Bento XVI Escreve Carta para 100 anos de Nascimento de João Paulo II

Bento XVI resolveu escrever carta aos bispos poloneses para a celebração de 100 anos de nascimento de São João Paulo II, que se completam no próximo dia 18 de maio.

Claro que São João Paulo II merece todas as celebrações.  No século XX, entre os papas, quem foi maior do que ele? Talvez Pio X e Pio XII. Mas ele está entre os três.

Eu gostei da carta de Bento XVI?

Bom, na minha humilíssima opinião, é uma boa carta.. Eu teria apenas três sugestões, se me permitem:

1) Correção de um ero histórico: Bento XVI disse que os sociólogos viam Paulo XVI, na época de seu pontificado, como o Gorbachev da Igreja. Mas acontece que Gorbachev só começou a governar em 1985, já era pontificado de João Paulo II. Acho que tirando a expressão "At that time" pode resolver, caso os sociólogos realmente pensassem assim;

2) Ele iguala a misericórdia de João Paulo II com aquela de Francisco. Não acho que faz jus a João Paulo II;

3) Acho que ele poderia ter exaltado mais o Papa Gregório Magno. 

Mas é uma boa carta. Aqui vai a carta de Bento XVI disponibilizada no site National Catholic Register. Eu marco os deslizes que identifiquei em negrito, para vocês tirarem suas dúvidas por vocês mesmos. 

Mas Viva São João Paulo II!

Full Text: Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter Marking St. John Paul II’s Birth Centenary

100 years ago, on May 18th, Pope John Paul II was born in the small Polish town of Wadowice.

After having been divided for over 100 years by three neighboring major powers of Prussia, Russia, and Austria, Poland regained Her independence at the end of the First World War. It was a historic event that gave birth to great hope; but it also demanded much hardship as the new State, in the process of Her reorganization, continued to feel the pressure of the two Powers of Germany and Russia. In this situation of oppression, but above all in this situation marked by hope, young Karol Wojtyła grew up. He lost his mother and his brother quite early and, in the end, his father as well, from whom he gained deep and warm piety. The young Karol was particularly drawn by literature and theater. After passing his final secondary school exam, he chose to study these subjects.

“In order to avoid the deportation, in the fall of 1940 he went to work in a quarry of the Solvay chemical plant.” (cf. Gift and Mystery). “In the fall of 1942, he made the final decision to enter the Seminary of Kraków, which Kraków’s Archbishop Sapieha had secretly established in his residence. As a factory worker, Karol already started studying theology in old textbooks; and so, on 1 November 1946, he could be ordained a priest.” (cf. Ibid.) Of course, Karol not only studied theology in books but also through his experience of the difficult situation that he and his Country found itself in. This is somewhat a characteristic of his whole life and work. He studied books but the questions that they posed became the reality that he profoundly experienced and lived. As a young Bishop — as an Auxiliary Bishop since 1958 and then Archbishop of Kraków from 1964 — the Second Vatican Council became the school of his entire life and work. The important questions that appeared, especially in connection with the so-called Schema 13 which would subsequently become the Constitution Gaudium et Spes, were questions that were also his own. The answers developed by the Council would pave the way for his mission  as Bishop and, later, as Pope.

When Cardinal Wojtyła was elected Successor of St. Peter on 16 October 1978, the Church was in a dramatic situation. The deliberations of the Council had been presented to the public as a dispute over the Faith itself, which seemed to deprive the Council of its infallible and unwavering sureness. A Bavarian parish priest, for example, commented on the situation by saying, “In the end, we fell into the wrong faith.” This feeling that nothing was no longer certain, that everything was questioned, was kindled even more by the method of implementation of liturgical reform. In the end, it almost seemed that the liturgy could be created of itself. Paul VI brought the Council to an end with energy and determination, but after its conclusion, he faced ever more pressing problems that ultimately questioned the existence of the Church Herself. At that time, sociologists compared the Church’s situation to the situation of the Soviet Union under the rule of Gorbachev, during which the powerful structure of the Soviet State collapsed under the process of its reform.

