Rome Watch September/October 2005

(The Salvation Army - Belief In Action 7 May 2005 www.salvationarmy.org.uk/salvationist)

GENERAL John Larsson and Commissioner Freda Larsson attended the inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI in Rome as guests of the Vatican. This was the first time a General of The Salvation Army has been present at a papal inauguration and only the second time an Archbishop of Canterbury has attended since the Reformation.

Great respect and hospitality were extended to The Salvation Army throughout the weekend visit. The General was seated on the front row during Sunday's inauguration service, also attended by Majors Massimo and Jane Paone (Command Leaders, Italy). '

The Sunday morning worship was a very inspiring and moving occasion, said General Larsson.

"I was struck by the history and beauty of the location and the sheer joy and freedom of the estimated half a million congregation. The Pope preached a powerful, Christ centred address using simple gospel imagery. It was pastoral and evangelical. And it was interrupted by applause again and again."

"Today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ and you will find true life"

More than 60 Christian leaders from Protestant and Eastern Orthodox Churches around the world were accommodated in the same hotel providing a unique opportunity for fellowship and dialogue. In addition, the General had opportunity to talk with a number of the cardinals.

The next day, the Pope met the General and Commissioner Larsson during an ecumenical gathering with Christian leaders and representatives of different faiths. The General thanked the Pope for his Christ centred message on the Sunday and assured him of the prayers of Salvationists

"Cardinal Walter Kasper, who is responsible at the Vatican for ecumenical matters, spoke for us all when he commented that the things that unite us are greater than those which divide."

Do you think General Booth founder of the Salvation Army would have gone to the Vatican?

Was the Sunday Worship Service the Salvation Army Leaders so enjoyed a Roman Mass?

If they have more to unite them than to divide them, then the Reformers must have been mistaken and the sacrifices of The Martyrs must have been in vain.

"The severance between the champions of evangelical truth and liberty, and the combatants for the pontifical heresies and despotism, is decisive, and wide as 'a great gulf fixed' between them, impassable: for if Popery be an accurate delineation of 'pure religion and undefiled,' then all persons who do not submit to the Roman yoke, are audacious rebels against Jehovah; and if Protestants correctly interpret the holy scriptures, then Popery is a blasphemous imposture, replete with the most direful curse and anguish for mankind, both "in this world and in the world to come."

"Christ did not redeem His Church with His Blood that the Pope may come and steal away the Glory. He never came from Heaven to Earth and poured out His very heart that He might purchase His people, that a poor sinner, a mere man should be set up on high to be admired by all the Nations and to call Himself God's Representative on Earth. Christ has always been The Head of The Church."

The Vatican has responded to the clamour for - 'santo subito' - sainthood immediately by officially starting the process to beatify Pope John Paul II.

Pope Benedict XVI announced on May 13 that he was going to fast track his predecessor's cause for beatification, the first step towards possible sainthood, by lifting the normal five year wait after the death of a candidate.

The latest edition of Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano contains details of an edict inviting testimony from witnesses about the Polish pontiff's virtues and proof of a miracle.

The edict was issued on May 18 which would have been John Paul's 85th birthday and was signed by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's vicar for Rome. He said the edict came in response to "sensational" calls for John Paul II to be declared a saint following his death on April 2.

These culminated with chants of 'santo subito' from hundreds of thousands of Poles, many carrying banners with the same message, at his funeral Mass on April 8. Cardinal Ruini said the edict, which officially launches the exhaustive investigation needed for a beatification cause, would be displayed on the doors of the headquarters of the Rome diocese and Krakow, Poland, for two months.

Despite fast tracking the process, it will still take years for the Vatican to gather all of the Pope's writings and hear from witnesses testifying about his virtues. It must then certify a miracle attributed to his intercession since his death, by interceding in response to a prayer, for him to be beatified.

ARCHBISHOP Stanislaw Dziwisz, the late Pope's private secretary, fed the clamour for John Paul II to be made a saint by linking him yesterday to a tumour patient's recovery.

