(Image courtesy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta website)
Fra’ Matthew Festing, Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, offered his resignation at the pope’s request earlier this week. Today, the Sovereign Council of the Order — the only body with the authority to permit his resignation — has accepted his decision.
Further, the Sovereign Council has annulled Festing’s decrees and reinstated Albrecht von Boeseleager, who was removed last December from his position as Grand Chancellor of the order after an investigation showed that he had overseen the distribution of contraceptives through the Order’s humanitarian agency, Malteser International, and had been involved in other unspecified conduct deemed unfitting of his position.
It is critical to note that the action that was taken last December was prompted by papal mandate; Francis met with Cardinal Burke, the Cardinal Patron of the Order, and told him that he had a “duty to promote the spiritual interests of the order and remove any affiliation with groups or practices that run contrary to the moral law.”
When action was taken, the Vatican moved swiftly to turn the tables on Fra’ Festing and Cardinal Burke, claiming that all they had asked for was “dialogue”. The Vatican then moved swiftly to create a commission to investigate the Order — a sovereign entity with nation status — stacking that commission with friends and allies of Boeselager.
This is a story with significant implications, and I am at this moment preparing a more detailed report on the matter. For now, I reproduce in full the text of the statement just issued on the Order’s website. Take special note of the language of gratitude towards “Pope Francis and the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin for their interest in and care for the Order. The Order appreciates that the Holy Father’s decisions were all carefully taken with regard to and respect for the Order, with a determination to strengthen its sovereignty.”
This statement is exceptionally difficult to reconcile with the observable facts of the case, which I will outline in my forthcoming report.
Fra’ Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein assumes the office of Lieutenant ad interim, Albrecht Boeselager resumes his office as Grand Chancellor
The Sovereign Council, the government of the Sovereign Order of Malta, met this afternoon in the Magistral Palace in Rome. On the agenda was the resignation from Office of Grand Master presented by Fra’ Matthew Festing, in accordance with article 16 of the Constitution of the Order of Malta. The Sovereign Council accepted his resignation from office. Conforming to the Constitution, the Pope has been notified of the resignation of Fra’ Matthew Festing, which will be communicated to the 106 Heads of State with whom the Order has diplomatic relations. In accordance with Article 17 of the Constitution, the Grand Commander, Fra’ Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein, has assumed the office of Lieutenant ad interim and will remain the Order of Malta’s head until the election of the successor of the Grand Master. The Sovereign Council thanked Fra’ Matthew Festing for his great commitment during his nine years in office.
Subsequently, the Sovereign Council presided over by the Lieutenant ad interim annulled the decrees establishing the disciplinary procedures against Albrecht Boeselager and the suspension of his membership in the Order. Albrecht Boeselager resumes his office as Grand Chancellor immediately.
In a letter sent yesterday, 27 January 2017, to Fra’ Ludwig Hoffman von Rumerstein and the members of the Sovereign Council, Pope Francis reaffirmed the special relationship between the Sovereign Order of Malta and the Apostolic See. The Pope affirmed that the Lieutenant ad interim assumes responsibility over the Order’s government, in particular regarding relationships with other States. Pope Francis noted precisely that his Special Delegate will be operating on “the spiritual renewal of the Order, specifically of its professed members.” The Sovereign Order of Malta ensures its full collaboration with the Special Delegate whom the Holy Father intends to appoint.
The Sovereign Order of Malta is most grateful to Pope Francis and the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin for their interest in and care for the Order. The Order appreciates that the Holy Father’s decisions were all carefully taken with regard to and respect for the Order, with a determination to strengthen its sovereignty.
The Lieutenant ad interim together with the Sovereign Council will soon convoke the Council Complete of State for the election of the successor of the Grand Master, according to Art. 23 of the Constitution.
They stood up to the invading hordes of Mohammedans, but couldn’t withstand the man from Argentina. Sad.
Another “victory” for the German apostates who seem to be the “grand puppeteers” and, along with their man from Argentina, are steadfastly marching toward that one world religion. As Fr. RP has stated, Cardinal Burke’s days are likely numbered.
There were tremendouse German connections to Argentina, both before and after WWII. It is being openly implied that Hitler and his entourage made it to Argentina and dominated the political arena there. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Cardinal Bergoglio had connections to Germany many years ago.
Daydreaming and out of your depth.
You are the one with your eyes wide shut. Or you’ve come to this site with the purpose of sowing chaos. It is provable the Germans had a palpable presence in Argentina for years prior to WWII. Bishop Bergoglio would have been in a position to know of any German infiltration. It is not so far fetched.
I am in Argentina.
Are you familiar with Miles Christi order?
Is that the Order connected with Fr. John Hardon SJ?
