lifesitenews--2020-02-18--UPDATE: Facebook censors abortion survivor interview for ‘spam,’ violating ‘community standards’

UPDATE , February 18 , 2020 : Seth Gruber announced Tuesday afternoon that Facebook has reversed itself and lifted the ban on the interview .
LifeSiteNews ’ original report follows below .
February 18 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Facebook censored yet another piece of pro-life content on opaque pretenses this week , this time labeling as “ spam ” an interview with Abortion Survivors Network director Melissa Ohden .
On Monday , Life Training Institute ’ s Seth Gruber uploaded the following interview with Ohden to YouTube .
Their conversation covers a range of topics , especially Ohden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a saline abortion for five days before being transferred to neonatal intensive care and being adopted .
Gruber posted a link to the video on Facebook via his personal account , only to receive a notification that “ your post goes against our community standards on spam .
No one else can see your post .
We have these standards to help prevent people from misleading others .
We may restrict your account if you violate our standards again.
” Gruber tells LifeSiteNews he has appealed the decision , but does not expect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ironic , isn ’ t it , that when pro-abortion advocates can ’ t silence unborn children in the womb through dismemberment , they will attempt to silence the voices of those who survived that procedure under the guise of ‘ misleading others , ’ ” he added .
“ I had been looking forward to posting the link to an interview I did with Seth Gruber , ” but “ Facebook isn ’ t a fan of the message of an abortion survivor , ” Ohden commented .
“ Give FB and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mind on this one .
I will be.
” This is a recurring pattern for Facebook .
The social media giant has been criticized for suppressing and otherwise discriminating against many right-of-center pages and posts , while multiple analyses have found that Facebook ’ s algorithm changes instituted at the beginning of 2018 disproportionately impacted conservative politicians and websites .
Last year , an insider revealed that Facebook “ deboosts ” traffic to several mainstream conservative sites .
Pro-life and pro-family voices in particular have faced significant difficulties on Facebook , including LifeSiteNews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Susan B. Anthony List , the American Pregnancy Association , Choice For Two , Elizabeth “ Activist Mommy ” Johnston , and the pro-life films Gosnell and Roe v. Wade : The Movie .
Facebook often reverses such censorship actions following media coverage and public pressure , but continues to downplay them as isolated errors rather than institutionalized bias in need of corrective action .

"It’s ironic, isn’t it, that when pro-abortion advocates can’t silence unborn children in the womb through dismemberment, they will attempt to silence the voices of those who survived that procedure under the guise of 'misleading others.'"
UPDATE, February 18, 2020: Seth Gruber announced Tuesday afternoon that Facebook has reversed itself and lifted the ban on the interview. LifeSiteNews’ original report follows below.
February 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Facebook censored yet another piece of pro-life content on opaque pretenses this week, this time labeling as “spam” an interview with Abortion Survivors Network director Melissa Ohden.
On Monday, Life Training Institute’s Seth Gruber uploaded the following interview with Ohden to YouTube. Their conversation covers a range of topics, especially Ohden’s personal story of miraculously surviving a saline abortion for five days before being transferred to neonatal intensive care and being adopted.
Gruber posted a link to the video on Facebook via his personal account, only to receive a notification that “your post goes against our community standards on spam. No one else can see your post. We have these standards to help prevent people from misleading others. We may restrict your account if you violate our standards again.”
Gruber tells LifeSiteNews he has appealed the decision, but does not expect a reply.
“It’s ironic, isn’t it, that when pro-abortion advocates can’t silence unborn children in the womb through dismemberment, they will attempt to silence the voices of those who survived that procedure under the guise of ‘misleading others,’” he added.
“I had been looking forward to posting the link to an interview I did with Seth Gruber,” but “Facebook isn’t a fan of the message of an abortion survivor,” Ohden commented. “Give FB and the liberal media a piece of your mind on this one. I will be.”
This is a recurring pattern for Facebook. The social media giant has been criticized for suppressing and otherwise discriminating against many right-of-center pages and posts, while multiple analyses have found that Facebook’s algorithm changes instituted at the beginning of 2018 disproportionately impacted conservative politicians and websites. Last year, an insider revealed that Facebook “deboosts” traffic to several mainstream conservative sites.
Pro-life and pro-family voices in particular have faced significant difficulties on Facebook, including LifeSiteNews, Live Action, Save the Storks, the Susan B. Anthony List, the American Pregnancy Association, Choice For Two, Elizabeth “Activist Mommy” Johnston, and the pro-life films Gosnell and Roe v. Wade: The Movie.
Facebook often reverses such censorship actions following media coverage and public pressure, but continues to downplay them as isolated errors rather than institutionalized bias in need of corrective action.
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lifesitenews--2020-02-18--Democrats’ cruelty to their political enemies is shocking

February 18 , 2020 ( American Thinker ) — `` Cruelty is the expression of hate and of the will to power .
...
The sadistic traits , the tendency to barbarousness , the impulse to destroy , manifest themselves in a manner that is senseless , brutal , scornful of every cultural achievement .
...
The sadist revels in the fear , the anger , the humiliation of his victim .
...
The sadist pictures to himself what is happening in the mind of his object , whose resistance he calls forth and breaks .
Only this feeling of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ object brings him the expected pleasure . ''
—Wilhelm Stekel , Sadism and Masochism : the Psychology of Hatred and Cruelty ( 1929 ) John Grant quoted the above in a post at Counterpunch .
He used it to indict George Bush and Donald Trump and their treatment of immigrants , but it is far more descriptive of the Democrats and their rancor toward President Trump and his supporters .
As everyone knows by now , the Left is outraged that A.G. Barr has intervened with regard to the prosecutors ' absurd sentence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on his radio program last Friday , observed that the Left is truly sadistic and cruel .
Leftists enjoy destroying those whose views they find unacceptable .
Consider the despicable and truly sadistic way they treated Brett Kavanaugh .
They concocted a plan , brought in Blasey Ford to do the deed , and went after the man with glee .
The insidious group of thugs who targeted Michael Flynn were absolutely sadistic as well .
They fabricated the crimes he was charged with out of whole cloth .
They needed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He lost his home , as did Roger Stone .
D.C. is worse than a swamp ; it devours those who presume to buck its system of skullduggery in search of wealth and power .
President Trump 's victory in 2016 put them all back on their heels .
How could they continue their habits of corruption with someone who had campaigned on draining their swamp ?
They would have to take him and those close to him down and out by any means available to them .
But , so confident in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Then they got caught .
Devin Nunes caught on to their scheme early on ; see Lee Smith 's book , The Plot against the President .
The Democrats fought back hard .
Adam Schiff fabricated a nonsense reply to the Nunes memo , but after two years , it was the Nunes memo that has proven to be exactly right .
Schiff is viciously obsessed by his psychotic Trump-hatred and lies as easily as he breathes .
If his constituents are smart , they will vote him out in November , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Los Angeles 's homelessness encroaches on their district .
He has been focused only on impeachment for three years .
His thorough ignorance of his district 's issues is in itself sadistic .
Anyone who has driven the streets of downtown Los Angeles or walked the streets of San Francisco should vote out every single person currently in office , for they have allowed the crisis to grow without doing a thing but surrender their constituents to the terrible impact on their quality of life .
Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them cares about his own district ; they care only about keeping the power they have in D.C. Schiff hid in his locked office when a group of twelve senior citizens showed up at his district headquarters to protest his impeachment show .
Like most bullies , he is an abject coward .
Everyone who watched the SOTU speech saw how disrespectful , how rude the Democrats in the room were .
Like small children who have never learned the most basic of manners , they delighted in their own beastly behavior as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of themselves .
How does a large party of alleged adults so enjoy acting like spoiled toddlers ?
Because they are perpetually immature ; they are happy only when they get their way .
Pelosi 's planned stunt at the SOTU proves only that she revels in her own childishness .
And as these elected officials set such a poor example , university students are being taught to behave similarly .
They are learning that they should never have to hear a dissenting word , that they may act out in a variety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent ways .
Now joining our immature and cruel left is mini-Mike Bloomberg , perhaps the most tone-deaf Democrat candidate yet .
He 's an elitist snob if there ever were one .
The thirty-year history of his utterances , his intolerance of nearly all of us for one reason or another , is appalling .
He too is not only unkind , but ruthless , and he thinks so little of the American people that he believes he can literally purchase the presidency .
The Democrats are indeed a cold-blooded bunch of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circumspect about his sadism .
“ Socialism is submission of the masochistic masses to the will of the sadistic elites.
” A.E .
Samaan , From a `` Race of Masters '' to a `` Master Race '' : 1948 to 1848 All Republicans , all conservatives , had better vote this November like their lives and freedom depend on it because they do .
Bloomberg got away with limiting the size of sodas and NY City 's salt intake .
Imagine what lengths he would go to in order to control our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as currently constituted is not just socialist but verging on communist .
Young people are no longer taught about the ravages of these ideologies , the death and destruction they invite .
They seem to no longer grasp the true nature of , their natural right to liberty .
They are not being taught self-reliance .
That they have been deprived of the glorious knowledge of these rights has been the cruel agenda of the left since Woodrow Wilson was President .
President Trump has for three years made a valiant attempt to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the Democrat candidates were to be victorious it would be the end of America as founded .
Published with permission from the American Thinker .

