Salus populi romani: May 1, 2020 — Live from Rome!

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Perpetual Supplica

THESE PRAYERS ARE SAID EACH MIDNIGHT
IN FRONT OF THE BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE AT ROME

This devotion is inspired by the request made by Our Lady Herself in
Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich’s Vision of

August 25, 1822: “I know not now how I went to Rome last night, but I found myself near the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Around it I saw crowds of poor, pious souls, in great distress and anxiety on account of the Pope’s disappearance and the agitation and alarming reports throughout the city. Led by one common impulse, they had come to invoke the Mother of God. They did not expect to find the church open, they intended only to pray outside. But I was inside, I opened the door and they entered, astounded at the door’s opening of itself. I was standing aloof where they could not see me. There was no service, only the chancel-lamps were burning, and the people knelt in quiet prayer. Then the Mother of God appeared. She said that great tribulations were at hand; that the people must pray earnestly with extended arms, if only for the length of three Our Fathers, for it was thus that her Son had prayed for them upon the Cross; that they should rise at midnight to pray thus; that they should continue to come to Her church which they would always find open; and that they should, above all, pray for the extirpation of the Church of Darkness. … I know not whether the people saw the apparition or not, but they must have been impressed by something supernatural for, when the Blessed Virgin said they should pray to God with arms extended, all lifted up their arms … It seemed to be an association of prayer.” From this time Sister Emmerich assisted nightly at the pious exercises at Santa Maria Maggiore. (The Life and Revelations of Ann Catherine Emmerich, Book 2)

(Prayers will be said in Italian, Black, and English: Blue)

The Prophetic Prayer of Pope Benedict XVI

TO OUR LADY OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE

KNOWN AT ROME AS: SALUS POPULI ROMANI*

(May 7, 2005)

salus

In Nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Tutta Santa, degna di ogni onore,
Tu la migliore offerta
che l’umanità possa presentare a Dio.
All Holy, Worthy of every honor,
Thou, the best offering
Which humanity can present to God.

Vergine Madre, Madre sempre vergine,
supplichi materna al Figlio Tuo.
Virgin Mother, Ever-Virgin Mother,
Offer a maternal supplication to Thy Son.

Conduci sino al porto la barca della Chiesa,
scansando gli scogli e vincendo marosi.
Bring the Barque of the Church to port,
avoiding reefs and conquering stormy seas.

Custodisci questa città;
Conforta chi vi giunge,
senza tetto né difesa,
ed estendi a tutti il Tuo sostegno.
Guard this City;
Comfort who comes here,
without shelter nor defense,
and extend Your protection to all.

Con fede professiamo a Te, Genetrice di Dio;
Con amore Ti onoriamo,
Con speranza Ti preghiamo,
Ti proclamiamo beata.
With faith we profess Thee, Mother of God;
With love we honor Thee;
With hope we pray Thee
We proclaim Thee blessed.

Tu, mia Signora, mio conforto da Dio,
aiuto alla mia inesperienza,
accogli la preghiera che rivolgo a Te.
Thou, My Lady, My consolation from God,
help for my inexperience,
receive the supplication which I make to Thee.

Tu per tutti fonte di gioia,
rendimi degno di esultare insieme a Te.
Thou, who for all are a fountain of joy,
make me worthy to exult together with Thee.

Guarda l’assemblea dei credenti,
Madre del Salvatore;
allontana da loro sventure e afflizioni;
liberali dal male e dal maligno;
proteggili con l’abbondanza della Tua benevolenza.
Watch over the assembly of believers,
Mother of the Savior;
remove from them misfortunes and afflictions;
free them from evil and from the Evil One;
protect them with the abundance of Thy benevolence.

Al ritorno glorioso del Tuo Figlio, nostro Dio,
difendi con la Tua materna intercessione
la nostra fragilità umana
ed accompagnaci sino alla vita eterna
con la Tua mano gentile,
Tu che sei potente, perche Madre.
At the glorious return of Thy Son, our God,
defend with Thy maternal intercession
our human fragility
and accompany us unto eternal life
with Thy gentle hand,
Thou who art powerful, as a Mother.

Amen.

77 Our Fathers, that is 7 Rosary Decades of Our Fathers.

3 in Latin

71 Our Fathers: One decade in Italian, one in English, alternating

3 in Latin

3 Gloria Patri

Sacro Cuore di Gesù, abbi pietà di noi!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

Cuore Immacolato di Maria, prega per noi!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
San Giuseppe, Patrono della Chiesa, prega per noi!
Saint Joseph, Patron of the Church, pray for us!

PREGHIERA A SAN MICHELE ARCANGELO

San Michele Arcangelo, difendici nella battaglia, contro la perfidia e le insidie del diavolo sii Tu il nostro sostegno. Che Dio eserciti il suo domino su di lui, noi supplichevoli Lo preghiamo! E tu, Principe delle milizie celesti, ricaccia nell’inferno satana e gli altri spiriti maligni, che si aggirano in questa Città a perdizione delle anime.

PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL, THE ARCHANGEL

Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, o prince of the Heavenly Host, by the Divine Power, cast into Hell Satan and all the evils spirits who prowl about this City seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

San Gabriele Arcangelo, prega per noi!
Saint Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us!

San Raffaele Arcangelo, prega per noi!
Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us!

San Francesco di Assisi, prega per noi!
Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

San Antonio di Padova, prega per noi!
Saint Anthony of Padua, pray for us!

Santa Rosalia di Palermo, prega per noi!
Saint Rosalia of Palermo, pray for us!

Beata Anna Caterina Emmerich, prega per noi e prega con noi!
Bl. Ann Catherine Emmerich, pray for us and pray with us!

In Nomine Patris et Filii e Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

HYMN TO OUR LADY
SALUS POPULI ROMANI

Al tuo tempio secolare
di ori e marmi rilucente
siamo accorsi ad implorare
il materno tuo favor.

At Thy Ancient Temple
of shinning gold and marble
we have come to implore
Thy Materna favor.

R. O Maria Madre Santa
tu del popolo romano
sei salvezza luce e guida,
nostra speme e nostro amor,
sei salvezza luce e guida
nostra speme e nostro amore.

Refrain: O Maria, Holy Mother
Thou art of the Roman People
the salvation, light and guide,
our hope and our love,
Thou art the salvation, light and guide
our hope and our love.

Col Prodigio della Neve,
segnò il luogo in piena estate,
dell’augusta tua dimora,
il supremo tuo favor.

With the prodigy of the Snow,
Thou signed this place in high summer,
of August as Thy dwelling,
as Thy supreme favor.

R. O Maria Madre Santa
tu del popolo romano
sei salvezza luce e guida,
nostra speme e nostro amor,
sei salvezza luce e guida
nostra speme e nostro amore.

Refrain: O Maria, Holy Mother
Thou art of the Roman People
the salvation, light and guide,
our hope and our love,
Thou art the salvation, light and guide
our hope and our love.

https://youtu.be/oiUIiB1NoQA

_________

This Devotion is sponsored by the Committee “Salvaci o Maria!”

