http://www.independent.com.mt/artic...ring-versions-about-pope-pm-talks-1909063680/ - Tuesday, 25 June 2013, 11:57 , by Jacob Borg and newsroom Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday had a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican, followed by talks with Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Foreign Minister George Vella and parliamentary secretary Owen Bonnici were also present at the talks. The accounts provided after the 15-minute talks between Pope and prime minister, differed widely according to whether one examined the Vatican’s Press Office statement or what was said later by Dr Muscat. According to the Vatican Press Office, the apostolic origins of the Maltese church were mentioned in the talks as well as the determining imprint that Christianity has left on the history and culture of the Maltese people. Mention was also made of the pastoral visits to Malta by the Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI which “have left a profound memory in the life of the church and in the population.” During the meeting, according to the Vatican press statement, it was reaffirmed the necessity of maintaining safe the Christian values and emphasis was also made on the important role that the Catholic church exerts in Malta through its educational and assistential institutions. The church’s role has been safeguarded by means of many agreements between the Holy See and Malta including that about the teaching of the Catholic religion in State schools, that on church schools and that on the church’s property. A particular mention, added the Vatican note, was made about the “agreement on the civil effects of religious marriages about which there will be further talks between the two sides.” Mentioning the ‘important challenges and critical situations in the Mediterranean as relating to the role of Malta in the EU, special mention was made as to the phenomenon of migration towards Europe which sees both church and state in Malta strongly impacted. According to the version given by Dr Muscat to the media accompanying the Maltese delegation, the aim of the talks revolved around the revision of the 1992 treaty granting supremacy to the ecclesiastical tribunal on marital matters, leaving the Maltese courts subordinate to its decisions in matters of marriage annulment. Dr Muscat explained that the treaty is being used vindictively in the Maltese courts, with the purpose of delaying marital court proceedings. He said that a prompt revision of the treaty is needed, particularly in light of the introduction of divorce in Malta. “The Vatican is prepared for and willing to change. We asked for a revision of the treaty, and we found an abundance of understanding on their part,” Dr Muscat explained. The Prime Minister explained that a bilateral commission will now be set up, with two representatives from each side in order to discuss the relevant changes to the treaty. Dr Muscat said that all discussions have to take place through the relevant diplomatic channels, ruling out any unilateral action on Malta’s part. He said that in the spirit of openness, he informed the Vatican of the government’s intentions to introduce civil unions in Malta. “It is important to maintain cordial relations with the Vatican. We were honest and open about our intentions, we did not approach the talks with the pretence of a holier than thou attitude.” The Prime Minister placed emphasis on the need for a speedy resolution to the talks, saying that they have to be concluded within “a matter of months, not years.” Dr Muscat hinted that the Vatican’s position is that only the relevant clause of the treaty should be changed, but he said that the government wants a wider revision. On a personal level, the Prime Minister expressed his esteem for the “humble” Pope Francis. Dr Muscat then presented to the Pope his wife and their twin children as well as the rest of the Maltese delegation. He was reported to have told the Pope that, mindful of the Pope’s ‘humility’ he did not bring him gifts of silver but only four ceramics showing the Gospels. He added that the Pope has been invited to visit Malta.
