SSPX Issues Response to Pope Leo XIV

The SSPX have issued a response to Pope Leo XIV’s last minute intervention to try to get them to reconsider their episcopal consecrations in Switzerland.

The letter states:

Far be it from us to separate ourselves from the Roman Church. We desire, on the contrary, to serve her by means that are extraordinary, as one would assist a mother in distress who requires particular help, even if such help is not understood by everyone. Yet I am certain that the Holy Father could understand it.

Read it in full.


Pope Leo XIV issues last minute plea to SSPX

In a last minute intervention, Pope Leo XIV has appealed to the SSPX not to proceed with the episcopal consecrations.

In a letter addressed to Fr. Davide Pagliarani, the pope wrote:

With a paternal heart, and aware of the responsibility entrusted to me by the Lord as the Successor of the Apostle Peter, I address you and, through you, the bishops, priests, seminarians and faithful connected to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.

The Church recognizes the devotion to liturgical life, commitment to priestly formation, apostolic zeal and desire for fidelity to Tradition that characterize many people and communities connected to your Fraternity. This has motivated the attentive and generous attitude that my Predecessors have consistently shown to you.

In this spirit, and filled with Christian affection, I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: please turn back! I urge you to consider carefully the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you are about to undertake would deprive them of the licit and, in some cases, even valid reception of the Sacraments, which they love and seek for their sanctification.

The Church is open to a path of dialogue and understanding that the Holy Spirit can make possible and fruitful.

I pray for you, because to tear the seamless garment of Christ is a sin of extreme gravity. May the Lord enlighten your consciences and awaken your hearts. With a sorrowful yet hopeful heart, I feel it is my duty, through the authority received from Christ, to ask you to desist from your intended act. I entrust these intentions to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Good Counsel.

 

Nordic Bishops Remind Catholics: You CAN NOT BE FREEMASONS!

The Nordic Bishops have issued a pastoral letter stating that there are ‘no exceptions’ the canonical ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons.

Freemasonry has long history of condemnation from the Catholic Church, with Pope Leo XIII writing several lengthy encyclicals on the topic. In fact, no other single topic has had so many encyclicals written about it as Masonry.

In many Western countries, notably France, England and Italy, there are many Catholics who are also Freemasons for career prospects.

The Nordic bishops have said that the ban is even causing ‘uproar’ among some of their congregation, as Scandinavia experiences a resurgence of sorts in Catholicism.


Pope Leo XIV to Celebrate Mass at Metz Cathedral

Pope Leo XIV will visit France in late September, the first visit by a pope since Pope Francis visited Marseille and the first to Lourdes since Pope Benedict XVI.

The visit will include Mass at Metz Cathedral, the third tallest in France.

It follows the pattern of the pope’s visit to Spain, which drew attention to the rich Catholic history of the country.


Catholic Priest Killed by Militia in Sudan

Catholic priest Fr. Luka Jomo has been killed by gunmen from a paramilitary militia.

Fr. Jomo was killed by a stray bullet from a paramilitary militia while in his parish in El Fasher.

May he rest in peace.


Pope Leo XIV's brother attends UFC event at White House

Pope Leo XIV’s brother Louis is a well known supporter of the MAGA movement.

The pope’s brother was spotted in a photo uploaded by JD Vance last night, during the UFC event taking place at the White House.


Pope Leo XIV Visits Prison in Spain

Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain continued this morning, with a visit to meet prisoners at the Brians 1 prison.


Pope Leo XIV meets with Bad Bunny in Madrid

The visit of Pope Leo XIV coincided with another large public event, the 10 dates by Bad Bunny in the city.

For weeks, it had been suggested that Bad Bunny had sought an in person meeting during the coincidental visits.

Now, it has emerged that the two met in private on Monday before the pope appeared at a large event in the Bernabeu.

Bad Bunny brought family and friends and met with the pope briefly, taking photos and speaking. Bad Bunny then attended a portion of the prayer event before leaving to attend his own concert.

Cardinal Pizzaballa Receives Prestigious French Award

Cardinal Pizzaballa was in Paris today to accept the Legion d'honneur, France’s most prestigious award.

The award was presented to him by President Emmanuel Macron, who is in regular contact with the cardinal.