Therefore, in essence, an almost impossible task was awaiting the new Pope. Yet, from the first moment on, John Paul II aroused new enthusiasm for Christ and his Church. His words from the sermon at the inauguration of his pontificate: “Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors for Christ!” This call and tone would characterize his entire pontificate and made him a liberating restorer of the Church. This was conditioned by the fact that the new Pope came from a country where the Council’s reception had been positive: one of a joyful renewal of everything rather than an attitude of doubt and uncertainty in all.

The Pope traveled the world, having made 104 pastoral voyages, proclaiming the Gospel wherever he went as a message of joy, explaining in this way the obligation to defend what is Good and to be for Christ.

In his 14 Encyclicals, he comprehensively presented the faith of the Church and its teaching in a human way. By doing this, he inevitably sparked contradiction in Church of the West, clouded by doubt and uncertainty.

It seems important today to define the true centre, from the perspective of which we can read the message contained in the various texts. We could have noticed it at the hour of his death. Pope John Paul II died in the first moments of the newly established Feast of Divine Mercy. Let me first add a brief personal remark that seems an important aspect of the Pope’s nature and work. From the very beginning, John Paul II was deeply touched by the message of Faustina Kowalska, a nun from Kraków, who emphasized Divine Mercy as an essential center of the Christian faith. She had hoped for the establishment of such a feast day. After consultation, the Pope chose the Second Sunday of Easter. However, before the final decision was made, he asked the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to express its view on the appropriateness of this date. We responded negatively because such an ancient, traditional and meaningful date like the Sunday “in Albis” concluding the Octave of Easter should not be burdened with modern ideas. It was certainly not easy for the Holy Father to accept our reply. Yet, he did so with great humility and accepted our negative response a second time. Finally, he formulated a proposal that left the Second Sunday of Easter in its historical form but included Divine Mercy in its original message. There have often been similar cases in which I was impressed by the humility of this great Pope, who abandoned ideas he cherished because he could not find the approval of the official organs that must be asked according established norms.

When John Paul II took his last breaths on this world, the prayer of the First Vespers of the Feast of Divine Mercy had just ended. This illuminated the hour of his death: the light of God’s mercy stands as a comforting message over his death. In his last book Memory and Identity, which was published on the eve of his death, the Pope once again summarized the message of Divine Mercy. He pointed out that Sister Faustina died before the horrors of the Second World War but already gave the Lord’s answer to all this unbearable strife. It was as if Christ wanted to say through Faustina: “Evil will not get the final victory. The mystery of Easter affirms that good will ultimately be victorious, that life will triumph over death, and that love will overcome hatred”.

Throughout his life, the Pope sought to subjectively appropriate the objective center of Christian faith, the doctrine of salvation, and to help others to make it theirs. Through the resurrected Christ, God’s mercy is intended for every individual. Although this center of Christian existence is given to us only in faith, it is also philosophically significant, because if God’s mercy were not a fact, then we would have to find our way in a world where the ultimate power of good against evil is not recognizable. It is finally, beyond this objective historical significance, indispensable for everyone to know that in the end God’s mercy is stronger than our weakness. Moreover, at this point, the inner unity of the message of John Paul II and the basic intentions of Pope Francis can also be found: John Paul II is not the moral rigorist as some have partially portrayed him. With the centrality of divine mercy, he gives us the opportunity to accept moral requirement for man, even if we can never fully meet it. Besides, our moral endeavors are made in the light of divine mercy, which proves to be a force that heals for our weakness.

While Pope John Paul II was dying, St. Peter’s Square was filled with people, especially many young people, who wanted to meet their Pope one last time. I cannot forget the moment when Archbishop Sandri announced the message of the Pope’s departure. Above all, the moment when the great bell of St. Peter’s took up this message remains unforgettable. On the day of his funeral, there were many posters with the words “Santo subito!” It was a cry that rose from the encounter with John Paul II from all sides. Not from the square but also in different intellectual circles the idea of giving John Paul II the title “the Great” was discussed.

