lifesitenews--2020-07-14--Govt official admits Alberta’s contact tracing app poses ‘security risks’ for Apple users

EDMONTON , Alberta , July 14 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The privacy commissioner of one of Canada ’ s largest provinces says the provincial government ’ s coronavirus smartphone contact tracing application does indeed run “ a security risk ” for users of Apple devices .
Alberta ’ s information and privacy commissioner , Jill Clayton , stated the findings in a 66-page report released last week .
The report reviewed the province ’ s privacy impact assessment ( PIA ) submitted by Alberta Health ( A.H. ) and endorsed by Alberta Health Services ( AHS ) regarding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which was launched in May .
Clayton concluded that the free and voluntary app is fine for Android users but poses a potential security threat for those using Apple devices .
To function as designed on an Apple device , users ’ phones must be unlocked with the app visible on their screens and running in the foreground .
“ I have ongoing concerns related to the functionality of ABTraceTogether , particularly on Apple devices , ” wrote Clayton .
“ We recognize the challenges AH has faced in this regard , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the app are out of its control .
Nonetheless , given the need to run ABTraceTogether in the foreground on Apple devices , there is a security risk ( e.g.when running the app , the device is unlocked , which increases risk in case of theft ) , ” wrote Clayton .
In early April , the premier of Alberta , Jason Kenney , stated that quarantine orders would be strongly enforced with the help of contact tracing apps in the name of combating the coronavirus .
The AHS “ ABTraceTogether ” was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Canada , and it has been downloaded thousands of times since its launch .
After its debut , concerns were raised regarding the app for Apple users .
Since then , A.H. has said it has been working on fixing this issue .
Monday , Kenney suggested that the reason the app could not be fixed properly for Apple users was that the federal government had told Apple and Google not to work with Alberta or “ other provincial governments , on improving the Trace Together app.
” In June , Prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and free “ Made in Canada ” national coronavirus contact-tracing app would be available to Ontario residents starting in early July and would follow in other provinces later in the month .
However , this app , which was developed in a collaboration among the Ontario government , BlackBerry , and Shopify , as well as the federal agency the Canadian Digital Service , has been delayed with no date set for launch .
ABTraceTogether was created from open-source software called BlueTrace , which comes from Singapore .
The app uses the Bluetooth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone , or other devices with the app installed , to track whom its user has been in close contact with .
PETITION : No to mandatory contact tracing and government surveillance for the coronavirus !
Sign the petition here .
It works by storing information from users of the app on each other ’ s phones if they have been in the proximity of one another ( around two meters ) for more than 15 minutes .
Data is stored for 21 days .
In the report , Clayton wrote that while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to endorse a particular technology solution , ” she wanted to “ highlight certain features of the app ” which includes the security risk on Apple devices .
Clayton wrote that A.H. and AHS “ have a legal responsibility to safeguard personal and health information in their custody or control ” and that they have indeed “ taken steps to provide information to individuals about functioning of the app.
” “ We have recommended that AH make information about potential privacy risks public , and update this information as necessary , ” wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mitigation that A.H. and AHS has put in place for “ employees in the public , health and private sectors who are issued devices by their employer or use their own devices for work purposes , ” is not “ sufficient.
” “ The risks represent a potential contravention of Alberta ’ s privacy laws by regulated entities for failure to safeguard if they were to allow or encourage employees or affiliates to run the app on enterprise-issued devices that store or make other health or personal information accessible ( e.g .
email @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote Clayton .
Despite the warnings , Clayton offered praise for A.H. , saying it has done an “ excellent job being mindful of privacy and security in the deployment of ABTraceTogether.
” “ The app ’ s clear purpose , guided by principles of consent and individual control , is commendable , ” wrote Clayton .
Other concerns raised regarding ABTraceTogether by the privacy commissioner When looking at whether or not A.H. has the “ Authority to Collect , Use and Disclose Health and Personal Information , ” the Alberta privacy commissioner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indeed have this legal ability .
“ In our view , the PIA establishes that AH and AHS have legal authority to collect , use and disclose health and personal information in ABTraceTogether , ” concludes the report .
The Alberta privacy commissioner ’ s report also found that the app ’ s privacy notice contains “ inconsistencies … between information included in the privacy notice , FAQ and privacy policy with the information included in the PIA ’ s legal authority table.
” As a result of this , the report recommends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reviewed .
“ We recommend AH review the description of the app available from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store to ensure it accurately describes the app , ” concludes the report .
The report also recommends that “ AH review and confirm its authority to collect , use and disclose health and personal information under HIA and the FOIP Act , as well as the purposes for which it collects , uses and discloses this information , and update the PIA , privacy notice , FAQ and privacy policy accordingly.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ASH work towards limiting the collection of Bluetooth digital “ handshakes ” which the app logs .
“ We recommend that AH work towards limiting collection of “ handshakes ” through any means available to them , to be transparent to the public regarding potential over collection , and to update the PIA , as necessary , if changes are introduced.
” One area of the Alberta privacy commissioner ’ s report concerns the eventual “ decommissioning ” of the app once there is no more need for it .
The report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans to decommission the app once it is not needed , and how any “ privacy and security risks , ” which could occur if the app is not properly decommissioned would be addressed .