Miles Christi is a pretty new order originally based in Argentina. They give retreats in the US and elsewhere- Ordinary Form Mass. I believe their US presence is now based in California and Michigan.
Miles Christi is not a traditionalist order. Father John Hardon did invite the order to the USA, according to Wikipedia, a fact that I was not aware of until now.
I attended one of their retreats in 2008. Again, I emphasize that this is not a traditionalist order.
MC is a “semi” traditional order born in Argentina
What is semi traditional?
https://www.mileschristi.org/
Would you please elaborate on this? They do MAss in Latin as well and Ad Orietum I understand. I would appreciate this.
I don’t know all that much about the order, but checking their website just now I still don’t see any indication that MC priests celebrate the TLM. They may celebrate Latin Novus Ordo Masses but when I attended the retreat, Mass was OF, ad populum. That was several years ago. I received their newsletter for a couple of years afterward, and nothing in it- at that time- would indicate that Miles Christi is a traditionalist order. Their retreats present the Ignatian Exercises, and the one I attended might best be described as orthodox but not traditionalist. That’s all I know.
Yes. You are correct in the history of the order.
Yes
Incorrect spelling..
Sorry
No no not your spelling! I was apologizing for mine regarding order I was asking you about.
Enough said!
As Shrek would say, “Well that explains a lot”. Your presence in Argentina does not guarantee either your impartiality nor the depth of your scholarship nor superficial historical knowledge of these events. You certainly do seem to side with Pope Francis, even when it is contrary to reason, goodwill, the charity of Christ or the moral law.
Indeed but I may just know a little little bit more about my country than… you?And I am not at all claiming scholarship based on birth please.. Not at all..But, as is the case with many, most I would say in the first world, have and had little idea about Latam countries and Bergoglio himself until now.
Yo vivi en Mexico por tres meses antes tu era nacer en 1970.
??. Spanish? 3 months in Mexico.. after that I do not understand, sorry. SO I guess you are trying to say that 3 month in Mexico. which btw has little, very little in common with Argentina qualifies you for what exactly?
Yo fuera alli hace 47 anos. Hablo espanol solo con los perros que viven proximo. Muchas gracias por su bondadoso consideracion de mi espanol.
The information regarding Argentina and Peron’s activities and relationships with Nazis is public knowledge. If you need academic sources I know they could be obtained.
well good.. Not sure what to make of you talking to dogs living next to you. Hope you are talking about animals..And I know about Peron, indeed, history has always been a hobby for me. A man if many faces but, in the end left a trace in the world. Founder if the so called 3rd position , his movement was created with doctrine and organizations most of which are still alive.
This could be true. However, it is not germane to the matter at hand. What the Pope has done is atrocious, and if some historical allegiance does not explain it, then there is another twisted thread that will. I don’t believe for a single moment that there is any true willingness on the part of the Order to capitulate as they have, and so the question remains what deeper and far more sinister matter there is to this story than we now know. The posturing of support out of the Vatican for the Knights all the while sharpening the knife used to gut them would be worthy of Hitchcock, were it not so, so, so much more important.
I think you must acknowledge that Peron was a great opportunist and rode many different horses. He gave sanctuary to many Jews but at the same time he gave passports to thousands of Nazis at the end of WWII; Eichmann, Mengele amongst. However whether Pope Francis has any connection with this is pure speculation as far as I am concerned. However his autobiographer Austen Ivereigh has said he is a politician modelled after Peron! Although even that seems a bit of a stretch and is perhaps more down to Austen’s imagination than anything else.
Well you seem to be familiar with some Latam history . Yes , he rode many horses.But Francis connected to nazis…
Huummmmm… what’s going on? First they tell him to mind his own business now they are shining his boots with their own sweat. Weird.
Unfortunately, it appears that they couldn’t get the white flag of surrender out fast enough. Now, it will most probably be time to come after Cardinal Burke for whatever they decide the charges will be against him. Only one of the Knights of ‘Justice’ voted against the resignation (correction, Edward Pentin has corrected his original comment from ‘one’ to a ‘handful’ who voted against Fra Festing’s resignation), and one presumes the rest of the dreadful decisions made by the Council.
Am I banned from here too? I went to Catholic World Report to ask if Grand Master Festing (now former Grand Master) had any allies in the KoM for a re-Catholicizing of the KoM. I don’t believe the question was obscene, combative or inflammatory but nevertheless my comment was deleted. Do you have an answer to this question? I believe the KoM is an extremely valuable resource for the Catholic Church at this time under present circumstances, even if the opposition to Pope Francis is only symbolic.
1P5 plays no role in any decision that CWR makes regarding anything. So, you being banned there means nothing here. I have no idea as to Fra Festing’s allies, only one member of the Council voted against his resignation…(Pentin is now reporting that a ‘handful’ voted against his resignation instead of only one.)
