St. Vincent de Paul ~ let everything be done in charity

A most blessed Feast of St. Vincent de Paul to all readers

"We shall continue our work and exclude there from everything which savours of politics. For we are joined together to do good to the poor and to ourselves by improving our heart and spirit. 

Now politics, which can make many tears flow, but cannot dry one up. 

Let politics, then, be ever banished from our meetings. 

As long as God will in his mercy keep that incessant cause of discord from our midst, so long will the Society of St. Vincent de Paul prosper and the poor and unhappy bless us. 

On the other hand, on that day on which one word of politics will be heard amongst us, on that day will the morsel of bread which we give to the poor be turned into stone and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul destroyed". 

(Circular Letter of M. Gossin, President-General, 15 August, 1844)

The Manual of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. 21st Edition, 1964. 
Cahill & Co., Ltd

REVEALED: secret footage of Canada's Parliament

Pius IX: what a Pope who combated the "deadly scourge" of masonic liberalism!

The holy Pope, Blessed Pius IX exposed and denounced the scourge of liberalism in his Syllabus of Errors. This compendium is the litumus test of of a Catholic. Since the time that the great Pope exposed these evils, the errors have only increased. Let us serenely hold to these truths, and not be swayed by any deception placed before us. 

Notice how Blessed Pius established his position from a doctrinal position? Doctrine! Doctrine! 

Modern man (and woman, for that matter) hates doctrine! Notice too, how the wise Pope exposed that Satan is behind this false liberalism, this false freedom, this "deadly scourge"? It is only a truly paganized society that can reject the Syllabus. 

Pope Pius wrote: 

The faith teaches us and human reason demonstrates that a double order of things exists, and that we must therefore distinguish between the two earthly powers, the one of natural origin which provides for secular affairs and the tranquillity of human society, the other of supernatural origin, which presides over the City of God, that is to say the Church of Christ, which has been divinely instituted for the sake of souls and of eternal salvation…. The duties of this twofold power are most wisely ordered in such a way that to God is given what is God’s (Matt. 22:21), and because of God to Caesar what is Caesar’s, who is great because he is smaller than heaven. Certainly the Church has never disobeyed this divine command, the Church which always and everywhere instructs the faithful to show the respect which they should inviolably have for the supreme authority and its secular rights….

. . . Venerable Brethren, you see clearly enough how sad and full of perils is the condition of Catholics in the regions of Europe which We have mentioned. Nor are things any better or circumstances calmer in America, where some regions are so hostile to Catholics that their governments seem to deny by their actions the Catholic faith they claim to profess. In fact, there, for the last few years, a ferocious war on the Church, its institutions and the rights of the Apostolic See has been raging…. Venerable Brothers, it is surprising that in our time such a great war is being waged against the Catholic Church. But anyone who knows the nature, desires and intentions of the sects, whether they be called masonic or bear another name, and compares them with the nature the systems and the vastness of the obstacles by which the Church has been assailed almost everywhere, cannot doubt that the present misfortune must mainly be imputed to the frauds and machinations of these sects. It is from them that the synagogue of Satan, which gathers its troops against the Church of Christ, takes its strength. In the past Our predecessors, vigilant even from the beginning in Israel, had already denounced them to the kings and the nations, and had condemned them time and time again, and even We have not failed in this duty. If those who would have been able to avert such a deadly scourge had only had more faith in the supreme Pastors of the Church! But this scourge, winding through sinuous caverns, 

. . . deceiving many with astute frauds, finally has arrived at the point where it comes forth impetuously from its hiding places and triumphs as a powerful master. Since the throng of its propagandists has grown enormously, these wicked groups think that they have already become masters of the world and that they have almost reached their pre-established goal. Having sometimes obtained what they desired, and that is power, in several countries, they boldly turn the help of powers and authorities which they have secured to trying to submit the Church of God to the most cruel servitude, to undermine the foundations on which it rests, to contaminate its splendid qualities; and, moreover, to strike it with frequent blows, to shake it, to overthrow it, and, if possible, to make it disappear completely from the earth. Things being thus, Venerable Brothers, make every effort to defend the faithful which are entrusted to you against the insidious contagion of these sects and to save from perdition those who unfortunately have inscribed themselves in such sects. Make known and attack those who, whether suffering from, or planning, deception, are not afraid to affirm that these shady congregations aim only at the profit of society, at progress and mutual benefit. Explain to them often and impress deeply on their souls the Papal constitutions on this subject and teach, them that the masonic associations are anathematized by them not only in Europe but also in America and wherever they may be in the whole world.

