WE HAVE MOVED!

"And I beheld, and heard the voice of one eagle flying through the midst of heaven,
saying with a loud voice: Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth....
[Apocalypse (Revelation) 8:13]

Monday, February 22, 2016

Attack on Baptism & Death Penalty, GeoPolitics of "Mercy" & Brother Masons?

Novus Ordo: Attack on Baptism & Death Penalty, GeoPolitics of "Mercy" & Brother Masons?
The Latest News (Vomit) coming from the Vatican II cult of man

Vatican II: The New Man Centered Religion based upon "human dignity and freedom" just as Pope St. Pius X warned!

The "pope" wants a death penalty ban during his year of mercy...


ROME — Pope Francis appealed to Catholic leaders around the world to work to stop executions during this year, and said the death penalty should be abolished permanently.
“The commandment ‘You shall not kill’ has absolute value, and covers both the innocent and the guilty,” Francis said Sunday after his weekly Angelus prayer. “…even the criminal keeps the inviolable right to life, a gift from God.”

 “I appeal to the conscience of the rulers, so that we achieve an international consensus for the abolition of the death penalty,” Francis told the thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “And I propose to those among them who are Catholics to make a courageous and exemplary gesture that no sentence is executed in this Holy Year of Mercy.”

Francis’ Holy Year of Mercy, which started Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the 50th anniversary of the closing of Vatican II, and ends on the Solemnity of Christ the King on Nov. 20, encourages Catholics to show mercy in every aspect of their lives.
His words came on the eve of an international conference organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio, a new movements in the Catholic Church, being held in Rome Monday and Tuesday. The conference is titled, “A World without the Death Penalty.”

The pontiff said he hoped the event would give renewed impetus to the commitment to abolish capital punishment, saying that everyone deserves the chance for redemption.
As he did in the last day of his recent visit to Mexico, the pope also condemned the current justice system, saying that it needs to be ever more in line “with human dignity and to God’s plan for man and society,” calling for a justice system that gives “hope for social reintegration.”
On Wednesday, when he was in Ciudad Juarez, Francis visited Cereso 3 state prison, labeled by some as Mexico’s “Crime University.” There, he addressed 3,000 inmates in a speech that was broadcasted live in 389 prisons throughout Mexico, with an estimated 254,000 prisoners watching the feed.
“We have already lost many decades thinking and believing that everything will be resolved by isolating, separating, incarcerating, and ridding ourselves of problems, believing that these policies really solve problems,” Francis said during a visit largely overshadowed by his stop at the US-Mexico border.

 
 What the Catholic Church really teaches: 

Last September, when he became the first pope to address a joint session of the US Congress, Francis made a similar appeal, calling for the global abolition of the death penalty.
According to Death Penalty Information Center, there are 2,959 inmates in the United States awaiting execution. The other 36 countries where the death penalty is legal and has been used in the past 10 years include China, Japan, North Korea, Syria, Iran, and Pakistan.
Soon after Francis made his appeal, the Saint’Egidio Community released a statement saying that in a world where terrorism and violence are widespread, it’s possible for governments to want to re-introduce death penalty, responding to violence with more violence.
“It’s necessary to cure nations from the fascination on resentment and revenge, as it’s true that, even when they executions decrease, in some areas of the world extrajudicial killings and lynching become more frequent,” they said.
Francis’s appeal builds on the teaching of recent popes. In 2000, for instance, St. John Paul II issued an appeal for “the death penalty, an unworthy punishment still used in some countries,” to be “abolished throughout the world” during a visit to Rome’s Regina Coeli prison.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the official compendium of Church teaching issued under John Paul, states: “If non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect peoples safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.”




the ‘humble’ hypocrite speaks again...


