Category: Isis Unveiled, Volume II: H. P. Blavatsky (1877)

"The following are translated from the Kabalistic Ritual, and that, generally known as the Roman Ritual. The latter was promulgated in 1851 and 1852, under the sanction of Cardinal Engelbert, Archbishop of Malines, and of the Archbishop of Paris. Speaking of it, the demonologist des Mousseaux says: "It is the ritual of Paul V, revised [...]

"The seed of the Reformation was sown on the day that the second chapter of The Catholic Epistle of James, jostled the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews in the same New Testament. One who believes in Paul cannot believe in James, Peter, and John. The Paulists, to remain Christians with their apostle, [...]

"The climax of effrontery was capped in 1534, when another letter was received from the Mediatrix", which sounds more like the report of a lobby-agent to a brother-politician. It was written in excellent Latin, and was found in the Cathedral of Messina, together with the image to which alludes. Its contents run as follows: "Mary [...]

"The civilized world may yet expect the apparition of the materialized Virgin Mary within the walls of the Vatican. The so-often repeated "miracle" of the Immaculate Visitor in the mediaeval ages has recently been enacted at Lourdes, and why not once more, as a coup de grâce to all heretics, schismatics, and infidels? The miraculous [...]

"His Holiness the Pope, after exhausting, in a metaphor of self-laudation, every point of assimilation between the great biblical prophets and himself, has finally and truly compared himself with the Patriarch Jacob "wrestling against God." He now crowns the edifice of Catholic piety by openly sympathizing with the Turks! The vicegerent of God inaugurates his [...]

"It would profit little were we to dwell much upon subjects which have been disposed of in such a masterly way by an anonymous author, whose work electrified England and Germany last year; while as regards the particular topic under notice, we cannot do better than recommend the scholarly writings of Dr. Inman. Albeit one-sided, [...]

"We cannot regard with too much astonishment the pretensions of the Catholic Church in seeking to convert Hindus and Buddhists to Christianity. While the "heathen" keeps to the faith of his fathers, he has at least the one redeeming quality - that of not having apostatized for the mere pleasure of exchanging one set of [...]

"If it be objected that the Golden Legend is now but half supported by the Church; and that it is known to have been compiled by the writer from a collection of the lives of the saints, for the most part unauthorized, we can show that, at least in one instance, the biography is no [...]

"What are we to think of that other narrative, to disbelieve in which, is "to risk one's salvation", as we were informed by a Pope's missionary of the Order of the Franciscans? When St. Francis preached a sermon in the wilderness, the birds assembled from the four cardinal points of the world. They warbled and [...]

""Observe well", exclaims des Mousseaux, "that there are demons which sometimes will speak the truth." "The exorcist", he adds, quoting the Ritual, "must command the demon to tell him whether he is detained in the body of the demoniac through some magic art, or by signs, or any objects which usually serve for this evil [...]