Unity Publishing Is Dangerous
By Readers
When one of Unity Publishing’s readers tried
to confront a parish where messages from “Anne, the Lay Apostle” were being
presented in the homilies, she was treated with great hostility. She tried to show him the recently posted
article, Anne, the Lay Apostle is
Kathryn Ann Clarke” but instead of reading it, he attacked her with, “You are dealing with the devil. That man is the devil”. By devil, he means me, Richard Salbato. He then handed her a printed out web
page from Marian Times, a Medjugorje web site, as seen below. I always felt Paul Baylis’
article was self-evident and paid no attention to it, but since it seems to
influence at least one priest, I decided to see what others thought of it and
mailed it out. Below are their comments.
Rick Salbato
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Dear No Name,
I think it is a great
compliment when Medjugorje web sites, sites that disobey the Medjugorje bishop,
attack me for defending the bishop. As for Anne, no matter who discovered
who she really is, the facts speak for themselves. I will let some of my
supporters and detractors read this email first and then I will give you the
information you need but first know that Canon Law requires priests to give
homilies on the readings of the Mass and not on apparitions.
Rick Salbato
Dear Rick,
"...splitting the Catholic Church and contributing to a potential
fulfillment the end-times prophecy of "brother against
brother." Funny, but I see this split coming from those who don't
see these "apparitions" in Medjugorje for what they really are and
what they will, eventually and sadly cause, a schism in our Church. For they follow Medjugorje, not
Christ and His Church - not something a true apparition of Our Blessed Mother
would ever do or cause.
I might add that I see this happening sooner rather than later. May Our Lady keep Her children close to Her and Her Son for our world will be rocked and its very base in the not to distant future.
Dear Rick,
Sheesh! This Baylis dude
is off his rocker. What part of the word "disobedience" doesn't he
understand? One thing is for sure, these people will know the truth when they
die. Will it be too late? We don't have to believe in even approved apparitions
or messages but don't they know if they believe in blasphemy of false
apparitions that they will be called to accountability for it.
Dear Rick,
Some one needs to tell the author of that article to re-read Luke
12:51-53.
Dear Rick,
I for one am grateful to you for your thorough research. I know many
good and holy priests who do not buy into the whole Medjugorje phenomenon. My
own questioning of those events began well before I knew anything about Unity
Publishing.
So you see, you only outlined and clarified what I had already suspected. Any my suspicions were aroused by the loony-tunes that returned from overseas filled with all the external manifestations of now having learned "The Truth," a truth they believed because "God told them so."
Medjugorje has created many false prophets and they do not take kindly to anyone challenging them to face the contradictions.
Thank you so much for all you have done and continue to do to
educate us in this regard about these matters.
God bless you!
Dear Rick,
I think your pride is sadly misplaced. How about the poor Franciscans
and visionaries who need far more defense than the Bishop of Mostar, who has made life miserable for everyone in
Medjugorje. I pray for the Bishop's soul, but I pray more for yours.
Love in Christ, Paul Baylis (author of Marian Times)
Dear Rick,
Remember the old Arab proverb, "The dogs bark, but the caravan
moves on!" You're the caravan, brother not these cultists. The
next thing you know they'll be promoting on Necedah and Bayside.
My Dear Rick,
I don't make any
claims about being nearly as knowledgeable as
you are, and William was, about the Church .
I was brought up in
Catholic schools and spent the better part of my childhood in the Academy of
the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau. One thing
that the Jesuits and the Sacred Heart nuns taught me was - even if I did not
understand something, if the Church ruled on it , to have faith in our Church.
The Church has ruled against Medjugorje. The Church has declared
it a false apparition. That is all you need to go on with your
work. This is what having faith is all about;
believing without knowing all or anything.
I have never known
of Sr. Lucia lying or living any other life than that which the Blessed
Mother said she would live. The children of Medjugorje have lied and none
of the "predictions" regarding their lives have come true. Some
of the children have not "become priest" as they said they were
told they would become, have divorced and if I am not mistaken, not gotten an
annulment, and I am sorry to say, that I don't know about the rest
of them because I was not interested in their lives of deceit.
