In his liturgical traipse around the streets of Armagh Amy Martin was displaying a very clericalized and paternalistic theology of the Presence of Jesus.

Jesus Himself never used the term “The Real Presence”. It has come out of the mouths of Roman Catholic men and theologians.

The RCC wants to emphasise that Jesus is as physically present in the Blessed Sacrament as He was on the streets of Nazareth or Jerusalem.

I believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I always have.

But when two or three gather to pray – in say, their own living room, The Real Presence of Jesus is there too – “Where two or three gather together in my name I am in their midst”.

Some RCC’s might say that Jesus is spiritually present in that sitting room?

But when it comes to talking about God there is nothing more real as His spiritual presence. After all God is spirit.

But what the RCC men are really saying is: “He may be spiritually present in your sitting rooms – but folks, we have his skin and his blood cells and we have them locked away in our big gold tabernacles”.

“And what’s more – we will only give you little bits of Him if you so everything we tell you”.

“And if you don’t behave as we say, we will not give you any little bits of Him”.

“And if you are as bold and disobedient as that bad Pat Buckley we will excommunicate you – and for your whole life we will never give you a little bit of Jesus”.

And that was the mindset of poor old Phonsie in Waterford the day he refused me Holy Communion in front of a packed funeral church.

You see the bishops and priests think they own the Body and Blood of Jesus and they will only give you a bit if you meet their criteria and conditions.

Of course the problem I present them with is that once they made me a part of their caste and gave me the power to make the Body and Blood of Jesus – a power which they can never take back.

So when they say to me: “You can’t have our bits of Jesus” – I say back to them – “I don’t need your bits of Jesus because I can make my own. That really infuriates them. It disempowers them.

Simple Catholics think the that pope or the bishops can stop you being a priest or eject you from priesthood. Not true. Even their own theology does not say that.

When a priest, like Brendan Smyth is “dismissed from the clerical state” it only means he is no longer a cleric. But he remains a priest. And he even retains the obligation to administer the Last Rites to someone in danger of death if no other priest is available.

So we need a whole new look at the theologies of priesthood and the Eucharist.

We need to find ways to express the fact that Jesus is not owned by the priests, that His other forms of Presence are as REAL as His Eucharistic form.

Put simply, we must release Jesus from the PRISONER OF THE TABERNACLE – whose jailors are bishops and priests!

BLOG NOTICE

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PEOPLE ARE FEELING WORRIED, ANXIOUS AND AFRAID.

ITS NOT A TIME TO BE NASTY.

SO, I WANT ALL BLOG READERS AND COMMENT MAKERS TO REFRAIN FROM NASTY LANGUAGE AND PERSONAL ATTACKS ON THOSE THEY DISAGREE WITH.

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Archbishop Eamon Martin was moved to tears by the response to bringing the Blessed Sacrament through Armagh amid the coronavirus lockdown

WILLIAM SCHOLES

27 March, 2020 01:00

Armagh clergy, including Archbishop Eamon Martin, carried a Monstrance through the parish when public worship was suspended because of Covid-19

WITH the faithful no longer able to leave their homes to attend church because of the coronavirus restrictions, Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin decided to bring the sacrament to the people in a deeply symbolic act of spiritual solidarity.

On Tuesday, the first day of the latest lockdown arrangements, Dr Martin used his officially sanctioned once-a-day opportunity to exercise to carry a Monstrance through an Armagh estate.

“It was a profoundly moving experience not only for the residents but also for the Archbishop himself.”I found myself in tears as I was doing it,” he said. “People were emotional, and I received an avalanche of texts afterwards thanking me for coming out.”Top of Form

Dr Martin’s walk is a particularly vivid example of how clergy from Churches of all traditions are rising to the challenge of maintaining connections with their flocks at a time when people are craving spiritual support and solace amid isolation, illness and anxiety.

Parishes and congregations all over Ireland have been quick to make imaginative use of digital means of communication, gathering church families together on YouTube, Facebook, Zoom and a multitude of other platforms as well as their own websites.

Dr Martin’s walk, however, spoke to something deep in the psyche of Catholic Ireland that pre-dates the digital.

Archbishop Eamon Martin used his official ‘exercise opportunity’ on Tuesday to bless the people of Armagh; the shape of the Monstrance is echoed in the Celtic cross behind him

“We have a very strong devotion to Christ’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament – the Real Presence of Christ – and to the idea that Jesus walks among his people in the presence of that Blessed Sacrament,” he explained.

In that sense, bearing the Monstrance – a sacred instrument which holds the consecrated host – as he walked through Armagh’s streets was a way of “bringing the sacrament to the people and letting them know that Jesus is still walking with them”.

The Armagh parish clergy started to bring the Monstrance to the city’s streets last week when Covid-19 restrictions had already banned public worship – a way, said Dr Martin, of “bringing the Lord to the people as they could no longer come to the church and gather”.

People came out of their houses as the Monstrance passed, with many kneeling in the street.

When the further tightening of movement was announced on Monday evening, the Archbishop had yet to visit the Windmill Lane area.

“I decided to use my one opportunity to walk on Tuesday, not just as a physical exercise but also as a spiritual exercise,” said Dr Martin.