This is the Devotion which was advertised in the pages of the daily newspaper, La Verità, in the month of March, here in Italy.

IMG_20200312_075114

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* Salus populi Romani, is Latin, for The Salvation of the Roman People. It is the ancient title of the Icon of Our Lady see at the top of this article.

PLEASE NOTE: That until From Rome Info Video Channel at Youtube gets 1000 subscribers, it will NOT be able to broadcast the Nightly Prayers Live. So let all who are devoted to Jesus Christ, Our Lady and Bl. Ann Catherine Emmerich know that they need to urge subscriptions to this channel, so that we can promote the fulfillment of Our Lady’s Request for Her Heavenly-Approved prayer solution to the present Crisis in the Church.

Italy is ripe for an Orange Revolution

by Br. Alexis Bugnolo

Italy is ripe for an Orange Revolution. I make his assessment on a panoply of facts which are showing themselves in every sector of daily life.

The widespread discontent to the Corona Control imposed by Giuseppe Conte’s Left-wing government has burst into open anger and rage since the announcement of his Phase 2 Corona Controls which will destroy the small business class of Italy and prevent Italians from returning to the daily life and activities of normal existence, in some cases, for an indefinite period: wearing of masks, mandatory vaccines, use of apps to track citizens, prohibition of travel to home towns for the holidays, end of public schooling.

Their patience is gone and there seems nothing to stop, now, the tides moving in the direction of open political revolution.

Here are some observations I have made which argue toward this:

First, the Italian police forces, both the Carabinieri and the State Police, no longer long display any eagerness to enforce the decrees against movement or gatherings. Members of the Carabinieri are openly expressing themselves as against the Corona Controls and the Government. When they hear a citizen shares these views they are even more friendly, not antagonistic. To my knowledge, this attitude is widespread also in the Italian Military.

This means that if any political protests breakout, the forces of public order are not likely to intervene to prevent the Citizenry from defending itself.

Second, Italians have begun to defy the controls with indifference. There are daily more and more persons on the street who no longer have fear of the police.

Third, it is now an every day experience that one hears Italians denouncing the Government for acting unconstitutionally. This is a very remarkable development, because Italians by custom never speak about politics in public. To do so is seen as risking social relationships which might be needed in times of want. So when Italians do this, it is a sign that they have lost all hope that the Government wants to help them and are convinced that the Government is not only an enemy, but an intolerable enemy.

Fourth, the Government has alienated about every part of society as much as they possibly can. They still refuse the advances of the Bishop’s conference for religious services for Catholics. They still have refused to give any date for the reopening of barbers, salons and clothing stores.  For Italians who take extreme care of their personal experience, the idea of going without new clothes or a haircut for an unspecified period of time is insufferable.

Finally, Merchants and businessmen are showing a determined opposition to the Corona Controls. There have not only been strong push backs from the Industrial sector but also from the national labor unions. Even individual proprietors have begun to turn their lights on their business signs, even in cases where their businesses are not allowed to open. They want everyone to know that they have not surrendered or given up.

Brigadier General Pappalardo’s call for an Orange Revolution at the end of May, therefore, will in my judgement gain growing support as the month passes. He is calling for mass demonstrations in the capitals of each of the Regions on May 30, and on May 31 a massive demonstration at Rome to drive the government from power. Being a former leading commander in the National Police of the Carabinieri, he is garnering a lot of support from precisely those sectors who alone could be used by the government to stop it.

For this reason, I think we are about to see a momentous political change in Italy in the next 6 weeks. An Orange Revolution which can now only be adverted by the capitulation of the government of Giuseppe Conte, either on principles, or in actual effect, that is, resignation and a call for new popular elections for Parliament. Failing that, violence, political or physical, seems now inevitable for Italy.

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CREDITS: The Featured Image is of the Orange Revolution in Kiev, Ukraine, on November 22, 2004. It is used here in accord with a Creative Commons Share-Alike 3.0 license, as deascribed, here.

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Readership of FromRome.Info increases 265% in April

by Br. Alexis Bugnolo

With the month of April about to pass, I write to thank the readers of FromRome.Info for all their support of this apostolate at the service of Jesus Christ, the Truth, and His Holy Catholic Church, the ark of salvation, in communion with His Vicar on Earth, Pope Benedict XVI.

The month of April showed once again, in statistical numbers, the growing interest in the cause of Pope Benedict XVI and in learning more about how to avoid the Big Lies of our age.

Here are some statistics to illustrate that.  In April, there was an increase of 152% in total views of articles at FromRome.Info, 545,000 over February’s 216,000.

In the same period, there was a 265% increase in the total number of readers: 307,000 compared to 81,621 in March.

I want to thank especially the volunteers who make FromRome.Info what it is. First, Mrs. Colgan as graphic designer of the new Blue Cross and the new From Rome header. Second, the writers: Austin Walsh, Frank Magill, Andrew J. Baalman, Don Elia, John Bronston, Dr. Edward Mazza, David Kaftal, Giuseppe Pellegrino and lastly, Marco Tosatti for his permission to publish in English articles from his personal website, MarcoTosatti.com.

I also owe a big thanks to all my anonymous correspondents who feed me information about what is going on in the Church and world, which is of interest to the readers of FromRome.Into. As you numbers grow, I am able to bring rapidly and instantly the lastest developments which interest the readership.

Be assured of my prayers, to Our Lord, Our Lady and Saint Francis. May the Holy Angels of God watch over you and your families in this time of universal madness.

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Marco Tosatti: The Now uncertain Future of the Order of Malta

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by Marco Tosatti

An English translation of the original Italian, entitled, Ordine di Malta, il Futuro: Nulla è escluso. Anche clamoroso.

Dear friends and enemies of Stilum Curiae we offer you a reflection on the situation that has arisen after the death of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta. With the death of Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, which occurred shortly after midnight on April 29, a not exactly reassuring scenario opens up for the Order of Malta. The disappearance of a leader – who, in this case, is both ‘religious’ and ‘secular’ – is always in itself something which quakes the system, but even more so – we believe – it will be for the Order of St. John who has already been experiencing a deep institutional crisis for at least four years.

Suffice it to say that already in the afternoon hours preceding the official announcement of the departure, there were discordant news (which sources tell us were sent by an imprudent letter signed by Prince Erich von Lobkowicz, powerful president of the German Association of the Knights of Malta) on the Grand Master’s state of health, who was declared dead prematurely, with a very quick update of the Wikipedia page, later corrected, following an official communiqué of the Order and the letter “signed” by the Grand Commander (the Order of Malta’s second office and responsible for religious life), the 80-year-old Portuguese, Fra’ Ruy Gonçalo do Valle Peixoto de Villas Boas.

Such a thing would never have happened in other times, not least because it is presumed that news concerning the health of the head of a religious Order who is also – a unicum in the current legal panorama – Head of State must necessarily be filtered through the entourage of close and, hopefully, trusted collaborators.

