 1/26/2009 5:18 AM |
|
| | | Post: 3,534 | Registered in: 11/23/2005
| Master User |
|
In reply to a number of messages received about the 'difficulty' of navigating within the Forum, I hope this helps:
FOR NEW VISITORS TO THE FORUM: To navigate within the page you are now on, scroll up or down as needed.
To see preceding entries in NEWS ABOUT BENEDICT, Click on 'Previous page', above right.
To get to other topic threads of the English section, click on the 'envelop' above right, tagged 'Fans speaking English' -
it will get you to the board with all the topic threads available in the section.
On that board, to get to the latest page containing the most recent entries on the topic you choose,
click on 'Last' in the parentheses indicating page numbers right after the subject title,
Once you get to that page, proceed as above.
Jumping into the fray, the New York Times seeks out the usual suspects to comment on the latest papal controversy.
Healing Schism, Pope Risks Another
By RACHEL DONADIO
The New York Times
January 26, 2009
ROME — A day after Pope Benedict XVI said he would revoke the excommunications of four schismatic bishops, including one who has denied the Holocaust, concern about the pope’s decision extended into the Vatican itself.
Cardinal Walter Kasper, the director of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the liaison for Vatican-Jewish relations, said Sunday that he had not been consulted. “It was a decision of the pope,” the cardinal said in a telephone interview.
That Benedict apparently did not widely discuss a matter that has provoked anger among Jewish groups and liberal Catholics was not out of character, however. It was just the latest example of how the pope is increasingly focused on internal doctrinal issues and seemingly unaware of how they might resonate in the larger world.
As such, it perfectly captured the theological aspirations — and political shortcomings — of his four-year-old papacy.
In 2007, Benedict approved broader use of the Latin Mass, a reform sought by the same traditionalists he has now reinstated, but one seen by many in the church as divisive. The year before, the pope angered Muslims when he cited a medieval scholar who said that Islam brought things “evil and inhuman,” and he was seemingly ill prepared for the repercussions. He later apologized.
Again this weekend, a doctrinal question exploded into a global polemic. Benedict’s decision to extend an olive branch to the four men was apparently born from a deep personal and theological desire to heal the only schism in the Roman Catholic Church in a century.
On Saturday, he said he would welcome back into the fold the four members of a sect founded in opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. The bishops are members of the St. Pius X Society, which was founded in 1970 by a French archbishop, Marcel Lefebvre, in opposition to Vatican II reforms. They were excommunicated by Pope John Paul II in 1988 after Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated them in unsanctioned ceremonies.
The most contentious of the four is the British-born Bishop Richard Williamson, who in a recent television interview said he thought the “historical evidence” was against six million Jews dying in Nazi gas chambers.
Some saw the pope’s decision as part of a trend, or at least an indication of his priorities.
“There is obviously a theological strategy, but the repercussions on the public opinion field beyond the church are obviously only secondary in priority,” said Mordechay Lewy, the Israeli ambassador to the Vatican.
The move baffled Alberto Melloni, a professor of church history and the director of the liberal Catholic John XXIII Foundation for Religious Science in Bologna, which produced a history of Vatican II. “What is very inexplicable to me is how it’s possible to not calculate the consequences. This is abnormal,” he said.
The Society of St. Pius X does not appear to have issued any public statements on Bishop Williamson’s views on the Holocaust. But the society has never been welcoming toward other faiths.
Jewish leaders said the pope’s decision was a setback. “It’s a very serious situation,” said Riccardo di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome. He said the tenets of Lefebvrism were as worrisome as Bishop Williamson’s personal views.
Rabbi di Segni said he did not know what the next chapter would bring. “I don’t know what kind of resolution there can be at this point,” he said.
In a public statement, the Vatican said Saturday that the revocation was a step toward full reconciliation with the Lefebvrists and that further talks would seek to resolve the “open questions.”
Other liberal critics said the pope’s decision to welcome the Lefebvrists showed that he was more willing to embrace schismatic conservatives than wayward leftists.
In his days as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Benedict censured many left-leaning prelates, including ones adhering to the Marxist-inflected Liberation Theology movement popular in Latin America.
“I would be happy if the pope would be for reconciliation, especially also for people on the progressive side,” said Hans Küng, a professor of theology at the University of Tübingen, Germany, who has for decades been Benedict’s most formidable critic on the left. A Catholic priest, Father Küng was forbidden by the church to teach theology.
The revocation seemed to move the papacy further toward intellectual concerns rather than the daily lives of Catholics. Under Benedict, the church “risks becoming a Vatican hierarchy disincarnated from faith,” said Ezio Mauro, the editor of the center-left daily La Repubblica, who writes on church-state issues.
Father Küng agreed. Benedict “does not see that he is alienating himself from the larger part of the Catholic Church and Christianity,” he said. “He doesn’t see the real world. He only sees the Vatican world.”
*********************************************************************
First of all, the Times headline is stupid. What other schism is risked here? The schism of the progressives? They never had the balls to break away all these decades, or alternatively, they feel so cocksure they will prevail within the Church - 'we are the Church' - that they feel if they only stand their ground, they will! It can't be the Jews, who are the only other party interested in this issue, since they are not Christians, so there is no question of schism.
I do worry that this could be a far greater PR incident than Regensburg ever was - simply because the Jews dominate Western media, and the most strident opinion makers, who are mostly liberals/progressives, only have contempt for traditionalists of the Church - whom they consider and call 'fundamentalists' derogatively - whereas they could be most tolerant and even share the causes of Islamist fundamentalists.
We have seen what liberal media can do to someone they dislike in the merciless savaging of George W. Bush, who knew to turn the other cheek. I very much fear that our Pope may be the next narrowly focused target of the liberal derangement syndrome against anyone they dislike.
And the government of Israel could well aggravate the syndrome by withdrawing their invitation for him to visit the Holy Land.
As for Cardinal Kasper and other Curial officials who seem to be against the Pope's decision, the decree was rumored in the press for some time, and reported 'knowledgeably' by two of the most reliable Italian Vaticanistas a few days before the decree finally came out.
If they really felt so concerned about possible negative repercussions for the Pope, did they at least try to make their reservations known to him as soon as those rumors came out? A loyal co-worker would do so, if only for the record, but especially if one had reason to believe there were bound to be unintended consequences.
Soon, Benedict XVI will be painted by the derangement-afflicted as someone who has succeeded is alienating other world religions in succession - first the Muslims, now the Jews. Who next - the Hindus? The atheists are already in full battle mode against him...
Media will have a field day rehashing all the previous PR 'gaffes' and 'mistakes' that have kept them rapping the Pope on the knuckles as one would a stubborn schoolboy who never learns, adding on their derision for a Vatican that ventures into YouTube but does not seem to grasp the more fundamental CYA rule of PR - and I find media gloating and Schadenfreude perhaps the most unbearable torture of all! (That and the inevitable and oh-so-unwarranted and even false comparisons with his predecessor, as the Jews are forever doing.)
Perhaps Fr. Lombardi in his statements about the Williamson issue could have been more explicit and insistent about explaining to outsiders exactly what excommunication is - as a canonical discipline for actions specified in canon law, which does not, unfortunately, provide against anti-Semitism, bigotry and ignorance. (It's bad enough that the usual MSM stories are unable to compress the history of the FSSPX schism in an accurate way that is also comprehensible to the casual reader, Catholic or not.)
Perhaps someone in the Vatican who was privy to the developments that led to the Pope's decision (Cardinals Castrillon and Re, most definitely) might have remembered to recommend as a precaution that Mons. Fellay should be requested to simultaneously issue a disclaimer about Williamson and an apology for the unnecessary anguish and outrage that his remarks have meant to Jewish people.
