1995
Pope John-Paul II publishes his Papal Encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, The Gospel of Life.

Russian Scientist, Dmitri Kouznetsov, obtained a piece of linen from the En Gedi area of Israel which had been dated to around the time of Christ. Carbon-14 examinations at the laboratories in Tuscon, Toronto, and in Moscow; subsequently verified the date of the linen to be the year 200 AD. This cloth was subjected to conditions similar to those in the Chambery fire of 1532, which engulfed the church where the Holy Shroud of Turin was kept at that time: High temperatures in a closed area with the presence of silver. Silver (which dripped onto the folded Shroud), in fact, acts as a catalyst for carboxylation of the cellulose, so that subsequently the cloth becomes enriched with carbon. After Kouznetzov’s experiment, the cloth underwent another Carbon-14 test, with subsequent dating to fourteen centuries later. The rejuvenating effect of silver seems to confirmed by certain archaeological excavations in Pompeii, where textiles, and particularly linen, were found in the ruin of the volcano eruption in the year 79. As a result, the Shroud Research and Development Team has regained new hope to try and prove the man on the Holy Shroud of Turin is in fact, Our Blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pope John-Paul II visits the Diocese of Newark.

1996
Pope John-Paul II recovers from a bout with the flue. The illness prevented the Holy Father from saying Midnight Mass on Christmas.

The week of April 8, Time Magazine published an article entitled: The Search for Jesus. The article is an erroneous attempt by the so-called scholars of the “Jesus Seminar” to revive Gnosticism. Every source they based their judgment on were from the heretical sects you have just read about; Marcion, the Gnostics, and the manichaens, were taken as if they were absolute truth! They came right out and said that the Four Evangelists were “unreliable.” This ridiculous article was written by anti-Catholics who claim to be Christians. I have to doubt that their belief in the Holy Trinity exists since they quoted from those non-Christian heretic sources. I urge you the reader to NEVER FORGET the words of our Blessed Lord, “Many False prophets will come in My name, Don’t you believe them.” [See 2 John].

On May 12, Pope John-Paul II solemnly Beatified, the Venerables: Cardinal Ildefonso Schuster; Filippo Smaldone; Gennaro Maria Sarnelli; Candida Maria De Jesus; Cipitria Y Barriola; Maria Antonia Bandres Y Elosegui; and Maria Cimatti, a Sister of the Hospitaler Order of Mercy.

The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary appears on the side of an insurance building in Clearwater,Florida. The image was viewed by thousands of pilgrims and locals.

In November, Pope John-Paul II met with Fidel Castro of Cuba.

1997
Pope John-Paul II consecrates nine new Bishops, and three Archbishops. Among them was Bishop Basilio Do Nascimento, of Bacau, East Timor, a Diocese that was formed just nine days earlier on December 28, 1996, at the request of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo of Dili, at a recent meeting with the Pope.

The Holy See sets January 1998 date for the first Papal visit to Cuba.

The Vatican formally declared Oblate priest, Father Tissa Balasuriya, a theologian from Sri Lanka, that he has incurred (automatic) excommunication for his views on Original Sin, and the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Father Balasuriya, 72 years old, in his book, “Mary and Human Liberation,” stated that Mary’s role in social transformation and her effectiveness as a role model are suppressed by traditional Catholic teaching.

Catholic youth Kenny Roach, from Delaware scores a perfect 1600 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) on his fourth try. The bright young man was unfazed over his achievement. Kenny is a Parishioner of St. Ann’s in Bethany Beach, Delaware.

On January 9, the Vatican announced that Pope John-Paul II may Canonize Blessed Queen Hedwig of Poland. Our beloved Pontiff has always been dedicated to her cause. Before leaving for the Conclave in 1978, Pope John-Paul stopped and prayed at Blessed Hedwig’s tomb. Thirteen days later, October 16, he was elected Pope on the anniversary of Blessed Hedwig’s Coronation.

On January 11, Pope John-Paul II appointed Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore to the fifteen member permanent Council replacing Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago who died in November of 1996.

The ABC television Network aired a show called Nothing Sacred. This was a poor attempt to display what the Catholic Faith is. This blasphemous sit-com was sponsered heavily by the Disney Company. Thousands of out-raged Catholics across America spoke out for their Faith in protest of Disney and the ABC Company. The show was taken off the air.

Death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Sept 7.

On her Feast day, October 1, Pope John-Paul II names St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Doctor of the Church.

Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the famous Abortion Doctor who helped get Roe Vs. Wade passed, becomes a Catholic and publishes his book, "Touched by the Hand of God."

