Rome Watch Winter 2005

The following pictures and newspaper reports prove beyond doubt the growth of a one-world religion in which Papal Rome seeks to include not only apostate Protestantism and the Eastern Orthodox - but all the major world religions. The Prophecies of your Bible call this system Mystery Babylon.

POPE JOHN PAUL RECEIVES IN AUDIENCE THE TWO CHIEF RABBIS OF THE ISRAELI STATE

Israel's Chief Ashkenazi RabbiYona Metzger, left, and Chief Sephardic Rabbi Shlomo Amar, right, greet Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Jerusalem recently. During the cardinal's visit, he attended an ecumenical conference on forgiveness at the invitation of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute. Rabbi David Rosen of Jerusalem is in background.

Arriving in Fatima the pilgrims made their way to the Chapel of the Apparitions, where from the altar a Hindu priest led prayer sessions. A commentary on the service was given by the TV reporter who explained:

"This is an unprecedented unique moment in the history of the shrine. The Hindu priest, or Sha Tri, prays on the altar the Shaniti Pa, the prayer for peace."

The Hindus can be seen removing their shoes before approaching the altar rail of the chapel as the priest chants prayers from the altar's sanctuary.

After worshipping their gods and praying in the chapel, the Hindus are shown being escorted to an exhibition hall where a model of the controversial new basilica currently being constructed is on display. In a setting described as ambassadorial by the commentator, each Hindu is personally greeted by the Bishop of Leiria - Fatima, who bows to the Hindu priest repeating his gesture of greeting. The Hindu priest is then seen clothing the Rector of the Fatima Shrine and the bishop with a Hindu priestly shawl.

"On the shoulders of the highest representatives of the Church in Fatima, the Hindu priest places a shawl with the inscriptions of the Bagavad Gita, one of the sacred books of Hinduism," the reporter tells his viewers.

The newscast finishes with scenes of the Hindu priest lighting a candle at the shrine while his followers dance outside the Chapel of the Apparitions chanting praises to their gods. The TV commentator concludes by saying:

"In 1982, a Guru, a high priest of Hinduism, came from Bombay to Fatima He signed the book of honour right after Pope John Paul II and on the same page as Mother Teresa of Calcutta."

The "Him" who devout Romanists are invited in this advert to adore is not the Lord Jesus of Scripture, but rather a flour and water "Host Wafer" which by the act of Transubstantiation has been changed into the body and blood of our Saviour.

This so called "Reserved Sacrament" is placed in a circular container called the Monstrance decorated with rays of the sun. It is before this idol that they are invited to worship.

This is the idolatry of Mystery Babylon.

Instead of reporting him to police, the Abbey decided to punish him spiritually. But it proved ineffective, as he returned to his addiction after 15 months and was later caught committing a lewd act, in a car parked outside a comprehensive school in Radstock. After that O'Keefe was treated by a psychiatrist. He handed over computer files of pornographic images to the psychiatrist and admitted what he had been doing.

After a round-table discussion at the abbey, the psychiatrist handed the files to the police. O'Keefe's cell at the abbey was searched and the images, including 700 movie clips, were found, and he was arrested. About 636 images were category four and five, with five being the most serious.

Ignatius Hughes, defending, said O'Keefe had "a secret fixation if not an addiction" to child pornography. He said to the judge:

"You are dealing with a man who confessed his own guilt. In effect he handed himself in to the police."

He said O'Keefe had been attending a residential course for treatment and had made progress.

Fr Sweeney has been the parish priest of Kilteevogue in the village of Cloghan, near Ballybofey, since 1992. He was ordained in 1972. Neither Fr Sweeney nor the Bishop of Raphoe, Dr Philip Boyce, were available for comment. The priest was named on a list of 242 tax defaulters, who paid a total of €37.3 million (£25.3 million) to the Revenue, published in Iris Oifigiuil on Friday.

Settlements totalling €29. 1 million (£19.8 million) were paid by the holders of bogus non-resident accounts. These made up 180 of the cases listed.

