The Catholic Church is suffering internally as is the rest of the world. Its hierarchy divided. Similar to the U.S. Congress. Right and left at each other’s throats. Especially the extreme right.

The Roman Curia is composed of those Cardinals who run the Vatican. As with our Congress, split badly philosophically. Many anti Pope Francis. Makes running the Church an unusually difficult task.

Outside influences involved. Several times I have written concerning Newt Gingrich and Steve Bannon. Both support Francis’ overthrow.

Gingrich’s wife Callista was Trump’s appointee as Ambassador to the Vatican. Provided Newt with open access to Vatican movers.

Bannon’s basic motivation in life is the overthrow of existing governments. He continues to seek Francis’ overthrow. He and Gingrich worked hand in hand during Callista’s ambassadorship. Both walk hand in hand with those bishops who oppose Francis within the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bannon claims Francis is “dangerously misguided.” He refers to the Vatican as the “enemy camp.”

The Roman Curia comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. They are supposedly the group of various bureaus of the Holy See that assist the Pope in the day to day exercise of his primatial jurisdiction over the Roman Catholic Church.

The Curia is traditionally associated with members of the Sacred College of Cardinals, acting either as a body or individually as administrators of the various bureaus.

Francis has difficulty with many of them. They are opposed to “his ways” and want him deposed. Many openly buck him.

Thursday, Francis addressed the Curia. He admonished them in terms of right and wrong, good and evil.

Some of his words: “Be vigilant, evil comes back under new guises…..Before, evil appeared rough and violent, now it shows up as elegant and refined…..These elegant demons demons enter smoothly, without our even being conscious of them.” Francis encouraged those present to always put Christ at the center, warning against the temptation of putting “too much of ourselves, our strategies, and our programs” instead. “Some of our failings, also as a Church, are a forceful summons to put Christ back at the center, for as Jesus says, ‘Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.'”

There is a message here. The saying…..God is in His Heaven, all is right with the world” is not correct. God is in His Heaven, but all is not right with the world!

Today a special one. The birth of Christ. To all, a Merry Christmas!

Best celebrated with family and friends. Not all so fortunate. Those alone will best enjoy the holiday by recollecting better times when it was spent with family and friends.

A treacherous once in a generation winter storm is pummeling central and eastern U.S. It is called a “snowpocalypse.”

Key West is experiencing a very cold Christmas Day. I began writing this blog at 6 am. Just stepped out on the front porch to “feel” how cold. Cold!!! Fifty three degrees. High today projected at 59 degrees.

Buffalo an example of how badly an area can be hit. Buffalo always has bad winters. They know how to handle the storms and are ready for them. This one unfortunately is over the top. Too much.

Buffalo is being ravaged. Hundreds stranded in vehicles in frigid cold and drifting snow. No way for rescue workers to reach them.

The entire of Erie County is without emergency service. No way for first responders to do what they normally would. A doctor was coaching a woman over the phone how to deliver her sister’s baby.

The storm has been labeled Buffalo’s worst ever.

It is reported the storm has passed. Buffalo is in the process of getting out and performing as it could not the past 24 hours.

An interesting note in today’s KeysNews. Makes reference to Christmas Day 1933 in Key West. The Manhattan Café was offering a dinner of turkey and dressing with all the trimmings for 65 cents.

Those were the days!

Enjoy your day…..best you can!