The word “saint” indicates God’s sphere and the word “great” the human dimension. According to the Church’s standards, sanctity can be recognized by two criteria: heroic virtues and a miracle. These two standards are closely related. Since the word “heroic virtue” does not mean a kind of Olympic achievement but rather that something becomes visible in and through a person that is not his own but God’s work which becomes recognizable in and through him. This is not a kind of moral competition, but the result of renouncing one’s own greatness. The point is that a person lets God work on him, and so God’s work and power become visible through him.

The same applies to the criterion of the miracle: here too, what counts is not that something sensational happening but the visible revelation of God’s healing goodness, which transcends all merely human possibilities. A saint is the man who is open to God and permeated by God. A holy man is the one who leads away from himself and lets us see and recognize God. Checking this juridically, as far as possible, is the purpose of the two processes for beatification and canonization. In the case of John Paul II, both were carried out strictly according to the applicable rules. So, now he stands before us as the Father, who makes God’s mercy and kindness visible to us.

It is more difficult to correctly define the term “great.” In the course of the almost 2,000-year long history of the papacy, the title “the Great” has been maintained only for two popes: Leo I (440 - 461) and Gregory I (590 - 604). In the case of both, the word “great” has a political connotation, but precisely because something of the mystery of God himself becomes visible through their political success. Through dialog, Leo the Great was able to convince Attila, the Prince of Huns, to spare Rome – the city of the Apostolic Princes Peter and Paul. Without weapons, without military or political power, through the power of his conviction for his faith, he was able to convince the feared tyrant to spare Rome. In the struggle between the spirit and power, the spirit proved stronger.

Gregory I’s success was not as spectacular, but he was repeatedly able to protect Rome against the Lombard — here too, by opposing the spirit against power and winning the victory of the spirit.

If we compare both stories with that of John Paul II, the similarity is unmistakable. John Paul II also had no military or political power. During the discussion about the future shape of Europe and Germany in February 1945, it was said that the Pope’s reaction should also be taken into account. Stalin then asked: “How many divisions does the Pope have?” Well, he had no available division. However, the power of faith turned out to be a force that finally unhinged the Soviet power system in 1989 and made a new beginning possible. Undisputedly, the Pope’s faith was an essential element in the collapse of the powers. And so, the greatness that appeared in Leo I and Gregory I is certainly also visible here.

Let us leave open the question of whether the epithet “the great” will prevail or not. It is true that God’s power and goodness have become visible to all of us in John Paul II. In a time when the Church is again suffering from the oppression of evil, he is for us a sign of hope and confidence.

Obamagate_"O Jogo Sujo de Obama" - New York Post

O jornal New York Post fez um editorial que mostra com clareza o Obamagate em poucas palavras: Obama comandando agentes de segurança, mesmo sem provas, para prejudicar Trump. O editorial detonou Obama, sua administração e a própria mídia, por criarem uma ficção chamada "Russiangate", que deu até prêmio Pulitzer de jornalismo, mostrando a total deterioração gigantesca do jornalismo moderno.

Vejam abaixo o editorial do jornal.

It looks like President Obama ordered up phony RussiaGate scandal

editorial board

RussiaGate is now a complete dead letter — but ObamaGate is taking its place. Just how far did the then-president go to cripple his successor?

It’s now clear the Obama-Comey FBI and Justice Department never had anything more substantial than the laughable fiction of the Steele dossier to justify the “counterintelligence” investigation of the Trump campaign. Yet incessant leaks from that supposedly confidential probe wound up consuming the Trump administration’s first months in office — followed by the Bob Mueller-led special counsel investigation that proved nearly the “total witch hunt” that President Trump dubbed it.

Information released as the Justice Department dropped its charges against Gen. Mike Flynn shows that President Barack Obama, in his final days in office, played a key role in fanning the flames of phony scandal. Fully briefed on the “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation, he knew the FBI had come up with nothing despite months of work starting in July 2016.