The largest single payment on the list, which covers accounts between March and June this year, was for €6.4 million (£4.4 million), made by Charles J McCarthy, chairman of a Cork insurance company.

Also included on the list was Tom McBride - better known as the showband singer Big Tom from Castleblayney in Co Monaghan. He paid the Revenue €100,000 (£67,997).

'Bogus non-resident accounts' were offshore accounts and trusts used to avoid paying tax to the Revenue.

The holders of the accounts evaded paying tax on saving deposits, and in some cases income tax, by claiming they were Irish people who had addresses abroad. Most of the bogus accounts were based in the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.

Since clamping down on the tax dodge more than €760 million in unpaid tax and penalties has been collected from holders of the bogus accounts.

Tucked away on a remote inlet in north eastern Florida and buried under centuries of layers of sand, is the hidden story of the deaths of 388 Huguenot martyrs - the martyrs of Matanzas. The blood that they shed nearly 440 years ago, in September and October of 1565, has left an impact in the history of our nation ever since, and holds a redemptive gift that has been hidden from our sight until now.

In the fifteenth century, a group of men in France began to break away from the traditional teachings of Rome, choosing instead to study the Bible for themselves and to be led directly by the Spirit of the Lord in their day-to-day lives. The Catholic Church at that time (which was the official church of France) was greatly threatened by this move, which it interpreted as a weakening of its absolute authority over the people. As a result, Huguenots were harassed continuously and some even faced death rather than to give up their faith.

By the middle of the sixteenth century, some Huguenots, under the leadership of Gaspard de Coligny, Admiral of France and a prominent Huguenot himself, began to seek a way of escape from this persecuted lifestyle. In 1560, de Coligny (who was a man of great wealth) began to find favour in the court of nine-year-old King Charles IX and his influential mother, Catherine de Medici. He worked out a plan with the royal family that would allow the Huguenots to explore the New World and to eventually establish a colony there; if the colonists would promise to search for the rumoured silver and gold once they were there. So, in 1562, de Coligny dispatched a fearless military man, Jean Ribault, with three ships for the purpose of exploring the coast of La Florida to find land suitable for colonization. On May 1, 1562, Ribault and his company set foot near Jacksonville at St. John's Bluff on what they then dubbed the River of May (now called St. John's River). Having established a marker and uttered a prayer to dedicate this work to the Lord, they then went on down the coast; eventually returning home to give their report to their patron.

Two years later, de Coligny sent another man, Rene de Laudonniere, to the new land to head up the new colony. Laudonniere was given three ships to fill with supplies for this venture, and was allowed three hundred people on the voyage. In order to fill the ships, Laudonniere included a few passengers in the group who were not Huguenots.

Upon landing on June 30, 1564, de Laudonniere led his group in a prayer of thanksgiving to God for their safe passage. The small community then set about establishing their village, which they named La Caroline, after their King, Charles. IX. Within a few months, La Caroline was fortified with walls, bulwarks, the cannon they had brought with them from France and a moat. La Caroline was renamed Fort Caroline - a name it retains to this day.

The French pilgrims were soon met by a tribe of Indians, the Timucuans, who proved to be quite friendly. These native Americans quickly helped the French learn to live off the land; and readily shared their food with them. So, at first, life was very good at Fort Caroline.

However, as time passed, a series of problems began to develop which, unresolved, threatened the very life of the community. The biggest need was food. Laudonniere had been led to believe that France would continue to send supplies over to the community so that they would be free to then search for gold. That promise did not materialize and soon, the French were raiding the Indians' storehouses for food. So, skirmishes developed between the two groups. Sickness also became a problem as those in the community began to grow weak from hunger and malnutrition. Finally, in August of 1565, the colonists decided to marshal their remaining resources and head back to France on the three ships.

For two weeks, the ships sat slack in the bay, waiting for a wind to come up in order to put out to sea. And while waiting, there appeared on the horizon a cause for great rejoicing: three huge ships flying the fleur-de-lis, the flag of France, had entered the bay at the south end.

