Saturday, August 25, 2018

Former Nuncio Blames Pope Francis for McCarrick

As if the recent report in Philadelphia is not enough, now we have a bombshell at the top of the Catholic Church.  Former Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano is making claims in a 11-page written testament that Pope Francis withdrew sanctions against former Cardinal, Archbishop Theodore McCarrick.  McCarrick has been recently exposed as a homosexual predator who prayed on young teens and seminarians during his time in New York, New Jersey and Washington D.C. see: http://www.sacerdotus.com/2018/06/cardinal-mccarrick-accused-of-sexual.html.

Archbishop Vigano says that Pope Benedict XVI had imposed sanctions on then Cardinal McCarrick which were later removed by Pope Francis in 2013 upon taking the see of Peter. Vigano claims that Pope Francis protected and covered for McCarrick and made him his "trusted counselor."  He continues claiming that McCarrick told Pope Francis to appoint several bishops in the United States, particularly Cardinals Blase Cupich and Joseph Tobin.

Vigano says that corruption has reached the top of the heirarchy and urges un the dictates of the conscience for Pope Francis and all those who covered up for McCarrick to immediately resign from office.

This news is troubling to say the least. If true, Pope Francis et al., must indeed, resign now!  However, in the spirit of true journalism, there is always two sides. Let us not forget that Archbishop Vigano was replaced by Pope Francis in 2016 see: http://www.sacerdotus.com/2016/04/apostolic-nuncio-replaced-media-slant.html. The media claimed that he was replaced for inviting Kim Davis to meet the Pope during his 2015 visit to the United States of America. Could Vigano be retaliating against the pope like a disgruntle former employee? Or was Vigano really removed because of Kim Davis who is known for refusing gay couples marriage licenses?  If so, then this would mead that Pope Francis did listen to McCarrick who is an alleged homosexual and is against anyone who speaks out against the LGBTQ agenda.  

You can read the testimony here: https://www.scribd.com/document/387040553/TESTIMONY-of-His-Excellency-Carlo-Maria-Vigano-Titular-Archbishop-of-Ulpiana-Apostolic-Nuncio#from_embed




Source:

https://www.scribd.com/document/387040553/TESTIMONY-of-His-Excellency-Carlo-Maria-Vigano-Titular-Archbishop-of-Ulpiana-Apostolic-Nuncio#from_embed

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/ex-nuncio-accuses-pope-francis-of-failing-to-act-on-mccarricks-abuse

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/former-us-nuncio-pope-francis-knew-of-mccarricks-misdeeds-repealed-sanction

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/ex-nuncio-accuses-pope-francis-of-failing-to-act-on-mccarricks-abuse-reports-81797

Senator John McCain Dead at 81

A day after discontinuing treatment for a brain tumor, Senator John McCain has passed away at the age of 81. Senator McCain was an American hero who was even captured during his service for our nation. He was tortured but survived.

McCain later on became a long-time Republican senator who often took on an independent voice within his party. Twice he attempted a run for the presidency but was defeated by Presidents Bush and Obama in 2000 and 2008. He referred to himself as the "maverick" and had faced skin cancer before and survived plane crashes.

His daughter made the announcement on Twitter:




As with any politician, McCain has had some controversy and has been accused of being a traitor by fellow Republicans for siding with Democrats. Some African American activists have not been fans of McCain either after he voted against the creation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day. Nevertheless, McCain served his nation both in the military and public service. Many have offered kind words, including Presidents Trump and Obama who tweeted:







May John Sidney McCain III rest in peace.  He was a true American hero!



Source:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/25/politics/john-mccain-obituary/index.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/sen-john-mccain-independent-voice-gop-establishment-dies-81-n790971

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/us-senator-john-mccain-dies-brain-tumour-battle-073302052.html



Pope Francis: 'Those who covered-up Sex Abuse are 'Sh*t''

Pope Francis is in Ireland today for the World Meeting of Families. His visit has been clouded by recent revelations of how deep the sex abuse scandal really is in the Catholic Church, especially in the United States of America.  Ireland has had many cases of sex abuse by priests and religious for decades. This has led to a sharp decline in Catholicism on the nation, a once Catholic strong hold. Evidence of this decline is evidence in the nations legalization of so-called same-sex marriage and abortion.

Crowds at the papal events are expected to be smaller than normal compared to Saint Pope John Paul II's visit in the 1970s. Pope Francis spoke out on the sex abuse scandal and vowed to end it. However, he did not give any details as to how he would do this. He used strong rhetoric and even resorted to saying that those who covered up child abuse in the Catholic Church are "caca" or "Sh*t." This word is the Spanish vulgar expression for feces.




