News Item: : He Who Should Speak Seasonably Will Remain Silent
(Category: Torch of The Faith News)
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Friday 25 May 2018 - 12:19:28

Phoenix Park, Dublin, 1979: That Papal Visit to Ireland took place during the centenary year of the apparitions of Our Lady at Knock. 1.25 million people, a third of the entire population of the Republic of Ireland at that time, turned up for this Papal Mass. The defence of Christian civilization, marriage, family and life were key themes of the Papal Visit.

UPDATE 2: I've just discovered an Italian papal angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square on 6th May, in which Francis stated that unborn children should be always welcomed and that life must always be protected and loved from conception until its natural end. Whilst this is good, it makes no mention of the Irish Referendum and has not been heard in the wider world. The situation in Ireland is so grave as to require more direct, more public and much more numerous statements. Also these need to be made in the Irish and English languages. Let us keep praying!

UPDATE! Due to a typo, I originally described Angie's Irish parents as ''relativists''. That should have read ''relatives''... I'm still chuckling over that one. Good job my in-laws love me, hey!!!

Where's Francis?

Do you remember ''Where's Wally''? Back in the 80's, it was a kind of fun cartoon book, where you had to try and spot the character ''Wally'' hidden in busy crowd scenes and such like. I believe it was marketed as ''Where's Waldo?'' in North American markets.

Well, quite frankly: Where's Francis?!!!

Over dinner last night, I asked Angie whether she had seen or heard anything whatsoever from Francis, regarding today's all-important referendum on the 8th Amendment in Ireland.

She answered that she had not.

After our meal, I searched on-line for ''Pope Francis Ireland'' and various related combinations. All that I could find were articles speaking of his forthcoming Irish visit; which is planned to take place after the referendum. But, not a thing could I find in terms of a direct statement in defence of Ireland's pro-life laws, the referendum in particular, or the defence of Ireland's unborn in general.

Not a dicky bird.

Then I looked around for anything from the official ''Life'' academy in Rome. You know, that once highly esteemed pro-life organization which, under Francis' leadership, has been brutally gutted of key pro-life members, had its mandatory pro-life declaration removed, been re-staffed with some non-Catholics and with still others who even hold contrary views to Church teaching on things like euthanasia (!), and had its focus, erm I think they said, ''broadened'', to include issues like the environment.

Yes, that academy...

Well, up to last night, I could not find a stitch about the Irish referendum from them either.

At least this morning, I see that Archbishop Paglia has now tweeted something which is at least, and at last, positively pro-life on the matter.

You know, that Archbishop Paglia who used his ''pro-life'' position to bring in the new and distressingly un-Catholic ''sex-ed'' programme at the last World Youth Day, and who had a sacrilegiously homoerotic mural featuring himself daubed on the wall of his cathedral in Terni-Narni-Amelia. Yes, that Archbishop Paglia...

Well, I'm happy to relate, His Grace has today tweeted: ''Come Holy Spirit, guide and strengthen the people of Ireland today so that life will always be welcomed, nurtured, protected and integrated at every stage and through the courage of St. Patrick.''

But as for Francis? So far, crickets...

The situation calls to mind the similar problem when Ireland held the ''same-sex marriage'' referendum in 2015.

At least this time around a number of the Irish bishops have made clear and strong calls for their people to defend life and vote to keep the 8th Amendment safely in place.

But in the wider picture, Francis' behaviour recalls for us the fact that, just before Christmas, both the pro-lifers of Italy and their pro-death opponents attributed the passing of the new Italian euthanasia laws to Francis' approach.

This is all very troubling.

Changing Expectations

As I searched for news of Francis last evening, it suddenly struck me that I have become so habituated to Francis' subversions that I have come to expect so little from him in terms of positively Catholic words and actions.

You see, even though we've been praying at home, and have posted up a few pieces here in recent weeks about Ireland's referendum, and even though Irish bishops, priests and pro-life groups have been speaking out and leading pro-life prayers for weeks, it was only last night, on the very eve of the referendum itself, that I even began to wonder and ask whether Francis had said anything.

That is how low my expectations have fallen.

About an hour after that, I realized that I was in good company when I spotted, in the very same box that the good Frank Walker had highlighted my own Ireland article at Canon 212, that Laurence England was asking the same question about the whereabouts of Francis via his twitter account.

And so, complete with a moving image of a skeleton spinning around on an office chair, Laurence stated, ''Still waiting for @Pontifex to say something in defence of the Irish unborn.''

Aye, he's a good lad that Laurence. And Frank Walker. May God bless them, too.

Defending Catholic Ireland

Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland - Pray for Ireland to defeat the hateful Culture of Death and to build afresh the loving Culture of Life.

This is, of course, all a very far cry from the Papal Visit to Ireland of 1979. Back then, the theme was all about the defence of Ireland's Christian civilization, as well as marriage, family and pro-life issues.

Indeed, and as the good Fr. Marius O'Reilly of Cork City reminded everyone in his recent and inspiring YouTube video appeal for international prayer support, a direct fruit of that Papal Visit was the forming of pro-life Rosary crusades and the referendum which crafted and instituted the pro-life 8th amendment to the Irish Constitution in the first place.

