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A publication of Traditional Catholics of America t Editor: Fr. Francis Fenton, STL t Volume IX, No. 5 t July 15, 1988
IS us
Fr. Francis E. Fenton
under the anti-American leadership of Secretary George
Schultz, it remains today what it has been for the past several
decades-flagrantly pro-Communist. And then there is
Secretary of Commerce, William Verity, one most recent
of President's appointees. pleased the Reds must
Mr. Verity in that cabinet ~,,.,,r,,m
utter n\lnOf'>'1
in the government is and the £"{)1'11CnlY'.:>£"1
government of South Africa. some years now the and Freemasonry) are now, for
issue of apartheid as a smoke screen, the USA has been working working control of the government?
hard to bring South Africa to its knees. In a word, any genuinely could well be. There was a time when I thought atheistic
anti-Communist nation today (Taiwan and South Korea, for New World Order, if that utterly abhorrent concept were ever to
example) which supposedly has America as a "friend" and "ally" become a reality, was something off in .the far distant future.
is on very dangerous ground indeed and will undoubtedly be Needless to say, I no longer think so. While it may not be right
betrayed sooner or later. around the comer, the New World Order is, I submit, much
closer to realization today than even its most rabid promoters
Yes, on whose side is the USA? In the U.S. Congress it is had expected it to be at this point in time. And this, I further
becoming more and more of a rarity to get approval for even a contend, is due in considerable part to the impetus provided by
mild piece of anti-Communist legislation. I recently read that John Paul II and Ronald Reagan. These two men, I have no
some 24 current members of the House of Representatives are doubt whatsoever, are two of the most powerful influences on
openly Marxist, but I'm sure there are many more who are the world scene today in furthering the advance of the Com-
CDr·1Coth1 such. to ~nu,~v,,c its in
John Kenneth Weiskittel
I tis not at all uncommon to hear the times in which we live
referred to as "the post-Christian era." The humanists tell
us ihat this is their age and say that Christians may
and then, just as regularly, support and perpetuate the
murder of the unborn, state socialism, amoral public
education, the militant atheism of the Communists and a
participate in it only after checking their "outdated moral score of other policies equally repugnant to everything for
baggage" at the door. All may enter the temple of the New which authentic Christian order stands. Surely, the present-
Age provided they are willing to bend a knee before the day observer who examines the social programs of t~10se na-
reigning "deity" -Humanity. tions that historically have been either officially or numer-
ically Christiap, even the Catholic ones, will search in vain to
For Catholics who hold fast to the words of Our Lord and find any that have not been infected with this contagion, a
the teachings of the Church, notions of a "post-Christian contamination more fearful than AIDS since it strikes not at
era" are absurd. Had not Christ, in establishing the papacy, the bodies of a relatively few but rather imposes itself onthe
solemnly stated that "upon this rock I will build my Church, minds and souls, as well as the bodies, of the many. And the
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew most sinister aspect is that, while the spread of this cultural
16:18)? And is it not, therefore, a dogma of our Faith that virus has been facilitated by countless weak or unsuspecting
the Church will remain steadfast until the end of time as the agents, it was initially injected into national bloodstreams by
Mystical Body of Christ and as the infallible voice of the Holy men bent on bringing to an end the Christian (and, specif-
Ghost to all nations of the world? Thus, in absolute terms, ically, Catholic) order and, as Pope Leo XIII writes in
the Christian era began with the Incarnation and will con- Humanum Genus, "to bring back, after a lapse of eighteen
tinue unto the Judgment. centuries, the customs and morals of the pagans… "
Governments and individuals today are at variance with the Let us, then, briefly examine some of the most significant
Church on virtually any and every issue under the sun. So instances wherein the modem world has rejected the true
uniformly have the shapers of modem culture ignored the social order and review what the Church teaches is needed
Catholic position that, far from its retaining its rightful to restore balance, sanity and the spiritual dimension to that
preeminence in any discussion of the morally proper direc- world. Certainly, too, a corrective is in order to dispel the
tion for society to take, the Church is not so much as con- distortion of Catholic social teachings circulated by the
sidered as having anything worthy or viable to offer in these Conciliar Church sect and its jet-set "pontiff."