Yet on Jan. 5, 2017, Obama told top officials who’d be staying on in the new administration to keep the crucial facts from Team Trump.

It happened at an Oval Office meeting with Vice President Joe Biden, intel chiefs John Brennan and Jim Clapper and national security adviser Susan Rice, as well as FBI Director Jim Comey and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.

“From a national-security perspective,” Rice’s memo afterward put it, “President Obama said he wants to be sure that, as we engage with the incoming team, we are mindful to ascertain if there is any reason that we cannot share information fully as it relates to Russia.”

This even as then-President Obama also directed that as many people as possible across his administration be briefed on the (utterly unsubstantiated) allegations against Team Trump — and as Rice and others took unprecedented steps to “unmask” US citizens like Flynn whose conversations had been caught on federal wiretaps of foreigners.

Indeed, the Obama administration went on a full-scale leak offensive — handing the Washington Post, New York Times and others a nonstop torrent of “anonymous” allegations of Trumpite ties to Moscow. It suggested that the investigations were finding a ton of treasonous dirt on Team Trump — when in fact the investigators had come up dry.

Sadly, Comey’s FBI played along — sandbagging Flynn with the “friendly” interview that later became the pretext for the bogus charges dropped last week, as well as triggering the White House chaos that led to his ouster. This when the FBI had already gone over the general with a fine-tooth comb, and concluded that, no, he’d done nothing like collude with the Russians.

Meanwhile, Comey himself gave Trump an intentionally misleading briefing on the Steele dossier. That was followed by leaks that suggested the dossier was the tip of an iceberg, rather than a pack of innuendo that hadn’t at all checked out under FBI scrutiny.

Pulitzer Prizes were won for blaring utter fiction; the Trump administration was kneecapped out of the gate. Innocents like Flynn were bankrupted along the way.

Say this about Obama: He knows how to play dirty.

Chocante! A Profecia de Pio XII sobre a Igreja Católica de Francisco

O site de Marco Tossatti relata uma profecia chocante de Pio XII de 1933, olhando para o que disse Nossa Senhora de Fátima. Deve ser lembrado que a irmã Lúcia só contou o que disse Nossa Senhora  a partir de 1941. Então, Pio XII estava se baseando em informações secretas que chegaram a ele.

O vídeo acima relata em italiano a profecia de Pio XII, descrita em um livro escrito em francês, chamado Pie XII: Devant l'Histoire (de Georges Roche e Philippe Saint Germain). Este livro é de 1972, mas diz que Pio XII fez essa previsão em 1933 a dois amigos (conde Enrico Pietro Galeazzi e monsenhor Slozkaz).

Aqui vai a tradução da profecia de Pio XII:

"Suponha que o comunismo seja um dos instrumentos de subversão mais evidentes usados ​​contra a Igreja e as Tradições da Revelação Divina. Então testemunharemos a contaminação de tudo o que é espiritual: filosofia, ciência, direito, ensino, artes, mídia, literatura, teatro e religião.

Estou preocupado com as confidências da Virgem à pequena Lúcia de Fátima. Essa insistência da Boa Senhora sobre os perigos que ameaçam a Igreja é um aviso divino contra o suicídio, que representa a alteração da fé em sua liturgia, em sua teologia e em sua alma.

Sinto ao meu redor que os inovadores desejam desmontar a Capela Sagrada, destruir a chama universal da Igreja, rejeitar seus ornamentos e torná-la cheia de culpa por seu passado histórico. Aqui, estou convencido de que a Igreja de Pedro terá que reivindicar seu passado, caso contrário ele cavará sua própria cova.

Lutarei esta batalha com toda a minha força dentro da Igreja, como fora dela, mesmo que talvez as forças do mal possam um dia tirar proveito de minha pessoa, minhas ações ou escritos, como tentamos hoje, para deformar a história da Igreja. Todas as heresias humanas que alteram a Palavra de Deus são feitas para parecer melhores que Ela.

