Update on Francis' Health Condition

 

Specola (InfoVaticana.com, 19 February) has some information about Francis' health.

- Francis is staying in a 'secure' apartment on the tenth floor of the Gemelli Clinic and is isolated, surrounded only by Vatican doctors and security, nurses and their secretaries, and he is not receiving any guests; any leaks must be avoided.

- Because of inadequate treatment, Francis has also developed a certain resistance to some medicines.

- Massimo Andreoni, professor emeritus of infectious diseases at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome, said:

The persistence of the clinical picture and the probable use of therapies with cortisone, which has the effect of partially reducing the immune defences because it is an immunosuppressant, have probably facilitated the appearance of bacterial and/or fungal superinfections, which now require an adjustment of the therapy directed against the newly identified germs.

Superinfections represent a "complication of an initial lower respiratory tract infection: as is often the case, if such an infection persists over time, it may in fact be complicated by the appearance of superinfections".

In the polymicrobial infection that affected Francis, "the initial lower respiratory tract infection was joined by the action of other germs - bacteria and/or fungi - which actually led to further infections relative to the initial condition. This is compounded by the fact that Francis' compromised clinical condition was prolonged for several days and did not resolve quickly'.

The appearance of these additional germs 'necessitated a change in therapy, with medication directed at the newly isolated germs'.

Another factor is the "probable use of cortisone, which is generally used in similar cases to treat asthma and respiratory distress: as it is also an immunosuppressant, it may in turn have facilitated the appearance of superinfections".

Therefore, "the combined action of these two elements, i.e. the persistence of the clinical picture and the probable use of cortisone, very probably facilitated the appearance of these superinfections, which require an adjustment of the therapy".

In cases of complications of the lower respiratory tract in which polymicrobial infections are detected, antibiotic drugs capable of blocking the growth of the various isolated germs are generally used". The effects of these therapies, he concludes, "should not be seen before 1 or 2 days of treatment".

- If Francis survives, he is expected to remain in the Gemelli hospital for at least twenty to thirty days.

- The administration of the Vatican is in the hands of Irish Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, who was appointed chamberlain by Pope Francis in 2019.

- Cardinal Parolin is the only one allowed to visit Francis in his room in Gemelli.

Source: Gloria.tv

Sacrificing Catholics for Ecumenism

 Catholics, especially younger Catholics, are urged under the name of charity to be more open to Protestants, which is difficult if not impossible to delineate from simply being less Catholic.

• 
  Sarah Cain

  
  

  It’s no secret that the Catholic Church is bleeding members. According to Pew Research, those who have left Catholicism outnumber those who have joined the Catholic Church by nearly a four-to-one margin. As such statistics continue to worsen, the emphasis on evangelization grows. Yet, few can state what that ought to look like. So much of the focus has been upon reaching “across the aisle” and attempting to assimilate with Protestants.  

  A recent case of a Catholic young adult group chat that was admonished by clergy for sharing memes with a jocular approach to Protestant themes serves as an example. Catholics, especially younger Catholics, are urged under the name of charity to be more open to Protestants, which is difficult if not impossible to delineate from simply being less Catholic, even though those who promote this behavior would never admit their stance with such candor. 

  One of the principal arguments posed against enthusiastic Catholics is that they will be offensive to Protestants and thereby drive them away. Thus, be careful about those memes, kids, lest someone might be repelled by jocularity. But this is a rather new mindset, out of lockstep with human behavior and a long chain of saints who said the truth because it was the truth and because people had a right to hear it. In Decem Rationes, Edmund Campion talked of Protestants in a way that might not be considered ecumenical today:

  Throughout the whole course of fifteen centuries these men find neither town, village nor household professing their doctrine, until an unhappy monk by an incestuous marriage had deflowered a virgin vowed to God, or a Swiss gladiator had conspired against his country, or a branded runaway had occupied Geneva.

  More: https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/sacrificing-catholics-for-ecumenism

Novus Ordo Catholics read the Beatitudes; TLM Catholics live them

Novus Ordo Catholics read this in church on the 6th Sunday “in Ordinary Time”. Traditional Latin Mass Catholics live it:

“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

‘Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

‘Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.

‘Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.

‘Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.’” (Luke 6, 20ff)

The novus Ordo church has the money:

“But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation.”

The blandishments of churches, physical plant, bloated staffs and payroll:

“Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger.”