The report notes that A.H. responded by saying it did not have a “ decommissioning ” strategy in place when the app was launched , as its goal was for fast deployment , but the department has since promised to “ dismantle ” ABTraceTogether once the coronavirus crisis subsides .

Users who download the app will have to leave their phones perpetually unlocked while the program is running.
EDMONTON, Alberta, July 14, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The privacy commissioner of one of Canada’s largest provinces says the provincial government’s coronavirus smartphone contact tracing application does indeed run “a security risk” for users of Apple devices.
Alberta’s information and privacy commissioner, Jill Clayton, stated the findings in a 66-page report released last week. The report reviewed the province’s privacy impact assessment (PIA) submitted by Alberta Health (A.H.) and endorsed by Alberta Health Services (AHS) regarding the “ABTraceTogether” coronavirus tracing app, which was launched in May.
Clayton concluded that the free and voluntary app is fine for Android users but poses a potential security threat for those using Apple devices.
To function as designed on an Apple device, users’ phones must be unlocked with the app visible on their screens and running in the foreground.
“I have ongoing concerns related to the functionality of ABTraceTogether, particularly on Apple devices,” wrote Clayton.
“We recognize the challenges AH has faced in this regard, since the safeguards required to effectively run the app are out of its control. Nonetheless, given the need to run ABTraceTogether in the foreground on Apple devices, there is a security risk (e.g.when running the app, the device is unlocked, which increases risk in case of theft),” wrote Clayton.
In early April, the premier of Alberta, Jason Kenney, stated that quarantine orders would be strongly enforced with the help of contact tracing apps in the name of combating the coronavirus.
The AHS “ABTraceTogether” was the first coronavirus contact tracing application launched in Canada, and it has been downloaded thousands of times since its launch.
After its debut, concerns were raised regarding the app for Apple users. Since then, A.H. has said it has been working on fixing this issue.
Monday, Kenney suggested that the reason the app could not be fixed properly for Apple users was that the federal government had told Apple and Google not to work with Alberta or “other provincial governments, on improving the Trace Together app.”
In June, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that a voluntary and free “Made in Canada” national coronavirus contact-tracing app would be available to Ontario residents starting in early July and would follow in other provinces later in the month.
However, this app, which was developed in a collaboration among the Ontario government, BlackBerry, and Shopify, as well as the federal agency the Canadian Digital Service, has been delayed with no date set for launch.
ABTraceTogether was created from open-source software called BlueTrace, which comes from Singapore. The app uses the Bluetooth signal from a person’s cell phone, or other devices with the app installed, to track whom its user has been in close contact with.
PETITION: No to mandatory contact tracing and government surveillance for the coronavirus! Sign the petition here.
It works by storing information from users of the app on each other’s phones if they have been in the proximity of one another (around two meters) for more than 15 minutes. Data is stored for 21 days.
In the report, Clayton wrote that while she is “not in a position to endorse a particular technology solution,” she wanted to “highlight certain features of the app” which includes the security risk on Apple devices.
Clayton wrote that A.H. and AHS “have a legal responsibility to safeguard personal and health information in their custody or control” and that they have indeed “taken steps to provide information to individuals about functioning of the app.”
“We have recommended that AH make information about potential privacy risks public, and update this information as necessary,” wrote Clayton.
Clayton also said the risk mitigation that A.H. and AHS has put in place for “employees in the public, health and private sectors who are issued devices by their employer or use their own devices for work purposes,” is not “sufficient.”
“The risks represent a potential contravention of Alberta’s privacy laws by regulated entities for failure to safeguard if they were to allow or encourage employees or affiliates to run the app on enterprise-issued devices that store or make other health or personal information accessible (e.g. email or cloud service portals),” wrote Clayton.
Despite the warnings, Clayton offered praise for A.H., saying it has done an “excellent job being mindful of privacy and security in the deployment of ABTraceTogether.”
“The app’s clear purpose, guided by principles of consent and individual control, is commendable,” wrote Clayton.
Other concerns raised regarding ABTraceTogether by the privacy commissioner
When looking at whether or not A.H. has the “Authority to Collect, Use and Disclose Health and Personal Information,” the Alberta privacy commissioner’s report concluded that A.H. does indeed have this legal ability.
“In our view, the PIA establishes that AH and AHS have legal authority to collect, use and disclose health and personal information in ABTraceTogether,” concludes the report.
The Alberta privacy commissioner’s report also found that the app’s privacy notice contains “inconsistencies … between information included in the privacy notice, FAQ and privacy policy with the information included in the PIA’s legal authority table.”
As a result of this, the report recommends that the app’s description be reviewed.
“We recommend AH review the description of the app available from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store to ensure it accurately describes the app,” concludes the report.
The report also recommends that “AH review and confirm its authority to collect, use and disclose health and personal information under HIA and the FOIP Act, as well as the purposes for which it collects, uses and discloses this information, and update the PIA, privacy notice, FAQ and privacy policy accordingly.”
Another recommendation from the report is that ASH work towards limiting the collection of Bluetooth digital “handshakes” which the app logs.