Chegará o dia em que o mundo civilizado negará seu Deus, quando a Igreja duvidará como Pedro duvidou. Ela então será tentada a acreditar que o homem inventou Deus, que seu Filho é apenas um símbolo, uma filosofia como muitas outras. Nas igrejas, os cristãos procurarão em vão a lâmpada vermelha onde Jesus os espera; como o pecador em lágrimas diante do túmulo vazio, eles clamam: "Para onde o levaram?".

Ocorrerá então que os sacerdotes da África, Ásia e Américas - aqueles treinados nos seminários missionários - se levantarão e dirão que o "pão da vida" não é um pão comum, que a Mãe de Deus-homem não é uma mãe como muitas outras. E eles serão despedaçados por terem testemunhado que o cristianismo não é uma religião como outra qualquer, já que sua cabeça é o Filho de Deus e a Igreja Católica é sua Igreja ".

Obamagate_ "O Pior Escândalo da História dos EUA"

Isso realmente tem a cara de ser o pior escândalo político da história dos Estados Unidos, porque envolveu o presidente, o vice-presidente, o FBI (polícia federal dos Estados Unidos), a NSA (National Security Agency), abuso da lei de inteligência de espionagem de estrangeiros (FISA), dossiê forjado com apoio de entidades públicas, além de agências de espionagem privadas. Tudo isso para espionar o candidato a presidência, Donald Trump.

É uma história complexa e envolve o entendimento de como funciona os organismos de segurança dos Estados Unidos.

Hoje, eu encontrei um site que detalha os fatos. Também encontrei um artigo do National Review explicando por que o Obamagate não é teoria da conspiração.  Além disso, tem uma explicação da Fox News sobre o que é o unmask (desmascarar), ato que praticaram os comparsas de Obama.

Quando uma agência de inteligência dos EUA, como a NSA, realiza a vigilância de um estrangeiro dentro dos EUA, às vezes essa vigilância pega o nome de um americano com quem o estrangeiro está falando. Quando isso acontece, os analistas de inteligência são obrigados a ocultar ou "mascarar" o nome do americano se sua participação for incidental e se não houver suspeita de irregularidades.

Não é ilegal desmascarar a identidade de um americano incidentalmente envolvido em vigilância estrangeira, mas o desmascaramento deve ter uma lógica de segurança nacional.

Desmascarar o nome ou nomes dos americanos para fins políticos seria altamente impróprio. O vazamento desses nomes para a mídia seria um crime. A renúncia do general Flynn em meio a relatos de que ele foi pego discutindo sanções com um estrangeiro sob vigilância indica que alguém o fez.

Para se entender o Obamagate, algo que os americanos ainda não conseguiram, é difícil, exige especial atenção e pesquisas, mas estes três links ajudam bastante. O primeiro texto traz os fatos cronologicamente, o segundo faz um resumo mais superficial, o terceiro mostra o grau de importância dos envolvidos (Obama e os seus)

O terceiro link está com problemas, procurem por https://www.foxnews.com/politics/what-is-unmasking-flynn-disclosures-put-spotlight-on-practice, ou pesquisem no Google: what is unmasking Fox News.

Homen Católico: Terror dos Demônios

Atualmente,  no Brasil,  fica muito difícil acreditar que o homem católico é o terror dos demônios,  quando se vê homens católicos cultos, conhecedores da doutrina da Igreja e da  filosofia,  com até livros publicados,  se perdendo na idolatria política, usando palavras chulas, e imaginando teorias de conspiração. 

Católicos que idolatravam Lula eram e é comum, no Brasil,  agora temos católicos que idolatram Bolsonaro. 

Eu sei que a definição  de homem católico é difícil,  e possivelmente cada um tem a sua. Mas a idolatria a governantes não faz parte da definição de católico. 

Homem católico sabe que a ética da vida humana vem de Deus, está acima de qualquer humano,  mesmo que este seja um santo. 

O livro acima foi recomendado pelo meu professor  de teologia, Dr Taylor Marshall,  é  do autor Kennedy Hall. Seguramente o livro deve nos ajudar a entender como se pode identificar um homem católico.

