MALTA, part II - important prophecy fulfilled!

Part of my family is Russian Orthodox.
In my humble opinion they have no interest whatsoever in uniting with Rome.
There is a lot of antipathy there that we don't see from our side.
For some reason we assume they must want unity too, but I think that is a false assumption.

A year or two ago when the Church was talking about unifying the date for Easter to bring the two churches closer, I was talking with one of my Russian Orthodox relatives about this and going on and on about how it would be great if the two churches unified. When I was all done I was thinking I would get a positive response from her, but all she basically said was "Why on Earth would we want to join Rome? We have nothing to gain and everything to lose."

Actually there is also a lot of disgust toward us and how much we have thrown away our traditional liturgy. In fact she has tried to convert me on several occasions, knowing how much I revere the ancient liturgy.

 

Your Catholic Week in Review (Emmerich Edition!)

I'm sure you have already seen the efforts of the Bishop of Malta (and ironically, right in Cardinal Burke's backyard -- amazing how that works, eh?) to allow the Eucharist to be distributed to divorced and remarried Catholics.

In fact, the campaign to force priests to give the Eucharist to those not in communion with the Catholic Church is so intense, the Bishop Mario Grech of the Diocese of Gozo in Malta is threatening to suspend those priests who do not conform to the new instructions within his diocese:
Bishop Mario Grech of the diocese of Gozo, Malta, is reportedly saying he will strip all priests of their priestly faculties who do not follow his new guidelines, claiming he is following the directives of the papal exhortation Amoris Laetitia. He reportedly has taken this severe position on returning this week from his visit to Rome. According to Messa in Latino, Bp. Grech threatened his priests with suspension a divinis if they refuse to comply.Cardinal Burke's response to this? Refuse and face the consequences.

During the Protestant Revolt in England, how many saints were made? St. Thomas More immediately comes to mind. Cardinal Pole... Bishop Fisher... all of these great saints who held fast to the faith despite the English King Henry VIII's demand that he be able to divorce and remarry (and still be considered "Catholic").

Did these saints die in vain?

Consider further the sin of Caiaphas and Pilate and the words of Our Lord when he was handed over to be put to death. Pilate asks Christ, "Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?"

Christ responds: "The one who handed you over to me has the greater sin."

Bishop Grech needs our prayers, as do Cardinal Burke and those cardinals, bishops, and priests keeping the faith of our fathers. These are dire and dangerous times as we approach the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima's visit and see an alarming fulfillment of the prophecies made by Blessed Ann Catherine Emmerich.

More after the jump...


For the next edition of "Bold and Stupid Men" we talk about the last six words of Judas and how this reflects on the current scandal engulfing the Church as of late.


So a little bit about Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. Most Catholics are familiar with her work as the baseline for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. What a select few know Emmerich for is her amazing prophecies about the Church and the chastisement that is to come.
WARNING: NOT EVERYONE WILL WANT TO READ THESE IN FULL.

On May 13th, 1820 Emmerich noted the following in her journal:“I saw also the relationship between the two popes. . . I saw how baleful (harmful) would be the consequences of this false church. I saw it increase in size; heretics of every kind came into the city (of Rome). The local clergy grew lukewarm, and I saw a great darkness…”

“Then the vision seemed to extend on every side. Whole Catholic communities were being oppressed, harassed, confined, and deprived of their freedom. I saw many churches closed down, great miseries everywhere, wars and bloodshed. A wild and ignorant mob took violent action. But it did not last long…”

“Once more I saw that the Church of Peter was undermined by a plan evolved by the secret sect [Freemasons], while storms were damaging it. But I saw also that help was coming when distress had reached its peak. I saw again the Blessed Virgin ascend on the Church and spread her mantle [over it].”
One other, from August 10th, 1820:“I have been told to pray much for the Church and the Pope…The people must pray earnestly for the extirpation (rooting out) of the dark church.”You can read the rest of the prophecies of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich for yourself in brief, and if you would like to read them in full, you can order them via Kindle on Amazon for as little as $10.