February 18, 2020 (American Thinker) — “Cruelty is the expression of hate and of the will to power. … The sadistic traits, the tendency to barbarousness, the impulse to destroy, manifest themselves in a manner that is senseless, brutal, scornful of every cultural achievement. … The sadist revels in the fear, the anger, the humiliation of his victim. … The sadist pictures to himself what is happening in the mind of his object, whose resistance he calls forth and breaks. Only this feeling of himself into the affective life of the object brings him the expected pleasure.”
—Wilhelm Stekel, Sadism and Masochism: the Psychology of Hatred and Cruelty (1929)
John Grant quoted the above in a post at Counterpunch. He used it to indict George Bush and Donald Trump and their treatment of immigrants, but it is far more descriptive of the Democrats and their rancor toward President Trump and his supporters. As everyone knows by now, the Left is outraged that A.G. Barr has intervened with regard to the prosecutors' absurd sentence recommendation for Roger Stone. Dennis Prager, on his radio program last Friday, observed that the Left is truly sadistic and cruel. Leftists enjoy destroying those whose views they find unacceptable.
Consider the despicable and truly sadistic way they treated Brett Kavanaugh. They concocted a plan, brought in Blasey Ford to do the deed, and went after the man with glee. The insidious group of thugs who targeted Michael Flynn were absolutely sadistic as well. They fabricated the crimes he was charged with out of whole cloth. They needed to destroy the man and nearly did. He lost his home, as did Roger Stone. D.C. is worse than a swamp; it devours those who presume to buck its system of skullduggery in search of wealth and power.
President Trump's victory in 2016 put them all back on their heels. How could they continue their habits of corruption with someone who had campaigned on draining their swamp? They would have to take him and those close to him down and out by any means available to them. But, so confident in their own superiority, they got careless. Then they got caught.
Devin Nunes caught on to their scheme early on; see Lee Smith's book, The Plot against the President. The Democrats fought back hard. Adam Schiff fabricated a nonsense reply to the Nunes memo, but after two years, it was the Nunes memo that has proven to be exactly right. Schiff is viciously obsessed by his psychotic Trump-hatred and lies as easily as he breathes. If his constituents are smart, they will vote him out in November, for he has done nothing for them as Los Angeles's homelessness encroaches on their district. He has been focused only on impeachment for three years. His thorough ignorance of his district's issues is in itself sadistic. Anyone who has driven the streets of downtown Los Angeles or walked the streets of San Francisco should vote out every single person currently in office, for they have allowed the crisis to grow without doing a thing but surrender their constituents to the terrible impact on their quality of life. Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi are among the worst offenders. Neither of them cares about his own district; they care only about keeping the power they have in D.C. Schiff hid in his locked office when a group of twelve senior citizens showed up at his district headquarters to protest his impeachment show. Like most bullies, he is an abject coward.
Everyone who watched the SOTU speech saw how disrespectful, how rude the Democrats in the room were. Like small children who have never learned the most basic of manners, they delighted in their own beastly behavior as a group. They were clearly proud of themselves. How does a large party of alleged adults so enjoy acting like spoiled toddlers? Because they are perpetually immature; they are happy only when they get their way. Pelosi's planned stunt at the SOTU proves only that she revels in her own childishness. And as these elected officials set such a poor example, university students are being taught to behave similarly. They are learning that they should never have to hear a dissenting word, that they may act out in a variety of childish, cruel, or even violent ways.
Now joining our immature and cruel left is mini-Mike Bloomberg, perhaps the most tone-deaf Democrat candidate yet. He's an elitist snob if there ever were one. The thirty-year history of his utterances, his intolerance of nearly all of us for one reason or another, is appalling. He too is not only unkind, but ruthless, and he thinks so little of the American people that he believes he can literally purchase the presidency. The Democrats are indeed a cold-blooded bunch of wannabe tyrants; Bloomberg is just less circumspect about his sadism. “Socialism is submission of the masochistic masses to the will of the sadistic elites.” A.E. Samaan, From a “Race of Masters” to a “Master Race”: 1948 to 1848 All Republicans, all conservatives, had better vote this November like their lives and freedom depend on it because they do. Bloomberg got away with limiting the size of sodas and NY City's salt intake. Imagine what lengths he would go to in order to control our lives if president.
The Democrat party as currently constituted is not just socialist but verging on communist. Young people are no longer taught about the ravages of these ideologies, the death and destruction they invite. They seem to no longer grasp the true nature of, their natural right to liberty. They are not being taught self-reliance. That they have been deprived of the glorious knowledge of these rights has been the cruel agenda of the left since Woodrow Wilson was President. President Trump has for three years made a valiant attempt to slow this rough beast. If any one of the Democrat candidates were to be victorious it would be the end of America as founded.
Published with permission from the American Thinker.
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lifesitenews--2020-02-20--Prestigious Vienna Opera Ball allows gay couple to participate for first time

VIENNA , Austria , February 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A same-sex couple will participate in the prestigious Vienna Opera Ball for the first time in its history , dating back to the early 19th century .
The annual event in Vienna features various traditional dances , drawing high-profile members of society , for instance the Austrian president .
“ We were aware that our appearance would probably attract attention .
We did not intend that , but we try to use it positively to draw attention to LGBTQ issues , ” Sophie Grau und Iris Klopfer told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dress like a man , in traditional black evening attire , while Klopfer will wear a white dress like all the other women .
In addition to being in a homosexual relationship , Grau claims to be “ a non-binary person.
” “ I like to play into female and male facets the way I want .
At the ball , male facets will come to the fore .
I also think the clothes are a costume for all debutantes , because they aren ’ t everyday outfits for anyone , ” Grau @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alexander Tschugguel , president of the St. Boniface Institute and an expert on traditional Austrian culture , criticized the opening of the Vienna Opera Ball for being used to push a certain political agenda .
The participation of Grau and Klopfer displays “ total ignorance towards our culture of balls , ” he added .
This year ’ s Opera Ball will take place on Thursday , February 20 .
The ball season in Vienna traditionally ends with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday .
One of the highlights consists of 150 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ladies ’ and young men ’ s committee , ” performing “ the first polonaise ” in the opera house of Vienna , according to the official website .
Maria Großbauer ( Grossbauer ) , the organizer of the Opera Ball , stated that it is “ absolutely right to include the female couple ” in the event , as they had mastered a specific type of waltz .
“ By the way , the traditional black and white effect still remains while dancing , because it was clear to them that one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the other lady a black suit.
” Großbauer belongs to the Christian Democrats ( ÖVP ) , which is the largest party in Austria .
She has been a member of parliament since 2017 .
There has been some criticism regarding the inclusion of a same-sex couple in the performance .
Richard Lugner , a famous Austrian entrepreneur and society figure , described the Opera Ball as the largest traditional ball in the world .
“ It should be a man and a woman dancing together , ” he said , adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ball should be avoided.
” Every year , Lugner invites a celebrity to be his guest at the Opera Ball .
In the past , his guests included Pamela Anderson , Paris Hilton , and Kim Kardashian .
Lugner has been divorced five times .
Even though Lugner is not “ the most classical and conservative man in Austria , ” Tschugguel was not surprised by his criticism of this year ’ s Opera Ball .
“ As someone who participated in balls for many years , he simply knows what the opening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The year 2020 is not the first year of the Opera Ball breaking with traditions .
In 2019 , singer and drag queen Thomas Neuwirth , better known as Conchita Wurst , attended the ball .
He had been invited by Josef Moser , the Austrian minister of justice .
Like Großbauer , Moser is a member of the Christian Democrats .
According to Tschugguel , the term “ Christian Democrat ” almost ridicules Christianity .
He told LifeSiteNews that the ÖVP established homosexual “ marriage ” in Austria last year .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this scandal ” of a same-sex couple at the Opera Ball , he said , “ is hardly surprising.
” Tschugguel said that while he encourages people to experience a ball in Vienna , he can no longer recommend the Opera Ball .

'I like to play into female and male facets the way I want,' said one member of the lesbian pair, who hopes to 'use' their appearance 'positively to draw attention to LGBTQ issues.'
VIENNA, Austria, February 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A same-sex couple will participate in the prestigious Vienna Opera Ball for the first time in its history, dating back to the early 19th century. The annual event in Vienna features various traditional dances, drawing high-profile members of society, for instance the Austrian president.
“We were aware that our appearance would probably attract attention. We did not intend that, but we try to use it positively to draw attention to LGBTQ issues,” Sophie Grau und Iris Klopfer told Austrian newspaper Kurier.
Grau plans to dress like a man, in traditional black evening attire, while Klopfer will wear a white dress like all the other women. In addition to being in a homosexual relationship, Grau claims to be “a non-binary person.”
“I like to play into female and male facets the way I want. At the ball, male facets will come to the fore. I also think the clothes are a costume for all debutantes, because they aren’t everyday outfits for anyone,” Grau said.
In remarks to LifeSiteNews, Alexander Tschugguel, president of the St. Boniface Institute and an expert on traditional Austrian culture, criticized the opening of the Vienna Opera Ball for being used to push a certain political agenda. The participation of Grau and Klopfer displays “total ignorance towards our culture of balls,” he added.
This year’s Opera Ball will take place on Thursday, February 20. The ball season in Vienna traditionally ends with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday.
One of the highlights consists of 150 young couples, “forming the young ladies’ and young men’s committee,” performing “the first polonaise” in the opera house of Vienna, according to the official website.
Maria Großbauer (Grossbauer), the organizer of the Opera Ball, stated that it is “absolutely right to include the female couple” in the event, as they had mastered a specific type of waltz. “By the way, the traditional black and white effect still remains while dancing, because it was clear to them that one lady wanted to wear a white dress and the other lady a black suit.”
Großbauer belongs to the Christian Democrats (ÖVP), which is the largest party in Austria. She has been a member of parliament since 2017.
There has been some criticism regarding the inclusion of a same-sex couple in the performance. Richard Lugner, a famous Austrian entrepreneur and society figure, described the Opera Ball as the largest traditional ball in the world.
“It should be a man and a woman dancing together,” he said, adding, “Destroying the image of the ball should be avoided.”
Every year, Lugner invites a celebrity to be his guest at the Opera Ball. In the past, his guests included Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, and Kim Kardashian. Lugner has been divorced five times.
Even though Lugner is not “the most classical and conservative man in Austria,” Tschugguel was not surprised by his criticism of this year’s Opera Ball. “As someone who participated in balls for many years, he simply knows what the opening of a ball is all about.”
The year 2020 is not the first year of the Opera Ball breaking with traditions. In 2019, singer and drag queen Thomas Neuwirth, better known as Conchita Wurst, attended the ball. He had been invited by Josef Moser, the Austrian minister of justice. Like Großbauer, Moser is a member of the Christian Democrats.
According to Tschugguel, the term “Christian Democrat” almost ridicules Christianity. He told LifeSiteNews that the ÖVP established homosexual “marriage” in Austria last year. “A member of the ÖVP being responsible for this scandal” of a same-sex couple at the Opera Ball, he said, “is hardly surprising.”
Tschugguel said that while he encourages people to experience a ball in Vienna, he can no longer recommend the Opera Ball.
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lifesitenews--2020-02-20--Priest justifies Catholics belonging to the Freemasons in new book

