Book Review: Garcia Moreno by Fr. Berthe

Over the past few months in my free time, I have been reading the biography of the great saintly President of the Republic of Ecuador, Garcia Moreno.  Entitled "Garcia Moreno," the biography by Fr. Berthe is the most complete and authoritative account of the life of the savior of Ecuador.  While it was out of print since 1889, it's reemergence in 2006 has allowed many to know of Garcia Moreno and to see in him the fulfillment of some of the prophecies of Our Lady from her apparitions in Quito.

The book is extremely well written.  The vocabulary was enriching as I even learned a handful of words by virtue of Fr. Berthe's diction.  But more than that, I felt that I truly learned who Garcia Moreno was.  The biography began with an excellent prologue on the history of South America including how the Spanish were expelled, how the countries of South America came to be, and how freemasonry took hold of the area and led to generations of bloodshed.

Garcia Moreno emerged as a truly unique and capable leader.  Not only did he live a life of great personal sanctity, which is described in detail, he masterfully led the country's rejuvenation, developed infrastructure unlike was thought possible, increased the country's international position, boldly defended and financially supported Pope Pius IX as he was under attack, and corrected an immense financial deficit brought on by the greed of previous leaders.

This is a powerful testimony of what a layman was able to do. And he wasn't perfect - it was a conversation he had in Paris long before he was the President where he realized he was leading an un-Catholic life.  Completely changed, he lived the rest of his years in displaying a myriad of virtues.  He is the example of a Catholic President and his country's policies on education, religion, and the like should be a model for all of us in the 21st century.  Is it possible to live in a Catholic Democracy?  Yes, and this book is the shining example of how to do so!

Highly Recommended.  5 stars.  Please learn more on the life of Garcia Moreno and may he soon have his name inscribed among the saints! After all, he was murdered by Freemasons for his defense of the Faith. Dying as a martyr before the Cathedral in Quito, he wrote on the ground in his own blood "God does not die," and forgave his attackers before he expired.  What we can learn from his examples!  Pray as well for the conversion of modern-day Ecuador.

Novena Prayer for the Canonization of Gabriel Garcia Moreno

Oh Holy Virgin of Lourdes, remember that thy servant Garcia Moreno promised to defend thy Immaculate Conception. Remember that he belonged to thy sweet Archconfraternity, and that he fervently prayed thy Holy Rosary. Pope Pius IX, who officially proclaimed thy exemption from original sin, declared that Garcia Moreno "died a victim of the Faith and Christian Charity for his beloved country". Oh Holy Virgin, obtain for us the canonization of this exemplary ruler so that powerful men arise in works and words for the cause of the same Faith and of our beloved country. Finally, please grant this special intention (make request), if it is for the good of my soul. Amen

With Ecclesiastical Approval (300 days Indulgence)
C.M. Cardinal de la Torre, Archbishop of Quito
January 21, 1958

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Octave of Christian Unity: Prayer for Freemasons, Occult and New Age Sects

Let us Pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, we implore the clemency of Thy Sacred Heart on behalf of those souls, made in the image and likeness of God, but most miserably deceived by the treacherous snares of Freemasonry and other satanic sects, and going more and more astray in the way of perdition. Let not the Church, Thy Spouse, any longer be oppressed by the domination of this Luciferian cult; but, appeased by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, Thy Mother, and the prayers of the just, be mindful of Thy infinite mercy; and, in spite of their perversity, cause these very men to return to Thee, that they may bring consolation to the Church by a profound humility, a most abundant penance, making reparation for their wicked persecution against the Kingdom of God on earth, the Holy Catholic Church, and thus secure for themselves a glorious eternity; Who livest and reignest, forever, unto ages of ages. Amen.(100 days, once a day.)

Let us Pray.

Omnipotent and Eternal God, Who desirest that none should perish, look upon the souls deceived by the snares of the devil that the hearts of these who have gone astray may again be restored to health. Hear the prayers which we offer for the willful blindness of these unbelievers, that recognizing the light of Thy truth, which is Christ, they may be delivered from darkness. Stretch forth Thy hand over this nation, which has embraced the wicked errors of Freemasonry, that our countrymen may finally acknowledge Thy power over them; that they may know Thee as we know Thee, for there is no God but Thee, O Lord, and no other true Religion but the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith, to which we submit ourselves with our entire being, imploring the conversion of our nation. Hear the prayers of Thy faithful servants, that all who inhabit our country may know that Thou only art God, Who beholdest from age to age. Amen.

V. May the peoples confess Thee, O God.
R. May all nations acknowledge Thee.

Let us Pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, Whose will it is that all men should be saved and that none should perish, look upon the souls that have wickedly elevated themselves to the divinity, through the foul abomination of Freemasonic thinking and philosophy, and humble their prideful hearts, in order that they may put aside all the perverseness of heresy, and, being truly repentant, may return to the unity of Thy truth. Through Christ Our Lord, Who livest and reignest with Thee and the Holy Ghost, One God, forever, unto ages of ages. Amen. (Three Hail Mary's)

(Three Hail Mary's)

For more information and the Official Prayer for each day of the Octave, see the post on the Octave of Christian Unity

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Catholics & Cremation: Why It Is Not Allowable

IS CREMATION ALLOWED?

