****** CAN COMMENT MAKERS PLEASE STICK TO TODAYS TOPIC.
I neither liked or respected Ratzinger.
He spiritually and intellectually tortured many good theologians over the decades.
He covered up sexual abuse on his own behalf and on behalf of John Pole II.
He was completely aware of all the evil corruption and sexual scandal in the Vatican and around the globe.
He resigned in a cloud, leaving much speculation about his own involvement in corruption and sexual matters.
He placed the right-wing Latin Mass crowd in a way that has led to the beginnings of a real schism
He was ridiculously into wearing medieval papal trappings and hats that made him look like an old lady queuing up for her pension in a post office.
Benedict, who was a theological adviser at Vatican II, really wanted in the end to go backwards towards Trent and papal infallibility.
We once saw him slapping a journalists hand for daring to ask him an unwelcome question.
Pope Francis has claimed that his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was a leader in “taking responsibility” and responding with transparency to clerical sexual abuse. However, Benedict XVI was blamed directly for ignoring repeated pleas by senior American churchmen to take action against a priest who molested up to 200 deaf boys. Further, in 2001, as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he required clergy child abuse claims to be handled in canonical trials behind closed doors. SO MUCH FOR TAKING RESPONSIBILITY AND RESPONDING WITH TRANSPARENCY! (Christopher Longhurst)
4/19/05 to
A priest of the Portsmouth Diocese, Father Ray Lyons, has said that he is “shocked” and “concerned” that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has been elected Pope. The 78 year-old German, who is thought to have a conservative outlook, took the name Benedict XVI.
Father Lyons had hoped someone with a “reform agenda” would be elected to act as a “healer and reconciler”.
“I felt we needed a healer and reconciler and I don’t think he is the man to do that job,” he told the BBC.
‘Great thinker’
“He is a great thinker who will probably go along the same lines as his predecessor, but he is not what I felt was needed.”
Father Lyons, who was the executive secretary of the National Conference of Priests for five years, recalled meeting the new Pope and described him as “a very nice man”.
“He is very polite and intelligent,” he said.
“We just have very different views on the best direction for the church.”
He also expressed surprise at the new Pope’s choice of name, saying that the name Benedict suggested he would break with tradition – although this would not be consistent with his conservative reputation.
“A few years ago, back when Pope Benedict XVI was still Cardinal Ratzinger, he was approached by an ABC reporter as he was getting into a car. The reporter asked him a question, Cardinal Ratzinger said he wasn’t informed on the matter and that it was an inconvenient time to ask him anyway. When the reporter pushed the issue again, Ratzinger got visibly upset and gave the reporter a whap on his hand before getting into a car. “ (Churchpop.com)
I don’t believe that Ratzinger was a nice man.
I don’t believe that Ratzinger was a real pastor.
But, as a Christian, I hope that God has a “come here I want ya” chat with him, forgives him his sins, and allows him into Heaven – maybe after a period washing the dishes and WC”s in Purgatory.
Solemn Vespers in St Peter’s Cathedral Belfast on Sunday 15th January 2023 at 5 pm
PARTY
Crowned Plaza Hotel Belfast on Tuesday 15th January 2023 at 3 pm
I think my invitation got lost in the postal strike 😕
FAMOUS NEW YORK PRIEST LEAVES $ 7 MILLION AND A SON.
FR LOUIS GIGANTESON GINO GIGANTE
A New York City priest infamous for being the devoted brother of a Mafia boss left behind two surprises when he died earlier this year: a $7 million fortune and a grown son. Even more remarkable: The Rev. Louis Gigante lived with his son Gino and the boy’s mother in the suburbs and would put on his Roman collar each morning to head to work in the parish, The New York Times reported. We had a quiet life,” Gino Gigante, 32, told the paper. “He was proud of me. We did everything together.” Gigante, who ran a development company in the Bronx, bequeathed his estate to Gino, which is how the existence of his son was revealed.
PAT SAYS
I think that a priest leaving 7 million in a will is a scandal – unless he has left the same or similar sum to those in need.
I know that secular priests have no vow of poverty – and Jesus never said it was a sin to be rich.
But Jesus insisted that the rich share with the poor.
And I hope Fr Gigante shared a lot with the poor?