Os verdadeiros católicos, por vezes, me lembram a Polônia, de 1939 a 1941, atacada por nazistas e comunistas, totalitários muito semelhantes que dividiam a Polônia e matavam seus líderes e seus padres. Estas ideologias detestam a Verdade de Cristo. 

Obamagate_A Perseguição de Obama ao Candidato Trump com uso do Deep State

Ao que parece todo aquele "nothing burger" (sanduíche de nada), como foi admitido por um funcionário da administração de Obama sobre aquela história de que a Rússia tinha entrado em conluio para que Trump vencesse eleições, na verdade era um sanduíche de verdade, só que contra Obama e não contra Trump.

A administração de Obama ao que parece comandou tudo isso e até espionou o candidato Donald Trump.

Já pensou um presidente alimentando a mídia, colocando seu aparato de segurança contra um candidato a presidente e até negando informações de segurança nacional contra o candidato vencedor.

Parece que pegaram Obama e os seus fazendo tudo isso.

Todas essas acusações surgiram contra Obama depois que ficou provado que o FBI em coluio com o governo Obama prejudicou propositalmente fazendo o general Michael Flynn confessar algo negado depois. Flynn foi consultor do presidente Trump. Flynn perdeu sua carreira e até sua casa por conta disso.

É o Obamagate.

Esse é um assunto complexo de pouco interesse no Brasil, o país já está metido em gigantesco lamaçal, não tem tempo para a lama de outros. Mas gostaria de registrar aqui no blog, pois o blog seguiu de perto a péssima gestão de Obama.

Cardeal Sarah Retira seu Nome do Apelo contra Globalismo e Controle das Liberdades

Foi lançado um Apelo para a Igreja e o Mundo, no dia 7 de maio, comandado pelo arcebispo Viganó, que condenava o uso da pandemia do Covid-19 para controlar de forma tirânica as liberdades civis da população .

O que eu achei do Apelo? Em geral, eu gostei, mas acho que eles deveriam ter lembrado dos milhares de mortes da doença, isso escapou ao texto.

Em todo caso, o Apelo ressalta corretamente que a pandemia pode elevar o controle das liberdades individuais de forma totalmente inadequada pelos governos e também facilita a formação de governos globais que certamente procuraria a destruição da Igreja.

Apesar de eu achar que a pandemia também tem um lado que é contra o globalismo. Afinal, foi o globalismo que facilitou a pandemia.

Eu sei que o atual pontificado está do lado de visões globalistas, pelas próprias palavras de Francisco. E talvez este seja o motivo de fundo do Apelo.




Mas, para a tristeza de todos nós que entendemos que a Igreja deve se proteger daqueles que procuram sua destruição, o cardeal Sarah que acertou sua assinatura no Apelo, retirou hoje sua assinatura.

Arcebispo Vigano disse que tem o contato com Sarah gravado quando conversou com ele sobre o Apelo e que Sarah desejava assinar o quanto antes.

Cardeal Sarah alegou agora que "um amigo" o alertou que não seria bom que ele assinasse, porque o Apelo tem um viés político.

Oh, Deus, quanta confusão!!!

Cristo está realmente fora do debate. Rezemos pela Igreja.

Vejam o Apelo abaixo:

APPEAL FOR THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD

To Catholics and all people of good will

Veritas liberabit vos. Jn 8:32

In this time of great crisis, we Pastors of the Catholic Church, by virtue of our mandate, consider it our sacred duty to make an Appeal to our Brothers in the Episcopate, to the Clergy, to Religious, to the holy People of God and to all men and women of good will. This Appeal has also been undersigned by intellectuals, doctors, lawyers, journalists and professionals who agree with its content, and may be undersigned by those who wish to make it their own.

