The world's most exclusive Motorcycle Club?

"Harley" Traditional Latin Mass altar "men" wave to the Pope in Rome

The iconic brand, Harley-Davidson, the makers of arguably the  world's premier motorcycle, presented to Pope Francis two 'bikes in commemoration of their 110th anniversary. We can only presume that the second is for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. It is only fitting that such a traditional motorcycle would be added to Pope Benedict's garage. 

As such, it is only fitting that Witness congratulate the Pope, and his successor, on having created the world's most exclusive motorcycle club: a club only for Popes! The only question that remains is: will we be seeing his Holiness roaring about Rome?!

Pope Francis: Stop speaking ill of others!!

It is one thing to admonish out of charity your brother or sister in the Faith. Admonishment should be private and authentic. The "outing" of a sinner - a public sinner, is a last resort, and is permitted if this same sinner is undermining the Faith. In fact, St. Francis de Sales permits this only exception in denouncing someone publicly: the person is an open enemy of the Faith. 

Sadly, many times Christians back-bite, name call, and worse - even in the name of "Christianity". The internet provides a degree of anonymity, and hence, encourages the propensity to indulge in the sin of detraction. Not only the web, but email, too, has become a tool to defame a brother or sister. We can send a poison pen letter to innumerable people with the click of a button.

Our Holy Father has these words of admonishment to us on how to approach our brothers and sisters. Let us listen to his words; let us act upon them. Be a Christian, live the Gospels

Pope Francis continued: ...Jesus, "with all the simplicity says: "Do not speak ill of one another. Do not denigrate one another. Do not belittle one another”. The Pope noted, "in the end we are all travelling on the same road", "we are all travelling on that road that will take us to the very end." Therefore "if we do not choose a fraternal path, it will end badly, for the person who insults and the insulted". The Pope noted that "if we are not able to keep our tongues in check, we lose”. “Natural aggression, that of Cain toward Abel, repeats itself throughout history." Pope Francis observed that it is not that we are bad, rather "we are weak and sinners." That's why it is "much easier", to "resolve a situation with an insult, with slander, defamation instead of resolving it with good means".

Pope Francis concluded: “I would ask the Lord to give us all the grace to watch our tongues, to watch what we say about others." “It is a small penance - he added - but it bears a lot of fruit." "Sometimes, we go hungry and think, ‘What a pity I didn’t taste the fruit of a tasty comment against another person." But, he said, "that hunger bears fruit in the long run is good for us." That's why we ask the Lord for this grace: to adapt our lives "to this new law, which is the law of meekness, the law of love, the law of peace, and at least 'prune' our tongues a little, ‘prune’ the comments that we make of others and outbursts that lead us to an easy anger or insult. May the Lord grant us all this grace".

BREAKING NEWS: POPE FRANCIS CONFIRMS A "GAY LOBBY" IS IN THE CURIA

The South American Reflexion y Liberacion carries a wide ranging and informal discussion given by Pope Francis. Significantly, the Holy Father stated:

Y, sí… es difícil. En la curia hay gente santa, de verdad, hay gente santa. Pero también hay una corriente de corrupción, también la hay, es verdad… Se habla del “lobby gay”, y es verdad, está ahí… hay que ver qué podemos hacer…

[And, yes ... it is difficult. In the curia's there are holy people, really holy people. But there is also a stream of corruption, there also it is true ... one speaks of the "gay lobby", and it is true, it is there ... you have to see what we can do ...]

SO there it is! You may also recall the denials, the lying, the scoffing when a few months ago Pope Benedict XVI's secret Dossier was said to contain documentation on a homosexualist infiltration of the Church even to the highest levels. 

We can no longer doubt that Pope Francis has read the Dossier, that he knows of its very,very serious content. Indeed, the preliminary actions in Scotland would reflect just one example of the Holy Father taking the "gay lobby" very seriously. 

"We will see what we can do". Pray, pray for the Pope and the Church. In these - perhaps somewhat pensive words - the Holy Father is telling us that action against these people will indeed be very difficult. They are entrenched, they have infiltrated seminaries, religious orders, hierarchies, Catholic institutes of education etc. Even now, high ranking Prelates are coming out - so to speak - in favour of legal State recognition of intrinsically evil "unions". 

Evil in the Church

I strongly urge you to read Vox Cantoris' assessment of the moral evil that is active - even, sadly - at the highest levels in the Church. Vox details an ongoing rebellion by a number of bishops against the Magisterium of the Church with regards to homosexuality.

These wayward prelates need to be reminded that they no longer adhere to the toleration of an evil, as taught by the Church. These men, are, in fact, endorsing a positive evil. These wicked men are ravenous wolves who have entered the vineyard of the Lord. That such spiritual confusion - indeed evil - can reign in the minds of bishops, reminds one of the words of St. Jude: "Woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain: and after the error of Balaam they have for reward poured out themselves, and have perished in the contradiction of Core". 

