Communism And Freemasonry Controlling The Vatican

Tonight's Anchor Team focused on Lepanto Institute's expose of some Vatican organizations that are directly and unabashedly promoting communism, witchcraft and baby-slaughter.  That expose was published two days ago and is linked here.  Please note that there is more commentary beneath the video.

Please watch the whole thing for there are mentioned websites with additional information.  In their discussion of communism and freemasonry, Hichborn and Maughan mentioned that Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels were greatly assisted by a British masonic lodge that took them under their wings, so to speak.

Also, please pay special attention to Hichborn's observations regarding so many of the "Catholic social justice" groups.  Many if not most of them are focused solely on temporal concerns without nary a thought towards eternal salvation.  It is the latter that is the Church's primary mission, for one day this earth will fade and their will only be heaven and hell.  A sole focus only on earthly concerns is a surefire way of careening straight towards hell.  That is one key reason why the Vatican's push for the covid cootie-jab is so nefarious, in addition to the fact that usage of these concoctions constitutes cooperation with the sin of baby-murder.

They have much to say about the socialistic bent of the United Nations, certainly as manifested through its presidents throughout the decades.  Recall that two years ago Pope Francis erroneously said that we have a duty to obey the United Nations.  I won't say that the pope has been duped by the communists in the UN.  No, he is in fact a fully-knowledgeable collaborator with them.  His shilling for the Sustainable Development goals and his constant hosting of Jeffrey Sachs and Ban-Ki Moon in preparation for Laudato Si certainly is proof of that.

Yesterday was the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.  This is a good time to commit - or recommit - to praying it daily, as she requested at Fatima.  While prayer is essential, it is not sufficient.  Please take the time to inform yourselves of the ills of our Church and world.  Plan to speak against the evils that you see, even if the sources of those evils wear miters.  Use your rights as US citizens to take a stand for decency; we've seen plenty of parents do precisely that at various school board meetings lately.  Emulate their examples.  The time is short.

Marshall And Hichborn On Social Justice Hoax And What You Can Do About It

Michael Hichborn has done extensive research over the years regarding "social justice" in the Catholic Church and the dangers that it poses to the eternal salvation of countless souls.  My Catholic Media Coalition colleague, Stephanie Block, also has done similar research; in fact, Hichborn acknowledges her contributions at the 31-minute mark of the video below.

In this video, Taylor Marshall interviews Hichborn regarding the shams that are the three main vehicles of this so-called "social justice".  They are: Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Relief Services, and Catholic Charities.  While the video is long, I think it worth your while to listen closely to the whole thing.  We are obliged to inform ourselves of these matters, and we simply must invest the time to do so.

A word to Catholics in the Archdiocese of Washington.  I now link to the schedule for the second collections in 2019.  Please note these three approaching collections:

• May 12 - Catholic Relief Services.  For reasons discussed in this video, and many more, this (and the on-going Rice Bowl collection) must be boycotted. 
• June 23 - Peter's Pence.  In light of recent revelations regarding the stench that is in the Vatican, we dare not feed the corruption with our hard-earned dollars.
• August 4 - Catholic Campaign for Human Development.  Hichborn mentioned in the video that they try to disguise this collection.  That's why they call it "Catholic Communications and Human Development?.  Whom do they think they are fooling?

Very soon I will give some practical suggestions on notes to put into the envelopes, etc.  For now, please pay close attention to this video and spread this around.  Thank you.

Dissidence-Fomenting Jesuit Euologized In Catholic Standard

My colleague at An Archdiocese of Washington DC Catholic raised his eyebrows at a eulogy printed in the current Catholic Standard for Father Charles Currie.  Let's take a close look, shall we?

Here's a line from that online Standard link: "This work also led him to be a cofounder of the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice".  So who was the other founder of this "teach-in"?  We learn that from the Georgetown Voice.  He was ex-Father Bob Holstein.  He passed away about 16 years ago; here is his obituary.  He left the priesthood in 1967 because he thought the Church was "not progressive".  According to the obituary, he was involved in the Democrat Party and "liberal causes" for the remainder of his life.  He counted among friends California's Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown.

