ETs, Rock Nun & Missale Romanum

TIA,

A while ago, you posted some information on how the Vatican is committed to the search for extra-terrestrial life, and is preparing to welcome any kind of ETs that might show up.

Last week, yet another step was taken in the same direction. A congress co-sponsored by the Vatican and the University of Arizona took place to discuss life beyond earth. See the news report below.

If perchance the ETs appear with their deformed shapes - hasn't Hollywood not preparing us for this for decades? - would Pope Francis publicly embrace and kiss them, as he did with that deformed man in Vatican Square some time last year? And what if the ETs are devils, as many people hold? Would we have a Pope kissing and blessing devils coming from flying saucers?

Keep up the good work. I go to your site every day.

     E.J.
Vatican Observatory Hosts Conference on Life beyond Earth

Thursday, 20 March 2014 - Are we alone in the universe? The ultimate question of life beyond Earth and the solar system takes center stage in a science conference led by the Vatican Observatory and a University of Arizona this week.

Nearly 200 scientists are attending the conference, called “The Search for Life Beyond the Solar System: Exoplanets, Biosignature & Instruments,” which runs from March 16 through 21 in Tucson, Ariz. The Vatican Observatory is co-hosting the conference with the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory.

“Finding life beyond Earth is one of the great challenges of modern science and we are excited to have the world leaders in this field together in Tucson,” said event co-chair Daniel Apai, assistant professor of astronomy and planetary sciences at the UA Steward Observatory, in a statement. “But reaching such an ambitious goal takes planning and time. The goal of this meeting is to discuss how we can find life among the stars within the next two decades.”

Rev. Paul Gabor of the Vatican Observatory, the conference's other co-chair, added that scientists will give more than 160 research presentations during this week's conference.

According to the organizers, the conference will cover the technical challenges of finding and imaging exoplanets and identifying biosignatures in the atmospheres of far-flung worlds. Other presentations will discuss the study of life forms that live in extreme environments on Earth, which could be apt analogs for life on other planets.

Original here.

Dear sirs,

Just a comment on your article about President Putin. If Putin is as pro communist as you say, why doesn't he follow a communist agenda? He alone in Europe stands against the steamroller of gay rights activists, the EU that you praise is completely anti Christian.

I for one am pleased about the stand of President Putin against the globalist elite and new world order personified by President Obama, David Cameron and all European political leaders.

     Regards,

     N.D.


TIA responds:

Dear N.D.,

In order to answer your question, we have to say that this is not the first time communists have taken some conservative stands in order to fool the West.

• We saw Lenin himself doing this in 1922, playing the conservative and admitting some sort of private propriety to heal the catastrophic failure of the Soviet economy.
  
  
• We saw Khrushchev in the early ‘60s playing the smiling good old peasant and talking about a thaw, changing Communism, adopting Western patterns, etc.
  
  
• We saw the détente policy of Brezhnev in the late ‘60s, which led nowhere.
  
  
• We saw in the '90s the perestroika of Gorbatchev, which only prepared the West to send massive assistance to communist countries of the floundering USSR whose economies were collapsing astronomically.

With these many precedents, nothing is more consistent than to see today the communist Putin playing the same game to attract the sympathy of countless conservatives, even Catholic traditionalists.

The maneuver only proves how flexible the communists are in adapting themselves to new situations, and how easy it is to fool our Western fellow conservatives.

     Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

TIA,

I can't wait for the news media to ask “Pope” Francis to comment on the lewd performance by Suor Cristina on an Italian talent show. Knowing him, he will probably say, “Who am I to judge?”

Watch the video (8 minutes) here; read another news report here.

     C.S.

TIA,

I thought your readers would like to know this.

Gary Morella

Cardinal Dolan Says “Bravo” to Gay Football Player Michael Sam

I really don't understand Cardinal Dolan. Supposing I “came out” in public declaring that I am oriented toward adultery. There I am shouting from the rooftops, “Hey I'm really attracted to having sex with other women's husbands. And, as a matter of fact, I've dated a few.” Would Cardinal Dolan cheer me on and say, “Bravo, good for her? I can't judge.” Somehow I doubt it.

But isn't that what Michael Sam is basically saying, “Hey, I'm attracted to having sex with other guys. And I've dated a few.” (He said that in a interview.) What's to celebrate in that? Didn't Jesus say to even look at another with lust was to commit the act in one's heart? Aren't our sinful “orientations” something to save for the confessional?

Cardinal Dolan needs a reality check. What does it do to the faithful when a shepherd blesses the immoral inclinations of others? Frankly, I feel like I've been sucker-punched! I don't judge Michael Sam; that's God's job. I do judge his choices to “date” other men. So I hope readers will pray for him.

But pray even harder for Cardinal Dolan because scandal by someone in his position is serious indeed!

Original here.

Dear TIA,

Over the years, I have purchased many a Missale Romano online, normally through eBay. Given that we use the pre-1955 Missal at my chapel, and not the 1962 version, I have always enjoyed trying to find these old treasures, Missales still in good condition from various parts of the world and used, no doubt, by many priests for decades who have long since died. In this endeavor, I have enjoyed a certain amount of success, buying Missales from Italy, France, Spain, and even from England. Whatever the price has been, it has been well worth it as what they represent is priceless.

Given that I firmly believe that the older Missale Romanum is not just a relic but is meant to be used by all Catholic priests today and that this Missale, I also believe, in substance will in fact be used by all priests during the Reign of Mary - whenever this occurs, I am especially excited about a project that a good friend and former parishioner has at long last accomplished. The gentleman in question has successfully reprinted a 1930s Missal from Benzinger Brothers, which was the foremost publisher and printer of Missals in the United States for, I believe, close to a century, spanning the middle of the 19th and 20th centuries.

It is, therefore, a brand new “old” Missale which bears testimony to the fact that, in this case, older is indeed better, as has been pointed out at some length in the past by various authors, maybe most notably, Msgr. Patrick J. Perez. It also represents great trust in Our Lady, since he is acting on the conviction that what is being carried out is right and pleasing to God, and will bear fruit as more and more people become aware of the clear advantages of the older Missal, which I believe is both significantly and substantially superior to Pope John XXIII's Missal (1962). This is not meant as a condemnation of those priests and the faithful who believe that they are doing well to offer the newer Missal. It is simply meant to highlight that there is more at stake than they may be presently aware.

I, therefore, cannot recommend enough that priests especially purchase a copy of this newly printed Missale Romanum, either to use for the Mass or for the sake of study. I am aware of the fact that a number of priests who use the newer Missal do privately prefer the older one and may, therefore, benefit from having a copy even if just for private use or to have in their possession until either their situation changes or the Reign of Mary begins. If one has the money, any way one looks at it, it is good to have and it would be supporting a noble cause in the fight for the restoration of Catholic Tradition. And copies are limited, so it is best not to wait too long to secure a copy.

For more information, the project's website is here.

A Blessed Lent and may God continue to grant an increase to your apostolate.

     In Our Lady of the Annunciation,

     Fr. Paul Sretenovic

P.S. It may be good to add that it would make a very nice gift for a priest-friend, especially if a few people were to go in on it together to buy one. Just a thought.