“We recommend that AH work towards limiting collection of “handshakes” through any means available to them, to be transparent to the public regarding potential over collection, and to update the PIA, as necessary, if changes are introduced.”
One area of the Alberta privacy commissioner’s report concerns the eventual “decommissioning” of the app once there is no more need for it.
The report notes that A.H. was asked how it plans to decommission the app once it is not needed, and how any “privacy and security risks,” which could occur if the app is not properly decommissioned would be addressed.
The report notes that A.H. responded by saying it did not have a “decommissioning” strategy in place when the app was launched, as its goal was for fast deployment, but the department has since promised to “dismantle” ABTraceTogether once the coronavirus crisis subsides.
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lifesitenews--2020-07-14--To Mask, or not to mask? That is the question

July 14 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Today , Tuesday , July , the 14th , the memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis , patron of the sick , it will be mandatory in the county where I live to wear a mask covering one ’ s nose and mouth in any indoor ‘ public ’ space – including churches and all places of worship .
Such is already the law in Toronto , Ottawa , and across other large swathes of Canada and the United States .
Some are going along compliantly with this , either in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or both , while others are resisting , wondering whether we want a masked populace .
This is not a screed for or against masks , but rather some thoughts on this matter , and let the chips , and your own conscience , fall where they may .
Let us just prescind for a moment from the medical argument , and focus on what it means to wear a mask in general , and I will begin with aesthetics , which may seem odd , as the least of our concerns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s unattractive and off-putting ?
Yet , in science , when an equation or solution is ugly , complex and cumbersome , it usually means it ’ s wrong , in accord with Ockham ’ s razor : That the truth tends to be simple and , we may add , beautiful .
Transferring this to the moral realm , when an action or practice seems aesthetically unappealing , it often means there is something wrong with it .
But what ?
Well , for one thing , masks hide our identity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ image .
In Greek , the word for ‘ person ’ , prosopon , is also the term for ‘ face ’ , and is also the word adopted by the Church for the ‘ Persons ’ in the Trinity .
It literally means what ‘ sounds through ’ , or speaks as God the Father speaks His own Word through His Son , Who is the very ‘ face ’ of the Father , of God Himself .
And we too speak through our faces , by which we communicate , dialogue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hence , we should think and reflect before we cover our faces .
After all , masking is often done for nefarious purposes .
Ponder your reaction – outside of the present context - if someone were to walk into your house wearing a mask .
People hide their own face when they want to do evil , and they hide the faces of those to whom they may wish to do evil .
And whatever one thinks of the death penalty – whether justified in some cases – we cover the faces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is that hiding the face ‘ de-personalizes ’ us , makes us anonymous , in some sense less ‘ human ’ , and , hence , to some extent at least , breaks down the social and communitarian bond between us , even if done apparently for good .
Besides this , masks engender , prolong , and exacerbate fear – even the protocols in the county where I live , admit that masks may not be effective – more on that in a moment - but they will at least remind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hmm .
We should especially think twice or three times before we mask little children – as the protocols for my own county require , any toddler above two years of age – just try putting something on their face for longer than a few seconds .
Even if we could , should we engender such fear in their developing minds and souls , of themselves , of others , of society , which they will be unable to contextualize ?
Perhaps , you might be saying , we could and should tolerate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ common good ’ , for charity ’ s sake , to prevent the spread of infection .
Even if you ’ re not sick , you don ’ t want to make others sick !
How selfish of you not to wear a mask !
Save a life !
Such principles have embedded themselves firmly in the minds and hearts of many , making this even more difficult to discuss rationally , as the flood of emotions muddies the waters .
But beware of compassion unhinged from reason , and keep our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tired arguments that this illness poses a minimal risk to almost the entire population , and almost all those who are at greatest risk are already in nursing homes and hospitals .
Eliding this with the moral question , how far should we go to reduce risk to a zero level ?
Should we not then forbid the driving of cars – or , gasp , motorcycles – cycling , walking down the street , kissing someone , having a child , mountain climbing , jumping off cliffs into water , going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of bed in the morning , or even staying in bed ?
Everything we do has some potential for harm , or even death .
‘ Staying safe ’ is not a motto which should govern our life .
Life , rather , is something we engage in , as the saying goes , at our own risk .
We should recall that these masking and distancing protocols are formulated by a small coterie of ‘ medical personnel ’ who advise the governmental apparatchiks , with both seeming to be almost entirely ignorant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fabric and constitution of a free society .
We may wonder if they have ever heard of the term ‘ subsidiarity ’ .
Any risk appears to be too much for them to bear , especially if it ’ s a risk for others .
They all seem to be trying to cover their respective rear ends , their lawyer codices and insurance policies , to the last jot and tittle .
As one author – a physician - wrote recently , the new queen of the sciences is epidemiology , and , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncertain queen it – she ?
- is .
Given the principle by which they are justifying these protocols – that we must minimize the potential of infection to asymptotic levels – why would they let up anytime soon ?
Even if a vaccine is developed , will all be coerced to take it , and will even that be safe enough for them ?
After all , the ‘ regular ’ flu ( keeping in mind that coronaviruses have been around for millennia , and are not going away ) kills hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ever again be permitted to go mask-free , with faces unveiled ?