“So I walked on my own with the Monstrance through the estate, practically in the middle of the road because there were so few cars.

“People could see me from their houses. They were coming to the window and blessing themselves. One man came to his door in a wheelchair, for example.”

The positive and heartfelt response he received confirmed that it was the correct thing to do at this time of crisis.

“We need to know that Jesus is accompanying people, he is walking with his people, he is out among them in their homes and places where they are isolated; Jesus comes and walks among you,” he said.

“One man called out of his window, ‘Thank you for visiting us’. People might be isolated, but they are not alone.”

Also this week, Archbishop Martin joined with other clergy to consecrate “the people of Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for strength and protection from Covid-19”.

“It’s very much part of Catholic spiritual tradition to turn to Our Lady at times of difficulty,” he explained.

“Even so, I couldn’t believe it. I think every bishop went to their cathedral on Wednesday and simultaneously we joined in a prayer of consecration.

“There was a palpable sense of a spiritually linked cry to heaven for God’s strength and protection for all of the people of Ireland at this very difficult time.”

PAT SAYS

I am often embarrassed and made to cringe when I see clergy, of high and low station, coming out with childish and overly pious responses to very serious things.

Covid 19 is a great threat to everyone.

Those of us who believe and pray should strengthen our faith and increase our prayers.

But handing out indulgences and having street processions are not the core answer to C 19.

Our prayers MUST be accompanied by practical actions.

Pope Francis gave 30 respirators to Roman hospitals this week. With his money he could have done a lot more.

No Irish bishop has yet followed example.

GENTLEMEN – if you want us to regard your prayers and utterances as sincere – GET OUT YOUR CHEQUE BOOKS!

THE ORATORY MASS ON FACEBOOK AT 12 NOON SUNDAYS

http://fb.me/revpatbuckley

A CORONAVIRUS THOUGHT

Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.

Mar 26, 2020 by Joshua J. McElwee NCR

ROME — Announcement of the Vatican’s offering of new plenary indulgences to those around the world affected by the coronavirus may have left some Catholics asking, “We still do that?

“The answer is yes. And theologians say the move, made in a March 20 decree from the apostolic penitentiary, shows a seemingly unprecedented level of pastoral care for those who suffer from the virus — especially those who may die in isolation without being able to receive final rites.

Jesuit Fr. James Corkery, an Irish theologian at the Pontifical Gregorian University, said the decree fits with Pope Francis’ vision for a “merciful, welcoming, ‘ridiculously-pardoning’ church.

“He wants people to be ‘received back,’ to be forgiven, above all to be loved,” said Corkery, who has written extensively on the church after the Second Vatican Council.

In Catholic teaching, an indulgence is the remission of the eventual punishment due for sins that have been confessed and forgiven. A plenary indulgence, which can only be granted in various ways outlined by the Vatican, involves the remission of all of a person’s eventual punishment.

The penitentiary’s new decree offers special plenary indulgences to any Catholic affected by the virus, to health care workers and their families, to those who pray for the end of the epidemic, and to those who die without access to the sacramentsFor those in the first three categories, the indulgence can be obtained if the person is sorry for their sins and prayerfully watches a celebration of the Mass, a recitation of the rosary, a practice of the Via Crucis, or some other devotion.

For persons near death from the virus and unable to receive the sacraments because of isolation measures, the decree says they can obtain the indulgence “at the point of death, as long as they have recited some prayers during their life.

“Jeremy Wilkins, a theologian at Boston College, said he sees “something new” in the offering to those who are dying.”The conditions there are waived. It says … the church fulfills the conditions for you,” said the theologian. “That’s quite amazing.”

“It really is tender,” said Wilkins, who has focused his work in the areas of Christology and grace. “I think the church very tenderly wants to say, ‘Be sorry for your sins, and know that you’re not alone, and it will be OK.’ “Jesuit Fr. Peter Folan, a theologian at Georgetown University, said he found the decree’s treatment of the dying “especially moving.”

“There’s just a deep theology behind that, and just a deep understanding of who God is, that God doesn’t ever turn God’s gaze away from anybody, especially those at that most important event of their life, which is our death,” said Folan.Both Wilkins and Folan said that it appeared that the penitentiary had two primary objectives in offering the new indulgences: to show mercy to Catholics facing a severe time of trial, and to encourage them to think of their suffering in relation to that endured by Christ, and all the saints who have come before us.Said Wilkins: “The over-riding thing is that it’s an attempt to find a way to say, ‘You’re not alone in your suffering. Your suffering is not meaningless. And it’s not solitary. Because it actually fits into this great mystery of the suffering of Christ on behalf of his church, and the suffering of all the members on behalf of one another.’ “Folan, who has focused his work in sacramental theology, said an indulgence tells those it is offered to, and the wider church, that “there’s something about what these people are experiencing now that’s integrating their lives more fully to be like the life of Christ.”

“Those who are infected with the virus, their families, remind us that they’re configured with Christ, who suffered, and who witnessed suffering,” said the U.S. Jesuit. “Health care workers are configured to him in the sense that he too was a healer.”Corkery said indulgences are ultimately about “a generous remission of sin.”

