Ad annunciarlo a Benevento è stato Bill Erfurth, produttore esecutivo della società americana, giunto in Italia dopo i sopralluoghi effettuati in autunno a Pietrelcina e Morcone (Benevento), Gesualdo (Avellino) e San Giovanni Rotondo (Foggia), aggiungendo anche che le riprese principali inizieranno in autunno.

Il cast è ancora segreto, ma sarà internazionale e dovrebbe esserci anche un italiano.

Non è il primo film realizzato sul frate di Pietrelcina: tra i progetti più famosi, Raiuno realizzò su di lui una miniserie (Padre Pio - tra cielo e terra) diretta da Giulio Base, dove Padre Pio era impersonato da Michele Placido, mentre fu Sergio Castellitto ad interpretarlo, nello stesso anno, per il film tv Padre Pio - un santo tra noi diretto da Carlo Carlei e distribuito da Mediaset.

"Catholic moral teaching regards the human person as a unity of soul and body, spirit and matter" and as such "more than just a vessel for the soul," explained a joint statement by Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas and Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph. "The Church's concern for human dignity extends to the body even after the soul is no longer present."

ZENIT also notes Father Michael Seger, a professor of moral theology at the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary Seminary of the West:

The human person is a unity of body and spirit, he pointed out in the Cincinatti Enquirer newspaper Feb. 1. We love and suffer in our bodies and the exhibition of the preserved corpses "rip a person from the context of her or his life story," he said. "They stand before us sadly anonymous: not mourned and not reverenced."

"The plasticized bodies displayed for anatomical voyeurism belong to a person who deserves better," Father Seger urged. "We are a society that prides itself on protecting and promoting human dignity, so we ask if this exhibit respects that noble goal."

I find this ironic in contrast with the Catholic practice of digging up dead saints and displaying their bodies for public veneration.  This is a gross double standard and I find it inconceivable that any apologists still defend the Catholic faith and practice after something this blatant.

While I was getting my daily Perez dose I noticed that Elton John and I have the same sunglasses, who looks cuter in them? And please don't say Elton.

During the work day I also read about Padre Pio. He was an Italian Priest who was sainted in 2002. My religious Aunt sent my mom an email about how his body was exhumed, kinda weird (1 that he was exhumed, 2 that this was in an email). I don't know anything about Saints so I looked for him on Wikipedia. I found out he was buried on my birthday, September 26th 1968 (a few years before I as born) and exhumed this year on March 3rd, my Mom's birthday. Totally creepy. Padre Pio is so out to get us for not being religious...

Here is a cute shot of him (circa this year). He's wearing a silicone mask, not his real face. Gross.

After work I went to Friendship Heights to pick up a Theory dress I'd bought WAY on sale at Saks. I purchased it Saturday with Elly, but couldn't pick it up until today, as it was a pre-sale (translation for Marc: you can buy it for the sale price a few days before so that you actually get the item, but you can't take it home until the day the sale starts). She looks sack-ey on the hanger, but you wear a belt and it's supah professional. Can't wait to wear her tomorrow.

I also popped into Bloomies, and Padre Pio was with me. He sent me a miracle, but that will be discussed in a later post. It needs it's very own. Stay tuned.

Once home I packed for my 4 day jaunt to Boston and then combined exercise and dinner. I ran down to P Street to TangySweet for a medium original with granola, strawberries and blackberries, ate it for dinner. The place was hopping, they are going to do quite well this summer.

I watched the season finale of Top Chef even though I should have gone to bed early. I have an event in the AM and have to be there at 7:30, yuck.

Stay with me, Lord,

for you are my light

and without you I am in darkness.

În 1911, preotul Francesco Forgione, viitorul Padre Pio, i-a semnalat confesorului său semne roşiatice pe mîini, pe picioare şi pe piept, precum şi dureri puternice în acele locuri care corespundeau rănilor christice. Echimozele se transformau în răni care sângerau periodic, dar nu se infectau.

Suspectat de la început de şarlatanie, a purtat o perioadă îndelungată mănuşi. Verdictul medicilor a fost categoric: rănile au o cauză neidentificabilă, explicaţia lor sustrăgându-se obiectivităţii ştiinţifice, raţionale. Padre Pio exala arome plăcute, denumite "mirosul sfinţeniei", pe care reuşea să le proiecteze la distanţă de chilia în care trăia şi medita.

Se vorbeşte despre o serie de vindecări miraculoase atribuite lui Padre Pio. După moartea sa, la examinarea medico-legală nu s-a descoperit nicio urmă de stigmate. Unii au spus că absenţa stigmatelor a fost ultimul miracol înfăptuit de Padre Pio.

Realitatea este mult mai prozaică. În anul 2007, istoricul Sergio Luzzatto a descoperit o mărturie care a răsuflat din arhivele secrete ale Vaticanului, aparţinând farmacistului de la care se aproviziona Padre Pio cu acid carbolic. Padre Pio susţinea că are nevoie de acid pentru a dezinfecta seringile cu care se vaccina împotriva gripei spaniole.

Acidul carbolic provoca şi întreţinea rănile din palme, de pe piept şi de pe picioare. Pentru ca sângerările să se producă în timpul slujbelor, Padre Pio ascundea sub mânecile largi nişte ace care-l înţepau în palme.