Their churches are full of laughing and talking, distractions, self-indulgence and worldly gratification:

“Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”

And do they stroke each other’s egos, the mutually congratulatory “elites”, self-appointed theological experts in the blogosphere, racking up likes on the video rounds of YouTube:

“Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”

Two different religions; two very different outcomes.

“Woe to you.”

COMMENTARY Here’s Why Trump Is 100% Correct About Anti-Christian Bias in the Federal GovernmEnt

 Tyler O'Neil  | February 10, 2025

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., and President Donald Trump bow their heads in prayer as Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump last week announced a new task force dedicated to eradicating anti-Christian bias in the federal government.

Trump noted that the federal government under President Joe Biden “engaged in an egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses.” The new president pledged not to “tolerate this abuse of government” and announced what he called the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.

On cue, the Left condemned the new task force, ignoring the many instances of anti-Christian bias Trump cited in a fact sheet.

The Guardian’s Joseph Gedeon condemned the move as an effort to “boost Christian nationalism.” USA Today columnist Chris Brennan said the task force aimed to increase division. The secularist group Americans United for Separation of Church and State insisted that the task force “will misuse religious freedom to justify bigotry, discrimination.”

These responses only serve to underscore the reason such a task force is necessary in the first place.

More: https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/02/10/left-unwittingly-proves-trumps-point-need-root-anti-christian-bias/

Prayer for the Pope

O God, the shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, graciously look upon thy servant Francis, who thou hast willed to be chief pastor of thy Church; grant him we beseech thee, by word and example to profit those over whom he rules, that together with the flock entrusted to him, he may attain to life everlasting.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

℟. Amen. 

Latin:

Deus, ómnium fidélium pastor et rector, fámulum tuum Francíscum, quem pastórem Ecclésiæ tuæ præésse voluísti, propítius réspice: da ei, quǽsumus, verbo et exémplo, quibus prǽest, profícere; ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi crédito, pervéniat sempitérnam.

Per Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum, Fílium tuum: qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum.
℟. Amen.

- From the Missale Romanum 

Cardinal Nichols slams government for ‘deeply irresponsible’ handling of assisted suicide Bill

 The Catholic Herald

February 6, 2025 at 4:00 pm

Cardinal Vincent Nichols has called the way in which the assisted suicide Bill is being handled by the UK government “deeply irresponsible” and a “shambles”.

In comments given during a talk to members of the Christian Fellowship group at News UK, the parent company of The Times London-based newspaper, the Archbishop of Westminster, who is also President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) and the most senior Catholic leader in Britain, expressed serious concern that MPs had only spent a few hours debating assisted suicide, especially when they spent more than a hundred times longer debating banning fox hunting in 2004.

“I believe it is deeply irresponsible of any government to allow a change of this magnitude to be carried out without due, proper, government-supported parliamentary process,” said Cardinal Nichols, reiterating a previous warning about the Bill potentially causing a seismic change – for the worse – in how British society functions.”

More: https://thecatholicherald.com/cardinal-nichols-slams-government-over-deeply-irresponsible-handling-of-assisted-suicide-bill/

The Catholic Herald

February 6, 2025 at 4:00 pm

The Catholic Herald

February 6, 2025 at 4:00 pm

The Catholic Herald

February 6, 2025 at 4:00 pm

Education Department Issues Warning To Schools: Ditch DEI Or Lose Federal Funding

 Authored by Eric Lendrum via American Greatness,

At the end of last week, the Department of Education (ED) issued a directive to public schools across the country, ordering them to either abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices or risk the loss of federal funding.

As the Daily Caller reports, the department’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Craig Trainor, issued a letter saying that “educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices.”

“Under the banner of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (‘DEI’),” Trainor’s letter explained, certain individuals and organizations have been “smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline.”

While the previous administration vehemently forced such initiatives on public schools in the name of “diversity,” the Trump Administration has declared these practices to be in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

As such, any schools that continue to endorse or engage in these programs “may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding,” Trainor declared.

DEI programs often applied to both students and faculty, including influencing hiring decisions that overwhelmingly prioritized non-White minorities over White applicants, even if the former were not as qualified as the latter.

In curriculum, DEI lessons would often lecture students about “systemic racism” and “misogyny,” and teach children to hate themselves based on their race and gender. 

At the college level, DEI would often overlook applications from White and Asian students in favor of minorities who were considered “underrepresented.”

More: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/education-department-issues-warning-schools-ditch-dei-or-lose-federal-funding