Source:

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/pope-francis-tells-survivors-those-who-cover-up-abuse-are-s-t-1.3607936?mode=amp

https://www.newsweek.com/pope-francis-dublin-pope-addresses-abuse-scandals-offers-no-solutions-1090693?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=NewsweekTwitter

Friday, August 24, 2018

NASA: Asteroid 2016 NF23 Potentially Hazardous to the Earth

NASA says a 500-foot wide asteroid is approaching Earth and can be potentially hazardous. The asteroid was given the designation 2016 NF23 and is traveling at about 20,000 miles per hour. This speed is faster than the speed current rockets travel. It is estimated that the asteroid will be closest to the Earth on August 29, 2018.

The asteroid is a bit larger than the Pyramids at Giza, Egypt. Even at this size, the asteroid can pose a great threat to life on Earth. At the speed it is traveling, it can cause a catastrophic collision that can cause atomic-like shock waves that can wipe out cities and cause dust to block the Sun in the atmosphere which will bring plant life to die and those that depend on it.  This will be a chain reaction of death which is believed to what have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

However, there is no need for alarm. Asteroids like this pass by Earth all the time.  Many times, they are not even noticed until they have already passed by!  Earth is protected by the larger planets Jupiter and Saturn. Their large masses allow for a stronger gravitational pull which slings asteroids away from the Earth.





Source:

https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2016%20NF23&orb=1

https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-says-500-foot-wide-asteroid-approaching-earth-potentially-hazardous-1087509?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=NewsweekTwitter

https://metro.co.uk/2018/08/23/nasa-spacecraft-prepares-for-close-encounter-with-huge-asteroid-that-could-hit-earth-next-century-7874962/?ito=article.amp.share.top.twitter

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/725687/nasa-news-asteroid-space-rock-2016-nf23-great-pyramid-of-giza-in-egypt

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/7101910/potentially-hazardous-asteroid-bigger-than-statue-of-liberty-heading-for-earth/

https://www.space.com/41618-asteroid-2016-nf23-no-threat-to-earth.html


Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Nation of Islam Scam Artist 'Brother Khalil Abdul Muhammad' Arrested




















As if losing a son is not enough, Leandra Guzman-Feliz, the mother of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz is facing scam artists. The young fifteen year old boy who was killed over a month ago in the Belmont Section of the Bronx is once again in the spotlight. After his murderers were all caught, the family is facing problems with people trying to scam them. A Nation of Islam member who goes by the name "Brother Brother Khalil Abdul Muhammad" and whose real name is Kenny Young was accused on Monday of starting a fraudulent foundation.  He has been seen next to the family nearly at the onset of the murder.  The foundation is named "Justice for Junior Foundation." It has its own website, Instagram, Facebook, You Tube and Twitter accounts.  The foundation claims to represent the late teen boy and the cause for justice, but it was never authorized by the parents. 

In fact, as the mother of Junior spoke to WPIX reporters, we can see Khalil Abdul Muhammad approach her and interject as she is questioned about fake foundations.  He claims that he would make a statement on the foundation and that the mom supports it.  She interrupts him and says that she never gave permission and would have to review papers with her lawyers. Muhammad looks visibly nervous on the video when questioned by reporters.  The website he started had a donate button which was later removed after WPIX aired the report.  




The family and supporters have been posting on social media that this man is a scam artist. They also posted images of others who have been profiting over the death of Junior.  Just today, Muhammad was spotted near the bodega where Junior was killed as it reopened under new ownership. He is not wearing his suit this time, but instead has on a track suit and baseball cap.  According to Instagram postings, he and Junior supporters got into an argument and he was arrested.  




The news is troubling due to the fact that the family has to be victimized again by opportunists seeking to profit and seek self-promotion at the expense of the pain and suffering of others.  At first, I thought this man was a detective with the NYPD.  However, after I saw him at the funeral home and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, I figured out that he was part of the Nation of Islam cult.  In fact, at the funeral home, he and other black men in suits and bow ties were blocking me and Protestant ministers present from approaching the family and the casket of Junior.  A friend who escorted me in the home took me to them directly bypassing these Nation of Islam soldiers. At the parish during the memorial vigil, Muhammad and another black man sat in front of me and two NY diocesan priests.  Fr. Jonathan Morris, the pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel welcomed them. 

Please do not donate to any foundation or group claiming to represent Junior, his family or the Justice for Junior moment. The family has made it clear that they have not authorized any foundations or groups.  Please report any such foundations or groups to social media, the police and FBI.  

