Layman writes to the Scottish Bishops…
June 7, 2020
Dear Bishops of Scotland,
I am writing to respectfully upbraid all of you in the Scottish hierarchy for abandoning Christ’s flock during this Covid-19 pandemic, which, as statistical evidence is now increasingly proving, was never a serious health threat to the majority of Scotland’s 5.5 million population, or indeed any other population.
Nowhere in the annals of Church history, even through periods of war and plague, is there another example of Catholic prelates ordering a national suspension of public Masses and devotions under any pretext.
On the contrary, in times of crisis the Catholic hierarchy has always led the way with faith in God’s providence, a supernatural faith that compelled popes and bishops to order a redoubling of the public prayers of the Church, especially the Mass, as per the wisdom of the saints.
Your response to Covid-19, however, is a departure from that faith and wisdom of Tradition, hardly surprising given decades of spiritual decay in the Church since Vatican II, but shocking nonetheless.
By allying with a secularist State authority, even pre-empting its unlawful “Lockdown” suppression of civil liberties by closing chapels before the evil was mandated by legislative order, you have effectively consented to the relegation of the Catholic religion to “non-essential” status in society, which, by default, exalts human endeavour above divine assistance and the health of the body above that of the immortal soul.
In other words, your collusion with the State in its totalitarian power grab represents a capitulation to the enemies of the Church and of society (Communists, Freemasons, etc.), who have long sought to supplant the supernatural order established by Christ our King with the secular order of “the prince of this world”, a new order with a new Saviour of mankind whose doctrine is human reason (science) and naturalism (materialism).
To appraise you of your utter foolishness in furthering this subversion by validating government and media propaganda in respect to Covid-19, which is geopolitically-motivated, I offer the following indisputable evidence.
At the time of writing, official Scottish government statistics place the death toll of those who tested positive for the virus at around 2,400. That number equates to a tiny 0.04% of the Scottish population and would doubtless be lower yet had post mortem examinations not been suspended for the duration along with the standard requirement for a second doctor to verify cause of death.
Of this relatively small number of deaths at least 50% have been elderly people locked down in care homes while the remaining 50% have generally succumbed as a result of compromised immune systems. In fine, these deaths could occur even with seasonal flu, which, you may have noticed, has gone on vacation this year!
Exactly the same can be said of the UK as a whole in which 39,000 deaths from a population of 66 million equates to a comparatively minuscule percentage, a fact exemplified by 40% of acute NHS hospital beds currently lying empty for the first time in decades.
Evidently these official statistics are not remotely suggestive of the plague upon us and certainly do not justify the draconian measures taken by the government and supported by you prelates of the Church.
If further evidence were required to demonstrate that the present imposition of the Beijing method to treat the Chinese virus is geopolitical in nature, i.e., a new Communist totalitarianism which is perfectly consistent with the Message and Third Secret of Fatima, then the following information should prove conclusive for those who have eyes to see.
On May 11, Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, while addressing the press during the daily Downing Street Covid-19 briefing, declared quite clearly that “…for most people Covid-19 is harmless…” This statement ties in perfectly with the official statistics I have quoted.
As for “Lockdown”, which a recent Fox News report suggested is in accord with the Chinese government’s strategy to undermine Western economies, the instigator is one Professor Neil Ferguson of University College London whose mathematical “model” on Covid-19, predicting apocalyptic death rates of 520,000 in the UK and 2.2 million in the U.S., is said to have turned both governments from their initial “herd immunity” policy to legislative tyranny and economic suicide.
You will doubtless be aware that Professor Ferguson recently resigned as advisor to the UK government when it was revealed that he had twice broken the lockdown rules he insisted the rest of us must strictly follow.
What you may not be so familiar with, however, is Professor Ferguson’s 20-year history of presenting irresponsible, even reckless, virus models to government.
In 2001, for example, his predictions on Foot and Mouth disease resulted in the slaughter of 6.5 million healthy animals, a mass culling that cost the country £10 billion and devastated rural Britain.
In 2002 he predicted 150,000 dead in the UK from BSE, yet only 177 died. Again, in 2005, he predicted 200 million dead globally from Bird Flu and only 18,500 died. And again, in 2009, he predicted 65,000 dead in the UK from Swine Flu and only 275 died.
Is it any wonder, then, that the man has no faith in his own predictions, breaking lockdown twice to meet with his left wing activist mistress, a married mother of two? The same question can be asked of Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer and of senior UK government adviser Dominic Cummings, both of whom broke lockdown rules because they know them to be useless in controlling a viral outbreak that now appears to have started earlier and spread wider than first believed, a revelation that confirms the relative harmlessness of this virus for the majority of the population.
Speaking of lost faith, I return to where I began, to a comparison of your response to this virus with the historical response of the Church’s hierarchy in times of real plague. what is absolutely clear from such a comparison is that the supernatural virtue of faith was far stronger then than now, inspiring Popes and prelates to place their trust in divine providence rather than in secular politicians and science.
Those were the days when Christ Crucified was boldly preached to fallen humanity, when the evils of the world, the devil and the flesh were zealously exposed and opposed; whether religious heresies, public immoralities or abuse of State power to the detriment of Christian society.
Since the fateful Vatican II with its “new humanism”, to quote Pope Paul VI, this faith has gradually given place to the principles of the French Revolution, a false liberalism that accommodates rather than accuses “the Prince of this world”, a tragedy that Paul VI recognised and lamented as “the smoke of Satan in the Church”.
Hence today there are no heresies to be fought, no immoralities to be condemned, no false religions to be challenged, no ancient rite of the Mass at high altar to impede ecumenism, no kneeling to receive Holy Communion on the tongue to strengthen belief in, and reverence for, the Blessed Sacrament, no mention of the infallible dogma Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus or of the doctrines on Hell and purgatory, etc., not a single element of Traditional teaching and practice left undiluted or silenced.
Everything from the post-conciliar re-ordering of churches and the Mass to the new Socialist doctrines on climate change, migration, social injustice, religious pluralism and a subjective moral embracing of those living on the “peripheries”, that is, the divorced and remarried, active homosexuals, unmarried couples and others who demand repentance-free “inclusion”, is indicative of a 5-decade shift in the Church from God-centred worship to man-centred worship.
And now complete subordination of the Church as a “non essential” entity within the State, like a social works institution to be closed down on a whim and without a whimper of objection. Well did a certain venerable prelate observe of this tragedy in our time: “The martyrs sacrificed their lives for the faith, now they sacrifice the faith.
And what are the bitter fruits of this Conciliar “reform”, this “new humanism”? They are precisely what one would expect from the “Smoke of Satan” having obscured the teaching of the Church: vocations have dried up, seminaries, religious houses and chapels have closed in their thousands (including all 5 seminaries in Scotland), proselytising, especially through the missions, is outlawed, millions have apostatised from the faith, Catholic politicians publicly offend against the Church’s moral teaching with impunity while governments likewise boldly legislate against the Commandments of God and the Christian family, etc.
If this is the “progressive” “New Pentecost” of Vatican II, then we can assuredly declare that humanity has progressed all the way back to its pagan past when brutal State atheism ruled and religion was a worthless subordinate trinket available in multiple choices.
The sickness you prelates should be concerned about is this spiritual sickness in the Church caused by Modernist “poison having been injected into her very veins”, to quote St. Pius X, the death toll from which is numbered in immortal souls, each one more precious to God than the whole of Creation.
I make no apology for the length of this letter as it was necessary to counter well-orchestrated propaganda in relation to Covid-19 while laying out in some kind of chronological order how the Church has come to appear like an accomplice in the present falsehood.
Though forthright, I have written to you as a subordinate to his superiors, in charity and in hope after the example of St. Paul who publicly “resisted” a wayward St. Peter “to his face”.
I urge you to please reflect on your actions thus far with a view to a radical change in direction from apparent spiritual indifference to a bold re-establishing of the Church’s supernatural faith and divine authority, bearing in mind that the state of the world at any given time is a reflection of the health or otherwise of the Church, which is the world’s moral compass.