debates. Indeed, to such an extent is this the case that a
visitor from another planet could be excused for not know- The Right Ordering Of Society
ing that there is a Catholic side to the political, cultural, In ages past the Church was accustomed to do battle against
social and academic issues of our day. one or, perhaps, two organized forces at a time. The earliest
foes were the Jews and the Roman Empire. After Rome was
That non-Catholic and even anti-Catholic thought has Christianized the principal enemies of Christ and His
become institutionalized in those countries that once made Church were, in tum, the barbarians of the North and the
up what is known in textbooks as Western Civilization is schismatics of the East. Next came the Protestants and
readily apparent to anyone who gives even casual considera- Anglicans, followed at length by the Rationalists and
tion to the daily news. For any reader who argues that the Freemasons and, in the present century, by totalitarian
situation, while serious, isn't quite as grave as it is being regimes. Even the greatest internal crisis of the early
painted here, we submit a simple test which will demonstrate centuries weathered by the Church revolved around but a
the crisis dramatically. Select a hundred people at random single perfidious heresy-Arianism.
and ask them: 'What is your single greatest fear?" We
believe that, while a number of varied replies might be Today, however, the war is all-out and fought on any
heard, the vast majority of responses would be reduced to number of fronts against many opponents (some of whom
two-AIDS and nuclear war. The point here is that, al- are united with one another only in their · of Christ).
though it is not at all inappropriate to express deeply felt This anti-Christian army consists of some nemeses, such
concern over a particularly virulent disease or the most as Communist, Socialist and Masonic as well as such
devastating machinery of destruction ever conceived by the newer ones as Secular Humanists, New Agers and various
human mind, such fears pertain to the natural order. That strains of false Christians (Modernists, Liberation Theology
very few would respond with a spiritual concern-the fear of devotees and smaller movements). Whatever differences
offending God through sin or the fear of hell-reveals just they may have, all are presently engaged in liismantling what
how far secularism has gotten a grip on our culture. is left of Christian social order in the world.
This denial of the sacred duty to organize society in Before going further, it would be well to define the term,
accordance with the will of God is rarely espoused directly. social order. What do we mean by it? In Summa Contra
Legion are the number of politicians, for example, who Gentiles, Saint Thomas Aquinas calls order "the unity
routinely sprinkle pious sounding rhetoric in their speeches arising from the apt arrangement of a plurality of objects."
ATHANASIAN 2 1988
Order in society, then, depends on harmonious One of Leo's most famous papal letters, Rerum Novarum
action of citizens and classes and on the enactment laws (1891), served as stimulus another great e11cyclical
that preserve these right relationships. (It should be noted, written some 40 years later by Pope Pius XI, Quadragesimo
if it isn't already clear, that "society" as alluded to in this Anno. More than any other twentieth-century Pope, Pius
study refers to civil society and not to its highest form, the has spoken out on these crucial matters, and his nearness to
Roman Catholic Church.) our own age makes his comments all the more telling.
Proper arrangement of the social order necessarily re- Quadragesimo Anno, like the letter it commemorates, is
quires a commitment from its leaders to organize it in such concerned with "reconstructing the social order." Both are
a way that the public good is pursued only along lines con- great charters defending the rights of the working class
sonant with a Christian outlook. Failure to do this dimin- against the often unjust practices of employers in capitalist
ishes its legitimacy. Pope Leo XIII, writing in his 1892 States and against the siren songs of Socialism and Marxism.
encyclical Au milieu des solicitudes, observes: The free enterprise system is never condemned as unlawful
by its nature but it is castigated insofar as, left to flourish
When the State refuses to give to God what belongs without moral and legal constraints, it tends to glorify
to God, by a necessary consequence it refuses to give avarice and materialism, trample the weak and giv~ inordi-
to its citizens that to which they, as men, have a right. nate wealth and power to the most cunning or ruthless. Pius
For, whether one likes it or not, the true rights of XI describes the situation thus:
man spring precisely from his duties toward God.