  



 Source:





Thursday, August 2, 2018

Pope Amends Catechism on Death Penalty

The Vatican has announced the Pope Francis amended the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding the death penalty.  The paragraph that will be amended will be paragraph 2267 which reads:

2267 Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.
If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.
Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity "are very rare, if not practically nonexistent."68


- www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a5.htm

The new paragraph will read:

The death penalty
2267. Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.
Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.
Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”,[1] and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.
__________________________
[1] FRANCIS, Address to Participants in the Meeting organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, 11 October 2017: L’Osservatore Romano, 13 October 2017, 5.
- http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2018/08/02/180802a.html

A letter was sent to all bishops regarding this amendment. It reads:

Letter to the Bishops regarding the new revision of number 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the death penalty, from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 02.08.2018
CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Letter to the Bishops
regarding the new revision of number 2267
of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
on the death penalty
1. The Holy Father Pope Francis, in his Discourse on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of the Apostolic Constitution Fidei depositum, by which John Paul II promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church, asked that the teaching on the death penalty be reformulated so as to better reflect the development of the doctrine on this point that has taken place in recent times.[1] This development centers principally on the clearer awareness of the Church for the respect due to every human life. Along this line, John Paul II affirmed: “Not even a murderer loses his personal dignity, and God himself pledges to guarantee this.”[2]
2. It is in the same light that one should understand the attitude towards the death penalty that is expressed ever more widely in the teaching of pastors and in the sensibility of the people of God. If, in fact, the political and social situation of the past made the death penalty an acceptable means for the protection of the common good, today the increasing understanding that the dignity of a person is not lost even after committing the most serious crimes, the deepened understanding of the significance of penal sanctions applied by the State, and the development of more efficacious detention systems that guarantee the due protection of citizens have given rise to a new awareness that recognizes the inadmissibility of the death penalty and, therefore, calling for its abolition.
3. In this development, the teaching of the Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitæ of John Paul II is of great importance. The Holy Father enumerated among the signs of hope for a new culture of life “a growing public opposition to the death penalty, even when such a penalty is seen as a kind of ‘legitimate defense’ on the part of society. Modern society in fact has the means of effectively suppressing crime by rendering criminals harmless without definitively denying them the chance to reform.”[3] The teaching of Evangelium vitæ was then included in the editio typica of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In it, the death penalty is not presented as a proportionate penalty for the gravity of the crime, but it can be justified if it is “the only practicable way to defend the lives of human beings effectively against the aggressor,” even if in reality “cases of absolute necessity for suppression of the offender today are very rare, if not practically non-existent” (n. 2267).
4. John Paul II also intervened on other occasions against the death penalty, appealing both to respect for the dignity of the person as well as to the means that today’s society possesses to defend itself from criminals. Thus, in the Christmas Message of 1998, he wished “the world the consensus concerning the need for urgent and adequate measures … to end the death penalty.”[4] The following month in the United States, he repeated, “A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform. I renew the appeal I made most recently at Christmas for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary.”[5]
5. The motivation to be committed to the abolition of the death penalty was continued with the subsequent Pontiffs. Benedict XVI recalled “the attention of society’s leaders to the need to make every effort to eliminate the death penalty.”[6] He later wished a group of the faithful that “your deliberations will encourage the political and legislative initiatives being promoted in a growing number of countries to eliminate the death penalty and to continue the substantive progress made in conforming penal law both to the human dignity of prisoners and the effective maintenance of public order.”[7]
6. In this same prospective, Pope Francis has reaffirmed that “today capital punishment is unacceptable, however serious the condemned’s crime may have been.”[8] The death penalty, regardless of the means of execution, “entails cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment.”[9] Furthermore, it is to be rejected “due to the defective selectivity of the criminal justice system and in the face of the possibility of judicial error.”[10] It is in this light that Pope Francis has asked for a revision of the formulation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the death penalty in a manner that affirms that “no matter how serious the crime that has been committed, the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and the dignity of the person.”[11]
