VIDEO: Anthony Stine on the death of Francis... and what happens next

Regular readers will know that there are three traditional Catholic commentators we follow regularly, whoses videos we occasionally repost here. They are (in no particular order): Michael Matt, Dr Taylor Marshall, and Anthony Stine. Mr Stine's "Return to Tradition" vlog was first off the mark today with these thoughts about the death of Pope Bergoglio and how his successor may be chosen.

Like Mr Stine, we shudder at the thought of Cardinal Pietro Parolin -- Peter the Roman -- becoming pope. The cardinals who meet in conclave to choose Francis' successor are supposed to pray that the Holy Ghost will guide them in their deliberations. There is nothing to stop the faithful from praying too, nor to stop us from mentioning by name those we would welcome and those we would not!

Is Pope Francis compos or non compos?

Did you see the videos of Jorge Bergoglio, the man who calls himself "Pope Francis", appearing on the balcony of Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Sunday? Painful to look at, wasn't it? The photo below makes him look better than he does in the videos. Faithful Catholics are left wondering: just how ill is he, really?

Pope Bergoglio looked frail, to put it mildly. His breathing was laboured, making it difficult for him to speak to the hundreds of people gathered in the square in front of the hospital. "Thank you everyone," he said in a wisp of a voice. Then he said, "I see a woman with yellow flowers. She's good." Then, with a trembling hand, he made the sign of the cross in a blessing, before being wheeled back into the hospital. 

What did you make of that? How did Francis look to you? To me, the feeble wave (note the position of the fingers on his hand, like something out of Star Trek) and the child-like comment about the lady with the flowers, looked like someone who has lapsed into senile dementia.

You don't think so? Have you never seen a retarded mentally challenged person wave at someone? Have you never heard such a person respond to a caregiver's "Look, Timmy! What's that?" I'm not making fun of anyone, just pointing out that, to me, Pope Bergoglio appears to have lost not just his faculties but his mental faculties too. Non compos mentis -- the phrase in the language of the Church for someone who has lost  his mind.

And why should Francis's mental function have not been diminished over the nearly a month that he was receiving "supplemental oxygen" while he was fighting his battle with double pneumonia. Just yesterday, Professor Sergio Alfieri, the lead doctor of the medical staff looking after the pope, told Corriere della Sera that considered stopping his treatment so he could die.

Thehe most critical moment, the good doctor said, came on 28 February, when the pope had a breathing crisis and inhaled his own vomit. "We had to choose whether to stop and let him go or force it and try with all the drugs and therapies possible," the good doctor said, "running the very high risk of damaging other organs. And in the end, we took this path." One of the "other organs" would certainly be the brain.

Was that Francis's choice. Prof. Alfieri said, "The Holy Father always decides. He delegated all kinds of health care choices to Massimiliano Strappetti, his personal health care assistant, who knows perfectly well the Pontiff’s wishes." He reportedly told Prof. Alfieri, "Try everything, we won’t give up. That’s what we all thought too. And no one gave up."

Francis has returned to his residence at Casa Santa Marta, where the Vatican says will receive treatment including mobility and respiratory-related physiotherapy, especially for voice recovery, and engage in personal prayer. Doctors also advised him to have 24-hour medical assistance, including oxygen therapy, and in case of any emergencies.

Let me ask, then, an annocent question. If Francis was (and still is) that sick, and has apparently only limited understand of what's going on around him (as the video suggests), who's writing all these notes, memos and decrees that Francis is allegedly signing? Are they being signed with an autopen? Who's pushing the buttons?

For an answer to that last question, look no further than "'Peter the Roman' ready to take over from Francis", WWW 14/1/18. God save His Holy Church!

What are the chances of the next Pope being Catholic?

Thanks and a tip o' the biretta (the hat still worn by some Roman Catholic priests) to the good folks at Blazing Cat Fur for posting "The Scandals Haunting Pope Francis", about the travails of true believers to find a Catholic pope -- as in "Is the Pope Catholic?" -- to succeed the apostate Francis, whose papacy is coming to an end. 

"Scheming cardinals are sharpening their knives", the BCF squib says. "The cardinals are already meeting to discuss who should be the next pope. Some of the liberal ones, who feel safe because they're in favour with the ailing Pope Francis, can be seen comparing notes in a bar near the gates of the Vatican. The conservative cardinals are more nervous: they gather at suppers in each other’s apartments or — if they can trust the fawning waiters not to betray them — in a favourite restaurant."

The link at the end of the BCF article takes you to an excellent article by Damian Thompson, writing in UnHerd, analysing the pros and cons of the many cardinals -- liberal and traditional, left and right, unworthy and worthy -- who might be elected in the next conclave.

Mentioned near the end of Mr Thompson's article is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, presently the Vatican's Secretary of State. A lot of damage has been to Holy Mother Church by recent Secretaries of State, including Cardinals Casaroli, Sodano, and Bertone, who held the position under Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Jorge Bergoglio, who calls himself "Pope Francis".

In "'Peter the Roman' ready to take over from Pope Francis" (WWW 14/1/18), I wrote about Cardinal Parolin, already notorious for orchestrating the Vatican sell-out to Communist China, condemned by Joseph Cardinal Zen Zi-Kiun. The agreement to sell out Chinese Catholics was supposed to be a trial, but has now become permanent, because Cardinal Parolin wants it so. 

Cardinal Parolin seems poised to finalize the sell-out of the Church to the New World Order and its New World Religion now "progressing" (word chosen carefully) under Pope Bergoglio. Let us pray earnestly the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel: Defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Thanks to BCF commentator Canucklehead for the very apt illustration. But, Walt hears you ask, where is Cardinal Parolin in the picture? Answer: He made and served the tea! 

Francis to miss Palm Sunday Mass?

The following story appeared on Breitbart News this morning. Walt has made a minor edit. 

Argentinian Cardinal Leonardo Sandri will substitute Pope Francis in the celebration of Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter’s Square due to the pontiff’s ill health, the Vatican has announced.

