More To The Riots Than Meets The Eye

Some food for thought by Michael Hichborn.  It is well worth your time to watch this, to connect some much-needed dots.

More CRS Dabbling In Abortion

Yesterday Michael Hichborn released another segment of his report that proves that Catholic Relief Services is promoting abortion in third-world countries.  Here it is.

No Mass Means No Second Collection

In the midst of the calamity of the United States being without one public Mass, even then there is just the tiniest silver lining to the cloud.  Without Mass, there can be no second collections.  This weekend, for most dioceses, the second collection would have been taken for the Catholic Relief Services.  That will not happen.  That means that CRS will have fewer dollars with which to undermine the Faith.

Michael Hichborn of the Lepanto Institute unearthed some truly squalid enterprises in which CRS has participated and even led.  Below I publish the second and third of the videos comprising his entire report.

Lepanto Institute Exposes Catholic Relief Services

Michael Hichborn of the Lepanto Institute has recently completed a month-long investigation of the malfeasances of the Catholic Relief Services.  The resulting report is quite long, owing to the voluminous evidence found that quite frankly, incriminates CRS and the entire USCCB for actions committed agaisnt Catholic faith and morality.  Because his findings were so extensive, Hichborn has opted to release his reports in installments.

Today he released the first one and it can be found here.  This one focuses on CRS's involvement in the distribution of condoms in Africa.  Mind you, CRS isn't merely partnering with other organizations that are doing the condom distribution.  CRS is doing the deed themselves - funded by donations from faithful Catholics.  That leads me to my next point.

Lent has just started and we have all seen the obiquitous "Operation Rice Bowl" things in our church lobbies.  A few days ago, I suggested what you could do with them.  You can do the same when CRS conducts its in-pew collection in mid-May.  The precsie weekend is May 17.  I believe the schedule for this collection is nation-wide, but check your envelopes.  Let's not only starve this beast, but let the "powers-that-be" know exactly why they won't get one penny from us.

Put MCCARRICK MONEY In Your Annual Appeal Envelopes And A Note In The CRS Rice Bowl

Many thanks to my blogging colleagues at Complicit Clergy for "minting" these most appropriate dollars bills. Now we have McCarrick Money!  Print off a bunch of these, put them in the collection envelopes, then drop them in the baskets or send them to your chanceries!

As for the Rice Bowl shakedown, Lent has started and the obiquitous rice bows are appearing in most Catholic church lobbies.  So take them home and assemble them.  Put not one red cent in them.  Instead, put in them the note at the bottom of this Lepanto article.

Instead of these shake-downs, give your money to pregnancy centers, a traditional order or another worthy charity.

Planned Sacrilege In Williamsburg Church - CANCELLED, DEO GRATIAS

The previous post on this blog was a call to action to prevent a scheduled sacrilege at a Catholic church in Williamsburg.  As you know, Bishop Barry Knestout offered the local espiscopalean church use of St Bede's to profane the Sacrament of Holy Orders by "ordaining" a "woman bishop".  In a live broadcast this evening, Michael Hichborn did an excellent job in detailing all the theological and moral errors behind what Bishop Knestout did in giving permission for this monstrosity to occur.  Please note that there were problems with the audio in the first part.  Skip ahead a few minutes to the -59:38 mark for the audio.

Thankfully, the sacrilege was averted.

Upon learning of the sacrilege scheduled for their parish, faithful Catholics within that parish mobilized to take action.  They made the situation known on social media.  One of them started a Facebook group for the express purpose of combatting it.  The Lepanto Institute offered to help organize a Rosary rally to occur at the same time the event was to occur.  Many people from across the nation contacted both the parish and the Richmond diocese.  Local secular news outlets picked up the story.  

Soon word got back to the episcopal diocese of the concerns of faithful Catholics.  It was the episcopal church that took it upon themselves to relocate their event to another venue.  It seems that they had more sense of decency than did Bishop Knestout.  The latter released a statement expressing "sadness" at the move.  I link to it now.  This is not the first time that Bishop Knestout has displayed a regrettable penchant for apologizing to non-Catholics for the virtuous acts of real, faithful Catholics.  Eight years ago, at my parish, when Father Guarnizo refused Holy Communion to the flagrant lesbian (go to the archives for March 2012), Bishop Knestout apologized - to the lesbian.  Here is that letter.  Please open both these pieces of drivvel side by side.

