Vatican cardinals and archbishops have put money in their own pockets, Libero Milone, the Vatican's first Auditor General, told BBC.co.uk (August 23). He was appointed in 2015 and forced to resign in 2017 under the pretext of "espionage" but he insists that he was just doing his job.
Milone mentions one case without giving a name. It appears to be about Cardinal Gerhard Müller, because the facts match an article by PillarCatholic.com in July. It claimed that an investigation in 2015 found that Cardinal Müller had put €200,000 from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith into his private bank account.
Milone now said: "I remember that one cardinal becoming red in the face when he saw the piece of paper that I showed him about the analysis we're doing."
According to Milone this Cardinal had diverted hundreds of thousands of euros from the Congregation:"They ended up in his personal account and not in the Congregation's account."
The Cardinal excused himself back then: "Oh, they took …More

An artificial intelligence has reconstructed the face of Jesus Christ from the Turin Shroud, which covered Christ's body immediately after his crucifixion. The picture published on August 22 has generated in social media about 20 million impressions.
The Daily Express used Midjourney to conjure up a simulation of Christ's face on the shroud.
The generated images appear to show Jesus Christ with long hair and a beard, and with wounds from his recent fatal ordeal.
#newsSubnbaoyap

Cardinal Ángel Artime, 64, will soon be named the next Prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Religious, reports MessaInLatino.it (August 24). Until August 16, he was the Rector Major of the Salesians of Saint John Bosco.
This August, he prayed a grotesque, multilingual Our Father at a Eucharist in Turin
Cardinal Artime will replace the infamous Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, 77. The latter is known as persecutor of the Franciscans of the Immaculate Conception and enemy of the Roman Mass.
MessaInLatino has also learned that Francis could soon announce another consistory with new Cardinal appointments.
Picture: Ángel Artime, © ius-sdb.com, #newsIbmoozjgws

The Latin Mass parish of Mater Ecclesiae Church in Berlin, New Jersey, USA, has celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady with particular solemnity for 24 years and for several years in the Cathedral of Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. Mater Ecclesiae Church and Cathedral are 30 minutes apart.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is headed by Archbishop Nelson Perez, 63. The professional team of LatinMassPhotographer.com captured all the splendour of the Mass on August 15, 2024.
The celebration of the Latin Mass in parish churches would require the "permission" of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Liturgy. It has never been granted for a Cathedral.
This Mass is another case showing that Francis’ "Traditionis custodes" is a largely unenforceable law, as several French bishops have previously admitted.
#newsFdzyjfarqa

Bishop Jan Hendriks of Haarlem-Amsterdam spoke to Die-Tagespost.de (August 23) about the situation of the Church in the Netherlands. His main points
- The Dutch pastoral synod Pastoraal Concilie (1966-1970) had the same ideas as the current German synod, such as married clergy and sexuality outside of marriage. It led to much division and a strong secularization.
- 60% of the churches in the Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam had to be closed for financial reasons. 60% of the Dutch people are non-denominational.
- The response of the Dutch bishops to secularization was more secularization. They gave up certain things in the Faith in order not to "lose touch". This was the wrong response. It accelerated the process of secularization in the Church.
- "We cannot invent a new faith. The Church cannot simply change what it has taught and believed, for example that marriage is the appropriate framework for sexuality."
- In the religiously deserted Netherlands, "more and more" young people are now …More

Cardinal Tucho Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Destruction of the Faith, approves of the apparition of Our Lady of Sorrows at the Shrine of Chandavila, Spain, near the Portuguese border.
The Shrine is supported by Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo of Mérida-Badajoz. In a letter dated July 28, he asked Tucho for his approval. Tucho's positive response was signed by Francis on August 22.
However, the letter of approval speaks of "alleged visions".
These alleged visions happened separately in the summer of 1945 to two girls, Marcelina Barroso Expósito, 10, and Afra Brígido Blanco, 17.
Marcelina saw "a dark shape in the sky". At other times, she believed that this shape was the Virgin of Sorrows with black mantle full of stars, summarizes Tucho :
"More than the vision itself, this girl had the profound experience of feeling the embrace and the kiss that the Virgin gave her on the forehead."
For Tucho, this "affectionate presence is perhaps the most beautiful message".
The …More

There are "powerful evil forces" gripping our world and the Church, both of which are in "an extremely perilous condition", warns retired Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas (BishopJosephStrickland.substack.com, August 23).
"Our national political system, the Vatican, and too many influential organizations around the world are engaged in a program that is nothing short of a twenty-first century betrayal of Jesus Christ and His Church."
And, "Like the betrayal of Judas Iscariot almost two thousand years ago, this present-day betrayal is emanating even from those at the very heart of the Church and the state."
Strickland believes that the hand of Satan is "moving all of these disparate forces".
Regarding Francis, he notes: "We see blasphemies of Our Lord and Blessed Mother, and attacks on doctrine emanating from Vatican offices with Pope Francis either remaining silent or, by inaction, giving tacit approval."
Strickland cites Francis' idea that God wants different religions and …More