There is no question in my mind that when Pope John XXIII figuratively opened the windows of the Church with a Council that was supposed to be merely pastoral in nature, “to let in some fresh air”, a doctrinal/liturgical hurricane entered instead and wrecked the House of God.
What has since been presented as the faith of the saints and martyrs is a shadow of what once was, the mustard seed instead of the great tree. Indeed, such has been the timidity and human respect in the post-conciliar hierarchy, so silent before the world and its falsehoods, as to represent less a “New Pentecost” than a return of the Apostles to the fear of the Cenacle prior the first and true Pentecost.
Well, it’s time to open your eyes, dear bishops, and see the devastation around you. The Church is in crisis and the world is rapidly heading to Hell in a handcart, deprived, as it has been for decades, of any meaningful Catholic voice to slow the decline. What is urgently required now is a fearless restoration of all things in Christ and an end to the hand washing abdication of duty exemplified by Pilate. Salvation is not by Socialist Catholicism but by Supernatural Catholicism.
May the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady obtain for you the grace to see the present spiritual chastisement, this universal revolt against God in our time which lies at the heart of the Third Secret of Fatima, as well as the resolution to act swiftly and definitively to end it.
With this hope and prayer, I enclose with my correspondence a copy of the June 7 letter of Archbishop Vigano to President Trump because it is intrinsically linked to everything I have stated regarding Vatican II “reform” and the apocalyptic crisis it has created in both the Church and the world in our time.
You will see in his letter that Archbishop Vigano speaks clearly of taking sides today, more than at any other time, either as children of the light resisting present evils or as children of darkness tolerating them.
In respect to the latter, two maxims came to mind. One was: “Evil abounds because good men do nothing”. The other was “Only dead fish flow with the current”. I recommend you reflect on them as I often do when thinking of my judgment and eternal destiny.
Respectfully yours in the most Holy Trinity
Martin Blackshaw
Comment:
At the time of this writing, Martin has received only two replies; Bishop McGee (Argyll and the Isles) and Bishop Robson (Dunkeld) have responded. Thus, we feel the letter ought to be placed in the public forum.
It’s an excellent letter and should have resulted in grateful replies to the author, with promises to think deeply about the issues raised. Given the nature of the crisis through which Catholics are living today, however, we know that this is something of a fond hope.
All the more reason, then, that we all redouble our prayers for the graces necessary for the Pope to obey Our Lady’s Fatima request for the Consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart, the urgency of which various bishops elsewhere are now acknowledging.
Share your thoughts about Martin’s superb letter. His zeal is self-evident, writing to priests and bishops, always courteously, in the pursuit of building the Faith – in fact, he’s probably now written more letters than did St Paul ! Indeed, his letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the subject of the lockdown and changing nature of Government is published in the current edition of our newsletter, available to read on our website. So, if he’s motivated you to write a few lines to your bishop, let us know – that’s what we need; more and more members of the faithful to prod the consciences of the clergy, priests and bishops. Most bishops, if not all, can be contacted by email via their websites these days. Over to you!
Comments (139)
Great letter! Well said. I am glad for people like you writing letters like this, you are a true witness to the Faith. I often think where have all the Preachers gone. I have taught my children from a young age, that they must be prepared to if they have too, to die for the faith. Then when we have a crisis, I wonder why our Shepherds are not setting an example doing their duty. Our confirmation duty are not just for the lay people. We lay people, need the support of our Shepherds in a time of crisis. A crisis that’s not going to be going away any time soon.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.
Catherine,
I agree – it’s a really great letter.
I just love this paragraph, in particular:
“Well, it’s time to open your eyes, dear bishops, and see the devastation around you. The Church is in crisis and the world is rapidly heading to Hell in a handcart, deprived, as it has been for decades, of any meaningful Catholic voice to slow the decline. What is urgently required now is a fearless restoration of all things in Christ and an end to the hand washing abdication of duty exemplified by Pilate. Salvation is not by Socialist Catholicism but by Supernatural Catholicism.”
Saying that, it’s difficult to pick and choose – the whole letter is first class.
Well done Martin (whom, if my memory serves, is also Athanasius!)
Catherine and Fidelis,
Thank you both for your kind comments. My one hope is that my letter will inspire other lay people to write to their bishops and priests reminding them in conscience of their cowardice and neglect of the flock, not only during this fake pandemic but for decades now.
Athanasius,
Congratulations on a letter well-done. I saw it on The Remnant website:
https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/headline-news-around-the-world/item/4945-shepherds-obeying-wolves-open-latter-to-the-bishops-of-scotland
I posted a comment there which I hope you like but it may not show up for a few hours.
Again, congratulations.
Yours in Christ the King,
Margaret 🇺🇸
Margaret USA
Thanks you so much for your kind words and thanks be to God for his divine grace and providence in both the writing and publishing of this letter. If it inspires other Catholics to take up the pen, as Archbishop Vigano encouraged, then it will have been well worth the effort.
I’ll email Steve at 1P5 too.
Also, what about Catholic Family News and the Fatima Crusader?
The Remnant also posted it on their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/100004159722650/posts/1663321150483193/
Catherine,
Well said! I can’t think that many parents will be teaching their children what you are teaching yours, to be prepared to die for the faith if necessary. You are obviously a very special parent indeed. Your kids won’t forget that when they grow up – or if they’re martyred and go straight to Heaven!
Nicky,
Hear, hear. Most parents are more interested in their kids getting on in the world. Catherine is the exception.
Nothing like praising yourself?!
The reason that there weren’t that many people in your country dying of this horrid virus is because everybody quarantined!
But hey even Boris , Prime Minister of UK was even in the hospital! That’s not good enough for you right?
I can’t wait to see you go to Purgatory.you are the reason why we celebrate the Fourth of July!
So well-known fact that most of Americans who live in the appellations have a long lost distant distant cousin that is pigheaded like you. Have fun working on the Fourth of July because I have never worked on the Fourth of July our United States Independence Day.
How do you know you’re always doing everything correctly? By your standards or by GodS standards ?
Have fun working on the Fourth of July I’m United States citizen I will not be working on the Fourth of July that we must’ve done something right over here.O by the way, we can’t stand Trump.
Yeah when you get to heaven you’ll find out a few other things it’ll be a shock to you.
Tell me something, only traditional Catholics go to heaven? Trust me I am going to make a very big public outcry if you say yes — a big public outcry the only long distance phone call I’ve made in a while across the pond.
So if I don’t go to Latin mass I’m not going to heaven ? I’m not patronizing like you and your relatives I’m not going to heaven? Hey healthcare is free over there you need to get your mental health evaluation ASAP there’s no excuse.
Jeanne,
The author of the letter hasn’t praised himself. I did in my introduction and, at last count, three of our bloggers have praised him. He’s hardly likely to struggle to get through the average door or climb to the heights of pride on that, now is he?
But don’t worry, we try to make excuses for the people like your good self who don’t like us… It’s called charity. We’re great at it and proud of being so charitable 😀
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPS7rlDQitY/UTXF8OwLYQI/AAAAAAAASrQ/s_eMN2rkqBw/s1600/dcru.jpg
Editor,
That pic must have been taken during lockdown,LOL!
Jeanne
Sounds like someone touched a raw nerve with you! Just bear in mind, though, that no amount of shouting at others can ease a bad conscience. If you hate Trump, as you say, then you are clearly happy to see unborn babies killed by the million in the womb every year, for Trump is the only world leader presently defending the right to life for these little ones of God. Hence, only a superficial Christian could hate Trump. In fact, no true Christian can hate anyone.
Health care is NOT free over here. We pay for it, dearly, through our taxes.
Hating people and wishing suffering on people, even suffering that will end, like Purgatory, suggests you are the one in need of mental health care.
The reason not that many people died in the UK due to this virus, has nothing to do with quarantine. Dear Boris told us at the start that most people would recover from it. That was when he didn’t want lockdown, he wanted to go for the usual herd immunity.
Countries with minimal or no quarantine – like Sweden and Japan – had the least deaths. So, you’re wrong in every count in your very hostile comment.