And then there is the fact that he fathered a son.
I wonder, did Gigante play fast and lose with all the rules?
Was he like some other priests who think that he does have to practice what he preaches?
His closeness to the Mafia is also concerning.
I wonder if Gigante plyed his bishop’s hands with brown envelopes?
JOHN MC CUBBIN (GLASGOW) is the painin the neck keeps tellingto write to bishops and nuncioschurch complaints.
IT IS A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME TO WRITE TO ANY BISHOP, NUNCIO, OR VATICAN OFFICEABOUT CHURCH COMPLAINTS.
I have known this from being a seminarian and priest for 52 years now.
It’s most likely that you will get no reply.
They may send you an acknowledgement, hoping that will shut you up.
You will be noted as a problem or trouble maker.
If you cause much trouble, you will be blacklisted in clerical and church circles.
In rural places, you will also be blackened with the police, doctors, teachers, solicitors, local councils,accountants, etc.
You, your family, or even your children will be targeted in a parish, a town, a school, or somewhere else.
In extreme cases, you willexperienceviolence and damage to property.
JOHN MC CUBBIN
John Mc Cubbin (60) used to work as a junior officer in the Glasgow diocese admin department.
He previously, and currently, works in hotels and bars.
For some reason, he regards himself as “important” in church circles.
When talking of the RCC, he uses terms like “we” and “our”.
RCC bishops, like Amy Martin, Tom Deenihan (the Don), Ray Browne, Mr. Keenan and others take his calls!
IS THIS THE SAME JOHN MC CUBBIN IN 2009?
A POLITICAL hopeful carried out a bizarre hate campaign after being spurned by young men on gay websites.
Labour candidate John McCubbin, 47, falsely accused a supermarket worker of using his job to target underage boys for sex.
A third victim was approached while in a pub with his fiancee. He began sending the teenager emails through Faceparty, but they fell out after his advances were rejected.
McCubbin then started posting anonymous cards to his home in Stevenston, Ayrshire.
Spiteful McCubbin posted anonymous mail to the parents of the boy’s girlfriend claiming they were having underage sex.
A fourth victim was also targeted.
McCubbin, of Stevenston, stood unsuccessfully for Labour in the Stevenston South ward in 2003.
He pleaded guilty at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week to five charges of breach of the peace and will be sentenced later.
In my blog for December 22, 2022 — I posed, in light of information that I had received, the following question, “Did [Bishop Thomas] Deenihan Lie to a French Abbot?”. I enclose the link to same for your kind consideration, which you can read at your leisure.
It is well-known that you have been actively involved in the sorry saga that is Silverstream Priory. When the whistle-blower, Dom Benedict Andersen, wrote his letter of complaint to the Bishop of Meath, Thomas Deenihan, it is a matter of public record that you were one of the visitators appointed [by Deenihan] to conduct a sham investigation.
Why do I refer to it as a “sham investigation”? Because you actively covered-up the sexual and financial misconduct of Fr. Mark Kirby, the then superior. And to add insult to injury, you, Abbot Brendan Coffey, OSB, were complicit in the REAPPOINTMENT of a known recidivist cleric, Fr. Mark Daniel Kirby, OSB, as the superior of Silverstream Priory. By that I mean that you Abbot Brendan wilfully ignored for reasons that remain arcane [for the moment] that Dom Mark Kirby had been credibly accused of sexual and financial misconduct. This is not supposition, because the allegations were investigated by An Garda Síochána and a file was prepared and sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Do you now dispute that reality concerning Fr. Kirby? If so, are you that sequestered from reality?
During the so-called investigation were you aware of these allegations? If so, did you recommend to Bishop Deenihan that Fr. Kirby should be referred to An Garda Síochána?
During the visitation, did you recommend to Bishop Deenihan that he should seek independent legal advice about the allegations? If not; why not?
When the allegations concerning Fr. Kirby were referred to the Irish police, who brought the allegations to the police? Was it you Abbot Brendan or Bishop Deenihan or both of you acting independently?
In light of your qualification in canon law, were you aware that it was canonically inappropriate for Fr. Kirby to be reappointed as the Superior of Silverstream Priory? If so, did you express those concerns either verbally and/or in writing to Bishop Deenihan?
