Rigged

 

Steve Bannon has something to say about the new pope. Apparently, Bannon served in the US navy with the future pope´s brother! His other comments are more interesting...

Not sure who Sean Spicer is. 

Pope whisperer

 

Or the canary in the sacristy? The rumors surrounding the new pope are almost funny. Unless you are a Catholic traditionalist, I assume. For instance, the speculations about his Baroque-ish outfit?! Oh, and I learned a new term: "liturgical centrist"... 

You preach it, boy!

 

Tell that to the Traditionalists...

Death and lying

 

Emerson Green on the Christian apologetic claim "Nobody dies for a lie". Here promoted by none other than Mel Gibson! Unfortunately, people die for lies all of the time. Including self-conscious ones. Personally, I don´t think the apostles died for something they knew was a lie, but the claim that *nobody* would do this is gullible in the extreme. The opposite is also the case: true believers in other religions may chose to die for *their* beliefs based on allegedly supernatural events. Say a Hindu who believes that one of his gods (or his deceased guru!) have actually appeared to him... 

Habemus papam

 

It can´t be long now...

Gold, silver and Hellenizers

 

In a previous blog post, I mentioned the ultra-sedevacantist sect Mary´s Little Remnant and their leader, Richard Ibranyi. Whom I never heard about until earlier this week. Ibranyi argues that the papacy apostasized already in 1130 AD. Thus, for almost one thousand years, the Chair of Peter has been vacant. But why specifically 1130? No idea. The group´s website is difficult to navigate, so I only skimmed some of the material. 

Ibranyi has a huge problem with both the Church Fathers and the medieval Catholic Church. He seems to be a kind of "purist" who completely rejects absolutely all pagan/outside influences on Christianity. But many theologians and Church leaders both in the Roman Empire and in medieval Europe were so influenced. They made use of Greco-Roman philosophy and read Greco-Roman literature. Most notably Origen, who sounds almost like a Platonist. Indeed, many Church Fathers were sympathetic to some of Origen´s ideas (Origen wasn´t condemned as a heretic until centuries after his passing). Hence, they were heretics and apostates all. Jerome in particular is attacked, perhaps because the Catholic Church considers him a great teacher. Ibranyi also have a huge problem with high medieval and Renaissance art with its pagan motifs and gargoyles. 

The language of his works is frequently strident and extreme, as when he calls Thomas Aquinas "a monster born into this world" or refers to Albert the Great as "Albert the Great Wretch". Post-1130 popes are refered to as "Apostate Antipopes". The mystic Hildegard of Bingen was a "witch". The Black Death (which killed many clergy and monks) was God´s just punishment of the heretical Church. 

Somehow, Ibranyi seems to believe that the papacy nevertheless tried to suppress all these heresies until the 12th century. He likes Augustine (surprise) and also Constantine the Great, arguing that the Roman emperor was baptized already in 314 and didn´t die as an Arian heretic. A peculiar trait of Ibranyi´s message is that the Septuagint is considered the most reliable OT translation. This, of course, is the Eastern Orthodox position. The strident purism sounds "Protestant". So what is Catholic about this group, exactly?

Interestingly, when Ibranyi condemns Bernhard of Clairvaux, his line of attack is from the opposite side: 

>>>The apostate Bernard was a stoic. He condemned or abhorred good things and good passions that God has given men to enjoy. He abhorred most of the material world as if it were evil. Hence he attempted to become a pure spirit without any attachment to the body or material world, a pure spirit that destroys or totally suppresses good passions and good senses. 

>>>Therefore, he had much in common with the Gnostics and Manicheans. In the following quote Bernard condemns the five senses, sports, recreation, theater, actors, beauty, music, pleasant odors, silver, gold, and comely dress as intrinsically evil.  

>>>He was a heretic because he was an iconoclast. He abhorred gold, silver, and images. He was a schismatic for saying that he does not belong to good Catholics who like gold, silver, and images in holy places. He was guilty of mortal sins for saying that good Catholics who like gold, silver, and images in God’s churches were fools and incapable of spiritual things. 

>>>He was a sacrilegious blasphemer for stealing gold, silver, and gems from giving glory to God. He was guilty of the mortal sin of murder for trying to murder himself and his brothers by severe penances.

>>>One of Bernard’s complaints was the expense of the gold, silver, and images in churches and other Catholic places. He says that these things should have been sold and the money given to the poor and that poor Catholics should keep their money instead of spending it on gold, silver, and images to be used to give glory to God in his churches and other holy places:

>>>The apostate Bernard committed the same sin as Judas Iscariot when Judas wanted to withhold expensive things that give glory to God and instead give the money to the poor, and in Judas’ case to give it to himself because he was a thief.

Well, it´s good to hear that Ibranyi likes the silver and the gold in Christian churches, I mean, how can we *ever* be without *that*, huh? Mary´s Little Remnant reminds me of ultra-leftist Marxist groups which to their shock and utter dismay realize that even Marx and Lenin "supported" nationalism, reform struggles or great power geopolitics. 