Man Almost Beheaded in Catholic of Area of Belfast - Sudan Man Arrested

The Irish Catholic reported this week that the Church of Ireland Archbishop John McDowell referred to ‘racism’ as a ‘new form of sectarianism’.

In a rather unfortunate coincidental timing, the world has woken up in shock today to scenes of absolute savagery in North Belfast.

A Sudanese man has been arrested after attempting to behead an Irish man in a gruesome event captured on video.

He was only prevented from doing so thanks to the incredible bravery of individuals who intervened, with one man using a hurley to strike him across the head a number of times to stop him.

The victim is in ‘critical’ condition.

When protests occurred in City West in October last, due to a sexual assault on a child who had been in state care, there was no shortage of religious leaders to condemn the ‘thuggery’.

Will there be a similar chorus after what we have just witnessed in Belfast or are they waiting for the backlash to instead criticise those who react to such barbarity?


Diego Simeone Attends Pope's Madrid Event

The pope’s visit to Spain has been a massive success, by every conceivable metric.

This is especially true in terms of pure raw numbers, with millions attending his Sunday Mass and Corpus Christi Procession in person.

At the papal event in the Movistar Arena, there were many famous faces such as Antonio Banderas who shared the stage with the pope.

One more assuming figure, though no less significant, was legendary footballer and now Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone. Simeone was spotted lining up behind the barrier with everyone else in line to meet the pope. The unassuming approach has led to much praise and admiration for Simeone, who did not try to put himself at the front of proceedings.


Yet Another Attack on Christians in India

Attacks against Christians continue in India.

Despite cultivating the image of a tolerant and progressive society, India is now consistently ranked amongst the top 10 worst places in the world to be a Christian. Think about that for a second. Think of the other countries in the top 10, North Korea, Nigeria and so on and reflect upon how poorly Christians are treated there and how intense their persecution is. That tells you something about the situation in India, which is excused because the European Union seeks cheap labour from them.

The latest attack, as reported by Persecution.Org, details a pastor and his pregnant wife among dozens of Christians attacked during a service. SOURCE

In the past few years, there has been a disturbing escalation in the persecution of Christians across India, with reports indicating an alarming frequency of attacks. From January to November 2023, the United Christian Forum (UCF) documented 687 incidents of violence against Christians in 23 states, averaging more than two attacks per day.

EFE

These acts of aggression encompass a range of hostilities, including physical assaults, arson targeting churches, and the vandalism of Christian institutions. The state of Chhattisgarh, in particular, has emerged as a hotspot for such violence, recording the highest number of attacks against Christians.

Persecution.org

The surge in anti-Christian sentiment is often attributed to the rise of Hindu nationalist ideologies, which propagate the notion that non-Hindu faiths are unwelcome in India. This environment has emboldened extremist groups to perpetrate violence with relative impunity, especially in regions where local authorities share similar ideological leanings.

Open Doors

Compounding the issue, several Indian states have enacted anti-conversion laws, ostensibly to prevent forced religious conversions. However, these laws have been weaponized to harass and arrest Christians under baseless accusations, further marginalizing the community. In the past four years, nearly 1,700 individuals have been arrested under such laws in one state alone.

The international community has taken note of these developments. The U.S. State Department's 2023 religious freedom report highlighted violent attacks on minority groups in India, particularly Muslims and Christians, including killings, assaults, and vandalism of houses of worship.

Despite these alarming trends, the EU supported Indian government has dismissed international concerns, labeling them as "biased" and asserting that they misrepresent the nation's social dynamics.

Spanish Feminists react with FURY after Pope Leo GOES OFF

There was no shortage of speculation about what Pope Leo XIV’s speech to the Spanish Parliament would entail.

Few, however, could have predicted just how direct and confrontational it would be.

The pope very directly called out the anti life culture of Spanish politics, condemning abortion and euthanasia in a very unambiguous manner.

The reaction has been one of complete shock and incredulity in Spanish political circles.

Far Left political party Podemos were the main party left in complete disarray after the speech, with a number of their politicians entering into complete meltdown over the pope’s speech.


Pope Leo XIV Procession Watched by 400 MILLION

Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain has been a huge success so far.

