Still Running Off at the Keyboard

YOU CAN READ MATT C. ABBOTT'S LATEST ARTICLE ON THE MURDER OF FR. KUNTZ

here. Unfortunately it appears that the police are either no closer to a solution to this crime or else they are simply not talking.

The article does mention a ring of 30 priests, but gives no further details. What was Fr. Kuntz doing, and how was he associated with Fr. Ryan St. Ann? Most curious.

Thanks to a reader for sending in the link.

UNUSUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BLOOD FROM TWO BLEEDING ICONS

The English translation of this story can be read at Spirit Daily. The blood from two crying icons was put through scientific tests that produced unique results. It seems that the blood is male, type AB, and has DNA unique to one particular male with no ancestors or decendents. Even the scientists were anazed. The Church has not yet made a decision about the nature of this event, however.

There are a couple of additional pictures at this website which show the icons bleeding.

WHAT'S UP WITH CRUX ?

The website hasn't been updated for two days. Michael Rose has been consistent in his daily news reports unless he indicates there will be a break. Did I miss something?

DECLASSIFIED BRITISH DOCUMENTS

indicate UFO sightings with a measure of credibility according to The Independent.

FALSE ALARM

That strange website down below led to a story about the evacuation of Connecticut. I woke up this morning thinking about this odd report, and have just confirmed that the evacuation notice was in fact put out by error. Here is the AP story:

HARTFORD, CT. (AP) - State officials say yesterday's (Tuesday's) mistaken emergency alert to evacuate Connecticut was the result of a worker entering the wrong code into a computer.

Television viewers and radio listeners were told by the emergency broadcast system that civil authorities had issued an immediate evacuation order for the whole state beginning at 2:10 and ending an hour later.

Ok, simple mistake. Could have caused a panic, though apparently it didn't. What hit me this morning was that although this appears to have been an error, the fact remains that the code for the message that was put out does apparently exist. Which means that someone who was making up these messages thought there could conceivably be a reason to tell the state of Connecticut to evacuate. The implications of that can keep your mind busy for way too long!

BALL OF FIRE OVER SPAIN

This picture was linked at Novus Ordo Watch.

E-MAIL FROM LEE PENN

As the saying goes, "I am not making this up." Put this in the "news of the weird" file.

Pope's assailant sends get-well wishes from jail in Turkey

The story is below, with the hot parts highlighted.

Lee
==================================================
Pope's assailant sends get-well wishes from jail in Turkey

AFP: 2/3/2005

ISTANBUL, Feb 3 (AFP) -

The Turk who tried to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981 issued a message from jail here Thursday, containing a wish of speedy recovery for the ailing pontiff and a bizarre call on him to acknowledge that the world has come close to an end.

Mehmet Ali Agca, 46, was extradited to Turkey in June 2000 after serving 19 years in Italy for shooting and seriously wounding the Pope, who has forgiven him for the attack.

In a brief handwritten statement in Italian faxed to AFP by his lawyer, Mustafa Demirbag, Agca wished the pope swift recovery.

"Dear Pope John Paul II, I and you suffer for the fulfillment of a divine universal plan... I thank you for having revealed on May 13, 2000 the third secret of Fatima.

"Dear Pope, you must now confirm that we are at the end of the world. This is the last generation of humanity on Planet Earth. Only like this will God give you health and miraculous strength for the coming years.

[Go to the website to read the rest of the story - ct]

CATHOLIC UNDERGROUND

A good idea...yes?

NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY

is discussed at Chiesa. The article lists some of the concerns particularly about the way the liturgy is celebrated in NC-Way communities. It comes across sounding as though it has imported many Jewish elements, which would help explain why it is being welcome in Israel. There is also emphasis on resurrection as opposed to sacrifice in the liturgy of NC-Way. The large square altar is odd as well, and the practice explained in the article of the Eucharist being a meal of sorts with everyone seated around the table.

At one time there were pictures of NC-Way churches on the web. Last time I looked they were no longer available. They had a large walk-in baptismal pool and a large square altar just as described in the article.

As I've said many times before, when the word "Way" appears, I'm always interested to see what it's about.

