Paris Olympics Blasphemy, Chariots Of Fire, And Our Needed Response

This weekend we saw the filth pouring out of what was called the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics.  It was nothing short of the glorification of all manners of filth and perversion, and they dared to do so in the context of blaspheming Our Lord's Last Supper.  They did so by having various and sundry perverts posing as Our Lord and His Apostles were depicted in Da Vinci's Last Supper.  To wit?

There was even more filth and debauchery after this initial visual assault, but I need not belabor the point.

Of course good people were outraged and some raised their voices.  Viewership plummeted.  C-Spire, an American tech company that had advertised during the broadcast, issued a press release denouncing this production and stated that they would pull their advertising from the Olympics - for which we thank them.

The International Olympic Committee went into "damage control" mode and tried to mollify the public with this excuse for an apology.

I think the problem here is obvious.  They are actually defending the spectacle.  When they say they are sorry for the offence, they really mean that they are sorry that they are now suffering the consequences for their misdeeds.

Fellow Catholics, and indeed all people of goodwill, action is needed here.  Father Chris Alar, Provincial Superior for the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, gave a homily in which he put forth a number of great suggestions for protest, complete with contact information for the IOC and other key organizations to where we can lodge protests.  Please watch this in its entirety.  I still have more important commentary below the video.

A commenter on Facebook wonders how the Christian, particularly Catholic, athletes from around the world will respond.  Will they continue to participate in this year's Olympics, thus justifying the blasphemy?  

The previous time that Paris hosted the Olympics was 1924, one hundred years ago.  A somewhat similar situation happened there, with an athlete being confronted with a matter of Christian conscience.  That conflict was the subject of a 1980s hit movie called Chariots of Fire.  The athlete in question was Eric Liddell, a young Protestant preacher being a foot racer from England.  When he found out that a race was scheduled on Sunday, he knew that would have caused him to violate his church's teachings on keeping Sunday holy.  He decided not to run, causing quite the stink with the IOC and British royalty.  He was switched to another race that was far less favorable to him, but at least it wasn't on Sunday.  Despite the odds, he not only won the race but set a new world record for that race.

Denominational issues aside, Liddell valued his obedience to Christ more than he valued athletic accomplishments.  How will today's athletes choose?

More to the point, how will we choose?  Can we pray in reparation for the insults to Our Lord?  Can we bestir ourselves to protest as Father Alar suggests in the video?  We are the Church Militant, not the "church mellow".

Tip-Toeing Around The Elephant In The Living Room With Regard To Margo Naranjo's Situation

Below is a video of Bishop Strickland and John-Henry Westen discussing the Margo Naranjo matter.  At last we hear a bishop broaching this topic. While this interview is good in many respects, I believe these gentlemen are allowing an inferior concept of "love and compassion" to dissuade them from discussing a crucial aspect. That aspect is the danger of hell and eternal damnation, with which those parents flirted when they planned to murder their daughter. It is false compassion not to broach that stark reality, one with eternal consequences. 

Can we say for certain that they would go to hell? Of course not. But by the same token we cannot presume that they wouldn't go there, especially when what they contemplated (and may still be planning) is a mortal sin.  Many commentators seem to be falling all over themselves to avoid discussion about sin in this situation.  In reality, they don't serve any good purpose by doing so.

Hopeful Update On The Margo Naranjo Situation

LifeSiteNews has informed us that St. Ann Catholic Church in Coppell Texas cancelled the planned funeral for Margo once they learned that she is not actually dying yet.  Whoever called the church to make that arrangement indicated that Margo was in her final stages of life - in other words, they lied to the parish employees.

A priest contacted her parents to offer support, and to make clear that the Church condemns the withholding of nutrition and hydration as a form of euthanasia.  The parents' guardianship of Margo has been suspended and a court order was issued to prevent the cessation of the food and hydration.  It is unknown whether or not the parents will still attempt the murder of their daughter.

Please keep praying for this situation.  Texas Catholics, please stay alert to this situation.