Steve Skojec offers his thoughts on this over at One Peter Five (from a May 2016 article), and while he demurs as to whether or not Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI are the "two Popes" mentioned in the visions of Emmerich, the warnings about a "dark church" permeating and influencing the Catholic Chuch -- Leo XIII's "smoke of satan" perhaps -- remains omnipresent and very, very real.

Some other headlines you may have missed:

• Rorate Caeli: Colombian Priest Suspended For Criticizing Amoris Laetitia
• 1P5: Our Lady of Fatima vs. Martin Luther's Revolt
• 1P5: In Malta, A Shepherd or a Wolf?
• Creative Minority Report: Scottish Catholics Pelted As They Go To Mass
• Rorate Caeli: Bishop of Rockford Unilaterally Repeals Summorum Pontificum
• First Things: Time For Parents To Resist Transgender Activism
• First Things: Fr. Spadaro's (Odd) Math
• CNA: Pro-Lifers Banned From Women's March
• 1P5: Catholic Editor Fired Over Criticisms of Amoris Laetitia
• The Catholic Thing: Architectural Signs of Hope
• 1P5: A Surprising German Editorial... De Facto Schism In The Church?
• First Things: Fake History
• First Things: A Response To The Bishops of Malta
• 1P5: Vatican Issued Martin Luther Stamp In The Works?
• 1P5: Cardinal Caffarra Breaks Silence On Dubia
• The Catholic Thing: The Real Sword of Honor

As always, please pray for the Church, for our bishops and priests, and for Lepanto's mission as we continue to unearth the truth and "restore all things to Christ." (Col. 1:20)

Christus Vincit!
Michael Hichborn
President
Lepanto Insititute

 

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/new...sts-who-dont-give-communion-to-the-remarried/
Maltese bishop denies he will suspend priests who don’t give Communion to the remarried

 

Thank you Carol.
I think this is a good example of why we should be very careful about the stories we report here. There is a lot of "gossip" going around on the net these days. We need to be aware of what is going on in the Church but cautious in stories that are questionable lest we be guilty of calumny or detraction.

 

I think the expression is "There are 3 sides to every story", eventually the truth will be revealed but until that happens confusion will reign.

 

Hmm...the above may be a rumour as you say, but it surely appears that the report of a priest being suspended in Colombia is true.
Mac started a new thread on this -http://motheofgod.com/threads/so-it-begins.10154/
http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2017/01/urgent-bergoglian-doctrine-persecution.html

 

I'm not buying it. Where there's smoke...


http://wdtprs.com/blog/2017/01/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-data/

The plural of anecdote is “data”
Posted on 21 January 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf


Disturbing data points have come to me in the last few days.

First, I had a telephone conversation with a priest who described how the local bishop had removed the faculties of a number of priests pretty much because he didn’t like their style. No accusations. No crimes or delicts. BAM. Some of the priests have had successful recourse to Rome, but the damage to those priests is done.

Next, I have read of the case of the a priest who came into the Church under the Pastoral Provision for Anglicans. This last week he was removed from his parish in order “to dedicate some time to reflect on certain specific concerns” which “relate to expressions in the life of the parish that indicate an identity separate from, rather than simply unique, among the parishes”. It seems that he hasn’t done anything wrong, like commit a crime, but he doesn’t conform.

Also, I read last night at Rorate – we really need to close ranks now, lads – of a Bishop in South America, of the Diocese of Pereira, Columbia, who suspended a priest because the priest, “expressed publicly and privately his rejection of the doctrinal and pastoral teachings of the Holy Father Francis, mainly regarding Marriage and the Eucharist”. That priest was summoned by the bishop to explain himself in front of others. The decree claims that he “separated himself publicly from the communion with the Pope and the Church”. However, there is no indication in the bishop’s decree about the nature of the priest’s “separation”. I suspect that the priest has not professed obstinate heresy regarding clearly and definitively doctrines of the faith. It may be – may be – that this priest has declined to accept that those who have committed publicly known mortal sins and who have no purpose of amendment can be given Holy Communion. That may be it. And barring a clarification from on high about what Amoris laetitia means, that priest’s interpretation could be just as good as another person’s.

