De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Further to the brave statement from ALL the bishops of Kazakhstan, Vaticanista Marco Tosatti — a respected expert on inside matters in Rome — noted that a popular Italian blog was reporting that Pope Francis is preparing a counterattack against them and the two Italians. Anonimi Della Croce ("Anonymous of the Cross"), in a post titled "The Quiet Before the Storm," posted yesterday: My source in the Vatican told me that last night [Pope Francis] stayed in Santa Marta with several Vatican "press officers" and various "advisers" for a meeting on how to deal with this new and "unexpected" Correction from the Bishops of Astana. The source told me that [the pope] was furious. He went on a rampage — because he cannot stand any opposition. They heard him scream: "They will regret it! They will regret it bitterly!" It goes on to summarise the pope's proposals as a "campaign of denigration" against the bishop...

I hope you have had a happy and fulfilling Christmas. I love the New Year, it always renews my sense of what is possible. An opportunity to reflect on that which I want to change, where I want to put more focus, an exercise in what is possible. 2017 has been a challenging year for me, but overall I have finished the year with a renewed sense of purpose and direction. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve was particularly beautiful and touching with a real feeling of being close to God Incarnate, Emmanuel - God with us (on that subject, Msgr Charles Pope wrote an outstanding blog explaining why Jesus was named Jesus, or in Aramaic Yeshua  which means “ Yahweh is Salvation”   , rather than Emmanuel as Isaiah 7:14, which you can read here ). Over the Christmas break, I felt filled with enthusiasm and ideas. Having suddenly been forced to leave my work position in June 2016, I have been suffering some anxiety about what direction I should next take. Turning to what I know best, I...