Father Federico Lombardi (Vatican Spokesman): 
Holy Father, thank you for being here as, at the end of every trip, for the summary conversation, a broad look at the trip that has occurred, and for your availability to respond to so many questions from our international community. We have, like usual, asked the different language groups to organize and prepare a few questions, but naturally we begin with our colleagues from Mexico.
Maria Eugenia Jimenez Caliz, Milenio (Mexico): Holy Father, in Mexico there are thousands of “desaparecidos,” (disappeared) but the case of 43 (students) of Ayotzinapa is an emblematic case. I would like to ask you, why didn’t you meet with their families? Also, (please send) a message for the families of thousands of the “desaparecidos.”
Pope Francis: Attentively, if you read the messages, I made reference continuously to the killings, the death, the life taken by all of these narcotrafficking gangs and human smugglers. I spoke of this problem as one of the wounds that Mexico suffers. There was an attempt to receive one of these groups, and there were many groups, even opposed among themselves, with infighting, so I preferred to say that I would see all of them at the Mass in Juarez or at another (Mass). It was practically impossible to meet all of these groups, which on the other hand were also fighting among themselves. It’s a situation that’s difficult to understand, especially for me because I’m a foreigner, right?  I think that even the Mexican society is a victim of all of this, of these crimes of “cleaning” people, of discarding people. I spoke in four speeches even and you can check for it there. It’s a great pain that I’m taking with me, because this nation doesn’t deserve a drama like this one.
Javier Solorzano, Canal 11 (Mexico): The subject of pedophilia, as you know, in Mexico has very dangerous roots, very hurtful. The case of Father Maciel left a strong inheritance, especially in the victims. The victims continue to feel unprotected by the Church. Many continue to be men of faith. Some are still even in the priesthood. I want to ask you, what do you think of this subject? Did you at any moment consider meeting with the victims? And, in general, this idea that when the priests are detected in cases of this nature, what is done is that they are moved to another parish, nothing more? Thanks.
Pope Francis: OK, I’m going to start with the second. First, a bishop who moves a priest to another parish when a case of pedophilia is discovered is a reckless [inconsciente] man and the best thing he can do is to present his resignation. Is that clear?
Secondly, going back, the Maciel case, and here, I allow myself to honor the man who fought in moments when he had no strength to impose himself, until he managed to impose himself. Ratzinger. Cardinal Ratzinger deserves an applause. (applause) Yes, an applause for him. He had all of the documentation. He’s a man who as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had everything in his hands. He conducted all the investigations, and went on, went on, went on, until he couldn’t go any further in the execution [of the case]. But, if you remember, 10 days before the death of St. John Paul II, in that Via Crucis of Holy Friday, he said to the whole Church that it needed to clean up the dirt of the Church. And in the Pro-Eligendo Pontefice Mass, despite knowing that he was a candidate, he wasn’t stupid, he didn’t care to “make-up” his answer, he said exactly the same thing. He was the brave one who helped so many open this door. So, I want to remember him because sometimes we forget about this hidden works that were the foundations for “taking the lid off the pot.”
Thirdly, we’re doing quite a lot with the Cardinal Secretary of State [Pietro Parolin], and with the group of nine cardinal advisors. After listening, I decided to name a third secretary adjunct for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to take charge only of these cases, because the Congregation isn’t able to keep up with all the cases it has.
Also, an appeals tribunal was constituted by Monsignor Scicluna which is dealing with the cases of second instance when there are recourses, because the first recourses are done by the plenary of the [Congregation of the] Doctrine of the Faith, the “feria quarta,” they call it, that gathers on Wednesdays. When there is recourse, it goes back to first instance, and it’s not fair. So, the second instance is also a legal matter, with a defending lawyer, but we need to work faster, because we’re behind with the cases, because cases continue to appear.
Another thing that is working very well is the commission for the protection of minors. It’s not exclusively devoted to cases of pedophilia, but the protection of minors. There, I spent an entire morning with six of them, two German, two British and two Irish. Abused men and women. Victims. And I also met with victims in Philadelphia. So we’re working. But I thank God because the lid is off the pot, and we have to continue taking it off. We need to take consciousness.
And, the final thing I would like to say that it’s a monstrosity, because a priest is consecrated to lead a child to God, and he eats him in a diabolical sacrifice. He destroys him.
Javier Solorzano: And on Maciel?
Pope Francis: Well, about Maciel, going back to the congregation (Editor’s note: The Legion of Christ, order founded by the late Father Marciel Maciel), there was an intervention and today the government of the congregation is semi-involved. That is, the superior general, who is elected by a council, by the general chapter, and the other two are selected by the Pope. In this way, we are helping to review old accounts.
Phil Pullella, Reuters: Today, you spoke very eloquently about the problems of immigration. On the other side of the border, there is a very tough electoral battle. One of the candidates for the White House, Republican, Donald Trump, in an interview recently said that you are a political man and he even said that you are a pawn, an instrument of the Mexican government for migration politics. Trump said that if he’s elected, he wants to build 2,500 kilometers of wall along the border. He wants to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, separating families, etcetera. I would like to ask you, what do you think of these accusations against you and if a North American Catholic can vote for a person like this?
Pope Francis: Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as “animal politicus.” At least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn, well, maybe, I don't know. I'll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people. And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.
Jean-Louis de la Vaisserie, AFP (France): The meeting with the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and the signing of the joint declaration was greeted by the entire world as an historic step. But now today in the Ukraine, Greek Catholics feel betrayed. They speak of a political document that supports Russian politics. In the field, the war of words has reignited. Do you think you’ll be able to go to Moscow? Were you invited by the patriarch? Or, [will you] go to Crete to greet the Pan-Orthodox Council in the spring?
Pope Francis: I’ll begin with the end. I will be present…spiritually. And with a message. I would like to go greet them there at the pan-Orthodox synod. They are brothers, but I must respect them. But, I know that they want to invite Catholic observers and this is a good bridge, but behind the Catholic observers I will be praying with my best wishes that the Orthodox move ahead because they are brothers and their bishops are bishops like us.
Then, Kirill, my brother. We kissed each other, embraced, and then a conversation for an hour (Father Lombardi corrects) … two hours. Old age doesn’t come on its own. (laughs) Two hours where we spoke as brothers, sincerely and no one knows what was spoke about, only what we said at the end publicly about how we felt as we spoke.
Secondly, that statement, that declaration about Ukraine. When I read this, I was a little bit worried because it was Sviatoslav Schevchuk who said that the Ukrainian people, some Ukrainians, also many Ukrainians felt disappointed and betrayed. I know Sviatoslav very well. In Buenos Aires, we worked together for four years. When he was elected — at 42 years old, eh, good man — he was elected major archbishop, He came back to Buenos Aires to get his things. He came to me and he gave me an icon — little like this — of Our Lady of Tenderness. And he told me, “This has accompanied me my entire life. I want to leave it to you who accompanied me over the last four years. It’s one of the few things I had brought from Buenos Aires and I keep it on my desk.” That is, he’s a man whom I respect and also familiarity. We use “tu” with each other(Editor’s note: “tu” is the informal way of addressing someone in Italian — they speak as friends)and so on.
So, for this it seemed strange to me and I remembered something I said here to you: to understand a piece of news, a statement, you need to seek the hermeneutic of everything.
But, when you said this, it was said in a statement from Jan. 14, last February, last Sunday … an interview made by brother … I don’t remember … a priest, a Ukrainian priest, in Ukraine it was conducted and it was published. That news, the interview is one page, two, a little bit more, give or take. That interview is on the last page, a little like this. I read the interview and I’ll say this: Schevchuk, in the dogmatic part declares himself to be a son of the Church and in communion with the bishop of Rome and the Church. He speaks of the Pope and his closeness of the Pope and of himself, his faith, and also of the Orthodox people there. The dogmatic part, there’s no difficulty. He’s orthodox in the good sense of the word, that is in Catholic doctrine, no.