The two men were involved in the Ignatian Solidarity Network.  Also involved, or at least accepting awards for them were dissidents such as:

• Father James Martin
• Sister Helen Prejean
• Father Greg Boyle
• Sister Carol Keehan of the Pen of Perfidy

I suppose this could go on and on, but you get my point.  We should, of course, pray for Father Currie's eternal repose and that God have mercy on his soul.  He should not be eulogized in a Catholic newspaper.

Convolution Of Catholic Leadership Conference

As I write this, the USCCB is hosting in Orlando its so-called "Convocation of Catholic Leaders".  Its ostensible purpose is to "assess the challenges and opportunities of our times".  In other words, they know something is wrong with the Church but they don't want to admit that they are a large part of that "something", owing to:

• their abandonment of their God-given mission to save souls by by preaching God's gospel, administering the Sacraments and proclaiming the Church's traditions on faith and morals
• their connivance with progressives as the latter seek to spread their anti-God and anti-life bile throughout civilization in return for money and political favors

Therefore, ignoring the obvious, they are now gathering for a collective head-scratching gab-fest session where they will cluck about "social justice", "global warming", etc.

Michael Voris and Church Militant TV are at the same hotel in Orlando where the USCCB is squandering thousands of dollars now.  They are simply trying to tell these leaders that the answers to their questions are really quite simple.  Namely they are simply to obey the Traditions of the Church, that is, the teachings of Jesus Christ that have been handed down for these past two thousand years.  Many of us have been stating that incessantly on our own sites over these past years.

Before they were squelched by USCCB personnel at the hotel, CM was distributing this flyer.  The suggestions contained therein, if implemented, would go a long way towards restoring the spiritual life of the One True Church.  That in turn would allow the Church to become a more effective channel of God's grace to this very broken world.  I will say, though, this list is by no means all-inclusive.

A few days ago Michael Hichborn released the podcast below.  From another angle he also reiterates that the solutions to the Church's various crises are really quite simple and they all mandate a return to the Traditions and Teachings of Our Lord.  Because those teachings emanate from the Eternal God, they are immutable as He is immutable.

When The Pope Calls Evil "Good" And Good "Evil"

That is essentially what happened in the Pope's homily today.  He took the occasion to (again) vilify faithful Catholics as "rigid" and therefore "heretical".  Read this LifeSiteNews report, along with commentary.  He claims to decry an "all or nothing" attitude that he perceives in us, forgetting that Our Lord Himself often took an "all or nothing" stance, particularly when it came to obedience to His immutable commandments.

Last November, in a plane interview (Yep!  Pope Francis and planes are a bad combination!), the pope seemed disinclined to view the usage of condoms in light of the Fifth and Sixth Commandments.  First He cited the pharisees' question, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath" as a roundabout way to justify using condoms to prevent the spread of aids.  What he fails - refuses to understand is that there is a world of difference between "healing" (a good act) with usage of condoms (inherently evil act as it frustrates God's intentions for sexual relations).  The latter can never be justified.

He then segues into a screed about what he calls "big wounds": social injustice, environmental injustice, etc.  His remarks during his interview are really quite explicit.  To summarize, the pope - chief shepherd of the Church, can't be bothered with mortal sins of the flesh, even though they most likely will cause the eternal damnation of millions.  These poor souls don't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to this "social gospel".  He shows that he has his priorities exactly ass-backwards.  Please read the above link thoroughly, for it is an excellent treatment on why each person must conform to God's moral demands before he/she can even begin to address "social issues".

About six weeks ago, Msgr Charles Pope offered commentary on wise words uttered by Cardinal Robert Sarah during an interview, detailing why the concept of the "social gospel" is complete anathema to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.  At about the same time, the Cardinal spoke at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.  He warned that "today we are witnessing the next stage and the consummation of the efforts to build a utopian paradise on earth without God."

Regrettably, the pope's poo-pooing of the immutability of God's commands and disregard for the same in preference to focus on temporal matters seems to be part of these "efforts to build a utopian paradise on earth without God."  If we are to counteract this spiritual poison, it is vital that we not be cowed by attempts to marginalize us as "rigid" and even "heretical".

Msgr Pope Excoriates "Social Justice" Charity

Several days ago Msgr Charles Pope posted on his blog page (hosted by the Archdiocese of Washington) an article entitled "Eradicating Poverty Is Not A Gospel Value: A Reflection On A Teaching By Cardinal Sarah".  While I link to it now, I will copy and paste it below for it wouldn't surprise me if archdiocesan progressive wonks had this post removed.  It would not be the first time that they did this to Msgr Pope.  I'll post some commentary first.

