On the Demonic Light Show

By Ann Barnhardt

(Barnhardt.biz)  Yes, I’m just sitting here watching all of this collapse unfold, remembering how all of this was made perfectly, totally obvious when Bergoglio didn’t genuflect after consecrating the Host and Precious Blood in his first Mass in the Sistine Chapel.  I don’t know what exactly it is going to take for people to realize that the whole “you can’t make judgments based on objective reality” trope is diabolical.

Anyway, LifeSiteNews has some excellent reportage on the digital “artist” who was hired by Bergoglio to do the St. Peter’s lightshow.  Another thing that this culture has been tricked into believing (by perverting the significance of Our Blessed Lord dining with tax collectors and sinners) is that it does not matter who you associate with.  When Our Lord dined with sinners, or spoke with the Woman at the Well, He called them, explicitly, to repentance.  And they did.  People today think they can run with truly evil people and never say a word to them admonishing their sin, telling them about hell, and telling them of the massive importance of repenting and ceasing their sinful ways, and that this is not only morally acceptable, but morally superior – that in running with, doing business with, or associating with genuinely bad people and NOT CONFRONTING THEIR EVIL is the mark of a truly “Christian” soul.

Bearing this all in mind, read the following excerpt on the digital “artist” that FrancisNewChurch freely chose to associate itself with and promote.

“Android” Andrew Jones, the artist behind the image, said at that time that he wanted to depict Mother Earth in her “fiercest form” to draw attention to what might happen if people ignored the implications of climate change.

The Vatican show included artwork and computer-generated designs by Jones, but it is unknown at this time what artwork was featured.

Jones, one of the world’s foremost digital painters and projection artists, specializes in portraying terrifying images of Greek, Roman and Eastern pagan deities. He said in an interview last month that he turns to these gods and goddesses by means of “psychedelic substances” (mind altering drugs) so that he can portray them accurately. He said the “deities” are “actively involved” in guiding his hand as he makes the work.

“These [drugs] are tools that grant portals and access into different realms that I still haven’t fully been able to grasp or say that I have uncovered all of their meanings. … They have evolved my ability to … discover new and interesting combinations of energy and matter. Some have … shown me greater nightmares than I could ever depict or wish to imagine ever again.”

“These spirits and the deities that [the images] represent [in India, Greece, etc.] are actively involved, enrolled, and contributing to humans reinventing the visual vernacular of these beings as time and technology evolves,” he said.

Jones said that good art connects the viewer to something “mystical.” He said in a 2010 video interview that a good reaction to his art happens when people “throw up, or urinate themselves, or [release] any sort of bodily excrement.”

Bergoglio used the Feast of the Immaculate Conception to turn the Petrine Basilica into a global stage for a satanist.

Stay confessed.

Link:

• On the Demonic Light Show

Related:

• Turning St. Peter’s Basilica into a projection screen for climate change panic propaganda

Local Psychologist A Former Skeptic, Now Trains Priests In Exorcisms

By Andy Sheehan

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — So, exorcism might seem like fiction. But did you know that the Vatican has actually encouraged every Catholic diocese to have a trained exorcist on staff?

A local psychologist is an expert who is traveling around the world to train those priests.

Once he was a skeptic, but he tells KDKA’s Andy Sheehan, after assisting in nearly 100 exorcisms, his experiences have made him a believer.

For the past 10 years Adam Blai has been on the front line.

“Basically, it’s a war between heaven and hell,” says Blai. “That’s been going on since Creation started, and it’s a war over us for the most part.”

Fighting over the bodies and souls of the possessed.

“Their mouth isn’t moving and the sound coming out of them is beyond what a human can produce,” Blai says.

A force that’s taken over.

“I’ve also seen bones dislocate spontaneously, and pop out when something animated the body and put the body into a different shape,” he says.

Blai says he’s needed to summon angels and saints to battle what he calls “the kingdom of darkness.”

Sheehan: “So, it’s a war.”

Blai: “Oh yeah, we’ve seen the demon and possessed call out to its brothers and doors blow off and there’s nothing there, but something has entered the room. That happens all the time.”

Exorcism traces its roots to the New Testament Gospels where Jesus frees the possessed, but even Blai himself was initially skeptical.

“Your mind rebels against really believing that this is really real, even after you’ve seen some things,” he says. “But eventually, the evidence piles up, and the pile becomes so large that you really have to accept it.”

A trained psychologist at Penn state, Blai has studied the most violent criminals, but even in serial killers and rapists, he found at least some humanity – not so with the possessed.

“When you interact with somebody possessed by a demon, their heart is so completely and totally black and devoid of any hesitation or compassion that you know in your heart that they would tear you apart and be smiling the entire time,” Blai said.

Blai: “Holy water is something that’s used in every case.”

Sheehan: “Now, if you sprayed the possessed with holy water, would it burn? That’s something we see in the movies. There will be some reaction.”

Blai: “Oh yeah, they have a violet reactions. It looks as though they’ve been scourged with a whip.”
“It really changes you, and to see a full-blown case like they would make movies about — though Hollywood always exaggerates things a little bit – it really kind of straightens out your spiritually life,” Blai said. “And you have to think very hard about what you’re going to do with that knowledge.”

Link:

• Local Psychologist A Former Skeptic, Now Trains Priests In Exorcisms

Pope Francis Meets Head of Medjugorje Commission Cardinal Camillo Ruini

By Edward Pentin

(National Catholic Register) Pope Francis today met Cardinal Camillo Ruini who chairs the Medjugorje Commission.

Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi wasn't able to disclose the reasons for the meeting, telling the Register that "naturally the contents of a private conversation are not subject to communication."

However, the vicar general emeritus of the Vicariate of Rome will most probably have discussed the commission's findings on Medjugorje which it submitted last week to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. After being examined by the CDF, a proposal will be made to the Holy Father who will have the final say.

