The Scottish Crisis: Centre the attention on the Victims of homosexual abuse and not Fr. Matthew Despard

I am deeply dismayed that Bishop Joseph Toal is making Fr. Matthew Despard the issue, when he is not the issue. Remove Fr. Despard and his book: the crisis will continue unabated. The recent "ad clerum" letter only diverts attention from the on-going decades long tragedy of abuse of young people; mostly homosexual abuse. It further does not address the grave problem of  clergy who are not living celibately, but indulging in homosexual activity. 

Pat McEwan, Paul Smythe... how many more, O Lord, how many more? 

Fr. Despard's book is a result of years of cover-up and lying. Hiding the abuse, the homosexual activity, the lying, the denial... 

Victim Pat McEwan, of whom I wrote months ago,  was dismissed by Bishop emeritus of Motherwell, Joseph Devine as a "fantasist". Victim Paul Smythe was also dismissed. Mr. Pat Draper, an independent investigator was obstructed in his investigations into abuse, and dismissed by - yes, Bishop Devine! In fact, the hierarchy covered-up at least 20 known cases of rape. 

Bishop Toal's letter is also deeply disturbing in that it contains no evidence that the Diocese of Motherwell is going to seek outside independent investigators (including reliable laity) to objectively and transparently investigate each and every allegation in Fr. Despard's book. It also contains no information about the diocese planning an investigation into the Carfin Grotto Rapes. Closure will only come when victims, such as Pat McEwan are heard out. The cover-ups must stop! 

It is not too much to ask those in authority in Motherwell to immediately cease trying to conduct an "insider" inquiry, but to immediately turn over all documentation etc. to outside investigators to get to the bottom of all allegations. Let the chips fall where they may. 

I shall not be silent. Before God, as a Catholic; before my country, as a patriotic Scot: I shall speak out!

St. John Ogilive, pray for Scotland. 

Vladimir Putin: The Olympics of a Tsar

The following video of Vladimir Putin may have its funny moments, but one scene is deeply disturbing and manifests the subservience of the Russian Orothdox Church to the Russian strongman. It is scandalous that a prelate would genuflect and kiss Putin's hand. Please pray that this caesaropapism may become a thing of the past. 

Pope Francis: Those who do not recognize Jesus Christ do not belong to God...they are of the antichrist

Powerful words from our Holy Father this morning: 

Pope Francis took the words “Remain in the Lord,” from the first Reading from the Apostle John, as the starting point for his homily. It is a “counsel for life,” the Pope said, that John repeats “almost obsessively.” The Apostle shows “one of the attitudes of the Christian who wants to remain in the Lord: to understand what’s happening in one’s own heart.” For this reason he warns us, “Do not to trust every spirit, but test the spirits.” It is necessary, the Pope said, to know “the discernment of spirits,” to discern whether something helps us “remain in the Lord or takes us away from Him.” “Our heart,” he added, “always has desires, has cravings, has thoughts.” But “are these from the Lord or do some of these things take us away from the Lord?” That’s why the Apostle John exhorts us to “test” what we think and desire:
“If this goes along the line of the Lord, it will go well, but if not… Test the spirits to see if they really come from God, because many false prophets have come into the world. Prophets or prophecies or suggestions: ‘I want to do this!’ But this does not bring you to the Lord, it leads you away from Him. That’s why vigilance is necessary. The Christian is a man or a woman who knows to keep watch over his or her heart. And many times our heart, and with so many things that come and go, seems a local market: everything, you can find everything there… No! We need to test things - this is from the Lord, and this is not – in order to remain in the Lord.”
What, then, is the criterion to determine if something comes from Christ or from the antichrist? St. John, the Pope said, has a clear “simple” idea: “Every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist.” But what does it mean, “to recognize that the Word is come in the flesh?” It means “recognizing the path of Jesus Christ,” recognising the He, “being God, He emptied Himself, He humbled Himself” even to “death on the Cross”:

Evangelii Gaudium and Islam: Does the Apostolic Exhortation require clarification, asks Fr. Samir Kalil Samir

Sandro Magister carries a report on Islam in the recent Papal Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium by Fr. Samir Khalil Samir, the eminent Islamologist, and previous advisor on Islam to Pope Benedict XVI. Magister writes: 

Fr. Samir teaches in Beirut, Rome, and Paris. He is the author of books and essays on Islam and on its relationship with Christianity and with the West, the latest published this year by EMI with the title: "Those tenacious Arab springs." During the pontificate of Benedict XVI he was one of the experts most closely listened to by the Vatican authorities and by the pope himself. Last December 19, he published on the important agency "Asia News" of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions an extensive commentary on the passages of "Evangelii Gaudium" dedicated to Islam.A commentary with two faces. In the first part, Fr. Samir brings to light the "many positive things" said by the pope on this issue. But in the second part, he surveys their limitations. With rare frankness.