[It would not have hurt any - and it would have pre-empted much of the bitter reaction from the Jews - if the announcement of the 'excom' revocation had also been accompanied by a statement saying explicitly that the canonical act doe not in anway mean that the Church, the Vatican or the Pope condone one of the bishops' anti-Holocaust snetiments, and it can only reject such statements - instead of simply assuming and trusting that the rest of the world - and the media - would understand that of course, the Pope finds Williamson's statements unacceptable!]
We can't get into the mind of the Holy Father, but he will have considerations that anyone who is not Pope cannot possibly have the slightest inkling about - in the same way that some crucial decision-making considerations by an actual US President include factors that a mere presidential candidate cannot even imagine.
We must trust the Holy Father's wisdom even as we cower in dread over what he might be in for. He will be sustained by the Spirit which dwells in the Vicar of Christ, but we must also add our prayers - and project all our love towards him.
I won't waste my bile for now against the usual suspects dredged up by the Times and its like-minded media colleagues as 'character witnesses' ('character assassins' more like it) against the Pope. I see the rogues' gallery now includes Melloni and Di Segni, with Politi and Mancuso missing from the Italian line-up this go-around, and Fr. Reese and David Gibson on the US side. Mauro is a stand-in for his boss Scalfari, the secular 'Pope' of La Repubblica.
TERESA
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/28/2009 10:22 PM] |
| 1/26/2009 1:45 PM |
|
| | | Post: 1,747 | Registered in: 11/27/2005
| Veteran User |
|
I suppose you needed to write a news item and so you had to flesh it out by trotting out the usual things about Jews and Muslims, even referring yet again to the Regensburg Lecture - hardly news!
Williamson et al. have not been reconciled to the Catholic Church. They have merely had their episcopal excommunications revoked, so that further dialogue may now occur. The Pope hopes that this will bring the one major schismatic group back into communion with the Holy See.
And, the Holy Father is responsible for the souls of Catholics.
Now shut up and let me go on with my hibernation! Wake me up when this nonsense is over! 
|
| 1/26/2009 1:53 PM |
|
| | | Post: 16,392 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
January 26
Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops
No OR today.
THE POPE'S DAY
The Holy Father met today with
- H.E. Stanislas Lefebvre de Laboulaye, Ambassador of France to the Holy See, who presented his credentials.
Address in French.
- Bishops of Russia on ad-limina visit:
Mons. Paolo Pezzi, F.S.C.B., Archbishop of the 'Mother of God' Cathedral in Moscow;
Mons. Clemens Pickel, Bishop of St. Clement in Saratov;
Mons. Cyryl Klimowicz, Bishop of St. Joseph in Irkutsk and apostolic administrator for the Holy See; and
Mons. Joseph Werth, S.J., Bishop of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk, and ordinary for
Byzantine-rite faithful who preside in Russia.
[NB: Because the Russian Orthodox Church objects to the idea of Roman Catholic dioceses in Russia, the Roman Catholic bishops
in Russia are given titles referring to their respective Cathedrals, rather than to their diocesan jurisdiction.]
The Vatican released today the program for the Holy Father's apostolic visit to Cameroon and Angola
on March 17-23.
The Vatican also released the message of the Holy Father to the Archbishop of Trragona (Spain) at
the conclusion of celebrations for the 1750th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Fructuoso, Bishop,
and Saints Augurio and Eulogio, Deacons.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/26/2009 2:01 PM] |
| 1/26/2009 2:34 PM |
|
| | | Post: 16,393 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
APOSTOLIC VOYAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO CAMEROON AND ANGOLA, March 17-23, 2009
P R O G R A M
I T A L Y
Wednesday, March 17
Fiumicino (Rome)
10.00 Departure from Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport.
C A M E R O O N
Yaoundé
16.00 Arrival at Nsimalen International Airport.
- WELCOME CEREMONY. Address by the Holy Father.
Wednesday, March 18
08.00 Private Mass, Chapel of the Apostolic Nunciature in Yaoundé.
10.00 COURTESY VISIT TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC,
Palace of Unity.
11.15 MEETING WITH THE BISHOPS OF CAMEROON, Church of Christ the King. Address by the Holy Father.
12.45 Lunch with the Bishops of Cameroon and the Papal Delegation, Apostolic Nunciature.
16.45 VESPERS CELEBRRATION with bishops, priests, religious, deacons, ecclesial movements and representatives
of other Christian confessions. Basilica of Mary Queen of the Apostles. Address by the Holy Father.
Thursday, March 19
08.45 MEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF CAMEROON, Apostolic Nunciature.
Greeting by the Holy Father.
10.00 HOLY MASS on the occasion of the publication of the Instrumentum Laboris for
the Bishops Synod's II Special Assembly for Africa. Amadou Ahidjo Stadium. Homily.
16.30 MEETING WITH THE 'COMMUNITY OF THE SUFFERING', Cardinal Paul Emile Léger - CNRH Center.
Address by the Holy Father.
18.30 MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF THE BISHOPS SYNOD'S SPECIAL COUNCIL FOR AFRICA, Apostolic Nunciature.
Address of the Holy Father.
19.30 Dinner with Members of the Special Council and the cardinals and bishops in the papal delegation.
Apostolic Nunciature.
Friday, March 20
07.00 Private Mass, Chapel of the Nunciature.
08.45 Farewell at the Apostolic Nunciature.
10.00 DEPARTURE CEREMONY at Nsimalen International Airport.
Address by the Holy Father.
10.30 Departure for Luanda.
A N G O L A
Luanda
12.45 Arrival at 4 de Fevreiro International Airport in Luanda.
- WELCOME CEREMONY. Address by the Holy Father.
17.00 COURTESY VISIT TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, Presidential Palace.
17.45 MEETING WITH POLITICAL AND CIVILIAN AUTHORITIES AND WITH THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS, Presidential Palace.
Address by the Holy Father.
19.00 MEETING WITH THE BISHOPS OF ANGOLA AND SÃO TOMÉ, Chapel of the Apostolic Nunciature.
Address by the Holy Father.
19.45 Dinner with the Bishops of Angola and São Tomé, and members of the Papal delegation. Apostolic Nunciature.
Saturday, March 21
10.00 HOLY MASS with the bishops, priests, religious, ecclesial movements and catechists of
Angola and São Tomé, Church of St. Paul. Homily.
16.30 MEETING WITH THE YOUTH, Stadio dos Coqueiros. Address of teh Holy Father.
Sunday, March 22
10.00 HOLY MASS with the bishops of IMBISA (Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa),
Cimangola Esplanade. Homily.
- ANGELUS at the Esplanade. Words by the Holy Father.
16.45 MEETING WITH CATHOLIC MOVEMENTS FOR PROMOTING WOMEN, Parish of St. Anthony.
Address by the Holy Father.
Monday, March 22
07.30 Private Mass, Chapel of the Nunciature.
09.15 Farewell at the Nunciature.
10.00 DEPARTURE CEREMONY at the international airport. Address by the Holy Father.
10.30 Departure for Ciampino (Rome).
I T A L Y
Rome
18.00 Arrival at Ciampino airport.
NB: Both Yaoundé and Luanda are in the same time zone as Rome.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 3/14/2009 5:35 PM] |
| 1/26/2009 3:12 PM |
|
| | | Post: 16,394 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
Israel says Pope`s visit still on
despite anger over renegade bishop's
anti-Holocaust views
JERUSALEM, Jan. 25 (Reuters) - Pope Benedict is still due to visit to Israel in May, an Israeli official said on Sunday, despite angering Jews worldwide by re-admitting a bishop who has denied the full extent of the Nazi genocide of six million Jews.