The timeline for a decision is not known, although Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo, who is also a member of the commission, said this week that he expected the Pope to rule on the authenticity of the apparitions by the end of this year.

The cardinal also said the commission is "not opposed to Medjugorje as a place of faith where faithful pilgrims gather."

Link:

• Pope Meets Head of Medjugorje Commission

Related:

• Medjugorje Madness with Michael Voris & E. Michael Jones
• Pope Francis: "Our Lady... is not a postmaster, sending messages every day"
• Father George Rutler: Medjugorje cult "has become an industry from which many have made a lot of money"
• Medjugorje - Clerics and Faithful Not Permitted to Take Credibility of "Apparitions" for Granted (CDF)
• Medjugorje "visionary" Vicka flinches while in "ecstasy" (video)
• Father Mitch Pacwa: Lack of any Spiritual Depth to the Messages May be the Unraveling of Medjugorje
• Our Lady of Medjugorje?: Very Serious Counter-Signs - By Father Jay Scott Newman
• What is Happening at Medjugorje?
• Medjugorje Commission to Present Final Report by End of 2012
• Medjugorje : "The pope wants a decisive conclusion made" - Father Salvatore Perrella, CDF Expert
• Medjugorje Commission Priest: Christian Who Bases His Faith in Apparitions is Not a Christian Adult, It's Not Mature

Can Demons Cause Disasters and Accidents?

From Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction:

By Fr. Fortea  

Q. Father Fortea, can demons cause disasters and accidents?

A. If demons had the freedom to cause natural disasters, the whole world would fall into chaos. So the short answer is no – demons cannot cause disasters and accidents at will. Why? Simply because God prevents them from doing so.

Storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other disasters ordinarily happen as a result of natural causes. Nonetheless, the book of Revelation does teach us that God, at the end of time, will allow a freer manifestation of the power of demons (see Rev 13:13-14), even to the point of affecting the physical world. But meanwhile we should not think that disasters or accidents have their cause in demonic action without strong objective evidence. Cases of poltergeist (the presence of a demon in a place evidenced by noises and the movement of objects) are proof that a demon can suspend something in the air or move an object. Since demons hate human beings and want them to suffer, it seems likely that if they were not restrained by God from causing continuous accidents, they would do so.

Once, I was praying for a lady who suffered from a demonic influence. Soon it began to rain, then hail, and the hail became gradually more intense. Then a strong storm wind began to buffet the church. The wind was so loud that I had to stop praying; no one could hear the prayers over the noise. We needed to shout to be heard. The entire church creaked like a wooden boat in the ocean. Suddenly, the roof of the church gave out and lifted off in one of the corners. We prayed that the whole roof would not come off. It was an unforgettable scene: the wind furiously shaking the altar cloths (which did not blow away), the bricks falling on the presbytery from the highest part of the roof, and the thunder roaring without interruption.

Here we have an episode in which it is reasonable to think that there was a relation between the prayer upon that person and what happened afterward. A curious aspect of this event is that the nearest weather station did not detect any abnormal winds, so the insurance company at first refused to pay to repair the damage!

Link:

• Can Demons Cause Disasters and Accidents?

Romanian Man Sues Bishop and Priests for Failing to Exorcise Flatulent Demons from His House

By John Farrier

(Neatorama) Madalin Ciculescu, an attorney in Romania, was plagued with foul-smelling demons in his house who constantly turned his electrical gadgets on and off. So he hired four local Orthodox priests to exorcise them. In his lawsuit, Ciculescu argues that they didn't finish the job:

'When I am at home they switch the TV on and off all the time, they make foul smells that give me headaches and basically roam unhindered around my house and my business.'
The man produced his mother to back up his claim saying that even the hair-dryer was possessed and a black shadow came out of it when anyone tried to use it - and she also said the fridge was infested by the flatulent demons that she confirmed left foul smells about the property.

But the lawyer for the Archdiocese from Arges, Anton Alin, rejected the allegation of fraud saying that the exorcism had been properly carried out and they believed the allegations of further demons and more bad smells were simply a product of the man's imagination.
The Romanian court agreed with the church and rejected the application against Bishop Argatu as well as priests Ionut Cret Ovidiu, Gheorghe Nicut, Marius Dumitrescu and Gheorghe Dunitru - and ordered Ciculescu to pay legal costs.

Link:

• Romanian Man Sues Bishop and Priests for Failing to Exorcise Flatulent Demons from His House

Saint Catherine of Siena Besieged by Demons

Saint Catherine of Siena besieged by demons, circa 1500,  Anonymous

h/t The Tenth Crusade

Another Manifesto on Communion in the Hand

From Carol at The Tenth Crusade:

This article, written by David Gray, rebuts an apparent attempt by Voris to promote the reception of Eucharist by tongue.

Boy, the claws really come out when a Catholic tries to spread a deeper respect for the Eucharist.

The discussion always takes on a preternatural quality...as if the demons are summoned from every corner of the earth.  It never fails to get creepy and weird.  And, from sources that can surprise you.

David (on Facebook) said while he appreciates people who promote reception of the Eucharist by mouth, he's sick and tired of it because it makes people who receive by hand feel demonized.

I'll bet you know what Carol has to say about the people who feel demonized when they are reminded that their manhandling of the Eucharist is leaving particles of the Divinity of Christ on the floor, onto shoes, where He is carried out into dog poo?

Cry me a river.

David claims it is not about whether Christ is dropped onto the floor, but rather, it is about how holy the people feel about themselves as they paw the Eucharist.  It is about the reverence as you do it, he says.

I'm not sure how much success I had explaining to him that the feelings of the Deity involved in the interaction are excluded from his hypothesis, but I offered to God a valiant effort.