February 19 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Michael Weninger , a former Austrian diplomat who became a Catholic priest two years after his wife died in 2009 , aims to prove in a new book that Freemasons are “ certainly not ” excommunicated by the Catholic Church and that mistrust since Vatican II toward them is no longer what it used to be .
The priest makes this claim despite the 1917 Code of canon law expressly condemning membership of Freemasonry , a teaching that was upheld by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger ( Benedict XVI ) when he headed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1983 .
In Lodge und Altar ( Lodge and Altar ) , which contains nearly 500 pages and is currently available only in German , Weninger argues that the mistrust hinged on a misunderstanding of the condemnation of the “ Grand Orient ” Lodge in France for political reasons .
He claims that the mistrust of Freemasonry extended beyond France to English-speaking Rites and also contends that Freemasons and the Catholic Church are perfectly compatible .
Weninger was appointed in 2012 to the Pontifical Commission for Interreligious Dialogue by Pope Benedict XVI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Cathedral of Vienna by Cardinal Christophe Schönborn .
Weninger presented his book in the Austrian capital on February 12 .
Sitting next to him at the conference table was the Grand Master of the Austrian Lodge .
At the meeting , Weninger stated that he had already presented his book to Pope Francis , the highest-ranking cardinals in the Curia , and Cardinal Schönborn .
Asked how they reacted , he immediately responded , “ with benevolence , without exception.
” Wearing a clerical suit and Roman collar , the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the European Commission ) endeavored to distinguish between what he called “ regular ” Masons , under the patronage of the Grand Lodge of England , and “ anticlerical ” and “ sectarian ” European Masons , mainly active in France and Italy .
According to kathpress.at , the Austrian Catholic news agency , Weninger said during the presentation of his book that during his travels around the world he met a large number of Catholics – according to him , some two million who belong to the lodges linked to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him about their “ problems of conscience and mental disorders ” linked to the fact that they worried about being excommunicated because of Masonic membership .
“ I would reply , with a clear conscience , that they were not , ” Weninger insisted .
Admittedly , the Code of Canon Law of 1917 expressly reserved this sanction to any member of any lodge .
But according to the former diplomat , the absence of a paragraph expressly condemning the membership of Freemasonry in the new Code of Canon Law of 1983 should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement be reconciled with a very clear document published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the eve of the day the 1983 Code entered into force on November 27 , 1983 ?
The document of the CDF , of which then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was the prefect , states the following , with the express approval of Pope John Paul II : Declaration on Masonic Associations It has been asked whether there has been any change in the Church ’ s decision in regard to Masonic associations since the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them expressly , unlike the previous Code .
This Sacred Congregation is in a position to reply that this circumstance in due to an editorial criterion which was followed also in the case of other associations likewise unmentioned inasmuch as they are contained in wider categories .
Therefore 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 faithful who enrol in Masonic associations are in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive Holy Communion .
It is not within the competence of local ecclesiastical authorities to give a judgment on the nature of Masonic associations which would imply a derogation from what has been decided above , and this in line with the Declaration of this Sacred Congregation issued on 17 February 1981 ( cf .
AAS 73 1981 pp .
240-241 ; English language edition of L ’ Osservatore Romano , 9 March 1981 ) .
For Weninger , this declaration does not have the same binding force as the Code of Canon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to acknowledge , during his February 12 talk , that it carries a certain theological weight .
Weninger chose two modes of presentation to make his point .
One was related to the history of the Masons in recent centuries , the other to that of recent decades marked , according to the author , by a break with previous systematic condemnations and excommunications on the part of the Church .
Weninger ’ s first endeavor was to minimize the role of Freemasonry in its centuries-old struggle against the Church and dogma as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Loge und Altar published by the German Freemasonry “ wiki , ” the primary motivation for the “ conflict ” was simply the “ fear of competition ” on the part of the Church : a baseless fear , according to Weninger , that the “ Brothers ” were creating a “ new religious community.
” The review of the book by Rudi Rabe continues : But according to Weninger , Rabe assures us that the Church was mistaken : “ Freemasonry as such does not exist.
” It would be interesting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this “ spirituality , ” which by definition is not Catholic .
Numerous studies of Freemasonry as such , with its motto Solve and coagula – “ destroy and rebuild ” – have repeatedly demonstrated its initial esoteric and above-all secret-society status that as such is incompatible with Catholicism .
It is , moreover , remarkable that in France , it is not the “ Grand Orient , ” which Weninger sees as the only problem , that pushed most effectively to the establishment of the culture of death through contraception and abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the role he played and that Masonry increased tenfold in view of their legalization in his book De la vie avant toute chose , “ Life Before All Things , ” was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of France , a spiritualist lodge of the Ancient Scottish Rite .
The story of Serge Abad-Gallardo , a member of the Human Rights Lodge in France ( “ loge du Droit humain , ” attached to an international network linked to the symbolic Scottish Grand Lodge ) , also deserves a mention here .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Luciferian character of Freemasonry , which becomes evident as one moves up in rank .
In his book Je servais Lucifer sans le savoir ( “ I served Lucifer without knowing it ” ) , he explains , for example , how Freemasonry in general and his lodge in particular served the advancement of the culture of death , notably to impose the legalization of euthanasia .
Weninger ’ s second line of Freemasonry defense that would not be anti-Catholic , because it is not secularist – quite a hasty conclusion – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Church during the 20th century .
Here , Weninger has strings to his bow , even if to make his point he is obliged to minimize the text of Cardinal Ratzinger expressly approved by John Paul II .
“ On several occasions there have been hopeful approaches to an understanding , but to the pattern of two steps forward and one step back , ” regretted the clergyman , in the words of the reviewer of his book .
The most recent of these “ steps backwards ” was of course the Declaration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Faith .
Here , we can turn once again to Simon , who in De la vie avant toute chose also highlighted the rapprochement between French Catholic leaders and Freemasons , precisely at the time when the battle raged in France for the legalization of contraception and then abortion .
Weninger , for his part , believes that the time has come again for rapprochement : slowly , because the Church is an institution that ’ s “ more than a millennium and a half old , ” Rudi Rabe notes rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the main chapters of the book , explaining in particular that the “ Masonic mystery ” has , according to Weninger , “ nothing to do with religious mystery.
” It is rather “ only a personal experience , through the very personal experience of ritual work , through the interiorization of the Masonic experience.
” These rituals , a mix of apparently absurd folklore and deliberate esotericism , have been analyzed and ripped to pieces by many authors , among whom Abad-Gallardo proves to be particularly accessible to today ’ s readers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appearance of so-called “ speculative ” Freemasonry , which claims to work in view of “ the improvement of society , ” which Weninger balanced by also speaking of the “ excesses of Freemasonry , ” he enumerated the 80 condemnations of Freemasonry by the papacy , with emphasis on supposedly political reasons .
The overthrow of the Papal States at the time of Pius IX was suggested to be a high point .
This is the central point of Weninger ’ s argument , as Rudi Rabe reports : “ Under his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Genus reached its climax .
The two sides were not doing each other any favors .
The mutual and often malicious attacks lasted until the beginning of the century , after which the storm slowly subsided .
But , as a reminder : on the Masonic side , only the Roman lodges fought : especially the Italians .
But as the popes made no distinction , their verdicts struck all Catholic Freemasons , including those of English orientation , although they had nothing to do with the struggle for the unification of Italy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The 20th century , from the end of the First World War and especially , noted Weninger , since Vatican II , has been marked by the birth and then the acceleration of dialogue between these two parties moving towards “ reconciliation.
” This dialogue was particularly strong in Vienna at the end of the 1960s when Austrian Cardinal Franz König held talks with Austrian , German and Swiss Freemasons “ in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.
” This was to lead to the “ Declaration of Lichtenau ” in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Freemasonry is not a religion and shares with Catholicism the commandment to love one ’ s brothers and all people .
It presented the excommunication of the Freemasons as a “ relic of history.
” The author also identifies a “ special dialogue ” in Germany between 1974 and 1980 .
It is to this and to the action of Cardinal König that , according to Weninger , the disappearance of the express mention of Freemasonry in the new Code of Canon Law of 1983 is to be attributed .
For his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the legal nature of the Declaration that preceded its entry into force by one day .
Today , according to Weninger , “ the time for reconciliation has never been so favorable.
” This is due , he contends , to the fact that on the socio-political level their relations are today much less “ confrontational , ” as both are marked by “ forces of reflection and reform.
” Not surprisingly , Georg Semler , Grand Master of the Austrian Lodge and a self-proclaimed Catholic , welcomed Weninger ’ s work as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believes it will have to be achieved through “ one or two official gestures.
” According to Weninger , this could be done through a meeting of the Grand Masters with representatives of the Church : the Pope himself or the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith .
And thus the Church would no longer condemn this parallel hierarchy that acts discreetly alongside , or even in the place of , the visible political , administrative and economic leaders , an heir to various forms of Gnosis , less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might imagine , than a throwback to the ancient Kabbalists .
In France , Freemasonry now openly claims its action to influence the adoption of new laws .
It hates dogma and claims to put man at the center as master of his own destiny .