They may not be blamed for all of this because I feel that at the time,
they were caught up in Satan's scheme and they probably believed that they
were seeing the Mother. It was not long after that the bishop began to
have doubts about the apparitions and the children should have relinquished the
pursuit of fame and fortune at that time.
Stand tall in your
faith, Rick, and know that the Mother is helping you through this. I am
proud of you and I keep you in my prayers daily.
As William would
always, "Go to the Mother." And remember, you have a great
advocate in William. Pray to him, too.
He supported you so much in your belief and writings.
Take care and pray
for me.
Dear Rick,
I am interested in what you have to say. I went to your web site and there is a
lot more to read. I don't know if it is pertinent, but you your writings are so
lengthy that I often feel like you are trying too hard to get your point
across. I am no expert in anything except my love of Jesus Christ and His Holy
Mother. God Bless and I may have more to say or ask later on.
Dear Rick,
The attached article says: "Medjugorje, to me, is all about UNITY
of religious thought and practice, of keeping it simple, of loving God without
man-made restraint."
That makes absolutely no sense in terms of Catholic teaching and thought. The entire article is an attack on you, Rick, and does not mention that the bishop of Medjugorje has censored the "seers" and their Franciscan promoters. And it does not mention that Catholics do not promote a "unity" that opposes bishops and their directives concerning apparitions and seers. Obedience to the local bishop remains the identifying factor in true mystical experiences. The author's reference to "man-made" restraint seems to be a slam on the bishop which, again, tells us that the author cares little about the nature of the Catholic faith and apostolic succession and the authority of the bishop and therefore, in my mind, nullifies him as a Catholic writer.
Wishing you well,
Dear Rick,
I sent my email to "Anne's" bishop last week and haven't heard
from him at all, whereas the last time I emailed him about six months ago I
heard back immediately. Hopefully this means they are giving "Anne"
further thought.
Dear Rick,
Thanks for the information, above all chin up, for you have nothing to
hide and have always very frank about us doing are own research to see if what
you say in your articles is the truth. Once again thank you for all the
work you do in keeping Catholics, Catholic.... God Bless you
Dear Rick,
Thanks for sharing that article with me. The editor of
Marian Times is very typical of all the supporters of Medjugorje.
They refuse to hear. They will not look at the
facts, because if they did, if they were really searching for the truth, they
could not help but know that Medjugorje cannot be authentic.
Someday, the truth will be known. We have to pray for Pope Benedict. I just saw on the news that the Pope recently wrote that he did not agree with Pope John Paul II's hosting of Bob Dylan at a gathering (maybe the youth conference). Pope Benedict said that Dylan is not the right kind of "prophet". So perhaps this Pope will come to our rescue in other matters. I am so hungry for strength and leadership.
Rick, I am glad you are able to rejoice when they persecute you.
God bless,
Dear Rick,
I would not waste time rebutting this web site, even though many of the points
he makes can be rebutted. True, your article is old, maybe needs
updating. But I would like to see you go on the offensive with an article
about how the visionaries are making money off of the apparitions by
turning their homes into hotels. I don't know if all 6 are, but I think
at least 3 of them make money from pilgrims. Ivan has built enough rooms
to accommodate 28 pilgrims!! It is outrageous. These are full-priced
tours. http://www.pilgrimages.com/prayerexperience/
Hi Rick,
Thanks for the info.
In the meantime, the woman who took my place in
For years, she has wanted to meet her relatives in
I think that is what Church authorities have said. They can't prove apparitions are happening, but admit it is a spiritual experience for many people. Since then, she is still detached but admits something happened to them there that was supernatural. I have another friend who went there and came back not believing in it. I am not really drawn to it. Again, my friend went because of all the talk and that it was somewhat close to her relations.
As far as Anne's writings go, it is like poetry. I did
not gain anything and could not go on with it.
God bless you!
Dear Rick,
Especially after his rants on YouTube. The man
just exudes immaturity.
Dear Rick,
Its obvious you're going to get
both barrels (loaded) from staunch supporters of Medju-a-watcha-ma-call-it.
I came back to the Church after being away for many many years. But in coming back to the Church I almost became lost again through a profound interest in unapproved apparitions. It is so easy with the help of the internet.
