January 31, 2017, Tuesday -- "The flower of mankind" "Our forefathers... were able to bequeath to us a Church and a civilization that really is the flower of mankind." — Steve Bannon, top advisor to US President Donal Trump, in 2014, speaking from Los Angeles to a Vatican conference on global poverty and on how best [...]
January 31, 2017, on the Knights of Malta... I left off my last report, on the complicated and tumultuous story of the Knights of Malta (Letter #5 this year) with a "to be continued." I would like to write more, but at this moment there is not much that can be said. We know this: Grand [...]
January 26, 2017, Wednesday -- Knights of Malta and Freemasonry, #2 "One of the difficulties with the Order (of Malta) is that there is a split between those like Matthew Festing who regard the Order as a religious institution doing charitable work in the light of the teachings of the Church and others who would like [...]
January 25, 2017, Wednesday -- Knights of Malta and Freemasonry "Charybdis was a sea monster in Greek mythology, which dwelt in the Strait of Messina. It was later rationalized as a whirlpool. It was believed that Charybdis lived under a rock on one side of the strait. Opposite Charybdis, Ancient Greeks believed there was another sea [...]
January 22, 2017, Sunday -- On Trump, Francis Waits On the dangers -- and need for -- populist movements Pope Francis has granted another long interview, this time to two Spanish journalists writing for the daily El Pais of Madrid, Spain. The interview was conducted on Friday, January 20, in the Domus Santa Marta, where the [...]
January 20, 2017, Friday -- Ten Found Safe Some good news from central Italy. Ten survivors have now been dug out of tons of snow and are alive and well after an avalanche buried a mountain hotel at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. Rescuers are continuing to look for another 20 people who are thought [...]
January 19, 2017, Thursday -- Avalanche and Prayer Further heartbreaking news from central Italy. Yesterday morning four earthquakes hit central Italy. We could feel the tremors here in Rome, just slightly. At first it seemed that no one had been hurt. Then came the news that as many as 30 people had been buried in snow [...]
December 25, 2016, Sunday -- The Passing of a Russian General Christmas Day 2016 Christmas Day is here. I would like to send my heartfelt Christmas greetings to all of my friends and readers at Christmastime. I would also like to share some sorrowful news. This Christmas day began, as so many now do, with an [...]
December 8, 2016, Thursday -- The Silent Pope "This apostolic exhortation contains a number of statements that can be understood in a sense that is contrary to Catholic faith and morals... We request that the Cardinals and Patriarchs petition the Holy Father to condemn the errors... in a definitive and final manner." —Letter to Cardinal Angelo [...]
November 14, 2016, Monday -- It Begins "Following the publication of your Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, theologians and scholars have proposed interpretations that are not only divergent, but also conflicting, above all in regard to Chapter VIII. Moreover, the media have emphasized this dispute, thereby provoking uncertainty, confusion, and disorientation among many of the faithful." --from [...]