lifesitenews--2020-07-14--Why the divine Artist made a world for us: Learning from St. Bonaventure

July 14 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The feast day of the greatest Franciscan Doctor of the Church , St. Bonaventure , falls either today ( as observed in the traditional Roman calendar for over 400 years ) or tomorrow ( on the modern Roman calendar of 1969 ) .
The cardinal bishop actually died on July 16 , 1274 , but that date was already occupied by the higher-ranking feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel .
Nicknamed “ the Seraphic Doctor , ” St. Bonaventure is appreciated above all for his mystical writings , such as The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Tree of Life , and The Life of St. Francis .
Yet he was also a formidable practitioner of the scholastic method who penned searching treatments of a wide range of topics , including creation , Providence , the Blessed Trinity , the Incarnation , and the Virgin Mary .
These writings deserve to be better known , together with those of his more celebrated confrere and exact contemporary , St. Thomas Aquinas .
One of the most distinctive aspects of Bonaventure ’ s thought is the attention he pays to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using these concepts to illustrate truths about God as Creator of the universe .
For example , he speaks of three fruits sought by the craftsman of an artwork and says God seeks the same from human souls , which are His handiwork : Every artificer who fashions a work does so that he may derive praise , benefit , or delight therefrom — a threefold purpose which corresponds to the three formal objects of the appetites , a noble good , a useful good , and an agreeable good .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made the soul rational , namely , that of its own accord , it might praise Him , serve Him , find delight in Him , and be at rest ; and this takes place through charity .
“ He that abideth in it , abideth in God and God in him ” ; in such a way that there is found therein a kind of wondrous union and from that union comes a wondrous delight , for in the Book of Proverbs it is written , “ My delights were to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 ] Just as the craftsman orders his actions to a noble , useful , and delightful product so that through his works , the artist may be honored and the recipient benefited , so the Almighty has ordered the whole of creation to show forth the supreme nobility of the Creator , the necessity of following Him , and the delight of dwelling in His courts .
The Divine Artist produced all lower creatures for the sake of man , and man for the sake of Himself .
The appetites built into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspends from heaven in order to lead us and bind us to Himself in friendship .
Man ’ s desire for the noble , the useful , and the agreeable are components of a single abiding desire to rest in beatitude , a threefold path to the attainment of perfection , a threefold reflection of the Creator ’ s goodness .
St. Bonaventure also emphasizes that God made the soul rational not only that man might return to Him , but also that he might bring with him the whole of the lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in man ’ s inner life .
The world follows us in our journey ; it , too , reaches perfection in and through us when we have used it rightly .
Just as sensible objects are exalted through the knower ’ s spiritual ( immaterial ) reception of their forms , so the soul of man is exalted through his journeying back to God , in whom alone he can find rest .
PETITION : Support priest who was suspended for calling out the Black Lives Matter organization !
Sign the petition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ main purpose of the world is to lead the soul to God : By natural reason , we can see that creatures are ordered and dependent on higher causes , but without the illumination of faith , it will be difficult to see the specific likenesses they bear to God .
For example , our reflections may lead us to see that the higher powers of the human soul form a triad ( memory , will , and intellect ) without yielding any indication that they are an image of a triune Deity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knowing the soul is either according to that which it is ; and this knowledge is of reason ; or else it is according to that of which it is an image , and that knowledge is of faith alone ” [ 3 ] .
If we need faith in order to discern the image of God in the soul — that which is , in a way , closest to us — all the more do we need faith to recognize the purpose of the universe at large .
In fact , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the right use of the Book of Creation than for the right understanding of Holy Scripture .
To the eye unillumined by grace , the world ’ s beauty will be seen not as a mirror or ladder , but as an end in itself .
Perhaps it will be approached as though it were a museum for the collector of curiosities or a public bath for the devotee of pleasure , but it will not be appreciated as an extension of the hand of God inviting man to return to his origin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warn them , ” Bonaventure says to his readers , “ that the mirror of the external world put before them is of little or no avail unless the mirror of our soul has been cleansed and polished ” [ 4 ] .
Why must we bear this warning in mind ?
At the same time , Bonaventure insists that we must never rest content with knowledge : “ If you wish to know how these things may come about , ask grace , not learning ; desire , not the understanding ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in reading ; the Bridegroom , not the teacher ” [ 6 ] .
No reading of the Book of Creation or the Book of Scripture will effect that union of the soul and God that is the crowning completion of man .
One might even say God provides this pair of authoritative Books for the sake of awakening man to an end beyond everything he is capable of seeing or knowing in this life ( “ eye hath not seen , nor ear heard ” ) — an end beyond the letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spirit .
Each of God ’ s two Books serves a recollective end : it is the Author whom we must recollect , for nothing other than the beatifying vision of God — not the words of His ambassadors or emissaries — will satisfy the human heart .
To the holy man , the world in its fiery splendor is but the outskirts of the real world , his heavenly inheritance .
The world is sweet to the taste but bitter to the stomach ( cf .
Rev 10:8–9 ) , because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for which man hungers , the sole Good in whom his appetite can rest .
Bonaventure implores Christians to imitate the Apostle Paul , who held all things as naught , save Christ crucified ; who sought not earthly wisdom , but the folly of the Cross .
Those who heed the warning and strive to purify the mind ’ s eye will see and be guided by the manifold presence of God in the world and its daily activities , from the constitution of plants and animals to the highest reaches of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of homemaking , craft , and labor .
St. Bonaventure helps us to see that , even if the natural world is not our final home and we can not ever be content with it ( or with our work upon it ) , it nonetheless has the capacity to draw the mind to God by its beauty and its limitations , and to serve as a reminder and a foretaste of the blessings God has in store for those who love Him .

July 14, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The feast day of the greatest Franciscan Doctor of the Church, St. Bonaventure, falls either today (as observed in the traditional Roman calendar for over 400 years) or tomorrow (on the modern Roman calendar of 1969). The cardinal bishop actually died on July 16, 1274, but that date was already occupied by the higher-ranking feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Nicknamed “the Seraphic Doctor,” St. Bonaventure is appreciated above all for his mystical writings, such as The Mind’s Journey into God, The Tree of Life, and The Life of St. Francis. Yet he was also a formidable practitioner of the scholastic method who penned searching treatments of a wide range of topics, including creation, Providence, the Blessed Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Virgin Mary. These writings deserve to be better known, together with those of his more celebrated confrere and exact contemporary, St. Thomas Aquinas.
One of the most distinctive aspects of Bonaventure’s thought is the attention he pays to the theme of art and the artisan, using these concepts to illustrate truths about God as Creator of the universe. For example, he speaks of three fruits sought by the craftsman of an artwork and says God seeks the same from human souls, which are His handiwork:
Every artificer who fashions a work does so that he may derive praise, benefit, or delight therefrom — a threefold purpose which corresponds to the three formal objects of the appetites, a noble good, a useful good, and an agreeable good. It was for this same threefold reason that God made the soul rational, namely, that of its own accord, it might praise Him, serve Him, find delight in Him, and be at rest; and this takes place through charity. “He that abideth in it, abideth in God and God in him”; in such a way that there is found therein a kind of wondrous union and from that union comes a wondrous delight, for in the Book of Proverbs it is written, “My delights were to be with the children of men.” [1]
Just as the craftsman orders his actions to a noble, useful, and delightful product so that through his works, the artist may be honored and the recipient benefited, so the Almighty has ordered the whole of creation to show forth the supreme nobility of the Creator, the necessity of following Him, and the delight of dwelling in His courts.
The Divine Artist produced all lower creatures for the sake of man, and man for the sake of Himself. The appetites built into our nature are the threads the Maker suspends from heaven in order to lead us and bind us to Himself in friendship. Man’s desire for the noble, the useful, and the agreeable are components of a single abiding desire to rest in beatitude, a threefold path to the attainment of perfection, a threefold reflection of the Creator’s goodness.
St. Bonaventure also emphasizes that God made the soul rational not only that man might return to Him, but also that he might bring with him the whole of the lower creation, which attains its highest end in man’s inner life. The world follows us in our journey; it, too, reaches perfection in and through us when we have used it rightly. Just as sensible objects are exalted through the knower’s spiritual (immaterial) reception of their forms, so the soul of man is exalted through his journeying back to God, in whom alone he can find rest.
PETITION: Support priest who was suspended for calling out the Black Lives Matter organization! Sign the petition here.
St. Bonaventure teaches that the main purpose of the world is to lead the soul to God:
All creatures, whether they are viewed in terms of their defects or in terms of their perfectibility, in voices most loud and strong, cry out the existence of God whom they need because of their deficiency and from whom they receive their completion. Therefore, in accordance with the greater or lesser degree of fullness which they possess, some cry out the existence of God with a loud voice; others cry out yet louder; while still others make the loudest cry. [2]
By natural reason, we can see that creatures are ordered and dependent on higher causes, but without the illumination of faith, it will be difficult to see the specific likenesses they bear to God. For example, our reflections may lead us to see that the higher powers of the human soul form a triad (memory, will, and intellect) without yielding any indication that they are an image of a triune Deity. “It may be said that knowing the soul is either according to that which it is; and this knowledge is of reason; or else it is according to that of which it is an image, and that knowledge is of faith alone” [3].
If we need faith in order to discern the image of God in the soul — that which is, in a way, closest to us — all the more do we need faith to recognize the purpose of the universe at large. In fact, faith is needed no less urgently for the right use of the Book of Creation than for the right understanding of Holy Scripture.
To the eye unillumined by grace, the world’s beauty will be seen not as a mirror or ladder, but as an end in itself. Perhaps it will be approached as though it were a museum for the collector of curiosities or a public bath for the devotee of pleasure, but it will not be appreciated as an extension of the hand of God inviting man to return to his origin and destiny. “I wish to warn them,” Bonaventure says to his readers, “that the mirror of the external world put before them is of little or no avail unless the mirror of our soul has been cleansed and polished” [4]. Why must we bear this warning in mind?
For as long as our reason is turned towards higher things, it is illuminated, cleansed, and perfected; as long as it gazes upon the eternal laws and the unchangeable character of divine power and equity, it is strengthened and made whole in the good. Yet whenever our reason is turned toward lower things, namely to sensibility and the flesh, it is dragged about and becomes soft. [5]
At the same time, Bonaventure insists that we must never rest content with knowledge: “If you wish to know how these things may come about, ask grace, not learning; desire, not the understanding; the groaning of prayer, not diligence in reading; the Bridegroom, not the teacher” [6]. No reading of the Book of Creation or the Book of Scripture will effect that union of the soul and God that is the crowning completion of man.
One might even say God provides this pair of authoritative Books for the sake of awakening man to an end beyond everything he is capable of seeing or knowing in this life (“eye hath not seen, nor ear heard”) — an end beyond the letter, hidden in the depths of the Spirit. Each of God’s two Books serves a recollective end: it is the Author whom we must recollect, for nothing other than the beatifying vision of God — not the words of His ambassadors or emissaries — will satisfy the human heart. To the holy man, the world in its fiery splendor is but the outskirts of the real world, his heavenly inheritance.
The world is sweet to the taste but bitter to the stomach (cf. Rev 10:8–9), because it is infinitely less than the supreme Good for which man hungers, the sole Good in whom his appetite can rest. Bonaventure implores Christians to imitate the Apostle Paul, who held all things as naught, save Christ crucified; who sought not earthly wisdom, but the folly of the Cross.
Those who heed the warning and strive to purify the mind’s eye will see and be guided by the manifold presence of God in the world and its daily activities, from the constitution of plants and animals to the highest reaches of meditation and discourse to the humblest tasks of homemaking, craft, and labor. St. Bonaventure helps us to see that, even if the natural world is not our final home and we cannot ever be content with it (or with our work upon it), it nonetheless has the capacity to draw the mind to God by its beauty and its limitations, and to serve as a reminder and a foretaste of the blessings God has in store for those who love Him.
NOTES
[1] De reductione artium ad theologiam, §13.
[2] Quæstiones disputatæ de mysterio Trinitatis, qu. 1, art. 1, body.
[3] In I Sent., d. 3, pt. 1, qu. 4.
[4] Itinerarium, Prologue, §4.
[5] In I Sent., d. 24, art. 2, qu. 2, body.
[6] Itinerarium mentis in Deum, cap. vii, §6.
Peter Kwasniewski, Thomistic theologian, liturgical scholar, and choral composer, is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College in California (B.A. Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy). He taught at the International Theological Institute in Austria and the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austria Program, then helped establish Wyoming Catholic College in 2006. There he taught theology, philosophy, music, and art history and directed the choirs until leaving in 2018 to devote himself full-time to writing and lecturing. Today he contributes regularly to many websites and publications, including New Liturgical Movement, OnePeterFive, LifeSiteNews, Rorate Caeli, The Remnant, and Catholic Family News, and has published thirteen books, including four on traditional Catholicism: Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis (Angelico, 2014, also available in Czech, Polish, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Belarusian), Noble Beauty, Transcendent Holiness (Angelico, 2017), Tradition and Sanity (Angelico, 2018), and Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright: The Genius and Timeliness of the Traditional Latin Mass (Angelico, 2020). His work has been translated into at least eighteen languages. Kwasniewski is a scholar of The Aquinas Institute in Green Bay, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, a Fellow of the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies, and a Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center. He has published over a thousand articles on Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. For news, information, article links, sacred music, and the home of Os Justi Press, visit his personal website, www.peterkwasniewski.com.
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lifesitenews--2020-07-14--Black Americans should oppose destruction of statues marking American history