Here is a picture of the chapel at the NC-Way Redemptoris Mater Seminary. And another Redemptoris Mater Seminary chapel, in New Jersey this time. Neither of these have the odd baptismal basin in them.

Here is a pictue of the kind of artwork the Chiesa article talks about.

WHO IS SORCHA FAAL

and what is she up to?

Spirit Daily has linked this story under the heading "What goes on here?" Well they might ask. The story concerns natural catastrophies on a world scale. Links in the article go to legitimate news. Exploring Faal on the web indicates this material is coming from Russia, and purports to place world events into a meaningful context. Sorcha Faal believes chaos is breaking out worldwide.

It reminds me of the "War of the Worlds" radio broadcasts that were believed to be happening by the majority of Americans. Media is powerful. Could people be persuaded in this way again?

PAPAL TREASURES TO BE DISPLAYED IN AMERICA

Business Wire reports:

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 2005--A three-city '05 -'06 exhibition of Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, one of the world's largest collection of Vatican art, documents and historical objects to tour North America, is scheduled for public viewing in Montreal, San Antonio and Milwaukee. Based upon the success of the exhibition presented in four U.S. cities in 2003-2004, the objects will return after a period of conservation in Rome.


More than 300 authentic pieces, as well as several reproductions, trace 2000 years of Catholic leadership, beginning with Saint Peter through Pope John Paul II. The objects, including tiaras, sketches, jewelry, vestments, sculptures and gifts to the popes from notables Napoleon and the Dalai Lama, are on loan from the Vatican, the Vatican Museums, the archives of the Propaganda Fide, the Pontifical Sacristy, the Sistine Chapel, Roman churches administered by the Vatican.

Opening, June 4, 2005 at the Basilica de Notre Dame in Montreal, the exhibition will move to San Antonio in October '05 and the Milwaukee in February '06. While the Vatican draws millions of visitors each year to view its art and history, many of these objects have never been on display before, even in Rome.

MARQUETTE DEVELOPS A CONSCIENCE

Duluth News Tribune reports:

Marquette University administrators shut down a table set up by the school's College Republicans this week to take orders for bracelets and other trinkets so money could be raised to buy special equipment for American snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Brandon Henak, the group's chairman and a Marquette junior, said the College Republicans chose to promote the "Adopt a Sniper" program based in Pulaski after their request for setting up a general "support the troops" table at the school's Alumni Memorial Union had been approved.
"We thought that it was the most direct possible way to help the troops," Henak said. "What really touched us and was one of the big deciding factors on choosing them was the fact that they give (the snipers) the very body armor that enables them to stay safe."

One would hope that the university will be equally rigid when it comes to potential speakers who support the pro-choice position.

PAPAL RETIREMENT

is the subject on the cardinals' minds as the pope's health continues to be a subject of discussion. A UPI story at an African website, MENAFN indicates:

"Although the pope by his suffering has given witness, everyone knows that in terms of hands-on operation, he has not been hands-on for quite a bit now, for 18 months to two years," a senior Vatican official said. "There is a large body of opinion among the cardinals that there should be a retirement age of 80 for the next pope."

The Harold Sun chimes in with similar sentiments:

FUTURE popes will have to retire at a fixed age, under secret plans being discussed by Catholic cardinals, ending a tradition of service until death that has lasted 2000 years.

According to senior church sources, cardinals have discussed among themselves the need to choose a future pontiff who is open to a retirement age, probably 80.
They do not want a repeat of the past few years, when the ill-health of Pope John Paul II, now 84, has forced him to take an increasingly light role in directing the church, responsible for the spiritual welfare of 1.1 billion believers.

The church has in effect been run by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the ultra-conservative head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. But Cardinal Ratzinger, whose nickname is John Paul III, is considered too old, at 77, to succeed him.

Also at the heart of every decision is Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the celibate Opus Dei member and qualified doctor who is the Pope's media officer and most trusted adviser.

The article also sheds some light on the Pontiff's current difficulties:

They confirmed that the pontiff's Parkinson's disease, an illness that inexorably leads to paralysis of the throat muscles, was causing repeated restrictions of his throat, creating breathing difficulties that were being exacerbated by flu.

