PATRON COMICS

So far, three bishops have endorsed it, including the feng-shui-is-okay-lang bishop. Maybe he should start reading it to knock his evil belief off him.

PATRON COMICS is a good alternative to almost everything in media now-a-days. 50 Shades? Jamich? Name it!

Read more about it here

The LGBT friendly shirt of ABS-CBN

Let's put things in perspective, ok?


Pope Francis said this

But the media wanted to make it appear like this.

When the pope actually said this:





And to clear things up, Pope Francis is not respectful of LGBT rights.  I heard from a friend that ABS-CBN's Jobert Sucaldito who says he is Catholic but fights for LGBT rights say on his radio program that Pope Francis is "respectful" of LGBT rights.

To put things in perspective once again, LGBT rights include equal marriage rights with traditional marriage.

Did Pope Francis make such statements?  Did the 'Who am I to judge?' quote mean these?

No way, Jose!

In fact, this is what the Pope said:

So, ABS-CBN, we all know that your network has homosexual talents in your payroll.

If they seek God, who are we to judge?

We do get that.  The Church teaches that we be MERCIFUL and COMPASSIONATE to homosexuals.

But the TRUTH remains that homosexual acts are an abomination and can never ever be called RIGHT by the Church.  Pope Francis did not say this nor did the Church.

It is gravely sinful and immoral.

The Church is clear about this.

And Pope Francis is NOT for LGBT rights.

Sorry Mr. Sucaldito.

ABS-CBN, you just made another dumb shirt.

#BOBOMUCH

Liturgical Abuse promoted on TV, and all other crazy things

Watch the video and how the ABS-CBN reporter insinuates that after just a year in office, Pope Francis contributed to the increase in priestly ordinations in the country.


http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/10/31/14/why-many-pinoys-want-become-priests


Yes!  For the reporter, it only takes a year to get ordained.

And one other thing, the missionary priest celebrates Mass, on the floor!

As if there are no tables.  Their excuse "but that is how people in the barrios eat!"

But is that the way Catholics celebrate Holy Mass?

Liturgical Inculturation Trash!  You treat the Holy Mass like you would treat an ordinary meal.

Christ Himself instituted the Holy Mass during the celebration of the Jewish Passover Meal.  Show me a Jewish Passover celebrated on the floor or inculturated!

That is how you treat something holy?

Can this priest or any of his friends defend their liturgical abuse?


And the priest even mentioned that he was "evangelized" by the poor.

Uhm... I've heard that before.

The simplicity of the people can indeed bring you to realize what is important in life.

But let us not forget this.  The real work of evangelization rests on the priest.

Intiendes?

So get to work.

Baptize!

The Rappler does the dumb thing again

VATICAN CITY – A single mother, people who have been married before and couples who have been living together "in sin" were married by Pope Francis in a taboo-challenging ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday, September 14.

In another signal of the openness of his papacy, Francis asked to marry 40 people from different social backgrounds who would be a realistic sample of modern couples.

Popes very rarely perform marriages – the last one was in 2000.

Marriage "is not an easy road, it's sometimes a contentious trip, but that's life", the pope told the couples, both young and old, as their families gathered for the solemn two-hour ceremony.

"It's normal that couples fight. That always happens, but don't end the day without making peace, even a small gesture is enough," said the pontiff, who donned a red robe for the occasion rather than his usual white.  [Dear reporter, would you even care to research about liturgical colors?  It was red because it was not about Valentine's Day or because it is about love.  The Mass was held on the feast of the Triumph of the Cross and the liturgical color of the day is red.  Get it?]

One of the couples he married was single mother Gabriella and her partner Guido, whose previous marriage was annulled by an ecclesiastical tribunal.  [So?  What's wrong with that?  The guy is free to marry and there are no canonical impediments to their marriage.  Being a single mother doesn't make you ineligible to contract the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.]

The last time a pope performed a marriage was under the leadership of John Paul II in 2000, and before that in 1994.

It comes three weeks before a major synod of the Catholic Church will discuss the divisive issues of marriage, divorce and conception.

The church ban on allowing divorcees who have remarried to receive communion is one of the key topics up for debate, and resolving deep divisions over the issue inside the church is seen as a key test of Francis' leadership. [It is about the question of allowing people living in sin to receive Holy Communion.  This has nothing to do about these married couples.]

Francis has shown himself more open than his predecessors on the subject of marriage, and has spoken of more realistic attitude to social problems, raising the issue of broken marriages and abandoned women.  [The Holy Father called the attention of the Church to work to bring the lost back to the fold.  His message is always that of mercy.  I have yet to see a radical change in dogma and doctrine done by this Pope before I go gaga like the Williamson wing of the SSPX.]

Last January he baptized the child of a single mother in the Sistine Chapel along with the daughter of a couple who had not been married in a church. – Rappler.com  [Dear reporter, a church marriage certificate isn't needed for a baptism, ok?]


 ***

Rappler is officially now known as the Wrapper for Stinking Fish!

This is not only a piece of crappy journalism but it reveals the LGBT undertones of the Wrapper "partially" owned by Maria Ressa who we all know is a practicing....

The writer wants to paint a picture that Pope Francis is changing dogma by marrying co-habitating couples.  NOT!