Being responsible for a miracle is a prerequisite for sainthood. Unlikely cures are a popular route and Archbishop Dziwisz said that in 1998 he heard of an American said to be terminally ill with a brain tumour who wanted to meet the Pope. He said the man, whom he did not identify, was admitted to a Mass celebrated by the Pope. "I remember him well," he said. "He had no hair, which was clearly due to the chemotherapy."

Despite being Jewish, the man apparently joined the rest of the congregation for Communion. Monsignor Dziwisz said that he was phoned shortly afterwards and told that the man's tumour had "completely disappeared"

The Bible says all true believers are Saints - It knows nothing of Rome's complex system of Beatification and Canonization.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Archbishop of Edinburgh and St Andrews, and leader of the Scottish Catholic Church, recently shocked traditional Catholics by stating that the Catholic Church may soon relent on its official position that all clergy must take a vow of celibacy, and permit its priests to marry.

The Cardinal pointed to the success of having married deacons in the church, and said that change was likely. The comments, made in an interview with the Catholic Times, will be deeply offensive to many traditionalists. O'Brien has often been regarded in the past as a liberal and a moderniser, and his appointment as a Cardinal by the late Pope, who was notorious for favouring conservative traditionalists for promotion, took many by surprise. But O'Brien made an effort to be seen to be toeing the party line within the Church, even adding to his repetition of the Nicene Creed in October 2003 a public statement that he held to the Vatican's position on homosexuality, contraception and priestly celibacy.

THE Jesuit Church in limerick is to close after more than 140 years. Fr Francis O'Neill SJ confirmed that the Sacred Heart Church located in the city centre, is to sold by public auction after it closes on June 30 next year.

HOUSE of Commons authorities have rejected a free fireworks display to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Guy Fawkes trying to blow up Parliament in case it offends Catholics.

The decision, which goes against the rhyme that the treason must be remembered, has been condemned as ludicrous political correctness which may herald attempts to ban Guy Fawkes Night.

Kimbolton Fireworks offered to put on a privately financed public display outside Parliament for the anniversary next year.

But the move was rejected by the House of Commons commission, chaired by the Speaker Michael Martin, a prominent Glasgow Catholic.

Its letter states: 'The planning of Parliament's exhibition to mark the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot has been careful to avoid associating the event with any notion of celebration; even after 400 years there are sensitivities to be taken into account (and sadly, perhaps especially in today's international climate) so the approach will be dispassionate and educational.'

Accordingly, the Commission does not think it appropriate for the House to be formally associated with the show.'

The letter, sent to Huntingdon Tory MP Jonathan Djanogly, acting for Kimbolton was met with disbelief.

A commission spokesman refused to elaborate on the 'sensitivities' to be taken into account and why the day should not be celebrated.

But a Commons source said: "This idea has been rejected primarily because of concerns it may upset Catholics. Also, in today's climate of terrorism and fears of an attack on Westminster, it was felt that having loud explosions alongside the Palace of Westminster would not be a good idea.'

Mr Djanogly said: 'The Gunpowder Plot is celebrated because it ended with the survival of Parliament, which represents British democracy, over the forces of evil and terrorism. 'It is very relevant today. We should be celebrating our survival and what Parliament represents in the face of the current terrorist threat. It is another case of political correctness gone bonkers.'

Guy Fawkes and his co conspirators tried to blow up James I, the Commons and the Lords at the opening of Parliament on November 5, 1605, in a plot to return Catholicism to the land. A cellar under the Lords was packed with 36 barrels of gunpowder hidden beneath coal, but on November 4 the plot was exposed by an anonymous letter to a Catholic Lord warning him not to attend the next day. The authorities were alerted and all the conspirators were arrested or killed by November 12.

Since then, the event has been remembered every year with fireworks being set off and 'Guys' effigies of Fawkes burnt on bonfires. The plot has been immortalised in the rhyme:

Kimbolton Fireworks director Mark Lancaster said last night: "I'm not sure what the "sensitivities" could be 400 years on. I don't believe it is to do with terrorism. We're not going to be blowing up the Houses of Parliament with some fireworks on a barge on the river."

