Pope Francis' official Coat of Arms

Christ's monogram rendered as "IHS" is the shape formed by the first Spanish survey lines marked by benchmarks preparatory to the division of the continent under the Treaty of London (1604).

This predates the boundary between Virginia and Acadia, Carolana and Virginia, Virginia and the Ohio Valley (claimed by Spain and retained) and any of the lines in Florida south of Carolana.

They sent those surveyors to what was then the ends of the Earth to do that.

I don't think the use of IHS has any implication other than that it was more popular with Spanish tradition, therefore American, than other European traditions.

I don't think the use of IHS has any implication other than that it was more popular with Spanish tradition, therefore American, than other European traditions.

From the Vatican announcement:

At the top, stands the emblem of the order of origin of the Pope, the Society of Jesus, a radiant sun and flamboyant loaded from the letters in red IHS monogram of Christ. The letter H is surmounted by a cross, at the tip, the three nails in black.

The IHS on his Coat of Arms has nothing whatsoever to do with Spanish Survey lines and everything to do with the traditional meaning of IHS:

IHS

A monogram of the name of Jesus Christ. From the third century the names of our Saviour are sometimes shortened, particularly in Christian inscriptions (IH and XP, for Jesus and Christus). In the next century the "sigla" (chi-rho) occurs not only as an abbreviation but also as a symbol. From the beginning, however, in Christian inscriptions the nomina sacra, or names of Jesus Christ, were shortened by contraction, thus IC and XC or IHS and XPS for Iesous Christos. These Greek monograms continued to be used in Latin during the Middle Ages. Eventually the right meaning was lost, and erroneous interpretation of IHS led to the faulty orthography "Jhesus". In Latin the learned abbreviation IHC rarely occurs after the Carlovingian era. The monogram became more popular after the twelfth century when St. Bernard insisted much on devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, and the fourteenth, when the founder of the Jesuati, Blessed John Colombini (d. 1367), usually wore it on his breast. Towards the close of the Middle Ages IHS became a symbol, quite like the chi-rho in the Constantinian period. Sometimes above the H appears a cross and underneath three nails, while the whole figure is surrounded by rays. IHS became the accepted iconographical characteristic of St. Vincent Ferrer (d. 1419) and of St. Bernardine of Siena (d. 1444). The latter holy missionary, at the end of his sermons, was wont to exhibit this monogram devoutly to his audience, for which some blamed him; he was even called before Martin V. St. Ignatius of Loyola adopted the monogram in his seal as general of the Society of Jesus (1541), and thus it became the emblem of his institute. IHS was sometimes wrongly understood as "Jesus Hominum (or Hierosolymae) Salvator", i.e. Jesus, the Saviour of men (or of Jerusalem=Hierosolyma).

Also the initials of Christ on the cross were adopted by the Emperor Constantine after his miraculous conversion and promise of victory, as “In Hoc Signo, vinces.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_hoc_signo_vinces

Sure it does.

The star has some resemblance to the image of the sun on the Argentine flag, but I don’t know if that is intentional.

Dear Dr. Kopp. I apologise for this off-topic post but when I tried to respond to a post of yours at Rorate Caeli I was unable to do so.

I am writing in response to you claiming that the third secret of Fatima would soon be revealed and then we would know who is the Bishop in White.

Well, with all due respect, the third secret has been released in its entirety and it has to do with the past not the future.

http://www.ewtn.com/fatima/apparitions/third_secret/fatima.htm#Commentary

Do the words at the bottom

“miserando atque eligendo”

mean

“lowly, but chosen”

??

I think I saw that somewhere along the way as a motto.

The painting done by Baciccio of Ignatius' vision at La Storta (circa 1536/7) was not done until 1685 and authorities say it originally did not portray the Monogram nor the Jesuit symbol either overtly or covertly ~ which suggests somebody didn't think it all that important at the time ~

But that star kind of escaped me at first, but lo and behold I've already gone over the dispute between King Philip I/II ~ former husband of Queen Mary ~ and all the other Catholic authorities over sending missionaries to the Americas, particularly North America. The Jesuits seemed to have gotten a monopoly! That was withdrawn ~ and by 1604 the Spanish were carving up North America and giving away part of it to the Russian Orthodox and the European Protestant movement.

I am writing in response to you claiming that the third secret of Fatima would soon be revealed and then we would know who is the Bishop in White.

Actually, what I said over there was

The man has a deep devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, practices the Five first Saturday Devotions, and prays 15 decades of the Rosary each day.
After he meets with Pope Emeritus Benedict, reads the 300 page dossier on the VatiLeaks scandal, and reads the rest of the Third secret of Fatima, he will be a different man than he was as Archbishop, then Cardinal, in Argentina.