“Indulgences, in the hands of Francis, must be seen in the context of his dream of a loving, merciful, pardoning, welcoming church,” said the Irish Jesuit.”Older people who still have fears about dying and not being in the ‘state of grace,’ about dying without divine forgiveness because — even though they are repentant — they haven’t been able to confess their sins, could be greatly helped by what Francis is seeking to do for them, for us all,” he said.Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]

PAT SAYSI have very serious misgivings about all this indulgences thing.

Surely, when God forgives, He forgets?When God has forgiven why is there “punishment due”?

Is God’s forgiveness not final?Why does God need any pope, bishop or priest to “extend” his forgiveness or complete it in some way?

This medieval doctrine is harmful, outdated and, quite frankly, a laugh.

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MASS FROM THE ORATORY TOMORROR 12 NOON

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THOUGHTS IN COVID19 TIMES

Hold on to your dreams.

For if dreams dieLife is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly

(Langston Hughes)

1 PETER 5:10
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

On the evening of March 13, the seminary had first announced that a priest, who stayed at the seminary as a guest, had contracted the virus. At the time, the community, which is dedicated to the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, had stated that all Masses in Wigratzbad would take place without the seminarians joining.“With the powerful help of faith, hope and charity, we do not let ourselves be discouraged. In a few days, the first healed ones will be able to take over from the newly sick, to maintain the spiritual and material life of the house,” the seminary community wrote.

Since God only allows evil for the sake of a greater good, the community expressed its confidence in the Lord “who alone is able to give meaning to our temporary existence on this earth.”Since the reception of Holy Communion on the tongue had already been banned, the FSSP declared that only the celebrant would receive the Eucharist. The faithful were encouraged to do a spiritual communion.

On the next day, the French blog of the seminary, which has a German-speaking and a French-speaking section, clarified that the priest first infected was from Italy.“The whole seminary has been in strict confinement for a week, because the disease spreads rapidly. A dozen priests and seminarians are showing flu-like symptoms, forcing us to completely reorganize schedules and services. Cooks, cleaners, secretaries … we have to do everything by ourselves, but everyone is generous and adapts without difficulty.

”The community is using the quarantine to meditate on the meaning of life.“Life is short and fragile, and if one is worried about one’s health, one must be even more concerned about one’s salvation. The invisible threat of illness stimulates us to trust more in God, and to increase our prayers and penances even more,” the French blog wrote.Earlier this week, the government prohibited gatherings of any kind in churches, meaning the public is now no longer able to participate in Mass in Wigratzbad.

This year, 90 seminarians are preparing for the priesthood in Wigratzbad. The community received 30 new seminarians last fall.Meanwhile, 59 religious sisters in Italy have been tested positive for coronavirus.

Just outside of Rome, one convent of the Daughters of St. Camillus, composed of 40 sisters, was isolated. Additionally, 19 members of the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul, also located outside of Rome, were diagnosed with coronavirus.

According to reports 28 priests in Northern Italy have already died of coronavirus.“Avvenire, the Italian newspaper owned by the Italian bishops conference, attributes at least 28 of these priests’ deaths to COVID-19, and also notes two additional cases: that of Fr. Guido Mortari, who died of pneumonia before he could get tested, and Fr. Giorgio Bosini, who had a serious underlying medical condition,

“Courtney Mares wrote.

The vast majority of priests who died were over 70 years old. The youngest died at 54.

PAT SAYS

The death of any human being, especially at a younger age, or from a pandemic like Covid19 is sad.

In a place life a religious house or a seminary, where a medium sized group lives there are extra risks and dangers.

It would seem to me that these seminarians and nuns would have been better at home isolating with their families.

It is very simplistic to think that Mass or the Rosary on their own can cure Covid19.

“God helps those who help themselves”.

GO FUND ME FOR VENTILATOR BACK UP AFTER MALICIOUS ATTACK

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.

(Source: KLTV) March 24, 2020 at 9:25 PM EDT – Updated March 25 at 6:49 AM



The global coronavirus pandemic is forcing doctors and nurses to make agonizing decisions of who lives and who dies. It is the toughest and most heartbreaking decision a person could ever have to make.



Infected with COVID-19, that is exactly the decision that faced 72-year-old Italian priest Don Giuseppe Berardelli. And in the highest of priestly callings, Berardelli chose to put others’ lives before his own by giving up his ventilator to save the life of a younger person.



He made that ultimate sacrifice on March 15.Now, news of his sacrifice has gone viral on Twitter.Don Giuseppe Berardelli, a priest for 47 years, was serving as the Archpriest of Casnigo in the Diocese of Bergamo in Northern Italy, one of the areas hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.



Berardelli had been suffering from a respiratory condition for some time, so his parish had previously purchased the breathing apparatus to help him cope.Clara Poli, the mayor of the town of Fiorano, where Don Giuseppe was a longtime pastor, spoke about Berardelli’s character to the Italian publication FarodiRoma: “A great person… he was always cheerful and full of enthusiasm, he gave peace and joy to our communities,” said Poli, “He was a priest who listened to everyone, he knew how to listen, whoever turned to him knew that he could count on his help.