Sandri, the former prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Eastern Churches, revealed that he had been informed last Monday that he would celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, which kicks off the Holy Week celebrations that will culminate with Easter Sunday. "Yes, of course, I can confirm that I will celebrate the Mass of the Palms on Sunday," Sandri said. "I was warned already last Monday by the Master of Papal Ceremonies that the Holy Week liturgies would each be celebrated by a cardinal, and they asked me for Palm Sunday." 

The Vatican reportedly still hopes [nothing was said about praying] that Pope Francis will be well enough to preside over the Easter Mass, which will be officiated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, and that the pope will be able to impart the Urbi et Orbi blessing from the central loggia of the Basilica. 

In other news... Soros-backed New York D.A. Alvin J. Bragg, who bragged (geddit?) that he would save America from a second Trump presidency, has persuaded a grand jury of 23 fair-minded people to indict President Trump on several charges, the exact nature of which will be revealed when (and if) The Donald surrenders and is arraigned in a New York court, where he is assured of a fair trial. (Geddit?)

The voluntary surrender will likely happen soon. The trial... not so soon. President Trump says this will not affect his campaign for re-election in the slightest, and I belikeve him.

Francis silent as ChiComms put Cardinal Zen on trial

Walt is saddened, not not shocked, to report that Joseph Cardinal Zen, a longtime foe of the Chinese Communists, is the defendant in a show trial set to begin today in Hong Kong. You might think that the man who calls himself Pope Francis would spring to the defence of the retired Archbishop of Hong Kong, but you would be wrong.

The prelate is being tried alongside Margaret Ng, a prominent former legislator; scholar Hui Po-keung; Cyd Ho, a former legislator; Sze Ching-wee, secretary of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund secretary; and Denise Ho, a popular singer and gay-rights activist.

The 612 fund was set up to help pay legal costs for those arrested in the 2019-20 pro-democracy demonstrations. Prosecutors claim the fund wasn’t registered properly under Hong Kong's Societies Ordinance -- a law frequently used against triads, or secret societies. 

If convicted, the defendants could be fined about $1300. But in Cardinal Zen's case, the Communists may not be satisfied with a mere fine. The defendants were originally arrested for "collusion with foreign forces", for which they could be jailed for life!

The timing of the trial is bad for the NWR (New World Religion) forces at the Vatican, coming as it does when the Vatican Holy See's 2018 sellout to the Communists is up for renewal. Although he had retired from his position as Archbishop of Hong Kong, he was vocal in his condemnation of the deal by which Beijing's schismatic Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association took control all Catholics in China, including those in the "underground church" which remained loyal to Rome.

Further reading: "Vatican-China agreement 'terrible, terrible, terrible': Cardinal Zen", WWW 4/12/19, and "Cardinal Zen decries/Vatican defends sell-out of Chinese Catholics", WWW 3/3/20. 

Just two years ago, Cardinal Zen flew to Rome in a desperate attempt to get Pope Bergoglio to reconsider his China deal. But a pope who always seems to have time for private audiences with celebrities -- including heretics, apostates and non-believers -- refused to meet a cardinal with long firsthand experience of the persecution of Christians by the Chinese Communists.

The architect of the still-secret deal with Beijing, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro "Peter the Roman" Parolin, professed his "closeness" to his fellow prelate, but then revealed his true priorities, saying, "The most concrete hope is that initiatives such as this one will not complicate the already complex and not simple path of dialogue."

Cardinal Gerhard Müller noted that no senior Vatican official had offered an expression of solidarity or a prayer initiative for Cardinal Zen at last month's gathering of cardinals in Rome. On a return flight from Kazakhstan last Thursday, Francis suggested this is no accident. When a reporter asked about Cardinal Zen, the pope offered not a word of support, noting only that the cardinal "says what he feels" despite knowing there are "limitations".

The Pachamamma pope wouldn't even go so far as to call China "undemocratic". One wonders what it would take for the Vatican to admit that the deal with the Commies was a mistake? (Don't ever expect to hear words like "sellout" or "betrayal".)  If a show trial for a prince of the Church isn't enough, what would be? After his arrest, Cardinal Zen said, "Martyrdom is normal in our church. We may not have to do that, but we may have to bear some pain and steel ourselves for our loyalty to our faith."

Since His Church is doing nothing, let us pray that God will protect His faithful priest, and deliver all Chinese Christians from Communist oppression and persecution. 

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

Pope Francis condemns "cancel culture"... but does he walk the talk?

"Every morning before breakfast, Pope Francis says three stupid things. Believe it or not!" It's an old joke, but not without some truth. Yet it's also true that sufferers from alcoholism and dementia occasionally have moments of clarity. [Even President Brandon? Ed.]

One such moment apparently happened to Pope Bergoglio yesterday, during an address to the Vatican diplomatic corps, when Francis warned against attempts to "cancel culture", decrying "one-track thinking" which, he said, attempts to deny or rewrite history according to today’s standards.

Francis told the assembled dips that there was a "crisis of trust in multi-lateral diplomacy" which has led to "agendas increasingly dictated by a mindset that rejects the natural foundations of humanity and the cultural roots that constitute the identity of many peoples."

He didn't actually use the words "globalist" or "one-world", but his statement seems pretty clear and pretty argument, even to those who, like my goodself, have little time for the man who calls himself "pope". 

I have even less time for "Peter the Roman", aka Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the author of the sell-out of Chinese Christians, but even he gets things right now and then. Last month he expressed "concern" over a draft European Union communications manual that suggested not using the term Christmas. The manual, which the Vatican saw as an attempt to cancel Europe's Christian roots, was later withdrawn for revision. 

Francis warned his listeners of "a form of ideological colonization, one that leaves no room for freedom of expression and is now taking the form of the 'cancel culture' invading many circles and public institutions." He used the two words in English in the midst of a long speech in Italian. Pretty heavy stuff. But wait (as Vince Offer used tosay), there's more.

