Anonymous “Dictator Pope” author hunted by the Vatican

A few days ago wrote about the hard-hitting recently released on Kindle in Italian and in English.  The author wrote under a pen name.

Controversial Book about Pope Francis: “The Dictator Pope”

In Italian – US HERE – UK HERE
In English – US HERE – UK HERE

Need a Kindle (trick question – YES! You do.)
US HERE – UK HERE

The book is making waves.

I read now at the UK’s best Catholic weekly, the Catholic Herald, an article about the book and the author.

‘They will unmask me eventually,’ says author of ‘The Dictator Pope’

The pseudonymous ‘Marcantonio Colonna’ claims Pope Francis has seen a shortlist of six possible authors

Marcantonio Colonna, the pseudonymous author of The Dictator Pope, has said the Vatican is trying to discover his identity. The book was published as a Kindle edition last week and has caused consternation with its claims about Pope Francis’s reign.

Speaking to the Catholic Herald over email, Colonna claimed that the Pope had been given a list of possible names.

A person in England was misidentified as the author at one point and immediately received threatening telephone calls from Rome,” Colonna said. “I now hear that Vatican officials have laid before the Pope a shortlist of six people who they think may be the possible author. I suspect that it’s not for the purpose of awarding a literary prize.”

Asked whether he thought his anonymity would last, Colonna said: “Under the present Pope, the Vatican machine has taken espionage to a new level, and I have little doubt that they will unmask me eventually, perhaps after a few more false casts. But they will need to ask themselves whether it is at the cost of giving me more publicity.”

[…]

Read the rest there.

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POLL: Starting your confession: “Bless me, Father…” or “Forgive me, Father…”

In another post, I responded to a question from a reader about blessings at the beginning of sacramental confession, following the words, “Bless me, Father, I have sinned…”.

Of course, some people begin their confession differently.

It occurred to me to find out what you readers say?

Let’s have a POLL (now that my poll plugin is working!  THANKS JL – and pppfffft to BY!)

Anyone can vote.  You must be registered and approved to post a comment.

Pick your best answer.

When I begin my confession, I usually say:

View Results

And remember to examine your consciences and…

GO TO CONFESSION!

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Millennials and chapel veils

The first time I learned of the word “Fashionista” was back in the days of the Catholic Online Forum, when staffers Dawn and Gayle (who made the best, the most beautiful rosaries I’ve ever seen – RIP and prayers for her) went at it.

Let’s just say that Fashionista.com isn’t one I’ve bookmarked.  However, someone sent me a link to a story about Catholic “millennials”:

WHY MILLENNIAL CATHOLICS ARE RE-ADOPTING THE TRADITIONAL CHAPEL VEIL
A growing group of young Catholic women are choosing to cover their heads in church.

When former “America’s Next Top Model” contestant Leah Darrow first encountered young women in her Catholic community putting lace veils on their heads when entering church, she was a little weirded out. Having returned to the faith after a mystical experience on a magazine photo shoot [all those flashes?] convinced her to leave modeling behind, Darrow was serious about Catholicism — but wary of a practice she considered outdated at best.

“I was like, ‘Is somebody making you do this? What’s it about?'” Darrow says over the phone.

Since the practice of women covering their heads in Catholic worship spaces used to be the norm, but was largely abandoned by the ’60s, Darrow was uncertain as to what women covering their heads might signify in the 2010s. But the fact that the veil-wearing peers in question were “normal girls you could have a glass of wine with, but also very faithful” gave Darrow pause.

“There was something attractive to me about the life that they lived and how they prayed,” Darrow says. After researching more about the history and significance of veiling in the Catholic tradition, Darrow decided to try it herself. “I’m definitely a girly girl, so wearing a pretty veil sounded kind of fun,” she laughs.

Though Darrow didn’t start wearing a veil to mass every week, she did come to a new appreciation for the practice and now regularly brings a head covering on her visits to Rome, where she leads pilgrimages at least once a year. Her travels as a Catholic speaker and book author have convinced Darrow that veils are experiencing a renaissance amongst Catholic women — especially young American ones.  [Wait ’til she discovers the TLM.]