#146 -Pedro Regis Messages FROM PETER B. Thanks, tgo. This is helpful, as the reference to Matthew 24:2 would seem to indicate that the betrayal of 'Peter' (i.e. the Pope) by 'Judas' (a fellow apostle, i.e. a churchman) is a sign of 'the end of the age'... This will probably come as no surprise to regular readers of this forum, but a major theme in the mystical literature over recent decades has been the grave danger posed to the Church by Freemasonry (the 'spirit of the triangle', as one message in the approved apparitions of Our Lady of All Nations in Amsterdam). Various visionaries (Fr Gobbi, Ottavio Michelini, Julia Kim of Naju et al.) as well as St Pio and exorcists such as Gabriel Amorth have all sounded the alarm on this, particularly with respect to the infiltration of the Catholic hierarchy by masonry. We know that the problem of masonic influence within the Vatican was also raised by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano in 2011 when he filed his anti-corruption report on Vatican finances, subsequent to which he was 'promoted' to Apostolic Nuncio to the US (a move which he interpreted as banishment in order to shut down his inquiry). It is almost certainly one of the themes of the 300-page dossier compiled by Cardinals Herranz, Tomko and Di Giorgi in the wake of Vatileaks which only Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis have read.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/mobile/view/20120828/opinion/The-Pope-the-butler-and-the-cardinal.434641 The Pope, the butler and the cardinal For centuries, unimpeachable historical evidence shows that the Vatican has been a hive of intrigue, political jockeying for position and corruption. Murder, cruelty, hypocrisy, dishonesty and sexual depravity among supposedly morally infallible popes have not been unknown. This is, after all, an institution not made in heaven, and it is subject to all the weaknesses and vicissitudes to which man is prey. This is why what is currently happening in the Vatican is of such interest to us as a Catholic country, now at last with a Cardinal of our own. Given that, according to a recently leaked document, the Cardinal Archbishop of Palermo has said that 85-year-old Benedict will be dead by the end of this year, recent events are of ever-growing interest to the faithful in Malta who will in due course pack St Peter’s Square in Rome to await the first puff of white smoke to celebrate the election of a new pope. The current saga started almost farcically with Pope Benedict’s butler (shades of what the butler saw) being placed in a cell, accused of leaking a host of confidential letters to a journalist, who subsequently broke the story of intrigue and skulduggery. The papal butler’s incarceration was followed the next day by the dismissal of the head of the Vatican Bank, Gotti Tedeschi, by the Pope’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Tedeschi’s dismissal was accompanied by a scathing statement accusing him of failing to do his job properly. An Italian police investigation has fanned fears of more scandalous revelations still to come. In the manner of Roberto Calvi, the prominent Italian banker found hanging from Waterloo Bridge in London in mysterious circumstances in the 1980s, Tedeschi has since been quoted as saying that he fears for his life. Behind the row with Tedeschi and the jailing of the Pope’s butler lies an intense, no-holds-barred power struggle to determine the nature of the next papacy. It is a battle being waged in and around the Vatican’s financial institutions, for herein power lies. The Institute for Works of Religion, as the Vatican Bank is quaintly known, is no stranger to controversy as it was accused in the 1980s of involvement in financial chicanery, including the death of Calvi. It appears that Tedeschi had opposed a new law, backed by Cardinal Bertone, that increased the Secretary of State’s powers at the expense of the existing, independent oversight body. The change fitted a wider pattern of the acquisition of ever greater influence by Cardinal Bertone since his return to the Vatican six years ago. The 77-year-old Cardinal was the Pope’s right-hand man when the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger headed the department on the enforcement of doctrinal orthodoxy. He is not a true Vatican insider and his underlings in the Secretary of State’s office resent the punchy, football-loving former archbishop for his lack of diplomatic experience. Intrigue is a staple diet in the Vatican as it is in any other bureaucratic institution where office politics play an inevitable role. What makes this conflict special, however, is Cardinal Bertone’s repeated efforts to wrest the levers of financial control from others. The Cardinal’s enemies say that this is a grab for the patronage that goes with them. Last year he tried to make the Vatican Bank rescue a debt-ridden hospital and Mr Tedeschi’s refusal to do so presaged their latest row. To strengthen his position further, Cardinal Bertone has promoted three close associates and former subordinates from his north-west Italy region to positions in charge of the Vatican’s treasury, the Vatican’s central bank and as governor of the Vatican City State, the Holy See’s temporal power-base which also carries great financial clout. All three men were promoted to Cardinal in February. These promotions have intensified suspicion among Cardinal Bertone’s critics that he is trying to pack the Conclave that will elect the next pope with his own people. However, for a Secretary of State to ascend to the throne of St Peter is rare, the only example in the last 350 years being Pius XII in 1939. Whatever his ambitions, Cardinal Bertone is proving a divisive figure. Many had hoped that as a relative outsider to Vatican politics, he would bring transparency, accountability and innovation to a highly centralised bureaucratic machine which was last reformed 45 years ago. The earlier years of Pope Benedict’s papacy saw a succession of diplomatic gaffes from clerical child sex abuse to the mishandling of contraception, homosexuality and Aids, which many Vatican officials blamed on his inexperience. As long as Cardinal Bertone remains Secretary of State, the infighting in the Vatican seems likely to continue, and the outside world’s concerns about its administration and governance will remain. The papacy is an institution of great antiquity, history, riches and splendour. It commands admiration even when there is no specific allegiance. It is an institution which appeals to the imagination and our collective sense of history. But the papacy also has a need to keep its traditions alive by a judicious openness to change. In this the papacy has a hard task, since it rests ultimately upon theological doctrines that are facing growing challenges. The papacy has yet to adapt to modern mores, and this will undoubtedly have to await the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI’s successor. As this latest saga shows, manoeuvring for that event is well under way.