Cardinal Raymond Burke announced his new book, The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in his August 22 newsletter. It is available for pre-order and will be officially released on October 7:
"The writing and publication of the book has brought me great joy because, in its pages, I explain my own history and experience growing up in Wisconsin in a devout Catholic family, attending seminary during the Second Vatican Council, and experiencing the radical change in the daily life of the Church afterward, specifically in what regards the devotional life of families."
About the Shrineof Our Lady of Guadalupe, Cardinal Burke explains that it began after he was installed as the bishop of La Crosse in 1995. The book presents the twenty years of development of the Shrine and its current mission.
Approximately 100,000 pilgrims visit the Shrine each year. The book will be helpful for them.
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Bishop James Johnston of Kansas City-St. Joseph, USA, has released the results of a medical examination of the remains of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster.
Sr. Wilhelmina is a co-founder of the monastery Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles in Gower, Missouri. The convent observes the Holy Mass in the Roman Rite.
Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster died on May 29, 2019. She was buried within days in a grave on the convent grounds without any embalming or other preparation of her body.
After Sister Wilhelmina's body was exhumed on April 28, 2023, for the purpose of moving her body to the Abbey Church for burial, it was discovered that her body showed no signs of the decomposition.
The investigation team concluded that "the condition of her body is highly atypical for the interval of nearly four years since her death, especially given the environmental conditions and the findings in associated objects."
The lining of her coffin had completely deteriorated, but her clothing showed no signs of breakdown. …More

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Italy, has approved the completion of mosaics by Father Marko Rupnik in the church of Santa Maria Regina Mundi, in Bologna, AffarItaliani.it reported (August 8).
Rupnik is accused of fornicating with about 20 nuns.
The mosaics have been unfinished since December 2. This summer, Cardinal Zuppi, gave the go-ahead for the completion of a mosaic by Rupnik himself.
The church was closed during the work.
Fr Rupnik's friendship with Francis is well known.
#newsDvkcbeheji

Christian Marquant (Veilleurs-Paris.fr, 19 August) notes that "the diocese of Paris is exempt from Traditionis custodes".
In at least four parish churches 'official' masses are celebrated: Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile, Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal, Sainte-Odile and Saint-Roch. Another 'official' mass is celebrated in Notre-Dame du Lys, which is not a parish church.
The celebration of Masses in parishes would require authorisation from the Dicastery for the Liturgy. But this permission was never given.
This is also the case for most of the numerous parish churches in France where Holy Mass is "officially" celebrated without Roman authorisation.
This matter was raised in an article published by Notitiae, the official organ of the Dicastery for Divine Worship.
In its issue of 2 August 2024, it gives a list of the decrees by which it authorised the celebration of Holy Mass in parish churches between 1 January and 31 December 2022, that is, at the time when the Traditionis custodes was introduced. …More

The St. Anthony chapel in the neighborhood of Pilar, Paraguay, becomes the country's first ecumenical center.
The chapel was built in the 1920s but had been abandoned for many years. It was recently purchased by a certain Dr. Raúl Antola.
The parish-priest of the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, Rev. Gianluigi Arofo, calls this an "important initiative".
He told UltimaHora.com (August 18): "Catholicism's commitment to ecumenism is based on the conviction that a divided Christianity is contrary to the will of Christ. The search for Christian unity was one of the main concerns of the Second Vatican Council."
The restoration of the building is in its final stages. The inauguration as an ecumenical centre will take place on 12 October.
Ecumenism is at a total standstill and interests only those indifferent while the Catholic Church is torn apart by major internal conflicts which would require an "internal ecumenism".
#newsIulkccqtml

Italian researchers have used a new X-ray technique to study the Turin Shroud. The results have been published in the journal Heritage.
Scientists from the National Research Council's Institute of Crystallography studied eight fabric samples from the Shroud.
Using a technique called wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), they analysed the flax cellulose - long chains of sugar molecules that slowly degrade over time.
The study was based on the conditions in which the shroud was kept: It was assumed to have been kept at a temperature of about 22.5 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of about 55 percent for 13 centuries before being brought to Chambery, France, in the 1350s.
The data profiles were fully compatible with analogous measurements made on a 55-74 AD linen sample from Masada, region of the Dead Sea.
The samples were also compared with similar linens from the 13th and 14th centuries, but none matched.
Dr Liberato De Caro, one of the scientists involved in the study, rejected a …More