Do we want the world turned into some giant , inescapable ICU ward ?
Or , perhaps more aptly , a vast leper colony , our fellow humans , even relatives and friends , now seen as walking viral vectors , crying ‘ Unclean !
Unclean !
’ At the same time , it ’ s hypocritically ironic that the most zealous enforcers of ‘ safe ’ distancing , lockdown and mask policies are also generally the most vehement supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , abortion and euthanasia – Trudeau , Cuomo , Northam , to name but a few .
Yet , here they are , quite literally smothering us with ever new strictures , ‘ if it saves one life ’ , while they aid and abet the murder of thousands of the most innocent and defenseless .
Even if one were to accept that this is the Black Death redivivus – which it is not , for otherwise we would have voluntarily barred our doors and sheltered in place - there is evidence that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Peruse the compilation of peer-reviewed studies by Briggs here .
People touch their masks , contaminate them , have bushy beards , take them off to breathe .
And most people don ’ t wear masks even as ‘ effective ’ as those in the studies , with the home-grown cloth or disposable variety being predominant .
Speaking of disposable , does anyone wonder where these masks end up ?
I was speaking with an engineer who works for a car manufacturing plant in southern Ontario , with 8,000 employees , all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up , and many go through three or more in a day .
Even at a low estimate , that ’ s about 20,000 saliva-and-mucous covered masks dumped in landfills per diem , 140,000 per week , which is 7,280,000 per annum .
From one factory .
And for those places that burn their garbage , what will those toxic clouds contain , as they drift over towns and cities ?
Not that I ’ m its greatest fan , but whatever happened to the message of Laudato Si to limit waste and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not take into consideration our own everyday health ?
Breathing in one ’ s own carbon dioxide all day long – especially when working – and having what fresh air one can take in filtered through layers of plastic , fiber , paper and/or cloth , does not seem a recipe for maintaining a balanced immune system , nor even psychological well-being .
I recently heard of a student nurse who has to wear one all day while sitting alone in an office – she comes home each evening with a headache , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it off – mask-free , one may presume - an hour after dinner .
The time I wore a mask visiting a dying friend – I don ’ t go much to ‘ indoor public places ’ , and will even less in this milieu - I had to wait as the PSW finished her work , and so had a chat with her son , also masked ; the conversation was , shall we say , stifling and awkward .
I could never get used to it .
The over-reaching Covidian policies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effectiveness is at least uncertain ) , the consequent fear of hospitals and infection - have had any number of deleterious consequences – from abuse , to depression , to untreated illnesses , to death – which make the prophylactic ‘ cure ’ worse than the disease .
Will this be much different ?
OK .
So let ’ s presume we have to mask up in hospitals , grocery stores , government offices , and libraries .
But what of Mass and other forms of worship ?
We should make clear from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direct authority over the Church .
This is a muted doctrine in today ’ s world – even within the Church – but one that is true nonetheless , clarified in documents from the Concordat of Worms , to Pius IX ’ s Syllabus of Errors , to Leo XIII ’ s Immortale Dei , all the way to Dignitatis Humanae of Vatican II .
The priority of the Church as a divinely-founded supernatural society provided the basis for claiming ‘ sanctuary ’ – immunity from civil prosecution - which still stands today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ land ( whatever one thinks of that ) .
‘ Render to Caesar what is Caesar ’ s , and to God , what is God ’ s ’ , stands as true today as when Christ said it .
As well does Saint Peter ’ s exhortation that ‘ we must obey God rather than men ’ .
The authority of the State stops at the threshold of the church .
The Church is a ‘ public ’ institution only in a distant , analogical sense , in that anyone , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But a public institution in the strict sense – in the Church ’ s own teaching - is one that is governed by the State and its laws , whereas a private institution is ruled by its own members and its own rules .
The Church in that sense is private ; indeed , she is the most perfect of institutions , and her laws and teachings , divinely founded and inspired , should , au contraire , inspire and form the policies of the State , not the other way round .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask-wearing and other decrees , it must be the Church , our hierarchy , the bishops and priests , who make that call , not the State .
And not the hierarchy because the State told them to .
Bishops should not be seen or even perceived to be kowtowing to bureaucrats , especially if this is against their own better judgement as shepherds of Christ ’ s flock .
After all , the primary role of the successors of the Apostles – see Saint Peter , above - is to ensure our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not our physical good , and the prolongation of our earthly lives .
As I wrote recently , the creeping error of Erastianism – the Church being subservient to an all-powerful State – is well upon us , and must be resisted .
If our bishops truly think that donning masks to worship God is a good idea , then so be it .
We may agree , or demur ( the reader may have gotten the gist that I am in the latter camp ) , but at least we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response to proper authority , and not to one usurping an authority beyond its God-given scope .
And as you make up your mind , ponder these words of Saint Paul I quoted recently : And we all , with unveiled face , beholding the glory of the Lord , are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another ( 2 Cor 3:18 ) To be clear : I ’ m not saying never wear a mask .
There are cases where they may well be called for – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truly vulnerable , certain hospital settings , nursing homes , situations where one ’ s prudence and good sense ( remember those ? )
come into play .