Israel's national Holocaust museum and memorial decried as "scandalous" Benedict's decision to lift excommunications on British-born bishop, Richard Williamson, who has said there were no gas chambers and only 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps in World War Two.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said, however, the Pontiff's planned visit in May to Israel was not in doubt.
"We believe that the question of excommunicating or not excommunicating a member of the Roman Catholic church is an internal matter for the Church," said Robert Rozet of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.
"Nevertheless, we find it scandalous that a member of the church at this high level of bishop has views of denying the Holocaust," Rozet said. [Williamson has been outside the Church for 20 years, and as an illicitly ordained bishop of a schismatic group, one should not over-estimate his 'importance'. His views about the Holocaust are entirely his and have nothing to do with what the Church teaches, nor with objective fact, for that matter.]
Israeli Foreign Minister spokesman Yigal Palmor, asked if the Pope's decision would have an impact on his planned visit, replied: "No. This has nothing to do with relations between states.".
Williamson is one of four traditionalist bishops who were thrown out of the Roman Catholic Church in 1988 for being ordained without Vatican permission.
Belgian bishops statement
on Pope's conciliatory gesture
to the Lefebvrians
Translated from
January 26, 2009
Everything that contributes to Christian unity is a good thing".
"But as Benedict XVI often reminds us, unity is never achieved at the cost of truth. With his gesture of reconciliation, he has not placed into question the Second Vatican Council and its teachings."
This was the comment of Fr. Eric de Beukelaer, spokesman of the Belgian bishops' conference, on the revocation announced this weekend of the excommunication decree for the 4 Lefebvrian bishops.
He also said that "this question should not be mixed up with the statements of a traditionalist bishop who denies the reality of the Shoah", adding that "One can only deplore this."
He continued: "The Shoah remains the symbol of the homicidal folly of an inhuman regime obsessed with the idea of annihilating the Jewish people. Any person who minimizes its importance is acting as an ideologue, not as a historian. Doing so, he hurts our own duty to remember. It is obviously unacceptable and hardly intelligent."
The note released today by the Belgian bishops' conference includes a comment by a professor of canon law, Alphonse Borras, who defined the recall of the excommunication as "an undeniable act of will by Benedict XVI to seek a way of unity with all Christians separated from Rome".
Abbé Alphonse Borras it the Vicar-General of Liege (Belgium) and professor of canon law at the Catholic University of Liege. Lella has posted Abbe Borras's comment (written in French) on her blog. Here is a translation:
It is very gratifying that this took place during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - it is a living metaphor, a strong gesture, an undeniable act of will by Benedict XVI to seek a way of unity with all Christians separated from Rome.
"We can only rejoice, all of us. It is for each of us, from our own vantage points, to draw the lessons it gives! One cannot deny that the Pope truly wishes that certain interests 'end their contumacy', namely, their obstinate will to breach the law (cfr Canon 1358 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law), and offers to the ENTIRE Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X the possibility of returning to full communion with the Roman Church.
Cardinal Ricard:
'This is only the start
towards true dialog'
Translated from
January 26, 2009
"Revoking excommunication is never an end in itself but the start of a process of dialog," according to Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux (France) and member of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, in a statement released yesterday by the French bishops' conference regarding the case of the 4 Lefebvrian bishops and their community.
" Pope Benedict XVI has gone as far as it is possible [for a Pope] to hold out a hand inviting reconciliation. The Pope, who is both a theologian and historian of theology, knows very well the tragedy represented by a schism in the Church. He himself [as Pope] is invested with the mission to put back together the frayed threads of ecclesial unity," he said.
Cardinal Ricard also calls attention to the fact that "This Pope knows the entire dossier very well" on the Lefebvrians, since as Cardinal Ratzinger, he was asked by Pope John Paul II (in 1988) to attempt to heal the rupture with the Lefebvrians, only to "meet with failure ultimately". [NB: He reached an agreement with Mons. Lefebvre which the late bishop signed but promptly reneged on, by going ahead to ordain 4 bishops without the Pope's approval. This was the basis for the automatic excommunication of the four ordained bishops along with Lefebvre and another bishop (also now deceased) who performed the consecration.]
The recall of the excommunication, said Ricard, "opens a path to take together. It will certainly be long. And will require better reciprocal consideration".
He points out that there are 'two fundamental questions' to be settled: "the juridical structure of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius in the Church, and an agreement on dogmatic and ecclesiological issues."
Above all, he said, "there is the question of the texts of the Second Vatican Council as documents of primary importance in the Magisterium - this is the fundamental issue." [By Church law, Council teachings take magisterial precedence even over Papal statements - an elementary fact most critics overlook when accusing Benedict XVI or John Paul II of 'negating' or 'reversing' Vatican-II, which by definition, they cannot.]
The difficulties, he adds, "will not necessarily be only doctrinal. Others - cultural and political - may emerge. An example are the recent unacceptable statements by Mons. Williamson denying the tragedy of the extermination of the Jews."
He concluded: "Let us not forget that the surest way to achieve unity among all the disciples of Christ is prayer."
I share the sentiments expressed by Giuliano Ferrara in a front-page editorial today for his newspaper.
It is urgent that the Vatican
repudiate Bishop Williamson's statements
by GIULIANO FERRARA
Translated from
Jan. 26, 2009
It is neither prudent nor wise for the Vatican that the recall of the Lefebvrian bishops' excommunication has opened the way to new controversy with the Jews.
The recall of a canonical act decreed in 1988 by John Paul II is obviously an internal matter for the Church, which is not the business of outsiders.
And Fr. Lombardi, the Jesuit in charge of the Vatican press office, punctiliously stated that the action has no other significance beyond what it is as a canonical act.
But the non-canonical effects of a canonical action must be weighed attentively.
The schismatic bishop Richard Williamson, one of the 4 welcomed back into communion with the Roman Church, said recently: "I believe there were never any gas chambers" [used by the Nazis to massacre Jews].
This is a 'belief' of the type that modern historical debate calls 'negationism' - the ideological decision, unsupported by historical facts and indeed contradicted by crushing documentary adn testimonial evidence, to erase the genocide of the European Jewry from the collective memory.
It is an act of violence to the millions of descendants of those who were victims of the German lager, and a brutal non-acknowledgment of a part of Jewish and Israeli identity that is dedicated to protecting that memory for always and everywhere.
Some explanation is needed to outsiders and the Jews because otherwise, it looks like the Church is throwing its arms around a bishop who holds these fideistic ideas about the history of the 20th century, and it is inevitable that equivocations, misunderstandings, even pain and sorrow, can only result in the context of the 'prophetic dialog' with the Jews that Rome has undertaken starting with Vatican-II.
And that is a determinative consideration in this whole episode.
It had been important for the Pope to redefine what is acceptable and practicable by the entire Church in terms of ritual worship. In this, he acted against what had been a certain conformism to the liberal interpretation of post-Conciliar liturgical reform, which did not make room for the traditional liturgy so beloved and respected by a part of the Catholic world.
But then the liberalization - which called attention to a prayer for the Jews used in the traditional Good Friday liturgy in an eschatologic sense - forced the Catholic hierarchy to make a series of explanations expressing respect for the Jews to point out that a reformulation of the prayer by Benedict XVI was in no way inconsistent with the path of dialog that had been begun and carried on by the last three Popes.
The same effort is needed now. It is necessary that someone at the highest levels in the Vatican takes the initiative to spell out that the negationist beliefs of Williamson is an irrational act that reflects a mindset holding to an anti-Jewish tradition which the Petrine Church has rejected fully and completely.
