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This just in from CNN.

Alleged pope incarnate excommunicated
Bishop also issues warning to woman claiming to be Virgin Mary

MAYAGUEZ, Puerto Rico (AP)—A Roman Catholic bishop here has excommunicated members of a communal sect whose leader allegedly claims to be a manifestation of the late Pope John Paul II. Sect leader Edwin Gonzalez Concepcion and his followers can no longer receive communion or participate in church activities, according to the order issued by Mayaguez Bishop Ulises Casiano Vargas. Gonzalez, a former firefighter in the town of Aguada, has told his followers that he became a manifestation of John Paul when the pope died in April and that Pope Benedict XVI is the “antichrist,” according to the order, which priests in the diocese read to their congregations Sunday. Members of the group couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. The bishop also alleged that another sect leader, Gladys Miranda, claims she is the Virgin Mary, and that followers of the group make it hard for parishioners to receive communion by lying face-down in the aisle.

I was delighted to read, yesterday, about Pope Benedict’s choice of Fr. Alex Sample to be the next Bishop of Marquette (MI, USA). I have known Bp. Elect Sample for many years since the days when he lived with us at the rectory of St. Agnes Church in St. Paul, Minnesota and attended a philosophy class or two together at the (then) College of St. Thomas. I will refrain from posting photos from those halcyon days and many pleasant evenings when seminarians and priests would invade the rectory and spend hours shooting the breeze and generally letting off steam about the state of things back then.

Bishop Sample will be the youngest bishop, at 45, in the USA. He follows in good steps, since another Michigan bishop, originally from Minnesota (hmm… a connection?) is Bishop Robert Carlson of Saginaw. In his time he was also the youngest bishop in the USA.

In the meantime, I am not sure that the folks in the chancery of the Diocese of Marquette know what has hit them, since at the time of this writing they haven’t yet updated their website.

I wish His Excellency many good years of service, hard though they will be.

He will be ordained a bishop on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette. He will become the diocese’s 12th bishop.

Pope Benedict XVI’s Message fot he “World Day of Peace” was released yesterday. I was at the press conference.

In this document his theme is “In truth, peace”. Benedict’s focus ultimately is on possibility of peace founded upon the truth, indeed, the Truth who is Christ.

Some salient points:

– The Document is highly Augustinian – making reference both to man’s restless heart without God (Confessions 1) and “tranquilitas ordinis” (Civ. Dei 19) – The Pope says twice that “peace is not merely the absence of war”. – He emphasizes “order”, using the word 5 times in two paragraphs, citing Augustine explicitly. – He has a powerful paragraph on lying and lies. (My parenthetical: Lying, by the way, is the only thing for which Augustine can find no legitimate exception. – He says that international humanitarian law ought to be “binding” but at the same time he says that the U.N., to be useful, must be reformed. – In getting at the roots of conflict and the lack of peace, he references two extremes: Nihilism and Religious Fanaticism, which both distort the truth. Nihilism denies the existence of truth and denies God’s existence. Fanaticism imposes claims about truth by force, thus disfiguring God and relacing Him with idols. Both show contempt for human life and dignity. – To find the causes of violence and terrorism (there is a strong focus on terrorism in the message) we must look not only at political and social causes but also deeper religious, cultural, and ideological motivtions.
-Benedict thanks soliders who are dedicated to promoting peace and also military chaplains. – He strongly condemns nuclear arms and all efforts to obtain them.

My opinion about the message: While no Pope can say he is in favor of war, this document leaves plenty of room for the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq. His affirmation of the UN is not without qualification.

I found it quite interesting that this document issues forth in the very week that Iraq goes to vote.