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| Cardinal Raymond Burke |
(LifeSiteNews.com) – One of the highest ranking cardinals in the Vatican has said that the United States is “well on the way” to the persecution of Christians.THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Why should this surprise us? The United States is already working to crush Christianity in the Middle East. Why not here at home too? We all know however, that the form of persecution the U.S. Federal government (and some state governments) will level against American Christians will be subtle and insidious. It works its way in the form of moral relativism and institutionalised political correctness. This is particularly evident in the debate over 'gay rights,' wherein churches are forced to change their teaching and policies to accommodate the state-sponsored homosexual orthodoxy. Already this has forced Catholic charities to shut down in three U.S. states -- California, Massachusetts and Illinois. This is just the beginning and the tip of the iceberg. The warnings of Cardinal Burke should not be taken lightly. He is a very wise and powerful man within the Vatican -- one of the Catholic Church's highest ranking officers, and potential candidate to the Chair of Peter (the papal throne). He has been right about many other things before. There is no reason to doubt him now.
Cardinal Raymond Burke, former Archbishop of St. Louis and now the head of the Vatican’s highest court, told Catholic News Agency that he could envision a time when the Catholic Church in the U.S., “even by announcing her own teaching,” is accused of “engaging in illegal activity, for instance, in its teaching on human sexuality.”
Asked if the cardinal could even see American Catholics being arrested for their faith he replied, “I can see it happening, yes.”...
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In all likelihood, the rising economic and social crisis in the United States will eventually result in an 'unofficial' form of dictatorship, in which the president will eventually be given extraordinary powers to quell some unrest or perceived national security matter. Already the United States Congress is doing this very thing with the latest defence spending bill...
(CBS News) - The Senate on Tuesday voted to keep a controversial provision regarding military detainees in a Defense spending bill, setting up a showdown with President Obama.The legislation is designed to combat radical Islamic terrorists found in the U.S., however, we all know that the word 'radical' is a relative thing, and one doesn't have to be Islamic to be considered a 'terrorist.' The measure gives the president unprecedented powers not seen since the Civil War. (No president since Lincoln has suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus on U.S. soil.) It also allows the president to use the military against U.S. citizens. (We haven't seen that since the Civil War either.) The potential for abuse of this legislation is phenomenal. To his credit, President Obama has promised to veto it. Hopefully he keeps his word on this.
The controversial language in question would require the military to detain terrorist suspects, including U.S. citizens, allowing for their indefinite detention....
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We have seen now what this Republican Congress is willing to do to our civil liberties and the U.S. Bill of Rights. These are the defenders of Christian America? These are the candidates produced by the TEA Party? My God! Something has run terribly amok!
This however is just the beginning, as we will see similar efforts by future congresses to do the exact same thing, and one of these days, the president (whoever the next one may be) will take them up on it. Such powers lead to dictatorship, and such dictatorship leads to absolute tyranny. This is the future that awaits the American Empire. This is the final product of the Civil War. The shadows of Lincoln are resurfacing in the most terrifying way. Combine these proposed extraordinary powers of the president with today's politically-correct orthodoxy, and you have the perfect storm, a combination for a catastrophe in civil rights, pure government persecution of any Christians that cling to orthodoxy. Yes my readers, Cardinal Burke is right, persecution is coming.
Now that I've scared the pee out of you, let me balance this article with the good news. Nations rise and nations fall. Empires have come and gone. In all of this, the Catholic Church remains. We will survive this time of trial and tribulation. We will endure. We will overcome. If not us, than certainly our children, but I predict our time of American tyranny will be short-lived, because the United States no longer has the resources to foot the bill of a dictator for very long. The end result will be the collapse of our federal government, sometime after it has been exposed for the anti-Christian tyranny that it has become. When that happens, we will likely see the breakup of the USA into multiple smaller nation-states. As Our Lady of Fatima warned 'entire nations will be annihilated,' but in the end her 'immaculate heart will prevail.' This last prediction forecasts not only the restoration of the natural law and a time of peace, but also the triumph of the Catholic Church within the Christian faith, for no other Church honours her Immaculate Heart more than the one head-quartered in Rome.
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UK Catholic
There have been similar issues here in the UK over children being adopted by gay couples. The church has its own adoption agency and refused to implement this state driven directive. They threatened to close down the Catholic adoption agency (catholics adopt 25% of kids here)- Im not sure if they did in the end. But the pressure was huge.
Catholic adoption agencies are now closed in the UK. There is great pressure on churches to accept gay civil unions which include the right to adopt. This is all part of a plan to diminish traditional marriage and family to reduce the world's overcrowding and overpopulation. With all the world's current problems, the amount of time and effort world governments have been spending on gay rights shows there are ulterior motives. Citizens must resist the brainwashing that says its all about equality. Equal rights and special privileges are different things.