Not only did 1,2 million people attend the Corpus Christi Procession in person, but now it has emerged that a mind blowing global audience of 400 million people watched the broadcast around the world.

To put that into perspective, that is two and a half times the audience that watched the Super Bowl and over twice the audience of the Champions League Final.


Millions Attend Pope Leo XIV's Madrid Events

Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain has already attracted significantly large crowds

In Madrid, the pope held a public Mass and Corpus Christi Procession while holding a massive Youth Vigil on Saturday night.

The Mass is estimated to have had as many as 1.5 million in attendance while the Youth Vigil had 500,000 young people.

The choice of Spain and the choice of Corpus Christi Sunday are signs that this papacy is serious about reigniting Europe’s Catholic soul, with a visit to France coming in September that will include Lourdes and Paris.


Pope Leo Reveals he is a Real Madrid fan

Pope Leo XIV is in Spain this week for an Apostolic Visit that will see him in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands.

In an interview on the papal flight, he was asked whether he was a fan of Real Madrid or of FC Barcelona.

He stated that Pope Leo XIV is for all teams, but Prevost is for Real Madrid.

Pope Leo XIV arrives in Spain for Apostolic Visit

Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Spain for the beginning of his 6 day Apostolic Visit.



All That Glitters is Not Gold

"All That Glitters Is Not Gold”

 

Surely in this Digital Age even “the dogs in the street” know that “all that glitters is not gold”? With so much Fake Gold and so many Deep Fakes circulating, surely no one in their right mind takes what they see or hear at face value?

Well I am not so sure because if there was no market for “Fake Gold” there would not be so many willing suppliers and willing buyers. Let’s face it, there is a big market for “Deep Fakes” and “False Narratives”.

Moreover it is a fast-growing market that is not only fueled by “The Tyranny of Relativism” but is being turbo-charged by the rapid expansion of World’s digital circuitry and hyperscalars.

Unquestionably we are living at the start of a New Age where we can believe that anything can be true and everything can be doubted. It’s an age when we actually get to choose what we are willing to accept as being true or false.

Ours is indeed a Brave New World that is rapidly evolving and transforming itself at a dizzying pace. In ten years’ time the World will be quite different than it is today. Indeed, I suspect that any of us who are over 40 today and who will still be around in 25 years’ time  will find it difficult to recognise the place as it is today but will be by then, 25 years ago.

On top of that I do wonder, come that time, whether we will be able to recognise all of our fellow human beings as fellow human beings for by that time cyber implants and cosmetic “enhancements” will be as commonplace in the future as tattoos (body art) are today.

Confronting this rapidly emerging and revolutionary reality are three types of people: “winners”, “losers” and “both”. And here, I suggest that most of us, if not all of us, are “both” as  we “win” sometimes and we “lose” at others. Indeed  it’s only at the end of our lives  that we can really begin to take stock and assess whether “net-net” we “won” or we “lost” in life.

Basically we simply just don’t know until “the final whistle’ is blown” whether we won or lost  in life’s great game, for the truth is that right up to the very last moment we can always pull “victory out of the jaws of defeat” AND vice versa, “defeat out of the jaws of victory.”

Now while I believe that “it’s never over until it’s over”  and that in life “it’s always there to play for” but is it actually true or is it actually false?  Could I be wrong? Could I be deceiving myself?

As it happens I also believe that it is in how we choose to live our lives that we manifest what we have decided to be true and here we should be careful to choose wisely and not buy into a life and a lifestyle of glittering false promises.

Come the very end of life, Life’s real Winners know that they have chosen well, and being thankful for a life well lived, are ready to “move on”. By contrast Life’s sad Losers are filled with doubts, misgivings, self-deceptions and ingratitude.

Ultimately how we live our lives is a choice that is based upon what we choose and refuse to accept as True of False, Real or Fake. Unfortunately in our world there are many vested interests and Bad Actors who are actively selling magnificent lies as Truth and are passing off “Fool’s Gold” for the Real Stuff. 

Such is life.  Sic transit gloria mundi.

Until next Thursday, in friendship and Prayer,

 

God bless,

George K

Restore God’s Kingdom

www.restoregodskingdom.ie

@rgkintnl