Francis condemns consumerism but doesn't appear troubled by clerical hedonism

Francis just warned that, "We must pray to the Lord 'to set us free' of that very dangerous evil that is consumerism, which enslaves us, makes us addicted to spending: 'it is a psychiatric disease.'"

Fair enough.  But what of the moral corruption found among so many within the Church's hierarchy?  A corruption which led to so many minors being sexually abused by clerics and to a staggering waste of financial resources - monies donated by good-hearted Catholics who gave freely (rather than spending these monies on material things) so that the Church could be built up she could minister to the poor?

Does this attitude of cover-up and homosexual enabling which led to countless victims and a squandering of vast resources not represent a "psychiatric disease"?

As this NPR article makes clear:

"Sixteen years after an investigation in Boston highlighted the dimensions of the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic priesthood, the financial and reputational cost to the Catholic church continues to grow.

Lawsuits by abuse victims have so far forced dioceses and religious orders in the United States to pay settlements totaling more than $3 billion, and at least 19 have filed for bankruptcy protection."

Yes Francis, excessive consumerism can indeed be an evil.  Perhaps even a psychiatric illness.  But what of hedonism?  Is that a psychiatric illness to your way of thinking?

You want us to believe you're concerned about the poor.  Then perhaps you should clean the filth and corruption from the Church so that those donations which continually come in from hard-working Catholics - many of whom live paycheck to paycheck - donations which very often result in real sacrifice, will no longer be squandered.

Three billion dollars wasted Francis. And you're worried about how many shoes we own?

Physician, heal thyself.

Archaeologist: Sodom and Gomorrah "appear to have been wiped out in a "heat event"

An archaeological dig appears to have confirmed the truth of the Biblical account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah:

"The sun was just rising over the earth as Lot arrived in Zoar; at the same time the Lord rained down sulphurous fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah.  He overthrew those cities and the whole Plain, together with the inhabitants of the cities and the produce of the soil." (Genesis 19: 23-25).

Another archaeologist, Werner Keller, in a fascinating work entitled "The Bible as History," which I first read back in 1984, writes, "The calamity which is the subject of this powerful Biblical story of divine punishment for incorrigible sin has probably in all ages made a deep impression on men's minds.  Sodom and Gomorrah have become synonymous with vice and godlessness.  When men have talked in terms of utter annihilation, again the fate of these cities has always sprung to their minds.  Their imaginations have constantly been kindled by this inexplicible and frightful disaster, as can well be seen from the many allusions to it in ancient times.  Remarkable and quite incredible things are said to have happened there by the Dead Sea, the 'Sea of Salt,' where according to the Bible the catastrophe must have happened.

During the siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 it is said that the Roman army commander Titus sentenced certain slaves to death.  He gave them short shrift, had them bound together by chains and thrown into the sea at the foot of the mountains of Moab.  But the condemned men did not drown.  No matter how often they were thrown into the sea they always drifted back to the shore like corks.  This inexplicable occurrence made such a deep impression upon Titus that he pardoned the unfortunate offenders.  Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian who lived latterly in Rome, repeatedly mentions a 'Lake of Asphalt.'  Greeks lay stress on the presence of poisonous gases, which are reported as rising from all parts of this sea.  The Arabs say that in olden times no bird was able to reach the opposite side.  The creatures, as they flew across the water, would suddenly drop dead into it..." (The Bible as History, p. 87).

Related reading here.

"One of the difficulties is that they appear in many disguises..."

Today is St. Padre Pio's birthday.  It is mine as well.  With the spiritual battle intensifying all around us as more and more abandon the Faith of our Fathers, I thought I would post the following thoughts on spiritual warfare from some of our Church's great prayer-warriors:


"Spiritual combat is another element of life which needs to be taught anew and proposed once more to all Christians today. It is a secret and interior art, an invisible struggle in which we engage every day against the temptations, the evil suggestions that the demon tries to plant in our hearts." - Pope John Paul II.


