Open Letter To The Scottish Bishops: Demand End To Govt Abuse of Power…
Martin Blackshaw, aka blogger Athanasius writes…
Dear Bishops of Scotland,
As we reach the tenth month of a relatively harmless Chinese Flu pandemic, the global governmental response to which will surely one day be recorded for posterity as the greatest crime ever perpetrated against humanity, I thought I would take the opportunity at the beginning of this year dedicated to St. Joseph to once again upbraid you for abandoning Christ’s flock to the wolves.
You may recall that I wrote to you in July 2020 demonstrating, with sound statistical evidence, the falsehood of the official narrative regarding this virus, which the UK government had already downgraded to “non-life threatening” on March 19, the same day it mandated the closure of our churches with your approval on the very feast of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church.
Despite the detailed information I provided at that time, together with a reminder that the Church’s superior divine mission can never be made subject to secular interference, you have continued to impose the most unholy measures in the House of God in your zeal to appease the “Prince of this world”.
For four consecutive months last year you closed the churches completely to your flocks. Over the same period you compounded the scandal by complying with an evil law forbidding Sacramental visits to the dying, thereby abandoning many souls in the most important last hours or moments of their lives.
Since the easing of that failed lockdown you have continued to collaborate with the new government dictatorship in the suppression of people’s inalienable rights to freedom and the worship of God. In this regard you have limited Holy Mass to small groups, obliging the faithful to pre-book as though they were arranging a dental appointment and subjecting them to infantile admittance rules that have absolutely no precedent in Church 
history and no basis in established science – your unspoken “no mask = no Mass or Sacraments” rule standing out as singularly iniquitous before God.
If only this misplaced zeal were evident in defence of the rights of the Church and our Christian heritage when the secular authorities legislate against the divine and natural law or when Catholic politicians publicly trample the Church’s moral teaching and then present themselves unopposed for Holy Communion, the faithful would scarce have cause to doubt your fidelity to Christ, Our Lord.
This tragically not being the case, however, it is the duty of all subordinate Catholics to call you out for the hypocrites you are; men who strain on a gnat while swallowing a camel, prelates apparently devoid of supernatural faith whose episcopal agendas, like that of Pope Francis, are more aligned with the naturalist doctrines of Socialism than with the divine doctrine of Our Saviour, whose Kingdom is not of this world.
Reading through the three Encyclical letters of the present Pontiff, one is struck immediately by the dearth of references to the immortal soul and the supernatural life. Everything is about this world, i.e., the climate, migrants, the poor, injustice, the marginalised, a brotherhood of man, etc. It’s 
like reading the worldview of a Communist or a Freemason, not remotely in line with traditional Papal teaching.
Likewise your own mindset as most recently expressed in Bishop Nolan’s ‘Pastoral Letter for Day of Peace’, here
This disgraceful document similarly emphasises the “new humanism” of Vatican II, to quote Pope Paul VI at the conclusion of that fateful Council in 1962, the bitter fruits of which subsequently led him to lament “the smoke of Satan in the Church” – more specifically identified by an exultant Leo Cardinal Suenens as “The French Revolution in the Church”.
It is hardly surprising then that after almost 60 years of this conciliar destruction of the faith from within, we find you exhorting not to a restoration of all things in Christ, Our King, but to the embracing of the diabolic “Build Back Better” programme of a global Socialist elite presently engaged in the establishment of a New World Order of brutal totalitarianism that they variously describe as “The Great Reset” and “The New Normal”.
Well did Our Lady of Fatima warn of the global spread of the errors of Russia so long as the Pope and bishops of the world refuse to grant her request for a public and solemn consecration of that country to her Immaculate Heart. Well did Sister Lucy describe the subsequent unfolding of the Third Secret chastisement in the Church as “apostasy from the top down”. She also said (in an interview with an American historian in 1946) that Communism would spread to every country without exception; it is now here, aided and abetted by you bishops…
If ever the Scriptural warning that Lucifer often appears disguised as an angel of light were applicable, it is today in this “Build Back Better” doctrine of Socialism that promises a new humanity emerging from a programme of psychological warfare on the peoples of the nations, suppression of their inalienable rights and freedoms, destruction of their economies and a silencing of all legitimate opposition by means of media censure, arbitrary fines and police brutality.