Jeanne A Stark,
Frankly, it doesn’t sound like you’ll be going to heaven no matter what Mass you attend, LOL! Does this ring any bells: “Faith, Hope & Charity – and the greatest of these is charity”!?
WOW. Did you actually read it? He was extremely respectful and polite – a true Catholic and Scottish gentleman. You owe him an apology.
When I traveled to Europe 30+ years ago, the first thing they told us is that you are an “ambassador” for the U.S. even though you don’t have diplomatic credentials. Reason: People overseas will judge the U.S. by how you conduct yourself in their country. I took it very seriously, as hopefully all U.S. tourists do.
Your castigating of Mr. Blackshaw in his own country doesn’t exactly help U.S.-Scottish relations.
Finally, I voted for Trump and will do so again in November.
So, what do we learn about the two bishops who replied – that they are traditional in sympathy or just better mannered than their brother bishops?
It’s a terrific letter – every one of those bishops should be hanging their heads in shame.
Margaret Mary
You would think they would hang their heads in shame yet it seems the collective conscience is completely dead. Two bishops responded, one sympathetically the other cold as ice. It’s going to take a divine intervention to change things now as we cannot rely any longer on bishops or even the Pope, all have given themselves over to worldliness and abandoned the flock.
Athanasius,
I won’t put you on the spot, but I think most Catholics who are paying attention will know who the sympathetic bishop is and who the cold as ice bishop is.
They’re all lost causes, IMHO, so you are to be congratulated for writing to them – and what an excellent letter, too.
Frankly, and I know this is the wrong attitude, I wouldn’t waste my time writing to my bishop. He’s not interested, quite happy with his new religion. I’m leaving him to it.
Nicky
I tend to agree with you as regards the bishops, they are all too comfortable with Modernism now, it suits the easy lifestyle and there’s very little persecution. If they only knew the judgment they face when they die for the damage they have done!
I recall when Archbishop Lefebvre was asked why he took the position he did on Vatican II and the New Mass, his response was: “When I stand before my judge and He asks me what I did with my priesthood, I do not want to hear from Him those terrible words “you helped destroy the Church along with the rest of them”. This was a prelate who understood the very great responsibility priests and prelates (in particular) bear before God. They have their new Protestantised religion and their easy life, but at what price eternally?
Athanasius,
That quote from Archbishop Lefebvre should make us all tremble with fear, because we’ll all be asked what we did with the graces given to us through the Sacraments, when we meet our Maker.
Josephine
Absolutely. But his words a far more terrifying for the ordained, to whom more has been given.
This link was sent to me by a relative up north. The writer seems well informed and it is well worth reading.
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2020/06/15/letters-orwellian-alice-in-wonderland-world/
Helen
Your link is interesting but you don’t mention the letter on this thread…
What is your opinion of the letter sent to the Bishops by Athanasius?
Nicky
I meant to add that what we’re seeing across the board now with the bishops is a direct result of the error of Collegiality that manifested itself at the Council. The original idea of the Modernist reformers was to eradicate the unique Petrine authority of the Supreme Pontiff by making his judgments subject to the democratic majority voice of the episcopate. That didn’t quite work out, thanks to Archbishop Lefebvre and other vigilant prelates.
What they did manage to do, however, which is almost as bad, is take away the power of each bishop within his diocese, subjecting it to the democratic vote of the new Bishops Conferences. It remains a fact, however, that each bishops is responsible before God for the diocese he has been placed over as shepherd, answerable only to the Pope. That the bishops in general have surrendered that authority to a democratic formula that is foreign to the Catholic religion, is something each and every one will have to account for before Our Lord. “I was outvoted” will not be an acceptable defence in excusing dereliction of duty.
Athanasius,
And that is precisely why, when I hear (as I do often) that there is a “sound” a “traditional leaning” bishop in Scotland, I reply – well, it’s not the kind of reply that would be in keeping with the House Rules, so I won’t share that…
Suffice to say, it’s way past time to break cover. It’s pointless waiting until retirement which has been the custom so far during this crisis; priests and bishops sing like canaries when there’s little point, their influence is diminished if not negated on retirement.
They need to speak out now. Immediately, if not sooner.
No more false prudence. We need leadership. Shepherds worthy of the title.
Athanasius,
That’s what I find really irritating – that the bishops are hiding behind this “conference of bishops” excuse.
Younger ones, like the Bishop of Paisley, John Keenan, probably don’t even know that they will be held accountable for everything that goes on, or doesn’t go on (e.g. Traditional Mass) in their diocese. It’s amazing that they don’t know this.
Yes, it is a superb letter indeed. Perhaps Martin should send it to other publications? One of them just might publish it!
The one I linked is from a non believer but he too has got a handle on this “pandemic”. I’ll send him a link to Martin’s letter and perhaps a spark might be ignited!
Helen
The letter has, in fact, been sent to other Catholic publications who may or may not choose to publish it. It does sadden me, though, that the importance of such a letter, the very crux of the crisis in the Church and the world right now, is often overlooked for less-important stories surrounding politics, race riots and the like. Thank goodness Catholic Truth has its priorities right, the supernatural element of this battle touching on the Message and Third Secret of Fatima, is the important message that always comes first.
As providence would have it, I finished this letter to the bishops on the very day that Archbishop Vigano sent his letter to President Trump, which is why I was able to squeeze that little reference in at the end. It would have made a great follow up to the Archbishop’s letter, especially his urging of Catholics to rise from their sluggishness. Alas, apart from Catholic Truth, I fear the urgency of what needs to happen is lost on many.
Athanasius,
I have a feeling that other publications (the ones most people think of when they think of the “top” traditional publications/sites) will not bother with it now that it’s been published here – they like to be first, have a “scoop”. It’s the same pride mentioned in other posts here. It’s not so much about helping save souls, but about scoops.
Michaela
I would like to think you’re wrong about that because we need to get the message out to as many Catholics as possible, especially to bishops and priests of good will who recognise deep down what’s happening in the Church and the world.
Maybe if I was Archbishop Blackshaw or some other person of importance I could rely on the letter being published far and wide, but I’m not an important person and so I can only hope that Catholics editors everywhere will consider the merit of the letter rather than the absence thereof in the author. For me, it was providential that I was just finishing that letter when Archbishop Vigano’s letter arrived in the public domain, which is why I squeezed in a reference to it at the end. These things don’t happen accidentally.
Athanasius,
I agree. With some of these publicatons (no names, no pack drill) it’s like they always have to have the latest interview with Cardinal Burke or Bishop. Schneider of Archbishop Vigano. I’m not impressed with any of them, TBH.
Lily
These are all very important people that we surely do want to hear from, perhaps more often than we do at present and much more forcefully. But sometimes God uses the little people, the nothings of the world, as His instruments, people not afraid to lose a position in life!
It’s a fantastic, letter no question. And I understand it’s about lockdown, closure of churches etc. However, I think it would have been good to have included concerns about the way the bishops are doing nothing about that other plague upon us – the homosexualisation of the Church in Scotland.
Father Despard has been consigned to the dustbin, suspended, for trying to expose this. I know he’s not traditional, but neither are the bishops. His bishop said he would investigate the claims made by Fr Despard but never did.
I’m just throwing this into the mix because if others do write to their bishops, it might be good to mention that this is something we are finding in all the dioceses.
Josephine
My lettter to the bishops was one that treated of the cause of so many issues in the Church and the world. Obviously the virus has put the faithlessness of the Scottish hierarchy front and centre in a general way, I simply could not deviate from that to start addressing local issues. The letter, as I’m sure you will have appreciated when reading it, was already getting rather lengthy.
Dear Editor,
I wholeheartedly concur with the 99% who endorse the letter from Athanasius.
I can give a wee guess as to the identity of the prelate who gave him a sympathetic reply.
I am fortunate enough to have him as “my” bishop and I have had some cordial correspondence with him on this and other subjects. Unfortunately I have not been able to publish them on here as they are of a personal nature, but I can assure you that the Bishop in question is a sound and holy man and well versed in science.
As mentioned above in olden times he could express himself more openly without the strictures of the Bishops “Club” which is now the case.
I intend to correspond with him soon, and hopefully I can elaborate afterwards.