He encouraged co-habitating Catholics to contract the Sacrament instead of continuously living in a sinful state.

This is not something new!

Parishes, Dioceses and Family and Life Ministries have been doing this a loooonnnggg time ago.

Encouraging unmarried Catholics to get married in the Church and a single mother getting his child baptized in the Church, NOT NEW!

Get over it, Wrapper!

Your brand of journalism is pathetic!

Are you listening Ariel Rivera and Gelli de Belen???

From Ansel Beluso's Facebook account:

Tune in to Digma ng Buhay 6-7 P.M. tonight (Thursday) on Veritas 846 and listen to the testimony of an ex-gay living with HIV-AIDS who ruefully confirms that the condom is not a protection against sexually transmitted death traps. In his promiscuous past, he always used the condom whenever he engaged in his multi-partner sexually active gay lifestyle. Now, as he prays for a healing miracle, he cautions everyone against the false sense of security that the condom and all the other artificial contraceptives engender. He powerfully testifies, contraceptives can kill! Are you listening, Ariel Rivera and Gelli de Belen?

We all know celebrity couples Gelli de Belen and Ariel Rivera are the latest endorsers of the promoter of promiscuity and disease, DKT - Trust.

What so ironic about that commercial about "CHOICES" is that the only CHOICE not available there is abstinence and natural family planning method.

Why?

Duh!  

DKT - Trust won't earn anything out of fidelity to spouse, chastity and discipline.

And when women start having cancer from the pills, homosexual men contracting HIV because of condoms, will the talent fee this couple received be even enough to foot the bill of the sick people who were convinced with their ad campaign and bought and used the products?

Celebrities, think twice before you endorse a product!

You have a very big responsibility to society!

And you and I answer to God after we die!

And you cannot escape that fact.

Are you still listening Ariel Rivera and Gelli de Belen?

The RH goons are at it again

Paid hack Raissa Robles is attacking the Church again, obviously Abortion money is fueling her journalistic excellence to just target the Catholic Church and never for once write anything against the Iglesia ni Cristo.

She wrote how the priests of Quiapo Church brought the revered icon of the Black Nazarene to the house of alleged pork barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles to her house while millions struggle to even touch the icon during the annual January 9 Traslacion.

If you need the real facts why the Black Nazarene is brought to Napoles, better head on over to The Monk's Hobbit and read all about it.  Excellent defense from the good doctor!

And by the way, the Black Nazarene brought to Napoles is not the actual statue, nor the replica used for the annual Traslacion.

It is a replica owned by the Napoles family. Is there something wrong to get your own image?

Funny how Raissa Robles concocts these "facts".

All because of Abortion money from pharmaceutical companies and international agencies like the UN-WHO.

MSM going gaga about latest news about the Pope.

And the kid who came rushing over to him.

Look at how the Inquirer splashed the photo in today's front page.

Not that I am saying it is a bad thing, ok?

I am just wondering why it did not happen during the time of Pope Francis' predecessor.



Maybe because it is Benedict.

Probably.


PS:  The banner story made me laugh so hard.

Real reason why Pope Francis does not want to stay at the Papal apartments.

And be sure to NOT catch this at your favorite media outlet like the MSM in the US and Europe.

And God's gift to journalism, Rappler, who I fervently hope, continue to bleed out money...

***

"I chose to live [in Santa Marta], in Room 201, because when I took possession of the papal apartment, inside myself I distinctly heard a ‘no.’ The papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace is not luxurious. It is old, tastefully decorated and large, but not luxurious.

But in the end it is like an inverted funnel. It is big and spacious, but the entrance is really tight. People can come only in dribs and drabs, and I cannot live without people. I need to live my life with others.”

— Pope Francis on why he is not living in the Papal Apartment

***

Remember, the media took a lot of jab against the "luxurious and pompous" papal apartment that Benedict XVI chose to live at.

They forgot to mention that the predecessors of Francis all lived there including Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII.

Yet they called those not of Francis' mold as too "lavish".

In the age of Information Technology, dear media people, we can't fooled.

Media won't stop twisting the words of the Pope

I have a thing or two about the Holy Father's off the cuff comments.

Anywho.

You better read the excellent Monk's Hobbit's post about how twisted the Philippine media is.

Expectedly, they twist the comments of the Pope about abortion, contraception.

Visit the Monk's Hobbit and spike up his stats will yah?

Thanks!

Pacquiao is Catholic again!....says who?

Let the article speak for itself.

***

MANILA (2nd UPDATE) -- Not even the rains, flood and traffic could stop Manny Pacquiao from attending a Christian fellowship.

The fighting congressman was forced to take the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) to attend a Christian gathering at the Dolphy Theater in the ABS-CBN Compound on Tuesday evening.

“Sobrang traffic, so naglakad kaming puntang MRT,” Pacquiao said after the fellowship.

“Bumaba kami sa Kamuning, tapos naglakad kami papunta dito.”

Pacquiao and his bodyguards were supposed to pass through EDSA but could not due to traffic and floods.

He boarded the MRT from the Ayala station to Kamuning station.

From Kamuning station, Pacquiao's party could not get a ride to take them ABS-CBN, so Pacquiao and his group walked along Sgt. Esguerra Avenue until they reached the network.