Then, we heard a rumor – rumor – during the week that a Bishop of Malta, who perpetrated with another bishop The Maltese Fiasco, had threatened to suspend priests who refused to give Communion to the divorced and civilly remarried, in other words in an adulterous state. The bishop has denied that he said that. The Maltese Fiasco was, by the way, reproduced in L’Osservatore Romano. That could give cover to other bishops to adopt the same unheard of approach as the Maltese bishops.

Add to these certain personnel reports from the Roman Curia.

Anecdotes are accumulating. And we all know that the plural of anecdote is “data”. But seriously, when anecdotes start to pile up, something – not nothing – is going on. What it could be is unclear.

What is clear and has always been clear is that when you scratch a liberal, you find a despot underneath.

I had a chat by phone with another priest friend who has under his care, inter alia, a retreat center. Our conversation drifted into the situation of all the priests who will be unjustly persecuted for the crime of adhering to Catholic teaching. Apparently there are dozens of rooms at that center. We could found a new community called, say, Fratres Unitatis. Over the entrance gate there could be emblazoned:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled clerics yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

Perhaps the apostolate of the FUs, in addition to teaching remedial catechism, could be to say Mass ad orientem, to teach priests to implement Summorum Pontificum, and to uphold canons 915 and 916. They would have to give talks in the public parks near parishes in dioceses where they have been banned about the Sacrament of Matrimony and explain other mean and merciless teachings of Our Lord and His Holy Church, such as the dogma of the existence of Hell, the reality of sin and personal guilt.

Dear readers, pray for priests and pray for bishops. Pray especially for bishops. The Devil hates bishops and relentlessly works to twist them into instruments of harm in the Church. Pray for them and do penance. Ask you Guardian Angels also to assist your local bishop as well as your parish priests.

Our Lady, Queen of the Clergy…

 

http://m.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/the-puzzling-backstory-to-maltese-bishops-controversial-directive

The Puzzling Backstory to Controversial Maltese Directive
Posted by Edward Pentin on Saturday Jan 21st, 2017 at 5:52 AM

Sudden changes in approach to doctrine, episcopal rivalries, and a swift drafting process are some of the factors that led to the contentious document.


Malta’s two bishops were in Rome this week, just days after the Jan. 13 publication of their controversial “criteria” on interpreting Chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia, but they declined to answer any questions about the document while here.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta and Bishop Mario Grech of Gozo, co-signatories of the directive, assert the primacy of conscience over the objective moral truth in the document, stating that remarried divorcees can receive Holy Communion after a period of discernment, with an informed and enlightened conscience, and if they are “at peace with God.”

Archbishop Scicluna declined to answer a series of questions from the Register on the criteria, and Bishop Grech did not respond to them either when contacted this week. The two bishops were accompanied in Rome by one of their advisers, Father Kevin Schembri, a professor of canon law at the University of Malta and defender of the Bond.

Instead, Archbishop Scicluna referred to a brief comment his spokesman sent the Register Jan. 16, saying the “criteria” in the Maltese bishops' document “follow the magisterium of the Catholic Church in the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia by H.H. Pope Francis.” His spokesman also urged reading the entire document.

The so-called “Maltese directive” on the most controversial chapter of Amoris Laetitia has been strongly criticized by theologians, canon lawyers, and some Vatican officials since its publication last week, but won the support of others, such as Malta’s LGBTIQ community.

The bishops’ critics argue that it very obviously contradicts previous papal teaching, the Catechism, canon law, and Vatican instruction.

Archbishop Scicluna told the Times of Malta Jan. 17 he was “saddened by the reaction from certain quarters” and invited priests who may have concerns “to come forward and discuss them directly with us because we want to be a service to our people.”

He also said that the bishops' main concern was not to add anything to Pope Francis’s exhortation that they felt was not already apparent. “What we did was put the arguments in order so that they could be followed logically, making it easier for priests to understand what the papal exhortation was asking of them,” he said.

However, the directive has been viewed by some as disastrous, and several priests outside Malta have said they would be unable to follow the guidelines if their own bishops imposed them. Part of the reason for any faults in its text may have been the speed at which the document was produced. The Register has learned that the first draft was presented to the bishops' advisors only on Jan. 2. The document was translated and published in L’Osservatore Romano in less than two weeks.

