Christmas is coming — where is the peace?

The war in Ukraine is soon to enter its third year and there is now strife in Israel.

The lack of peace goes beyond the war-zones. There is a palpable unease in the world — many views, beliefs and attitudes have become polarized. We shout and demand rather than attempt to understand the other person’s point of view. Few achieve personal discernment, never mind a dialectic with others.

Especially in dark times the Catholic Church should be a guide to the world. The Church is a beacon for the lost — our compass is Jesus Christ.

That said, Jesus now speaks to us through the Holy Father and the Magisterium. Recently it feels like the Church is using Jack Sparrow’s spinning compass rather than Christ’s steady hand on the tiller. I pray this means that the Holy Spirit is “working in mysterious ways.”

This Christmas season, please pray for peace and goodwill amongst all men, women and children of the world. Also, please pray for the Holy Father and the Church.

Tensions in the World

Readers of Catholic Arena are aware of the many adverse forces which the Church must navigate these days.

There are attacks on Life at every stage of development. (Not just war but abortion; the destruction of embryos/humans during IVF; assisted suicide; euthanasia; eugenics. As of March 2024 Canada is introducing euthanasia for mental illness. Suicide-on-Demand is on the horizon.)

“Top surgery” is not the only trauma here.

There are many other complex issues including the mass immigration of people who wish to destroy Christianity and western civilization. Other major problems are the group delusions of gender identity and climate change.

Vast numbers of youth are claiming to be “non-binary” if not fully Transgender or another colour of the rainbow. Adults are mutilating Trans kids with hormones and surgery.

Many of the gender issues are being pushed by sexual perverts. The warped logic being that “if children can consent to mutilation, they can consent to sex.”

It is disconcerting that even though Epstein and Maxwell were convicted, no-one else who visited his island has been charged…

(Paedophilia, the sexual preference for pre-pubescent children: Hebephilia for those on the cusp of puberty 11-14 years: Ephebophilia, sexual attraction to pubescent ~15-16 year-old.)

The Holy Father has unwittingly supported climate hysteria with Laudato Si, followed by Laudate Deum. It is appropriate to encourage the proper care of our planet — but these documents give little hope for the future. His stance emboldens the globalist agenda of the World Economic Forum and their move to de-populate the Earth (though he states opposition to both of those issues.)

The Holy Father was due to speak at COP28 to tell the “1%” about saving the world! Many attendees flew into Dubai on their private jets and stayed in obscene luxury. Hypocrites like Bill Gates and John Kerry feel entitled to tell the rest of us — the 99% — what we must to do to save the planet. (Live in a “15-minute” ghetto while “owning nothing” & eating insects as we sit in the cold …while they nosh on some delicacy in a tropical paradise: HELL NO!!)

Many in the WEF want to de-populate the Earth (NOTE: depopulate the Plebs, never the elite!) Gates mentioned a 10% population reduction in his TED talk but Jane Goodall wants to reduce the world population by 7.5 BILLION people! Genocidal witch.

Click image to follow link on article discussing Laudato Si.

There is a resurgence of Antisemitism and attacks on Christianity. This discrimination has, in large part, arisen from Identity Politics, Wokism and DEI — Diversity, Equity, Inclusion — which are now pervasive throughout western businesses and organizations.

Anti-Semite College Presidents: Dr. Gay, Harvard; Dr. Kornbluth, MIT; Liz Magill, U. Penn

Anti-Catholic sentiment is taking material form. Some Catholics are being abused or martyred in countries like Nigeria. In Western countries (Canada & France especially) our holy places are burnt down regularly. This is hardly a surprise when western countries have importing vast numbers of people who hate Christianity. As his churches and cathedrals burn, the Holy Father has the naïve idea that such immigration is just fine.

(It simply beggars belief that Notre Dame burnt down in 2019 from a cigarette butt or “electrical short” coincidentally at the start of Easter Week — the most important week in the Liturgical Calendar. That feels much more like a statement…)

There are other devastating problems from forced mass immigration such as the vast increase of rape in Sweden where almost 60% of cases are perpetrated by foreign-born men.

Tensions in the Church

The Holy Father is pushing a liberal agenda — much of which I like because the Church should welcome everyone. We are all sinners!

That said, Pope Francis is going out of his way to alienate conservative Catholics. Obviously, his decisions are based on more information than is available to us Plebs, but he also has to communicate the validity of those decisions to the world. There is a visible dichotomy in how he deals with liberal and conservative issues.

This difference is shown clearly in his dealings with four particular members of the Clergy. He was harsh towards ultra-conservative Bishop Strickland and vindictive towards Cardinal Burke, while favouring the LGBT liberalism of Fr. James Martin and — till very recently — protecting alleged pervert Marco Rupnik.

The Holy Father has caused tensions within some rites of the Church. He curtailed use of the Traditional Latin Mass, yet was involved in religious ceremonies with the Pachamama — the “Mother Earth” Inca goddess brought to the Vatican by indigenous people during the Synod on the Amazon, 2019.

Pachamama statues were not just “on display” so some believe there was a degree of idolatry. (Below?) One justification put forward is that the Pachamama is now a Marian image.

Pope Francis attended a ceremony to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, led by a Shaman before Pachamama in the Vatican Gardens on October 04, 2019.

Today the Vatican released Fiducia Supplicans “On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings” which now allows a simple blessing for same-sex couples — specifying that this is not the Sacrament of Marriage.

Blessing of “Irregular Situations” has been floated before, but the introduction of this document was done suddenly and without appropriate preparation. This is going to be very difficult for conservatives to accept and will cause big rifts within the Church. (Hopefully there will be a full analysis in CA later.)

Then there is Synodality!

In the ‘Synod on Synodality’ in Rome this October, the Holy Father required significant involvement of women and laity in the process, but then reprimanded the German Church for wanting to set up a permanent “Synodal Council” amongst other issues. His rationale is that a permanent council “is not in alignment with the sacramental structure of the Catholic Church.” This is conflicting guidance: “Do Synodality…but don’t do it too much!”

Conclusion

Unity in the Church does not mean there is absolute conformity or even uniformity of opinion.

The Church must evolve to face new challenges [liberal], while staying grounded in tradition and essential Catholic values [conservative]: obviously the church of Jesus Christ needs both. In these difficult times we must all work together: liberal, conservative and centrist alike.

Let us pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, these tensions lead to a catharsis within the Church. We need to feel Christ’s steadfast hand on the tiller!