Posted on 03/27/2024 7:04:19 PM PDT by ebb tide
(LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò issued a stinging rebuke of an American bishop who allowed a pagan ritual to be performed inside his cathedral earlier this month.
In a X post published last Friday, Viganò condemned the ceremony as a “sacrilegious act.” He referred to the prelate who permitted it as a “squalid official of the ecumenical religion.”
“The shamanic ceremony … constitutes a sacrilegious act that desecrates the Cathedral of the Diocese of Superior (WI) on the very day on which the Holy Chrism is consecrated,” His Excellency declared.
“This makes Bishop (John) Powers, present at the rite, responsible for a very serious sacrilege and for the scandal caused to those present. This is not a Successor of the Apostles, but a servant of Freemasonry.”
Viganò is the former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. His courageous and sharply worded commentaries on Vatican and international affairs have won him many admirers in recent years, even non-Catholics. He recently opened a house of formation in Italy for aspirants to the priesthood so they would not be “subjected to the blackmail of having to accept the errors of Vatican II or the deviations of Bergoglio in order to exercise their ministry.”
In his X post, Viganò did not hold back in his criticism of Powers, who was tapped to lead the diocese, located in northwest Minnesota, by Pope Francis in 2015.
“The way he celebrates Mass reveals his total alienation from the Divine Mysteries,” His Excellency remarked. “What is ‘comforting’ — so to speak — is to see that the participants in the profanations of the Bergoglian sect are almost all of advanced age (especially the shamans, who are truly pathetic). The generation of Vatican II, sterile and senescent, is heading towards the sunset.”
Powers previously served as diocesan administrator under Bishop Peter Christensen, who had been overseeing the diocese since 2007 until he was reassigned to Boise, Idaho. In 2020, Christensen banned priests from offering Mass facing the tabernacle. He also outlawed communion rails.
In December 2023, Powers, who is 70, issued a statement in full support of Fiducia Supplicans, the Vatican’s document calling for blessings of homosexual couples. “The blessing is simply an encouragement to those involved that they may be open to God’s love and find joy in their call to holiness,” he misleadingly claimed.
LifeSite reached out to the Superior diocese for clarity on the event. LifeSite wanted to know who the women were, what their religious beliefs are, and what they were saying.
LifeSite also sought an explanation as to how the ritual didn’t violate the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which holds that an altar “must be reserved for divine worship alone, to the absolute exclusion of any profane use.” It also teaches that “sacred places are violated by gravely injurious actions done in them with scandal to the faithful.”
LifeSite was informed by Dan Blank, the director of administrative services, on Monday that diocesan offices had a “snow day” due to bad weather. He said he would confer with those who were copied on the email in order to “determine a reply, if any.” LifeSite included Bishop Powers, Fr. Adam Laski, who serves as parochial administrator/adjutant judicial vicar, and several other employees of the diocese on the email. LifeSite has not received a response from the diocese as of the publication of this story.
Hundreds of Catholics attended the liturgy, officially known as the Chrism Mass where holy oils are anointed by the bishop for priests to use for the sacraments. The Mass was held on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph. Video evidence suggests most every priest in the diocese was present. Members of the Knights of Columbus and many young people attended as well. It is not readily known if the women who performed the ritual conduct it every year, were invited this year alone, or are a regular fixture at other churches in the diocese.
Catholic Family News managing editor Matt Gapers expressed outrage about the ceremony in an X post. “Bp. James Powers invited those present to ‘repent from your sins and to dispose yourselves’ to receive the Apostolic Blessing — after allowing a non-Christian ritual in the sanctuary,” he said.
Deacon Nick Donnelly of England likewise remarked: “The heresy of Bergoglianism in six words: Latin Mass banned; Pagan rituals encouraged.”
A priest who resides in the diocese and offers the Latin Mass exclusively spoke to LifeSite on condition of anonymity. He said the ritual was “tragic” in that it was an “abomination of desolation” that effectively makes Powers a “minister of Satan.”
“They invoked foreign deities with strange emblems, dancing, and incantations to consecrate the altar to Pachamama and the forces of darkness. Thís is an act of spiritual fornication carried out by the representatives of the Mystical Body of Christ, making it a grievous sin,” the priest said.