I'm glad your website
exposes underhanded promoters. I've
learned from my mistakes and the mistakes of others. For me, I'm
content in my
ps
I know what you're thinking,,, but I try not to leave His Love and Mercy at the exit door of the Church. I take it with me and try to show others. And no Bishop bashing from me.
Dear Rick,
I also believe, as well as my friend in past, that we did sense a strange
spirit about it. There is a sensual aspect to it as well. The
friend who came back also said she noted how devotees get mad at you if you
don't believe in it. A…really told me off as well regarding Medgugorje when she knew she had the upper hand here.
I am not that drawn to it, but do like hearing people share, who have had some good experience there. I don't really get involved with it or those involved in it here or in S…...
Hello No Name,
My name is Fr. John …….. I too receive Mr. Salbato's e-mails. In
regards to your current dilemma you'll find here a web link to the Code of
Canon Law on the proper use of the homily during the
In regards to the homily, when an ordained minister gives a homily he
is required to preach upon the word of
God and the teachings of the Church first and foremost. He can on certain
occasions discuss apparitions but he would do well to never promote such things
unless they are approved by the Church. However, even in this situation
he must use prudence and never come off as if it is truth, or promote a
personal agenda. I have talked about Fatima or
You as a Catholic have within you ecclesial right to remind all pastors of
souls the importance of this work. You have a right to good homilies, to
the best of the homilists ability, and to proper teachings of the Catholic
faith when a pastor of souls is preaching. How many poor Catholics have heard
homilies that deny truths of the faith and simply walk away without discussing
the issue with the one preaching? How many have left the Church because
of a scandalous teaching upon the pulpit! (When I was a Catholic laymen, I've been to Masses where the priest said some
pretty off-the-wall things and I wish I could've said something
afterwards) If more Catholics responded to lousy teachings the lousy
teachings would cease! If the pastor of souls begins to promote anything
that deviates from this truth you may confront him, albeit gently and with
kindness. To paraphrase Don Bosco, to attract flies it is best you use honey
than vinegar. If this does not work you may discuss it with
his immediate superior. If this does not work you may go to the Vicar for
Clergy or the
Vicar General or even the diocesan bishop if need be.
If more Catholic faithful did this for the Church then more pastors of souls
may begin to see the gravity of the matter involved in preaching good
homilies. You may even aide in saving his ministry and/or soul and the
souls of those who are listening to the continued bad teachings. Remember the
grace of Courage given to you at Confirmation. It's there for a
reason! Even if he has deviated from the truth, a good discussion with
him in a friendly, kind manner would do him great benefit. Ordained
ministers are after all human, prone to weakness and making mistakes. We
are all in this together in the Church, and sometimes the Ordained, like
myself, need to be reminded by the faithful of the teachings of the
Church. It will do us a world of good and more importantly the Church,
too!
Here are the web links for you:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P2J.HTM
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1E.HTMbn
Take good care.
Blessings of Christ the Lord,
Rev. John ……….
Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter
answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You
have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know,
that you are the Holy One of God."
John 6.67-69
Hi Rick
This guy Paul Baylis, has gone far down the road to Medjugorje and obviously he is not about to go back to the truth. Even his arguments are emotional arguments all designed to justify his emotional investment in Medjugorje.
Wasn’t there a saying we spend the rest of our lives arguing to justify our beliefs rather than to find the truth?
However, Rick, this guy Paul Baylis did expose a real weakness in all of those who wish to expose Medjugorje for its doctrinal errors and therefore being false:
Weakness # 1: John Paul II did lend some support to Medjugorje (and I have seen a photo of him with the Medjugorje visionaries).
Baylis documents its very well, very clever of him.
Rick, if you call John Paul II as The Great and think he was a truly wonderful pope, then you have a quandary to whomever you will argue about Medjugorje.
No, I am not saying that you should be now a sedevacantist, radical traditionalist, etc etc etc.
BE COGNIZANT, that Paul Baylis
cleverly traps you – you praise John Paul II as The Great (one of the best
popes in History), and John Paul II praises Medjugorje!!
That endorsement by John Paul II is enough to mislead lots of people.