1. Muslims "together with us adore the One, merciful God" (No. 252)

I would advise caution here. It is true Muslims worship one and merciful God. However, this sentence suggests that the two conceptions of God are equal. Yet in Christianity God is the Trinity in its essence, plurality united by love: He is a bit more than just clemency and mercy. We have two quite different conceptions of the Divine One. Muslims characterize God as inaccessible. The Christian vision of the Oneness of the Trinity emphasizes that God is Love which is communicated: Father-Son-Spirit, or Lover-Beloved-Love, as St. Augustine suggested.

Moreover, what does the mercy of the God of Islam mean? He has mercy for whom he wants and not on those whom displease him. "Allah might admit to His mercy whom He willed" (Koran 48:25). These expressions are, almost literally, in the Old Testament (Exodus 33:19). But never arrive at saying that "God is love" (1 John 4:16), like St John.

Mercy in the case of Islam is that of the rich man who stoops over the poor and gives him something. But the Christian God is the one who lowers Himself to the level of the poor man in order to raise him up; He does not show his wealth to be respected (or feared) by the poor: he gives Himself in order the poor should live.


2. "The sacred writings of Islam have retained some Christian teachings" (No. 252)

This is true in a sense, but it is somewhat ambiguous. It is true that Muslims retain words or facts from the canonical gospels, such as the story of the Annunciation which is found almost literally in chapters 3 (The Family of Imr?n) and 19 (Mariam).

But more frequently the Koran is inspired by the pious tales of the apocryphal Gospels, and do not draw from them the theological sense they contain, and do not give these facts or words the meaning that they actually have, not out of malice, but because they do not contain the overall vision of the Christian message.


3. The figure of Christ in the Koran and the Gospel (No. 252)

The Koran refers to "Jesus and Mary [who] are the object of profound veneration". To tell the truth, Jesus is not an object of veneration in the Muslim tradition. Instead, Mary is venerated, especially by Muslim women, who willingly go to the places of pilgrimage.

The lack of veneration for Jesus Christ is probably explained by the fact that, in the Koran, Jesus is a great prophet, famous for his miracles on behalf of a poor and sick humanity, but he is not the equal of Muhammad. Only mystics have a certain devotion to him, as the sol-called "Spirit of God".

In fact, all that is said of Jesus in the Koran is the exact opposite of Christian teachings. He is not the Son of God, but a prophet and that's it. He is not even the last of the prophets, because instead the "seal of the prophets" is Muhammad (Koran 33:40). Christian revelation is only seen as a step towards the ultimate revelation brought by Muhammad, i.e. Islam

Scottish Crisis: Fr. Matthew Despard and the Bishop Toal Letter - a reflection

Following the release of Bishop Joseph Toal's letter to the clergy regarding Fr. Matthew Despard, in which, amongst other things, the bishop claims that Fr. Despard is not accepting the situation of his suspension etc., I can confirm that the reality is that Fr. Matthew has and is not seeking any publicity, is not saying public Mass, is not - in any way - involving himself in the public life of the Church in Motherwell, or anywhere. 

In fact, he is keeping an ultra-low profile, completely away from any activity; in no way obstructing the bishop. It may well be that Fr. Despard feels grieved by the actions, perhaps he feels they are unjust - but such sentiments do not in any way constitute an active, open and public rebellion - as suggested by the letter. 