The Catholic charitable organization to which Cardinal Sarah referred could well be the Catholic Relief Services.  With their endless kvetching about "poverty" and "global warming", they have engaged in serious conflicts with Catholic moral teaching including the distribution of abortifacients, harboring of gay activists in their midst, partnering with pro-abortion organizations, etc.  A whole litany of malfeasances can be found here.  These misdeeds can only be expected of Catholic organizations when they forget that the prime mission of the Catholic Church is to help souls attain heaven.

It's noteworthy that Msgr cites the abysmal failure of Johnson's "war on poverty".  Through the expansion of welfare and its devastating impact on poor families, it could well be called "war on families".  While the "war on poverty" flopped, the "war on families" has been all too successful.

Far too many Catholics - especially those in high positions of the USCCB - have made a false idol out of "social justice".  It's no coincidence that many of these dissent from Catholic teaching regarding faith and morals - especially morals regarding marriage, sexuality, life and family.  Perhaps they think that by undue focus on "social justice" they might compensate for deviance from Catholic moral teaching.  If that's the case they play "Russion roulette" with their eternal destinies.  Pray that they repent.

And now, Msgr's article..

The eradication of poverty is an oft-stated goal of the modern, liberal West. President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s pronouncement of a “war on poverty” so imprinted this notion in the Western mind that it has become almost axiomatic. It is now a fundamental pillar in the thinking of almost every person (and organization) in the Western world, from the religious pew-sitter concerned for the poor to the most secular humanist bent on a utopian vision. Poverty is a great enemy that must be stamped out!

The only problem is that this is contrary to the Gospel! It is no surprise, therefore, that even after decades of Western “do-goodism,” barely a dent has been made in the percentage of people living in poverty. In fact, some statistics show that the percentage in poverty has increased. But why should we expect great fruitfulness in something that opposes God?

I can see the look of shock on your face right now; you may even be embarrassed that I have written this. I’d like to share a quote with you from Robert Cardinal Sarah, which makes an important distinction that we need to recover. While what he says may also shock you, I encourage you to read it carefully and thoughtfully; the distinction he makes is critical. Not only does the Gospel depend on it, but cultures and individual lives do as well. For indeed, in the name of eradicating poverty some of the worst of Western arrogance has been displayed. It is an arrogance that does not even recognize that it can become willing to the destroy the poor themselves as well as what and whom they love all in the name of this “noble” goal.

Cardinal Robert Sarah is no neophyte in this discussion. He grew up in an impoverished region of Africa and later headed the Roman dicastery, Cor unum, a charitable arm of the Holy See. The extensive passage below is an abbreviated version of the Cardinal’s response to the following questions posed by his interviewer, Nicholas Diat:

How would you describe the nature of Cor unum, the dicastery to which you devoted several years of your life, in its fight against all sorts of poverty? Furthermore, why do you speak so often about the close relation between God and the poor?

In his reply, the Cardinal is reacting somewhat to Mr. Diat’s description of Cor unum’s work as “fight[ing] against all sorts of poverty.” The Cardinal’s response is nothing short of stunning. Please read it carefully and consider obtaining the book so as to able to read the unabridged remarks as well.

The Gospel is not a slogan. The same goes for our activity to relieve people’s suffering … [it is a matter] of working humbly and having a deep respect for the poor. For example, I remember being disgusted when I heard the advertising slogan of a Catholic charitable organization, which was almost insulting to the poor: “Let us fight for zero poverty” … Not one saint … ever dared to speak that way about poverty and poor people.

Jesus himself had no pretention of this sort. This slogan respects neither the Gospel nor Christ. Ever since the Old Testament, God has been with the poor; and Sacred Scripture unceasingly acclaims “the poor of Yahweh.” …

Poverty is a biblical value confirmed by Christ, who emphatically exclaims, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). … The poor person is someone who knows that, by himself, he cannot live. He needs God and other people in order to be, flourish and grow. On the contrary, rich people expect nothing of anyone. They can provide for their needs without calling either on their neighbors or on God. In this sense wealth can lead to great sadness and true human loneliness or to terrible spiritual poverty. If in order to eat and care for himself, a man must turn to someone else, this necessarily results in a great enlargement of his heart. This is why the poor are closest to God and live in great solidarity with one another; they draw from this divine source the ability to be attentive to others.