July 13 , 2020 ( The Catholic Thing ) — Beware of those who topple statues of all sorts and conditions of men .
First of all , beware because in many cases these statues are prime evidence for the egregious treatment of black people in this country , beginning with the slave trade and up to today .
But to obliterate these reminders of the painful past allows the rewriting of history in favor of those with an agenda that does not necessarily care about the future of black men and women in our society .
Be careful about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders but also of those like Columbus .
Despite Columbus ’ real personal failings , he nevertheless brought the Christian faith to the New World , without which the bane of slavery for black people in this country would have never been abolished .
Never forget that it was many of the early missionaries and later the British Methodists who made the convincing moral case against slavery .
It was indeed Abraham Lincoln who issued the Emancipation Proclamation in the context of the worst war our country has ever known , the war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legacy is in a real way still with us .
But this “ official ” statement that ended slavery in this country was the fruit of those many Christians who understood so clearly that slavery was incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ .
They were the core of the Abolitionist Movement that played such an important role not only in bringing to the American conscience the sinfulness of slavery but also did so much to assist the slaves who sought freedom , both before and after the Civil War .
Just as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a singular and deep understanding of the Christian faith that remains a model for what it really means to be a Christian .
For the black slaves in this country identified with the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt , and their songs , like the songs of the slaves in Egypt , came out of the very bowels of their lives as slaves .
And as people who looked forward to that freedom that went beyond freedom from slavery , that freedom that St. Paul talks about as freedom in Christ .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spirituals , ” that singular musical expression of the black church – from “ Swing Low , Sweet Chariot ” to “ There is a balm in Gilead ” to “ Were You There ( When They Crucified My Lord ) ” to the rollicking cadences of “ O , Happy Day ” — in this music they understood the reality of freedom in Jesus Christ .
And very few understand what this means today .
It is indeed one of the most significant events in Christian history , at least in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Gospel of Jesus Christ .
The slaves not only accepted the faith of their oppressors , but they gave that faith a depth and meaning that went far beyond the rote Christianity that marked so many of those who “ owned ” them .
For those in slavery , freedom was not just a concept to be enshrined in a document .
It was something intensely personal , and yet they knew that the only hope of achieving this real freedom was in the man Jesus Christ and Him crucified .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Biblical relationship of faith and freedom .
That faith has always been an antidote to the white-bread version of Christian faith that confuses freedom in Christ with an individualistic understanding of freedom that denies the obligations to love God with all one ’ s being and to one ’ s neighbor as oneself .
This relationship between faith and freedom and its corollary to love without limit is what the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. understood .
His crusade for justice for black people came not primarily from a political nor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his deep understanding of the bond between justice and freedom in the context of the love of God and the truth of God .
To my black brothers and sisters : beware of the white elitists who rename colleges in the name of justice and sensitivity .
They are not your friends .
Beware of those who topple statues and deface buildings in the name of Black Lives Matter .
When the statues are all gone , and the elites have rewritten history , when those with an agenda that is contrary to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda on all , then the future of black people in this country will be eaten up by those who erase history in order to achieve goals that are antithetical to the Christian faith , which faith has been central to black experience and life .
The peaceful protests of the past month in response to police brutality , despite the attendant violence and looting , have been necessary to once again call attention to the injustices constantly suffered by the black community in this country .
But those blacks and their supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of love and compassion must not be co-opted in this righteous struggle by those whose agenda is incompatible with the Christian faith .
Published with permission from The Catholic Thing .

Those blacks and their supporters who still have faith in the God of love and compassion must not be co-opted by those whose agenda is incompatible with the Christian faith.
July 13, 2020 (The Catholic Thing) — Beware of those who topple statues of all sorts and conditions of men. First of all, beware because in many cases these statues are prime evidence for the egregious treatment of black people in this country, beginning with the slave trade and up to today. But to obliterate these reminders of the painful past allows the rewriting of history in favor of those with an agenda that does not necessarily care about the future of black men and women in our society.
Be careful about destroying the statues not only of Confederate leaders but also of those like Columbus. Despite Columbus’ real personal failings, he nevertheless brought the Christian faith to the New World, without which the bane of slavery for black people in this country would have never been abolished. Never forget that it was many of the early missionaries and later the British Methodists who made the convincing moral case against slavery.
It was indeed Abraham Lincoln who issued the Emancipation Proclamation in the context of the worst war our country has ever known, the war known as the Civil War, whose legacy is in a real way still with us. But this “official” statement that ended slavery in this country was the fruit of those many Christians who understood so clearly that slavery was incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
They were the core of the Abolitionist Movement that played such an important role not only in bringing to the American conscience the sinfulness of slavery but also did so much to assist the slaves who sought freedom, both before and after the Civil War.
Just as important: the black slave experience produced a singular and deep understanding of the Christian faith that remains a model for what it really means to be a Christian. For the black slaves in this country identified with the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt, and their songs, like the songs of the slaves in Egypt, came out of the very bowels of their lives as slaves. And as people who looked forward to that freedom that went beyond freedom from slavery, that freedom that St. Paul talks about as freedom in Christ.
In what have become known as “Spirituals,” that singular musical expression of the black church – from “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” to “There is a balm in Gilead” to “Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)” to the rollicking cadences of “O, Happy Day” — in this music they understood the reality of freedom in Jesus Christ. And very few understand what this means today.
It is indeed one of the most significant events in Christian history, at least in this country, that so many slaves accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The slaves not only accepted the faith of their oppressors, but they gave that faith a depth and meaning that went far beyond the rote Christianity that marked so many of those who “owned” them.
For those in slavery, freedom was not just a concept to be enshrined in a document. It was something intensely personal, and yet they knew that the only hope of achieving this real freedom was in the man Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
The power of the black church is grounded in the Biblical relationship of faith and freedom. That faith has always been an antidote to the white-bread version of Christian faith that confuses freedom in Christ with an individualistic understanding of freedom that denies the obligations to love God with all one’s being and to one’s neighbor as oneself.
This relationship between faith and freedom and its corollary to love without limit is what the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. understood. His crusade for justice for black people came not primarily from a political nor a sociological agenda. It came from his deep understanding of the bond between justice and freedom in the context of the love of God and the truth of God.
To my black brothers and sisters: beware of the white elitists who rename colleges in the name of justice and sensitivity. They are not your friends.
Beware of those who topple statues and deface buildings in the name of Black Lives Matter. When the statues are all gone, and the elites have rewritten history, when those with an agenda that is contrary to the faith of black people force that agenda on all, then the future of black people in this country will be eaten up by those who erase history in order to achieve goals that are antithetical to the Christian faith, which faith has been central to black experience and life.
The peaceful protests of the past month in response to police brutality, despite the attendant violence and looting, have been necessary to once again call attention to the injustices constantly suffered by the black community in this country. But those blacks and their supporters who still have faith in the God of love and compassion must not be co-opted in this righteous struggle by those whose agenda is incompatible with the Christian faith.
Published with permission from The Catholic Thing.
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lifesitenews--2020-07-14--Cdl Zen: Vatican has delivered Church in China into ‘hands of the madness of our government’