Pope Bergoglio went on to say that the cancel culture controversy is particularly sharp in English-speaking countries, such as the United States and Britain. (He didn't mention Canada, where the cancel culture thrives under Emperor Trudeau II.) Those who subscribe to and promote this culture, he said, risked cancelling identity "under the guise of defending diversity." Yes, he really said that.

In the Excited States of America, there have been conflicts over such acts of iconoclasm -- the physical manifestation of the cancel culture -- as the removal or decapitations of statues of historical figures such as Saint Junipero Serra, Christopher Columbus, and of course General Robert E. Lee. 

In Canada, besides the removal of statues, some loonie lefties have demanded -- and got -- the changing of the names of institutions such as schools and hospitals named after such historical figures as Egerton Ryerson and Sir John Eh Macdonald, saying they played a part in the destruction of indigenous cultures. 

While Pope Bergoglio did not mention any such examples of cancel culture, he did say that any historical situation must be interpreted not by today's standards, but in the context of its times. 

Quite so! But here's the irony, or should I say hypocrisy. While he preaches respect for tradition, he had been for months now campaigning ruthlessly to wipe from the history and culture of the Catholic Church the traditional Latin Mass, which the Council of Trent decreed can never be abrogated!

That was then -- 1570 to be exact -- but this Pope Bergoglio's now. Last July,, Francis moved to stamp out the Mass of All Time, once and for all. He issued a Motu Proprio -- kind of like an Executive Order in the American governmental system --which virtually bans the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass in ordinary parish churches throughout the world. See "Traditional Catholics outraged: 'Pope Francis' nukes Traditional Latin Mass", WWW 17/7/21.

In Traditionis Custodes, Francis attempted to completely reverses the course set by Pope Benedict XVI, just fourteen years ago, in Summorum Pontificum, which specified the circumstances in which priests of the Latin Church could celebrate Mass according to the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal, in the form known as the Tridentine Mass or Traditional Latin Mass, and administer most of the sacraments in the form used before the liturgical "reforms" that followed Vatican II. 

He said at the time that he was reversing Pope Benedict's attempt at "reforming the reform" had become a source of division in the Church, and been exploited by traditional Catholics opposed to the Second Vatican Council and its thoroughly modern liturgy. Am I the only one who sees a cognitive dissonance there?

But wait... Unfortunately,  there's more. A week before Christmas, Francis doubled down on his efforts to quash the old Latin Mass, forbidding the celebration of some sacraments according to the ancient rite. The Vatican repeated the excuse that it was necessary to let go of history and tradition, and to embrace everything that's new, for the sake of promoting diversity and inclusion, yada yada yada. But isn't that exactly the cancel culture he now condemns? 

Pope Bergoglio's crackdown on the Latin Mass has outraged his conservative and traditional Catholics. Many have gone so far to accuse him of heresy and watering down Catholic doctrine with his focus on the environment, migrants and "social justice". Where will it all end? There was a time when heretics were burned at the stake, but that's a part of Church history which we should forget... I suppose.

Further reading and viewing: "The most radical thing Pope Francis has ever done", WWW 17/7/21. Includes video commentary by Dr Taylor Marshall.

Cardinal Zen decries/Vatican defends sell-out of Chinese Catholics

Even before the beginning of WWW, I've been writing about the Vatican's perfidious sell-out of the Chinese Catholic "underground Church" -- the 1000s of Catholics who remained loyal to Rome and refused to join the schismatic Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association created by the Communists when they took power in 1949. Ever since, the bishops, priests and laity of the underground Church have endured persecution, imprisonment and even martyrdom, while their church buildings and holy sites have been taken over by the Communists, with many being closed and destroyed.

In 2018, an agreement was signed between the Vatican and the Communist Chinese government in which the bishops appointed by Rome -- some of whom had been imprisoned for years -- were effectively fired, to be replaced by stooges of the CPCA. The "official" Catholic churches are now required to pledge allegiance to the Communist Party and worship the false gods of Communism, replacing hymns with patriotic songs. See "Vatican bends the knee to Chinese commies in secret accord", WWW 23/9/18.

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Archbishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, has from the beginning been an outspoken opponent of the 2018 agreement, which the Vatican insisted was simply intended to "normalize relations" between the Holy See and Communist China. See "Cardinal Zen denounces Vatican's capitulation to Chinese Communists", WWW 13/2/18.

Even though he is now retired, Cardinal Zen has persisted in his criticism of the sell-out of millions of faithful Catholics. See "Vatican-China agreement 'terrible, terrible, terrible': Cardinal Zen", WWW 4/12/19. Now the prelate has been publicly scolded by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the incoming dean of the College of Cardinals.

In a letter sent to cardinals last week, Cardinal Re says Cardinal Zen "did not properly understand the agreement", and insisted that a draft of the deal had the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. He claims that the China-Vatican deal represents the minds of Popes John Paul II and of Benedict XVI, and that Cardinal Zen is mistaken in his opposition to the deal.

"I desire first of all," Cardinal Re writes, "to emphasize that, in their approach to the situation of the Catholic Church in China, there is a profound symphony of the thought and of the action of the last three Pontificates, which -- out of respect for the truth -- have favored dialogue between the two parties and not contrariety.... Cardinal Zen has affirmed several times that it would be better to have no Accord than than a 'bad Accord'. The three last Popes did not share this position and supported and accompanied the drafting of the Accord that, at the present moment, seemed to be the only one possible."

Imagine if Saints Peter, Stephen, Paul and the rest had made a deal with the Romans because "that was the best we could do. It was better than dying..."

Cardinal Zen accused the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin (aka "Petrus Romanus")  of passing incorrect translations of Chinese terms to the Vatican in his effort to push through the deal and neglect criticisms.

In a letter released on Sunday, Cardinal Zen wrote, "I have evidence that Parolin manipulates the Holy Father, who always shows me so much affection but does not answer my questions,"  He charged that Cardinal Parolin "manipulates the Holy Father."

