; Phantoms and Monsters: Pulse of the Paranormal

Monday, November 28, 2011

Just the Facts?: Vatican Exorcist Talks Medjugorje, Yoga and Harry Potter -- Sirhan Sirhan Still Claims Mind Control


‘Vatican Exorcist’ Talks Medjugorje

Ignoring the apparitions in Medjugorje is unforgivable for Christians, says Rome’s leading exorcist who shakes his head at those who wait until the Church has ruled. Speaking of “betrayal” Fr. Gabriele Amorth also lashes out at bishops and priests for being indifferent to the fruits of Medjugorje.

Known around Italy for frank discussion of exorcisms on television, Fr. Amorth is perhaps best known in English-speaking countries for his books An Exorcist Tells His Story, and An Exorcist: More Stories, Fr. Gabriele Amorth (born 1925) was ordained a priest in 1954 and became an official exorcist in 1986. For about 20 years he served as chief exorcist for the Diocese of Rome. In 1990 he founded the International Association of Exorcists, and served as its president he was until his retirement in 2000; although he’s been given the title “honorary president for life.”

Throughout the years Fr. Amorth has embraced Medjugorje, and in a 2002 interview, Fr. Amorth called the place “a great fortress against Satan.”

By willingly failing to pay attention to the Virgin Mary’s apparitions in Medjugorje, a great number of Christians have proven to be no different from pagans. Within this great number, both bishops and priests are included, the leading Catholic exorcist of the past 20 years said in a September 15 interview given to Radio Maria.

Fr. Gabriele Amorth was speaking at the backdrop of the Virgin Mary’s message of August 25 when she said:

“Dear children! Today I call you to pray and fast for my intentions, because Satan wants to destroy my plan. Here I began with this parish and invited the entire world. Many have responded, but there is an enormous number of those who do not want to hear or accept my call. Therefore, you who have said ‘yes’, be strong and resolute. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

“How bitter, how bitter was the last message of Our Lady of Medjugorje, on August 25: ”Many have responded, but there is an enormous number of those who do not want to hear or accept my call’, Fr. Gabriele Amorth first commented.

Could the Blessed Mother be bitter? I never pictured Mary as anything other than loving, gentle, kind, maybe disappointed at times. Never bitter, though. But I digress…

“Now look here; it is very sour, this balance,” Fr. Amorth continued. “After more than thirty years! More than thirty years! Now if it is the pagans who don’t listen to Our Lady’s words, then that I can understand. But be you a Christian, it is not forgivable. Be you a Christian!”

However, according to Fr. Amorth’s experience, the indifference to Medjugorje goes further than that: “Even priests and bishops don’t even want to hear about it. It is not that they went there and then made their decision fairly after seeing things for themselves, no! They don’t even want to hear it being spoken about!”

“The Gospel is so clear, it tells us how to discern! By the fruits you will know the tree! It has been 30 years when Medjugorje has given us fruits that are ultimately exquisite! Confession, conversion, vocations, graces of every kind! For more than 30 years!” the exorcist reminded on Radio Maria.

“In the Old Testament God sent prophets to warn of the betrayals of the Jewish people. Now, here, to warn of the betrayal of the Christian people, also the priests, God sends us His Mother! It has been 30 years! Is it possible that people still do not hear? And as for those people who believe themselves to be intelligent by saying they wait until the Church approves? They are fools!” said Fr. Gabriele Amorth. - datelinezero


A Field Guide to Spiritual Warfare:power to PULL the IMPOSSIBLE

Medjugorje: What's Happening?

-----

Also...Yoga is the work of the devil, says Vatican's chief exorcist (and he doesn't like Harry Potter much either)

Father Gabriel Amorth has carried out more than 70,000 exorcisms in his capacity as Chief Exorcist at the Vatican.

The 85-year-old can boast 25 years in the post after being appointed by the late Pope John Paul II.

At a conference today, he surprised the delegates by revealing some of his greatest dislikes - yoga and Harry Potter.

Father Amorth, a colourful and often outspoken personality, said:'Practising yoga brings evil as does reading Harry Potter. They may both seem innocuous but they both deal with magic and that leads to evil.'

He added:'Yoga is the Devil's work. You thing you are doing it for stretching your mind and body but it leads to Hinduism. All these oriental religions are based on the false belief of reincarnation.'

Father Amorth, speaking on the subject of People And Religion at a fringe event at the Umbria Film Festival in Terni, spoke of his distaste for JK Rowling's young wizard.

He said:'People think it is an innocuous book for children but it's about magic and that leads to evil. In Harry Potter the Devil is at work in a cunning and crafty way, he is using his extraordinary powers of magic and evil.

'Satan is always hidden and the thing he desires more than anything is for people to believe he does not exist. He studies each and everyone of us and our tendencies towards good and evil and then he tempts us.