And then, as in an interview like this one, everyone has the right to say his things and this wasn’t done on the meeting, because the meeting, it was a good thing and we have to move forward. This, he didn’t do on the meeting, the encounter was a good thing and we must move forward. This, the second chapter, the personal ideas that a person has. For example, this, what I said about the bishops who move pedophile priests, the best thing they can do is resign. This isn’t a dogmatic thing, but this is what I think. So, he has his personal ideas. They’re for dialoguing and he has a right to have them.
Thirdly … ah, all of what he’s speaking about is in the document, that’s the issue. On the fact of the meeting: the Lord chose to move it ahead, the embrace and all is well. The document. It’s a debatable document and there’s also another addition. In Ukraine, it’s a moment of war, of suffering, with so many interpretations. I have named the Ukrainian people, asking for prayers, closeness, so many times both in the Angelus and in the Wednesday audience. There is this closeness. But the historical fact of a war, experienced as … I don’t know if … well, everyone has their own idea of this war, who started it, what to do and it’s evident that this is a historical issue, but also a personal, historical, existential issue of that country and it speaks of the suffering. And, there I insert this paragraph. You can understand the faithful, because Stanislav told me that so many faithful have written to me saying that they are deeply disappointed and betrayed by Rome. You can understand that a people in this situation would feel this, no? The final document but it is a jotting down of some things. Pardon, it’s debatable on this question of Ukraine. But there, it says to make the war stop, that they find agreements. Also, I personally said that the Minsk accords move forward and are not eliminated. “With the elbows what wasn’t written with the hands.” (Original phrase in Italian: “Con il gomito quello che non e scritto con le mani”)
The Church of Rome, the Pope has always said, “Seek peace.” I also received both presidents. Equality, no. And so for this when he says that he’s heard this from his people, I understand it. I understand it. But, that’s not the news. The news is everything.
If you read the entire interview, you’ll see that there are serious dogmatic things that remain, there’s a desire for unity, to move ahead in the ecumenical — and he’s an ecumenical man. There are a few opinions. He wrote to me when he found out about the trip, the encounter, but, as a brother, giving his opinion as a brother. I don’t mind the document how it is. I don’t dislike it in the sense that we need to respect the things that everyone has the freedom to think and in [the context of] this situation that is so difficult. From Rome, now the nuncio is on the border where they’re fighting, helping soldiers and the wounded. The Church of Rome has sent so much help there. It’s always peace, agreements. We must respect the Minsk accords and so on. This is the entirety. But, don’t get scared by that phrase. And this is a lesson that a piece of news must be interpreted with the hermeneutic of everything and not just a part.
de la Vaisserie: Did the Patriarch invite you to come to Moscow sometime?
Pope Francis: Patriarch Kirill. I would prefer — because if I say one thing, I have to say another and another and another. I would prefer that what we spoke about, us, alone, will remain only what we said in public. This is a fact. And if I say this, then I’ll have to say another and another … no! The things I said in public, the things he said in public. This is what can be said about the private conversation. To say it, it wouldn’t be private. But, I tell you, I walked out of it happy, and he did too.
Carlo Marroni, Il Sole 24 (Italy): Holy Father, my question is about the family, a subject which you addressed often during this trip. The Italian parliament is discussing a law on civil unions, a subject that is provoking strong political clashes but also a strong debate in society and among Catholics. In particular, I would like to know your thoughts on the subject of adoption by civil unions and therefore on the rights of children and of sons and daughters in general.
Pope Francis: First of all, I don’t know how things stand in the thinking of the Italian parliament. The Pope doesn’t get mixed up in Italian politics. At the first meeting I had with the [Italian] bishops in May 2013, one of the three things I said was: with the Italian government you’re on your own. Because the pope is for everybody and he can’t insert himself in the specific internal politics of a country. This is not the role of the pope, right? And what I think is what the Church thinks and has said so often — because this is not the first country to have this experience, there are so many — I think what the Church has always said about this.
Paloma García Ovejero, Cadena COPE (Spain): Holy Father, for several weeks there’s been a lot of concern in many Latin American countries but also in Europe regarding the Zika virus. The greatest risk would be for pregnant women. There is anguish. Some authorities have proposed abortion, or else to avoiding pregnancy. As regards avoiding pregnancy, on this issue, can the Church take into consideration the concept of “the lesser of two evils?”
Pope Francis: Abortion is not the lesser of two evils. It is a crime. It is to throw someone out in order to save another. That’s what the Mafia does. It is a crime, an absolute evil. On the “lesser evil,” avoiding pregnancy, we are speaking in terms of the conflict between the fifth and sixth commandment. Paul VI, a great man, in a difficult situation in Africa, permitted nuns to use contraceptives in cases of rape.
Don’t confuse the evil of avoiding pregnancy by itself, with abortion. Abortion is not a theological problem, it is a human problem, it is a medical problem. You kill one person to save another, in the best-case scenario. Or to live comfortably, no?  It’s against the Hippocratic oaths doctors must take. It is an evil in and of itself, but it is not a religious evil in the beginning, no, it’s a human evil. Then obviously, as with every human evil, each killing is condemned.
On the other hand, avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, as in this one, such as the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear. I would also urge doctors to do their utmost to find vaccines against these two mosquitoes that carry this disease. This needs to be worked on.
Jurgen Erbacher, ZDF (Germany): Holiness, you will soon receive the Charlemagne Prize, and that’s the main European one. What do you say to Europe, which now seems to be falling to pieces, first with the crisis of the euro and now that of the refugees? Maybe you have a word for us in this situation of European crisis?
Pope Francis: First, about the Charlemagne Prize. I had the habit of not accepting prizes or honors, but always, not out of humility, but because I don’t like them. Maybe it’s a little crazy, but it’s good to have it, but I just don’t like them. But in this case, I don’t say [I was)]forced, but convinced by the holy and theological headstrongness of Cardinal Kasper, because he was chosen, elected by Aachen to convince me. And I said yes, but in the Vatican. And I said I offer it for Europe, as a co-decoration for Europe, a prize so that Europe may do what I desired at Strasburg; that it may no longer be “grandmother Europe” but “mother Europe.”
Secondly, reading the news the other day about this crisis and so on — I read little, I just glance through one newspaper — I won’t say the name so as not to create jealousy, but it is known! — Just 15 minutes, then I get information from the Secretariat of State and so on. And, there was one word that I liked, and I don’t know if they will approve it or not, but it was “the re-foundation of the European Union.” I thought of the great fathers, but today where is there a Schuman, an Adenauer, these great ones who after the war founded the European Union. I like this idea of the re-foundation of the European Union, maybe it can be done, because Europe — I do not say is unique, but it has a force, a culture, a history that cannot be wasted, and we must do everything so that the European Union has the strength and also the inspiration to make it go forward. That’s what I think.
Anne Thompson, NBC (USA): Some wonder, how a Church that claims to be merciful, how can the Church forgive a murderer easier than someone who has divorced and remarried?
Pope Francis: I like this question! On the family, two synods have spoken. The Pope has spoken on this all year in the Wednesday Catechisms. The question is true, you posed it very well. In the post-synod document that will be published, perhaps before Easter — it picks up on everything the synod — in one of the chapters, because it has many — it spoke about the conflicts, wounded families and the pastoral of wounded families. It is one of the concerns. As another is the preparation for marriage. Imagine, to become a priest there are eight years of study and preparation, and then if after a while you can’t do it, you can ask for a dispensation, you leave, and everything is OK. On the other hand, to make a sacrament (marriage), which is for your whole life, three to four conferences ... Preparation for marriage is very important. It’s very, very important because I believe it is something that in the Church, in common pastoral ministry, at least in my country, in South America, the Church it has not valued much.