WASHINGTON , D.C. , July 13 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) ― Cardinal Zen , the retired bishop of Hong Kong , told a popular EWTN news host that the Vatican deal with China is a “ betrayal of the real Church.
” Zen , 88 , appeared on EWTN ’ s The World Over with Raymond Arroyo show on July 10 to discuss China ’ s new “ security law ” for Hong Kong .
The measure was imposed upon the former British colony on June 30 .
Pope Francis was expected to comment last Sunday on the unhappy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defence of religious freedom .
The remarks were in copies of his speech distributed to journalists , but he dropped them from his Angelus address .
“ I have seen the text , which is very mild , in no way offensive to the Chinese government , ” said Zen .
“ Some say maybe the Holy Father thought it was better not to say [ something ] , or some say he may have received some word from the Chinese Embassy in Italy.
” “ It ’ s not an isolated episode @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy of the Vatican not to offend the Chinese government.
” Cardinal Zen also repeated his misgivings about the secret deal between the Holy See and the communist government of China , noting that after the concordat was signed , circumstances for Catholics in China became much worse .
Seven bishops of the schismatic Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association who had challenged Church doctrine were legitimized in the wake of the agreement , and even now , they show no sign of repentance or gratitude to Pope Francis , Zen said .
“ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Now they are winners .
They have been clever to follow the government.
” Because of the failings of these seven bishops and the fact that good underground Catholic bishops loyal to Rome were asked to step aside for two of them , Zen believes he is justified in saying , as he has said previously , that Pope Francis “ is giving the sheep to the wolves.
” “ If you knew those seven people , [ you would ask ] how could they become bishops ?
Two of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celibacy [ . ]
... Everybody knows .
I may be a big sinner , but they are public sinners , ” he said .
“ So it ’ s a scandal to make them bishops.
” Zen is even more distressed by the supplanting of the two faithful underground bishops by bishops from the Patriotic Association .
“ It ’ s a betrayal of the real Church , ” he declared .
The new national security law imposed on Hong Kong purports to outlaw secession , subversion , terrorism , and collusion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to appoint its own national security commission , which will be controlled by mainland China .
Zen believes that the national security law will override the provisions of Hong Kong ’ s Basic Law .
“ With this so-called national security law , we are back to the Cultural Revolution , ” Zen said .
“ We are at the mercy of this new commission.
” The cardinal said he went through the whole text of the law and said he could sum it up in one sentence : “ Now they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your prayers because we are in the hands of the madness of our government , ” he said .
Cardinal John Tong Hon , the apostolic administrator of Hong Kong , has said he believes that the national security law will not interfere with freedom of religion .
Tong trusts that Hong Kong ’ s Basic Law will continue to guarantee freedom of religion .
“ I am a good brother to Cardinal Tong , but he has to be obedient to the instructions of the Vatican , ” the cardinal said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vatican almost means to be full of respect for the Chinese government.
” “ For me the Vatican is constantly pursuing a policy of submissiveness to the Chinese government , ” Zen continued .
“ I can not explain the meaning of what Cardinal Tong said because for me the Basic Law is finished.
” Hong Kong has not had a bishop of its own for a year and a half , and Zen believes that this is because the successful candidate will need “ a blessing ” from Beijing .
Cardinal Zen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like himself and all the citizens of Hong Kong , whose freedoms he believes are under threat .
Zen stated that anyone who protests the new national security law is in danger , and he is no exception .
PETITION : Support Cardinal Zen 's plea to stop the `` murder of the Church in China '' !
Sign the petition here .
“ I think we bishops , even a bishop emeritus , have a duty to defend freedoms because by our episcopal ordination we are now responsible for the sustaining of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he added .
“ The Church is on the side of the persecuted , and so we are bound to say something which may be taken as an offense against the new law.
” Zen said he knows that American Catholics are praying and doing “ many things ” to help the Church in China , and that he hopes that the whole Church will awaken .
“ Now we can see the real face of the Chinese Communist Party , and now [ we have ] spiritual warfare between the Lie and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of power , of domination , and concern for other people , ” he said .
“ So it is warfare between good and evil .
I hope the whole world will stand up.
” A year ago , Zen made an emergency trip to Rome in an attempt to warn Pope Francis about the Vatican ’ s just-released pastoral document that gives priests in China reasons why they should register with the communist government .
The cardinal marked the anniversary this July by noting on his blog and Twitter that Pope Francis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ dubia ” or criticisms of the document that Zen described as “ the most cruel thing ” the Vatican has done concerning the Catholic Church in China , “ absolutely against the doctrine of the Church , because it encourages people to be part of a schismatic Church.
” With the “ Pastoral guidance for the civil registration of clergy in China , ” Parolin “ murdered the Church in China , ” Zen wrote .
After reading the document , the retired bishop of Hong Kong immediately flew to the Vatican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also questioned the prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization and the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith about the document .
The former said he was not asked to sign off on the guidance , and the latter told Zen , “ Now everything about China is exclusively in the hands of the Secretary of State.
” Once he arrived in Rome , Zen sent a letter to the pope asking him to be present “ at a dialogue between me and Cardinal Parolin , the obvious author of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiving no answer , he sent Pope Francis another letter on July 1 along with “ my ‘ dubia ’ about the document , which I judged to be absolutely against the doctrine of the Church , because it encourages people to be part of a schismatic Church.
” On July 2 , Francis advised Zen by letter to talk to Parolin , at which point the cardinal told the message-bearer : “ It would be completely useless ; so , please , tell the Holy Father I ’ m going back empty-handed.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a July 3 supper ― but with another guest : Parolin himself .
During the supper , Parolin didn ’ t have much to say .
Pope Francis showed “ great affection ” to Zen , the Chinese cardinal recalled , but also “ some embarrassment.
” Zen wrote that he realized that Parolin had planned the dinner to make it clear that the Holy Father listened to him , not Zen , and that Parolin had no intention of talking about the pastoral guidelines to Zen .
“ So I did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a chance to see with my eyes that Parolin is manipulating the Holy Father , ” he wrote .

