.
In this month's election for a new European Parliament, voters in several European Union countries, notably France and Britain, are offered common lists of Islamist and leftist candidates, often hidden under bland labels.
Europe's moribund extreme Left has found a new lease on life thanks to hundreds of young Muslim militants recruited from the poor suburbs of Paris and the Islamic ghettos of northern England.
The Islamist groups, for their part, are learning many tricks from the Left about how to exploit the inevitable weaknesses of an open society...
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: We are all familiar of the Islamic "enemy of my enemy is my friend" ideology. What you may not be familiar with is how well the Marxist world has adopted this ideology as it's own. Russian friendliness with radical Islamic regimes (such as Iran for example) is an old story going all the way back to the days of the Soviet Union. While this remains a continual threat today, the real danger at this time has little to do with the old communist state. The real danger is rising in Europe.
European Marxists, often called "Leftists" by many in the mainstream news media, are forging an alliance with Europe's rising Muslim population. The demonstrations (i.e. "riots") seen in the video above are just a small snapshot of what's going on all across Europe right now. Throughout the European Union, demonstrations can be witnessed in which typical Marxist anarchists can be seen rioting alongside Muslims in traditional Islamic attire.
Multiple demographic studies indicate that Muslims will become the European majority by 2050. In some European nations, this will happen much sooner, and Sweden is one of them. The possibility of a purely Islamic takeover of Europe is at least a couple decades away. However, when coupled with a Leftist alliance, a Muslim-Marxist revolution could happen much faster, perhaps even within a decade. Marxists (i.e. Leftists or Socialists) make up a much larger portion of European politics than typically seen in North America. In fact, most major political parties in Europe have to adopt socialist policies in order to appease the powerful Marxist influence over European politics. An alliance between radical Muslims and Marxists could (and probably will) prove fatal for Europe, and if given enough time, will probably present a significant security threat to North America as well.
This is where we are now. However, if you would like to know what the future holds, we need look no further than the sages and mystics of our Christian past. It turns out God has been warning us about our specific times since at least the early middle ages. There were many prophecies from Christian Saints and mystics that deal specifically with our time, and even more specifically with the Muslim-Marxist threat we now face. Yes, according to them, we are in the end times, but not yet in the last days. We have at least a few more generations to go before the final consummation of the age, the coming of Antichrist and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the mean time, this is what we can expect to happen in our generation....
The Muslim-Marxist Alliance in Europe will grow and be highly successful. It will also enjoy success in other parts of the world as well. Marxists heretics within the Church will also prevail, driving the Church into chaos.
The European Muslim-Marxist Alliance will eventually culminate in a violent revolution that will span the entire European continent. The prophesied "Chastisement" begins.
The Vatican will be violently overrun by heretics, and the pope will be forced to flee Rome. He will eventually die in exile - assassinated! Some prophecies indicate a false pope (anti-pope) may be installed during his absence. One prophecy identifies this anti-pope as a Greek.
God will intervene in the situation, with a supernatural disaster of some type.
A new (and true) pope will be elected in exile, and he will revive the old French monarchy by crowning a Christian king against the will of the people of France. (Yes, the French royal family still exists, but it is unclear at this time who has right to the throne. Currently there are two valid pretenders. Though some prophets maintain that the line of succession will be unknown until the time comes.)
The Muslim-Marxist revolution will be short lived, as this new Christian monarch fights back, and conquers Europe by military conquest, establishing a Christian Empire spanning from Madrid to Jerusalem - perhaps even larger - some say he will conquer the whole world. The prophesied "Chastisement" comes to conclusion. As much as 2/3 to 3/4 of the world population is dead.
Russia will be converted back to Christianity en mass, and the Orthodox churches will be reunited with the Roman Catholic Church, and all non-Catholic (protestant, reformed, evangelical and fundamentalist) churches will cease to exist.
In the distant future, the following is foretold...
A period of peace will follow (perhaps two or more centuries depending conditionally upon the faithfulness of the people), in which Christianity will have it's last great era of orthodoxy and evangelism before the rise of Antichrist and the Last Days. The world will be ruled by Christian monarchies, and great waves of evangelism will cover the earth, converting most of the world, as Pope John Paul II alluded to with his prophetic utterance "springtime of evangelism."
Some time after the great French monarch dies, and perhaps after his successors die as well, the world will reach a point where things will be thrown into chaos once again. The world will eventually be divided among multiple (ten) kings. Antichrist will come, and he will assume world power. He will be Jewish, and rise to power in the Middle East. He will be hailed as the Jewish messiah, rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and establish his throne there. He will subdue the world, and teach that all religions are false, except Judaism and perhaps Noahidism as it's extension.
Then after ruling mildly for some time, and rebuilding Jerusalem into a thriving metropolis, and capitol of the world, he shall persecute Christians severely, and then demand to be worshiped as God.