But for everyone to be forced to wear one , by the full power of the State , semper et ubique ?
Especially in our places of worship ?
To look out over a sea of masked and muted parishioners as I read at Mass is not a sight to which I look forward .
Whatever one thinks of various prophecies – Fatima and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – we should not simply discount them .
After all , as Pius XI makes clear in his 1937 brilliant exposition of its sophistic errors , Divini Redemptoris ( well worth a read ) , one of the goals of atheistic communism is to reduce us to anonymous individuals , to break down the family or any subsidiary community , and make us totally reliant upon the State and its ‘ experts ’ .
It ’ s the top-down nature of this whole thing that seems most troubling , akin to the lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little or no room for people to make up their own minds , according to the circumstances of each unique situation .
If this is an experiment in social control , it ’ s rather insidious , done under the cloak of goodness , which ironically brings out the worst in people – the abuse has already begun , generally from the masked to the unmasked .
Is this an attempt to discover who will conform and , perhaps more to the point , who will not ?
We should have the freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we see fit , to strive to see past the smoke , mirrors and media-manufactured-and-magnified fear , before we turn from an independent and free people with faces , to an enslaved and compliant sheeple without them - even if I fear we ’ re already some ways down that road .
This is not to label or judge anyone , for we must all make our decisions in good conscience in each situation we find ourselves .
But what I am saying is that if we are forced to wear a mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to , and that it ’ s just silly virtue-signaling , and if we fear being reported if we ’ re without a mask , or even if we lower our mask to catch a breath ( what ’ s next , mandated masking in our own vehicles , or even homes ?
How unlikely is that , we may now wonder ? )
, then the dawn of the coercive state is upon us .
And if we tie even our necessary activities – work , groceries , hardware stores , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decrees as these , then we are traveling the road towards totalitarianism .
As de Tocqueville wrote in his reflections on early America , one of the primary tasks of a free citizenry is to resist encroaching tyranny – even of the ‘ soft ’ variety - for once we ’ ve given up our rights , ‘ tis very difficult to get them back .
Just after I completed a draft of these thoughts , I was listening to some semi-random music over dinner , as is my wont , and serendipitously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on my computer , these lines of which struck me : And the soul afraid of dying , that never learns to live .
To wander through life in a state of perpetual and paralyzing fear , is , in some deep sense , not to live .
But it ’ s never too late to turn back , and regain what freedoms are rightfully ours , not least so we might choose , when we think it ‘ safe ’ , to breathe easy and see each other smile .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthy .

'One of the primary tasks of a free citizenry is to resist encroaching tyranny – even of the ‘soft’ variety - for once we’ve given up our rights, ‘tis very difficult to get them back'
PETITION: Investigate George Soros' role in funding domestic terrorism! Sign the petition here.
July 14, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Today, Tuesday, July, the 14th, the memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis, patron of the sick, it will be mandatory in the county where I live to wear a mask covering one’s nose and mouth in any indoor ‘public’ space – including churches and all places of worship. Such is already the law in Toronto, Ottawa, and across other large swathes of Canada and the United States. Some are going along compliantly with this, either in the name of charity, or self-protection, or both, while others are resisting, wondering whether we want a masked populace.
This is not a screed for or against masks, but rather some thoughts on this matter, and let the chips, and your own conscience, fall where they may.
The Moral Side
Let us just prescind for a moment from the medical argument, and focus on what it means to wear a mask in general, and I will begin with aesthetics, which may seem odd, as the least of our concerns. To not wear a mask because it’s unattractive and off-putting?
Yet, in science, when an equation or solution is ugly, complex and cumbersome, it usually means it’s wrong, in accord with Ockham’s razor: That the truth tends to be simple and, we may add, beautiful.
Transferring this to the moral realm, when an action or practice seems aesthetically unappealing, it often means there is something wrong with it. But what?
Well, for one thing, masks hide our identity as persons made in God’s image. In Greek, the word for ‘person’, prosopon, is also the term for ‘face’, and is also the word adopted by the Church for the ‘Persons’ in the Trinity. It literally means what ‘sounds through’, or speaks as God the Father speaks His own Word through His Son, Who is the very ‘face’ of the Father, of God Himself. And we too speak through our faces, by which we communicate, dialogue and build up friendships and community.
Hence, we should think and reflect before we cover our faces.
After all, masking is often done for nefarious purposes. Ponder your reaction – outside of the present context – if someone were to walk into your house wearing a mask. People hide their own face when they want to do evil, and they hide the faces of those to whom they may wish to do evil. And whatever one thinks of the death penalty – whether justified in some cases – we cover the faces of the condemned.
The reason for this is that hiding the face ‘de-personalizes’ us, makes us anonymous, in some sense less ‘human’, and, hence, to some extent at least, breaks down the social and communitarian bond between us, even if done apparently for good.
Besides this, masks engender, prolong, and exacerbate fear – even the protocols in the county where I live, admit that masks may not be effective – more on that in a moment – but they will at least remind us to ‘social distance’. Hmm.
We should especially think twice or three times before we mask little children – as the protocols for my own county require, any toddler above two years of age – just try putting something on their face for longer than a few seconds. Even if we could, should we engender such fear in their developing minds and souls, of themselves, of others, of society, which they will be unable to contextualize?