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 13, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― Cardinal Zen, the retired bishop of Hong Kong, told a popular EWTN news host that the Vatican deal with China is a “betrayal of the real Church.”
Zen, 88, appeared on EWTN’s The World Over with Raymond Arroyo show on July 10 to discuss China’s new “security law” for Hong Kong. The measure was imposed upon the former British colony on June 30.
Pope Francis was expected to comment last Sunday on the unhappy situation in Hong Kong and speak in defence of religious freedom. The remarks were in copies of his speech distributed to journalists, but he dropped them from his Angelus address.
“I have seen the text, which is very mild, in no way offensive to the Chinese government,” said Zen.
“Some say maybe the Holy Father thought it was better not to say [something], or some say he may have received some word from the Chinese Embassy in Italy.”
“It’s not an isolated episode. It’s already a long-standing policy of the Vatican not to offend the Chinese government.”
Cardinal Zen also repeated his misgivings about the secret deal between the Holy See and the communist government of China, noting that after the concordat was signed, circumstances for Catholics in China became much worse. Seven bishops of the schismatic Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association who had challenged Church doctrine were legitimized in the wake of the agreement, and even now, they show no sign of repentance or gratitude to Pope Francis, Zen said.
“They went around singing triumph,” he said. “Now they are winners. They have been clever to follow the government.”
Because of the failings of these seven bishops and the fact that good underground Catholic bishops loyal to Rome were asked to step aside for two of them, Zen believes he is justified in saying, as he has said previously, that Pope Francis “is giving the sheep to the wolves.”
“If you knew those seven people, [you would ask] how could they become bishops? Two of them are not observing the law of celibacy[.] … Everybody knows. I may be a big sinner, but they are public sinners,” he said. “So it’s a scandal to make them bishops.”
Zen is even more distressed by the supplanting of the two faithful underground bishops by bishops from the Patriotic Association.
“It’s a betrayal of the real Church,” he declared.
The new national security law imposed on Hong Kong purports to outlaw secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreigners. Hong Kong will also have to appoint its own national security commission, which will be controlled by mainland China. Zen believes that the national security law will override the provisions of Hong Kong’s Basic Law.
“With this so-called national security law, we are back to the Cultural Revolution,” Zen said. “We are at the mercy of this new commission.”
The cardinal said he went through the whole text of the law and said he could sum it up in one sentence: “Now they can do anything.”
“We need your prayers because we are in the hands of the madness of our government,” he said.
Cardinal John Tong Hon, the apostolic administrator of Hong Kong, has said he believes that the national security law will not interfere with freedom of religion. Tong trusts that Hong Kong’s Basic Law will continue to guarantee freedom of religion.
Cardinal Zen does not agree.
“I am a good brother to Cardinal Tong, but he has to be obedient to the instructions of the Vatican,” the cardinal said. “And now to be with the Vatican almost means to be full of respect for the Chinese government.”
“For me the Vatican is constantly pursuing a policy of submissiveness to the Chinese government,” Zen continued. “I cannot explain the meaning of what Cardinal Tong said because for me the Basic Law is finished.”
Hong Kong has not had a bishop of its own for a year and a half, and Zen believes that this is because the successful candidate will need “a blessing” from Beijing.
Cardinal Zen refused to make a distinction between churchmen like himself and all the citizens of Hong Kong, whose freedoms he believes are under threat. Zen stated that anyone who protests the new national security law is in danger, and he is no exception.
PETITION: Support Cardinal Zen's plea to stop the “murder of the Church in China”! Sign the petition here.
“I think we bishops, even a bishop emeritus, have a duty to defend freedoms because by our episcopal ordination we are now responsible for the sustaining of the doctrine of the Church,” he added.
“The Church is on the side of the persecuted, and so we are bound to say something which may be taken as an offense against the new law.”
Zen said he knows that American Catholics are praying and doing “many things” to help the Church in China, and that he hopes that the whole Church will awaken.
“Now we can see the real face of the Chinese Communist Party, and now [we have] spiritual warfare between the Lie and the Truth, between the selfish desire of power, of domination, and concern for other people,” he said.
“So it is warfare between good and evil. I hope the whole world will stand up.”
A year ago, Zen made an emergency trip to Rome in an attempt to warn Pope Francis about the Vatican’s just-released pastoral document that gives priests in China reasons why they should register with the communist government.
The cardinal marked the anniversary this July by noting on his blog and Twitter that Pope Francis had still not responded to his several “dubia” or criticisms of the document that Zen described as “the most cruel thing” the Vatican has done concerning the Catholic Church in China, “absolutely against the doctrine of the Church, because it encourages people to be part of a schismatic Church.”
With the “Pastoral guidance for the civil registration of clergy in China,” Parolin “murdered the Church in China,” Zen wrote.
After reading the document, the retired bishop of Hong Kong immediately flew to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis.
Zen also questioned the prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization and the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith about the document. The former said he was not asked to sign off on the guidance, and the latter told Zen, “Now everything about China is exclusively in the hands of the Secretary of State.”
Once he arrived in Rome, Zen sent a letter to the pope asking him to be present “at a dialogue between me and Cardinal Parolin, the obvious author of the document.”
He described how after receiving no answer, he sent Pope Francis another letter on July 1 along with “my ‘dubia’ about the document, which I judged to be absolutely against the doctrine of the Church, because it encourages people to be part of a schismatic Church.”
On July 2, Francis advised Zen by letter to talk to Parolin, at which point the cardinal told the message-bearer: “It would be completely useless; so, please, tell the Holy Father I’m going back empty-handed.”
But the pontiff then invited Zen to a July 3 supper ― but with another guest: Parolin himself. During the supper, Parolin didn’t have much to say. Pope Francis showed “great affection” to Zen, the Chinese cardinal recalled, but also “some embarrassment.”
Zen wrote that he realized that Parolin had planned the dinner to make it clear that the Holy Father listened to him, not Zen, and that Parolin had no intention of talking about the pastoral guidelines to Zen.
“So I did not come back empty-handed. I had a chance to see with my eyes that Parolin is manipulating the Holy Father,” he wrote.
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lifesitenews--2020-07-15--Liberal mega-donor Soros sends $220M to US groups demanding police defunding

UNITED STATES , July 14 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The George Soros–founded Open Society Foundations has announced that it is investing $ 220 million in “ Black-led justice organizations ” that among themselves call for defunding the police and mass mail-in voting and express support for the riots that have swept across the country following the death of George Floyd .
“ There is this call for justice in Black and brown communities , an explosion of not just sympathy but solidarity across the board , ” Open Society Foundations president Patrick Gaspard told The New York Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to double down .
And we understood we can place a bet on these activists — Black and white — who see this as a moment of not just incrementalism , but whole-scale reform.
” Soros is a prolific financier of left-wing causes throughout the United States and around the world , including abortion , euthanasia , population control , same-sex “ marriage , ” transgenderism , and more .
His Open Society Foundations spends almost $ 1 billion annually in 100 different countries , including $ 150 million per year funding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , the leading abortion company Planned Parenthood , and other liberal groups .
Last year he invested $ 5.1 million in a super-PAC dedicated to funding groups working against Trump ’ s re-election .
Gaspard told The New York Times that now is “ the moment we ’ ve been investing in for the last 25 years.
” “ We recognize that the struggle to dismantle systemic racism is an ongoing one ; it has existed from the dawn of the republic to the present day , and is embedded in every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and justice systems , ” Gaspard said in a press release published earlier yesterday .
“ But the power surge of people who have taken to the streets to demand that this nation do better — people of all ages , from all backgrounds , and in every corner of this country — gives hope to us all.
” His comments were echoed by Tom Perriello , executive director of Open Society-U.S. , who directly referenced the Black Lives Matter movement .
“ The success of this movement , the largest in U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not weeks , and we can not say that Black lives matter and not make a multi-year commitment to a strategy set by and centering Black leaders and organizations who changed America ’ s sense of what is possible , ” Perriello said .
The press release from the Open Society Foundations references four groups who will receive the funding : Black Voters Matter , Circle for Justice Innovations , Repairers of the Breach , and Equal Justice Initiative .
The Black Voters Matter social media pages are full of posts calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as promoting mass mail-in voting .
Calls to defund the police have coincided with violent riots around the country following the death of George Floyd in May .
Last month the Black Voters Matters organization also re-tweeted a post by BLM Louisville celebrating a group forming a human barricade across a bridge and appearing to bring all traffic to a halt .
The Circle for Justice Innovations organization , whose members say their mission to “ end mass criminalization and incarceration ” through transforming the U.S. criminal legal system , likewise expresses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has swept America following Floyd ’ s death .
“ We are moved by the masses , in cities across the country , who are invoking their right to protest against these persistent forms of structural violence .
These protests , initiated by righteous Black and Brown people , have been joined by people of all races , ” a statement on the home page of their website reads .
The Repairers of the Breach organization in their mission statement “ challenge the position that the preeminent moral issues are prayer in public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Instead , they say , the moral public concerns of our faith traditions are how our society treats the poor , women , LGBTQ people , children , workers , immigrants , communities of color , and the sick — the people whom Jesus calls ‘ the least of these.
’ ” In a tweet published last week , the group promoted an article by Marxist news service People ’ s World ( a continuation of the Daily Worker , founded by the Communist Party USA ) , while highlighting a quote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s ] ince plantation owners paid preachers in the early 19th century to defend slavery against the clear moral arguments of abolitionists , American Christianity has been infected by # Slave holder Religion.
” Earlier this month , Repairers of the Breach used social media to criticize the Catholic Church , alleging complicity with racism , citing the case of Fr .
Theodore Rothrock , who has been suspended by the ordinary of the Diocese of Lafayette , Indiana , Bishop Timothy Doherty , after Fr .
Rothrock stated on social media that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fear they promote .
A LifeSiteNews petition in support of Fr .
Rothrock has been signed by more than 37,000 people .
Last month , a spokesperson for the Open Society Foundations denied any connection between the organization and the unrest across the country .
“ I think partly it ’ s an attempt to distract from the real matters at hand — the pandemic , the protests or the Black Lives Matter movement , ” Laura Silber , Open Society Foundations chief communications officer , said in a statement .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out there protesting when someone says they ’ re all paid .
It ’ s insulting.
” Are riots rattling US cities part of Soros ’ plan to re-shape America and take down Trump ?
George Soros : We ’ re now in ‘ revolutionary moment ’ that allows us to achieve the ‘ inconceivable ’