“One Twitter user in Chicago said Berardelli had served as a father figure to her cousins in Ital after their own father died. “What a small world. My extended family in Italy were very close with him,” she wrote. “He was a father figure to my cousins after they lost their father very young. He was a very good man & is being mourned very hard by my family. They also lost their patriarch 3 days later. Poor lovely man.



“Commenting on Berardelli’s selfless act, a health care worker in a Casnigo retirement home told FarodiRoma, “I am deeply moved by the fact that the archpriest of Casnigo, Don Giuseppe Berardelli — to whom the parish community had bought a respirator — renounced his will to assign it to someone younger than him.



“James Martin, an American priest and editor-at-large for America magazine, a Jesuit review of faith and culture, called Berardelli a “Martyr of Charity.” And he cited a Bible verse, John 15:13, which says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”



PAT SAYS



This is one of the most impressive stories about a priest that I have ever heard.



What he did was the 21st century equivalent of what Saint Fatger Maxilian Kolbe did in Auswich.



I seriously doubt that under the same circumstances I could do the same thing.



Father Barardelli is a light glowing in the ecclesiastical and clerical darkness.



Here is one man who deserves the title Saint.



What a far cry from the Gaynooth orgies.



What a far cry from the priests showing their willies on the internet.



What  far cry from most priests.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY INVENTS PROTOTYPE VENTILATION THAT COST £100


Coronavirus:



Prototype ventilators could be mass-produced to ease NHS pressureThe NHS could soon have help in tackling COVID-19 from a ventilator that can be mass-produced in a fortnight.Thomas MooreScience correspondent @SkyNewsThomasTuesday 24 March 2020 21:32, UKCORONAVIRUSImage:Oxford University and King’s College London have developed prototype ventilators that could be mass-produced in two weeks.



Doctors and engineers have unveiled a prototype ventilator that’s simple enough to mass-produce in a fortnight, soon enough for the expected surge in coronavirus patients.The team from Oxford University and King’s College London took less than a week to take the device from the drawing board to working prototype, so that it can soon help in the fight against COVID-19.



Sky News witnessed the first test on a medical dummy. It worked – the simulator’s chest rose and



The Oxvent is made using a standard resuscitation bag and valves widely used in the NHS, eliminating the need for 3D printing of complex parts.Compressed air squeezes the bag, blowing oxygen into the lungs, with the frequency of ‘breaths’ controlled by simple electronics costing less than £100.




The £ 433 we have raised already will buy 4 of these.

THE WHOLE WORLD IS UNDER THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT SINCE WORLD WAR 11 AND ALL THE VATICAN AND IRISH BISHOPS CAN COME UP WITH IS MEDIEVAL INDULGENCES AND MARIAN CONSECRATIONS!

CONSERVATION IN PHONSIE’S PRIVATE CHAPEL

P = PHONSIE

IHM = IMMACULATE OF MARY

P: I’ve great news for you IHM. The Irish Bishops are going to consecrate Ireland to you to cure the Coronavirus.

IHM: WHAT! and are you doing anything practical for the infected, the sick and the dying?

P; What had you in mind IHM?

IHM: Like all 26 dioceses in Ireland giving a ventilators to the Health Service. They are only €80,000 each and each diocese has millions in the bank?

P; Phonsie looking shocked

IHM: Like each diocese giving half its savings to the doctors to get medicines etc to treat the sick?

P: Phonsie breathing become laboured.

IHM: Like each parish offering its churches, halls and presbyteries for recuperating patients.

P: Phonsie’s mouth twitching when he’s angry.

IHM: And will tell that Argie in Rome to stop giving out those meaningless indulgences that caused the Reformation.

P: Phonsie looking like he does in the pic above.

IHM: I dont need countries consecrated to my heart. My son consecrated the whole of mankind to Himself on Calvary. Do you forget that Big P?

And while I’m at it, how dare you refuse Body and Blood of my Son to my devoted servant in Larne  Bishop Buckley.

P: Right if that the way you want to play this, Baby, there’ll be no consecrations, no more Rosaries, no more Knock and Lourdes and no more of us bishops and priests making you a goddess. No clear off and get out of my sight!

Dumb Broad. The Bible was right. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth”

THE LAUGHING MADONNA

IT IS UGLY, SINFUL AND SCANDALISING FOR BISHOPS AND PRIESTS TO BE BEGGING FOR MONEY WHEN THE POPULATION OF THE GLOBE IS UNDER THREAT FROM THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.

Not only is the world undergoing a massive health threat but businesses are closing and many are losing their jobs.

This means that many people will not be able to pay their mortgage or rent and for many others it could mean less food on the table, less heat in their homes and other vital bills not being paid.

And in the midst of all of this there are bishops and priests launching appeals for more money for the clerical and ecclesiastical coffers!

The clerical geezer from Mullingar we mentioned yester – wants money to maintain his marble clad cathedral – and presumably to have all the food and comforts he and his fellow clerics in Mullingar have in a presbyters the size of a small hotel!

And on top of this we told yesterday that the new bishop in Mullingar – Deenihan – insisted on buying himself a new house last year – and I bet it was not a semi detached two up, two down.