ABS-CBN reporter Dyan Castillejo said she tried to have Pacquiao fetched from Kamuning.

“’Yung driver ko [naman] hindi naabutan, so naglakad siya (Pacquiao) tuloy papunta dito,” she said.

The boxer said he didn’t mind walking.

“Anything, basta Word of God,” said Pacquiao.

Pacquiao is set for a November 24 clash against Brandon Rios.


***

I heard one priest say that he is already back.

I heard another friend say the same thing.

We'll the photo says it all.

He ain't Catholic....again...yet.

The media is fooling you about the RH War!

This info was conveniently missed out by the paid lackeys in the Yellow Media of anti-Catholic Catholic president Noynoy Aquino.

From the Inquirer.

***

It’s all over but the voting for the 14 petitions at the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of the Reproductive Health Law—that is, if you believe media reports. With all the speculation going around, it doesn’t help that most media accounts have focused on how the first presenter, lawyer Concepcion Noche, was “rebuked” by the 15 justices. One account said the petitions faced dismissal because of the way Noche struggled through the four-and-a-half-hour ordeal. A law professor even wrote a postmortem for the anti-RH petitions, claiming they didn’t have a case.  [Imagine that!  A law professor!  Ha!  Ooops...I forgot about Brenda Miriam Santiago.]

But what really happened during the oral arguments on July 9? The following exchange, for instance, was never reported in the media:

Justice Roberto Abad: The Constitution, Section 12 Article 2, states that the state shall equally protect the life of the mother and the unborn from conception. This right to life belongs to the unborn, not the mother or the father. Did I exist when I was still in the egg as an egg alone?

Noche: Not yet, your honor.

Abad: But when the egg, when the ovum, is fertilized, is that the beginning of me?

Noche: Yes, your honor. That’s the beginning of you. The unique “you” that exists already at that point. The unique Justice Abad … not a justice yet then.

Abad: In 1987 before this (RH Law) somewhat changed the concept of conception, how did those who drafted the Constitution understand the meaning of conception?

Noche: Life begins at fertilization. It was only recently that that was redefined.

Abad: So in other words, all of us started as zygotes … and then developed into a human being. Conception means beginning, isn’t it? But it needs to be sustained to life by attaching itself to the uterus. And it’s not the business of my parents… It’s my right. If they violated my right, I would not have been born. As Justice Carpio says on this issue, if they believe that this law violates the right to life from the time of conception, that’s how we will decide it … on our understanding of when life begins.

Totally different picture. The issue is of course crucial, because the hormonal contraceptives to be funded in the billions by the RH Law are known abortifacients—they have a secondary action of harming the fertilized ovum when contraception fails. A recognition of the beginning of life at fertilization would render the RH Law unconstitutional.

To be sure, Noche agonized and showed signs of exhaustion. She was, after all, facing all 15 justices of the Supreme Court, but she stood her ground. At one point Justice Antonio Carpio called attention to her long pause, suggesting she had run out of answers. But Noche didn’t let it pass: “No, your honor, I paused because I was reading something.”

The rather tough approach by some justices notwithstanding, Noche’s arguments stood out in substance and even managed to get her interrogators to move on to another topic.

To Carpio’s position that the high court could not settle the issue of when life begins, Noche was firm that the Constitutional Commission was clear that conception referred to fertilization. To Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno’s suggestion that there were only a handful of ConCom members who maintained that belief, Noche said the Constitution was voted upon and ratified by the Filipino people.

In his turn, Justice Mariano Del Castillo remarked, “I concede that upon the meeting of the egg and the sperm there is life already. It should be protected.”

There were in fact more justices who believed there was no mystery as to the beginning of life. Justice Teresita de Castro was pragmatic: “Assuming that the woman is healthy and the egg has already been fertilized, is there anything that will prevent this fertilized egg from developing into a human being?”

To settle the matter, Justice Lucas Bersamin  told Noche to submit data on the beginning of life and the effects of hormonal contraceptives for the court to take judicial notice.

Del Castillo asked what Noche thought should be the government’s responsibility for adverse effects of contraceptives given to women by its health workers. Noche replied that the government must shoulder all expenses related to their treatment.

Justice Jose Perez offered the view that the beginning of life was not even the biggest issue in the RH debate. Taking off from the opening statement of former senator Francisco Tatad, Perez told Noche that what was “constitutionally objectionable” was “the fact that the government itself is putting in money in order to allow the prevention of fertilization.”

De Castro pursued the issue of Tatad’s main argument that the RH Law was nothing but a population control program disguised as a health measure. “There is a provision saying that there shall be no demographic or population targets… But in another provision there is a need to conduct studies to analyze demographic trends, including demographic dividends from sound population policies. It would seem that the law is intimately connected to population control.”

Abad said the RH Law was an exercise of police power. “We cannot outlaw the storms or the typhoons … but a healthy woman with a healthy ovum and eggs… We poison the egg to disable it from receiving the sperm. That’s unconstitutional, that’s improper use of police power.”

Finally, De Castro observed that the RH Law was targeting the poor and the marginalized. “It would seem under this law that the poor should not be allowed to multiply.”

No case? It’s time we extracted substance from the noise of this long-drawn-out debate. The buck stops with the Supreme Court.