Among the many acts of charity and truth that the Church can do, allow me to say humbly and sincerely, this is among the most urgent right now.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/26/2009 6:36 PM] |
| 1/26/2009 4:41 PM |
|
| | | Post: 1,750 | Registered in: 11/27/2005
| Veteran User |
|
African apostolic visit schedule |
| 1/26/2009 6:22 PM |
|
| | | Post: 3,536 | Registered in: 11/23/2005
| Master User |
|
Moving on from one battle to another....
The Vatican Slams Obama Over Abortion
By Jeff Israely
TIME Magazine
Monday, Jan. 26, 2009
President Obama is probably not itching for a fight over abortion. But he might get one. With unusual speed, the Vatican has condemned Obama's Jan. 23 repeal of the ban on U.S. funding for foreign family planning aid groups who offer abortion services.
The repeal fulfils a campaign promise Obama made to pro-choice supporters. But if the late Friday afternoon signing was an attempt to get the change in under the radar, it didn't work. Top Vatican officials, usually hesitant to respond directly to Washington's domestic policy decisions, pounced quickly. By Saturday afternoon, the Holy See was emailing reporters the Sunday edition of its official daily, L'Osservatore Romano, which features a front page headline describing Obama's decision as "very disappointing." (Read "Shhh. Obama Repeals the Abortion Gag Rule, Very Quietly.")
The same day, the secular Milan daily Corriere della Sera published an interview with a top Vatican official lashing out at the new U.S. President. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, told the newspaper that the repeal of the abortion-funding ban was done with "the arrogance of those who, having power, think they can decide between life and death." Troubled by the swiftness of Obama's pro-choice move, Fisichella brushed off earlier vows by the new president to try to cut the number of abortions, while ensuring a woman's access to the procedure. "On ethical questions, you can't play with words," said the Italian Archbishop, considered close to Pope Benedict XVI. "Hiding behind sophisms isn't worthy of he who has a responsibility towards citizens. People want clarity."
It's too early to predict a deep rupture in U.S.-Vatican relations. There was no mention of the issue in Sunday's regular Angelus ceremony, and the Pope personally sent warm messages of congratulations to Obama after both his election victory and inauguration. But don't count on Benedict staying silent as Obama ushers in more liberal laws for abortion or stem cell research.
If he does speak out, the Pope is likely to use his representatives in America. The front page Sunday story in L'Osservatore Romano focused on the U.S. bishops' response to the abortion rights decree. A recent video advertisement being aired by Catholicvote.com puts Obama in the middle of the abortion debate, implying that the future President, an African-American raised by a single mother, was himself at risk of being aborted.
Benedict knows that abortion is legal and widely available throughout the West, including virtually every country in Europe. It is the most glaring sign for the Pope of what he describes as the moral failings of contemporary life. But in the U.S., Benedict sees fertile possibility to challenge the status quo. On his trip to Washington D.C. and New York last April, Benedict heard how Catholics in America are being reinvigorated by a steady flow of more traditional immigrant Catholic groups. That matters. Fisichella concluded his interview by saying, "What happens in the U.S. influences other parts of the world. For this [its leaders] must be capable of listening, having humility and maybe even asking others for help."
Obama won a majority of Catholic voters, in part because he was able to convince them that he was both the right man to lead the country, and was generally in tune with their values. In his public speeches and private diplomacy, Benedict will use his notable intellect to reaffirm for American Catholics what those values are. It would be a chance to influence abortion legislation both in the U.S. and around the world. On abortion in other words, Benedict might be itching for a fight with Obama. If so, the new President will have to work hard to keep from getting bruised.
*********************************************************************
I don't see why anyone is surprised that Obama did what he did and that the Vatican reacted as it should and did!
Only the inexplicably naive could have interpreted the Holy Father's congratulatory messages [What would he have done - express ill will or preach his line?] as heralding harmony, because there could never be harmony with the new President on issues like abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, which are core principles for him and his party!
On the other hand, to say that 'Benedict XVI might be itching for a fight' with anyone is to completely trivialize the function of the Successor of Peter and to misrepresent Benedict XVI.
Popes - and good Christians in general - never 'itch for a fight' with anyone. They simply stand up consistently, at any time, and any occasion, against anyone, who acts or promotes policies in violation of the teachings of the Church as they impact on the daily lives of the faithful.
Thankfully, more Catholic bishops are becoming pro-active in standing up for the rights of the unborn and against the crime of abortion and any policies that encourage it. They have a duty to stick to it, despite the many Catholics who voted for Obama because they share his views on these core issues.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/26/2009 6:53 PM] |
| 1/26/2009 10:58 PM |
|
| | | Post: 1,751 | Registered in: 11/27/2005
| Veteran User |
|
|
| 1/26/2009 11:12 PM |
|
| | | Post: 16,397 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
Jewish-Catholic crisis seen
in bishop’s rehabilitation
January 25, 2009
Other than the egregiously wrong use of the word 'rehabillitation' in this respect, the following story from the Jewish news agency is fairly objective.
Williamson has not been 'rehabilitated' in the sense this headlline and story mean. His excommunication, along with three others, was revoked as a preliminary step to possibly reintegrating the schismatic community to which they belong within the Roman Catholic Church.
This is not about one man - it's about a worldwide community that may have as many as 2 million members.
The revocation is far from being a seal of approval by the Vatican on the persons involved and what they stand for. It merely represents exercise of the Pope's prerogatives regarding excommunication - what a Pope can impose, he can also lift - in this case, without great cost to the Church.
ROME, Jan. 25 (JTA) -- Pope Benedict XVI's rehabilitation of a traditionalist bishop who denies the full extent of the Holocaust could lead to a crisis in Jewish-Catholic relations, Jewish leaders said.
“By welcoming an open Holocaust denier into the Catholic Church without any recantation on his part, the Vatican has made a mockery of John Paul II's moving and impressive repudiation and condemnation of anti-Semitism," Rabbi David Rosen, the chairman of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations, said in a statement. [Once again, I must remark how offensive and unjust I find Rabbi Rosen's statement, so devoid of the good sense and rational balance he showed over the question of the Good Friday prayer!]
The Pope on Saturday rescinded the 1988 excommunication of British-born Richard Williamson and three other traditionalist bishops who were followers of Marcel Lefebvre, the late French archbishop who rejected Vatican reforms including those recognizing the validity of Judaism as a living religion. [It's not as if Lefebvre cherry-picked any Vat-II reforms he did not like - he did an about-face and rejected all of Vatican-II, even if he had signed its enabling documents.]
Williamson has made several statements over the years questioning the reality of the Shoah. Last week he told Swedish television, "I believe there were no gas chambers," adding that only up to 300,000 Jews were killed in Nazi camps.
The Pope's action came just days before the annual international Holocaust Memorial Day on Jan. 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Jewish leaders in Italy and elsewhere had warned that rehabilitating Williamson could prove a serious setback to Jewish-Catholic relations, already strained by controversy over the wartime role of Pope Pius XII and last year's reintroduction of an Easter prayer that some see as calling for conversion of the Jews.
Rome's Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni said that rehabilitating Williamson would open a "deep wound."
Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, said in a statement released Sunday:
"The reinstatement is an internal Church matter. However, it is scandalous that someone of this stature in the Church denies the Holocaust. Denial of the Holocaust not only insults the survivors, memory of the victims, and the Righteous Among the Nations who risked their lives to rescue Jews, it is a brutal attack on truth.
