Tag: religion

Pope Francis Says He Has Written Resignation Letter—in Case of Incapacity

Pope Francis said he signed a letter of resignation in the first year of his reign to provide for the possibility that he would become incapable of fulfilling his duties.

“I signed it and said, ‘If I should become impaired for medical reasons or whatever, here is my resignation,’” the pope told the Spanish daily newspaper ABC in an interview published Sunday.
— Read on www.wsj.com/articles/pope-francis-says-he-has-written-resignation-letter-in-case-of-incapacity-11671372517

Peter the Roman..

Developing..

December 18, 2022
Americans and their possession stories

Thriller writer Lynn Hightower wrote an opinion piece for the LA TIMES about possession and how we just can’t get enough of it as people..

It is an interesting article linked here and goes into depth about one particular case that we wrote about many years ago: Latoya Ammons in Gary Indiana.

(WE have also had years of reporting on exorcism related news)

Hightower writes,

In January of 2014, the Indianapolis Star broke the story of mysterious events that played out in 2011, in Gary, Ind. Latoya Ammons; her mother, Rosa Campbell; her daughter and two sons moved into a rental house and within a month trouble started — swarms of black flies, a shadowy man in the living room, footsteps climbing the stairs when no one was there.
Ammons’ 12-year-old daughter reported feeling held down and choked. She heard voices saying that her family would die. Ammons’ youngest son was propelled out of the bathroom as if he’d been thrown; he growled and thrashed.
Ammons could find no help. When one episode sent the family to the ER, the Department of Child Services was called. The children were found to be healthy; a hospital psychiatrist determined Ammons to be of “sound mind.” But a Department of Child Services caseworker and a hospital nurse reported that Ammons’ 9-year-son walked backward up the wall in a hospital exam room. The caseworker told the police that she believed there could be an “evil influence” affecting the family.
Ultimately, Latoya Ammons would lose custody of her children for six months. But once the Rev. Michael Maginot, a Catholic priest, performed three exorcisms for the family, the events stopped.
The exorcists are the skeptics now. Baffled and frustrated psychiatrists have turned to exorcists seeking help for patients whose torment does not follow the path of schizophrenia or delusional disassociation and does not respond to treatment.

Highway concludes,

Joseph Laycock, an assistant professor of religious studies at Texas State University, who has taught courses on demonology agrees. He makes the point that an uptick in exorcism could be cyclical, due to social upheaval and uncertainty. A belief in demonic manipulation and exorcism, Laycock has written, offers a way of “interpreting contemporary political issues,” of “framing changing social mores.”
As we suffer through war, disease and division, the spiritual may help when rationality and science do not. I’ve listened to those who feel they have been under demonic attack; their explanation for why they sought out the age-old practice of exorcism is simple: They were desperate for a way to heal.

May 8, 2022
French report: 330,000 children victims of church sex abuse

The figure includes abuses committed by some 3,000 priests and an unknown number of other people involved in the church — wrongdoing that Catholic authorities covered up over decades in a “systemic manner,” according to the president of the commission that issued the report, Jean-Marc Sauvé.

The 2,500-page document was issued as the Catholic Church in France, like in other countries, seeks to face up to shameful secrets that were long covered up. Victims welcomed the report as long overdue and the head of the French bishops’ conference asked for forgiveness from them.

The report said the tally of 330,000 victims includes an estimated 216,000 people abused by priests and other clerics, and the rest by church figures such as scout leaders or camp counselors. The estimates are based on a broader research by France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research into sexual abuse of children in the country.
— Read on apnews.com/article/europe-france-child-abuse-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-religion-ab5da1ff10f905b1c338a6f3427a1c66

October 5, 2021
Modern spiritual war: Priest claims evil demons have figured out how to send threatening text messages

Stephen Rossetti – a licensed psychologist and counsellor – said they do it to taunt their victims, their families and any priests trying to save them.

The clergyman said: “We have had three cases in which demons have texted the team and or the family of the possessed person.

“Two of these cases were the most difficult cases we have had so far, and the third involved a pious family with priestly and religious vocations among the children.

“So, all were ‘high value’ targets with high-ranking, powerful demons involved.

— Read on www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/priest-claims-evil-demons-figured-24889559

But will Satan start a TikTok?

September 3, 2021
Orthodox Church under fire in Romania after baby dies following baptism

Orthodox Church under fire in Romania after baby dies following baptism..

Six-week-old suffered cardiac arrest during ceremony, which involves three immersions in holy water

Categorize this up in the ‘crazy Romanian’ file–one overwhelming in high strangeness..

This time the story involves a tragic outcome.

The six-week-old suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital on Monday but he died a few hours later, the autopsy revealing liquid in his lungs. Prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation against the priest in the north-eastern city of Suceava…

The UK GUARDIAN is among those reporting facts about the religious killing,

An online petition calling for changes to the ritual had gathered more than 56,000 signatures by Thursday evening. “The death of a newborn baby because of this practice is a huge tragedy,” said a message with the petition. “This risk must be ruled out for the joy of baptism to triumph.”
One internet user denounced the “brutality” of the ritual and another criticised the “stubbornness of those who think that it is the will of God” to maintain it.
Local media recounted several similar incidents in recent years. Church spokesman Vasile Banescu said priests could pour a little water on the baby’s forehead instead of full immersion. But Archbishop Teodosie, leader of the Church’s traditionalist wing, said the ritual would not change.