They are both rife with error and yes, sin.  In both cases, he is voicing anger (yes, it's anger) that Catholics behaved like faithful Catholics in ways that showed either his own dissidence against the Faith or that of his superiors.  He evokes false definitions of ecumenism, compassion, etc.  He evinces an abysmal lack of appreciation for both the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  I could go on and on, but I think you get the drift.

A big happy "take-away" from this Williamsburg event is the lesson of what can happen when faithful Catholics stand up to evil - even from our hierarchy - and not let them get away with it.  Certainly our prayers, Masses, Rosaries played a critical role.  So did our voices.  So did our being thorns in the sides of the Richmond chancery and the St Bede's parish offices.  

I understand that the same band of Catholics will now be offering Rosaries of thanksgiving in lieu of the now-cancelled Rosary Rally.  We can add our Rosaries of thanksgiving whereever we happen to be now.

CCHD Collection Draws Near

Most US dioceses will conduct their annual CCHD in-pew collections next month.  As we pay attention to the debacle now occurring in Rome, it is easy to lose sight of the mischief that will soon draw near.

It should come as no surprise that the so-called "reforms" of the CCHD once again are shown as the shams that they have always been.  The Lepanto Institute has continued its investigations into the malevolent deeds of CCHD grant recipients.  See for yourselves the evil funded by naive Catholics in the pews.

Besides living a faithful, prayerful Catholic life, we have few resources at our disposal to fight the filth and corruption in the Church.  But at least we should not be funding that corruption.  The CCHD is a beast that must be financially starved and we must do it by not contributing one cent to that collection.  Instead, drop a note in the collection basket explaining why the CCHD will receive no money from you.

Catholic Relief Services In Its Biggest Scandal - To Date

Last week William O'Keefe, a CRS vice president, asked Congress to fund USAID to the tune of nearly $9 billion.  They intend that it goes to PEPFAR and other agencies that distribute contraceptives.  Lepanto Institute discovered this and did much research.  There is no need to rehash the report here for I won't do it justice.  I urge you to read it on the Lepanto page.  Do note, though, that O'Keefe was a Clinton supporter.

During Lent, we have probably seen the ubiquitous CRS "rice bowls".  Michael Hichborn, president of Lepanto, noted that 2/3 of CRS's budget comes from federal grants.  Well, golly gee!  Why aren't People for the American Way and the Freedom from Religion Foundation all up in arms about federal funding of the CRS?  Could it be because they know that CRS has been run by progressives now for many years?   He suggested that in lieu of money, to write a note that says we already contributed via our tax dollars.  Drop that in your "rice bowl" and take it to church when they collect these things.

Here's more info on CRS.  Just #sayno2crs.  By the way, in my title I used the words "to date" for I wouldn't be surprised if another CRS scandal comes to light in the future that will eclipse the depravity of this one.

CCHD And CRS Never Fail To Fail

The Lepanto Institute and other Catholic investigators have been shining the light on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development for years.  Since its inception the CCHD has been bilking donations from unsuspecting Catholics and diverting those funds to organizations that are pro-abortion, pro-sodomite, anti-God, anti-morality.  Just put "CCHD" into the search box at the top left of this blog for an entire litany of their misbehaviors.

But it turns out that such anti-life funding isn't all that the CCHD has done with donation dollars.  Some readers might be inclined to wonder, "What?  You mean they actually do some scintilla of good with our donations?"  Oh, don't be silly!  It turns out that some of their funds are earmarked for bribery.

That's what Lepanto Institute revealed last week.  The CCHD offered them hush money; that is, if Lepanto scuttled its reporting on CCHD, why, CCHD just might give Lepanto a "grant"!  How special!

Hichborn turned them down.  But doesn't it make you wonder how many other bribe recipients didn't turn down some easy cash?  How many bishops or other grant recipients looked the other way as their palms were greased?  While we don't know the answer to that yet, we can be fairly certain that the number isn't zero.

Speaking of Lepanto and USCCB-controlled cash spigots, let's look at what they revealed about Catholic Relief Services and their attempt to mangle the season of Advent to make it a tool in shilling for illegal immigration.  Not only do they make a travesty of Advent, but they publicly wallow in their gross ignorance of Scripture and the Infancy Narratives.  You'll notice in that box that O'Keefe makes the ludicrous claim that the Holy Family "fled" to Bethlehem.  No, they were compelled to go there to be counted for census and taxing purposes; the Gospel of Luke states that quite explicitly.  But it sounds so "pastoral" to create this dishonest linkage with illegal immigration.  Now think about it; if the only way they can justify their enabling of those who violate our laws is to lie about the Scriptures, doesn't that indicate that they have no moral/intellectual basis for their positions?

