Root Causes of Terrorism

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God    Rom 3:23

Yep... there you have it. Not poverty, not demographics, not colonialism, not even ideology... sinners. We have been murderers from the beginning when Cain slew Abel. There is some foolish notion abroad that mankind is basically good and if only we gave people a chance, or the right environment, or the right upbringing then everything would be just fine. Some have even gone to the extent of trying to improve the human species by selective breeding or selective genocide all in the name of allowing mankind's innate goodness to shine forth. Well, take a look around you folks... mankind is seriously flawed. Not just those people over there... all of us... you and me included.

Terrorists are nothing more than a fairly extreme sort of sinner. If you can't hold people in thrall to greed or gluttony because because wealth and food are in short supply then wrath will do very nicely. Hatred is never in short supply. Just give people a glimpse of things they can't have, let them taste their own powerlessness and envy will eat away at their souls. Soon enough the corruption will spread and eventually you will have people ready to commit murder for you. Just point them in the right direction and turn them loose.

Of course the presence of wealth, food in abundance and a media full of temptations makes your job much easier. A fat, lazy, lustful sinner is not likely to commit murder for you but what does it matter? Not only is he in thrall to his own lusts and appetites, he provides an excellent object for envy and hatred. It really doesn't matter whether the hatred is motivated by one ideology or another...communist revolutionary groups, Islamic extremists, nationalist liberation movements,  or whatever the ideology du jour... it's all the same.  The hatred is the thing and the fear it inspires.

Sin is all pervasive, part of the world we live in and the air we breathe. It is an all consuming morass from which there is no escape without help. It does you no good to somehow convince yourself that your sins are somehow better than their sins. Besides, most of us have very little notion of the real damage the sin in our lives has caused anyway. This is one of those things I have never gotten. If you are sitting in a foetid swamp, what possible comfort is it to see folks sinking deeper in it than you?  Would it not be better to seek a way out of the mess? Fortunately we are offered a way out if we can stoop low enough to accept it. It isn't easy and there are even those in the church who cannot stoop low enough... but there is hope.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.    1John 1:5-10

Keith O'Brien: Scottish Catholic Media Office and bishops still do not get it

Photo that is downloadable from the
Scottish Catholic Media Office

I apologize for this rather "in your face" photo of the now disgraced Keith Cardinal O'Brien. It is not everyday that readers of a Catholic blog will be welcomed by a photo of a Cardinal Archbishop who has admitted grave moral indiscretions. But it came from the Scottish Catholic Media Office! 

My story begins in trying to find some official information either confirming or denying media reports that O'Brien has been ordered by Rome to leave Scotland. I found nothing on this news report, but found a link to a "Cardinal O'Brien Lapel Pin Cross". 

The Scottish hierarchy just does not get it. There seems to be no understanding that committing perverted sexual acts is gravely sinful. There seems to be no understanding that the committal of such acts by priests is even more grotesque. How can the SCMO maintain this Lapel Pin Cross after O'Brien's own admission of guilt? And this even after the Pope ordered further investigations into O'Brien. Now, this may well be a sickening example of bureaucratic ineptitude (as we had to endure here in Canada with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the CCCB keeping on their website photos and even speeches of the convicted homosexual pedophile-porn bishop, Raymond Lahey). 

Cardinal O'Brien Lapel Pin Cross

And this is reflected in Motherwell as well. The ongoing maintenance of O'Brien on their website, the arrogant and monstrous dismissal of Mr. Pat McEwan by Bishop Joseph Devine. The diabolical plan to get rid of Fr. Matthew Despard through canonical means... all of this shows that the Scottish Hierarchy does not get it at all. They are, so it would strongly seem, in a state of denial, mental and moral paralysis, and perhaps terror (due to an ongoing web of deception and probable blackmail). Thank God, Pope Francis is moving strongly with his recent and ongoing interventions against the local hierarchy. 

St. John Houghton - Protomartyr of the English Reformation

On this date, May 4th at Tyburn, in 1535, John Houghton, a Carmelite was hung, drawn and quartered. He is regarded as the protomartyr of the British saints who would suffer for the Faith. The last of the 40 English and Welsh Martyrs would die in 1679 - showing the length of the persecution. St. John Houghton, pray for us. 