Eminence Calinic, the Archbishop of Arges, is the most prominent voice so far who appears open to change. “In other icons, Jesus stands in the water up to his neck, and with his head bowed he receives baptism by pouring water over the top of his head,” he was quoted as saying.

The Archbishop of Tomis, however, took a more belligerent stance. “We will never change the ritual. The canons of this religion have been in place for over 1,000 years,” he said. “That is why we won’t change. We are not intimidated.”

February 7, 2021
When Ancient Societies Hit a Million People, Vengeful Gods Appeared The scientists analyzed the…

When Ancient Societies Hit a Million People, Vengeful Gods Appeared

The scientists analyzed the relationship between social complexity and moralizing gods in 414 societies spanning the past 10,000 years from 30 regions across the globe. Researchers examined 51 measures of social complexity, such as the size of the largest settlement and the presence of a formal legal code, and four measures of supernatural enforcement of morality, such as the concept of a supernatural force that monitors and punishes selfish actions.

The researchers found that belief in moralizing gods usually followed increases in social complexity, generally appearing after the emergence of civilizations with populations of more than about 1 million people.

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March 21, 2019
A study asks: Are Atheists Genetically Damaged?

A study asks: Are Atheists Genetically Damaged?:

The headline from DISCOVER is misleading.. but the report is interesting..

I just came across a paper with an interesting title: The Mutant Says in His Heart, “There Is No God”.

The conclusions of this work are even more interesting. According to the authors, Edward Dutton et al., humans evolved to be religious and atheism is caused (in part) by mutational damage to our normal, religious DNA. Atheists, in other words, are genetic degenerates.

Despite the talk of mutations, there is no genetics in this paper. No atheist genomes were sequenced and found to be mutated. Rather, Dutton et al. claim (mostly on the basis of a review of previous literature) that atheists have elevated rates of proxy measures of genetic health or ‘mutational load’, namely ill-health, autism, and left-handedness. This, they say, is consistent with atheism being a manifestation of “increasing genetic mutation affecting the mind”.

The post goes on to describe that these links are unconvincing.. that studies show that atheists are more intelligent, on average, than religious believers.. .

# # #

March 21, 2019
Pope drocks McCarrick

THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTING..

Pope Francis has expelled Theodore E. McCarrick, a former cardinal and archbishop of Washington, from the priesthood, after an expedited canonical process that found him guilty of sexually abusing minors and adult seminarians over decades, the Vatican said on Saturday.
“The Holy Father has recognized the definitive nature of this decision made in accord with law” — making it final — the Vatican said of the sentence handed down by its doctrinal watchdog.
It appears to be the first time that a cardinal or bishop in the United States has been defrocked, or laicized, from the Roman Catholic Church, and the first time any cardinal has been laicized for sexual abuse. Laicization, which strips a person of all priestly identity, also revokes church-sponsored resources like housing and financial benefits.

MORE..

Back in 2013, prior to Pope Francis’ white cloud of smoke appeared at the Vatican naming Bergoglio the new Pontiff, McCarrick wrote an article or CNN on what a new pope will face..

McCarrick said,

As has been true in the past, the next pope will have to provide a moral voice to a range of challenges.

February 16, 2019
What Does the Catholic Church Say About Ghosts?

October 17, 2018
FRANCIS EXPOSED! Bergoglio shocker: The Pope embroiled in child
POPE FRANCIS IS BEGGING HIS FLOCK TO KEEP FOLLOWING… He asked for forgiveness in the ever-broadening and escalating child pedophilia scandal among priests in the Roman Catholic Church across the world, but most recently within the confines of multiple Dioceses in Pennsylvania.

The pontiff made the comments at the Marian shrine in Knock during the second day of an historic trip to the Republic of Ireland. He said no-one could fail to be moved by stories of those who “suffered abuse, were robbed of their innocence and left scarred by painful memories.” It is the first papal visit to Ireland in 39 years.

BUT now a shock!
The Vatican’s ex-ambassador says that Pope Francis and Benedict knew of sexual misconduct allegations against a Cardinal and acted with complicity!

McCarrick in some ‘happier’ times

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò claims Pope Francis withdrew sanctions against Archbishop Theodore McCarrick..

This coming from the NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER:

In an extraordinary 11-page written testament, a former apostolic nuncio to the United States has accused several senior prelates of complicity in covering up Archbishop Theodore McCarrick’s allegations of sexual abuse, and has claimed that Pope Francis knew about sanctions imposed on then-Cardinal McCarrick by Pope Benedict XVI but chose to repeal them.
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, 77, who served as apostolic nuncio in Washington D.C. from 2011 to 2016, said that in the late 2000s, Benedict had “imposed on Cardinal McCarrick sanctions similar to those now imposed on him by Pope Francis” and that Viganò personally told Pope Francis about those sanctions in 2013.
Archbishop Viganò said in his written statement, simultaneously released to the Register and other media, (see full text below) that Pope Francis “continued to cover” for McCarrick and not only did he “not take into account the sanctions that Pope Benedict had imposed on him” but also made McCarrick “his trusted counselor.” Viganò said that the former archbishop of Washington advised the Pope to appoint a number of bishops in the United States, including Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago and Joseph Tobin of Newark.

There is a lot more..
Which you can read about here in the full 11-page document that has been translated from Italian to English

TESTIMONY of His Excellency Carlo Maria Viganò, Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana, Apostolic Nuncio by edwardpentin on Scribd

https://www.scribd.com/embeds/387040553/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-vbllUe4YrRz545OHS0rr&show_recommendations=true
August 26, 2018