At that point God will send Enoch and Elijah back to reason with the Jewish people, and they will reject him and convert to Christianity en masse. Eventually the Antichrist will be killed, and a very short time (unknown exactly how long) after that Jesus Christ will supernaturally return in the flesh. He will come in the clouds, to raise the dead, judge the nations, and bring our world to it's end. Thus begins ETERNITY!
What astounds me is how well the Saints and seers of ages past predicted the exact circumstances of our time, which they insisted would eventually result in the fall of our Secular world, followed by the revival of the Holy Roman Empire - and a new Christian Europe! The rise of Secular democratic republics in Europe (from 1789 until now) will prove to be an absolute failure as Muslims and Marxists slowly take them over, while liberal heretics attempt to take over the Church. Only the intervention of God, the election of a holy pope, and the rise of a Christian king, will be able to save Europe and the world.
Based on the foretold 75 to 100 year period of increased freedom and power granted to Satan by Christ, as reported by Pope Leo XIII, the message and timing of the Fatima visions, in conjunction with the prophecies of Anne Catherine Emmerich and many other approved Catholic mystics, I have come to the PERSONAL presumption that the period of the Chastisement will most likely occur between the years 2013 at the earliest, to 2038 at the latest. The time span between 2013 and 2038 (a period of 25 years) is borrowed time - a period when the Chastisement is imminent. That is my PERSONAL OPINION and should not be taken as anything more than that.
After this will come Peter the Roman, that great pontiff who will give us the Great Monarch, and the period of peace to follow.
Now I want to stress here that this is merely an assumption based on the information given, and my flawed human ability to process it. I am not a prophet, nor am I a mystic. I'm just a Catholic laymen with an interest in this topic. Based on the information given however, and my ability to process it, I am convinced that the time of the Chastisement is at hand. We have a 25 year window (between AD 2013 - 2038) in which it will most likely occur. Watch, Pray, Trust Christ, and Pursue Holiness; this is our best hope and our ONLY MEANS of survival.
These prophecies come predominantly from canonized Saints, who are approved for veneration by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches. So we're not talking about any questionable predictions arising from occult sources. These were holy men and women of God, who saw images of the future through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. These prophecies have been compiled and recorded by multiple authors. Their works can be found stored electronically on the Internet and in books at your local public libraries. The following is a tiny sampling of what I'm talking about....
After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognisable. When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, peoples minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonour and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognisable. Peoples appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to there shamelessness in dress and style of hair. These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist. There will be no respect for parents or elders, love will disappear, and Christian pastors, bishops, and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right hand way from the left. At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society. - St. Nilus, AD 430
"This prince shall extend his dominion over the entire universe. At the same time there will be a Great Pope, who will be the most eminent in sanctity and most perfect in every quality. This Pope shall have with him the Great Monarch, a most virtuous man, who shall be a scion of the holy race of the French kings. This Great Monarch will assist the Pope in the reformation of the whole earth. Many princes and nations that are living in error and impiety shall be converted, and an admirable peace shall reign among men during many years because the wrath of God shall be appeased through repentance, penance and good works. There will be one common law, one only faith, one baptism, one religion. All nations shall recognize the Holy See of Rome, and shall pay homage to the Pope. But after some considerable time fervor shall cool, iniquity shall abound, and moral corruption shall become worse than ever, which shall bring upon mankind the last and worst persecution of Antichrist and the end of the world" - St. Caesar of Arles (Caesarius), AD 470-543
"There will be a great prodigy which will fill the world with awe. But this prodigy will be preceded by the triumph of a revolution during which the Church will go through ordeals that are beyond description." - Pope Pius IX, AD 1846-1878
"God will punish the world when men have devised marvelous inventions that will lead them to forget God. They will have horseless carriages; they will fly like birds." - Blessed Bernardt Rembordt, AD 1689-1793
I saw one of my successors taking to flight over the bodies of his brethren. He will take refuge in disguise somewhere, and after a short retirement he will die a cruel death. The present wickedness of the world is only the beginning of sorrows which must take place before the end of the world. - St. Pius X, AD 1903-1914
"The Pope will be forced to flee, followed by four cardinals. He will find refuge in Cologne." - Sister Helena Walraff, AD 1790
In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be scattered. - Pope Leo XIII, AD 1903
"After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!'. And we saw in an immense light that is God: ‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it' a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression that it was the Holy Father'. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God." - The Children of Fatima, AD 1917