I learned a lot of things from a Fr. John Higgins I'm willing to bet you never heard before.

He first tried to tell me that the Church teaches that the Divinity of Christ is not in the substance of particles that fall from the Eucharist.  Only a whole piece of bread has the substance of Christ's Divinity.  The rest is dust.   Worthless dust.   He told me folks like us who believe that the Divinity of Christ is in pieces that break off of the Eucharist are like the people who worry about the fumes of the 'wine'.

He switched up the story a bit when he realized he wasn't talking to your average Catholic idiot when I asked him why, if the Church taught that Christ's Divinity was not in particles broken off of the Host, why then would they provide a Corporal and other linens which are, according to protocol, handled as if they carried particles of Christ's Divinity?   He said the Church teaches the Divinity of Christ is only in particles broken by the priest but not in particles that break off in the Communion lines.

When I asked him why the Romans would then use a paten for the distribution of the Eucharist which is only permitted by mouth, he got the big violins out.     Poor Fr. Higgins, the victim of a modernist vicious woman who simply will not listen to her superior.    He and all the Bishops and the Pope touch the Eucharist with their hands and receive standing up.   Why, Pope John Paul even gave him the Eucharist in his hands.   The paten is just for people who receive on the tongue because they are irreverent, fumble and drop the Eucharist.

He and others in the thread divulged several more of their screwball ideas, but you get the gist.

A number of pathetic sappy sorts with misplaced empathy chimed in.  Poor Fr. Higgins.  Stupid, insane woman with a filthy mouth that is a source of sin.  Blasphemer.  Shame on me for being disrespectful to Fr. Higgings (crumpled in the corner with his wounded self-esteem).   I am a modernist.  Others claimed I was a RadTrad (the use of which I explained is a perverse insult to the communion of the faithful who practice a Rite approved by the Church).  A heretic.  I need a team of psychiatrists and an exorcist.

The poor, poor lambs.

I was on my best behavior until Fr. Higgins chimed in again with more news.  The Altar rail is/was only for keeping wild animals out of the Sanctuary.   Whilst I did have the fortitude not to say what I wanted to say, i.e., it is a crying shame they don't have a gate like that at the seminary admissions office - it got a bit ugly... (continued)

Read More at The Tenth Crusade

Link:

• Another Manifesto on Reception by Hand
• New (12/30/12): Receiving Holy Communion by hand & YOUR "Reverence". Hello self-absorption.  

Related:

• Communion in the Hand
• Catholics in Blogosphere Talking about Communion in the Hand
• Calgary Bishop Suspends TLM

So you want to surrender on Sodomite Marriage?

Domenico Beccafumi (Domenico di Giovanni di Pace). 1486 - 1551

Saint Catherine of Siena Receiving the Stigmata 1513-5

From Ann Barnhardt:

Saint Catherine of Siena, a religious mystic of the 14th century, relays words of Our Lord Jesus Christ about the vice against nature, which contaminated part of the clergy in her time. Referring to sacred ministers, He says: "They not only fail from resisting this frailty [of fallen human nature] . . . but do even worse as they commit the cursed sin against nature. Like the blind and stupid, having dimmed the light of their understanding, they do not recognize the disease and misery in which they find themselves. For this not only causes Me nausea, but displeases even the demons themselves, whom these miserable creatures have chosen as their lords. For Me, this sin against nature is so abominable that, for it alone, five cities were submersed, by virtue of the judgment of My Divine Justice, which could no longer bear them. . . . It is disagreeable to the demons, not because evil displeases them and they find pleasure in good, but because their nature is angelic and thus is repulsed upon seeing such an enormous sin being committed. It is true that it is the demon who hits the sinner with the poisoned arrow of lust, but when a man carries out such a sinful act, the demon leaves."

HERE IS THE FULL COLLECTION OF QUOTES - DEFINITELY WORTH A BOOKMARK.

Link:

• So you want to surrender on Sodomite Marriage?

On Prayer & '78 Chryslers

By Ann Barnhardt @ Barnhardt.biz

I get a steady stream of emails from people telling me that I'm not really Christian because

A.) I'm Catholic and Catholicism is a pagan cult and

B.) If I was really a Christian I would know that nothing in the world matters and all of my actions are a complete waste and a distraction from the only truly Christian activity, which is prayer.

In regards to point A, all I can say is “thank you” for letting me know, because I'm obviously not very well read, struggle with abstract and critical thought and am an extremely gullible follower-type. I just became Catholic for the Bingo.

With regards to point B, the scripture passage used to justify the whole Quietism heresy, which is what that argument is, is good old Ephesians 6:12.

“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.”

First, in a nutshell, Quietism is a Christian heresy that declares that man's highest perfection is physical and mental self-annihilation wherein the individual no longer thinks, wills or acts on its own account. It is a total and complete passivity during one's earthly life, made to sound pious by claiming that this passive state is “prayer”, when it is really a Hindu-Buddhist nihilistic meditation.

God did not make man so that man might NOT exist. God made man so that we might dwell in the Triune Godhead, the entire essence of which is “To Be”, “To Love” and “To Reason”. Quietism is like going to Rocky Mountain National Park on the most beautiful day of the year and then locking oneself in a Porta-John. Enjoy that scenery and fresh air, Tiger.

Now to Ephesians 6:12. Ephesians 6 is quite possibly the most militaristic, kick-butts-and-take-names passage in the New Testament. If I may be permitted to make a Taco Bell simile, the imagery is Seal Team Six crossed with a Spartan Phalanx, all wrapped in the Chalupa of the Church Militant.

What Ephesians 6:12 is saying is that the power behind the earthly flesh-and-blood enemy is satan and his demons, and we must be mindful of that fact at all times, using prayer to fortify ourselves against their attacks on our spirits, which can lead directly to despair and a loss of faith as we fight the good fight on earth.

