Fatima shrine to keep Rupnik mosaics uncovered

N. B. His many rape victims are not welcome at Fatima. But Rupnik is …

Fatima to keep Rupnik mosaic despite possible 2027 papal visit 

Shrine leaders: “We are not considering removing the mosaic panel”

FILIPE D’AVILLEZ

SEP 17, 2026

Despite apparent papal approval for plans to cover mosaics by the disgraced Fr. Marko Rupnik in other cities, the international Marian shrine of Fátima, Portugal, does not plan to remove or cover a massive Rupnik mosaic.

While Church leaders in Fátima say they do not plan to cover the Rupnik mosaic, some Portuguese ecclesiastical leaders have told The Pillar that they believe that art from the allegedly sexual abusive Rupnik should be judged distinctly from the man who created it.

With the prospect of a papal visit to Fátima next year, it is possible the shrine will face ongoing questions over the controversial mosaics.

The Basilica of the Holy Trinity in Fatima, Portugal. Credit: Berthold Werner / Wikipedia.

 

Rupnik is currently on trial in the Vatican, accused of multiple counts of sexual, spiritual, and psychological abuse of dozens of women. Some cases of abuse are alleged to have taken place as part of the creation process of his artwork, which has been featured prominently in numerous sites across the world.

The disgraced priest, who was expelled from the Jesuits in 2023, was previously briefly excommunicated for the canonical crime of absolving a sexual partner, though later reinstated.

Amid global outrage over the priest’s conduct, some shrines and churches have begun covering mosaics created by Rupnik and his studio, which can be found in churches around the world.

But last year, the Fátima shrine issued a statement saying it would not remove the Rupnik mosaic.

More: https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/fatima-to-keep-rupnik-mosaic-despite?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Muslim practice of torturing of Christians

The most common torture inflicted by the Muslims during the Ottoman period was whipping. The usual victims were the Christians. It was the introductory torment in every other torture, so common in the persecutions of Christians that the phrase became proverbial: "I will whip you until you change your faith."

The victim was tied with exposed back, their clothes torn, and the whipping began. The executioners were usually Turkish soldiers with robust physiques, so that the blows were both critical and powerful. The number of blows was either predetermined by the court or (most of the time) left to the discretion of the executioners. Muslim judges (qadis) observed the torture. If the victim showed that they could not endure the completion of the number of blows and their life was in immediate danger, then the judge placed the Quran under the executioner's armpit. Unable to raise his arm high (since the holy text must not fall to the ground), he delivered the remaining blows with less intensity. After the whipping, the victim was often left helpless without care, or thrown into prison. In most cases, permanent disabilities remained on the body.

Also, one of the harshest tortures of the Ottoman Muslims was impalement. Crowds surrounded the victim and mocked them, suggesting they convert to Islam and insulting their faith, family, and nationality.

The stakes were set up in a specific area, usually in the village or town square. The victim was dragged there in public humiliation, as usual. After being severely whipped, their clothes were torn, their hands were tied tightly behind their back, and they were "seated" on the stake. Then weights were hung on their legs so that they would slide down and be skewered on the stake. In many cases, the sadism did not end with skewering the victim. The spit (with the victim on it) was placed horizontally over a fire or burning coals, and the victim was roasted alive like a lamb. The fearsome and terrible Ali Pasha of Ioannina was famous for slowly roasting his victims, thinning the coals under them to prolong the agony and the entertainment of himself and his entourage. In many cases, he forced relatives to torture and kill their own kin to avoid impalement and roasting themselves. I have an interesting story to tell you on my next post. Stay tuned.  

I know what you are thinking. 

The religion of peace.

- Homer Pavlos @HomerPavlos

BREAKING: USCCB President Condemns Plans for Livestream of Fort Hood Shooter's Execution as ‘a Barbaric Promotion of a Culture of Death’

“In no way can Hasan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered.”

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the U.S. Department of War announced that the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the man convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 at Fort Hood, Texas in 2009, would be publicly livestreamed. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following statement sharply condemning the decision of the U.S. government:

“It is with shock and great sorrow that I have learned of the Department of War’s decision to publicly livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan. Our God is the God of life. In no way can Hassan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered. The word of God exhorts us: ‘do not repay anyone evil for evil' (Romans 12:17). The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people.