Where is your outrage, you who champion Vatican II’s French revolutionary spirit of liberty, equality and fraternity? Why are you not speaking out forcefully against this diabolic assault on our way of life, against these criminal impositions in the name of a virus that has purportedly killed only 1.8 million of the estimated 70 million who die in this world every year?
Untold numbers around the globe are committing suicide in despair, countless thousands more are suffering mental health issues, incalculable numbers have seen their medical treatment for genuine life-threatening illnesses suspended, tens of millions are losing their employment, economies are collapsing, civil liberties are suspended, families are split and isolated, the elderly die alone and the worship of God is forbidden in the public domain while you, disciples of the “new humanism” of Vatican II, apostles of justice and peace, defenders of the poor and marginalised, remain conspicuously silent, your only utterances being to echo the fallacious “Build Back Better” doctrine of the Socialist despots responsible for such evil.
You of all people should know that the only way to “Build Back Better” in this troubled world is to restore all things in Christ, whose universal Kingship must be re-established everywhere, not least in the hearts of men, particularly men of the Church: For as Pius IX declared in Quas Primas: “…as long as individuals and states refuse to submit to the rule of Our Saviour, there is no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ…”
Alas, this is not the sound doctrine you preach by your indifferentist “common home” vision of a world in which all religions and none collaborate in the creation of some future mythical paradise on earth, as though this place were not after all a temporary exile and a valley of tears to be traversed in the hope of one day arriving at our true eternal home in heaven.
The faithful need to see an end to this destructive Vatican II experiment and the cowardice it has engendered in the Shepherds of Christ’s flock. Our Lord did not come into this world as a hippie to found a commune of earth worshippers and appeasers, He came to found His Catholic Church by His own precious blood for the salvation of souls, outside of which, declares the infallible dogma, there is no salvation.
Why do you no longer preach this divine truth, this certain reality? Is it because, like the ancient Latin Mass of the saints and martyrs, the kneeling to receive Our Lord on the tongue at Holy Communion, sermons on the four last things – death, judgment, heaven and Hell – and so many other holy traditional Catholic beliefs and practices handed down, it represents an inconvenient barrier to the new humanism of that so-called pastoral Council?
You need to open your spiritual eyes and see the devastation this new orientation of Vatican II has visited upon Our Lord’s holy Church, which you have helped reduce to ruins over many years and which you now subject to the demands of inferior secular authorities, turning the House of God, a House of Faith, into a house of Covid fear and forbiddance.
You are the successors of the Apostles called by Our Lord to preach fearlessly, as they did, against sin and irreligion, the real plague that threatens humanity, not wring your hands over a respiratory virus that hardly compares with past deadly pandemics, and certainly not to the extent that requires your approval of vaccines produced from or tested with the stem cell lines of aborted babies, however remote in time.
Abortion, as you well know, is “a sin crying to heaven for vengeance”, to quote John Paul II. It is therefore unconscionable that the present Church hierarchy should approve of vaccines produced or tested using the stem cell lines of murdered innocents, applying sophistry to undermine divine moral teaching that forbids the reaping of benefits from evil acts.
There is quite sufficient sophistry at work right now in those peddling the Covid-19 crisis that never was, your duty as disciples of the Lord is to expose this with the truth, not participate in it to the further detriment of the worship of God and the common good of humanity.
Having read your response to the Scottish government’s latest January lockdown, your timidity was once again on full public display. Instead of using the divine authority invested in you by God to command and demand an end to this unprecedented and inhumane abuse of government power, your letter is best described as pusillanimous and embarrassing. It has to stop, for you are called to be Shepherds of souls and on that alone you will be most rigorously judged by the divine Judge.
In this regard I am reminded of the words of one brave prelate who, when persecuted by his confreres for defending the faith handed down from the poison of the conciliar new humanism, was asked why he acted as he did. His response is sobering:
“When I stand before my judge and He asks me what I did with my priesthood, I do not want to hear those terrible words “you have helped to destroy the Church along with the rest of them”.
Sobering words indeed, and well worthy of your serious reflection, as are the following concluding statements:
“I do not think there are many among Bishops that will be saved, but many more that perish.” (St. John Chrysostom, Extract from St. John Chrysostom, Homily III on Acts 1:12).
“The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.” (St. Athanasius, Council of Nicaea, AD 325).
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Click here to read Martin’s previous letter to the Scottish Bishops.