For example, not so much anymore but some years ago in my homeland there was a habit, something called ‘casamiento de apuro,’ a marriage in haste because the baby is coming and to cover socially the honor of the family. There, they weren’t free and it happened many times this marriage is null. As a bishop I forbade my priests to do this. Priests, when there was something like this, I would say, let the baby come, let them continue as fiancées, and when they feel like they can continue for the rest of their lives, then they could go ahead. There is a lack there.
Another very interesting chapter is the education of children: the victims of problems of the family are the children. The children. Even of problems that neither husband nor wife have a say in. For example, the needs of a job. When the dad doesn’t have free time to speak to his children, when the mother doesn’t have time to speak with her children. When I confess a couple who have kids, a married couple, I ask, “how many children do you have?” Some get worried and think the priest will ask why I don’t have more. I would make a second question, “Do you play with your children?” The majority say, “But father, I have no time. I work all day.” Children are victims of a social problem that wounds the family. It is a problem … I like your question.
Another interesting thing from the meeting with families in Tuxtla. There was a couple, married again in second union integrated in the pastoral ministry of the Church. The key phrase used by the synod, which I’ll take up again, is “integrate” in the life of the Church the wounded families, remarried families, etcetera. But of this one mustn’t forget the children in the middle. They are the first victims, both in the wounds, and in the conditions of poverty, of work, etcetera.
Thompson: Does that mean they can receive Communion?
Pope Francis: This is the last thing. Integrating in the Church doesn’t mean receiving Communion. I know married Catholics in a second union who go to church, who go to church once or twice a year and say I want communion, as if joining in Communion were an award. It’s a work towards integration, all doors are open, but we cannot say, “from here on they can have Communion.” This would be an injury also to marriage, to the couple, because it wouldn’t allow them to proceed on this path of integration. And those two were happy. They used a very beautiful expression: we don’t receive Eucharistic Communion, but we receive communion when we visit hospitals and in this and this and this. Their integration is that. If there is something more, the Lord will tell them, but it’s a path, a road.
Antoine Marie Izoard, I.Media (France): Holiness, good evening. I permit myself first off, joking, to tell you how much we Vaticanistas are hostages of the schedule of the Holy Father and we can’t play with our children. Saturday is the jubilee audience, Sunday the Angelus and from Monday through Friday we have to go work. And also a hug to Alberto, who with Father Lombardi 20 years ago hired me at Vatican Radio. We’re in family here.
A question a bit “risqué” Holiness. Numerous media have evoked and made a lot of noise on the intense correspondence John Paul II and the American philosopher, Ana Teresa Tymieniecka, who had a great affection, it’s said, for the Polish Pope. In your viewpoint, can a Pope have such an intimate relationship with a woman? And also, if you allow me, you who have an important correspondence, have you known this type of experience?
Pope Francis: I already knew about this friendship between St. John Paul II and this philosopher when I was in Buenos Aires. It was known. Also her books are known. John Paul II was a restless man. Then, I would also say that a man who does not know how to have a relationship of friendship with a woman — I'm not talking about misogynists, who are sick — well, he's a man who is missing something.
And in my own experience, including when I ask for advice, I would ask a collaborator, a friend, I also like to hear the opinion of a woman because they have such wealth. They look at things in a different way. I like to say that women are those who form life in their wombs — and this is a comparison I make — they have this charism of giving you things you can build with. A friendship with a woman is not a sin. [It’s] a friendship. A romantic relationship with a woman who is not your wife, that is a sin. Understand?
But the Pope is a man. The Pope needs the input of women, too. And the Pope, too, has a heart that can have a healthy, holy friendship with a woman. There are saint-friends — Francis and Clare, Teresa and John of the Cross — don't be frightened. But women are still not considered so well; we have not understood the good that a woman do for the life of a priest and of the church in the sense of counsel, help of a healthy friendship.
Franca Giansoldati, Il Messaggero (Italy): Holiness, good evening. I return back to the topic of the law that is being voted on in the Italian parliament. It is a law that in some ways is about other countries, because other countries have laws about unions among people of the same sex. There is a document from the Congregation for the Doctrine for the Faith from 2003 that dedicates a lot of attention to this, and even more, dedicates a chapter to the position of Catholic parliamentarians in parliament before this question. It says expressly that Catholic parliamentarians must not vote for these laws. Considering that there is much confusion on this, I wanted to ask, first of all, is this document of 2003 still in effect? And what is the position a Catholic parliamentarian must take? And then another thing, after Moscow, Cairo. Is there another thawing out on the horizon? I’m referring to the audience that you wish for with the Pope and the Sunnis, let’s call them that way, the Imam of Al Azhar.
Pope Francis: For this, Msgr. Ayuso went to Cairo last week to meet the second to the Imam and to greet the Imam. Msgr. Ayuso, secretary to Cardinal Tauran of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. I want to meet him. I know that he would like it. We are looking for the way, always through Cardinal Tauran because it is the path, but we will achieve it.fighting
About the other, I do not remember that 2003 document from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith well but every Catholic parliamentarian must vote according their well-formed conscience. I would say just this. I believe it is sufficient because — I say well-formed because it is not the conscience of what seems to me. I remember when matrimony for persons of the same sex was voted on in Buenos Aires and the votes were tied. And at the end, one said to advise the other: “But is it clear to you? No, me neither, but we’re going to lose like this. But if we don't go there won't be a quorum.” The other said: “If we have a quorum we will give the vote to Kirchner”' And, the other said: “I prefer to give it to Kirchner and not Bergoglio.” And they went ahead. This is not a well-formed conscience.
On people of the same sex, I repeat what I said on the trip to Rio di Janeiro. It’s in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Javier Martinez-Brocal, Rome Reports (Italy): We’re not back to Rome yet but we are thinking about future trips, about preparing our suitcases again. Holy Father, when are you going to go to Argentina, where they have been waiting for you for a long time? When will you return to Latin America? Or go to China? Then, a quick comment, you spoke many times during this trip about dreaming — what do you dream about? And what is your nightmare?
Pope Francis: China. (laughs) To go there. I would love that. I would like to say something just about the Mexican people. It is a population that has a wealth, such great wealth, a people that surprises. They have a culture, a culture that goes back millennia. Do you know that today, in Mexico, they speak 65 languages, counting the indigenous languages, 65. It is a people of great faith. They have also suffered religious persecution. There are martyrs, now I will canonize two. It is a population that you can’t explain, you can’t explain it because the word “people” is not a logical category, it’s a mythical category. The Mexican people, you cannot explain this wealth, this history, this joy, the capacity to celebrate amid these tragedies that you have asked about. I can say another thing, that this unity, that this people has managed not to fail, not to end with so many wars, things, things that are happening now. There in the city of Juarez there was a pact of 12 hours of peace for my visit. After that they will continue to fight among themselves, no? Traffickers. But a people that still is together with all that, you can only explain with Guadalupe. And I invite you to seriously study the facts of Guadalupe. The Madonna is there. I cannot find another explanation. And it would be nice if you as journalists — there are some books that explain the painting what it is like, the significance, and that is how you can understand better this great and beautiful people.
Caroline Pigozzi, Paris Match (France): Good evening, Holy Father. Two things, I wanted to know what did you ask Guadalupe? Because you were there a long time in the chapel praying to Guadalupe. And then something else, do you dream in Italian or Spanish?
Pope Francis: I’d say I dream in Esperanto (laughs). I don’t know how to respond to that. Truly. Sometimes I remember some dreams in another language, but dreaming in languages no, but figures yes, my psychology is this way. With words I dream very little, no? And, the first question was?
(Guadalupe)
I asked for the world, for peace, so many things. The poor thing ended up with her head like this (raises arms around head). I asked forgiveness, I asked that the Church grows healthy, I asked for the Mexican people. And another thing I asked a lot for: that priests to be true priests, and sisters true sisters, and bishops true bishops. As the Lord wants. This I asked a lot for, but then, the things a child tells his mother are a bit of a secret. Thanks, Carolina.