"Europe will be afflicted by horrable punishments, when the papal chair is empty. Wickedness, spitefulness and slandering will provoke a small nation, that will set on the fire by killing a prince. Seven realms will rise against the bird with two heads and the bird with one head."......"In east and west a large struggle will be, which destroys many humans." ......"Powerless humans will watch this. Four years and five months the riot will take. famine, epidemics and plague will cause more victims than the war." ..."The time will come, when you neither can buy nor sell. Bread will be assigned and marked. The seas will color themselves with blood. ...The carriages will drive without horses, fiery dragons will fly through the air and belch fire and sulfur, destroy cities and villages." ....."The winner carries a cross on the breast; and between the seven cities with the seven towers the decision takes place. There is a crucifix between two lime trees. The war will begin, when the ears fully lean, but reaching his highest point, when the cherry trees flower for the second time." - Saint Padre Pio, AD 1918
Watch the sun and moon and the stars of Heaven - when they appear to be unduly disturbed and restless, know that the day is not far away.......The Divine Judgment shall strike them like a thunderbolt!......'Hurricanes of fire will pour forth from the clouds and spread over the entire earth! Storms, bad weather, thunderbolts and earthquakes will cover the earth for two days. An uninterrupted rain of fire will take place! It will begin during a very cold night.........This catastrophe shall come upon the earth like a flash of lightning at which moment the light of the morning sun shall be replaced by black darkness! No one shall leave the house or look out of a window from that moment on. I Myself shall come amidst thunder and lightning.......'On that day, as soon as complete darkness has set in, no one shall leave the house or look out of the window. The darkness shall last a day and a night, followed by another day and a night, and another day - but on the night following, the stars will shine again, and on the next morning the sun shall rise again, and it will be springtime… - Saint Padre Pio, AD 1918
"Before I come as the just judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the heavens of this sort: "All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day. " - Saint Faustina, AD 1937
“Pray….pray much, especially for the conversion of sinners” Humanity has not heeded my Blessed Mother who appeared at Fatima, to exhort everyone to pentience. Now I have come, in this last hour to admonish the world. The times are grave. Men should do penance for their sins…I am near. The earth will tremble and will suffer. It will be terrific. A minor judgement. For those who are not in a state of grace it will be frightful. The angels of my justice are now scattered across the world. Men do not listen to my calls. They close their ears, resist my graces and refuse my mercy, my love and my merits. They will agonize in the blindness of their faults. Hatred and greed fills the hearts of men. All this is the work of Satan. The world sleeps in a dense darkness. This generation deserves to be annihalated ut I desire to show myself as merciful. Great and terrible things are being prepared. That which is about to happen will be terrible, like nothing ever since the beginning of the world. All those who have suffered in those last times are my martyrs and they prepare the newly converted of my church. That which will shortly happen, will greatly surpass everything that has ever happened until now. The Mother of God and the angels will intervene. Hell will believe that victory is theirs, but I will seize it from them. Many blaspheme Me and, because of this, I shall allow all kinds of misfortunes to rain upon the earth for, through this, many will be saved. Blessed are those who suffer everything in reparation for those who offend me. My beloved children the hour is near. Pray incessantly and you will not be confounded. I unite My elect. They will come together, at the same time, from all parts of the world and they will glorify Me.I come. Blessed are those who will be prepared. Blessed are those who hear me." - The Children of Heede, AD 1937
"Countless legions of demons shall overrun the earth - the instrument of divine justice - and causing terrible calamities and disasters. Nothing on earth shall be spared. After the frightful punishment I saw a great light appear upon the earth which was the sign of reconciliation of God with men. All men shall become Catholics, and they shall acknowledge the Pope as Vicar of Jesus Christ." - Ven. Isabel Canori Moor, AD 1803-1825
"My dear daughter, listen well to what I have to say to you. You will inform your superior." "As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests. The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres...churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them. With courage, speak to your superior. He will know how to encourage each one of you to pray and to accomplish works of reparation. It is Bishop Ito, who directs your community. You have still something to ask? Today is the last time that I will speak to you in living voice. From now on you will obey the one sent to you and your superior. Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamites which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved." - Sister Agnes Sasagawa (The Seeress of Akita), AD 1973
"A Frankish King will one day rule over the entire Roman Empire... He shall give up the ghost at Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives." - Saint Augustine of Hippo, AD 430
"The great Monarch and the great Pope will precede Antichrist. The nations will be at war for four years and a great part of the world will be destroyed. The Pope will go over the sea carrying the sign of Redemption on his forehead. The great Monarch will come to restore peace and the Pope will share in the victory." - Werdin D’Otrante, 13th Century AD
But God shall save all like a sign of the last judgement. God will come to help. The return of the king shall be announced. This will re-establish peace and prosperity. Religion shall fourish again better than ever before . "This shall re-establish a peace and prosperity without precedent."…"The good people will triumph when the return of the King is announced." - St Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, AD 1818-1859
A great prince of the north with a most powerful army will traverse all Europe, uproot all the republics, and defeat all the rebels. His sword moved by divine power will most valiantly defend the Church of Jesus Christ. He shall subdue to his dominion the Mohammedan Empire. - Rudolph Gekner, 17th Century AD