To Cardinal Re’s claim that Pope Benedict XVI had approved an early draft of the Vatican-Beijing agreement, Cardinal Zen responded, "Why was it not signed then?", insisting that the former Pontiff had rejected the deal.

To Cardinal Re, the prelate said, in the letter published in his blog, "I admire your courage in venturing into matters which you also recognize as complex, jeopardizing the prestige of your newly inaugurated honorable office." A very back-handed compliment, well deserved.

Further reading: "Re Against Zen. Divided By a Wall of China", by Sandro Magister, Settimo Cielo, 3/3/20.

Vatican-China agreement "terrible, terrible, terrible": Cardinal Zen

There is another prelate of the Roman Catholic Church -- still alive, thank God -- whose reproaches to the mainstream Church are in the news today. He is Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B., who is one of only two living Chinese cardinals. He served as the sixth Bishop of Hong Kong, and was made a cardinal in 2006. He has been outspoken on issues regarding human rights, political freedom, and religious liberty, often attracting criticism from the Communist Party of China and, sadly, highly placed people in his own church. (Hello, Cardinal Parolin!)

In a recent interview with New Bloom, Cardinal Joseph Zen describes Vatican policy toward China as "terrible, terrible, terrible!" The prelate says that he strongly suspects that a diplomatic agreement between the Holy See and the Chinese government, which has never been made public, is substantially the same as a previous draft accord with Pope Benedict XVI refused to sign. (See "Vatican bends the knee to Chinese commies in secret accord", WWW 23/9/18.)

The Archbishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, who has warned frequently about the campaign by the Chinese government to exert control over the Church, told New Bloom that his own recent relations with the Vatican have been "simply disastrous." He revealed that when he first became a bishop, he worked closely with Cardinal Jozef Tomko, who at that time was prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization, in efforts to ease tensions between the Church and the Beijing regime. He said that these efforts had borne fruit, with the Vatican regularizing the status of several bishops who had been appointed by the government but were ready to pledge loyalty to the Holy See.

However, Cardinal Zen continued, the Vatican's involvement took a different path when Cardinal Tomko was succeeded by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, whom he bluntly characterized as "no good." Cardinal Sepe in turn was succeeded by Cardinal Ivan Dias, who (Cardinal Zen commented) was a disciple of the late Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the Secretary of State from 1979 to 1990. Cardinal Casaroli was noted for his willingness to seek accommodations with (read: sell out to) Communist regimes.

Still more recently, Cardinal Zen said, Vatican policy toward China has been driven by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the current Secretary of State. The Chinese cardinal has frequently criticized Cardinal Parolin for failing to see the dangers in an agreement with Beijing. As for his relations with Pope Francis, Cardinal Zen said that they are "personally wonderful." However, he said, "he doesn’t answer my letters." No surprises there! He also accused Francis of having "low respect for his predecessors" and "shutting down everything done by John Paul II and by Pope Benedict."

Will Pope Francis and Cardinal Parolin pay any attention to what Cardinal says, or to the ever-increasing persecution of Chinese Catholics by the Communist dictatorship? Errr, no. Our Lady of China (Simplified Chinese: 中华圣母, Traditional Chinese: 中華聖母), pray for Cardinal Zen, for all Catholic Chinese, and for all who hold and teach the True Faith.

Salvini commends Italy to the Blessed Virgin Mary - Pope displeased

On Tuesday, Walt told you about Italian Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini's speech on May 19th at a rally of populist leaders in Milan, in which he decried unchecked migration, pledging to close Europe's borders to migrants. He also attacked Islam, saying it mistreats women. He said Turkey would never be a part of Europe and rejected the label of extremists for the leaders with him.

"In this piazza, there are no extremists," said Sig. Salvini. "There are no racists. There are no fascists. If anything in Italy and in Europe, the difference is between who looks ahead, between who speaks of the future...instead of making trials of the past." The "piazza" to which he referred was the huge square in front of Milan's Duomo cathedral, in which 10s of 1000s had gathered to support the right-wing populist parties contesting the European Parliament elections, which are under way at this very moment.

In my earlier report, I concentrated on politics, but the fact is that the struggle to keep Europe European -- so to speak -- is not just political but religious, for European values, the values of civilization, are Christian values, and are under attack by both Islamists and secular humanists. Make no mistake! Europe is, at this very moment, a key battleground in the war against Christianity!

Sig. Salvini did not neglect to mention the religious struggle, and we are indebted to LifeSite News for reporting on this aspect of last Saturday's rally. In "Vatican leaders outraged as anti-immigration politician commends Italy to Mary", LS reveals that Sig. Salvini kissed a rosary as he commended his country, Italy, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to the cheers of the crowd.

He also appealed to the patron saints of Europe: Sts. Benedict of Norcia, Brigid of Sweden, Catherine of Siena, Cyril and Methodius. And he said, "I entrust Italy, my life, and your lives to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who I'm sure will bring us to victory."

You would have thought that the leader of the world's billion-plus Catholics, the man who calls himself "pope" and professes his devotion to the Blessed Virgin, would applaud the Deputy Premier's action. You would be wrong. Francis (whose name was greeted with boos and catcalls) immediately sent out his henchmen to denounce Sig. Salvini's action.

Among them was the Jesuit editor Antonio Spadaro, a close confidant of Pope Bergoglio. Fr Spadaro is notorious among true Catholics for opposing an Italian law mandating that crucifixes be placed in all Italian public buildings. Further rebukes were added by the President of the European Bishops' Conference, and the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin (aka The Man Who Would Be Pope - see "'Peter the Roman' ready to take over from Pope Francis", WWW 14/1/18).