 

Recall: Pell was one of those prelates implying Francis was an antipope...

Pell denies abuse accusations and criticises suspicious timing


Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop Emeritus of Sydney and Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, has denied outright the sex abuse allegations made against him and corroborated by Australian newspaper Herald Sun. One week before he is due to give evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, via video link from Rome, the cardinal also criticised the suspicious timing of the news leak. Some victims are accusing him not of actually carrying out acts of sexual abuse but of covering up cases that were reported to him in recent decades. He was responsible for the priests who are said to have committed the offences.

“Cardinal Pell is due to give evidence to the Royal Commission in just over one week. The timing of these leaks is clearly designed to do maximum damage to the Cardinal and the Catholic Church and undermines the work of the Royal Commission,” says a statement leaked by Pell’s offices. “The allegations are without foundation and utterly false.”

The Herald Sun wrote that Cardinal Pell is being investigated by Victoria Police’s Sano Taskforce, over alleged abuse against minors both consistently and occasionally when he was still only a priest in Ballarat and when archbishop of Melbourne.

“It is outrageous that these allegations have been brought to the Cardinal’s attention through a media leak,” the statement reads. “The Cardinal has called for a public inquiry into the leaking of these spurious claims by elements in the Victorian Police in a manner clearly designed to embarrass the Cardinal, in a case study where the historical failures of the Victorian Police have been the subject of substantial evidence.”

In his statement, Cardinal Pell refers to the Southwell Report, an independent Church inquiry into the accusations of abuse the cardinal allegedly committed against an altar boy at a summer camp on Phillip Island in 1962. The investigation, which was conducted by retired Supreme Court judge, Alec Southwell, ended with the cardinal’s absolution. The Phillip Island allegations have been on the public record for nearly 15 years. The Southwell Report which exonerated Cardinal Pell has been in the public domain since 2002,” today’s statement reads. “The Victorian police have taken no steps in all of that time to pursue the false allegations made, however the Cardinal certainly has no objection to them reviewing the materials that led Justice Southwell to exonerate him. The Cardinal is certain that the police will quickly reach the conclusion that the allegations are false.” “The Victorian Police have never sought to interview him in relation to any allegations of child sexual abuse and apart from the false allegations investigated by Justice Southwell, the Cardinal knows of no claims or incidents which relate to him.”

Cardinal Pell, the statement says, “strongly denies any wrongdoing. If the police wish to question him he will co-operate, as he has with each and every public inquiry. In the meantime, the Cardinal understands that several media outlets have received confidential information leaked by someone within the Victorian Police.” Thus, “the Cardinal calls on the Premier and the Police Minister to immediately investigate the leaking of these baseless allegations”.

Cardinal Pell will give evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse via video link on 29 February. 15 victims are travelling to Rome to attend the cardinal’s hearing, with money raised through a crowdfunding initiative. “As an archbishop for almost 20 years he has led from the front to put an end to cover-ups, to protect vulnerable people and to try to bring justice to victims,” says a separate statement released by the office of 74-year-old cardinal Pell, who was granted permission not to travel to Australia for the hearing, due to the serious health risks involved. “As Cardinal Pell has done after earlier hearings, he is prepared to meet with and listen to victims and express his ongoing support.”

GeoPolitics of Modernism (cough, cough) I meant "mercy"

Francis’ geopolitics of mercy and realism

In his speech to diplomats accredited to the Holy See, the Bishop of Rome sspoke about how the Church has presented the world with the perfect occasion - the year-long Jubilee - to deal together with the global emergencies facing us
Francis’ Holy Year of Mercy has a geopolitical goal as well. The Church is offering the Jubilee as a propitious time to defuse conflicts, stop the scourge of war and address global emergencies together. Pope Francis gave a concrete and direct description of this opportunity in his traditional beginning-of-the-year speech to diplomatic representatives accredited to the Holy See. In his address, he reiterated “the complete readiness of the Secretariat of State to cooperate with you in favouring constant dialogue between the Apostolic See and the countries which you represent”, stressing: “I am certain that this Jubilee year (which was intentionally pre-inaugurated in Bangui, “in a country sorely tried by hunger, poverty and conflict”) will be a favourable occasion for the cold indifference of so many hearts to be won over by the warmth of mercy, that precious gift of God which turns fear into love and makes us artisans of peace”.

In the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Year of Mercy Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis made it clear that he did not wish to turn the Holy Year into a “propitious time” exclusively for faithful of Catholics active in the faith, he intended it as an opportunity for reconciliation for non-Christians too, starting with Jews and Muslims. A time that does not exclude the possibility of taking into account the dynamics of the Jubilee in scrapping scores that need to be settled and in reconciliation between enemies, right from the outset, including when seeking solutions to the conflicts and international crises that are tormenting peoples and nations.