Mr. Spock give us a lesson in theology (...are we within sensor range of Rome?)

Captain's Log: 8: 25: 2018 

"With the guards of Magog swarming around, 
The Cardinal Archbishop takes his nephews underground
Dragons, coming out of the sea, 
A shimmering glimpse of horror for me..."

Once again, it is time for Mr. Spock to impart to us a lesson in theology. 

Cardinal Zen calls on Vatican Secretary of State to resign for "an incredible betrayal"

This morning, September 22, 2018, Reuters is reporting that the Vatican City State has indeed signed a secret Accord with the People's Republic of China. 

H. E. Joseph Cardinal Zen, in an interview last week with Reuters, called for the resignation of the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin, who had been the lead negotiator for the Holy See.

Cardinal Zen stopped short, according to Reuters, for calling for the resignation of the Pope. 

From Reuters:  

“They’re giving the flock into the mouths of the wolves. It’s an incredible betrayal,” he said.

He described Parolin, the highest ranking diplomat in the Vatican, as someone who despised heroes of faith.

“He should resign,” Zen told Reuters at his home on a wooded hillside on Hong Kong island.

“I don’t think he has faith. He is just a good diplomat in a very secular, mundane meaning.” 

“It’s a complete surrender. It’s a betrayal (of our faith). I have no other words, said Zen.  

Who ever said a German couldn't boogie woogie?! ~ A musical interlude to calm Catholics!

How Catholics need to enjoy Beauty: does your mother know you like music?

Dear friends, in this time of madness, it is once again an opportune moment for a musical interlude. Let us listen to some British Hall Music, presented to us by The Beatles, from their film, "Magical Mystery Tour", released in late 1967. 

The video you see is delightfully British. Little did The Beatles realize, that this little film beautifully encapsulates Great Britain in all her lovely, delightful, eccentric glory. 

No one, but a Briton could have written this song, conceived this film, choreographed the sentimental, sweet, dance. 

British viewers will immediately perceive the absolute Britishness of this song and film. 

Enjoy!!! But do not forget, pray for the Pope. Poor Pope Francis who needs prayer more than any other living person.... Pray for the Church. 

Homosexuality is due to the rejection of the First Commandment

Archbishop Vigano calls upon us to pray for the Church 

"And now the Pharisees, hearing how he had put the Sadducees to silence, met together; and one of them, a lawyer, put a question to try him: Master, which commandment in the law is the greatest? Jesus said to him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and thy whole soul and thy whole mind. This is the greatest of the commandments, and the first. And the second, its like, is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments, all the law and the prophets depend." (Matthew 22: 34-40)

Bishop Morlino says it is an act of charity
to teach chastity to homosexuals 

We must ask ourselves: from where did the explosion of homosexuality come from? Now the "LGBT" so-called "gay liberation" movement, claim it is an objective fact. They claim, that God made them that way. Let us place to one side the self-contradiction of such a claim coming from people who adhere to ontological and epistemological subjectivism and relativism of "gender ideology". Nonetheless, let us, for arguments sake, take a realist stance regarding the ontic world: is there a "gay" gene, or genes? Are in fact homosexuals "created" that way? The science says "no", as does the biological reality of male and female.

Homosexuality is a mental construct. In theological terms, it is a temptation to sin. It is a disorder, as it is against the order of Nature and reality. When this disorder is acted upon, it is a grave mortal sin. 

Let us re-ask our original question:  from where did the explosion of homosexuality come from? I would suggest, that it - in its modern manifestation - rode in on decades of sexual promiscuity, divorce, the separation of unity from life, the introduction of contraception and abortion, the glorification of pleasure as an end in itself, unnatural sexual acts performed between men and women that separated the unitive, the replacement of the Marital Act with "sex". Once men and women began to lead perverted sexual lives, placing pleasure, including illicit acts in the pleasure seeking, the "LGBT" gay liberation movement could logically complete the package. If sexual activity is only for pleasure, then there is nothing wrong in man on man, or woman on woman sexual activity. And the gay liberation movement is correct: those who support divorce, contraception, oral or anal "sex", must, to be consistent, support homosexual acts. The unifying factor is the rejection of the one, true, God. 