Silent approach

Some are now wondering what happens to a priest if he refuses in conscience to go along with this instruction. This and other questions, such as why the bishops chose to only focus on Chapter 8 of the document when supporters of Amoris laetitia contend that it is clear, were also put to the bishops but they did not respond to them.

As well as their lack of response, another concern is apparent pressure to ensure the “open door” approach to Holy Communion and remarried divorcees is carried forward. Talk in Rome is of some bishops being forced by the Vatican to toe the same line as the directive, although the Maltese bishops have firmly denied allegations in some media that Bishop Grech, who reportedly has a forceful temperament and has been accused of bullying in the past, threatened this week to suspend his priests if they refused civilly remarried divorcees without an annulment Holy Communion.

Another question surrounds the publication of the directive in L’Osservatore Romano, a move that gave the document the appearance of a Vatican imprimatur. The newspaper’s editor, Professor Giovanni Maria Vian, did not respond to questions on who authorized its publication and how it came to be published in the Vatican newspaper, some of which is monitored by the Secretariat of State.

Bishops’ ‘volte-face’

Malta’s bishops appeared not long ago to be strongly orthodox in a country that, until recently, was considered the most Catholic in the world. Bishop Grech was once reputed to be unyielding in matters of doctrine and, ahead of a referendum on divorce in 2011, warned that those who do not follow Christ’s teachings should not receive the Eucharist.

But when Francis was elected and a new, left-leaning Maltese government came to power, that all changed. “Overnight Grech performed the most spectacular volte-face,” said an informed source. “We were all astonished.”

Until the directive, Archbishop Scicluna was considered to be solid and balanced in his views. A competitive spirit between him and Bishop Grech has also meant the relationship between the two bishops has not always been easy. It has therefore mystified many Maltese Catholics how the two have come together so quickly on something so controversial.

The directive is understood to be the brainchild of Bishop Grech who wrote most, if not all, of it, while Father Emmanuel Agius, dean of the faculty of theology at the University of Malta, was an advisor. Father Agius hosted a European conference in 2015 on the new “pastoral” openings for remarried divorcees. Then-auxiliary bishop Scicluna made it known to associates that he was shocked by the innovative theology being discussed at that meeting.

Father Agius also attended an international symposium last October in Leuven, Belgium. Participants at the meeting, whose theme was “A Point of No Return? Amoris Laetitia on Discernment and Conscience for Divorced and Remarried Couples”, heard talks by Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe, both of whom are known for their strong support for the “open doors” approach to civilly remarried divorcees receiving Holy Communion.

According to sources, Father Agius has “told everyone that would listen” that the bishops’ criteria “are the correct interpretation of Amoris laetitia.” Malta's vicar general, Father Joseph Galea Curmi, has also been informing priests that if they do not want to follow the contents of the document, they “have misunderstood” it.

 

http://www.onepeterfive.com/malta-shepherd-wolf/

In Malta, A Shepherd or a Wolf?
Steve Skojec January 20, 20170 Comments

On May 28, 2011, in the small island nation of Malta — nestled in a Mediterranean archipelago between Italy’s boot and Africa’s northern coast — a referendum was held on the topic of divorce. The official religion of the Maltese Republic is Catholicism, and the country traces its Christian origins back all the way to St. Paul, who is believed to have been shipwrecked there. This connection to the most prolific apostle confers with it a special status; the Archdiocese of Malta is designated as an Apostolic see.

...

Next came the shocking guidelines issued by the Maltese bishops on the implementation of Amoris Laetitia — guidelines that, according to our report by Fr. Brian Harrison, indicated that “in Malta there will now be no objective and enforceable limits whatsoever on the right of (non-continent) divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive the Holy Eucharist.”