Why could Deenihan not have lived in the small hotel presbytery beside his marble cathedra?

Why does one man need anymore that a sitting room, a dining room come office, a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom?

Last year on this blog I showed you all pictures of the palace style presbytery in another Meath parish – Navan – the size of a medium hotel – where a bedroom is set aside and called The Bishop’s Room. Why does the bishop of Meath have a second bedroom 30 miles from his own home?

And why is Meath refusing to make public the salary of its clergy? Are they afraid the figures might shock?

The RCC globally is one of the very richest multi nationals – if not the richest.

The Vatican global property portfolio is packed with the best of properties in the best locations.

HOW THE VATICAN BUILT ITS MASSIVE PROPERTY PORTFOLIO USING MUSSOLINI’S MILLOONS

Papacy used offshore tax havens to create £500m international portfolio, featuring real estate in UK, France and Switzerland

David Leigh, Jean François Tanda and Jessica Benhamou THE GUARDIAN

Few passing London tourists would ever guess that the premises of Bulgari, the upmarket jewellers in New Bond Street, had anything to do with the pope. Nor indeed the nearby headquarters of the wealthy investment bank Altium Capital, on the corner of St James’s Square and Pall Mall.
But these office blocks in one of London’s most expensive districts are part of a surprising secret commercial property empire owned by the Vatican.
Behind a disguised offshore company structure, the church’s international portfolio has been built up over the years, using cash originally handed over by Mussolini in return for papal recognition of the Italian fascist regime in 1929.

Since then the international value of Mussolini’s nest-egg has mounted until it now exceeds £500m. In 2006, at the height of the recent property bubble, the Vatican spent £15m of those funds to buy 30 St James’s Square. Other UK properties are at 168 New Bond Street and in the city of Coventry. It also owns blocks of flats in Paris and Switzerland.
The surprising aspect for some will be the lengths to which the Vatican has gone to preserve secrecy about the Mussolini millions. The St James’s Square office block was bought by a company called British Grolux Investments Ltd, which also holds the other UK properties. Published registers at Companies House do not disclose the company’s true ownership, nor make any mention of the Vatican.
Instead, they list two nominee shareholders, both prominent Catholic bankers: John Varley, recently chief executive of Barclays Bank, and Robin Herbert, formerly of the Leopold Joseph merchant bank. Letters were sent from the Guardian to each of them asking whom they act for. They went unanswered. British company law allows the true beneficial ownership of companies to be concealed behind nominees in this way.

The company secretary, John Jenkins, a Reading accountant, was equally uninformative. He told us the firm was owned by a trust but refused to identify it on grounds of confidentiality. He told us after taking instructions: “I confirm that I am not authorised by my client to provide any information.”
Research in old archives, however, reveals more of the truth. Companies House files disclose that British Grolux Investments inherited its entire property portfolio after a reorganisation in 1999 from two predecessor companies called British Grolux Ltd and Cheylesmore Estates. The shares of those firms were in turn held by a company based at the address of the JP Morgan bank in New York. Ultimate control is recorded as being exercised by a Swiss company, Profima SA.

British wartime records from the National Archives in Kew complete the picture. They confirm Profima SA as the Vatican’s own holding company, accused at the time of “engaging in activities contrary to Allied interests”. Files from officials at Britain’s Ministry of Economic Warfare at the end of the war criticised the pope’s financier, Bernardino Nogara, who controlled the investment of more than £50m cash from the Mussolini windfall.
Nogara’s “shady activities” were detailed in intercepted 1945 cable traffic from the Vatican to a contact in Geneva, according to the British, who discussed whether to blacklist Profima as a result. “Nogara, a Roman lawyer, is the Vatican financial agent and Profima SA in Lausanne is the Swiss holding company for certain Vatican interests.” They believed Nogara was trying to transfer shares of two Vatican-owned French property firms to the Swiss company, to prevent the French government blacklisting them as enemy assets.
Earlier in the war, in 1943, the British accused Nogara of similar “dirty work”, by shifting Italian bank shares into Profima’s hands in order to “whitewash” them and present the bank as being controlled by Swiss neutrals. This was described as “manipulation” of Vatican finances to serve “extraneous political ends”.

The Mussolini money was dramatically important to the Vatican’s finances. John Pollard, a Cambridge historian, says in Money and the Rise of the Modern Papacy: “The papacy was now financially secure. It would never be poor again.”
From the outset, Nogara was innovative in investing the cash. In 1931 records show he founded an offshore company in Luxembourg to hold the continental European property assets he was buying. It was called Groupement Financier Luxembourgeois, hence Grolux. Luxembourg was one of the first countries to set up tax-haven company structures in 1929. The UK end, called British Grolux, was incorporated the following year.
When war broke out, with the prospect of a German invasion, the Luxembourg operation and ostensible control of the British Grolux operation were moved to the US and to neutral Switzerland.

