Reflections for Passion Week and Holy Week 2021

Papa Rutherford on the summit of a
peak in the Alps on the Franco-Italian border

FIRENZE-NUOVA ROMA 21 March 2021 (NRom)

Reflections for Passion Week and Holy Week 2021

Archfather Rutherford

For speaking the truth, they took up stones to cast out our Lord, and thus Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. It is that event that we commemorate and live on Passion Sunday each year in the liturgical calendar. In the introit to the mass this day, we hear from the Psalms “Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy: deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man, for thou art my God and my strength.” Indeed, it is the judgment of God that we must value above all else and which matters infinitely more than the mere judgment of man or even masses of men. How often do we find ourselves in these positions in daily life? The answer is quite frequently, even if more often on a less dramatic, far more simple and subtle scale.

Right is right, even if no one is right. Wrong is wrong, even if everyone is wrong. So easy is it to equivocate, abandon one’s faith and principles, and go along with the crowd or even the urgings of a single person simply to avoid what appears to be immediate trouble. What a pathetic and false logic that is! If someone claims to believe in something and value something, but then when pushed by others is willing to give it up, then one does not believe in or value anything other than one’s own transitory comfort. Indeed, society of today has become weak, soft, and tragically pitiful.

Unfortunately, we are so often taught a mixed message. On one hand we are taught to be strong and do the right thing, with metaphors such as “If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?” On the other hand, we are taught to go along with the crowd, set aside what we believe, and follow the cultural norms. It is no wonder, then, that people are confused and often fail when they are confronted with the choice to do the right thing when it is clearly out of step with cultural norms and contains a social penalty, which most people are not willing to bear. Sometimes doing the right thing, when it is out of step with cultural norms, puts people at risk of financial harm, job loss, and so forth. Usually the fear of such things makes people move backwards when they should move forward. Usually the fear of something is worse than the actual event, and the event quite often does not even happen.

A mountain guide with whom I climbed in the Alps told me that fear when climbing makes climbers often do the opposite of what they should actually do, and that is how so many climbers get into trouble and have accidents. I was a good thing to be reminded of since we were moving along sheer rock walls with foot ledges that were not even big enough for an entire foot in many places – with a 300 metre distance straight down to the ground below. I was never one to be particularly afraid in the mountains or any other dangerous situation, but I found his advice extremely useful. Indeed, any time concern entered my mind, it always suggested the wrong step. The only safe path forward on the mountain was to banish concern and move forward prudently, but without any fear.

The mountains, I have always found, are metaphors for life. Whenever we are confronted with a dangerous situation, we must move forward as Christians, prudently and soberly, yes, but we must also banish the fear. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather controlling it so that we may do the right thing, take the right step, and follow the correct path.

I always found the mountains exhilarating, particularly where the air was thin. Some of the most beautiful terrain and best views in the world were available to those who paired prudence and caution with nerve, resolve, and the control of fear. All of those things are necessary to succeed. Once again, the mountains are a metaphor for life. We may choose the easy path or the popular path, and that we may survive, we do not really live. It is those fortunate people who dare to brave the rough terrain, the difficult environment, and the challenging conditions, standing against the conventional wisdom of the masses and the ever-changing cultural norms, finding in themselves a courage of the spirit that they did not even necessarily know they had who really and truly live.

As we proceed through Passion Week and then through Holy Week towards the joys of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, may Almighty God kindle in each of you a desire to find the strength and courage that resides inside you.

New Encyclical Addresses Southern Border and Military Humanitarian Crises

FIRENZE-NUOVA ROMA 19 March 2021 (NRom)

Encyclical “The Southern American Border”

RVTHERFORDVS PP. I

The southern American border is the scene of an ongoing humanitarian crisis about which the United States government habitually seems either unwilling to solve or is completely incapable of solving. Right now large numbers of migrant children are placed in camps and holding facilities that, according to credible reports, are completely insufficient in number and in terms of appropriate and humane conditions. Problems on the border of this nature are not limited by any means to the present American administration. It is inconceivable that the nation that is currently the wealthiest in the world is incapable of maintaining sufficient humanitarian conditions when dealing with migrants, legal or illegal, along the southern border. We, therefore, reiterate that:

1. It is the duty of all nations to provide appropriate and sufficient border control, which is to the benefit of both citizens and residents, as well as those who are immigrating or visiting.