Now, another bombshell has dropped. The Italian liturgical-renewal website, Messainlatina.it, has reported:

We have been told by trustworthy and reliable persons – whose identity we know but, for obvious reasons, we must not now disclose – that in these recent days Msgr. Mario Grech (Bishop of Gozo) upon his return from Rome THREATENED [sic, capitalized in the original] priests of his own Diocese of Malta with ‘prohibiting their public celebration of the Mass if they do not support his implementing directives concerning Amoris Laetitia which were written together with Bishop Sciucluna.’*

Katholisches journalist Giuseppi Nardi has echoed this revelation in his own report:

Undisturbed [by criticism of his new Malta directives], Bishop Grech recently returned from his visit to Rome and has also made public the “directives” in his Diocese of Gozo. Thereby he went even further now – obviously fortified by Rome. He threatened the priests of his Diocese that he would “prohibit their public celebration of Mass if they do not support the directives concerning Amoris Laetitia which he has written together with Bishop Scicluna. Thus, if priests do not follow these new “criteria” in the Diocese of Gozo, their suspension a divinis would follow.*

During my research on this story, I was contacted by a concerned and well-informed Catholic living in Malta. “The funny thing is, before Francis was elected Bishop Grech was very orthodox,” the person told me, “Then he changed in the most spectacular fashion. These directives [the Maltese bishops’ guidelines on Amoris Laetitia] are his brainchild, and he wrote them. They are the latest in a long list of dubious teaching.” Asked how it was that Grech — who is under the authority of Archbishop Charles Scicluna, who was until recently considered reliably orthodox, and who worked with the CDF on the sex abuse crisis — could push through such guidelines, co-opting his “formidable” superior in the process, it was suggested that Grech had found favor among the powerful in Rome.

This person then put me in contact with a Maltese priest, who related the following story on condition of anonymity:

A friend of mine was [recently] travelling to Rome from Malta and upon his arrival phoned me up to tell me what he had learned.

On the plane he saw Mons. Mario Grech, who was sitting just in the seats in front of him. At one point he was on the phone shouting at the person on the other end. My friend heard the words clearly: “If you do not read it, I am ready to keep you from celebrating Mass.” My friend knew full well he was talking about the instruction letter given by the bishops to the parishes to be read before Mass during the weekend.

I asked the Gozo Diocese to comment on this story. The response I received was that the allegations — now being circulated widely in the Catholic media — are “absolutely false”. Similarly, the Diocese of Gozo issued this statement today on their Facebook page:



What the bishops of Malta cannot deny is that they have issued guidelines on Amoris Laetitia that are so damaging, they imperil souls — and that these guidelines have been published in the official Vatican newspaper, giving them the appearance of papal recognition. What has been done is already as scandalous and damaging as the allegations regarding the suspension of priests over a failure to share or implement these guidelines.

It is likely that the incident witnessed on the plane, if true, was the source of the allegation, rather than some official policy. I have been unable to speak directly to the witness, but the priest who shared this story to me insists that his source is personally known to him, and that he continues to affirm that it happened as he recounted it.

It is not without irony that we note the ramifications of this alleged implementation of Amoris Laetitia. Persons guilty of objective grave sin must be given communion if their conscience commends them to, but priests who believe in conscience that this is wrong are to be suspended for it? It appears that there are some choices that do incur prohibition of the sacraments among the bishops who support the new approach to “mercy” — or at least, the faculties to offer them.

One hopes that the scrutiny over this incident will at the very least act as a deterrent to Bishop Grech, keeping him from any use of such retribution against priests of his diocese who would act according to their well-formed conscience on this matter. If not, they needn’t suffer in silence. Any priest who stands for Christ and His Church will always find a voice here.

*Translation provided by Maike Hickson.

 

The intrigue continues - and deepens.


http://www.onepeterfive.com/breaking-knights-maltas-grand-master-resigned/

BREAKING: Knights of Malta’s Grand Master Reported to Have Resigned
Steve Skojec January 24, 20170 Comments

It would seem that Malta has become the battleground where some of the deepest divisions in the Church have been playing out. From Cardinal Burke’s exile to the role of Patronus of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the landmark Maltese bishops’ guidelines on Amoris Laeititia to the battle that’s been going on between the order and Rome after the Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Malta, Albrecht Boeselager, was forced out following the revelation of his involvement in the distribution of condoms, it seems to be one thing after another in news related to the tiny Mediterranean island nation.