"Even if the revocation of the excommunication is unrelated to Williamson’s comments regarding the Holocaust, what kind of message is this sending regarding the Church’s attitude toward the Holocaust?
" Although we understand that Williamson’s statements do not represent the Church’s stance, we continue to hope that the Church will vigorously condemn these unacceptable and odious comments."
[That's a reasonable position - and it's unfortunate that the Vatican has had to be reminded about this.]
**********************************************************************
Fellay and company are in the situation of the Chinese bishops ordained without the approval of the Vatican, but whose ordinations, over time, have been 'recognized' by the Vatican. Except that the Chinese bishops were not automatically excommunicated as were Fellay and company because John Paul II decided - rightfully - that they should not be penalized given the circumstances of the Church in China.
(But bishops who knowingly and deliberately ordain women priests should not think they are entitled to the same dispensation, since they are not living under duress, and the canon law violation in their case is not only lack of papal approval, but also the more fundamental fact that the Church simply does not allow women priests.)
Pope Benedict made the tactical decision to lift the excommunication on the Lefbvrian bishops, in order to remove a stumbling block to real negotiations on doctrinal matters that may eventually allow the FSSPX to rejoin the Church in full communion.
His move clears the way for such a dialog, because it grants one of the key conditions made by the FSSPX, but it also puts the burden now on the Lefebvrians to prove their good faith.
The Pope has done all he can do - and all he is allowed to do - to move the process forward. It is clear there will be and can be no concessions on Vatican-II. The Lefebvrians must learn to live with it if they are sincere about wanting to come back to the Church.
An interview with Mons. Fellay published today by a Swiss newspaper is a mixed bag, but it shows some glimmer of hope. Rorate caeli has provided a translation, but as it is fairly short, I have translated it myself in the post below.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/27/2009 12:44 AM] |
| 1/27/2009 12:42 AM |
|
| | | Post: 16,398 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
Mons. Fellay says he is confident
about the future:
"I believe in the infallibility of the Church'
by Patricia Briel
Translated from
January 25, 2009
Le Temps is a French-language newspaper published in Switzerland.
Ms. Briel cut to the chase on 'the issue' of the moment, good for her!
Do you condemn the negationist views of Mons. Williamson?
It is not for me to condemn them. I do not have the competence to do that. But I deplore that a bishop could have given the impression of involving the entire Fraternity in an affair which has absolutely nothing to do with us.
[That doesn't say much for Fellay. Historical events are either true or false. Williamson states falsities. In the case of massively documented historical fact, no one needs a special 'competence' to judge what is true and false, right and wrong!
And Fellay is wrong to say the Holocaust 'has absolutely nothing to do with us'. It has to do with every human being who respects life and the right of every human being to exist regardless of race or religion.
If the FSSPX head cannot even bring himself to say something as basic as that, he is missing the very essence of being Christian! He may have his reasons for wanting to be noncommittal about issues that do not have to directly with the FSSPX, but in this case, the issue does directly concern his congregation since the statements are made by one of his bishops. To be noncommittal in the circumstances is sheer moral cowardice.]
According to observers, the Pope's decision could create divisions within the Fraternity itself - that not all the priests and the faithful are ready for unity.
I am not afraid of anything. There can always be a discordant voice here and there. But the zeal which the faithful put into praying the rosary to implore for the lifting of the excommunications says a lot about our unity. One million 700,000 rosaries were offered in a period of one and a half months.
In your letter to the faithful on January 24, you said that you wish to examine with Rome the profound causes for "the unprecedented crisis which is shaking the Church today". What are these causes?
Essentially, the crisis is caused a by a new approach to the world, a new view of man - an anthropocentrism which consists in exalting man and forgetting God. [In short, secularization.] The advent of modern philosophies, with their less precise language, has led to confusion within theology.
Do you think the Second Vatican Council is also responsible for the crisis in the Church?
The Church is not responsible for everything [about the crisis]. But it is true that we [the FSSPX] reject part of the Council. Benedict XVI himself has condemned those who claim to represent the 'spirit of Vatican II' to demand an evolution of the Church through rupture with the past. [Except that I don't believe Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI ever used the verb 'condemn' about the progressives who advocate the hermeneutic of rupture.]
In the center of your criticisms of Vatican II are ecumenism and religious freeedom.
The search for unity among everyone in the Mystical Body of the Church is our dearest wish. But the methods used are not adequate. Today, one insists too much on the points which unite us to other Christian confessions that one forgets those that separate us. [Mons. Fellay has not been reading Cardinal Kasper's recent reports on the state of the ecumenical dialog, which has focused on trying to reconcile theological differences!]
We think that those who left the Catholic Church, namely, the Orthodox and the Protestants, should return to it. We think of ecumenism as a return to the unity of Truth. [So does the Church - but it is realistic enough to know that non-Catholic Christians are also human beings first, and that it is not that easy to get others to give up habits and traditions lasting a millennium in the case of the Orthodox and several centuries in the case of the Reformed Churches.]
In the case of religious freedom, one must distinguish two situations: freedom of religion for the individual, and relations between Church and State.
Religious freedom implies freedom of conscience. We agree that one cannot force anyone to accept a certain religion. And as for our views on Church-State relations, they are based on the principle of tolerance.
It seems evident to us that where there are multiple religions, the State should see to their good relations and peace among each other.
On the other hand, there is only one true religion, and the others are not. [And the members of other religions think exactly the same way about their own religion!] But we tolerate this situation for the good of all. [But that's the way it is - diversity in the world on everything - and that is why the Church keeps emphasizing its mission to evangelize!]
What will happen if your negotiations [with Rome] fail?
I am confident. If the Church says something today that contradicts what it taught yesterday and obliges us to accept this change, then it should explain its reasons. [But is the Church teaching anything different today than it did yesterday? That would be an outright misreading of Vatican-II, which in fact, corrected certain unwritten and undesirable attitudes that had become entrenched among the faithful. For instance, any historical anti-Jewish sentiment arose out of common practice that became taken for granted, not from any explicit doctrine by the Church that Jews are to be mistrusted, much less discriminated against.]
I believe in the infallibility of the Church, and I think we will arrive at a true solution.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/27/2009 1:01 AM] |
| 1/27/2009 2:24 AM |
|
| | | Post: 16,399 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
Cardinal Bagnasco deplores unjust
accusations against Benedict XVI
Translated from
ROME, Jan. 26 (Apcom) - The Italian bishops consider the statements made by the Italian Jews against the Pope 'unjust'.
In his long opening address today to open the winter meeting of the Permanent Council of the Italian bishops' conference (CEI), CEI president Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa, also expressed the wish that the difficulties between Catholics and Jews will be overcome, but he firmly condemned the statements by some Italian rabbis against Benedict XVI.
"While, on the one hand, we hope that these difficulties will soon be overcome and allow us to resume dialog," Bagnasco said, "we certainly do not appreciate the unjust words pronounced against the actions of Benedict XVI."
"We have been witness to the sincere theological circumstances that irrevocably impels the Holy Father towards our Jewish brothers. We share that attitude with him."
The CEI president did not cite make any specific references, but kept to general statements, since it was just part of his bi-annual state-of-the-Italian-Church report.
"Unfortunately," he continued, "some singular reservations were expressed recently by some representatives of the Italian rabbinical assembly regarding their decision not to participate this year in the annual Day for the development of dialog among Catholics and Jews, which has been observed for some time now by many countries in Europe, including Italy.
""While, on the one hand, we hope that these difficulties will soon be overcome and allow us to resume dialog, we certainly do not appreciate the unjust words pronounced against the actions of Benedict XVI."