Hence it follows that the State, by failing in this way .. .it is patent that in our days not alone is wealth
to accomplish the principal object of its institution, accumulated but immense power and despotic eco-
finally becomes false to itself and denies that which is nomic domination are concentrated in the hands of a
the reason of its own existence. few, and that those few are frequently not the owners
but only the trustees and directors of invested funds,
That social chaos is the inevitable product of such a secular who administer them at their own good pleasure. This
State is spelled out by the same pontiff ten years later in power becomes particularly irresistible when exercised
Tamesti: by those who, because they hold and control money,
are able to govern credit and determine its allotment,
The case of governments is much the same as that of for that reason supplying, so to speak, the lifeblood to
the individual; they also run into fatal issues if they the entire economic body and grasping, as it were, in ·
depart from the way … Let Jesus be excluded and hu- their hands the very soul of production so that no one
man reason is left without its greatest protection and dare breathe against their will. This accumulation of
illumination; the very notion is easily lost of the end power, the characteristic note of the modern economic
for which God created human society, to wit: that by order, is a natural result of limitless free competition
the aid of their civil union the citizens should attain which permits the survival of those only who are the
their natural good nevertheless, in a way not in strongest, which often means those who fight most re-
conflict with that highest and most perfect and en- lentlessly and who pay least heed to the dictates of
during good which is above nature. Their minds busy conscience.
with a hundred confused projects, rulers and subjects
alike travel a devious road, bereft as they are of safe Now, more than half a century after Pius wrote these words,
guidance and fixed principle. this concentration of power is, if anything, even greater. It is
a power that extends well into the political process: the big
And, the abortion chambers of our day being a most banking and corporate lions are able to do more than buy
heinous example, this "devious road" ultimately leads to candidates and influence votes; they are, in many cases, at
acts of legalized sin. the very seat of government. (Examples, past and present, of
the superrich in power include Franklin Roosevelt, Averill
Pius XI's Reorganization Plan Harriman, the Kennedy's, Rockefellers, George Bush, Pete
And Modern World DuPont and Armand Hammer.) And, although itis through
For the past century or so the assault on the Catholic idea a free market that fortunes are made, the urge dominate
of society has been unrelenting. As long ago as 1877 Pope has led to laws that hurt the small businesses pave the
Pius IX, who 13 years earlier included various false beliefs way for monopolies. John D. Rockefeller has been quoted as
about the State and civil order in the Syllabus of En-ors, saying, "Competition is a sin."
reminded Catholics of their obligation "to stave off the
imminent dissolution of society." His immediate successor, This progress is illustrated in what Pope Pius''XI calls "a
Pope Leo XIII, wrote a series of outstanding encyclicals threefold struggle for domination":
showing what constituted ethically sound activities in the
social, political and economic spheres and condemning First, there is the struggle for dictatorship in the
Communists, secret societies and liberal economists as economic sphere itself; then the fierce battle to
among those set on overturning Christian order.
THE ATHANASIAN 3 JULY 15, 1988
acquire control of the State, so resources and honor the of are
authority may be abused in the economic struggle; who claim that human ingenuity is self-sufficient in
finally, the clash between themselves … Free solving of world problems. Fahey, C.S.Sp.,
competition is dead; economic dictatorship taken makes following about this breed in
its place. Unbridled ambition for domination has Mystical Body of Christ Reorganization of Sbciety:
succeeded the desire for gain; the whole economic
life has become cruel and relentless in a ghastly Men imbued with naturalistic will
measure. Furthermore, the intermingling and scan- that the highest social organization is the individual
dalous confusing of the duties and offices of civil State or the group of States tending to coalesce
authority and of economics have produced crying· into the world-state. will aim at
evils and have gone so far as to degrade the majesty of vestige of the Supernatural from social ~·,,,,,-….. _
the State. The State, which should be the supreme tion. those are aware of the importance for
arbiter, ruling in kingly fashion far above party con- the world of respect for the Rights of God and who un-
tention, intent only upon justice and common derstand the meaning of the Redemption,
good, has become instead a slave, bound over to the is the forerunner of decay and death.