Dear Catholic readers, the teaching of the true Catholic Church is: De Maria nunquam satis (Of Mary, never enough). Those like Pope Bergoglio and his Modernist acolytes and sycophants place themselves outside the True Faith on this as on so many other teachings. It is the Pope (if such he be) himself who should be publicly calling upon the Blessed Virgin Mary to turn him and his Modernist minions away from their heresies and back to the Catholic Faith. For that, let us pray.

Vatican bends the knee to Chinese commies in secret accord

Writing in the Fatima Crusader almost 11 years ago, a supporter of the "underground" Catholic Church in China predicted that the Vatican's efforts "to proceed on the path of a respectful and constructive dialogue with government authorities, in order to overcome past misunderstandings" between the Holy See and Communist China would eventually result in the betrayal of the many 1000s of Chinese Catholics who had been imprisoned, tortured and even martyred for their fidelity to Rome.

"We must ask some hard questions," the writer concluded. "Will the Vatican find itself forced into an immoral compromise? Will they wrongfully try to force the faithful to end their 'underground activities' and worship only in the Communist-controlled 'church'? Surely the thousands who have been persecuted, even martyred for the sake of True Faith deserve better!"

In fact, the sellout to the Communists began at least six years earlier, by the Holy See's Secretariat of State, as part of its wrong-headed Ostpolitik. Cardinal Joseph Zen (陳日君) saw it coming, and fought against it from the beginning, when he was Archbishop of Hong Kong and after his retirement, right up to today. See, for example, "Cardinal Zen again warns Vatican not sell out to Chinese Commies", WWW 26/1/18. And click here to see all Walt's posts about the courageous prelate.

The Cardinal's warnings went unheeded, of course, and this weekend the Vatican announced the signig of an agreement with the People's Republic of China giving the Communist government "a role in the appointment of new bishops." Henceforth, the Beijing government will name candidates for episcopal office, with the Pope allowed a choice from among the government's nominees. What else were they given? We don't know, for the terms of the accord were not made public.

But, you may ask, hasn't the Roman Catholic Church fought against communism since the 19th century, going so far as to make it a sin to belong to the Communist Party or any secret society? How can the Vatican now order faithful Chinese Catholics to dismantle their "underground Church" and get into bed [into the pew, shurely! Ed.] with the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, the schismatic "church" set up by the Communists after they took power in 1940?

Oh nooooo, dear reader! That's old-fashioned thinking! All that changed after Vatican II. This reconciliation with the enemies of Christianity is for the good of the faithful. "The objective of the Holy See is a pastoral one: the Holy See intends just to create the condition, or help to create the condition, of a greater freedom, autonomy, and organization" for the Catholic Church in China. So says Cardinal Pietro Parolin (aka "Peter the Roman") in a statement (in English, for some reason) explaining the accord.

Besides, the Vatican says, the agreement is "provisional" and "foresees the possibility of periodic reviews of its application." Which means... I guess... that they can renege, if it turns out the Commies got the better of the bargain. That would seem to be self-evident, since the Vatican apparently received, errr, nothing in return for its capitulation.

Opponents of the accord say that by giving greater power to the Communist government, the agreement will ultimately put greater pressure on the "underground Church" that has, up till now, resisted government control. Cardinal Zen said angrily that Cardinal Parolin should resign from office because of his betrayal of China's faithful Catholics.

As part of the deal, Pope Francis agreed to lift the excommunication incurred by bishops who had been installed by the Communist government without the approval of the Holy See. Also, the Vatican "persuaded" two bishops of the "underground Church", who had not been recognized by Beijing, to resign and be replaced by prelates of the CPCA. Perhaps the real bishops were lucky. At least they weren't imprisoned or executed!

Walt wonders how bad things would have to get to make the Pope (or should I say Cardinal Parolin, who pulls Francis's strings) see the trap into which he has led us, and call for a "review" of the accord... as if the Communists would actually let that happen. How many "house churches" would have to be raided? How many faithful Catholics would have to be arrested? How many priests and bishops would have to be shut up in prisons or "mental hospitals"? How many would have to be martyred?

Dear Catholic readers, please pray harder than ever for the faithful Catholics of China. They flock been delivered by the shepherds into the care of the wolves. Pray that God and His Holy Mother will give them the strength and courage to keep the Faith. O glorious Archangel St. Michael, Prince of the heavenly host, defend us in battle, and in the struggle which is ours against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against spirits of wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Further reading: "China -- not a good place to be a democrat or a Catholic", WWW 15/6/14.

Pope Francis denies link between Islam and terrorism

It appears to me that Pope Francis is either completely detached from reality, or is working on his Ph.D. in Diplomatic Hypocrisy. The website of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) reported last week on a meeting at the Vatican between the Holy (?) Father and the organization's Secretary-General, Dr Yousef bin Ahmed Al Othaimeen. (If the mountain won't come to Mohammed...)

"Travellin' along, singin' a song, siiiide by siiiide!"

The Pope "appreciated" the OIC's position on several matters, the report says, including terrorism, which the OIC is shocked, shocked that the world blames on Islamic terrorists. The Pope doesn't believe that, and "stressed that there is no link between Islam and terrorism."

Right. Let's look at a couple of items from history... recent history.

Item: At the end of January, at least 95 people were killed and about 163 wounded after a powerful explosion rocked the city centre of Kabul, the capital of Armpitistan. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman and devout Muslim, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Item: In the first week of this month, at least one person was killed and 22 others wounded in a suicide bombing in Kabul. Al Jazeera, who should know, said the Afghan capital has seen a spate of deadly attacks carried out by the Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), terrorist groups which are not Jewish, not Christian, but... errr... the other "faith community".

Well, that's enough Islamic terrorist attacks to make the point. For the latest list of killings, too long to repost here, click on "List of Killings in the Name of Islam: Last 30 Days", published by TheReligionOfPeace (TROP... French for "too much"!).

These are facts, as reported by reliable sources and seen in horrifying videos which appear on your screens almost every week. Walt wonders if Pope Francis ever watches or reads the news. Or does he just believe what he hears from his advisors, like Cardinal Pietro Parolin, aka Peter the Roman, who stood by the Pope as he welcomed Dr Al Othaimeen, and participated in discussions of "cooperation and importance of dialogue between both sides and continuous contact." Just coincidence? I think not!