“There’s a new uprising in the Church of millennials who are actually wanting a more traditional take on their faith,” she says. This poses a striking contrast to Protestant mega-churches that are leveraging streetwear and celebrity connections to stay relevant.

Samantha Skinner, a high school science teacher in North Dakota, is one Catholic millennial interested in a return to tradition. Raised loosely Protestant but not a regular church attendee until she converted to Catholicism in college, Skinner began wearing a veil to mass every week before she’d even completed the classes necessary to formalize her conversion. A conversation with a friend who worked in a “holy bookstore” convinced Skinner to try the practice for herself.

“It just kind of resonated with me,” she says on the phone. For Skinner, the appeal of veiling was initially an emotional one: It made her feel humbled and reverent, like removing a hat during the national anthem or at a funeral might, [which men do, but not women] and made her more able to focus on prayer.

[…]

¡Hagan lío!

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Contemplating mysteries in the face of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Gazing at an image crafted by a true master who intended to open us up into mystery can, over time, produce great fruits.

For example, the 6th c. Byzantine icon of The Christ Pantocrator reveals two attitudes, in the two halves of His face.  On the right side He holds the Gospels and His attitude is that of the severe Judge whom nothing shall escape.  On the left, His hand blesses and his face is gentle.

If this treasury of ongoing spiritual dividends is true of images made by man, how much more might it be true of images made by God?

First and foremost, we contemplate Christ Himself, the Eternal Word made flesh.  The Son is the perfect invisible image of the invisible Father, begotten but not made.  In His Incarnation and Birth, the Son takes His Body, made with the Virgin Mother, and becomes the perfect visible image of the invisible Father.  In contemplating Him we find infinite mysteries, awesome and alluring.

Next, each one of us are images of God.   Each person reflects mystery.   Our fallen nature’s solitary boast, moreover, presents mystery to us in her own way, as do all the saints who beautifully reflect God in living flesh.  Remember that Holy Church has given two great patrimonies to the whole human race: art and saints, which both reflect, in different media and manners, the mystery of God in His goodness, truth and beauty.

And so we come to the point of my post.

I read today a story at LifeSite about the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast it is.

The tilma has revealed many mysteries.  As science advances, more and more fascinating – and hitherto unknown elements – are discovered in it, much as what is happening with the image of Mary’s crucified Son, the Shroud of Turin (which I happen to accept as being authentic).

Today, however, I read something that didn’t so much involve discovery of new depths in the tilma through technology, as through gazing.

The writer, Pete Baklinski, gazed at the image of Mary in the tilma.  It eventually occurred to him that one side of her face looked happy, pleased, while the other side looked said.

The left side

The right side

He explored Mary’s message at Guadalupe and found themes of both joy and sadness.  He suspects that her image means to reflect both.

You might go over there and read the whole account.

 

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NEWS FLASH! Pope gives public answer about Communion for the divorced and remarried

In 2012, five whole years ago and a few months, Benedict XVI answered a public question about the divorced and remarried. The occasion is a meeting in Milan and the 7th World Meeting Of Families. TEXT HERE

YouTube thumbnailYouTube icon

5 THE ARAUJO FAMILY (a Brazilian family from Porto Alegre)

MARIA MARTA: Holy Father, in our country, just as in the rest of the world, marriage breakdowns are continually increasing.

My name is Maria Marta and this is Manoel Angelo. We have been married for 34 years and we are now grandparents. As a doctor and a family psychotherapist, we meet a great many families and we notice that couples in difficulties are finding it harder and harder to forgive and to accept forgiveness. We often encounter the desire and the will to establish a new partnership, something lasting, for the benefit of the children born from this second union.

MANOEL ANGELO: Some of these remarried couples would like to be reconciled with the Church, but when they see that they are refused the sacraments they are greatly discouraged. They feel excluded, marked by a judgement against which no appeal is possible.