Laudonniere's group was delirious with joy. It looked liked Fort Caroline would survive, after all. This miracle occurred because de Coligny, aware of their plight from the stories that pirates told, had once again dispatched Jean Ribault to lead three large ships and six hundred Huguenots to Fort Caroline. Ribault joined this group in September, 1565, and immediately took command of the fort. The future looked very good, indeed, for this hearty band ...except for one thing.

While they were rejoicing, Jean Ribault, Rene de Laudonniere and their ecstatic troop were unaware of other activity going on not far from Fort Caroline...activity that would shortly cost them dearly. You see, in the spring of that year, spies in France had brought news to the King of Spain: a band of French Huguenots had not only explored land in the Spanish Territory of La Florida; they had actually established a colony there. The King was furious. Not only was this an affront to the sovereignty of Spain, it also would greatly endanger his trading ships that sailed along the coast. And the worst part was that these renegades were HUGUENOTS - that vile group of heretics that dared to defy the authority of the Church of Rome! No, this was indeed very bad news, and one that must be dealt with immediately and swiftly.

King Philip II knew exactly who to appoint to rid Florida of the French: Captain-General Pedro Menendez de Aviles, an ardent and dedicated Catholic, and the ablest of Spain's naval commanders and military leaders. Menendez was instructed to seek out any settlers in Spanish Florida and drive them out by any means he saw fit to use. On June 29, 1565, Menendez set sail from Cadiz, Spain, with 700 men to search out and destroy the Huguenot colony in New Spain, and to establish his own colony there. After sailing across the ocean all summer, Menendez achieved his goal. "To the fanfare of trumpets, the firing of cannon, and the shouts of 700 colonists, Pedro Menendez de Aviles stepped ashore on September 8, 1565...Father Francisco Lopez celebrated a solemn mass of thanksgiving... Menendez then proclaimed that the land belonged to King Philip II of Spain. St. Augustine was established."

During the next two weeks, the Spanish colonists worked to create a habitable city. In the meantime, working with the natives, Menendez sent scouts up the coast to determine the location of Fort Caroline. The following documentation is quoted from, Fort Caroline and Its Leader, by Charles E. Bennett:

On September 16, 1565, Menendez led his men north... through a jungle of underbrush and through swamps and streams. In the morning darkness of September 20, the force camped at a small pond, exhausted, wet, and hungry... The decision was then made to attack the fort that morning, in the midst of a raging storm.

Meanwhile, the French had also been making plans. Jean Ribault, having learned that Menendez was in the area, had left with a force of 300 men to go south to search out the Spanish ships and destroy them - before they destroyed the French.

Finding the fort almost defenceless, the Spanish easily killed the few sentinels on duty, and entered in to accomplish the massacre.

In less than an hour the Spaniards won a complete victory, with only one of their men a casualty. Many men and some women and children ...were slain in the battle. Some reports of the attack imply that Menendez was a bit tardy in ordering his men to spare women and children, and state that the bodies of some infants were impaled on pikes stuck in the ground. The rest of the women and children were spared ...The other men were hanged ...and the inscription placed about their dangling bodies read, "I do this, not as to Frenchmen, but as to Lutherans." Probably as many as 143 Frenchmen were killed or hanged at Fort Caroline.

Before the story of Fort Caroline was over, there were two other massacres that followed this one.

Menendez returned to St. Augustine, pleased with his efforts at Fort Caroline, but not yet fully satisfied with his mission. His primary goal had yet to be achieved: to find and kill Jean Ribault, the leader of the Huguenot community. Now aware that Ribault and 300 of his men had sailed southward down the coast, Menendez' next step was clear: continue to search, until those men were found and dealt with.

Ribault, meanwhile, had fallen into very bad times. Soon after they had left Fort Caroline, Ribault's men (who were sailing in three ships) encountered the same storm that had been raging at Fort Caroline. This ferocious hurricane was huge, howling for days up and down the Florida coast. After battling this storm for several days, all three ships' were eventually destroyed in the ocean waters, as the men swam to safety on the shore. They ended up stranded on a strip of sand about fifteen miles south of St. Augustine. There, they waited for help while they tried to evade Menendez' search party.