The Medical Side
Perhaps, you might be saying, we could and should tolerate all this for the sake of the ‘common good’, for charity’s sake, to prevent the spread of infection. Even if you’re not sick, you don’t want to make others sick! How selfish of you not to wear a mask! Save a life!
Such principles have embedded themselves firmly in the minds and hearts of many, making this even more difficult to discuss rationally, as the flood of emotions muddies the waters. But beware of compassion unhinged from reason, and keep our wits about us.
We could retread the tired arguments that this illness poses a minimal risk to almost the entire population, and almost all those who are at greatest risk are already in nursing homes and hospitals. Eliding this with the moral question, how far should we go to reduce risk to a zero level? Should we not then forbid the driving of cars – or, gasp, motorcycles – cycling, walking down the street, kissing someone, having a child, mountain climbing, jumping off cliffs into water, going for a brisk hike, getting out of bed in the morning, or even staying in bed? Everything we do has some potential for harm, or even death. ‘Staying safe’ is not a motto which should govern our life. Life, rather, is something we engage in, as the saying goes, at our own risk.
We should recall that these masking and distancing protocols are formulated by a small coterie of ‘medical personnel’ who advise the governmental apparatchiks, with both seeming to be almost entirely ignorant of the rights written into the very fabric and constitution of a free society. We may wonder if they have ever heard of the term ‘subsidiarity’. Any risk appears to be too much for them to bear, especially if it’s a risk for others. They all seem to be trying to cover their respective rear ends, their lawyer codices and insurance policies, to the last jot and tittle. As one author – a physician – wrote recently, the new queen of the sciences is epidemiology, and, unlike the now-dethroned theology, a rather uncertain queen it – she? – is.
Given the principle by which they are justifying these protocols – that we must minimize the potential of infection to asymptotic levels – why would they let up anytime soon? Even if a vaccine is developed, will all be coerced to take it, and will even that be safe enough for them? After all, the ‘regular’ flu (keeping in mind that coronaviruses have been around for millennia, and are not going away) kills hundreds of thousands each year. Why should we ever again be permitted to go mask-free, with faces unveiled? Do we want the world turned into some giant, inescapable ICU ward? Or, perhaps more aptly, a vast leper colony, our fellow humans, even relatives and friends, now seen as walking viral vectors, crying ‘Unclean! Unclean!’
At the same time, it’s hypocritically ironic that the most zealous enforcers of ‘safe’ distancing, lockdown and mask policies are also generally the most vehement supporters of the real plagues upon our society, abortion and euthanasia – Trudeau, Cuomo, Northam, to name but a few. Yet, here they are, quite literally smothering us with ever new strictures, ‘if it saves one life’, while they aid and abet the murder of thousands of the most innocent and defenseless.
Even if one were to accept that this is the Black Death redivivus – which it is not, for otherwise we would have voluntarily barred our doors and sheltered in place – there is evidence that the donning of masks is statistically ineffective. Peruse the compilation of peer-reviewed studies by Professor Rancourt here. People touch their masks, contaminate them, have bushy beards, take them off to breathe. And most people don’t wear masks even as ‘effective’ as those in the studies, with the home-grown cloth or disposable variety being predominant.
Speaking of disposable, does anyone wonder where these masks end up? I was speaking with an engineer who works for a car manufacturing plant in southern Ontario, with 8,000 employees, all of whom are now bound to mask up, and many go through three or more in a day. Even at a low estimate, that’s about 20,000 saliva-and-mucous covered masks dumped in landfills per diem, 140,000 per week, which is 7,280,000 per annum. From one factory. And for those places that burn their garbage, what will those toxic clouds contain, as they drift over towns and cities? Not that I’m its greatest fan, but whatever happened to the message of Laudato Si to limit waste and protect the environment?
And should we not take into consideration our own everyday health? Breathing in one’s own carbon dioxide all day long – especially when working – and having what fresh air one can take in filtered through layers of plastic, fiber, paper and/or cloth, does not seem a recipe for maintaining a balanced immune system, nor even psychological well-being. I recently heard of a student nurse who has to wear one all day while sitting alone in an office – she comes home each evening with a headache, and goes to bed early to sleep it off – mask-free, one may presume – an hour after dinner. The time I wore a mask visiting a dying friend – I don’t go much to ‘indoor public places’, and will even less in this milieu – I had to wait as the PSW finished her work, and so had a chat with her son, also masked; the conversation was, shall we say, stifling and awkward. I could never get used to it.
The over-reaching Covidian policies – the global lockdown, (whose effectiveness is at least uncertain), the consequent fear of hospitals and infection – have had any number of deleterious consequences – from abuse, to depression, to untreated illnesses, to death – which make the prophylactic ‘cure’ worse than the disease. Will this be much different?