Chet Espino is a convener of Families Against RH. The audio recording of the July 9 oral arguments is on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ehdk126S4&feature=youtu.be).

***

See the obvious silence of the media?

What do you expect in this time???

Pope Francis' first appointment blunder

AFP - The Vatican's "gay lobby" was back in the headlines on Friday after the alleged exposure of a homosexual prelate appointed by Pope Francis to a key position at the Vatican bank.

The Italian weekly L'Espresso said prelate Battista Ricca had gay relationships during his time at the Vatican embassy of Montevideo in Uruguay as well as an affair with a Swiss guard which ultimately saw him sent back to Rome in disgrace.

Vatican expert for L'Espresso Sandro Magister said Ricca provided lodgings and a pay check for captain Patrick Haari in 1999 and was once left badly beaten after trawling notorious gay hangouts before his behaviour saw him transferred out of Montevideo in 2000.

An internal bid to protect him and cover up the scandal meant Francis apparently had no idea about Ricca's past before he appointed him as his personal representative at the scandal-hit bank this year. [Just like how Pope Benedict had no idea about the liberal theological background of one young bishop who did absolutely nothing in a small diocese but he eventually got the plum post and was even made a cardinal!]

Ricca went on to hold several prestigious positions in Rome, including the director of the Santa Martha residence where the pope lives.

Magister said the wiping of Ricca's records was an example of a "gay lobby" at work in the Vatican.

Vatican spokesman Frederico Lombardi brushed off the story as "not credible" but the magazine insisted the allegations were confirmed by primary sources. It said "numerous bishops, priests, religious and laity" in Uruguay had testified against Ricca.  [The always oblivious Lombardi!  Ha!]

Religious watchers said the leaks about Ricca's past may be an internal attempt to block the prelate from carrying out reforms.  [What reforms?!?!?!]

In June, Francis admitted the existence of a "gay lobby" inside the Vatican's secretive administration, the Roman Curia.

"In the Curia, there are truly some saints, but there is also a current of corruption... There is talk of a 'gay lobby' and it's true, it exists," he was quoted as having said during an audience with CLAR (the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and Women).

The admission followed Italian media reports in February which claimed that a secret report by cardinals investigating leaks from within the Vatican included allegations of corruption and blackmail attempts against gay clergymen, and on the other hand, favouritism based on gay relationships.

If the allegations are proven to be true, it would be a blow to Francis's attempts to clean up the scandal-hit Vatican.


***


You really can't trust anyone that easily these days.

Imagine, the sistahs are running the house!

And expect the anti-Catholic media to gang up on this news and then insist that EVERYONE in the clergy is gay.

"Walang kinikilingan, walang pinoprotektahan..."

Pfft!

Anti-Catholic Rappler continues attack against the Church!

Include Marites Vitug and Aries Rufo for their continued bias against the Catholic Church!

From that rubbish of a website called Rappler.

Just a matter of time when Maria Ressa loses all her money on this venture!

Or is it really her money?  Hmmm???


***


The Catholic Church is one of the most impenetrable and least scrutinized institutions in the Philippines. [Weh?  Did you try the Iglesia ni Cristo???]  We heap our boundless trust in the holy men who lead the Church. [HEY!!!  How about the holy women???  Those who run our schools and orphanages???  Those who sit in councils who control the budget???  Some are holy women??  Isn't Marilen Vitug such a sexist, huh?'] We repose our steely faith in God in our bishops and priests, they who say mass, baptize us, marry us, give us communion, listen to our confessions, and bless us. We regard them with awe. They are God’s men on earth. [Is she even a Catholic?  If she were, does she even still fulfill her duties as expected of a Catholic?]

Our past shaped us to be this way. We grew up in towns where at the center stood the imposing Catholic Church, [It should be a small "c" for church since she is describing the edifice not the institution.  As it is, she wants to give the impression that the institution is "imposing" on every town it rests on.  Hmmm...I guess she did not know that the Cathedral in Jolo is big, so imposing BUT does the Bishop of Jolo "impose" the Church's influence in the southern archipelago?  Nice play on words Marilen.  Nice twist.  You'll make a good PR whoever the next guy in the Palace sits.] side by side with the school run by priests and nuns. [She does not know about the brothers!  Sheesh!  Never heard of La Salle!  And she claims to be a journalist! Ha!] Life seemed to revolve around these enduring institutions. Education and religion fused; going to school seamlessly blended with attending mass, evening novenas, and joining the Sodality of Our Lady and Columbus Squires. [Columbian!  Idjit!  The Squires were brought here by the American Catholics just like its parent group, the Knights of Columbus!  So when she started painting a picture of the Church being at the center of it all, that is true!  That is how most towns and cities in the Philippines started, thanks to the missionary work of the friars, which idiots in the Filipino Freefarters and Closet Queen, aka Madam Orocan, Carlita Celdran, does not know.  She is a frequent visitor before her banishment from San Agustin Museum but she does not understand what those photos of the churches and barrios mean in the museum.  The Augustinians were showing that THEY build the modern Philippine civilization!  And Ms. Vitug here equates what happened during the Spanish time (the growth of Philippine barrios and cities) to organizations, brought by the Americans, being a part of everyday living of Filipinos!  See how twisted facts can become...if you are so biased like Vitug and Celdran?]