The late Grand Master had personally announced – in an unusual letter dated 24 February last – that he had health problems linked to a diagnosed throat cancer that would have taken him away from many institutional commitments because of the treatment he would have had to undergo; in that same letter, in a truly anomalous way, Dalla Torre had, among other things, written “The important decisions will remain in my hands”, as if to reassure that no one would take advantage of them. But why write it, we wonder?

All these creaks give the impression of a very frail institution in itself, which seems to forget its almost a thousand years of history of battles and victories for the defense of Christianity.

A very weak government, that of Brother Giacomo Dalla Torre, chosen for his well known bonhomie, for his integrity but also for the undisputed closeness of his noble family to the Vatican world: his grandfather Giuseppe was director of L’Osservatore Romano, while his brother, Giuseppe himself, was for decades (until a few months ago) the influential president of the Vatican Tribunal.

A government that has also shown its flaws and its pockets of incapacity since the lieutenancy that Dalla Torre assumed as a “buffer” to the wound inflicted on the sovereignty of the Order with the expulsion of the former Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing by the now untrusted Teutonic-Vatican maneuver devised by the first hunted and then reinstated Grand Chancellor Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, who also asked for the head of Card. Raymond Leo Burke, freezing him the office (which still formally exists today) of “Cardinalis Patronus”.

A singular coincidence of dates: Dalla Torre was elected Lieutenant precisely on April 29, 2017 – under the supervision of Msgr. Angelo Becciu (now Cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation of Saints), at the time the most powerful Substitute to the Vatican Secretariat of State and very faithful to Pope Bergoglio, appointed “Special Delegate” of the Pontiff to the Order – and the Lord calls him to himself on the same day, three years later.

Both as Lieutenant and even more so as Grand Master, on May 2, 2018 behind the clear placet of the Transtevere, alongside the undisputed moral and religious qualities of great value, Dalla Torre was never able to show the institutional attitude that contingencies demanded, very often allowing a form of heterodox management of the Order over which he had been placed in charge. It allowed all three Italian Grand Priories (which would be the territorial government bodies which run clinics, welfare facilities, charitable works, and to which the Order of Malta’s Italian Relief Corps [CISOM] is linked) to be managed by “procurators” and not by religious (a form of indirect commissioning). It allowed the Pope’s Special Delegate to block the novitiate for the new “professed” (i.e. those knights who take a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience and become the “first class” of the Order), thus immobilising the Order’s religious life, now reduced to a mere decorative aspect, which, if not reactivated, will be destined to be quickly wiped out. Don’t forget, among others, also the big slip-up of the prohibition in the ceremonies of the Order of the Mass in ancient rite (see here our comment at the time): an act certainly imprudent, probably the result of internal institutional blackmail, but which was also an inappropriate form of plagiarism against a presumed “apostolic” will, almost as if to demonstrate that in the Order of Malta – already badly seen in itself because it would embody (at least in principle) a certain elitist and excessively aristocratic approach to Catholicism – no voice is given to the “traditionalist” seditious people; it was also an indirect attack on the sensibility of the predecessor Festing, notoriously a lover of Tridentine spirituality; in short, it was a testimony to an alignment which probably was not necessary. It seems at least suggestive to consider that Dalla Torre died at the first light of day when the Church, in the calendar of the traditional mass, commemorates the Universal Patronage of Saint Joseph, who is also the patron saint of good death.

Beyond this – which in any case constitutes a “political” consideration of the style of government but is certainly not a moral judgement (which would appear ungenerous, even before being reckless) on the person – now with the death of Dalla Torre there are very problematic scenarios for the life of the Order.

First of all, it should be noted that the death of a Head of State, which occurs in a circumstance such as the one we are experiencing due to the planetary blockade of the pandemic, certainly suffers ceremonial repercussions, starting with the uncertainty about the funeral: Certainly, the Order of Malta is a subject of international law that enjoys, therefore, sovereignty, independence and also extraterritoriality, for which the grotesque measures containing the Italian legislation on the subject would certainly not be applicable; however, objectively, we do not believe that a rite proportionate to the dignity of a “Most Eminent Highness” is conceivable. Probably there will only be a ceremony restricted to members of the Sovereign Council and professed knights; perhaps one could hope for the consolidated practice for which, in the trigesimo of the disappearance, state funerals will be officiated in the presence of heads of state and the diplomatic corps. We shall see; of course it is a pity that the head of a religious order, who is in any case a very pious and devout man, cannot have a worthy moment of extreme greeting with the honours he is due.

But beyond the pitiless protocol problems – although in this world form is substance – the institutional scenario that opens with his death is much more significant.

The Grand Magistry’s communiqué, issued last night around 1.00 a.m., informed that “According to Article 17 of the Constitution of the Sovereign Order of Malta, the Grand Commander … has assumed the functions of Interim Lieutenant and will remain head of the Sovereign Order of Malta until the election of the new Grand Master”.

Now the problem is really big. Already from his Lieutenancy and then, in his Magisterium, Dalla Torre was to conduct and conclude the Order’s constitutional reform. Commissions were organised (in which, however, the professed religious knights were largely marginalised), there were exchanges of documents (all internal acts, nothing public, of course), and then everything fell into oblivion, in a form of acquiescence to the status quo: very imprudent for those who cannot count fifty years of government experience among them.

Everything is now in the hands of the Grand Commander.

Yes, of course, formally that is the case, but it is clear that an 80-year-old Portuguese gentleman (and not exactly sprightly at what one sees and knows), who has remained confined to Portugal, will not be able to manage a complex situation like this on his own, and will therefore need help. There is no doubt that the obscure Grand Chancellor Boeselager will pull the strings… but the first obstacle is the incomplete reform, which is therefore also useless. Because, on closer inspection, the Order is in the same stalemate that led to the election of Dalla Torre.

Art. 13 of the Constitutional Charter of the Order, in force today, prescribes that “The Grand Master is elected for life … from among the Professed Knights, with at least ten years of Perpetual Vows, if they are less than fifty years old; for the Professed Knights of higher age, who have been members of the Order for at least ten years, three years of Perpetual Vows are sufficient”. (paragraph 1), and then continues: “The Grand Master and the Lieutenant of the Grand Master must meet the noble requirements prescribed for the category of Knights of Honour and Devotion.” (paragraph 2). What does this mean?

For non-experts, the Grand Master of the Order of Malta cannot but be an aristocrat (which also seems logical to us for an Order that qualifies as “noble”); and the Constitution provides that the Head of the Order is chosen not “from among the knights of honour and devotion” (who may have been included in this category also with a “motu proprio”, also for particular merits, without having the right to do so heraldically) but that he “has the requisites required to be admitted among the knights of honour and devotion”: 4/4 (= both father’s and mother’s side) of nobility for 200 years, or: 250 years of nobility for the paternal line in addition to 200 years of the other 2/4 in addition to the amnesty for an grandfather, or: 300 years paternal line in addition to 200 years of the other 2/4 in addition to the amnesty for an grandfather, or: 350 years, paternal line in addition to 200 years of another quarter, or: 450 years paternal line.