“The bishop defiled his soul and this diocese by forcing his priests, who stood by in silence, to approve of it. They have collectively reconsecrated this diocese to Satan by an act of apostasy of unanimous consent that now permits demons to come and go as they please wherever they please, even in churches. They have deceived their sheep, presenting evil as good, and defiled the altar and the Cathedral itself, which now requires an exorcism.”
The priest further remarked that “the oils that were ‘made holy’ at this un-worthy liturgy were approved by an entire group of clergy in the state of mortal sin. These very oils will be used in all sacraments for the next year, defiling all who receive them. Never has anyone heard of such an indescribable sin as what took place, and because the Vatican has been encouraging this all over the world, people think it’s just an ecumenical gesture of mercy. The truth is, there is nothing on earth so unmerciful as to condemn to eternal fire your whole body of clergy, and all of your sheep. This makes them the ministers of Satan, and like him, murderers of souls.”
Ping
Da heck...
“This makes Bishop (John) Powers, present at the rite, responsible for a very serious sacrilege and for the scandal caused to those present. This is not a Successor of the Apostles, but a servant of Freemasonry.”
Where in the world did this come from. If the ceremony in the picture is a Masonic or Order of Eatern Star then I have never seen anything like it. And I am both.
And trying to relate it to a pagan ritual is so out of reality it’s nonsense. Pagans believe that nature is sacred and that the natural cycles of birth, growth and death observed in the world around us carry profoundly spiritual meanings. Human beings are seen as part of nature, along with other animals, trees, stones, plants and everything else that is of this earth. The cloest understandable believe like this is withcraft.
Having a belief in a living diety which is within those of Judaism, Islam, or especially Christianity, is a requirement of joining the craft and it’s fellow groups. Pagan isn’t represented by a diety. Another hit piece on one of the biggest charitable organizations in the world, if not the biggest. Seems kind of shameful.
wy69
Respectfully: Are you claiming that performing what is obviously some sort of shamanic ritual on the very altar of a Roman Catholic church is not a desecration? Are you asserting that invoking the "help" or "approval" of any supposed supernatural agents other than the Holy Trinity (or such intercessors as the Saints) is not sacrilegious?
Please help me understand.
Regards,
“Please help me understand.”
“Are you claiming that performing what is obviously some sort of shamanic ritual on the very altar of a Roman Catholic church is not a desecration?”
Nope, I’m saying it is not masonic. That, what ever it was, had nothing to do with Masonry or, since it was women, Order of the Eastern Star. And there are a few glaring problems to display that.
If that was a group of women masons, of which are made up recreational groups as historical masonry doesn’t have women masons, they were not wearing aprons which is always done during ritual. Secondly, the alter they were using was angled and there was no religious volume on the alter they were around so they were not preforming any ritual I’ve ever seen or heard about. There should have been other things around the alter that were not there. The audience had no displayed masons in it so their dress was wrong. I saw one cross on the left side of the room and that was it.
The complaint about the ritual was that it was performed in a Catholic church. What I think this is is a display of a native American ritual by four women related to a tribe. The dress and feathers could be the clothing of any tribe with the ribbons hanging from the dresseds and the moccasin style shoes are noticeable. It may not have been religious at all but a dance of some tribal nature.
As for being sacrilegious, as there were no religious parts like crosses or volumes on or around the stand so that was a table not an alter. The furnitiure isn’t what makes the alter, the representation of a religion is.
So the Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò throws the shot at the masons because he can. And doing all this against the masons on his perceived recognition is just a creation to attack a group that is so misunderstood on their beliefs and practices. If I were the Cathilic Church, I’d be emarrassed and shamed for this article as there is nothing in the article that identifies Masonry except by the one archbishop and no one else.
wy69
This is a catholic caucus. Please refrain from violating the caucus.
“Please refrain from violating the caucus.”
No problem. But if you are going to do a private conversation, I might suggest you don’t put them on public thread boards when you could go private with your entries. That way people like me will not know the topics exist and when they are attacked like the topic did with me, won’t retort. If you use a public board, then expect the public to enter comments.
wy69
“Please refrain from violating the caucus.”