Then, in those placid times, it was not our place to question the order of things. We learned catechism, prayed our rosaries, and looked up to the men in cassocks. Why, they could do no wrong. God and truth were on their side. They were special, a notch above us, ordinary humans.  [Here it comes!  Brewing!  As if men in the cloth are impeccable.  Sheesh!]

But the times, they have changed. Critical thinking has shaken dogma. [It has been done sooooo many times int he past, sista!  She thinks she, along with her brood, thinks it started just now.  Cut the Masons and Rizal some slack!  They had been doing that long before your parents thought about making you!]  With the modern world has come hard-earned wisdom, built from years of experience and learning.  [Oh rigghhhtt... No wonder the modern world learned that having two men or two women copulate in "marriage" or outside of it and you get to help the human race survive.  Ok got it.]

Like us, the Church lived through turbulent times in the ‘70s and early ‘80s—martial law, detention of opposition leaders and activists, torture and disappearances, a communist insurgency, and the assassination of Benigno Aquino. Some bishops and priests embraced liberation theology and led grassroots communities in their struggle for social justice; thus began the phenomenon of the BCC or basic Christian communities. [She got this right!  She forgot Fr. Conrado Balweg though.] The Church did not only tend to spiritual needs, it looked after the welfare of the poor and marginalized.  [We don't need liberation theology to do that!  The Church has been doing that for centuries!  Now she twisted it here.] We saw our priests up close, no longer detached in their pulpits and confession boxes.  [Uhmmm....what do you call these photos below?  Detached?]

Then, in 1986, the Church played a crucial role in ousting the authoritarian ruler, Ferdinand Marcos, and restoring democracy in the country. Its help was called again in 2001 to depose President Joseph Estrada in the midst of his impeachment trial where he was accused of corruption and betraying public trust. Twice, the Church was victorious.  [And they did not shout "Separation of Church and State", huh?  Where were these idiots when you needed them, huh?]

Elsewhere in the world, democracy movements marched and kicked out dictators. The clamor for openness reverberated, not only in government but in other institutions, including the Church. [Wha???  Democracy movements in Poland and Burma clamored for openness even in the Church???  Wha???] Civil society blossomed. Soon after, transparency and accountability became bywords in many parts of the globe. The “Arab Spring” is the latest manifestation of this global surge.  [Oh brother!  Is Marilen Vitug really dumb or does she not know that the Arab Spring is actually the rise of Radical Islamism to overthrow governments?  It is not pro-democracy per se!  It is the rise of an Islamic supremacy all around the world!  Good grief!  Vitug is a nutjob!]

Technology has hastened all this. With 24/7 news, the Internet, and mobile phones, information has become accessible. We are no longer isolated islands; we have now become connected to the world. Distances have shrunk. Immediately, we know what is happening in Europe, US, and Australia and certain events there affect and influence us.

I mention Europe, Australia, and the US because, in these parts, the Catholic Church has attempted to be transparent. It has responded to complaints on sexual abuse by its priests, disclosed these to the public, sanctioned erring clergymen, and adopted zero-tolerance policies. In the US, questions on Church finances and how these have been managed have been raised and probed.  [Yet, she failed to even mention about clerical sex abuse in other religions.  Great work for a journalist!  Walang kinikilingan, walang pinoprotektahan...]

These cannot yet be said for the Philippines.

In Altar of Secrets: Sex, Politics, and Money in the Philippine Catholic Church, Aries Rufo shows a Church that is cloaked in secrecy. [Did you ask the Muslims, Freemason and the Iglesia ni Cristo Mr. Rufo?  Guess not!  Would not want that lovely piece of coconut on top of your stack of dimes called a neck rolling down the hill would yah?] It keeps the wrongdoing of its bishops and priests—in sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement—within its confines and lets them get away, unpunished. They’re sent to other assignments overseas or are simply asked to retire or resign. [Wow!  Like a page from the New York Times!]

This book is the first of its kind in the country, a journalist’s attempt to bring some air and light into a musty place, where there’s so little circulation and transparency. As Anne Lamott wrote in her book, “Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers,” “Light reveals us to ourselves.” And, if I may add, to others.

The author has covered the Catholic Church extensively. For almost 20 years, he followed the comings and goings of bishops, their big plenaries and pastoral declarations, as well as their mishaps. He has broken new ground in reporting on this pillar that has an outsize influence on our country.

In raising these issues about the Church, we want to encourage an open discussion that, hopefully, will lead to a more discerning public. We want to cajole: Do take away those blinders, be vigilant. Engage the Church, ask tough questions. Demand accountability, push for transparency. [Will the same be asked from the Muslims, Freemason and the Iglesia ni Cristo Mr. Rufo?  Guess not!]

After all, the Church, like other institutions, should not be beyond public scrutiny. We hope that the men of God welcome this and consider it part of the new normal.

As Lamott beautifully wrote, “When nothing new can get in, that’s death. When oxygen can’t find a way in, you die.” - Rappler.com


***

Marilen Vitug just showed what a pathetic piece of journalist she is.  She whips up a lot of conspiracy theories and then goes to draw her call for transparency by writing the foreword to a book that intends more to draw fire against the Catholic Church in the Philippines than to actually call for more transparency.