7. The new revision of number 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, approved by Pope Francis, situates itself in continuity with the preceding Magisterium while bringing forth a coherent development of Catholic doctrine.[12] The new text, following the footsteps of the teaching of John Paul II in Evangelium vitæ, affirms that ending the life of a criminal as punishment for a crime is inadmissible because it attacks the dignity of the person, a dignity that is not lost even after having committed the most serious crimes. This conclusion is reached taking into account the new understanding of penal sanctions applied by the modern State, which should be oriented above all to the rehabilitation and social reintegration of the criminal. Finally, given that modern society possesses more efficient detention systems, the death penalty becomes unnecessary as protection for the life of innocent people. Certainly, it remains the duty of public authorities to defend the life of citizens, as has always been taught by the Magisterium and is confirmed by the Catechism of the Catholic Church in numbers 2265 and 2266.
8. All of this shows that the new formulation of number 2267 of the Catechism expresses an authentic development of doctrine that is not in contradiction with the prior teachings of the Magisterium. These teachings, in fact, can be explained in the light of the primary responsibility of the public authority to protect the common good in a social context in which the penal sanctions were understood differently, and had developed in an environment in which it was more difficult to guarantee that the criminal could not repeat his crime.
9. The new revision affirms that the understanding of the inadmissibility of the death penalty grew “in the light of the Gospel.”[13] The Gospel, in fact, helps to understand better the order of creation that the Son of God assumed, purified, and brought to fulfillment. It also invites us to the mercy and patience of the Lord that gives to each person the time to convert oneself.
10. The new formulation of number 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church desires to give energy to a movement towards a decisive commitment to favor a mentality that recognizes the dignity of every human life and, in respectful dialogue with civil authorities, to encourage the creation of conditions that allow for the elimination of the death penalty where it is still in effect.
The Sovereign Pontiff Francis, in the Audience granted to the undersigned Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 28 June 2018, has approved the present Letter, adopted in the Ordinary Session of this Congregation on 13 June 2018, and ordered its publication.
Rome, from the Office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1 August 2018, Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori.
Luis F. Card. Ladaria, S.I.
Prefect
X Giacomo Morandi
Titular Archbishop of Cerveteri
Secretary
_________________________
[1] Cf. Francis, Address to participants in the meeting promoted by the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization (11 October 2017): L’Osservatore Romano (13 October 2017), 4.
[2] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitæ (25 March 1995), n. 9: AAS 87 (1995), 411.
[3] Ibid., n. 27: AAS 87 (1995), 432.
[4] John Paul II, Urbi et Orbi Message of His Holiness Pope John Paul II: Christmas 1998 (25 December 1998), n. 5: Insegnamenti XXI,2 (1998), 1348.
[5] Id., Homily in the Trans World Dome of St. Louis (27 January 1999): Insegnamenti XXII,1 (1999), 269; cf. Homily for Mass in the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Mexico City (23 January 1999): “There must be an end to the unnecessary recourse to the death penalty”: Insegnamenti XXII,1 (1999), 123.
[6] Benedict XVI, Postsynodal Apostolic Exhortation Africæ munus (19 November 2011), n. 83: AAS 104 (2012), 276.
[7] Id., General Audience (30 November 2011): Insegnamenti VII,2 (2011), 813.
[8] Francis, Letter to the President of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty (20 March 2015): L’Osservatore Romano (20-21 March 2015), 7.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Francis, Address to participants in the meeting promoted by the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization (11 October 2017): L’Osservatore Romano (13 October 2017), 5.
[12] Cf. Vincent of Lérins, Commonitorium, cap. 23: PL 50, 667-669. In reference to the death penalty, treating the stipulations of the precepts of the Decalogue, the Pontifical Biblical Commission spoke of the “refinement” of the moral positions of the Church: “In the course of history and of the development of civilization, the Church too, meditating on the Scriptures, has refined her moral stance on the death penalty and on war, which is now becoming more and more absolute. Underlying this stance, which may seem radical, is the same anthropological basis, the fundamental dignity of the human person, created in the image of God.” (The Bible and Morality: Biblical Roots of Christian Conduct, 2008, n. 98).
[13] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, The Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, n. 4.
-http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2018/08/02/180802b.html

The amendment quotes Pope Francis' words from a speech on October 11, 2017. Pope Francis claims that the effectiveness of detention systems and the unchanging dignity of the person is enough for all to disregard the use of capital punishment.

Many in "conservative" Catholic circles have voiced their disappointment at the amendment and are using this to further their case that Pope Francis is a heretic. Other Catholics praise the changes and say they were needed.

It is important to note that the new text does not completely do away with the death penalty. It just says that it is "inadmissible" or not tolerated. The new text does not say it is an intrinsic evil. In fact, the wording reflects the teachings of Saint Pope John Paul II who stated that the death penalty should not be used. The Catholic Church has always been against the death penalty but acknowledged that legitimate authorities had a right to protect the common good from aggressive persons.




Source:
http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2018/08/02/180802b.html

http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Vatican.php?id=17938

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a5.htm

http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2018/08/02/180802a.html

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pope-shifts-church-death-penalty-now-inadmissible-56983512

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pope-shifts-church-death-penalty-103647335.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45042130

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/08/02/live-sister-helen-prejean-pope-francis-revision-death-penalty-teaching


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