These are just two more reasons why the CRS, CCHD and anything affiliated with the USCCB should not receive one penny from faithful Catholics.  More reasons will make themselves apparent in the next several months, I'm sure.

Another Reason To Ponder How We'll Resist The Progressive Encroachment

Lepanto Institute today released an expose of yet another progressive cabal known as Association of United States Catholic Priests.  Not being a quasi-official Church organization, they apparently feel little need to maintain any facade of orthodoxy - and they don't!

On the AUSCP home page, you'll see links to articles detailing their planning for "women deaconesses" and "priestless parishes".  Lepanto unpacks that mess nicely; it's part and parcel of disenfranchising Catholics of their access to valid Sacraments and distorting their understanding of the same.  On other pages, you'll see that these priests are concerned - very concerned, I tell you! - about such matters as immigration, gay rights, death penalty, climate change, gun control.  Need I tell you what's missing from that list - and their page?  How about the intrinsic evils of contraception, abortion, homosexual conduct, abuse of embryos, euthanasia?  Are you surprised that they aren't mentioned?  I didn't think so!

They do seem to have quite an assortment of clerics with unquestionable heterodoxy: Cardinal Cupich, Fr Richard Rohr, Sr Simone Campbell, and Bishop McElroy.  The latter is of great concern for me, for it is rumored that he will be the designated successor to Cardinal Wuerl once the latter retires.  It hits me at home - literally.

Going down Lepanto's page, you'll see a talk by Jack Jezreel, founder of Just Faith.  I've written about that horrid bunch before.  I didn't listen to the whole thing but Jezreel blathers on about "social justice", as one might expect.   Last week I put up a post explaining why I believe that the "SJW" phenomenon was inimical to authentic Christianity.  Jezreel's association with AUSCP is an illustration of that danger, for "sjw" Christianity often veers into rank heresy.

We need to be aware of these movements, so that if - or when - they come to our parishes, we may be prepared with plans to resist.

Use Alinsky Bucks To Say #no2CCHD

For most dioceses across the nation, November is the time when the annual CCHD shakedown will occur during the second collections.  As one might expect, the CCHD continues to divert Catholic dollars to organizations that are part and parcel of the culture of death.  There is no reforming that monster.  The Catholic Campaign for Human Development, along with the even more monstrous United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, must be consigned to the dung heap of infamous history.

Please go to Lepanto Institute's site to read the latest on CCHD and to print out your supply of Alinsky Bucks.  Download them for future use.  If you'd prefer another note to put in your cchd envelope, here's a possible alternative.

Learn more about the CCHD and its nefarious origin.  I've done some research on it, as has Lepanto Institute, Catholic Media Coalition and others.  Learn why we must say #no2cchd and give that money to organizations that will further the Faith and the Culture of Life.

Michael Hichborn On Deep-Seated Corruption At USCCB

Recently Michael Hichborn of Lepanto Institute gave a talk regarding the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and of the monkey business that comprises their entire purpose for existence.   I'll post it below, but will also link to previous posts of mine in which the content coincides with Hichborn's statements.  When we reach the 20:00 mark in the video, Hichborn talks about immigration.  So consider:

• How the USCCB functioned as an Obama agency in the handling of immigrants
• The role of Catholic Charities in fomenting illegal immigration - see here and here

At the 38:15 mark, consider what Hichborn says about Ralph McCloud being both the director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and a board member of Interfaith Worker Justice.  Until now, I did not know that this huge conflict of interest existed.

At the 44:48 mark, Hichborn states that "there is no salvaging the CCHD. The only thing that can be done with it at this point is to shut it down permanently."  I've been saying that for years.  In fact, I've been saying that about the entire USCCB.

Bear in mind the very ending: an exhortation to pray the Rosary daily and maintain testimony to the truth.  Please pass this along to your other contacts.

Vatican Goes Green - In More Ways Than one

Last week while commenting on how Pope Francis has jumped aboard the "climate change" bandwagon, I proposed (last paragraph of the post) how the Church could put its ostensible "green" convictions into practice.  To be honest, that suggestion was rather rhetorical as I knew the hierarchy would not go for it.  Why not?  Don't they have an eye for being green?  Well, yes they do, but not that green.  They salivate over the other kind of green - as in long green.  Let's face it; those missalettes and magnificat magazines are big business.  Might some of that filter to church officials?  Money talks!