People misread this verse to say that we need not worry AT ALL about flesh and blood enemies, when it says no such thing. It is saying that when we engage flesh-and-blood enemies we must remember that the drivers of those fleshy enemies are demons that we can't see. In other words, AMBUSH, AMBUSH, AMBUSH!

We know that Ephesians 6:12 is talking specifically about demons because of the words “principalities, powers, and rulers.” The realm of angels are divided into three Spheres with each Sphere consisting of three sub-types of angels. Even if you think this is starting to sound goofy and a little too “fairy tale” for you, stay with me, because this gets FASCINATING.

Because satan and demons are fallen angels, they are organized in exactly the same way as angels. God made them, and they are what they are except that they have freely chosen to pervert themselves into evil agents.

The First Sphere of angels consists of Seraphim, which surround the Throne of God. Next are the Cherubim, which act as guards. In scripture they guard both the Throne of God and the Tree of Life. Since Jesus is the Fruit of the Tree of Life, it makes sense that Cherubim were standing guard for Him when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden. Wait, you didn't know that Jesus and the Eucharist was in the Garden? You didn't know that it was God's will for humanity to physically consume Him as Divine Food even before the Fall? You didn't know that Jesus (the edible Fruit) nailed to the Cross (the Tree of Life) was the re-establishment and re-invitation for humanity to re-enter the Garden and eat? Yeah, it's pretty amazing the stuff you can learn playing Bingo.

The third class in the first sphere are called “Thrones” or sometimes “Wheels”. They are living symbols of God's Justice and Authority. Within the last hundred years or so, some very trippy heretics have taught that they are UFOs/space aliens. They are not amused by this.

The Second Sphere consists of heavenly governors. First come the Dominions, who regulate the duties of lower angels. Next come the Virtues who supervise the workings of the cosmos and physical universe. The Virtues are big physics buffs except they have no body odor and can totally talk to girls if they need to do so. Could it be that the demonic equivalent of the Virtues are behind natural disasters? Hmmm. That would explain quite a bit, wouldn't it.

Then come the Powers, who are mentioned in Ephesians 6:12. They are – get this – the bearers of conscience and keepers of history. They are WARRIORS whose duty is to oversee the distribution of power among men. And remember, all of these classes of angels have demonic counterparts. Is it all starting to make sense now?

Finally, the first class in the Third Sphere consists of Principalities or Rulers, which are specifically mentioned in Ephesians 6:12. Their job is to oversee groups of people and to inspire people in art and science. In other words, they put good ideas in men's heads. And yes, they have demonic counterparts, which is what St. Paul is so strongly warning us to be aware of and to defend ourselves against.

AMBUSH, AMBUSH, AMBUSH!

Next are the Archangels who are the guardian angels of nations and countries and are concerned with politics, military matters, commerce and trade. What? You think they aren't involved in those things? You think they just fly around and play with each others' hair? Remember once again that there are demonic counterparts here as well - as there are in the last group, Angels, who are our personal guardian angels. It is comforting to think that we have a super-awesome celestial being covering our six, but this also means that we have at least one demon working on us too. My guardian angel probably wants to turn me over its knee and give me a good spanking. He'll have to take a number and get in line.

Do we now see that St. Paul wasn't telling us to ignore the world in Ephesians 6:12, but rather to keep one eye on the world and one eye on the demons driving the world from their “high places”? This is why we must “pray at all times in the spirit” (verse 18), because we are fighting a war with two very real fronts that MUST be engaged simultaneously. Ignore one front and the other WILL defeat you.

Now about the '78 Chrysler . . .

Link:

• On Prayer & '78 Chryslers

Nancy Pelosi Says Spirit of Susan B. Anthony Spoke to Her in White House

By Eric Scheiner

(CNSNews.com) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) told a recent gathering of the Women’s Political Committee that the spirits of suffragists Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul spoke to her at the White House.

Pelosi said she heard them say: “At last we have a seat at the table...”

Pelosi says, “He’s (Bush) saying something to the effect of we’re so glad to welcome you here, congratulations and I know you’ll probably have some different things to say about what is going on--which is correct. But, as he was saying this, he was fading and this other thing was happening to me."

“My chair was getting crowded in," said Pelosi. "I swear this happened, never happened before, it never happened since.

"My chair was getting crowded in and I couldn’t figure out what it was, it was like this," she said.

"And then I realized Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Alice Paul, Sojourner Truth, you name it, they were all in that chair, they were," said Pelosi. "More than I named and I could hear them say: 'At last we have a seat at the table.' And then they were gone..."

Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were activists in the women’s rights movement during the mid to late 1800’s. The Susan B. Anthony List, which works for pro-life women’s leadership in government, uses her as a namesake. The organization claims Anthony and Stanton were strong pro-life supporters.

Link:

• Pelosi 'Swears' Spirit of Susan B. Anthony Spoke to Her in White House

Related:

• Bishop Salvatore Cordileone Named Archbishop of San Francisco
• Catholic politicians who attack Church should remember God’s judgment
• Father John Zuhlsdorf and Canon Lawyer: Deny Communion to Pelosi
• Pelosi on contraception insurance mandate: I am going to stick with my fellow Catholics in supporting the administration on this
• Nancy Pelosi: Free Will Trumps Catholic Church's Pro-Life Teachings on Abortion
• Pelosi: Catholic Faith "Compels" Me To Support Same-Sex Marriage
• Jim Jones’ sinister grip on San Francisco
• Archbishop Chaput responds to Pelosi-Pope meeting
  
• Pope lectures Pelosi on abortion stance
• Pope gives Pelosi pre-excommunication warning
• "More anti-baby talk from Speaker Pelosi (D-CA)"
• It’s official: Archbishop Niederauer has resigned

Indiana Woman Seeks to Be Ordained as Roman Catholic Priest

By Mary Milz

INDIANAPOLIS - An Indianapolis woman plans to make history Sunday.