'My advice to young people would be to watch out for nightclubs because the path is always the same: alcohol, sex, drugs and Satanic sects.'

It is not the first time that Father Amorth has raised eyebrows with his forthright views - last year he said that the ongoing child sex scandals rocking the Catholic Church were evidence that 'the Devil was at work in the Vatican.'

While in 2006, Father Amorth, who was ordained a priest in 1954, gave an interview to Vatican Radio in which he said that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Russian dictator Josef Stalin were both possessed by the Devil.

According to secret Vatican documents recently released the then wartime Pope Pius XII attempted a 'long distance exorcism' of Hitler but it failed to have any effect.

It is also not the first time that Father Amorth, who is president of the International Association of Exorcists, has spoken out against Harry Potter saying in the past that it opens children's minds to dabbling with the occult and black magic.

Today Vanda Vanni, of the Italian Yoga Association, said:'A Satanic practice? Pardon the pun but that is an accusation that is neither in Heaven or on earth. Father Amorth's accusation is completely without foundation.

'It is an outrageous thing to say - yoga is not a religion but a spiritual discipline. It is about freedom and a search to find one's inner self. It does not touch religion and has nothing to do with Satanic sects nor does it encourage people to join them.

Giorgio Furlan, who runs the Yoga Academy in Rome, said`:'There are some paths of yoga which do lead towards Hinduism but other paths are more philosophical but their is no direct link with religion and certainly no link with Satanism.

'To say such things shows you have no idea of what you are talking about - yoga controls violent impulses of the nervous system and subconscious - to be honest with me it had the effect of bringing me closer to Christianity and in particular the Catholic Church which I had abandoned as a youngster. - dailymail

**********

Bobby Kennedy assassin still claims he was 'victim of mind control and his gun didn't fire fatal shot'

The attorneys cite an expert analysis of ‘new evidence’ that shows two guns were fired on the night Mr Kennedy was assassinated in the former Ambassador Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

According to court papers, Sirhan has stronger eyewitness evidence, along with ‘scientific, forensic evidence which cannot be credibly refuted’ that was not available during his 1969 trial.

The attorneys allege that fraud was committed during the trial when the court counted an ancillary bullet as evidence for a bullet that was retrieved from Mr Kennedy’s neck.

Mr Pepper says the substitute bullet had been matched to others from Sirhan’s weapon.

Mind control and hypno-programming are serious and real and have been used for decades by the CIA, U.S. military and other covert operations, Mr Pepper and Mrs Dusek say in the federal court papers, which were filed earlier this week.

‘The public has been shielded from the darker side of the practice. The average person is unaware that hypnosis can and is used to induct antisocial conduct in humans,’ the court papers say.

They attest to Sirhan’s innocence, saying: ‘[Sirhan] was an involuntary participant in the crimes being committed because he was subjected to sophisticated hypno-programing and memory implantation techniques which rendered him unable to consciously control his thoughts and actions at the time the crimes were being committed.’

Mr Pepper told CNN that new examination of audio from that fateful June night ‘clearly showed that 13 shots were fired in the pantry, and Sirhan’s gun had only eight shots, so it definitely means there was a second shooter.’

An analysis of a recently recovered audiotape recorded by a freelance journalist gives Sirhan’s attorneys new fuel for their case.

The tape – discovered by CNN’s Brad Johnson – has the only known audio recording of the shots fired at Robert Kennedy, recorded from 40 feet away from the shooting.

Two experts independently verified that more than eight shots were captured on the tape.

One of the analysts, Phillip Van Praag, says the shots were too close together to have all come from Sirhan’s handgun.

Nor would Sirhan have had time to reload in the amount of time the shots were fired, Mr Van Praag says.

Robert’s death, much like his brother John’s, is shrouded in mystery and a never-ending list of conspiracy theories that popularly involve multiple shooters and government plots.

Sirhan is serving a life sentence at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California after he was convicted of killing Mr Kennedy and wounding five others during the June 5, 1968 shooting in the pantry of the glamorous Ambassador Hotel.

Mr Kennedy, having just delivered a short speech after winning California’s Primary Election, was ushered through a kitchen pantry en route to a room where reporters were waiting for a press conference.

Shots rang out– three bullets struck Mr Kennedy, and a fourth grazed his suit coat. He died the next day in the nearby Good Samaritan hospital.

Sirhan was arrested at the scene and indicted for murder.

After the 1969 trial, he was convicted to death, a sentence that was overturned in 1972 in exchange for life in prison.