The facts have shown that, under the pretext of the Covid-19 epidemic, the inalienable rights of citizens have in many cases been violated and their fundamental freedoms, including the exercise of freedom of worship, expression and movement, have been disproportionately and unjustifiably restricted. Public health must not, and cannot, become an alibi for infringing on the rights of millions of people around the world, let alone for depriving the civil authority of its duty to act wisely for the common good. This is particularly true as growing doubts emerge from several quarters about the actual contagiousness, danger and resistance of the virus. Many authoritative voices in the world of science and medicine confirm that the media’s alarmism about Covid-19 appears to be absolutely unjustified.

We have reason to believe, on the basis of official data on the incidence of the epidemic as related to the number of deaths, that there are powers interested in creating panic among the world’s population with the sole aim of permanently imposing unacceptable forms of restriction on freedoms, of controlling people and of tracking their movements. The imposition of these illiberal measures is a disturbing prelude to the realization of a world government beyond all control.

We also believe that in some situations the containment measures that were adopted, including the closure of shops and businesses, have precipitated a crisis that has brought down entire sectors of the economy. This encourages interference by foreign powers and has serious social and political repercussions. Those with governmental responsibility must stop these forms of social engineering, by taking measures to protect their citizens whom they represent, and in whose interests they have a serious obligation to act. Likewise, let them help the family, the cell of society, by not unreasonably penalizing the weak and elderly, forcing them into a painful separation from their loved ones. The criminalization of personal and social relationships must likewise be judged as an unacceptable part of the plan of those who advocate isolating individuals in order to better manipulate and control them.

We ask the scientific community to be vigilant, so that cures for Covid-19 are offered in honesty for the common good. Every effort must be made to ensure that shady business interests do not influence the choices made by government leaders and international bodies. It is unreasonable to penalize those remedies that have proved to be effective, and are often inexpensive, just because one wishes to give priority to treatments or vaccines that are not as good, but which guarantee pharmaceutical companies far greater profits, and exacerbate public health expenditures. Let us also remember, as Pastors, that for Catholics it is morally unacceptable to develop or use vaccines derived from material from aborted fetuses.

We also ask government leaders to ensure that forms of control over people, whether through tracking systems or any other form of location-finding, are rigorously avoided. The fight against Covid-19, however serious, must not be the pretext for supporting the hidden intentions of supranational bodies that have very strong commercial and political interests in this plan. In particular, citizens must be given the opportunity to refuse these restrictions on personal freedom, without any penalty whatsoever being imposed on those who do not wish to use vaccines, contact tracking or any other similar tool. Let us also consider the blatant contradiction of those who pursue policies of drastic population control and at the same time present themselves as the savior of humanity, without any political or social legitimacy. Finally, the political responsibility of those who represent the people can in no way be left to “experts” who can indeed claim a kind of immunity from prosecution, which is disturbing to say the least.

We strongly urge those in the media to commit themselves to providing accurate information and not penalizing dissent by resorting to forms of censorship, as is happening widely on social media, in the press and on television. Providing accurate information requires that room be given to voices that are not aligned with a single way of thinking. This allows citizens to consciously assess the facts, without being heavily influenced by partisan interventions. A democratic and honest debate is the best antidote to the risk of imposing subtle forms of dictatorship, presumably worse than those our society has seen rise and fall in the recent past.

Finally, as Pastors responsible for the flock of Christ, let us remember that the Church firmly asserts her autonomy to govern, worship, and teach. This autonomy and freedom are an innate right that Our Lord Jesus Christ has given her for the pursuit of her proper ends. For this reason, as Pastors we firmly assert the right to decide autonomously on the celebration of Mass and the Sacraments, just as we claim absolute autonomy in matters falling within our immediate jurisdiction, such as liturgical norms and ways of administering Communion and the Sacraments. The State has no right to interfere, for any reason whatsoever, in the sovereignty of the Church. Ecclesiastical authorities have never refused to collaborate with the State, but such collaboration does not authorize civil authorities to impose any sort of ban or restriction on public worship or the exercise of priestly ministry. The rights of God and of the faithful are the supreme law of the Church, which she neither intends to, nor can, abdicate. We ask that restrictions on the celebration of public ceremonies be removed.