This was one of the rules that the reform was supposed to modify, at least allowing for the possibility to range among the professed members (called “first class”), perhaps extending (this was the hypothesis) eligibility also to knights of grace and devotion (which would be the step immediately below honour and devotion), but this was not the case. And therefore the rule in force is the one mentioned above.

Given this, who could be elected Grand Master given these rules? Well, the game is complex because, on closer inspection, there is not a wide selection from which to chose. Some are candidates “only on paper”, such as Friar Luigi Naselli of Gela (born in 1930, former Grand Prior of Naples and Sicily, resigned for health reasons) and Friar Gherardo Hercolani Fava Simonetti (born in 1941, also a former Grand Commander, but very ill health); finally there would be Friar Pierre de Bizemont (born in 1944, the only French professed with eligibility requirements). Naturally, the former Grand Master Festing, born in 1949, must be added to these few eligible candidates, and perhaps put before him, for whom technically the great return is not excluded, considering the controversial resignation that followed.

The same Grand Commander could not be elected, coming from the ranks of the knights of grace and devotion, as well as the Italians fra’ Carlo d’Ippolito di Sant’Ippolito (an energetic Calabrian gentleman born in 1933, former Grand Commander) and fra’ Marco Luzzago (born in 1950, “commendatore di giustizia”, in charge of the castle of Magione), also admitted as knights of grace and devotion. To be excluded, of course, all the other professed from the other ranks.

There would then be hypotheses that would benefit a hypothetical Italian reconquest of Via Condotti, because there could also be another professed knight with the noble requisites provided for in art. 13, paragraph 2, but who is lacking those provided for in paragraph 1, such as the forty-four year old Friulan Fra’ Nicolò Custoza de Cattani (who took the solemn vows in 2016, but would have to wait until 2026 to be eligible). And then there is another Italian, who, however, today is on the verge of achieving the requirements of solemn profession: he is Friar Alessandro de Franciscis from Campania, born in 1955, the current director of the Bureau Médical of Lourdes, who would complete his three years of profession next December. Therefore, in a hypothetical procrastination linked to the contingencies of covid-19, the hypothesis of his election could also materialize. However, de Franciscis is not only a highly esteemed doctor who plays a role of clear prestige in one of the most important Marian shrines in Christendom, but also has a political past among the ranks of the centre-left area (former DC, then Margherita, UDEUR, Democratic Party) which led him to hold the position of president of the province of Caserta in 2005 and to be unpleasantly involved in legal problems inherent in that position, which were then resolved positively for him. Certainly since 2009 he has not been in politics, but it is known that in certain circles certain things never cease to be considered, especially when it comes to electing what, though sui generis, is still a Head of State.

Of course, the whole issue will be played out over time, which will certainly not be lacking given the circumstances surrounding the pandemic. It has to be said, however, that the Code which regulates the life of the Order and in art. 145 sets the time for the convocation of the Council of State (the elective body of the Grand Master, which constitutes a sort of “parliament” of the Order, in which the Grand Priories and national associations are also represented) at a maximum of three months, and therefore the time for hypothetical alliances is not so long; unless an exception to this rule is made, but even this is only a ‘school’ hypothesis.

It is clear, however, that, net of this, the influence of the German management of the Order, orchestrated by the ineffable Boeselager, will not delay in making itself felt. He certainly has almost all the national associations in his grip – a little more recalcitrant than the others – the Italian one, led by the Sicilian Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, to which, although it has more members than the others, was arbitrarily prevented from expressing preference in the last elections in 2018 on the grounds that Italy was already represented by the three Grand Priories (two of which were already commissariats at the time) – and clearly can count on a sprawling system of control based on the management and distribution of economic funds and diplomatic privileges (just think of the choice of all the Order’s diplomats – among whom we recall the son of the very powerful former commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie Domenico Giani, now torpedoed by Pope Bergoglio). The professed (not only those “born noble”), on the other hand, are numerically few and above all appear very disorganized and demoralized; theirs is a stalemate, which seems to have neither breath nor room for action.

It is not excluded, however, that in all this the Holy See, through the special delegate Becciu, can once again extend its paw towards the Order, exercising a leading role in the election procedures, perhaps leading to the choice of a Lieutenant to temporarily hold the Order and ferry it towards the much sought after reform. But also the Lieutenant must have the requisites foreseen for the Grand Master (as we saw before quoting art. 13 par. 2 of the Constitutional Charter), and therefore the problem of the choice is also proposed, but in this case, it would be limited to only one year of government, in order to be able, at the moment of electing the new Grand Master, to range over several candidates. On the other hand, however, if this were to happen, the fracture linked to the consideration of the, albeit peculiar, sovereignty of the Order, which would be in some way vitiated by a form of external interference, would open up again.

In addition, however things go, the question of the “Cardinalis Patronus” comes up again, a position from which Raymond Burke has never been formally removed; the American Cardinal, who certainly does not need captions, elegantly never claimed any role after his ousting, which in fact created a “freeze” of his function, but considering that the rules of the Order assign to his office some tasks related to these phases, an honest definition of the problem would be desirable.

Naturally, these are political hypotheses. But the situation may not be as tragic as one thinks, and on the contrary, trusting in the strengthening of a “resistant” group, the pars sanior of the Order could take advantage of the moment for a change of course towards a more responsible autonomy and a better awareness of its past.

Let us watch.

§ § §

We were told that in our above essay of yesterday there are inaccuracies and incompleteness. We correct them here:

First of all, to the Italians should be added Fra Roggero Caccia Dominioni, Grand Prior Emeritus of Lombardy and Venice, who, however, is over ninety years old and does not enjoy excellent health … ; then it should be noted that both Fra’ Carlo d’Ippolito di Sant’Ippolito and Fra’ Marco Luzzago (who is Commendatore di Giustizia but does not reside at the Castello di Magione but at Villa Ciccolini, in Macerata) were received into the Order as Knights of Grace and Devotion and then integrated the evidence of nobility and have (as they say in technical jargon) “healed the missing quarters”, thus proving to have those requirements to be admitted among the Knights of Honour and Devotion. This practice – which at the time also followed the late Grand Master Fra’ Giacomo – is consolidated within the Order, since genealogical research can often be perfected over time, thus enabling the Order to integrate its process of nobility with new suitable and appropriate evidence.

To the eligible professed already indicated must then be added:

Brother Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein, Austrian, born in 1937, former Grand Commander who was interim lieutenant in the transition phase immediately following Festing’s resignation;

Brother Karel Paar, born 1934, Grand Prior Emeritus of Bohemia;

Fra’ Elie de Comminges, French, born in 1935, who had been missing from the Order’s public life for several years;

Brother Ludwig von Call, Tyrolean, born 1934, professor of chemistry in Innsbruck.

Finally, they point out that although it is true that Friar Alexander de Franciscis will theoretically reach the proportion between years of age and years of profession required by Art. 13 of the Constitutional Charter next December, he lacks another requirement that the same article provides for in a not inconsiderable aside, namely that of being a member of the Order “for at least ten years”, having been received only in 2012.

The circle, therefore, between the old and the wretched, closes on de Bizemont, Luzzago, Paar, von Call… and Festing.