These sufferings cause deep hurt to those involved. Their wounds also afflict the world and they become our wounds, the wounds of the whole human race.

Holy Father we know that the Church cares deeply about these situations and these people. [Q:] What can we say to them and what signs of hope can we offer them?

THE HOLY FATHER: Dear friends, thank you for your very important work as family psychotherapists. Thank you for all that you do to help these suffering people. Indeed the problem of divorced and remarried persons is one of the great sufferings of today’s Church. And we do not have simple solutions. Their suffering is great and yet we can only help parishes and individuals to assist these people to bear the pain of divorce. I would say, obviously, that prevention is very important, so that those who fall in love are helped from the very beginning to make a deep and mature commitment. Then accompaniment [Remember, no Pope before 2013 ever talked about “accompanying”.] during married life is needed, so that families are never left on their own but are truly accompanied on their journey. As regards these people – as you have said – the Church loves them, but it is important they should see and feel this love. I see here a great task for a parish, a Catholic community, to do whatever is possible to help them to feel loved and accepted, to feel that they are not “excluded” even though they cannot receive absolution or the Eucharist; [A POPE said that?  Really?  But, hey.  That was 5 whole years ago.  Obsolete by now.] they should see that, in this state too, they are fully a part of the Church. Perhaps, even if it is not possible to receive absolution in Confession, [Wow… he said it again.] they can nevertheless have ongoing contact with a priest, with a spiritual guide. This is very important, so that they see that they are accompanied and guided. Then it is also very important that they truly realize they are participating in the Eucharist if they enter into a real communion with the Body of Christ. Even without “corporal” reception of the sacrament, they can be spiritually united to Christ in his Body. [He seems to mean what he says, this Pope.] Bringing them to understand this is important: so that they find a way to live the life of faith based upon the Word of God and the communion of the Church, and that they come to see their suffering as a gift to the Church, because it helps others by defending the stability of love and marriage. [Accompany them in their suffering?!?  Which can be a defense of marriage and love?] They need to realize that this suffering is not just a physical or psychological pain, but something that is experienced within the Church community for the sake of the great values of our faith. [Hmmm… What are these “greater values”, of which he speaks?] I am convinced that their suffering, if truly accepted from within, is a gift to the Church. They need to know this, to realize that this is their way of serving the Church, that they are in the heart of the Church. Thank you for your commitment.

Let me get this straight.

  • A Pope publicly answers a direct question made in public which asks for clarity about the state of the divorced and remarried.
  • The divorced and remarried cannot receive sacramental absolution (of course, if they don’t have the intention to amend their lives, etc.).
  • They can’t receive Communion.
  • They have to be accompanied, made to feel part of the Church.
  • Their suffering serves high values in and for the Church.
  • Their suffering defends marriage and love.
  • Their suffering is a gift to the Church.
  • Their suffering is a way to serve the Church.
  • Their suffering places them – not on the edge or outside – but in the heart of the Church.

That’s positively medieval!

But that was five whole years ago.

 

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ASK FATHER: CONFESSIONAL DRAMA! Penitent says, “Bless me, Father” and actually wants a blessing!

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

One of our wonderful [traditional order/institute] priests this Sunday mentioned – prior to his sermon – that he was surprised that so many of us were not correctly following the ritual of Confession.

He said that many begin with “Bless me, Father for I have sinned…” and then just go right into listing their sins. He said if we are asking for a blessing then we should stop and wait for him to bless us and then to proceed.

He said if you simply say, “Forgive me, Father…” and then go on that would be fine. But he said don’t ask for a blessing and not wait for it [O! the HUMANITY!]

He actually seemed to be perturbed by this.

I have never ever heard that I should wait to be blessed and then proceed with my confession. I asked a couple of other parishioners and they had never heard of it either. [For good reason.]

Of course that may simply underscore Father’s admonition – that we need some catechesis.

Should we wait for a blessing before continuing with our confession?

Hmmmm… perhaps Father is young.

I see two scenarios…

I can picture it now.