The article indicates he is doing better and will be out of the hospital in a few days. But that is not the same as saying he is getting well.

Nearly every day we have a statement of some sort given by the Pope in audience or on other occasions. One tends to wonder if he has written them? Approved them, but not written them? Knows what they say? Cares what they say? Then there are the books that have been published recently in his name--one on his poetry, for instance. Did he write them? When we are living with what appears to be schism in our midst, and what in fact Jason Berry reported Cardinal Gagnon called a schism, the source of statements attributed to the Pope is important.

Essentially it would appear that we have a visible symbol of the Bishop of Rome, and possibly little else, while someone is running the Church from under cover. Speculation is all well and good about who that "someone" might be, but there is nothing official regarding who that could be. Under present circumstances, with schism in our midst, and with a clerical scandal that is still breaking over our heads in the press on a daily basis, this is a disturbing situation.

DOES THE LARDICUS TEMPLE HAVE EDIBLE ARCHES ?

A reader found this funny.

After you finish reading the link, I have an invitation for you.

Please come to worship in my Temple of Heavenly Substance. All rites will be celebrated with Chocolate Torte, preferably Godiva, but if not available, Ghiradelli will be considered an adequate substitute. Transubstantiation will not involve any change in substance or accidents as Godiva Chocolate Torte must not be wasted by adulteration.

Bailey's will be provided prior to meditation to enhance your cosmic consciousness. Intinction of torte will not be permitted, however, due to the possibility of sodden crumbs falling on the carpet and being wasted.

In my Temple of Heavenly Substance you will find a golden "G" next to a golden "B" suspended above the Altar of Abundance, symbolizing the makers of our Heavenly Food, and reminding us to be ever-grateful for what we have been given.

Services are on-going. You may stop in at any time you are in the area and stay until you are sated.

Large donations will be required as I have gotten used to luxury and want to maintain my lifestyle.

BLOG DEDICATED TO CATHOLIC CHURCH CLOSINGS

Check out Chris Gillibrand's blog, Catholic Church Conservation. She has blogged a story about Don Bosco's Dream, complete with picture. I like to think the vision is true and we're getting close to being docked once again. The water's been awfully rough lately.

IRAN APPROVES ABORTION

A reader sent in this link at LifeSite:

The Iranian parliament approved a draft bill legalizing abortion Tuesday. The new legislation will allow the abortion of "deformed" babies, or if the pregnancy poses a potentially fatal health risk to the pregnant mother.

Because Islamic teaching says that a baby does not have a soul until 17 weeks, few Moslem religious leaders have opposed the measure. One cleric who disapproves of the move, Mohammad Taqi Mohassel, told the Associated Press, "The bill tells the world that Iran's parliament has permitted abortion. That's why I oppose it."

TERRI'S PLIGHT

The other blogs, including Fr. Rob Johansen, have been covering the deteriorating hope for Terri Schiavo, and so I have not blogged anything recently. I'm blogging a portion of Michael Brown's comments on Terri because I don't expect anyone else to do it:

That brave father, Robert Schindler, describes how he has a priest, Monsignor Thaddeus Malanowski, former head of chaplains for the Pentagon, and a one-star general (now retired in St. Petersburg), by on a regular basis to anoint Terri with chrism and Holy Water. Her husband, Michael Schiavo -- who wants to remove the feeding tubes -- won't let his wife, in a severely disabled state since 1990, receive Communion or be brought to Mass.

"He has the authority," laments her father. "He literally owns her body. I don't really know why he doesn't allow Communion."

Yet there is every sign that the Catholicism lives within the poor woman. When Monsignor Malanowski comes, says Schindler, Terri -- who many mistakenly believe is vegetative -- strongly reacts. "To show you how deep her Catholic faith is," says Schindler, "whatever distractions there are, she concentrates on monsignor solely and the different prayers he says with her. She is very attentive."

But she remains in a tiny room her husband won't allow her to leave. Michael is from a Methodist family but as far as Schindler knows, is not practicing. He is living with a woman who is Catholic (and by whom he now has two children).

Does Schindler detect the presence of an evil spirit around the situation?