I have blogged a number of times reminding the Church authorities to better shape up or things like this would come up.  And they just did!

Unfortunately for Mr. Rufo, I know how to read what is true and what is fiction in this book.  Yes, I am privy to what was written here and most of what is in here was heard in the grapevine.  I can attest to that.  Don't ask me what is true and what is plain hearsay.

Some if not most of what he wrote in the book were privileged communication from the priests and bishops he talked with.

Unfortunately, everyone has a price.  I don't think a simple bag of 30 pieces of silver would suffice.

Tell tale signs?

The name Oscar Picazo appears in the first pages of the book. Who is that guy?

Well, he is none other than a government contractor, hired to promote the RH agenda in the DOH.  A quick Googleand you'd find a treasure trove of info about this one!

He infamously wrote an article in Hell's Bible Pinoy version about the so-called fringe science Sen. Sotto used in his turno en contra speech against the RH Bill.  What they described as fringe science is in fact applicable to Mr. Picazo's own article since he is not a medical doctor himself.  The article in Hell's Bible was written by economists who have a VERY OBVIOUS bias against the RH Bill!  One of his professional experience is working at the USAID, World Bank...

So, who do you think was really behind Mr. Rufo to finally spill the juicy stories he heard for more than 20 years of covering the Church, huh?

Wasn't it also the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees who looked for someone with inside info about the Lord so they can find a way to trap and send Him to His death?

And unfortunately for Mr. Rufo, whom Ms. Vitug describes as the author who "has covered the Catholic Church extensively," he can kiss lapdog privileges goodbye because the phonelines have been definitely cut.

Guess the pay off was well enough to sell his soul, no?  He won't worry working for the media anymore.

Mr. Rufo, is it worth it?

Catholic basher Billy Esposo dead

You can read the report here.

As you may recall, Billy Esposo is a writer who spent much of his time vilifying the Filipino bishops in his weekly column and calling Catholic laity who defended Church teaching against contraception as "Catholibans".  Yes, he, a member of the Catholic group Focolare movement, used that tag on Catholics who hold firm to Church teaching.  As I know it from my inside circles, several complaints were sent to Focolare against him.

I have blogged about him here and here.

***

The biological solution works on all of us.

The Lord of Life IS the LORD of life.

I hope he realized that before the inevitable end when he insulted the bishops, priests, nuns and lay people who defended Life from conception to natural death.

May he be forgiven for the errors and calumny that he has written.

May he rest in peace.

Crappy Article about the Papal Installation from the Inquirer

The last papal coronation

From the Inquirer

It was a lengthy article but I'd get straight to the parts where I found glaring factual errors.


***


It was Paul VI (1963-1978) who instituted broad papal changes that continue to affect the Church today. It was also Paul who mandated that cardinals who have reached 80 years old will not be eligible to take part in a papal conclave.  [Ok, so far so good.]

Although there are 155 cardinals in the world today, only 115 took part in the recent conclave.  [Because of the prohibition against cardinals aged 80 above joining the conclave.]

Also upon receiving the tiara in 1963, Paul VI promptly sold his crown [uhmmm... promptly?  Paul VI was crowned in June 1963 and he kept using it until he placed the tiara on the altar of St. Peter's on November 1963.   5 months is PROMPTLY??? I think that time lapse is not PROMPTLY.] to the Americans [Uhhmm...not to the Americans.  He was about to sell it to those who wants it but the American Cardinal Francis Spellman bought it and the tiara is now in display in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC]. and abolished the practice of coronation, [uhmmm...Paul VI did not.  In fact, the Apostolic Constitution Romano Pontifici Eligendo, promulgated by Paul VI mentions the term coronation.  It was the Apostolic Constition, Universi Dominici Gregis of John Paul II that removed any mention of a coronation.  So, obviously, the writer did not do his homework.]  the better for the papacy to shed its absolutist monarchist traces.  [uhmmm... John Paul II said during his homily in his Papal Inaugural Mass: "The last Pope to be crowned was Paul VI in 1963, but after the solemn coronation ceremony he never used the tiara again and left his Successors free to decide in this regard. Pope John Paul I, whose memory is so vivid in our hearts, did not wish to have the tiara; nor does his Successor wish it today. This is not the time to return to a ceremony and an object considered, wrongly, to be a symbol of the temporal power of the Popes."  Notice that?  WRONGLY considered!  And Zulueta is one of those who again WRONGLY considered the meaning of the tiara.  Whether the Pope wears the tiara or not, Catholic Theology and Vatican City State Laws still give the Pope ABSOLUTE powers.  So whether he is wearing three crowns stacked as one, he still IS a monarch.]

In the installations of the next popes, the tiara would remain, [weh?  remain???  In the installation of John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the tiara was nowhere!] but it would be lodged on the head of the ebony statue of St. Peter, [only during the feast of St. Peter and Paul in June!] the first Pope, in the basilica named after him, which is the biggest church in the world.