Cardinal Zen denounces Vatican's capitulation to Chinese Communists

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, a holy day of obligatory fast and abstinence in the Roman Catholic Church. The modern version of the Church doesn't make much of it, because that would mean talking about sin and the necessity of repentance, confession and absolution. It is a good day, therefore, to consider the plight of the underground church in China, the devout Catholics who refused to join the schismatic, Communist-sponsored Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, and remain loyal to Rome and to the practices of the Faith as understood for centuries, until the revolution of the Second Vatican Council.

The practices referred to include the naming of bishops by the Pope, not by the secular government. The Communist government of China prefers to appoint its own bishops to head up its puppet "church", and has relentlessly harassed and persecuted the bishops of the underground church, along with their priest and faithful laypeople, 1000s of whom have suffered imprisonment, torture and death. This doesn't seem to bother Pope Francis and his Secretary of State, who are presently negotiating with the Communists to recognize the puppet bishops and fold the underground church into the CPCA.

Just one prince of the Church has stood up to oppose the Vatican's imminent capitulation to the Chinese Communists. That prelate is Cardinal Joseph Zen, Archbishop Emeritus of Hong Kong. His message to the Vatican and to the world is that the Communists want to enslave the Church in China. See "Cardinal Zen again warns Vatican not sell out to Chinese Commies", WWW 26/1/18.

Today Cardinal Zen escalated his criticism of the Vatican negotiators (read: appeasers), refuting a statement in which Cardinal Pietro Parolin (aka Petrus Romanus - Peter the Roman), the Secretary of State, tried to explain away the Vatican's approach to the negotiations. Cardinal Zen charged that Cardinal Parolin ignores the dangers of Communist domination. He said that the Secretary of State "venerates the Ostpolitik diplomacy of his master Casaroli." (He was referring to Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the Secretary of State from 1979 to 1990, who was noted for his efforts to "promote dialogue" with the Soviet bloc. See "Why the 'new' Roman Catholic Church is soft on Communism", WWW 24/8/11.)

According to Cardinal Zen, "[Cardinal Parolin] despises the genuine faith of those who firmly defend the Church founded by Jesus on the apostles from any interference by secular power." The prelate went on to accuse Cardinal Parolin of distorting the message that Pope Benedict XVI had sent in his letter to the Chinese Church. While Pope Benedict had called for unity among Chinese Catholics, Cardinal Zen said, Cardinal Parolin has promoted a false idea of unity, through a "dishonest exploitation of expressions of the letter of Pope Benedict." He said that true unity cannot be achieved as long as the Church in China is divided into "two communities with two structures based on two different, opposing principles."

Charging that the Vatican's proposed solution would mean suppressing the freedom of the independent Church, Cardinal Zen said, "Rewarding traitors? Castigating the faithful? Forcing a legitimate bishop to give way to an excommunicated one? It this not more like rubbing salt on these still open wounds?" He concluded that loyal Chinese Catholics would not accept the Vatican's approach. "Our suffering at the creation of a schismatic Church by others may be inevitable," he said, "but we cannot assist in its creation."

Dear Catholic readers, pray today and always, especially for faithful Catholics in China:

Further reading: "I still don't understand why they are in dialogue with China" (source for this report), by Cardinal Joseph Zen, on the AsiaNews.it website, 13/2/18.

Cardinal Zen again warns Vatican not sell out to Chinese Commies

I confess that I have been remiss in not writing in years, literally, about the plight of the Catholic Church -- the underground Church -- in China. As I wrote in "China -- not a good place to be a democrat or a Catholic", WWW 15/6/14, I do pray Chinese Catholics who, if they wish to be loyal to and in communion with Rome, must worship in secret, like the first Christians. Theirs, not the so-called Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, a puppet of the Communist government, is the true Catholic Church in the Middle Kingdom.

After seizing power in 1949, the Mao's Communists set up the CPCA to separate China's Catholics from Holy Mother Church, requiring them to choose between China and Roman. Some bishops and priests, in fear of becoming martyrs, joined the schismatic puppet "church". Other remained loyal to the Pope and to Rome, and went underground, meeting secretly in private homes and other places. And many of them did become martyrs -- incarcerated in prisons and mental institutions, tortured and in many cases executed for their faith. See "Cardinal Zen: Vatican appeasement hurts true Church in China", WWW 23/2/13.

In recent times, during the papacy of John Paul II and his successors, under the misleadership of successive secretaries of state --  Cardinals Casaroli, Sodano and Bertone -- the Vatican has extended one olive branch after another to Beijing, bending over backwards to find some way of reconciling the "Communist Catholics" (an oxymoron if ever there was one) with the mainstream Roman Church. But the Commies keep appointing their own bishops and persecuting the few remaining bishops consecrated, some secretly, by the popes.

Now it appears that Rome is about to cave. The latest news is that the Vatican recently sent a delegation to China to ask two of the bishops it appointed to make way for two appointed by the Communist government -- a move that would represent a major concession by the Catholic Church. Cardinal Emeritus Joseph Zen (陳日君), erstwhile leader of the battle for China's Catholics, believes that "unifying the churches" in China would amount to an open persecution of true Catholics and a silencing of the underground church. He has tried to inject some iron into the jelly-like backbone of the Vatican by hand-delivering to the pope a plea from the faithful Catholics in China.

CNA reports that on Wednesday of this week, the prelate appeared in Saint Peter's Square, lined up in the cold with other petitioners, to deliver directly into the hands of Pope Francis a letter from the underground Catholic congregation in China, so that the Pope would better understand the situation on the ground. According to Italian media, Cardinal Zen said the letter was successfully delivered, and the Pope promised him that he would read it.