I suppose it means nothing to this discussion that Bergoglio, before this whole thing started, appointed Boesalager’s brother to the Board of the Vatican Bank at a time when there’s 120 or so million, donated to the KoM, sitting in a Swiss bank. That’s just a coincidence, right?
Fomenting dissent and rebellion against the Supreme Pontiff or some other such nonsense, no doubt. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I refuse to believe Francis would have gone after the KofM like this if Burke was not, on paper at least, in some way associated with them.
All the HF needs to do is order Crl Burke to silence. Nothing more.if he breaks it…. Disobedience. Consequences..
Well, the optics of that would look REALLY wonderful, now, wouldn’t they? The Most Humblest and Mercifulest Pope Evah™ ordering one of his subordinates to be silent for simply asking His Humblessness to affirm he still believes in Catholic teaching . . . That wouldn’t look too merciful, now, would it?
Nope, just a Pope fully exercising his might. simple
Oh, of course. Mercy for those who agree with him, no mercy for those who do not. Sounds consistent and reasonable to me. (sarcasm off)
Oh he has been patient enough I guess with this challenging group.3 years… Maybe he just got tired?
???
(Grammar is your friend, Marcelus, if you want people to understand what you are trying to communicate.)
Forgive me English is not. my mother tongue
Gosh.
HE has been patient enough?? Patient about what? It is they who have been patient against his stony silence.
And it’s been 4 months since they first approached him with 5 valid questions related to the 2000 year immutable teachings of the Church.
Obviously you’re another stooge for the heretic pope. Who are you? Who do you represent?
I don’t know how long you’ve been a Catholic but here’s how it works. You don’t question the Pope, the Pope questions you. Capiche?
That makes us sound like the stooges Protestants always made us out to be. We certainly revere the Papal Office & Papal Infallibility when spoken from the Seat of Peter, but as Cardinal Burke has often stated the opinions of the pope are his own & the Dubia want clarity on a Papal Exhortation not written by PF but a mouthpiece who compiled it well before the First Synod on the Family from writings of his in 1995 which make it impossible for this document to become part of the Magisterium of the CC, as is PF’s intent.
With all due respect, you need to learn your Catholic history. First, yes Luther was taking a big chance in his rebellion. He could have been burned at the stake like Jan Hus was so protestants are correct in this case.
Second, papal documents being written by a ghost writer is standard operating procedure. See Pius XI for example.
I expect Pope Pius XI read each document before affixing his signature.
There is no comparison between the Dubia & Luther’s 95 theses which he posted on the church doors in Wittenberg. AL need clarification & that has been confirmed by academics, theologians, ethicists of great repute who have studied the document very thoroughly. The four Cardinals are not looking for a schism but for straight answers. PF is momentarily accountable to God for upholding the Deposit of Faith etc. passed on by the First Apostles which he has failed miserably in doing. In this day & age no-one is going to be burned at the stake but someone may be required to resign.
Honestly, you seem nice enough but if you are a woman, you really shouldn’t be posting. Don’t you consider yourself a traditionalist?
Why not respond to her message, Willard, instead of insulting her?
If she shouldn’t be posting, neither should you. Especially when it seems you have nothing to say.
Speak for yourself, Willard. I question who I want to question when the question is addressed to the man who is working very hard to destroy the Church I love.
Be lucky you live in the era of Pope Francis then. Alexander VI would have had you burned at the stake.
capito
Normally. But not when the Pope is himself the center of trouble.
Well as usual, meet and angry trad… all you get is insults. WHo are you could ask as well
Okay, that’s fine. Now that you’ve gotten it off your chest, how about answering the question? I’d like to know the reason for you trying to defend the indefensible.
As to myself, I’m a faithful Catholic. “Angry trad” is both inaccurate and insulting. But you know that.
Francis reportedly made Festing include that he dismissed Boeselager “under the influence of Card. Burke” in his resignation letter. He’ll probably make “good” use of that bit.
So Francis made Festing say that?? Are you sure???
Well, that’s what Edward Pentin/NC Register was told. http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/pope-francis-declares-all-of-fra-festings-recent-acts-null-and-void
“The Register has been told” ……Days ago there was another one here read : “a friend of mine just told me”….no need to do that
If that’s the degree of confidence you give to serious reporters, you should just stick to official Vatican reports. This information may not always be 100% accurate, but it’s certainly not a random “a friend told me”.
If I see reports that are reliable , good.but someone said… A reliable source told us…
Obviously you do not know Edward Pentin. He has impeccable credentials. There is too much at stake for him to make stuff up, as you are doing.
Pentin is a treasure of the Church and a credit to journalism. He is doing remarkable work.
Somebody close to a friend in Rome has allegedly told you that I would say,. please,, grown men believing this tales.
Typical reply from a Bergoglio stooge.