The penitent literally wants a blessing before beginning and says “Bless me, Father!” and then stops, waiting for the blessing.  Meanwhile, the inflexible priest, ordained now all of a couple months, grits his teeth on the other side of the grate and does … nothing.  They remain there in the dark, in obstinate silence, each unwilling to blink.   Minutes pass.  A quarter hour.  A half hour.  The line, outside, knows exactly what’s going on.  Someone leans forward to the next guy ahead and says, “I’ll bet she asked for a blessing.”  The other penitents, nearby, sag a little and look at the floor shaking their heads in commiseration. A confessional Mexican standoff!

Or else…

The penitent kneels down and says, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.  It has been four….”

“HEY! WAIT” says the priest, “Stop!”

“…weeks since my last confession.  These are my….”

“NO! Wait a minute! You asked for a blessing and, by God, you are going to get one whether…”

“… sins.  I lied three times.  I kicked my dog twice.   In a fit of picque I stabbed my…”

Benedictio Dei omnipotenti, Patris et …. HEY HANG ON!  SHHHHH!…. I’m trying to…”

“… husband in the left shoulder with a carving knife.  I’m really sorry about that too.  I was aiming for the right…”

“Would you STOP IT?  I trying to give you the damn blessing you wa…”

“… because there was this big spider, see? The last time one of those critters bite him it was, like, all anti… anti… antipathetic – is that the word? –  shock and all the swelling and choking.  So, I.. I guess I did a bad…”

“…Patris… PATRIS!…. ET FILII….”

“…thing.  Maybe that wasn’t a mortal sin. Father?  What do you think?”

“…. DESCENDAT … no…. SPIRITUS… grrrrrr….”

“Father?  Are you okay?”

I have several reactions to this.

First, Father should zip it when it comes to this.

We all agree that we should understand what we are doing as Catholics, especially important things like going to confession.  We should be careful, think about what we do and say when, for example, we genuflect on entering pews, make the sign of the Cross, say our prayers… ask for a blessing….

But…

“Sheesh”, as we say.

I suspect that most people say, “Bless me, Father…”, as something they learned as a child from Sr. Mary Opportuna back at St. Fidelia’s School back in Blackduck.  I’d do a poll on this, but my poll plug in is STILL BROKEN and my guy is ignoring me.  In anglophone regions, I think most people will say “Bless me” or “Forgive me”.  Either way of beginning is fine.

In “Bless me” Mode: Think about it.  You are about to make a confession.  You ask for the priest’s blessing to help you to do well and to keep off the Enemy of the soul.   Later on, after you have confessed your sins, you explicitly ask for penance and absolution along the lines of, “For these and all the sins I cannot now remember, I ask a penance and absolution.”   So, you wind up saying “forgive me” in some way.  Right?

In “Forgive me” Mode: Think about it.  You are about to make your confession.  You make your confession and get absolution.  You say “forgive me” in some way … again.

If the penitent has gotten into the confessional, isn’t it the usual expectation that she is there to be forgiven?

There’s nothing wrong with asking for a blessing.  At the same time… you Blessing Wait-ers don’t have to wait for it either.  Father can give you a blessing as you move ahead into saying how long it has been since your last confession.

How about some give and take, here?

Yet another scenario….

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.  It has been four….”

[On the other side of the screen, Father silently raises his hand, gives a blessing, and keeps listening.]

“…weeks since my last confession.  These are my….”

[Or, if there is a pause, Father says, “God bless you as you make your confession.]

Not as bloggable, I guess. But it does save time.

Father doesn’t have to go through the whole, “Benedictio Dei omnipotentis… descendat super te…” while you wait.

ASIDE: I would be curious to know if this same priest starts the Formula of Absolution while the penitents are still reciting their Act of Contrition.   After all, if we are being literalists, we are not to delay absolution once the penitent has expressed adequate sorrow.  The classic Act of Contrition said in most places starts with an expression of attrition, which is sufficient, if not as perfect as contrition.  Hence, he should start the absolution during the Act of Contrition.

Orrrrrr …. he can wait for the penitent to finish.  Either way.

