Papal Frontal Assault

‘Pope Benedict Joins Twitter & Is Greeted With Vicious ‘Bile & Hate’ Tweets

In the History of the Church the Pope has been the traget of persecution by those who think it damages the Faith and the Church. Here is a secret they do not know, persecution and the blood of marytrs strengthen the Church and help it grow.   

‘Pope Benedict Joins Twitter & Is Greeted With  Vicious ‘Bile & Hate’ Tweets

Pope Benedict XVI will start tweeting in six languages from his own personal handle (@Pontifex) on Dec. 12. While not a single message has been sent from his Twitter account yet, the head of the Catholic Church has sparked quite the buzz following the announcement that he will be using the social media platform. Not surprisingly, along with signs of support have also come hateful messages that Twitchy has dubbed “shameful.”

Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

 

The Vatican said Monday the pope will be using a question and answer format in his first Tweet, focusing on answering questions about faith — in 140 characters (or less). Before 8 a.m., his account already had nearly 15,000 followers. Just as quickly as supporters anxiously followed the pope, so did detractors voice their opposition.

“Sweet, Pope Benedict is getting a Twitter account. Everyone get your best bile and hate ready to chuck his way!,” one user wrote.

“Hey Pope, maybe you can start by apologising to everyone,” added another.

Of course, there were also signs of support for the Catholic leader. But these negative messages show a level of disrespect that is, on many levels, startling.

The pope sent his first tweet last year from a Vatican account to launch the Holy See’s news information portal. The Vatican’s communications adviser Greg Burke told a press conference that the Twitter handle @Pontifex was chosen for the pope’s personal account because it not only means pope in Latin, but also bridge-builder, suggesting unity.

How often will the pope tweet? Burke said, “as often as he wants.” The Vatican has been increasing its presence in social media to try to spread the faith, particularly among the young.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

God save the Pope and help Your Church on Earth.

Jhesu+Marie,

Brantigny

BISHOPS REJECT LEFT-WING AGENDA

BISHOPS REJECT LEFT-WING AGENDA

Priest Hole

Priest hole" is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558.

The measures put in force shortly after Elizabeth's accession became much harsher after the Rising of the North (1569) and numerous other plots by Catholics against Elizabeth (1571-1586); in particular, the utmost severity of the law was enforced against seminary priests. An Act was passed prohibiting a member of the Catholic Church from celebrating the rites of his faith on pain of forfeiture for the first offence, a year's imprisonment for the second, and imprisonment for life for the third. All those who refused to take the Oath of Supremacy were called "Recusants" and were guilty of high treason. A law was also enacted which provided that if any "Papist" should be found converting an Anglican or Protestant to Catholicism, both would suffer death for high treason. In December 1591, a priest was hanged before the door of a house in Gray's Inn Fields for having said Mass there the month previously. Laws against seminary priests and Recusants were enforced with great severity after the Gunpowder Plot episode during James I's reign.

It was common for the castles and country houses of England to have some precaution in the event of a surprise, such as a secret means of concealment or escape that could be used at a moment's notice. However, in the time of legal persecution the number of secret chambers and hiding-places increased in the houses of the old Catholic families. These often took the form of apartments or chapels in secluded parts of the houses, or in the roof space, where Mass could be celebrated with the utmost privacy and safety. Nearby there was usually an artfully contrived hiding-place, not only for the officiating priest to slip into in case of emergency, but also to provide a place where the vestments, sacred vessels, and altar furniture could be stored at a moment's notice.

The effectiveness of priest holes was demonstrated by their success in baffling the exhaustive searches of the "pursuivants" (priest-hunters). Priest-hole success is a matter of record in surviving contemporary accounts of the searches of suspected houses. Search-parties would bring with them skilled carpenters and masons and try every possible expedient, from systematic measurements and soundings to the physical tearing down of panelling and pulling up of floors. It was common for a rigorous search to last a fortnight, and for the "pursuivants" to go away empty handed, while the object of the search was hidden the whole time within a wall's thickness of his pursuers, half-starved, cramped, sore with prolonged confinement, and almost afraid to breathe lest the least sound should throw suspicion upon the particular spot where he was immured. Sometimes a priest could die in a priest hole from starvation or from lack of oxygen.

Jhesu+Marie