The benefits of the Jubilee are offered to everyone, there are no hidden interests behind them. Pope Francis is not trying to defend one civilisation from other figures who are active on the world stage. He emphasises that the action of the Holy See in the international sphere is aimed at the wellbeing of the entire human family. Hence, it has no need for forming privileged alliances or exclusive partnerships with prominent geopolitical entities.

In the time of Pope Francis, the Church is not seeking out the backing of influential figures and geopolitical supporters and it is not pursuing any plans to assert itself and secure its “relevance” in history. It is therefore not in the least bit concerned with competing with pre-established worldly powers, or forming preferential alliance networks with them. As the Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin once stated: Vatican diplomacy has the task of “build[ing] bridges in order to promote dialogue and use negotiation as a means to solve conflicts, spread fraternity, fight against poverty and build peace. The Pope has no other “interests” or “strategies” and neither do those who represent him abroad.”

The registered effect shows that freeing oneself from pre-established geopolitical goals and alignments allows the Church’s current leader to be more flexible and efficient in his discernment of world events. The evangelical outlook and the reference to mercy foster a realistic perception of situations and problems. This evangelical outlook helps one to dodge past conformism or power-serving ideologies and appears immune from utopian idealism and neo-rigorist perfectionism.

As he addressed each individual question in his speech to the diplomatic corps, Pope Francis presented everyone with critical reflections that dismantle clichés and ready-made barriers, offering hints on how to proceed in the search for concrete solutions. In his speech, which focused on the “migration emergency”, Francis recognised migration as a part of the history of salvation that forms part of the history of the entire world, from Abraham’s journey to the deportation of the chosen people to the land of Babylon, to Mary and Joseph’s flight into Egypt to save Jesus. In the Pope’s address, today’s tragedies, from  ethnic-religious cleansing to the drownings at sea, were not detached from “issues involving the arms trade, the provision of raw materials and energy, investment, policies of financing and sustainable development, and even the grave scourge of corruption”. Once again, the Pope pointed to the prevailing “culture of waste” as the root of the collective global suffering of those fleeing war and humanitarian tragedies. A culture that sees people as throwaway objects, “especially when poor or disabled, or “not yet useful” – like the unborn (an explicit reference to abortion, Ed.), or “no longer needed” – like the elderly”.

On the subject of immigration, Francis recalled the “need for mid-term and long-term planning which is not limited to emergency responses” that “include effective assistance for integrating migrants in their receiving countries,” while at the same time “promoting the development of their countries of origin through policies inspired by solidarity, yet not linking assistance to ideological strategies and practices alien or contrary to the cultures of the peoples being assisted”. Regarding the immigration crisis unfolding in Europe, the Successor of Peter was realistic, stressing that the current migration wave seems to be “undermining the foundations of that “humanistic spirit” which Europe has always loved and defended” and that “the right balance” needs to be found “between its twofold moral responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens and to ensure assistance and acceptance to migrants”. He urged for European countries such as Italy that are suffering the brunt of the problem, not to be left alone. He also recalled that the most intolerable migration emergencies are being witnessed in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. Referring to Italy, the Pope expressed the hope that “in light of its age-old tradition, the nation may prove capable of accepting and integrating the social, economic and cultural contribution which migrants can offer”. Regarding the social and “cultural” concerns surrounding the immigration phenomenon, including concerns to do with religion, Francis reiterated that “only a distorted ideological form of religion can think that justice is done in the name of the Almighty by deliberately slaughtering defenceless persons”. The Bishop of Rome took stock of the fact that extremism and fundamentalism find fertile ground “in the vacuum of ideals and the loss of identity – including religious identity – which dramatically marks the so-called West”. At the same time, in an implicit reference to Islamophobic rhetoric, the Pope also pointed to “identitarian” reactions as a worrying symptom of this vacuum, reactions which “lea[d] [us] to se[e] the other as a threat and an enemy, to closed-mindedness and intransigence in defending preconceived notions”. “The acceptance of migrants” on the other hand, “can … prove a good opportunity for new understanding and broader horizons, both on the part of those accepted, who have the responsibility to respect the values, traditions and laws of the community which takes them in, and on the part of the latter, who are called to acknowledge the beneficial contribution which each immigrant can make to the whole community”.

In his references to the suffering of Christians who are experiencing persecution within the current migration phenomenon, the Pope avoided any emphasis on “persecutionism” that could fuel theories about the clash of civilisations and also refrained from separating Christian suffering from the suffering of others, in tune with other astute representatives of the Eastern Churches. It was Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II who, a couple of days ago, reiterated that terrorism “does not distinguish” between Christians and Muslims. Pope Francis has adopted the same open attitude in solving conflict through multilateral negotiations, with regard to the Iranian nuclear issue, the attempts – still in the early stages – to settle the conflict in Libya and the steps taken by the international community “to achieve a political and diplomatic solution of the crisis” in the Syrian slaughterhouse. Francis also prayed “that this new year can heal the deep wounds dividing Israelis and Palestinians, and enable the peaceful coexistence of two peoples who in the depths of their heart ask only for peace!” 
The Novus Ordites need "more dialogue" like Christopher Walken needs "more cowbell"

"DEAR BROTHER MASONS" - Full Article on Catholic-Masonic Dialogue by Cardinal Ravasi

DEAR BROTHER MASONS
Over and above our different identities, there is no lack of common values: a sense of community, charitable works and the fight against materialism

by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi

I read some time ago in an American magazine that the international bibliography on Freemasonry exceeds more than a 100,000 articles. Certainly contributing to this interest is its aura of secrecy and mystery, more or less with good reason, its different “obediences” and Masonic “rites” shrouded in a sort of murkiness, not to mention its origins, which, according to the English historian Frances Yates, “are one of the most discussed and questionable problems in the entire field of historical research” (curiously the scholar’s study was dedicated to the Rosicrucian Enlightment, translated by Einaudi in 1976).