The Mussolini investments in Britain are currently controlled, along with its other European holdings and a currency trading arm, by a papal official in Rome, Paolo Mennini, who is in effect the pope’s merchant banker. Mennini heads a special unit inside the Vatican called the extraordinary division of APSA – Amministrazione del Patrimonio della Sede Apostolica – which handles the so-called “patrimony of the Holy See”.
According to a report last year from the Council of Europe, which surveyed the Vatican’s financial controls, the assets of Mennini’s special unit now exceed €680m (£570m).
While secrecy about the Fascist origins of the papacy’s wealth might have been understandable in wartime, what is less clear is why the Vatican subsequently continued to maintain secrecy about its holdings in Britain, even after its financial structure was reorganised in 1999.

The Guardian asked the Vatican’s representative in London, the papal nuncio, archbishop Antonio Mennini, why the papacy continued with such secrecy over the identity of its property investments in London. We also asked what the pope spent the income on. True to its tradition of silence on the subject, the Roman Catholic church’s spokesman said that the nuncio had no comment.


WILL YOU BISHOPS AND PRIESTS STOP TAKING THE SCARE MONEY OF STRUGHLING PEOPLE TO ADD TO YOUR PROPERTY, MONEY, ART AND OTHER PORTFOLIOS.

If Mullingar Darby is short let get a grant or loan from the Vatican’s BANK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.


BUY THE NHS A VENTILATOR

I have started a GO FUND ME fundraiser to buy the NHS a ventilator.

This will save many lives now during the CORONAVIRUS CRISIS  and untold lives in the future.

I have opened the fundraiser with £ 100 from me.


Please donate


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Mullingar parish has admitted that the Coronavirus crisis has “obliterated” its income – and left it fearful of not being able to pay the bills.

“We have made big cutbacks in spending, but we still have to run the parish and maintain the vital service we offer to our community and the local hospital,” Fr Derek Darby, parish administrator, told The Westmeath Examiner today.

The parish employs a number of staff – but depends completely on the voluntary support and generosity of people each week in the offertory collection to fulfill its obligations to its staff and priests, and to pay the parish’s bills.

“We have already received calls from parishioners who are mindful the parish’s working reserves are now under pressure, wanting to donate or make a contribution,” said Fr Darby.

Stressing that he was aware that in these uncertain times everyone is now under financial pressure, he said since Masses are suspended and the church locally has no income source, any donations will be gratefully received.

“We would appreciate your support,” he said.

There are three ways of supporting the parish:

(i) Weekly envelopes: continue to drop in the weekly envelope to the cathedral. There will be a secure donation box inside the main door of the cathedral.

(ii) Credit Transfer

Credit Transfer to Mullingar Cathedral Current Account

Please include your name or envelope number (if you have one) as a reference so the church can acknowledge your donation.

(iii) Cheque or Cash Donation

Donations can be left into the parish office or the cathedral in the secure donation box inside the main door of the cathedral.

Donations received by post will be acknowledged by email/phone call.

PAT SAYS

The Roman Catholic Church is one of the wealthiest entities in the world.

At a time when are worried about the possibility of millions dying world wide I think it is disgraceful that a parish is worried about its collections and canvassing donations.

We are living through times where millions might die.

And the PP of Mullingar is worried about his bank balances going down.

This is disgraceful selfishness.

Let him sell his ostentatious cathedral to be turned into a night club or casino and give the money to the poor, the sick and the dying.

DAILY MASS FROM THE ORATORY

Daily Mass, 7 days a week, will be broadcast from The Oratory at 12 noon everyday from tomorrow 23.3.2020.

LINK

https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffb.me%2Frevpatbuckley&data=02%7C01%7C%7C23506acc5e1042d615c508d7ce2df4b8%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637204569076124601&sdata=TCJXQGfW0VGAXBNgKLJw5RQb2E7QQCUZqF0ME4xX9Y4%3D&reserved=0

IMPORTANT NEW INFORMATION

Coronavirus graphics you may have been sent on WhatsApp are not actually from Unicef

11th Mar 2020

Claim

The new coronavirus is 400-500 micro and for this reason wide enough to be stopped by masks.

Conclusion

The virus is 50-200 nanometres wide, and a mask, although sometimes necessary, won’t guarantee that you don’t get Covid-19.

Claim 1 of 7

We’ve seen a number of tweets showing graphics which make claims about the new coronavirus. The graphics have Unicef branding and are reportedly spreading on WhatsApp.

Unicef in the Philippines has said that the graphics are not from them. Most of the claims here are unevidenced or just plain false.
The claims seem to have been lifted from a Facebook post which we have checked before. The original text of the post, which has been edited since we first fact checked it, makes some of the same claims about the symptoms of Covid-19 and ways to prevent the disease.
It seems that at one point, MSN had an article on its website repeating the claims and attributing them to Unicef though the article has now been deleted.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) calls the disease itself Covid-19, and the virus that causes it SARS-CoV-2, and we will use that naming system here.

“Corona virus (Covid-19) is large in size where the cell diameter is 400-500 micro and for this reason any mask prevents its entry.”

The SARS-CoV-2 virus itself is around 50-200 nanometres wide. “Any mask” will not prevent you catching it. The WHO says masks are only effective when combined with regular hand washing. Viruses like this can enter through the eyes even if you’re wearing a mask.