No problem. But if you are going to do a private conversation, I might suggest you don’t put them on public thread boards when you could go private with your entries. That way people like me will not know the topics exist and when they are attacked like the topic did with me, won’t retort. If you use a public board, then expect the public to enter comments.
wy69
This kind of nonsense was popular in the seventies and eighties by trendy VII clergy.Those broads look like old lesbo “nuns” going through the motions.
Perhaps you just obey the caucus rules, instead.
Is that too tough for you?
“Perhaps you just obey the caucus rules, instead. Is that too tough for you?”
Not at all, just as soon as you show me where there are such rules in the operation of this board. The only caucus I have found on this board is the RLC caucus which is a separate topic area.
So if you can get Mr Robinson to give you the privilege of having your own private section and conversation with whoever you wish, I will not post to it.
However, there may be a problem there as it states in the rules established by Mr Robinson:
“Free Republic is not affiliated with any political party, group, news source, government agency or anyone else.”
So if he gives you that space for your sole operation, that is against that policy he made. Therefore, if you are going to talk with people you wish, you might want to go into the private posting section to do so otherwise you do not have anything like the caucus you are questioning my ability to be posted in especially when you attack an organization one of the posters is in and uses his/her opinion as to why it can’t be the way you are trying to get across. You should read the rules Mr Robinson has and respect the privileges of the other posters that are responding within them.
wy69
I don’t know how freemasonry is involved, but this is sure pagan and a desecration.
Exorcists warn involvement in Freemasonry exposes the soul to the demonic
Masonic curses expose children and descendants to the demonic: exorcist’s assistant
I’m not a terribly religious man based upon sanctioned religion. The church doesn’t run my life, I do using christianity. But even I know that bearing false witness like blaming the Masons for something that had nothing to do with them is not the way of our Lord.
Deuteronomy 5:20:
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
This protects our relationship with God because by seeking and bearing true witness to the truth, we can have a relationship with God.
So if your group is going to “take over” space on a public thread, fine. But if I read it and it is not true, and it is an insult to me, you are violating other rules in the thread that say attacking groups is not allowed. You might want to choose your topics a little better and make them a religious happening within the confines of your sacred volume rather than a public execution based upon not finding the truth first.
wy69
I’m not a terribly religious man based upon sanctioned religion. The church doesn’t run my life, I do using christianity. But even I know that bearing false witness like blaming the Masons for something that had nothing to do with them is not the way of our Lord.
Deuteronomy 5:20:
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
This protects our relationship with God because by seeking and bearing true witness to the truth, we can have a relationship with God.
So if your group is going to “take over” space on a public thread, fine. But if I read it and it is not true, and it is an insult to me, you are violating other rules in the thread that say attacking groups is not allowed. You might want to choose your topics a little better and make them a religious happening within the confines of your sacred volume rather than a public execution based upon not finding the truth first.
wy69
I'm not surprised to hear that coming from a professed freemason who defends freemasonry as if it were his own "religion", an evil one at that.
Exorcists warn involvement in Freemasonry exposes the soul to the demonic
Bergoglio’s election was celebrated by the Freemasons and he continues to advance their agenda
Masonic curses expose children and descendants to the demonic: exorcist’s assistant
What exactly is the "false witness" you are alluding to?
Inside the Masonic Lodge, there is an altar on which the Holy Bible is placed. The Masonic altar is a sign of communion with the Creator of the Universe. In the days of old, Masonic altars were a place for communion with the Master Architect of the Universe. They were used to sacrifice animals to God and seek atonement for the sins of man.
Even today, men continue to sacrifice different things for God and pray for forgiveness of sins before asking God for blessings.
Major religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Shinto, Hinduism and Judaism have altars. The pagans also have altars. These altars are found in places of worship like churches, temples and shrines.
All these altars were considered sacred, and objects associated with these altars were also considered sacred. In the old days, priests had to wash their hands before touching the altars and performing altar-related duties.
The Masonic altar inside the Masonic Lodge represents the Altar of Incense that was in the Holiest of Holies in The Temple of Solomon.
It is likely that the cults of Mercury and Hermes (of which much remains in the Masonic tradition) also burned Frankincense.
Frankincense has a long and ubiquitous tradition with the mystery schools, and aside from its use in scrying, or prayer, or homage to the Great Architect, at the very least one has to admit that the sweet scent of Frankincense is a welcome treat for the scenes in the respite Freemasonry offers.
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