Catholic Exorcism - April 2000
The International Association of Exorcists run by a Catholic priest has reported a rise in its activity thanks to the "vigilance" of the Catholic Church. Apart from the Associations 200 members each Catholic Diocese is supposed to appoint its own exorcist. Their activities are not to be made public. These loonies actually do believe in "demonic influence". The church has recently issued a new manual on exorcism, which seeks to distinguish between mental illness and possession by the devil.
Apparently they are quite serious. This new manual is the result of 20 years' work by the Vatican
Surely an institution, which fosters such dangerous, superstitious ideas does not deserve respect.
Liquefying Blood - May 2000.
The Catholic church is implicated in promoting the acceptance of
yet another superstition, this time in Naples, Italy. Cardinal Michele Giordano
led a procession whilst holding a vial of so called saints blood which is
supposed to go from a powder to a liquid if catastrophe is to be avoided.
The apparent transformation is a simple trick that can be accomplished in
different ways using slight of hand or elementary chemistry. If the liquid
does not materialise then you will not have to wait long for the next disaster,
perhaps an earthquake or a famine, which you can then attribute to the vial.
If the liquid does appear then the next disaster must have been caused by
something else. Easy.
Michele Giordano has been investigated after being accused of an involvement in loansharking, extortion and criminal association.
Seances in the Church of England from Guardian
(29/8/99)
Parishes in the Church of England will be urged next month to hold seances
and to encourage worshippers to develop their "psychic skills". David Christie-Murray,
a former Harrow schoolmaster and Anglican priest, will call at a church conference
for parishes to set up a "Christian rescue group", or seance to help the souls
of atheists and others who have "passed over to the other side". Such souls,
he believes, are "lost and bewildered, in a condition in which they do not
believe in this life and cannot understand now that they have passed over
into the next." He will argue that there is evidence the dead can communicate
with the living. The fifth Christian Parapsychology conference at Christ Church
College, Canterbury, is sponsored by the Churches Fellowship for Psychical
and Spiritual Studies. The fellow ship, founded in 1953 aims to explore the
"gifts of the spirit" such as speaking in tongues as described by St. Paul,
operates discreetly to avoid sensationalist interpretations of its reports.
It is at the centre of the Church establishment: patrons include the Archbishop
of York, Dr David Hope. The conference organiser Canon Michael Perry, gave
warning against setting up Christian seances in parish churches to help lost
souls on their way. "Most English dioceses have bishops' advisers on deliverance
who can help with such matters," he said.
This article is taken directly from the Guardian Newspaper. We should be prepared to tolerate arrogant crackpots but why should we allow them to hold high offices and why should their organizations be given charitable status?
The Guardian, August 2000
The Charity Commission has ruled that two Catholic organizations have
close links with neo-nazis and fascists. The St. George Educational
Trust and St. Michael the Archangel are closely associated with the International
Third Position. This is an extreme right group opposing European immigration,
homosexuality and the Jews.
The commission found that the St George Educational Trust and the Trust of
St. Michael the Archangel are closely associated with the International Third
Position, a dangerous far right group with an extreme fascist agenda.