When Converts Speak

Article taken from DICI,


" Magdi Allam was a Muslim. He converted to Catholicism. He was baptized by Benedict XVI on Easter 2008, and took the Christian name of Christian. Today, he is telling the pope about his anxiety to see the Church “making herself an accomplice in the edification of a worldwide pantheon of religions,” and he asks: “After that, how can we be surprised by the fact that Christianity is placed on an equal footing with myriads of other beliefs and ideologies which give the most disparate answers to spiritual needs, and ceases to fascinate, persuade, and conquer the minds and hearts of these very Christians who increasingly leave their churches, flee from the priestly vocation, and more generally exclude any religious dimension from their lives?”
Before him, other converts coming from Protestantism like Fr. Montgomery Wright, parish priest of Chamblac (France), or the Academician Julian Green expressed the same anguish. The former told his bishop that he could not celebrate the Mass of Paul VI, because he knew where he came from and did not want to return there. The latter confided to Archbishop Lefebvre, when presenting him with the narration of his conversion Ce qu’il faut d’amour à l’homme (How much love man needs), that he did not think he would be able to convert now… to the conciliar Church.

Fr. Alain Lorans "

His Lordship Bishop Fellay's press release following the lifting of the excommunications

The excommunication of the bishops consecrated by His Grace Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, on June 30, 1988, which had been declared by the Congregation for Bishops in a decree dated July 1, 1988, and which we had always contested, has been withdrawn by another decree mandated by Benedict XVI and issued by the same Congregation on January 21, 2009.

We express our filial gratitude to the Holy Father for this gesture which, beyond the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, will benefit the whole Church. Our Society wishes to be always more able to help the pope to remedy the unprecedented crisis which presently shakes the Catholic world, and which Pope John Paul II had designated as a state of “silent apostasy.”

Besides our gratitude towards the Holy Father and towards all those who helped him to make this courageous act, we are pleased that the decree of January 21 considers as necessary “talks” with the Holy See, talks which will enable the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X to explain the fundamental doctrinal reasons which it believes to be at the origin of the present difficulties of the Church.

In this new atmosphere, we have the firm hope to obtain soon the recognition of the rights of Catholic Tradition


Menzingen, January 24, 2009

+Bernard Fellay

Excommunictions lifted

From the Rorate Caeli Blogspot

Decree of the Congregation for Bishops

CONGREGATIO PRO EPISCOPIS



By way of a letter of December 15, 2008 addressed to His Eminence Cardinal Dario Castrillón Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Mons. Bernard Fellay, also in the name of the other three Bishops consecrated on June 30, 1988, requested anew the removal of the latae sententiae excommunication formally declared with the Decree of the Prefect of this Congregation on July 1, 1988. In the aforementioned letter, Mons. Fellay affirms, among other things: "We are always firmly determined in our will to remain Catholic and to place all our efforts at the service of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the Roman Catholic Church. We accept its teachings with filial disposition. We believe firmly in the Primacy of Peter and in its prerogatives, and for this the current situation makes us suffer so much."

His Holiness Benedict XVI - paternally sensitive to the spiritual unease manifested by the interested party due to the sanction of excommunication and trusting in the effort expressed by them in the aforementioned letter of not sparing any effort to deepen the necessary discussions with the Authority of the Holy See in the still open matters, so as to achieve shortly a full and satisfactory solution of the problem posed in the origin - decided to reconsider the canonical situation of Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, and Alfonso de Galarreta, arisen with their episcopal consecration.

With this act, it is desired to consolidate the reciprocal relations of confidence and to intensify and grant stability to the relationship of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X with this Apostolic See. This gift of peace, at the end of the Christmas celebrations, is also intended to be a sign to promote unity in the charity of the universal Church and to try to vanquish the scandal of division.

It is hoped that this step be followed by the prompt accomplishment of full communion with the Church of the entire Fraternity of Saint Pius X, thus testifying true fidelity and true recognition of the Magisterium and of the authority of the Pope with the proof of visible unity.

Based on the faculties expressly granted to me by the Holy Father Benedict XVI, in virtue of the present Decree, I remit from Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, and Alfonso de Galarreta the censure of latae sententiae excommunication declared by this Congregation on July 1, 1988, while I declare deprived of any juridical effect, from the present date, the Decree emanated at that time.


Rome, from the Congregation for Bishops, January 21, 2009.



Card. Giovanni Battista Re
Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops

Fr. Eldred Lesley Murdered in South Africa

From The Witness:

“Priest Murdered
21 Jan 2009

BHEKI MBANJWA
AN 83-YEAR-OLD Traditional Catholic priest of the Chapel of our Lady and St Michael in Bulwer Street was found murdered in his home which is part of the chapel premises.

Police discovered the body of Father Eldred Leslie just before 7.00pm last night after being alerted by Leslie’s nephew, Kenny, who lives nearby.

Kenny Leslie told The Witness yesterday he had gone to his uncle’s house to check on him as a parishioner had been unsuccessfully trying to get hold of him .