(Yes, John Paul II should have been more prudent and not done
that, like he should have not done
Weakness # 2: You argue against the false ecumenical messages from the Gospa, however, Baylis is very clever – he quotes Nostra Aetate and Vatican II spirit documents, and John Paul II The Great, and they all sound like Gospa!!
This for me is proof that the Gospa is an invention by the rebellious priests who write the messages – they spend their time reading post-Vatican II documents.
THE FAKE GOSPA MESSAGES ARE JUST
Rick, do you believe what Nostra Aetate says? That Muslims, Christians and Jews all believe in the same one God?? Nostra Aetate, Gospa and John Paul II says so --- why should you contradict their (false) ecumenism??
Well, I have no such problems –
Nostra Aetate has errors in it, JPII is in error and
Gospa is a fake – the Bible clearly says whomever does not have Christ as
the Son, does not have God as their Father.
With that logical conclusion, out the door goes Medjugorje
(and Nostra Aetate and puts into suspicion many of JPII’s ecumenical efforts).
But you have not come to that conclusion. So therefore,
you are now in the inevitable position to try to defend illogical
contradictions.
Rick, what really clarified me about these confusing times is:
1. FATIMA – Sr Lucia’s diabolical disorientation – caused by Vatican II (Nostra Aetate) which in turns infected John Paul II (his mind was possessed by many modernist ideas), which in turn infects and supports Medjugorje.
You do not link Fatima to Vatican II / John Paul II, they are
part of the disorientation – you go straight from Fatima disorientation to
Medjugorje and therefore your reasoning is open to be smashed by the types like
Baylis who can use Vatican II and John Paul II
against you.
2.
Virgin of Unbe in
Here is the website again: www.virgendeunbe.org there is a section in English.
The Virgin of Unbe (she appears as the Sorrowing Mother in black) said such strong messages, that some messages ARE NOT POSTED ON THE WEBSITE, but rather, I had to read them in a Spanish book done by a Marian author, who said that he actually DELETED THE STRONG MESSAGES from this first editions of the book because he thought it could come from the DEVIL but in the end, he admits they were true!!
The Virgin of Unbe was very unhappy with Paul VI in 1971 and said “after his death, no one will see this pope (Paul VI) anymore. After this pope, the next pope will be good, but will die soon. The pope after him will be UNJUST.” (Remember, the promoters of the Virgen de Unbe CENSURED THIS MESSAGE for years!!)
And frankly speaking, that completely 100% describes John Paul II – he was UNJUST as he did not do what he was supposed to do – he did NOT condemn Medjugorje knowing it was false and divisive, but rather let it go on because he felt that people praying was good and superseded the need for the Truth (which is Christ). John Paul II also appointed many many unorthodox and homosexual bishops and cardinals, even knowingly. His false interreligious dialogue is really an eternal scandal to the Catholic Church and if it was not because of Divine Mercy, John Paul II would have gone on to eternal reprobation (yes, I think that he is saved but not because of HE WAS JUST, NO, but because of Divine Mercy).
So, Rick, do you see the clear dilemma?? Either you
are for Vatican II, John Paul II, the Gospa and Paul Baylis
(which are all in harmony with each other and support each other), or you are
for Fatima, Akita, Unbe, and have to argue that
Vatican II has errors (Nostra Aetate), is part of the
diabolical disorientation, and JPII (PARTIALLY) fell under this disorientation
and made IMPRUDENT decisions and papal indiscretions.
Looking forward to your comments,
Hi bro. Rick,
For me, all that I can say is, it is better NOT to
believe than to believe apparitions and private revelations. For
we are never required to believe them and we will be more safe if we don't
believe them. We don't commit sin if we don't believe them.
The Sacred Scriptures and the Traditions of the Church is enough to
send us to heaven if we only make good use of them. If we believe in
apparitions, there is a chance that we will fall to heresies and errors. If we
do not believe them there is nothing that we will lose. For me, as I see
it, the problem is that people want to study apparitions rather than the
Writings of the Fathers, Doctors and Saints of the Church which are more very
important than apparitions. This is a strategy of the devil to draw people
away from the true doctrines of the Church. When St. Teresa of
God bless,
Rick,
Just my response to
this man's article, the early messages speak for themselves.