But now, the “knights who won’t retreat” appear to have done exactly this, with the order’s Grand Master, Fra’ Matthew Festing, reported to have resigned his post today at the request of Pope Francis. The position of Grand Master is for life, making this move — especially after the order’s strong statement of resistance to a Vatican inquiry — very strange.

The official website of the order does not yet have the announcement in their news section, and the above-linked report from the Spanish-language website InfoVaticana is notably sparse, consisting mostly of background, with the exception of the following sentence:

Acccording to what InfoVaticana has heard, Pope Francis has asked him to offer his resignation.

This entire episode with the Order of Malta has been, I must admit, incredibly hard to follow for the casual observer. I do not expect it to be made much clearer following this unexpected news.

UPDATE: Reuters is now reporting the story:

The head of the Knights of Malta, who has been locked in a bitter dispute with the Vatican, has resigned, a spokesperson for the Rome-based Catholic chivalric and charity institution said on Wednesday.

The spokesperson said Grand Master Matthew Festing had resigned after Pope Francis asked him to step down at a meeting on Tuesday. Grand Masters of the institution, which was founded in the 11th century, usually keep their positions for life.

“The pope asked him to resign and he agreed,” the spokesperson said, adding that the next step was a formality in which the group’s Sovereign Council would have to sign off on the highly unusual resignation. The order would be run by its number two, or Grand Commander, until a new head is elected.

It seems this is a done deal. The question of why remains unclear.

POSTSCRIPT: I know the order has been, following the loss of Malta in 1800, based in Rome, but it retains its title for a reason. I note the connection between what is happening in Malta proper and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta because it seems, at least to me, more than just a coincidence.

POSTSCRIPT 2: I have also updated the title and part of the body of this post to better reflect the speculative nature of this report. We are hearing from a reputable source — InfoVaticana broke the story on the pope’s letter to the Argentinian bishops last year — that this has transpired. I’ve been unable to obtain independent verification of this story directly from the order, but I have heard tentative confirmation from some people with contacts within the order. I hope that the updated text makes more clear that this has not yet been fully verified.

 

Would a good pope BAIT fellow Catholics? Would a good papa BAIT his own children? Would the Good Shepherd BAIT his own sheep?

 

Uh oh....looks like C. Burke's "Church' authority is being diminished a bit more in his relatively new position:

Vatican: Pope Francis to name delegate to run Order of Malta

The Order's Grand Master, Fra' Matthew Festing, offered his resignation to the Pope on Tuesday

......Fra’ Matthew had cited the Order’s status as a sovereign entity in refusing to cooperate with what he said was an act of internal governance. Many canon lawyers had backed him up, questioning the Pope’s right to intervene.

But Fra’ Matthew defiance had been fraught from the start, given that he took a promise of obedience to the Pope as a top-level knight, and regardless was the leader of a prominent Catholic order who was entering into a public fray with the leader of the Catholic Church.

The dispute once again pitted Pope Francis against Cardinal Raymond Burke, a leading conservative and Pope Francis critic who also happens to be the Pope’s envoy to the order.

........Cardinal Burke had been by Fra’ Matthew’s side on December 6 when Fra’ Matthew first asked, then demanded Boeselager’s resignation. Boeselager refused, but was ousted two days later under a disciplinary procedure he contends violated the order’s own rules.

........Pope Francis appointed a commission to investigate after Boeselager said he had been told by Fra’ Matthew, in Cardinal Burke’s presence, that the Holy See wanted him to resign over the scandal. The Vatican secretary of state has said the Pope wanted nothing of the sort and wanted the dispute to be resolved through dialogue.

Last week, the Holy See said it expected the order to cooperate with its probe, and in a sharply worded statement said it planned to take action to resolve the dispute.

more:
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/new...ancis-to-name-delegate-to-run-order-of-malta/

 

The coup de grâce:

http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/sacked-grand-chancellor-of-knights-of-malta-reinstated

Sacked Grand Chancellor of Knights of Malta Reinstated

by Christine Niles, M.St. (Oxon.), J.D. • ChurchMilitant.com • January 25, 2017 58 Comments
ROME (ChurchMilitant.com) - The former Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Malta, dismissed from the order after a condom scandal, has reportedly been reinstated. This takes place only one day after Grand Master Matthew Festing stepped down after nine years as head of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, at the request of the Holy Father. The Order announced Wednesday it would convene a Sovereign Council to formalize his resignation January 28:

The Grand Magistry of the Sovereign Order of Malta announces that Grand Master Fra' Matthew Festing has convened an extraordinary session of the Sovereign Council for 28 January 2017 for the acceptance of his resignation from the office of Grand Master. This is in accordance with Article 16 of the Constitution of the Sovereign Order of Malta.