Patrick,
It’s way past time to break cover. It’s pointless waiting until retirement which has been the custom so far during this crisis; priests and bishops sing like canaries when there’s little point, their influence is diminished if not negated on retirement.
They/he needs to speak out now. Immediately, if not sooner.
No more false prudence. We need leadership. Shepherds worthy of the title. There’s no virtue in engaging in friendly fire. We need bishops who will fight the Enemy openly.
The Bishop to whom you refer is very kind, heart in the right place, but we need him to speak out now. He knows he has a platform at Catholic Truth. Time to grasp the mettle. Some will a argue (wrongly) “nettle” but whatever, just grasp it and be [NOT] damned!
A truly masterful letter from Martin, worthy to stand alongside the letters of St. Catherine of Siena to the Popes. I hope it deeply pricks a few consciences, and I also hope the other publications to which this has been submitted include The Fatima Center, Lifesite News, the Remnant, even Rorate Caeli and Taylor Marshall.
However, I think the following ought to receive it also:
Pope Francis
The Prefect of every Congregation
The Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain
Cardinal Nichols
RCAVictor
First of all my thanks for your kind words. We are just tools in God’s hands to do what He guides us to do, so the real thanks goes to God for his grace to sinners.
I can confirm that both the Remnant and Lifesite News have the letter. Lifesite did not respond but Michael Matt at the Remnant did respond very kindly praising the letter. I still hope he might publish it.
I haven’t forwarded it to any of the other outlets you mention, but it’s now in my mind to do so. I might even send it to those Church sources you suggest, though that could well result in my excommunication!
Athanasius,
Unless I’ve miss mention of it, have you thought of sending it on to Christian Order Magazine, although you’d probably be preaching to the choir. And am I right in thinking you’ve been published there in the past?
MaryW52
I can’t actually remember if I’ve been published in Christian Order in the past, I don’t think I have. As you say, though, it is kind of like preaching to the converted in a sense. Then again, it’s highly unlikely that any publication other than a Traditional one would publish a letter like that. I might ask someone with a contact for Christian Order to submit it for consideration, if only to get it out to as many Catholics as possible. Thanks for that suggestion.
Athanasius,
I’ve just emailed both the Editor of Christian Order and the administrator of the American blog One Peter Five, to ask if they are able to publish: It really is important that this first class letter reaches as wide an audience as possible.
I’ll email Steve at 1P5 too.
Also, what about Catholic Family News and the Fatima Crusader?
Your letter is posted on the Remnant website. Hopefully they approve my comment on it.
Margaret 🇺🇸
One more name to add to the list of recommended recipients: the Superior General of the SSPX.
RCAVictor
Absolutely right. The SSPX should have refused to go along with the unlawful lockdown or at least found inventive ways around it. I think one or two priests did but certainly not in the UK. On this side of the pond there is sadly no spirit of the martyrs.
Athanasius,
That is indeed a wonderful letter you have written. It is a sad state of affairs that the bishops ordered a national suspension of Masses and devotions – and doing this prior to the secular government imposing this “lockdown”.
The laity has been left bereft of the Sacraments, unable to be present at Mass and receiving Holy Communion or the Sacrament of Penance. And what of those who died without the benefit of Extreme Unction.
Like Josephine, I agree that the quote from Archbishop Lefebvre should make us all tremble with fear, because God will ask us what we did with the graces we received through the Sacraments. I tremble to think of facing that judgement and taking to account of what I have done and what I have failed to do.
Theresa Rose,
Yes, our personal judgment is a frightening prospect indeed, I think all Catholics would admit to that. But it will be so much more severe for those who were given the care of souls as shepherds only to abandon them to the wolves out of cowardice or worse.
I found this timely piece on the Rorati Caeli site, a quote from the fiery sermons of St. Anthony of Padua, whose Feast was on June 13:
“…Alas! How many religious there are today, who still worship, in the desert of religion and the cloister, the same gods that they worshiped in Egypt, the world! Because they lack the fire of charity, their sacrifice is useless to them. From morning until noon the cry out: Baal, hear us! [3 Kings xviii, 26: And they called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying: O Baal, hear us.] What is “crying to Baal” if not desiring to be a superior? But there is no voice, no one who answers their will. So they cry again, still louder. To cry is to desire. They cut themselves with knives and lancets, with fasts and disciplines. They disfigure their faces, fasting early in the day, so that later on they can celebrate the festival of the belly!
In Elijah’s day, the prophets of Baal cried and were not heard. Nowadays, they cry and are heard! They are promoted to higher office, so that their fall is more ruinous. First they displayed a humble voice, a rough habit, a thin belly, a pale face, and assiduous prayer. Now they utter threats, and go coped and robed. They walk with ample stomach and ruddy face. They are assiduous in sleeping: but prayer — not at all! Come, Elijah, come! Take the prophets of Baal and slay them at the brook Cison [cf. 3 Kings xviii, 40]”.
The full thing can be read here: https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2020/06/saint-anthony-warns-negligent-superiors.html#more
A very zealous English reader who sometimes emails to keep me informed of the shenanigans down south, emailed today, asking me to send her best wishes to Athanasius on his excellent letter – and to ask him to send it to the Bishops of England and Wales, as well. No rest for the wicked !
She then emailed later to impart the following nuggets…
Now, would you believe it! And you probably would. Today, in the UK Churches have been opened but under the most ridiculous rules imaginable. Some of them have adjacent toilet facilities for people but… the Bishops have ordered them to be closed! Now, this is NOT a Govt regulation as only Council Public Toilets are closed. Supermarkets, cafes, and bus stations have theirs all open. Various PP’s have been told about this mis-information by their Bishops and will, hopefully, re-open the facilities.
Many of the rules stated by Govt are NOT Law. They are just ‘advice’ and recommendations by the PM and his lackies. i.e. The wearing of face masks is not Law. No Police Officer can order a member of the public to wear a face mask, let alone a bus driver. But, people wrongly ‘assume’ it’s the Law.
The Govt are bad enough but the Bishops are worse! May God and Our Lady help us. Ends.
And so say all of us!
Ed,
[One parish that I know of in England] has opened for private prayer. You will not believe this …
The church is now open during two session per day, and each session lasts fifteen minutes.
Each session may be attended by a maximum of six persons.
One individual person is limited to attending two sessions per week.
These visits must be pre-arranged on the online booking system, or by phoning in.
PPE must be worn. Hand sanitiser will be provided.
Only one piece of reading material may be brought by parishioners for the purpose of aiding prayer.
The floor of the church now has markings which act as visual prompts for social distancing and show the direction of movement (clockwise).
Volunteers have been recruited to act as marshalls in the church.
Those over 70 are forbidden to attend, as well as all those with underlying health symptoms.
The church is cleaned after each session.
A record of names of attendees will be taken down for trace and track purposes.
Parishioners have been instructed not to approach the priest of deacon during their visit.
Social distancing must also be observed outside the church, and two-metre space markings are placed in the church grounds.
On entering the church, persons are given a laminated ticket, which directs them to an allocated seat.
A floor plan is displayed in the church porch.
Access to the toilets, vestry, side chapels, and the lighting of votive candles is forbidden.
A signal is given to indicate the end of the session.
Persons will exit the church by the side door as instructed by the marshalls.
Ed, I’ll email you the pdf, so you will believe me.
Miles Immaculatae,
I believe you, no question about that.
However thank you for sending the pdf by email, which is horrendous. The pdf I mean, not the email 😀
I’ve removed the identifying feature in your comment to withhold the name of the person who (God help that soul) lives in that parish, because I plan to email those idiot priests with my unsolicited opinion, and a link to this thread plus our Covid-19 leaflet, which I’m tempted to rename from “Stay Alert” to “Waken up!”
So, thank you for this latest piece of evidence of the absolute faithlessness (not to say naivete) of the clergy today as they go along with all the nonsense of the non-crisis. Never was it a truer saying “you can fool all of the people all of the time” – add “especially the clergy.”