Maria McClain plans to become the first woman ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Indiana, even though the Catholic Church calls it invalid will not recognize it.

McClain, 71, describes herself as a lifelong Catholic, ready to challenge the church she's devoted her life to.

"Some people call me courageous," McClain said. "I don't see myself as courageous. I just feel I'm doing what I've been called to do."

McClain was a Sister of Mercy in Buffalo, New York for 15 years before leaving her order. She later moved to Indianapolis, got married and began teaching religious education. She said devotion to the Eucharist was very important.

"I kept looking at that, thinking, 'If I had been a boy, I would have been in the seminary for sure.' It evolved for me until I began thinking, 'Oh my gosh, this is real. This is me'," McClain said.

Last June, McClain was ordained a Catholic deacon during a ceremony led by a female bishop in Minneapolis. Sunday, she will be ordained a priest by the same bishop in defiance of church law, which forbids women from entering the priesthood.

McClain is part of a worldwide movement to ordain women. The group Roman Catholic Womenpriests was founded in Europe 10 years ago, after three male bishops secretly ordained seven women as priests.

Those bishops later made a few of those female priests bishops so they, in turn, could ordain other women.

The group maintains the ordinations are legitimate because they follow "apostolic succession," which maintains a continuous and direct link to Jesus' apostles. In the last decade, more than 100 women have been ordained worldwide, almost all by female bishops.

"We are all pioneers, hoping to bring justice to the whole church," McClain said. "We're a movement within the Catholic Church, not outside of it."

The Vatican strongly disagrees. During his Holy Thursday address, Pope Benedict XVI restated the church's ban on women priests and said he would not tolerate disobedience. He cited a 1994 document by Pope John Paul II that said the ban was part of the church's divine constitution.

Greg Otolski, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, said McClain's ordination was not valid and would not be recognized.

"This group or any group ordaining women would not be part of the Roman Catholic Church," Otolski said.

He said the ordination of men was handed down by Jesus.

"He only chose 12 apostles, all men. He did not choose women and that's an unalterable part of the faith, a tradition the church has held and carried on for 2,000 years," Otolski said.

McClain and her supporters remain undeterred. A group ranging from 6-20 people have been meeting twice a month for prayer and discussion for more than two years.

"Let's face it, the church today is in trouble. Many parishes are closing in the U.S. and across the world, simply because there are not enough male celibate clergy," said Joe Zelenka, a former priest.

But Zelenka said his reason for embracing women priests goes well beyond that.

"I believe with all my heart and soul that women are equal to men and they're also called to lead the community in the Eucharist," Zelenka said.

Lynn Herbold, still a member of a north side Catholic parish, said she has long worked for change.

"I think our liturgies and prayers miss the input of women and the nurturing and pastoral care they bring," she said.

So why don't these Catholics join a church that accepts women ministers? Laura Henderson said she searched for a new church home, but missed her Catholic roots.

"I decided the only way to change the church I loved so dearly, the ritual I loved, was to work from inside to bring the church to the modern day. You don't change a thing for the better by leaving," Henderson said.

Mary Heins, another lifelong Catholic, said she's involved because McClain embodies the faith.

"She's a woman in her early 70s and she's on the road and in the hospital and she's really giving her life to people and I think that's what a priest is," Heins said.

The promise of excommunication has come up several times for women who pursue ordination, though Otolski didn't press the issue.

"That would be up to the bishop to decide," he said.

McClain said she's not worried.

"It's the consequence of obeying a law that is unjust," McClain said. "When I use to teach morality and ethics in high school, I used to say to the students, 'If a law is unjust, don't obey it.'"

Asked about being rebels or rogue Catholics, Henderson said, "Is it a concern you might have to have an uncomfortable conversation? Yes. But am I worried? No, because I would take offense at you saying this is not going to be recognized by the church. I think it will be. It might take 100 years, but I think as a movement, we're just ahead of the hierarchy of the church."

McClain cannot hold services in a Catholic church. Instead, she plans to find other public places to hold Mass.

"We will follow the liturgical year, the main outline of the Mass and a translation that's inclusive. We don't use male-only terms for God or people," she said.

Along those lines, she said she will welcome all who have felt alienated by the church, including gays and lesbians, divorced Catholics "and people feeling outside the regular Catholic Church, because of their stance on things like women's ordination. I want to be there for them. I want to be able to say there is a place for you in the Catholic Church, just like I found for myself."

Link:

• Indiana woman seeks to be ordained as Roman Catholic priest

Related:

• Lady Tambourine Priest

The Rite

Anthony Hopkins as a veteran exorcist.

By Roger Ebert

"The Rite" takes exorcism more seriously than I expected it to. It begins with the supposition that Satan is “alive and active in the world” and assumes that satanic possession takes place and that the rite of exorcism works. Otherwise, we wouldn't have a movie, would we? In metaphysical terms, I must immediately jump on the word “alive.” In what sense can a being that exists outside of time and space be said to be alive? Active, yes.
The movie is based on the actual experiences of Father Gary Thomas, a California priest who was assigned by his bishop to study exorcism at the Vatican. In "The Rite," he becomes Father Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue) from Chicago, and the closing credits tell us he's now working in a Western suburb. That's a fib. The director, Mikael Hafstrom, should say three “Hail Marys” and make a good act of contrition.

Father Michael is not a saint. He enters the seminary as a way to get a four-year college education before taking his vows, and then tries to leave the novitiate. Discovering the cost of his education would then roll over into a $100,000 student loan, he reconsiders and agrees to attend a monthlong course in Rome. This sort of detail is more refreshing than shots of him silhouetted against ancient desert structures while monks intone Gregorian chants.