The meeting, however brief it may have been, and the secret letter from the underground church in China, is a clear signal that Cardinal Zen and other Catholics in Hong Kong and China object to the concessions of Pope Francis. The Cardinal has been an advocate for democracy and religious freedom throughout his life and service to the Holy See in Hong Kong. For this reason, he has often been the target of criticism and surveillance by the Communist government of China.

In December 2017, the prelate publicly made clear his views about the talk to "unify the churches" in China, referring to the underground Catholic community and the officially sanctioned CPCA. He lamented what he sees as a misguided change in policy on the part of the Vatican, and stated that he did not believe it was the aim of Pope Francis to pursue such an "evil plan".

If it's not the aim of Pope Francis, then who? Step forward Cardinal Pietro Parolin -- "Peter the Roman" -- who, as the Secretary of State of the Holy See is responsible for, among other things, international relations. For more on Petrus Romanus, see "'Peter the Roman' ready to take over from Pope Francis", WWW 14/1/18. Catholics! Don't say you haven't been warned!

Further reading: "My fight with the Vatican: An exclusive interview with Cardinal Zen on his battle for China's Catholics", Catholic Herald cover story, 19/5/17.

Further reading (more recent): "Danger of Schism in China. Cardinal Zen: 'The Pope Told Me...'", by Sandro Magister, in Settimo Cielo, 29/1/18. Of course I'm only a layman [no reference to #MeToo! Ed.] but it seems to me there is already schism in China. The CPCA is schismatic, having broken away from Holy Mother Church, just as Cardinal Zen affirms in paragraph 4 of his statement.

VIDEO: "Peter the Roman" ready to take over from Pope Francis

Sunday is my day to catch up on my reading on topics religious, especially the parlous state of Holy Mother Church. First on my list today was "Curia Stories: The Comeback of the Cardinal Secretary of State", by noted Vaticanista Sandro Magister, in his blog, Settimo Cielo, 14/1/18. [Kudos to Matthew Sherry, who does the English translation, for coming up with the excellent pun in the headline! Ed.]

The article is about Pietro Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, or, in political language, the No. 2 man in Rome, after Pope Francis. Of Cardinal Parolin, Sig. Magister writes, "He flies high. So high as to be now the only candidate for succeeding Francis with a serious chance of being elected pope."

If Pope Francis was validly elected -- a matter of considerable debate for many reasons -- he is the 111th pope to have headed the Roman Catholic Church. If he dies or purports to resign, and Cardinal Parolin is chosen to succeed him, he (Parolin) would be No. 112. "Pietro" is Italian for "Peter". And Cardinal Parolin is a Roman. Is he, then, "Peter the Roman"?

"Peter the Roman" is the last pope mentioned in the Prophecy of Saint Malachy (1094-1148), renowned as a great prophet. In 1139, while on his way to the Vatican to assume the post of papal legate for Ireland, he fell into a trance and saw a line of papal reigns stretching from the successor to Innocent II and extending through the centuries to the last of the line, identified as "Peter of Rome" or "Peter the Roman".

When he committed his vision to paper, Saint Malachy assigned short Latin descriptions to each pope. These mottoes usually refer to a family name, birthplace, coat-of-arms, or office held before election to the papacy. Some of the phrases are multiple prophecies, written with ingenious word play. According to his prophecy, John Paul II was No. 110. Benedict XVI is No. 111. The motto given for him is "Glory of the olive". To explain this, those who believe in the Prophecy draw a connection between Benedict and the Olivetan order. Benedict chose his papal name after Saint Benedict of Nursia, founder of the Benedictine Order, of which the Olivetans are one branch.

The next line in the Prophecy is "In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit." which means "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit." forms a separate sentence and paragraph of its own. While often read as part of the "Peter the Roman" prophecy, some interpreters view it as a separate, incomplete sentence explicitly referring to additional popes between "glory of the olive" and "Peter the Roman". Whether it refers to Benedict or Francis or Peter the Roman, there can be no doubt that Holy Mother Church is today being persecuted as never before. Every year of this century has seen hundreds, even thousands of Catholic Christians imprisoned, tortured and martyred for the Faith.

We come now to the last lines of the Prophecy of Saint Malachy. "Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oues in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis ciuitas septicollis diruetur, & Iudex tremẽdus iudicabit populum suum. Finis."



Peter the Roman, [who] will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills [Rome] will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The End.

The final pope, Peter the Roman, will likely be the Antichrist whom students of prophecy have long foretold. Satan, taking the form of a man named Peter, will gain worldwide allegiance and adoration. Even the very elect -- the leaders of the Church and all but a small remnant of the faithful -- will be deceived. And then will come the destruction of Rome, something like the vision attributed to Sister Lucia in what the Vatican alleges is the Third Secret of Fatima. And then will come "the dreadful Judge" who will judge the people. Let us not say we were not warned.

Under Pope Francis, Christianity matters less - key points from interview with Sandro Magister

From time to time Walt has referred to -- and sometimes quoted at length -- the noted Vaticanista, Sandro Magister. I am a follower of his Settimo Cielo blog in l'Espresso. His first article appeared in the Italian daily l'Espresso in 1974.

On the occasion of his 40th anniversary, Maestro Magister was interviewed at length by Goffredo Pistelli, who writes for Italia Oggi. The interview was published, in translation, on the Rorate Caeli website. Here are the key points. Quotes from Signore Magister are shown in purple. The emphasis is mine.

Pope Francis, Sig. Magister conceded, has been basking in worldwide success. But, he said, there are contradictions inherent in the Pope's character, which can be seen  by analyzing  his statements and actions since his elevation. "Throughout his life, he has been a person who has acted on different fronts at the same time. He does the same thing now as Pontiff; he leaves passages open, and on first reading, there are many contradictions."

For example, Francis "is a very talkative Pope. He has telephoned and approached all different kinds of people both near and far. But he has been silent about [the plight of] Asia Bibi", the Pakistani Christian woman who has been imprisoned for years, condemned to death for apostasy. See "Martyr in waiting needs your prayers", posted on WWW in March 2011.