As usual, Cardinal Bagnasco is just about the only ranking bishop to state his public support for Pope Benedict XVI, as Cardinal Ruini did before him - even if both also spoke in behalf of all Italian bishops, in their role as president of the Italian bishops conference. (Remember that it was only Cardinals Ruini and Bagnasco who spoke out about the La Sapienza disgrace last year and Ruini organized a popular rally overnight to show support for the Pope.)
Why is it that the Curia hardly ever rallies behind this Pope? What would it cost them to make a statement to the media in his behalf? Did they have a similar 'can't-be-bothered', hands off attitude in the time of John Paul II? Or did John Paul II not have any 'controversies' that required coming to his defense?
Actually, I think it was because the MSM attributed all the things they disliked about Church policies, enunciated or given play under John Paul II, to Cardinal Ratzinger, their 'bad cop', mostly leaving John Paul II, in the role of good cop that they assigned to him, sacrosanct to their slings and arrows - the better to concentrate them on Cardinal Ratzinger, who certainly needed Panzer (armor) to withstand that onslaught!
For instance, Dominus Iesus was hugely unpopular because widely misunderstood, so it was all Cardinal Ratzinger's fault, even if John Paul signed it. Fides et ratio was a beautiful encyclical that everyone found admirable, but no one credited Cardinal Ratzinger's part in it except for a few Vaticanistas who knew better.
And now, Papa Ratzinger does not have a Cardinal Ratzinger of his own to be his lightning rod, and everything unpleasant gets dumped on him. It won't be long before the media start calling him the PanzerPope - and I think I may not be wrong if I surmise that the term Panzerkardinal for such a gentle soul and fragile body was really intended to associate him with Nazi images, short of calling him the Nazi cardinal [though I've seen references to him as 'Nazinger'.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/27/2009 2:28 AM] |
| 1/27/2009 4:36 AM |
|
| | | Post: 16,400 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
The outcry over the excommunication recall and unacceptable statements by one of the bishop beneficiaries prompted this front-page editorial in tomorrow's double issue of L'Osservatore Romano.
The wrong script:
When a conciliatory gesture
becomes a scandal in the media
Editorial
by Carlo Di Cicco
Translated from
the 1/26-1/27 issue of
Somehow the wrong script is being staged, and so the lifting of the excommunication of four bishops illicitly ordained in 1988 has become a new media 'scandal' full of emotional tones.
With frantic opportunism, the media has laid on Benedict XVI the 'sin' not only of taking anti-conciliar positions, but even, of imprudence - if not connivance - in sustaining negationist ideas about the Holocaust.
The words of the Pope at the Vespers that closed the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and his reflections during the Angelus prayers Sunday give the lie to this widespread fear-mongering about him.
Benedict XVI said important words to guarantee that 'the older ones among us will certainly never forget" that first announcement about Vatican II made by John XXIII "on January 25, 1959, exactly 50 years ago today".
An act that Benedict XVI today calls 'a providential decision' inspired by the Holy Spirit, and which this newspaper recalled, not accidentally, with emphasis, on the very day the excommunications were revoked.
It is in the light of the Pope's conviction about the Council as an event inspired from on high that one must read his recall of the excommunications.
The reforms intended by the Council have not yet been fully realized, but they have become so consolidated in the Catholic Church that they cannot be placed into crisis by a magnanimous gesture of mercy. And one that is inspired by a Church renewed as intended by Vatican-II which certainly chose mercy over condemnation.
The recall which has provoked such an outcry does not by itself end a painful episode like the Lefebvrian schism. But with it, the Pope has cleared the field of possible pretexts for endless polemics, in order to get into the merits of the true issue: full acceptance by the Lefebvrians of the Magisterium - which includes, obviously, Vatican-II.
Just as it is true that the Catholic Church was not born with Vatican-II, it is equally true that the Church which was renewed by the Council is not another Church - it remains the same Church of Christ, founded on the apostles, guaranteed by the Successor of Peter, and therefore, a living Tradition.
Papa Giovanni's announcement in 1959 did not make tradition disappear - it continues today in new forms of pastoral ministry and a Magisterium that was updated by the Council.
That is why it seems like a rhetorical exercise, if not directly offensive, to propose that Benedict XVI could 'sell out' the Council for whomever and for whatever reason.
Equally rhetorical is the recurrent questioning by some people as to whether this Pope is really sold on ecumenism and dialog with the Jews!
The strategic commitments of his Pontificate have been open to the eyes of everyone, and all his single pastoral and magisterial acts clearly proceed from an application of the strategy he stated soon after he was elected. He has followed his program in collegial sharing of the most important tasks with his brother bishops.
Dialog is a constitutive part of the post-Conciliar Church, and Benedict XVI has reiterated often, as late as Sunday, that ecumenism requires the genuine conversion of everyone - including the Church itself - to Christ.
In a converted Church, "diversity will no longer be an obstacle that separates us, but richness, in the multiplicity of expressions of our common faith".
The revocation of the excommunications is far from full communion. The course of reconciliation with the traditionalists was a collegial choice long made known to the Church of Rome, not a sudden improvised move by Benedict XVI.
Acceptance of the Council necessarily means a clear position on negationism. The Vatican-II declaration Nostra aetate, which marks the most authoritative Catholic statement about Judaism, deplores "the hatreds, teh persecutions and all manifestations of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews in every age and by whomever". This is a teaching that is not debatable by any Catholic.
The post-Conciliar Popes, including Benedict XVI, have been very explicit about this teaching - in dozens of documents, discourses and acts.
The recent negationist statements [by Lefebvrian bishop Richard Williamson] contradict this teaching, and are therefore most serious and regrettable. Made several months before the excommunications were revoked, the statements are - and will always be - unacceptable.
**********************************************************************
The editorial is the sort of balancing act that may only be possible in a Catholic newspaper, and the 'Pope's newspaper' sets a fine example of responding to overheated polemics in a cool, calm and reasoned way. Without recrimination whatsoever against the most outspoken Jewish critics of the Pope.
It names no names, it does not belabor or need to repeat facts already familiar to anyone who follows the news, and presents the
position of the Church and the Pope simply and clearly.
It may not exactly be what Giuliano Ferrara had in mind in his editorial translated a few posts above - and it comes from the pen of the newspaper's deputy editor, not a high Vatican official as, say, Cardinal Bertone - but in the context of what the OR is, it is a good and appropriate statement.
What's more, tomorrow's double issue contains five stories no less about the Holocaust, as a fitting way to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27. How's that for staying on message, unfazed by the surrounding circus? They did not just pluck those articles out of thin air - they must have commissioned them with enough time beforehand.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/27/2009 5:14 AM] |
| 1/27/2009 1:59 PM |
|
| | | Post: 16,402 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
January 27
St. Angela Merici (1474-1540)
Virgin and Founder of the Ursulines
OR for 1/26-1/27:
50 years since John XXIII announced Vatican-II,
Benedict XVI recalls its fundamental contribution to ecumenism:
'Christian unity needs courageous gestures of reconciliation'
Other Page 1 stories: An editorial on the outcry arising from the Pope's revocation of the excommunication of four
Lefebvrian bishops (See translation in preceding post); the Pope's Angelus message on ecumenism and conversion;
his message to the new ambassador from France that scientific progress must serve mankind (above right, photo);
and the proposal of Hamas for a year's ceasefire. Notably, on Holocast Memorial Day today, there are five stories
in the inside pages about the Shoah, led by an essay by Anna Foa entitled "Anti-Semitism is the only motive
for negationism', referring to the ideological denial that the Holocaust ever happened.