There are also twists and turns… If we were English, we could also place a bet on it.

Meanwhile, a ramshackle obituary informs us that the funeral of the late Grand Master will be held (it is not known when) “in a restricted manner” in the Church of Villa Malta on the Aventine (extraterritorial), announcing the celebration of “a solemn Requiem Mass on a date to be defined”. No mention of State funerals. Boh.

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Did COVID-19 originate in the USA?

by Br. Alexis Bugnolo

There have been a lot of accusations about the origin of COVID-19, on top of all the misinformation and misrepresentation by the Main Stream Media and National Leaders about the lethality and spread of the virus. While the entire history and details of these controversies is beyond the scope of a single article, I believe it is necessary, now, to consider the facts which are lining up with the possibility that COVID-19 spread from the USA to China and thence to the rest of the world.

As has been reported, the first known cases of COVID-19 were reported at the end of November, 2019, at Wuhan China. This is where the story begins and ends, as it were, because here I will discuss what happened in the years and months previous.

Where was COVID-19 developed?

First, it is now admitted by the U.S. Government that the research on chimeric Coronavirus strains was done at Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Indeed, in an article, entitled, “Lab-Made Coronavirus Triggers Debate“, and dated Nov, 16, 2015, Jef Akst of The Scientist, reported that chimeric research into gain of function studies done at Chapel Hill caused an international controversy. It is not certain, however, if the article contains the original information, since it now bears an update notice of March 11, 2020, which is attempting to deflect interest in the story — a most unusually and journalistically unethical editorial decision. Significantly, however, the Coronavirus being modified at Chapel Hill, was a species found in Chinese Bats.

The controversy was such that it led to a Congressional moratorium on chimeric research in the USA. At which point, Dr. Antonio Fauci diverted 3.7 Million U.S. Dollars of U.S. Taxpayer monies to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to continue the research. Rudy Giuliani, legal counsel to U. S. President Donald Trump, and former Mayor of New York city, recently demanded an explanation from Dr. Fauci for this transfer, which violated U.S. Laws against funding the research.

In addition to the research done at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the specific kind of research into Coronaviruses as possible biological warfare agents, was being done at Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA, by the U. S. Army, which has a Level 3 and 4 Biowarfare Lab at the military base. This lab was cited by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in July, 2019 for failure to maintain proper containment standards, and was partially shut down in November, according to Military.com’s April 1, 2020 report. The citation by the CDC referred to its steam sterilization plant. It was reopened on April 1, 2020, following the certification of the CDC on March 27. However, Military.com, in its November 24, 2019 report, said something different: the Fort Detrick Labs were partially shut down for 2 incidents: 1) the failure to close the door on the autoclave sterilization unit, and 2) the failure to obtain sufficient sterilization by means of chemical waste treatment process. Problems, which obviously refer to the possibility of organisms or toxins escaping from the facility.

ABC News reported on April 9, 2020, The U.S. Military Medical Intelligence knew in November, before China, it appears, that the new infection at Wuhan could possible become a major contagion.

The fact that the Fort Detrick labs were partially shut down simultaneously with the US Military Medical Intelligence Report of November, 2019, of the danger of the possible new contagion at Wuhan, does argue strongly that the U.S. Military knows what the source of the contagion was, though it does not prove that it was intentionally released.

US Participation in the 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan, China

The 2019 World Military Games was held in Wuhan, China, from October, 18, to October 27, 2019. These games are officially known as the 7th CISM Military World Games, on account of the French name of the International Coordination Committee. Athletic competitions included participation of more than 9,300 athletes in 28 sports.

The U.S. Armed forces sent a team of 266 athletes — it seems no one is reporting their names however — which placed 35th in total number of medals won, according to Wikipedia. A very poor showing by Olympic Standards considering the size of the team sent. According to the U.S. Armed Forces Sports Facebook page, the Games were held from Oct. 14 to 27, however.

Strangely, the official site for U.S. Armed Forces Sport omits entirely any mention that the U.S. participated at the Wuhan Games, except for articles which speak about the games before October of 2019. It is as if the achievement of the U.S. Team have gone down a memory hole. As for the names of the Athletes, there seems not to be available a complete list, which would clarify from which U.S. Military Units they originate, or where in the U.S. they trained before they came to China.

The Department of Defense, official site, however, does have special coverage and several articles about the U.S. Team participation in the Wuhan Games. Of the U.S. Soccer Team’s performance Joe Lacdan of Army News service writes:

Throughout most of the first half of play, the U.S. team was in lockstep with everything Qatar could kick at them. The U.S. team maintained a 0-0 score until a free kick in the 27th minute allowed Qatar to take a 1-0 lead. And that is when the U.S. team lost its way for the next 10 minutes. Ten minutes is all it took for Qatar to score two more goals and go up 3-0 before the half.

The U.S. Defense Virtual Information Diffusion Service, however, covered the games, so that U.S. participants and tourists in China could access the information. This source claimed that more than 280 U.S. Military Personnel attended, participating with 17 teams. But strangely they do not report the names of the team members.

Seeing that China is accusing the U.S. Military of brining COVID-19, you would think that a rebust response to the accusation — if false — would include complete disclosure regarding who attended and whether they got sick while there. According to the Russian Orthodox Monk, Br. Nathanael, five of U.S. personnel did come down sick, when there. He claims they were admitted to Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital for fever, and then for malaria. According to the Medical Journal, The Lancet, this hospital was an early site for Coronavirus patient treatment.

What does genetics tell us?

A recent genetic study of Coronavirus strains world wide shows that there are in existence, presently, 3 forms of the Virus. They are labeled, A, B, and C.

Form C is found in Singapore and spread to Europe. It appears to have originated from Form B.

Form B is the dominant kind found among COVID-19 patients in Wuhan. For some reason, in China it is listed as evolving slowly, but quickly outside of China — which seems biologically impossible.

Form A was found among Americans who live in Wuhan and Americans who live in the USA. Form A is also the original form of the Virus.

And this final fact casts a lot of doubt and speculation that COVID-19 did exist in the U.S.A., and was brought to Wuhan by American Citizens attending the 7th CISM World Military Games. However, I can find no evidence that Fort Detrick has athletic facilities which were used by the US Teams, even though there are several military units stationed there, who undoubtedly do have such facilities:

Only when the U.S. Military divulge the names of the 280 personnel who went to Wuhan, and to which Military Units they belonged, and where they trained, and who got sick at Wuhan, will these doubts be dispelled — if they are only doubts.

Silence, however, implies otherwise.

Of course, COVID-19 might not be the cause of the pandemic, since it was reported in October of 2019, by the New York Times that Australian had a very severe flu season just prior to that.

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Salus populi romani: April 30, 2020 — Live from Rome!

WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US VIA VIDEO
AT FROM ROME INFO VIDEO

Perpetual Supplica

THESE PRAYERS ARE SAID EACH MIDNIGHT
IN FRONT OF THE BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE AT ROME

This devotion is inspired by the request made by Our Lady Herself in
Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich’s Vision of

August 25, 1822: “I know not now how I went to Rome last night, but I found myself near the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Around it I saw crowds of poor, pious souls, in great distress and anxiety on account of the Pope’s disappearance and the agitation and alarming reports throughout the city. Led by one common impulse, they had come to invoke the Mother of God. They did not expect to find the church open, they intended only to pray outside. But I was inside, I opened the door and they entered, astounded at the door’s opening of itself. I was standing aloof where they could not see me. There was no service, only the chancel-lamps were burning, and the people knelt in quiet prayer. Then the Mother of God appeared. She said that great tribulations were at hand; that the people must pray earnestly with extended arms, if only for the length of three Our Fathers, for it was thus that her Son had prayed for them upon the Cross; that they should rise at midnight to pray thus; that they should continue to come to Her church which they would always find open; and that they should, above all, pray for the extirpation of the Church of Darkness. … I know not whether the people saw the apparition or not, but they must have been impressed by something supernatural for, when the Blessed Virgin said they should pray to God with arms extended, all lifted up their arms … It seemed to be an association of prayer.” From this time Sister Emmerich assisted nightly at the pious exercises at Santa Maria Maggiore. (The Life and Revelations of Ann Catherine Emmerich, Book 2)

(Prayers will be said in Italian, Black, and English: Blue)

The Prophetic Prayer of Pope Benedict XVI

TO OUR LADY OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE

KNOWN AT ROME AS: SALUS POPULI ROMANI*

(May 7, 2005)

salus

In Nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Tutta Santa, degna di ogni onore,
Tu la migliore offerta
che l’umanità possa presentare a Dio.
All Holy, Worthy of every honor,
Thou, the best offering
Which humanity can present to God.

Vergine Madre, Madre sempre vergine,
supplichi materna al Figlio Tuo.
Virgin Mother, Ever-Virgin Mother,
Offer a maternal supplication to Thy Son.

Conduci sino al porto la barca della Chiesa,
scansando gli scogli e vincendo marosi.
Bring the Barque of the Church to port,
avoiding reefs and conquering stormy seas.

Custodisci questa città;
Conforta chi vi giunge,
senza tetto né difesa,
ed estendi a tutti il Tuo sostegno.
Guard this City;
Comfort who comes here,
without shelter nor defense,
and extend Your protection to all.

Con fede professiamo a Te, Genetrice di Dio;
Con amore Ti onoriamo,
Con speranza Ti preghiamo,
Ti proclamiamo beata.
With faith we profess Thee, Mother of God;
With love we honor Thee;
With hope we pray Thee
We proclaim Thee blessed.

Tu, mia Signora, mio conforto da Dio,
aiuto alla mia inesperienza,
accogli la preghiera che rivolgo a Te.
Thou, My Lady, My consolation from God,
help for my inexperience,
receive the supplication which I make to Thee.

Tu per tutti fonte di gioia,
rendimi degno di esultare insieme a Te.
Thou, who for all are a fountain of joy,
make me worthy to exult together with Thee.

Guarda l’assemblea dei credenti,
Madre del Salvatore;
allontana da loro sventure e afflizioni;
liberali dal male e dal maligno;
proteggili con l’abbondanza della Tua benevolenza.
Watch over the assembly of believers,
Mother of the Savior;
remove from them misfortunes and afflictions;
free them from evil and from the Evil One;
protect them with the abundance of Thy benevolence.

Al ritorno glorioso del Tuo Figlio, nostro Dio,
difendi con la Tua materna intercessione
la nostra fragilità umana
ed accompagnaci sino alla vita eterna
con la Tua mano gentile,
Tu che sei potente, perche Madre.
At the glorious return of Thy Son, our God,
defend with Thy maternal intercession
our human fragility
and accompany us unto eternal life
with Thy gentle hand,
Thou who art powerful, as a Mother.

Amen.

77 Our Fathers, that is 7 Rosary Decades of Our Fathers.

3 in Latin

71 Our Fathers: One decade in Italian, one in English, alternating

3 in Latin

3 Gloria Patri

Sacro Cuore di Gesù, abbi pietà di noi!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

Cuore Immacolato di Maria, prega per noi!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
San Giuseppe, Patrono della Chiesa, prega per noi!
Saint Joseph, Patron of the Church, pray for us!

PREGHIERA A SAN MICHELE ARCANGELO

San Michele Arcangelo, difendici nella battaglia, contro la perfidia e le insidie del diavolo sii Tu il nostro sostegno. Che Dio eserciti il suo domino su di lui, noi supplichevoli Lo preghiamo! E tu, Principe delle milizie celesti, ricaccia nell’inferno satana e gli altri spiriti maligni, che si aggirano in questa Città a perdizione delle anime.

PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL, THE ARCHANGEL

Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, o prince of the Heavenly Host, by the Divine Power, cast into Hell Satan and all the evils spirits who prowl about this City seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

San Gabriele Arcangelo, prega per noi!
Saint Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us!

San Raffaele Arcangelo, prega per noi!
Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us!

San Francesco di Assisi, prega per noi!
Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

San Antonio di Padova, prega per noi!
Saint Anthony of Padua, pray for us!

Santa Rosalia di Palermo, prega per noi!
Saint Rosalia of Palermo, pray for us!

Beata Anna Caterina Emmerich, prega per noi e prega con noi!
Bl. Ann Catherine Emmerich, pray for us and pray with us!

In Nomine Patris et Filii e Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

HYMN TO OUR LADY
SALUS POPULI ROMANI

Al tuo tempio secolare
di ori e marmi rilucente
siamo accorsi ad implorare
il materno tuo favor.

At Thy Ancient Temple
of shinning gold and marble
we have come to implore
Thy Materna favor.

R. O Maria Madre Santa
tu del popolo romano
sei salvezza luce e guida,
nostra speme e nostro amor,
sei salvezza luce e guida
nostra speme e nostro amore.

Refrain: O Maria, Holy Mother
Thou art of the Roman People
the salvation, light and guide,
our hope and our love,
Thou art the salvation, light and guide
our hope and our love.

Col Prodigio della Neve,
segnò il luogo in piena estate,
dell’augusta tua dimora,
il supremo tuo favor.

With the prodigy of the Snow,
Thou signed this place in high summer,
of August as Thy dwelling,
as Thy supreme favor.

R. O Maria Madre Santa
tu del popolo romano
sei salvezza luce e guida,
nostra speme e nostro amor,
sei salvezza luce e guida
nostra speme e nostro amore.

Refrain: O Maria, Holy Mother
Thou art of the Roman People
the salvation, light and guide,
our hope and our love,
Thou art the salvation, light and guide
our hope and our love.

https://youtu.be/oiUIiB1NoQA

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This Devotion is sponsored by the Committee “Salvaci o Maria!”

This is the Devotion which was advertised in the pages of the daily newspaper, La Verità, in the month of March, here in Italy.

IMG_20200312_075114

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* Salus populi Romani, is Latin, for The Salvation of the Roman People. It is the ancient title of the Icon of Our Lady see at the top of this article.