"I pray to St. Michael to drive the devils out of the courtroom," says the beleaguered father. "I can feel them and almost see them."

POPE AT WORK IN SPITE OF FLU

The Reuters report in Boston.com News indicates:

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul urged the Roman Catholic Church on Tuesday to improve vetting procedures for would-be priests in the wake of numerous sex scandals.

In a letter to the cardinal in charge of priestly education, the pope said specialists might have to be called into to help teach young candidates about the reality of celibate chastity.

"Right from the moment the young men enter a Seminary their ability to live a life of celibacy should be monitored so that before their ordination one should be morally certain of their sexual and emotional maturity," the pope wrote.

"Given on-going social and cultural changes, teachers might find it useful to turn to the work of competent specialists to help the seminarians fully understand the demands of the priesthood," he added.

Blogger credit to Spirit Daily.

THE POPE IS ILL

From SFGate.com:

Pope John Paul II had a restful night and his condition stabilized after he was rushed to a hospital with breathing trouble, but he will spend several more days at the clinic to recover from the flu, the Vatican said Wednesday.

Around the world, Roman Catholics paused to pray for the health of the 84-year-old pontiff.

Tests showed John Paul's heart and respiration were normal, and he got several hours' rest after being taken by ambulance to the hospital Tuesday night, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said. The pontiff was running a slight fever from the flu and would spend "a few more days" at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic for treatment of respiratory problems, he said.

"There is no cause for alarm," Navarro-Valls said.

According to 4NI from the UK:

The Pope, who had been suffering from flu, was rushed to hospital by ambulance, suffering from a laryngeal-spasm – a condition that can block the passage of air to the lungs, making it almost impossible to breath.

Prayers for the Pope are being said around Europe and the US. Grampian TV reports:

Saying special prayers for Pope John Paul the second. The congregation at St Mary's Cathedral in Aberdeen joined millions of Catholics around the world hoping for his recovery.

The Conservative voice reports that

Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, called for prayers for Pope John Paul II, on Feb. 1, shortly after the pope was hospitalized in Rome with breathing difficulties and the flu.

From MSNBC:

WADOWICE, Poland - People in Pope John Paul II’s Polish hometown prayed Wednesday for their most famous son as coverage of his hospitalization dominated front pages and airwaves.

With the intense media focus, prayers for the pontiff’s recovery were held at churches in Warsaw, Krakow and at the private chapel of Poland’s Roman Catholic primate, Cardinal Jozef Glemp.

Meanwhile, the inevitable speculation about the next Pope is not far from the minds of the pressmen. From ABS-CBN Interactive:

Each time the Pope's health has faltered, speculation has bubbled up over his possible successor, including whether he would be from the Third World, where the Church is expanding.


John Paul, the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years, has appointed nearly all the cardinals who will enter a conclave to elect his successor, thus stacking the odds that the next Pope will not tamper with controversial church teachings.

From stuff.co.nz:

Can anyone succeed such a towering figure without appearing a mere shadow of Karol Wojtyla, a mouse after a mountain?

That is the dilemma that cardinals, the red-hated "princes" of the Roman Catholic Church will face when they meet in a secret conclave after the death of the current Pope - whenever it may be - to choose a successor from among themselves.

May God relieve his suffering.

"WHEN THE STATE BECOMES GOD"

An article written by Lee Penn in April 2004 is online at the Spiritual Counterfeits Project website. It's long, and heavily researched and footnoted. SCP doesn't usually put their articles online. I think this is a first. This article tends to give me nightmares. Go check it out.

A READER EMAILS

That I owe the Society of St. John an apology because all penalties are suspended during an appeal.

Let me see if I understand that correctly. The bishops have indicated that a priest accused of sexual abuse and placed on administrative leave can continue to minister as though nothing has happened as long as he is appealing the charges? No, that isn't the way it has been done. A priest on administrative leave receives his pay but may not act publicly in the capacity of a priest until the issue is resolved.

The priests of the Society of St. John have been accused. The Bishop has suppressed the order. But they may continue as though nothing has happened until completion of an appeal? And presumably if there is guilt, the wrongful activities can be ongoing?

Does anyone else see why I have a problem with this?