We obviously do not want to go into this archipelago of “lodges” “orients” “arts” “affiliations” and denominations of which history has often weaved – for better or for worse – into the politics of many nations (for example, I’m thinking here of Uruguay where I took part recently in various dialogues with proponents of traditional Masonic culture and society), just as it is not possible to trace the lines of demarcation between the authentic, the false, the degenerate, or para-masonry and the various esoteric or theosophical circles.
It is also arduous to illustrate a map of the ideology which holds such a fragmentary universe, which is why we can speak of a horizon and a method more than a codified doctrinal system. Inside this fluid setting some rather distinct crossroads meet, such as an anthropology based on freedom of conscience, intellect and equal rights, in addition to a deism that acknowledges the existence of God, allowing however, for flexible definitions on His identity. Anthropocentrism and spiritualism, are, therefore, two somewhat excavated paths within a very changeable and flexible map that we are not able to outline in any precise way.
We are content, though, to indicate an interesting little volume which has a clearly distinct aim: that of defining the relationship between Freemasonry and the Catholic Church. Let’s be clear immediately though: it is not a historical analysis of this relationship, neither does it treat of possible contaminations between the two subjects. In fact, it is evident that Masonry has assumed Christian models – even liturgical ones. We must not forget, for instance, that in the 17th century many English lodges recruited members and maestros among the Anglican clergy and it is a fact that one of the first and fundamental Masonic “constitutions” was drawn up by the Presbyterian pastor, James Anderson who died in 1739. In it, among other things, it was affirmed, that an adherent ”will never be a stupid atheist nor an irreligious libertine” even if the creed proposed was, in the end, the vaguest possible, “that of a religion which all men agree on”.
Now, the vacillations of contacts between the Church and Freemasonry have had many varied movements, reaching even manifest hostility, marked by anticlericalism on the one side and excommunication on the other. Indeed, on April 28th 1738, Pope Clement XII, the Florentine Lorenzo Corsini, promulgated the first explicit document on Freemasonry, the Apostolic Letter In eminenti apostulatus specula, in which he declared: “that these same Societies, Companies, Assemblies, Meetings, Congregations, or Conventicles of Liberi Muratori or Francs Massons, or whatever other name they may go by, are to be condemned and prohibited”. Condemnations reiterated by subsequent pontiffs, from Benedict XIV to Pius IX and Leo XIII, affirmed the incompatibility between membership in the Catholic Church and Masonic obedience. Concise was the 1917 code of Canon Law in which canon 2335 reads: “Those who join a Masonic sect or other societies of the same sort, which plot against the Church or against legitimate civil authority, incur ipso facto an excommunication simply reserved to the Holy See.”
The new Code of 1983 tempered the formula, avoiding explicit reference to Freemasonry, conserving the substance of the punishment even if destined in the most generic sense “a person who joins an association which plots against the Church” (canon 1374). However the most articulated Church document on the irreconcilability between adhesion to the Catholic Church and Freemasonry is the Declaratio de associationibus massonicis issued by the Vatican Congregation for the Faith on November 26th 1983, signed by the then Prefect, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. It specified precisely the value of the new Code of Canon Law, reaffirming: “the Church’s negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden.”
The small volume to which we now return, is interesting since it attaches – along with an Introduction by the present Prefect for the Congregation, Cardinal Gerhard Muller - also two documents from two local Episcopates, the German Episcopal Conference (1980) and the Philippine one (2003). They are significant texts as they address the theoretical and practical reasons for the irreconcilability of masonry and Catholicism as concepts of truth, religion, God, man and the world, spirituality, ethics, rituality and tolerance. It is significant particularly for the method adopted by the Philippine Bishops, who articulate their discourse along three trajectories: the historical, the more explicitly doctrinal and the pastoral. All is examined along the lines of the question-answer type of catechesis. There are 47 question-answers and they go into details, such as the initiation ceremony, symbols, the use of the Bible, the relationship with other religions, the oath of brotherhood, the various levels of the hierarchy and so on. These various declarations on the incompatibility of the two memberships in the Church or in Freemasonry, do not impede, however, dialogue, as is explicitly stated in the German Bishops’ document which had already listed the specific areas for discussion, such as the communitarian dimension, works of charity, the fight against materialism, human dignity and reciprocal knowledge.
Further, we need to overcome that stance from certain Catholic integralist spheres, which – in order to hit out at some exponents even in the Church’s hierarchy who displease them – have recourse to accusing them apodictically of being members of Freemasonry. In conclusion, as the German Bishops wrote, we need to go beyond reciprocal “hostility, insults and prejudices” since “in comparison to past centuries the tone and way of manifesting [our]differences has improved and changed” even if these differences still remain in a clearly distinct way.

The farewell rap song that the prisoners of Ciudad Juarez dedicated to Pope Francis 

This video even had James Holmes like...

 

French Cardinal Barbarin under pressure for failure to remove accused priest


Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, France, is under pressure to resign after acknowledging that he allowed a priest to remain in parish ministry after learning that the priest had been accused of sexual abuse.
The cardinal revealed that he first learned of accusations against Father Bernard Peynat "around 2007-2008." The allegations against the priest dated back to the years between 1986 and 1991. At the time, Cardinal Barbarin said, he was assured that there had been no new charges since 1991.
Cardinal Albert Decourtray, who was Archbishop of Lyon at the time, suspended Father Peynat for six months, but then restored him to active ministry. Cardinal Barbarin, who was installed as the leader of the Lyon archdiocese in 2002, allowed him to remain in parish work.
It was only in 2014, Cardinal Barbarin recalled, that he met with a victim who brought new charges of abuse against Father Peynat. After consulting with the Vatican, the cardinal removed the accused priest from ministry.
"When I arrived in Lyon, I did not know anything" about the Peynat case, Cardinal Barbarin told La Croix. "By the time I learned the facts, there were no complaints." He explained that when he heard a credible charge against the priest, he took action to suspend him.