O altă nedumerire persistă în cazul călugărului capucin, sanctificat în anul 2002 de papa Ioan Paul al II-lea. De ce îi apăreau rănile în palmă, când piroanele erau bătute în încheieturile mîinilor crucificaţilor?

Cum se explică mirosul sfinţeniei degajat de Padre Pio? Menajera călugărului a mărturisit şi ea, după moartea acestuia, ce fel de esenţe folosea pentru a da acel miros plăcut şi cum îl răspândea înainte prin locurile pe unde urma să treacă Padre Pio.

L'opera è stata quasi completamente finanziata dalle offerte dei pellegrini, tanto che l'unica donazione giunta da un ente pubblico è stata quella della regione Puglia per la colossale croce in pietra che decora il sagrato, opera dello stesso Piano. Coi suoi 6000 m2 (in grado di contenere 7000 persone, considerando un ampio margine di sicurezza) è la seconda chiesa d'Italia per dimensioni, superata solo dalla Basilica di San Pietro In Vaticano. La chiesa sorge sul monte di San Giovanni Rotondo ed è adiacente al preesistente santuario e convento in cui il santo frate visse ed in cui ne sono conservate le spoglie. La struttura ha una forma che ricorda quello del nautilus, e la sua pianta ricorda la spirale archimedea, il cui fulcro è posto al centro dell'aula liturgica, nel luogo dove è posto l'altare. Assieme alla struttura della chiesa vera e propria è stato costruito anche un grande sagrato (a cui la chiesa è collegata attraverso un'enorme vetrata) ed un viale di accesso. La novità principale apportata da questo progetto nel campo dell'architettura è l'utilizzo di un materiale come la pietra di Apricena (di cui è costituita tutta l'opera) anche come struttura resistente oltre che come semplice elemento decorativo. Il suo utilizzo in una zona ad alto rischio sismico, inoltre, ha reso necessari una serie di test e sperimentazioni che hanno coinvolto anche uno staff di geologi: il risultato è stato una struttura che, per mezzo di notevoli sperimentazioni tecnologiche, è ora in grado di resistere a forze anche 6 volte superiori a quelle provocate dai terremoti registrati in questa zona, nonostante l'utilizzo di un materiale molto poco duttile.

His followers said he could see into the future and be in two places at once.

Forty years since his death, Padre Pio, now officially Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, continues to move and inspire millions of followers worldwide.

On Thursday, to mark the anniversary of his death, his body will go on display in a glass coffin at his friary at San Giovanni Rotondo, in Puglia, southern Italy.

Already some 700,000 people have registered to visit the sanctuary. Millions more are expected through the year.

The church says entrance to the crypt is free and no decision has yet been taken on how long the coffin will remain on show.

The chin is perfect and the rest of the body is well preserved. The knees, hands and nails all clearly visible Archbishop Domenico D'Ambrosio

Padre Pio's body was exhumed in March. The Capuchin friars said it was in "surprisingly good condition".

No special measures were taken to preserve the body when he was buried in 1968. It was injected with formalin, but only to preserve it better during the following days in which the devotees filed past the coffin.

Archbishop Domenico D'Ambrosio, who led the service to exhume the body, said: "We could clearly make out the beard. The top part of the skull is partly skeletal but the chin is perfect and the rest of the body is well preserved. The knees, hands and nails all clearly visible."

Since then it has been treated by a mortician to make the face more recognisable.

Stigmata

But there is still one thing missing. The stigmata.

Neither his feet nor his hands show any signs of the wounds from which, the church says, he bled spontaneously for much of his life.

Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione, the son of poor farmers from southern Italy. He joined the Capuchin order at the age of 15 but it was not until he was 23 that the wounds started to appear.

In 1911, he wrote to his spiritual adviser, Padre Benedetto, describing something unusual that had happened to him.

A statue of Padre Pio drew crowds after reports that it shed tears of blood

"I can neither explain nor understand it," he said.

"In the middle of the palms of my hands a red mark appeared, about the size of a penny, accompanied by acute pain in the middle of the red marks.

"The pain was more pronounced in the middle of the left hand, so much so that I can still feel it. Also under my feet I can feel some pain."

As word of his miracles spread, the cult following grew.

It alarmed the Catholic Church.

At one point, he was banned from celebrating Mass in public, although one of those who was said to have made a pilgrimage to Foggia for confession with him was a young Pole who would later become Pope John Paul II - and make Padre Pio a saint.

'Self-harmer'

More recently the sceptics have cast doubt on the miracles he performed. The founder of Rome's Catholic University hospital concluded Padre Pio was "an ignorant and self-mutilating psychopath who exploited people's credulity".

Last year, historian Sergio Luzzatto suggested Padre Pio was a self-harmer who had used carbolic acid to create the wounds.

The research was based on a document found in the Vatican's archive: the testimony of a pharmacist from San Giovanni Rotondo and from whom he had ordered four grams of acid.

Padre Pio is big business. His portrait hangs from rear-view mirrors, in dry cleaners, in restaurants and police stations

According to the pharmacist, Padre Pio had asked her to keep the request secret, saying it was to sterilise needles.

The document was examined but dismissed by the Catholic Church during Padre Pio's beatification process.

Today the essence of his condition remains a mystery. He is said to have lost a cup of blood a day through his wounds and yet never showed any signs of anaemia.

The wounds were never infected. He ate very little: one account states that he went 20 days on only the Eucharist without any other nourishment.

And so, despite the scepticism that has grown in some quarters, Padre Pio still fascinates and enchants millions around the world.