PITTSBURGH (AP) Eight people who claim they were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests sued the Pittsburgh Diocese.

The people, who ranged in age from 8 to 15 when the alleged abuse began, filed civil suits in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court against the diocese, Bishop Donald Wuerl and Philadelphia's former archbishop, Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua. The alleged abusers are not named in the suits because the statute of limitations to file such claims against them have expired.

Lawyers representing the victims said the diocese protected and reassigned priests that were involved in abusing children.

Alan Perer, an attorney representing the alleged victims, said the new cases brings the number of lawsuits against the diocese regarding priest abuse to 33. All those suits were still pending, he said.

In a statement released by the diocese, church officials said all of the allegations in the lawsuits against the diocese involve priests removed from the ministry or who have died.

"To (the diocese's) knowledge and under the leadership of Bishop Wuerl, there is no priest serving in ministry today in the diocese against whom there is a substantiated allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor," the diocese stated.

Another lawsuit was filed in Berks County Court against the Allentown Diocese. In that suit, Diana L. Vojtasek, 30, of Blandon claims she was sexually abused by the Rev. James Gaffney while attending Reading Central Catholic High School, where he was vice principal and disciplinarian.

THE disgraced Dungiven priest who paid a teenager after trying to sexually abuse him is to be given a five figure collection by his parishioners.

In a bizarre twist, Fr Andy McCloskey will return to Dungiven tonight to receive thousands of pounds collected by his supporters.

He stepped down as curate of St Patrick's parish when details emerged of his out of court settlement with a young man he had been counselling.

Fr McCloskey had been providing spiritual advice to the young man for months to help him come to terms with years of sexual abuse. But just weeks after the teenager turned 18, the priest offered him alcohol and invited him to his bedroom where he locked the door and attempted to sexually assault him.

The 1992 incident came to light when the young man secured a £19,000 settlement earlier this year. The priest did not make any admission of liability. It also emerged that other priests in the diocese had raised concerns with Bishop of Derry Seamus Hegarty about Fr McCloskey's behaviour.

Amazingly the priest was still allowed to work with young people in an outreach group. He has now stepped down as curate of St Patrick's and has been replaced, but his supporters in the Co Derry town still back Fr McCloskey.

A committee formed in the wake of the scandal called for the priest's immediate return to parish duties. It also organised a collection that was taken up at the end of April, and will be given to Fr McCloskey. It's thought one donation of £ 10,000 was given to his collection, and thousands of pounds were raised on top of that hefty sum.

His supporters simply don't believe that Fr McCloskey did anything wrong, and accept his explanation that his drink problem led to the sexual assault. But the collection and the committee's stance has caused division in the town.

One supporter said it was traditional for parishes to take up a collection for priests who are moving on, but that had not been possible with Fr McCloskey because of the circumstances under which he left. However, many parishioners feel the collection was inappropriate.

"I don't wish Fr McCloskey any ill will. I had a lot of respect for him when he was here," said one. "But in light of the allegations against him I am surprised that the people of this area are supporting him in this way and under these circumstances. I feel very strongly about this," he added.

"What does this priest have to do before people believe he did something wrong? I think it's a disgrace that he can leave a young man traumatised who had placed his trust in him, and then come back here a hero and get thousands of pounds," she said.

The family of former Chama, N.M., Councilman Ben Martinez is suing a Roman Catholic priest and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe over the sermon at Martinez's funeral.

The lawsuit says the Rev. Scott Mansfield used "graphic terms" to tell the congregation that Martinez had been "lukewarm" in his faith and was going to hell. A spokeswoman said the archdiocese and Mansfield "deny the allegations and are vigorously defending themselves." Nine Martinez family members allege that Mansfield said "clearly, loudly and without hesitation that the Lord vomited people like Ben out of his mouth to hell."