Who ultimately made the decision to reappoint Fr. Kirby as the superior? Was it you or Bishop Deenihan? Or perhaps also your fellow visitator, the disgraced former Abbot Richard Purcell, OSCO, had a hand in this decision?
During this process of decision-making, did you in light of the serious and credible allegations advise (regardless of the police investigation) that Fr. Kirby should not have been appointed?
Do you accept that at that time the appropriate course of action was the opening of a canonical investigation under the provisions of Canon 1717? Did you advise Bishop Deenihan in writing that Fr. Kirby should have been subjected to same?
Would you accept that these matters were ever ventilated in the High Court that using an objective yardstick the advice that you purportedly gave was negligent and wholly deficient? Do you accept this raises serious questions about your probity and character?
Did it suit you to have Fr. Kirby reappointed as superior because you recognised Silverstream was hopelessly corrupt and fatally flawed and you wanted a prompt exit strategy?
Do you deny all the above? If so, would you accept the valid observation that you are also now stand accused of lying like Bishop Deenihan?
Notwithstanding, the above the primary purpose of this e-mail is to enquire: did you have any involvement in connecting Bishop Deenihan with the Abbot of Abbey of Saint-Joseph de Clairval, Rt. Rev’d Dom Jean-Bernard Marie Bories, OSB?
Are you able to explain why Bishop Deenihan “suddenly” reached out to Dom Bories?
Did you, Abbot Brendan, as the former superior of Silverstream Priory, appointed by Bishop Deenihan, because of your status as a Benedictine Ordinary write a letter of introduction to Dom Bories on behalf Bishop Deenihan of Meath?
If you did write such a letter: did you explain to Abbot Bories that the founder of Silverstream Priory was credibly accused of criminal behaviour, i.e. sexual assault and financial misconduct?
Did you advise Bishop Deenihan to lie/be economical with the truth to Abbot Bories — if these difficult issues were raised during the course of any conversation?
Have you been contacted by Abbot Bories seeking guidance on the mess that is Silverstream Priory?
Do you consider that, after almost three years of chaos, Silverstream Priory should finally be suppressed by a Decree of the Holy See?
In light of the known fact that Glenstal Abbey has given sanctuary to a monk who accepted a caution for unacceptable behaviour in the UK – it is legitimate to ask: is it possible that Fr. Mark Kirby, after a sojourn in Holland, is now staying at Glenstal Abbey?
In light of the never-ending sexual scandals that have engulfed the Church in Ireland for the past three decades, what were you thinking about Silverstream at the time?
Would you be happy to have your involvement in Silverstream to be subjected independent scrutiny by officials from the Irish Department of Education? I ask, because you are the abbot of the monastery that runs one of Ireland’s most prestigious schools.
With all seasonal best wishes, I remain,
Sincerely yours in Christ
+Pat Buckley
Cc:
Bishop Thomas Deenihan. Rt. Rev’d Dom Jean-Bernard Marie Bories, OSB, Abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Joseph de Clairval. His Excellency, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio to the Republic of France. Archbishop Antoine Hérouard, Archbishop of Dijon. Fr. Basil MacCabe, OSB, Temporary Superior, Silverstream Priory.
St. Stephen’s Day (Lá Fhéile Stiofáin), or the Day of the Wren (Lá an Dreoilín) or the Feast of Saint Stephen, is a Christian saint’s day to remember Saint Stephen, celebrated on 26 December in the Western Church and 27 December in the Eastern Church around the world. It is praised the day after Christmas Day and is likewise known in Ireland, among different names, as Boxing Day and the Hunting of the Wrens.
In Western Churches the world over, St. Stephen’s Day is praised on December 26th, the day after Christmas. In Eastern Orthodox Churches where the Julian calendar is used, St. Stephen’s Day is celebrated on December 27th. St. Stephen was the first Christian martyr who died around the year of 34 A.D.
Saint Stephen is associated with being the first Christian martyr. Stephen looked after the poor people however was stoned to death in AD36 for lecturing the Gospel. His story is recorded in the Bible in the 6th chapter of the Book of Acts.
What is St. Stephen’s Day?