“The virus does not settle in the air but is grounded so it is not transmitted by air.”

It’s not completely obvious what this means. The virus that causes Covid-19 certainly can spread through cough and sneeze droplets in the air, which can in turn enter someone else’s system.

“Corona virus lives on the hands for 10 minutes, so putting an alcohol sterililzer in the pocket meets the purpose of prevention.”

As we’ve said before, it’s not clear exactly how long the virus can ‘survive’ on your hands, especially not down to the minute. Using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser is a good way to prevent the virus from spreading, if washing your hands with soap and water isn’t possible.

“Corona virus when it falls on a metal surface, it will live 12 hours, so washing hands with soap and water well enough.”

We don’t know exactly how long the virus can last on surfaces yet. The WHO says “Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days.
It’s still good advice to wash your hands regularly with soap and water.

“Gargle with warm and salt water kills the tonsils germs and prevents them from leaking into the lungs.”

As we’ve written about before, gargling with salt water is recommended by the NHS for adults who have a sore throat, but only to relieve symptoms once you have caught it, not as a preventative measure. The WHO has said that there’s no evidence saline can prevent Covid-19.
Other fact checkers have also written about this claim, which was attributed to respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan, a key figure during the SARS outbreak. The hospital where he worked debunked the rumour via a post on social media site Weibo.

“If the virus is exposed to a temperature of 26-27ºC. It will be killed, as it does not live in hot regions. Also drinking hot water and sun exposure will do the trick and staying away from ice cream and cold food is advised.”

We don’t yet know what temperatures the virus can withstand, but it’s worth noting that several of the countries with confirmed cases have warmer climates where the temperature can reach 27ºC. Sun exposure is therefore unlikely to protect you from or cure Covid-19. There’s no official advice from the NHS, WHO or CDC to stay away from cold food like ice cream or drink hot water to kill the virus.

“Coronavirus when it falls on the fabric remains 9 hours, so washing clothes or being exposed to the sun for two hours meets the purpose of killing it.”

We don’t know how long the new virus can last on fabric, especially this soon after it was discovered. In a blogpost, Harvard Medical School’s instructor in medicine Todd Ellerin writes: “So far, available evidence suggests it can be transmitted less easily from soft surfaces than frequently-touched hard surfaces.”
The CDC advises that soiled clothing from Covid-19 patients should be handled with disposable gloves, but can be washed using normal detergent. There’s absolutely no evidence that leaving clothes in the sun can kill the virus.

By Grace Rahman

Hi there Friends –

Herewith a 2020 Science Bulletin put out by Unicef on viruses like Corona –

1. The Corona virus is quite big in its size and cell proportions, measuring at between 400-500 micros for cell diameter, so any surgical mask will prevent it entering the body;

2. Not an airborne virus, as it tends to prefer liquids, so it is not transmitted by air;

3. If it falls onto a metal surface it will live there for up to 12 hours, so regular washing of kitchen and other surfaces will kill its outer protein casing;

4. If it falls onto a fabric surface, it will last up to 9 hours, so as it does not like hot temperatures, washing or exposure to the sun for 2 hours does the trick;

5. If it falls onto the hands it can live there for 10 minutes, so hand-gelling with an alcohol sterliser is important as a preventative measure against any super-spreading;

6. If exposed to temperatures of from 26 to 27 degrees Centigrade, this kills it, by rupturing the protein outer casing of the virus;

7. A regular nightly gargle with warm water or salt water kills the germs on the tonsils and this will prevent the virus getting into the metabolism;

Adherence to these preventative measures will deal with many viruses.

MY WEDDINGS – RESTRICTIONS

Ideally I wish NOT to celebrate any weddings during the current crisis.

But in those cases where I deem it necessary to celebrate a wedding I am employing the following conditions:

1. I will wear the mask above.

2. I will impose social distancing – everyone except bride and groom be 6 feet apart.

3. A limit of 6 people at a wedding ceremony – including the bride and groom. This is to allow the couple and their parents to be present.

4. Before and after ceremony those present will sanitise their hand with 80% alcohol hand sanitiser.

5. Wedding ceremony will be very short – no Mass or Holy Communion.

This may of course change, if the government registrar’s office closes, leading to no Marriage Schedule (licence) being issued.

THE ORATORY BROADCAST MASS.

I am hoping that today at 12 noon I will make a first attempt to broadcast my daily Mass from The Oratory.

It will be a simple mass without music and a short reflection instead of a formal homily.

Todays Mass may not be perfectly technically – but will be a beginning that we will perfect as we go along.

The plan is to have Mass on Sundays at 12 noon and weekdays at 6.15 pm.

We will keep the times under review.

The link is

https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffb.me%2Frevpatbuckley&data=02%7C01%7C%7C23506acc5e1042d615c508d7ce2df4b8%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637204569076124601&sdata=TCJXQGfW0VGAXBNgKLJw5RQb2E7QQCUZqF0ME4xX9Y4%3D&reserved=0

A SHORTERBLINK TO MY LIVE MASS

http://fb.me/revpatbuckley

David Marr The Guardian

The word around the bars is: George Pell will walk free.

These barristers don’t have a heads up. They’re only talking among themselves.