I contacted a "medjugorje"
web site that had SUDDENLY removed all messages of the first few years. YOU didn't convince me there was a problem
with the authenticity of Medjugorje, the early messages did. I wrote the web
site and asked, where are the messages from the first few
years and he said "The
people in charge of the apparitions asked me to remove them" - and
this is really key - "because they
hadn't had a chance to review and approve them before they were
distributed."
If that doesn't
sound like the Hand of Man behind these "apparitions" I don't know
what does. So the whole first few years we can't trust? What are we
saying here? Either they were ALL of God
or NONE were. You can't have some messages from God and some not.
You don't have to be
a brain scientist to see that this is a fraud and if it helps
people, that's nice, but the number of supporters has never been a reliable argument for
authenticity. Those early messages were SCARY and did NOT help people
or the church or God's mission.
I try to convert
atheists all the time and Medjugorje would scare them away faster than almost
anything I can think of.
I think it hurts the
cause.
Thanks for letting
me vent!
Aloha Rick...
Thanks
for blind coping (bcc:) me with this. I am
first most happy to see that someone is reacting. This Medjugorje matter
is not some vague issue that has an ambiguous answer or lacks a response from
the Church. It has a direct and unequivocal creditability ruling from the
appropriate ecclesiastical authority, the local Bishop. Mr. Baylis seems to be making up his facts from the
beginning. He makes the charge that that the unitypublishing.com
web site is a source of disinformation. Anyone who has been to this web
site knows that the sources for almost everything on it are quoted in a
bibliographic style. This lame excuse for a so-called impartial plea for
"unity" is obviously based on
acceptance of Medjugorje and is transparent for what it is... a personal and
emotionally charged attack. Where are the sources for this op-ed
piece? He quotes the web site and then answers not with facts
but with his own unqualified derisions. I guess what
really is the most irritating and insulting to the reader about the
article is how the author tries to assume the intellectually superior high
ground by trying and failing to sound like a lawyer and portraying you as some
sort of venal Cotton Mather. IF he is a
lawyer, I wonder how many cases he has won with his clever
blow-by-blow illiterations along with the
"straw-men" and leaving his facts outside of the court
room. The ending paragraph of "...More Dangerous..." does
a very good job of revealing it's true purpose.
Rick is causing Catholics to think and making them reconsider their positions
on Medjugorje.... how awful! Mr. Baylis's
version of Catholicism is one to which I will not subscribe. It
is one that ignores the Church and follows its own agenda.
Take care,
Dear Rick,
Peter Kreeft says it so well:
"If you want to invent your own
religion, do not be a Catholic. If you want to teach the Church rather than let
the Church teach you, there are plenty of other churches for you, churches that
welcome theologies without miracles, moralities without absolutes, and
liturgies without adoration. Please do not be a Catholic unless you believe the
Church's claim to speak in these areas in the name of Jesus Christ."
"There is no such thing as a 'cafeteria
Catholic'. Catholics do not pick and choose among the Church's doctrines and
laws; we receive them gratefully from God, we 'eat all the food Mother puts on
our plate'".
"A 'cafeteria Catholic' or a half
Catholic or a 95 percent Catholic is a contradiction in terms. If the Catholic
Church does not have the divine authority and infallibility she claims, then
she is not half right or 95 percent right, but the most arrogant and
blasphemous of all churches...It must be either/or, as with Christ Himself...The
only honest reason to be a Christian is because you believe Christ's claim to
be God incarnate. The only honest reason to be a Catholic is because you
believe the Church's claim to be the divinely authorized Body of this
Christ."
- Dr. Peter Kreeft, in his book "Catholic
Christianity" (pp. 104-105)
Posted by: Phil T.
at Mar 10, 2007 1:27
Dear Mr Paul Baylis,
Rick Salbato is a honourable and honest person. I know him personally since 2000. He is researching and looking for the truth. You seem to be defending yourself. Can you explain me why the Gospa is not speaking about the desobedience of the local franciscans and always defend them in their conflict against bishop and pope?
Did you ever speak with bishop Peric? I did, for 3 hours. I have 200 arguments against the authenticity of Med. after my 24 visits there. Before I have been giving a 100 conferences in favour of Med. Now you can write about me, without knowing me, like you did with Rick.
