News Item: : That Was The Week That Was...
(Category: Torch of The Faith News)
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Saturday 07 May 2016 - 17:26:39

We've been a bit scattered by events closer to home this week. Still, we haven't failed to notice some of the ongoing occurrences in Rome. No wonder the great convert Msgr. Ronald Knox wrote: ''He who travels in the Barque of Peter, had better not look too closely into the engine room''! That being said, we did not think that we could let this week pass without at least some brief reflections on the following four happenings.

1. Joe Biden

On Friday 29th April, the pro-abortion US VP Joe Biden spoke at a Vatican event on adult stem-cells. Mr. Biden spoke just before Pope Francis gave a speech and exchanged greetings with the Pontiff afterwards. 

As we noted last week, this public promotion of Mr. Biden does rather pull the rug from beneath the feet of those faithful Catholic faculty and students who protested when Mr. Biden was awarded the prestigious Laetare award by Notre Dame University earlier this year.

It is worth noting that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a policy document as long ago as 2004, calling on Catholic institutions not to allow pro-abortion politicians to be given awards, honours or platforms which might suggest the Church's support or cause scandal.

In any case, there is a certain irony in the choice of Mr. Biden to speak about adult stem cell research, given that he supports the tax-payer funded destruction of human embryos for ''research'' purposes. Biden is also notorious for his support of abortion and LGBT ideology. On hearing of Mr. Biden's visit to the Vatican, Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Rhode Island commented on Facebook: ''According to published reports, Vice-President Joseph Biden, a Catholic, has joined Vatican officials in promoting health care for the poor, a noble idea to be sure. But I wonder if the pro-abortion Biden wants to include abortion and contraception in that health care he wants to provide for the poor. ''Obamacare'' certainly does. Just ask the Little Sisters of the Poor.''

Indeed...

2. The Edge

Numerous commentators observed the fact that David Evans, perhaps better known to many as the ''Edge'' from U2, had taken a break from U2's present tour, which includes a visit to the globalist Davos meeting, to attend the same Vatican conference on regenerative medicine; and that he had also met with Pope Francis.

Interestingly, ''the Edge's'' daughter Hollie Evans posted up a picture of her Room No 666 on Instagram with the message: ''Just arrived with my family for a once in a lifetime Papal blessing at the Vatican. And this is the hotel room no. I get. Ha!'' As a backdrop for the picture, Hollie's photograph featured the - let's be totally honest - weird sculpture by Pericle Fazzini from the Paul VI audience hall.

Perhaps nothing better illustrates the decadent state of contemporary Rome than the fact that ''the Edge'' was allowed to play four songs for the conference delegates in the Sistine Chapel last Saturday night.   

Whilst the divorced and re-''married'' pop-star sang his gig numbers, with his trademark beanie hat still planted firmly on his head, a choir of young people stood with their backs to the beautiful High Altar and provided the musical accompaniment for the gathered throng. And so, the very House of God is dishonoured once again. How it grieves the Catholic heart to see God's holy sanctuary debased in this way.

During the week, Rorate Caeli drew attention to the title of one of ''the Edge's'' performed songs, in relation to the June 2008 directive from the CDF, forbidding the pronouncement of the tetragrammaton YHWH in liturgical celebrations, songs and prayers.

Whilst clearly the CDF directive would never even have envisaged the singing of popular culture songs for entertainment in any, let alone in one of the most important, of the sacred chapels/churches it is worth drawing attention to a little-known fact.

In the build-up to the Second Vatican Council, a Rome Synod was convened to first prepare the way. This synod produced an important and completely traditonal decree, called Veterum Sapientia. Although this would be one of the beautiful texts to be rapidly discarded once the actual Council found itself being taken on a dramatically different trajectory, it is important to draw attention to one of its prescriptions.

Along with the solemn confirmation of the use of Latin, the condemnation of all attempts at liturgical creativity by celebrants, the prescription for the traditional placement and form of sacred tabernacles, and the emphasis on early baptism of infants, Veterum Sapientia expressly prohibited the giving of concerts and other performances in churches.

Last summer, we were deeply saddened to learn that parish priests in the Republic of Ireland were letting out their churches for folk concerts as a way of raising revenue in the face of falling Mass attendance. This was happening in spite of the public protests of those concerned lay people who do still attend Holy Mass every week. Heck, while we were over there last year, there was a even a priest going around parishes throughout the country as a ''folk singer'' on tour!

It is interesting to note that Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich prophesied a coming time of darkness in Rome, when there would be gambling, drinking, talking, and even the courting of women, going on inside the churches. In the early 20th-Century, there was a peasant farmhand called Sepp Wudy who prophesied the coming of the second, and then a third, world war. Among the signs which would precipitate the coming of the direst of tribulations, Wudy listed a widespread decline of faith, large-scale confusion and the playing of dance music in churches with parsons singing along...

In connection with this, we were similarly disturbed to read of Archbishop Lorefice, of Palermo, cycling in to Holy Mass wearing his mitre, chasuble and other vestments. It has been reported in a number of places this week, that the Francis-appointed Lorefice supports the Bologna School's conception of the Second Vatican Council as a ''rupture'' with the past. Well, it does sound as though his chain has come off!

3. Rotarians in Rome...

It was certainly buzy in Rome last weekend! Some 9,000 Rotarians were present with the large crowds of police and armed forces members who had gathered for the special Jubilee Audience with Pope Francis.

At the end of the audience, a delegation of Rotarians met with and greeted the Pontiff.

The Canadian Vox Cantoris blog recalled that the Rotary organization gives funds to the notorious Planned Parenthood empire. Further than that, Vox pointed out that, although not directly Masonic, the Rotarians were founded by two Freemasons. In addition to that, the Holy Office, under the authority of Pope Pius XII, issued a decree banning priests from joining the Rotary Club.

All of which makes it more disturbing that Pope Francis not only met with Rotary delegates last week, but that he also accepted ''honourary'' membership in the organization - which he described as ''prestigious'' - way back in July 1999.

4. The Charlemagne Prize

Vatican Radio reported yesterday that Pope Francis had taken possession of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen.

Whatever nuances one might want to make in reviewing the methods employed by Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance, it remains the case that Charlemagne advanced Christian civilization and united Europe around Our Lord Jesus Christ the Universal King and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We're not altogether sure that this is the same kind of ideal being celebrated by the Charlemagne Prize today.

During yesterday's prize-giving ceremony, the winner of the prize in 2015 also gave a speech. This was none other than President of the European Parliament, Martin Schultz.

This gentleman is also a former chairman of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats; a group which is strongly committed to promoting the LGBT agenda and the fallacy of ''legal and safe'' abortion throughout Europe.

It is interesting to note that, whilst Pope Francis delivered an acceptance speech heavy on calls for dialogue and the integration of immigrants, Cardinal Walter Kasper was all the time sat on the front row during the ceremony. Let us not forget that this same Cardinal Kasper has been boasting to Aachener Zeitung that he was the one who persuaded Pope Francis to accept the Charlemagne Prize in the first place. Let us also remember that Kasper was similarly sat on the front row during last year's Papal visit to the Lutheran temple in Rome; during which visit, Pope Francis deferred to the presence of Kasper and gave a vague answer to the Lutheran woman on reception of Holy Communion. And then there was the whole Kasperian backdrop to the Synod on the Family and Amoris Laetitia...

The Plot thickens.

Perhaps old Msgr. Knox was right about that engine room...

Keep the Faith!    

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