In Rome, he attends classes, debates scripture, and then is advised to spent some time with an experienced exorcist, Father Lucas Trevant (Anthony Hopkins). This too is from the book by Matt Baglio, although in the book, this priest is Italian. As Hopkins appears onscreen, "The Rite" slips into gear and grows solemn and effective. Hopkins finds a good note for Father Trevant: friendly, chatty, offhand, self-effacing, realistic about demonic possession but not a ranter. He takes the kid along while treating the apparent possession of a pregnant young woman.

That something happens to make people seem possessed I have no doubt. Diagnosing whether Satan is involved is above my pay grade. What I must observe is that demonic possession seems very rare, and the Church rejects the majority of such reports. Yet it approaches epidemic proportions in "The Rite," almost as if it were a virus. The film is like one of those war movies where everybody gets wounded but John Wayne.

Still, I found myself drawn in. It is sincere. It is not exploitative; a certain amount of screaming, frothing and thrashing comes with the territory. My own guess is that people get the demons they deserve. While true believers go into frenzies, the Masters of Wall Street more cruelly lose joy in their wives and homes.

In Rome, Father Lucas meets a journalist named Angeline (Alice Braga), who like most women in the movies, even journalists, lacks a second name. She follows them on assignment, but it is one of the film's virtues that she does not get romantically involved. In a correct casting decision, Braga is attractive but not a sexpot. This movie was filmed largely in Hungary. In Hollywood, the role would have had Megan Fox written all over it.

Hafstrom uses what I assume are some Hungarian interiors to go with his exteriors in Rome. A centuries-old library is especially impressive. The ancient presence of the Vatican is evoked to great effect; a reminder that although Satan is in fashion in many denominations, when you want to exorcise, you call in the experienced professionals. The priests are not blind believers. Father Kovak argues at one point that a psychiatrist might be more appropriate. When they get into the trenches with the demons, there is spiritual hand-to-hand fighting, but Father Trevant, Father Kovak and Angeline are as realistic as probably possible.

This is I suspect a more realistic film than "The Exorcist," although not its equal. The real Father Gary Thomas has cited "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (2005) as more accurate. I admire "The Rite" because while it delivers what I suppose should be called horror, it is atmospheric, its cinematography is eerie and evocative, and the actors enrich it. It has given some thought to exorcism. Grant its assumptions, and it has something to say.

• Link

Update - From CatholicInsight.com:

(Caution: Spoilers) 

The Rite
By Lise Anglin

Hardcopy Issue Date: March 2011
Online Publication Date: Mar 1, 2011, 14:26

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Ciarán Hinds

Warner Brother Enterprise presents a film directed by Mikael Håfström

based loosely on a book by Matt Baglio, The Rite: The making of a modern exorcist, 2009

rated: PG-13 for disturbing thematic material, violence, frightening images, and language including sexual references.

The biggest difference between the film The Rite and the book on which it is loosely based is the character of the man called to Rome to be trained as an exorcist. In the film, this man is the fictional Michael Kovak, an affable seminarian who doubts his vocation and suffers from weak faith. In the book, this man is a real person, Father Gary Thomas, a well-educated 57-year-old American priest who was requested by his bishop in 2005 to train for the position of exorcist for his diocese. People who have read the book may find this difference distracting. However, it ends up being unimportant. Taken as a whole, the film is surprisingly accurate about the phenomenon of diabolical possession.

The film deals with three exorcisms. The first case is that of a young pregnant woman. The exorcist helping her is Father Lucas Trevant (Anthony Hopkins), an intense, charismatic priest originally from Wales but living alone in Italy in a suitably spooky house. Seminarian Michael Kovak is sent to train under Father Lucas. His training is hands-on. During a series of exorcisms on the young woman, Michael sees her exhibit disturbing behaviours, such as speaking a variety of languages in different voices, displaying superhuman strength, uttering obscenities, writhing, chok­ing, spitting, and convulsing when touched by a Crucifix or sprinkled with holy water. All these phenom­ena are consistently documented by reputable exorcists, which means the filmmakers did their homework. Oddly, Michael remains unconvinced of any supernatural explanation and insists the woman needs a psychiatrist.

The second case is that of a young boy who has been bitten ferociously by an evil “mule” and displays knowledge of things he cannot know through natural means. Father Lucas asks pointed questions to determine whether or not the boy is suffering from child abuse. He becomes convinced it is a genuine case of extraordinary diabolic activity. As part of the exorcism, he demands to see the boy’s pillow, tears it apart, and finds inside the confirmation of his diagnosis. Again, the filmmakers did their homework. Exorcists emphasize the importance of correct diagnosis, and do indeed report the discovery of strange hidden objects as a sign of demonic activity in some cases. At this stage in the film, the seminarian Michael begins to believe.

The third case is that of Father Lucas himself. This part of the film is the most sensationalistic and the least catechetical. Accurate reflection of Church teaching breaks down because the seminarian Michael successfully performs the exorcism on Father Lucas with the aid of a female journalist. The Catholic Church does not allow seminarians to perform exorcisms. If they attempt to do so, they are unlikely to be successful. An exorcism is to be performed only by a faithful priest appointed by his bishop. Also, experienced exorcists discourage the popular idea that the devil normally attacks the exorcist as revenge for the exorcism ritual.

The main value of this film is its generally accurate portrayal of extraordinary diabolical phenomena, as documented by such experts as Father Livio Fanzaga, Father Gabriele Amorth, Monsignor Léon Cristiani and Father Corrado Balducci, to name a few. It is to be hoped that the film will sharpen the determination of believers to follow Christ. Through a salutary fear, it could also rekindle the faith of lapsed Catholics.