In Italy, Padre Pio is big business.

His portrait hangs from rear-view mirrors, in dry cleaners, in restaurants and police stations.

His following has transformed the small town of San Giovanni Rotondo.

It is now a centre for pilgrims from around the world. A modern hospital has been built for those seeking cures and, in 2004, a vast new church, designed by internationally renowned architect Renzo Piano, was officially consecrated.

It cost the church $36 million to build and can hold 30,000 pilgrims.

The body of the popular Italian saint, Padre Pio, has gone on display in a glass coffin in southern Italy.

Padre Pio was said to have had stigmata, or bleeding wounds of Jesus, on his hands and feet.

His body was exhumed in March on the 40th anniversary of his death. He was canonised by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

More than a million people are expected this year to see his body, which is said to be well-preserved. But there is reportedly no sign of the stigmata.

The head of the Vatican office dealing with sainthood, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, led a special open-air Mass in San Giovanni Rotondo, in Puglia.

"This body is here, but Padre Pio is not only a corpse. Looking at his remains we remember all the good that he has done," the cardinal said.

Afterwards, Cardinal Saraiva Martins led a group of Church officials into the crypt of Church of St Mary of Grace for a private viewing of the body.

Placed in a glass coffin, Padre Pio was dressed in a brown robe and his was covered in a life-like silicone mask.

Huge following

Already, more than 700,000 people have registered to view his body, and more are expected to make the pilgrimage to the Capuchin friary in San Giovanni Rotondo where it is displayed.

Among the pilgrims attending the mass on Thursday was 80-year-old Assunta Antico, who is confined to a wheelchair.

"I had a stroke two years ago. I'm paralysed and I want to walk again," she told the Reuters news agency.

Padre Pio had a large following both before and after his death.

Some of his devotees say he could foretell the future, as well as know people's sins before they had confessed.

Some viewed him as a fraud, however, and for many years the Vatican itself was sceptical and banned him from celebrating Mass in public.

One Italian historian wrote last year that he may have used carbolic acid to produce his wounds.

Before his death, the Roman Catholic Church said it was convinced the monk's claims were not false.

The monks who exhumed his body in March said it was in "surprisingly good condition", despite no special measures having been taken to preserve it when he was buried in 1968.

"We could clearly make out the beard. The top part of the skull is partly skeletal but the chin is perfect and the rest of the body is well preserved. The knees, hands and nails all clearly visible," said Archbishop Domenico D'Ambrosio, who led the service to exhume the body. (BBC)

Nel suo incredibile successo c'è di tutto: il voto interessato, il clientelismo, il sentiment, i calabresi, eccetera. Lo sappiamo. Ma c'è anche, non dobbiamo negarlo, una buona dose di sincera ammirazione da parte di elettori di tutte le estrazioni sociali.

Come si spiega?

Augusto Rollandin è persona dall'indubbio carisma. Riesce ad affascinare, direi a ipnotizzare, le persone con cui entra in contatto. Sembra conoscere le tecniche ipnotiche di Rol, il prestigiatore-medium torinese. È riuscito a costuirsi l'immagine di santo. Meglio, di santone (vista la stazza). Un santone che fa i miracoli. Capace di risolvere tutti i problemi personali di ciascun suo elettore, pardon, devoto. Le persone si rivolgono a lui con lo stesso spirito con cui invocherebbero Padre Pio. Non escludo che lo ricordino persino nelle loro preghiere.

Le 13.836 persone che hanno scritto il suo nome sulla scheda non si aspettano che sia un bravo amministratore. Vogliono che risolva il loro problema personale. Il posto per il figlio, la promozione in ufficio, il posto nella casa di riposo, l'alloggio nella casa popolare. E la guarigione dal cancro, perché no.

Con i suoi silenzi è riuscito a far credere di essere un grande politico. In realtà, la sua èra dura da un venticinquennio ma nessuno ricorda una sua grande idea, una sua grande riforma. In questi venticinque anni la Valle d'Aosta è decaduta sotto tutti i profili: l'economia è morta, l'industria turistica boccheggia, il territorio è devastato. E poi, qualcuno ricorda cosa ha combinato il nostro nei cinque anni da senatore?

Le sue rare interviste sono mirabili esempi di nulla. Banalità, sciocchezze, profuse al giornalista ossequioso di turno. Ma arrivano dopo mesi (anni) di promettente silenzio, e sono lette con devozione, alla ricerca di chissà quali messaggi cifrati.

Gli occhi, se provate a isolarli con una maschera, potrebbero essere quelli di Diabolik. Anzi, lo sono. Sappiamo finalmente a chi si sono ispirate le sorelle Giussani.
Quindi, cari rollandin-elettori, state attenti: Rollandin non è Padre Pio, ma Stanislao Moulinski in uno dei suoi più riusciti travestimenti.

(Sia chiaro che queste righe sono state scritte per invidia, visto che per arrivare alle sue preferenze avrei dovuto moltiplicare le mie per 40. Valgo un quarantesimo di Padre Pio. Praticamente mezza stimmate.)

A priest is not a business manager. He is not an executive of a company. He is not a president of a council. A priest is not a financial administrator. He may do the jobs of all these things, but that is not what a priest is. A priest is a minister, a pastor, a caregiver to anyone who comes to him. I believe strongly that in following Jesus's example, it is a priest's job to do his best to lovingly help any person whom the Spirit sends to him. And a priest should also go out of his church to seek those outside and make sure all God's people under his care always feel loved and taken care of.