The Ecclesiastical Side
OK. So let’s presume we have to mask up in hospitals, grocery stores, government offices, and libraries. But what of Mass and other forms of worship? We should make clear from the get-go that the State has no direct authority over the Church. This is a muted doctrine in today’s world – even within the Church – but one that is true nonetheless, clarified in documents from the Concordat of Worms, to Pius IX’s Syllabus of Errors, to Leo XIII’s Immortale Dei, all the way to Dignitatis Humanae of Vatican II. The priority of the Church as a divinely-founded supernatural society provided the basis for claiming ‘sanctuary’ – immunity from civil prosecution – which still stands today for refugees living in churches across the land (whatever one thinks of that).
‘Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God, what is God’s’, stands as true today as when Christ said it. As well does Saint Peter’s exhortation that ‘we must obey God rather than men’. The authority of the State stops at the threshold of the church.
The Church is a ‘public’ institution only in a distant, analogical sense, in that anyone, in theory, may attend and join. But a public institution in the strict sense – in the Church’s own teaching – is one that is governed by the State and its laws, whereas a private institution is ruled by its own members and its own rules. The Church in that sense is private; indeed, she is the most perfect of institutions, and her laws and teachings, divinely founded and inspired, should, au contraire, inspire and form the policies of the State, not the other way round.
Hence, whatever we make of the mask-wearing and other decrees, it must be the Church, our hierarchy, the bishops and priests, who make that call, not the State. And not the hierarchy because the State told them to. Bishops should not be seen or even perceived to be kowtowing to bureaucrats, especially if this is against their own better judgement as shepherds of Christ’s flock. After all, the primary role of the successors of the Apostles – see Saint Peter, above – is to ensure our spiritual health and get us to heaven, not our physical good, and the prolongation of our earthly lives. As I wrote recently, the creeping error of Erastianism – the Church being subservient to an all-powerful State – is well upon us, and must be resisted.
If our bishops truly think that donning masks to worship God is a good idea, then so be it. We may agree, or demur (the reader may have gotten the gist that I am in the latter camp), but at least we can make up our minds and conscience in response to proper authority, and not to one usurping an authority beyond its God-given scope.
And as you make up your mind, ponder these words of Saint Paul I quoted recently: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18)
Ah, yes. Unveiled faces.
Conclusion
To be clear: I’m not saying never wear a mask. There are cases where they may well be called for – surgery, of course, visiting the truly vulnerable, certain hospital settings, nursing homes, situations where one’s prudence and good sense (remember those?) come into play. But for everyone to be forced to wear one, by the full power of the State, semper et ubique? Especially in our places of worship? To look out over a sea of masked and muted parishioners as I read at Mass is not a sight to which I look forward.
Whatever one thinks of various prophecies – Fatima and the errors of Communism spreading throughout the world – we should not simply discount them. After all, as Pius XI makes clear in his 1937 brilliant exposition of its sophistic errors, Divini Redemptoris (well worth a read), one of the goals of atheistic communism is to reduce us to anonymous individuals, to break down the family or any subsidiary community, and make us totally reliant upon the State and its ‘experts’.
It’s the top-down nature of this whole thing that seems most troubling, akin to the lockdown amounting to universal house arrest, with little or no room for people to make up their own minds, according to the circumstances of each unique situation. If this is an experiment in social control, it’s rather insidious, done under the cloak of goodness, which ironically brings out the worst in people – the abuse has already begun, generally from the masked to the unmasked. Is this an attempt to discover who will conform and, perhaps more to the point, who will not? We should have the freedom, and courage, to act as we see fit, to strive to see past the smoke, mirrors and media-manufactured-and-magnified fear, before we turn from an independent and free people with faces, to an enslaved and compliant sheeple without them – even if I fear we’re already some ways down that road.
This is not to label or judge anyone, for we must all make our decisions in good conscience in each situation we find ourselves.
But what I am saying is that if we are forced to wear a mask when we know we shouldn’t have to, and that it’s just silly virtue-signaling, and if we fear being reported if we’re without a mask, or even if we lower our mask to catch a breath (what’s next, mandated masking in our own vehicles, or even homes? How unlikely is that, we may now wonder?), then the dawn of the coercive state is upon us. And if we tie even our necessary activities – work, groceries, hardware stores, schools – to undeviating compliance with such decrees as these, then we are traveling the road towards totalitarianism. As de Tocqueville wrote in his reflections on early America, one of the primary tasks of a free citizenry is to resist encroaching tyranny – even of the ‘soft’ variety – for once we’ve given up our rights, ‘tis very difficult to get them back.
Just after I completed a draft of these thoughts, I was listening to some semi-random music over dinner, as is my wont, and serendipitously the plaintive ballad The Rose rose up on my computer, these lines of which struck me: And the soul afraid of dying, that never learns to live. To wander through life in a state of perpetual and paralyzing fear, is, in some deep sense, not to live.
But it’s never too late to turn back, and regain what freedoms are rightfully ours, not least so we might choose, when we think it ‘safe’, to breathe easy and see each other smile. It’s a lot more human. And healthy.
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lifesitenews--2020-07-14--Priest accused of embezzling church money to pay male prostitute found dead

WARNING : The following story contains disgusting content .
BRICK , New Jersey , July 14 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A New York City priest who resigned in 2016 after parishioners filed a lawsuit charging that he had embezzled almost $ 1 million to pay for narcotics and the services of a male prostitute was found dead on July 9 in his New Jersey home .