History

The burial (inhumation) of the bodies has always been the most general and constant practice of the people. Egyptians and Persians buried their dead. The Egyptians even embalmed the cadavers of famous persons. Tacitus (History V, 5) says that the Greeks and the Latins buried the dead. In the Old Testament, Tobias is praised by St. Raphael the Archangel because he buried the dead at the risk of his life: “When thou didst bury the dead by night, I offered thy prayer to the Lord” (Tob. 12, 12).


In the gospel of St. Mark, we see Joseph of Arimathea “buying fine linen”, and after that “taking down the Body of Jesus, he wrapped Him in the linen and laid Him in a sepulchre (…) and when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome brought sweet spices, that coming, they might anoint Jesus” (Mk 15, 46; 16,1). At the time of the first Christians, cremation was spread among the Romans. It was a consequence of the decadence of the society for instance, at the time of Sylla and Marius the proportion between burial and cremation was one to fifty.

But the first Christians vigorously reacted against this practice. They buried their dead at the risk of their life. It was indeed very dangerous for them, because burial made them be recognized as Christians, and the persecuting Romans, when they discovered the cemeteries of the Christians, confiscated them and exhumed the bodies, as under the order of the emperors Valerian or Diocletian.

Such resistance has only one possible explanation: it came from a commandment given by the Apostles themselves.

Pope Saint Innocent I (401-417) said that the violation of this order is one of the most serious scandals, and it will never be changed. No dispensation can be given, adds the pope, except in the case of necessity (epidemic, war, etc.). When the barbarians converted to the Catholic faith, the Church obliged them to bury their dead and to stop burning them, even under death penalty as it was at the time of Charlemagne (eight century).

As Christianity spread, proportionally the practice of burial prevailed over cremation.

When cremation is used against the Catholic Church.

It is the French Revolution of 1789 which talked again about cremation. And in the last quarter of the XIXth century, the Masonic societies obtained from the governments of Europe the official recognition of this practice. It was accepted in Italy in the year 1876, in France in the year 1887.

The motives given by the advocates of incineration were hygiene, lack of space in the great cities to put cemeteries, risk of burying somebody alive. These reasons are still put forward today. But are these motives really serious?

Concerning hygiene, this objection is an insult to all the civilized nations, which practiced inhumations. Monastic orders, which buried their dead in the cloisters never had, because of this, infections, epidemic or stain in the water they drew nearby!

Concerning the alleged lack of place in the great cities, everybody knows that many dead are buried one over the other, and above all, what is this “progress” of the world which would make us now incapable to give a decent burial to our dead?
Not to be troubled by the argument of the partisans of cremation, let us quote the testimony of a witness of an incineration:

“It was the most poignant impression of horror I ever had. I have shivers, and cold sweat on the forehead when I remember this body twisting, these arms thrashing the air as to ask mercy, these fingers tightening, these black leg giving great kicks, catching fire as torches”.

Which son would dare to burn like this the body of his mother, or of his father! Bishop Freppel (bishop of Angers in France, last century) called this action savagery, and said “How can we make disappear the cadaver of our beloved parents which such violence on the day of their funeral?”

How can we pray in front of a funeral urn containing the ashes of our parents? Cemeteries, where they quietly rest, waiting for the general resurrection, are on the opposite a continual invitation to pray for the repose of their souls.

But we understand better the profound motive of this campaign for cremation when we read, in an advertising leaflet for this practice. “To choose cremation is to enter in the universal humanistic chain of union attached to the defense of human values” (Cremation Association of the Basque Coast).  Here, it is no more question of hygiene, lack of space, etc. but we find the objective of Freemasonry, this occult society whose goal, under the pretext of human values, is to destroy Catholicism and all the orders put by God in the world.

Doctrine of the Catholic Church

The first intervention of the Holy Office against cremation date from the period when Freemasonry began to revive the pagan custom of cremation: January 12th 1870; May 19th and December 15th 1886; July 27th 1892; May 3rd 1897.

When Canon Law was promulgated in 1917, it summarized the previous condemnation of cremation in the following three canons:

Canon 1203: “The bodies of the faithful must be buried, and cremation is reprobated.  If anyone has in any manner ordered his body to be cremated, it shall be unlawful to execute his wish.”

Canon 1240, 5° says that “Persons who have given orders for the cremation of their bodies are deprived of ecclesiastical burial, unless they have before death given some signs of repentance.”

Canon 2339 says that “Persons who, in violation of the prohibition of Canon 1240, dare to order or force the ecclesiastical burial (of those who are to be deprived of it) incur excommunication ipso facto; and persons who of their own accord give ecclesiastical burial to the above mentioned, incur an interdict from entering a church.”

In an Instruction dated June 19th 1926, the Holy Office said that the Last Sacraments could not be given to a person who is asking for cremation for itself.  It adds that, entering in a society for cremation linked with Freemasonry makes this person incur the penalties for joining Freemasons, especially excommunication.  Public Masses for the repose of the soul of persons who asked for cremation, are also forbidden.  It comes from Canon 1241, which forbids public Masses for persons having been deprived of ecclesiastical burial.

Obviously let us not forget that the Holy Church permits cremation in exceptional circumstances, as in times of epidemic, war, etc. (same Instruction)

WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR THE CONDEMNATION OF CREMATION BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?