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Comments invited…
Comments (52)
This is a very beautiful letter to the Bishops. Whether it will shake them is unknown. Maybe one or two will be moved by the good words of blogger Athanasius. Nothing seems to touch them, with a few exceptions in each country here and there in the world. Thank you for writing it and posting it. It helped me though it also made me sad to recall that the Bishop is the man responsible for sanctifying the faithful in his diocese. I get so excited when I read a sort of ‘holy’ letter in the diocesan newspaper.
Mary Anne,
I am allowing myself to be a little hopeful that Athanasius’s letter will shake them somewhat, because they must surely now see clearly just how much they are held in contempt by the SNP Government and it’s First Minister – they politely asked for a review of the restrictions on church attendance and she responded by doing the precise opposite by tightening them… Earth to Bishops… Hello!
If you don’t mind me saying so, it’s possibly wiser not to read the diocesan newspapers. When we first launched Catholic Truth I used to get letter after letter asking me to “tone down” the criticism, don’t put people off etc. I always sent the same reply: I would tell them to read the diocesan newspapers because there they will see no mention of any Church crisis or scandals, they will read lovely reports about the Women’s Guild Coffee Mornings for various charities and the impression is given that all is well with the world, especially well with the Church.
Thus, when people became aware of scandals via the mainstream secular media, they were (rightly) scandalised but without the necessary spiritual/religious understanding to cope with these assaults on their Faith.
By selectively publishing – e.g. “holy” letters and articles – people are misled into not fully grasping the extent of the evil engulfing us. Better to put on your Soldier of Christ hat and head for internet outlets where you can correct errors and spread the truths of the Faith.
As you already know, of course, you are always welcome here! .
Dear Editor,
Thank you Athanasius for putting so clearly in to words what so many of us feel. Your comments are so appropriate at this time of Satan’s accession to power in the USA on this Holy Epiphany.
Let us pray for some divine guidance in this time of diabolical turmoil.
Patrick,
I thought it was providential that the Save America March was taking place on the Feast of the Epiphany because, of course, that Feast marks the way God revealed Himself to the Magi, the Gentiles, the secularists. So, here, on this Feast, in a last ditch attempt to save America from Communism, President Trump was to address the march and remind everyone (if anyone needs reminding) that real evil had taken place at this election.
And as the day unfolded, I became even more convinced that President Trump is being savaged by the very demons from Hell, courtesy of the snakes both inside and outside his own Party, precisely because he is fighting the tyrannical evil which they plan to impose on the American people – and if this Biden/Harris scandal goes ahead, then we’re all in serious trouble, not just the American people.
We’re already in the early stages of outright Communist governance here in Scotland and in the wider UK (though it’s further along in Scotland since nobody is fighting it here, the majority do not recognise the significance of “the virus” or the dictatorial mode of governance already imposed upon us, as we’ve lived in the socialist mentality/culture for many years now – all of my life, in fact).
It strikes me that the slowly but surely imposition of Communism is taking place carefully, until the White House is secured by and for China. That is what is happening. Once Biden/Harris are officially in power, things will speed up not only over there, but here as well.
As Sir Desmond Swayne MP said some weeks ago in the House of Commons in London, this has been a very dangerous lesson for the Government – that the people will hand over their freedom with a mere shrug of the shoulders, when said Government snaps its fingers and manages to instil (a totally unnecessary) fear into the people. Hear, hear.
And the rest – we will soon be saying – is history. Literally. We gave up our freedoms when told to do so by politicians and bishops. Too bad when history repeats itself and we are unable to get them back.
You have it in one sentence their ED President Trump is without a doubt being savaged by Demons as he really is the only Man standing between China taking over the U.S. Completely . After all they have already said they have the Souls of The Biden Family in their pockets .As for Harris i think She is one of those rare Persons who never had a Soul .Of course had he been a Godless Pro Abort President, things may have been different . Sure he may even have got a Thumbs up from Francis . As for the mealy mouthed Scottish Bishops as its been said before ,their really just following the Boss .Its a great Catholic Letter sent to these Men who are supposed to Protect Our Catholic Faith . Unfortunately as we have a completely Godless Marxist Scottish Government we are well down the scale .As to the Letter saying that Professional Contact Sports could still take place, then one has to realise the complete Hypocrisy of all of this 2nd Lockdown .As the letter also says Many are also being denied basic Medical and Dental needs .Myself coming into both categories along with no doubt countless other 1000s in Scotland . God Bless You and Take Care James .D.
