Gerada: The Nuncio who clashed with Oscar Romero

"You are your ilk are the very reason why Catholicism is down the dumps." should have read You AND your ilk are the very reason why Catholicism is down the dumps.

As to the Church outliving all of us, well ... even the PL and the PN will outlive us. So what? If you want to draw comparisons, compare apples with apples! When you show me a pope or a cardinal or an archbishop or a bisop who does not die, then you have a point. Why don't you also point to some incorruptible bodies of saints. What nonsense! You seem to be totally unaware that there are faiths that have a longer history than Christianity. Try Judaism for a start. You keep saying that you are no longer anonymours ... there are a few "Andrew Farrugias" around Malta. And how can anyone be sure you are not making it up. Why are you so concerned about identity? I imagine you do not wish to deal with the topic at hand. You prefer to throw a few of your Christian insults. You are your ilk are the very reason why Catholicism is down the dumps. You still have not disclosed what your connection with the Church is. We await with interest.

How absolutely silly of me not to have had a clue about the identity of this fair dinkum; but i was spot on about one thing - he is extremely well-versed in fields effluvial. Andrew Farrugia

The crime of murder will also outlive you and me. What is the point that you are trying to make? As to Mark's comments re the election of Benny, well .... I think he was somewhat reserved in what he said. I would not have been so diplomatic. On this occasion the Holy Spirit must been in deep slumber. Keep dreaming that the Church is a divine institution. You are still living in a world that existed before "Honest to God". You have a popular and supranaturalist stance on Christianity. You probably still believe in a three-layered world with God being an old man living somewhere out there. The same God who sent his 'son' to a cruel death. I wonder why God never had a 'daughter'!

Correction "will outlive me, you and ALL HUMAN BEINGS FOR GENERATIONS TO COME." Andrew Farrugia.

Your comments and your anonymity, which say a lot about the kind of person you are, are merely gratuitous insults and illogical conjecture. You have not provided an iota of evidence where i was incorrect in my statements. Just to freshen up your memory, which appears in need of much exercise, try to recall what Montebello said concerning the choice of Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI and you will see a fine example of true Christian love. As for the Church being in dire straits, i am sure you will acknowledge that IT will outlive me, you and most other people alive today. So, you needn't really worry about ITS state of health; after all it is in very good hands, which fortunately are neither mine nor yours nor any other human being. As for putting up with me, little me, as long as the Good Lord gives me good health you will have to accept it, unless that is you happen to have some other plans for me. Andrew Farrugia alias

What a shining example of Christian love we have forthcoming from this afar3. No woner this Church of his is in such dire straits! If afar3 is a Christian as he purports to be, no right thinking person would want to be one. His is a simplistic mind that does not realise that there are many different ways to be a Christian. Certainly not his! Ignorant conservatism at its worst. Sadly we Maltese have far too many to put up with and the local hierarchy encourages them.

Sorry, forgot to sign off! Andrew Farrugia alias afar3

What is surprising about my comment to The Times? I merely repeated the basic tenets of the faith that members of the cloth and laymen alike should cherish and practice. As for you, under cover of anonymity, i note that you continue to hurl offensive insults in my direction and to speculate about various foul odours; methinks you know a thing or two about such matters, could possibly be an expert in matters malodorous and repugnant!

I imagine this is the same Farrugia who wrote this in The Times re Fr Mark: "I feel i do need to rethink my strategy ...." STRATEGY? As a member of the Church you have ONE mission, ONE message to convey, which is the word of the Lord. If you want strategy, leave the Church and become a politician, which you think you are , anyway! Why are we not surprised? As I said previously, 'konservattiv jinten'!

Ghaziz anonimu JCC, kieku kelli ninzel fil-livell abissali tieghek jew inkun naf min int inkun nista' nwiegbek dwar il-konnessjonijiet tieghi u aktar dwar fejn tista' ssib l-intina jew l-intejjen!

Isma naqra min jitkellem bil-hdura! Komplu ddellirjaw, bhal dak li qallu jien ghandi bzonn ir-rispett ta' xi ebete fuq dan il-blog! Hahaha! Andrew Farrugia.