Attention Texas Catholics! Your Action Needed NOW To Save Margo Naranjo

Who is this poor woman?  She is a young lady who suffered brain damage in 2020 as a result of an auto accident.  Her parents, citing no improvement in her condition, plan to withdraw her feeding tube, depriving her of the basic care of nutrition and hydration.  Like Terri Schiavo of several decades ago, she will be murdered in a most brutal way by her own family.

LifeSiteNews has a more detailed account.  The parents have even scheduled and planned a funeral in early August, to be followed by a "celebration of life".  The Church in which this celebration of murder will happen is St. Ann Catholic Church in Coppell, TX.  This is in the Diocese of Dallas.  

LifeSiteNews is urging us to contact this bishop, "respectfully voicing our concerns".  If by that, they mean that we should assume some overly soft-spoken demeanor, I respectfully disagree.  The time for such meely-mouth, "oh please pretty please" groveling is long gone.  A person is being murdered, and a Catholic Church is scheduled to be used to condone the mortal sin of murder.  I looked at the Dallas diocese website just now, and see not even one mention of Margo's name.  Had we been talking of some serial killer about to face capital punishment, you can rest assured that this diocese would be front and center of protests, prayer vigils, you name it, to stop the execution.  Does not this innocent woman deserve at least that much?

The silence of the clergy in the face of this impending murder is its own deadly sin.  What is the duty of the laity here?  Well, "rebuke the sinner" is a Spiritual Work of Mercy.  In this context, the sinners would be the silent clergy, alongside the murderous parents.

Those of us in other states can offer our prayers, and indeed cause the phone lines of the diocese to melt and their email boxes to clog.  Those Catholics in the Dallas area and in outlaying places can and should do more, with boots literally on the ground.  May I suggest that this August 2nd "funeral" be picketed?  Let's face it; the parents will be mourning, but they will be crying crocodile tears as they will have been the primary agents behind Margo's death.  

They should be shamed.  Perhaps that shame will lead to repentance.  Hopefully they will repent while there is still time to save Margo's life.

Attempt Made On Donald Trump's Life

On Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Butler PA, an attempt was made to assassinate former President Trump as he spoke at a campaign rally there.  Shots were fired.  One grazed Trump's right ear.  An attendee, Corey Comperatore, died at the scene while shielding his family from bullets with his body. Thomas Matthew Crooks has been identified as the shooter.  He was shot dead by Secret Service after he fired his shots.

Trump will not be cowed!

From the get-go, this assassination attempt smells more like an organized conspiracy as opposed to some lone-wolf nut acting on his own.  There is the clear shot that he was allowed to have at Trump, despite all the so-called security.  Even when others saw Crooks on the roof and tried to alert police, they were met with silence.  These are detailed here.  No doubt we will never learn the truth.

Attention, would-be assassins - especially if you are being equipped to do your dirty work by deep-state operatives.  Should you accept their solicitations and their assistance in doing their dirty work for them, you will be guilty of the mortal sin of murder, should your attempt result in the death of your target.  By the grace of God, yesterday's attempt on Trump's life failed.  Mr. Comperatore did die, however, so Crooks has his murder to his soul's charge.  As Crooks was finally taken down by Secret Service personnel, it seems that he would have had little or no opportunity to repent of his crimes.  Even the attempt at murder is its own mortal sin.  I pray he had time to repent, but don't hold out hope that he did.

And that, dear would-be assassin, brings us to our next point.  After your deed is done (or attempted) you will be taken out by those whom you thought you might trust.  You see, they don't want you blabbing to any investigators about them.  You are now not only useless to them, you are a threat to be eliminated yourself.  Oh, come!  If they are so devoid of decency and honor that they'd hire you to commit murder, what in hell would cause you to believe that they'd honor any promise made to you?

Think of Lee Harvey Oswald, assassin of President John F Kennedy in 1963.  Two days later, he himself was taken out.  Think of all those various accomplices of the Clintons who "died mysteriously".  The life expectancy of an assassin is not long, plus there's an eternity in hell that would be in your future.  You'll derive no benefit, only an early death and eternal misery.  You stand to gain nothing from it.