Pope Francis to canonize over 800 Italians who refused to "convert" to Islam

"They were martyred five centuries ago in the easternmost region of Italy, the spot most exposed to attack from the Muslims. The objective of the caliph Mohammed II was to conquer Rome, after having already taken Constantinople. But he was stopped by Christians who were ready to defend the faith with their blood" 

Sandro Magister, Chiesa

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, will be canonizing 813 martyrs for the Faith, slain by Ottomans in the 15th century. The Italian martyrs were offered freedom and life if they apostatized and embraced Islam. As a prelude to the massacre, the Ottomans burst into the Cathedral "where they found the archbishop, Stefano, who was there in his pontifical vestments and with the crucifix in his hand. To the order that he no longer speak the name of Christ, because from that moment Mohammed was in command, the archbishop responded by exhorting the assailants to conversion, and at this his head was cut off with a scimitar". (Chiesa, see link below)

Ottoman power was such that until the defeat at Vienna under John III Sobieski, on September 12th, 1683, this Islamic Empire was a constant threat to the peace and security of Europe. Ottomans were not thrust out of Europe until much later. The closing chapter of this evil empire was crowned with the infamy of the Armenian Genocide. 

Pope Francis is preparing to canonise an estimated 800 Italian laymen killed by Ottoman soldiers in the 15th century. The canonisation service will be on May 12 in St Peter’s Square and it will be the first carried out by the Pontiff since he was elected in early March.

The killing of the martyrs by Ottoman troops, who launched a weeks-long siege of Otranto, a small port town at the most eastern tip of southern Italy, took place in 1480.

When Otranto residents refused to surrender to the Ottoman army, the soldiers were ordered to massacre all males over the age of 15. Many were ordered to convert to Islam or die, but Blessed Antonio Primaldo, a tailor, spoke on the prisoners’ behalf. “We believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God, and for Jesus Christ we are ready to die,” he said, according to Blessed John Paul II, who visited Otranto in 1980 for the 500th anniversary of the martyrs’ deaths.

Primaldo inspired all the other townspeople to take courage, the late Pope said, and to say: “We will all die for Jesus Christ; we willingly die so as to not renounce his holy faith.” There were not “deluded” or “outdated,” Blessed John Paul continued, but “authentic, strong, decisive, consistent men” who loved their city, their families and their faith.


Recommended reading: Chiesa: How the 800 men of Otranto saved Rome
                                      Catholic Encyclopedia, Archdiocese of Otranto

Book Review: The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye

It's a little unusual to be doing a book review here, much less one involving a work of fiction. However, this particular book touched two subjects near and dear to my heart, New York City and the Catholic faith. It is a detective yarn set in 1845 New York City involving the genesis of the NYPD. At that time law enforcement was carried out by a patchwork quilt of rival agencies. Criminals would be arrested by one only to be rescued by another. In 1845 this was all swept away and replaced by a new metropolitan force which incorporated elements of the earlier forces. They were known by their badge of office, a copper star... hence the slang "coppers" or "cops". Timothy Wilde, his job, dwelling, and the $400 in his mattress lost in the 1845 fire, obtains a position in the new force thanks to his brother's connections to the Democratic Party.

The story is set against the backdrop of Irish immigration and the Catholic / Protestant conflict that ensued. While the book may be a little off putting because of the period anti-Catholic quotes that head each chapter, its portrayal of Catholics, and the rector of the cathedral in particular, is sympathetic and quite touching. In fact this priest, out of all the characters, comes off completely blameless and even a bit heroic in the mayhem that ensues. I found the chapter headers would pique my anger, as though the author wanted to set me on edge and leave me open to her very sympathetic character portrayals.

The plot involves a series of murders which could potentially set the nativists and the new Irish immigrants at each others throats. The murders appear to be religiously motivated and directed at the Irish but things get complicated very quickly when a letter is leaked to the newspapers in which the culprit claims to be Irish himself. Newly minted policeman Timothy Wilde must get to the bottom of the situation without unleashing a riot.

Any who have seen the movie Gangs of New York will know what a gritty and violent period this was in the history of the city. You should be warned that some of the subject matter is quite sensitive. It could hardly be more so since the main hero spends a good chunk of his time rescuing Irish kinchin mabs or child prostitutes from various brothels in the city. Sex is sometimes alluded to or spoken of in the course of the investigation but never portrayed. Our hero is virtually celibate, spending much of his energy on a romantic obsession with a childhood friend, the daughter of a minister who befriended him. He does not even dare to call her by her first name. Unfortunately the author's reticence about portraying sex does not carry over to intoxication. Timothy's elder brother is portrayed frequently intoxicated by more means than I thought possible.

The City of New York itself is painted in such realistic tones that it is virtually a character all its own. Moreover, this snapshot of the city in the throes of a Catholic / Protestant conflict most of us would think restricted to Northern Ireland is particularly compelling. This portrait of the city in August of 1845 gave me a real feel for life there in a way that a history text cannot. If you would understand the persecution of Irish Catholics, this book is an excellent place to start. It is not, however, for the faint of heart.