Brian K: I think the compromise prophesied by Bl. Ann Catherine Emmerick below has to do with the upcoming Synod on the Family: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Yes, recently that "compromise" has had me worried for our priests. And, with the recent news attempting to abuse the sacred trust between confessors and penitents, involving some determined takeover by the state of our religious laws, I'm wondering if that ordered "compromise" is what will be used for the greater persecution of the Church in these times. Such a case is already being considered as perhaps necessary in the long run to go to SCOTUS, and with a "loaded" court of secular thinking there. Louisiana Supreme Court orders priest to testify about confession The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled that a priest must testify in a case about what he heard in a confessional — an order that would result in automatic excommunication and damnation, according to the doctrine and canon law of the Catholic Church: http://hotair.com/archives/2014/07/...rt-orders-priest-to-testify-about-confession/
Re: the Pedro Regis messages....some from around the time of Pope Francis' election and what his role will be within the tribulation....as well as the Benedict prediction of a smaller but faithful Church: From the messages of the Virgin Mary to Pedro Regis message of 3/5/13: The Barque of St. Peter is going to flounder, and there is going to be great confusion. Peter is the secret: there is your answer. interpretation: The Church will have great difficulty during the tribulation, which is about to begin. The great confusion will be caused by the great apostasy, those who depart from the Church will be greatly confused, and they will attempt to set up a competing false church. message of 3/9: You are going toward a future of great spiritual confusion. Trust in Jesus. He is your All and only in Him is your victory. Do not be afraid. Listen to what I say to you. My Jesus is in control of everything. The agreement will cause great confusion. Where there is no fidelity, there is no truth. Do not permit anything to separate you from the truth. Whatever happens remain on the path I have shown you over the years. Courage. I am at your side even though you do not see me. Bend your knees in prayer on behalf of the Church. interpretation: the agreement may refer to some type of unfaithful (no fidelity) agreement between some Church leaders and secular government, or it might refer to the false church set up during the great apostasy. The false church will have more members than the true Church, at a certain point in time. message of 3/16/13: St. Peter will direct his barque amidst great tempests. Pray. The successor of Peter is going to need your prayers. He will experience his Calvary. He will be loved and hated because of his positions. Now is the time of suffering. The poison is in the tree, not in the fruit. The Church of my Jesus is going toward a future of great trials, but as I have already told you, Jesus is in charge of everything. Peter in the land of Peter. What I am telling you, you may not comprehend now, but calm your hearts, for Jesus walks with you. The king will suffer because of his subjects. Do not be afraid. I am your Mother and I will plead with my Jesus for you. The road will be short for the king, similar to the crossing of the famous plaza. interpretation: given the date of this message, the “successor” of Peter is the current Pope (Francis). He will suffer because he will reinforce the true holy teachings of the Catholic faith (using papal infallibility, I think). Does the tribulation begin this year, or in some future year? “Now is the time of suffering.” So, it begins this year, under this Pope. The Pope is the king of the Church, for he is the Vicar of Christ the King. His road is short, meaning his reign is short. The great tempests are due to the rejection of the Church’s teachings by most Catholics and by secular society. message of 3/17: Humanity is moving toward the abyss of destruction which men have prepared with their own hands. Pray. Only through the power of prayer can you withstand the weight of the trials that are on the way. I am your Mother and I am at your side. I ask you to intensify your prayers on behalf of the Church. There will be great confusion, but the victory will belong to Jesus. Do not be afraid. The victory will occur. The barque of St. Peter will be surrounded by enemies and Peter will suffer much. The abyss of destruction refers to nuclear war, caused by weapons which men have prepared with their own hands. The confusion is caused by the great apostasy. The victory is the end of the schism and the false church. The barque of St. Peter is the true Church. A barque is a relatively small ship, meaning that the Church will become much smaller, but also holier. The enemies surrounding the Church are the unfaithful Catholics and secular persons, attacking the Church’s teachings, and the enemies of war surrounding Rome and (later) capturing the Pope. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Anyone know anything much about the alleged messages in Borg in-Nadur, Malta? I know the Church issued a directive that after 2012 they were no longer to be related publicly....guess investigation is still receiving any information/messages, etc. There were some prior to the acceptance of Divorce there in 2011 about praying against such an acceptance in law. Malta votes yes to legalising divorce Largely Catholic nation was last EU member to not allow divorce but country votes for change in law through referendum http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/29/malta-votes-yes-legalising-divorce Alleged phenomena and messages in connection with Borg In-Nadur For a number of years, it has been alleged that certain phenomena and messages have been occurring at Borg in Nadur. In a spirit of discernment and evaluation of these alleged phenomena and messages, the authorities of the Church in Malta feel that the time is ripe to issue this directive, namely that such phenomena and messages are no longer to be announced and interpreted in the public fora. For this reason Mr Angelik Caruana will only attend activities at Borg in Nadur on the 26th of every month. This directive holds until the Church authorities announce otherwise. Meanwhile, the Church authorities will continue to receive and evaluate all the information and scientific research with respect to this case. [ Source: Diocese of Malta ] The crowd is 300-strong but the silence on Borġ in-Nadur hill in Birżebbuġa resonates across the fields. The sun has gone down, the rosary has been recited. The assembly is waiting for Angelik Caruana, 46, to pass on the message of the week, as allegedly dictated to him by the Virgin Mary. Divorce seems to be on the agenda here too. “Malta, your island, will go through difficult circumstances,” the Virgin Mary is quoted by Mr Caruana. “Indeed, I repeat, Malta will go through a difficult situation.” The hush turns into a lament from the congregation: “Divorce, Our Lady is talking about divorce!”, “God help us!”, “Let’s pray for salvation!” they cry. The message goes on: “It will pass, and once this difficult situation is over, God will then reunite you together as one family. And you will give witness to Europe and to the world.” Elation erupts from the assembly: “Our Lady will spare us!”, “Divorce won’t go through”; “We’ll be saved” they exclaim. The rapture is swiftly brought to a halt with the next part of the alleged message: “The time has come… for Malta’s turn to experience the tremors and you shall see buildings shake, especially in that area that your ancestors built for defence: the area around the port.” The crowd is 300-strong but the silence on Borġ in-Nadur hill in Birżebbuġa resonates across the fields. The sun has gone down, the rosary has been recited. The assembly is waiting for Angelik Caruana, 46, to pass on the message of the week, as allegedly dictated to him by the Virgin Mary. Divorce seems to be on the agenda here too. “Malta, your island, will go through difficult circumstances,” the Virgin Mary is quoted by Mr Caruana. “Indeed, I repeat, Malta will go through a difficult situation.” The hush turns into a lament from the congregation: “Divorce, Our Lady is talking about divorce!”, “God help us!”, “Let’s pray for salvation!” they cry. The message goes on: “It will pass, and once this difficult situation is over, God will then reunite you together as one family. And you will give witness to Europe and to the world.” Elation erupts from the assembly: “Our Lady will spare us!”, “Divorce won’t go through”; “We’ll be saved” they exclaim. The rapture is swiftly brought to a halt with the next part of the alleged message: “The time has come… for Malta’s turn to experience the tremors and you shall see buildings shake, especially in that area that your ancestors built for defence: the area around the port.” The crowd is 300-strong but the silence on Borġ in-Nadur hill in Birżebbuġa resonates across the fields. The sun has gone down, the rosary has been recited. The assembly is waiting for Angelik Caruana, 46, to pass on the message of the week, as allegedly dictated to him by the Virgin Mary. Divorce seems to be on the agenda here too. “Malta, your island, will go through difficult circumstances,” the Virgin Mary is quoted by Mr Caruana. “Indeed, I repeat, Malta will go through a difficult situation.” The hush turns into a lament from the congregation: “Divorce, Our Lady is talking about divorce!”, “God help us!”, “Let’s pray for salvation!” they cry. The message goes on: “It will pass, and once this difficult situation is over, God will then reunite you together as one family. And you will give witness to Europe and to the world.” Elation erupts from the assembly: “Our Lady will spare us!”, “Divorce won’t go through”; “We’ll be saved” they exclaim. The rapture is swiftly brought to a halt with the next part of the alleged message: “The time has come… for Malta’s turn to experience the tremors and you shall see buildings shake, especially in that area that your ancestors built for defence: the area around the port.”