Of course. I can’t imagine what he has on Festing.
That’s no conspiracy theory, although I think Boeseleager had significant enough connections that the Pope also wanted to help him out. Would not have happened this way, though, if Burke were not the ultimate target.
Bingo!! Clearly Bergoglio has Cardinal Burke in his sights. The Cardinal has had time to gather his thoughts and plan accordingly. I doubt he’ll go down without a fight. Pray for him.
Really? You think he needed a “reason”, besides the fact that Cardinal Burke actually believes what the Church has taught for 2000 years? I don’t think this pope needs any other reason. Cdl, Burke dared to disagree. That was enough.
I think there is likely more. Read Ann Barnhardt.
I presume Pope Francis will take his red hat. On what grounds could he be excommunicated?
Popes don’t need grounds to excommunicate. A cursory reading of papal history will tell you that.
How so???
The Pope’s jurisdiction is direct and immediate.
Example please?
Girolamo Savonarola
I doubt very much if the Lutherans would agree with you. Maybe this display of arrogance by a sitting pope will give them the opportunity of rethinking their welcome at Lund.
Lund is the last place to look for orthodox Lutherans.
Nor the Vatican for Orthodox Catholics.
From the Catholic Encyclopedia, I discern that excommunication never was applied in an arbitrary or irrational manner as you seem to suggest it was. It was intended to wake up the person excommunicated to warn them of a danger to their soul and not as an act of personal revenge as Pope Francis’ action appears to be.
Personal revenge is the name of this papacy. Bergoglio is unlike any pope in the history of the Church. I suppose we should expect that from a Protestant.
Wait a minute! That would be not only cruel and unjust and vindictive and sinful but, worst of all, unmerciful and no humble pope would do that!
Well… Crdl Burke and trads knew the consequences wen they challenged Francis.. It is almost amusing to see how they get hyped up on anything, like the nonexistent KOM whom most traditionalists probably expected to invade the Vatican. I mean, if you get in the ring with THE POPE, you may expect to get punched. The minute you do, you come out crying.Simple.
Take it to Patheos, Marcelus. We aren’t interested.
Yes the Pope Francis is in charge. No doubt about that.
Crdl Burke can be dismissed with the stroke of pen by the HF . He has done it twice before. Do not forget. The HF would not hesitate,But worldwide,he is not known.
You mean in your new world order is not known?
And there isn’t anything holy or fatherly about Bergolio.
Indeed there is..but since 3/13 a tiny faction refused to admit that no matter what.
Tiny faction…you mean remnant? You can have your buildings and money, we will keep our Faith.
What do you mean by “world wide he is not known”? Are you suggesting PF would remove Cardinal Burke if he were more popular world wide as a traditional?
Pope Francis is a horrible nightmare.
This is not the end of this story. Read your history; this is not a dispute in a Parish Council.:Some will be traitors; some will be heroes; and others will quietly work for Christ – even if they are martyred. This is how they have survived so long. Pray that the knights who are faithful to their motto (Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum) will have virtues of prudence and longsuffering. God bless them – and protect them.. .
May I ask, where is Cdl. Burke in all this? Why has Cdl. Burke appear to be distancing himself from the whole chaotic matter?
Cdl. Raymond Burke, is very knowledgeable in Catholic dogma and the Magisterium of the Church, that Pope Francis removed him from his position in the Vatican as Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, that Pope Benedict XVI placed him in. Now, he is Archbshp. & Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and has no response…why?
Cardinal Burke is the Patron of the Order, but he has no governance in the Order itself, so he cannot stop any of this from happening. I am certain that he will give a response to this and other things as well.
Another one bites the dust. Next up for Bergolio Cardinal Burke and the English translation of Paul VI Mass. Look for inclusive language and approved variations from diocese to diocese.
“Reviewing Liturgium Authenticum” translates to “leaving translations up to particular bishops’ conferences or dioceses” in Francis-speak. Does anyone seriously want to wager against this?
I had hoped that Francis wouldn’t go so far as to try to impact the liturgy, as he has shown little more than indifference toward it during his pontificate. But, I suppose this is nothing more than the “decentralization” he’s been preaching since day one. Once again, any semblance of uniformity in the Roman Rite appears headed for the dustbin in favor of “pastoral practice”, and woe to any pastor who insists on using the 2011 English translation if given the option of returning to the 1970s ICEL bastardization or a new translation along the same lines.
He will also get around, officially or by other means, to the abrogation of Summorum Pontificam.
Consider it done.
