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!

Freemasonry's Role In Knights Of Malta Scandals

One Peter Five has published parts of a letter issued by Pope Francis to Cardinal Burke, asserting that "manifestations of a worldly spirit..must be prevented from being introduced into the order, including affiliations and associations, movements and organizations".  It would seem that Cardinal Burke, with the assistance of Fra Matthew Festing, was doing precisely that when they ousted Albrecht von Boeselager, who allowed Maltaser to distribute condoms.

But as we've seen, Festing was coerced into retiring and Cardinal Burke has been further marginalized by the appointment of Archbishop Becciu as "Special Delegate to the Knights of Malta".     Boeselager has been reinstated as Grand Chancellor.  Dare we speculate that he is free to resume his distribution of condoms vis-a-vis Maltaser?  But the article quoted by 1P5 highlights another detail, one that might otherwise have escaped notice.  The pope nullified all actions taken by Festing, going back to December 6.  One of those actions was the establishment of a commission to investigate a strange inheritance received by the Knights of Malta: 120 million (currency denomination not stated) into a Swiss bank account.  There is some speculation that it came from Boeselager himself; now that question is far from being investigated, let alone answered.  Do recall that Albrecht's brother, Georg Von Boeselager, was appointed as a director of the Vatican Bank during this time.  Ladies and gentlemen, this is NOT a coincidence!

The Lepanto Institute published a bit of history of the Knights of Malta, focusing on their centuries-old contentions with Freemasonry.  I agree that there is much more to this situation than meets the eye.

Another Pile Of Dirt In the Malta Scandal

Yesterday I posted how Fra Matthew Festing, Grand Master of the Knights of Malta and by all accounts an exemplary Catholic, was strong-armed by Pope Francis into resigning his position.  A day later, Albrecht von Boeselager, the Grand Chancellor who Festing dismissed because he allowed a Malta organization to distribute condoms, was reinstated.  Most of us believe that this is yet another attack on Catholic morality.  Don't forget what Pope Francis said at the end of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family over a year ago: we faithful Catholics have to "mature".  However, there might have been an additional reason to reinstate Boeselager.

Today I saw on Pewsitter a link to a Vatican press release, published last year.  It announced the appointment of three new board of director members for the Vatican Bank.  one of them is Georg von Boeselager.  Yes, he and the disgraced-but-reinstated Condom Chancellor are brothers.  If anyone believes this is a coincidence (note the timing of events), they are inexcusably naive.

This sheds some new light - and questions - as to why the pope has literally attempted to seize control of a sovereign state.  Whether or not that attempt will hold water I don't know; I don't see how it can.  Other bloggers have pointed out that if this attempt stands, then the Vatican would have no rational defense if Italy were to attempt an annexation of the Vatican.

I believe more on this rather sordid matter will be coming to light soon.  Stay tuned.

Malta - Lastest Skirmish In The War Against Truth

Two weeks ago I wondered aloud about the dictatorial streak that was being displayed as he began his meddling in the internal affairs of the Knights of Malta.  I had proposed earlier that he was emulating Juan Peron, the infamous dictator who ruled his own native Argentina with an iron fist.  It is now becoming evident that what was a minor "streak" is evolving into a full-blown modus operandi.  No one who is watching his growing encroachment into the governance of the Knights of Malta can pretend otherwise.

The Knights' Grand Master, Fra Matthew Festing, was compelled to resign his position (a life-time appointment, by the way) by Pope Francis.  Recall that the Festing presided over the ouster of Grand Chancellor, Albrecht von Boeselager when the latter was implicated in a scheme to use the KofM's charitable arm to distribute condoms.  The Lepanto Institute, headed by Michael Hichborn, produced evidence pointing to Boeselager's guilt.  Apparently the latter has friends in high Vatican places.   Because Festing resisted the pope's arm-twisting and attempts to meddle in the internal governance of a sovereign state, he was ousted and now some "delegate" will be at the KofM's helm.  The Vatican took umbrage that Boeselager's dismissal occurred without "dialogue", but then seems to have given the heave-ho to Festing without "dialogue"; go figure!

But the sordid tale gets worse.  After Festing was forced to resign, Boeselager was reinstated into his old position.  So the Catholic official who upheld the teachings of the Church was kicked to the curb by Pope Francis while the dissident enabler of anti-life activities was affirmed in his sin.  Life Site News also touched on this travesty.  Read the comments.  One reader asked a very astute question in reaction: "No truth anymore?"  To me, the question isn't merely rhetorical; rather it gets to the heart of a lot of the ills with this papacy.

Yesterday I wrote how Pope Francis obscured the concept of objective truth.  I believe that is a key theme to so much of his mischief, whether or not it is deliberate on his part.  He seems intent on denying the existence of objective truth.  Witness how he mocks Catholics who are faithful to the Church's timeless teachings as "rigid", "neo-palegian", etc.  With Amoralis Lamentia, we see the none-too-subtle exaltation of subjective "conscience" over the objective truths of God's revealed moral teachings.  Truth is timeless and eternal.  It is immutable.  But those who revel in sin wish to deny that, for truth demands accountability.  Eliminate truth, they reason, so that accountability is likewise quashed.  I link now to a post written by Billy Graham three years ago that touches on the topic of truth versus lie, good versus evil.

That is why five years ago Father Guarnizo was ejected from my parish.  He stood for truth against the politically correct gay agenda and the ever-pandering DC chancery.  That is why the pope continues his efforts to marginalize Cardinal Burke (and the other faithful prelates).  That is why Fra Festing was ejected from his leadership role, in favor of the unfaithful Boeselager.  Rorate Caeli's commentary raises the question of whether or not the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI was obtained in a similar manner.  That is a valid question.

We'll see more instances of truth being rejected for oh-so-enticing lies.  We need to keep praying, with Rosaries in hand.  We need to keep speaking out.