The Church must not fight against poverty but, rather, wage a battle against destitution, especially material and spiritual destitution. … [so that all] might have the minimum they require in order to live. …

But we do not have the right to confuse destitution and poverty, because in so doing we would seriously be going against the Gospel. Recall what Christ told us: “The poor you will have always with you …” (Jn 12:8). Those who want to eradicate poverty make the Son of God a liar. …

[In his yearly Lenten message in 2014, Pope Francis] espoused what St. Francis [of Assisi] called “Lady Poverty.” … St. Francis of Assisi wanted to be poor because Christ chose poverty. If he calls poverty a royal virtue, it is because it shone brilliantly in the life of Jesus … and in the life of his mother, Mary of Nazareth. …

Similarly, I often think about the vow of poverty taken by religious … [they] do so in order to be as close as possible to Christ. The Son [of God] wanted us to be poor in order to show us the best path by which we can return to God. …

The Son of God loves the poor; others intend to eradicate them. What a lying, unrealistic, almost tyrannical utopia! I always marvel when Gaudium et Spes declares, “The spirit of poverty and charity is the glory and witness of the Church of Christ” (GS 88).

We must be precise in our choice of words. The language of the UN and its agencies, who want to suppress poverty, which they confuse with destitution, is not that of the Church of Christ. The Son of God did not come to speak to the poor in ideological slogans! The Church must banish these slogans from her language. For they have stupefied and destroyed peoples who were trying to remain free in conscience(Cardinal Sarah, God or Nothing: A Conversation in Faith with Nicholas Diat, pp. 140-142).

Perhaps stunned himself, Mr. Diat follows up with the following question: “Are you not afraid of being misunderstood in employing this sort of distinction?”

The Cardinal replies,

It is a lack of charity to shut one’s eyes. It is a lack of charity to remain silent in the face of confusing words and slogans! … If you read the Latin text of Gaudium et Spes carefully you will immediately notice this distinction (Ibid, p. 143).

This is a powerful insight and it reveals the deep flaw in Western “anti-poverty” programs. Christ asks us to love the poor and imitate the best of what they are, not eliminate them and disregard the simplicity and trust that they can often exemplify. But we in the West, imbued with our materialistic notions and mesmerized by the comfort and control that wealth can temporarily buy, denigrate what the Gospels praises and seek to eradicate it.

So unreflective are we in this matter that some will even justify the most awful things in the name of eradicating poverty. Many programs (U.S.-sponsored and U.N.-sponsored) with this goal advocate for contraception, abortion, and/or euthanasia. Some have even sought to compel these sorts of things as a precondition for receiving aid. Some seek to impose certain aspects of Western thinking, something that has been labeled an attempt at “ideological colonization.” Many of us in the “First World” often speak of the “Third World” in a way that at best is patronizing and at worst exhibits a thinly veiled contempt.

While it is true that certain economic and political systems best support Western lifestyles, there is more to life than material abundance. With our own culture, families, and common sense collapsing around us, it seems odd that we so easily consider our way of life superior; that we see our relationship to the poor and to poorer countries as one in which we have all the answers and they should just listen to us.

The word “arrogance” comes to mind. We too easily assume, without even asking, that we know what is best; we presume that poor people in every part of the world want what we have (materially) and that they don’t perceive the awful price we have paid in order to get it.

We must recover a respect for the world’s poor, who have much to teach us. Even if they are not materially without troubles, they often possess many things we have lost: simplicity, family and tribal (communal) life, reciprocity, proper interdependence (as opposed to radical individualism), trust, a slower life, and a less-stressful life.

Further, we must not forget that the Lord counseled poverty (Lk 18:22), declared the poor blessed (Lk 6:20), lived simply Himself having “nowhere to lay his head” (Mt 8:20), lived among the working poor, and warned of the pernicious quality of wealth (Lk 16:13). God hears the cry of the poor and Mother Mary taught us of a great reversal that is coming, when the mighty and powerful will be cast down and poor and lowly raised up (Lk 1:52). Jesus taught us that many who are now last will be first in the kingdom of Heaven (Mat 19:30). In this life, the poor will sometimes need us. In the next life, on Judgment Day, we are going to need them to welcome us into eternal dwellings (Luke 16:9).