PLEASE NOTE: That until From Rome Info Video Channel at Youtube gets 1000 subscribers, it will NOT be able to broadcast the Nightly Prayers Live. So let all who are devoted to Jesus Christ, Our Lady and Bl. Ann Catherine Emmerich know that they need to urge subscriptions to this channel, so that we can promote the fulfillment of Our Lady’s Request for Her Heavenly-Approved prayer solution to the present Crisis in the Church.

Polacco files Criminal Complaint against Italian Prime Minister & gives interview to FromRome.Info

ITALIANO

Dopo alle 10, 45 il mercoledì, From Rome Info Video era in diretta da Parioli, Roma, Italia, per la presentazione della Querela contro Conte del Avv. Edoardo Polacco, alla Caserma dei Carabinieri, Parioli, Roma (RO), Italia.

Per maggiori informazioni sulla Querela, vai al nostro articolo anteriore su essa, cliccando qui, dove si possa trovare un collegamento ipertestuale a una copia della Querela in formato PDF, per scaricare e presentare anche nel suo nome alla Caserma dei Carabiniere nel suo paese.

ENGLISH

At 10:45 A.M. Rome Time, on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, FromRome.Info reported live from Parioli, Rome, the historical event of Attorney Polacco’s formal presentation of the legal complaint against the Italian Prime Minister for his grave violation of the constitutional rights of the entire Italian people.

For more information, see our previous report, here.

The live coverage will be in Italian and English.

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Tosatti interviews Viganò: Conte’s shameful delusions of Omnipotence in his COVID-19 response

 

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by Marco Tosatti

An English Translation of the Original, entitled: Intervista a Viganò. Conte, delierio di onnipotenza indecoroso. E illegale.

Dear Stilumcuriali, today we offer you an interview with Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. Which touches on all the main themes of the moment we are living in Italy and in the Church. We think we should thank the Archbishop for the frankness and courage with which he expressed opinions that many people share, and fears that many live.

The interview comes out on 29 April, in memory of Saint Catherine of Siena. Enjoy reading.

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Your Excellency, the last Decree of President Giuseppe Conte dashed the hopes of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) and prolonged the lock-down of Masses throughout Italy. Some canonists and experts in concordat law have expressed many reservations about the behavior of the Government. What are your thoughts on the matter?

The Concordat between the Holy See and the Italian State recognizes, as Her native right, the Church’s full freedom and autonomy in carrying out Her own Ministry, which sees the celebration of Holy Mass and the administration of the Sacraments as Her social and public expression, in which no authority can interfere, not even with the consent of the ecclesiastical authority itself, which is not the mistress but the administrator of the Grace conveyed by the Sacraments.

Jurisdiction over places of worship therefore belongs in its entirety and exclusively to the Ordinary of the place, who decides in full autonomy — for the good of the souls entrusted to his care as Shepherd — the functions that are celebrated there and by whom they are to be celebrated. It is not for the Prime Minister to authorize access to the churches, nor to legislate on what the faithful or the Minister of worship can or cannot do.

In addition to this, the pronouncements of eminent jurists and magistrates – including those of the Supreme Court – are very authoritative and they question the legitimacy of legislating through Prime-Ministerial Decrees, which violate the superior and prevailing rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the Italian Republic. Even if we are not talking about the Catholic Religion, particularly protected by its special status, the suspension of the right to freedom of worship implied by the Prime Minister’s Decrees is clearly illegitimate, and I trust that there will be those who wish to declare it officially, putting an end to this indecorous delusion of omnipotence of civil authority not only before God and His Church, but also before the faithful and citizens.

Many faithful and priests have felt abandoned and little protected by the Episcopal Conference and the Bishops.

It must be made clear, for the avoidance of misunderstandings, that the Episcopal Conference has no authority over the Bishops, who have full jurisdiction in their own Diocese, in union with the Apostolic See. And this is even more important at a time when we have understood how much the CEI is all too condescending, indeed succumbing, towards the Italian government.

Bishops do not have to wait for a body without any jurisdiction to tell them what to do: it is up to them to decide how to behave, with prudence and wisdom, to guarantee the Sacraments and the celebration of Mass to the faithful. And they can do so without having to ask either the CEI or the State, whose authority ends in front of the churchyard of our churches, and there it must stop.

It is unheard of that the Italian Episcopal Conference continues to tolerate such an abuse, which violates the divine right of the Church, violates a law of the State and creates a very serious precedent. And I believe that the communiqué issued on Sunday evening is also proof of the consent of the leaders of the Episcopate not only to the means, but also to the ends that this government proposes.

The supine silence of the CEI, and of almost all the Ordinaries, makes clear a situation of subordination to the State that has no precedent, and that was rightly perceived by the faithful and priests as a sort of abandonment of themselves: the scandalous raids of the public force in the church, even during the celebration of Mass, with sacrilegious arrogance that should have provoked an immediate and very firm protest by the Secretariat of State, are emblematic of this. The Ambassador of Italy to the Holy See should have been summoned, been presented a harsh Note of Protest for the very serious violation of the Concordat by the Government, and reserving the right to recall the Apostolic Nuncio to Italy if the illegitimate measure had not been withdrawn.

Cardinal Parolin, as sponsor of the President Conte, is in great embarrassment and in conflict of interest. It is clear that, instead of protecting the sovereignty and freedom of the Church in fidelity to its high institutional function as Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin has shamefully chosen to side with his lawyer friend. Not even the economic interests of so-called Catholic volunteerism could justify such an option.

What interests are you referring to?

I am referring to the scandalous distribution of public funds intended for the hospitality of illegal immigrants, of which Pope Bergoglio and the CEI are largely beneficiaries and, at the same time, strenuous promoters. Another conflict of interest, this one, which places the Church in a position of gratitude towards the State, making it not entirely illegitimate the suspicion that the multiple silences of the CEI, including the one we have witnessed in recent months on the occasion of the alleged pandemic, are motivated by the fear of seeing the lucrative proceeds from the reception fade away. Let us not forget that the funds deriving from the 8×1000 are decreasing more and more, confirming the estrangement of the Italian faithful from a Church that seems to have no other purpose than that of favoring the ethnic substitution strongly desired by the globalist elite. I fear that this trend will be confirmed in the coming months, in response to the silence of the Bishops.

In all this, the position of Pope Francis seems contradictory: at first he ordered the Cardinal Vicar to close the churches of Rome before Conte issued the Decree; then he embarrassed him, publicly denying it and having them reopened. He encouraged the Masses in streaming and then spoke of a Gnostic attitude, encouraging the CEI to take a stand against the Government; but just yesterday he recommended to the faithful obedience to the provisions of the Decrees…

Bergoglio is no stranger to this kind of sudden change. As everyone well remembers, before the scandal broke out within the Order of Malta concerning the distribution of condoms in its hospitals, Francis had written a letter to the Cardinal Protector, Burke, in which he gave him very clear instructions about his duty to watch over the Order so that Catholic morals would be scrupulously followed. But when the news became public he did not hesitate to disavow His Eminence, commissioning the Order, demanding the Grand Master’s resignation and reinstating the Councillor who had been expelled precisely because he was responsible for that deplorable violation of morals.