A priest is not just there to start a program and then tell it what events are happening and what money it can expect from the church. A priest is supposed to help his people grow in holiness everyday toward our Lord Jesus. One of the reasons I want to be a priest is because it attracts me what Jesus did. He played that hero part. He sacrificed. He layed down his life for every person ever. A priest should do his best also to lay down his life-not just his physical life, but his own desires, his will- to bring Jesus to the people and bring the people closer to Jesus.

I recently watched an excellent movie about Padre Pio, a 20th century Italian saint. This man did everything to first and foremost honor God, and then to bring everyone else to learn to do God's will also. As I grow and learn and all the more focus myself and being ordained as the Lord's servant, I am trying to understand what a priest is called to do, by Jesus, by Rome, and by the society. And what I see I that people need and desperately want a true priest. They want Jesus! I only pray that God can work through our human thickness.

Il fuoco è il mezzo usato in Fahrenheit 451 per l'ordine dato di bruciare i libri la cui lettura è considerata un reato in una società dove ogni informazione scritta è proibita.

L'Inferno è il luogo delle tenebre dove il fuoco mai si estingue, per l'eterna punizione da infliggere ai peccatori. Nel Vangelo viene menzionata la Geenna, appunto il luogo in basso corrispondente all'inferno. In realtà la Geenna era la discarica dove l'immondizia (indifferenziata) veniva bruciata in modo perenne, quindi l'accostamento con i gironi infernali, luogo dell'eterna sofferenza, era scontato.

Il fuoco, sempre lui, è il mezzo preferito dai senza testa (e senza casco) in motorino per bruciare immondizia e zingari. Eccoli di nuovo alla ribalta assalire Rom e Pompieri intenti a spegnere i cassonetti in fiamme, in un attacco indifferenziato contro possibili minacce al loro territorio: la loro banlieue. Il territorio ora è ridotto in brandelli dalla loro sotto-cultura che una volta era chiamata del "sotto proletariato urbano", oggi indentificabile come manodopera a basso costo per la camorra, capace di far convivere coltelli in tasca e immagini di Padre Pio alle pareti.

Il fuoco, infine, si vuole far credere che sia l'unico candidato a risolvere la questione monnezza nell'ottica (miope) di un percorso lineare: 1) produzione, 2) consumo, 3) rifiuto, 4) discarica, 5) inceneritore. Questa volta Il fuoco, quindi, è il mezzo preferito dei senza testa, ma in doppiopetto.

All'ottica del percorso lineare "produzione -> inceneritore", basta contrapporre quello che già da sempre avviene in Natura: attuare il percorso circolare del ri-ciclo. In quest'ottica diversa ogni fase va rivista.

1. La produzione dovrà correggere gli errori di progettazione (tali sono da considerare buona parte dei rifiuti).
2. Il consumo va rivisto secondo i canoni della compatibilità ambientale, quindi anche della sobrietà, della solidarietà e dell'equità. Chi non è d'accordo deve comprendere che il prezzo di un bene comprende anche il costo per il suo smaltimento.
3. Il rifiuto, a questo punto, diventa un bene da ri-usare, ri-ciclare, per essere re-immesso nel circuito. Una risorsa che crea posti di lavoro.
4. La discarica diventa inutile in una strategia complessiva di zero rifiuti.
5. L'inceneritore non ha ragione d'essere.

Un monje capuchino de larga barba blanca se ha convertido en una mina para los vecinos de San Giovanni Rotondo, una pequeña ciudad de la región sureña de Puglia, en Italia. Si se cumplen las previsiones de la revista italiana Economy, esta localidad superará pronto en número de peregrinos a Lourdes y se colocará en segunda posición en la lista de lugares religiosos más visitados, sólo por detrás del Vaticano. Esta gran afluencia de visitantes lleva de la mano un espléndido negocio, valorado en 120 millones de euros anuales.

Según la citada publicación, nueve millones de personas viajarán cada año a San Giovanni Rotondo para venerar el cuerpo de San Pío de Pietralcina, más conocido como Padre Pío, cuyo santuario está ubicado en esta localidad. Desde hace dos semanas, el cuerpo de Padre Pío, uno de los santos más célebres de la historia reciente de la Iglesia, se encuentra expuesto al público, lo que ha multiplicado el número de devotos visitantes. La demanda ha sido tan grande que los responsables del santuario han tenido que prorrogar el plazo inicial y ampliar hasta septiembre de 2009 el tiempo que el cadáver de Padre Pío será expuesto en su urna de cristal.

En San Giovanni Rotondo “el 80 por ciento de los ciudadanos trabaja en el turismo religioso”, dice Economy. Es tal la expectación que levanta Padre Pío entre los católicos de Italia y de otros países que las 9.000 camas de los 98 hoteles y pensiones estarán ocupadas por los peregrinos durante los próximos meses. Igual de boyante es la situación de los 132 bares y 110 restaurantes y pizzerías, donde es harto difícil encontrar una mesa libre. Las tiendas de imágenes religiosas, estampas y camisetas también hacen su agosto, vendiendo figuras de vírgenes por hasta 600 euros y rosarios que alcanzan los 100.