That is one of many of my great fears with this pontiff, Parrish. I can’t see Francis forbidding the Mass of the Ages for traditionalist societies like the FSSP and ICKSP, but I could easily see him revoking the permission granted to diocesan priests to say the Mass without permission from their bishops and/or mandating that the Tridentine Rite could only be said in designated, isolated chapels. That way, Francis and his bishops could say, “The Latin Mass is still available”, thus paying it lip service, but in reality, they would effectively restrict tradition to isolated, “fringe” locations, thus putting roadblock after roadblock before allowing sacred tradition to spread to larger communities.
That is what has been happening in Spain for over twenty five years. It could well happen also in the few areas worldwide where TLM is allowed that when the sympathetic Bishop dies he will be replaced by a progressive who will shut out Traditional Orders from his Diocese. The rot started at the top & must be rooted out there so that the Universal Church will again be universal. This will happen once Russia is consecrated to the Immaculate Heart.
There is no Tridentine Mass in my Diocese. No group to fight the battle. Few Catholics seem to care. Only about 5 per cent of population are Catholics. Nearest about 3 hours away.
The groundwork has already been laid by Jesuits. You can read at the link some of what they have planned.
https://www.scribd.com/document/336413490/Jesuit-Fr-Robert-Daly-s-Eucharistic-Prayer-for-21st-century
I’m told the IT guys are working on getting the “Sovereign” part scrubbed from their website. https://nonvenipacem.com/2017/01/28/the-vichy-order-of-malta/
The weeping and gnashing of teeth is not far from the Merry Gay Gang of Vatican Hill.
“The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.…” Matthew 13, 41-43
The statement on the SMOM website has all the airs of a (smoke-filled) backroom compromise. The ‘Sovereign’ Council acquiesced to nearly all Francis/Parolin’s demands, reformulating them as the Council’s own decision in order to preserve the bare appearance (fig leaf comes to mind) of “sovereignty.” The only point on which Francis/Parolin appeared to have compromised is on the powers of the Pope’s “Special Delegate” which have been reduced from presumably plenary, to merely “spiritual” (whatever that might mean). It will take weeks (perhaps months) to sort through the ramifications of this as more details are eventually leaked to the press, however, some tentative observations include the following:
First, the Pope already has a “Delegate” to the Order. Under the Constitutional Charter and Code, the “Supreme Pontiff appoints as his representative to the Order a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church on whom are conferred the title of Cardinalis Patronus” (para 4, Art. 4). The Supreme Pontiff’s “representative” is Cardinal Burke. One can only imagine why Francis/Parolin believe that the Supreme Pontiff requires yet another representative, although perhaps in their eyes, Cardinal Burke is not sufficiently “special.”
Second, the Cardinal Patronus, appointed by Francis himself, already has the constitutional task “of promoting the spiritual interests of the Order” (para 4, Art. 4). If the order requires “spiritual renewal,” then that has every appearance of falling under the competence of the Supreme Pontiff’s existing representative to the Order, again Cardinal Burke.
Third, the choice of the Holy See’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin, to handle this matter would appear to be both ill advised and perhaps revealing of possible ulterior motives. If the aim of Francis’s intervention were truly the “the spiritual renewal of the Order, specifically of its professed members,” then the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life would have been an organ more attuned to that end. On the other hand, perhaps Cardinal João Braz de Aviz proved to be less amendable to Francis’s true objectives (whatever they may be), than Cardinal Parolin.
Fourth, whatever remnants of “sovereignty” that the Sovereign Council has managed to salvage, it is far from the type of “sovereignty” recognized by international law. It is more the “sovereignty” of a vassal state, of the type enjoyed by the Soviet vassal states of occupied Eastern Europe before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although modern state “sovereignty” is not a category of traditional Catholic thought, it was nevertheless conferred upon the order by Pope John XXIII in 1961 through his approval of the existing Constitutional Charter. This conferral presumably served the mission of the universal Church by establishing an Order that could act within the public international legal system to better pursue Church aims.
Fifth, rather than working through the mechanisms established by John XXIII or reforming them, Francis/Parolin have simply ignored them in the crudest possible way, jeopardizing (as Ed Condon has argued) all the legal advantages accruing to both the Church and the Order, all in pursuit of a rather modest stated aim of internal reform of the spiritual life of a tiny minority of Order members. One begins to suspect that in this reckless ‘bull-in-the-china-shop” exercise Francis/Parolin were playing for much higher stakes, than merely offering the opportunity of improved spiritual direction to a handful of professed knights.
Sixth, if “spiritual renewal” is indeed the objective, then one struggles to see how that renewal is furthered by the retro-active, de facto legitimatization of the Order’s distribution of contraceptives (and perhaps even abortifacients).
Illuminating.
Cardinal João Braz de Aviz is among the staunchest comrades of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Doubtlessly he would do anything he was asked with enthusiasm and the requisite lack of conscience.