From the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith: 

There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family. Marriage is holy, while homosexual acts go against the natural moral law. Homosexual acts “close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved”.

Sacred Scripture condemns homosexual acts “as a serious depravity... (cf. Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:10; 1 Tim 1:10). This judgment of Scripture does not of course permit us to conclude that all those who suffer from this anomaly are personally responsible for it, but it does attest to the fact that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered”. This same moral judgment is found in many Christian writers of the first centuries and is unanimously accepted by Catholic Tradition.

Those who would move from tolerance to the legitimization of specific rights for cohabiting homosexual persons need to be reminded that the approval or legalization of evil is something far different from the toleration of evil.

Pat McEwan delighted that the "very arrogant" Bishop Devine is gone

From the Daily Record:

A MAN who says he was molested by priests yesterday welcomed news that a Catholic bishop who called him a fantasist has retired.

Pat McEwan, 63, was branded an alcoholic and accused of “living in a fantasy world” by Bishop Joseph Devine after he came forward with allegations that he was raped as a boy between 1958 and 1961.

Pat said he was elated that the senior churchman had quit.

He added: “I’m delighted that he is gone. But his claim that I’m a fantasist is still there.

“He lacks compassion and is a very arrogant man. I do think his leaving now has a lot to do with my case.”

The bishop tendered his resignation last August when he turned 75 but he was asked to remain as the church looked for his replacement.

However, it was announced on Wednesday that he will now step down after 30 years in the job.

Devine’s aides said the timing had nothing to do with Pat’s case.

Yesterday, the Pope’s representative in the UK, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, visited Motherwell diocese to discuss Devine’s resignation. The bishop of Argyll and the Isles, Joe Toal, will take charge temporarily

I too am delighted that Joseph Devine is gone. My contacts in Motherwell also are overjoyed. The Catholics of Motherwell deserve far better than the type of "leadership" they have received over the past years. I am sure that Pope Francis will carefully discern the grave needs of this diocese; openness, transparency, faithfulness... The scandal of homosexual rape at Carfin, the cover-ups, the silence, the deceit - May God grant for Motherwell a holy bishop. 

D - Day; June 6th 1944

Sixty-nine years ago today, thousands of Allied troops began landing in Normandy, being the end of Fortress Europe, and the Nazi reign of terror. On this day, men lost, arms, legs, and their lives... the horror is unimaginable. Their bravery even more so. May we never forget their sacrifice. May those who lost their lives rest in the eternal peace of God. 

Recommended link: Remembering D-Day

Tea at a Mosque?

Alright... now I'm a little miffed. When a right wing group like the English Defense League gets invited to tea and biscuits at a York mosque I have to ask myself what's wrong. After all, I live with Bangladesh to the north east of me and Pakistan to the west with at least two or three mosques in the vicinity. Moreover I am nowhere near as far to the right as the EDL. No one has ever invited me to tea and biscuits at a mosque. I have had lunch at a synagogue... heck, I've even attended a bar mitzvah where I was told by my host to wear a yarmulka but if anyone tried to give me a prayer shawl, to tell them no. I've been in Hindu and Buddhist temples in my youth and any number of protestant churches. So why have I never been invited to tea at a mosque??

I think that one of the main problems facing our society today is transparency among the various groups that constitute our community. Let me give you an example from my own history. I grew up an Italian Catholic kid in New York City where I became acquainted with the Jewish culture around me. I am familiar with the major holidays and I could probably insult you in Yiddish if I wished. Living cheek to jowl with an amazing assortment of folks who are all a little different forces you to learn a little bit about your neighbors. This was not multiculturalism, merely survival. Anyone familiar with the history of New York knows that this was not always so... in fact there has been more than a little blood spilled over the years. The tolerance that grew out of this tumultuous history was a grudging familiarity with your neighbor, enough to know that he wasn't up to something and posed no threat. You might never become best buddies but at least you might nod a greeting as you passed on the street. 

Insularity or transparency... that is the real question here. It is entirely understandable that immigrant groups would naturally band together for support. However, when groups become so insular that their neighbors have no idea what's going on within them, suspicion and mistrust are the likely outcome. Tolerance has little to do with the stuff that passes for official multiculturalism these days. It has far more to do with knowing your neighbor well enough to believe that he doesn't pose much of a threat. Insularity or transparency....

 

U.K. mosque greets EDL protesters with tea and custard creams

 

Exclusive London, England property could cover Archdiocese of Toronto's Pastoral Plan "cash grab"

As you may be aware - or should be - the Archdiocese of Toronto is tailoring its Pastoral Plan "cash grab" within the context of convincing one lay faithful per parish to bequest his or her property to the Archdiocese. Very, very mercenary. 

I present to you, for your consideration, as a potential bequest to the Archdiocese of Toronto, this exclusive London property - fittingly on The Bishop's Avenue.