Los negocios asociados al santo han saltado hasta los medios de comunicación. Los monjes han impulsado Tele Radio Padre Pío, que emite por satélite y en Internet durante 24 horas los pensamientos del capuchino, sus milagros y, por supuesto, llamamientos a los fieles para que hagan donativos. El imperio mediático también incluye dos periódicos y decenas de biografías y libros dedicados al santo, cuyos derechos de autor generan unas ganancias de 25 millones de euros anuales.

Es igualmente rentable asociar el nombre de Padre Pío y su divino perfil a los productos típicos de la zona. Los dueños de la fábrica de aceite del pueblo decidieron bautizar su producto con el nombre del santo y han visto multiplicadas sus ganancias. Al calor del dinero seguro, también ha aflorado en San Giovanni Rotondo un bingo, que hace las delicias de los fieles cuando terminan de visitar el convento donde está expuesto San Pío de Pietralcina. Algunos fieles, según cuentan, piden incluso al santo que les eche una mano para poder cantar bingo.

http://www.elconfidencial.com/cache/2008/05/11/56_negocios_padre_millones_euros_visitantes_lourdes.html

('What coming' being civil war in the church between the blues and the greys as previously discussed on this site here http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/prophey-bob-jones-role-in-toronto-blessing-brownsville-lakeland-what-comes-next-civil-war-in-the-church/   and also here: http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/lou-engle-of-the-call-calls-for-war/)

"I do not doubt that Pope John Paul II was a man of God that all Christians should be thankful for and should rightly mourn. It was not his title but his character that caused him to transcend the Roman Catholic Church and become a leader who blessed and advanced the whole church, and, indeed, the cause of Christianity itself. He was one of the greatest leaders of our time, and will be sorely missed. I have said for years that John Paul II prophetically pulled the string that began the unraveling of Communism.....

"Pope John Paul loved the Holy Spirit, and in an article which we printed in our Morning Star Journal, he encouraged all Catholics to seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was during his tenure that more than 100 million Catholics became Charismatics and were born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Pope John Paul II clung to the cross and tried to pray without ceasing.....

"I loved and admired Pope John Paul II. He was one of the greatest men of God of our time. If you feel the same way, consider honoring him by reaching across some barriers the way that he did. Send condolences to the Catholic Churches in your area for the loss of their shepherd, while expressing appreciation for all that he did for the whole church, and indeed the world."  (Rick Joyner as published on The Elijah List)

It should be noted that Rick Joyner, as well as being linked to the antichrist New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and the one who put together a roundtable of prophets and apostles (as prophesied by Bob Jones), is a Knight of Malta (Order of St. John), an organisation linked to the Roman Catholic church and the Freemasons. Other Knights of Malta include Paul Cain, Ricky Skaggs, Mahesh Chavda and Bobby Conner.

Rick Joyner and many of the other new prophets and apostles from C Peter Wagner's NAR call for unity with Rome. That is blasphemous and idolotorous and sinful and corrupt Rome, whom the (real) apostle John describes as 'The Great Whore who rides the Beast'. How can light unite with darkness? How can movements working towards this end be of God?   They aren't. So what does this say of the people that promote them, and more than that, those who promote them decietfully by lying about their true affiliations and intentions?

Now let us look at what the Knights of Malta are really  about -

"The Order has as its object to promote the Glorification of God by the sanctification of its members, service to the Faith (that is the Roman Catholic Faith) and to the Holy See (Rome) and helping one's neighbor, in accordance with its secular traditions." (Spiritual Guidelines For All Member Of The Order, Sovereign Military Order Of Malta, Federal Assocation, U.S.A. website.)

So Knights of Malta pledge allegiance to the blasphemous Pope. And apostate Rick Joyner is trying to get us not only to agree 'Roman Catholics are Christians' really, but to get us to do the same as he is - that is pledge allegiance to the Pope and to Rome by uniting with her,  and to serve the Roman Catholic faith. Whether you realise it or not.

It is no coincidence at all about the amount of contemplative prayer and other Catholic inspired mysticism that is coming into protestant circles - including Roman Catholic signs and wonders, stigmata and bilocation, and even objects weeping with blood or oil. Even New Mystic John Crowder's manifestations when drunk in the Spirit are Catholic and papal pleasing, not to mention resembling Padre Pio's exploits, see here: http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/john-crowder-and-the-new-mystics-sons-of-thunder/

Here is some more on Rick Joyner's 'chivalrous' and 'noble' Knights of Malta (noticed the way he has swords all over the place?) -

"I checked out the Malta Order's official site (Rhoads chapter) and also the American chapter's site. Very interesting. I also read Rick's own answer to the questions about his involvement. It is still posted on his website. After consulting the source sites, I am convinced that either Rick is severely ignorant (which I seriously doubt, given his admitted intimate involvement with the leadership of this order) or he is just outright lying or wholly deceived.

Rick calls the Order a "Christian Order" and says that it always has been. This is not true, at least from my research. I discovered that the Knights of Malta have remained wholly Roman Catholic since their inception. {End times notes: But then of course Catholics claim to be Christian and the true faith ] It is directly under the authority of the Holy See and the Pope himself. This has been since the beginning. The only way it can be considered a "Christian" order is if a person regards "Christian" in the sense that Roman Catholicism regards their doctrine as being "Christian."  