He has repeatedly been seeking parole - and denied it - since 1983. - dailymail

The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy

Shadow Play: The Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, the Trial of Sirhan Sirhan, and the Failure of American Justice

**********

Bah....Humbug! Derek Acorah's newest stunt

In it we interview UK TV’s premier medium, Derek Acorah, about chasing, angry spirits and séances with Michael Jackson, and he had something important he wanted to get off his chest about the last matter:

SFX: You conducted a séance recently with Michael Jackson that proved controversial…

Derek Acorah: “It shouldn’t have been controversial! I answered the call of a person who wanted me to do it, and I was glad to do it because I thought the world of Michael Jackson. But I wasn’t given enough time. All I had was 26 minutes out of an hour. It’s just not known to conduct a séance in under two hours. You’ve got to personally encourage a person to come into the atmosphere and then, when they feel okay, they’ll start conversing. Maybe we didn’t give all of what he wanted to say about the world. That wasn’t my fault. That was Sky TV’s fault. I told them that it needed a two-hour special. But you know what? There’s something going off quite soon. It appears that I’ll be doing a proper séance to make contact for longer with Michael, with his family’s approval. And I can’t wait.”

SFX: Is this for Sky again?

DA: “No. I know that it’s going to be covered by TV, but it’s more likely to be a shared project between an English network and American one. Unfortunately that’s all I can say about it at the moment…” - sfx

**********

Frosty the Snowman accused of assaulting police dog and officers

A man in a "Frosty the Snowman" costume was led away in handcuffs on Saturday morning during the town's annual Christmas parade, charged with assault and disorderly conduct. Police identified the man as Kevin Michael Walsh, 52, of Chestertown, MD. Walsh was charged with assaulting two police officers and a police dog, according to Sgt. John A. Dolgos. Walsh also was charged with disorderly conduct.

After processing at the police station, Walsh was to be taken to the district court commissioner's office for a bond hearing, according to Dolgos. The charges against Walsh stem from an alleged confrontation at about 10:15 a.m. at Cross and High streets the nexus of the Christmas parade, which stepped off at 10 a.m.

Walsh is accused of kicking at police dog Henzo. The dog was sitting at the intersection with handler Pfc. James Walker as part of "traffic control" for the parade. Dolgos said that Walker "kindly escorted him away from the crowd and then it got heated." As Walsh was taking off the head portion of the "Frosty" costume, he allegedly hit Walker in the face with it, according to police.

Walker and Pfc. Marty Heinefield placed Walsh on the sidewalk in front of The Compleat Bookseller "as part of routine takedown," Dolgos said. The arrest was very public. Walsh could be heard screaming, over the din of the parade, "You have no right to arrest me." As Walker and Heinefield were trying to place Walsh in the patrol car, Walsh allegedly pushed Heinefield. - cecilwhig

**********

'Anthrax isn't scary at all compared to this'

Man-made flu virus with potential to wipe out many millions if it ever escaped is created in research lab

A group of scientists is pushing to publish research about how they created a man-made flu virus that could potentially wipe out civilisation.

The deadly virus is a genetically tweaked version of the H5N1 bird flu strain, but is far more infectious and could pass easily between millions of people at a time.

The research has caused a storm of controversy and divided scientists, with some saying it should never have been carried out.

The current strain of H5N1 has only killed 500 people and is not contagious enough to cause a global pandemic.

But their are fears the modified virus is so dangerous it could be used for bio-warfare, if it falls into the wrong hands.

Virologist Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands lead a team of scientists who discovered that a mere five mutations to the avian virus was sufficient to make it spread far more easily.

He conducted his tests on ferrets as the animals have become a model of choice for influenza and have similar respiratory tracts to humans.

Fouchier is so prepared for a media storm that he has hired an advisor to help him work on a communication strategy.

The research done was part of an international drive to understand H5N1 more fully.

Fouchier admitted the strain is 'one of the most dangerous viruses you can make' but is still adamant he wants to publish a paper describing how it was done.

The study is one of two which has caused serious debate about scientific freedom and about regulating research which might have potential public health benefits but at the same time could also be useful for bio-terrorism.

The other paper, also on H5N1, was done by a joint team at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Tokyo.

It is understood to have had comparable results to the study done by Fouchier.

Both papers are now being reviewed by the U.S National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB).

NSABB does not have the power to prevent the publication but it could ask journals not to publish.

Paul Keim, chairman of NSABB, said: 'I can't think of another pathogenic organism that is as scary as this one. I don't think anthrax is scary at all compared to this.'

Traditionally scientific research has always been open so that fellow scientists can review the work of others and repeat their methods to try and learn from them.

But numerous scientists have said they believe research on the avian flu should be suppressed.

However bio-defense and flu expert Michael Osterholm, who is director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said the work carried out was important medically.

He added he could not discuss the papers because he was a member of NSABB but said if they were published certain information could be withheld and made available to those who really need to know.

'We don't want to give bad guys a road map on how to make bad bugs really bad,' he said. - dailymail

Viruses: The Origin and Evolution of Deadly Pathogens (New Biology)

The Monster at Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu

Preparing for Biological Terrorism: An Emergency Service Guide