No papal events scheduled today.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/28/2009 2:49 AM] |
| 1/27/2009 4:51 PM |
|
| | | Post: 3,541 | Registered in: 11/23/2005
| Master User |
|
I find this article to be one of the most reasonable, refreshing responses I've seen to the pope's decision about the 4 bishops, in particular, the crazy one.
Pope Benedict: Panderer or Creative Community Builder?
By Rabbi Brad Hirschfield
washingtonpost.com
For God's Sake blog
January 26, 2009
Pope Benedict XVI has reinstated four previously excommunicated bishops, all of whom are members of a far-right group that rejects Vatican II and one of whom is a raging conspiracy theorist and Holocaust denier. Is Benedict pandering to those on the theological far-right of the Church, and if so, why? Or could he be moving to create a genuinely more inclusive church, one which actually makes room for those whose views are loathsome to most church members? Perhaps it's a bit of both.
If that is case, this Pope continues his tradition of making theological/communal moves which are so nuanced that they end up being misunderstood by most and may actually hurt many, even if that is not his intention. Think of his speech about Islam, his reinstating the Good Friday prayer which calls for the conversion of Jews, etc.
Whatever is going on here, the focus should not be on the fact that one of those reinstated, Richard Williamson, is a Holocaust denier and how painful that is to Jews. The truth is it should disturb all people who actually care about facts and accuracy. Williamson's reinstatement doesn't bother me because I am Jewish, it bothers me because I would hope that it is beneath the Church to honor a man who believes and continues to teach such ugly and dangerous lies.
On the other hand, is it appropriate to judge this man based entirely upon his attitude toward the Holocaust? Is it fair to him? How would any of us hold up if the world measured any of us by the most outrageous belief we might hold?
In no way am I excusing Williamson. But I am willing to entertain that however much pain his reinstatement might cause relative to this issue, it may not be the only basis upon which the Pope should make his decision, nor should it govern the future of Church-Jewish relations, as some have already suggested/threatened it will.
The idea that this one move will jeopardize Catholic Jewish relations is either insane or tragic. And any leaders, especially those who call themselves inter-faith leaders who intimate that Williamson's reinstatement will, should be ashamed of themselves. Real relationships between communities are stronger than what any one leader identified with either, might say. If they are not, then the relationships were never that strong to begin with and we should focus on that.
More interesting here, is the Pope's willingness to find a place for these men in particular and for the Society of Saint Pius X in general. If our definition of inclusiveness does not reach beyond the boundaries of our own personal comfort, can we call ourselves truly inclusive?
How ironic then, that this conservative Pope who is deeply committed to maintaining the authority of the church, is willing to include those who challenge its authority on a number of theological and liturgical issues. Of course the test will be if in the weeks and months ahead, Benedict is willing to reach as far to his left as he has now reached to his right.
If he does make a parallel move to the left, this Pope will have accomplished far more good than bad, not only for the Church he leads, but toward modeling how real inter-group and inter-religious relationships are nurtured. He will have demonstrated the danger of single issue litmus testing in relations between any people. And that would be a profound spiritual lesson for all of us, one for which I would be deeply grateful.
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield is an author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. His On Faith blog, For God's Sake, explores the uses and abuses of religion in politics and pop culture.
|
| 1/28/2009 1:04 AM |
|
| | | Post: 16,404 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
About time Mons. Fellay did this!
Mons. Fellay begs Pope's forgiveness
for Williamson remarks and
bans negationist from making
public statements on non-Church matters
ROME, Jan. 27 (Translated from SIR) - The Lefebvrians have apologized to Pope Benedict XVI for the negationist statements of Bishop Richard Williamson.
In a letter to the Pope, Mons. Bernard Fellay, superior-general of the Fraternite Sacerdotale St. Pie X (FSSPX), said Williams's views on teh Holocaust "do not in any way reflect the position of our Fraternity".
"We ask for the forgiveness of the Supreme Pontiff and of all men of good will for the unhappy consequences of Bishop Williamson;s statements," Mons. Fellay said, in the letter released by the Vatican Press Office.
We have learned about the interview given by Mons. Richard Williamson, a member of our Fraternity, to Swedish televisioon. In that interview, he expressed himself about some historical events, particularly the question of the genocide of teh Jews on the part of the National Socialists.
It is evident that a Catholic bishop cannot speak with ecclesiastical authority except on questions regarding faith and morals. Our Fraternity does not claim competence on any other questions.
The mission of the Fraternity is the propagation and restoration of authentic Catholic doctrine as expressed in the dogmas of the faith. It is with great pain that we note how much harm the transgression of that mandate can do to our mission.
The statements of Mons. Williamson do not in an way reflect the position of our Fraternity. Therefore I have prohibited him, until further orders, from taking any public position on political or historical matters.
I ask the forgiveness of the Supreme Pontiff and all men of good will for the tragic consequences of such action.
Sadly, we note that these inopportune statements strike directly at our Fraternity by discrediting our mission.
We cannot accept this, and we will continue to preach Catholic doctrine and to administer the sacraments of grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Menzingen, 27 janvier 2009
+ Bernard Fellay
Supérieur Général
rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/
which has always followed the traditionalist groups closely, has this added statement from the German district of the FSSPK:
Note of the District Superior for Germany of the FSSPX
As District Superior of the Society [of Saint Pius X] in Germany, I am very troubled by the words pronounced by Bishop Williamson here in this country.
The banalization of the genocide of the Jews by the Nazi regime and of its horror are unacceptable for us.
The persecution and murder of an incalculable number of Jews under the Third Reich touches us painfully and they also violate the Christian commandment of love for neighbor which does not distinguish ethnicities.
I must apologize for this behavior and dissociate myself from such a view.
Such dissociation is also necessary for us because the father of Archbishop Lefebvre died in a KZ [concentration camp] and because numerous Catholic priests lost their lives in Hitler's concentration camps.
Stuttgart, January 27, 2009
Father Franz Schmidberger
Vatican stresses Pope's
condemnation of Holocaust
VATICAN CITY, Jan. 27 (AP) — The Vatican intensified its defense of Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday, highlighting his record of condemning the Holocaust amid an outcry over his rehabilitation of a bishop who claims that no Jews were gassed during World War II.
Vatican Radio aired a lengthy program to mark Holocaust remembrance day. It recalled Benedict's 2006 visit to Auschwitz, his 2005 visit to the main synagogue in Cologne, Germany and other remarks in which he has denounced the "insane, racist ideology" that produced the Holocaust.
See also translated item from the Italian service of Vatican Radio on "The Shoah in the Magisterium of Benedict XVI"
freeforumzone.leonardo.it/discussione.aspx?idd=354494&p=243
Video clips of those remarks were posted on Vatican links on the Holy See's new YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/vatican
"Let today's humanity never forget Auschwitz and the other 'factories of death' in which the Nazi regime tried to eliminate God and take his place!" Benedict said during his general audience May 31, 2006, just after returning to Rome from a visit to Auschwitz.
Vatican Radio also ran an interview with an Auschwitz survivor.
The Vatican has been focusing on Benedict's record deploring anti-Semitism after Jewish groups voiced outrage that he lifted the excommunication of a traditionalist bishop, Richard Williamson, who has denied that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.
The Vatican has stressed that removing the excommunication by no means implied the Vatican shared Williamson's views.
On Monday, the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, ran a front-page article saying Williamson's views were "unacceptable" and violated Church teaching. It reaffirmed that Benedict deplored all forms of anti-Semitism and that all Roman Catholics must do the same.
The American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants said the Vatican's attempts to reject Williamson's views were necessary but insufficient. [ *&^%$#@!@#$%^&*&^%$#@!@#$%^&*&^%$#@!@#$%^&*...i.e., expletives ad infinitum!]