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one towards another. Romans I. 26, 27

What "cause"? Godlessness. St. John Chrysostom, in his Homily on Romans, follows St. Paul. "But if you say, and whence came this intensity of lust? It was from the desertion of God". 

Both saints firmly place godlessness as the cause of homosexuality. Of homosexuality, St. John wrote:

"Consider how great is that sin, to have forced hell to appear even before its time"!

The 20th century, building on 500 years of Protestantism, 200 years of liberalism and 100 years of Modernism is indeed very godless. Indeed, people pride themselves on their godlessness. There is a price to be paid for this "pride"; society is collapsing. 

For centuries, under a veneer of Christianity, men and women engaged more and more in unnatural sexual vice. With the advent of the Pill, and the "official" decoupling of unity and life, homosexuality burst forward, with the now aggressive glorification and promotion of gender ideology (even upon innocent children in schools, promoted by de facto totalitarian regimes, such as the present Government of Canada). 

Homosexuality is due to not loving the Lord Thy God.... and from rejecting this commandment, flows the rejection of the second: not loving thy neighbour. From this results in raping children, engaging in sexual sin. 

What are we to do? We have an obligation demanded of us to pray for sinners. We must - difficult as it is - pray for the conversion of those addicted to sexual sin. 

Perhaps even more difficult - but demanded of us - is to pray for the conversion of McCarrick, Wuerl, Farrell and the other infiltrators in the Church. Not to pray for sinners, for our enemies, places us in grave danger of ending up in the Hell we presume they will inhabit. We presume, as they may yet repent. 

Bishop Morlino said: this is not about "gay bashing", it is about proclaiming the Truth of the Gospel to those who are suffering from same-sex attraction that they live holy, chaste lives, and not give in to the temptation of sin. 

[A separate issue are the innumerable men who were abused as children or teenagers by predators, and driven in psycho-sexual illness. In this article we are confining ourselves to those who have rejected God, and in doing so have taken up this unnatural vice]. 

Fr. John O'Connor: "Pedophilia is essentially the same as homosexuality"

Fr. John O'Connor of Chicago.
This holy priest was driven out of his Order by militant homosexuals  

Some of you may have seen the video of an evil, old priest, claiming that masturbating boys is a "joke". This evil priest even boasts of having to sodomize a boy at least once. 

Friends, this is what we are dealing with. These infiltrators are the successors of Judas.

For those of you with the strength, visit Vox Cantoris to watch the video. Please offer a prayer for the victims of these agents of the devil. As I wrote earlier, Satan loves to attack the Innocent. He takes great delight in the abuse of children. He takes even greater delight if he can enable a man, sacramentally ordained to the Sacred Priesthood to commit the abuse. 

Years ago, Fr.John O'Connor, who was born in Chicago, educated by the Dominicans, warned us that homosexuality was essentially the same as pedophilia child abuse. No one listened to him 30 years ago. Not only was he ignored, he was actively persecuted and expelled from his Order. His appeal to Rome in the 1990s fell flat. As Fr. O' Connor put it: "there were too many homosexuals in the Vatican..." 

Bluntly put, pedophilia and homosexuality are forms of mutual masturbation. Pedophilia is merely the use of a legally underage person - sometime prepubescent - to masturbate the abuser. Thus we have homosexual militants pushing to lower the age of consent. In France, a number of decades ago, so-called darlings of the universities, such as Michel Foucault, called for the lowering of the age of consent. Pedophilia has grown in leaps and bounds since the early 70s.  

Never, EVER forget that we have good,
holy priests who need our love and support!

Let us not be fooled. Over 80% of the sexual crimes committed by clergy are acts of homosexuality. These are infiltrators. These are enemies of Jesus Christ and His Gospel.  