A knight shall come from the west. He shall capture Milan, Lombardy, and the three crowns. He shall then sail to Cyprus and Famagoste and land at Joffa, and reach Christ's grave where he will fight. Wars and wonders shall befall till the people believe Christ toward the end of the world. - St. Thomas Becket, AD 1118-1170
"After a fightful war a great king will arise and his reign will by marked by a wonderful peace and great religious revival - Melania Calvat (The Seeress of La Salette), AD 1846
The great king will wage war until the age of forty. He will assemble great armies, and hurl back the tyrants out of his empire. - St. Cataldus, 7th Century AD
Some of our teachers say that a king of the Franks will prossess the entire Roman Empire. He will be the greatest and the last of all monarchs. After having wisely governed his kingdom, he will go in the end to Jerusalem and will lay down his sceptre and his crown upon the Mount of Olives. Immediately afterwards, Antichrist will come. - Monk Adso, 10th Century AD
In the latter days of the world, Christians will become ungrateful for the great favours they will receive through the coming of the great Monarch, by reason of the long period of peace and prosperity on earth which they will enjoy under his reign. Many man will then begin to doubt if the Christian faith is the only really santifying faith and will think perhaps the Jews are right because they are awaiting the Messiah.... "In those days, the Antichrist will bring about many tribulation; but God will not allow those redeemed by the divine blood to be deceived. For that reason, he will send his two servants, Enoch and Elias, who will declare the prodigies of the Antichrist to be false, and will denounce him as an impostor. After the death and ruin of many, he will leave the Temple in confusion; and many of his followers will forsake him to join the company of the righteous. The seducer, upon seeing himself reproached and scorned, will become enraged and will put to death those saints of God. It is then that there will appear the sign of the Son of Man, and he will come upon the clouds of heaven." - St. Methodius of Olympus, AD 311
"Antichrist will be possessed by Satan and be the illegitimate son of a Jewish woman from the East." - St. John Chrysostom, AD 407
"At the time of his reign antichrist will command that Jerusalem be rebuilt in its splendour and will make it a great and populous city, second to none in the world and will order his palace to be built there." - St. Irenaeus, AD 177
"We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel." - Pope John Paul II, AD 1976-2005
All of the above quotes are from approved visionaries of the Church. You can read a more complete account of these visions HERE.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I'll go ahead and make a no-brainer prediction that self avowed and partnered lesbian Canon Mary Glasspool will be consecrated the next Episcopalian bishop of Los Angeles. This will probably happen in May or June of this year. The Episcopal Church has to consecrate her. They've already consecrated openly gay and partnered Bishop Gene Robinson. To deny Glasspool the same, after having been validly elected, would be viewed as discrimination based entirely on her gender.
Of course this will send shockwaves through the Anglican Communion again, just as the consecration of Gene Robinson did back in 2004. Of course, there will be the same calls by Anglican primates in the third world to remove The Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion, and of course, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will do absolutely nothing but urge everyone to "settle down and remain calm."
It's the same old story, but this time one thing is different. Episcopalians who wish to return to orthodoxy have an option available to them in the Catholic Church, thanks to Pope Benedict XVI's creation of the Anglican ordinariates. It will be interesting to see how things play out over the summer and fall of 2010.
(First Things) - Such an event was Benedict XVI’s landmark announcement in October 2009 offering members of the Anglican Communion a fast track into the Catholic Church. Although commentators quickly dubbed this unexpected overture a “gambit,” what it truly exhibits are the characteristics of a move known in chess as a “brilliancy,” an unforeseen bold stroke that stunningly transforms the game. In the short run, knowledgeable people agree, this brilliancy of Benedict’s may not seem to amount to much. Some 1000 Church of England priests may convert and some 300 parishes turn over to Rome—figures that, while significant when measured against the dwindling numbers of practicing Anglicans there, are nonetheless mere drops in the Vatican’s bucket.
But in the longer run—say, over the coming decades—Rome’s move looks consequential in another way. It is the latest and most dramatic example of how orthodoxy, rather than dissent, seems once again to have taken the driver’s seat of Christianity. Every traditionalist who joins the long and already illustrious history of reconversion to the Catholic Church just tips the religious balance more toward Rome. This further weakens a religious communion battered from within by decades of intra-Anglican culture wars. Meanwhile, the progressives left behind may well find the exodus of their adversaries a Pyrrhic victory. How will they possibly make peace with the real majority of Anglicans today—the churches in Africa, whose leaders have repeatedly denounced the Communion’s abandonment of traditional teachings? Questions like these are why a few commentators now speak seriously about something that only recently seemed unthinkable: whether the end of the Anglican Communion itself might now be in sight....
(Telegraph) - [Anglican] Archbishop Sentamu: “If people genuinely realise that they want to be Roman Catholic, they should convert properly, and go through catechesis and be made proper Catholics. This kind of creation [the Apostolic Constitution] — well, all I can say is, we wish them every blessing and may the Lord encourage them. But as far as I am concerned, if I was really, genuinely wanting to convert, I wouldn’t go into an ordinariate. I would actually go into catechesis and become a truly converted Roman Catholic and be accepted.”