Had this organization cooperated with investigations from the beginning...

Had the priests who were accused stepped aside until the matter had been resolved as the priests in my former parish who have been accused have done, and as Archbishop Pell also did, I would be willing to consider that the Society is morally within their right to continue operations and fundraising as though nothing had happened. But that has not been the case. The Society fought every accusation tooth and nail and continued to operate as though nothing was wrong, as Dr. Bond has repeatedly pointed out.

So I'm not convinced there is anything to apologize for. The technicalities of Canon Law may have a loophole which permits continued fundraising. The morally upright position would be to cease that fundraising and maintain a very low profile in cooperation with the Bishop's suppression. The Society may win canonically. They are digging an ever-deeper and more sinister hole the more they act counter to the Bishop's decision. I found the solicitation letter to be a slap in the face of a Catholic who wants very much to see the Church healed.

I SEE THAT THE COUNTER HAS RESET ITSELF AGAIN

It read 558 at 11:11 a.m. Now it is back to 128. Must be a troll in the system.

AUSTRALIAN PRIESTS LASH OUT AT BISHOPS WHO FOLLOW THE LEADING OF THE POPE

A reader sent in this story from down under.

"EDGAR CAYCE ON THE INDIGO CHILDREN"

a book offered on the edgarcayce.com website. The review mentions James Twyman. From the website:

According to American mystic Edgar Cayce, groups of amazing and unusual individuals would begin to incarnate on earth late in the twentieth century and beyond. They would come to be called Indigo Children.

Interesting, no? In the index, Part Four, is an entry "Edgar Cayce and the Fifth Root Race". Why do I seem to hear an echo of goosestep?

Cayce was a faith healer. He went into trance and was able to diagnose illness even at a distance of several states. He died in 1945.

Here is a website devoted to the prayers of Edgar Cayce. This is mystical Christianity. It sounds almost Catholic but Cayce was not Catholic. It mentions "the way" and the holy grail:

Every religion speaks of the quest of the soul for the holy grail, the place of the Most High. The Chinese speak of it as the "old road." The Hindus call it the "path of return." Christians refer to it as "the way." Meditation is the gateway that leads us to God.

DORM BROTHEL

An article at Christianity Today, linked at Crux News, provides Prof. Vigen Guroian's lament on the current state of promiscuity on college campuses:

As a college professor and father of a college-age daughter, however, I am outraged by the complicity of my college and most other schools in the death of courtship and the emergence of a dangerous and destructive culture of "hooking up."

Doane College in Nebraska recently mailed a recruiting postcard that showed a man surrounded by women, with a caption that read that students at this college have the opportunity to "play the field." After a public outcry last December, administrators hastily withdrew the marketing campaign, explaining that the postcard was harmless and a metaphor for exploring a variety of education options. But the very fact that the campaign was conceived and approved in the first place speaks volumes. The sexual revolution, if that is an appropriate title, was not won with guns but with genital groping aided and abetted by colleges that forfeited the responsibilities of in loco parentis and have gone into the pimping and brothel business.

HAS RUSSIA SPREAD HER ERRORS AROUND THE WORLD ?

“You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world”.

Those are the words of the second part of the Secret of Fatima as reported at EWTN.

Pope John Paul II consecrated the world, and according to the website, Sr. Lucy indicated the consecretation had been done as requested. We are in the period of peace foretold.

East-West Church & Ministry Report gives a synopsis of "Russia's Occult Revival" by Holly DeNio Stephens. The essay is a portion of Stephens essey in the book The Occult in Russian and Soviet Culture edited by Bernice Glatzer Rosenthal. At the conclusion of the essay Stephens states:

Reactions to the dehumanizing effects of scientific doctrine, the overabundance of prescribed rational thought, and the proscription of alternative systems during the Soviet period have generated much of the energy directed toward the occult today. Many Russians are attempting to find new values and belief systems to replace those that have been jettisoned. The occult is seen as an attractive alternative, more consoling than the harsh reality imposed by the instability and chaos of the physical world. Intrinsically apolitical, occult systems serve as spiritual panaceas for the gravest and most trying conditions.

Stephens teaches in the Department of Slavic Languages, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Does that sound as though Russia has been converted?