The Pope affirmed that the Lieutenant ad interim assumes responsibility over the Order’s government, in particular regarding relationships with other States. Pope Francis noted precisely that his Special Delegate will be operating on “the spiritual renewal of the Order, specifically of its professed members.” The Sovereign Order of Malta ensures its full collaboration with the Special Delegate whom the Holy Father intends to appoint…the Papal rep is Burke!!!
I’m confused. Is the Papal rep the same person (i.e. Cardinal Burke?) as the Special Delegate that the “Holy” Father has in mind?
Nope. Pretty clear it’s some new appointee yet to be named, but it sounds like they will have the same job as Cardinal Burke with more power. This whole thing is an attack on the good Cardinal. That’s all it ever was. Burke is one of the only real threats to PF’s plans, so the Vatican has launched an all out assault.
What utter nonsense!!!
So the KOM fell like a sand castle in 2 weeks..
In retrospect seems as though the Pope sent Cdl. Burke to “clean up Dodge”—to an Order with numerous spiritual and social problems. Cdl. Burke now makes for an easy scapegoat, because years later the Order still comes across like a huge mess. I’m sure we will never know most of the actual details.
“I’m sure we will never know most of the actual details.”
And that is exactly the problem in the Church.
There is no shortage of individuals who could blow the roof off of this cabal but they keep their mouths shut. There is no longer any excuse to support this scandal with silence. The Bergoglians have to be flushed and without delay. No scandal could be worse than the centuries ahead with an eviscerated Church bereft of fidelity to its Lord, His Gospel, the Apostolic Tradition and the perennial Magisterium. That is what we face if this crew is not brought to temporal justice now.
Issuing the Dubia as protocol demands in a fraternal manner & calling for clarification of the point raised the four Cardinals are only doing their duty to PF & the CC. The problem for PF is he didn’t write the Papal Exhortation AL so shouldn’t have signed it & if he does answer the questions honestly he must resign. They have him in a corner from which there is no escape route. Hence, all the aggro we’ve had from him trying to detract attention from his dilemma. The sodomite crew he has gathered around him won’t open their mouths for obvious reasons so we have to rely on the four Cardinals pursuing the formal correction (which has possibly been served) & not waiting around another four months until they call an Imperfect Council to tell us not to follow PF. They will then have to inform us of the steps they intend taking to ensure that the valid & licit Holy Sacrifice of the Mass & Sacraments are maintained & available to all Catholics.
It is extremely doubtful that any of PF’s immediate advisers will receive civil sentences for their crimes unless, that is, if Italy decides to copy what has been done to the Knights of Malta. That would be a great pay-back for them, but we shall have to wait and see.
Ana, when you say “The problem for PF is he didn’t write the Dubia so shouldn’t have signed it & if he does answer the questions honestly he must resign.”…do you mean Amoris Laetitia instead of Dubia in this sentence?
Sorry, yes of course. I have made the correction. Thanks for pointing that out.
Well of course, the Cardinals – far too few – did follow protocol in the spirit of Christian charity as is required.
“The problem for PF is he didn’t write the Papal Exhortation…”
Yes, what else is new?
He doesn’t have the cognitive apparatus to produce a document of over two hundred pages of any coherence – his “homilettes” are unintelligible within their own genesis – and he is decidedly not a theologian. Pope Francis enlisted his favorite “theologian” Tucho Fernandez, author of “Heal Me with Your Mouth” to write the paper. Apparently Pope Francis was sufficiently familiar with Tucho’s oeuvre to enlist him as the composer of Amoris Laetitia. He was sufficiently familiar with him to make him Titular Archbishop of Tiburnia just three months after the 2013 conclave. In any event it would be reasonable to assume that the Pope would read what he commissioned, but assuming much of him about anything is a risk.
While I would not describe his “crew” as sodomites, it is reasonable to assume that there are serious irregularities in the mode of administration he and his operatives employ within the curia. Given the public character of the pontificate, it is fair game to bring his and their comportment and perspectives under serious scrutiny. This is what I was getting at when I called for those “in the know” to start to shed real light on what is going on. It is regrettable that such tactics are called for, but if the information is indeed true and verifiable it need be shared – the good and the bad.
The temporal consequences I was alluding to are not “civil” consequences – but perhaps canonical pressure – and the consequences that will result from an accurate understanding of the Bergoglian operation – which would likely be the eradication of any remaining credibility. Perhaps a resignation and some assurance that the scandalous debacle would not be repeated — though the latter is certainly not assured given the mass of ecclesiastics who regard the Church as their sandbox rather than what it is, the gift of Jesus Christ for the salvation of souls.
“This statement is exceptionally difficult to reconcile with the observable facts of the case.”
You can say that again.
By the way, I just read this in a comment over at The American Thinker: “Sociopaths seek to dominate others and “win” at all cost. No matter the destruction they cause” ….does it remind you of anybody?