"I also discovered through the official web sources that members must espouse many aspects of Roman Catholic doctrine, including prayer for the dead, mass, venerating Saints, the Virgin Mary, and obedience to the Pope. It's their Rule of the Order and has been since the beginning of the Order. Perhaps they also allow others to participate in the Order concerning its charitable features without having to ascribe to Catholic doctrine completely, but given the fact that Joyner says he was Knighted and he agrees there are vows and oaths involved, I tend to believe he is well aware of the doctrines involved and has probably taken an oath to uphold them. For me this always comes back to terminology.

"Rick likes to also use their terminology, i.e. the Faith, Christian, the Church. A Protestant listening to Joyner would most likely assume he means the Protestant Church, the Protestant Faith, and the biblical, Christian Church of Jesus. But the reality is that this order cares not to uphold anything but Cathoic Church doctrine. And for Rick to ignore this and not be open about this verifiable fact, tells me Christians should leave this man alone. I personally do not believe he is being completely honest and open about his knowledge of the Order."

(From http://www.cephas-library.com/joels_army/joels_army_rick_joyners_knighthood.html

Not being completely honest and open about his knowledge of the order? Why not, one has to wonder, what does he have to hide?

Now let us look at what C Peter Wagner, chief of the modern apostles and prophets says:

"Probably the first Asian nation to become predominantly Christian will be Korea with the exception of the Philippines which is already about 85 percent nominal Catholic."  

To be Catholic is not to be Christian, far less 'nominally anything' being Christian.

"Many middle and upper-class people are now opening their hearts to Jesus Christ. Some of this is happening through the Catholic charismatic movement.”

No it's not. The Catholic charismatic movement is from the pit of Hell, and just as much idolatory, blasphemy and such like goes on there as in non Charismatic sectors - in fact, in my experience, more, as I found it far more Mary orientated.  I know, I am an ex Roman Catholic. One of the greatest proponents I knew of Catholic Charismaticalism, one who was regularly involved in the meetings and spoke in tongues and all the rest of it (but was not truly born again) said to me: 'When Jesus Christ returns, He will give all the glory to His Mother, Mary".

C. Peter Wagner said that he received a prophecy in 1989 regarding a three-strand cord that was not easily broken. This cord was comprised of conscientious Liberals, Evangelicals and Charismatic Pentecostals. This cord to him, was the Third Wave. This is their unity.

“The Alpha Course is a wonderful and proven tool for evangelism in the local church… I enthusiastically support and recommend Alpha.”

The Alpha Course promotes Roman Catholicism and the Toronto Blessing which points to Rome also.

The new apostles and prophets love Rome. Make no mistake, they work toward that end. Millions have been slaughtered for not submitting to Rome - even recently, I may add, not just pre the Protestant Reformation. At the moment, the protestant church is not being forced into it, but they rush willingly on their accord to Rome. But in time, if we believe the civil war prophecies from Rick Joyner and Bob Jones and Paul Cain and James Ryle and all the others, bloody swords may force us to unite or 'be removed' as they put it.  Church, wake up and stop compromising. Church, stop giving ground to these evil men, for I tell you the truth, their faces shine and they have big smiles and look like the real deal, but these men are evil.

"There is not a true Biblical Christian on this earth that does not want revival, but when revival is connected to Post-Millennialism or Dominion Theology, the entire idea becomes everything but truth. While every one of us are fasting and praying for revival, it must be revival tied to our hope and expectancy of the glorious Rapture of the Bride of Christ and not revival based on compromise, one world religions, or a political place in the current power struggle.....

When you see key Charismatic leaders knighted by one of the strongest of all Catholic organizations, there has to be something incredible occurring. For this to happen, connected to a visit by Rick Joyner to the archives of historic Nazism, makes the entire scenario sinister. Add to that a man that has just returned from a visit to Austria and a personal time in the presence of Kurt Waldheim, a former Nazi leader. Then add that same man arranging for a personal visit by Paul Cain to Saddam Hussein, and you are hearing earth-shaking matters....

Rick Joyner did not share the reasons for his visit to Germany and the archives of Nazism. A book, written by Dave Hunt, entitled A Woman Rides The Beast, may help you understand the connections. Adolf Hitler was clearly supported and protected by the Catholic church. The Knights of Malta were closely connected to Hitler by virtue of the Catholic connection. Here is a bit of documentation to confirm this fact.”The Catholic Right and the Knights of Malta, in particular Baron Franz Von Papen, played a critical role in Hitler’s assumption of power and the launching of the Third Reich’s Twentieth Century Crusade. Sovereign Military Order of Malta’s influence in Germany survived World War II intact. On November 17, 1948 the Sovereign Military Order of Malta awarded one of its highest honors, the Grand Cross of Merit, to Reinhard Gehlen, the Nazi chief of intelligence on the Soviet front. He was subsequently installed by the Americans as the first chief of West Germany’s equivalent of the CIA, the Bundesnachtrichdienst (BND: federal secret service), under West German Chancellor Adenauer, a devout Catholic who had received the Magistral Grand Cross personally from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Grand Master Prince Chigi.” (Nazis, The Vatican, And CIA, Winter 1986, Number 25, pp. 27-29.) The Roman Catholic church as an entity has a proven record of anti-Semitism. We must not forget that there are thousands of Catholic people misled in their doctrines, but not of the nature to do the dark things against the Jews that the political organization of the Catholic church has done."

Following on from http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/06/todd-bentley-the-third-wave-a-picture-speaks-a-thousand-words/ here's another one.

