Lepanto, Language and Hurricanes
- Today, the feast of the Most Holy Rosary, marks the 444th anniversary of one of the most decisive battles not only in naval history, but in all of history, and I refer of course to the Battle of Lepanto, fought by a Christian fleet, led by Don Juan of Austria, son of the Emperor Charles V, in the waters of the Adriatic against an apparently superior Islamic Turkish fleet, vowing to turn Saint Peter’s into a mosque.
- Father Rutler has an outstanding piece today in Crisis, recounting details of the battle that bring that day vividly to life. It was the saintly Pope of the time, Pius V, who attributed the victory to the intercession of Our Lady, by means of her Rosary. As the good priest more or less rightly predicts, in an a posteriori sense (which is to some degree fallible), if we had lost that battle, there would be no Europe, no civilization to speak of. For not all cultures are equal, and given the mess of modern Islamic states ,what would ‘Europe’ be like after 444 years of Muslim rule? One need not look far to wonder…
- On another note, I too have an article published today in Crisis, humbly side-by-side with the far greater Father Rutler, on the abuse of language to mold and shape the minds of people into the agnostic and hedonistic image of the secular State. Perhaps by the time I am seventy, I will write with as much aplomb and facility with facts as he..
- We are also reminded today of the uncontrollable power of Nature, which really means God, as hurricane Matthew pounds the coast of Florida, after devastating Haiti and other Caribbean countries. Of course, this will be attributed to ‘climate change’, but like King Canute, we should have the humility to declare that even the greatest of potentates has no power over the sea, whose courses are in the hands of the Almighty. The winds of Matthew, reaching about 120 miles per hour, destructive enough, are not much compared to the winds of our planetary neighbour Venus, which are rather consistently twice that. Perhaps God is telling us something?
- I am not sure what the future and putative Vice Presidents were telling us in their recent debate. (Well, only one will gain that title). I did not watch it, only read reports, but it does not seem to have far transcended the bathos of the Presidential version. However, the Protestant Pence did admit to being ‘100%’ pro-life, while the ‘Catholic’ Kaine waffled, and this on the death penalty (more politically correct than abortion, and, unlike abortion, not intrinsically evil). His prevarication is much of a piece with so many who profess the faith of Rome. Alas. I will have more to write on this in the context of that most fundamental and misunderstood of virtues, faith, and its close cousin, humility.
Carney’s Amoral Majority
After five defections – euphemistically described as ‘crossing the floor’ – and three by-elections, Mark Carney and his Liberals how have their coveted majority. One wonders what bowls of pottage were offered in back-room deals. In the archaic monarchical system that is the Dominion of Canada, this majority allows the newly-minted Prime Minister to rule[…]Continue reading→
Saint Kateri , Canada’s Protectress
This was the title given to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, by Pope Benedict XVI, when he canonized her on October 28th, 2012, along with six others, in Saint Peter’ Square (she had been beatified by Pope John Paul II back in 1980). With Saint Joseph as our protector, along with the Canadian martyrs, we seem to[…]Continue reading→
A Closed, Unsustainable, Descending Loop
As a follow-up to my thoughts on Payette’s payout, here be a stark image of where are here in Canada. As the graph shows in, well, graphic terms, since 2025, the public sector has contributed to 95.5% of economic growth. The private sector – which funds the public sector, or is supposed to – has[…]Continue reading→
A Tale of Two Benedicts
A grace-filled Holy Week to all our readers! As we await and prepare for the Resurrection about to dawn upon us, we might keep in mind two Benedicts: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, requiescat in pace, elected on this day in 2005; and today’s commemoration of the mystic pilgrim, Benedict Joseph Labre, who died on this[…]Continue reading→
My Name is Bernadette
April 16th is a propitious day, for besides the anniversary of Father de Valk’s death, who founded Catholic Insight in its print form decades ago, and the commemoration of the ‘two Benedicts’, mentioned in accompanying posts, today we also recall Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the young visionary to whom the Virgin Mary appeared numerous times at[…]Continue reading→
Presidential Pardon of Weronika Krawczyk
As a good news, follow-up to our story from Poland, of the persecution of Weronika Krawczyk for her pro-life views, we heard that she has been granted a presidential pardon. One might still wonder why one needs a presidential pardon for simply holding the long-held belief that the child within the womb is a child,[…]Continue reading→
Saint Lydwina of Schiedam and Suffering Joyfully
Saint Lydwina of Schiedam (1380 – 1433) was one of the countless and glorious ‘victim souls’ in the history of the Church, those whose lives are filled with suffering, often of an unimaginable intensity, but who suffer joyfully. She was a fifteen-year old Dutch girl, out skating one day, when she fell and broke one[…]Continue reading→
The Glorious Martyrdoms of Martin and Maximus
As we enter into Eastertide, we recall on this 13th of April Pope Saint Martin I (+655), one of the noblest, if most tragic, of the successors of Saint Peter. Born in Umbria, Italy, he was of noble lineage, with great intelligence combined with charity and love of the poor and the Church. While still[…]Continue reading→
Pope Leo and a Rosary for Peace
Pope Leo XIV has asked Catholics across the world to join him in a Rosary for peace today, at 18:00 Rome time (6 pm), which would be noon from where I write (EST). If you are able, whether at that time or another, and in whatever way you pray, to join in intercession with the[…]Continue reading→
Payette’s Payout
I was glancing through some headlines, and noticed a mention of Julie Payette – engineer and astronaut and sometime the Queen’s representative in Canada – which brought back vague memories. She was appointed Governor-General by Justin Trudeau in 2017. Ms. Payette resigned in 2021, amidst claims that she created a ‘toxic work environment’, with allegations[…]Continue reading→