The first reason comes from the particular circumstance which made cremation having been newly promoted by Freemasonry.  Because of this fact, cremation becomes a public profession of irreligion and materialism.  But it is important to understand that it is not the most important reason.  The Catholic Church does not condemn cremation only because Freemasonry promotes it.

The Holy Catholic Church condemns cremation because it is a barbarous custom opposed to the respect and piety that one must have for our dead, even on the natural level.  And in the eyes of faith, by burial, the body laid under the earth where it will wait for its resurrection.  St. John Chrysostom says that the cemeteries are as dormitories where the dead are waiting for the day of resurrection.  Only  exceptional reasons (as in epidemic or war, etc.) can obliged for the burning of the bodies

Conciliar modernism and the doctrine of the Catholic Church. In the new Canon Law promulgated in 1983 (n. 1176 paragraph 3), the actual authorities of the Church do not forbid anymore cremation “unless it was chosen because of reasons opposite to the Catholic doctrine” (for example, denial of the dogma of the resurrection of the bodies).

But isn’t it in fact a great help given to all these associations for cremation founded all over the world now to spread this practice?  These associations are inspired by Freemasonry which is now spreading cremation to fight the Catholic Church and its beliefs.

Even if the new Canon Law continues to deeply recommend the burial of the bodies, its new politics of no-condemnation favors once again the action of the enemies of the Church who, by their diabolical hatred of the creation of God, kill the fetus by abortion, the sick and the old people by euthanasia, and savagely destroy the bodies of the dead by cremation.

One can also add that cremation endangers the practice of the veneration of relics.

Practical Conclusion

In the churches and chapels of the Society of St. Pius X, as we teach the traditional doctrine of the Catholic Church, we also keep its traditional practices. Therefore, we continue to follow the teaching of the traditional Canon Law of 1917, which expresses the constant thought of the holy Catholic Church:

S The bodies of the dead must be buried - cremation is forbidden.

S   Ecclesiastical burial will be denied to those who asked for the cremation of their bodies.

Let us honor our dead by burying their bodies with respect in a cemetery, and taking care of their souls by Masses, prayers and sacrifices. N. B.  What is said about the bodies must be applied to the members of the body (if cut by surgery for example) or to the dead fetus: they must be buried and not incinerated.
                                         
- Quoted From an article of Fr. Pinaud, SSPX  published in “Le Sel de la Terre.”

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The Canonization of Pope John XXIII: It's Implication on Vatican II

The Hijacking of St. John XXIII’s Ecumenical Council   

This is a Guest Post By David Martin

When the announcement was made on September 30, 2013, that Pope John XXIII was going to be canonized, glaring eyebrows went up in the Traditionalist camp. After all, saints are usually martyr figures that are persecuted for their uncompromising fidelity to the Faith, and Pope John is generally regarded as the flaming modernist who compromised the Church by convoking the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962.

There is no disputing the disaster wrought by Vatican II and how it set into motion an insidious departure from tradition that has left the Holy City “half in ruins.” Even as we report on the canonization of John XXIII, the gale force of “his” conciliar tempest continues to uproot the Faith, blow apart revered Catholic practices, topple the Church's edifice, and spread doctrinal debris throughout the Church. So why the tribute? Should his “aggiornamento” be rewarded this way?
  
Pope John deserves tribute, but it’s important that people see his canonization in the right light and that they have the inside scoop on his true intentions for Vatican II, otherwise it will appear that heresy and modernism are being glorified. For he is known as the founding father of Vatican II, which is why modernists are now beaming over the prospect of his canonization, because their hope is to see Vatican II “canonized.” But the good Lord has His own reasons for glorifying His servant John, as we will see shortly.

Good Intentions

The fact is that Vatican II was started with the best of resolves. Pope John’s purpose for convening the Council was not to change the Church but to restate Holy Tradition, evidenced in his opening speech on October 11, 1962: “The major interest of the Ecumenical Council is this: that the sacred heritage of Christian truth be safeguarded and expounded with greater efficacy.”
(John XXIII)

Without diluting the Faith, the pope was simply trying to adopt a more effective means of projecting the orthodox Faith to the modern world. His “update” did not include the watering down of doctrine or the alteration of liturgy, but consisted in utilizing the media and state-of-the-art technology to better project the light of tradition to a spiritually darkened world.

After all, there were dangers threatening the Faith at that time, especially the evils of evolution and abortion. Apostasy was forthcoming and man was already on the eve of forgetting his Maker, so the pope was making a special effort to dispel the ensuing darkness and uphold the orthodox Faith “with greater efficacy.”

To this end he and his best men worked arduously for almost three years to draft up the outline for the Second Vatican Council, known as the 72 schemas or schemata. According to the most conservative thinkers of Rome, the preparatory schemata were orthodox and worthy of use, but modernists were enraged that the Holy Father had put together the preparatory outline without conferring with them beforehand. Hence a decision was made before the Council to block Pope John’s plan for Vatican II.

Council Hijacked

According to Michael Davies and many others, a number of "suspect theologians" hijacked the opening session of the Council by seizing control of its drafting commissions, thus enabling them to scrap Pope John's plan and draft a new agenda of their own. A key instigator of the pack was Fr. Edward Schillebeeckx of the Netherlands, a known heretic who denied the historicity of the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection, and the Eucharist (Transubstantiation), and who had drafted and disseminated a 480-page critique aimed at rallying the progressive “Rhine bishops” to reject the original plan for Vatican II. The design of these progressivists was to revive Luther’s Reformation under the pretext of a renewal, something that Schillebeeckx openly confessed to.