My first reaction when reading the pdf on that parish website was that this is ‘malicious compliance’, which is when an employee passive-aggressively follows the rules to the letter in order to spite the person who made the rules. But at this stage I feel that this is too sophisticated a psychological explanation. I suspect rather that people have absolutely lost the plot and become bonkers mad!
If going to the church seriously presents such a danger to merit safeguards of this degree of stringency, then surely it would be better just to keep the church closed? Adoration of Our Lord in the Tabernacle is commendable, but it can’t replace Mass and Holy Communion. So what’s the point if one has to ensure all this? It’s reminiscent of the scene from the 2019 Chernobyl drama, the one when the soldiers go on the roof to dispose of the deadly radioactive reactor fragments!
Miles Immaculatae,
I have now written to the clergy at that parish, which, no doubt, is not alone is this madness.
I sent the link to this thread, plus the link to the Covid-19 Stay Alert! leaflet so there’s little doubt that I won’t hear back!
No, it’s not passive aggressive compliance – it’s wholehearted compliance based on lack of divine and Catholic Faith and the same raw, ignorant fear showing in the rest of the secular population.
They have no Faith at all. And it seems to me that this is true of just about all of the clergy now, no matter the banner under which they cower – modernist, traditionalist, somewhere in-between.
Remember, the old saying, Be careful who you trust – the Devil was once an angel…”
You are on the same road as Martin Luther now.
McDonald Clergy,
How do you make that out? How’s it like Martin Luther to call the clergy to account for their negligence? I think that’s what St Paul called us to do, to watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing.
McDonald Clergy
You seem to forget that the New Mass was constructed with the help of Lutheran ministers to please Lutherans. The Church has since signed up to the Catholic/Lutheran agreement and indeed is apologetic for Luther. Hence, I’m perplexed as to why you would think my opposition to these errors, and others, makes my position remotely Luther-like.
Athanasius my comment did not refer to your letter which I think is excellent. It referred to the editors comment that all clergy are now suspect. It seems the only person in the world who is right is her. She’s now rejected the clergy outright and is a heretic.
McDonald Clergy,
I take it you are referring to this part of my comment:
They have no Faith at all. And it seems to me that this is true of just about all of the clergy now…”
And this makes me “a heretic” ?
Goodness, for once I’m thanking the Lord for Francis. Imagine if you were pope!
By the way, folks, don’t be too quick to believe that McDonald Clergy is a priest.
Remember Presbyter Whatsisname?
Exactly 😀
You have no authority to declare who has faith and it’s unworthy of you to declare that of the traditional clergy who have still been very active providing the sacraments in these times.
McDonald…
I don’t know whereabouts in the world YOU are, although I have my suspicions, but where I am, I’ve not heard from a single member of the “traditional clergy” since lockdown began so – as the saying goes – I can only speak as I find…
Anyway, don’t go round in circles with this – that’s the key sign of a troll. You don’t want us to
recognise you asthink of you as a troll, do you?McDonald Clergy
I don’t see how suspecting clerical fidelity to the faith is heretical.
Almost all the priests I know give Communion in the hand when it is the Church’s teaching that every particle of the sacred host in the full body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord. Almost every priest I know has no issue with the New Mass which is clearly theologically deviant, even if it can be valid. Almost every priest I know uses altar girls and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, both of which uses contradict the teaching of the Church. I could go on and on with examples but suffice it to say almost all the priests, if not all, have closed their churches to the faithful now for 3 months, suspending public Masses, the administration of the Sacraments and even Extreme Unction for the dying. If that doesn’t call their faith into question, even if some are of good will, then I don’t know what would.
I’m sorry but I don’t equate a suspicion of clergy as a rejection of the clergy, much less a desire to be always right. I read the statement for what it is, a genuine and justified suspicion of the clergy given the aforementioned.
Miles,
Thank you for that list – talk about “over the top”.
I certainly hope we will not be stuck with something similar in Scotland.
Personally I think all this is complete nonsense, designed to save politicians blushes for their knee-jerk over reaction to the corona virus.
My eldest daughter visited primary school today, she is supposed to start in August. She was allowed inside briefly to see the building.
There is a lot of nonsense brewing there also, apparently the schools will be part time, and they could have a different teacher every week. As I say, its all absolute nonsense.
Gabriel Syme,
Talking about saving the politician’s blushes, I’ve just seen the news headlines enthusing about a brand new drug, very cheap, easily available and (drum roll) destined to cut the death toll – i.e. a cure in all but name for Covid-19.
How convenient! Just when it’s clear the economy is finished – how to get it up and running again when there’s a dangerous virus floating around, or whatever viruses do to get around… Gimme strength!
Editor
At the same time the Beijing government is saying there’s a second outbreak of the virus in China and the newspapers are reporting a new surge in cases in England. It’s all disinformation put out at different times to keep everyone confused and bewildered.
What is clearer, though, is the news today of a pretty violent exchange on the Chinese/Indian border between the troops of both armies. Apparently tensions between China and India have been building for a while leading to a confrontation that has left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers. That’s a very volatile situation given that both countries are nuclear powers. Maybe Covid-19 isn’t that important after all. There could be a lot worse to come very shortly!
Athanasius,
I agree with everyone here, that is a marvellous letter.
I think, though, that you will not be receiving many replies because of this introduction:
“I am writing to respectfully upbraid all of you in the Scottish hierarchy etc”
To speak to a proud churchman like that will be seen as “insolent” – unlike the humble popes who received St Catherine of Siena’s letters, the spiritual pygmies we have for priests and bishops these days are full of themselves, full of pride and don’t take kindly to being “upbraided”, if you even write with any concerns, they don’t answer, so you’ve no chance, LOL!
You had to say it, though, and you said it very, very well.
Laura,
You’re absolutely right. When I outed myself as a Traditional Catholic (i.e. Catholic) to one priest, I was treated with some condescension. That’s one thing that has really stuck with me, and I will never forget.
Yes, they absolutely hate criticism, and the contempt they feel for those who correct them is apparent.
Laura,
Sadly, very true. The inability to take criticism is very common. Not only priests and bishops, but lay people too, probably most of them, cannot bear to be even slightly corrected. No matter how carefully worded to minimise criticism, even if we emphasise that we all make mistakes, overlook things, get things wrong, whatever, they just cannot take it. And it’s often the people who speak most about humility and piety. It’s a total mystery to me. I just do not understand it. It’s taken me a long time to recognise it for what it is: pride. One or two people have asked me why I don’t write to certain priest(s) in the current situation to suggest this or that. My answer is simply that there is no point. Bad enough a layman should write in forthright terms, but a mere female? Whoa! What planet you on, I say, in my (by now) well practised American accent 😀
So, you are right – the bishops will be outraged at receiving a letter “upbraiding” them, breaking all the rules of psychology, to use less “negative” language, say “concerns” … you are writing with your “concerns” nothing more. I’ve done it myself umpteen times. So well done Martin for his undiluted and totally justified upbraiding of the Scottish Bishops – which applies to everyone who wears a mitre, the world over.
Laura
Many thanks for your kind words about my letter. You’re probably right when you say it will have been largely received with contempt, for we live in times when the clerical response to lay concerns is generally more in the mould of the Pharisees than in the spirit of Our Lord.
We have to remember that for five decades the bishops of the Church have been teaching a different Catholic religion to that which was handed down through Tradition up to Vatican II. They have doubtless received thousands of lay concerns over the years as a result and yet it doesn’t move them. I knew the response before I wrote the letter, but my duty as a Catholic compelled me to write and send it anyway.
Athanasius,
Well said.
When some of us had spent years writing apparently fruitless letters to the Bishops, we decided to replace that with our public apostolate. That way, we killed two birds with one stone. We expressed our “concerns” (i.e. revealed the rot) publicly, via our newsletter which was also sent to all the bishops at the time, and, hopefully, encouraged others to write to their priests and bishops, so that they could no longer claim it’s just a disgruntled minority.
The Bishops, though, don’t care. They have adopted a policy of ignoring us – and extending that “ignoring” to anyone who writes to them. You could write to Cardinal Nichols, for example, on a daily, even hourly basis, and receive no reply.