The tiara that will now be lodged on the head of St. Peter will bear the Latin titles of the three ministries of Christ [now?  It has been tradition ever since to clothe that statue of St. Peter in papal vestments and with the papal tiara even before Vatican II.  NOW???] that his Vicar—the Pope—should perform: as Teacher, Prophet and Servant. [WAH?!  Where in the world did he get these things?  Is this another one of those Vicarius Filii Dei tiara hoax?]  John Paul II abolished the practice of the cardinals paying public fealty to the new Pope during the installation ceremonies. [WHAT?!  John Paul didn't!  In fact it was Benedict who did so only to put it back before his resignation on Feb.28 via a Motu Propio!]  During his installation in 2005, Benedict reaffirmed the innovation of his predecessor and received merely the homage of the representative cardinals of the various churches.  [WHAT?!?!  There were only three cardinals who did not give him "homage" but pledge obedience.the senior Cardinal bishop, the Cardinal protopriest, the Cardinal protodeacon, the bishop of Benedict's former suburbicarian diocese of Velletri-Segni, the priest serving as pastor of Benedict's former titular church when he was a Cardinal priest, a deacon, a religious brother, a Benedictine nun, a married couple from Korea, and a young woman from Sri Lanka and a young man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, both being recently confirmed before the Mass.]

But before he stepped down on Feb. 28, Benedict issued a decree to restore the practice, so that all of the cardinal-electors will have to be present in his installation Tuesday to pay public homage to Francis.

It was also Benedict who widened the pallium, [widened!] the tie-like collar whose end extends down to the floor that the Pope traditionally wears in solemn liturgical events.  [Only during Mass not ALL solemn liturgical events.  Geewhiz!  The author is nauseating.]

As a result, Francis, noted for his simple fashion statements, will have to follow the example of Benedict and wear a wider and more fashion-elaborate pallium.  [See that obvious jab against Benedict?  Francis is simple but he was forced to wear the fashion - elaborate pallium of Benedict.  Boohoo!  You even got your facts wrongly!  The omophorion type of pallium that Benedict had in his Inaugural Mass was abandoned after he left in in the tomb of St. Celestine V.  What Benedict wore and Francis is wearing is a larger version of the pallium currently bestowed on metropolitan archbishops.  And to use the adjective "fashion-elaborate" is nothing more than an obvious jab against the pope emeritus!]

Wide or narrow, the pallium symbolizes the Christ-like qualities of the Pope and the need for him to follow the example of Jesus. It is brought together by three pins symbolizing the three nails that impaled Christ on the cross.  [Oh brother.  He doesn't even know what the pallium stands for.  Just read it here.  I am getting tired correcting this work.]

During the installation, Francis will receive the so-called fisherman’s ring (St. Peter was a fisherman). No design yet has emerged for the ring. [And he is not even updated with the latest press briefing from the Vatican which this lowly blogger hidden away in an office in Manila was able to blog about.  Blogger beats Journalist about Papal Inaugural Mass.  Now that is news for you.  Later...........Journalist bites Blogger.  Nah.  Man bites dog still is tacky.]  In the past, Popes received rings with the symbol of a fisherman’s boat.  [Weh???  Did he see what Pius IX wore?]

Also not yet known is the papal motto.

As Buenos Aires archbishop, Pope Francis’s motto was “Miserando atque eligendo” (Lowly, but chosen”). [Common mistake by the media.  The exact Latin translation is "By showing compassion and by choosing"  Read it here.] John Paul’s motto was “Totus tuus” (Truly yours), [TOTALLY Yours] while Benedict’s was “Cooperatores Veritatis,” which means “Coworkers of the Truth.”  [Cooperators of the Truth!  Aaarrggghhh!]


***

GOOD GRIEF!!!

Where in the world did he get his facts?!

Is the Inquirer desperately looking for a fact checker for articles about the Church?  Please I am willing to volunteer.

On second thought, this IS the Inquirer.

Facts about the Church are not their priority.


PS:  This looks like a bloody term paper.  Look at all the red marks!  LOL!

Reporting the Sede Vacante and the Conclave

and we have Korina Sanchez reporting live from Rome.

And as usual, she is pathetic and did an awful job.

Any of my Facebook friends can substitute for her and still they'll do a wonderful job compared to this loud mouth!

She is pathetic. Period.

Why you might ask.

Because she said the resignation of Benedict XVI is the "first in history".

Yup!  She said it.  And twice!

Read about it here.

Really pathetic!

Cardinal Tagle and the mainstream media

The bishop's staff is inspired by the shepherd's staff.
And it actually means a lot.
It is not a mere decorative walking stick.

Add to that most people in social networking sites.

*sigh*

Some guys really don't know and see how Cardinal Tagle works as a Metropolitan Archbishop.

Well, come to think of it...  What is there to see?

...well, other than his public speeches and TV shows?

Ha!

In this time when the Barque of Peter is being tossed heavily by the rough waters and strong winds, we need a captain who will steer the ship, who'll ACTUALLY hold the steering wheel, and not just SAY the orders.

When the ship is sailing on rough waters, the captain is behind the wheel, not sitting on his chair, shouting out orders.

Just saying.

I know the guy.

He loves to talk in conferences, seminars, retreats, teach and write...

PLEASE!!! Give it to him.

Being a metropolitan archbishop is not his forte.  He just took it...out of obedience because quite frankly he is simple and humble.  But not fit for the job.

If an elderly pope can admit it, why can't he?