“I pray for the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel that we as a nation may always choose life even in the most trying times and circumstances.”

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Source: https://www.usccb.org/news/2026/usccb-president-condemns-plans-livestream-fort-hood-shooters-execution-barbaric-promotion

From no vocations to 14 priests

Francis Malone, the bishop who turned perpetual adoration into a school of vocations, retires

(Dated September 15, 2026)
Pope Leo XIV has accepted this Tuesday the resignation of  Msgr. Francis Ignatius Malone from the pastoral governance of the diocese of Shreveport, in Louisiana, United States. The prelate, who turned 76 last September 1, leaves the governance of the diocese after a little more than six years of episcopate and a priestly trajectory particularly linked to the promotion of vocations and eucharistic adoration.

Before becoming a bishop, Malone served for 19 years as pastor of Christ the King in Little Rock, a community that had not produced priestly vocations when he arrived in 2001. The priest then decided to establish perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

Since then, as Malone himself recounted this year, 14 men from that parish have been ordained priests.

“That cannot be a coincidence,” he stated.

From no vocations to 14 priests

Malone arrived at Christ the King in 2001 and found a parish with no history of priestly vocations. Convinced of the relationship between eucharistic life and the emergence of new vocations, he proposed to his parishioners to begin perpetual adoration.

More than 90 people initially signed up to cover the various shifts.

“Almost immediately we began to have vocations,” the bishop recalled in an interview given in March to Catholic World Report.

Malone explained that the relationship between both phenomena became especially evident to him when some nighttime adoration shifts began to remain empty. During that period, he assured, vocations also decreased.

The parish then launched a new campaign to recover the shifts before the Blessed Sacrament and managed to incorporate new adorers. Shortly afterward, another vocation appeared.

“When I started, we had no vocations in the parish; in the following years, we had 14 ordained priests. That cannot be a coincidence,” Malone summarized.

The promotion of vocations was not limited to adoration. During his time as pastor, he also promoted a parish vocations committee, involved the school students in prayer for seminarians, and expressly encouraged young people to consider the priesthood and religious life.

More: https://x.com/infovaticana/status/2100132875102302606?s=46&t=IydJ-X8H6c0NM044nYKQ0w

Potential sainthood cause progresses for Tom Vander Woude, who saved son

 ANNA DONOFRIO | CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF WRITER

9/10/26

  

Tom and Mary Ellen Vander Woude. COURTESY

Tom Vander Woude holds his youngest son, Joseph, in a family photo from 1988. COURTESY

Tom Vander Woude coaches a basketball team at Christendom College in Front Royal during his time as the head men’s basketball coach. COURTESY

Tom Vander Woude. COURTESY

It’s been 18 years since Thomas Vander Woude gave his life to save his son Joseph from drowning in a septic tank. Now, the Arlington diocese is investigating his cause for canonization.

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge released an edict Sept. 10, asking the faithful in the diocese to submit any information that should be considered as the diocese continues its investigation.

“We therefore invite all the faithful to communicate directly or to submit to the Rev. Msgr. Paul deLadurantaye, Chancellor of the Diocese of Arlington, all information from which elements favorable or contrary to the reputation for holiness, the offering of life, or the reputation for signs of Thomas Stephen Vander Woude may be inferred,” the edict read. “Furthermore, in accordance with the applicable canonical provisions, all writings attributed to Thomas Stephen Vander Woude, including diaries, letters, correspondence, manuscripts, notes and any other private writings, as well as documents in any way relevant to the Cause, must be collected.”

An edict is “the first public notification” that a cause for canonization is being considered, according to Msgr. deLadurantaye. The edict solicits information from those who knew Tom. Any materials written by him will be “examined for theological accuracy, to make sure there’s nothing that contradicts the faith or moral teaching of the church,” according to Msgr. deLadurantaye.