2. It is the duty and absolute moral obligation under God for all governments to treat all persons crossing the border, legally or illegally in a humane manner. This includes providing sufficient, quality holding facilities for migrants seeking admission, as in the current example on the southern American border. If a particular government genuinely lacks the resources to properly care for any given number of immigrants, then it must appropriately limit the availability of immigration opportunities to prevent humanitarian crises from happening. However, governments with such resources are morally bound to provide humanitarian support and take all steps reasonable to prevent humanitarian crises.

3. All border facilities, especially holding facilities and detention centres, must be open to international inspection, particularly by humanitarian organisations, and above all by Holy Mother the Church.

4. It is the duty and absolute moral obligation of all governments not to separate families at border crossings. This includes the right for children to be reunited with their families who have already been granted admission.

5. It is the duty and absolute moral obligation of all governments to provide reasonable pathways to citizenship for children who were brought into a country illegally or for adults who were brought illegally into the country as children when such children are raised in the new country, speak its language, and grow up with in its culture. To deport such persons to the country of their birth when they have been raised effectively as a member of their new country is essentially to force immigration to a foreign country and culture. This becomes especially true when the children in question were entirely or largely unaware of their illegal immigrant status. However, such provisions must be contingent upon a lack of serious criminal behaviour and a clear intent to remain or become a productive members of society.

It must further be noted that the above declarations are not applicable solely to the United States, but equally to all nations in the world. Borders exist to secure peace and tranquility, as well as to provide reasonable security. Yet, they may not be used to justify humanitarian violations, which are an affront to God.

In addition, neither may borders be used as justification of denial of equality of human dignity. If Americans, for example, knew firsthand what it was like to have a war within their own borders, as they did in the past, but which We would not at all wish upon them now, then they surely would better understand the implications and the true costs of their long-term, ongoing military action overseas. Indeed, it is United States military policy to keep military action “over there,” making the citizens of other countries bear the true cost of that action and live in war-torn nations. Just as it is essential under the justice of God that the borders not become scenes of avoidable humanitarian crisis, so to is it essential that borders not be used to separate those who carry out military action and those who must bear the cost. To avoid that responsibility renders the major military powers the self-appointed determiner of human worth, separating the world into those it deems superior and worthy of not suffering from war, though they cause or participate in it, and those it deems inferior and therefore either deserving of the suffering or else are acceptable collateral damage. National interests do not by themselves justify any such policies that avoid responsibility. Indeed, We need only look to the Just War Doctrine of Holy Mother the Church to understand that. No one in a position of government responsibility who claims to be Christian may lay aside their Christian responsibility when making government decisions. Likewise, no citizen of a country who claims to be a Christian may lay aside those Christian principles when determining what government policies to support, either through voting or through moral support.

The responsibility of government is dramatic and grave, and it extends well beyond its borders. Yet it is not to exploit others as so often happens, but rather it is a responsibility to respect human dignity, respect the sovereignty of others, be good members of the global community of nations, and provide aid to those who are suffering, for indeed those on the other side of any border from us all, if we are to call ourselves Christians, our brothers.

Datum Florentiae Novae Romae apud S. Stefani sub sigillo Diaconis die 19 mensis Martii A.D. MMXXI.

Rutherfordus Ap. I

St. Patrick -- Patron of the Most Honourable Legion of Christ

By Jean DuBois

FIRENZE-NUOVA ROMA 17 Marzo 2021 (NRom)

St. Patrick's Day is often associated with cultural festivals, bagpipes, Guinness beer, parades, and lots of green. The Saint who is honored by the day, Saint Patrick, Confessor and Bishop, is also the patron of the Most Honourable Legion of the Eagle of Christ. Even though the main feast day of the Legion is the feast of Corpus Christi, the feast of Saint Patrick is its second feast day.

Even though scholars debate the exact location, Patrick (who actually took that name after becoming a priest) was born in Roman Britain. After being taken as a slave by Irish pirates, he followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and became a Catholic cleric, eventually being sent back to Ireland as a bishop. He was made patron saint of the Legion due to his origins in Roman Britain. The last known location of the Ninth Spanish Legion (the Legion of the Eagle is its Christian successor today) was leaving their northern headquarters in Eboracum (York), England heading north into Scotland. The Legion safeguards a relic of the bones of Saint Patrick.