February 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Michael Weninger, a former Austrian diplomat who became a Catholic priest two years after his wife died in 2009, aims to prove in a new book that Freemasons are “certainly not” excommunicated by the Catholic Church and that mistrust since Vatican II toward them is no longer what it used to be. The priest makes this claim despite the 1917 Code of canon law expressly condemning membership of Freemasonry, a teaching that was upheld by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) when he headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1983.
In Lodge und Altar (Lodge and Altar), which contains nearly 500 pages and is currently available only in German, Weninger argues that the mistrust hinged on a misunderstanding of the condemnation of the “Grand Orient” Lodge in France for political reasons. He claims that the mistrust of Freemasonry extended beyond France to English-speaking Rites and also contends that Freemasons and the Catholic Church are perfectly compatible.
Weninger was appointed in 2012 to the Pontifical Commission for Interreligious Dialogue by Pope Benedict XVI, one short year after his ordination in the Cathedral of Vienna by Cardinal Christophe Schönborn. Weninger presented his book in the Austrian capital on February 12. Sitting next to him at the conference table was the Grand Master of the Austrian Lodge.
At the meeting, Weninger stated that he had already presented his book to Pope Francis, the highest-ranking cardinals in the Curia, and Cardinal Schönborn. Asked how they reacted, he immediately responded, “with benevolence, without exception.”
Wearing a clerical suit and Roman collar, the former diplomat (and adviser to José Barroso at the European Commission) endeavored to distinguish between what he called “regular” Masons, under the patronage of the Grand Lodge of England, and “anticlerical” and “sectarian” European Masons, mainly active in France and Italy.
According to kathpress.at, the Austrian Catholic news agency, Weninger said during the presentation of his book that during his travels around the world he met a large number of Catholics – according to him, some two million who belong to the lodges linked to the Grand Lodge of England. They told him about their “problems of conscience and mental disorders” linked to the fact that they worried about being excommunicated because of Masonic membership.
“I would reply, with a clear conscience, that they were not,” Weninger insisted.
Admittedly, the Code of Canon Law of 1917 expressly reserved this sanction to any member of any lodge. But according to the former diplomat, the absence of a paragraph expressly condemning the membership of Freemasonry in the new Code of Canon Law of 1983 should tranquilize them completely.
How can this statement be reconciled with a very clear document published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the eve of the day the 1983 Code entered into force on November 27, 1983? The document of the CDF, of which then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was the prefect, states the following, with the express approval of Pope John Paul II:
Declaration on Masonic Associations
It has been asked whether there has been any change in the Church’s decision in regard to Masonic associations since the new Code of Canon Law does not mention them expressly, unlike the previous Code. This Sacred Congregation is in a position to reply that this circumstance in due to an editorial criterion which was followed also in the case of other associations likewise unmentioned inasmuch as they are contained in wider categories. Therefore 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 faithful who enrol in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion. It is not within the competence of local ecclesiastical authorities to give a judgment on the nature of Masonic associations which would imply a derogation from what has been decided above, and this in line with the Declaration of this Sacred Congregation issued on 17 February 1981 (cf. AAS 73 1981 pp. 240-241; English language edition of L’Osservatore Romano, 9 March 1981). *
For Weninger, this declaration does not have the same binding force as the Code of Canon Law – even though he was obliged to acknowledge, during his February 12 talk, that it carries a certain theological weight.
Weninger chose two modes of presentation to make his point. One was related to the history of the Masons in recent centuries, the other to that of recent decades marked, according to the author, by a break with previous systematic condemnations and excommunications on the part of the Church.
Weninger’s first endeavor was to minimize the role of Freemasonry in its centuries-old struggle against the Church and dogma as such.
According to a review of Loge und Altar published by the German Freemasonry “wiki,” the primary motivation for the “conflict” was simply the “fear of competition” on the part of the Church: a baseless fear, according to Weninger, that the “Brothers” were creating a “new religious community.” The review of the book by Rudi Rabe continues:
But the context of the often massive condemnations that several popes pronounced against the lodges was ultimately motivated more by political than theological reasons. It began as early as the beginning of the 18th century with the struggle for the British throne, in which the Masonic lodges were involved, and continued with the fear of “liberty-equality-fraternity” during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, reaching its climax in the 19th century with the struggle for the Italian nation-state, before which the Papal State-Church had to give way. Either the Freemasons were unknowingly or wrongly accused, or they actually participated, as they did, for example, during the Risorgimento: the birth of the Italian state. On this front, both sides fought mercilessly with their own weapons: Garibaldi’s Freemasons with their rifles and the Popes with their thunderbolts.
But according to Weninger, Rabe assures us that the Church was mistaken: “Freemasonry as such does not exist.”
While Italian but also French Freemasons and Grand Lodges have often acted against the Church politically and militarily (Weninger’s “pseudo-Freemasonry”), against the basic principles of Freemasonry, this does not apply at all to Freemasonry of English orientation. However, most lodges in the world, including most of those in the German-speaking area, are still oriented in this direction. This so-called regular Freemasonry – see the subtitle of the book – is politically very reserved. It maintains a high tolerance and also encourages its members to a certain spirituality, which is absolutely compatible with Christianity. Michael Weninger talks about it again and again in his book.
It would be interesting to know which contours that Weninger gives to this “spirituality,” which by definition is not Catholic. Numerous studies of Freemasonry as such, with its motto Solve and coagula – “destroy and rebuild” – have repeatedly demonstrated its initial esoteric and above-all secret-society status that as such is incompatible with Catholicism.
It is, moreover, remarkable that in France, it is not the “Grand Orient,” which Weninger sees as the only problem, that pushed most effectively to the establishment of the culture of death through contraception and abortion.
Dr. Pierre Simon, who reveals the role he played and that Masonry increased tenfold in view of their legalization in his book De la vie avant toute chose, “Life Before All Things,” was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of France, a spiritualist lodge of the Ancient Scottish Rite.
The story of Serge Abad-Gallardo, a member of the Human Rights Lodge in France (“loge du Droit humain,” attached to an international network linked to the symbolic Scottish Grand Lodge), also deserves a mention here. Abad-Gallardo has witnessed in several books to the Luciferian character of Freemasonry, which becomes evident as one moves up in rank. In his book Je servais Lucifer sans le savoir (“I served Lucifer without knowing it”), he explains, for example, how Freemasonry in general and his lodge in particular served the advancement of the culture of death, notably to impose the legalization of euthanasia.
Weninger’s second line of Freemasonry defense that would not be anti-Catholic, because it is not secularist – quite a hasty conclusion – concerns the change in attitude of the Church during the 20th century. Here, Weninger has strings to his bow, even if to make his point he is obliged to minimize the text of Cardinal Ratzinger expressly approved by John Paul II.
“On several occasions there have been hopeful approaches to an understanding, but to the pattern of two steps forward and one step back,” regretted the clergyman, in the words of the reviewer of his book. The most recent of these “steps backwards” was of course the Declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Here, we can turn once again to Simon, who in De la vie avant toute chose also highlighted the rapprochement between French Catholic leaders and Freemasons, precisely at the time when the battle raged in France for the legalization of contraception and then abortion.
Weninger, for his part, believes that the time has come again for rapprochement: slowly, because the Church is an institution that’s “more than a millennium and a half old,” Rudi Rabe notes rather oddly in his account.
Rabe lists the main chapters of the book, explaining in particular that the “Masonic mystery” has, according to Weninger, “nothing to do with religious mystery.” It is rather “only a personal experience, through the very personal experience of ritual work, through the interiorization of the Masonic experience.”
These rituals, a mix of apparently absurd folklore and deliberate esotericism, have been analyzed and ripped to pieces by many authors, among whom Abad-Gallardo proves to be particularly accessible to today’s readers.
After a historical presentation of the appearance of so-called “speculative” Freemasonry, which claims to work in view of “the improvement of society,” which Weninger balanced by also speaking of the “excesses of Freemasonry,” he enumerated the 80 condemnations of Freemasonry by the papacy, with emphasis on supposedly political reasons. The overthrow of the Papal States at the time of Pius IX was suggested to be a high point.
This is the central point of Weninger’s argument, as Rudi Rabe reports:
“Under his successor Leo XIII, the encyclical Humanum Genus reached its climax. The two sides were not doing each other any favors. The mutual and often malicious attacks lasted until the beginning of the century, after which the storm slowly subsided. But, as a reminder: on the Masonic side, only the Roman lodges fought: especially the Italians. But as the popes made no distinction, their verdicts struck all Catholic Freemasons, including those of English orientation, although they had nothing to do with the struggle for the unification of Italy and the French ‘cultural wars.’”
The 20th century, from the end of the First World War and especially, noted Weninger, since Vatican II, has been marked by the birth and then the acceleration of dialogue between these two parties moving towards “reconciliation.”
This dialogue was particularly strong in Vienna at the end of the 1960s when Austrian Cardinal Franz König held talks with Austrian, German and Swiss Freemasons “in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.” This was to lead to the “Declaration of Lichtenau” in 1970, in which both sides declared that Freemasonry is not a religion and shares with Catholicism the commandment to love one’s brothers and all people. It presented the excommunication of the Freemasons as a “relic of history.”
The author also identifies a “special dialogue” in Germany between 1974 and 1980. It is to this and to the action of Cardinal König that, according to Weninger, the disappearance of the express mention of Freemasonry in the new Code of Canon Law of 1983 is to be attributed. For his part, he devotes lengthy developments to the legal nature of the Declaration that preceded its entry into force by one day.
Today, according to Weninger, “the time for reconciliation has never been so favorable.”
This is due, he contends, to the fact that on the socio-political level their relations are today much less “confrontational,” as both are marked by “forces of reflection and reform.”
Not surprisingly, Georg Semler, Grand Master of the Austrian Lodge and a self-proclaimed Catholic, welcomed Weninger’s work as an important step toward reconciliation. He believes it will have to be achieved through “one or two official gestures.” According to Weninger, this could be done through a meeting of the Grand Masters with representatives of the Church: the Pope himself or the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
And thus the Church would no longer condemn this parallel hierarchy that acts discreetly alongside, or even in the place of, the visible political, administrative and economic leaders, an heir to various forms of Gnosis, less a servant of reason, as one might imagine, than a throwback to the ancient Kabbalists. In France, Freemasonry now openly claims its action to influence the adoption of new laws. It hates dogma and claims to put man at the center as master of his own destiny.
God forbid.
Follow Jeanne Jeanne Smits has worked as a journalist in France since 1987 after obtaining a Master of Arts in Law. She formerly directed the French daily Présent and was editor-in-chief of an all-internet French-speaking news site called reinformation.tv. She writes regularly for a number of Catholic journals (Monde & vie, L’Homme nouveau, Reconquête…) and runs a personal pro-life blog. In addition, she is often invited to radio and TV shows on alternative media. She is vice-president of the Christian and French defense association “AGRIF.” She is the French translator of The Dictator Pope by Henry Sire and Christus Vincit by Bishop Schneider, and recently contributed to the Bref examen critique de la communion dans la main about Communion in the hand. She is married and has three children, and lives near Paris.
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lifesitenews--2020-02-20--Are Dems ready for Michael Bloomberg’s massive conflict of interest on China?