More: https://x.com/arlingtonchurch/status/2098117224410059176?s=46&t=IydJ-X8H6c0NM044nYKQ0w

Naples: Saint Mary Frances of the Five Wounds

 

Secular Franciscan of Deep Prayer and Charitable Works

By 

Published in  

October 05, 2026

On October 6, Franciscans honor the memory of Saint Mary Frances of the Five Wounds (1715-1791), a Secular Franciscan noted for her deep life of prayer and works of charity.

She was born Anna Maria Gallo in the "Spanish Quarters" of Naples to a middle-class family. Her father, a skilled worker in gold lace, was a hot tempered, abusive man, her mother quiet and gentle. Anna Maria was a small, delicate child devoted to prayer and her father taught her his trade at which she became very skillful. When she was 16, a wealthy young man asked for her hand; her father enthusiastically gave his consent, but Anna Maria refused and said she wished to dedicate her life to God. In response, he beat her severely and locked her up.

The narrow street in the crowded Spanish Quarters of Naples on which St Mary Frances lived.

Finally relenting, he allowed her to join the Third Order fraternity at the Discalced Franciscan church of Santa Lucia al Monte, where she had as her spiritual director the friar John Joseph of the Cross (later canonized). At that time she took the name of Mary Frances of the Five Wounds in honor of the Passion. Mary Frances continued to live and work at home, but now devoting long hours to prayer. She also reached out to care for the poor and sick of her neighborhood.

Franciscan church of Santa Lucia al Monte in Naples; friary on the left.

Despite almost constant ill health, Mary Frances practiced severe bodily penances. After her mother’s death in 1753, she and a companion moved into a priest’s house as his housekeepers. As she grew older, she increasingly experienced visions and signs of mystical union and was said to bear the stigmata. She also became a spiritual counselor to many people, becoming skillful at advising priests on how to deal with their women penitents. She died in 1791. Immediately a great popular devotion sprung up to her in Naples.

Wax mask of St Mary Frances made only a few hours after her death.

Mary Frances was declared venerable only a dozen years after her death and canonized in 1867. Originally buried in the church of Santa Lucia, her remains now rest in a chapel of the house where she lived and died in Naples, now a shrine to her memory.

The shrine of Saint Mary Frances in Naples – the door to her residence (now a museum) on the left; chapel is on the right.

Main image: Detail of statue of St. Mary Frances in her shrine in Naples.

Source: https://www.franciscantradition.org/blog/saint-mary-frances-of-the-five-wounds-secular-franciscan-of-deep-prayer-and-charitable-works/

Planned Parenthood Leaders Admit Under Oath to Harvesting Body Parts From Babies Born AliveO

 National  |  Micaiah Bilger  |   Jun 30, 2020   |   3:15PM   |  Washington, DC

The Center for Medical Progress released horrific new video footage Tuesday showing a Planned Parenthood partner admitting that body parts were harvested from aborted babies who still had beating hearts.

The video exposes the testimonies of several top Planned Parenthood officials and a human tissue procurement company leader during a 2019 sworn legal deposition.

Perhaps the most horrific testimony came from Perrin Larton, the procurement manager of Advanced Bioscience Resources (ABR), which harvests aborted baby body parts at Planned Parenthood facilities in southern California.

In her sworn testimony, Larton admitted that she has seen aborted babies’ hearts “beating independently” after they are born. She also confirmed that some aborted babies’ bodies are fully intact.

Larton explained that most aborted babies come out of the womb in pieces, but sometimes ABR sees fully intact bodies. Asked about those situations, Larton replied, “They just, sometimes they fall out” of the mother when she delivers the baby in the abortion operating room. When questioned about how often that occurs, she replied, “Once every couple months.”

Asked what happens next, Larton said an ABR staffer will “do a dissection” on the intact aborted baby “to get the tissues that the researchers have requested.” When asked if the babies that just “fall out” have a heartbeat, Larton said, “It would depend,” because “I can see hearts that are not in an intact P.O.C. [product of conception, meaning aborted baby] that are beating independently.”

More: https://x.com/lifenewshq/status/2097293499221610966?s=46&t=IydJ-X8H6c0NM044nYKQ0w