We should like to invite all people of good will not to shirk their duty to cooperate for the common good, each according to his or her own state and possibilities and in a spirit of fraternal charity. The Church desires such cooperation, but this cannot disregard either a respect for natural law or a guarantee of individual freedoms. The civil duties to which citizens are bound imply the State’s recognition of their rights.

We are all called to assess the current situation in a way consistent with the teaching of the Gospel. This means taking a stand: either with Christ or against Christ. Let us not be intimidated or frightened by those who would have us believe that we are a minority: Good is much more widespread and powerful than the world would have us believe. We are fighting against an invisible enemy that seeks to divide citizens, to separate children from their parents, grandchildren from their grandparents, the faithful from their pastors, students from teachers, and customers from vendors. Let us not allow centuries of Christian civilization to be erased under the pretext of a virus, and an odious technological tyranny to be established, in which nameless and faceless people can decide the fate of the world by confining us to a virtual reality. If this is the plan to which the powers of this earth intend to make us yield, know that Jesus Christ, King and Lord of History, has promised that “the gates of Hell shall not prevail” (Mt 16:18).

Let us entrust government leaders and all those who rule over the fate of nations to Almighty God, that He may enlighten and guide them in this time of great crisis. May they remember that, just as the Lord will judge us Pastors for the flock which he has entrusted to us, so will He also judge government leaders for the peoples whom they have the duty to defend and govern.

With faith, let us beseech the Lord to protect the Church and the world. May the Blessed Virgin, Help of Christians, crush the head of the ancient Serpent and defeat the plans of the children of darkness.

8 May 2020

Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii

Esquerdistas Católicos: Bento XVI deve Calar a Boca. Está Sabotando Francisco

Saiu no jornal Express, que esquerdistas católicos que defendem mudanças radicais na Igreja Católica, em favor de mulheres, gays e divorciados estão furiosos com o novo livro de Seewald em que novamente Bento XVI deu entrevista.

Eles acham que Bento XVI se intromete demais, fala demais, ainda mora no Vaticano e não abandonou realmente o pontificado. Para eles, Bento XVI está sabotando o pontificado de Francisco. Eles dizem que têm pena de Francisco por causa disso.

Hummm...Bem, em um aspecto eles têm razão: em pedir que Bento XVI se retire realmente depois da renúncia. Bento XVI insiste em falar sobre as questões mais nevrálgicas da Igreja, escrevendo textos, dando entrevistas, etc., como sobre casamento gay, ordenação de mulheres, eucaristia para adúlteros. Realmente, é difícil negar que Bento XVI não esteja interferindo (quase mesmo sabotando o pontificado de Francisco). O último papa que renunciou e foi execrado por Dante Alighieri por isso (Celestino V), tirou a indumentária de papa e voltou ao monastério. Mas Bento XVI não seguiu Celestino V, que ele já declarou admirar.

Com relação aos dogmas católicos, Bento XVI tem razão? Sim, claro que sim. Francisco, muitas vezes, está do lado daqueles que detestam a fé católica, sejam em relação aos dogmas ou à doutrina social da Igreja. Mas Bento XVI abandonou a liderança da Igreja, e entregou para aqueles que disputavam a posição de papa desde, pelo menos, a eleição dele em 2005 (assim, ele devia saber que ala católica teria muitas chances de o suceder).

É bom termos Bento XVI defendendo a fé católica? Sim, claro, qualquer um com importância frente aos católicos é relevante na defesa da fé, e um ex-papa vivo (coisa que é muito estranha, apesar de não ser inédita) é muito importante. Mas era melhor com ele no poder. Não estaríamos tão ameaçados. Por causa disso, não sei se ele é o mais indicado para enfrentar o atual pontificado. Pois ele abandonou o cargo. Ideal seria que defesa da fé fosse feita pela maioria do cardeais, mas se isso fosse caso provavelmente Francisco não teria sido eleito. Sobrou para nós leigos, nos levantarmos.

Defendamos nossa fé!