And the chattering of the long green seems to be heard throughout the wheelings and dealings of the Knights of Malta these days.  Lepanto Institute and Church Militant have articles detailing the skulduggery around the ouster of Fra Festing and the de facto ouster of Cardinal Burke.  The Lepanto article in particular reveals the influence of donations in both the two ousters and perhaps with the distribution of contraceptives in which Maltesar has participated.  I won't rehash what they wrote.  But I will point out that all the machinations have the pawprints of the Vatican Secretary of State all over them.

One more thing I'll mention that the two articles don't.  The name Albrecht Von Boeselager is mentioned throughout - the chancellor who Festing discharged but who was reinstated at the obvious promptings of the Vatican.  When all that was going on, Albrecht's brother Georg Von Boeselager was appointed to the board of directors of the Vatican Bank.  Not a coincidence!

Lepanto Institute Exposes Sinister Effects Of False Mercy And Toleration Of Deadly Sin

Four Catholics organizations within the Diocese of Manila (Phillipines) produced a film on Easter Sunday.  Masquerading as a lesson on "mercy" and "acceptance", it is brimming with sacrilege, blasphemy and heresy.  First let's look at the film itself.

I now post a podcast done by Michael Hichborn of the Lepanto Institute as he analyzes this film, detailing why this seemingly lovely production is quite insidious.  For its seduction, I have no bones calling it satanic.

One of the organizations is headed by Cardinal Luis Tagle.  John Allen of Crud dubbed Tagle "the Asian Pope Francis".  I regret that analogy may be valid.  Now the podcast.

The Vendetta Against Cardinal Burke Continues

Recall from my Christmas Eve post how the pope seems to be meddling in the internal governance of the Order of Malta.  Many of us suspected that this was a direct jibe at Cardinal Burke for his prominent role in the issuance of the dubia.  Father Z's blog quotes from the Tablet that in turn alleges that Pope Francis did not want the condom-dealing chancellor evicted from his post at the Knights of Malta.  Some are snooting and snorting that the Order of Malta defied the pope, not considering that in matters of internal governance the pope has no authority to meddle.

I'll now post a podcast from Lepanto Institute that reveals, among other things, that the alleged communication from the Vatican was issued after Boeslager was removed from his post.  Many of us understand that this is a ploy to discredit Cardinal Burke and by extension the dubia.

Priestly Formation Document - Its Sinister Context

With this post I'd like to delve more into the problematic guidelines for priestly formation that were recently released; see yesterday's post.  Some good people don't see the harm in what was said in the guidelines per se about concern for the environment.  As I said yesterday, I think it's necessary to look at them in the context of other proceedings from this papacy to date.  Together they paint a very ominous picture.

In addition to Laudato Si, many questionable statements were issued and deeds committed by the Vatican, many with the cooperation of anti-life forces.  Recall that last month the pope addressed the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, calling for the creation of "a regulatory system that included inviolable limits and ensure the protection of ecosystems".  Will seminarians be brainwashed taught to shill for these "regulatory systems"?  Also recall how the pope waxed lyrical about the UN summit on climate change last year.  He, the Vicar of Christ, stated that the summit was "humanity's last chance to thwart climate disaster" and that the world is at "the limits of suicide".  Will seminarians be forced to parrot that crap?  Will they be forced to teach that "global warming is a sin" that must be "atoned" by recycling and carpooling?

Will they be forced to promote the Catholic Climate Covenant?  That was a bit of a fad a little while ago and may well make a comeback.  Let's look at the Catholic Climate Covenant in light of some very troubling facts unearthed and exposed by Michael Hichborn of Lepanto Institute.  Sarah Spengeman, Program Director of CCC, is a member of Emily's List.  That organization exists for the sole purpose of helping elect pro-abortion women to political offices.  The Lepanto page shows the online evidence.  Additionally, Spengeman's social sites show her to be sympathetic to women's ordination and homosexual perversity.

I bring up the matter of Sarah Spengeman for she is only one of the anti-God activists that new priests, thanks to that ill-considered "gift of the priestly vocation" thing, will be forced to promote (even if only indirectly).  They will also be forced to portray "climate change" as sin, thus obfuscating the true serious nature of sin.  In fact, the very acceptance of the notion of "climate change" as fact may be its own sin against honesty, for by no means is "climate change" settled science and it is outside the competency of Church hierarchy to pronounce it settled.  So it seems that our seminarians will be coerced into preaching a progressive agenda that has nothing to do with scientific truth, let alone the salvation of souls.