I've no doubt that Trump was being protected by Our Lord.  If his head have been one inch to the right he'd be dead now.  Nevertheless, we now know that evil forces will continue to strike at us.  If you are not praying the Rosary daily, as requested by Our Lady of Fatima, start NOW>

Archbishop Vigano Excommunicated

Today it was announced that Archbishop Vigano was excommunicated as a result of this "extrajudicial process" to which he was summoned and refused to go.  Vigano stated his belief that the decision to excommunicate him was already a done deal prior to his summons.  

This scenario is eerily reminiscent of the incident twelve years ago in my own parish regarding Father Marcel Guarnizo.   After Father refused Holy Communion to an out-and-proud lesbian, his faculties for the Archdiocese of Washington were removed.  He was called to the chancery for a discussion, but as he stated in his account of the debacle, the letter announcing his ouster was already sealed and on the desk of then Auxiliary Bishop Barry Knestout.  During that time I penned and posted an open letter to the Apostolic Nuncio regarding Guarnizo's situation.  That Nuncio was none other than Archbishop Vigano.

I reiterate my call to stand in support of Archbishop Vigano.  He is by no means the first to be excommunicated vindictively.  I speak of saints such as Athanasius, Joan of Arc, Columba, Mary MacKillop.

In researching this matter, I found others who were excommunicated for doubting the legitimacy of Francis' papacy.  I haven't had the time to research these cases in depth, but post these for your consideration.  On Christmas Eve, 2019, three hermits named Father Stephen de Kerdrel, Sister Colette Roberts and Brother Damon Kelly living in Scotland were excommunicated after accusing Pope Francis of heresy in an online statement.  So much for all this "mercy"!

In August 2020, Fr. Jeremy Leatherby, a priest of the Diocese of Sacramento, incurred an automatic excommunication for schism after refusing to recognize the legitimacy of Pope Francis, most notably substituting his name with that of his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI and omitting the name of Bishop Jaime Soto during the Eucharistic Prayer while offering Mass. 

Father Ramon Guidetti of the diocese of Livorno was excommunicated by his bishop Simone Giusti in January 2024 following a new year's eve address shared online in which he denounced Pope Francis as an anti-pope.

So it does not seem that Archbishop Vigano is alone.  He certainly isn't the first.  Will he be the last?  What about Cardinals Burke, Sarah, Muller?  Bishops Schneider and Strickland (with the latter already stripped of his diocese)?  Why him and not Martin, Rupnic, Stowe, etc?  Is this revenge on McCarrick's behalf?  So many questions are begging to be answered.

Meanwhile, this video should provide some food for thought.

The Stakes Are Becoming Clearer To All Now

A few days ago, Archbishop Vigano laid bare the case against Francis in no uncertain terms.  Recently, we've also heard from Cardinals Burke and Sarah, along with Bishop Schneider regarding the affronts posed by Francis to the Faith.  The bulk of their recent comments are directed at Fiducia Supplicans, the document penned by Cardinal Kissy-Face Fernandez and signed by Francis.  That document gives the go-ahead for "gay unions".  Given the fact that that to counsel for sin and to approve it are ways of cooperating with sin, the production and the promulgation of Fiducia Supplicans has been inherently sinful on its face.

On June 14, Cardinal Sarah came to Catholic University of America in Washington DC to address some students there.  In his remarks, he held out, as an example to follow, his fellow African bishops who refuse to implement Fiducia Supplicans. owing to its "grave error".  At about the same time, in an interview, Cardinal Burke stated, "we affront the Lord, we show profound lack of respect for Our Lord in love for Him if in some way we try to ask blessing for something that’s sinful."

Bishop Schneider's stance is none too nuanced.  He called Fiducia Supplicans "a mockery of the natural and revealed law of God."  And so it is.  Then he said something very wise, laying bare a part of the insidious strategy of the goons in the Vatican.  He said, "but perhaps creating a state of permanent debate, generalized uncertainty, and doctrinal and practical anarchy, was precisely its aim."  Francis seems to excel at this, to undermine the certainty that has always been a hallmark of God's truth as revealed through Holy Mother Church.