Reflection on Pope Benedict 16's agenda for "reform of the reform"   (DV this file will be updated to include many more articles....soon)

see http://ncronline.org/blogs/essays-theology/reversing-liturgical-field 

Benedict and his supporters have a hit list that includes the following items:

No more Communion under both kinds
 (see http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/my-blood-shed-few-phoenix-faces-living-bread-alone)

No more Communion on the hand.  

No more Communion while standing.  Must kneel

No more special ministers of Communion

No more lay people - especially women - doing anything on the sanctuary

No more altar girls
see: http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/banning-girl-altar-servers 

No more permanent deacons 
see: http://ncronline.org/blogs/just-catholic/we-need-more-not-fewer-deacons 

Mass to be said in Latin according to the old rite, the priest not facing the people
see: http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/okla-bishop-no-longer-faces-people-mass 

Strict Vatican control of all Catholic organizations - especially universities

Vatican control of all appointments - including bishops

Censorship of all Catholic publications and websites

Vatican control = European control of the church 
see: http://www.jesustower.com/Thinktank/history.htm 

Ecumenism means "Catholics are right, everyone else is wrong".
c.f. 2011 Day of Prayer at Assisi. It used to be called " Day of Prayer", but B16 didn't like that name because it might give the impression  that people others than Catholics know how to pray, so name was changed to 
" Day of Pilgrimage"  - see http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/benedict-pope-seconds-assisi 

The recent controversy about a new English translation of the Mass is all about control, not about liturgy. 
See  http://www.compassreview.org/summer02/6.html  
If we give in on this, what next do we give in on?

Does Jesus want us to go back to the old Latin Mass?
Does Jesus want the cardinals to go back to wearing their 20 metre long Superman capes? 
(..as some of them are doing)

What can we do?      see http://www.jesustower.com/Thinktank/nextpope.htm 

footnote re China:
Vatican & Beijing: failure to communicate
Benedict's 2007 letter put the relationship car in reverse.....it was too strong. It was the beginning of a down-turn in relations.
It caused government to call a hastily arranged meeting of Chinese bishops for a "toe the line" session.
I remember asking one experienced China hand what he thought of the letter on the day it was published. His one sound re-action: "Yuck".
The full letter  + follow-up letter to try to justify/explain the letter   (Matteo Ricci would never have written letters like these!).
Benedict's hard-line approach to everyone and everything has alienated not just Catholics, but Protestants, Muslims, Chinese Governmemnt etc