Expect this kind of questioning to pop up to those who stick to their jobs as if it were their birth right, as if they were indispensable, as if they still think they are doing a good job.

LET THE COMMENTING............Begin!

Trashy ABS-CBN!

Cardinal Tagle gets new Curial appointment

I see....

From the Inquirer


***

Two months after his elevation to the College of Cardinals, [WOW!  Darling of the media! Ahem ahem....] Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has been appointed to two key councils in the Vatican.  [See how the lead was written.  Drums it up to look like old poster boy is really that good an administrator.  As you will read later on, it is expected for new cardinals to become members of Dicasteries.  Normal. Expected. Get over the hype.]

Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday named Tagle a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family, which deals with pro-life issues, and the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.

The five other prelates who became cardinal in November together with Tagle were also given new assignments in the Vatican curia.

“According to the Catholic News Agency, [the cardinals, while keeping their main jobs, can] bring their experience and perspective to bear on the discussions and decisions of the central church offices that assist the Pontiff,” a report posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news website said.

“As member of the two Rome-based offices, Tagle may attend the councils’ important meetings and receive regular correspondence from Rome on matters that need consensus,” the report said.

According to the Vatican website, the Pontifical Council for the Family is responsible for the promotion of the pastoral ministry and apostolate for the family, dealing with issues related to responsible procreation, and the defense of human life “in all stages of its existence, from conception to natural death.”

The council also deals with sex education, demographics, contraception and abortion; sterilization, ethical and pastoral problems related to AIDS and other problems of bioethics; legislation regarding marriage, the family, family policies and the protection of human life,” the report said.

The appointment is significant, tending to show that the Vatican is strengthening Tagle and through him, the Catholic Church in the Philippines in its fight to stop the government from enforcing the reproductive health (RH) law that the Universal Church views as an attack on life and the family.
Signed by President Aquino on Dec. 31, the law provides for free family planning services and artificial contraceptives to Filipinos and requires sex education in schools.  [hmmm...]

Allies of the Church have challenged the constitutionality of the new law in the Supreme Court.
Arguments in the court will try to resolve whether the new law is a government and legislative action against the Church and religious belief.

Pending in Congress is a bill that would allow divorce in the Philippines, the only country in the world besides the Vatican that still respects the biblical injunction against divorce.  [So?  Does that make the Philippines a "weirdo" country?  If the whole world legislates marriage between two homosexuals, that does not change the fact that these homosexuals, no matter how inflamed they are with their "love" for one another, cannot in their wildest dreams pro-create another human being from their own genes.  NEVER!]

The Philippines is also one of only five countries in the world where the HIV/AIDS epidemic is increasing. One Church source said Tagle had personally ministered to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Tagle’s appointment to the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples is also significant since the Philippines is a major exporter of labor, with 10 percent of the country’s more than 90 million population working abroad.

According to the Vatican website, the council was given the task of studying and providing pastoral care to “people on the move” such as migrants, exiles, refugees, displaced people, fishermen and sailors, air travelers, road transport workers, nomads, pilgrims, or circus people.

Government officials have said that Filipino sailors man up to 30 percent of the world’s merchant marine fleet.

Besides Tagle, the other cardinals who were given positions in the Vatican include: [See that!!!!]

US Cardinal James Harvey, archpriest of Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, membership in the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and on the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See, which oversees Vatican property and investments.

Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai, head of the Maronite Catholic Church, membership in the Congregation for Eastern Churches, the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers and the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

Indian Cardinal Baselio Cleemis Thottunkal, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, membership in the Congregation for Eastern Churches and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Nigerian Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, membership in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the presiding committee of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

Colombian Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogota, membership in the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

According to Tagle’s secretary, Fr. Reginald Malicdem, [the all powerful...nowhere near the character of a former secretary to the cardinal.  No, seriously.] the cardinal is also a member of two other Vatican bodies: The Congregation for Catholic Education and the permanent council of the Synod of Bishops.

***

Maybe since he is now appointed to that dicastery, will we see another concert probably in Rome this time while the pro-lifers are rallying against the RH Law from outside the Supreme Court?

Nah.

Hope something concrete from Cardinal Tagle soon.

And where is that stereotypical Vatican II response of "dialogue" with the pro-lifers and RH lawmakers that Cardinal Tagle suggested, huh?

Typical Jesuit rhetoric?  he learned a lot from them, huh?

Like I said before...MORE TALK, LESS ACTION.



PS:  Hope this appointment would leave....ehem...somewhere else?

The president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, Cardinal Antonio Maria Vegliò has just reached retirement yesterday.  Cardinal Tagle is the newest member of that Council.

:)

ABS-CBN is down in the dumps!

This should not have come as a surprise for most of us folks.

ABS-CBN has and always been favoring candidates of their own choosing.

Probably one of the cheapest networks in the country.

Last week, they featured the fairy tale life of Grace Poe, a senatorial candidate.

This week, they will fantasize the pathetic life of a dumb "wondering why he even became a lawyer" Alan Peter Cayetano.

Give what ABS-CBN deserves!  Don't watch their programs.  When surveyers come, tell them you watch other networks.  Or better yet, tell them how despised you are of this TV network!

Give what the Liberal Party deserves!

DO NOT VOTE THE LIBERAL PARTY IN 2013!