Changes were made to the Latin Catechism showing the new death penatly teaching.

On December 31, The Father Gobbi Messages ended after 25 years. (Marian Movement of Priests).

1998
In January, Pope John-Paul II makes an historic visit to Cuba. The Pontiff met with Fidel Castro.

On Jan 15, President Bill Clinton of the United States Vetoed the Partial Birth Abortion ban. Thi gave Congress a chance to get 2/3 majority vote and passed the law. Another victory for the devil in his quest to destroy human life.

Norma McCorvey, the woman who was Jane Roe in the famous Roe Vs. Wade abortion case, converted to the Roman Catholic Faith.

Mother Angelica of the Eternal Word Television Network,EWTN, calls into question on National Television the Archbishop of Los Angeles', Roger Cardinal Mahony, interpretation of the Real Presence.

The ABC television Series Nothing Sacred was cancelled. This decision was received well by the Catholics in America.

Father Tissa Balasuriya recanted of his heretical views and was received back into Communion with the Church.

On May 4,Col Alois Estermann of the Swiss Guards and his wife killed by corporal Cedric Tornay. Tornay was disgruntled over a promotion he thought he should have, shot the couple then committed suicide.

The Catholic and Lutheran Churches declared a joint statement of Faith; Salvation by Grace.

In June, Pope John-Paul II issued his Apostolic letter "Ad Tuendam Fidem" (to defend the faith), amending the Code of Canon Law to underline Catholics obligation to the Faith.

In July Pope John-Paul II published his Apostolic letter, Dies Domini- on keeping the Lords Day Holy.

Sulpician Father Raymond E. Brown, died Aug. 8 of a heart attack at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City. He was 70 years old.

From August 13-15 almost 200,000 people attended a three-day celebration at Our Lady of La Vang Shrine in central Vietnam to mark the 200th anniversary of an apparition of the Virgin Mary, Vatican Radio reported.

The new commander of the Vatican's Swiss Guard took up his post on Saturday, three months after his predecessor was murdered by a junior guardsman and shocked the world by the violent act. With little fanfare and ceremony,Col. Pius Segmueller, 46,took command of the 100-soldier unit from interim commander Col. Ronald Buchs; he was appointed by Pope John-Paul II.

Pope John Paul II decried the deaths of 37 people, among them five religious and five lay church workers, in an apparent rebel attack in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In a message at the end of his August 26 general audience, the pope said he had learned of the incident ``with a profoundly aggrieved soul.'' ``I firmly deplore this criminal act,'' he added.

The Rome-based MISNA missionary news service reported Aug. 27 that 207 corpses were recovered in the days after the Aug. 24 armed attack on the Catholic parish in Kasika, in the eastern part of the former Zaire. MISNA said Rwandan-backed rebels were thought to have conducted a raid to avenge an attack on their camp.

The Congressional Gold Medal was presented to Sister Priscilla, secretary general of the Missionaries of Charity, by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., one of the primary sponsors of the legislation to honor Mother Teresa with the highest award Congress can give an individual.

A Catholic-Anglican dialogue commission approved a statement on how authority --including that of the pope -- should be used in the church. Titled ``The Gift of Authority,'' the paper was worked out at an August 25-September 3 meeting of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission outside of Rome. It was expected to be published in the first half of next year. Catholic participants called the document an important step forward on one of the most difficult issues in Catholic-Anglican dialogue.

Pope John-Paul II denounces horoscopes. Pope John Paul II urged people Sunday to turn to prayer rather than psychics and astrology when they're looking for guidance, delivering a tough message in a nation where horoscopes and lucky lotto numbers preoccupy many. The Pontiff said, "For this, neither horoscopes nor magic forecasts work...What works is prayer, real prayer, coupled always with a choice of life that conforms with the law of God."

The annual miracle of St. Januarius, the patron saint of Naples, was repeated on September 19, in the presence of a large crowd and a substantial media presence. The liquefaction of the saint's blood-- an inexplicable phenomenon which has occurred yearly over the centuries.

In a visit to the northern Italy town of Brescia on Saturday, September 19, Pope John Paul II invoked the memory of his predecessor Pope Paul VI, a native of the region. The visit by Pope John Paul coincided with the closing of ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of Pope Paul's birth. John Paul spoke of him as "a pilot of Peter's barque, at a time that was not easy for the Church or for humanity.

On September 22, One of the Church of England's most vehement opponents of women priests announced this week he will join the Catholic Church. Father Francis Bown, vicar of St. Stephen's Church in Hull, England, has claimed the Church of England is spiritually, morally, and intellectually bankrupt.