I just read that letter of Bishop Nolan, BTW is he another one of these Construction Clergymen . You know like Jimmy Martin and his Bridge Building . After listening to Return to Tradition on Bill ( of he whos 2nd name shall not be mentioned ) and of his Hair ( that’s a Topic on its own ) Brained Scheme to cool the World does this so called Catholic Bishop Nolan also go along with these Environmental Green Ideas .I mean we have an expert in the Scottish Parliament the We Anti Catholic Patrick Harvie himself who is supposed to be saving the Penguins .Bishop Nolan IF and I mean IF you are supposed to be a Catholic Bishop then its the saving of Souls your Job is, leave the Environmental issues to Wee Harvie . After all that is what the Green Party Voters am sure voted him in for and hes well paid indeed .
Faith of our Fathers,
LOL! Your comments always make me laugh, even when I start out being fed up with the whole business! “Hair brained” did it this time, LOL!
Excellent letter. But to answer Mary Anne, I fear our bishops are immovable in their errors now. This is the diabolical disorientation that Sister Lucia foretold and most of them seem to be firmly in Satan’s grip, one way or another. St Nicholas von Flue said: “The Church will be punished because the majority of Her members, high and low, will become so perverted. The Church will sink deeper and deeper until She will at last seem to be extinguished, and the succession of Peter and the other Apostles to have expired. But, after this, She will be victoriously exalted in the sight of all doubters.” This ties in with what Our Lady said at Quito, Ecuador (Our Lady of Good Success).
WF,
That quote from St Nicholas von Flue, and your reminder of the Quito prophecies, is sobering, indeed.
It chimes with what Athanasius often says here, that just when all seems hopeless, God will intervene dramatically. He always exhausts every possible avenue to bring us back to Him before acting outwith the normal channels; having just seen the way President Trump has similarly sought to overcome evil using all the legitimate means available and yet failing, due to the evil machinations of his enemies, I think the time cannot be far off when God will act decisively in this world.
God help us all.
I’ve always felt that – that something drastic must happen to bring the Pope and hierarchy to its knees, in order to perform the Consecration of Russia, which will usher in the great restoration.
Pope John Paul II said publicly at Fulda in Germany that the contents of the Third Secret now couldn’t be stopped, only mitigated:- https://fatima.org/about/the-third-secret/pope-john-paul-ii-in-fulda-germany-1980
Gabriel Syme and I have had some disagreement on the Nicola Sturgeon thread, because I am not inclined to financially support the Bishops’ planned legal action against the Scottish Government. Gabriel Syme sees a lack of credibility in criticising them for their Covid response (closing churches etc) and then refusing to support this legal enterprise – see link to crowdfunding announcement
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/freedomforfaith?utm_term=Bv8rJ4vV8
My position is that, late in the day as it is, this smacks of theatrics and the Bishops should be taking the position that their authority to support the rights of the Church (to show justice for God) trumps the secular authority which has no rights over God or His Church, not least because there is zero evidence that congregations are a source of transmission of the Chinese flu. I also believe that even with a court win, and thus permission to open churches, the bishops would still mandate mask-wearing, hand sanitizer and the rest, thus, yet again, placing themselves in a subordinate position of appeasing a Marxist-in-all-but-name Government.
You can read the brief exchange over on the Nicola Sturgeon thread, but I think it would make more sense to continue the conversation here in the context of Athanasius’s Open Letter to the Bishops, if anyone wishes to comment on the issues involved.
In essence, I see two issues:
Firstly, put simply, the Bishops must assert their right to run the Church – Christ is the Head of the Nation, not Nicola Sturgeon. They should have asserted that from the get-go. That position I unequivocally support.
Secondly, I cannot actively support the promotion of the novus ordo, because I believe it is displeasing to God – that is the only reason to legitimately avoid it. It’s not about preferring this or that rite, preferring Latin or Gregorian chant – none of that. We have had plenty of threads on the liturgical issues involved, so I won’t repeat the arguments here but in essence, the rights of the Church to conduct its own affairs is superior to the wishes of any secular Government.