William Crawley: “So those Anglicans who take advantage of the Apostolic Constitution, you’re saying, would not be ‘proper Catholics’?”
Archbishop Sentamu: “Well, I mean, I’d be very surprised –”
William Crawley: “What would they be if they are not ‘proper Catholics’?”
Archbishop Sentamu: “They would be what they are: an ordinariate of the Vatican.”
(Telegraph) - Ruth Gledhill has been leaked the Bishop of Manchester’s statement to the General Synod today, in which he will reveal that the Synod committee revising the legislation is not offering opponents of women bishops alternative oversight. If they behave themselves, they can keep women bishops out of their churches but, er, that’s it. At least, that’s how I read his long statement, though in the C of E you can never be sure of anything. The Anglo-Catholics were shafted by the full Synod last summer; the revision committee has now confirmed this, apparently; and any last-minute rescue by the full Synod seems jolly unlikely...
(The Montreal Gazette) - All of the 104 archbishops of Canterbury throughout history have been men, beginning more than 1,400 years ago with Saint Augustine.
Bishop Williams said Monday many Church of England members "maybe felt alienated or grieved" by the vote to permit female bishops, but others "felt elated by the step forward that had been taken."
In her comments, the 54-year-old Bishop Matthews said "it would be difficult to say the timeline" for when a woman might become the archbishop of Canterbury, but noted one-third of Anglican provinces have now given permission for women to become bishops.
Archdeacon Michael Pollesel, general secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada, said yesterday it's conceivable a Canadian woman -- perhaps even Bishop Matthews -- could become archbishop of Canterbury one day.
"It would be possible for a female Canadian Anglican to be appointed to a bishop's post in England, since the Church of England has recently voted to ordain female bishops," he said...
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I realize there are some conservatives within the Anglican Communion who still have some fight left in them, and won't jump ship until they know they've done everything that can possibly be done to prevent it's sinking. That being said the bow of the ship is already under water, so now might be a good time to to get into a lifeboat. I admire the valiant effort of those who won't give up until the last moment, but please, why drag this out any longer than it needs to be? The HMS Canterbury is sinking, and there's nothing anyone can do to save her now.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: After being buried in 30 inches (2 1/2 feet) of snow, Washington DC braces for another 20 inches! Global warming? God must have a sense of humor. So the proponents of global warming in Washington DC are finally getting what they deserve. Meanwhile more evidence of scientific fraud has been uncovered among those so-called "experts" who have been lying to the world about global temperatures and hiding important data that doesn't jive with their half baked theories.
Winter Storm Warning
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 922 PM EST MON FEB 8 2010
DCZ001-MDZ003>007-009>011-013-014-VAZ042-053-054-WVZ053-091030- /O.CON.KLWX.WS.W.0007.100209T1700Z-100211T0000Z/ DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA-WASHINGTON-FREDERICK MD-CARROLL- NORTHERN BALTIMORE-HARFORD-MONTGOMERY-HOWARD-SOUTHERN BALTIMORE- PRINCE GEORGES-ANNE ARUNDEL-LOUDOUN-FAIRFAX- ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA-JEFFERSON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WASHINGTON...HAGERSTOWN...FREDERICK... WESTMINSTER...GAITHERSBURG...COLUMBIA...BALTIMORE...ANNAPOLIS... LEESBURG...FAIRFAX...ALEXANDRIA...FALLS CHURCH...CHARLES TOWN 922 PM EST MON FEB 8 2010
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TUESDAY TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY...
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TUESDAY TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY.
* PRECIPITATION TYPE...SNOW.
* ACCUMULATIONS...10 TO 20 INCHES.
* TIMING...MID-AFTERNOON TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
* TEMPERATURES...TEMPERATURES NEAR FREEZING AT THE ONSET TUESDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 20S TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.
A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. THE COMBINATION OF SNOW AND STRONG WINDS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS.
(PewSitter.Com) - An exec with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, has deep ties with a national group that promotes abortion and homosexual rights according to a report released Monday.
Top USCCB executive John Carr held simultaneous leadership roles, creating a conflict of interest, with the USCCB and the radical Center for Community Change.
"The closer we look at the Bishops Conference [staff and programs], the more we find a systemic pattern of cooperation with evil," said Michael Hichborn, American Life League’s lead researcher into the USCCB scandal. "The CCC has lodged itself into the highest places of power in the USCCB while working to promote abortion and homosexuality."
John Carr is the USCCB executive director of the Department of Justice Peace and Human Development which oversees the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). He has been employed by the USCCB since 1987....
