Cristina Siccardi

"Monsignor Marcel Lefebvre is one of the most important guardians of Catholic Tradition who distinguished themselves in the 20th century. He is a champion of the deposit of faith of the Holy Roman Church, a faithful guardian of the Holy Mass, of the sanctifying integrity of the priesthood, of the Petrine primacy, and of the stable and firm Creed. In the collective imagination, his name is often linked to the figure of a “rebellious” bishop who was disobedient to the Church. Since the 1970s, just uttering his name seemed to evoke who knows what negativity, who knows what divisions... Much of the press and journalists portrayed him as a “schismatic,” someone who wanted to create his own Church... In reality, he was an uncomfortable figure because he spoke with courageous clarity at a time of great confusion in the Church and in the world."

"Catherine of Siena was only six years old when Jesus appeared to her dressed majestically as the Supreme Pontiff, with three crowns on his head and a red cloak, flanked by St. Peter, St. John, and St. Paul. She devoted herself to serving the Church and, in particular, the clergy and the Pope."

"For more than 50 years, since Vatican II, the Church, in its constant anxiety and tension to “dialogue” with the world and pay attention to those “far away,” has increasingly distanced itself from itself, losing its adherence to doctrine and, therefore, to the principles that constitute its own identity."

"Maria Montessori, busy giving lectures in various cities, committed herself to raising public awareness of “modern charity,” where the theme of the “new woman” emerged. She became a champion of women's emancipation and ideals of peace. In March 1896, she became co-founder and deputy secretary of a Roman women's association and in 1899 she joined the Maternal Union. She took up the women's cause in international forums, such as the Women's Congress in London in 1899, where she was approached by Guido Baccelli (1830-1916), who had experienced the barricades that defended the Roman Republic from the assault of French troops in 1849 and was seven times Minister of Education. Also in 1899, Montessori joined the Theosophical Society, founded in 1875 in New York for the study and dissemination of theosophy (divine wisdom) and esoteric sciences. Adhering to the Masonic principle of “universal brotherhood,” theosophy was based on the motto “there is no religion higher than truth.” No specific profession of faith was required of its members. This institution and its official organ, The Theosophist (1879), were founded by Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891), a Russian-born American philosopher, theosophist, occult essayist, and medium, and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (1832-1907) ."

"The cult arose in the 14th century, when Europe was ravaged by the Black Death, which began around 1346 in northern China and spread through Syria to Turkey in successive waves, eventually reaching Greece, Egypt, and the Balkan Peninsula. [...] The outbreaks of the pandemic disappeared in 1353, after killing at least a third of the continent's population: according to the most recent estimates, it caused the death of 20 million people. It was at that time and in Germany that Christians began to pray to a group of fourteen saints, each famous for their extraordinary miracles."

"The pilgrimage was a life choice, very difficult and very risky. Traveling to the Holy Land was a real gamble for one's physical safety. When deciding to set out for the sacred places of Jesus Christ, it was necessary to do so with armed groups to prevent attacks by marauders and Muslims. The crusade itself was experienced as a particular form of pilgrimage, to defend the holy places and, therefore, the Faith and Christianity."

"Cardinal Burke emphasized the real importance of the Catechism published in 1912: it is not simply a religious and historical aid to be celebrated, and urged by the public, he stated that the Pius X remains to this day a firm and indispensable point of reference."

"In a Benedictine monastery in Andechs, Germany, there is a relic of the miracle that took place in Rome in 595, during a Holy Mass celebrated by St. Gregory the Great. At the moment of receiving Holy Communion, a Roman noblewoman began to laugh because she was assailed by doubts about the truth of Christ's real presence in the consecrated bread and wine. The Pope then decided not to give her Communion, and immediately the bread and wine were transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ."

"The Church teaches that Saint Joseph, a model for both consecrated persons and fathers of families, has an unparalleled power of intercession with the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Furthermore, he who died in the sweet company of the Blessed Virgin and Jesus is the patron of the dying, the hope of the sick, and is able to protect the dying from the attacks of Satan."

"Mary's Davidic descent is common among the Church Fathers. St. Paul's own statement that Jesus was “born of the seed of David according to the flesh” confirms this. According to John of Damascus, Luke's genealogy is that of Mary, while Matthew describes the genealogy of Joseph. St. John of Damascus' hypothesis was promoted by Annius of Viterbo in 1502 and has since gained widespread acceptance. Luke's genealogy would account for Mary's Davidic descent, first hypothesized by Irenaeus of Lyon, and Jesus would be “son of David” even according to the flesh, making the prophecy of Psalm 131:11 and the announcement of the Angel Gabriel to Mary Most Holy true. St. Thomas Aquinas added to St. Irenaeus' hypothesis that Mary belonged to the tribe of Levi on her mother's side, like Elizabeth, her relative (Luke 1:5, 36)."

"Tradition is an ever-present legacy, ageless, as is God. The Tradition of the Church is gold, and gold cannot undergo evolution or alteration, otherwise it would no longer be itself; the only process suitable for gold is polishing, to revive its color and brilliance, which is the only “development” in the present of Tradition."

"In the Litany of the Saints prayed in Purgatory by those who were envious on earth, Saint Michael is the second to be named, after Mary Most Holy, a sign of his great power of intercession (Purgatory XIII, 51). The Virgin Mary and the Archangel Michael are associated in their fight against the Devil and both, iconographically speaking, have under their feet, depending on the case, the serpent, the dragon, or the Devil himself, whom the Archangel holds chained and threatens, ready to pierce him with his sword."

"Why did the Three Wise Men set off for Palestine? They were scholars of astrology and, seeing the comet, they attributed extraordinary significance to it because the doctrine of Zoroaster spoke of “a savior born of a virgin without the touch of a man,” the savior would restore the kingdom of good and evil, and his birth would be signaled by the appearance of a bright star. They therefore followed the path of the star and, knowing the Jews' expectation of a Messiah, set off, illuminated by divine grace."

"Saint Ferdinand, who completed the Reconquista of the Iberian domains that had fallen into the hands of Islam, is the only Spanish sovereign to date to be considered by the Church worthy of the glory of the altars. Everyone, even his enemies, agrees in recognizing his purity of morals, prudence, heroism, generosity, meekness, and great spirit of service to his people and the Church. His practice of virtue and wise ability to administer the Spanish kingdoms made him a model Christian sovereign and ruler."

"Saint Hilary was a Christian who bowed not to the power of the world, but to the Kingdom of God."

"Although born in a strongly Catholic country, at the age of 17 Marie Curie rejected all forms of religion, professing atheism and placing her trust solely in Enlightenment rationality and progress. She therefore adhered to Positivism, which became her mindset and guided her every action. Feminism found in her an icon of redemption and emancipation. Suffice it to say that in 1885, she went to the employment office to look for work, due to the financial difficulties her family was experiencing at the time, and found a job as a governess."

"Nehru Gandhi was inspired by the principle of secularism and a “socialist” and “scientific” model of managing the country's resources, based on the predominant role of the public sector within a planned economy and on gradual industrialization."