BREAKING NEWS: Bishop of Motherwell dismisses Carfin Grotto rape allegations as fantasy

Bishop Joseph Devine, Bishop of Motherwell has branded Mr. Pat McEwan an "alcoholic" and a fantasist with regards to the serious rape allegations currently being investigated by the police (though McEwan's version of a meeting with Devine is backed by former child protection advisor, Alan Drape).

As we have revealed here at Witness, the reopening of this case of homosexual sex abuse of a young boy, is consonant with decades long homosexual activity amongst some priests in the diocese. It is also consonant with the very serious allegations of gay cliques, bullying etc., as exposed in Fr. Matthew Despard's book, Priesthood in Crisis. 

Devine's credibility on these issues is simply naught, given the continued presence on the Motherwell website of a photo of the admitted sexual pervert and moral criminal, Keith Cardinal O' Brien - a man who violated his sacred oath of celibacy, lied, cover-up and disgraced the Sacred Priesthood. 

I ask: what moral crime must a man commit for his photo to no longer be considered worthy to be displayed on the diocesan website? I find Devine's lack of empathy for Mr. Ewan is disgusting, his name-calling of the man shameful, his denial of homosexual activity by priests verging on the delusional. His actions (and not only his) are to continue the same policy of decades: coverup and denial. 

One only needs to consider Archbishop Tartaglia's March 4th statement. The crisis is, contrary to what the Archbishop may claim, a far bigger problem then O'Brien's sad case. The problem is the continuation of homosexual activity amongst the clergy - all covered over with decades of lying, and obfuscation. Just consider the promotion of Fr Paul Milarvie in Glasgow after his admission of homosexual acts. Pope Francis has decided to take action: no new bishops in Scotland, and a full investigation into the grave allegations contained in Fr. Despard's book.

Witness, will not be silent. We will continue to speak loudly, clearly on this issue. Please pray for Scotland and the suffering, holy priests in my Mother country.

From the Daily Record: 

A SENIOR churchman yesterday said an alleged sex abuse victim who claims he was raped at Carfin Grotto is “living in a fantasy world”.

Bishop Joseph Devine of Motherwell branded Pat McEwan an “alcoholic” and said he doesn’t believe claims he was abused by priests when he was a boy.

In Monday’s Daily Record, Pat, now 63, revealed his harrowing account of sexual abuse when he was just eight.

He claimed two local priests and a senior member of the Catholic Church preyed on him between 1958 and 1961 at addresses in the west of Scotland.

One of the allegations was a brutal rape at a church home while his mother visited the Carfin Grotto shrine across the road.

Police Scotland confirmed they are probing allegations made against two retired priests in their 80s.

BENEDICT XVI RETURNS TO TODAY TO THE VATICAN

The former Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI Emeritus is returning today, May 2nd, to live out the remaining days of his earthly sojourn within the walls of Vatican City. Benedict is to arrive via helicopter 14:30, local time. 

Further information may be read at Vatican News. 

Pope Francis in prayer with Benedict XVI

Pope Francis: His homilies are taking on a pattern that should awaken us

Do you see a pattern here from our Holy Father in his homilies from his daily Masses?


"Entrust the Church to the Lord is a prayer that makes the Church grow. It is also an act of faith. We can do nothing, we are poor servants - all of us - of the Church: it is He who keeps her going and holds her and makes her grow , makes her holy, defends and protects her from the prince of this world and what he wants the Church to become, in short more and more worldly. This is the greatest danger! When the Church becomes worldly, when she has the spirit of the world within herself, when that peace which is not that of the Lord - that peace when Jesus says, 'I leave you peace, my peace I give you', not as the world gives it - when she has that worldly peace, the Church is a weak Church, a defeated Church, unable to transmit the Gospel, the message of the Cross, the scandal of the Cross ... She cannot transmit this if she is worldly”. 

“You are pastors, not functionaries,” he told them. “Be mediators, not intermediaries.” (Addressing priests)

All of the baptised must “announce Jesus with our life, with our witness and with our words,” the Pope said.

“When we do this, the church becomes a mother church that bears children, but when we don’t do it, the church becomes not a mother but a babysitter church, which takes care of the child to put him to sleep.”

Pope Francis explained that there is a constant temptation to “find other gates or windows for entering into the kingdom of God, but one can enter only through that gate called Jesus.”

Even within the Christian community, he said, there are “climbers,” who want to give themselves glory or choose a path to happiness that isn’t Christ.

“Some of you may say: ‘Father, you’re a fundamentalist.’ No, simply put, this is what Jesus said,” the Pope told the congregation. 

“We believe in God who is Father, who is Son, who is Holy Spirit,” Pope Francis said.

“We believe in persons and when we talk to God we speak with persons” who are concrete and tangible, not some misty, diffused god-like “‘god spray” that’s a little bit everywhere but who knows what it is.”