This is truly scary stuff. I think it is yet another sign of what is coming our way. This is the same kind of thinking that led the IRS to question the content of prayers said by non-profit applicants. Yet, people are more concerned about the NFL. We live in a twisted culture.
My diocese had Bishop Burke for several years. I had dinner with him and a priest from Poland one night and was VERY impressed with Bishop (now Cardinal) Burke. He is extremely faithful to Jesus and the Gospel, and he boldly speaks out against abortion, adultery, politicians that take communion publicly and support abortion, etc.. He is a very saintly and holy man and I think of all the great saints who boldly proclaimed the gospel and were never frightened by any other man. Cardinal Burke is true to the teachings of the Church that have been passed down for 2000 years. I do not know what the true circumstances are here, and we all may never know, but I do know that I HOPE Cardinal Burke will be at the Synod for the Family coming up. It does no good to any soul to encourage them to sin in any way and I know some there will be doing just that by condoning it. I think we will just have to wait and see what happens here. But as I keep mentioning, here is the advice Jesus gave to me: Watch yourselves! No matter WHAT anyone says is ok, you yourselves never need to sin. It is best and safest to say that if in doubt....DON'T! Eternity is a long time to pay for a sinful relationship with a human on earth.
I was just on the phone with a friend who is a close personal friend of Cardinal Burke. There’s just no way to spin this demotion and personal insult to Cardinal Burke in a positive light. This is a very bad development, and people need to grasp its implications.
Since this is normally a position secondary to a main position held by a prelate perhaps the Cardinal is ill or simply needs a rest.....a time for reflection!
I can assure you neither is the case here. This is simply an attempt at suppression of the orthodox voice in the Church prior to the radical Synod on the Family next month. What is transpiring in the Church right now is all through Catholic prophecy. Why do so many Catholics who follow Catholic prophecy refuse to see that which is blatantly obvious? We are in grave peril and orthodox Churchmen are being purged from the Church in Rome. Its a page right out of prophecy. Open your eyes, folks.
I used to think that any prophesied wholesale apostasy would be due to the known liberals, but I'm beginning to see that the real adamant declarations forming a stronger will to actually make some real move against the ruling Church is coming from a pride of the likes of neoPharisees wishing to do real harm to prove their own self anointed positions, born out of fear and a real lack of humble trust in God's providence for His own.
We are certainly living in an age of diabolical disorientation as foretold at Fatima, that is obvious. "Even the elect would be deceived..."
Cardinal Burke is, simply put, the best Cardinal that the USA has had to offer for some time. Very humble, joyful, and wise, but tough as nails, and will not compromise Christian teaching one iota. If Pope Francis demotes him, he is either off-track, deceived, or has something in mind that we cannot understand. He also has a very profound love for the Blessed Mother. I have a hole in the pit of my stomach after reading this news.