A Gurdjieff Internet Guide webpage reviewing the book Modern Esoteric Spirituality by Jacob Needleman, indicates that Gurdjieff belongs in a category of "esoteric currents in the modern West which include alchemy and astrology, Renaissance Kabbalah, Romantic natural science and philosophy, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, occultism, and theosophy as well as the ideas and schools associated with Paracelsus, Jacob Boehme, Rudolf Steiner, Rene Guenon...and C. G. Jung." The article applies the word "vibrant" to these currents.

Russian occultist George Gurdjieff, was the creator of the Enneagram which has made its way into Catholic institutions, including some listed here.

"Enneagram" Googled with "Sisters of" produced 677 hits, including:

Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary of the Woods, where Sr. Karlene Sensmeier, OSB "has been giving Enneagram workshops for almost 20 years."

Sisters of Sion, Ireland who offered an Enneagram Week-end "for married couples, partners, engaged and single.

Sisters of the Humility of Mary who tell us that they "minister in spirituality and wellness programs which include counseling, spiritual direction, Enneagram workshops, and Reiki sessions."

Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel whose "Gift & Book Store offers books on many spirituality topics, including: monasticism, prayer, mystics, spiritual direction, feminine spirituality and saints, Enneagram, dreams, transitions, and grieving."

Sisters of Mercy at Burlingame, Calif. who will introduce you to the Enneagram at their 2005 Lenten retreat for a mere $210.

And the list goes on...occultism is very much the "in thing" at Catholic communities of women religious. Russia has done well.

The sisters got it from the Human Potential Movement - Esalen - as Dr. William Coulson explains in this article from EWTN. According to the timeline at the Institute website, in 1970-1971 "a number of Esalen group leaders traveled to Arica, Chile to study with the Sufi teacher Oscar Ichazo. Key figures: Claudio Naranjo, John Lilly, Steven Stroud, Jack Downing. This eventually resulted in the proliferation of work on the Enneagram, a system of personality typology, as well as the founding of the Arica school."

Oscar Ichazo was a follower of Gurdjieff. The Enneagram Spectrum website offers "A Brief History of the Enneagram" which contains the following explanation:

More recently George Gurdjieff (1879-1949), a Russian teacher of esoteric knowledge and a contemporary of Freud, used the Enneagram to explain the laws involved in the creation and unfolding of all the aspects of the universe. He alludes to his introduction to the Enneagram in the 1920's during his visit to the Sufi Sarmouni monastery in Afghanistan. This is the site of the Naqshbandi Order mentioned earlier. Quite appropriately, it is located near a great East-West trade route, where not only goods but also ideas crossed regularly.

In yet another culture and part of the globe, the Enneagram was taught by Oscar Ichazo (1976; 1982) as part of his Arica Training in South America. He found that the Enneagram (or Enneagon, as he calls the nine-sided figure) organizes comprehensively the various laws operating in the human person. So while Gurdjieff applied the Enneagram's process to all of reality, including a rudimentary application to the human person, Ichazo made use of the Enneagram figure and dynamics to explain more fully the functioning of the human psyche. Ichazo claims to have arrived at his understanding of the Enneagram through his own independent studies and research.

Claudio Naranjo (1990; 1994), a Chilean psychologist, learned the tradition from Oscar Ichazo and brought the Enneagram further into Western psychology by reframing its concepts in contemporary psychological language. Naranjo elaborated and codified Ichazo's explorations of the human personality still further.

The website further explains how this became a Catholic concept:

In the early 1970's Robert Ochs, S.J. and Helen Palmer (1988; 1995) studied the Enneagram system of personality with Naranjo. Through Ochs the Enneagram was introduced to various Christian communities, where Jerome Wagner, Maria Beesing, Robert Nogosek, and Patrick O'Leary (1984), Don Riso (1987; 1990), Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert (1990; 1992), Kathleen Hurley and Ted Donson (1991; 1993), Suzanne Zuercher (1992; 1993), et. al. became acquainted with it. These and other authors promulgated the Enneagram to a broader spiritual, psychological, educational, business and commercial audience.