Pope Benedict himself pointed out in 2013 how a “virtual council” had risen up to usurp the “real Council” at Vatican II, and lamented how “it created so many disasters, so many problems, so much suffering: seminaries closed, convents closed, banal liturgy.” (Benedict XVI, addressing the parish churches of Rome, February 14, 2013) This echoes the words of Paul VI who stated that the good efforts at Vatican II were hampered by “the devil” who came along “to suffocate the fruits of the Ecumenical Council.” (June 29, 1972) Hence it is worth recounting the opening session so that we have a clearer perspective of what really took place at the Second Vatican Council.

At the center of the coup to overthrow the Council were Cardinals Alfrink, Frings, and Lienart      of the Rhine Alliance. A crucial vote was to be taken to determine the members of the conciliar drafting commissions when Cardinal Lienart, a 30th degree Freemason, seized the microphone during a speech and demanded that the slate of 168 candidates be discarded and that a new slate of candidates be drawn up. His uncanny gesture was heeded by the Council and the election was postponed. Lienart’s action deflected the course of the Council and made history, and was hailed a victory in the press. The date was October 13, 1962, the 45th Anniversary of Our Lady’s last apparition at Fatima. (Fr. Ralph Wiltgen, the Rhine Flows into the Tiber)

In his February 14, 2013, address to the clergy of Rome, Pope Benedict brilliantly recounts this incident at Vatican II: “On the programme for this first day were the elections of the Commissions, and lists of names had been prepared, in what was intended to be an impartial manner, and these lists were put to the vote. But right away the Fathers said: 'No, we do not simply want to vote for pre-prepared lists. We are the subject.' Then, it was necessary to postpone the elections, because the Fathers themselves…wanted to prepare the lists themselves. And so it was. Cardinal Liénart of Lille and Cardinal Frings of Cologne had said publicly: no, not this way. We want to make our own lists and elect our own candidates."

The above statement is of no small significance. Herein Benedict confesses that Lienart and his clique rejected the list of candidates that John XXIII had rightfully approved in an “impartial manner,” so that they in turn could create their own list and elect their own candidates in a partial manner. And that’s exactly what they did!

When the "election" resumed, a number of radical theologians were then appointed to chair the commissions, including Hans Kung, Karl Rahner, de Lubac, Schillebeeckx and others whose writings had been blacklisted under Pius XII. The liberals now occupied nearly 60% of the seats, giving them the needed power to steer the Council in their direction. Thereupon they proceeded to trash the pope’s carefully prepared agenda that had taken nearly three years to formulate.

Through deceitful promises and skillful use of the media, the Council approved their plan for a new Mass on December 7, 1962, known as the “Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,” and this became the hub of the liturgical reform that was to set the Church on a new revolutionary course of change. The Constitution was principally the work of the infamous Annibale Bugnini whom the pope had earlier removed from two posts because of sinister activity. It in fact was the outgrowth of the one preparatory schema, drafted by Bugnini, which Vatican liberals had spared because of its designs for a new Mass. Note that Bugnini, and not the pope, was the author of the New Mass.

What is mind boggling is the dictatorial force wherewith the conciliar elite took the law into their own hands and were able to junk Pope John’s outline for Vatican II without a rebuttal. With the procedural rules laid down by the pope a mere one-third vote was needed to get the schemata passed, which in fact did pass by a 40% vote. But the Rhine fathers stirred up a ruckus and insisted that this minority vote not be honored in favor of the 60% vote against the schemata, even telling the pope, “This is inadmissible!” They abhorred the orthodoxy of the preparatory outline with its strict formulations and resented the idea of having it imposed upon them by a pope who “clung to the old absolute traditions.”

The pope, fearing a tumult, backed down and consented to let the Rhine fathers have their way against game rules. Though he had planned it differently, his strength failed him at this point, thus allowing the pirates of reform to wrest the Council from his hands. Hence the most meticulous and painstaking preparation ever undertaken for any council of Church history was suddenly dumped to the glee of this Council confederacy. Only the liturgical schema remained.

We gather that Cardinal Tisserant, the key draftsman of the 1962 Moscow-Vatican Treaty who presided at the opening session, was at the center of this coup to usurp the Vatican Council. According to Jean Guitton, the famous French academic, Tisserant had showed him a painting of himself and six others, and told him, “This picture is historic, or rather, symbolic. It shows the meeting we had before the opening of the Council when we decided to block the first session
by refusing to accept the tyrannical rules laid down by John XXIII.” (Vatican II in the Dock, 2003)

This story of what happened at Vatican II is well documented and has been told in great depth by the most qualified witnesses, including Father Ralph Wiltgen, Monsignor Bandas, Michael Davies, Cardinal Heenan and many others. Archbishop Lefebvre who was on the Central Preparatory Committee for checking and overseeing all the Council documents had this to say:

“From the very first days, the Council was besieged by the progressive forces. We experienced it, felt it…We had the impression that something abnormal was happening and this impression was rapidly confirmed; fifteen days after the opening session not one of the seventy-two schemas remained. All had been sent back, rejected, thrown into the waste-paper basket…The immense work that had been found accomplished was scrapped and the assembly found itself empty-handed, with nothing ready. What chairman of a board meeting, however small the company, would agree to carry on without an agenda and without documents? Yet that is how the Council commenced.” (Archbishop Lefebvre, Open Letter to Confused Catholics, 1986)