At the end of August, Monsignor Dognin, Bishop of Quimper and Léon, France, will expel the two priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter from his diocese after eight years of faithful service.
The bishop himself has admitted that the eviction was not based on some mistakes of the Fraternity.
From 1 September, there will be no more Holy Masses during the week, no more Catholic catechism classes, no more baptisms, weddings or confirmations in the Roman rite.
All that will remain will be Sunday Masses celebrated by a rotation of diocesan priests who are barely able to celebrate in the Roman rite.
The faithful have sent more than 300 emails to Monsignor Dognin. They have organised two demonstrations, taken part in rosaries every Tuesday in front of the bishop's palace, and organised children's rosaries for the two priests.
Others have hung a cassock with a sign saying 'l'évêché m'a tuer' (the diocesan administration killed me) in front of the bishop's palace.
But Monsignor Dognin …More

Franca Giansoldati has published an interview with Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, 83, excommunicated by the Vatican. His views.
• Viganò calls Cardinal Bertone, Benedict XVI’s secretary of state, “thirsty for power, unscrupulous, manipulative, and contiguous to Masonic circles.”
• Benedict XVI removed Viganò from the Governatorato and made him a Nuncio to the United States because of a conflict between Viganò and Bertone.
• “Bertone did everything he could to remove me from the Secretariat of State, because in my very delicate role I prevented him from promoting ‘his’ candidates, men of his circle, who were corrupt and often sexually perverted.”
• Bertone managed “to transfer me to the Governorate on July 16, 2009, where in my action to combat the vast network of corruption I had discovered the role and complicity of the Secretary of State himself in covering, supporting, and promoting the malfeasance and in making personal profit from it.”
• “Benedict XVI told Viganò during a private …More

"Two for one: Mass and Spritz", read a poster published by Franciscan Father Andrea Ricatti of the University Parish of San Domenico in Urbino, Italy.
The advertisement equated the liturgical chalice with alcoholic beverages. After every Sunday Eucharist at 7.15 p.m., drinks are offered for everyone.
Father Ricatti spoke with Archbishop Sandro Salvucci, 59, of Urbino after receiving criticism and then changed the poster.
"It was not my intention to offend anyone, the liturgy is sacred and must not be touched," Father Ricatti told LaRepubblica.it (August 19). He wanted to "involve the young people" because the Church welcomes "everyone".
#newsXcivyfgqyb

Yesterday, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed a bill allowing the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church to be banned in the country for its links to Russia.
The bill was passed in the second reading by 265 votes to 29, with 4 abstentions. It is called the 'Law on the Protection of Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Activities of Religious Organisations'.
The law will come into force 30 days after Zelensky signs it. It will give parishes and monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church nine months to disappear.
Metropolitan Clement, chairman of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's Synodal Department for Information and Education, said that 'the best commentary on this decision by the parliament was provided by the parliament's legal department, which prepares detailed analyses of all draft laws'.
Parliament's own lawyers state that the text of the law just adopted does not comply with several fundamental articles of the Ukrainian Constitution and a number of principles that …More

Materialism and atheism are pervasive in today's thinking, creating a poisonous atmosphere, Cardinal Raymond Burke told ThomasAquinas.edu (August 20):
"Today the attack is on reason itself and on nature itself. To say, for example, that I can change my nature: I was born a man, and that I can make myself a woman by the use of various chemicals and mutilation - that is an attack on reason, on nature."
Burke added that the Church "must continue to teach the doctrines of the Faith in all their clarity".
However, he knows that there is "a disintegration of Catholic thought, of Catholic culture": "That simply has to be restored, and that will come by way of reason and faith."
Picture: ThomasAquinas.edu, #newsCalajsgwpi

One of the world's largest pyrotechnic extravaganzas took place in Budapest on 20 August 20 during the celebration marking the founding of Hungary and honouring the feast of Saint Stephen, Hungary's first king of the Árpád dynasty.
For this occasion, drones first showed the crown of Saint Stephen and then formed a giant cross over the Parliament building.
#newsTtlwxdmegd

Monsignor Marco Agostini commented on the July pilgrimage to Covadonga, Spain, where he himself celebrated the Roman Rite (messainlatino.it, August 21). He is a Master of Papal Ceremonies and an official of the Vatican Secretariat of State. The Vatican forbade to celebrate the Roman Mass in the Basilica of Covadonga.
Monsignor Agostini's main conclusions:
- Nearly two thousand young people and young families made the pilgrimage (one hundred kilometers).
- The memory is indelible of the long, colorful line of pilgrims that moved along the sun-drenched paths with the fluttering of flags and banners, the swaying of crosses, the echo of prayers, hymns and familiar conversations.
- The Sacrament of Confession was administered without interruption by numerous priests.
- The "Bread of Angels" was received in the ancient Masses that punctuated the days of pilgrimage of this new generation of Catholics.
- There were tears on the faces of the young men as they received the Holy Eucharist on their …More