The exact date of the death of the Savior

 Scientists were able to predict the exact date of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ!

***

International Geology Review points to Friday 3rd of April, 33 A.D. as the more likely day of the death of Jesus. This is due to recent researches, focused on earthquake activity at the Dead Sea, located 13 miles from Jerusalem. The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 27, mentions that an earthquake coincided with the crucifixion.  [Don't ask theologians at MST and SVST about this.  They'll question even the events written in the Gospel.  They'll call it embellishment, the literary freedom of the writer to make the simple death more fit for storybooks and Hollywood.  That is MODERNISM at work folks, and we call them REVEREND FATHERS.  They know better than the Evangelists because, you know why?  They have the degree and the Evangelists don't!  Matthew was a slimy tax collector, Mark who knows what was doing, he just showed up and wrote SOMETHING, John was lowly fishermen, and Luke was a physician BUT NEVER a theologian or a liturgist....Wah?!  Why did the liturgist thing got inserted here?  Well, force of habit.  Ha!]

To analyze earthquake activity in the region, geologist Jefferson Williams of Supersonic Geophysical and colleagues Markus Schwab and Achim Brauer of the German Research Center for Geosciences studied three cores from the beach of the Ein Gedi Spa adjacent to the Dead Sea.

Varves, which are annual layers of deposition in the sediments, reveal that at least two major earthquakes affected the core: a widespread earthquake in 31 B.C. and an early first century seismic event that happened sometime between 26 A.D. and 36 A.D.

The latter period occurred during “the years when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea and when the earthquake of the Gospel of Matthew is historically constrained,” Williams said.

According the researchers, their study proves that a local earthquake happened, strong enough to deform the varves in Ein Gedi, but not strong or wide enough to produce a wider historical memory.


***

And atheists say that science and religion will never co-exist!

Idiots!

Guess who!

Hey look who is with the Asian nun!

Busy day...

Busy ruining the day of Carlos Celdran.

Ha!

The Holy Father directly adresses the Vatileaks issue

Liberation Theology

The Curia is in disarray?: CALL FOR A ROSARY CRUSADE

From Andrea Tornielli

***

“The atmosphere is poisonous, heavy. Some claim that in the future we won’t be able to take mobile phones with inbuilt cameras into the Vatican.” [Wow!  Much like going into the INC Main Temple?  Ha!]  The ban on camera phones is just a rumour that has been circulating around the Secretariat of State in the last few days, [maybe they will do this now in the Secretariat considering how paranoid Bertone must be!] which have been the most difficult in the Vatican in recent years. “Somehow this is even worse than the storm caused by the Church paedophilia scandal,” said a priest who entered the great gate of Porta Angelica with brisk fearful steps.


Talking moles

Many outside the Vatican doubt the guilt of Paolo Gabriele, [me among them!] the Pope’s butler and no one seems to think he could have master-minded the leak of documents published in journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi’s book. We do not know the extent of his involvement yet. If the inquiry remains at this level, the doubts will inevitably grow. The net of moles, which allegedly includes a number of people, struck again, giving once more the same motives that had been put forward by the famous investigative reporter in the pages of “Sua santità” (His Holiness). The leak of Benedict XVI’s confidential papers could apparently have been an act to help the Pope. Few believe this to be true, mostly because the Vatileaks scandal has managed to besmirch the Holy See as a whole and its image is now in tatters.  [I doubt it.  Only the anti-Catholics are happy for this.]


Infamous dismissal

Yesterday Fr. Lombardi claimed that there is no connection between the motion of no confidence in the Vatican Bank’s former president, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi and the Vatileaks issue. On Thursday the IOR’s lay supervisory council removed the banker who had been chosen by Cardinal Bertone in September 2009 and who was also a leading writer for Vatican daily broadsheet L’Osservatore Romano as well as a friend of the newspaper’s director, Gian Maria Vian. The next day the committee of cardinals met to ratify the vote, but no statement regarding their verdict has been released as yet. The very harsh letter by Carl Anderson, [my Supreme Knight!] one of the four board members, containing the reasons behind the dismissal of Gotti Tedeschi, whose professional image has been destroyed, was intentionally published. The banker was also accused of not “ explaining the distribution of certain documents” he kept. The way he was dismissed is brand new in the history of the Holy See and could have major repercussions, if and when Gotti Tedeschi will decide to speak up.