So also, the Pope has said not a word about the kidnapped Nigerian girls and "that unbelievable act of a few days ago in Pakistan when a Christian married couple were burnt to death in a furnace."

Indeed, the Pontiff has been silent about Islam and the Muslim world in general. And his hand-picked Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin was very prudent when speaking at the United Nations recently. They seem determined not to upset the Muslims, in contrast with Benedict XVI’s lecture at Regensburg, which incited strong reactions and even deaths.

Sig. Magister calls the Vatican's political correctness "caution pushed to extremes.... I don’t see any advantage to it. It seems to me that it hasn’t resulted in any help, even minimal or partial, for the Christians in those regions. Caution is understandable, if it’s measured in proportion to the effect. It’s valid if it produces lesser damage."

The point, the analyst says, is that "We have a power like ISIS and we are too fast in saying that Islam has nothing to do with it; that they are instead nurtured by radical Islam, which doesn’t resolve the question of rationality and the relationship between faith and violence. That is exactly what Pope Ratzinger had addressed in Regensburg. In fact the only true dialogue between Christianity and Islam came about after that lecture...."

Pope Francis has said repeatedly that he doesn't want to make compromises with doctrine, that he respects the Tradition of the Church. But then he opened discussions on "modernizing" or "reforming" the Tradition, like the ones at the recent Bishops Synod on the Family, about Communion for the divorced and remarried, which effectively touch the very foundations of the Church.

Why, the interviewer asked, does he do so? Sig. Magister responded, "It was all inevitable considering the Pope’s decision to assign the opening of the discussions to Cardinal Walter Kasper. This basically was the start of the hostilities...."

What Cardinal Kasper is proposing are the same theses defeated in 1993 by Pope John Paul II and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the Prefect of the Holy Office who later became Benedict XVI. Sig. Magister's opinion is that "it is inevitable that Communion for the divorced and remarried will result in the acceptance of second marriages, and so to the dissolution of the sacramental bond of matrimony."

Is that what Francis wants? As Cardinals Burke and George have remarked recently, it's hard to know. The Pope works both sides of the street! According to Sig. Magister, "It’s another recurring practice of this Pontificate -- reprimands to one side and the other. However...the scoldings aimed at the traditionalists, the legalists and the rigid defenders of doctrine appear to be much more numerous. On the other hand, whenever he has something to say to the progressives you never understand who he is really referring to."

That confusion to the point of bewilderment is growing is undeniable, Sig. Magister says. "We have leaders in prominent positions...who are making this clear, even if they don’t express it in drastic and antagonistic terms.... There isn’t a prejudicially hostile tendency against the Pontiff [but] certainly there are evident manifestations of uneasiness.

"Take for example the Episcopate in the United States, that is, the bishops of one of the most numerous Catholic populations in the world. In recent years, that Episcopal Conference expressed a coherent and combative line in the public arena, even regarding certain decisions by Barack Obama on ethical issues. A line shared by many prominent prelates."

Now, he continues, the American cardinals and archbishops "like Timothy Dolan from New York, Patrick O'Malley from Boston, José Gomez from Los Angeles or Charles Chaput from Philadelphia, are all uneasy. This is the episcopate that [Cardinal] Burke himself comes from and is certainly not restricted to the marginal traditional circuits, but continues to be part of one of the most solid national Churches."

The interviewer next refers to a new book by Antonio Socci, Non è Francesco, ("It's Not Francis", Mondadori, 2014.) Sig. Socci's thesis (as Walt understands it) is that since the Pope cannot lead the Church into error, if Francis is leading the Church into error, he must not be truly the Pope. QED.

Sig. Socci adduces evidence -- a missing ballot -- to suggest that Pope Francis was not validly elected. But even if he's wrong on that, could his reconstruction of the Pope's contradictions be taken to prove his thesis? Sig. Magister was asked if he'd read the book. Here's what he said.

"Yes, I read it all in one evening. It’s a real page-turner.... And not for the theory of the invalid election: the result of the cancellation of a ballot in the conclave because there was an extra blank ballot-card. In my view it’s an inconsistent theory.

"[I found it interesting] because of what’s creating the book’s success, so much so that it has reached the top of the best-sellers list, exceeding the books of and about Bergoglio. That’s because it reconstructs, in incontestable facts and words, the contradictions we have been talking about."

One of the contradictions of this papacy, the interviewer pointed out, is that despite Francis' enormous personal popularity,  religious practice has not increased. On the contrary, the aversion to Catholicism is increasing. Sig. Magister contrasted the popularity of Pope Francis with that of his two predecessors.

"The popularity of his predecessors was very strong. John Paul II experienced world-wide success and not only during the years of his illness. Also Benedict XVI between 2007 and 2008, reached the highest levels in the polls, even if this has been forgotten. His trip to the United States was the peak, where he received a great welcome even from secular public opinion.

"[The difference is] that the predecessors were mostly popular inside the Church, even if they were harshly criticized from strongholds of non-Catholic public opinion. Whereas Francis' popularity is more conspicuous outside the Church, even if it isn’t eliciting waves of conversions. Actually, with him there seems to be a certain pleasure in outside culture...in seeing the Head of the Church shifting towards their positions, which he seems to understand and even accept.

"The Christianity from the mouth of Bergoglio is no longer provocative, does not create problems as in the past, it can be treated with courtesy, superiority and detachment. Christianity matters less." 

Further reading from Sandro Magister's blog Chiesa (24/11/14): The Lenses of the Cardinal, the Sociologist, the Journalists - "All focused on Francis. To understand who he is and where he wants to go. In the Church, at all levels, criticisms of the pope are no longer being silenced. They are voiced openly. Among the cardinals, the most explicit is Francis George."

Further reading on WWW:
"The 'liquid' message of Pope Francis; will he be the last supreme pontiff?"
"Is the Catholic Church about to disintegrate?"