February 19 , 2020 ( American Thinker ) — The inevitable cratering of Joe Biden 's campaign , accelerated by the impeachment fiasco orchestrated by Nancy Pelosi and the inexorable rise of Bernie Sanders , has caused the Ruling Class to turn their lonely eyes to a hoped-for savior , Michael Bloomberg .
But along with Bloomberg comes his de facto business partner and longtime close ally : China , a nation determined to destabilize American security , prosperity and freedom while growing more tyrannical and secretive internally and more dangerous than ever externally as it faces a potential economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 interview with PBS 's Firing Line , Bloomberg said : `` The Communist Party wants to stay in power in China and they listen to the public . ''
Further , `` Xi Jinping is not a dictator .
He has to satisfy his constituents or he 's not going to survive . ''
Bloomberg failed to mention that in 2013 , Bloomberg News was caught in a scandal when it killed news stories revealing corruption related to Xi Jinping 's family members , prompting various reporters and editors to resign .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the editors that stories about the families of politburo members were off limits .
When challenged by host Margaret Hoover of PBS on whether he really believes that Xi is `` responsive '' to the democratic will of the people , Bloomberg doubled down .
`` The Chinese Communist Party looks at Russia and they look for where the Communist Party is and they do n't find it anymore .
And they do n't want that to happen .
So , they really are responsive . ''
These absurd statements fly in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Xinjiang province with the forced imprisonment of nearly 2 million Uighur Muslims in `` re-education '' camps .
The government crackdown on the citizens of Hong Kong continues , as well as the closing of innumerable Christian churches , jailing pastors , and even rewriting Scripture .
( Additionally , nearly 500,000 individuals are currently detained in `` Black Jails '' and mental health institutions without trial , charges , or access to legal aid .
Most recently , video has surfaced of the government 's reaction to the coronavirus by physically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus kicking and screaming into expansive state pens . )
Michael Bloomberg , in pursuit of power and riches , has refused over the past 25 years to acknowledge these abuses and threats by China to world peace and stability .
As Josh Rogin of the Washington Post points out , among the ways Michael Bloomberg and his company Bloomberg LP make a considerable amount of money in China is not only through the extraordinarily profitable licensing of its financial software , but via its massive Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by sending billions of U.S. investor dollars into the Chinese bond market .
In 2019 , the index began a 20-month plan to support 364 Chinese firms by directing an estimated $ 150 billion into their bond offerings , including 159 controlled directly by the Chinese government .
Bloomberg , along with other Wall Street firms , is effectively supporting the Chinese government 's human rights abuses and its resistance to Donald Trump 's efforts to rein in Chinese trade exploitation and espionage , all the while exposing American investors to increased risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic statistics and manipulates its currency .
What are those risks currently ?
On the 15th of February , Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge wrote : In our ongoing attempt to glean some objective insight into what is actually happening `` on the ground '' in the notoriously opaque China , whose economy has been hammered by the Coronavirus epidemic , yesterday we showed several `` alternative '' indicators such as real-time measurement of air pollution ( a proxy for industrial output ) , daily coal consumption ( a proxy for electric usage and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proxy for commerce and mobility , before concluding that China 's economy appears to have ground to a halt .
That conclusion was cemented after looking at some other real time charts [ infrastructure and fixed asset investments , passenger traffic and real estate sales ] which suggests that there is a very high probability that China 's GDP in Q1 will not only flatline , but crater deep in the red for one simple reason : there is no economic activity taking place whatsoever .
In a nation of 1.4 billion people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factor is the soaring prices for everyday staples such as food , as the internal supply chain frays and the economy craters .
Additionally , these setbacks may well be the catalyst for a nationwide eruption of the social unrest that has been festering below the surface for the past decade .
Would a President Bloomberg with so many ties to a potentially desperate and belligerent China , and subject to potential extortion , act in the best interest of the United States ?
The myriad conflicts of interest that Donald Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four years pale in comparison to the potential conflicts of Michael Bloomberg , particularly with regard to America 's primary global adversary , China .
Further , on a daily basis , new stories emerge concerning his tyrannical management style , egocentrism , racial insensitivity , and overt sexism — all factors that should be determinative in disqualifying anyone for a major political party presidential nomination .
Nonetheless , the Ruling Class , desperate to rid themselves of the dual existential threat to their hegemony , Donald Trump and his America First Movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , are coalescing behind Michael Bloomberg .
He is willing to buy not only the American presidency , but the Ruling Class 's loyalty and endorsements .
And many are willing to sell .
If there is any doubt that power and money motivate the American Ruling Class , thanks to Michael Bloomberg , that doubt will now be put to bed .
Published with permission from the American Thinker .

The myriad conflicts of interest that Donald Trump has been falsely accused of over the past four years pale in comparison to the potential conflicts of Michael Bloomberg.
February 19, 2020 (American Thinker) — The inevitable cratering of Joe Biden's campaign, accelerated by the impeachment fiasco orchestrated by Nancy Pelosi and the inexorable rise of Bernie Sanders, has caused the Ruling Class to turn their lonely eyes to a hoped-for savior, Michael Bloomberg. But along with Bloomberg comes his de facto business partner and longtime close ally: China, a nation determined to destabilize American security, prosperity and freedom while growing more tyrannical and secretive internally and more dangerous than ever externally as it faces a potential economic and societal cataclysm.
In a September 2019 interview with PBS's Firing Line, Bloomberg said: “The Communist Party wants to stay in power in China and they listen to the public.” Further, “Xi Jinping is not a dictator. He has to satisfy his constituents or he's not going to survive.”
Bloomberg failed to mention that in 2013, Bloomberg News was caught in a scandal when it killed news stories revealing corruption related to Xi Jinping's family members, prompting various reporters and editors to resign. It turned out that Bloomberg News leadership told the editors that stories about the families of politburo members were off limits.
When challenged by host Margaret Hoover of PBS on whether he really believes that Xi is “responsive” to the democratic will of the people, Bloomberg doubled down. “The Chinese Communist Party looks at Russia and they look for where the Communist Party is and they don't find it anymore. And they don't want that to happen. So, they really are responsive.”
These absurd statements fly in the face of the what is happening in Xinjiang province with the forced imprisonment of nearly 2 million Uighur Muslims in “re-education” camps. The government crackdown on the citizens of Hong Kong continues, as well as the closing of innumerable Christian churches, jailing pastors, and even rewriting Scripture. (Additionally, nearly 500,000 individuals are currently detained in “Black Jails” and mental health institutions without trial, charges, or access to legal aid. Most recently, video has surfaced of the government's reaction to the coronavirus by physically dragging victims or potential victims of the virus kicking and screaming into expansive state pens.)
Michael Bloomberg, in pursuit of power and riches, has refused over the past 25 years to acknowledge these abuses and threats by China to world peace and stability.
As Josh Rogin of the Washington Post points out, among the ways Michael Bloomberg and his company Bloomberg LP make a considerable amount of money in China is not only through the extraordinarily profitable licensing of its financial software, but via its massive Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index. Bloomberg LP is helping finance Chinese companies by sending billions of U.S. investor dollars into the Chinese bond market.
In 2019, the index began a 20-month plan to support 364 Chinese firms by directing an estimated $150 billion into their bond offerings, including 159 controlled directly by the Chinese government. Bloomberg, along with other Wall Street firms, is effectively supporting the Chinese government's human rights abuses and its resistance to Donald Trump's efforts to rein in Chinese trade exploitation and espionage, all the while exposing American investors to increased risk in a nation that habitually obfuscates its economic statistics and manipulates its currency.
What are those risks currently?
On the 15th of February, Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge wrote:
In our ongoing attempt to glean some objective insight into what is actually happening “on the ground” in the notoriously opaque China, whose economy has been hammered by the Coronavirus epidemic, yesterday we showed several “alternative” indicators such as real-time measurement of air pollution (a proxy for industrial output), daily coal consumption (a proxy for electric usage and manufacturing) and traffic congestion (a proxy for commerce and mobility, before concluding that China's economy appears to have ground to a halt. That conclusion was cemented after looking at some other real time charts [infrastructure and fixed asset investments, passenger traffic and real estate sales] which suggests that there is a very high probability that China's GDP in Q1 will not only flatline, but crater deep in the red for one simple reason: there is no economic activity taking place whatsoever.
In a nation of 1.4 billion people, perhaps the most catastrophic and ominous factor is the soaring prices for everyday staples such as food, as the internal supply chain frays and the economy craters. Additionally, these setbacks may well be the catalyst for a nationwide eruption of the social unrest that has been festering below the surface for the past decade. Would a President Bloomberg with so many ties to a potentially desperate and belligerent China, and subject to potential extortion, act in the best interest of the United States?
The myriad conflicts of interest that Donald Trump has been falsely accused of over the past four years pale in comparison to the potential conflicts of Michael Bloomberg, particularly with regard to America's primary global adversary, China. Further, on a daily basis, new stories emerge concerning his tyrannical management style, egocentrism, racial insensitivity, and overt sexism — all factors that should be determinative in disqualifying anyone for a major political party presidential nomination.
Nonetheless, the Ruling Class, desperate to rid themselves of the dual existential threat to their hegemony, Donald Trump and his America First Movement and Bernie Sanders and his Democratic Socialism, are coalescing behind Michael Bloomberg. He is willing to buy not only the American presidency, but the Ruling Class's loyalty and endorsements. And many are willing to sell. If there is any doubt that power and money motivate the American Ruling Class, thanks to Michael Bloomberg, that doubt will now be put to bed.
Published with permission from the American Thinker.
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lifesitenews--2020-02-20--Patients using ‘homophobic,’ ‘transphobic’ language could be denied medical care under new UK rules