On the other hand... Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Moving Beyond So according to rumours Cardinal Burke is off to become Cardinal-Patron of the Order of Malta. It is hardly surprising considering his opposition to the new orthodoxies. If anyone has presented himself as the 'loyal opposition' it is Burke. Magister points out that he unlike many other Curial Cardinals has maintained his integrity and that is what I have heard from Rome. He is a Nathanael, 'an Israelite without guile'. Others might jockey for position, like renaissance princes, playing the Machiavellian games that are as much part of the Roman scene today as they were five hundred or a thousand years ago. Ratzinger might well have appointed his enemies to key positions, so long as they could hold an intellectual position together but things are different now, broken corpses are now on display in the city squares. It is not necessary for the Prince to say anything, or even to know his policies, it is actions that are important and being part of his party. It is not the law but the style of interpreting it that matters. The signs of the times are more important than spoken words, the nuance than what is actually said. The straight bat of Burke was hardly going to survive for long in that environment. Machiavelli, some clerics bedside reading, calls for examples to made, for occasional acts of cruelty. What seems to be being said is that the age of dogma and doctrine is dead, everything is pastoral, focus groups replace creeds, there is more concern with how we are conceived by public opinion than any teaching. Contemporary theologians, Kung or Martini are obvious examples, have like those American religious 'moved beyond' Jesus, the Church, archaic formulas, archaic documents, statements or examples of dead men. What we are now concerned with is the 'lived experience'. In the New Pentecost, the age of the Spirit, that has superseded the age of the articulated Incarnate Word, it is the experience of women and men. The pneumatic, blow where it will Spirit is all that matters. Traddies might understand the 'Spirit of Vatican II' as wild and irrational, 'do what you like' but it is far from that. In is about synchreticisn, dialogue, moderation, compromise, ambiguity, recognition of ignorance, the preference for the via negativa, the rejection of the via positiva. Christ and the Apostles might be unambiguous about judgement, heaven and hell, about Him being the only Way, Truth and Life, about the necessity of Baptism and the Eucharist, about objective realities but in fact 'we have moved beyond' all of that. That is no longer the default position of the Catholic Church. In that sense Burke and I suppose Ratzinger are the unwelcome voices of the past, increasingly it appears there is no place for them or the followers. Like the old Pope in isolation they await their demise! Posted by Fr Ray Blake
There is no need to apologise ,Brian, I understand. I will be praying for your father's soul tonight and at mass tomorrow. Rest in peace. With my own parents, I have found them closer after their death than they ever were before, the same with my brothers. They are always only a prayer, or even a thought away.
In my opinion, there is nothing to fear regarding the Synod. The laws of the land and the U.N. is what the Church should fear. The passing of the laws of 'hate crimes' is the outstreched arm of big brother into the Church/religion. ALL PRIESTS ARE IN DANGER! To speak the truth-to speak against divorce, homosexuality, and all sin will now put you in prison!! Seriously--the Canadian examples are many and so are the U.S. The crackdown will come unannounced and the indignation and objections will be silenced! The Synod will bring good fruits if not to uphold the dignity and teachings of the Church AND CLARIFY THEM! The 'purging' of good orthodox Churchmen was happening during Hunthausen's reign of terror in Washington State when he praised homosexuality and kicked good orthodox marian priests out of their parishes and made them go to 'diversity training and if they fought it they went to some 'rehab' for drunks' even though they had no problems!! I knew many that were ordered not to contact ANYONE IN ANY PARISH THEY HAD EVER SERVED IN---and they had to go home and live with their elderly parents just to survive. Archbishop Hunthausen coined the phrase, "The American Catholic Church' and when Fr. Gobbi came to town (he slipped in..lol) our lady gave a scathing message about wolves in sheeps clothing and the responsibilities of pastors and the fear of falling into hell! That is the ONLY time in all of the book she said something so direct--so close to home that the Archbishop banned Fr. Gobbi from ever coming to WA again. No big deal. He came to Vancouver BC and to Oregon! The elderly priests are disappearing and the younger more marian priests are coming in and taking over with energy and zeal and commitment.
Brian, I love the comparison that Fr. Blake makes of Cardinal Burke to Nathaniel, as being without guile! That's a great description! I cannot imagine why anyone who knows him would want to demote him. If the Church had 5000 Cardinal Burke's to govern every diocese, the Church would jolt back to life in a jiffy.