If you disagree, let me know. There are other blogs 😀
Editor
I have just watched the 2-minute video posted by Canon Thomas White in which he puts forth his reason for raising funds to challenge the government.
The first thing I noted is that the £50,000 he wants to raise is only for a judicial review of the new legislation to ascertain if a case can be made in court against the government based on human rights, so this is not about raising funds for an actual court case. The second, much more important, point is that while Canon White is doubtless motivated by good intentions, there is not a mention of support for his action from the Bishops of Scotland or the Archdiocese of Glasgow. The Bishops are playing it cute, which is another way of saying they’re cowards.
Unless and until the prelates themselves take the fight to this Marxist government on the basis that they represent the superior authority on this earth by reason of their divine mandate, then I would have to agree with you that we cannot and should not encourage these lesser, indistinct, actions on the basis of human rights.
Besides that, I have to agree with you that any successful action to re-open the churches would not solve the problem of masks, sanitisers, social distancing and number restrictions, these would still be imposed and that is unacceptable in the House of God.
I can well understand why Gabriel Syme initially wanted to support this action, given that we all want to see this Marxist government chastised under the law for its suppression of religion, but I feel sure that once he turns this over in his mind he’ll see that it’s really just a sideshow.
The Bishops have to act publicly by their own volition – they have to reject all of the demonic impositions placed on the Chuch by asserting their authority and dignity as successors of the Apostles. No point winning cases to open the churches if the bishops are going to continue insulting Our Lord in His own Sanctuary by insisting on masks, etc. And let’s not forget that they are also using government rules to re-impose Communion in the hand for all, thereby encouraging more irreverence and sacrilege through this scandalous practice.
No, well meaning as he doubtless is, Canon White’s cause is really a distraction from what Catholics expect from the hierarchy. For that reason I could not personally support it. I hope Gabrial Syme will reflect on this and agree that we Catholics need to see the real challenge, which is that of the Bishops standing up for Christ Our Lord and the souls under their care. I fear, however, that we will not see that under the present crop.
Athanasius,
At first, I too was puzzled as to why the initiative was not linked to, or promoted by, the Bishops.
However it later occurred to me that having Canon White act as a proxy, as a “private citizen”, is indicative that the Bishops are not confident of managing to raise £50,000 from the 667,017 Scots they claim as Catholics.
Some of the reaction to the initiative has appeared to vindicate this lack of confidence. It is a shame, given the required level of support came out in the region of 7.5 pence per person.
The Church looked stupid in Ireland when the “Catholic” Irish voted for “gay marriage” and abortion.
The Church will also look stupid here also, when this appeal ends in a flop.
Its a flop which will embolden Politicians who will then know then can interfere with the Church’s liberty at their leisure, as Catholics have already shown they will not resist this.
And its a flop which will discourage clergy from acting in future, as they know that the vast majority of Scottish Catholics will not support them.
Having the initiative at arms length might provide some threadbare measure of cover for the Bishops, in that they can claim it was not a formal Church venture and so its failure doesn’t reflect on the health of the Church in Scotland. (although we all know it does).
I don’t want to speak to soon and record the initiative as a failure, but its been running for one week and has only achieved 26% of its goal. At the time of writing, they has not been a single donation today (13th). Most concerningly, a grand total of just 168 people saw fit to donate, (at the time of writing), over one week.
Compare the figure of 168, to the census figures who say they are Catholic, or even to the woeful mass attendance figures.
Most of the people I told about the venture were so apathetic / disinterested that they did not respond in any way. Reaction here was unfavourable and just 2 people gave any form of positive reaction, though whether they went on to support the move, I don’t know.
So, regardless of what anyone thinks of the initiative, it is clear from the level of support it received that the Church will not be a feature of public life in Scotland for too much longer!
And, with the sad death of Archbishop Tartaglia today, I daresay any move to challenge the SNP Government will now fall onto the back-burner.
Editor,
Ive just seen this post, when posting below about the sad death of Archbishop Tartaglia. (my “replies button” still doesnt work due to wordpress gremlins).
I would not call our discussion a disagreement, but I felt that in situations like this, Catholics must come together for the common good.
This was an effort to challenge restrictions on worship and I felt that was worth supporting.
I do not agree that supporting the initiative amounts to “promoting the novus ordo” it was a general over-arching initiative regarding restrictions to religious practice, (not any particular style of mass), which would also benefit traditional communities.