On September 24 The Holy See concluded an accord with the Republic of Kazakhstan, affirming the legal status of the Church in the former Soviet republic. The pact was signed by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, and Kazakhstan's foreign minister Kassymzhomart Tokaev. After the signing the Kazakhstan delegation was received by Pope John Paul II.

On October 11, Blessed Edith Stein was solemnly Canonized. As he pronounced the canonization of Edith Stein, Pope John Paul II prayed "that her witness will serve to reinforce the bridge of understanding between Jews and Christians." He also asked "all men and women of good will" to join him in the prayer that there could "never again" be an atrocity like the Holocaust. Edith Stein, who died at Auschwitz on August 9, 1942, had been beatified by Pope John Paul in May 1987. Last year a Vatican investigation resulted in the official approval of a miracle attributed to her intercession: the inexplicable healing of a young American girl who had been accidentally poisoned.

On October 15, Pope Johh-Paul II published his Papal Encyclical, Fides Et Ration, Faith and Reason.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was been elected vice-dean of the College of Cardinals. He succeeds Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, who died on June 9. Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to his new post on November 6 by the six cardinal-bishops. (The College of Cardinals is divided into cardinal-bishops, cardinal-priests, and cardinal-deacons.) The vice-dean replaces the dean of the College of Cardinals (currently Cardinal Bernardin Gantin) if the latter is unable to perform his functions. Upon the death of a pope, the cardinal known as the camerlengo (currently Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo) takes charge of Vatican affairs until a new pope is elected. But it is the dean of the College who calls together the conclave, presides over the elections in the Sistine Chapel, and asks the elected candidate if he will accept the office and which name he will choose.

On December 6, The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta celebrated its 900th birthday by receiving the gift of fort St. Angelo in Valletta's harbor where it once fought off the encroachment of the Ottoman armies of Europe under the leadership of Grand Master Jean de la Valette who turned back the Turkish siege in 1565.

On December 7, Pope John Paul II appointed a new apostolic nuncio to the United States on Monday to replace Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan who will return to the Vatican. Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, 68, is originally from Colombia and is now the rector of the Vatican's diplomatic school. His previous diplomatic posts included time as nuncio in Yugoslavia. In addition to acting as ambassador to the US, the archbishop will also be the Vatican's observer at the Organization of American States.

In a statement published December 17, The Holy See issued a clear and blunt condemnation of American "aggression" against Iraq. The Vatican said that the missile strikes undertaken by the US should be "stopped as soon as possible," so that "international order may be restored." When he was informed about the missile strikes, Pope John Paul II immediately appealed to all leaders of the international community to work for peaceful solutions to the conflicts in the Middle East, and especially in Iraq.

The leader of the 800,000 Chaldean-rite Catholics in Iraq, Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid, was in Rome this week when the US launched air strikes on Iraq. Contacted there by the Fides news agency, the Patriarch-- who was in constant telephone contact with Baghdad-- said that the attack is "immoral, planned by moralists who have no morals."

On December 18, The secretary general of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Esmat Abdel Meguid, today met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, to discuss the conflict in Iraq.

Also on December 18, The Vatican officially approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Padre Pio, the famous Capuchin and stigmatist who died in 1968. That development announced in the Italian media opens the way for the monk's beatification, which is expected for May 1999.

On Saturday, December 19, Pope John Paul II received the newly elected Syrian Catholic Patriarch Ignace Moussa I Douad of Antioch, in a traditional ceremony symbolizing the full communion between the Syrian and Roman Catholic churches. At the Pope's request, the traditional ceremony was slightly altered "in a manner better adapted to show recognition of the dignity of the patriarchal charge." In the past, as each Eastern-rite patriarch visited Rome for an affirmation of communion between the churches, the patriarch would receive the pallium; the woolen vestment which is a symbol of authority given to each newly appointed archbishop in the Roman Catholic Church. However, the authority of a patriarch exceeds that of an archbishop. (The patriarch is chosen by the synod of the Church-- in this case the Syrian Catholic Church-- just as the Pope, who is also the Patriarch of Rome, is chosen by the College of Cardinals, who act for the Roman Catholic Church.) Thus in a liturgical act symbolizing the complete communion between Roman and Syrian Catholics, the new Patriarch received the Body and Blood of Christ from the hands of the Pope's representative, Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, who in turn received Communion from the Patriarch. That ceremony took place on December 16, in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Cardinal Silvestrini is the prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Eastern Churches.