And this is how the modern reform was born. Pope John’s agenda for Vatican II would never resurrect from that point, but would remain buried even to this day. The rebellious “virtual council” would now proceed to put together the Vatican II we know today, including its sixteen documents and its reform of liturgy. The documents would contain elements of orthodoxy here and there, but this would only be done for cosmetic purposes. Under the pretext of a “restoration” or “reform,” the documents would apologize for tradition and attempt to unite the Catholic Church with other world religions on secular terms. That is to say, the documents themselves, and not any misinterpretation thereof, would generate the problems ahead since they would largely be penned by Peter’s enemies, and not his friends. “By their fruits you shall know them.” (Mt. 7:20)

Pope John XXIII’s reluctance in releasing the Third Secret of Fatima in 1960 undoubtedly caused him unspeakable sorrow for the rest of his life, for he was now witnessing the tragic fulfillment of the Fatima Secret. The very forces of hell marched into Rome to take the Holy City captive, which was accomplished through the conciliar apparatus provided them by the rebellious Rhine fathers and their periti. This is not to say that the gates of hell had fully prevailed against the Church, but that we had arrived at that point in history when the Church would be handed over to the Gentiles, at which time “they shall tread the holy city under foot two and forty months.” (Apocalypse 11:2)

It is said that the pope was struck to the heart, and in great pain, so that the cancer he had earlier contracted was greatly augmented now, leaving him only eight months to live. On his deathbed he cried out: “Stop the Council, Stop the Council,” but his “trusty” aides made sure that this didn’t circulate to the other cardinals. The Council was already too well advanced, the liberals had put too much stock in their revolution, so they weren’t about to give up their fun at this point.

Fissure Created

Pope John certainly made some mistakes, he wasn’t perfect. Perhaps the biggest mistake he made was to convoke the Second Vatican Council, since it provided an opening for the hidden enemy to infiltrate the Church. According to Pope Paul VI, the Council of Vatican II was that “fissure” through which “the smoke of satan entered into the temple of God.” (June 29, 1972) Even the future Pope Paul was alarmed when he learned in January 1959 that Pope John had announced the upcoming Council, to which he responded: “This holy old boy doesn’t realize what a hornet’s nest he’s stirring up!” Clearly he didn’t realize it.

Nay, the calling of Vatican II wasn’t too smart, but was a huge blunder which showed poor judgment and terrible foresight. We might even say the pope was playing Russian roulette with the Church, literally. Were not the representatives of the Soviet Union present at Vatican II with a plan to get their clenched fist agenda implemented in a spiritual way with “human rights” and the “empowerment of the laity?” Maybe Pope John should have heeded those prophets that had been forecasting disaster. Popes Pius X, XI, and XII had all refrained from calling a council, fearing it would hatch the very problems we have today. But the pope somehow believed it was now time for a Council.

However we have to remember that saints are not canonized for their smarts, talents, or administrative skills, but for their charity. And this, Pope John was loaded with. He was big hearted and wanted to extend the benevolence of God to all, and somehow was convinced that a united effort at the Vatican Council would avert the impending doom that hung over the world. Unfortunately his “virtuous fault” of refusing to see the evil in his fellow man blinded him to the reality of infiltrated Judases, and allowed these enemies to countermand and overrun him.

Pope John has sometimes been criticized for quietly lifting the ban on some of these suspect theologians whose activities were formerly restricted by Pius XII, but conservatives have faltered in not recognizing his good intentions. The traditional Monsignor Rudolph Bandas who was one of the brilliant and outstanding periti at Vatican II understood clearly how John XXIII was being overrun and abused, and had this to say: “No doubt good Pope John thought that these suspect theologians would rectify their ideas and perform a genuine service to the Church. But exactly the opposite happened. Supported by certain Rhine Council fathers, and often acting in a manner positively boorish, they turned around and exclaimed: ‘Behold, we are named experts, our ideas stand approved.”’

Pope John’s vision of Vatican II was truly noble and well intending, though he was naïve. This excerpt from his opening speech nicely reflects his pastoral spirit: “The great desire, therefore, of the Catholic Church in raising aloft at this Council the torch of truth, is to show herself to the world as the loving mother of all mankind; gentle, patient, and full of tenderness and sympathy for her separated children.”

Unfortunately this kind of talk made Vatican II progressives sick. The good pope didn’t realize he was going to get clobbered for this. The fact is that Pope John XXIII was viciously stabbed in the back by those he trusted. When they wanted their way with him they would crouch and kiss his ring, and in the next hour or minute they were plotting on how they would take Vatican II away from him.

For instance Monsignor Bugnini, a notorious Freemason and sweet-talker, assured the pope that he was most committed to fostering a deepened love and appreciation for the liturgy. So the pope blindly entrusted to him the task of heading the new Preparatory Commission on the Liturgy that was established on June 6, 1960, believing that a deepened love for the old Mass would result from this. But what he failed to realize is that Bugnini and his cohorts were secretly at work drafting up a new Mass for the Church which they were determined to get passed at Vatican II.