The Editor is entirely correct as regards the Bishops actions.Their duty is to open the churches freely and unconditionally in defiance of any law. Legal action is not required. Illegal action is.
Antione Bisset,
I agree. It’s always a mistake to try to appease a dictator, and that is something we should have learned from the war. I notice that Gabriel Syme pointed out (on the other thread) that after getting the Bishops’ polite request for a review, Nicola Sturgeon brought forward the rules about communal worship being forbidden! LOL! She is showing real contempt for the bishops – why can’t they see that?
So, no way should we be giving donations for their legal action. They should actually be the ones to force the government’s hand, to defy these unlawful rules and let themselves be arrested – if the government would dare. If it got to court, I can’t see them being punished, but they need to be prepared for the worst, not try to use the corrupt institutions of this corrupt state to overturn the law forcing churches to close.
Antoine,
“The Editor is entirely correct”…
My very favourite words on this blog 😀
Thank you Athanasius; an excellent letter.
Sadly, frighteningly, I don’t think the Bishops will listen or show the leadership, obedience, upon which they will be judged by God, not Nicola.
Scots Padre,
You are probably – very probably – correct, so we need to redouble our prayers for them to respond to the grace which is there, lying in wait for them to accept. If they refuse it, then a truly dreadful judgment awaits them.
Scots Padre
I fear you are right, there will be no leadership from the Bishops because I don’t believe they have sufficient faith in or zeal left for Our Lord, His Church and souls to rise from their tepidity. That really is worrying for them!
I agree with everyone – that is another first class letter from Athanasius. Unfortunately, I think Scot Padre is correct, the bishops will ignore it.
Saying that, there might be some who will get a bit of a shock to realise they’re actually helping to legitimise a Communist government. It really is becoming more and more obvious that these are Communist tactics we are living under. I saw an interview with Peter Hitchens from about a month ago, where he said this “bit by bit” bringing in rules and regulations is very much what happens under socialist regimes. So, maybe at least one of them will start to realise how serious this is and that’s it’s about a virus being used to bring about dictatorship.
Laura,
You’ve put your finger on the reason why we need to pray hard for grace for the bishops to have the scales removed from their eyes. Even one pair of eyes. One out of eight isn’t great but it’s better than zero out of eight…
Laura
If Archbishop Vigano sees it and Bishop Schneider sees it then why don’t our bishops see it? Yes, we do need to pray for them but more because they are indifferent to the spiritual rather than blind to the material. They know what’s going on, make no mistake, and that’s what really concerns me with regard to their salvation.
Athanasius,
That’s one I think I can answer; Archbishop Vigano and Bishop Schneider want to see it, they know the Church has gone awry and they have thought about it and prayed about it, that is why they see it, they have been open to the grace to see it, but no so the Scottish bishops. They don’t want to know, IMHO. They’re enjoying this life too much to worry about the next!
Nicky
Sadly, I think you’re right, God help us. When we see the utterly diabolic hatred for Donald Trump unfolding right now in America, partly sponsored by Pope Francis, Cardinal Wilton Gegory and so many others in the so-called Catholic hierarchy, all devoted Socialists, it is apparent that only a divine intervention of some kind can put an end to this loosing of the demons from Hell. Fatima is central to what we’re seeing right now and it is coming to a very quick conclusion. I pity any Pope or prelate who has used the authority of his sacred office to promote the diabolic spread of Socialism on Lucifer’s behalf. Sadly, that’s a lot of fallen prelates.
It is maybe worth remembering that Hitler was elected. He then moved from being leader (Chancellor) to dictator via the Enabling Act which allowed the Cabinet to make decisions without a vote in the Reichstag. As the NASDAP party dominated the Cabinet and Hitler was the leader of NASDAP, he was quite legally in virtual control of Germany.
When President Hindenburg died a law was passed combining the posts of President and Chancellor.
Hitler became dictator of Germany, legally.
The First Minister is in control of the SNP and the Scottish Cabinet. More importantly she is in control of the ruling SNP self-perpetuating clique. With the supine Greens the SNP have an overall majority.
Ms Sturgeon can do anything she likes. So really, how far are we from being a de facto dictatorship?
Antoine Bisset,
I think we actually are a de facto dictatorship. It’s obvious IMHO. We need a good reason to go out of our homes during January and maybe longer. What’s that if not a dictator telling us what we can and cannot do?