Several years ago, I went for a pint in a pub in the city centre of Liverpool, with a bloke who is a pro-life activist in this region.

As we supped the amber nectar, actually I think we even had Guinness!, our conversation turned to the fact that we both made regular, indeed normally annual, visits to the Republic of Ireland to spend vacations there with relatives; in my case with Angie's Irish parents in the wilds of Co. Mayo.

We were both trying to define that certain something that we found in Ireland, in terms of it being a place that, at times, seems to be literally saturated in grace; and is thus a place where prayer and peace seem to come more easily than back in England.

Having spent many holidays in England's Lake District and in Wales' Snowdonia, I was trying to articulate the fact that Ireland's quality of peace is of a different order altogether. Those exemplary English and Welsh places can in some areas be more scenically beautiful, and the air is just as fresh in them as it ever is in the Republic, but they do not have that same ''something'' indefinable.

We wondered if it was perhaps because the Republic of Ireland, in spite of troubles, hardship and undeniable sins, has had such a long and uninterrupted culture of Catholic civilization; with centuries of saints, monks, nuns, wholesome families and deeply rooted village life, centred around the parish church, wayside shrines and the daily round of prayer and work. Neither the British persecutions, nor the famines destroyed the Faith of the Catholic people, nor their deeply Catholic culture.

Even today, when Mass attendance and marriage rates continue to fall, the Irish countryside remains dotted with well-tended roadside shrines; past which many hardened old boys will neither drive nor walk, without first making a reverent sign of the cross.

August 2015: Mum and I next to one of our favourite wayside shrines in Co. Mayo. When Mum was well enough, this was a place that we would often stop and pray during visits to Angie's Irish parents. Each summer, it was a great comfort to see the little red light glowing before the Sacred Heart as we approached up the lane after a year's absence. 

In the end, as we supped our pints in that pub in Liverpool, the pro-life chap and I decided that it was all of this that made Ireland so special.

But there was one thing more.

A something that was a direct fruit of all of that: It was the simple fact that, in Ireland, one found a culture in which babies were not being slaughtered by the hundreds every single day of the week. In the final analysis, that has got to make a difference to the atmosphere, to the very spiritual health, of a given place.

Today's Spiritual Battle

One cannot overstate the gravity of today's referendum, for Ireland, for the unborn and, indeed, for the Church and for the whole world.

We could not get to the FSSP parish in Warrington last night, because of Mum's care needs here.

However, we were able to join up with Catholics in Ireland by praying the Rosary before a live web-cam link, to an all day until late-night Eucharistic Adoration on the Eve of the Referendum; which was being held in a beautiful country church we know in Ireland from our visits to Angie's Mum and Dad.

Whilst it was a very moving experience to be able to do this, we were also struck and saddened by the fact that only 7 people - and all of these laity - were present in the church praying.

In common with other things we have heard this week, it reminded us of the fact that there is now but a remnant of the faithful.

However, this little remnant has all of Heaven on their side: the Most Holy Trinity, Our Blessed Lady, the Saints, the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and the many spiritual graces and powers of the Church Militant, rooted in and flowing back to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

EWTN Ireland has reminded people that, in Irish, the description of an unborn baby is Beo gan Bhreith. This directly translates into English as, Alive, but not born yet.

How brilliantly this expresses the realities for which we are all fighting.

Who are these rascals that dare to throw off centuries of Catholic civilization and destroy future generations of babies; infants who are, and who will be, alive and not yet born? 

Let us Keep Praying Today

We must keep praying as the storm clouds gather over Ireland today. This is Angeline before another of our favourite wayside shrines over in Ireland. Installed by locals for the Marian Year of 1954, it is a place we have prayed during many happy summer vacations in Co. Mayo. Out there, as this carefully maintained shrine demonstrates, the ordinary folk still love and reverence Our Lady very much. May God bless Ireland, and by the prayers of Our Lady, assure a pro-life victory today! 

We must hope that Francis will break his silence on this massively important issue today. Even if he were to do so now, it would still be an 11th hour exercise. In fact, it would be a minute to midnight kind of thing. The polls have been open since 7am local time, and voting on the 8th amendment will continue until 10pm this evening.

Still, if today Francis were to strongly denounce abortion, warn of the eternal consequences of choosing death and Hell over life and Heaven, and directly call everyone to defend Ireland's 8th amendment, it would still make a massive difference.

Even at this late hour.

As one recalls those mysterious words of Our Lady, of Quito in the title of today's article - in which Our Lady warned that, ''He who should speak seasonably will remain silent'' - we must do all that we can in terms of fasting and prayer for Ireland to Choose Life!

As with the case of little Alfie Evans recently, this is another key moment in which the battle lines are drawn and we are all seeing who, by their words, actions and prayers (or lack thereof), is on the side of Christ and Life and, conversely, who is on the side of the infernal enemy and of death.

Let us not fail to fast and pray for Ireland today.

Deuteronomy 30:19: I call Heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland - Pray for us!

St. Patrick - Pray for us!

St. Brigid - Pray for us!

All Holy Men and Women of Ireland - Pray for us!

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This news item is from Torch of The Faith
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