Christopher Lamb, a writer at the U.K.'s Tablet, tweeted late Wednesday morning: "Hearing that Von Boeselager now reinstated as Grand Chancellor of @orderofmalta with all decisions taken post-Dec 5th revoked."

Church Militant asked for the source of the reports, and Lamb responded, "Sources inside order + Cardinal Parolin's December letter says action against Boeselager should be suspended."

Von Boeselager was dismissed December 6 after separate investigations revealed he had direct knowledge of the distribution of condoms to prostitutes in Myanmar, Kenya and South Sudan via Malteser International, the charitable arm he oversaw between 1989 and 2014. Von Boeselager has denied the charges, in spite of having changed his story, at times admitting no knowledge, at other times admitting he knew of the condom distribution and justifying its necessity.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, published a letter December 12 clarifying that Pope Francis had never asked the Order of Malta to expel anyone, but rather to resolve conflict through "dialogue."

In a follow-up letter sent December 21 to the Grand Master, Parolin wrote, "As I expressed to you in my letter of 12 December 2016: 'as far as the use and diffusion of methods and means contrary to the moral law, His Holiness has asked for dialogue as the way to deal with, and resolve, eventual problems. But he has never spoken of sending someone away!'"

His Holiness has asked for dialogue.Tweet
He added that all actions by the Grand Master taken from December 5 onwards should be considered "suspended" while the Vatican commission investigated the matter.

In reaction to the establishment of the commission, the Order reaffirmed its sovereignty: The order "considers it appropriate to reiterate that the replacement of the former Grand Chancellor was an internal act of the government of the Order," declared a January 10 statement.

"Thus, considering the legal irrelevance of this [Vatican investigative] Group and of its findings relating to the legal structure of the Order of Malta, the Order has decided that it should not cooperate with it," the statement continued.

The Grand Master, Fra' Matthew Festing, doubled down in a January 14 letter, writing, "In refusing to acknowledge this [Vatican investigative] group of people's jurisdiction, I am trying to protect the Order's sovereignty."

"I will not allow the rebellion of a few influential members of the Order to succeed in their aim, for whatever reason, to drive a wedge between the Holy See and the Order, and the Holy Father and me," he continued.

"Please pray for the Holy Father's intentions, for the continuation of our good relations with the Holy See, and for me," his letter ended.

Tuesday, a spokesman for the Order announced that the pope had asked Festing to resign. "The Pope asked him to resign and he agreed," said the spokesman.

The Vatican released a statement Wednesday on the resignation.

Yesterday (January 24), in audience with the Holy Father, His Highness Fra' Matthew Festing resigned from the office of Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Today (January 25) the Holy Father accepted his resignation, expressing appreciation and gratitude to Fra' Festing for his loyalty and devotion to the Successor of Peter, and his willingness to serve humbly the good of the Order and the Church.

The governance of the Order will be undertaken ad interim by the Grand Commander pending the appointment of the Papal Delegate.

Church Militant contacted the Order of Malta, but as of press time has not confirmed the reports of von Boeselager's reinstatement.

 

And on the "other" Malta story...


http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/...-malta-bishop-mario-grech-did-threaten-priest

Priest Confirms: Malta Bishop Mario Grech Did Threaten Priest

by Christine Niles, M.St. (Oxon.), J.D. • ChurchMilitant.com • January 26, 2017 6 Comments
GOZO, Malta (ChurchMilitant.com) - A priest from Malta is confirming with Church Militant that, contrary to Bp. Mario Grech's claims, he did indeed threaten a priest on the subject of Holy Communion to the divorced and remarried.