For more about the Legion of the Eagle of Christ, please visit the following link:

https://www.statopontificio.org/ordini/eagle.html

One Year Anniversary of "Siamo in Guerra" -- Patriarchate Stands for Worldwide Catholic Tradition, Service to Others

By Jean DuBois

FIRENZE-NUOVA ROMA 13 March 2021 (NRom)

Next month will be the one year anniversary of the papal encyclical Siamo in Guerra, in which His Holiness and Eminence the Archfather laid out a description of global war being waged by modernists, socialists, nationalists, and communists against Holy Mother the Catholic Church. The encyclical detailed mechanisms in which the coronavirus pandemic was being exploited to further that war against the church and against the people, placing countless people at risk. Below you can find the English translation of the encyclical and its original Italian text, and also a link for the recitation of the encyclical by His Holiness and Eminence.

Now that the pandemic appears to be in its final stages, it is clear that the war against the church rages on. The pandemic measures and restrictions, now entering their second year, have conditioned people to a so-called “new normal.” The great reset, as some economists and leaders have called it, is a tremendous shift from the values of traditional society, the values of the Catholic Church. Since the Anglican Patriarchate, Pontifical States (Stato Pontificio) represents not just the fullness of the traditional Catholic Faith, but the worldly side of the church as the sole temporal successor to St. Peter the Apostle, it has been very active and vocal over the past year in policy advice secure the rights of the Holy Church and of people. The modern Pontifical States are the historic representative of over 400 million people worldwide, which is a responsibility that the Stephenian Florentine-Roman Curia takes very seriously. The Patriarchate, its clergy, and its lay leaders are dedicated to service to those in need around the world, especially the most poor and vulnerable. The Patriarchate stands for the Catholic Faith as humanity continues through the second decade of the third millennium and beyond.

Siamo in Guerra

To all the Christian Faithful around the World:

Carissimi:

     We are truly at war, and this war is not against a virus, but it is the gates of hell against the Holy Church and against the ancient traditions of free society. In truth, this war is one of the most important wars in the history of the world, as we fight for the continuation of the freedom of the church over the world and for the continuation of our civilisation. We cannot doubt that this current fight is very difficult and will continue to be very difficult in the near future. How long it will remain, We do not know, and we cannot know. We do not need to think about this. We should only think of the final victory, a victory only possible through our Lord. Truly, dearest sons and daughters, you are soldiers in the Army of Christ. In this struggle, flags of nations are worth nothing, except only the sacred flag of our Lord and of the Holy Church.

     The forces of the devil in the world used the situation of the virus to establish a great confusion among the people of the world. Many people were afraid, and this fear was the instrument of the devil. The diabolical agents have exploited the situation to remove freedom, not only of the people, but also of the Holy Church. People were robbed and continue to be robbed of their dignity, their freedom, in a more forceful and more complete way than that of the Soviets, and also than that of the Nazis. Yes, it is a good work to save lives, but this situation is not in fact a choice of lives versus money, but lives versus lives. But the agents of the devil have caused many people to think that the real reason is to save lives. Those agents have used this to change the entirety of life, to change businesses, to change the whole of society, and also to change the rights of the Holy Church and the religious freedom of the people. The real reason, the only reason for the actions of most governments of the world is radically to change the true heart of the people and of society. They want society to abandon Christ and to abandon the ancient and sacred traditions in favour of a new socio-fascist world.

     In these days, the people are under the hands of the modernist states. Governments have forced companies to close, but for what crime? For none at all. Governments have chosen winners and losers in an arbitrary way. Governments have also forced a large section of the people under house arrest, but also for what crime? For no crime. It is a work still accomplished in a stronger and more complete way than the that of the Soviets, and also than that Enof the Nazis. Governments, I blame you for the diabolical crime. You do not care about the people under your protection.