Let’s not forget under Boesalager IVF reproductive technology, which requires masturbation and the creation of many embryos with their subsequent destruction or freezing, was promoted, marketed at a Catholic London Hospial. It will be back to business as usual I guess.
That is the issue, in sum.
It is all of one piece with the unborn millions of dead babies, lying in graves. The culture of death is insistent on imposing its will on the creation it hates.
Choose you this day whom you will serve.
And transgender surgery
My only consolation is that now in the Internet era most of these evil maneouvers are documented and available to the public in one site or another. The Order of Malta has already deleted from their website the statements where they were critical of the Vatican interference in their sovereignty,
A kiss on the cheek and a knife in the back. Courteous pleasantries offered over a bag of dung. Anyone who has had to deal with the heterodox in religious life or on a diocesan level has either witnessed this or been its recipient. Utter magotry.
And the guy in white is mourning the lack of vocations? Who would allow a son or daughter to submit themselves to such filth? One would hesitate to give custody of a fish tank to this crew over a short weekend.
The cowardliness exhibited by “the Knights” is befitting a bunch of schoolyard girls.
The mendacity of Vatican officials is worthy of a bunch of South American fascists.
The number of millstones required for this crew is not to be found.
I fear the time has come for our beloved Cardinal Burke, and with him the dubia. This is going to be an extremely painful time for us all, but let’s honor the man by not looking away in grief. He deserves our witness, and in any case his conduct might provide valuable instruction in how we are to hold up our own heads in the months to come.
A massive ramping up of prayers for Cardinal Burke is needed. He must be experiencing significant levels of stress. Given that he has little to lose, I hope he issues the formal correction very quickly and publically before he is taken down and effectively silenced.
This little sideshow has been bizarre. What craven lickspittles these “knights” of Malta are! My Cocker Spaniel is braver than these pusillanimous poltroons. May they live in infamy for their cowardice.
The Knights Who Say Nee show more intestinal fortitude than these overdressed invertebrates.
Since they’re clearly not “sovereign”, but merely an extension of the Vatican, their numerous embassies and other trappings of sovereignty can and should be abolished wherever they appear. Fie, away with you “knights”!
Another one bites the dust. But more than that, is corrupted and still has the name.
How is it that men speak like this? The Council’s appreciation for Pope Francis’ “interest in and care for the Order” sounds a little like Pope Benedict’s “your goodness is my home and the place where I feel safe.” Pope Francis **is** Dear Leader.
Ohh it is called acknowledging who is in charge?
Are you asking yourself a question, or did you just have an “I’m Ron Burgundy?” moment?
Men don’t speak like that. Worms do.
“…the Church is bleeding from all her wounds”
Desist …… ! You are all playing into the hands of ‘Old Nick’ ……. just pray ….. as all of this disquiet has been foretold.
You mean ‘Old Scratch’?
Pope Francis: ‘All I asked for was “dialogue” … but that applies to you, not to me.”
¿Que pasa?
Cf. #CardinalBergoglio washes the feet of an unidentified woman on Holy Thursday at the Buenos Aires’ Sarda maternity hospital on March 24, 2005. – http://wp.me/p2Na5H-7P
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You get it now?
The drums are getting louder, closer. It’s not always just someone else who must decide and sacrifice and risk everything.
You never know when it’s going to knock at your door. They weren’t ready for it – they were just a bunch of well-meaning older gentlemen who never thought any conflict would reach them and suddenly they were called upon to decide the future of the Church and civilization. And they blew it.
Our Lady of Fatima: “Nations will be annihilated”
Perhaps we’ve just witnessed the first one.
Papal Delegate will be Francis’ SOLE spokesperson according to Francis’ original letter. Apparently the Vatican Radio site did not include this detail.
Well, that’s Burke dealt with then.
Oh no, that’s not enough. This pope’s not going to be satisfied with that tiny humiliation. No way. He’s not going to be satisfied until Cardinal Burke really pays.
But I do wonder if that will be a bridge too far for even this seemingly untouchable pope.
Not only does he humiliate his perceived enemies, he forces them to thank him for it publicly. The man is a sadist.
I am completely fed up with these weaklings and cowards. They can’t ALL be homosexuals with skeletons in the closet.
What power does he have to turn men’s spines to jelly. I am astounded at this. I admit it.
They don’t fear God, they don’t fear a public outcry, they don’t fear the obvious truth, that can’t be denied any longer, they are out to destroy Catholicism and are doing a bang up job of it.
http://www.barnhardt.biz/2017/01/26/in-overthrowing-and-destroying-the-sovereign-order-of-malta-bergoglio-is-intentionally-setting-up-the-vatican-for-exactly-the-same/
I’ve often said we need a Trump of the left. Looks like we finally found him.