If the priests, Bishops and Cardinals are not ready and willing to suffer persecution and even martyrdom,- dry, wet, green or social,- then how does anyone expect the people to accept it? We Catholics have always been counter-cultural in the ages of Faith. Our recent complicity with the culture has caused the loss of identity and sense of union with the generations past, who accepted persecution and even martyrdom as just part of being Catholic. Let's rediscover what it means to be "the light of the World"!!!
I'm curious. From what I hear and read there are plenty of bishops and priests who are too embarrassed to stand up for the faith. Still, I wonder how they would view persecutions. Will they completely jump ship, or will they awaken to the error of their ways?
UK Catholic .....Don’t be volunteering others for martyrdom unless you are sure you could go to the gallows alongside them. I see no need for a rush to martyrdom - read what the English martyrs went through (hung drawn and quartered) then tell me you want to be first in the queue. Go to the Nazi camps and see the photos they took of all who marched into the gas chambers alongside the Jews – Catholic priests and monks in droves. No-one goes to that willingly and none of us will know if we have that kind of courage until the very split second we are challenged. The current situation is undoubtedly serious in terms of the pressures being exerted against Catholics – worldwide (and CK has hit on a very important issue here). Our bishops and priests here in the UK have spoken out as mentioned above so I personally have seen no lack of courage on their part. Christ taught us to respond to all aggression and sin with Love. It is possible to mistake this gentle approach with complicity, but I also think that it’s best to study the opposition before showing your hand and speaking out. However I agree that silence can be mistaken for consent, but as far as I am aware the church leaders have made their position very clear on most of the major moral issues of the day. We must also beware not only of attacks from outside the church but also of self inflicted wounds – attacking our own without reason. We must be wary not to demoralise the many good priest we do have left by too much “nagging”..........they are already taking quite a beating from external forces so try not to add to their burdens.
Ok...didn't see this until after I read the other article. This link is more appropriate for this article, because now is the time:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/florida-bishop-would-end-health-coverage-rather-than-obey-obama-contracepti?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=df752fbf8f-LifeSiteNews_com_US_Full_Text_12_01_2011&utm_medium=email
May God have mercy on us!!
UK Catholic, I'm assuming that comment was aimed at me? I agree with your comment about fear when facing persecution. Going through that sort of suffering would not be easy, even though now we can act like it would be. However, concerning our priests, I am not talking about priests being silent. I am referring to priests who openly oppose and criticise the Church.
Oops, I think I got a bit mixed up with the comments there. I thought Anonymous was UK Catholic, but now I think Anonymous was actually replying to UK Catholic... though I think he meant to reply to A Loyal Reader instead...
Anonymous Dec., 01: The fact that only 1 bishop in England resisted unto blood-St. John Fisher- and relatively few were the Martyrs of the English Reformation among the clergy, shows that most were willing to go along to get along. The Cardinal "Red" indicates their supposed readiness to spill their blood for the Faith. No one knows if they will be able to withstand suffering for the Faith until they are faced with it. That's why we pray for the Grace of final perseverance. I am simply suggesting that the example of the clergy will embolden the people to resist evil- even unto death, if necessary. God gives that grace. We do not seek it, but neither should we shrink from it. We should prepare for it.
Sorry for the confusion Antaine you were right first time -Anonymous was UK Catholic - Im still getting used to this new fangled blogging stuff and only use the Anonymous button as I cant use the others...I will say "UK Catholic says" in future.....
UK Catholic says ...Lets pray it doesn’t come to that again. I have to say the last time I was in Walsingham and looked English “reformation” history straight in the eye; it did run through my mind that it could very easily all happen again. The area where Our Lady had appeared was very peaceful but the shrine that she had asked to be built has been destroyed in the reformation. Where the replica of the house of the holy family had been built (as per Our Lady’s revelation) there wasn’t a stone left on a stone. It’s awful to think what a treasure we have lost in that. Nothing left of the original shrine to the vision of Our Lady. Every last stone of a fabulous abbey destroyed - just a few lovely arches left......nothing left....all swept away in a tsunami of greed for the church money/ land, and pure hatred of what the church stood for. Even after all that time you could feel the hatred that did that........... I don’t know why, but I do seem to notice a more anti Catholic tone in society and the media these last few years - and its seems to be growing. I can’t quite put my finger on what is going on but sometimes I find myself thinking that “live and let live” is slipping away on us and it may be gone before we know it- Let’s pray harder – to St Michael the Archangel protector of the church.
"Scared the pee..." You could be more adult than that.
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