Pray for the Church. Remember also, that Our Lord is in TOTAL CONTROL of HIS CHURCH. It is HIS Church. Not mine, not yours, not your pastor's, nor the Pope's. The Church belongs to Christ, which He bought with His Blood on the Cross. The gates of Hell will not prevail. Please pray, do sacrifice. For these evil men too - hard as it is - pray they repent, confess before it is too late and they join Judas, whom they are imitating in Hell. 

St. John Chrysostom on homosexuality: "...diabolical...satanical"

Today, Catholics rightly celebrate the great St. John Chrysostom. According to Joseph Cardinal Tobin of New Jersey, "John was not always able to practice what he preached..." 

What the Cardinal exactly means shall come out in the fulness of time, as the scandal of homosexual predation, and coverup reveals itself. Let us just say that Tobin's religion is not the same as the great Patriarch and Church Father. 

Friends: you choose: either Tobin is right about homosexuality or the the great Patriarch. Pray and discern. 

St. John Chrysostom had quite a lot to say about the abominable evil of homosexuality. 

St. John Chrysostom, in his series of Homilies on Romans provides us with a detailed theological exposition on why homosexuality is one of the most evil of sins; why it is and forever remains one of the "four sins that cry to heaven for vengeance". 

Catholics need to see the world from God's perspective, not theirs. Some may, out of a sense of misguided compassion, wish to downplay Church teaching on the intrinsic evil of homosexual acts; some may wish to dismiss, out of hand, those who adhere to the Church as "fanatics"; others, even clergy, may pander in various ways with the "gay liberation" movement - in all of this a betrayal of Christ and His Church can be seen. We can no more pander to other sins, than to the sin of homosexuality. Certainly, culpability of some may be minimal due to a subjective psychological condition, but objectively each and every homosexual act is intrinsically evil.

The Church, via the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that temptations towards homosexuality constitute a trial; it is for these people that we are called upon to show compassion. "This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity" (n 2358). The Church does not ask us to respect sinful actions, nor to encourage those who engage in an aggressive public manifestation of homosexuality as a form of "liberation", or would seek to change civil legislation that would promote positive evil. Thus, the Church forbids not only "gay marriage", but also, "civil unions". 

The evil of homosexuality does not grow in a vacuum. The Patriarch of Constantinople demonstrates how it is that "ungodliness" and the rejection of truth that leads to men becoming "fools". And from this great conceit in a false wisdom, and refusal to follow the way of God, humanity would be given up to uncleaness and lusts of the heart.... ultimately these would exchange truth (e.g. marriage being between a man and a woman) for a lie (psuedo "gay marriage") and so on. In all of this, they reject the Creator and serve the creature. They become idolators. Homosexuality is, ultimately, a perverted sexual manifestation of self-idolatry, self-worship. It is, as the saint will say, "satanical", as it is at heart, blasphemy. 

In Book Four of his Homilies, the holy Patriarch provides us with a detailed exposition of the verse 1, 26, 27:

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one towards another.

The saint continues: 

They changed the truth of God for a lie. And with regard to the men again, he shows the same thing by saying, Leaving the natural use of the woman. And in a like way with those, these he also puts out of all means of defending themselves by charging them not only that they had the means of gratification, and left that which they had, and went after another, but that having dishonored that which was natural, they ran after that which was contrary to nature. But that which is contrary to nature has in it an irksomeness and displeasingness, so that they could not fairly allege even pleasure. For genuine pleasure is that which is according to nature. But when God has left one, then all things are turned upside down. And thus not only was their doctrine Satanical, but their life 

too was diabolical.

And reflect too how significantly he uses his words. For he does not say that they were enamoured of, and lusted after one another, but, they burned in their lust one toward another...

...For there is not, there surely is not, a more grievous evil than this insolent dealing. For if when discoursing about fornication Paul said, that Every sin which a man does is without the body, but he that commits fornication sins against his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18); what shall we say of this madness, which is so much worse than fornication as cannot even be expressed? For I should not only say that you have become a woman, but that you have lost your manhood, and hast neither changed into that nature nor kept that which you had, but you have been a traitor to both of them at once, and deserving both of men and women to be driven out and stoned, as having wronged either sex. And that you may learn what the real force of this is, if any one were to come and assure you that he would make you a dog instead of being a man, would you not flee from him as a plague? But, lo! You have not made yourself a dog out of a man, but an animal more disgraceful than this.