Lepanto Institute Speaks Truth, USCCB Shrieks In Fear Of Exposure

Some time ago Lepanto Institute exposed the fact that the Catholic Relief Services is acting in concert with organizations spreading the culture of death, itself participating in the distribution of contraceptives and abortifacients.  When Lepanto's report was released, the CRS predictably went into "damage control" mode.  Hichborn called them out on it.

The CRS is under the direct control of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  The USCCB is having its semi-annual meeting in Baltimore, starting today.  Michael Hichborn, president of Lepanto, penned an open letter to the US bishops regarding CRS's misbehaviors.  Also today Archbishop Paul Coakley, USCCB Chair, asked the prelates in attendance to pay no attention to Lepanto's hours of research and the evidence pointing towards CRS's complicity with evil.  His request is itself a betrayal of fear and resentment at having the dissidence of CRS, along with the USCCB, brought into light.

LifeSiteNews has details of Carolyn Woo's sniveling reaction to Lepanto's work.  I don't think she realizes what she revealed when she claimed that "original sin was kind of abstract".  In her time at CRS, particularly with the cover-up of the "gay-married" CRS vice president, she betrayed an abysmal lack of basic Catholic moral teaching.

As always, the only language that gets the attention of the progressives who occupy high places in the USCCB is the language of money.  Thus, in addition to prayer, we must speak that language by withholding our donations.  It is not time for the annual in-pew CRS collection.  However, the in-pew collection for its national counterpart, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (also under direct USCCB control) is this coming weekend.  I urge all to boycott that collection this coming weekend.  Here are some tools to assist you in this boycott.

Eric Gajewski Interviews Michael Hichborn

Eric Gajewski of TradCatKnight interviewed Michael Hichborn of Lepanto Institute recently.  In the video below, Mike relates how he moved from his former position at American Life League to Lepanto.  He is quite correct in stating that we must work to eliminate the corruption that infests the Church.  I add that includes all corruption, even that which is found in the Vatican.  At the 37:00 mark they begin to discuss the corruption in the Church.  I do suggest listening to the entire thing -and of course, to keep praying the Rosary.

Head Of Catholic News Service Betrays His Faith And Fellow Catholics

It was almost a year ago when Lepanto Institute uncovered the scandal of the Catholic Relief Services harboring a sodomite within the ranks of their officials.  Since then he resigned from CRS.  We pray that he also quit his mortally sinful lifestyle.

Now the same Lepanto Institute has discovered that Tony Spence, Director of the Catholic News Service, has been shilling for the gay agenda on his twitter page.  He concurrently is working to submarine the rights of Christians to live by their consciences without being forced to do obeisance to the demands of gay activists.  Bear in mind that the Catholic News Service is the official news organ of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Spence has occupied that position since 2004.

On its page, Lepanto has reproduced some of the heretical tweets.  When I went to Spence's twitter page I saw that the incriminating tweets had been pulled down.  Gee!  I wonder why!

Between these two and the head of CCHD who worked for Wendy "Abortion Barbie" Davis, the progressive bishops seem to have a penchant for placing flaming dissidents within the higher positions of their organizations.  That is no accident.  They know exactly what they are doing.

Recall that Estridge did resign when the spotlight shone on him.  Let's see if we can perform a similar service in the case of Spence.  We will not make any headway in fighting the culture of death until and unless we purge the Church of all the filth and corruption within its structures.

#no$2crs - Not In The Rice Bowl Nor In The Second Collection

About eight days ago I posted a suggestion for faithful Catholics regarding the Operation Rice Bowl campaign conducted by the Catholic Relief Service during Lent.  It is one of their biggest fundraisers; regrettably CRS has seen fit to divert millions of these dollars to organizations that distribute contraceptives and abortifacients.  In some cases, CRS personnel have been caught committing the mortal sins themselves.  I hope many of you are implementing that suggestion.

Today the USCCB announced that the second collection to be taken during the weekend of March 5-6, Laetare Sunday, will be for CRS.  That will be the case in most parishes.  For the Archdiocese of Washington, the CRS collection will occur during the weekend of May 14-15.  Please check your local calendars to ascertain when that collection will be held in your parishes.

In my post regarding the CRS, I suggested putting in that "rice bowl" a flyer created by Lepanto Institute.  That same flyer would do nicely for use in your CRS envelope in lieu of money.