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Every second that goes by without a thorough house cleaning of the USCCB is a scandal to the U.S. Catholic Church. The news coming out of the USCCB these days is an abomination! How can this be? The nation's top Roman Catholic organization is found to fund ACORN? The same organization now has top executives with ties to militant pro-abortion and pro-homosexuality groups?
It's time for the bishops of the USCCB to come to terms with a cold hard reality. The organization has been infiltrated. It's very Catholic (even Christian) identity has been compromised. It has become the home to radicals. As defenders of the gospel, it is time for the individual bishops, of each individual diocese, to do an inventory of the policies and positions of the USCCB. It is time for them to decide where they are in union with the USCCB and where they are not, then make this inventory public for any Catholic laymen to see. It is time for the individual bishops to stop waiting on the USCCB to tell them what to do. It is time for the individual bishops to start acting like bishops! and shepherding the flock entrusted to them by God and the Holy See.
As for the USCCB, it is time to downsize and clean house. A recognition of who and what they really are would be helpful too. They are NOT a "little vatican" in Washington DC. They're authority is extremely limited - virtually nonexistent without the consent of individual bishops. Then an inventory needs to be taken of their own staff and any associations they might have. Furthermore, the USCCB needs to do an inventory of its own policies and positions to eliminate those which are not in 100% agreement with the Holy See. Finally, the USCCB needs to apply the principle of subsidiarity to itself! It is categorically IMMORAL for the USCCB to engage in any governing action which the individual bishops are perfectly capable of doing for themselves.
Lastly, if the USCCB will not do these things, if it will not do what is necessary to reform itself, then the Holy See of Rome must step in to either regulate or dismantle the organization. The spiritual safety of Catholic Americans is in danger! and it is incumbent on the Holy See to rescue them if neither the USCCB, nor individual bishops, will do what is necessary to rescue themselves.
(HSLDA) - In a case with international ramifications, Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman granted the political asylum application of a German homeschooling family. The Romeikes are Christians from Bissinggen, Germany, who fled persecution in August 2008 to seek political asylum in the United States. The request was granted January 26 after a hearing was held in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 21.
“We can’t expect every country to follow our constitution,” said Judge Burman. “The world might be a better place if it did. However, the rights being violated here are basic human rights that no country has a right to violate...
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Homeschooling is a basic human right of parents and their children, recognized as such by the Catholic Church and the United States of America. The law that permits the German government to persecute homeschooling families is an old law, left on the books since the Nazi era, now being used by the so-called "progressives" against conservative Christian families. Sadly, Germany is not the only European country participating in this type of persecution against families because of their deeply held religious beliefs on education. This Nazi-styled type of persecution is spreading across the European continent. Even more sadly, there are some people here within the United States who also hold to this very unAmerican point of view. Thankfully, these radicals have so far been kept in check by states rights and the United States legal system.
'The Catholic Knight' would like to issue this clarion call to all German homeschooling families that an oasis of safety awaits you in the United States of America. My own State of Missouri is particularly friendly toward homeschooling and has a sizable German settlement along the Missouri River - going back over a hundred years - popularly called the "Rhine of the West" or the "Missouri Rhineland." I've visited there several times. It is beautiful country nestled among vineyards and rolling hills just north of the Ozark Mountians.
This call is also extended to homeschooling families all over Europe. Come to America and be protected from the extremist oppression of the New Europe. The following is a list of the most homeschooling friendly states, where homeschooling parents are not even legally obligated to inform the government that they are homeschooling their children. More legal information can be found at HSLDA.
Alaska
Idaho
Texas
Oklahoma
Missouri
Illinois
Indiana
Michigan
Connecticut
New Jersey
No less than fourteen additional states have extremely low regulation for homeschooling families. Twenty states have moderate regulation, and six states have high regulation. In no American state is homeschooling illegal - not a single one. The United States government recognizes homeschooling as a fundamental human right based on religious freedom.
(CNS News) - Harry Knox, who serves on President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, is standing by a statement he made last March that Pope Benedict XVI is “hurting people in the name of Jesus.”
When asked on Tuesday whether he still holds that view that the pope "is hurting people in the name of Jesus," Knox said, “I do.”...
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: So did Harry Knox get a rap on the knuckles for his statement last March that the pope is "hurting people in the name of Jesus?" No, of course not. Knox is just as adamant as ever, nearly one year after the initial remark was made.
Now don't give me this garbage about Obama not knowing, or Obama in silent disagreement with Knox. We all know that's not true. No Whitehouse staffer, especially one so close to Obama, can make a scandalous statement like that and it not get back to the president. Obama knows exactly what Knox is saying, and his lack of corrective action over nearly a year, demonstrates beyond the shadow of a doubt that Obama approves of Harry Knox's statement that the pope is "hurting people in the name of Jesus."