     The protection of the people is a sacred charge under God, but governments have failed. The modernists against God, under the banner of saving a number of human lives from this new virus, in truth few in comparison with the population of the world, have endangered hundreds of millions of people in all places around the world – in danger of hunger, danger of deprivation, danger of health problems, danger of bankruptcy, lack of ability to provide for their families. How many of these are supposed to die to save others? Governments cannot say that these lives are worth more than those lives, for governments and government officials are not God. But now they play God. In truth these modernist states want to be God, and they want people to genuflect humbly to the civill government and only to the civil government. This is at the heart of this battle, this war. We cannot let governments replace God with themselves.

     The time is now! We must win for the glory of God! Now is the time when Christians must rise up against the modern forces of the devil! They are not new forces, but they are the same forces of all times in the history of the world. Our valiant ancestors fought against the same forces. Now it is our turn!

A tutti i Cristifideli nel Mondo:

Carissimi: 

     Siamo in guerra veramente, e questa guerra non è contro un virus, ma è le porte dell’inferno contro la Santa Chiesa e contro le tradizioni antiche della società libera. In verità questa guerra è una delle guerre le più importanti nella storia del mondo, poichè combattiamo per la continuazione della libertà della chiesa sul mondo e per la continuazione della nostra civiltà. Non possiamo avere dubiti che questa lotta adesso è molto dura e seguirà ad essere durissima nel prossimo futuro. Quanto tempo rimane Noi non sapiamo, e non possiamo saperlo. Di questa cosa non dobbiamo pensare. Solo dovremmo pensare dell’ultima vittoria, una vittoria solo possibile per nostro Signore. Veramente, Carissimi figli, voi siete soldati nell’esercito di Cristo. In questa lotta, le bandiere non valgono niente, eccetto solo la sacra bandiera di nostro Signore e della Santa Chiesa. 

     Le forze del diavolo nel mondo ha usato la situazione del virus stabilire una grande confusione nel popolo del mondo. Molta gente ha avuto paura, e questa paura fu il strumento del diavolo. Gli agenti diabolichi hanno sfruttato la situazione per rimuovere la libertà, non solo del popolo, ma anche della Santa Chiesa. La gente era rubata e continua essere rubata della sua dignità, della sua libertà, in un modo più forte e più completo del modo sovietico, e anche di quello dei nazisti. Sì, è un buon lavoro salvare le vite, ma questa situazione ancora non è una scelta di vite contro danari, ma vite contro vite. Ma gli agenti del diavolo hanno causato che molta gente pensa che la ragione veramente sia salvare le vite. Quelli agenti sfruttano questa per cambiare tutta la vita, tutte le ditte, tutta della società, ed anche i diritti della Santa Chiesa e la libertà religiosa del popolo. La ragione vera, l’unica ragione per gli azioni della maggior parte dei governi del mondo è cambiare radicalmente il vero cuore del popolo e di società. Vogliono che la società abbandone Cristo ed abbandone le tradizioni antiche e sacre e prenda un nuovo modo socio-fascisto. 

     In questi giorni il popolo è sotto la mano degli stati modernisti. I governi hanno forzato a chiudere le ditte, ma per qual delitto? Per niente. I governi hanno sceltato vincitori e perdenti in un modo arbitrario. Anche i governi hanno forzato una grande sezione della gente agli arresti domiciliari, ma anche per qual delitto? Per nessun delitto. È un’opera compita ancora in un modo più forte e più completo del modo sovietico, e anche di quello dei nazisti. Governi, vi accuso del delitto diabolico. Non vi importa la gente sotto la vostra protezione. 

     La protezione del popolo è un sacro incarico sotto Dio, ma i governi sono falliti. Loro modernisti contro Dio, sotto la bandiera del salvtataggio di qualche vite umane di questo nuovo virus, in verità pochi in confronto della populazione del mondo, hanno messo in pericolo al meno di centi di milioni di persone in tutti i luoghi del mondo – pericolo di fame, pericolo di privazione, percicolo di problemmi di salute, pericolo di bancarotta, di mancanza della capacità di provvedere alle loro famiglie. Quante di questi dovrebbero morire per salvare quelli? Non possono i governi dire che queste vite valono più di quelle vite, per i governi e gli ufficiali dei governi non sono Dio. Ma adesso giocano a Dio. In verità questi stati moderni vogliono essere Dio e vogliono che la gente genuflettersi umilmente al governo civile e solo al governo civile. Questa cosa è al cuore di questa battaglia, di questa guerra. Non possiamo lasciare che i governi sostituiscano Dio con loro stessi. 