As I was ranting… a penitent says, “Bless me, Father…” and I bless him, pause or not.  What’s the big deal?

Understand.  There should be a good, solid routine for making a confession, so that it is orderly and comfortable.  This is especially important for children (and Father too, apparently).

However, while we are being orderly, we don’t have to be rigid or force people into only one groove.

If they want to say “Bless me” or “Forgive me” at the beginning, so what?

If they wait for the blessing… or not… big deal.

If at the end they say, “For these and all my sins, etc.”, as I do, or if, as some people from some ethnic backgrounds or formation say “My Jesus, mercy” to indicate that they are done confessing, or if they say, “That’s it, Father!”, you go forward.

As a matter of fact… at the beginning of a confession you don’t have to be in either “Bless me” or “Forgive me” Mode.  You can just start bluntly by saying, “It has been [X] since my last confession.”

The essentials are:

  • how long it has been since your last confession
  • (your state in life is really helpful)
  • all your mortal sins in kind and number with any important circumstances (like spiders)
  • an adequate expression of sorrow
  • an expression of intention of amendment of life

So, you priests out there who would surely rail against sloppy, or non-traditional “McPenance”, but who nevertheless demand that penitents be just so, as if this were Burger King, please do us all a favor and unclench.

I am not for confessional anarchy.  However, pull out the cork and let some pressure out.  Going to confession is hard enough for most people.

Finally, everyone, review my

20 Tips For Making A Good Confession

And, having examined your conscience…

GO TO CONFESSION!

If Father sighs heavily when you say “Bless me, Father!”, just smile and get on with it without waiting in obstinate silence.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, GO TO CONFESSION, Lighter fare, Mail from priests, Wherein Fr. Z Rants | Tagged , ,
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Fun 2018 Catholic wall calendar

I am not making this up.

I discovered that TAN Books has put out an 2018 wall calendar (including both Ordinary and Extraordinary Form feasts, etc.) called… really…

US HERE – UK HERE

Of course they also have other calendars featuring artwork of the life of Our Lord and of the Blessed Virgin Mary, etc.  They are beautifully printed and handy for keeping track of how the calendars of the two forms of the Roman Rite coincide and diverge.

For more

US

UK
TAN Books calendar 2018

Posted in Just Too Cool, Lighter fare, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged
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SPIRITUAL WARFARE! 12 December – Pray the Rosary against Islamic terror and abortion

Today there was an terror attack in New York City.  An Islamic, ISIS inspired Bangladeshi terrorist brought a bomb into the Port Authority during the morning rush hour. It detonated earlier than intended it seems, injuring the idiot badly. Stupid terrorist. Stupid, but still a danger.  It could have been very much worse.

The Religion of Peace, right?

Sts. Nunilo and Alodia, pray for us.

And, friends, keep your head on a swivel.  BE AWARE of your surroundings.

We are engaged in a great spiritual war.  The Most Holy Rosary is (pace the naive) a great defensive and offensive tool of spiritual warfare.

Now go to read a story at LifeSite about saying the Rosary in these USA on 12 December, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, for protection from Islamic jihad and for an end to abortion. HERE

This is rather like the massive Rosary crusade held in Poland around the entire border of their country. HERE

An image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was brought by Don Juan of Austria into the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. OORAH!  More on that HERE.

So… read the story and say the Rosary.

And…

GO TO CONFESSION!

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ASK FATHER: Blessed candles for use at home

From  a reader…

QUAERITUR:

I recently purchased some beeswax candles which I want to have blessed in order to use them at home. My question is this: is there a preferable material for devotional candles? Is there a difference between, say, a soya based candle and a beeswax candle? Or a scented candle and an unscented one? Or different colored candles?

Just yesterday I blessed some candles for a family’s home use.  The blessing prayer in the traditional Rituale Romanum (the only book I will ever use to bless things) is lovely:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, bless + these candles at our lowly request. Endow them, Lord, by the power of the holy + cross, with a blessing from on high, you who gave them to mankind in order to dispel darkness. Let the blessing that they receive from the sign of the holy + cross be so effectual that, wherever they are lighted or placed, the princes of darkness may depart in trembling from all these places, and flee in fear, along with all their legions, and never more dare to disturb or molest those who serve you, the almighty God, who live and reign forever and ever.