Lise Anglin works at a mental health centre in Toronto. She has a deep interest in spirituality. Ω

• Link

Satan in the Passion of the Christ

When asked why he portrayed Satan—an androgynous, almost beautiful being played by Rosalinda Celentano—the way he did, Gibson replied: "I believe the Devil is real, but I don't believe he shows up too often with horns and smoke and a forked tail. The devil is smarter than that. Evil is alluring, attractive. It looks almost normal, almost good—but not quite.

"That's what I tried to do with the Devil in the film. The actor's face is symmetric, beautiful in a certain sense, but not completely. For example, we shaved her eyebrows. Then we shot her almost in slow motion so you don't see her blink—that's not normal. We dubbed in a man's voice in Gethsemane even though the actor is a woman … That's what evil is about, taking something that's good and twisting it a little bit."

But what about the ugly baby?

"Again," said Gibson, "it's evil distorting what's good. What is more tender and beautiful than a mother and a child? So the Devil takes that and distorts it just a little bit. Instead of a normal mother and child you have an androgynous figure holding a 40-year-old 'baby' with hair on his back. It is weird, it is shocking, it's almost too much—just like turning Jesus over to continue scourging him on his chest is shocking and almost too much, which is the exact moment when this appearance of the Devil and the baby takes place."

• Link
  

Pink Ouija Board 'Toy' Targeting Young Girls Sparks Boycott

By Kathleen Gilbert

PAWTUCKET, Rhode Island, February 5, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A boycott has been launched against toymaker giant Hasbro and Toys R Us for making and marketing a pink Ouija board targeting girls as young as eight years old.

The board's Toys R Us webpage - which has evidently been recently removed - boasted: "It has always been mysterious. It has always been mystifying. And now the OUIJA Board is just for you, girl." The board comes with 72 "fun questions" to ask, including: "Who will call/text me next? Will I be a famous actor someday? Who wishes they could trade places with me?"

However, a glow-in-the-dark Ouija board is still available on the Toys R Us website, which is also marketed for ages 8 and older. The product description suggests: "Make up your own questions, and let the OUIJA Board satisfy your curiosity in virtually endless ways. OUIJA Board will answer. It's just a game - or is it?"

The vast majority of online comments, both positive and negative, on the glow-in-the-dark version strongly emphasized that the Ouija board is potentially dangerous and "not a game." Several comments discussed in depth how to treat the "spirits" of the game politely, in order to avoid attack. Only about half a dozen comments out of 123 claimed the game was "just a toy."

"This may be a game to you, but I assure you whomever you are playing with on the 'other side' it is not a game to them," wrote one contributor.

Another user wrote: "Although I love this game, it is very definitley (sic) NOT suited for 8 year olds, considering it works most of the time, and they could be talking to evil spirits."

Yet another user told the following story, which resembled the stories of several others who also posted their comments about the board: "they asked the board my middle name which noone in the room knew. its spelled it out perfectly. i was so freaked out. we all got really into the game but then the lights started flickering, by its self. of course us girls just screamed ang hugged each other and the door opened. omg it was so freaky we stopped playing that night."

John Cain of Ottawa, Canada, launched a boycott of Hasbro and Toys R Us after learning of the Ouija board targeted at young girls, reports Susan Brinkmann of Living His Life Abundantly International.

“Kids wouldn’t even think about Ouija boards unless it was marketed directly toward them,” said Cain.

Brinkmann points to the testimony of New York City policeman Ralph Sarchie, who has routinely assisted at exorcisms, and who says “innocent” board games like the Ouija board are immensely dangerous.

“There ought to be a law against these evil, occult `toys,’” wrote Sarchie in his book "Beware the Night." “I can hear some of you out there saying, ‘Hey, I used a Ouija board and nothing happened.’ Consider yourself lucky, then. It’s like playing Russian roulette. When you put the gun to your head, if you don’t hear a loud noise, you made it. Same thing with the board: The more times you pull the trigger, the more likely that on the next shot, your entire world will go black.”

Stephen Phelan of Human Life International threw his support behind the boycott. Fr. Tom Euteneuer, HLI's president, is an experienced exorcist who has also strongly condemned Ouija boards.

“No responsible parent would want his or her child messing with this, and they need to be thrown out of houses and destroyed if you already have one,” said Phelan. "And tell a priest that someone in your family has been using a ouija board as soon as possible. ... No Christian family should support either of these companies with their money."

Toys R Us spokesman Bob Friedland told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) Friday that the pink ouija board, which the store has sold since 2008, was no longer shown as available "because we're making way for newer products."

Asked whether Toys R Us had received complaints over the ouija board, Friedland responded, "nothing significant that I've been told about," and denied that outside criticism affected the decision to pull the game.

Toys R Us still carries a glow-in-the dark Ouija board marketed to children 8-14 years old.

To sign up for the Hasbro/Toys R Us boycott click here.

Contact:

Hasbro email form

Toys R Us
customer service: 800-869-7787
email form

• Pink Ouija Board 'Toy' Targeting Young Girls Sparks Boycott
• Ouija board a controversial toy for tots

Seances, Spirits and the Occult - A Catholic View

Bishop Peter J. Elliott

Fr. Peter J: Elliott

ISBN 85826/172/3

A.C.T.S. No. 1718 (1979)

THIS PAMPHLET DEALS WITH PRACTICAL MATTERS AND CLEARLY PRESENTS THE TEACHING OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. IT COULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH PAMPHLET No. 1717 WHICH EXAMINES "REINCARNATION".
- THE EDITOR.