February 19 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Under new rules that will be enforced in April , medical staff in the UK will be able to deny non-critical care to patients in taxpayer funded medical facilities if they are considered to have made homophobic , sexist or racist remarks , according to a Sky News report .
Medical staff are already permitted to refuse to treat non-critical patients deemed to have been verbally aggressive or physically violent toward them .
But starting in April they will now be able to deny treatment due to any harassment , bullying or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will include homophobic , sexist , or racist comments .
The new rules were announced along with the release of a 2019 survey of National Health Service ( NHS ) staff , which showed that more than a quarter of NHS workers reported that they have been bullied , harassed , or abused in the past year .
Pro-LGBT news agency Pink News says that an NHS spokesperson has confirmed to them that transphobia and “ all cases under the Equalities Act ” will be covered in the measures .
According to Pink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be “ rolled out as part of a joint agreement between police and prosecution services to clamp down on hate crime ” and police will be given “ more power to investigate and prosecute cases where NHS employees are the victim of a crime.
” Health Secretary Matt Hancock wrote to all NHS staff on Tuesday saying that `` no act of violence or abuse is minor . ''
`` Being assaulted or abused is not part of the job , '' he said .
“ All assault , ” Hancock said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must be investigated with care , compassion , diligence and commitment .
”

UPDATE February 20, 2020 at 12:50 p.m. EST: Catholic News Agency (CNA) reports that it has asked the NHS to “clarify how a patient would be deemed racist or homophobic, and if they could be denied care due to a staff member’s perception or inference of their religious beliefs.” CNA says that it asked the NHS if “someone such as a Catholic priest or Imam could be removed from an NHS trust due to their religious opposition to same-sex marriage and homosexual activity.”
A spokesperson for the NHS told them that “A person’s personal beliefs or any historical views are entirely irrelevant for this policy – a person would only be refused treatment if they made openly discriminatory remarks to a staff member at that time.”
The spokesperson also said that “medical conditions that may impact a person’s decision making skills or verbal filter would be considered when making a decision to deny care.”
The newly formed Scottish Family Party has commented on Facebook: “‘Verbally aggressive or physically violent’ seems to cover it to us, but they insist on making ‘homophobic, sexist and racist’ comments a special case. We oppose the idea of a hierarchy of victimhood: all should be protected equally by the law.”
February 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Under new rules that will be enforced in April, medical staff in the UK will be able to deny non-critical care to patients in taxpayer funded medical facilities if they are considered to have made homophobic, sexist or racist remarks, according to a Sky News report.
Medical staff are already permitted to refuse to treat non-critical patients deemed to have been verbally aggressive or physically violent toward them.
But starting in April they will now be able to deny treatment due to any harassment, bullying or discrimination, which under the new rules will include homophobic, sexist, or racist comments.
The new rules were announced along with the release of a 2019 survey of National Health Service (NHS) staff, which showed that more than a quarter of NHS workers reported that they have been bullied, harassed, or abused in the past year.
Pro-LGBT news agency Pink News says that an NHS spokesperson has confirmed to them that transphobia and “all cases under the Equalities Act” will be covered in the measures.
According to Pink News, lawmakers say the new rules will be “rolled out as part of a joint agreement between police and prosecution services to clamp down on hate crime” and police will be given “more power to investigate and prosecute cases where NHS employees are the victim of a crime.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock wrote to all NHS staff on Tuesday saying that “no act of violence or abuse is minor.”
“Being assaulted or abused is not part of the job,” he said.
“All assault,” Hancock said, “and hate crime against staff must be investigated with care, compassion, diligence and commitment.”
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lifesitenews--2020-02-20--How pro-abortion beliefs destroy the happiness of those who hold them

February 19 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — For the last several days , I ’ ve been on university campuses in Florida with some of my colleagues from the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and a team of volunteers , engaging with students on abortion .
At the end of each day after activism , we have a debrief after taking down the Abortion Awareness Project display and discuss the conversations we had that day .
For many of the volunteers , it is their first taste of pro-life activism , and over and over again , many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ How can people believe the things they say ?
They are referring to the university students ( and often their professors ) who are willing to make increasingly strange and repulsive arguments to defend their morally and scientifically untenable position on abortion .
Some students will insist that the child in the womb is actually a parasite rather than a son or daughter .
Others will say that because the baby is dependent on her mother , she can be killed at the whim of the one who should love her the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conflict of rights that exists between a mother and her children — their right to life versus her apparent right to be rid of them .
All of our volunteers have done extensive apologetics training , and so many of them had heard these arguments before .
Some of them have done pro-life activism in the past .
But it is something quite different to hear a young man or a young woman tell you , while looking at a photograph of a dismembered pre-born child , that this brutal violence is justified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if applied to any other member of the human family .
Many of them will even point to photos of babies in the womb and insist that one must be Christian to believe it is wrong to abort those babies , which is one of the most inadvertently compelling arguments for Christianity I have ever heard .
A thought struck me after our second day of discussing abortion with university students : ridiculous and repulsive ideas almost always deceive intellectuals before ordinary people .
Most of the mental gymnastics practiced by students desperate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguments , many of which constituted an ugly utilitarianism that in practice could eliminate any and all human rights ( except for the so-called right to abortion ) .
The trans issue also surfaced , with one student hastening to add that men could , in fact , get pregnant , thus abortion was no longer solely a women ’ s issue .
That is another example of how academic culture creates people with the capacity to believe things that are obviously not true .
An academic with two doctorates might believe that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t have the luxury of entertaining such stupidity .
Reality can be suspended in the queer studies department , but not in the barn or the pasture , where nature asserts itself regardless of the latest intellectual fad .
( This is why the transgender ideology is a being imposed on society from the top down rather than from the bottom up .
Most people know , instinctively if not intellectually , that women do not have penises .
The fact that it is now considered offensive to say so out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The fact is that our universities often now work overtime to poison the minds of students , to detach them from their heritage , and to condition them to accept ideas that we would have once simply known were wrong , such as the idea that our offspring are parasites or that gender is fluid .
Solzhenitsyn ’ s biographer Joseph Pearce , whom I had the privilege of interviewing on my podcast last week , described today ’ s definition of being “ well educated ” this way over at the Imaginative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to be ignorant of theology , philosophy , history and the great books of civilization .
It is to believe that we have nothing to learn from the Great Conversation that has animated human discourse for three millennia .
It is to treat our neighbor in the car next to us with supercilious and scornful contempt , presuming that he is stupid because he is not as “ well-educated ” as we .
It is to treat the greatest minds and the most brilliant writers in history with contempt because they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In short , to be “ well-educated ” is not merely ignorance , it is the arrogance of ignorance .
That summarizes it quite succinctly .
Philosophy now serves primarily as a tool to justify the things that we must do to be selfish , free , and autonomous — although it will all lead to the desperate unhappiness we saw in the faces of so many students walking by .
Many students now believe that children are a burden rather than a gift , and talking to them , I sometimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or little boy that is their own flesh and blood giggle or coo or do something else so normal yet so beautiful that your heart almost bursts to see it and the love that surges in you is so strong that it becomes the sort of love that has built homes , communities , and civilization itself .
They are being taught that they have the right to do whatever makes them happy , and then they are lied to about the source of true happiness .
And that , today , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new podcast , The Van Maren Show , is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement .
In his latest episode , he interviews Joseph Pearce , a man who became quite close to renowned Russian thinker and writer Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn .
Pearce shares his stories of Solzhenitsyn and his wisdom that may help save society .
You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below :

