"Interculturalism" and "Universal Fraternity"

This post – largely centred around the movement known as Focolare – is addressed chiefly to those who self-identify as Catholic Traditionalists in the Liverpool area. FYI, as it were.

However, much like the aims of Focolare, anyone and everyone else is, of course, very welcome to stick around.

Before continuing with our, now 10 month, silence, we just wished to point out that next weekend (February 24th-26th, 2017) the 10th in a series of Focolare youth events called "ReGENerate" will be held at Welwyn Garden City.

We offer you this, from the "carpe diem" website entry that is currently advertising the event, stating that: "The political turbulence of the last year, the fracturing of relationships across societies, and the dejection that many young people feel, at the way things are moving in the world - will be challenged, and indeed countered by the enthusiasm, optimism and energy of ReGENerate 2017!"

Video materials encourage attendees to be: "Protagonists".

FT?

The Financial Times, no less.

SEARCHING FOR THE ARCHBISHOP (15); Re: "We should perhaps think of how we have contributed to the crisis"; Mass of Chrism 2016; Notes #17

Advice: this standalone topical post is not a sequential part of our ongoing sub-set (Link 12.1, Link 12.2, Link 12.3.1, Link 12.3.2) – concentrating on the issue of His Grace and the matter of women priests – which forms part of our bigger Series "Searching for the Archbishop...". However, it does touch on related issues. We are also well aware of what dread day this is in the Franciscan papacy; you may find our un-connected post quite apt    

It has been interesting to note the positive reception, notably in certain Traditional quarters also, of the homily given by His Grace The Most Rev. Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP, ninth Archbishop of Liverpool, at the recent Solemn Mass of Chrism on Maundy Thursday at the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.

Indeed there was much about it to commend. So we do.

Incidentally, as usual we are unable to show specific photographs of the Mass due to the archdiocesan media policy not to directly share images; never mind. However we can Flickr-link to the whole album as shared on Twitter [and as embedded in the Twitter grab image above].

Also, in passing, we note that the Mass was attended by the two most senior clerics from those Traditional priestly orders with ministry in or around this territory. Pictures show the procession featuring: Fr Armand de Malleray (foreground in this photo link – shown in cassock and surplice but with maniple which, amid the liturgical chaos of the Novus Ordo, especially that at our local Mother Church, at least served to symbolise, on that day of all days, the dignity of his priestly toil and labours and thus distinguishing him from the so-called "altar girls" processing immediately behind him in all but the same garb), who is Superior of the FSSP-England Apostolate (Priestly Fraternity of St Peter) who have responsibility for the fully Traditional church of St Mary, Warrington, in the Archdiocese of Liverpool; also Canon Amaury Montjean (midground in this photo link - the darker-haired of the only two priests seen in ordinary modern chasuble, i.e. not the frankly awful "rainbow wear" of the "Liverpool Diocesan Vestment" first introduced by His Grace at last year's Chrism Mass), who is Rector of the fully Traditional shrine church of St Peter & Paul and Philomena, New Brighton, overseen by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest for the Diocese of Shrewsbury. We pray that the presence of Fr de Malleray and Cn Montjean may have afforded a passing opportunity to convey a few helpful - but always subtle, of course! - ars celebrandi suggestions to the cathedral's liturgy team.

Anyway, back to His Grace's homily. We were struck by the following: "...the sacrament by which Jesus absolves us through his priests from our sins is poorly appreciated in our days. In most of the parishes in the Western world the Communion queues are long while the Confession queues are short or do not exist at all. The confessional is sometimes called the 'loneliest place in the Church'. This looks like a crisis. We should perhaps think of how we have contributed to the crisis."

Well, yes.

SEARCHING FOR THE ARCHBISHOP (12.3.2); Re: His Grace and the subject of "women priests"; our analysis finally triggered by matters arising from the Roscoe Lecture, October 2015; this time considering the Nottingham period of 2001-2007/8; the "God is She" scandal and other dissents promoted by the Nottingham Diocesan Assembly; fourth in a short sub-series; Notes #16

Before reading this lengthy post, we would ask you to consider signing the following Citizen Go petition: link here if you haven't already done so. It concerns the repulsive events that have very recently come to light at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Atherton, Wigan, in this very archdiocese; also the duties we now expect of His Grace The Most Rev. Malcolm McMahon OP, the ninth Archbishop of Liverpool, to defend Catholic Truth. Although this post is not a direct commentary on that obscene matter at Atherton, our readers will detect some very bitter ironies and connections. It's all part of the same toxicity. Also, counter-intuitively, we draw your immediate attention to the explanatory note (text marked in deep red) that we have included at the foot of this post before you read on.

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Advice: this post (12.3.2) is the third of a sub-set within a broader Series. It can be read either as a standalone commentary or in the light of the first two parts (Link 12.1), (Link 12.2) and (Link 12.3.1)

i. Introduction

"Creator God".

Just two small words – albeit with ultimate import for the entire cosmological order.

Theologically sound, too.

Apparently.

For context is everything.