Is it time for the cardinal to retire?

According to the moles, the real target of the Vatileaks operation, is allegedly the Vatican Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone. The whole thing would have been orchestrated to pressure him into retiring. However, objectively speaking, the explosion of the Vatileaks scandal seems far too extreme for its aim to be the simple removal of a cardinal who will turn 78 in December. Unless one were to believe (and some do) that the ambitions of those who would like to take his place might be the hidden motive behind the storm that is raging inside and outside the Curia and if we were to look even further, perhaps we would find the power struggle for the succession of the ageing Pope at the root of the problems. Ratzinger wanted Bertone by his side because he trusts him and has no intention of removing him, even though the cardinal himself offered to resign. His management of the Secretariat of State has been the target of heavy criticism. However, as happened before, in times of crisis, the ecclesiastical institution has clammed up to protect its clerics.


Pope's secretary targeted

Fr. Georg Gänswein, Benedict XVI’s personal secretary, is facing a difficult time, since Paolo Gabriele had worked alongside him in the papal apartments for six years. Fr. Georg’s influence has grown in the last two years as have the rumours concerning attempts to drive him away from the Pope, such as his possible appointment as bishop in Germany, now that the Diocese of Regensburg is to become vacant and its current bishop is to become cardinal in Rome and cover a different office. [CDF?!?!  Really?!]  But there are very few who believe that the Pope will get rid of his trusted secretary.

***

I once again reiterate that we have to continue praying for the Holy Father.

On this note, let me share this letter from Michael

hi sir knight. i just can't help but react to the latest posts regarding the latest happenings in the vatican. it really pains me to see such situation is now happening in the vatican. [it is actually happening but it was maliciously brought out into the open and it constitutes a betrayal of the trust of the Pope, to whom the letters were addressed.]  is this all because the pope is trying to bring back the church where it is supposed to be? is it because he is restoring everything that was lost after vatican II? [I think it has a bearing in it.]  its sad that the pope is all alone in this episode in his papacy.  [Not completely.]

i was able to chance upon this vision of Jacinta Marto: " I saw the Holy Father in a very big house, kneeling by a table, with his head buried in his hands, and he was weeping. Outside the house, there were many people. Some of them were throwing stones, others were cursing him and using bad language. Poor Holy Father, we must pray very much for him."  [The Holy Father will always be the target of the devil and his demons remember that.]

i cried upon reading this message, it fits the situation of our holy father now. i suddenly felt this spiritual burden; if the holy father is suffering much, we must take a share of this suffering also in as much as we are his children. he is not suffering this because he wanted this himself, but it is because he loves us his children. truly he is a "good shepherd", who is taking the blows for us just to bring us to the right path.  [beautifully written!]


lets pray for him. i myself would start a crusade of offering daily rosaries for him. [I agree!  This is the way to go!] i hope you could invite your readers to also offer prayers and sacrifices for the holy father. he is suffering so much because of those people who is governed by personal interests instead of humility and service.

Thank you for the wonderful suggestion, Michael.

On that note, I ask all the readers to start praying the Rosary for the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and say this indulgenced prayer.

Prayers for the Holy Father

(to be said after the Rosary)

V. Let us pray for our Pontiff, Pope Benedict.
R. The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him to be blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies (Roman Breviary).

Our Father. Hail Mary.

(From the old Raccolta: A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions, when this prayer has been devoutly said every day for a month (S.C. Ind., Nov. 26, 1876; S. P. Ap., Oct 12, 1931).

Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, have mercy upon Thy servant, Benedict, our Supreme Pontiff, and direct him, according to Thy loving-kindness, in the way of eternal salvation; that, of thy gift, he may ever desire that which is pleasing unto thee and may accomplish it with all his might. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen (Roman Ritual).

(From the old Raccolta: An indulgence of three years, a plenary indulgence once a month on the usual conditions, for the daily devout recitation of this prayer. S. P. Ap., March 10, 1935).

SSPX Update: Williamson loyalist confirms it!

Based on this video, this is what we can sum up as observed by J. Christopher Pryor:

1. Bishop Williamson is actively working to undermine Bishop Fellay by attempting to thwart a reunification with Rome.

2. Bishop Williamson, Bishop Tissier de Mallerais and Bishop de Gallareta are united against the Holy Father and Bishop Fellay.

3. The SSPX might have already reunited with Rome if it were not for the leaking of the letter of the three bishops against Bishop Fellay.

4. The letter of the three bishops against Bishop Fellay was leaked by someone in the Williamson camp with the intent of thwarting a reunification of the SSPX with Rome.

5. The Williamson camp is hoping to stall an agreement long enough to take over at the SSPX General Chapter this summer.

6.The Williamson camp is apparently meeting with lawyers to discuss how to obtain SSPX owned property in the event of a split.

7. The Williamson camp is counting priests to determine how strong their position is. There is frustration that some priests keep "switching sides."

8. The Williamson faction believes that, in the event of a split, they have good control of the English district, Mexico and Asia.

9. Williamson's folllowers believe Rome has lost the faith. (They call it "New
Rome" or "Modernist Rome".) They believe that they can reunite with Rome only when "the Papacy returns to the faith."

The split is real and I think the reaction against the unification do not come only from within the SSPX. There are those within the Vatican who do not want this to happen. And the Vatican Leaks scandal has something to do with this.

Vatican Whistleblowers: "We are doing it to protect the Pope."

ROME - Who are the Vatican whistleblowers? "There isn't just one brain behind the operation, there are several. There are cardinals, private secretaries, monsignors and the small fry. Men and women, priests and laypeople. The whistleblowers even include cardinals. But the Vatican Secretary of State cannot admit that and has the small fry arrested, like "Paoletto" (as Paolo Gabriele is affectionately known), the Pope's valet. Who has got nothing to do with it apart from having passed on some letters."

A suburb in the north of Rome, a table in a bar, traffic passing by. It is lunchtime on a now limpid Sunday morning and one of those behind the flow of confidential letters from the Holy See is explaining how the operation works.

"Those doing it are acting to protect the Pope."

The Pope? Why?
"Because the whistleblower - or rather whistleblowers, because there are more than one of them - want to reveal the corruption inside the church in recent years, since 2009-2010."

Who are they? Who are you?
"There are those opposed to the Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone. And those who think that Benedict XVI is too weak to lead the church. [The modernists...]And those who think that this is the time to step forward. So it's become everyone against everyone else. It's war and you no longer know which side anyone is on."

My source is tormented, wanting to speak but at the same time frightened and full of doubts. No names to be published, it would put him or her at risk. There are sudden silences, suspicious glances. "Can I trust you? This thing is terribly delicate." Let's try.

How did the leaks from the Vatican start?
"Out of fear that the power accumulated by the Secretary of State was not in the interest of others in the Vatican." [Just as I have said before.]

But is money also involved?
A hand runs through the hair, eyes look around, fingers torment a ring.
"Money is always involved. There are also economic interests in the Holy See. In 2009-2010 some cardinals began to sense a loss of central control: partly from attempts to restrict the freedom of the inquiry that Monsignor Carlo Maria Viganò was running against corruption, partly because of the Pope's gradual detachment from internal matters."  [He trusted Bertone too much.]

The cars in the street honk their horns. Two dogs end up in a fight. We change location. Walk up the hill. Another bar, with an internal garden, a little quieter. The conversation proceeds more smoothly. 