...But nothing can there be more worthless than a man who has pandered himself. For not the soul only, but the body also of one who has been so treated, is disgraced, and deserves to be driven out everywhere. How many hells shall be enough for such? But if you scoff at hearing of hell and believest not that fire, remember Sodom. For we have seen, surely we have seen, even in this present life, a semblance of hell. For since many would utterly disbelieve the things to come after the resurrection, hearing now of an unquenchable fire, God brings them to a right mind by things present. For such is the burning of Sodom, and that conflagration! And they know it well that have been at the place, and have seen with their eyes that scourge divinely sent, and the effect of the lightnings from above. (Jude 7)

Consider how great is that sin, to have forced hell to appear even before its time! ...

And what is there more detestable than a man who has pandered himself, or what more execrable? Oh, what madness! Oh, what distraction! Whence came this lust lewdly revelling and making man's nature all that enemies could?

BREAKING VIDEO: Theodore McCarrick was involved in Amoris Laetitia's overturning of Catholic Doctrine

Theodore McCarrick, the decades long homosexual predator, took an active role in promoting the change in praxis (leading to a de facto change in doctrine) regarding the reception of Holy Communion by adulterers at the last Synod. Hear him boast of it in Boise, Idaho, on September 2, 2014.

McCarrick states: 

"Well, I think this is going to be one of the things that is going to be brought up at the Synod" 

Just how did McCarrick know? 

Yes, McCarrick, an active homosexual, was involved in undermining Catholic doctrine at the last Synod. 

Friends, you will also hear this hypocrite, this degenerate homosexual rapist-pervert, speak about marriage. I want you to hear; I want you to see: behold a man oppressed by the devil. Listen to the mocking laughter of his audience. 

I want you to be aware of the great evil and danger we are facing. 

This is the manner in which these liars and deceivers present themselves. Whilst publicly speaking pious words, they despise Our Lord, they hate Him!

Vox Cantoris carries shocking video of an evil Judas priest, gloating, joking over masturbating boys, over sodomizing boys. All the while wearing a Rosary. This is demonic oppression. 

Pray these evil men repent, or they will spend eternity with Judas whom they are imitating.

Please continue to pray for Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano whose life is in danger. Please tell your family and friends, your priests about these evils. As Fr. Gerald Murray admonished lay Catholics: to continue the fight for the Church! 

Our Primary Weapon against Evil is always prayer

St. Paul warned the Catholics of his day about evil. "Because your fight has not been with flesh and blood,  but with Principalities and The Rulers and The Powers of this dark world and with wicked spirits... (Ephesians, 6:12).  

The primary weapon is prayer. As we hear about, and will hear more about the scandals that are rocking the Church, there will be the temptation to try to deal with the evil in only a human way. This will fail. The devil, always working, thinking and calculating, will always have a more than adequate method of using mere human means and ways to his advantage and objectives: dragging souls into hell. Does he not rejoice, for example, over Catholics who have fallen into schism over these scandals? 

The temptations will grow stronger as the scandals grow bigger and more horrifying. Perhaps for every minute we spend researching, studying these scandals, we might set aside ten minutes of prayer? If we do not have the time for prayer, we certainly do not have the time to research these scandals. 

Does this mean that we are to turn a blind eye? No, it means that we are firstly to work out our own salvation, to try to live a holy life, so that we might be examples to those in our lives. This will do more than "denouncing" evil prelates. In fact, this was also the temptation and error of Americanism, denounced by Pope Leo XIII. In opposing the sexual degeneracy of infiltrator prelates and clergy, the Devil re-packages old heresies to lead souls astray!

Does this mean that we cease to call out this evil? God forbid! It means that our primary weapon is that of prayer and righteous living. If we do not believe that prayer is the greatest weapon, then we are already in a halfway house between the Church and paganism. We are already on the way to apostasy; on the way to being unable to save our souls , nor help those near to us.  

One wonders when the crisis truly hits - as it will get worse - how many will be left in the Church? Remember, the devil wishes to drive you and me out of the Church. And yes, we can leave the Church roaring and denouncing evil churchmen as we go! Let us be very careful, as these are very dangerous times. 