St. Stephen’s Day, or the Feast of St. Stephen, is a Christian saint’s day celebrated on 26 December, the day after Christmas Day. It remembers St. Stephen, the first Christian saint.
It is an official public holiday in Austria, Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Montenegro, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Poland.
The date is additionally a Public Holiday in those nations that observe Boxing Day on the day instead/too. In certain countries, it is called the Second Day of Christmas (or the comparable in the local language).
In Ireland Stephen’s Day is additionally called the Day of the Wren or Wren’s Day. This name implies a few legends, remembering those found for Ireland, connecting episodes in the life of Jesus to the wren.
THE WREN BOYS
Albeit not as commonly practiced as beforehand, in specific parts of Ireland individuals carrying either a likeness of a wren or a real caged wren (live or dead), travel from house to house playing music, singing, and dancing. Contingent upon which region of the nation, they are called wren boys and mummers.
A Mummer’s Festival is held as of now every year in the town of New Inn, County Galway, and Dingle in County Kerry. St. Stephen’s Day is additionally a well-known day for seeing relatives.
The Hunting of the Wrens, or Wrens’ Day, relates to the tradition of killing a wren on Saint Stephen’s Day after which kids may go from house to house auctioning off the wren’s feathers, or they might be chased or followed through the roads while special songs were sung.
The wren feathers were thought to bring the best of luck. Today, a fake wren is connected to a pole and individuals dress up in straw costumes and parade through villages and towns.
Another huge event on this day in Ireland is horse racing at such places as the Leopardstown Racecourse on the southern edge of Dublin. Saint Stephen’s Day is the first of four days of this event. A few people just go to the races, however, others buy packages that incorporate special seating, dinners, and racecards.
Indeed, even individuals race on Saint Stephen’s Day – with a 10-mile running race at Limerick that covers nation streets and dual carriageways. The race starts at Caherdavin, goes five miles to Cratloe Cross then returns an alternate way, and finishes less than a mile from its beginning stage.
In Ireland, banks, schools, and government offices are shut on this public holiday, however, numerous stores are open alongside bars and restaurants even though their hours might be different from usual. It is a decent opportunity for many to go out for meals with their families and companions.
While St. Stephen’s Day isn’t viewed as a public holiday all through the rest of France, it is kept as one in France’s Alsace-Moselle region. Remembering that the holiday isn’t typically kept as a festive day of activities and celebrations, it’s ideal to remember the origin of this old holiday.
Numerous Eastern Orthodox churches adhere to the Julian calendar and mark St. Stephen’s Day on 27 December as indicated by that calendar, which places it on 9 January of the Gregorian calendar used in secular contexts. It recognizes St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr.
In non-Commonwealth nations, the day is all the more normally referred to as St Stephen’s Day or the Feast of Stephen as referenced in the carol ‘Good King Wenceslas’.
Stephen was a Greek Jew who had changed over to Christianity. He was selected as one of seven deacons to assist with organizing the early Christian church.
Because of his proclaiming Christianity, he was blamed for blasphemy and stood preliminary at a Jewish court in around 34 CE.
During the preliminary he made a long speech, saying that Christianity supported the lessons of Moses. This so maddened the group at the preliminary, that he was dragged away and battered to the point of death by a crowd. It is said that the crowd was encouraged on by Saul of Tarsus, who later became Saint Paul.
The other St. Stephen was St. Stephen of Hungary, who was the first king of Hungary and is noted for changing the Magyar people to Christianity.
Good King Wenceslas
The feast of St. Stephen is most likely most popular for its appearance in the famous Christmas Carol, Good King Wenceslas.
“Good King Wenceslas watched out On the feast of Stephen When the snow lay indirect Deep and crisp and even”
Wenceslas was a King in Bohemia in the 10th century CE. Like Stephen, Wenceslas became a Saint after his death and like Stephen, even has his own public holiday.
The words to the carol were composed by John Mason Neale in 1853. The music was initially from a song about spring, famous in the 14th century.
How to celebrate St. Stephen’s Day?
Today, Italians observe St. Stephen’s Day in a variety of ways. While a few towns do hold parades like the one celebrated in Putignano, others order expound live nativity scenes or go through the day carrying food and gifts to the less lucky.