This pope and his predecessor are in it up to their necks. What do you think has been happening in Malta and Gozo. You get a new bishop and a new archbishop and you see them pretending that they are dealing with the problem in a mature manner. The only reason they acted is because the international media got involved and even then they are dragging their feet. I know many a homosexual Roman Catholic priest who have led and are leading exemplary lives. This pope says he does not want homosexual clergy yet he watches four gorgeous hunks to die for who took part in a gay circus. Soft porn I say, Benny. And what do they do with pedophile priests. They procrastinate in the hope they die or the limitiation provision comes into play. This is a scandal of tremendous proportions.

The latest expose on the Catholic Church in Ireland and the pedophile scandal is truly extraordinary. A letter from the Vatican demanding that no pedophile cases be turned over to police has been uncovered. It is the smoking gun that victim’s rights advocates have been proclaiming for some time exists. The letter is from a senior Vatican official and its contents were first revealed on RTE the national television channel. The letter dating from 1997 demolishes Vatican claims that they never instructed local bishops to withhold evidence form police about pedophiles. It was signed by the late Archbishop Luciano Storero, Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland. The letter instructs Irish bishops that their new policy of reporting of suspected crimes "gives rise to serious reservations of both a moral and canonical nature." Storero wrote that canon law "must be meticulously followed," IE keep it within the church. How he wrote the word 'moral' about a plot to keep pedophiles from the law is astounding He said bishops who did otherwise would face the "highly embarrassing" position of having their actions overturned on appeal in Rome. "The letter is of huge international significance, because it shows that the Vatican's intention is to prevent reporting of abuse to criminal authorities. And if that instruction applied here, it applied everywhere," said Colm O'Gorman, director of the Irish chapter of human rights watchdog Amnesty International. http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Vatican-asked-Irish-bishops-not-to-report-clerical-abuse-to-the-police-113868834.html http://www.irishcentral.com/news/New-York-Times-criticizes-Vatican-over-pedophiles--114265989.html

Top Ten Signs Youre a Fundamentalist Christian 10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours. 9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt. 8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God. 7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you dont even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees! 6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky. 5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old. 4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving." 3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity. 2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God. 1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.

Nixtieq inkun naf x'ridt jghid Knocker b'nudist camper'.

@falzonsilvio. Rajtha stramba r-reazzjoni tieghek fil-kuntest ta' dak li ghidt qabel imma issa nifhem x'ridt tghid. Tiehu pjacir tara lil afar3 jagixxi ta' nisrani u jghajjar dawk li huma hajjin 'arch cretins' ghax ma jaqblux mieghu. Nahseb li huwa wiehed minn dawk l-insara stil Malti u Ghawdxi. Rispett biss lill-mejtin u meta jaqblilhom. Se jaghti rispett lejn Mintoff meta dan ihallina? L-intervent ta' Gerada fil-kuntest ta' Romero kien u ghadu ghajb ghalina l-Maltin. Irid ikun Malta biex jilghaq sorm il-Vatikan liema Vatikan huwa kalamita ghall-omosesswali iktar u iktar dawk li jhobbu l-moda liturgika. Qdusija t'ghajni! Kollha se mmutu. Kollha se nsiru trab. U nahseb se nispiccaw bla genna u bla infern issa li nafu mhemmx limbu! Pulcinellati ghat-tfal.

@afar3. L-ewwel: rispett jingħata lil min ħaqqu. Jekk me kienx ħaqqu meta kien għadu ħaj xejn ma jinbidel b'mewtu. It-tieni: it-Teoloġija tal-Liberazzjoni hija l-unkika teoloġija li tirrispetta l-bnedmin għax tibda mir-rispett għall-bendmin, mhux mid-dommi. Dit-teoloġija - u t-teoloġi tagħa - nirrispettahom minkejja li jien ateju, u minkejja li anke hi għandha n-nuqqasijiet tagħha. It-tielet: JCC għandu mitt elf raġgun - l-isqfijet ta' Malta kienu u għadhom reazzjonarji.

le x'naqbel ma dik l-ittra:) anzi kontriha :) dak biex nuri kemm huma ............ l-erba' li huma ,li- kitbuha.

Falzonsilvio - Ghandek kull dritt temmen x'qalu dawk l-imgienen. Pero tippretendix li kulhadd jemmen bhalhekk. Nghid ghalija il-problema hi ta' dawk li ma jaccettawx l-omosesswali u l-orjentazzjoni taghna. Tahsibx li mhemmx isqfijiet li huma jew kienu omosesswali - anke forsi fost dawk li nizzilt fil-lista li tajt. By the way, Gerada's treatment of Romero is well known ... as are some other facets of his life!