Dom Chautard wrote: 

"Those who pray,” said the eminent statesman Donoso Cortes, after his conversion, "do more for the world than those who fight, and if the world is going from bad to worse, it is because there are more battles than prayers.”
"Hands uplifted,” said Bossuet, "rout more battalions than hands that strike.” 

And in the midst of their desert, the solitaries of the Thebaid often had burning in their hearts the fire that animated St. Francis Xavier. "They seemed to some,” said St. Augustine, "to have abandoned the world more than they should have.” But, he adds, people forget that their prayers, purified by this complete separation from the world, were all the more powerful and more NECESSARY for a depraved society. 

A short but fervent prayer will usually do more to bring about a conversion than long discussions of fine speeches. He who prays is in touch with the FIRST cause. He acts directly upon it. And by that very fact he has his hand upon all the secondary causes, since they only receive their efficacy from this superior principle.

ONTARIO ENGLISH CATHOLIC TEACHER'S ASSOCIATION: A review of its radical dissent against the Church

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA) has a long history of dissent from the Catholic Church. This goes a long way to explain the poor quality of student that it produces. In the main, these young people are un-educated, uncultured and - worse - lacking in knowledge of the Faith. How can this go on? For how long has this been going on? Where were the trustees, the parents... yes, and the bishops? 

OECTA also has a long history of political "groupthink". A few "highlights"  (any commentary would be superfluous) from 1997 include:

• combat homphobia within the Catholic community
• work to raise awareness of the negative effects of sexism within the Catholic Church
• promote inclusive language in prayers and liturgies 
• eliminate sexism in all materials used in school
• combat sexism among male students
• formal and informal support networks among women 
• produce practical material ...to deal with ... a poisoned working atmosphere for women
• eliminate offensive unofficial...beauty contests
• discuss pervasive heterosexist attitudes that lead to homophobia

Scotland: How the Homosexual Network is active in the Archdiocese of Glasgow

Fr. Patrick Lawson

Let us not forget what is happening in Scotland. What is happening in the United States is happening all over the world. 

As I wrote a few years ago:

The recent decision to affirm the canonical removal of Fr. Patrick Lawson underscores the culture of denial, coverup, and gross hypocrisy of powerful churchmen in the Scottish hierarchy. Just consider that Fr. Paul Milarvie - caught in a drunken homosexual incident - continues in the Archdiocese of Glasgow as a member of the diocesan curia (and as of 2017, was pastor of his second parish). A priest indulging in homosexuality is treated with white gloves, promoted, pandered to. A priest exposing sex abuse and corruption is persecuted and removed from ministry. 

Montfort wrote of Fr. Lawson on a number of occasions in previous posts; here and here. Significantly he wrote: 

Fr. Patrick Lawson, a loyal Catholic priest, is presently being persecuted for daring to speak out against and expose the evil that has penetrated deep into the Church in Scotland. I speak of the iniquity of sexual perversion and abuse. Vile and satanic actions committed by men who claim to be priests against others - be they seminarians, youthful vulnerable men, or boys. 

In the case of the evil Patrick Moore, Fr. Lawson had no option but to approach the secular media because the local Church -literally - was hell bent on continuing the coverup. For his courage to speak out, he is being persecuted by Bishop John Cunningham, whose behaviour towards Fr. Lawson is more akin to that of a thug, then a father towards a son. Cunningham is now in the process of instigating canonical procedures against Fr. Lawson.  This is not the first time the Scottish hierarchy has tried to hide behind canon law to continue their coverup and lies. Canonical proceedings against Fr. Matthew Despard were shelved - temporarily - due only to fear on the part of the bishops that the said action would result in massive media exposure of their corruption. We must ensure that Fr. Lawson's case is known and spread far and wide. 

Fr. Paul Milarvie - Member of Archdiocesan Curia

Archdiocese of Glasgow

|Screenshot, Feb 2nd, 2014

From the Herald: 

There have been many years of silence for Patrick Lawson. To understand his story, it is necessary to go right back to 1996. Then a seminarian, he was posted to St Quivox, Prestwick, under the supervision of parish priest Father Paul Moore. One night, he woke to find Moore fondling him under the bedclothes.