It is, I repeat, pride. Blatant pride.
Editor
Yes, it is pride and it is terrible to see in those who are supposed to be meek and humble of heart like their Master, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is Lucifer’s time right now and his hallmark is pride, it’s a time when the Communists and Freemasons, thanks to Vatican II, have silenced the voice of the Church and neutralised her shepherds, as per the Third Secret of Fatima.
I wish to add my congratulations to Athanasius on his masterful letter. I also send my thanks to him for writing it and sending is to those bishops.
I must also say that I am horrified by what Miles Immaculatae writes about the English parish. I know that I would not stand for such treatment if my parish priest tried to inflict such utter nonsense on my parish.
Athanasius, you have indeed written a superb letter and I hope that you will decide to send it to the English hierarchy too, though I am doubtful about whether they would respond. Our parish priest has decided to open our church, note the “our”, for just two hours on next Sunday. No mention of weekday openings. The usual nonsense about marshals and distancing and hand sanitisers has been expressed. Yesterday non essential shops opened in England and there were long queues Of people standing very close to each other waiting to worship at these shrines. I saw no footage of police waiting to arrest or caution those who disregarded the rules. So what in the name of God are our priests and bishops so frightened of? It only points, as you say, to a loss of faith and no pastoral care whatsoever. When I wrote to our parish priest some weeks ago challenging him to arrange for Mass in the car park he replied that he had ‘to keep his powder dry’ and not go against the rules in case our church was closed down! By the police? No. More likely by the Archbishop!
I am sure if we asked for our church to be opened for a couple of hours everyday the parish priest would reply that he could not get enough marshals. So why not do that job himself? He can’t be too busy at the moment surely! I feel so angry and frustrated at all of this and it is going to be hard to have any respect for the clergy when this is all over.
Elizabeth
It is shocking in the extreme to see our bishops and priests serving godless government in this utterly degrading way while trying to pretend that they act for noble reasons. These men are supposed to be like the Apostles, inflamed with the supernatural love of God and souls, yet they behave more like apostates, faithless and fearful before a culturally Marxist world and in the face of a virus that we now know was never a threat to the general population.
There is no other way to describe the greater majority of bishops and priests at this time than as men of lost faith. We have seen it in the parishes and in the dioceses for decades, the slow and deliberate erosion of faith and morals. Now we see the corruption of the concilliar reform in all its ugliness, the public worship of God and the sanctification of immortal souls is no longer of primary importance to these men, God have mercy on them.
That is a wonderful letter from Athanasius, and it is completely unsurprising that only two bishops answered, for what can they say in their defence? They must know that they have none.
Brilliant letter, and all factual.
I wonder what Archbishop Tartaglia will think of it, After all, it`s not so long ago that he warned Catholics that they might soon even have to die for their faith.
Frankier
I think Archbishop Tartaglia, sad to say, will be the least moved by that letter. He has already in the past made his feelings known about the ancient Mass of the saints and martyrs, and it was not complimentary. The stuff about dying for the faith was empty rhetoric in view of the clergy now hiding under the table from a flu virus!
Athanasius
The reason I wondered about the Archbishop’s thoughts was that, despite his statement at the time, he hasn’t been heard of much.
Frankier
Yes, I agree with that. Archbishop Tartaglia, sadly, seems to be headed down the same road as his immediate predecessors, who left the Archdiocese of Glasgow in a worse state than they inherited. Their reigns are marked by scandals, church closures and decline. Such is the spirit of Vatican II!
Frankier,
What he actually said was – and this was when he was the newly appointed Bishop of Paisley – that we must all be prepared to go to prison, rather than submit to the LGBT+++ lobby’s increasing demands in society today.
What we didn’t know when we were singing his praises was that he would soon be busy helping to organise a very public funeral for a very well-known partnered “gay” man – that didn’t come out for a good while later, once he was Archbishop of Glasgow, to be a tad more precise.
So, can you hear that band playing? You know the tune, I mean: “Believe it if you like”…
I totally agree – that’s an outstanding letter. I am sure it wil be widely read. I suggest we all send the link to our contacts, at least the Catholic ones.
I think we are well past the point where we have been abandoned by our shepherds. We are now at the point where we are being persecuted by them. Judas delivered us to Caiaphas at Vatican II, and Caiaphas has turned us over to the State.
This is a source of great bitterness, and I’m not sure how to deal with it, except to remind myself of the bitter cup of Our Lord’s Passion and Death, next to which my own bitterness seems trivial.
RCA Victor,
Well, as you indicate, Our Lord Himself was abandoned by the first shepherds – cowardice is nothing new.
Whatever you do, though, don’t let yourself become embittered. Read the great saints and spiritual writers – they all talk about self-sacrifice, suffering and joy in the same sentence. That’s why I’ve restricted my spiritual reading to Lent…
Well, I have to have something to do in Lent… 😀
RCAVictor
There is evidence to suggest that there are some good ones among them and that these are beginning to come more and more to the forefront. I think Pope Francis’ Pontificate has knocked a lot of the new-conservatives and middle-of-the-road Modernists out of their rose-tinted stupor.
Jeanne,
Why would we want to take the day off on the 4th July? We have our own public holidays in this country, including ones you don’t have.
Mental health care is actually quite hard to access in the UK. There is currently a mental health crisis in this country. One has to be really bad before one is referred to a consultant psychiatrist. Most British people’s mental health problems are treated at a primary care level, and this is often indequate.
Miles Immaculatae
Most of the mental health cases today are down to the absence of religion and grace, triggered by conscience. As Bishop Fulton Sheen once correctly obeserved “psychiatry is just Confession without absolution”.
A great letter from Martin and one which deserved much more than just 2 replies .
Bishops really ought to be bound to engage with every letter, replying at least once – otherwise its hard to avoid the suggestion that they think they are unaccountable and above question (not to mention rude). I suppose that, in Pope Francis, they have an excellent example of someone who thinks like that.
Yes, they have a position of authority – but a good application of authority is one which listens when appropriate and engages with those people under the authority.
The Bishops have really made a mess of this virus scare, because they have sought primarily to please politicians rather than care for their flocks.
The last thing the mainstream Church – more a house of cards than a mighty fortress – needed was to broadcast a message that access to the sacraments is really not that important.
I wait with baited breath to see how many people actually return to the Diocesan Churches when this is eventually all over.
I had one funny thought – we can console ourselves that, even with all the restrictive rules in place, at least going to confession in the Diocese will be unaffected in terms of more queues (almost no-one goes anyway!).
I was talking to a friend recently, who said he was very disappointed that each diocese did not seek to purchase at least one protective suit (maybe something akin to a HAZMAT suit) for use in emergencies, so that people might still have received the last rites etc.
No doubt such things are expensive, but I am sure rich Catholics or a fundraiser would have helped fund it. Possible organisations or the military would have donated or loaned items, in response to an appeal.
Gabriel Syme,
What your friend clearly doesn’t realise is that there was / is no need for any kind of protective suit. The whole thing has been hyped up and it’s beyond ridiculous that people are so afraid that they’d cover themselves from head to toe in that way. Completely crackers.
Editor,
I completely agree about the over-hyping of the situation.
Re a protective suit – rather than to actually be protective, I understood his meaning as being that no-one could reasonably deny a priest access to a hospital if so attired.
But you are right, everyone knows it is OTT. We are supposed to wear masks at the shops, only small minority do.
There is reality, and then there is Sturgeon’s waffle and TV adverts.
Gabriel Syme,
Yes, I understand your friend’s thinking – and that is what is instinctive, to try to co-operate as best we can, but I’m now thinking it’s a huge mistake.
From now on, I think we need to be on red alert waiting for the second wave of totalitarianism and then say “Nope!”
Gabriel Syme
I had to laugh at the HAZMAT suit suggestion, it threw up some interesting pictures in my mind. Best not talk about it too much or some ultra revolutionary priest might replace his vestments with one.
Seriously, though, you’re right about the bishops not responding to people’s letters. I suppose it’s one of the tragedies of our time that pride reigns everywhere, even at the highest levels in the Church, like a throwback to the Pharisees of Our Lord’s time. They simply view lay people who write with concerns as inferior and insolent human beings worthy only of silent contempt. Tragic but true.