The president of George Soros's Open Society Foundations declared that now is 'the moment we’ve been investing in for the last 25 years.'
PETITION: Investigate George Soros' role in funding domestic terrorism! Sign the petition here.
UNITED STATES, July 14, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The George Soros–founded Open Society Foundations has announced that it is investing $220 million in “Black-led justice organizations” that among themselves call for defunding the police and mass mail-in voting and express support for the riots that have swept across the country following the death of George Floyd.
“There is this call for justice in Black and brown communities, an explosion of not just sympathy but solidarity across the board,” Open Society Foundations president Patrick Gaspard told The New York Times.
“So it’s time to double down. And we understood we can place a bet on these activists — Black and white — who see this as a moment of not just incrementalism, but whole-scale reform.”
Soros is a prolific financier of left-wing causes throughout the United States and around the world, including abortion, euthanasia, population control, same-sex “marriage,” transgenderism, and more.
His Open Society Foundations spends almost $1 billion annually in 100 different countries, including $150 million per year funding the left-wing American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the leading abortion company Planned Parenthood, and other liberal groups.
Last year he invested $5.1 million in a super-PAC dedicated to funding groups working against Trump’s re-election.
Gaspard told The New York Times that now is “the moment we’ve been investing in for the last 25 years.”
“We recognize that the struggle to dismantle systemic racism is an ongoing one; it has existed from the dawn of the republic to the present day, and is embedded in every level of government and in our penal and justice systems,” Gaspard said in a press release published earlier yesterday.
“But the power surge of people who have taken to the streets to demand that this nation do better — people of all ages, from all backgrounds, and in every corner of this country — gives hope to us all.”
His comments were echoed by Tom Perriello, executive director of Open Society-U.S., who directly referenced the Black Lives Matter movement.
“The success of this movement, the largest in U.S. history, will be measured over years, not weeks, and we cannot say that Black lives matter and not make a multi-year commitment to a strategy set by and centering Black leaders and organizations who changed America’s sense of what is possible,” Perriello said.
The press release from the Open Society Foundations references four groups who will receive the funding: Black Voters Matter, Circle for Justice Innovations, Repairers of the Breach, and Equal Justice Initiative.
The Black Voters Matter social media pages are full of posts calling for the defunding of the police as well as promoting mass mail-in voting.
Join Advancement Project National Office TOMORROW from 5-6:30 PM ET to learn more about vote by mail issues, how to ensure you receive your absentee ballots for upcoming elections, and engaging voters. #ItsAboutUs ✊�� Register Now: https://t.co/O17spd8dEq pic.twitter.com/O3BsZBI5Ot — Black Voters Matter (@BlackVotersMtr) July 8, 2020
Calls to defund the police have coincided with violent riots around the country following the death of George Floyd in May.
Last month the Black Voters Matters organization also re-tweeted a post by BLM Louisville celebrating a group forming a human barricade across a bridge and appearing to bring all traffic to a halt.
The Circle for Justice Innovations organization, whose members say their mission to “end mass criminalization and incarceration” through transforming the U.S. criminal legal system, likewise expresses a general support for the unrest that has swept America following Floyd’s death.
“We are moved by the masses, in cities across the country, who are invoking their right to protest against these persistent forms of structural violence. These protests, initiated by righteous Black and Brown people, have been joined by people of all races,” a statement on the home page of their website reads.
The Repairers of the Breach organization in their mission statement “challenge the position that the preeminent moral issues are prayer in public schools, abortion, and property rights.”
Instead, they say, the moral public concerns of our faith traditions are how our society treats the poor, women, LGBTQ people, children, workers, immigrants, communities of color, and the sick — the people whom Jesus calls ‘the least of these.’”
In a tweet published last week, the group promoted an article by Marxist news service People’s World (a continuation of the Daily Worker, founded by the Communist Party USA), while highlighting a quote from the article asserting that “[s]ince plantation owners paid preachers in the early 19th century to defend slavery against the clear moral arguments of abolitionists, American Christianity has been infected by #Slave holder Religion.”
“Since plantation owners paid preachers in the early 19th century to defend slavery against the clear moral arguments of abolitionists, American Christianity has been infected by #SlaveholderReligion.” @wilsonhartgrove & @RevDrBarber https://t.co/TtFgnZeEur — Repairers of the Breach (@BRepairers) July 9, 2020
Earlier this month, Repairers of the Breach used social media to criticize the Catholic Church, alleging complicity with racism, citing the case of Fr. Theodore Rothrock, who has been suspended by the ordinary of the Diocese of Lafayette, Indiana, Bishop Timothy Doherty, after Fr. Rothrock stated on social media that Black Lives Matter organizers feed off the fear they promote. A LifeSiteNews petition in support of Fr. Rothrock has been signed by more than 37,000 people.
“Until white Catholics have the courage to face deeply uncomfortable truths about the depth of racism in the nation and end the Church’s complicity of silence, attitudes like [Father] Rothrock’s will continue to fester and poison American Catholicism.” https://t.co/lbfucOhMs6 — Repairers of the Breach (@BRepairers) July 2, 2020
Last month, a spokesperson for the Open Society Foundations denied any connection between the organization and the unrest across the country.
“I think partly it’s an attempt to distract from the real matters at hand — the pandemic, the protests or the Black Lives Matter movement,” Laura Silber, Open Society Foundations chief communications officer, said in a statement.
“It’s pretty demeaning to the people out there protesting when someone says they’re all paid. It’s insulting.”
Related
Are riots rattling US cities part of Soros’ plan to re-shape America and take down Trump?
George Soros: We’re now in ‘revolutionary moment’ that allows us to achieve the ‘inconceivable’
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lifesitenews--2020-07-15--MSNBC virus expert says he contracted COVID-19. Evidence says otherwise

July 14 , 2020 ( NewsBusters ) — For almost two months in his Fourth Watch newsletter , the indispensable Steve Krakauer has been chronicling the strange case of MSNBC/NBC medical and science contributor Joseph Fair , who had claimed in May that he not only contracted the virus , but was hospitalized .
Even worse yet , he surmised he contracted it through his eyes on a flight .
But as Krakauer ’ s reporting showed , it was all a lie as Fair “ had at least five negative coronavirus tests ” and tested negative for COVID-19 antibodies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heads in the sand despite this breach of journalistic ethics and peddling of bona fide fake news .
NewsBusters found that Fair was a guest 38 times on MSNBC ’ s weekday evening shows between March 1 and July 10 for a total of 137 minutes with another five minutes covering his now-debunked coronavirus bout .
MTP Daily led the way with 12 Fair appearances in this span with the 7:00 p.m. Eastern MSNBC Live in second at ten hits .
In other words , NewsBusters readers , we have on our hands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a doctorate and studies virology instead of war games .
Krakauer first alluded to Fair in his May 17 newsletter , noting that NBC had repeatedly featured him “ as he recovers from coronavirus ” even though “ he has tested negative four times , ” so it “ [ s ] eems worth monitoring.
” By the time Fair had supposedly contracted COVID-19 , he was a network mainstay with MSNBC evening hits totaling 70 minutes and 42 seconds in March , 55 minutes and 29 seconds in April , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short by a dropped signal .
Back to Krakauer , he followed up in his June 17 e-mail by relaying Fair ’ s version of events and how it had struck fear on MSNBC and NBC shows .
However , Krakauer noted : Krakauer ran through Fair ’ s publicized reasons for still having caught the virus despite the negative tests , but they made little sense : Fair went to the hospital May 11 , and by May 13 he was appearing on NBC .
In those early appearances , NBC reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times , usually as two Abbott tests , a PCR test and a Biofire test .
Fair would later tweet that he had `` 4 neg Abbott , 1 neg biofire , 1 neg in house PCR , 1 borderline pos CRISPR test '' ( which appear to be 7 tests ) .
His on-air explanation for the negative tests were twofold .
First , he said the Abbott tests , and all tests , are unreliable , with as much as `` 50 % false negatives '' for the Abbott test .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreed with that assessment , the expert said it still would be highly unlikely for the same person to have 5-7 false false negatives in a row .
Fair 's other explanation was that he may have waited too long to get the test .
The process of `` viral shedding '' is something that has been studied for COVID-19 .
One study found a `` viral shedding '' range of 6-47 days , with a median of 17 days , while another found a range of 8-37 days , with a median @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to `` shed '' the virus in 8 days — possible , but at the very low end of the spectrum .
The other element that raised eyebrows to the experts I spoke to was his comment about being a `` borderline positive '' CRISPR test .
They said the CRISPR test reveals a positive or negative result , or a result which is too weak and inconclusive .
But `` borderline positive '' is the same thing as `` borderline negative '' — in that , there 's no such thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Today show , Fair revealed for the first time that he did a second CRISPR test , which also came up as inconclusive .
Amusingly , Krakauer wrote that , as he would reiterate in updates , NBC wouldn ’ t “ comment on the record.
” Krakauer , a former CNN producer , kept up with the case and issued updates ( of which he had none ) on July 1 and 6 .
By Thursday , Krakauer had enough and again went into exhaustive detail .
Leading off the newsletter , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their medical expert ’ s ‘ coronavirus battle ’ — but he never had it.
” Beginning with Fair ’ s delusional June 14 Meet the Press appearance , Krakauer called out moderator Chuck Todd for complicity in hiding from his audience that Fair had no evidence to have tested positive .
Worse yet , other NBCers like Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin assisted Fair in peddling his spin about all his false tests meaning nothing seeing as how he became sick after flying and was hospitalized .
Catching the virus through your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like most debunked liberal media lies , the damage has already been done .
It should come as no surprise that , after Krakauer did some digging , this wasn ’ t Fair ’ s first brush with a Brian Williams–like level of embellishment : Dr. Fair has a long history as a “ virus hunter ” and virologist — and seems to have as long a history of getting publicity .
On Meet The Press , he described the first week of supposedly having COVID-19 as “ the worst I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter follower this week , he said “ It was only the second time I have been hospitalized in my life and I am someone who rarely gets ill. ” But a colleague and fellow TV coronavirus expert , Laurie Garrett , who frequently appears on CNN , tweeted in May that Dr. Fair , “ has been in many epidemics , contracted # Ebola in West Africa.
” He contracted Ebola ?
While I couldn ’ t find any reference to Fair surviving Ebola , I did find Fair featured in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Red Zone , ” published just last year .
The book describes Fair in 2006 when he was a graduate student , and it describes a time he “ got sick ” — very sick .
“ A devout Catholic , Fair asked a priest at the center to give him his final confession and the last rites , ” writes author Richard Preston .
“ ‘ I think I ’ m passing , ’ Fair whispered.
” In the end , Fair took some antibiotics and made a miraculous recovery .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
In 2014 , Fair was profiled in the Washington Post , under the headline “ A virus hunter faces the big one : Ebola.
” It began : “ Joseph Fair hunts viruses .
That ’ s his thing .
The 37-year-old American loves chasing dangerous pathogens , studying them in secure labs or searching for them in jungles where the microbes lurk.
” The whole story details Dr. Fair ’ s work with Ebola — no mention of the supposed near-death experience from 2006 , however .
In June , NewsBusters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 40 seconds on MSNBC evening shows in which he discussed the virus and his faux experience .
As for July , there was a lone entry from July 1 ’ s The Last Word in the form of a 30-second soundbite from Today .
Like all breaches of basic journalistic integrity , it ’ s a yet another reason for Americans to distrust the establishment press and while it ’ s a chance for such outlets to take action and work to regain trust , we ’ ve seen for the 33 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ existence that they rarely take that opportunity .
Methodology : NewsBusters searched Nexis transcripts of available MSNBC programs ( MTP Daily at 5:00 p.m. Eastern through the end of The 11th Hour at 12:00 a.m. Eastern ) , consulted the corresponding recordings , and timed both comments by and questions for Fair .