He rebuffed Moore, but the parish priest continued to make advances. He also noticed Moore's secrecy about a locked cupboard. "I found a box of keys, and tried each one until it opened. At the bottom, were videos. I don't know what was on them. On the shelves were photographs, some with names on. Provocative photographs: young boys in different poses, some with hats on, naked at the beach. I felt really sick."

Lawson also discovered Moore had abused altar boys and reported this to his bishop, Maurice Taylor.

Taylor and Moore already knew one another. They went on holiday together, visiting a Vatican diplomat from Galloway, Father Peter Magee. Lawson says he found letters between Magee and Moore in the locked cupboard. Magee would later become the head of the Scottish Tribunal, the person responsible for issuing legal advice to the Scottish bishops.

For 17 years, Lawson campaigned for appropriate action to be taken over Moore's abuse. He gave names and numbers of victims to Taylor asking him to help them. Nothing happened. He asked that Moore be laicised - ejected from the priesthood. Nothing happened. Instead, Taylor told parishioners that Moore was going on a well-earned sabbatical. In fact, he was sent abroad for psychological counselling.

On his return, he was given a presentation and a retirement home - an irony that has not gone unnoticed in Galston. Lawson has had to move back in with his elderly mother and has no house and no income except a small monthly pension the church pays while proceedings in Rome continue. They even deduct his removal costs from the pension each month.

When Taylor retired, Lawson approached his successor, John Cunningham. He also appealed to Cardinal O'Brien, just before news broke of O'Brien's sexual advances to his own priests, and appealed to Archbishop Philip Tartaglia. All refused to help. He felt constantly like an outsider. "Rooms would often go silent when I walked in," he recalls.

Fast forward to 2012. By now, Lawson was looking after three parishes and six towns, but became ill with bladder cancer. He arranged his own cover, receiving no help or visits from the diocese. Doctors advised him to cut his workload and he arranged cover for the parish he did not live in, St Paul's in Hurlford. It was already a divided community with a history of tension predating Father Lawson's arrival. People there were unhappy that they did not have a resident priest. But things escalated when the Vicar General, Willie McFadden, went to St Paul's without telling Lawson, and advised parishioners to put complaints in writing. A parishioner issued pro formas. Twenty-three complaints were received, at least one from someone outwith the parish.

When news of this ­orchestrated campaign leaked, Lawson's ­supporters swung into action. Over 200 letters of support were written. Bishop Cunningham ignored them. Now suffering from stress as well as cancer, Lawson submitted evidence from doctors advising that he could continue with work but only on a reduced basis. The bishop then used the very letters that had been written in support of him as evidence that he was too ill to work.

Although the bishop refuses to say publicly what this case is about, the official grounds for removal on church documents are threefold. Firstly, Father Lawson's ill-health. Secondly, the "loss of his good name" because of the complaints. And thirdly, the "grave harm" this division has done to the ecclesiastical community. But what was it really about? "We knew it was really about his stance over Paul Moore," says parish secretary Manuela Simonini.

The decision from Rome, a seven-page document, just rubber-stamps everything submitted by the bishop, saying the 23 complaints are from "upright and serious-minded parishioners". The 200 supporters, presumably, are not upright and serious. "

...If Rome believed that simply upholding the bishop's authority was likely to dampen down scandal and enforce discipline, the calculation may misfire. The authoritarian way the church has dealt with challenge, while simultaneously preaching "forgiveness" for those who have seriously abused their power, has created a standoff.

On one side is a growing number of priests and lay people who want change; on the other is an old-guard hierarchy, afloat in a turbulent sea of scandals, clinging to the old certainties of secrecy, obedience and control like lifebuoys.

Father Gerry Magee, another Galloway diocese priest, contacted Lawson immediately when he heard of Rome's decision. The bishop had assured priests Lawson had been informed, but he knew nothing.

Despite the letters being dated January 7, he did not receive his until January 30 - the day after his fellow priests were told. A mix-up in Rome, the bishop claimed. A disgrace, says Magee. Magee felt sick when he heard the decision, and contacted Bishop Cunningham immediately.

"What I ask, in God's name is going on here?" he wrote. "All that I am certain of is that all those responsible for this disgrace will be held accountable by God."

Addition information can be read at Syliva's Site. 

Please pray for Fr. Lawson, please pray for Scotland.