service of human passion and greed. As regards the
relations of peoples among themselves, a double In his 1922 encyclical, Ubi Arcano, Pope XI explicitly
stream has issued forth from this one fountainhead: condemns One-Worldism and indicates the only means of
on the one hand, economic nationalism or even eco- securing lasting peace order in the world: "No
nomic imperialism; on the other, a not less noxious institution exists which can impose upon the nations an
and detestable internationalism or international international code … But there is a divine institution which
imperialism in financial affairs which holds that can guarantee the sanctity of the of nations, an insti-
where a man's fortune is, there is his country. tution which, embracing nations and transcending them,
is endowed with supreme and evokes veneration
In the intervening years, the internationalists have become through its plenary powers Church of Christ."
so entrenched here and around the world that propaganda sentiment was also expressed 20 years before by Pope
"globalism," "interdependence" and other catchwords Leo XIII in an apostolic reviewing his pontificate.
world government is pushed in churches, schools, the Lamenting widespread disorders plaguing society, he
news media and by government officials on a daily basis. As writes:
of the Reagan-Gorbachev summit talks, U.S.-based
restaurants such as Pizza Hut and McDonald's are opening .. .Just as Christianity cannot penetrate into the soul
franchises in Russia. (Reagan's subsequent visit there has without making it better, so it cannot enter into
shown more clearly the falseness of his "anti-Commu- life without establishing order… But the return
") In this other collaborative efforts we see but Christianity will not be efficacious and complete if it
another step towards the creation of godless super- does not restore the world to a sincere love of the One,
state whose were so roundly condemned by and Apostolic the
Pope Saint Pius X and Benedict XV. And intema- Church Christianity is incarnate. It is identified with
imperialism has been developed into a highly sophis- the perfect spiritual society, sovereign in its own order,
ticated weapon of diplomatic pressure the One- which is the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ and which
Worlders. Through the nebulous instrument of "world has for its visible head the Roman Pontiff, successor of
opinion" nations that fall in line with the intents of the the Prince of the Apostles …Society, so sadly gone
internationalists can count on generous aid via sources like astray, must reenter the bosom of the Church if it
the World Bank (the tab often is picked up by unwitting wishes to recover its well-being, its repose and its
U.S. taxpayers), while those that refuse to be assimilated salvation.
into the system (South Africa being a key modem example)
can expect only sanctions, boycotts and other economic Catholic Action-Now The Time
reprisals. The topics discussed in this article have been necessarily
limited, due to space considerations, but it may stated
On the face of it, it makes no sense whatever for here that there is not one of the myriad woes NC,s,tww,i>;»srt
international financiers, multinational corporations and modem society that does not at its root involve a """C"'""'"
Western governments to join forces with their sworn the Church and her teachings and a certain weakness on
enemies, the Communists. How, it has been asked many part of Catholics to fight for right. Leo XIII blamed the
times, could the U.S. State Department possibly permit spread of Masonry in part to the reluctance of the faithful to
American firms to trade with Eastern Bloc nations at the enter the fray, and Pius XI bluntly stated in 1937: "There
same time G.I.'s were being killed in Vietnam in a war their would be today neither Socialism nor Communtsm if the
own government told them was to contain Communism? rulers of nations had not scorned the teachings and the ma-
This and similar questions can best be answered when one ternal warnings of the Church."
comes to the realization that these powerful Insiders have
more in common with the Reds than they do with us. The time has come for us to behave truly like the Church
Neither the Communists nor their Western benefactors Militant. None of us has the slightest trace of an excuse for
THE ATHANASIAN 4 JULY 15,. 1988
not speaking out dearly and often for the Rights of God
insofar as we are able. We must be willing to endure the
of in defense of Christ and social About the "rights of men," as they are called1 the
We must not grow disheartened at the task at hand people have heard enough: it is time they should hear
but, as Pius XI states, "Let us thank that of the Rights of God.
makes us to live among the present problems .. .it is no
longer permitted to anyone to be mediocre." (Pope Leo XIII)
we must act. Belgian Canon Joseph
of this century, drew up an If unbelievers see we cannot talk accurately about
Action groups that still may we see, how will they respect what we say or write
. we ai11e to observe the moral about the unseen?