In the case you mentioned, the Cardinal Vicar tried to defend his correctness, explaining that the order to close the churches had been given to him by His Holiness. In the most recent case of the CEI, the Communiqué issued on Sunday evening clearly had the approval of President Cardinal Bassetti, who in turn must have consulted with Francis. He disconcerted that, in the space of a few hours, St. Martha’s pulpit contradited the CEI and invited the faithful and priests to obey the government’s instructions, which is not only undue, but also a violation of conscience, harmful to the health of souls.

No one intends to expose the faithful to possible contagion, admitted and not granted that it is such a formidable eventuality; but the size of our churches and unfortunately the very small number of the faithful who normally attend them, allow safe distances to be respected both for individual prayer and for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice or other ceremonies. Evidently the diligent legislators have not been going to church for a long time…

Let us not forget that the faithful have the right, as well as the duty, to attend Mass, to confess, to receive the Sacraments: this is a right that comes to them from being living members of the Mystical Body by virtue of Baptism. Pastors, therefore, have the sacred duty – even at the risk of their health and life itself, when required – to comply with this right of the faithful, and for this they must answer to God, not to the President of the Italian Episcopal Conference nor to the President of the Council.

In recent days, H.E. Mons. Giovanni d’Ercole has launched a stern warning to Count and the “scientific committee” in which he intimated: “You must give us the right to worship, or else we will take it back”. Strong and courageous words that seem to suggest a certain awakening in the consciences of the Pastors.

Monsignor D’Ercole spoke as a true Bishop does, with the authority that comes from Christ. Like him, I am sure, there are many other Pastors and priests who feel the responsibility towards the souls entrusted to them. But many remain silent, more so as not to uplift souls than out of fear. Precisely at this Easter time the Gospel parable of the Good Shepherd resounds in the liturgy; Jesus also mentions the mercenaries who do not care about the salvation of the sheep: let us not render in vain the divine warning and the example of the Savior, who gives his life for the sheep!

I take the liberty of addressing my confreres in the Episcopate: do you believe that, when in Mexico or Spain they closed the churches, banned processions, prohibited the use of the religious habit in public, things began differently? Do not allow the freedom of the Church to be restricted under the pretext of an alleged epidemic! Do not allow it either by the State or by the CEI! The Lord will ask you for an account of the souls who died without the Sacraments, of sinners who could not be reconciled with Him, of having allowed the faithful, for the first time in history since Constantine’s Edict, to celebrate Holy Easter with dignity. Your priests are not fearful, but heroic witnesses, and they suffer for the arbitrary orders you give them. Your faithful implore you: do not remain deaf to their cry!

These words seem to invite disobedience to ecclesiastical authority even before civil authority.

Obedience is ordered to Truth and Good, otherwise it is servility. We have arrived at such a dulling of consciences that we no longer realize what it means to “bear witness to the Truth”: do you believe that Our Lord will judge us for having been obedient to Caesar, when that means disobeying God? Is not the Christian bound to conscientious objection, even at work, when what is required of him violates divine law? If our Faith were based only on obedience, the Martyrs would not even have to face the torments to which civil law condemned them: it would have been enough to obey and burn a grain of incense to the statue of the Emperor.

We are not yet, at least in Italy, faced with the crucial choice between life and death; but we are asked to choose between the duty to honor God and worship Him, and obedience to the diktats of self-styled experts, a thousand times contradicted by the evidence of the facts.

I find it paradoxical that in this deception, which is now being revealed even to the most moderate observers of what is happening around us, the thankless task of having to bear witness to one’s own Faith before the wolves is imposed on the People of God, without being able to have their Shepherds at their side. That is why I exhort my Brothers to proudly resume their role as leaders, without camping as a pretext the observance of illegitimate and unreasonable norms. I make mine the words of Monsignor D’Ercole: “We do not need favors from you: we have a right to claim and this right must be recognized”!

Some might think that his words are “divisive” at a time when it is easy to exasperate the already proven souls of the citizens.

Unity in Faith and Charity is based on the salvation of souls, not to their detriment: neither the “interventions” of the CEI nor the smiling papal meetings with the Prime Minister, who has been granted an indulgent collaboration, which reveals connivance and collaboration. Proclaiming the truth is necessarily “divisive”, because truth is opposed to error, just as light is opposed to darkness. So said the Lord: “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division.” Luke 12:51

Admitted and not allowed that the coronavirus is so virulent and so deadly that it justifies the segregation of an entire people, indeed the whole world, well: at this very moment the sacraments and Mass are denied when they are most needed for eternal salvation?

From what you have said, Your Excellency, I seem to understand some of your perplexities about the nature of the Coronavirus: is it my impression or do you believe – as many doctors say – that someone wanted to take advantage of the pandemic for other purposes?

This is not the place to express my reservations about the so-called “pandemic”: I believe that authoritative scientists have been able to demonstrate what really happens, and what the masses believe, through a air-tight control of information that does not hesitate to resort to censorship to silence voices of dissent. It seems clear to me, however, that Covid-19 has provided an excellent opportunity, whether desired or not — we shall soon know — to impose on the population a restriction of freedom that is neither democratic nor good.

These are technical proofs of dictatorship, in which people are even being programmed to track people under the pretext of health and a hypothetical future resurgence of the virus. They think they can impose a tyrannical regime in which people who are not elected by anyone claim to determine what is lawful and what is not, what treatment to impose and what punishment to inflict on those who want to evade it. What is even more serious, all this happens with the support of part of the Hierarchy: if they had told us about it a few years ago, we would not have believed them.

A word of hope in conclusion?

There’s always a reason for hope, if you have a supernatural look. First of all, this epidemic has brought down many masks: those of the real powers, of the international lobbies that patent a virus and are also preparing to patent the vaccine, and at the same time push for it to be imposed on everyone, in a clamorous conflict of interest. At least now we know who they are and what they look like.

The masks of those who lend themselves to this farce have also fallen, sounding unjustified alarms and spreading panic among the people, creating a crisis not only in terms of health, but also in terms of economics and world politics. Here, too, we know who they are and what their plan is.

Finally, the mask of the anonymity of so many good people has fallen. We realized how much generosity, how much self-sacrifice, how much goodness is still around, despite everything. Doctors, nurses, priests and volunteers, certainly; but also many faceless and nameless people who help their neighbors, who bring comfort to those who suffer, who wake up from the torpor and begin to understand what is happening around them. An awakening of the good, of which the Lord is undoubtedly the author. He governs the destiny of the Church and the world, and He will not allow Evil to prevail.

Let us not forget that – as I recalled recently – Our Lady of Fatima promised Sister Lucy that before the end of time a Pope would consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart, and that this gesture of obedience would be followed by a period of peace. Let us therefore entrust ourselves, our families and our dear Italy under the mantle of the Most Blessed Virgin, trusting in Her words.

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An English Translation of the Original, entitled: Intervista a Viganò. Conte, delierio di onnipotenza indecoroso. E illegale.