I should clarify again that two of the eight bishops did respond, albeit with little more than an acknowledgement of having received my letter. So we can say that two of our eight bishops at least have basic good manners.
Gabriel
It’s funny how the checkout operators in supermarkets or cramped Spar shops, or even the binmen and postmen, don’t need the Hazmats.
I don’t know many churches where the congregation is within ten metres of the priest, far less two, during the service. As for confession, we could always go
to the front door and use the letterbox or, as allegedly happened in a village in Ireland, shout your sins up a lane.
They could even make it safer by reverting back to the past and have their backs to the congregation.
I think we ought to cast a wider net than just the Bishops. Bishops never make decisions by themselves: they all have “advisers.” So the question here would be: who are the advisers to the Scottish Bishops? Are they all a bunch of secular lawyers? Representatives of far-left umbrella groups like the World Council of Churches? Yes-men controlled by pressure groups?
These people need to be outed, as they say among the “tolerant and inclusive” crowd.
RCA,
Secular lawyers will play a big part in advising them. Novus Ordo clergy are paranoid these days.
RCA Victor,
Apparently a lot of the lay advisers close to the Bishops (esp +Tartaglia, the head of the Bishops Conference) are very much “in bed” with the ruling SNP party.
(as are the Bishops themselves).
I do not doubt that this unhealthy and very much one-way and unequal relationship is directly connected to our current situation of closed Churches and silent Bishops.
RCAVictor
I don’t know who the bishops have to advise them but I will say that they’re the ones who are supposed to advise and guide because they’re the shepherds, even if superficially.
Athanasius, Gabriel Syme, Miles Immaculate, RCA Victor,
The Bishops’ Spokesman, Peter Kearney, has publicly supported the SNP.
Absolutely incredible.
And if you all remember, some editions ago, we published a front page report about Nicola Sturgeon’s invitation to speak on the subject of … Catholic schools! Which, of course, she praised to the skies, and why wouldn’t she? They’re spreading her evil policies on sex education and more than happy to do so – the Bishops expressed their delight in having LGBT+ “rights” embedded (that’s the word) in the curriculum.
You truly could not make this stuff up.
Editor
These are all symptoms of the same lost faith and the deep spiritual crisis in the Church, right up to the highest levels. It’s also symptomatic of a certain drop in educational standards in our time. So much religious illiteracy, they don’t even know about the Church’s consistent condemnation of Communism in all its guises, including Socialism. As pius XI said: “One cannot be at the same time Catholic and Socialist”. In terms of Socialism, they don’t get more culturally Marxist than the SNP and that puts Mr. Kearney against the teaching of the Church and, by default, against Our Lord Himself.
Editor,
In other words, your Scottish Bishops are just a chapter of the SNP…
Editor,
Your mention of Peter Kearney made me think it has been a while since I looked at the website of the Scottish Catholic Media Office (SCMO). Mr Kearney is, or was, the head of that organisation.
I was surprised to find that its website does not work any more and instead displays an “account suspended” message.
Has the SCMO become defunct?
I wonder if its responsibility have been rolled into the Catholic Parliamentary Office remit? (The Parliamentary office now seems to feature much “news” as well).
Gabriel Syme,
Snap! I found that same “Account Suspended” message earlier today when I visited the SCMO website. I then emailed the webmaster to ask if this were a temporary blip or what. No reply, so far. So, your guess is as good as mine.
And apologies yet again – your posts seem now to go routinely into moderation. It’s really annoying, but be assured I do check as often as I can and release such posts as soon as I see them. Anyway, yours are always worth waiting for 😀
Today I saw a horrific video on social media about the planned reopening of Scotland’s chapels. I was stunned at what I saw and the lengths the bishops are going to to put people off visiting. It’s like they want people to stop practicing.
Sarah,
Would you post a link to that video – there’s nothing on YouTube.
I wouldn’t think they’re trying to make people stop practising, they’re already not practising, LOL!
Lily I can’t work out how to do it. If you visit Sancta Familia it might be there.
Sarah,
Thank you for this alert. I presume this is the (disgraceful) video to which you refer… Ironically, I’ll be posting a new thread on the topic of the crackpot “stay safe” message later, to which I see the Catholic hierarchy in Scotland has added the even more ludicrous exhortation to “pray safe”. Crazy people.
That’s the video. I couldn’t believe my eyes!
Well, Sarah, I’m afraid I can believe it all too easily. And if you were to follow this blog, you’d soon be in a position to play catch-up where absolutely nothing that happens in the Church in Scotland today will surprise you. And not much that happens elsewhere – especially the Vatican – will surprise you either. Very sad to say.
Thank you again, for this alert.
Goodness, that really is a statement of faith, isn’t it – a lack of it!
“Pray safe” – no instructions on how to do that, LOL!
This is Matt Hancock, the UK Health Secretary breaking the social distancing rule in Parliament. If they can’t keep the rule in Parliament, how are we expected to keep the rule in a church? The camera doesn’t lie, LOL!
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/matt-hancock-caught-on-video-failing-to-social-distance-in-house-of-commons/ar-BB15CHjf?ocid=spartan-ntp-feeds
Sarah and Lily
Our Lord’s words come to mind here: “He who tries to save his life will lose it…” The bishops exhibit more and more a lack of supernatural faith.
Lily,
I agree that this statement is saying “lack of faith”. How sad that Priests and Deacons have fallen to this level.
The “Stay safe” needs no explanation. But, “Pray safe”? I would like an explanation for that, but I doubt that will not be forthcoming.
Athanasius
An amazing letter!
Francescomarta
Thank you. I wish the bishops would say that!
Athanasius,
Except in the case of a prisoner, legally, and I quote from the first legal source that came to hand: When any person is accused of a crime, or charged with any fact, and he does not deny it, in general, the presumption is very strong that the charge is correct.
We can take it, then, that, being unable to answer the charges you make in your letter, the Bishops are, in fact, admitting the truth of what you have written. Seems obvious to me…
Mind you, I’m not always right about everything… Not always…
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/51/93/67/51936719bfceade6a63b89a147355cf2.jpg
Editor
Good point. St. Thomas More said something similar, albeit under different circumstances, though not that different. He said “Silence according to law betokens consent”.
Mind you, it could just be that the majority of the bishops think me insolent and worthy only of contempt. That would indeed be a tragic train of thought for them to have.
Athanasius,
Well, I suspect that, at least in some cases, and for some reason Archbishop Tartaglia springs to mind, there will be a very deep-seated acceptance of the truth of what you have written. A combination of things – the collegiality nonsense, years of decay, the inability to say “I / we got it wrong” – is making it impossible for any of them to offer you the humble response which your letter, by its very nature, demands.
However, forget the bishops, for a moment. I paid a visit, as is my wont, to the moderation file a short time ago, and found there yet another “new” blogger, this time called Mario, who, after condemning your letter as much too long and rude, went on to write over 400 words, all very rude! What a nut. But that’s not all. Guess what?
“Mario” is also Dan, and Anthony and… and… and… very loud drum roll….
Margo McGlashan! Remember her?
https://catholictruthblog.com/2020/05/15/faithless-scots-bishops-to-keep-churches-closed-until-at-least-2021/#comments
Yip, this is the same troll who very haughtily took me to task for posting an inaccurate headline: “…this blog headline is quite inaccurate, we have to be very careful about exaggerating the words of others. Shucks. Excuse me! Stand by for the end of the world!
In fact, this was nit-picking. Still, being of a humble ilk, I updated the post to confess my sin of not having read the original source properly and getting it wrong, even naming dear old “Margo” in gratitude. Response? There wasn’t one. Disruption work done for the time being, there was no “thank you – I appreciate that…” You kidding? That’s not what trolls do !
I’m now going to copy this comment onto the original thread, for the record, before I go back to my file and block the above nutcases so that they have no chance of making it onto this blog – ever, again.
Idiot(s) !