second, we must judge them in
~"'·"'"h,nti'• and third, we need to take whatever (Saint Augustine of
action is necessary to bring about change
Kingship of Our Lord. This should be
guidance of our clergy. Spiritual books are like a mirror which God places
before us in order that we may see ourselves in them
Whether or not society is to tum back to God in our life- and hence correct our faults and adorn ourselves
time is, humanly speaking, unknowable, yet it is clear that every virtue.
we do not have the luxury to remain spectators on the
sidelines. sainted Pope Pius X gives us the challenge in (Pope Saint Gregory the Great)
his encyclical on Catholic Action, fl fermo proposito
(1905): "We have been like rabbits, too frightened of
everything … we must cease fearing to give I didn't care for reading newspapers …which are ordi-
carry out this aright we must have divine narily oflies and trivia.
grace and the apostle receives none if he is not united to
Only when we have Jesus Christ our- (Saint Claret)
selves shall we more easily be able to give Him back to the
family and society." t
The lay apostolate has, as every apostolate has, … two
functions: conservation and conquest, and both are
urgently needed in the Church today. And, to speak
very plainly, the Church of Christ is not thinking of
giving ground without a struggle to her declared
enemy, atheistic Communism. This combat will be
pursued to the end, but with the weapons of Christ!
(Pope Pius XII)
Let prayer be the weapon which you always have at
hand.
(Saint Mary Mazzarello)
SUBSCRIPTION RENEWALS
Modem times are dominated by Satan and will be
date on the envelope address label indicates the more so in the future. The conflict with hell cannot be
month and year in which the recipient's subscription is due engaged by men, even the most clever. The Immac-
for renewal. At the proper time, a subscription envelope will ulata alone has from God the promise of victory over
be enclosed with the newsletter. One may enter a new Satan.
subscription at any time, of course, and will then receive the
eight following newsletter issues. t (Father Maximilian Kolbe)
THE ATHANASIAN 5 JULY 15, 1988
Jill Wiesner
he year 1300 marked the dawn of the Renaissance, and prayers on his behalf obtained his recovery. Having
a period of upheaval in Europe and of great suffering come so close to death, Ulf realized how temporary the
for the Church. Princes vying with one another for power things of this world really are and, with his wife's consent, he
destroyed the unity of the Holy Roman Empire and turnea entered the Cistercian monastery at Alvastra. One year later
with hatred on the Pope whenever he interfered with their he died there in the odor of sanctity.
ambitions. Wars racked Europe, followed by the Black
Death. After her husband's death, Bridget renounced her rank of
princess and divided her property among her children so
But the fourteenth century was also a period of great that she might devote herself to serving the poor. '"Charity
heroism and of saints in the most unlikely places, devoting for the suffering members of Jesus Christ, mortification and
their lives to God and exerting a holy influence on those prayer became her sweetest delights."
around them.
In 1344, she founded a religious congregation at Vadstena,
Saint Bridget of Sweden, a princess, wife and mother, giving it the name of the Order of the Most Holy Savior. This
never allowed herself to be lured by worldly attractions. Order was consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary who
Born about the year 1303 to Birger Persson, governor and "triumphs over all heresies." The nuns were to recite daily
provincial judge of Uppland, and his wife Ingeborg, Bridget the Office of the Blessed Virgin and to assist each day at a
was carefully instructed in religion by her pious parents. High Mass in honor of Mary, after which the Salve Regina
From the age of seven she manifested great devotion to was to be sung. Before beginning Vespers and after reciting
Our Lord and His Blessed Mother. When she was ten she the Ave Maria, they were to ask pardon of one another by
was deeply affected by a sermon on the Passion of Christ. saying, "Pardon us for the love of God and His Most Holy
Soon after, she had a vision of Jesus, hanging on the cross Mother, if we have offended you by word, deed or sign; as for
and covered with fresh blood. He spoke to her, telling her us, if you have offended us in any way, we willingly pardon
that He suffered because of those "who despise me, and you." They were to observe frequent fasts, wear coarse
spurn my love for them." For the rest of her life Bridget garments and observe almost continual silence. The Rule of
could not meditate on the sufferings of Jesus without her congregation was approved by Pope Urban Vin 1370.
weeping.
