December 29, 2022 (Edward J. Barr) – The Devil was pleased that the Church positively responded to his input on the Synod on Synodality (see “The Devil’s input on the Synod on Synodality”). However, most demons were stilled angered at the Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. To counter the demons dismay, the father of lies decided to motivate his minions by providing them with an end of year review of their accomplishments. His review gave them confidence that the Culture of Death is still on the rise. Atheism, death, and illness all gained strength in 2022. To shock the Christian faithful, he released a list of accomplishments to friendly newspapers in the Northeast and West Coast, the least religious parts of the US according to a Pew Research poll.
1. A March report by the American Enterprise Institute shows a steady erosion of religious affiliation in the US and the corresponding rise of atheism and agnosticism. (Source: Gen Z and the future of faith in America, American Enterprise Institute)
2. The “Catholic” US president signed a bill protecting access to abortion clinics two weeks after the Dobbs case was decided. (Source: White House)
3. Attacks against Catholic Churches and pregnancy outreach centers continued with minimal response from the “Catholic” president’s Justice Department (Source: Catholic Vote).
4. Justice Department Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta admitted the Department is targeting pregnancy outreach centers, using “enforcement of the FACE Act, to ensure continued lawful access to reproductive services.” (Source: Free Beacon, etc.)
5. After school “Satan Clubs” have appeared in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. (Source: New York Post, MSN, etc.)
6. In December, the “Catholic” US president signed the Respect for Marriage act that codifies “gay marriage” and puts religion liberty at risk. (Source: White House)
7. The Pope continued his trend of naming bishops who minimize perennial Church teaching on life and moral issues to the Cardinalate. (Source: Newsmax, etc.)
8. Cardinal Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said that the Catholic Church had no interest in opposing Italy’s law allowing abortion. Church officials defended his remarks. (Source: Catholic News Agency, Aug. 29, 2022)
9. The Vatican continues to discourage American bishops from denying Communion to elected officials who support abortion while steadfastly offering the Eucharist to politicians whose bishops try to stop their behavior. (Source: The Hill, Fox News, NY Post, CNA, etc.)
10. Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, called pro-abortion proponents “pro-choice,” assimilating the culture of death’s language. (Source: Lifesite, etc.)|
11. Mass attendance continues to decline in the US. Lifeway research indicates 1 in 4 haven’t returned.
12. About 20%+ of Americans have no religious affiliation. (Source: Aleteia reporting on Gallop poll)
13. US bishops continue to restrict the Traditional Latin Mass; suppressing the Catholic cohort that most faithfully adheres to Church teaching. (Source: NY Tines, etc.)
14. The Vatican extended its secret agreement with the atheistic Chinese Communist party. (Source: Vatican, Catholic News Agency, etc.)
15. The Vatican added more pro-abortion members to the Pontifical Academy of Life. (Source: National Catholic Register, etc.)
16. The Vatican was one of the last nations to modify restrictive “shutdown” policies. (Source: National Catholic Register, etc.)
17. Before COVID, the monthly disability rate was between 29 million and 30 million. After the COVID shots, as of September 2022, there were 33.2 million disabled Americans — an extra 3.2 million to 4.2 million. (Source: US Census Bureau)
18. “Culture of Death” pro-abortion candidates earned unexpected victories in the November election in the US. (Source: Time, NPR, etc.)
19. The excess mortality trend in the U.S. is between 15% to 20% for the general population. American millennials in the workforce with group life policies have an excess death rate of 36% as of August 2022. (Source: CDC, Group Life Insurance data cited in, “Cause Unknown: The Epidemic of Sudden Deaths in 2021 and 2022”)
20. In 2019, the average life span of Americans of all ethnicities was nearly 79 years. By the start of 2022, life expectancy had dropped to 76 — a loss of nearly three years. (Source: New York Times, Aug. 31, 2022 – archived). In December, the CDC reported that New Report Confirms U.S. Life Expectancy has Declined to Lowest Level Since 1996!
This partial list of demonic accomplishments indicates that while the Devil was busy in 2021 (see The Devil’s Year in Review), perhaps he was even more successful in 2022. Happy New Year!
Edward J Barr is a catechist, an attorney, an intelligence officer, and a university faculty member. He earned a Master of Theology degree from the Augustine Institute. His new novel, The Gray Apostle: Mission of the Messiah is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other bookstores. Mr. Barr is a contributing writer for the Roma Locuta Est blog (www.RomaLocutaEst.com)
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