Ibranyi is still a bit inconsistent, however, perhaps because he really does want to be a Roman Catholic. Somebody else might draw the conclusion that either Paul, James or Christ himself must have been "heretics", since they were either too Jewish or to pagan! And then it´s off to seeing pagan influences in the Torah itself...

We´re dealing with a certain kind of sectarian psychological mentality.    

   

Mary´s Little Remnant

 

I never heard of *this* sub-branch of sedevacantism before. Richard Ibranyi and his little sect Mary´s Little Remnant somewhere in the United States have taken sedevacantism to its quasi-logical conclusion, rejecting all popes since...wait for it...1130. Yes, really! Not sure why, tbh, but apparently Ibranyi is an adherent of Leonard Feeney, who was excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1953. 

Feeney´s ideas, known by his opponents as Feeneyism and here called "Feeneyiteism", include the rejection of baptism by desire and baptism by blood, instead arguing that only baptism by water is valid. As far as I understand, these ideas are older than 1130, so perhaps somebody should form an even more consistent "more Catholic than thou" sect? Or why not become, you know, Protestant?

Another point of hot contention seem to be the idea that sexual intercourse without the intention of procreation should never allowed at all. That is, not even "natural family planning". Since NFP was allowed by some popes pre-Vatican II, again you could argue that the Chair was vacated already before that council.

The content-creator considers Ibranyi´s sect interesting precisely in that it shows how absurd sedevacantism becomes if applied consistently. But (of course) you could also argue in the opposite direction: the papacy is absurd since it doesn´t seem to actually protect the Church from heresies in the first place!    

 

Demonic passion

 

"Fresh eyes, anyone?"

Dark side occultist Thomas Sheridan sounds almost like a Christian fundamentalist here, but there is *something* weird about Mel Gibson´s "The Passion of the Christ". 

I always found it strange that so many different Christian groups tried to piggy-back on the film, rather than calling out its problematic nature. Some of these are probably rooted in trad-Catholicism, but others...who knows? 

Note Sheridan´s suspicions about Fatima! In general, he seems to regard Marian apparitions as demonic in nature.  

We need to talk about "The Passion of the Christ" 

Hiroshima Paranormal

 

I admit I never heard of the Hiroshima Eight before. This miracle story seems to be part and parcel of the Fatima/Catholic traditionalist milieu. Debunked above by a skeptic who calls himself "potholer54".

Canterbury Tales

 

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned the other day, after being accused of passivity when faced with evidence that the late John Smyth was a serial abuser of underaged boys and young males. The abuse seems to have been some kind of bizarre and sadistic beatings. The fact that the archbishop was “Woke” hasn´t escaped the notice of conservatives on the web. Ahem, are these the same conservatives who root for the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church or the pre-Civil War Southern Baptist Convention? Yeah, whatever whenever.

Smyth was an evangelical and is even described as a “fundamentalist” by some. So was Welby in his youth, when he apparently attended some of the summer camps where the abuse took place! I believe Smyth (who was a lawyer) was involved in a law suite against a pornographic/necrophiliac novel about Jesus. In other words, a based culture warrior of the kind the right loves to love.

The truth is that abuse of this kind is rampant in conservative churches and organizations: evangelical, Mormon, Catholic, scouting, and so on. Note also the connection to hazing in British upper class boarding schools (apparently, Smyth´s victims were relatively privileged). I wouldn´t be surprised at all if there is abuse – but probably of a different kind – in “Woke” denominations. It´s a common claim that the work environment in churches, charitable organizations or volunteer movements is more toxic than average. That being said…

The Smyth affair is obviously a case of hallowed patriarchy coupled with rampant hypocrisy concerning "homosexuality" in the upper class. Or rather paedophilia.

Tokidoki

 

Credit: Simone Legno

This is a thing among Catholics just now, apparently...

I´m married to a Funko Pop!   

Amazon rite

 

Breitbart News continues their tradCath LARP. Maybe somebody should tell them that Peter was married, and so were the "bishops" of the New Testament house churches. The Eastern Churches always had married clergy, too, including Eastern Churches in union with Rome. 

But sure, I suppose the "Amazon rite" could be seen as heretical...but the underlaying idea was introduced by the Jesuits already 400 years ago. The crafty modernists!

Maybe it´s time for the American Indians to actually go back to their beloved Pachamama.  

Amazon liturgy, married clergy

"Pachamama" strikes again

 

- Where the Cristeros at? 

What´s up with the trad Catholicism? Breitbart News (LARP-ing as Cristeros) references a recently excommunicated Italian sedevacantist who complains about "Satanic" (really pagan or perhaps neo-pagan) rituals being included in the recent Mexican presidential inauguration. Which is funny, because if the Mexicans *really* wanted to go full Satanic, they would have included Santa Muerte! Which they apparently didn´t.

See also: Pachamama, Pope Francis, the Mexican revolution, and so on.   

Mexico: Satanic inauguration ceremony 

Lifting the mitre

 

This was painful to watch. This content-creator wants to both eat the cake and have it. 