I really cannot say it better than did the good Cardinal, so I will not attempt to do so.We must surely work to alleviate the destitution that often comes in times of famine, war, or natural disaster. But destitution and poverty are not the same thing. Overlooking this distinction can be deadly for the poor we claim to serve and for their cultures, and can result in the worst forms of ideological colonization and secular utopianism.

Church Environmentalism Is Phariseeism

Today is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time and we are in Cycle B for Sunday readings.  Today's first reading is from Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8.  Here it is.

Moses said to the people:
“Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin upon you,
you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?”

Today's Gospel is from Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23.  I repost that.

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. 
—For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace 
they do not eat without purifying themselves. 
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. —
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” 
He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”

He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand. 
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.

“From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.All these evils come from within and they defile.”

I emphasized in bold some points that I'll make in a minute.

More On The Blasphemy From Bolivia

This past Friday I wrote a bit about the blasphemous "crucifix" offered to the Pope by Bolivian president Evo Morales.  In the blogosphere there was doubt as to whether or not the Pope looked favorably upon that monstrosity.  Subsequent events indicate that he did.

The pope also gave an address to a summit of "social justice" activists.  The full text can be found on Whispers In The Loggia.  This blogger points out that this address of the pope was actually written out, complete with footnotes; it's not just some "off-the-cuff" production.  I urge you to read it.  Quite frankly, it resembles something we might have expected at some community-organizing ACORN convention.

In the first section, he asks a series of questions, each starting with the phrase "do we realize that something is wrong" then names some social ills.  None of these questions touches upon the millions of unborn children being slaughtered in the womb.  We see no mention of the ever-increasing usage of contraception and sterilization.  Neither do we see any mention of the homosexual assault upon marriage.  Of all the things that the pope lists as "intolerable" these mortal sins should top the list, for in addition to endangering the souls of all who commit these sins, they also undermine the moral underpinnings of any society, regardless of the economic condition of that society.

What you have here is a thinly-disguised commercial for Laudato Si and for world-wide government - a socialistic one at that.  Time had some commentary on this exchange.  Yes the author is waxing lyrical about the progressive elements in the events of that day.  Sadly I can understand how she would draw such conclusions.

There is a rather distasteful twist to the bauble saga.  Before he left Bolivia, he placed the "hammer/sickle crucifix" and its matching medal at the foot of a statue of Our Lady.  It would have been far more appropriate to lay these abominations in the nearest trash can.  So now not only is Jesus blasphemed but His mother is similarly mocked as well.

It now seems that what we once thought were simply unfortunate gaffes and media spins were in fact representative of what the progressives in the Vatican really want - and that probably includes the pope!  We do have Christ's promise that the pope will never solemnly promulgate error, but that doesn't mean havoc cannot otherwise be wreaked.  Pray, frequent the Sacraments and study the traditions of our faith.

USCCB Social Justice - Poisonous From Its Beginnings

I stumbled upon two videos featuring Michael Voris.  Apparently they're from a conference in Louisiana that he gave within this past year.  They both deal with the origins of current "social teaching" by the USCCB.  When I said yesterday that the USCCB's prattling was both deadly and corrosive, I didn't realize how correct I was, for these talks show the insidious beginnings and the sinister players in the development of what is mistakenly called "Catholic social teaching" in the United States today.  In fact, it bears little resemblance to actual magisterial pronouncements but are merely progressive talking points dressed up with "catholic" vocabulary to impress the unsuspecting Catholic in the pew. I post both videos below.

On Christianity, Socialism and Communism

Father Marcel Guarnizo today released an article entitled "On Christianity, Socialism and Communism",   detailing why socialism is poisonous both spiritually and materially, and why Christians should never allow themselves to be seduced by it.  It's a well-done piece; please read it and pass it along.

What Real Evangelism Looks Like

Pay close attention to the whole thing.

