Author Archives: John Lacken

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Divini Illius Magistri – Article 3 Pope Pius XI has introduced us to the three societies to which man belongs – the family – the Church – and civil society. We have been exploring the nature and authority of the Catholic Church and … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Divini Illius Magistri – Article 2 In the first article in this series Pope Pius XI teaches us that education must serve the final end of man which is to attain eternal salvation in Heaven. This must be the primary purpose of education, … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Divini Illius Magistri – Article 1 On 31st December, 1929, Pope Pius XI issued his encyclical letter ‘Divini Illius Magistri’ – ‘On Christian Education’. It is a great encyclical and contains much valuable information. There is a tendency nowadays within Catholic circles to … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Catholic Duties 10 We have come to the final article in this series of articles which looks at Pope Leo XIII’s Encyclical letter ‘Sapientiae Christianae’ on the duties of Christians in society. At the beginning of the letter Pope Leo XIII warned us … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Catholic Duties 9 In the last article on Sapientiae Christianae Pope Leo XIII spoke of those who hide their cowardice under the guise of a false prudence. He now points out another equally false position to adopt, that of false zeal. “On the … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Catholic Duties 8 Pope Leo XIII, whilst acknowledging the autonomy of the secular State, now begins to turn his gaze upon the duties of the Catholic Church to resist the secular State whenever the State impinges upon the rights and duties of the … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Catholic Duties 7 Pope Leo XIII, having outlined the authority of the Church and the authority and primacy of the Pope, now begins to look at the rights of both the civil authorities and of the Catholic Church. He does this with a … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Catholic Duties 6 As we continue reading Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical letter Sapientiae Christianae, we are brought to what is perceived in our time to be a very controversial matter. The obedience that is due to the Pope. The pontificate of Pope Francis … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Catholic Duties 5 In the previous article in this series, we looked at some of the ways in which Ireland has fallen away from the Catholic faith and particularly at how very young children are now being targeted for corruption by those who … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Catholic Duties 4 Pope Leo XIII wrote his encyclical letter Sapientiae Christianae in 1890. This was during what has become known as the Second Industrial Revolution. The prosperity of mankind was increasing in certain parts of the world. The steam engine was being … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Catholic Duties 3 Sincere Catholics should always strive to be good citizens. This is a natural part of our duty to love our neighbour. Difficulties arise however, when the governing body enacts laws which are either contrary to God’s law or which usurp … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Catholic Duties 2 My last article closed with a quote from Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Sapientiae Christianae where he outlined the purpose of the letter. “We deem it expedient in this letter to define more in detail the duties of the Catholics, inasmuch … Read More

This article is available for download. You can download it and print it for private use and for private sharing but it cannot be reproduced in any other publication. To download a print copy click here – Catholic Duties 1 Catholics in western societies are living in similar times to the early Christians. We live in societies that are openly hostile to our Catholic Faith. Many Catholics have compromised in order to get along in the world. Others use their … Read More

That the Catholic Church has a long history of opposition to classroom based sex education may come as a surprise to many Catholic parents. Many of our Catholic bishops have compromised with the world and they now endorse classroom based sex education contrary to what the Catholic Church has taught for centuries. The Church’s opposition to classroom based sex education is rooted in her deep understanding of man, of his fallen nature, and of his inclination towards sin. Catholics who … Read More

On Friday morning, as I was researching this article I started feeling a little bit down and wondering what I could write. New scandals concerning priestly convictions for child abuse were breaking in the Church. The corruption of children through state sanctioned sex education was gathering pace. I read a piece from someone who has left the Catholic Church where he said, “I saw no indication that God was really in the details, that he was faithful to those who … Read More

I was going to write an article which looks in detail at the report from Marie O’Shea BL. on the operation of Ireland’s abortion laws. However I don’t believe that it is worth the time or energy such an article would demand so I will confine myself to just a few comments. The report looks in detail at how we murder our unborn children with a primary focus on the obstacles that get in the way of committing more of … Read More

The worst thing that can befall anyone is that they be judged by God to be cursed on account of their unrepented mortal sins and be condemned for eternity to the pits of Hell. Our bishops rarely, if ever, mention Hell. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that: 1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend … Read More

In my current presentation on the family which is part of my book launch, where I expose the tactics of the global organisations who seek to corrupt the innocence of children, I quote from Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical letter ‘Sapientiae Christianae’ on Christians as citizens. I came across this encyclical whilst reading another encyclical, that of Pope Pius XI on Christian Education – ‘Divini Illius Magistri’. Pope Pius XI quotes Pope Leo XIII concerning a particular point regarding the duties … Read More

War Against the Innocence of ChildrenThere is a global war being waged against the innocence of children. The primary aggressor is the devil but he uses willing human accomplices to carry out his plans to destroy the innocence of children. The devil hates the innocence of children because they remind him of how far he has fallen and of how much he has lost by rebelling against God. The devil’s pride blinds him and drives him on in his mistaken … Read More

Update 16/04/23: I have been contacted to suggest that Joe Biden may not have been invited to Knock Shrine but may have put it on the agenda himself. I have changed the wording below to reflect this i.e. “those who welcomed Joe Biden to Knock Shrine”. In one way this actually makes the situation worse because it suggests that the sacraments of the Catholic Church were suspended to accommodate the visit of a secular ruler who publicly defies Catholic Church … Read More