Though Bridget was the dearest friend of all who were in
At the age of thirteen, on the advice of her parents, she need, she was the implacable foe of anything which would
married eighteen-year-old Ulf Gudmarsson, Prince of offend God. She fearlessly went to Court to rebuke King
Nierck. Their marriage was a happy and holy one and they Magnus, the queen, the nobles and the bishops for their
were conscientious parents to their eight children (the scandalous behavior. Though the king took her words to
youngest of whom is Saint Catherine of Sweden). Faithful heart and tried for a time to reform, he was soon seeking her
to the duties of her station, Bridget also devoted much time support for a "crusade" against the Letts and the Estonians.
to the care of the sick and the poor. Severe with herself and She saw through his scheme-which was nothing more than
gentle with others, she was beloved by all who knew her. an excuse for plundering his weaker neighbors-and found
She and her husband spent their free time in the company herself no longer welcome at Court.
of learned and holy monks.
She was loved by the Swedish people, however, as her
In 1335, Bridget was called to the court of Magnus II, King Christian behavior was an inspiration to them. Many of them
of Sweden, to be principal lady-in-waiting to his queen, were newly converted and Bridget, who "was and meek
Blanche of Namur. Her duties at court proved to be a great to every creature and had a laughing face," strengthened
hardship for Bridget, the young king and queen having them in their Faith.
little interest in anything but pleasure and luxury. Though
they were fond of Bridget, they found her holy exhortations In 1349, undaunted by the Black Death which was ravMing
irritating. Unable to convince them to amend their ways, Europe, Bridget traveled to Rome for the jubilee year of
Bridget finally asked for a leave of absence from the Court. 1350. Rome, abandoned by the papacy since 1309, was in a
tragic state. The Pope reigned from Avignoo under the
Ulf and Bridget used their respite from the royal court as watchful eye of the king of France. This sorry period for the
an opportunity to make a long pilgrimage to the shrines of Church is known as the "Babylonian Captivity" because the
the Magi in Cologne, Saint Mary Magdalen in Provence seventy years spent in Avignon were the same duration as
and Saint James in Compostela. On their return to Sweden that of the Jews in Babylon. In 1303, the French king, Philip
Ulf became seriously ill. His condition worsened rapidly the Fair, "the first absolute monarch of Europe," had sent
and he was given Extreme Unction. But Bridget's efforts hired thugs to attack Pope Boniface VIII who has opposed
THE ATHANASIAN 6 JULY 15, 1988
Philip's policy of taxing the clergy. The elderly Pontiff was
subjected to such indignities and cruelties (such as being
struck with an iron glove) that he died a few weeks later. A SPELLBINDING DEVELOPMENT
His successor, Benedict XI, was found dead soon after he IN THE DEMOCRATIC RACE
had excommunicated those responsible for the crime-and Earlier this year The Athanasian carried an article on
it was rumored that he had been poisoned. At the next the growing witchcraft movement in America. There it
papal election, Philip, ruler of the most powerful nation in was noted that Salem, Massachusetts, has an "official
Europe, made sure that the new Pope was French. witch"-Laurie Cabot. You'll never guess who gave
Clement V and the six Popes who came after him were her the titlel Why, Michael Dukakis, that's who!
French, elected in France and under the influence of the
French monarch. It's true. David W. Dow, writing in the August issue of
The Twilight Zone Magazine, reveals that the Demo-
Urban V, the reigning Pontiff in 1350, was a good and holy cratic candidate for President was doing more while
Pope but, safe secure in the papal palace in Avignon, chief executive of the Bay State than engineering an
he was reluctant to undertake the journey to Rome. The "economic miracle." Dow opens his tongue-in-cheek
site of the See, founded by Peter, remained column by throwing around a few names of potential
abandoned. candidates in search of one who "would best represent
the Twilight Zone" (the stranger and more fantastic
Rome, without the Pope, was in a state of chaos. Its the candidate, the better). Finally, he hit upon
beautiful buildings had fallen into disrepair; the churches Dukakis. Dow writes:
suffered from neglect. Robbery and murder were common
and vice paraded openly in the streets. Why? Well, as some of you might remember from
our interview with Laurie Cabot (June, 1987), he
Upon her arrival in Rome, Bridget set about caring for the was the one who bestowed the honorary title of
poor, the sick and pilgrims. She was present at 5:00 a.m. "Official Witch of Salem" upon her in 1977.