Our students are being taught that they have the right to do whatever makes them happy, and then they are lied to about the source of true happiness.
February 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — For the last several days, I’ve been on university campuses in Florida with some of my colleagues from the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and a team of volunteers, engaging with students on abortion. At the end of each day after activism, we have a debrief after taking down the Abortion Awareness Project display and discuss the conversations we had that day. For many of the volunteers, it is their first taste of pro-life activism, and over and over again, many of them bring up one poignant question: How can people believe the things they say?
They are referring to the university students (and often their professors) who are willing to make increasingly strange and repulsive arguments to defend their morally and scientifically untenable position on abortion. Some students will insist that the child in the womb is actually a parasite rather than a son or daughter. Others will say that because the baby is dependent on her mother, she can be killed at the whim of the one who should love her the most. Many say there is a fundamental conflict of rights that exists between a mother and her children — their right to life versus her apparent right to be rid of them.
All of our volunteers have done extensive apologetics training, and so many of them had heard these arguments before. Some of them have done pro-life activism in the past. But it is something quite different to hear a young man or a young woman tell you, while looking at a photograph of a dismembered pre-born child, that this brutal violence is justified for reasons that would be vehemently rejected if applied to any other member of the human family. Many of them will even point to photos of babies in the womb and insist that one must be Christian to believe it is wrong to abort those babies, which is one of the most inadvertently compelling arguments for Christianity I have ever heard.
A thought struck me after our second day of discussing abortion with university students: ridiculous and repulsive ideas almost always deceive intellectuals before ordinary people. Most of the mental gymnastics practiced by students desperate to justify abortion resulted in truly bizarre arguments, many of which constituted an ugly utilitarianism that in practice could eliminate any and all human rights (except for the so-called right to abortion). The trans issue also surfaced, with one student hastening to add that men could, in fact, get pregnant, thus abortion was no longer solely a women’s issue.
That is another example of how academic culture creates people with the capacity to believe things that are obviously not true. An academic with two doctorates might believe that gender is fluid, but a farmer doesn’t have the luxury of entertaining such stupidity. Reality can be suspended in the queer studies department, but not in the barn or the pasture, where nature asserts itself regardless of the latest intellectual fad. (This is why the transgender ideology is a being imposed on society from the top down rather than from the bottom up. Most people know, instinctively if not intellectually, that women do not have penises. The fact that it is now considered offensive to say so out loud is a sick joke.)
Follow Jonathon van Maren on Facebook
The fact is that our universities often now work overtime to poison the minds of students, to detach them from their heritage, and to condition them to accept ideas that we would have once simply known were wrong, such as the idea that our offspring are parasites or that gender is fluid. Solzhenitsyn’s biographer Joseph Pearce, whom I had the privilege of interviewing on my podcast last week, described today’s definition of being “well educated” this way over at the Imaginative Conservative:
To be “well-educated” is to be ignorant of theology, philosophy, history and the great books of civilization. It is to believe that we have nothing to learn from the Great Conversation that has animated human discourse for three millennia. It is to treat our neighbor in the car next to us with supercilious and scornful contempt, presuming that he is stupid because he is not as “well-educated” as we. It is to treat the greatest minds and the most brilliant writers in history with contempt because they are not as “well-educated” as we. In short, to be “well-educated” is not merely ignorance, it is the arrogance of ignorance.
That summarizes it quite succinctly. Philosophy now serves primarily as a tool to justify the things that we must do to be selfish, free, and autonomous — although it will all lead to the desperate unhappiness we saw in the faces of so many students walking by. Many students now believe that children are a burden rather than a gift, and talking to them, I sometimes wish they could see a little girl or little boy that is their own flesh and blood giggle or coo or do something else so normal yet so beautiful that your heart almost bursts to see it and the love that surges in you is so strong that it becomes the sort of love that has built homes, communities, and civilization itself. They are being taught that they have the right to do whatever makes them happy, and then they are lied to about the source of true happiness.
And that, today, is being well educated.
Jonathon’s new podcast, The Van Maren Show, is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement. In his latest episode, he interviews Joseph Pearce, a man who became quite close to renowned Russian thinker and writer Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. Pearce shares his stories of Solzhenitsyn and his wisdom that may help save society.
You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below:
Follow Jonathon Jonathon Van Maren is a public speaker, writer, and pro-life activist. His commentary has been translated into more than eight languages and published widely online as well as print newspapers such as the Jewish Independent, the National Post, the Hamilton Spectator and others. He has received an award for combating anti-Semitism in print from the Jewish organization B’nai Brith. His commentary has been featured on CTV Primetime, Global News, EWTN, and the CBC as well as dozens of radio stations and news outlets in Canada and the United States. He speaks on a wide variety of cultural topics across North America at universities, high schools, churches, and other functions. Some of these topics include abortion, pornography, the Sexual Revolution, and euthanasia. Jonathon holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from Simon Fraser University, and is the communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. Jonathon’s first book, The Culture War, was released in 2016.
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lifesitenews--2020-02-20--‘Abuse knows no bounds’: US senator comes down hard on Vatican deal with China

WASHINGTON , D.C. , February 19 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) ― A U.S. senator from Florida has issued an informal statement against the Vatican accord with China .
Yesterday , the press office for Senator Marco Rubio , 48 , tweeted criticism for the Holy See ’ s silence about China ’ s war on religious freedom and a link to a Wall Street Journal article sympathetic to Cardinal Joseph Zen .
“ The Vatican made a pact w/ the Chinese Communist Party to force Chinese Catholics to support the party , ” Rubio said .
“ The Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether Buddhist , Muslim , or Christian & we can not be silent.
” Senator Rubio is a Catholic , having returned to the Catholic faith after a long journey that led him through Mormonism and Evangelicalism .
The Wall Street Journal article to which the senator linked reinforced his message against the Vatican-China accord and the Chinese government ’ s persecution of religious people .
Its author , columnist William McGurn , interviewed Cardinal Zen in New York last Thursday .
When McGurn asked Zen about his remark to his brother bishops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the murder of the Church in China by those who should protect and defend her from her enemies , ” Zen “ double [ d ] down.
” “ You can never compromise with a totalitarian regime because they want everything , ” Cardinal Zen told him .
“ Would you have encouraged St. Joseph to negotiate with Herod ?
” The article is critical of Vatican attempts to discredit Zen through Fr .
Antonio Spadaro ’ s La Civiltà Cattolica magazine .
“ [ T ] he Jesuit journal close to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just ran a piece that resurrected the late Bishop of Shanghai , Aloysius Jin Luxian , as a countermodel to Cardinal Zen , ” McGurn wrote .
“ It even quotes Jin to imply there is no way forward until Cardinal Zen goes off , ahem , to his eternal reward.
” But Cardinal Zen told McGurn that it was “ ridiculous ” to attempt to pit him against late Jesuit Bishop Jin , for Jin was a good friend of his , “ a good bishop , ” and someone who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 27 years .
“ The cardinal says he has a hard time believing that Jin — who spent 27 years in prison — would be as naive about the communists as today ’ s Vatican diplomats , ” said McGurn .
The journalist accused La Civiltà Cattolica of following the Ostpolitik model of the 1960s and 1970s .
“ Back then , the Vatican accepted the status quo of the Iron Curtain and muted its criticism of Eastern Europe ’ s Communist regimes in hopes of better treatment for the faithful , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ John Paul II , the first pope from a Communist land , who challenged these regimes where they were most vulnerable : their moral authority.
” McGurn also accused the Jesuit magazine of romanticism and posturing as a 21st-century version of Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci .
The 17th-century Ricci won converts by “ inculturating ” the Catholic faith to Asian cultures , but ( as McGurn pointed out ) the Vatican-China agreement was written by men of European heritage : McGurn said also that the Chinese government has only increased persecution of Christians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , meanwhile , “ the price extracted has been high : the pope ’ s silence.
” “ This silence comes at a particularly terrible moment , when Mr. Xi is busy persecuting everyone from Tibetan Buddhists and Muslim Uighurs to house church Christians and Falun Gong practitioners , ” he added .
“ Nor is Beijing making any effort to hide its intentions : The same day Cardinal Zen was in Washington to collect his award , China named Xia Baolong as its new point man in Hong Kong , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is best known for tearing crosses off Chinese churches.
” McGurn ended his article with the recommendation that Francis listen to Chinese bishops with experience dealing with the communist regime instead of his band of European advisers .
“ If the Vatican is looking for a diplomatic approach that combines the wisdom , cunning and respect for Chinese culture represented by Matteo Ricci , instead of putting Europeans in the lead , it could start with bishops who have experience of living under and dealing with the Chinese Communist Party , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little more honesty about what it has in fact agreed to.
” David Mulroney , a former Canadian ambassador to China , told LifeSiteNews that McGurn ’ s point about Europeans , not Chinese bishops , being in charge of the negotiations is important .
“ The WSJ article makes the important point that the Sino-Vatican agreement was negotiated not by Chinese Catholics , but by Vatican officials who appear susceptible to the same delusions about China and its intentions that infect many western politicians , including here in Canada , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s office for further comment and is awaiting a response .

