Pope continues his plans for new Catholic Church: showers for the homeless

It remains to be seen if Pope Francis will go far enough to make the Catholic Church a true representative for Christ's teachings, but it's a good start in the right direction. Power and Wealth are the mainstays of the Church. This Pope is making a stab at reducing the power plays in the Vatican (i.e., Cardinal Burke's recent demotion)--but all the immense wealth, jewels, etc. stored away there could make a huge difference in the lives of millions of people now in poverty if distributed in ways that could ease their suffering. For instance, the little children in Brazil, Africa and Asia, living on the streets and scrounging for food at city dumps come to mind. 

At least, a progressive movement is taking place SOMEwhere!  This Pope could give Obama some lessons on how to actually make Hope and Change a reality.  He was smart to make fast moves right from the beginning, building popularity with the people before the hierarchy could get wise enough to deal with him as they did with Pope John Paul I, who lasted only 33 days in office. If the hierarchy tried now to get rid of Francis, the faithful followers, who now love him, would raise a hue and cry and demand a thorough investigation, something that was not allowed in Pope John Paul I's death.

John Paul I also had plans to change the Church in similar ways as Francis is now doing -- but when he made those plans known too soon to the hierarchy, he sealed his fate.  A vigorous man in good health, with no previous heart problems, he was found dead in his chambers, and it was claimed by church officials to be a heart attack (his family never believed this). Secrecy immediately surrounded his sudden and mysterious death.  By orders of Cardinal Villot, no autopsy was allowed and the body was rushed to embalming with insistence that no blood be drained from the body and no organs be removed.  The full story is told by a noted investigative journalist David Yallop in the book "In God's Name."  In his researches Yallop uncovered an extraordinary story: behind the Pope’s death lay a dark and complex web of corruption within the Church that involved the Freemasons, Opus Dei and the Mafia and the murder of the “Pope’s Banker” Roberto Calvi. In 1984 In God’s Name changed the way the world looked at the Vatican. The award-winning book went on to sell 6 million copies around the world, was on the New York Times best-seller list for 16 weeks and was translated in over 30 languages.  To read more details, go to: http://churchandstate.org.uk/2013/05/in-gods-name-an-investigation-into-the-murder-of-pope-john-paul-i/  and see below for a short description of what really happened to John Paul I (in blue type).

Pope Francis plans to build showers for the homeless

11/14/14 11:58 AM—Updated 11/14/14 12:09 PM

By Michele Richinick

Pope Francis reportedly is working on plans to build showers for homeless men and women in Vatican City, his latest move to change the public’s expectations of the Catholic Church and to ease some residents’ suffering.

The pope’s chief alms-giver, Monsignor Konrad Krajewski, told The Associated Press that three showers will be installed in the public restrooms in St. Peter’s Square, the plaza directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, to help individuals who are homeless. The idea allegedly stemmed from Krajewski’s encounter with a homeless man who declined the charity provider’s offer to celebrate his 50th birthday at a restaurant because of his odor.

RELATED: Progressive Catholics hail Pope Francis’ position on social issues

Francis, the first Jesuit to assume the role of pontiff, succeeded Pope Benedict XVI last year and promised to change the ways the Vatican conducts business. He has broken with his predecessors several times, saying the church cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage, and the use of contraceptives, and asking, “Who am I to judge?” in response to reports of gay clergy members. The Catholic leader was named “Person of the Year” last year by TIME magazine. He even posed for a selfie with youths during a meeting in St. Peter’s Basilica last year.

On Thursday, Francis warned leaders preparing to gather at the G20 Leaders’ Summit this weekend against unchecked consumerism that can damage the planet. In a letter he sent to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, chair of the upcoming conference, the pope pointed out that people around the world are unemployed and suffering from malnutrition.

“I would ask the G20 heads of state and government not to forget that many lives are at stake behind these political and technical discussions, and it would indeed be regrettable if such discussions were to remain purely on the level of declarations of principle,” he wrote. “There are constant assaults on the natural environment, the result of unbridled consumerism, and this will have serious consequences for the world economy.”

In an unprecedented move, Francis last week demoted the highest-ranking American at the Vatican. Cardinal Raymond Burke was removed from the church’s highest court to become the chaplain of the Knights of Malta, a Vatican charity group, after he vocally opposed the religious establishment’s recent progressive moves. His new position holds almost no responsibilities.

In October, Francis made a significant rhetorical break with Catholic tradition by declaring that the theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real, and remarking that God is not “a magician with a magic wand.” He explained that both evolution and the Big Bang are not incompatible with the existence of God. In fact, he said, they “require it.”

MORE DETAILS ABOUT JOHN PAUL I's DEATH
Sister Vicenza found the Holy Father dead at approximately 4:45 a.m. on September 29, 1978 and was forced to keep silent by the Secretariat of State, Cardinal Villot, who imposed a vow of silence upon her to cover up the whole affair. The secretaries were likewise forbidden to advise anyone of the events without Cardinal Villot's authorization.  A trustworthy person conveyed to Fr. Saez personally that Sister Vicenza had said, "But the world must know the truth."

Sister Vicenza gave two conflicting reports concerning the state that she first found Pope John Paul I. According to her breathless words to a group of French priests that same morning, it was "in his bathroom" that she had "found him dead."  Yet another report (no doubt arranged by Cardinal Villot), says that Sister Vicenza entered the room and found the Pope sitting up in bed, "with an expression of agony" before he died.  This discrepancy is very important: if it was determined that Sister Vicenza found the Holy Father dead in the bathroom, still in his papal robes, this would indicate that Pope John Paul I died shortly after his champagne "toast" with Cardinal Villot the night of September 28, 1978.

David Yallop reconstructs the actions of Cardinal Villot and paints a very suspicious portrait. It is reported that at 5:00 a.m. Cardinal Villot confirmed the Holy Father's death. The Pope's glasses, slippers, and will disappeared, "none of these items has ever been seen again." Speculation is that there may have been vomit on the slippers, which if examined would identify poison as the cause of death.
    
Cardinal Villot (or an aide) telephoned the embalmers and a Vatican car was sent to fetch them. Incredibly, the car was at their door at 5:00 a.m.! What ensued in the following hour is still a mystery.
It was not until 6:00 a.m. that Dr. Buzzonati (not Professor Fontana, the head of the Vatican medical service), arrived and confirmed the death, without drawing up a death certificate. Dr. Buzzonati attributed the death to acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).
    
At about 6:30 a.m. Villot began to inform the cardinals, an hour and a half after the embalmers had arrived!  Yallop notes that, for Cardinal Villot, the embalmers took precedence over the cardinals and the head of the Vatican medical service.  By 6 p.m. that evening, the Papal Apartments had been entirely polished and washed. Yallop writes that the secretaries packed up and carried away the Pope's clothes, "including his letters, notes, books and a small handful of personal mementos.... By 6:00 p.m., the entire 19 rooms of the Papal Apartments were totally bereft of anything remotely associated with the Papacy of Luciani."
    
Villot arranged for the embalming to be performed that evening, a procedure as unusual as it was illegal. Why the rush?  It is also reported that during the embalming it was insisted that no blood was to be drained from the body, and neither were any of the organs to be removed. Yallop notes that "a small quantity of blood would of course have been more than sufficient for a forensic scientist to establish the presence of any poisonous substances."