For almost two months, Steve Krakauer has been chronicling the strange case of MSNBC/NBC medical and science contributor Joseph Fair.
July 14, 2020 (NewsBusters) — For almost two months in his Fourth Watch newsletter, the indispensable Steve Krakauer has been chronicling the strange case of MSNBC/NBC medical and science contributor Joseph Fair, who had claimed in May that he not only contracted the virus, but was hospitalized. Even worse yet, he surmised he contracted it through his eyes on a flight.
But as Krakauer’s reporting showed, it was all a lie as Fair “had at least five negative coronavirus tests” and tested negative for COVID-19 antibodies. MSNBC and NBC predictably kept their heads in the sand despite this breach of journalistic ethics and peddling of bona fide fake news.
NewsBusters found that Fair was a guest 38 times on MSNBC’s weekday evening shows between March 1 and July 10 for a total of 137 minutes with another five minutes covering his now-debunked coronavirus bout. MTP Daily led the way with 12 Fair appearances in this span with the 7:00 p.m. Eastern MSNBC Live in second at ten hits.
In other words, NewsBusters readers, we have on our hands another Brian Williams who happens to have a doctorate and studies virology instead of war games.
Krakauer first alluded to Fair in his May 17 newsletter, noting that NBC had repeatedly featured him “as he recovers from coronavirus” even though “he has tested negative four times,” so it “[s]eems worth monitoring.”
By the time Fair had supposedly contracted COVID-19, he was a network mainstay with MSNBC evening hits totaling 70 minutes and 42 seconds in March, 55 minutes and 29 seconds in April, and a brief, 15-second hit in May cut short by a dropped signal.
Back to Krakauer, he followed up in his June 17 e-mail by relaying Fair’s version of events and how it had struck fear on MSNBC and NBC shows. However, Krakauer noted:
There was something odd, though — that was brought up in the initial report, but has been slowly removed from the reporting on this story that NBC News has done: Dr. Fair has been tested between five and seven times for coronavirus, and has never tested positive.
Krakauer ran through Fair’s publicized reasons for still having caught the virus despite the negative tests, but they made little sense:
Fair went to the hospital May 11, and by May 13 he was appearing on NBC. In those early appearances, NBC reported he had tested negative four or five times, usually as two Abbott tests, a PCR test and a Biofire test. Fair would later tweet that he had “4 neg Abbott, 1 neg biofire, 1 neg in house PCR, 1 borderline pos CRISPR test” (which appear to be 7 tests). His on-air explanation for the negative tests were twofold. First, he said the Abbott tests, and all tests, are unreliable, with as much as “50% false negatives” for the Abbott test. While one medical expert I spoke to agreed with that assessment, the expert said it still would be highly unlikely for the same person to have 5-7 false false negatives in a row. Fair's other explanation was that he may have waited too long to get the test. The process of “viral shedding” is something that has been studied for COVID-19. One study found a “viral shedding” range of 6-47 days, with a median of 17 days, while another found a range of 8-37 days, with a median of 20 days. Fair would have had to “shed” the virus in 8 days — possible, but at the very low end of the spectrum. The other element that raised eyebrows to the experts I spoke to was his comment about being a “borderline positive” CRISPR test. They said the CRISPR test reveals a positive or negative result, or a result which is too weak and inconclusive. But “borderline positive” is the same thing as “borderline negative” — in that, there's no such thing. In an interview today on the Today show, Fair revealed for the first time that he did a second CRISPR test, which also came up as inconclusive.
Amusingly, Krakauer wrote that, as he would reiterate in updates, NBC wouldn’t “comment on the record.”
Krakauer, a former CNN producer, kept up with the case and issued updates (of which he had none) on July 1 and 6.
By Thursday, Krakauer had enough and again went into exhaustive detail. Leading off the newsletter, the headline read: “NBC tracked their medical expert’s ‘coronavirus battle’ — but he never had it.”
Beginning with Fair’s delusional June 14 Meet the Press appearance, Krakauer called out moderator Chuck Todd for complicity in hiding from his audience that Fair had no evidence to have tested positive.
Worse yet, other NBCers like Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin assisted Fair in peddling his spin about all his false tests meaning nothing seeing as how he became sick after flying and was hospitalized.
Catching the virus through your eyes? On a plane? But like most debunked liberal media lies, the damage has already been done.
It should come as no surprise that, after Krakauer did some digging, this wasn’t Fair’s first brush with a Brian Williams–like level of embellishment:
Dr. Fair has a long history as a “virus hunter” and virologist — and seems to have as long a history of getting publicity. On Meet The Press, he described the first week of supposedly having COVID-19 as “the worst I’ve ever felt.” In replying to a Twitter follower this week, he said “It was only the second time I have been hospitalized in my life and I am someone who rarely gets ill.” But a colleague and fellow TV coronavirus expert, Laurie Garrett, who frequently appears on CNN, tweeted in May that Dr. Fair, “has been in many epidemics, contracted #Ebola in West Africa.” He contracted Ebola? While I couldn’t find any reference to Fair surviving Ebola, I did find Fair featured in a book about Ebola, “Crisis in the Red Zone,” published just last year. The book describes Fair in 2006 when he was a graduate student, and it describes a time he “got sick” — very sick. “A devout Catholic, Fair asked a priest at the center to give him his final confession and the last rites,” writes author Richard Preston. “‘I think I’m passing,’ Fair whispered.” In the end, Fair took some antibiotics and made a miraculous recovery. But COVID-19 was worse than this experience? In 2014, Fair was profiled in the Washington Post, under the headline “A virus hunter faces the big one: Ebola.” It began: “Joseph Fair hunts viruses. That’s his thing. The 37-year-old American loves chasing dangerous pathogens, studying them in secure labs or searching for them in jungles where the microbes lurk.” The whole story details Dr. Fair’s work with Ebola — no mention of the supposed near-death experience from 2006, however.
In June, NewsBusters found three Fair hits totaling 10 minutes and 40 seconds on MSNBC evening shows in which he discussed the virus and his faux experience. As for July, there was a lone entry from July 1’s The Last Word in the form of a 30-second soundbite from Today.
Like all breaches of basic journalistic integrity, it’s a yet another reason for Americans to distrust the establishment press and while it’s a chance for such outlets to take action and work to regain trust, we’ve seen for the 33 years that the MRC has been in existence that they rarely take that opportunity.
Methodology: NewsBusters searched Nexis transcripts of available MSNBC programs (MTP Daily at 5:00 p.m. Eastern through the end of The 11th Hour at 12:00 a.m. Eastern), consulted the corresponding recordings, and timed both comments by and questions for Fair.
Published with permission from NewsBusters.
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lifesitenews--2020-07-14--Dem California gov bans indoor church service in over two dozen counties

PETITION : Tell politicians not to discriminate against churches when reopening society !
Sign the petition here .
SACRAMENTO , California , July 14 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Amid a surge in new cases of COVID-19 , Democrat California Gov .
Gavin Newsom has once again banned worship services inside churches in 29 counties .
During a press conference on Monday , Newsom hinted that some of the new restrictions might stay in place until a vaccine is developed .
“ We ’ re seeing an increase in the spread of the virus , so that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of us to recognize soberly that COVID-19 is not going away any time soon until there is a vaccine or an effective therapy , ” he said .
Newsom ordered all counties in California to close indoor operations for dine-in restaurants , movie theaters , zoos , museums , as well as places like bowling alleys .
“ Additionally , bars , brewpubs , breweries , and pubs must close all operations both indoor and outdoor statewide , unless they are offering sit-down , outdoor dine-in meals .
Alcohol can only be sold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Currently , 29 counties are ordered to stop indoor worship services .
Indoor protests are banned , as well , whereas protests could still take place outdoors .
Also , malls , fitness centers , and several other industries are not allowed to open .
The state of California pointed out that the “ industries or activities ” banned in 29 counties “ can be modified to operate outside or by pickup.
” As far as religious services are concerned , churches and parishes could , for instance , offer parking lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes Los Angeles , San Bernardino , Riverside , Ventura , and Orange – all in the Los Angeles area .
San Diego , just north of the border to Mexico , is also affected .
Sacramento County , where the California capital is located , is also on the list .
Notable absences include San Francisco County and Alameda County , of which Oakland is a part .
Even though San Francisco County is not on the list , the city and county of San Francisco had threatened the local archdiocese , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a temporary restraining order over its alleged non-compliance with coronavirus-related orders by Health Officer Tomás J. Aragón .
City Attorney Dennis J. Herrera demanded to confirm by the end of June “ that the Archdiocese will cease offering indoor religious services , except for funerals with up to 12 attendees and except for live streaming as described above ; and further that the Face Covering requirements and Social Distancing Requirements of those orders will be followed at all outdoor services.
” The Archdiocese of San Francisco later bowed to the local government ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priest in San Francisco , commented on his blog , “ Clearly some people in the city government and the news media find religion intolerable .
They hate religion.
” “ They may hate religion , and they may hate religious persons , ” he added .
“ They may not restrict our rights as free American citizens.
” The archdiocese ’ s safety protocols for reopening public Masses , which were published June 6 , stated , “ In charity to all and in consideration of public health and safety , those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Additionally , “ The six-foot distance rule must be strictly enforced , ” with each church preparing “ distanced pews in accordance with the social distancing guidelines.
” The largest diocese in the United States , the Archdiocese of Los Angeles , had allowed public Masses in early June , provided social distancing was maintained .
“ Pastors should establish a written plan for resuming operations in the church building to be shared with employees and volunteers , ” the archdiocese demanded .
“ This plan should include how he will maintain the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building capacity or 100 attendees , whichever is lower.
” The archdiocese had also banned the reception of Holy Communion on the tongue .
Even though parishes across the archdiocese of Los Angeles had complied with the state government ’ s earlier demands , they are now forced to cancel public Masses once again , or , at best , move them outside .
“ In following this newly-issued state order , the Cathedral will be closed to the public for 8 am Mass and for private prayer effective today until further notice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on its website .
“ Our daily 8:00 am Mass will continue to be available via livestream only .
Given the fluidity and uncertainty of the current crisis , we can not determine the duration of the closure at this time .
We will update this page as we have more information .
”

