Does anyone know if the journalist and author Mary (Ball) Martinez is still alive ? I have never seen any tributes or obituaries and wonder where she is, if still in this life ?
Thank you.
Alan Robinson

Her brother, attorney William Bentley Ball, who was notable for supporting the Catholic Church in federal court, died some time ago at age 82. If Mary is still alive, she would be in her 80s. I can find out if she is still kicking, but I won't have that information until tomorrow, when I will post it.

Thank you. I like her writing style and enjoyed both FROM ROME URGENTLY and THE UNDERMINING OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. I think that they caused a stir and I think Michael Davies wrote a criticism of one of them in The Angelus.
Alan Robinson

In her book "Undermining the CC" she states that Pope Pius IX was a Freemason. This is absolutely false and ever since I have recommended that her works be avoided.

I agree, Lance. There is definitely something screwy about her writings.

Well, I learned this morning that Mary Martinez has been dead for a while. I'll learn more details later today and will post those when I have them.

Thanks very much for going to all this trouble; I'd like to know more about her. She seems to have been around the traditional Catholic world for a long time and was writing in the Angelus a long time ago and maybe later in The Roman Catholic. Although there are weaknesses in her writing,principally a lack of evidence for major assertions and a dire shortage of footnotes, her style is interesting, readable and gives some food for thought.

I was informed yesterday that Mary Ball Martinez died 8 or 10 years ago. However, I have still not found exact details. I am still working on this issue. I am more than a little surprised at the lack of substantive information on her.

I agree fully with your last sentence and that is why I posted my request here !

In my edition on page 206 she writes, "Cardinal Ottaviani had nothing to do with his so-called "intervention", the author was a beautiful Italian woman...footnotes by telephone! (xx xx xxxx)"

I tried calling that number a few years ago, I know now why I didn't get an answer. That claim alone makes me a bit suspicious of her.

She wrote that Roncalli was removed from his position at the Lateran seminary in Rome "for the promoting the occult philosophies of Rudolph Steiner", there were more details in an early 80s edition of "the Roman Catholic" I tried to get a copy of the article from the magazine but apparently they don't have a photocopier.