The suit also says Mansfield, while walking to the grave site after the funeral, swore and said he didn't care "what the people of Chama thought, that he had put the Martinez family in their place."

A small protest during a memorial Mass held for the Pope on 11 April at the Vatican served as a reminder of the problems that arose during his papacy.

The mass was conducted by Cardinal Bernard Law who was forced to resign as archbishop of Boston in the United States over his failure to remove paedophile priests from the ministry.

"We don't believe it's appropriate for him [Law] to be in any position of power or trust in the church," said Barbara Blame, a Chicago lawyer, who complained that she was a childhood victim of sexual abuse by a priest. She led the protest outside St Peter's Basilica and was escorted away by police before she could distribute flyers on Law who is now an archpriest of one of the Vatican's four great basilicas, Santa Maria Maggiore. (ENI)

A married man has been ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in Scotland for the first time in at least 1 ,000 years. James Bell, a former Scottish Episcopal Church minister, became priest at a service in Inverness.

Former Anglican priests, including married ones, have been ordained as Catholic priests in England before, and some have been given posts in Scotland. However, this was the first such ordination in Scotland. According to a report in the Scotsman newspaper, the move required the sanction of the pope.

An investigation into the alleged "ethnic cleansing" of Protestants from parts of Londonderry is being sought by DUP MP for the area, Gregory Campbell.

Mr Campbell issued a call at the weekend to the Victims' Commissioner to look into what he termed the "mass displacement" of Protestants from the city's West Bank during the Troubles. The MP said only 600 Protestants now live in the area, where as many as 15,000 lived in 1969.

''About 95 per cent of the Protestant community either moved out of the West Bank or, as some would say, were ethnically cleansed over the past 35 years," said Mr Campbell.

"If this happened anywhere else in the UK or, indeed, anywhere else in Europe, there would be a very serious and immediate examination of the causes by the relevant government. If our Government is serious about the Victims' Commissioner then he should be deployed to look into this."

While there is no official record of the number of Protestants living on Derry's West Bank prior to the late 1960s, the DUP figures, which emerged from Unionist voting tallies, put it at about 15,000. Other statistics, supplied by the Ulster Unionist Party to University of Ulster researchers in the 1990s, estimated the Protestant total at 11,247 in 1968, with the presumption that Unionist and Protestant voters were one and the same.

Taking the census figures, around 1,909 Protestants were living on the West Bank in 2001. Mr Campbell believes that numbers have since diminished, pointing out that only 400 people voted for Unionist candidates in the area at the 2005 local government elections.

It is also known that the bulk of those who moved to the Waterside did so at the start of the Troubles, between 1969 and 1973. Mr Campbell puts the number at between 7,000 and 8,000.

By the mid 1970s, almost all police and prison officers had moved from the West Bank, and the years since have seen the closure of numerous Protestant businesses.

"I would argue that while some of the people forced to move might not have suffered physically, the intimidation of their community in the form of murders, attempted murders and ongoing hostility led to this exodus," said Mr Campbell.

Vicious attack and riot at Ardoyne - North Belfast on Police and Orangemen and followers parading home to Ballysillan- almost 100 police injured

Romanists of Dunloy prevent Orangemen driving through the village to lay a wreath

Protestants homes attacked in Suffolk and Donegall Pass, Belfast, also in Londonderry and the village of Cloughmills, Co Antrim

Orange arch burned in Newcastle - smoke damage to the nearby Orange Hall -Flags torn down in Main Street

In spite of the claim that the Irish Republic is a modern pluralist state, no longer controlled by the Roman Catholic Church; and that the Republic has abandoned its territorial claim to Northern Ireland by deleting the notorious Articles 1 & 2 of its Constitution, what does the picture show? Irish R.C. Prime Minister Bertie Ahern in a private audience at the Vatican on 7th July when for 25 minutes he updated the Pope on political progress in Northern Ireland in which Mr Ahern said Pope Benedict has a keen interest. Mr Ahern said he was honoured to be one of the first European heads of Government to visit the new Pope since his installation.

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.