Bishop Toal also speaks about Bishop Joseph Devine and his investigations into Fr. Despard. May I remind  Bishop Toal that Bishop Devine is part of the problem. Let us not forget that it was Bishop Devine who called Pat McEwan a "fantasist" when Mr. McEwan stated that he suffered homosexual abuse at the Carfin Grotto, sacred to Scottish Catholics. The "problem" of Fr. Despard is really a diversionary tactic; to throw people off the real issue. And it is not the allegations of choir directors and others who take umbrage to what may or may not be true, or what is in Fr. Despard's book. The issue is NOT Fr. Despard's book! The issue is: and I will restate it again for those who  seem to have difficulty in understanding: it is the sexual abuse of young people, and active homosexual activity by priests. That is the issue. Fr. Despard's book just helped blow the lid off the boil! The evil that is in the Church in Scotland is exemplified by the lying and covering up of horrible sexual crimes and behaviours. It is exemplified in the continued pastoral activity and even promotion of Fr. Paul Milarvie, who was caught out in a drunken homosexual incident. 

All of this deeply grieves me. I remember the local Church of Canon Taylor; even being blessed to serve him at Mass - to even see him levitate! May the Church in Scotland return to the days of the holy Canon. Others may be silent, I will not be silent!

Fr. Matthew Despard: Bishop Toal's Letter to the clergy regarding Fr. Despard (FULL TEXT)

Dear friends and readers, I am publishing the entire letter of Bishop Joseph Toal, as sent to me by my contacts in Motherwell regarding the situation of Fr. Matthew Desaprd. I can inform you that Fr. Despard is in no way opposing or taking any public position against the decisions of the bishop. More to follow....

The bitter and evil fruit of the Legion of Christ....Williams to "marry" daughter of Legion apologist, Glendon

We all are becoming aware of the "progressivist Inquisition" against truly orthodox and faithful priests and religious orders.... the evil of the corrupt and diabolical "Legion of Christ" continues to vomit forth its poison: 

From La Stampa: 

Thomas Williams, the most publicly prominent member of the disgraced Legion of Christ religious order who left the priesthood after admitting he fathered a child, is getting married the child's mother. The bride is none other than the daughter of former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon, one of Pope Francis' top advisers, The Associated Press reports.

“Glendon, a Harvard University law professor, is one of the highest-ranking women at the Vatican as president of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences. She is also one of five people on Francis' commission to reform the scandal-marred Vatican bank. Her daughter, Elizabeth Lev, is a Rome-based art historian and columnist for the Legion-run Zenit news agency, which Williams published for over a decade while he was in the order.”

“Williams, a moral theologian, author, lecturer and U.S. television personality, admitted last year that he had fathered a child several years earlier. At the time, Williams apologized for "this grave transgression" against his vows of celibacy and said he had stayed on as a priest because he hoped to move beyond "this sin in my past" to do good work for the church. The Legion's retired superior later admitted he had learned about the child in 2005 but allowed Williams to keep teaching and preaching about morality. After taking a year off for reflection, Williams left the priesthood in May to care for his son. According to their wedding registry, he and Lev are due to marry on Saturday in the United States,” The Associated Pressinforms.

After initially denying she had an intimate relationship with Williams, Lev confirmed by email on Thursday that the two planned to marry, saying: "We have no intention of ever discussing our personal life in this forum."

The Associated Press points out that the wedding raises some awkward questions: “Who beyond Williams' superior in the church knew about the child while the couple tried to cover it up? Was Williams already in a relationship with Lev when she was hired at the magazine he published? And did the family ties to Williams influence Glendon in her defence of the Legion and its disgraced founder despite credible reports that the founder was a paedophile?”

After the death of its founder Rev. Marciel Maciel, in 2008, the Legion admitted that he fathered three children and sexually abused his seminarians. The news of the wedding is all the more shocking given that Williams had been a staunch defender of Maciel.

Update: Zenit is owned by Innovative Media Inc. This holding company for the "Legion of Christ"  has had its status revoked by the IRS. 

Obama versus the Little Sisters of the Poor

I have commented on the insidious rise of fascism a number of times. The NY Post carries a frightening article outlining the totalitarian behaviour of the Obama Regime. Don't forget that fascists claims that the State animates not only the political and social life of the nation, but also the moral and spiritual. 

Though he’s had plenty of opportunities to compromise on his overreaching contraceptive mandate, President Obama has defiantly refused them all. Now he’s fighting a group of nuns in US Supreme Court.

The nuns are the Little Sisters of the Poor, and they run nursing homes for the elderly. The Little Sisters argue they should not be forced to offer coverage that violates their religious convictions.

To read more....