Church Militant reported January 19 that the head of the Gozo diocese said he'd strip priests of their faculties if they refused to implement the new Maltese bishops' guidelines, which allow those in an objective state of adultery to approach the sacraments as long as they are "at peace with God." The report originated from Messa in Latino, which spoke with inside sources close to the situation.

Grech issued a public statement the next day declaring such reports "absolutely false."

Since that time, a priest from a Maltese diocese (who has asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation) has confirmed with Church Militant that the bishop was indeed seen threatening a priest over the phone on a recent plane flight. The priest was expressing concerns over the guidelines' contradiction of longstanding Church doctrine and discipline refusing the sacraments to the divorced and civilly remarried. He reportedly told the bishop he would not read the guidelines to his parish.

Bishop Grech was allegedly seen then warning the priest that he'd be disciplined if he refused to read the guidelines to parishioners.

He is being very economical with the truth.Tweet
"He is being very economical with the truth," the source told Church Militant, referring to Grech's public statements repudiating reports about his threats as "absolutely false."

"If he got suspended for not reading it [the guidelines], imagine if you don't implement it!" the source remarked.

Church Militant contacted the Gozo diocese for comment, but as of press time has received no response.

 

http://www.onepeterfive.com/malta-besieged-an-ancient-and-sovereign-order-toppled/

Malta Besieged: An Ancient and Sovereign Order Toppled by Rome
Steve Skojec January 28, 2017 0 Comments

 

http://mahoundsparadise.blogspot.com/2017/01/archbishop-of-malta-pope-as-sun-myung.html

Archbishop of Malta: The Pope as Sun Myung Moon

Archbishop Scicluna (True Father is currently arranging his betrothal to a seminarian)

A few weeks ago, Archbishop Charles Scicluna and the only other Maltese bishop Mario Grech, published controversial guidelines for the interpretation of the Papal exhortation Amoris Laetitia. Among other things, the guidelines stated that the divorced and remarried can receive communion "as long as they are peace with God."

Today, Edward Pentin has an interesting albeit disturbing article where he dissects the first interview on the matter given by Scicluna. I encourage you to read it here.

But the thing that jumped out the most for me was Pentin's account of some additional statements that Scicluna made subsequent to the interview:

Archbishop Scicluna’s wish to avoid addressing previous papal teaching was further witnessed the next day. In a homily on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul in Birkirkara, Malta, Jan. 25, he said: "Whoever wishes to discover what the true will of Christ is for him, the true heart of Jesus, he should ask the Church, not blogs.” To which any Catholic would answer, "of course." Then came the kicker:

“He must ask the Pope and the bishops who are in communion with the Pope,” he added.

“Whoever wishes to discover what Jesus wants from him, he must ask the Pope, this Pope, not the one who came before him, or the one who came before that. This present Pope. "

Now, this latter claim would have made even the most extreme Ultramontanist blush. All past Church pronouncements are meaningless. The current Pope is infallible on all relevant things, at least until he dies, at which point his declarations become a dead letter, and the opinions and statements of the next Pope become the new standard.


That may be Amoris, but it's not Catholic.

But actually it's even weirder than that. Note that Scicluna doesn't speak of a Church member understanding "teachings" or "doctrine," but rather of a faithful Catholic "discovering" (and only by asking the Pope) "what Jesus wants for him."

Pope Francis as Sun Myung Moon.

The difference of course is that instead of your True Father arranging a first marriage for you, Francis is giving you a bit of help with your second one.

Or your third one.

Or however many it might take for you to finally be "at peace with God."

And then there's this other minor problem. The only person you're allowed to go to for guidance is the Pope. But in the most well-known instance of a Catholic or group of Catholics asking the Pope for guidance - by asking five yes or no questions - the Pope refused to answer. And those who asked the questions (along with their perceived allies) appear now to be undergoing a purge.

As far as I know, even Moon wasn't that difficult.

 

Jesus in the Gospel's called the divorced and remarried adulterers. How come we refuse to do the same? Is this because of the political correct (PC) world that we give favorable names to not offend, like we do to abortion by calling them pro-choice. Seems to me the stigma of adultery must come back to call it what Jesus did, lest we forget the graveness of this choice. Surely no one would give communion to an adulterer, but they would to a divorced and remarried.

 

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