And it did pass with flying colors! The Bugnini Schema superseded all the other schemas and became the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy on December 7, 1962. (Later called Sacrosanctum Concilium) This was the document that directly led to the implementation of the New Mass in the vernacular. Yet the pope in 1960 had no idea what Bugnini and his men were cooking up for the Council. The conservative Cardinal Heenan of Westminster even says in his autobiography that “Pope John did not suspect what was being planned by the liturgical experts.”

If it wasn’t bad enough that the good pope had to endure spiritual martyrdom from the devil and his agents, let us take a look at his actual death on June 3, 1963. The unofficial word is that Pope John XXIII was murdered. For when he began crying out from his deathbed to “Stop the Council,” his death suddenly ensued. Though he was ill with terminal cancer, he wasn’t supposed to die quite so soon. As they saw it, it was urgent that his outcry be silenced, so they gave him a little extra sedative to calm his nerves. We have to remember that euthanasia didn’t start with Obamacare, but existed in the hospitals even back then.

Needless to say, John XXIII was persecuted and laid low. The allegations from the Sedevacantist camp that he was a Freemason display ignorance and have contributed to his martyrdom of spirit. It was the Freemasons that generated the revolt at Vatican II, but a key part of their plan was to hide and shift the blame onto the pope in order to sell their revolution and smear the pope’s reputation. Pseudo traditionalists by their detraction have effectively and unknowingly assisted the Masonic plan to discredit the papacy in these latter times.

The Pope’s own Words

If nothing else convinces us of Pope John’s innocence, we turn to his own words: “I repeat once more that what matters most in this life is: our blessed Jesus Christ, his holy Church, his Gospel, and in the Gospel above all else the Our Father according to the mind and heart of Jesus, and the truth and goodness of his Gospel, goodness, which must be meek and kind, hardworking and patient, unconquerable and victorious.”

This angelic philosophy echoes what the saints of history have said concerning our purpose in life. Sanctity means being Christ centered with a burning aspiration to bring all men to the love and knowledge of God. With this very aspiration the pope in his opening speech at Vatican II expressed the intentions of the Council: “Its intention is to give to the world the whole of that doctrine which, notwithstanding every difficulty and contradiction, has become the common heritage of mankind—to transmit it in all its purity, undiluted, undistorted. It is a treasure of incalculable worth, not indeed coveted by all, but available to all men of good will.”

Are these the words of a Freemason, a Judas, a progressivist? Or are these rather the words of a  saint? Would that the pope and bishops of today would speak this way! The Church’s mission for 2000 years has been precisely to bring this deposit of Faith to mankind so that, if it were possible, the entire earth would be enkindled with its flame. The Traditional Roman Faith is that sacred legacy which God originally intended as “the common heritage of mankind,” though the Reformation did much to destroy this ecclesial unity, as did its reemergence at Vatican II.

What is needed today is a true renewal of Catholic tradition, so that the Mystical Body can once again be whole as in former times, with unity and soundness. What is needed is what John XXIII originally prescribed in his opening speech at Vatican II: “…that this doctrine shall be more widely known, more deeply understood, and more penetrating in its effects on men’s moral lives. What is needed is that this certain and immutable doctrine, to which the faithful owe obedience, be studied afresh.”

As John XXIII is raised to the altars of Holy Mother the Church this April 27, 2014, let us be encouraged to assume a new perspective of holy pontiff whereby we cease from blaming him for all the problems that have ravaged the Church since Vatican II. He made some mistakes which he had to pay dearly for. May he now be rewarded for all the good he proposed and all the evil he endured.

And especially, may we be resolved to assist him and his Maker in the cause of restoring the Holy Roman Catholic Church to its former glory. St. John XXIII, pray for us!

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Conciliar Canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II?

The following is taken from Traditional Catholic Remnant.

So it has been recently confirmed that two of the revolutionary Vatican II popes – John XXIII and John Paul II – will be “canonized” by Francis I this December. This news, especially the “canonization” of JPII, comes as no surprise, given the “saint factory” the conciliar church is. Of course two of the worst men to sit in the Chair of Peter are going to be given an honorary “seal of approval” by their modernist successors.

John XXIII reigned from 1958 to 1963. The first of the revolutionary popes, John XXIII was the one who called for a Second Vatican Council, which began in 1962. He died before its completion. There are rumors that he shouted on his deathbed “Stop the Council! Stop the Council!”. This theory leads some Traditionalists to believe that he wasn’t all that bad compared to his successors. However, while I would certainly hope that John XXIII repented of his wicked ways, this claim has never been proven. Thus, our opinion of him should remain that he was a horrible leader for the Church, and was likely a Masonic infiltrator. His successor, Paul VI (who is expected to be “beatified” by the conciliar church soon), who was even more diabolical than his predecessor, was likely an infiltrator as well.

John Paul II reigned from 1978 to 2005, making his reigns one of the longest in Church history. It was also one of the worst, and perhaps THE worst behind only Paul VI. His papacy included a covering up of a plethora of sex abuse cases, two blasphemous inter-religious meetings at Assisi, a phony so-called “third secret” of Fatima released in 2000, and of course, the “excommunication” of Archbishop Lefebvre and the SSPX. Despite his shameful reign, he’s on the way to “sainthood” nevertheless.