Let’s put those damned devils to trembling, gibbering flight with our mighty sacramentals and sacraments and the blessings of priests!

Candles are beautiful symbols.  They are like living things.  They eat and drink the wax from the bees, made collectively in association with sweetness.  They breath air.  They move as they flicker.  They communicate to our eyes a beautiful light and give contrast to their surroundings by illumination.  They burn out at the end of their span.  So do we.  They are consumed as sacrifices for the Lord in the liturgy.  So should we be too, consumed for the Lord.   Using blessed candles during important times is a wholesome and Catholic practice.  We should light them when the priest comes to give last rites.  We can light them in times of storm or need.  Leaving one of these personal, lighted stand-ins in a church is entirely natural.

I recommend that people save baptism candles and label them carefully as to what they are, the time and place, the name of the baptizing priests (so you can pray for him).  Then perhaps that same candle can be used when you are ill or about to get married, etc.

To the question…

Q: is there a preferable material for devotional candles? Is there a difference between, say, a soya based candle and a beeswax candle?

For liturgical use, the Church prefers beeswax or a high content of beeswax.  The substance is itself symbolic, as we hear in the Exsultet of the Easter Vigil.  For devotional use. whatever.

Q: Or a scented candle and an unscented one?

A: Well… beeswax is scented like beeswax.  As to artificial scents… just say no.  There’s no rule about this, I think.  A candle is a candle is a candle.  But… just say no.

Q: Or different colored candles?

A: Do you use different colored candles on your Advent wreath?  Again, there’s no rule for blessed candles outside of liturgical use.

 

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Hard-Identity Catholicism | Tagged , ,
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ASK FATHER: Mass obligation when there’s treacherous ice and I’ve fallen before.

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

A woman in my 60s now, having had a couple of bad falls one requiring surgery, the other requiring weeks of bedrest . . . the church parking lot and walkways usually icy, frozen, unplowed, untreated, and no matter what, it’s a far walk from the car to the door. Can be treacherous. My husband asks me to stay home from church until a warm day melts the bad stuff . . . we understand the parish budget doesn’t allow for plowing shoveling treating . . . is it displeasing to God for me to miss Mass? (I do watch and pray along on EWTN).

Be at ease.

There is an axiom of ancient Roman law which the Church also holds: ultra posse nemo obligatur, that is, no one is obliged to do what is beyond his power to do.  Put another way, God does not ask of us what is not possible.

While we all have Sunday and Holy Day obligation to fulfill, there are occasionally circumstances and reasons why we just can’t do it.

If people are impeded from attending Holy Mass for a serious reason, for example if they are invalids or they are ill, or even if they are, like you are, afraid of slipping and falling on the ice during winter, then they are excused their obligation.

That’s a serious concern, by the way.  I slipped on ice and broke my leg once, so I know where you are coming from.  And I was pretty young at the time.  As an aside, I don’t get why people laugh when others slip and fall.  It’s not funny.  Perhaps they do so, because such a sight makes them nervous and relieved that it didn’t happen to them.  But I digress.

Mind you, people do not fulfill their Sunday or Holy Day Obligations to attend Mass by watching a recording or transmission of a Mass, regardless if they are shut-ins or not. So, watching Mass on TV, etc., can be a holy and pious thing to do, but it does not fulfill the obligation strictly speaking.

However, in your case, your obligation is excused.   You can stay at home.  Moreover, you will have followed your husband’s request in the matter, which is also a good thing.

Remember too that canon 1245 gives to pastors the right to dispense or commute the obligation of observing Sunday, a Holy Day of obligation, or a day of penance.  You could give the parish a call and ask the pastor to commute your obligation to some other good work.

 

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, 1983 CIC can. 915, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged , ,
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