Young People Alienated From Church Because of "Social Justice"

HT - LifeSiteNews

A Christian apologetics organization called Fixed Point Foundation recently polled some students on campus who were raised Christian but now claim to be atheists.  As they were growing up, they heard much of "social justice", "organizing", "doing good", but almost nothing about spiritual realities.  Read the linked article for more comments from these young people.  They want to know the eternal truths of the Faith - and are fed fluffy-puff-stuff instead.  That is what the "social justice" message is - at best, a flimsy shadow of the One True Faith.  At worst (and probably by design), it is a thinly-disguised attempt to lure idealistic youth into socialism and atheism.  In some cases, it is succeeding in their nefarious goals.

That more or less dovetails into today's Vortex, that addresses what sort of vision should be ours.

Change Agents - Part 3

My Catholic Media Coalition colleague Stephanie Block has just released the third installment on Alinskyian organizing efforts.  This one delves into the ideology underlying Alinskyian organization, and by extension, the ideology underlying many (if not most) of the "social justice" arms proceeding from the USCCB and state Catholic conferences.

Please read it and spread word of it.  It can be downloaded.

Holy Father: "Social Justice" Must Shape Up

That is the gist of the Motu Proprio that Pope Benedict XVI recently released.  I link to it now and suggest that all read it carefully.  It's not long, but it is full of sorely-needed directives.  Look at the very first paragraph.  The Holy Father makes clear that charitable works cannot be separated from the proclamation of God's truth) all of God's truth such as salvation versus damnation, the sanctity of life, the proper use of sexuality, etc) and the sacraments.  In other words, you have all three, or you have none.

Here are other salient points:

The Demonic Today

The Venerable Fulton Sheen passed away in the late 1970s.  I believe he gave this talk long before then.  Listen to him here as he described the operation of the devil in the Church and the world.  At around the 20-minute mark, he draws a rather telling analogy to the temptation of Christ with the siren call of "social justice".  Click here if you can't see embedded video.

"Social Justice" Subordinate To Matters Of Eternal Salvation

In this Vortex, Michael Voris comments on some words of Pope Benedict XVI, that can be found here.  Click here if you cannot see embedded video.

Minions Of The Nanny-State! Beware!

To the aforementioned group, I issue this advisory.  The truth about your proclivities WILL be spoken here.  You are being exposed, and the truth will hurt.  So proceed at your own risk!!

Still with us?  Alrighty, then!  You've been duly warned!

Have you ever wondered how it is that the same pro-abortion crowd who loudly proclaim "keep your laws off my body!" as they murder helpless children have absolutely no compunction whatsoever about barging into our kitchens, living rooms and cars to dictate what we'll eat and how we'll drive?  One big answer is relatively simple.  They think by waxing self-righteous on relatively trivial matters, that they can somehow assuage their consciences that have been seared by their sexual immorality and advocacy of legalized murder of helpless children.

Boys and girls, can we all say the word "pharisee"?  Phariseeim is NOT the following of the law to the letter, as so many liberals would have us believe.  It is the attempt to substitute man-made traditions for  God's law.  Want proof?  Read  Mark 7:1-9.

We even see that in many of the Church's "social justice" crusades who both crusade for the poor (a good in and of itself) while at the same time advocating dissent from the Magisterium's key teachings and/or celebrating those who do dissent.  A great "case-in-point" is the Catholic Charities Centenial Celebration that ends tonight; I've posted details in a previous post.  Another dismal sign of that is the so-called Just Faith program that has infested way too many parishes in the Archdiocese of Washington.  Jack Jesreel, its founder, openly brags how his so-called "ministry" has influenced Catholics to "crusade" for women's ordination and gay rights.

Watch Michael Voris' take on this pattern.  (Click here if you can't see embedded video).

British Bishop Waffles On Church Teaching

The smoke has scarcely cleared away from Pope Benedict's departure jet and already the lead British bishop is falling all over himself in downplaying the Magisterium's clear proclamations regarding marriage.

From Lifesite News, we read, and I quote, "Attempting to defend the Catholic hierarchy from accusations of being opposed to the homosexualist political agenda around the world, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster hastened to assure the BBC’s Huw Edwards, 'That’s not true.'”  Right off the bat, we see a problem.  Why did the archbishop see a need to "defend the Catholic hierarchy"?  The fact is that the Church is vehemently opposed to the gay political agenda that seeks to distort marriage to its own perverted ends.  Instead of defense, what would have been appropriate is polite but bold acknowledgment that the Church promotes God's will in all areas of human life, and that it's the gays that must apologize to the world for the harm they are inflicting.  Note I said "apologize" instead of "defend", for in reality, the gay agenda is indefensible.