Catholics have more fun

 

This gives an entirely new meaning to the expression "Catholics have more fun". Note that these are Franciscan nuns and that they claim to be traditionalist (conservative) Catholics! Yeah, the kind the Cathars reacted against. Or even Francis himself... 

>>>Local Spanish media have revealed that the excommunicated Poor Clares of Belorado in Burgos racked up a debt of over 45,000 euros, on extravagant expenses including velvet and silk sheets, a fighting bull, and high-quality jamón ibérico - a speciality Spanish ham.

>>>According to local reports, the sisters had been buying eccentric items such as high-quality jamón, laptops and cell phones, and even a fighting bull that had to be sold after it could not be tamed. 

>>>One vendor sent a bill for 6,900 euros, due in January, for items including silk sheets, feather down comforters, and velvet footrest covers. The vendor alleged that the last time he spoke with the sisters on the phone, one sister told him that “Saint Peter would repay [him]” and never answered the phone again.

>>>One of the largest unpaid bills - for more than 18,000 euros - is from a French company, for an oven and raw materials to make the chocolates that the sisters sold to sustain themselves. The sisters’ sweets were known across Spain and even served in Michelin-star restaurants.

Silk sheets and a fighting bull

Creationism in cryptozoology

 

Meanwhile, on the fringe...

An intra-mural Catholic polemic on young earth creationism (YEC), complete with the claim that dinosaurs survived the Flood and were still around...during the Middle Ages?!

Best comment: "I did expect them to read the Bible literally, I didn´t expect them to read Beowulf literally". Not to mention the legend of Saint George and the dragon!

Stegosaurs in Cambodia, theropods in China, sauropods (et. al.) around England´s greenest hills...the evidence isn´t exactly convincing. I´m honestly getting a bit tired of all this crap. Should I stop commenting fringe beliefs completely? 

  

Siri, tell me who is pope

 

Holy smoke!

Papal Election of Giuseppe Siri (conspiracy theory)

Sede vacante

 

SPOILER ALERT, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

“Angels and Demons” is the second film in the so-called Robert Langdon franchise, based on novels by Dan Brown. It´s the sequel to the notorious flick “The Da Vinci Code”. Somewhat confusingly, the original novels were published in exactly the opposite order, with “The Da Vinci Code” being the sequel to “Angels and Demons”. I never read the novel “Angels and Demons”, but judging by Wikipedia´s summary, it´s more extreme than the film adaptation. But sure, the film is pretty extreme and unrealistic too! That being said, it´s the best of the three Robert Langdon films. Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor and Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård are some of the highlights.

As per usual, “symbologist” Robert Langdon and a female sidekick get embroiled in a crime investigation with religious undertones, and run around various old churches frantically searching for clues in obscure artwork. This time, the entire plot is set in Rome during a papal conclave. The four most likely candidates for the papacy are kidnapped by the Illuminati, who intend to murder them under ritualistic forms at symbolically potent places around the eternal city. The assassin is not a religious or anti-religious zealot, however, but a freelancer who reminds me of Joubert in “Three Days of the Condor”. The Illuminati have also gotten their hands on an anti-matter bomb they intend to detonate inside the Vatican. Since enormous crowds have gathered at St Peter´s Square, thousands of people are at risk of being killed in the blast.

The somewhat unexpected plot twist is that the Illuminati don´t exist, the entire terrorist plot really being planned by the Camerlengo (the pope´s secretary) to make himself pope after murdering his superior. In other words, a classical false flag. The Camerlengo is angry at the pope´s attempts to reconcile faith and science, the pontiff even expressing support for CERN´s search for the “God Particle”. When exposed, the Camerlengo (apparently a Catholic fanatic from Northern Ireland!) burns himself to death as a pleasing sacrifice in the eyes of the Lord. In the novel, the story is even more gruesome, with the Camerlengo being the pope´s illegitimate child with a nun through artificial insemination. Overcome by shame, the unfortunate secretary (who is Italian in the novel) self-immolates.

Well, I didn´t say the plot was logical.

Although released in 2009, one can certainly draw parallels between “Angels and Demons” and the strange shenanigans four years later surrounding Benedict XVI´s resignation and his replacement by Francis I. The riotous crowds in the Piazza San Pietro could be seen as a metaphor for the conflicts between liberals and conservatives within the Church. Real conspiracies – or conspiracy theories – have been mined for inspiration. The Vatican archives, the Vatican bank and the murder of a progressive pope (John Paul I, hint hint) all play a role. Note also the weird coincidence that the new pope in the film calls himself Luke, this being a name no pope has used before. In real life, Francis also adopted a name no supreme pontiff has used before…

So while “Angels and Demons” does come across as Hollywood´s crazy look at a papal election in Old Europe, it does make you wonder about a thing or two. 

Good Friday (I)

 

From "The Passion of the Christ", Mel Gibson´s controversial film. Note that Jesus and Pontius Pilate speak Latin with each other! 

Over the target

 

"Catholic traditionalism must be right because everyone is united against it". Well, everyone is united against Jehovah´s Witnesses, Scientology and the People´s Temple as well, so perhaps they are right, too?