Picture credit: http://www.revivalschool.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=9609&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=195

Words of Light: Inspiration From the Letters of Padre Pio

Author: St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)
Publisher: Paraclete Press
Binding: Hardcover
Page Count: 206 pages

Words of Light: Inspiration From the Letters of Padre Pio released earlier this year by Paraclete Press is a 206 page hardbound book. For the most part I tend not to be too concerned with the cover of a book. Hardcover, soft cover, leather bound, no cover at all – it makes no difference to me. The content is all that matters. But, with this particular book I was very glad to have the hardcover.

I have found myself carrying this book around with me quite a bit. I read a little bit in Church before Mass, I read it at home. I even tend to leave it in the car so that I can read it if I arrive early to a doctor’s appointment. To say that that I have been rough with this book would be a bit of an understatement. And through it all it has held up beautifully.

And now we get to the reason why I carry this book around so much (and am therefore thankful that it is in hardcover): the content. I am the type of person who likes to read a book as quickly as possible. The quicker I finish one book the quicker I can begin another. But, that is just not possible with Words of Light. I will sit down with the intention of reading a chapter only to find that I have read the same passage 3 or 4 times. I will put the book down for awhile – maybe an hour or a maybe a few days – and when I come back to it I find myself back on the same passage.

The book, compiled by Fr. Raniero Cantalmessa, the preacher to the papal household, is taken from the letters of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, better known to the world as Padre Pio, to his spiritual directors on a variety of topics. Prior to the publication of this book these words of Padre Pio were only available in a much larger Italian edition. Now, excerpts from these letters have been taken and arranged by topic in chapters such as ‘Satan is a powerful enemy’, ‘I do not wish to ever offend God again’, and ‘Church, Priesthood, and Eucharist’ for the benefit of the English speaking world.

Words of Light took me through some lows and some highs. When Padre Pio writes that "my prayers are worthy rather of punishment than reward, because I have sickened Jesus too much by my numberless sins..." (p. 27) or "Such is the opinion I have of myself, that I don't know if there be any worse than me." (p. 167) I can't help but feel horrible. Surely my sins must be more numberless than his. Surely I deserve much greater punishment than he. Thankfully other passages are as uplifting to me as these are depressing: "We have raised our thoughts to heaven, our true homeland, of which the earth is only a pale reflection. With divine assistance we strive to preserve, in every event, joyful or sad, that serenity and calm that become the true followers of the fair-haired Nazarene." (p. 156)

In conclusion I will just say that there are a lot of books out there that will let you know about Padre Pio. This is the first one that I have encountered that will help you to get to know Padre Pio.

Cosicchè nessuna meraviglia se la Chiesa istituzionale spagnola ed i suoi irragionevoli leaders si ritrovino quasi completamente isolati nella propria fortezza in mezzo ad una società estremamente ben disposta nei confronti dell'ampliamento di diritti e libertà altrove pertinacemente negati.

Ulteriore testimonianza di quanto esposto il fatterello a metà strada tra il gossip e la cronaca satirica che vede protagonista la nipote del famigerato Cardinale Varela, Presidente della CEE ( la locale conferenza episcopale ) e capo della corrente intransigente della stessa.

La giovane ed avvenente Magdalena ha deciso di apparire senza veli su un noto periodico iberico accompagnando la decisione con dichiarazioni di forte censura verso l'operato della Chiesa e dell'illustre parente, tacciando ambedue di una profonda ipocrisia.

Facile immaginare la malsimulata collera dell'organizzatore di un fallimentare family-day , gabellato per trionfo dalla stampa vaticaliana e sbugiardato su diversi quotidiani locali.

Quando si dice la libertà di stampa...

Per passare ad un esercizio di quotidiano sadismo paragoniamo questa bella pagina ( è il caso di dire..) ad un articoletto apparso su di un giornale del nostro Mezzogiorno in cui si faceva menzione di un inchiesta della magistratura per offese ad un Santo , a mezzo cori da stadio...

Eh sì, accade che un manipolo di facinorosi supporters del Verona Calcio abbiano in quel di Manfredonia intonato un "Padre Pio terrone !" che sembra aver alquanto indisposto le locali autorità .

A parte la stupidità dell'epiteto che poteva essere , magari, sostituito da quello, meritorio, di un ottimo quanto semisconosciuto libro demistificatore di Mario Guarino ( Santo impostore), ci chiediamo , davvero, come è possibile che si sprechino pubblici denari con sì risibili motivazioni.

Quale sarà la fattispecie di reato addebitata agli incauti? Forse incitamento all'anticlericalismo? Tutto ciò è morale mentre personaggi di simile risma vanno liberi in giro a sfasciare tutto, comprese le ossa dei malcapitati che hanno la sventura di imbattersi in loro?