This path of transmission is confirmed in an article by Christopher Rees at Catholic.net The Sufi connection is confirmed there as well.

An article at Russian Archives Online tracks the Russian-Esalen connection in an interview with Joseph V. Montville. The following is an excerpt from the website:

So I thought I'd start by just revisiting the Esalen connection in this discussion of the value of values. I think what started the Esalen connection was old-fashioned intellectual curiosity, and maybe new-fashioned desire for the exploration of the paranormal and all of the special interests that the California context that Michael in particular and Dulce and their friends brought to try to understand the scope of human potential. So it started that way with early visits in the 1970s to the Soviet Union. The very fact that being drawn by this intellectual curiosity and this desire to explore new frontiers resulted in new experiences with human beings found in the Soviet Union and new friendships, because basically, this is what happens when you cross the oceans into unknown territory and find a whole number, a new number of human beings and discover their humanity.

That, it would seem, is how Russia is spreading her errors around the world.

But why has the Enneagram and other aspects of the Human Potential Movement been able to make itself so comfortable in Roman Catholicism, considering that the source is Islamic mysticism and occultism?

Of the books for which Gurdjieff is most well known, Meetings With Remarkable Men ranks high on the list. An excerpt from the book is online here. From the website:

Soon after our sojourn at the chief monastery of the Sarmoung Brotherhood, Soloviev joined the group of persons I have already mentioned, the Seekers of Truth, the required guarantees being furnished by me. He became a full member of this group and from then on, thanks to his persistent and conscientious efforts, he not only worked for the attainment of his individual perfection but at the same time took a serious part in all our general activities and in the various expeditions for special purposes.

During one of these expeditions, in the year 1898, he died from the bite of a wild camel in the Gobi Desert. I will describe the occurrence in as much detail as possible, because not only was the death of Soloviev very strange, but our method of crossing the desert was unprecedented and in itself highly instructive.

Vladimir Soloviev? The same Vladimir Soloviev of whom George Weigel says:

As Pope, Karol Wojtyla nurtured his interest in Russia and the Russians through numerous channels. He read deeply in the writings of Vladimir Soloviev, the late nineteenth-century Russian philosopher and theologian, a prophet of the reconciliation of Eastern and Western Christianity with a marked millennial strain in his thought. (WITNESS TO HOPE, p. 568)

There are, of course, other Solovievs. So far I have not been able to find a website that gives a first name of this Soloviev who was a friend of Gurdjieff.

The Alchemy Lab website also indicates there was a strong bond between Gurdjieff and Soloviev:

George Gurdjieff (1877–1949) the famed Russian Mystic, also experimented with hashish. Gurdjieff gained knowledge of cannabis’ unique effects on the human psyche while spending time studying with a number of Sufi schools and dervish orders, in Persia, eastern Turkey and Bokhara. Gurdjieff used hashish in experiments with some of his pupils to demon­strate the awakening of people’s essences. Gurdjieff, and his “loyal friend of all friends,” Soloviev, studied together under an Isma’ili affiliated Sufi group. During this time Gurdjieff states that Soloviev became an expert in eastern medicine, Tibetan medicine, “and he was also the world’s greatest specialist in the knowledge of opium and hashish on the psyche and organism of man.”

Unbelievably, somehow a Sufi/Russian occult system of divination has made itself welcome in the Roman Catholic Church, has been spread to the laity via the religious orders, and has been either ignored or approved by the U.S. hierarchy, and the hierarchy in Rome. Why?

The Catholic laity deserve an explanation for this insanity.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

OH GLORIOUS FREEDOM

The Telegraph reports that now that prostitution is legal in Germany, unemployment benefits are being cut for women who refuse to work in morally offensive industry.

If the consecration has been done, we are living in the time of peace that results from the completion of the consecration. I wonder how this fits into the picture Mary gave us of this?

Amy has blogged the story from Germany over at Open Book. Go over there and check out the discussion.

SOCIETY OF ST. JOHN STILL RAISING FUNDS

The Society of St. John was suppressed by the Bishop of Scranton. One would think that they would drop off the radar screen. No, they are still very much around.