At the time of his death , Fr .
Peter Miqueli , 57 , who was suspended last year by New York ’ s Cardinal Timothy Dolan , was reportedly the subject @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 2015 , several of Miqueli ’ s former parishioners at St. Frances de Chantal filed a lawsuit against him and Cardinal Dolan .
Seeking to “ rectify a decade-long million dollar embezzlement scheme ” by Miqueli , the lawsuit charged that he had used his position “ as a man of God ” to misappropriate and divert to his own use hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from parishioners at St. Frances de Chantal and a parish on Roosevelt Island .
The lawsuit charged that he had used the money to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for foreign travel , for narcotics , and for “ weekly services of his ‘ sex master ’ Keith Crist.
” Among the more sordid allegations found in the lawsuit were that Miqueli had engaged in sado-masochistic behavior with Crist , who would “ force Father Maqueli to drink Keith Crist ’ s urine.
” Also party to the lawsuit was Cardinal Dolan , who it claimed had failed to stop “ Miqueli ’ s scheme.
” It said , “ This lawsuit seeks to finally put an end to this truly sinful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chantal Parish can regain the strength , spirituality , and faith it once had before Father Miqueli arrived.
” Parishioners established a website in 2014 to voice their concerns about Miqueli and demand his resignation .
According to a letter to St. Frances of Chantal parish from Bishop Gerald T. Walsh , the Bronx District Attorney ’ s Office completed an investigation of finances at the parish .
The probe determined , according to the letter , that “ $ 22,450.89 of personal expenses were improperly obtained ” and “ outside of Archdiocesan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were Miqueli ’ s personal expenses , the letter called for the money to be repaid .
The tone of a memo to priests issued by Vicar General Msgr .
Joseph LaMorte directing clergy to include Miqueli in prayers for the faithful caused anger among various New York clergy , “ put off by what appears to be ‘ kid glove ’ treatment of a priest who brought great scandal and disgrace to the priesthood , and who was in the process of laicization , ” according to Church Militant ( CM ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office had scheduled an autopsy on the deceased priest ’ s body , no statement describing the manner of his death had been issued at press time .
Some priests of the archdiocese “ suspect foul play , as it is believed Miqueli was preparing to reveal damaging information about archdiocesan corruption and cover-up related to the homosexual network , and was silenced before he could do so , ” according to CM .
At the time of his death , no criminal charges had been brought against Miqueli and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

At the time of his death, Fr. Peter Miqueli was reportedly the subject of a canonical investigation recommending laicization.
WARNING: The following story contains disgusting content.
BRICK, New Jersey, July 14, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A New York City priest who resigned in 2016 after parishioners filed a lawsuit charging that he had embezzled almost $1 million to pay for narcotics and the services of a male prostitute was found dead on July 9 in his New Jersey home.
At the time of his death, Fr. Peter Miqueli, 57, who was suspended last year by New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan, was reportedly the subject of a canonical investigation recommending laicization.
In 2015, several of Miqueli’s former parishioners at St. Frances de Chantal filed a lawsuit against him and Cardinal Dolan. Seeking to “rectify a decade-long million dollar embezzlement scheme” by Miqueli, the lawsuit charged that he had used his position “as a man of God” to misappropriate and divert to his own use hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from parishioners at St. Frances de Chantal and a parish on Roosevelt Island. The lawsuit charged that he had used the money to buy the house in New Jersey, for foreign travel, for narcotics, and for “weekly services of his ‘sex master’ Keith Crist.”
Among the more sordid allegations found in the lawsuit were that Miqueli had engaged in sado-masochistic behavior with Crist, who would “force Father Maqueli to drink Keith Crist’s urine.”
Also party to the lawsuit was Cardinal Dolan, who it claimed had failed to stop “Miqueli’s scheme.” It said, “This lawsuit seeks to finally put an end to this truly sinful conduct so that the St. Frances De Chantal Parish can regain the strength, spirituality, and faith it once had before Father Miqueli arrived.” Parishioners established a website in 2014 to voice their concerns about Miqueli and demand his resignation.
According to a letter to St. Frances of Chantal parish from Bishop Gerald T. Walsh, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office completed an investigation of finances at the parish. The probe determined, according to the letter, that “$22,450.89 of personal expenses were improperly obtained” and “outside of Archdiocesan policies and procedures.” Indicating that these were Miqueli’s personal expenses, the letter called for the money to be repaid.
The tone of a memo to priests issued by Vicar General Msgr. Joseph LaMorte directing clergy to include Miqueli in prayers for the faithful caused anger among various New York clergy, “put off by what appears to be ‘kid glove’ treatment of a priest who brought great scandal and disgrace to the priesthood, and who was in the process of laicization,” according to Church Militant (CM).
Although the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s office had scheduled an autopsy on the deceased priest’s body, no statement describing the manner of his death had been issued at press time.
Some priests of the archdiocese “suspect foul play, as it is believed Miqueli was preparing to reveal damaging information about archdiocesan corruption and cover-up related to the homosexual network, and was silenced before he could do so,” according to CM.
At the time of his death, no criminal charges had been brought against Miqueli and the status of the 2015 lawsuit remained unclear.
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