"Whatever the less discerning theologians may say, the devil, as far as Christian belief is concerned, is a puzzling but real, personal and not merely symbolical presence. He is a powerful reality, the 'prince of this world,' as he is called by the New Testament, which continually reminds us of his existence, a baneful superhuman freedom directed against God's freedom. This is evident if we look realistically at history, with its abyss of ever-new atrocities which cannot be explained by reference to man alone. On his own, man has not the power to oppose Satan, but the devil is not second to God, and united with Jesus we can be certain of vanquishing him. Christ is 'God Who is near to us,' willing and able to liberate us: that is why the Gospel really is 'Good News.' And that is why we must go on proclaiming Christ in those realms of fear and unfreedom." - Pope Benedict XVI.


“No one wants to believe in evil, really, above all, not in an evil being, an evil spirit. Everyone wants to abolish the idea. To admit the existence of evil means a responsibility, and no one wants that responsibility. That is the opening through which the evil spirit crawls, stilling all suspicions, making everything seem normal and natural. This is the “thought,” the unwariness of the ordinary human being which amounts to a disinclination to believe in evil. And if you do not believe in evil, how can you believe in or ever know what good is?” - Father Malachi Martin.


"The Devil fears the Virgin Mary more, not only than men and angels but, in a certain sense, than God himself. It is not that the wrath, the power and the hatred of God are not infinitely greater than those of the Blessed Virgin, since Mary's perfections are limited: it is because, in the first place, Satan, being proud, suffers infinitely more from being overcome and punished by the little, humble servant of God, her humility humiliating him more than the divine power; and secondly, because God has given Mary such great power over devils that, as they have often been obliged to admit, in spite of themselves, through the mouths of possessed persons, they are more afraid of one of her sighs of grief over some poor soul, than of the prayers of the saints, and more daunted by a single threat from her than by all their other torments" - Monsignor Leon Cristiani.

"We need to be especially alert to the evil subtlety of Satan. His one desire is to keep people from having a mind and heart disposed to their Lord and God. . .He wants to extinguish the light of the human heart, and so he moves in by means of worldly busyness and worry." - St. Francis of Assisi.


"The Devil does not want to lose this battle. He takes on many forms. For several days now, he has appeared with his brothers who are armed with batons and pieces of iron. One of the difficulties is that they appear in many disguises. There were several times when they threw me out of my bed and dragged me out of my bedroom. I am patient, however, and I know Jesus, Our Lady, my Guardian Angel, St. Joseph and St. Francis are always with me." - St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina.

Venerable Mary of Agreda: Antichrist will appear in Egypt

Venerable Maria of Agreda, prophesied that, "When the world will be drowned in terrible vices, Satan and all his devils will be let loosed so that they may pave the way for the godless Antichrist to attain world dominion and final persecution... As mankind has lost it's faith, the subjects of that time will be very much oppressed by their rulers and authorities. Then many people will come to the Antichrist, who will pretend to be exceedingly kind and generous to all, and tell him their troubles. He will console the oppressed and promise them help. Finally the delegates of certain nations, the Jews, Turks, and Tartars will beg him to personally free them from their yoke. He will now declare himself ready to fulfill their wishes, while at the same time he will arouse the neighboring nations to revolution. The Jews will finally bring him a costly crown and a kingly garment, as well as a scepter, and declare him their freely elected king. The kings of the world, who will hear of this, will laugh at it and not pay any attention to this little horn. In the meantime he will build a powerful army and take up residence in Babylon, where a magnificent palace will be built for him. Many Jews will then stream to Babylon."

"Then the Antichrist will seek to enlarge his kingdom. He will, therefore, occupy with his troops various surrounding districts in Asia. Then, like a storm wind, he will appear in Egypt with his army and conquer this country as well as Ethiopia. He will then endeavor to make himself loved by the subjugated nations by a friendly behavior, and by exacting a very small tribute from them. He will declare everywhere that he is destined to be the savior of all the oppressed. He will not in the least let it be known that he strives for a world kingdom. Thereupon, he will march into the promised land and occupy Jerusalem. Now, at last, the kings of the world will become frightened; they will recognize that they are dealing with the Antichrist, especially since the Jews of the whole world will make known the great talents and deeds of the Antichrist, so that his praise shall resound throughout the world. Then the kings will send armies to the Holy Land, but the Antichrist will slay them all."

And he will plunder its wealth: Daniel 11:40-45.