I have a letter signed by Father Daniel J. Fullerton, dated Dec. 28, 2004, Feast of the Holy Innocents. In it he says:

You have heard the news. Yes, the new Bishop of Scranton has issued a decree, suppressing the priestly work of the Society of Saint John as a community in his diocese. And, yes, we believe that the decision is a misinformed one and that there are no grounds to justify it.

But what counts is not our opinion, but the Church's. Of course, the Church is not infallible in decisions of this kind, but she is the only authority delegated by God to make such decisions on this earth....We will, therefore, obey with joy in our hearts and peace in our spirits.

But what does he mean by "obey" one might ask? According to the letter:

Am I saying that the priests and brothers of the Society of Saint John will resign and abandon our work in the vineyard just like that? No, of course not. I can sincerely affirm that the Society of Saint John will remain faithful to you and to God, in spite of all trials and against all prophets of doom.

We will commit ourselves to the bitter end. It is in hard times such as these that one can see the true motivation of people. We believe that throughout all these difficulties we are, by God's grace, proving our true motivation. Not that we are anything, but that God's grace is powerful enough to work through such unworthy instruments.

Thanks be to Jesus Christ for the fact that the decree of suppression of the Society of Saint John by the new Bishop of Scranton is not the final decision. We are Roman Catholics, and it belongs to Rome to have the final word on this matter. The Society of Saint John has, therefore, appealed the Bishop's decree because we believe that misinformation has led to a groundless and unlawful decision....

Indeed, we are confident that our loving Father in heaven has the perfect solution in mind for us. In the meantime, we are keeping our strict schedule of prayer and work here in Shohola (with Sunday Solemn High Mass at 11 a.m., if you are in the neighborhood).

What, then, does "suppression" mean? It would appear that the Society intends to conduct business as usual while admitting the Bishop has suppressed the order. I, for one, do not understand this. Will Rome override the Bishop's power? A Bishop Rome has just appointed? Has anything changed about the way the Society does business now that they are under suppression?

The envelope in which this letter arrived had no return address. The upper-left corner had merely "Society of Saint John" in the return address slot. The Business Reply Mail envelope included with the letter had no problem boldly proclaiming their address as 702 Route 434, Shohola, PA 18458-9979. Yes, the letter closed with a plea for cash. Business as usual in the finance department. I no longer even feel guilty about being cynical. The Society has simply snubbed the Bishop as though he does not even count, and they will do whatever they want in spite of what he says. It's looking more and more like no one is in charge.

"INDIGO"

The enthusiasm has run out. There is not a single report on the movie in the news today. The local paper here didn't cover it on Saturday. The various websites devoted to promoting it have not been updated. The movie and World Indigo Day are still in the future according to the websites.

I confess to not attending it. Somehow the idea of getting that close to something so persuasive and so contrary to the First Commandment was repelling. I did notice when looking through the websites this morning that they are planning to film a sequal in August.

MASONIC INFLUENCES IN EUROPE

as reported by Zenit:

Freemasonry's Influence in Europe

Incompatible With Christian Religion, Says Historian

MADRID, Spain, JAN. 30, 2005 (Zenit.org).- To understand what is happening in Europe, the phenomenon of Masonry must be taken into account, says Protestant historian César Vidal.

The director of the program "La Linterna" of the Spanish bishops' COPE radio network, Vidal has just written a book, "Los Masones: La Historia de la Sociedad Secreta Más Poderosa" (The Freemasons: History of the Most Powerful Secret Society), published by Planeta.

Among other things, the book addresses the Masonic influence in the most important events of recent Spanish history, especially since the election last March of the Spanish Socialist Labor Party (PSOE).

Vidal says that "the secularist current promoted by the government headed by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero shares more than enough Masonry's rank anti-clericalism."

The author explains that the Freemasons have an enormous role in the European Union and, by way of example, says that "the project of the European Constitution has been driven by a Freemason," Valéry Giscard D'Estaing, "who has excluded mention of the continent's Christian roots and, in addition, has insisted on the inclusion of an article that subjects the churches of the different nations but frees 'philosophical organizations' from that obligation."

Vidal has doctorates in history, philosophy and theology, and a law degree.

The article continues with an interview of Vidal.