This is all part of the master plan you see. Obama is the most clever anti-Catholic to ever hold the office of president. I say that because there have been others, but most of them were smart enough to keep quiet about their anti-Catholic sentiments. Obama on the other hand flaunts them, but he does so in the most clever way. He does it by appointing the worst Catholics (those who oppose Church teaching) to the highest offices in the land. Then he sends out sharks like Harry to drop a bomb once in a while, while Obama meets with the pope and receives awards from Catholic universities. It's a clever strategy of deception. He smiles and greets the pope with his right hand, while he reaches around and stabs the pope in the back with his left hand.
The following is an article I wrote last June. I've reprinted it here, and added a few short comments in red, because it is so applicable to current events...
----------snip------------
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: President Barack Hussein Obama is the most anti-Catholic politician in the history of the United States. His anti-Catholicism is subtle and clever. He doesn't seek to defame or disparage the Catholic Church (much). He doesn't even seek to undermine or persecute it (yet). No. His strategy is simple and cunning. Instead, he intentionally exploits the weaknesses of the U.S. Catholic Church with the intent of dividing it, fracturing it, and rendering it impotent.
It's nothing personal. It's just business. Obama doesn't necessarily hate Catholics. Nor does he necessarily hate Catholicism. I'm sure he would have no problem shaking the pope's hand, or speaking at Catholic universities (oh wait! he's already done that). It's just that Catholicism gets in the way of his agenda you see.
It's no secret anymore that Barack Obama is a socialist and a fascist (actually I think Marxist is the best description of him). Every policy decision he's made thus far has been in the trend of nationalization of private industry (the definition of socialism), or to use government bailouts to control business according to his agenda (the definition of fascism). Since the Republicans have been whipped, the media is now in his back pocket, and Evangelicals are losing their cohesiveness, Obama has virtually no one left to stop him. Except that is for one thing. It's the only entity that has effectively fought and defeated both socialism and fascism (i.e. various forms of Marxism) on three continents. That entity is the Catholic Church. Ever since the rise of Marxist ideology in the early 20th century, every single Catholic pope from then until now has directly challenged, opposed and condemned it and the leaders behind it. Pope John Paul II's defeat of communism in Poland is an example of just how dangerous the Catholic Church can be to Obama's agenda. All the pope would need to do is publicly condemn Obama's presidency and the tide would begin to turn on Obama overnight, as he would be forced to reckon with the wrath of the nation's sixty-seven-million Roman Catholics. When asked to choose between the pope and the president, even the most moderate Catholic would find a canonically condemned administration difficult to support. Obama knows that as his agenda becomes more clear and obvious to the world, this day of reckoning will come with the Catholic Church.
Therefore, his strategy is to divide and conquer. He's doing it by appointing as many Cafeteria Catholics as possible to high ranking government positions. These so-called "Catholics," who are marginal at best, have already made their choice to support various Leftist and Marxist agendas over the teachings of the Church anyway. Many of them subscribe to abortion-on-demand, a legal position utterly condemned by the Catholic Church. Likewise, many of them subscribe to Liberation Theology, a socialist ideology also condemned by the Catholic Church. These ideologies fall right in line with Obama's socialist and fascist (Marxist) agenda. By appointing these so-called "Catholics" to high ranking positions within the government, while simultaneously speaking at as many Catholic engagements as possible, Barack Obama can use his alleged "pro-Catholic record" as ammunition against any future attacks by the Vatican or U.S. Catholic bishops. Simultaneously, he's exploiting the U.S. Catholic Church's biggest weakness, which is the American bishops' poor catechises and lax discipline of the faithful for the last 40 years. We could say the U.S. Catholic bishops have dug their own grave, and now they must lie in it. Indeed they have, and that is exactly what Obama is banking on. With the clergy already scandalized by sex-abuse and cover-up, (a phenomenon that only affected 5% of the clergy by the way), many U.S. Catholics are already frustrated with the leadership of the U.S. Church and question it's moral authority. Surly this history will be drudged up in any direct confrontation between the Church and the Whitehouse. Obama is banking that with his supposed "pro-Catholic record," (in appointment of officers) and the frustration many Catholics already have with the hierarchy, he will be able to split the Church among the laity. Since only about half of all U.S. Catholics regularly practice the faith anyway, he's betting he can easily pull the other half over to his side and get them to actively work against (even protest) the Catholic hierarchy in his favor when the time is right. Indeed, nothing would serve Obama better than an all out split (a formal schism) within the U.S. Catholic Church during his administration, and you can bet that's exactly what he and his cronies are working toward.
So it's time for U.S. Catholics to pull together and remember the work of Pope John Paul II against the communists in Poland. By organizing the Polish Church with solidarity, John Paul II was able to bring the socialists to their knees in that country. There was nothing John Paul II taught that was any different than what previous pontiffs had taught about socialism. There is nothing different between what John Paul II taught about Catholic Social Justice, and what the current Pope Benedict XVI teaches about it. From the early 20th century, to this very day, the teaching of the popes on communism, socialism, and fascism has been clear and consistent. If we are truly Catholic, then we know what that teaching is. If for some reason you find yourself as a Catholic who doesn't know, you had better do some reading and find out, before it's too late. As for those of us who do know, let us be bold and remember the words of Pope John Paul II upon his election to the papacy - "Do not be afraid!"