I’m disgusted with the Bishops for not seeing this coming and refusing to go along. The fact that they actually closed the churches last year before they had to speaks volumes.
Great letter from Athanasius, yet again.
Antoine, I agree with Lily – we are already living in a Communist State. That is manifestly clear. I’ve just seen the news that the UK-wide bus company National Express will not be in use between now and March – and who knows whether the travel restrictions will have been lifted by then.
We need to await a diktat from The Dictator…
Fantastic letter, Athanasius. Thank you for acting for all of us. I just can’t imagine the time you must have spent putting that letter together, making sure all the main points are made.
I think some of the bishops at least must be having sleepless nights. They are bound to know, deep down, that they are in the wrong by giving in to the Government the way they are doing.
Fidelis
Thank you. I did spend a significant amount of time preparing that letter, though in full expectaion of the bishops ignoring it. I was driven more by my Catholic sense of duty rather than any hopeful anticipation of success in getting through to these bishops. They will ignore this one as they have ignored other communications, a sign that they are full of pride of the Pharisees and absent of the spirit of Our Lord.
I very much doubt that any of them will lose a minute of sleep over my letter. That is the most worrying and frightening scenario of all because it would mean their consciences are dead.
I agree with everyone – that’s a really great letter from Athanasius, once again.
I was especially pleased to see the references to Fatima and Communism. I’ve agreed with this blog all along that we are witnessing Fatima coming true before our eyes. It’s the ending I don’t know and am trying not to worry about. I’m being selfish, because I know that in the end the Immaculate Heart will triumph, Our Lady said that, but what have to to go through in the meantime?
I sincerely hope they pay attention to the detail in that letter, I really do because I honestly don’t think it would be possible for them to read it and shrug it off. It’s much too factual and serious.
I have no doubt that this marvelously stirring, utterly Catholic letter will be ignored by your Bishops. In fact, I would go a step further than “they have abandoned their flock to the wolves,” and claim that in fact they are the wolves. Vatican II has turned almost the entire hierarchy into wolves – and this after all that fake Freemason-driven “concern” about the “active participation” of the laity.
Active participation has finally been completely exposed as just another disguise for “pray, pay and obey.” This is the Catholic equivalent of the Communist promise to right all the wrongs of the working man, only to make his life miserable (if he survives at all) when they achieve power…while they accumulate all the wealth for themselves. Socialism/Communism within the Church has an old name: clericalism.
Speaking of being exposed, I think the BIshops’ betrayal of their duty could have the same effect as the Donald Trump Presidency. Thanks to Trump, the vast majority of Americans are now aware of the Deep State, and its depth and breadth of traitors.
Likewise, this letter may help, I hope, to raise awareness among the Scots faithful of the heinous spiritual crimes being committed against them. With that in mind, it would be good to print it off and nail it to the door of every episcopal palace in Scotland.
RCAVictor
“…in fact they are the wolves…”
“…nail it to the door of every episcopal palace in Scotland…”
You’re some man!
Seriously, I don’t even think that would stir them. It’s frightening to think how utterly benign they are, I mean, completely indifferent to the divine mission of the Church on this earth. God have mercy on them!
Athanasius, That’s some letter. If only you were a bishop or someone high up in this terrible clergy. May God bless you for your efforts. Surely the good Lord will use your work for the greater good although I don’t see our timid, or perhaps herectical episcopacy, acting on it.
Helen
Letters like mine, from a subordinate, are usually completely ignored, so I expect no response. But I’ve done my duty as a Catholic and letters like these, if ignored, will ultimately have the effect of heaping coals of fire upon them. They won’t be able to tell Our Lord they were in ignorance.
Athanasius,
This piece from your letter really sums up our situation perfectly:
“the Church’s superior divine mission can never be made subject to secular interference.”
If the bishops had got that ingrained in their heads, they wouldn’t have fallen into this gross error of letting Sturgeon rule the Church in the first place. She’s not going to hand back that power now, why would she?
Margaret Mary
You’re absolutely right, that one sentence says it all. But of course they already know that inconvenient truth!
Dear Madame Editor & Athanasius,
I’d like to bring to your attention tonight’s (7 Jan) episode of The World Over. Raymond Arroyo interviewed Damian Thompson. You’ll find it… ahem… interesting.