Given that Francis is simply another John XXIII or JPII himself, it’s not surprising that he’s cleared these two liberals to be “canonized”. And Paul VI will likely be next. These modernists need to be excommunicated, not “canonized”! How about Canonizing Archbishop Lefebvre instead? But no, instead he’s considered “excommunicated” while these conciliarists are on the way to so-called “sainthood”.

And while these two are on the way to “sainthood”, Popes who are TRULY worthy of Canonization – such as Pope Pius IX and Pope Leo XIII – are ignored. Of course, these Popes had the true Catholic Faith, their Doctrine was undeniably Catholic and contrary to what these conciliarists teach. So to Canonize them would be contrary to their own beliefs, thus why they’re likely being snubbed.

What did Archbishop Lefebvre have to say about these conciliar Popes?

“We must not be afraid to affirm that the current Roman authorities, since John XXIII and Paul VI, have made themselves active collaborators of international Jewish Freemasonry and of world socialism. John Paul II is above all a communist-loving politician at the service of a world communism retaining a hint of religion. He openly attacks all of the anti-communist governments and does not bring, by his travels, any Catholic revival.” (Archbishop Lefebvre, “Marcel Lefebvre: The Biography” by Bishop Tissier, pp. 602-603)

The Archbishop’s words, as usual, are spot-on. Let us not be deceived by these conciliar popes, who are simply wolves in sheep’s clothing. I will conclude with the words of a Pope who was truly worthy of Canonization, the great Pope St. Pius X:

“They [modernists] want to be treated with oil, soap and caresses. But they should be beaten with fists. In a duel, you don’t count or measure the blows, you strike as you can.”

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Apostacy: Masons Honored in a Catholic Church

As shockingly reported by the SSPX. How long can this silent apostacy go on? Kyrie eleison!

First reported on August 28 by the Brazilian web-forum, FRATRESINUNUM, a “Day of the Mason” was observed on August 20 at the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceicao (Our Lady of Conception) in the Brazilian town of Belo Jardim in the diocese of Pesqueira-Pernambuco.

The event consisted of Mass (per the Novus Ordo Missae) with Masons processing into the church in full Freemasonic regalia of ribbons, collars and aprons, and bearing tools of their “craft”, the compass, hammer and square.

In addition to being granted an official place of honor in the church during Mass, they were also allowed to speak from the altar and present their tools as memorial gifts to the celebrant, Fr. Geraldo Magela de Silva. Even worse though, these Freemasons – were also given Communion.

All of this is a direct violation of the Church’s law concerning Freemasons, as expounded first by Pope Clement XII In Eminenti Apostolatus in 1738 and most famously by Pope Leo XIII in Humanum Genus in 1884, which Cardinal Ratzinger (now the Holy Father) reiterated with Pope John Paul II’s approval in 1983:

Therefore the Church's negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion

The first condemnation against Freemasonry given by Pope Clement XII per In Eminenti (1738) was repeated and even extended by Benedict XIV (1751), Pius VII (1821), Leo XII in Quo Graviora (1826), Pius VIII (1829), Gregory XVI (1832), Pius IX (Qui Pluribus in 1846, 1849, 1864, 1865, 1869, 1873), and of course, Pope Leo XIII in Humanum Genus (1884) and Custodi di Quella Fede (1890). Later, the 1917 Code of Canon Law explicitly declared that Catholics who joined a Masonic organization incurred a penalty of ipso facto excommunication. It is also noteworthy that in a response dated February 17, 1981, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith also reiterated the 1917 Code’s penalty.  

When will more people realize the prophetic character of (St.) Archbishop Lefebvre?

They talk to us of obedience. We wish to and we try to obey more and more every day the Church of all time founded by Jesus Christ, Son of God and Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity but we refuse to obey Masonry with its promotion of liturgical reform resulting in the “naturalization of the Incarnation.” The effects of the liturgical reforms are every day more clear and obvious to all. The ecumenical Mass leads logically to apostasy. One cannot serve two masters. One cannot nourish oneself indifferently with truth and error because error with its evil tendencies will triumph over the more austere and demanding truth...  Source

Recommended Reading - Why Catholics Cannot Be Masons

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Why Catholics Cannot be Freemasons: What to Know and How to Get out!

No organization has been more condemned by the Church, and rightfully so, than the masons. The first condemnation against Freemasonry given by Pope Clement XII per In Eminenti (1738) was repeated and even extended by Benedict XIV (1751), Pius VII (1821), Leo XII in Quo Graviora (1826), Pius VIII (1829), Gregory XVI (1832), Pius IX (Qui Pluribus in 1846, 1849, 1864, 1865, 1869, 1873), and by Pope Leo XIII in both Humanum Genus (1884) and Custodi di Quella Fede (1890). 

Those who would like to better understand the errors of the freemasons should pick up a copy of “Why Catholics Cannot be Masons” written by John Salza , a Catholic attorney and former 32nd degree Mason, who explains why the Masons and the Shriners are actually a secretive, false religion.

Is it still forbidden to join the freemasons or similar organizations? 

Yes! The Papal Bull issued by Pope Clement XII (On Freemasonry) in 1738 stated in part: "with the plenitude of the Apostolic power do hereby determine and have decreed that these same Societies, Companies, Assemblies, Meetings, Congregations, or Conventicles of Liberi Muratori or Francs Massons, or whatever other name they may go by, are to be condemned and prohibited, and by Our present Constitution, valid for ever, We do condemn and prohibit them."