No problem because the Lord knows the truth about everybody.
Pax et Bonum
Hello Rick:
I was amazed by the
contents of Baylis’ article. He writes and I quote: ”The weight of evidence against his position is likened to
a mountain against a molehill. But, Rick squirms and wriggles and refuses to
give. Now, that's scary!” What really is SCARY is the fanatical defense
of the Medjugorje event and other hoaxes that have been investigated (supposed
“apparitions”, “divine writings” and “seers”) and the results have been very
clear there was (were) no apparition(s).
People with that
kind of fanatical attitude and open disobedience to the Bishop are really
SCARY.
Dear Rick
Concerning the
article blasting you in "Marian Times", keep to your policy of
"not giving in" to what the Medjugorje pushers want. I myself
am often confused concerning the subject, but am leaning heavily towards false,
because of the local Bishops ruling, and because the fruits of the seers are not
good. This has all come from you, and with proper documentation of
the official papers, so how does one refute that? I consider it a mess,
and stick to the approved Fatima and
As for this guys
article, all I see is him personally attacking you...but gives no proof to
discount what he states are your "errors". It is all about
discrediting you for your non-acceptance, but not a defense of why it should be
accepted in the first place!
Are the links at the
bottom direct links to your articles? I clicked on them but it was taking so
darn long...could be my connection today. If so, hopefully readers of his
column will read what you have to say. If they have "eyes to see and ears
to hear", then it will be a blessing!
Stay tough!!!
Dear No Name,
I was forwarded a copy of your email to Rick Salbato about your concerns with
false things going on in the Catholic Church.
Have no fear, these things will occur until the
second coming. Jesus chose Judas as one
of his disciples for the purpose to warn us that there will be scandals in the
Church until the end of time. The smoke of Satan is within the Catholic
Church, let there be no doubt about that.
I know nothing about this Anne you refer to but I do know a little about
Medjugorje. My late Bishop Paul O'Byrne permitted Vicka
Ivankovic to speak at my parish years ago and I have
a friend who visited Medjugorje 3 times.
I never needed to believe in these so- called apparitions in order to affirm my faith. I believe in the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church and am in full communion with our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. I never felt a need to go to Medjugorje to check it out. I have a brother who is studying to become a priest who went there and claims to have witnessed a miracle of the sun while there. I am completely convinced that Medjugorje is a complete fraud!
In my research I
found unitypublishings.com website and www.catholicdoors.com website that refuted the Medjugorje claims,
but the one that helped me to see the truth of Medjugorje and taught me how to
discern the truth about any apparition is the book written by Michael Davies
This is his website. www.mdaviesonmedj.com and you can download a copy of his
book. I highly recommend reading it!
The key to
discerning the truth regarding apparitions and the like has got to do with the
virtue of obedience. St Faustina of the Divine
Mercy said that Satan cannot hide himself in the cloak of obedience. It
is easy to see how the false seers of Medjugorje and the priests who support
them have failed in regards to this essential virtue (read the book). Also
remember the lives of saints like
Ask yourself how
many true saints in the church wished to be exposed to the public
attention? I cannot name any. Why have
there been no Medjugorje seers giving themselves to Jesus in a Holy religious
vocation? They all should have devoted their lives to a religious
vocation, think about it, what would you do if our Blessed Mother Mary appeared
to you? I pray for the seers of
Medjugorje that they will repent of their deceptions. I pray their supporters and followers will
see the light of truth and return to true authentic faith based on the
Catechism of the Catholic Church in full communion with the Pope.
My advice to all
Catholics to avoid being led astray is to know and follow the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, remember the promise of Jesus that he would build his church
upon the rock (Peter the first Pope and his legitimate successors) and that the
gates of hell will not prevail against it. Do not be afraid when scandals
occur in the church since Jesus chose Judas knowing full well he would betray
him and there will be others following the example of Judas until the second
coming. Prayer and the sacraments are all we need to combat these
errors. Remember that we are not compelled to believe and follow any
private revelations (catechism #67) even the authentic ones.