Yours in Christ the King,
Margaret 🇺🇸
Margaret USA
I found it: https://youtu.be/I8bxpZ5Crzs
Quite interesting to listen to what Damien Thompson had to say, but not overly absorbing. He believes the stuff about a new strain of the China Flu and I found that disappointing, and I don’t agree with his assessment that one or two of Scotland’s bishops have grown a backbone. Don’t know how he came to that conclusion, frankly. Still, he makes some good observations on other issues.
Margaret USA,
Yes, it sure was interesting. So much so that I posted the following comment on the EWTN YouTube channel, right under the video…
Why is Raymond Arroyo asking an English commentator who lives in England about Scotland when he is manifestly uninformed about our situation? Which of the Scottish bishops has “developed considerably more backbone” – we’d love to know! Our bishops are apostates. Check it out.
However, the only place in Scotland where it is possible to find the truth about the state of the Catholic Church in Scotland AND the facts about this Chinese virus is on the traditional Catholic blog at https://catholictruthblog.com/
EWTN will lack all credibility if it insists on seeking information about the Church in Scotland from… England! But then, Raymond, himself, seems to have fallen hook, line and sinker for “the virus” propaganda. His “stay safe” at the end – where Catholics used to say “God bless” – says it all.
Thompson is a rather mixed up modern Catholic who probably means well but can be very misleading in his assessments – as the above example confirms.
Editor
My sentiments exactly – agreed on all fronts. I stopped watching EWTN when the people in there backed stabbed the founder, Mother Angelica. She was too Traditional and they wanted her out – now we see the half-baked middle-of-the-road, neither hot nor cold kind of Catholicism coming out of there. That’s probably why this blog is rejected as a source for factual information.
My thoughts exactly! I had to laugh when he said that they “developed considerably more backbone”. That’s when I got the thought to post on CT.
Personally, I’d love to see YOU or Athanasius on The World Over!!
Margaret USA
I can’t find a link to that programme, searched everywhere on the net. Could you provide a link or, failing that, give us a running commentary? You’re a star!
I was actually watching The World Over when posting so it wasn’t yet up on YouTube.
Btw GREAT LETTER!!! You are a God-send as well as a star just like Madame Editor.
Athanasius,
What a marvellous letter! Well done!
I have no doubt the bishops will read it here and some of them must surely think seriously about its contents. Also the priests – they all need their consciences stirred.
Ah, true shepherds at last!
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/greeks-defy-lockdown-to-celebrate-epiphany
A great letter, Athanasius!
Crofterlady,
Well… the Orthodox is schismatic. Interesting that it should feature on Church Militant.
The Bishop of Paisley is consecrating his diocese to Our Lady
https://www.ncregister.com/blog/bishop-keenan-marian-consecration?utm_campaign=NCR%202019&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105912190&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8LFUXPobftSNEDX_XSvLmOcc0FbzXXfOn1Bp3HiIpYupqEgd1AggT7-pzKDMd8cJw9ZLXrHm29urWI8ekOms2higctLc6JiBuvIlwsi3xyUUvODNk&utm_content=105912190&utm_source=hs_email
Lily
This is definitely a positive development, to be applauded. This is the kind of devition to Our Lady that has been lacking so long in the hierarchy, not least in their refusal to obey her request for a Papal/episcopal consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. I mentioned this in my letter to the bishops. Let’s hope that Bishop Keenan’s initiative will quickly catch on with his brother bishops, though I have serious doubt on that front.
The Archdiocese of Glasgow has announced that Archbishop Philip Tartaglia has died suddenly at home, aged 70.
Apparently he has tested positive for Covid-19 before Christmas, but the cause of death is unknown.
I think the Archbishop had previously suffered heart attacks and had been of fragile health for a number of years.
May he rest in peace.
Athanasius contra Scotiae episcopae.
O Holy Father Athanasius, pray for Martin Blackshaw who writes under your name!
Margaret USA
You’re such a kind soul. I very much doubt that I get anywhere close to the great Doctor and saint of the Church in my lifetime, alas, but the sentiment is greatly appreciated.
I’ll tell you what, though, if cigarette prices go up much higher in the Communist UK, presently upwards of $14 in U.S. currency for a pack of 20, then I may very well end up meriting the title Athanasius contraband!
God bless you.
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