Mass each day, went to confession every day and received
Holy Communion several times a week. An accompanying photo shows the two together at the
time of the recognition. Laurie, clad in black robe and
Solicitous for the care of souls, she rebuked the worldly amulet, appears to be giving the camera the evil eye
clergy "who did not trouble about souls at all." She wrote (under more mascara than anyone this side of Tammy
many letters to Pope Urban Vat Avignon, begging him to Faye Bakker), while Mike grins rather lamely. The
return to Rome and warning that, if the Popes did not caption reads: "Has Dukakis locked up the 'witch'
return to Italy soon, "they would forfeit not only their vote?"
temporal but also their spiritual authority." Finally, in
1368, the Pope came back to Rome. But, after enduring Dow says that he's a little shocked that, in a "year in
insults, threats and curses from hostile factions for two which skeletons are being torn, screaming, from their
years, he and the papal court fled back to Avignon. Four closets," no one in the press has seen fit to drag this
months later Urban V died. one out before the public. He's been unable to get a
response from the Dukakis camp. (The four offices he
Bridget wrote to his successor, Gregory XI, urging him to called, including National Headquarters, declined
return the papacy to its rightful home. She was joined in comment.) Laurie Cabot was more cooperative. She
her entreaties by Saint Catherine of Siena. (Pope Gregory told Dow that she wasn't sure for whom she would
did finally return, ending the "Babylonian Captivity" four vote. She says she feels favorable towards Dukakis but
years after Bridget's death.) adds: "I like what Jesse (Jackson) has to say."
In 1371, accompanied by her daughter Catherine and two Things could get interesting if Governor Dukakis be-
of her sons, Bridget made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. comes President Dukakis. Among the tough decisions
When she returned in March of 1373, her health was facing him will be what post to give Ms. Cabot. He may
failing rapidly. · On July 23, after receiving the last have to invent one. "Official Witch of the U.S.," say, or
Sacraments, Bridget died in a state of ecstasy. She was "Ambassador Witch to Haiti"? Why not "Secretary of
canonized on October 7, 1931, by Boniface IX. She is the the Department of Seances and Psychic Services"?
patron saint of Sweden. Maybe she would cast a spell on "nasty" South Africa.
And who could complain? After all, Nancy Reagan has
Though she lived in a time of worldliness and disorder, her very own astrologer-and couldn't be happier.
Saint Bridget of Sweden had only one desire: to serve her – John Kenneth Weiskitte,
suffering Savior with her whole heart and soul. Through
her intercession may we be equally single-minded so that,
with her, we may praise God for all eternity. t (The next issue of The Athanasian, that of September 1,
1988, will contain articles by Mr. Weiskittel on both George
Bush and Michael Dukakis.)
7 1988
(In order to get this newsletter issue to printer on the a few hours after the Econe
consecrations on June 30. This should be kept in mind in reading the in the event that substantial changes may have
occurred in the situation between that datepf June 30 and the date of July 15 on this issue of
or a number of years now Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and his Society remain to this day a part of
Lefebvre has been making some very strong state- that Church for the simple reason that he has never
ments regarding the Conciliar Church. Typical of these separated himself and his Society from it. While he
is the following (July 29, 1976): logically justifies his "disobedience" of John Paul II in
the matter of the consecrations, the point is that he
That Conciliar Church is a schismatic Church be- acknowledges John Paul II as a valid Pope, the Vicar of
cause it breaks with the Catholic Church that has Christ. As for the excommunication normally attached
always been. It has its new dogmas, its new pliest- to such an act of consecration of bishops without papal
hood, its new institutions, its new worship-all approval, Archbishop likewise justifies his action as
already condemned by the Church in many a docu- permissible under circumstances and not cause
ment, official and definitive. . . Church that ~ ~ ~~~~ ~
errors is at schismatic and validity of John II but
heretical. Conciliar is, therefore, not not
~~,,,~.,·~· To whatever extent priests
or adhere to new separate
themselves from the Catholic
Despite his strong and impressive statements over the
years against the Conciliar Church, Archbishop
ATHANASIAN
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