I have been
researching various religious phenomenon as well as non religious phenomenon
such as the 9/11 myth, global warming, the Israeli/Palestinian middle east
conflict and others. In my research I have also studied a bit about
propaganda techniques, the use of fear mongering and truth suppression and
misinformation to manipulate people. It is truly amazing the degree of
deception and manipulation we are exposed to in all aspects of our lives in
this world.
I will pray for the
intentions of yourself, your parish, Bishop and
clergy. Please do the same for me. Ours is a spiritual battle. Be not afraid! I highly recommend Holy Hours of Adoration to
help in the battle and of course the Holy Rosary a favorite weapon of St. Padre
Pio (he prayed 17 rosaries each day!).
Hope this helps.
Yours in Jesus, Mary, Joseph
Dear Rick,
Looks like you have hit the big time Rick! "Unity Publishing, in
the vein of many other quarters thriving on a diet of disinformation from all
around the world (and we know who is the cause of that!)"
With this statement the author demonizes you and your
ministry. And what are the "many other quarters?" Your site is absolutely unique. I have
looked at hundreds of sites on Catholicism and no site comes close to yours in
terms of the sheer volume of documentation and teaching against false
apparitions.
"I'm not so sure God would smile so brightly on any individual bold enough
to negligently afflict the Church founded through the blood and suffering of
His only begotten Son. Thus, I say that these people are more dangerous than
any false apparition."
With this statement the author is showing that he is not interested in the truth. He would prefer to go on demonizing you than dialogue with you.
"I came upon some Medjugorje-related book reviews on different websites which repeated the same warning against Medjugorje and invited people to go to Unity Publishing and "read as many articles as possible" to avoid being deceived."
This is the reason why he is writing and taking your site seriously. He is afraid of what you write.
"But, Rick squirms and wriggles and refuses to give. Now, that's scary!"
He knows of your determination and your persuasiveness. He admits to his fear. (Curious ~ is this man really serious about what he believes? Does he even know how to argue a point? Has he even studied philosophy, let alone theology?)
"His mission statement is the promotion of unity and a pledge to "dispel the darkness", "break the spells" and free us all from "baffling deceptions" when in reality it is really people like himself who have created the darkness and the spells."
More demonizing.
"I simply cannot see any good in what he is doing."
Still more demonizing.
You need my prayers Rick. This sort of thing is dangerous. It is even more dangerous that the author is not interested in dialogue or in the truth, but prefers to see you as the cause of any trouble he might be having. I will have a look at the rest of the article when I get more time. Meanwhile, keep at it! I will keep checking your site to see your rebuttal.
Hi Rick,
I wonder if this guy really read any of your articles. You have saved me much grief in my own search for truth, I read much, especially works by the saints. I find that your research very true - True to the Faith and to God. This guy says that your squirm and wriggle. It seems to me that he's the one that is doing the squirming.
Keep up the good work my friend, we'll probably never meet in this lifetime, but you're one of the ones I can't wait to meet in Heaven, along with King David and Saint Peter.
God Bless you and all you do.
Hallo Rick,
Thanks for your article. The Medjugorje adherents must be very angry to find
your good arguments against their own weak ones for all and everyone to read on
internet. They will stay blind though.
Peric wanted to stop Medjugorje.
be a good opportunity. I myself do not expect that, since he is such an
enthusiastic charismatic.
Medjugorje or
As a result, our side can now claim, that
By the way, we mean that
told us, that it is important that people write, never mind if they do not
answer, as long as they get the massage that people are concerned.
Greetings
Dear Rick,
I would accept it as
a compliment too!
This is precisely
what is so dangerous about, yes, FALSE apparitions. One depends on them
rather than the Faith. One is made to feel part of the apparitions, a
defender, so as to "feel" that they are defending "God's
Mother." All else is secondary. One is not thinking about the
content of the messages, one just "feels" they are right and since a
person has already committed himself or herself to them, then they must be
defended with rigor for if they are proven false, then one's whole faith drops
away because they have substituted a false apparition to Christ's Church and
the Truth. The apparition becomes preeminent. I know because I was
involved in a false apparition about 25 years ago. Their
is a pyschology to apparitions, and to those
people who start false ones, they know how to manipulate people into their way
of thinking! And I believe they are spurred on by the devil if they
were not already inspired by him. We can't leave out the money end
either.