Our Lady’s Prophecies About the Twentieth Century During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Our Lady of Good Success appeared in Quito, Ecuador to a Spanish nun whose little-known but extraordinary life has a direct connection with our days. The Pope’s...
“...infallibility will be declared a dogma of Faith by the same Pope chosen to proclaim the dogma of the mystery of my Immaculate Conception. He will be persecuted and imprisoned in the Vatican through the usurpation of the Pontifical States and through the malice, envy, and avarice of an earthly monarch.”
“Unbridled passions will give way to a total corruption of customs because Satan will reign through the Masonic sects, targeting the children in particular to insure general corruption.
Unhappy, the children of those times! Seldom will they receive the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. As for the sacrament of Penance, they will confess only while attending Catholic schools, which the devil will do his utmost to destroy by means of persons in authority.
“The same will occur with Holy Communion. Oh, how it hurts me to tell you that there will be many and enormous public and hidden sacrileges!
“In those times, the sacrament of Extreme Unction will be largely ignored.… Many will die without receiving it, being thereby deprived of innumerable graces, consolation, and strength in the great leap from time to eternity.
“The sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be thoroughly attacked and profaned. Masonry, then reigning, will implement iniquitous laws aimed at extinguishing this sacrament. They will make it easy for all to live in sin, thus multiplying the birth of illegitimate children without the Church’s blessing…
“Secular education will contribute to a scarcity of priestly and religious vocations."
“The holy sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this both the Church and God Himself are oppressed and reviled, since He is represented by His priests.
The devil will work to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every way, working with baneful cunning to destroy the spirit of their vocation and corrupting many. Those who will thus scandalize the Christian flock will bring upon all priests the hatred of bad Christians and the enemies of the One, Holy, Roman Catholic, and Apostolic Church. This apparent triumph of Satan will cause enormous suffering to the good pastors of the Church...and to the Supreme Pastor and Vicar of Christ on earth who, a prisoner in the Vatican, will shed secret and bitter tears in the presence of God Our Lord, asking for light, sanctity, and perfection for all the clergy of the world, to whom he is King and Father.”
“Unhappy times will come wherein those who should fearlessly defend the rights of the Church will instead, blinded despite the light, give their hand to the Church’s enemies and do their bidding. But when [evil] seems triumphant and when authority abuses its power, committing all manner of injustice and oppressing the weak, their ruin shall be near. They will fall and crash to the ground.
“Then will the Church, joyful and triumphant like a young girl, reawaken and be comfortably cradled in the arms of my most dear and elect son of those times. If he lends an ear to the inspirations of grace – one of which will be the reading of these great mercies that my Son and I have had toward you – we shall fill him with graces and very special gifts and will make him great on earth and much greater in Heaven. There we have reserved a precious seat for him because, heedless of men, he will have fought for truth and ceaselessly defended the rights of the Church, deserving to be called ‘martyr.’”
“At the end of the nineteenth century and throughout a great part of the twentieth, many heresies will be propagated in these lands.…
“The small number of souls who will secretly safeguard the treasure of Faith and virtues will suffer a cruel, unspeakable, and long martyrdom. Many will descend to their graves through the violence of suffering and will be counted among the martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the country and the Church.
“To be delivered from the slavery of these heresies, those whom the merciful love of my Son has destined for this restoration will need great will-power, perseverance, courage, and confidence in God. To try the faith and trust of these just ones, there will be times when all will seem lost and paralyzed. It will then be the happy beginning of the complete restoration….
“In those times the atmosphere will be saturated with the spirit of impurity which, like a filthy sea, will engulf the streets and public places with incredible license…Innocence will scarcely be found in children, or modesty in women.
“He who should speak seasonably will remain silent.
“There shall be scarcely any virgin souls in the world. The delicate flower of virginity will seek refuge in the cloisters.…Without virginity, fire from heaven will be needed to purify these lands.…
“Sects, having permeated all social classes, will find ways of introducing themselves into the very heart of homes to corrupt the innocence of children. The children’s hearts will be dainty morsels to regale the devil.…
“Religious communities will remain to sustain the Church and work with courage for the salvation of souls.… The secular clergy will fall far short of what is expected of them because they will not pursue their sacred duty. Losing the divine compass, they will stray from the way of priestly ministry mapped out for them by God and will become devoted to money, seeking it too earnestly.
“Pray constantly, implore tirelessly, and weep bitter tears in the seclusion of your heart, beseeching the Eucharistic Heart of my most holy Son to take pity on His ministers and to end as soon as possible these unhappy times by sending to His Church the Prelate who shall restore the spirit of her priests”