The Holy Father continued later on by stating clearly: “…[Catholics] must stay completely clear of such Societies, Companies, Assemblies, Meetings, Congregations or Conventicles, under pain of excommunication for all the above mentioned people, which is incurred by the very deed without any declaration being required, and from which no one can obtain the benefit of absolution, other than at the hour of death, except through Ourselves or the Roman Pontiff of the time.” 

The first Code of Canon law in 1917 explicitly declared that Catholics who joined a Masonic organization incurred a penalty of ipso facto excommunication: 

Can 2335: Affiliation With Masonic or Similar Societies. Those who join a Masonic sect or other societies of the same sort, which plot against the Church or against legitimate civil authority, incur ipso facto an excommunication simply reserved to the Holy See.

The result of membership in the freemasons is automatic excommunication. Yet, some question if this is still the case due to the change of wording in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which does not specifically mention the masons, when it states:

Can. 1374. A person who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty; one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdict.

In order to clarify the issue, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published a declaration on Nov. 26, 1983, signed by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, which states:

“It has been asked whether there has been any change in the Church’s decision in regard to Masonic associations since the new Code of Canon Law does not mention them expressly, unlike the previous Code. 

“This Sacred Congregation is in a position to reply that this circumstance in due to an editorial criterion which was followed also in the case of other associations likewise unmentioned inasmuch as they are contained in wider categories. 

“Therefore, the Church’s negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.”

Take Action Against Masonry

Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum University acknowledges that unfortunately many people view the masons as a mere civic organization and one that is not anti-Christian and an alternative religion as its core. 

We have a responsibility to bring those Catholics who are members of the masons to understand the errors of their ways and the need for them to seek the Sacrament of Penance and receive absolution and a lifting of the excommunication. Father McNamara states: “Of course, for many people active in Masonic lodges, the conversations and activities are more social in nature and rarely veer toward the realm of philosophical speculation. A Catholic, however, cannot ignore the fundamental principles behind an organization, no matter how innocuous its activities appear to be.”

Do not visit masonic halls. If you see their literature posted in community bulletin boards, throw it away. Do everything you can to encourage all the small towns and communities across America that have a masonic hall to close it down. And pray for the conversion of the freemasons. We can especially invoke the intercession of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who wrote strongly against them.

Prayer for Conversion of Freemasons

O LORD JESUS CHRIST, who showest forth thy omnipotence most manifestly when Thou sparest and hast compassion; Thou who didst say, “Pray for those who persecute and calumniate you,” we implore the clemency of thy Sacred Heart on behalf of souls, made in the image of GOD, but most miserably deceived by the treacherous snares of Freemasons, and going more and more astray in the way of perdition. Let not the Church, thy spouse, any longer be oppressed by them; but, appeased by the intercession of the blessed Virgin thy Mother and the prayers of the just, be mindful of thy infinite mercy; and, disregarding their perversity, cause these very men to return to Thee, that they may bring consolation to the Church by a most abundant penance, make reparation for their misdeeds, and secure for themselves a glorious eternity; who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

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Excommunications in the Diocese of Lincoln

Bishop James D. Conley prays at installation Mass outside of Risen Christ Cathedral in Lincoln, Neb. on Nov. 20, 2012. Credit: Seth DeMoor/CNA. From Catholic News Agency

As a preface, see What is Excommunication and Why Is it So Series 

For the most part, I am very happy to see a result in this. It's about times that members of those organizations are excommunicated. Now all members of those groups within the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska have been excommunicated barring them from the Sacraments. They can only return to the Church and the source of grace by repenting and confessing their sins.

However, one major error here is the inclusion of the Society of St. Pius X. You may not excommunicate a group for keeping the Catholic Faith, which is what the SSPX does. Their inclusion is invalid as a similar alleged excommunication was been overturned by Pope Benedict XVI as part of the "Hawaii Six".

The SSPX sent several letters to the Diocese of Lincoln which went unanswered. This false accusation against the SSPX is invalid.

Here is the original statement:

Statement issued by Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz (published in Southern Nebraska Register, March 22, 1996)

All Catholics in and of the Diocese of Lincoln are forbidden to be members of the organizations and groups listed below. Membership in these organizations or groups is always perilous to the Catholic Faith and most often is totally incompatible with the Catholic Faith.

Planned Parenthood
Society of Saint Pius X (Lefebvre Group)
Hemlock Society
Call to Action
Call to Action Nebraska
Saint Michael the Archangel Chapel
Freemasons
Job's Daughters
DeMolay
Eastern Star
Rainbow Girls
Catholics for a Free Choice

Any Catholics in and of the Diocese of Lincoln who attain or retain membership in any of the above listed organizations or groups after April 15, 1996, are by that very fact (ipso facto latae sententiae) under interdict and are absolutely forbidden to receive Holy Communion. Contumacious persistence in such membership for one month following the interdict on part of any such Catholics will by that very fact (ipso facto latae sententiae) cause them to be excommunicated. Absolution from these ecclesial censures is "reserved to the Bishop."

This notice, when published in the Southern Nebraska Register, is a formal canonical warning.

By mandate of the Most Reverend Bishop of Lincoln.

Reverend Monsignor Timothy Thorburn, Chancellor March 19, 1996

May they repent and return to the Catholic faith.

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