"What happened then? Viganò wrote to the Pope denouncing cases of corruption. He asked for help, but the Pope couldn't do anything. He couldn't do anything because it would create an open rift with his right-hand man. In order to keep the Church united he sacrificed Viganò. Or rather, pretended to sacrifice him, because, as you know, the nuncio in Washington (where Viganò was sent) is the most important. So the Cardinals realised that the Pope was weak and sought protection from Bertone."

What did the Pope do then?
"The Pope realised that he had to protect himself. He summoned five people he knew he could trust, four men and one woman. The so-called rapporteurs, Benedict's secret agents. The Pope asked these people for advice, giving everyone a role, with the woman coordinating all five. "


There is a woman helping the Pope in this?
"Yes, she's the strategist. Then there is one physically collecting the evidence. Another preparing the ground, and the other two make sure all this is possible. The role of these trusted people is to tell the Pope who are his friends and who his enemies, so you know who you are fighting against."


Meanwhile, how did the leaking of documents start?
"They started to come out. Channels and journalists were identified."

How are they taken out?
"By hand. The Vatican intelligence service has integrated security systems in the basement of the Apostolic Palace, directed by a 35-year-old ex-hacker, that are more advanced than anything the CIA has, sophisticated systems, but they're no use. Because the Cardinals are used to writing their messages by hand and dictating them. They are then delivered by hand. And the leaked documents are their way of fighting this war. The primary objective was to attack the Pope, to weaken him and convince him to give up control of the political and economic affairs of the Church. Something had to be done."

And the president of the Vatican bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, who was ousted?
"Same thing. Even though he was really close to the Pope: they wrote the encyclical Caritas in Veritate together. Gotti didn't answer to anyone, only the Pope, sending Benedict memos to describe the situation inside the IOR (Institute for Religious Works, the official name of the bank). Including the failed operations, like the law against money laundering or the takeover of the San Raffaele hospital and research centre. Bertone gets jealous, accuses Gotti and decides to oust him. When the Pope heard about Gotti's dismissal last Thursday, he started to cry, "My friend Ettore!"  [The Holy Father did not do anything to Bertone!]

The Pope was crying?
"Yes, but then he got really angry and reacted, saying that the truth would come out."

But he couldn't oppose it?
"He could have, but it would have meant a sensational rupture with his Secretary of State."

And then the next day?
"And the next day the Pope was struck again, close to home, when Paoletto was arrested. Now the Pope is in despair. But Paoletto is not the whistleblower, there are lots of whistleblowers. At most someone has used him."

They are saying that Gotti is one of those behind the leaks.
"Gotti is an honest person, who is keeping quiet, as he did during the official investigation into the IOR. And he is now after being thrown out. He's not playing any games; he's not behind the leaks."

Father Georg, Pope's secretary, is also in the crosshairs?
"He was one of the targets for one faction: now more than ever he represents the link between all the Vatican departments and the Pope, acting as a filter, influencing and advising the Pope."  [I have heard that Bertone does not like him as well.]

We've now been taking for three hours, it is mid-afternoon, and we're on our third coffee. This person is very well-informed and knows the details, the way things work and the people inside the Holy See like few others.

Why did you decide to come out into the open?
"To reveal the truth. And to bring an end to this media witchhunt for a culprit in the guise of a whistleblower (the valet), a priest (Father George), or a high official or cardinal (Gotti, Cardinal Piacenza or others). The role of the Church is to defend the Gospel, not to accumulate power and money. And I'm doing this in the name of God. I'm not afraid."

(Translated from Italian by Kathryn Wallace)


***

Will Bertone say the last paragraph?

Pray for the Holy Father more than ever...

From the Vatican Insider

***

The Commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie was hard at work Sunday. The Vatican leak inquiry did not end with the arrest of the Pope’s butler, Paolo Gabriele so the papal police offices are busy sifting through the “investigative material” that will help find the potential accomplices and individuals behind the leaks. There are no immediate plans for arrests but not one of the Curia’s members believed the Pope’s butler is the only one responsible. “The affair is not over yet. This is just the beginning,” they said. Behind the Vatican walls there is a growing belief that “Paoletto’s” arrest was not the finishing line but a starting point.  [Bertone is mad!]