'The Vatican made a pact w/ the Chinese Communist Party to force Chinese Catholics to support the party,' Rubio said on Twitter.
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― A U.S. senator from Florida has issued an informal statement against the Vatican accord with China.
Yesterday, the press office for Senator Marco Rubio, 48, tweeted criticism for the Holy See’s silence about China’s war on religious freedom and a link to a Wall Street Journal article sympathetic to Cardinal Joseph Zen.
“The Vatican made a pact w/ the Chinese Communist Party to force Chinese Catholics to support the party,” Rubio said.
“The Church shouldn't ignore #China’s continuing violations of religious freedom,” he continued.
“The Party’s abuse knows no bounds, whether Buddhist, Muslim, or Christian & we cannot be silent.”
Senator Rubio is a Catholic, having returned to the Catholic faith after a long journey that led him through Mormonism and Evangelicalism.
The Wall Street Journal article to which the senator linked reinforced his message against the Vatican-China accord and the Chinese government’s persecution of religious people. Its author, columnist William McGurn, interviewed Cardinal Zen in New York last Thursday.
When McGurn asked Zen about his remark to his brother bishops that they are “passively” witnessing “the murder of the Church in China by those who should protect and defend her from her enemies,” Zen “double[d] down.”
“You can never compromise with a totalitarian regime because they want everything,” Cardinal Zen told him. “Would you have encouraged St. Joseph to negotiate with Herod?”
The article is critical of Vatican attempts to discredit Zen through Fr. Antonio Spadaro’s La Civiltà Cattolica magazine.
“[T]he Jesuit journal close to [fellow Jesuit] Pope Francis, just ran a piece that resurrected the late Bishop of Shanghai, Aloysius Jin Luxian, as a countermodel to Cardinal Zen,” McGurn wrote.
“It even quotes Jin to imply there is no way forward until Cardinal Zen goes off, ahem, to his eternal reward.”
But Cardinal Zen told McGurn that it was “ridiculous” to attempt to pit him against late Jesuit Bishop Jin, for Jin was a good friend of his, “a good bishop,” and someone who was imprisoned by the communist Chinese authorities for 27 years.
“The cardinal says he has a hard time believing that Jin — who spent 27 years in prison — would be as naive about the communists as today’s Vatican diplomats,” said McGurn.
The journalist accused La Civiltà Cattolica of following the Ostpolitik model of the 1960s and 1970s.
“Back then, the Vatican accepted the status quo of the Iron Curtain and muted its criticism of Eastern Europe’s Communist regimes in hopes of better treatment for the faithful,” he wrote.
“Then came Pope John Paul II, the first pope from a Communist land, who challenged these regimes where they were most vulnerable: their moral authority.”
McGurn also accused the Jesuit magazine of romanticism and posturing as a 21st-century version of Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci. The 17th-century Ricci won converts by “inculturating” the Catholic faith to Asian cultures, but (as McGurn pointed out) the Vatican-China agreement was written by men of European heritage:
The 2018 Vatican concordat with Beijing was not the work of Chinese Catholics. It was an almost exclusively European affair, led primarily by Pope Francis, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli. Instead of fostering a “reconciliation of hearts” between the patriotic and underground wings of the church, Cardinal Zen says, the agreement is attempting to impose a false and destructive institutional unity.
McGurn said also that the Chinese government has only increased persecution of Christians since the Vatican-China deal was signed, and, meanwhile, “the price extracted has been high: the pope’s silence.”
“This silence comes at a particularly terrible moment, when Mr. Xi is busy persecuting everyone from Tibetan Buddhists and Muslim Uighurs to house church Christians and Falun Gong practitioners,” he added.
“Nor is Beijing making any effort to hide its intentions: The same day Cardinal Zen was in Washington to collect his award, China named Xia Baolong as its new point man in Hong Kong,” he continued.
“Mr. Xia is best known for tearing crosses off Chinese churches.”
McGurn ended his article with the recommendation that Francis listen to Chinese bishops with experience dealing with the communist regime instead of his band of European advisers.
“If the Vatican is looking for a diplomatic approach that combines the wisdom, cunning and respect for Chinese culture represented by Matteo Ricci, instead of putting Europeans in the lead, it could start with bishops who have experience of living under and dealing with the Chinese Communist Party,” he wrote.
“Not to mention a little more honesty about what it has in fact agreed to.”
David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China, told LifeSiteNews that McGurn’s point about Europeans, not Chinese bishops, being in charge of the negotiations is important.
“The WSJ article makes the important point that the Sino-Vatican agreement was negotiated not by Chinese Catholics, but by Vatican officials who appear susceptible to the same delusions about China and its intentions that infect many western politicians, including here in Canada,” he said.
LifeSiteNews contacted Senator Rubio’s office for further comment and is awaiting a response.
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lifesitenews--2020-02-20--‘Abortion is love’ hashtag draws popular response from pro-life model

February 19 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A pro-life model has taken to her Instagram page with the hashtag # lifeactuallyis to fight back against a message calling abortion “ love ” by a U.S. center advocating for abortion and LGBT issues .
Leah Darrow , a former contender on America ’ s Next Top Model , started the hashtag # lifeactuallyis on her Instagram page earlier in the week to directly counter the pro-abortion hashtag # abortionactually .
The pro-abortion hashtag was posted on the Instagram page of the non-profit group National Women ’ s Law Center ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Darrow , a mother of five , spoke about how living is sacred and how the culture of death has brainwashed people into believing that life is disposable .
“ What the world doesn ’ t want us to believe is that new life actually is as good as it actually is .
Our culture is full of messages that new life is n't sacred , holy , glorious , ” said Darrow .
“ This is why movements like # abortionactually gain momentum — because our culture has bought the lie that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as it actually is .
And that ’ s why I ’ m starting # lifeactuallyis — a movement declaring boldly the truth that life *actually* is .
Life is selfless , love , courageous , trust , hope , sacrificial , exciting , good , and holy , ” said Darrow .
The NWCL post reads : “ Happy Valentine ’ s Day !
Today we 're celebrating all the good feelings that abortion access brings us through our beautiful # AbortionActually valentines.
” “ Abortion actually is trust , power , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ love to create a world where everyone can access abortion without stigma or fear.
” The Washington , D.C.–based NWCL promotes the LGBT agenda and abortion expansion “ in the courts , in public policy , and in our society , ” using “ the law in all its forms to change culture and drive solutions to the gender inequity that shapes our society.
” The NWLC was part of a failed pro-abortion group lobbying effort in 2018 to prevent Brett Kavanaugh from being confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court .
President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the disdain of the pro-abortion lobby .
Darrow encouraged her followers to share their pro-life stories over the coming weeks using the # lifeactuallyis hashtag .
Yesterday , she posted a new message , titled “ Love actually is brave , ” which says : “ The bravery of mothers will never cease to astonish me .
Carrying a baby through a pregnancy and bringing that baby into the world — a world full of unexpected and unknown challenges and unknown joys — now THAT is real courage.
” In the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world might want us to believe that abortion is brave , but when we take a close look at life , that ’ s when we discovered that # lifeactuallyis brave .
Wildly , stunningly , and beautifully brave .
To say yes to new life and not see or know the whole road that lie [ s ] ahead ?
That requires some serious mama courage .
This is the empowerment women deserve to hear about.
” Darrow ’ s # lifeactuallyis hashtag received positive responses soon after its posting .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reads : “ Motherhood , postpartum , and especially labour !
Tell me , if this is n't brave then what is.
” Another reply from this mother tells her story of realizing that all along , God was in charge .
“ I thought I had having children all planned out .
I realize looking back God hand [ sic ] was in the planning .
I look back and think how funny I thought I was going to have the plan .
”

Leah Darrow has taken to her Instagram page with the pro-life hashtag #lifeactuallyis to fight back against a message calling abortion 'love.'
February 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A pro-life model has taken to her Instagram page with the hashtag #lifeactuallyis to fight back against a message calling abortion “love” by a U.S. center advocating for abortion and LGBT issues.
Leah Darrow, a former contender on America’s Next Top Model, started the hashtag #lifeactuallyis on her Instagram page earlier in the week to directly counter the pro-abortion hashtag #abortionactually.
The pro-abortion hashtag was posted on the Instagram page of the non-profit group National Women’s Law Center (NWLC).
In her message, Darrow, a mother of five, spoke about how living is sacred and how the culture of death has brainwashed people into believing that life is disposable.
“What the world doesn’t want us to believe is that new life actually is as good as it actually is. Our culture is full of messages that new life isn't sacred, holy, glorious,” said Darrow.
“This is why movements like #abortionactually gain momentum — because our culture has bought the lie that new life isn’t as good as it actually is. And that’s why I’m starting #lifeactuallyis — a movement declaring boldly the truth that life *actually* is. Life is selfless, love, courageous, trust, hope, sacrificial, exciting, good, and holy,” said Darrow.
The NWCL post reads: “Happy Valentine’s Day! Today we're celebrating all the good feelings that abortion access brings us through our beautiful #AbortionActually valentines.”
“Abortion actually is trust, power, freedom, and LOVE! Spread the love to create a world where everyone can access abortion without stigma or fear.”
The Washington, D.C.–based NWCL promotes the LGBT agenda and abortion expansion “in the courts, in public policy, and in our society,” using “the law in all its forms to change culture and drive solutions to the gender inequity that shapes our society.”
The NWLC was part of a failed pro-abortion group lobbying effort in 2018 to prevent Brett Kavanaugh from being confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh in 2018, much to the disdain of the pro-abortion lobby.
Darrow encouraged her followers to share their pro-life stories over the coming weeks using the #lifeactuallyis hashtag.
Yesterday, she posted a new message, titled “Love actually is brave,” which says: “The bravery of mothers will never cease to astonish me. Carrying a baby through a pregnancy and bringing that baby into the world — a world full of unexpected and unknown challenges and unknown joys — now THAT is real courage.”
In the same post, Darrow added: “The world might want us to believe that abortion is brave, but when we take a close look at life, that’s when we discovered that #lifeactuallyis brave. Wildly, stunningly, and beautifully brave. To say yes to new life and not see or know the whole road that lie[s] ahead? That requires some serious mama courage. This is the empowerment women deserve to hear about.”
Darrow’s #lifeactuallyis hashtag received positive responses soon after its posting. A reply from one of her Instagram followers reads: “Motherhood, postpartum, and especially labour! Tell me, if this isn't brave then what is.”
Another reply from this mother tells her story of realizing that all along, God was in charge. “I thought I had having children all planned out. I realize looking back God hand [sic] was in the planning. I look back and think how funny I thought I was going to have the plan.”
Share