In Rome and other huge urban areas, cathedrals and churches make their doors for guests who wish to see the glorious nativity shows and the relics of saints held within. A day of feasting, celebration, and aiding those in need, St. Stephen’s Day is one of the happiest dates on any Italian’s calendar.
In contrast to other festive events in France and somewhere else, this day is somewhat subdued in correlation. Honored the day after Christmas, the feast day falls on December 26th, the second of the Twelve Days of Christmas as the second of two public holidays-Good Friday being the first.
Be that as it may, it is just honored in Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin in Alsace and the Lorraine département of Moselle. The rest of France, notwithstanding, doesn’t quit working.
CHRISTMAS LUNCH AT THE ORATORY – CHEF EDDIE
CHICKEN LIVER PATE WITH GOOSEBERRY COMPOTE AND MELBA TOASTTURKEY AND HAM WITH TRIMMINGS AND GRAVY AND BREAD SAUCE CHRISTMAS PUDDING WITH BRANDY CREAM
I hadn’t been home for Christmas for nigh on fifteen years
THE ORATORY LARNE CHRISTMAS EVE 2020
The fragrance of Christmas pudding still lingers in the warm kitchen. The fire glowed in the black, shining range. Dad in his armchair on one side of it, and Mam opposite him. My brothers and myself sat at the large kitchen table. I hadn’t been home for Christmas for nigh on fifteen years, and I was so happy to be with the family.
Dad said to Oliver, “ Give us a few tunes on your mouth organ. Ollie always has his mouth-organ near at hand, so he started off the singsong with “Jingle Bells”. We all sang lustily “ away in a manger” and “ home on the range”, and other favourites. Then Eddie went upstairs and returned with his guitar. He strummed in tune with Oliver. We had a rest from all the singing and listened to the lads play jigs and reels. I saw Dad reach for the old tin tea caddy, which he placed between his knees. He played drums on it, with two spoons.
Its made Christmas for all of us, to have you home..”
When the recital ended, Dad looked across at me and said “ Give us a bar of “Silent night” Carmel. I was blessed with a sweet singing voice, so i started to sing. As I got to the second verse, I looked across at Dad, to see tears running down his weather beaten face. When I finished singing that much loved carol, He said “ Your gifted agirl”, and its made Christmas for all of us, to have you home”. Mam decided to ease Dads emotions by saying “We’ll have a nice cup of tea after all that singing”. She lifted the big black kettle neared the heat, and soon had it singing it own song.
It’s been over fifty years since that wonderful Christmas day, when we were all together and I’ve never forgotten it.
PAT SAYS
I’m always sad at how the real meaning of Christmas has disappeared and been replaced by materialism, gluttony, etc.
More and more, I’ve drawn back from these frantic modern Christmasses and concentrated on two central aspects for me:
THE CHRISTMAS VIGILMASS
To put Jesus at the centre of Christmas
CHRISTMAS DAY LUNCH WITH THOSE WE LOVE.
To extend the love of Jesus to others.
Wishing you all, blog readers, friends and foes, every blessing for Christmas and for 2023
50 homosexual Italian priests have published a letter denouncing the “internalized homophobia” of the Church, announcing they “no longer want to hide.” The letter, titled “Con tutto il cuore” – With all my heart – first circulated discreetly, before being picked up by the left-leaning Italian daily Domani, followed by the Spanish publication Público.
The letter denounces the existence of “plans” aimed at eliminating all allusion to homosexuality in the seminaries and at promoting an empty sexual morality there. It adds, in a grotesque way, that this attitude finds an echo in traditionally Christian countries, such as Italy or Spain, where there is collaboration between the ecclesiastical hierarchy and the political extreme Right.
The authors speak of the hatred of the gay world inoculated in the seminaries, and of the “social prejudices” scattered through even the latest Vatican documents, with an almost obsessive reference to “gender ideology,” which has multiplied since Giorgia Meloni’s rise to power.
PAT SAYS
The ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH is going to have to be rational and consistent on the whole question of homosexuality in general and among its bishops and clergy in particular.
The RCC stance on homosexuality is irrational, anti-scientific, anti-medical, and even against proper Biblical interpretation.
The fact that the RCC is anti homosexuality and that most of its recent popes, bishops, and priests are gay – and actively gay – is quite simply bizarre.
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 