“This parishioner told me that they had been trying to phone Father Leslie but could not get hold of him. As I have the keys [to the house] I went in. All seemed fine from the outside as the gates were locked, as is normally the case. However I became suspicious when I saw that his backdoor was not locked,” Kenny told The Witness outside the house where police were still busy combing the murder scene for evidence.

According to Kenny, his uncle always kept the doors and gates locked. “When I got inside I noticed that the doorknob on his bedroom door, which was closed, had blood all over it,” he said.

Realising something was wrong Kenny phoned the police without entering the bedroom.

“The police responded and as they entered they found the body of Father Leslie slumped on the floor of his bedroom. He had sustained severe head wounds believed to have been caused by a sharp instrument,” said police spokesman Senior Superintendent Henry Budhram.

A source close to the investigation said Leslie had been stabbed in the neck behind the ear and in the head. The motive for the murder was still unknown yesterday and police said that no property had been taken from the house.

Father Leslie lived alone in the house, police added.

According to Kenny, this was not the first time that his uncle had fallen victim to crime since arriving in the area about ten years ago. “Since arriving here he has been robbed and had his house broken into about 15 times and that’s a conservative figure” he said.

Despite all this Father Leslie continued to do good in the area. He was well known in the area especially for his work with street children and the poor. “He gave street children and destitute people food and even paid school fees for some of the children,” Kenny said.

Residents of Bulwer and adjacent streets, who gathered outside Father Leslie’s house, expressed anger and shock at the brutal murder of the man they described as caring. “We, the residents of this area, are living in fear. There have been a spate of crimes in this area. We can only hope the police arrest whoever is responsible for this deed,” said one resident who did not want to be named.

One of the parishioners, Terence Talbot, described the priest as kind and caring. “He was very committed to the Traditional Catholic Church, what has happened here is a tragedy,” said Talbot.

bmbanjwa@witness.co.z”

http://crownofmartyrs.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/fr-eldred-lesley-murdered-in-south-africa/
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Murderer knew Fr. Lesley
Source:

“Priest’s ‘killer’ knew him
22 Jan 2009

SANDILE WAKA-ZAMISA
A 25-year-old man was arrested for the murder of 83-year-old priest Father Eldred Leslie, who was found slain in his home in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday night. The suspect was caught near Leslie’s house on Bulwer Street yesterday morning.

The area alongside the house was abuzz with police vehicles, paramedics, a television news crew and onlookers as the police combed the the house and its surroundings for clues and evidence.

The police started interviewing people around the area and were tipped off about the 25-year-old.

During that period, the suspect was seen walking up the road and he was caught.

A source close to Leslie said the priest used to give the suspect food.

“Father Leslie gave street children food everyday and he [the suspect] was one of the people who came to beg for food and would ask the priest for money sometimes.”

According to the source, the suspect had previously broken into Leslie’s home and “stole some stuff”. “He confessed to the priest and asked for forgiveness.”

He was forgiven, but a few days earlier he apparently made threats against the priest. He allegedly told the source that he would attack the priest.

Police spokesman Senior Superintendent Henry Budhram said the suspect has been charged and will appear in court shortly.

Tributes poured in for Father Lelsie yesterday.

“He cared for the needy and gave them food everyday,” said a neighbour.”

http://crownofmartyrs.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/murderer-knew-fr-lesley/

Father Lesley. SSPX Priest and defender of Traditional Catholicism.

Requisant in Pacem!

A little knowledge is ALWAYS dangerous

2009 so far has indeed proved to be, at least so far, better than last year. And so without any further hesitation, I dare to write yet another blog entry for Summourum Pontificum. I could of entitled it something vastly different and very, very base..something to the tune of " what they know about such and such my backside(using a better term) knows about snipe shooting".

In the space of the past few months I've felt it extremely necessary - at least for myself- to do as much research as possible concerning the various topics that concern the current 'status quo'of things in the church both post-conciliar and pre-conciliar. I personally feel this to be necessary, in terms that at least, for my own conscience sake, I will be better equipped to write or at least attempt to, about the Church in our modern era.

It has interested me to see many lay people take interest in the cause of the reestablishment of the faith. It has also been quite disheartening to see the amount of infighting that takes place among these same people all working, or at least supposedly for the same purpose. Some pride themselves to be the ultimate authority when it comes to certain things, for one particular example of having a group of laymen teach a priest how to say the traditional Tridentine Mass!

All such things in account, I still firmly belive that all that takes place happens in accordance to divine providence. There is a reason why, for the first time in nearly fourty years, that the Tridentine Mass has made its 'official' reappearance in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg. Perhaps it would stand to prove that the Priests of the Society of St.Pius X weren't so wrong after all? Understandably, the society is a human institution which like all of us has failed at certain times. However, everything in account, I stand firm in the essential stance taken by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in his defence of our Holy Faith against the many errors which have brought our once glorious and triumphant faith to her knees.

I hope to post again soon, I am dearly thankful for the encouragement given to me by one of SPJ'S readers.

I remain your unworthy brother in Christ and our Good Mother

Calvin

The first new post of 2009

Wishing you all , a happy and blessed new year. Filled with Gods divine grace and Love

Calvin