PETITION: Tell politicians not to discriminate against churches when reopening society! Sign the petition here.
SACRAMENTO, California, July 14, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Amid a surge in new cases of COVID-19, Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom has once again banned worship services inside churches in 29 counties. During a press conference on Monday, Newsom hinted that some of the new restrictions might stay in place until a vaccine is developed.
“We’re seeing an increase in the spread of the virus, so that’s why it’s incumbent upon all of us to recognize soberly that COVID-19 is not going away any time soon until there is a vaccine or an effective therapy,” he said.
Newsom ordered all counties in California to close indoor operations for dine-in restaurants, movie theaters, zoos, museums, as well as places like bowling alleys. “Additionally, bars, brewpubs, breweries, and pubs must close all operations both indoor and outdoor statewide, unless they are offering sit-down, outdoor dine-in meals. Alcohol can only be sold in the same transaction as a meal.”
Currently, 29 counties are ordered to stop indoor worship services. Indoor protests are banned, as well, whereas protests could still take place outdoors. Also, malls, fitness centers, and several other industries are not allowed to open.
NEW: As #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, 30 counties will now be required to CLOSE INDOOR OPERATIONS for: -Fitness Centers
-Places of Worship
-Offices for Non-Critical Sectors
-Personal Care Services
-Hair Salons and Barbershops
-Malls — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 13, 2020
The state of California pointed out that the “industries or activities” banned in 29 counties “can be modified to operate outside or by pickup.” As far as religious services are concerned, churches and parishes could, for instance, offer parking lot services.
The list of 29 counties includes Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, and Orange – all in the Los Angeles area. San Diego, just north of the border to Mexico, is also affected. Sacramento County, where the California capital is located, is also on the list. Notable absences include San Francisco County and Alameda County, of which Oakland is a part.
Even though San Francisco County is not on the list, the city and county of San Francisco had threatened the local archdiocese, headed by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, with a temporary restraining order over its alleged non-compliance with coronavirus-related orders by Health Officer Tomás J. Aragón.
City Attorney Dennis J. Herrera demanded to confirm by the end of June “that the Archdiocese will cease offering indoor religious services, except for funerals with up to 12 attendees and except for live streaming as described above; and further that the Face Covering requirements and Social Distancing Requirements of those orders will be followed at all outdoor services.”
The Archdiocese of San Francisco later bowed to the local government’s orders
Father Joseph Illo, a priest in San Francisco, commented on his blog, “Clearly some people in the city government and the news media find religion intolerable. They hate religion.”
“They may hate religion, and they may hate religious persons,” he added. “They may not restrict our rights as free American citizens.”
The archdiocese’s safety protocols for reopening public Masses, which were published June 6, stated, “In charity to all and in consideration of public health and safety, those attending Mass must wear a mask.” Additionally, “The six-foot distance rule must be strictly enforced,” with each church preparing “distanced pews in accordance with the social distancing guidelines.”
The largest diocese in the United States, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, had allowed public Masses in early June, provided social distancing was maintained. “Pastors should establish a written plan for resuming operations in the church building to be shared with employees and volunteers,” the archdiocese demanded. “This plan should include how he will maintain the state mandated limit of 25 percent of building capacity or 100 attendees, whichever is lower.”
The archdiocese had also banned the reception of Holy Communion on the tongue.
Even though parishes across the archdiocese of Los Angeles had complied with the state government’s earlier demands, they are now forced to cancel public Masses once again, or, at best, move them outside.
“In following this newly-issued state order, the Cathedral will be closed to the public for 8 am Mass and for private prayer effective today until further notice,” announced the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on its website. “Our daily 8:00 am Mass will continue to be available via livestream only. Given the fluidity and uncertainty of the current crisis, we cannot determine the duration of the closure at this time. We will update this page as we have more information.”
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lifesitenews--2020-07-14--Cuban immigrant at Trump roundtable: Communism ‘destroyed’ my country, don’t let it destroy yours

MIAMI , Florida , July 14 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – During a roundtable event with President Donald Trump in Florida on Friday , Cuban-born businessman Maximo Alvarez warned Americans about the dangers of communism and socialism , telling young people not to be “ useful idiots.
” He also stressed the importance of American values .
Alvarez is the founder , owner , and president of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors .
He came to the United States as a 13-year-old .
“ Almost 60 years later , I am sitting next to the President of the United States , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said of his unlikely story .
He then went on to talk about his experiences as a child in Cuba , comparing the rise of communism in that country , spearheaded by Fidel Castro , with the current situation in the United States .
“ What is happening in our backyard today I experienced as an 11-year-old .
I remember vividly all of the promises that a guy named Castro gave and how 99 percent of the people swallowed the pill .
It took many years .
Later , after I read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ realized that all those people were nothing but useful idiots.
” Alinsky was a left-wing activist in the United States , famous for his book Rules for Radicals , which explained how to successfully run a movement for change .
“ I remember all of the promises that we hear today : about free education , and free health care , and ( a ) free land , ” he recounted .
Freedom never came about , “ but he never said that until after he was in power and got rid of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all of the military.
” Castro and his system of government have “ been there for the last 60 years and counting and he destroyed each and every one who helped him , the Catholic Church , everybody.
” Alvarez mentioned that Castro , the leader of the communist movement in Cuba who ran the country as a communist dictator for many decades , was once asked whether he actually was a communist .
“ He went crazy , ” Alvarez recounted .
Castro claimed to be a Catholic , educated by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by some priests .
Alvarez praised President Trump , who was present at the event , for having entered the political arena five years ago .
“ He could have been just having a good time on one of his many beautiful golf courses right now , but yet he gave up enjoying the fruit of his labors to do this , ” Alvarez said .
“ I thought you were a little crazy for the sacrifice you were about to take , ” the businessman told the President about his thoughts during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I predicted that we were going to elect you in November , and I was going to see you in the White House in January .
Thank you very much !
” “ I never forget about my dad who only had a sixth-grade education , but I think he was the greatest philosopher I ever met , ” Alvarez said .
“ He used to tell us how lucky he was , because he was able to come from Spain to Cuba , and then he came from Cuba to the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ graduate from college , and that was the biggest prize he ever had , and he said : Don ’ t lose this place , because you ’ re never going to be as lucky as me , because if you lose this place , you have no place to go , ” he added .
“ So with that , please keep that in mind , and please , people , explain that to our young people who are demonstrating out there : Don ’ t be useful idiots.
” Alvarez said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world ” where you can “ start a business from the trunk of your car , and within a very few years , with hard work , commitment , and all of the core values that we learned from this very culture of ours , we can become very important to our future .
We can become those people who make the next generation better than the one before.
” He also indicated that America was “ the only country ” needing to close its borders , “ because everybody in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Nobody is ever forced to come over here .
We come over here , in my case , because my parents chose that I would not be indoctrinated by the communist country ( of Cuba under Fidel Castro ) , by the totalitarian country , by the totalitarian regime , ” Alvarez emphasized .
“ They don ’ t educate children , absolutely not , and this is something that we need to understand.
” “ Please understand what has happened in our country , see what has happened to our parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America today , ” Alvarez pleaded .
The riots of the Black Lives Matter movement have been linked to far-left activism .
Patrisse Khan-Cullors , one of the three founders of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation , publicly admitted that she and fellow founder Alicia Garza , an open homosexual , “ are trained organizers .
We are trained Marxists .
We are super versed on , sort of , ideological theories .
And I think that what we really try to do is build a movement that could be utilized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many activists have also called for defunding the police .
“ Though activists and officials differ on how much they want forces to be restructured , the ideological goal of defunding is abolishing traditional policing altogether , ” according to The New Yorker .
“ Advocates want leaders to divest from forces and reinvest in a vision of public safety that includes economic and social security for the most marginalized in society.
” Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders had , like Castro in Cuba , as Alvarez explained , called for free education by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debt .
Several Democrat legislators have also called for free health care , often termed “ Medicare for All.
” Providing Medicare to everybody “ would save the American people a very large amount of money , ” said Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
“ What we see as well is that these systems are not just pie in the sky .
Many of them are accomplished by every modern , civilized democracy in the Western world .
The United Kingdom has a form of single-payer health care -- Canada , France , Germany @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( sic ) these investments are better and they are good for our future .
”