Archbishop Nichols made his remarks during a panel discussion that included a gay Anglican professor and a "catholyc" professor known for her dissent on abortion and marriage.  Why did not the archbishop stand and act like, well, a bishop and call these two on the carpet for their destructive advocacies?  Now when the dissenter "accused" the Church of interfering in British politics concerning sexual morality, the archbishop gave a response so pathetic that it will be unbelievable unless I again quote verbatum: "“It’s not true. The times we interfere most in British politics are either to do with poverty or to do with education. The media is obsessed with certain questions. But if you want to know what we’re really passionate about, it’s about the fight against poverty and the education of young people.”

If ever you wanted prima facae evidence that the so-called "social gospel" is usurping the proper priority that must be given to moral issues of life and sexuality, and that weak bishops are using such advocacy as a cloak for their vaccilations, well voila!!  The gay Anglican and dissenter then responded to the effect of saying to the archbishop, "that was a nice grovveling job!  We know you don't take that Benedict fellow seriously!  You're okie-dokie!"  John Smeaton of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child rightly deplored the archbishop's remarks as undermining the Pope's call for Christians to defend Christianity in the public square.

So that's in England.  What does that have to do with situations in the US?  Plenty!  How often have you seen on this blog warnings of the damage done by the so-called "social justice" cabal?  Most (not all!) of that bunch are progressives; certainly their leadership is dominated by such. 
 
Two immediate concerns come to mind.

1. The November 2nd elections.  No doubt some of you are receiving "voter guides" from your states' Catholic conferences.  I'd bet that many of them don't differentiate the non-negotiable issues (abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, gay lifestyle) from other issues upon which good people may disagree (death penalty, environmental issues, taxation).  Not all issues are the same.  If a candidate seems right on most of them, but promotes a "pro-choice" platform, he/she is not worthy of a Catholic's vote - even if that candidate dares to call him/herself a Catholic!
2. The in-pew collection for Catholic Campaign for Human Development is almost upon us.  I would urge that you boycott it, as the collection proceeds are usually funnelled to organizations that oppose Church teaching.  Chicago CCHD is exempted from my recommendation here.  As I've explained previously, the Chicago CCHD has taken significant steps to correct its grant-giving process and at this time seem acceptable.

"Just Faith" = Junk Faith

In my post this past Thursday regarding the "environmental events" in the Archdiocese of Washington, you noticed that Just Faith has a hand in all this nonsense.  In conjunction with this post regarding Just Faith, I'd suggest you review the posts about "progressives" - particularly the Real Catholic videos regarding the same.  The characteristics of progressives can all be found in the Just Faith program.  Indeed, the website of Just Faith unabashedly proclaims its progressive proclivities.  I also recommend the reading of an excellent article on the Just Faith debacle entitled "Just Faith Is a Big Part of the Problem", written by my friend and colleague, Stephanie Block, who regularly writes for Spero News.

Two or three years ago, the Just Faith program was introduced into the Archdiocese of Washington; that was before I operated this blog.  However, I was quite aware that a Trojan Horse was being introduced into the archdiocese and tried to sound an alert.  My warnings were rebuffed by people whom I thought would be keen to the dangers.  One told me that her parish implemented Just Faith without the ill effects, and that my warnings were destructive.  While I've no problem believing that her particular parish may have been successful in separating the wheat from the chaff, it is my contention that there is inherently much more chaff than wheat in the Just Faith program.  The writings and afilliations of the founder, Jack Jezreel, corroborate my conclusions.

"Social Justice" - Flimsy Excuse for Deadly Scams of USCCB and CCHD

This blog and those of many other good, faithful and knowlegeable Catholics (some listed to the right) have detailed the plethora of known problems with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and its Catholic Campaign for Human Development.  Unfortunately, it seems that every few days another problem is discovered at the USCCB.  I use the adjective "deadly" because the CCHD, over the years, has funnelled money to organizations that promote abortion.  It isn't that much of a stretch to see that those dollars were most likely key factors in the deaths of those children slaughtered vis-a-vis abortion.

Below we will watch a Real Catholic TV clip to understand a little more the insidious nature of those organizations who chant the mantra of "social justice" but who, in reality, accomplish just the opposite.