These pop-singing nuns rocked Francis' Juarez Mass


.- After taking the Internet by storm last fall with their hit “Confia en Dios,” this group of singing sisters was invited to perform at Pope Francis’ U.S.-Mexico border Mass in Juarez earlier this week.
“We are very happy…we never imagined that we would receive an invitation,” Sister Mónica Nobl told CNA Feb. 17.
One of the leaders of the musical group “The Siervas,” meaning “Servants,” Nobl said that the invite to sing at the papal Mass was something none of them expected, but came through Facebook.
After checking out their Facebook page and seeing the viral video for their song “Confia en Dios,” a priest from Mexico wrote them asking if they wanted to sing at the Pope’s final Mass in Juarez.
The immediate reaction was “Of course! How can we not participate in this great event?” Sr. Monica said, adding that they were “very, very happy and very excited to participate.”
The 12 sisters in the group are all part of the community of the Servants of the Plan of God. Founded Aug. 15, 1998, in Peru, the community lives a life of full apostolic availability, evangelizing in the areas of youth, the family and culture, with a special emphasis on the fragile, ill, poor and suffering.
Some of the more musical members of the community banded together, literally, last fall in order to put their musical talents to use in spreading the message of the Gospel.
In September 2015 “The Siervas” released their first CD in Spanish, “Ansias que queman,” which a month later was presented with a tour in Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Peru.
The biggest hit on the album is a song called “Confia en Dios,” or “Trust in God.” Since it was posted to YouTube in October, the music video for the song has been viewed over 365,000 times.
It shows the sisters playing both classical instruments as well as the drums and the electric and bass guitars while singing the catchy tune in their religious habits from a rooftop helipad.
Nobl explained that “The Siervas” composed the music and lyrics for the songs themselves, and that they chose a selection of different types of songs to perform for the Pope’s Mass.
“We prepared a variety of songs to encourage people,” she said, adding that “our rhythms are well motivated,” since they are a mix of pop, rock and Latin pop genres.
The blend of rock with religious hymns has gained popularity among Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
Out of the many non-Catholic and non-religious people who have commented on the “Confia en Dios” music video, the majority say that despite not sharing the sisters’ faith, they are big fans of the song and think it touches people on a human level.
What the group hopes to demonstrate is that even Catholic music “can be composed with the highest musical standards,” Nobl said.
Because of this, the group is already recording their second album, which they chose to do in collaboration with renowned musical producers in both Peru and the United States.
Although their community was founded in Peru, members of “The Siervas” hail from countries all over the world, including Argentina, China, the Philippines, Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador and Japan.
In addition to their gig in Juarez, the sisters will also play in several other Mexican cities as part of a mini tour that includes stops in Chihuahua, San Juan del Rio and Mexico City.
As part of their Mexican tour, “The Siervas” will also be performing charity work throughout the trip in soup kitchens and schools in the cities they visit.
Out of all the stops they will make, Nobl said that their performance in Juarez was especially significant not just because they played for the Pope, but also because of the suffering those who live in the city face on a daily basis.
To perform in a place like the violent and conflicted border between Mexico and the United States “excites us a lot because this is why we do music, so that the message of the faith arrives to and crosses borders, and arrives above all to those who suffer most,” she said.
“Our mission is to help those in need. We assist poor people, those who suffer. So it is very meaningful and very symbolic for us to be in Ciudad Juarez, which suffers a lot.”
With communities throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa, the sisters run numerous projects assisting marginalized groups, such as the homeless and those who live in extreme poverty, and have a school for disabled children.


 

I have been warning you that in the formal New Age Religion there would be a "counterfeit baptism" to initiate one into the New Age program.  Tradition also calls this the Mark of the Beast.  The False Prophet and Maitreya have such intent. It seems the attack on baptism is well under way

  

You’re Doing Baptism All Wrong

 
The earliest known painting of the Mother Mary has given new clues to the sacrament of Baptism, and now all Christians may be brides of Christ.
For nearly two millennia, Christians across the globe have practiced baptism. Despite their many differences of opinion, the centrality of baptism for membership in the Christian community is something that all modern Christians agree upon. They believe that at baptism their sins are forgiven, they die to their old lives and are reborn in Christ. But now a new book suggests that early Christians held very different beliefs about baptism than we do today.
In his book, The World’s Oldest Church, Fordham Associate Professor Michael Peppard examines the iconography from the walls that adorned the earliest surviving Christian church, from Dura-Europos in Syria. Located above the Euphrates River in what is now ISIS territory, Dura Europos was a bustling metropolis in the ancient world. The church, one of three ancient religious buildings that have survived intact from the city (the others are a Jewish synagogue and a pagan Mithraeum), was originally the home of a wealthy third century Christian that had been converted into a “house church”: a building containing an assembly room and a baptistery.
The walls of the baptistery were adorned with biblically inspired artwork, including a depiction of a woman drawing water from a well. Traditionally, scholars have thought that the woman is meant to be the Samaritan woman who engages Jesus in conversation at a well in John 4.
In his analysis of the artwork, Peppard, following and expanding on the work of theologian Dominic Serra, argues that scholars have misread the scene. He suggests that the woman is actually Mary, the mother of Jesus. Not only would this be the earliest, albeit somewhat blurry, portrait of the Virgin Mary (she looks terrible, by the way), but, Peppard argues, her presence at the scene changes our understanding of what is taking place at baptism.
Peppard thinks that Mary and the other biblical figures present at the baptistery evoke a kind of wedding scene. As a neophyte (a Christian initiate) passed through the space, he or she would see the paintings and understand the ritual in marital terms. What this means is that baptism wasn’t always seen as death and rebirth; for newly minted Christians at Dura-Europos, baptism was a kind of marriage to Christ. This isn’t just a more upbeat take on the purpose of baptism; it also suggests a different kind of intimacy with Jesus. It’s not just nuns who can be “brides of Christ.” Heck, it’s not just women either.
Peppard’s hypothesis certainly changes how we think about baptism. But baptismal controversy and adaptation is nothing new. According to Paul, Christians in Corinth performed “baptisms for the dead,” whatever those are. Latter-day Saints continue to perform baptisms for the dead (with live surrogates standing in for the deceased) in temples across the globe, but no one really knows what kinds of practices Paul himself actually refers.
The earliest church surviving church manual, the second-century Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles), stipulates that ideally baptism would be performed in flowing water (i.e., a river). If the baptized could not make it to a river, then the author pragmatically concedes that a pool or bath of cold water would be the next best thing, and, if cold water was not available, as it might not have been in warmer climates, then warm water would suffice. Finally, if none of the above were available, drizzling some water on the forehead of the baptized would suffice. This concession proved practical when, in the fourth century, Augustine made the case for baptizing infants as well as full-grown adults.
If all of this seems confusing, it probably should: Unlike the Eucharist, there’s no biblical moment when Jesus tells his disciples how to baptize other people. And despite its pervasiveness in Christianity, the Gospels never really describe how baptism should be performed. With so many different ideas about how and why to baptize, chances are you’re doing it at least partly wrong.

Source: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/21/you-re-doing-baptism-all-wrong.html