Cuba-born immigrant Maximo Alvarez warned Americans that if communism destroys the U.S., there’s nowhere left for lovers of freedom to go.
MIAMI, Florida, July 14, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – During a roundtable event with President Donald Trump in Florida on Friday, Cuban-born businessman Maximo Alvarez warned Americans about the dangers of communism and socialism, telling young people not to be “useful idiots.” He also stressed the importance of American values.
Alvarez is the founder, owner, and president of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors. He came to the United States as a 13-year-old. “Almost 60 years later, I am sitting next to the President of the United States, talking about the American dream,” he said of his unlikely story.
He then went on to talk about his experiences as a child in Cuba, comparing the rise of communism in that country, spearheaded by Fidel Castro, with the current situation in the United States.
“What is happening in our backyard today I experienced as an 11-year-old. I remember vividly all of the promises that a guy named Castro gave and how 99 percent of the people swallowed the pill. It took many years. Later, after I read somebody named Saul Alinsky, that I realized that all those people were nothing but useful idiots.”
Alinsky was a left-wing activist in the United States, famous for his book Rules for Radicals, which explained how to successfully run a movement for change.
“I remember all of the promises that we hear today: about free education, and free health care, and (a) free land,” he recounted. Freedom never came about, “but he never said that until after he was in power and got rid of all of the police, got rid of all of the military.”
Castro and his system of government have “been there for the last 60 years and counting and he destroyed each and every one who helped him, the Catholic Church, everybody.”
Alvarez mentioned that Castro, the leader of the communist movement in Cuba who ran the country as a communist dictator for many decades, was once asked whether he actually was a communist.
“He went crazy,” Alvarez recounted. Castro claimed to be a Catholic, educated by the Jesuits, who was even supported by some priests.
Alvarez praised President Trump, who was present at the event, for having entered the political arena five years ago. “He could have been just having a good time on one of his many beautiful golf courses right now, but yet he gave up enjoying the fruit of his labors to do this,” Alvarez said.
“I thought you were a little crazy for the sacrifice you were about to take,” the businessman told the President about his thoughts during the 2016 election season, “but I predicted that we were going to elect you in November, and I was going to see you in the White House in January. Thank you very much!”
“I never forget about my dad who only had a sixth-grade education, but I think he was the greatest philosopher I ever met,” Alvarez said. “He used to tell us how lucky he was, because he was able to come from Spain to Cuba, and then he came from Cuba to the United States.”
“And he saw me graduate from college, and that was the biggest prize he ever had, and he said: Don’t lose this place, because you’re never going to be as lucky as me, because if you lose this place, you have no place to go,” he added. “So with that, please keep that in mind, and please, people, explain that to our young people who are demonstrating out there: Don’t be useful idiots.”
Alvarez said there was “no other country in the world” where you can “start a business from the trunk of your car, and within a very few years, with hard work, commitment, and all of the core values that we learned from this very culture of ours, we can become very important to our future. We can become those people who make the next generation better than the one before.”
He also indicated that America was “the only country” needing to close its borders, “because everybody in the world wants to come over here.”
“Nobody is ever forced to come over here. We come over here, in my case, because my parents chose that I would not be indoctrinated by the communist country (of Cuba under Fidel Castro), by the totalitarian country, by the totalitarian regime,” Alvarez emphasized. “They don’t educate children, absolutely not, and this is something that we need to understand.”
“Please understand what has happened in our country, see what has happened to our parents, and see what is happening to America today,” Alvarez pleaded.
The riots of the Black Lives Matter movement have been linked to far-left activism. Patrisse Khan-Cullors, one of the three founders of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, publicly admitted that she and fellow founder Alicia Garza, an open homosexual, “are trained organizers. We are trained Marxists. We are super versed on, sort of, ideological theories. And I think that what we really try to do is build a movement that could be utilized by many, many black folk.”
Many activists have also called for defunding the police. “Though activists and officials differ on how much they want forces to be restructured, the ideological goal of defunding is abolishing traditional policing altogether,” according to The New Yorker. “Advocates want leaders to divest from forces and reinvest in a vision of public safety that includes economic and social security for the most marginalized in society.”
Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders had, like Castro in Cuba, as Alvarez explained, called for free education by abolishing college tuition and canceling all student debt.
Several Democrat legislators have also called for free health care, often termed “Medicare for All.” Providing Medicare to everybody “would save the American people a very large amount of money,” said Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “What we see as well is that these systems are not just pie in the sky. Many of them are accomplished by every modern, civilized democracy in the Western world. The United Kingdom has a form of single-payer health care — Canada, France, Germany. What we need to realize that (sic) these investments are better and they are good for our future.”
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lifesitenews--2020-07-14--I used to work at Planned Parenthood. Here’s how I know it’s crumbling from the inside

July 14 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – If high leadership turnover is any indication of organizational weakness , then the Planned Parenthood Federation of American ( PFFA ) is the most unstable non-profit in the nation .
After a long losing streak of top executives leaving and being fired , PFFA recently named its newest president and CEO – Alexis McGill Johnson .
Preceding Johnson ’ s appointment to the role , former CEO Leana Wen served only eight months before she was ousted by PPFA in a very contentious and public squabble .
Months after her July 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreed that there was a pronounced division in the direction the organization should be heading , with Wen wanting to focus on “ total women ’ s health ” and PPFA wanting to “ double down on abortion rights and advocacy.
” It ’ s difficult to imagine that the leader of the largest abortion chain in the country was not pro-abortion enough to keep her job .
During her final weeks there , Wen publicly shared her heartache from a recent miscarriage .
She referred to her unborn baby as a child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sibling .
She mourned her loss while twisting that raw pain into a rallying cry for abortion “ rights.
” Still , she committed a cardinal sin in the abortion world : she showed a heart for life and a mother ’ s tender love for her unborn child .
Shortly after the article was printed , she was fired .
Meanwhile , PPFA ’ s largest affiliate , Planned Parenthood of Greater New York , recently fired its leader , Laura McQuade .
Hundreds of current and former employees signed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bullying , systemic racism , and financial mismanagement .
The letter stated , “ We know that Planned Parenthood has a history and a present steeped in white supremacy.
” They also claimed that pressure to rush appointments led to almost daily abortion complications .
Following these scandalous removals of Wen and McQuade , PFFA is describing its new chief as a “ renowned social and racial justice leader.
” Johnson claims that her goal is to “ reckon with racism ” while keeping her focus on youth of color – an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest destroyer of life in the country , especially considering that PPFA founder Margaret Sanger made clear her pro-eugenics agenda and racist attitude toward black mothers and babies .
Every single time we are offered a glimpse inside the world of PPFA , whether via former or current employees , undercover videos or even their own annual reports , what we find is disturbing .
The strife we see from the outside looking in represents but a tiny glimpse of their myriad in-depth issues .
PFFA is struggling to survive , to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They know they aren ’ t likely to last well through another four years under a pro-life administration .
Cycling through yet another new leader is a sign of the times that PPFA is crumbling from the inside , and we can expect that the world ’ s largest abortion-provider and mass-genocide proponent will soon lose what little favor remains .
Sue Thayer is a former Planned Parenthood manager who now serves as the director of outreach with 40 Days for Life .

July 14, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – If high leadership turnover is any indication of organizational weakness, then the Planned Parenthood Federation of American (PPFA) is the most unstable non-profit in the nation. After a long losing streak of top executives leaving and being fired, PPFA recently named its newest president and CEO – Alexis McGill Johnson.
Preceding Johnson’s appointment to the role, former CEO Leana Wen served only eight months before she was ousted by PPFA in a very contentious and public squabble. Months after her July 2019 dismissal, Wen and PPFA leadership both agreed that there was a pronounced division in the direction the organization should be heading, with Wen wanting to focus on “total women’s health” and PPFA wanting to “double down on abortion rights and advocacy.”
It’s difficult to imagine that the leader of the largest abortion chain in the country was not pro-abortion enough to keep her job. During her final weeks there, Wen publicly shared her heartache from a recent miscarriage. She referred to her unborn baby as a child, lamenting that her son had lost a sibling. She mourned her loss while twisting that raw pain into a rallying cry for abortion “rights.” Still, she committed a cardinal sin in the abortion world: she showed a heart for life and a mother’s tender love for her unborn child.
Shortly after the article was printed, she was fired.
Meanwhile, PPFA’s largest affiliate, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, recently fired its leader, Laura McQuade. Hundreds of current and former employees signed a letter demanding her removal from leadership due to bullying, systemic racism, and financial mismanagement. The letter stated, “We know that Planned Parenthood has a history and a present steeped in white supremacy.” They also claimed that pressure to rush appointments led to almost daily abortion complications.
Following these scandalous removals of Wen and McQuade, PPFA is describing its new chief as a “renowned social and racial justice leader.” Johnson claims that her goal is to “reckon with racism” while keeping her focus on youth of color – an interesting claim for the head of the largest destroyer of life in the country, especially considering that PPFA founder Margaret Sanger made clear her pro-eugenics agenda and racist attitude toward black mothers and babies.
Every single time we are offered a glimpse inside the world of PPFA, whether via former or current employees, undercover videos or even their own annual reports, what we find is disturbing. The strife we see from the outside looking in represents but a tiny glimpse of their myriad in-depth issues.
PPFA is struggling to survive, to keep up the facade and maintain public favor. They know they aren’t likely to last well through another four years under a pro-life administration. Cycling through yet another new leader is a sign of the times that PPFA is crumbling from the inside, and we can expect that the world’s largest abortion-provider and mass-genocide proponent will soon lose what little favor remains.
Sue Thayer is a former Planned Parenthood manager who now serves as the director of outreach with 40 Days for Life.
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lifesitenews--2020-07-14--Man is made in the image and likeness of God, learning our faith with the Baltimore Catechism

Formerly Heart to Heart with Mother Miriam , Mother Miriam Live brings you inspiration and solutions for life ’ s @ @ @ @ @ Miriam is a Catholic nun on a mission to bring hope to a world that @ @ @ @ @ let her share that hope and joy with you !
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Watch Mother Miriam's Live aired on 7.14.2020. In today’s episode, Mother Miriam continues to work through the Baltimore Catechism focusing on man’s purpose and how we are made in the image and likeness of God.
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