*****Għalhekk l-adulterju u l-omosesswalità minnhom infushom u indipendentament mill-liġi tal-bnedmin, kienu u għadhom dnubiet gravi. PASTORALI TA’ L-ISQFIJIET (kif dehret fil-Leħen is-Sewwa tas-Sibt, 6 ta’ Jannar 1973) Dwar l-omosesswalità, aħna ngħarfu, nifhmu u naqblu li min hu verament marid jeħtieġ kura u għajnuna u mhux kastig, ġaladabra llum ix-xjenzati huma tal-fehma li wħud mill-omosesswali huma nies morda jew mhux normali għal kollox. Inħossu wkoll li s-soċjetà ta’ pajjiżna għandha u trid li tibqa’ imħarsa kif jixraq permezz ta’ liġijiet ġusti minn kull ma jista’ jhedded iż-żwieġ, il-familja, l-imħabba fidila u xierqa li l-poplu Malti fil-maġġoranza kbira tiegħu għadu jqishom u jgħożżhom bħala valuri u wirt importanti u għalhekk, bħala sehem mhux żgħir mill-ġid komuni tas-soċjetà Maltija. Biex jintlaħqu sewwa dawn iż-żewġ skopijiet, jidhrilna li s-soċjeta’ Maltija għandha tħoss id-dmir li tipprovdi, permezz ta’ l-Awtorita’ pubblika, minn naħa l-waħda, servizz adegwat ta’ kura għall-mard ta’ anomaliji sesswali, u minn naħa l-oħra, ħarsien effiċjenti u ġust bil-liġi kontra kull xorta ta’ korruzzjoni, solliċitazzjoni, propaganda, pubbliċita’, assoċjazzjoni għall-finijiet omosesswali, kif titlob l-moralita’ pubblika. no need to add more ,this is one where his name is included: Mogħti llum mill-Kurja Arċiveskovili ta’ Malta, 31 ta’ Diċembru 1972, Festa tas-Sagra Familja. Michael Gonzi, Arċisqof ta’ Malta, President tal-Konferenza Episkopali Maltija Emmanuel Gerada, Isqof Koadjutur ta’ Malta Nicholas Cauchi, Isqof ta’ Għawdex Emmanuel Galea, Isqof Awżiljarju ta’ Malta Can. A. Bonnici, Segretarju tal-Konferenza Episkopali Maltija Homosexuality was decriminalised in Malta on the 29th January 1973 by the Prime Minister Dom Mintoff.

afar3 spare us your hate filled and uninformed comments... defending South American dictators now... really some people are downright silly... yes it is interesting to know another facet of Gerada's life, whatever all the afar3's of this world think!

U forsi afar3 jghidlina xi hsara ghamlet il-liberation theology!

afar3 tilef il-boxxla. U skond afar3, Debono jammira lil Stalin, Hitler, Castro ... insomma! Dan mhux ovvju fl-artiklu. Forsi afar3 jista' jghinna f'dan ir-rigward. U forsi jghidlina wkoll x'konnessjoni ghandu mal-knisja u mal-konservattivi jintnu!

Ghalfejn qed tparla fil-vojt sur James Debono, int u l-idejologija dekrepita Kommunista. Il-Liberation theology qed issemmi, li ghamlet kemm gid kif ukoll hsara fl-Amerka t'isfel. ghax ma tghidx lil qarrejja tieghek li Stalin qatel aktar nies min dak il-mostru ta Hitler! Ghidilhom naqra kif kienu jisterminawhom in-nies Castro u Guevara! Hallina nghixu int u l-odju li ghandek ghall-Amerikani! Andrew Farrugia

This was well known of Gerada. It took a Maltese clergyman to stand up against human rights and liberation theology. I am very interested in the comment by Knocker ... very, very interested. Equally intererested in the comment by Silvio Falzon. Apart from Gerada's involvement in the Mintoff/Gonzi affair, he seems to have taken a back seat. He seems to have been a pleasant old man and had it not been for his intervention, the 1960s crisis in Malta may have dragged on for years. Gonzi was a stubborn man.

Have some respect for the dead, common two-bit delinquents. Andrew Farrugia

*POOF* he is going to heaven now, lolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

One nudist camper less.