However, John Crowder has been decieved into believing that what he is experiencing (Toronto Blessing/Brownsville-Pensacola/Rodney Howard Browne/The River/Todd Bentley/third wave manifestations) are good and godly. Hence why he is crying for 'More, Lord'!   He really does  think they come from God and are a blessing and are beneficial and worthy of attention.  Not only is he experiencing odd and unscriptural things (that are in fact actually mocking and distracting and hindering him), but he teaches and prophesies odd and unscriptural things too and is experiencing 'another Jesus'. But unlike some false prophets and false teachers, I do not think he intentionally makes it up, and I do not think he misleads intentionally, and he thinks it is the real Jesus he is experiencing. But nobody said that some deceived people and false prophets cannot be very sincere. John Crowder is much like I think John Lacy may have been - a sincere and passionate man after God who was passionately led off course http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/03/a-hungry-man-running-after-god-on-amazing-spiritual-experiences/

John Crowder has a ministry called 'The New Mystics'. Although I recognise 'seer' and 'mystic' is the latest buzzword in charismatic circles, and it probably makes them sound different and cool (to some), I still wonder why any genuine Christian prophetic ministry would want to call themselves 'the new mystics' when the biblical word 'prophet' has always been more than adequate - if that is indeed what they are. And what's with the 'new' when it should  be the same 'old time' gospel message proclaimed as 2000 years ago? But he is right to call himself 'new' as it is  a new message - one that contradicts and replaces the gospel with another Jesus, a new Jesus, an interfaith Jesus who points to Rome. Mysticism has always been linked with Roman Catholicism, and even before I knew that is what he called himself, I noted the Catholic almost mocking mannerisms (that I am sure he was not aware he was doing and were quite subconscious) - and by Catholic manifestations, I mean the crossing himself and the 'papal' blessing with his fingers, which is quite obvious when you watch it on the video. (The bilocation he mentions is also Catholic mysticism straight out of Padre Pio's textbook)

Then as well as discovering his ministry name, I discovered that as well as being associated with the usual false prophets, apostles, heretics and apostates (Todd Bentley, Joshua Mills and John Sandford) John Crowder is also associated with the new breed of stigmatics such as Lucy Rael. Todd Bentley and Matt Sorger (a Bentley associate), among others endorse his book 'The New Mystics' ,  which on the cover advocates the lives and teachings of a diverse bunch - William Branham, William Seymour, Aimee Semple McPherson, George Whitefield, Sundar Singh, Brother Lawrence, Teresa of Avila, Madame Guyon, Charles Finney, Smith Wigglesworth, Maria Woodworth-Etter, St John of the Cross and Jonathan Edwards - indicating a complete lack of discernment as many heretics are included in this list - a high percentage of Catholics of course. 

I have often said where I think this antichrist anointing with its antichrist apostles and antichrist prophets is pointing -  to Rome. Perhaps this video gives us one more little sign of it.

It makes me deeply sad, as I see a very passionate but deceived man. It reminds me that the ones who will do Satan's work in the 'new move' are not all unrepentant brazen charlatans,  liars, merchandisers, and thieves. They will not all be aware of the identity of the true god they serve. They will think of themselves passionately in love with God, when in fact they sleep with a harlot and commit spiritual adultery and serve and follow demons masquerading as angels of light. Like millions of others before them, in other counterfeit moves, they will think   they do God's work.  What can I say to any man, but test the spirits so you are not one of them.

Per il portavoce dei frati cappuccini di San Giovanni Rotondo, frate Antonio Belpiede è una tesi assurda quella della bara si San Pio già aperta prima della notte tra il 2 e il 3 marzo scorso. 'Non commento immagini che non conosco e che peraltro possono essere ottenute in mille modi. Quello che è certo - dice il cappuccino- è che la bara è stata aperta alla presenza del ministro generale dell'ordine dei frati minori cappuccini, fratello Mauro Johri, che per noi è il successore di San Francesco, e dell'arcivescovo di Manfredonia, del provinciale e di tanta altra gente seria. La tomba è stata aperta per la prima volta nella notte tra il 2 e il 3 marzo. Altre illazioni le respingiamo con 'paziente sopportazione''

Il reparto in cui ero ricoverato era proprio un bel reparto, più che pulito, grandi stanze da 4 posti con bagno interno,  personale gentile e preparato, medici competenti che ti trattano con rispetto  e attenzione, strumentazioni elettroniche -funzionanti!- dappertutto, insomma alla faccia di tutte le critiche sulla sanità e sugli ospedali italiani!

Comunque, quando ho iniziato ad alzarmi, una delle prime cose che ho notato è stato che sopra i vari letti , dove ci sono gli attacchi per l'ossigeno e altri ammenicoli vari (persino delle prese di rete, due per letto!) c'erano anche dei santini, non incollati ma appena appena inseriti tra un elemento e un altro, tanto da non farli portar via dal vento.

Sopra il mio letto c'era la Madonna della Salute, su quello di fianco Padre Pio -obviously-, gli altri non ricordo, Sant'Antonio, forse, boh, non ha importanza. Il fatto è che questi santini, che pure ripeto si potevano staccare senza alcuna fatica, non avevano traccia di polvere, mentre c'era un alone di scuro dietro i santini, segno che erano lì da un bel pezzo di tempo, che venivano puliti regolrmente anch'essi e che nessuno s'era mai sognato di spostarli, figuriamoci di toglierli!

Quelle immagini erano diventate parte integrante della stanza, con una propria dignità e funzione, perchè va bene fidarsi della medicina e dei medici, dei progressi della scienza, della ricerca e quant'altro, però quando si ha l'acqua al sedere, o beh, allora,  un aiutino dall'alto può sempre servire e sono convinto che su quei letti ci saranno passati pure atei, miscredenti e compagnia briscola, eppure son rimasti lì, della serie non-ci.credo-ma-non-si-sa-mai.

E mi è tornato in mente quello che mi diceva sconsolato un chirurgo amico mio: "... che poi se il paziente muore, allora è colpa mia. Se invece si salva, è merito di Padre Pio...