* * *

SEANCES, SPIRITS AND THE OCCULT
A Catholic View

Walk through any bookshop, open the popular magazines, follow the programmes of television and radio and it soon becomes obvious that we are living in the midst of a revival of interest in "the occult". The word means "something hidden", suggesting mystic knowledge, hidden powers and secret wisdom. The practitioners of the occult are consulted, sought after, treated with awe and often rewarded richly. They are the mystic seers from distant lands, the swamis and gurus, the astrologers, the mediums, mystics, healers, workers of miracles, witches and wizards, fortune tellers and fortune hunters. Some come to them to gaze in wonder, to satisfy curiosity. Others desperately seek healings, or contact with the dead or assurance of life beyond the grave.

What should be the attitude of Catholics to this massive revival of occultism and spiritism? Is it all nonsense or is it a serious religious revival? Can we take part in it? Should we approach it with scorn, respect, scepticism or even fear?

Getting Terms Straight

The Church has had centuries of experience in these matters, indeed the whole of Christian history is marked by contact with many forms of occultism and a consistent policy towards this complex area of human experience. Before explaining the policy of the Church on these matters, I would choose to define our terms, to help untangle an area of life which the noted Christian author C. S. Lewis once compared to a swampy jungle.

The word "supernatural" does not appear in the title of this booklet. This is the most common word people use to sum up uncanny events. However, in strict Christian usage it is not correct to use the word "supernatural" to describe occultism or uncanny events. The term "supernatural" refers directly to God. In this world we may use it to describe his saving action and real presence in the sacraments, which raise us to the supernatural life of Grace. Therefore we must never cheapen the word "supernatural" by applying it to a controversial area of human experience, which may not be the work of God at all.

There are two other words which refer more correctly and precisely to uncanny human experiences.
1. "Paranormal" is a mild term, appropriate for unusual matters beyond human understanding, but perhaps one day to be explained by science. Telepathy, and telekinesis (moving an object by the power of the mind) are paranormal powers.
2. "Praeternatural" (or Preternatural) is a stronger term, more appropriate for uncanny events and phenomena, "spooky" events which seem to involve intelligences or spirits, good, neutral or evil. This is the area where "supernatural" is commonly and mistakenly used...

More

Westminster Exorcist Says Promiscuity can Lead to Demonic Possession

By Hilary White

WESTMINSTER, UK, August 15, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A priest of Westminster, the leading diocese of the Catholic Church of England and Wales, has written that promiscuity, whether homosexual or heterosexual, can lead to dire spiritual consequences, in addition to the dangers to physical health.

Promiscuity, as well as homosexuality and pornography, says 73 year-old Fr. Jeremy Davies, is a form of sexual perversion and can lead to demonic possession. Offering what may be an explanation for the explosion of homosexuality in recent years, Fr. Davies said, "Among the causes of homosexuality is a contagious demonic factor."

Fr. Davies continues: "Even heterosexual promiscuity is a perversion; and intercourse, which belongs in the sanctuary of married love, can become a pathway not only for disease but also for evil spirits."

"Some very unpleasant things must be mentioned because young people, especially, are vulnerable and we must do what we can to protect and warn them," he told the Catholic Herald.

He also said that Satan is responsible for having blinded most secular humanists to the "dehumanising effects of contraception and abortion and IVF, of homosexual 'marriages', of human cloning and the vivisection of human embryos in scientific research." Extreme secular humanism, "atheist scientism", is comparable to "rational satanism" and these are leading Europe into a dangerous state of apostasy. "Only by a genuine personal decision for Christ and the Church can someone separate himself from it."

Fr. Davies' (an Oxford graduate who is also a qualified physician) comments come in conjunction with the publication of his new book, entitled, "Exorcism: Understanding Exorcism in Scripture and Practice" published earlier this year by the Catholic Truth Society (CTS).

In the Catholic Church, exorcisms can only be performed by a priest who has the "express" permission of his bishop. According to the Code of Canon Law, only experienced priests can be chosen who exhibit, "piety, knowledge, prudence, and integrity of life." Before the official rite of exorcism is used, the subject must also be examined thoroughly by doctors and psychiatrists to rule out any non-spiritual causes of his difficulties and physicians are often asked to assist during the course of an exorcism.

Fr. Davies also warns in his book against so-called New Age and occult practices, as well as trendy exercise and "spiritual healing" regimens derived from eastern religions.

"The thin end of the wedge (soft drugs, yoga for relaxation, horoscopes just for fun and so on) is more dangerous than the thick end because it is more deceptive - an evil spirit tries to make his entry as unobtrusively as possible."

"Beware of any claim to mediate beneficial energies (eg. reiki), any courses that promise the peace that Christ promises (eg. enneagrams), any alternative therapy with its roots in eastern religion (e.g. acupuncture)." Needless to say, overtly occult activities such as séances and witchcraft are "direct invitations to the Devil which he readily accepts."

Fr. Davies was appointed exorcist of the Westminster Archdiocese in 1986 after a four month training period in Rome. In 1993 he co-founded, with Italy's Father Gabriele Amorth, the International Association of Exorcists which now has hundreds of members worldwide. In 2000, Fr. Davies told the Independent newspaper that incidents of demonic possession are rising dramatically along with the increase of New Age beliefs and practices, ignorance of the Bible and a growth in spiritual confusion.

"At the centre of this is man's ever-growing pride and attempted self-reliance. Man trying to build a better world without God - another Tower of Babel," he said. In 2005, the Vatican recently made headlines around the world by publicly announcing the launch of a course on exorcism for priests

The Church's writings on exorcism and demonic possession say that a person can be influenced or even possessed by demonic forces when they are "hardened" in serious sin and the Church specifies that these include people who are involved in heavy drug use, violence and sexual perversions. It is also noted that the "heinous crime" of abortion exacerbates these. Italian exorcist Fr. Gabriel Amorth writes that it is particularly difficult to liberate a victim who is guilty of abortion, and that this can take a "very long time".

To order Fr. Davies' book:
http://www.cts-online.org.uk/acatalog/info_Ex27.html

• Link