I did not say that the rest of the Third Secret would be publicly revealed or that we would know who is the Bishop in White.

Well, with all due respect, the third secret has been released in its entirety

That is the subject of intense debate. There is a considerable body of evidence that the VISION accompanying the Third Secret of Fatima was released in 2000, but not the words of Secret itself.

and it has to do with the past not the future.

Not according to Pope Benedict:

From the Vatican website, INTERVIEW OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI WITH THE JOURNALISTS DURING THE FLIGHT TO PORTUGAL

Consequently, I would say that, here too, beyond this great vision of the suffering of the Pope, which we can in the first place refer to Pope John Paul II, an indication is given of realities involving the future of the Church, which are gradually taking shape and becoming evident.

THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ... Fatima, 13 May 2000 THEOLOGICAL COMMENTARY A careful reading of the text of the so-called third “secret” of Fatima, published here in its entirety long after the fact and by decision of the Holy Father.. In a Document approved for publication by Pope Blessed John Paul II, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, clearly states that the entirety of the Third Secret has been published and that the Third Secret has to do with the Past. That being so, for you to be right, both Pope Blessed John Paul II and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger would have had to have been lying.

On Tuesday, 11 May 2010 Pope Benedict stated,

Consequently, I would say that, here too, beyond this great vision of the suffering of the Pope, which we can in the first place refer to Pope John Paul II, an indication is given of realities involving the future of the Church, which are gradually taking shape and becoming evident.

I didn't make this up, its from the Vatican website, INTERVIEW OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI WITH THE JOURNALISTS DURING THE FLIGHT TO PORTUGAL

Yes, Pope Benedict contradicted the script written by the Vatican Secretary of State in 2000. In 2000, the Vatican Secretary of State stated the Third Secret was in the past. In 2010, Pope Benedict clearly contradicted the prior Vatican statement and said the Third Secret is still unfolding, and applies to the future.

I'm simply relating facts here, make of it what you will.

(Vatican Radio ) Pope Francis has chosen the motto “Miserando atque eligendo”, meaning lowly but chosen; literally in Latin ‘by having mercy, by choosing him’.

The motto is one the Pope had already chosen as Bishop. It is taken from the homilies of the Venerable Bede on Saint Matthew’s Gospel relating to his vocation:”Jesus saw the tax collector and by having mercy chose him as an Apostle saying to him : Follow me.”

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/03/18/pope_francis_:_miserando_atque_eligendo.../en1-674605

Well, if anyone figures out when he was being truthful and/or accurate, post it, please

I believe what he said in 2010, as Pope. What he said in 2000 was under the coercion of the Vatican Secretary of State, IMHO.

Besides the obvious...since when is the Vatican Secretary of State a competent individual to dictate the interpretation of a Marian Apparition? That job should be left to the Pope and his CDF. It should not be abrogated to themselves by what is essentially a diplomatic corps, more concerned with violating a Vatican-Moscow Treaty than with promulgating a correct interpretation of Fatima.

Sure it does.

You can continue to believe whatever you want. Just don't expect Catholics to take you seriously.

Did you stop and think for a second that the Jesuits might have done that survey? Or ~ arranged for it?

Most Catholics know that IHS is taken from the Greek spelling of Jesus' name, although some Catholics mistakenly believe that it's short for "In His Service."

Every Catholic church has IHS and/or XP inscribed somewhere, usually in prominent locations in the church.

Dear Dr Kopp. The then Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, wrote what I posed (the link) his own self.

Some soi disant trads have the eyes of The Lynx and can spot rodents from a long distance away while others purporting to be Trads - like those in The Brick By Brick Bund, and other fearful communicants of the coterie of conservative catholics - have the eyes of moles and see only what is directly in front of them at the moment; and when it is pointed-out to them that what they believe at that moment is contradicted by official evidence issued from their same favorite sources, they ought at least, don't you think, confess confusion - at best?

The previous paragraph was just an exercise of creative rhetoric intended to draw attention to the difference amongst soi disant traditionalists and while it could easily be misconstrued to be a personal attack against Bishop Emeritus Bendict XVI, that was definitely not my intent.

Dear Doctor. You have a well-deserved reputation for orthodoxy and it was never my intent to advance any argument indicating otherwise. I just wanted to address this one matter; and I have now done that and I will no longer continue to hijack this thread.

Thank you for your patience.

Please post any evidence that you have that Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was forced to publish a lie; post any evidence you have that he consented to publicly lie; and post any evidence you have that a puissant Marian Pope was complicit in this official public lie about Fatima and The Third Secret.

I thought I was done on this thread with my last post but I had to respond to your response.

And now I am done, Dr.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Pope Francis' official Coat of Arms

IHS