But those who have followed this prosecution as it has made its slow and dramatic way to the high court must face the possibility that the cardinal is about to be acquitted.

Historic child sex assaults make difficult cases. The facts are frequently bizarre. So often there is no corroborating evidence and the word of the accuser is simply pitted against the denials of the accused.

These trials test the criminal law.But Pell’s accuser was undoubtedly convincing.

We will never know everything he had to say about events at St Patrick’s Cathedral in late 1996 and early 1997 – he gave all his evidence in camera – but we do know that after convincing the police and prosecution authorities in Victoria, he convinced a jury and then two out of three judges of the court of appeal that Pell raped him.

Pell’s lawyers disagree, of course, but acknowledge how compelling the unknown young man’s evidence has been. Indeed, it’s the lynchpin of their case. Pell’s counsel,

Bret Walker SC, argues the jury and the court of appeal were so swept away by the cardinal’s accuser – by his testimony and his demeanour in the witness box – that they downplayed the evidence in Pell’s favour.George Pell’s appeal ‘glosses over’ evidence that supports conviction, DPP saysIn lawyer speak: “Belief in a ‘compelling’ complainant does not, ipso facto, equate to the elimination of reasonable doubt.”

When the court assembles on Wednesday, a dozen of the finest legal brains in the land will be debating Pell’s fate at a level of stratospheric complexity. But the core argument for the cardinal is simply stated: that the testimony of more than 20 church witnesses left no “realistic opportunity” for him to assault two boys after a solemn mass at St Patrick’s in December 1996.

These altar servers, organists, masters of ceremonies and choirboys from back in those days spoke of locked corridors, regimented processions, old rituals inside the building, new practices on the cathedral steps, crowded rooms, church law, and robes too complicated to expose an archbishop’s penis.Walker’s point is that the combined testimony of these “undisputedly honest witnesses” ought to have left the jury doubting “highly improbable” allegations of rape and sexual assault.

And he accused the appeal court judges whi believe that George Pell is guilty.If the Australian high court acquires him he will be free and presumed innocent.We must all accept the court’s verdict.Could the Aussies retry him?

LIVE MASS BROADCAST FROM THE ORATORY

I am having an IT guru to come to The Oratory over the weekend to help me to set up live Mass broadcasts.I’ll keep readers informed.

HELPING THE HOMELESS IN THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS.

Dear Bishop Patrick,

I’m taking this opportunity to thank you, especially now, for your invaluable support to vulnerable, homeless young people during these uncertain times.

Hopefully I’m able to reassure you that we, like you, are doing our part in taking precautions and tackling the challenges that the Coronavirus is placing on each and every one of us.

As the entire country prepares to take more drastic measures to contain the pandemic – school closures, reduced public transport, social distancing, city lock-downs – at Centrepoint, we too, are doing our very best to focus on the safety of the young people in our care and the wellbeing of our staff.

Operating over 60 services across the country and providing over 1,100 bed spaces for homeless young people, we remain, as ever, firmly dedicated to providing the additional support that young people need during this difficult time.

And while this may be the biggest challenge Centrepoint has ever faced, we are fortunate to have such skilled and compassionate people who, I’m confident, will get us through it.

I’d like to share a message from our Wandsworth Housing and Support Manager, Matthew Carlisle, who tells us what his service is experiencing right now.A message from the front line“We are working tirelessly to ensure that young people have all the right information they need to keep themselves safe, whilst providing the everyday essentials – like toilet roll, sanitiser, cleaning products, hand soap, etc.

This is a struggle in itself, due to the panic buying that is happening everywhere.”Visitor bans are in place in our services to restrict the number of people coming in and out, as we want to keep young people’s homes as safe as possible throughout this period. Funds are being used to buy food and other essentials as and when young people need them, as a lot of our usual food donations have stopped deliveries due to the crisis.

“We will also help young people if they have to go into self-isolation by adapting services to cope, and we are reassuring them they’re not alone and staff will be here to help them through.

One of the most important things we’re doing is giving emotional support to young people – who are scared like the rest of us.

“Young people have said to me today that they are shocked that staff are still here in services. I have told them, ‘I will be here unless I get sick, and so will my staff. We won’t disappear when things get tough. We will get through this together by following the guidelines and supporting each other when needed.’

“I cannot keep services safe and Covid-19 free without young people’s cooperation, and as always they have not disappointed me yet. They are positive, listening to advice, and they are a pleasure to serve.

”We are expecting a major loss in our income as several of our fundraising activities and events are now cancelled.

But we are doing what we can to minimise the impact of this to our support services for homeless young people. The situation is constantly evolving and we will be updating you regularly in the following weeks. On behalf of everyone at Centrepoint, and the young people we serve, thank you for standing with us. We will get through this together.

Best wishes,Jane West
Head of Supporter Giving, Centrepoint

PAT SAYS

We must care FOR EVERYONE in the Coronavirus crisis.

But, if you are homeless how can you self isolate?How can you wash your hands hourly.

You will have no problem being6 feet away from others.

They will not come within 6 feet of you.

I support centrepoint.

Can you support them- or some other homelessness charity?