     Il tempo è adesso. Dobbiamo vincere per la gloria di Dio. Adesso è il tempo nel cui i cristiani devono insorgere contro le forze moderne del diavolo. Non sono forze nuove, ma sono le stesse forze d’ogni tempo nella storia del mondo. Gli nostri antenati valorosi hanno combattuto contro le stesse forze. Adesso è tocca nostra. 

Reflections for the Third Week of Lent by His Holiness and Eminence

FIRENZE-NUOVA ROMA 12 March 2021 (NRom)

Carissimi,

from the Gospel appointed for the mass for Wednesday the third week of Lent, we hear:

     “Hypocrites, well hath Isaias prophesied of you, saying: This people honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men.”

     So much do we see this in the world around us today. Yet let us not think that it is a modern phenomenon, lest we turn to idolizing the past. What our Lord spoke was almost 2000 years ago, and very little has changed since then. Indeed, Christ has been with us for almost two millennia, yet the people, surrounded by His wisdom and saving grace, still have not opened their hearts. 

     We must guard against being hypocrites, honouring God with our lips, but turning away with our hearts and minds. We must guard against vain worship. And, we must guard against what is so prevalent today, the twisting and bending of the Catholic faith not to the doctrines and commandments of God, but the doctrines and commandments of men. This by itself is not enough. We must speak against such hypocrisy, counseling and admonishing as we are called to do according to the Spiritual Acts of Mercy. However, given the ongoing nature and magnitude of the problem, we must also not allow ourselves to become discouraged if we think we are making but a little progress or even no progress at all. The coming celebration of the Resurrection reminds us of our eventual corporate victory in the fullness of God’s time through the victory of Christ over the grave.

     May Almighty God continue to bless each of you as you walk along your Lenten journey.

Archfather Speaks About Violence Against Asians in Europe and America

FIRENZE-NUOVA ROMA 5 March 2021 (NRom)

Sua Santità ed Eminenza l'Arcipadre ha fatto la seguente dichiarazione riguardo agli attacchi in corso contro i popoli asiatici in Europa e in America. 

His Holiness and Eminence the Archfather made the following statement regarding ongoing attacks against Asian people in Europe and America. 

___________________

Carissimi, è con grande tristezza che Noi denunciamo i continui attacchi contro gli asiatici in tutto il mondo, che sono cresciuti di intensità nel corso del 2020 e continuano ancora oggi. Il razzismo in generale, non solo contro gli asiatici, è un problema globale di lunga data. La pandemia di COVID-19, considerand le apparenti origini geografiche del virus, ha purtroppo stimolato un drammatico aumento degli attacchi agli asiatici. Tali attacchi si verificano sia in Europa che nelle Americhe. La popolazione asiatica è stata brutalmente aggredita e persino uccisa. Le loro proprietà sono state spesso vandalizzate. Secondo un rapporto pubblicato dalle Nazioni Unite nel 2020, circa il 32% degli americani e il 60% degli asiatici americani hanno osservato persone asiatiche incolpate della pandemia di coronavirus. 

Non è giusto né semplicemente attribuire la colpa di una pandemia ai piedi di un particolare individuo semplicemente a causa della sua razza, etnia, colore della pelle, o origine nazionale. In effetti, tale violenza e altre azioni contro chiunque anche in circostanze generali dovute semplicemente a motivi di razza, etnia, colore della pelle, o origine nazionale sono un'offesa contro la comunione cristiana e un insulto a Dio. 

Esortiamo il popolo cristiano a testimoniare l'amore di Cristo per tutti gli uomini e a promuovere la sua rettitudine e giustizia qui sulla terra. Allo stesso modo, chiediamo al popolo cristiano di promuovere il perdono e la riconciliazione, per non ignorare le nostre mancanze, e non tentare di sostenerci per condannando le colpe degli altri.