On September 27, Captain Menendez got the news he was waiting for from local Indians: Ribault and his men had been shipwrecked to the south. They were marching up the coast, almost 500 men in two groups, toward Fort Caroline. Menendez then set out with 50 of his men to find them and get rid of them. Two days later, on September 29, the Spanish met the first group of the French on the sand of Matanzas [which means "slaughters"]. It was there that this group had stopped, unable to traverse the deep, running waters of this inlet.

"Famished and weary, informed of their fort's capture, and tricked into believing the Spanish force to be much larger, the French surrendered. On September 29, they were ferried ten at a time across the inlet, fed, and led behind the dunes, where their hands were bound. About 200 feet down the beach, Menendez drew a line in the sand."

At the line, Menendez gave each man an opportunity to renounce his Huguenot faith (called the "new religion") and live, or cross the line and meet his Maker. On that day, 111 Christian men were martyred; Menendez spared only those who stated that they were of the Catholic faith, and those who played the flute, timbrel and harp. The total number of survivors was 16.

Even with these two slaughters behind him, Menendez still was not satisfied, because Jean Ribault was still alive somewhere yet on the Florida coast. Again, quoting the Park Service:

"Twelve days later, Menendez heard that the second group of 350 Frenchmen had likewise halted at the inlet. Again there was a parley - this time with Ribault himself, who saw the gruesome evidence of the first massacre. [The others had been run through with pike, dagger, and sword.] Ribault returned and told his men everything. He advised surrender, for he believed, it appeared that the Spaniards would show mercy. But during the night more than half of his men fled south. The next morning, October 12, Ribault and his remaining men handed their battle flags to Menendez.

As before, the Huguenots were brought in groups of ten across the water and again the white sands were darkened with blood. That day, 134 Frenchmen lost their lives; 16 were spared. Later, Menendez sought out those who had fled; most he took to Habana as prisoners."

Concerning the exact circumstances of the death of the Huguenot leader, Jean Ribault, we quote from Mr. Bennett:

"The man who actually killed Ribault first inquired of him whether the French commander did not expect his soldiers to obey orders. Ribault answered, 'Yes.' Then the Spaniard said, 'I propose to obey the orders of my commander also. I am ordered to kill you.' The psalm that Ribault recited before the dagger was thrust into his body was the 132nd Psalm which begins, "Lord, remember David" but Ribault began it, according to an eyewitness, with, "Lord, remember me."

The second massacre of the Huguenots on the sands of Matanzas Inlet marked the end of the brief history of French colonization in La Florida. This is only the beginning of a more profound story, for the death of the Matanzas martyrs has left a legacy in this country that, until now, has been largely either unknown or ignored. And what is this legacy: Consider the promise of the Word of God in Revelation 12:11, where it is written

"they overcame [Satan] through the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony ...and they LOVED NOT THEIR LIVES UNTO THE DEATH."

The martyrs of Matanzas chose death as an act of conscience... And because they did so at the time of the very (hidden) foundation of our nation, this act of self-sacrifice is one on which our whole nation now rests.

Have you ever considered the many ways in which, since its beginnings, the United States might have been destroyed? We have been threatened by Civil War, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and numerous other armed conflicts (including Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War, and now the War on Terror). At times, we have even chosen leaders of questionable character to sit in the highest office of the land. Why is it, then, that other nations have failed under much less stressful conditions, while we, as a people, have survived and gone on to greater things? Certainly, one of the reasons for our strength is that THIS NATION RESTS ON THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS. Both the Lord and the enemy fully understand the power of this sacrifice. Now, we too can begin to appreciate our "buried treasure" - the hidden legacy of the martyrs of Matanzas.