The question is-How does the Pope allow a violation of a Moral teaching be excused? The last time I heard Pope Francis menton condoms was maybe a couple of yrs ago..stating the Church allowed condoms in the congo…
All this just so that Bergoglio could get rid of Cardinal Burke?
Of course.
And a good, decent man like Cardinal Burke is no match for a deceitful, manipulative, angry and evil old politician like Bergoglio.
And the dubia?
Well, as they say in Brooklyn, “Fuhgettaboutit.”
So Bergoglio gets everything he wants: he’s rid of Cardinal Burke (or soon will be) and the dubia go down the memory hole.
“duty to promote the spiritual interests of the order and remove any affiliation with groups or practices that run contrary to the moral law.”
“Pope Francis noted precisely that his Special Delegate will be operating on “the spiritual renewal of the Order, specifically of its professed members.”
The above two sentences copied from above are beyond all irony to anyone familiar with the story of the Knights of Malta in England.
I have said some of this before on this blog but let me say it again. All of this has happened before in microcosm in the UK – now it is repeated at the international level.
The Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth was founded in London in the 1850s and put under the protection of the Knights of Malta by Cardinal Wiseman. They also had their beautiful conventual chapel there. After the Sisters of Mercy left the Hospital in the 1980s problems began to arise with adherence to Catholic Teaching regarding contraceptives, abortion and gender reassignment operations. A group of us – the Restituta Group – none of us knights – campaigned to restore Catholicity. Initially we had the support of Cardinal Basil Hume but unfortunately he died, misdiagnosed, at the Hospital shortly afterwards. His successor Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor ably assisted by his Director of Public Affairs, Austen Ivereigh, did everything to ignore us as things got worse.
We wrote to Albrecht von Boeselager as Grand Hospitaller to help us. All we got was a reply to say that the Knights had no legal control over the Hospital and therefore they could do nothing. This was technically correct but the Chairman of the Hospital and several members of the Board were always Knights. Ethics was a matter for arbitration by the Cardinal. The Cardinal thought he could wash his hands of it by referring the matter to Rome. Fortunately a certain Cardinal Ratzinger suggested the setting up of a commission of inquiry to include Professor John Finnis which came out in full support of us and required a revised Code of Ethics. At the same time we were able to prove to the Government regulators – the Charity Commission – that the Board was lying to them when they said they had done nothing to infringe the code of ethics. This led to the malefactors on the Board having to resign.
In England the Knights are divided into two sections – the lay members or British Association – and the professed Knights or Grand Priory. Members of the Grand Priory including their eventual Grand Prior, Matthew Festing, backed us up to the hilt while members of the British Association or BASMOM tended to be lukewarm or worse.
Anyway once the malefactors had resigned the Board consisted of Knights and others loyal to the teaching of the Church. So what did Cardinal Cormac O’Connor do aided by Austen Ivereigh? They asked the whole Board to resign and their placemen were put on the Board. The Cardinal had no legal right to do this but the Board caved in.
The new Board promptly gutted the Code of Ethics and put in a new Code with the blessing of Cardinal Cormac which had no reference to any of the ethical problems mentioned above. After an appeal to the CDF the Code was amended slightly under the new Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols.
Unfortunately there was then a procedural error over a child protection matter – nothing untoward actually happened – merely someone in their ignorance not following the correct procedure in an investigation. This developed into a scandalous series of totally untrue allegations against members of the Grand Priory and what was effectively a homophobic manhunt, which the Archbishop lent credence to, by excluding the Knights from their own Chapel. Shades of the Knights Templar’s ending? The new Board then removed any rights the Knights had in connection with the Hospital. Again the Knights caved in.
Now we are told that the Professed Knights up to now led by Matthew Festing at the international level are in need of spiritual renewal. One wonders what this means – perhaps educating them that abortion, contraception etc are really okay in this brave new Church?
And we all know of the connection between Cardinal Cormac, Austen Ivereigh and Pope Francis.
The better we are informed of the KoM the more accurate will be our judgments.
thanks for posting that. We would be naive to think that any movement or association in the Church is not a divided camp regarding morals and Church teaching.
Here is a sinister twist involving the perpetually troubled & mismanaged Vatican Bank.
From Rorate Caeli site:
Money Money Money! This explains Malta!
What a major coincidence!
Exactly one week before (Dec. 15, 2016) the naming of the illegitimate commission (Dec. 22, 2016) created by the Pope in the Vatican Secretariat of State to “investigate” the dismissal of the Condom-Chancellor Von Boeselager, his brother had been named by the same Pope, as a member of the Board of Superintendents of the Vatican Bank (the IOR, that carries the Vatican monies).
– See more at: http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.c…
So our Pope is publicly supportive of those spreading ‘contraception’ ? Is that not a intrinsic evil ?
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Why does everyone keep confusing sovereignty and immunity?