Especially when those words were conveniently (ab)used to form the opening of the official prayer of the infamous Nottingham Diocesan Assembly (NDA) – which commenced in 2002, was still belching dissent in 2008, and begat tentacles that poison even today.

Scandalous that two holy words could deceptively mask layers of compact defiance.

It may seem improbable to seriously allege that so much sinister significance could be loaded into so small a term (phraseologically speaking).

They were just two words of 10 letters after all. In clear praise of Almighty God.

What could possibly be hidden?

But that's the surface deniability, cloaked in sickly plausibility, that's long been a favourite "Exhibit A" Modernist machination.

It's generally prone to exposure, though, because it often leaves a fetid trail. What the Modernist expects, however, is that nobody undertakes the unpleasant and arduous effort to sniff back to source.

Well, it's a dirty job...

Having said that, certain media parties – most notably Christian Order and the Catholic Herald  – did, to greater or lesser extents, unmask elements of the noxiousness that was the NDA. Largely, though, especially beyond the Nottingham diocesan area, much of what occurred from early last decade in that territory escaped many commentators' attention.

Yet it really was as pernicious a period as we suggest. When overlapping agendas – the usual liberal hiss-ues – were conveniently woven to procure a perfect storm of episcopally-facilitated revolt.    

By unpicking the thinly-veiled stitching covering those two opening words of the NDA official prayer, the shameful deceit beneath bursts forth chaotically like an unsprung cartoon mattress; uncoiled grievances, feminist foaming, puffed-up politics and sham spuriousness furiously shrieks apart in every demonic direction.

Make no mistake, those two words were not posited positively, to affirm the universal prowess of God the Father.

Rather, “Creator God”, per the NDA, was an entirely negative circumvention, if not outright omission, of Catholic Truth and an implicit denial of the Trinity into the nauseating admix.

And the primary cause of it all was His Lordship The Rt Rev. Malcolm McMahon OP, ninth Bishop of Nottingham –– who has since been made, in 2014, the ninth Archbishop of Liverpool, hence our reasoning behind this study which we have adequately explained in many previous posts but most particularly the one immediately prior to this (we link again).

For it was the then newly consecrated Bishop McMahon of Nottingham who "opened the windows" (a famous phrase) back in 2001/02 to an Assembly of Agitation.

And he surely knew what type of encouraged stench would inevitably blow back.

Impossible to conclude otherwise.

SEARCHING FOR THE ARCHBISHOP (12.3.1); Re: His Grace and the subject of "women priests"; our analysis finally triggered by matters arising from the Roscoe Lecture, October 2015; this time considering the blurred lines of the Nottingham period from 2002-07; third in a short sub-series; Notes #15

Advice: this post (12.3.1) is the third of a sub-set within a broader Series. It can be read either as a standalone commentary or in the light of the first two parts (Link 12.1), (Link 12.2) 

We pick-up our Series by beginning to concentrate roughly on the period immediately after the confusing events of 2001, as explored in our last post, until circa 2007, i.e. the first half of His Grace's 13.4 years as the ninth Bishop of Nottingham – his first episcopal appointment following his consecration in December 2000.

In theory, this should have been a delicate time for the still relatively new and episcopally inexperienced Dominican bishop given the confusion that, apparently, he knew had wrongly been spread about his views during his first year in Nottingham. For as we later learned (but not until 2008) the disturbing events of 2001, when His Grace was publicly proclaimed to be pro so-called "women priests", apparently stemmed from a misquotation in a botched interview first published in a local diocesan youth magazine and then in the (apparently independent) diocesan newspaper. Therefore, based on the clarifications given in 2008 – when His Grace unequivocally stated that he was against the ordination of females and furthermore that he had clearly stated as much in 2001 only for the complete opposite to be printed – it is a reasonable retrospection to say that, from 2002 onwards, he would have been keen to ensure there were no further erroneous perceptions about him spread around.

SEARCHING FOR THE ARCHBISHOP (14); Re: "Some Catholics in a second marriage for example will be disappointed that the recent Synod of Bishops did not ask the Holy Father to allow such people to receive Holy Communion"; Pastoral Letter for the First Sunday of Lent, 2016

• This expedited post is another that is not part of our ongoing sub-series (Link 1, Link 2) concentrating on the issue of His Grace and the matter of women priests, the next part of 

which (note for our monitors' attention) will appear this week.

It was just one letter (Link), with only eight paragraphs and barely over 1000 words.

Yet it served as a perfect microcosmic example of the concerns and the conundrum – perceived by a fair few in this territory – surrounding His Grace The Most Rev. Malcolm McMahon OP, ninth Archbishop of Liverpool, about where he truly stands in regards to the Church's tradition and teaching.

Basically, it managed to both please and disturb at the same time.

In anticipation of any accusation that, in stating the above, we have evidently missed the point of the letter – "Whoosh! It was all about mercy but that obviously sailed right over your heads" – well, we really haven't (but we'll make a very necessary point about the overladen emphasis on mercy – and mercy alone – later in this post, just to provide some perspective).