ENGLISH TEXT: 

Carissimi, it is with great sadness that We report the ongoing attacks on Asian people around the world, which grew in intensity during 2020 and continues to this day. Racism in general, not only against Asians, is a long-standing global problem. The COVID-19 pandemic, given the apparent geographic origins of the disease, have unfortunately spurred a dramatic increase in attacks on Asians. Such attacks happen both in Europe and in the Americas. Asian people have been brutally attacked and even killed. Their property has often been vandalised. According to a report issued by the United Nations in 2020, approximately 32% of Americans and 60% of Asian Americans observed Asian people being blamed for the coronavirus pandemic. 

It is neither right nor just to lay blame for a pandemic at the feet of a particular individual simply because of their race, ethnicity, skin colour, or national origin. Indeed, such violence and other actions against anyone even in general circumstances due simply to reasons of race, ethnicity, skin colour, or national origin is an offense against Christian fellowship and an insult to God. 

We call on Christian people to witness to the love of Christ for all people and promote his righteousness and justice here on earth. Similarly, We call on the Christian people to promote forgiveness and reconciliation, lest we ignore our own failings and attempt to build ourselves up by condemning the faults of others.

Reflections for the Second Week of Lent by His Holiness and Eminence the Archfather

FIRENZE-NUOVA ROMA 1 March 2021 (NRom)

Reflections for the Second Week of Lent
by 
His Holiness and Eminence the Archfather

Carissimi, 

in the epistle lesson for the second Sunday of Lent, the Apostle Paul gives several admonitions. Among those is that we should not overreach or circumvent our brother in business, for the Lord is the avenger thereof. In this present period in world history, it seems that the notion of leaving everyone alone to provide for themselves and their families has been lost as humanity turns further and further away from God. While it is absolutely true that neither communism or socialism in any form are compatible with the Christian faith, so also is it true that nationalism and excessive, extreme capitalism are likewise incompatible with the Christian faith.

We as Christians must not worship money or at the altar of commerce, for as our Lord tells us, no man may serve two masters. Money is indeed a tool to provide for the needs and even appropriate wants for ourselves and our families, and it is a tool to do good in the world. If we seek money for its own sake, corporate dominance as a purpose to itself, and ever-larger market shares, then we have lost our way as individuals and as a society. While appropriate competition can have many benefits, trying to put one’s competition out of business is plainly wrong. In some cases, survival indeed mandates a legitimate defence in commerce, just as we may legitimately protect our bodies. Yet, if we harm the body of another out of desire and not necessity, and we would not wish harm upon another if we could not find another way, even in defence of ourselves, then we sin against our brethren and against God. Similarly, if we do harm to others in business and in labour when it is not necessary in legitimate defence, or if it is necessary in legitimate defence, but we would not wish to find another way sincerely if it were possible, then we likewise sin against our fellow man and against God.

The rampant excesses of extreme capitalism in the Western world have reached new heights during the pandemic of last year that is now extending into the current year. Particularly due to government measures, massive corporations are making windfall gains, and others are going out of business, with so many people losing their businesses and the jobs, deprived of their rights to provide for their families. Indeed, depriving workers of their just wages is a sin rightly crying out to heaven for vengeance. What is being done to countless people around the world right now is just that. It was happening before, and the pandemic has made it dramatically worse. 

It is often said in excuse for this extreme capitalism that it is that very form of commerce and economic structure that has provided so many material benefits for society and even has furthered the ability to do so much good around the world. While there is indeed some truth to that, such benefits are not an excuse for wrong – and it is hardly true that such tactics are indeed necessary to generate benefits and to do good. Additionally, neither is the cure for extreme excessive forms of capitalism the evils of communism and socialism. These days, society is actually getting whiplash from bouncing back and forth between extremes.

To the Christian faithful who have their eyes open, the answer is very clear. It is only through the application of the faith of Christ that we may reach a free market economy that allows as many people as possible to have as much control as possible over their own financial future. Some may challenge this by saying that we can never achieve full independence in terms of the ability to provide for oneself and one’s family. Yet, that also is not even remotely an excuse for not employing appropriate, ethical, Christian principles to the economy as Christian people. This approach We propose is not another panacea such as those that so many revolutionaries from the 18th century to the present time have promised to justify their intolerable violence and the chaos they cause, only to have a new system that is no better and is even often worse than the one it replaced. Rather, this is the tried-and-true peaceful Way of Christ. That we may not achieve a full realisation of this does not in any way reduce the merit of trying to the best of our abilities.