PS – more than one person has expressed amazement at the obsession of these clowns with this blog, saying they’ve never known anything like it before. Me, neither. I participated in a blog discussion elsewhere a couple of weeks ago and it was made very clear to me that my presence was not welcome. I apologised for upsetting things, and promised not to return. I didn’t return (even though the blog administrator told me in an email that I was welcome to return – still, I didn’t. And haven’t even thought about it until now). So, I just do not understand the obsession with this blog by some bananas who – while desperate to publish here – hate us. I do not get it. Does anybody else? If so, spill…
Editor
How can any normal rational person be expected to put up with nutcase behaviour like this? I mean this is obsession and actually quite evil. Talk about getting a life! Such is the power of hate in a soul.
I can’t count the blogs I’ve been made to feel unwelcome on and I simply stop posting comments there, unless they ban me first. It never occurs to me to use multiple logins to get back on, I just move on. These people are more to be pitied than scorned.
Editor,
Could it be that you have been visited by the ghost of video games past?
RCAVictor
My nephew used to love that game.
RCA Victor,
Funny you should say that, (“ghosts, past”) because when I went into block “them” I found another ID, this time a foreign name, under which he/she/they/it tried to blog, way back when.
It’s a really interesting phenomenon. Any students of psychology out there who can explain this craziness, please do!
It must be extremely tiresome when you are running an important venture like this blog and you are having to deal with this behaviour. Some of it will just be troublemaking, but if the behaviour is truly erratic, it may be something else.
I have professional and family experience of mental ill health. I agree with Athanasius who said earlier that this is often a symptom of a poor spiritual life, but that is not always the case. I know he didn’t say it was, but it’s an important distinction.
You may be dealing with obsessive compulsive disorder in some people. I think for some modern technology is a trigger. It’s so easy to fire out comments online. What’s important to remember is that for someone with OCD they actually can’t help themselves. That doesn’t mean you have to put up with annoying behaviour, but it does mean we should have a firm compassion and put boundaries in place.
Friendship is very important for people with mental ill health and sometimes the people they are closest to, love, admire etc are the people who are attacked when they are finding it tough. That can cause many to write them off and declare that the friendship is over. This then leads to a spiral of behaviours caused by hurt, anger, rejection.
What these people need, again, is firm responses. A balanced approach. The behaviour cannot be simply attributed to mental ill health and there be no consequences . That doesn’t help. But we shouldn’t simply write them off. It may be that you explain that you can no longer be friends with them no social media, or communicate with them using technology, but assure them that you are there for them, as a friend, in the traditional way.
But then again, some people are just out the make trouble. I hope this helps.
Sarah,
We have done everything possible to help the person who is obsessed with this blog. So, you need not worry about that, but thank you for your kind comment.
Very good news – Gloria TV has linked to Martin’s letter
https://gloria.tv/reply/KfBTCFiaSRKS6sg8ndRaVzNuM
That’s the apostolic spirit in action – Deo gratias!
Fantastic news! May other news channels follow suit.
Frank Walker’s of Canon212.com may also link it on his Catholic news page. info1@canon212.com
Mary,
That would be great if someone – maybe yourself – would send the link to that site.
We didn’t contact Gloria TV so they’ve either found it themselves or some kind and apostolic soul has sent it to them.
The “staff” here have done as much as we can. Over to our zealous bloggers, readers and lurkers!
Editor
It is indeed heartening to see that Gloria TV has linked to my letter. I reckon if I was Archbishop or Professor Blackshaw then many other so-called Traditional Catholic publications would have given the letter priority on their outlets.
Since I am essentially a nobody, however, the substance of what I wrote, highlighting where the heart of the present crisis in the Church and the world lies, seems to have fallen on editorial deaf ears. It’s tragic for me that such a letter is pushed aside for headlines that are purely worldly. Such is the depth of the crisis in the Church and the enormity of certain egos.
Mary and Editor,
A word of extreme caution about the C212 site: the top half is to be treated with a spiritual hazmat suit on, since Mr. Walker exhibits nothing but sardonic contempt for our corrupt clergy and hierarchy, especially the Pope. This is not a Catholic attitude, but it is identical with most sedevacantist attitudes – for example, “Novus Ordo Watch.”
Moreover, the headlines in the top half not only exude the above-mentioned attitude, they frequently misrepresent the content of the articles to which they link. In other words, the headlines, rather than being factual, are almost always Mr. Walker’s editorial comments.
Mr. Walker no doubt thinks he is doing the Church a great service by daily insulting our clergy. I had the same indignant attitude when I was writing my newsletter years ago, but it is wrong, and it is sinful.
The bottom half of the site, however, is useful in that it links to numerous Catholic blogs, along with a few conservative political ones. But there again, you have to pick and choose carefully, since the list includes sedevacantist blogs and Voris’ site.
RCA Victor,
I thus revise my suggestion to Mary – forget about it 😀
RCAVictor,
Oh dear, you’re quite right. In my haste to promote the letter I’ve already mentioned it to Frank Walker but maybe he’ll see your comment and decide to leave it out!
Mary,
Don’t worry – you meant well; it won’t do any harm and it may do a lot of good.
You’re on the list for a pay rise, for putting in that overtime. Although…
https://markallenassets.blob.core.windows.net/communitycare/2019/08/Overtime.jpg
Thank you for your kind words Editor. Loved the cartoon!
May I use the excuse that I was up in the wee hours of the morning (Sydney time) waiting for painkillers to kick in for my impulsivity to write without thinking?🥱
MaryW52
As Editor says, your heart is in the right place and it was very noble of you to try increasing circulation of the letter. I don’t care where it gets published as long as more Catholics get to read it.
Done!🙂
Thank you… kinda 😀
Great letter, thank you!
I have just received our parish newsletter telling me if I wish to adore Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament I must wear a mask and email first as only 16 people can enter the church at a time.
I can not see my self following this government ( and bishop endorsed) propaganda of the evils of the bogeyman “Covid”
I am unsure what else to do but write to our Archbishop myself to make it clear that I find it verging on blasphemous to cover my face in a mask in the Presence, and that I will not be cowing to government propaganda and neither should he.
The first page of our newsletter is all about giving them money too.
Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on us all.
Graeme,
Yes, do – I urge you to write to your Archbishop – and maybe include the link to this thread, letting him know we are discussing the letter he received, along with his brother bishops. Here’s the link for you to copy in case you decide to do that..
https://catholictruthblog.com/2020/06/15/layman-writes-to-the-scottish-bishops/#comment-81949
That will remind him of the facts, the scientific facts, because they need to stop pretending that this is all based on “the science” – rubbish. The facts which Martin provides in his letter reveals the false science which has been used to get us all handing over our freedoms, or, more accurately, perhaps, accepting the removal of our civil and religious freedoms by both the bishops and governments. Shame on both.
Interesting about the first page being all about money. Doesn’t surprise me at all.
Graeme
I understand perfectly where you’re coming from, the absence of wisdom (let’s not talk faith) in our bishops is astounding. How these successors of the Apostles could have fallen for so obvious a scam and then dare to tell people to wear masks before their Creator and Saviour in the tabernacle speaks volumes about “the spirit of Vatican II”.
Editor has a good point, it would be worth copying the link to this thread to your bishop, although it’s unlikely he cares enough to check it out.
Martin’s letter has been published over at The Remnant
https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/headline-news-around-the-world/item/4945-shepherds-obeying-wolves-open-latter-to-the-bishops-of-scotland
It’s spreading far and wide, Deo gratias!
PS – I’ve just noticed a typo in their heading: “latter” instead of “letter” – no big deal. We all make misteaks…
I have received the following email which I promised to publish here and in the next (September) newsletter. I have also sent the text of the email directly to Martin:
Dear Editor
Praise God for Catholic Truth Scotland!
l wish to congratulate you for publishing Mr Martin Blackshaw’s letter to the Scottish Bishops 7/6/20.
ln addition l completely subscribe and agree in entirely with the rationale and contents of his concerns.
l wish to acknowledge my support and would appreciate that my name be publicly linked in support of him and his remarks in whatever capacity you think appropriate.
Yours in Christ
Michael Brady [Glasgow]
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