During his homily for Pentecost Sunday the Pope sent out a warning against any manoeuvres or clashes taking place behind his back in the Curia: the Holy See is plunging into a Babel-like chaos in which there is a growing “sense of mistrust, suspicion and mutual fear among men, to the point that they are becoming dangerous to one another.” There was a sense of distress in Benedict XVI’s words as he called for “unity, harmony and truth.” The three cardinals that direct the actions of the Vatican police (Herranz, Tomko and De Giorgi) seem convinced that that there is someone higher up, a “steering committee” that is polling the strings in the “Vatileaks” affair. If the outside world is given the impression that two different powers and double standards exist within the Holy See, this would be harmful to its image. That is, if tough measures are adopted against lay employees suspected of betraying their oath of secrecy but Church spies are simply removed and sent to carry out their ministry away from Rome instead of being placed behind bars.

Meanwhile, the Pope’s butler seems to be changing his tune during questioning. Last Wednesday he was found to be in illegal possession of a large quantity of confidential letters. “Paoletto” seems to be following the advice of his lawyer, Carlo Fusco - a member of the Focolare movement and postulator for the causes of saints in the Vatican – and abandoning the silence strategy adopted at the beginning. He is now answering questions regarding the serious charges being made against him, as the investigation moves from the preliminary phase led by the Promoter of Justice Nicola Picardi, to a formal phase led by the investigative magistrate of the Vatican Tribunal, Pier Antonio Bonnet. Investigators are keeping a list of potential moles under observation. About fifteen individuals are suspected of tampering with the top secret material that was leaked to mass media and reveals feuds and scandals going on within the Vatican.

The Pope’s butler is still being held on charges of aggravated burglary and could soon be joined by other disloyal servants of the Holy See. The positions of a number of individuals are being assessed but the definitive culprits have not yet been found. It is significant, however, that following an initial period of complete silence, now, the alleged poison pen letter writer is now talking. Authorities are now examining the possibility of other Vatican office employees and prelates being involved. [I doubt a prelate will be named.  But who knows?!] The involvement of prelates is a plausible possibility [it is but I highly doubt that he will be named in public.  Bugnini's transfer to Iran ring a bell?  Oh, yeah, his student said that Bugnini who had a long career in the Holy See, was "promoted", according to his padawan, to the Nuncio post in Islamic Iran.] given the fact that the investigative commission (headed by Opus Dei cardinal Julian Herranz) that was set up by the Pope to shed light on the Vatican document leak case is made up of cardinals and they are the only ones authorised to investigate on an equal level. One thing that led authorities to suspect the involvement of the Pope’s butler was the publication of a recent document regarding the Ratzinger Foundation, in the book “Sua Santità” (His Holiness) by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi. This document was not supposed to be filed in the Holy See’s archives as others were and so could only have come from the Pope’s desk or that of his secretary Fr. Georg.  [Which is highly unlikely that Msgr. Georg would supply Nuzzi.]

***

The butler might either be asked to safekeep the documents or is a fall guy. He will not gain anything from keeping the documents.

With that said...

Please pray for the Holy Father.

He needs it now more than ever.

GULP Alert: Guess what this is!

What group is this?

You'd be surprised that this is NOT a Jewish ceremony.

Interesting video of a Relic of John Paul II

The music is ghastly.

I do not know what relics of the new blessed is in the wax figure.

But really....seriously...

THE MUSIC IS GHASTLY!

HAPPY PENTECOST!!!

And here is a video from Rome Reports...



Notice that the footage used is an old one. The Holy Father is using his "new-old" "Piero Marini" pallium. And if you take a look, the altar arrangement is the typical Piero Marini - Anscar Chupungco altar arrangement. The crucifix is on the side, which makes the altar look like the pope's office table.

Well, can't help the liturgical rant...