Rick, as you well
know, every response to your articles on Med. in this
articles are easily refutable. Facts are facts. You also
know you are dealing with emotional people here who do not see the true beauty
of our Catholic Faith because this appartions supercedes anything the Church does. I'm willing to
bet that many on the Med. side would even detract the Holy Father if he came
out with negative statements. I do wish the Church would have acted more
quickly on these apparitions for the sake of people's souls. Nowadays, if
you stand for the Truth, you are a hate monger. What ever happened to the
honor and glory of God?
I also believe, from
my own experience, that some people are literally afraid of going against the appartions because they think they are going against the
Mother of God! That they don't have a right to question the apparitions
because they think they will be castigated. That fear of human respect
haunts them. I wonder how they would respond to Donal
Foley's book on Medjugorje? He's referenced it
to the hilt, which is always a good thing to do. What axe did he have to
grind? None, except a love of the Truth. People hate to look at the
truth because they are too comfortable in the shoes they are wearing.
That's why the attack on you. You are affecting their comfort zone.
On a side note, that's part of the reason why there is so little concentration
on the Sacrament of Penance today and the lines are shortening. People
are afraid to examine their conscience today for fear of discovering what we
are, sinners. As Archbishop Sheen said once, "It used to be that
only Catholics believed in the Immaculate Conception. Now everybody
believes they are immaculately conceived."
You and Donal's book have said it all. I just wanted to throw
something in on the pyschological end of the
spectrum. Rather than study the beauty of our faith, people would rather
jump in on the sensational. Instead of reading history and the
spirituality of the Saints, now we can be our own saints and feel part of the
clique that the "Gospa" is speaking too. How many disillusioned
Catholics are we going to have when the pronouncement comes against the
apparitions? How many will fall from the Faith? The devil is
willing to lose a few in order to gain many, and lose many in order to gain a
few souls. In this day of the visual, he knows he has to present the
fantastic to sucker people in. Do things that make them say,
"Wow." He knows the Church will be victorious in the end, and
his time is short. He's got people believing the apparition is right and
the Church is wrong. He's knows the Church is in a weakened state, so he
attacks. When the Church is holy, the attack is always from the
outside. When the Church is not so holy (not talking about the marks of
the Church here) the attack always comes from within.
These people fail to
see that it is Med. that is causing the division, not the people who speak
against it, who have a right to speak against. The message is causing
division precisely because the messages are false. Mix some truth with
lies and keep telling the lies long enough and you can get a multitude to
follow you. I think everyone is afraid to ask the children seeing the
"gospa" the hard questions. If you
challenge them, people think they are martyrs for the suffering you are causing
them. It's a hard situation to deal with. I think we just have to
continue to tell the truth in season and out of season.
I have rambled on
long enough. God bless you Rick. Keep up the fight. I am doing it
on a local level here. People look at me like I am the devil himself when
I point out some things. Thanks for having the backbone to say the Truth.
Take care.
In Christ,
Dear Rick Salbato,
It is unfortunate
that people are so adamant about distorting the truth. I have found Unity
Publishing nothing but helpful and am quite impressed that you qualify your own
opinion so well. Facts are facts. Medjugori is bad news
and the Church has most certainly condemned it. Those who think otherwise are
just plain wrong. There may come a day soon when our holy father must step in
and correct all those who continue to spread the lies. My wife and I pray for
you and those like you every day..
Please keep up the
great work in spreading the truth.
Hi Rick,
Don’t worry, that
this guy is forgetting that the division is not caused by us, but by the
apparition itself. Why? Because if there was no
apparition, there would not be a division. For if the apparition
were really supernatural from God, there would be no divisions among the
faithful of the Catholic Church, or She would simple not appear if She would
had known that there would be divisions.
I sense anxiety and
possible impatience in Paul’s letter. He is certainly hurting. Poor
soul, I hope that he can make it through this trial.
May God give you and
your family courage and continue holding onto Truth in our Catholic
Church. May God give us all strength to
help those who need some strengthening during these times of real trials. I will
appreciate if you keep me posted with this issue.
Thanks,