Does this mean that we will not continue to be challenged: No. Does this mean that we can relax our vigilance to see righteousness once more exalted in this nation? No. It simply means that, in the perilous times in which we live, our Father is revealing to the remnant in America that we have a common strength we can draw from - a strength that imbues the very fibre of our being. In Christ, we SHALL defend this nation from ALL ENEMIES, foreign and domestic!

When Pedro Menendez drew the line in the sand against Jean Ribault, the Lord Himself drew a line in the sand against Satan. God's ultimate destiny and purpose for this nation - to function as ONE NATION UNDER GOD and to release the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth - will be fulfilled.

Streets in West Belfast were filled with the sounds of hymns and prayers during the recent annual Corpus Christi procession, writes Graeme Neill.

Hundreds of people, young and old, gathered at St Paul's Church on the Falls Road to take part in the procession. Bishop of Down and Connor Dr. Patrick Walsh gave the benediction at the end of the procession at St Dominic's High School. Clergy representing churches across Belfast took part in the public display of faith.

Father John McManus of Down and Conner diocese, said the focus of the procession was the veneration of the Blessed Sacrament.

"The people gather in prayer, in Thanksgiving and in love to express their adoration of Jesus, present in the Blessed Sacrament and to ask His blessing on them." he said.

The celebrations for St Columba's Day in Derry began on Wednesday June 9 at Longtower Church, Derry with the recitation of the Rosary in Irish at 7.15pm. Bishop Seamus Hegarty of Derry celebrated Mass at 7.30pm and afterwards the bishop, priests and people processed to the Holy Well in the Bogside for the blessing of the water.

A Bishop was recently indicted on child rape charges, becoming the first Catholic prelate indicted in the sex-abuse scandal within the American Church.

Bishop Thomas Dupre, the former head of the Springfield Diocese in Massachusetts, is accused of abusing two boys in the 1970s, the county prosecutor said.

Bishop Dupre (70) resigned in February after nine years as head of the diocese. He quit a day after a newspaper in Springfield confronted him with allegations he abused two boys while he was a parish priest. Bishop Dupre cited health reasons for his departure. He retains the title of bishop.

The indictment was announced by District Attorney William Bennett. Bishop Dupre's lawyer, Michael Jennings, did not immediately return a call for comment. There have been at least a dozen grand jury investigations involving how bishops dealt with abuse claims, and four US bishops have resigned after being accused of sexual misconduct.

Bishop Dupre's alleged victims, who also are suing the cleric and the diocese, have said Bishop Dupre sexually abused them for years and asked them to keep quiet about the abuse when he was made auxiliary Bishop in 1990. He became Bishop in 1995.

When he announced he was bringing the case to a grand jury, Mr Bennett initially said the statute of limitations on the alleged abuse had likely expired. But he later said charges were possible because the Bishop allegedly tried to conceal the abuse recently.

After his retirement, Bishop Dupre went to a private Catholic psychiatric hospital in Maryland where the Boston Archdiocese sent many priests for treatment after sexual abuse allegations were made against them. The institute treats priests with emotional, behavioural and psychological problems.

One of the men, who immigrated to America in 1975, said the abuse began when he was 12 after his family was befriended by Bishop Dupre. The man claimed the abuse lasted until he began dating a girl in high school.

Bishop Dupre allegedly took him on out-of-state trips and to Canada and bought pornography with the boy in Connecticut.

A Roman Catholic bishop blamed for a seminary porn scandal that has rocked Austria's church has resigned, Austrian media reported recently.

Bishop Kurt Krenn, who had overall responsibility for the seminary where authorities found up to 40,000 lurid images on computers - including child pornography - sent his resignation to Pope John Paul II, officials said.

Tony Blair and Jack Straw sign up to the European Constitution - in Rome beneath a towering statue of Pope Innocent X, hand extended in blessing. Readers will note that the British people have still not been given a vote in a Referendum on the issue.

STATEMENT OF POLICY

It is not the aim or intention of Rome Watch to incite hatred of Roman Catholics but rather, by use of International Press reports already carried in newspapers, to show the religious and political advances of the Papacy in the light of Bible Prophecy, which foretells an end-time World Religion, Government and Economy.