The group's vice president, Elan Steinberg, called on the Vatican to further address what he called its "moral failure" in rehabilitating Williamson.
"At a minimum, the Vatican should now demand that Williamson repudiate his heinous views," Steinberg said.
Williamson and three other bishops were excommunicated 20 years ago after they were consecrated by the late ultraconservative Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre without papal consent — a move the Vatican said at the time was an act of schism.
Benedict has made clear from the start of his pontificate that he wanted to reconcile with Lefebvre's traditionalist Society of St. Pius X and bring it back into the Vatican's fold.
Lefebvre had rebelled against the Vatican and founded the society in 1969. He was bitterly opposed to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that brought liberal reforms to the church, including outreach to Jews.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/28/2009 12:56 PM] |
| 1/28/2009 2:05 AM |
|
| | | Post: 3,543 | Registered in: 11/23/2005
| Master User |
|
 Williamson Silenced
Wulfrune and Teresa have both posted the news that Bishop Williamson, has finally been silenced by Mons. Fellay. (See Teresa's post above and Wulfrune's in the Notables thread.
In a way, Mons. Fellay's action is like shutting the barn door after the horse has escaped. By not keeping a tight leash on Bishop Williamson, he has allowed a really positive step by the pope to become yet one more opportunity for all the pope's critics and lots of others to jump on poor Papa with both feet.
I admit that right after the removal of the excommunications, I was puzzled and dismayed by the pope's action, mainly because of Williamson's crazy comments. But the more that I have read the reactions and explanations of others, both pro and con, I have come to believe that the pope acted not only out of mercy towards the four men and the thousands they lead but out of extreme humility.
The FSSPX has been very arrogant in their demands of the pope to meet certain conditions before they even think about returning to the fold. The pope must know that the longer the schism lasts, the wider the gap becomes and the more impossible it will be to close it. He feels the urgency of acting now to do what he can to try to bring this group back before it is too late.
The first step demanded by the FSSPX was the removal of the excommunications of the bishops. I hate to make a comparison to John Paul II like so many journalists constantly do but I think JPII was a very self-confident and proud man. I don't think he would ever have reversed the excommunications. Benedict is astonishingly humble. We could see that from the day of his installation Mass when HE was the one bowing as world leaders came up afterwards to congratulate him. He knew that if the FSSPX was ever going to return to the church, HE would have to humble himself and take the first step, even though he knew he would face a storm of criticism from all sides for it. But being a very caring pastor concerned for the souls under the sway of the FSSPX and also being a very courageous man, he took that step. Despite the resultant uproar, I think he has earned the respect of those in the FSSPX and the real icing on the cake is that that Williamson guy will now be made to shut his big mouth and give some serious thought to his warped outlook on life. I wouldn't be surprised if more restrictions on him were to follow.
So, bravo, Papa, and I hope that the wolves stop howling below your window soon and slink back to their hiding places. At least, until next time.
**********************************************************************
Benefan, I am putting back the John Allen item you posted earlier... It's his take and his translation, after all...
Holocaust denier bishop gagged
By John Allen, Jr.
National Catholic Reporter
Jan. 27, 2009
The Vatican today released a statement from Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X and one of the four traditionalist bishops whose excommunication was rescinded in a Jan. 21 decree from the Congregation for Bishops.
The statement is in response to the uproar created by a recent interview on Swedish television in which another of the traditionalist bishops, Richard Williamson, asserted that the Nazis had not used gas chambers and that only 200,000 to 300,000 Jews had died in the Second World War.
The statement was released in Italian and French; the following is an NCR translation from the Italian.
Statement of His Excellency Bernard Fellay,
Superior of the Fraternity of St. Pius X
We have become aware of an interview released by Bishop Richard Williamson, a member of our Fraternity of St. Pius X, to Swedish television. In this interview, he expressed himself on historical questions, and in particular on the question of the genocide against the Jews carried out by the Nazis.
It’s clear that a Catholic bishop cannot speak with ecclesiastical authority except on questions that regard faith and morals. Our Fraternity does not claim any authority on other matters. Its mission is the propagation and restoration of authentic Catholic doctrine, expressed in the dogmas of the faith. It’s for this reason that we are known, accepted and respected in the entire world.
It’s with great sadness that we recognize the extent to which the violation of this mandate has done damage to our mission. The affirmations of Bishop Williamson do not reflect in any sense the position of our Fraternity. For this reason I have prohibited him, pending any new orders, from taking any public positions on political or historical questions.
We ask the forgiveness of the Supreme Pontiff, and of all people of good will, for the dramatic consequences of this act. Because we recognize how ill-advised these declarations were, we can only look with sadness at the way in which they have directly struck our Fraternity, discrediting its mission.
This is something we cannot accept, and we declare that we will continue to preach Catholic doctrine and to administer the sacraments of grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Menzingen, January 27, 2009
Dear Benefan:
Your comments were very welcome and wise. Non-Catholics - and even many Catholics - often forget that the Pope really is the Vicar of Christ on earth and so he cannot be less than a good shspherd who must and does go out of his way to try and bring back stray lambs.
How can he preach about unity with other Christians if he does not look after unity within the Church first - its structural unity as the Body of Christ (because, of course, there will always be contentious black sheep within the fold).
But the good shepherd Benedict is also the devout and wise and humble realist Joseph Ratzinger - and he bent as far as he can go for the Lefebvrians, who set the lifting of the excommunications as a precondition for moving ahead with dialog. They considered that precondition so important they launched their widely publicized rosary campaign to pray for it to happen. [There's a lesson there for the rest of us!]
Their announcement video of the excom lifting is genuinely exultant - you can see it on their French district site -
www.laportelatine.org/accueil/accueil.php
Too bad the side issue of Williamson has muddled the picture fot the general public, who misunderstand the revocation of excommunication as if it meant a general absolution, a stamp of approval, or a guarantee of goodness for the persons concerned! The action was not for the bishops as individuals but as representatives of their community.
I am quite apprehensive, however, about how - and even if - the Lefebvrians will open their minds to Vatican-II. That's the great hurdle. I almost think it might be very welcome and useful if the Holy Father oculd record a special video message to the FSSPX membership to reinforce the point that Vatican-II opened the way to renewal in continuity, and that if it is seen as such, then ecumenism and inter-faith dialog can pose no risk or danger to traditional Catholic faith, no dilution in Catholic doctrine.!
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 2/23/2009 6:13 PM] |
| 1/28/2009 10:47 AM |
|
| | | Post: 16,405 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
Mons Fellay says
'Thank you' to the Pope
Interview by
Alessandro Gnocchi and
and Mario Palmaro
Translated from
January 27, 2009
Mons. Fellay, on June 30, 1988, you along with three other priests of the FSSPX, were consecrated bishops by Mons. Marcel Lefebvre. This made the four of you, along with the Brazilian Bishop Antonio De Castro Mayer, who also took part in the rites, among the first to be excommunicated after Vatican II. Today, after 20 years, you are the Superior General of the Order, or as the media usually say, the head of the Lefebvrians.
We are in Menzingen, in the middle of Switzerland, in the Fraternity's mother house, and it's snowing outside, and here on the table is the decree from the Vatican that revoked the excommunication. How do you feel?
Joy. Satisfaction. But not as someone who feels he is a winner! What the Fraternity of St. Pius has done, from its establishment up to now, it will continue to do, and does only for the good of the Church.
And even the ordinations of 1988 were done with that end. For the good of the Church and for our survival. Mons. Lefebvre had the duty - I repeat that, he was duty-bound - to insure our continuity. We are nothing but a small lifeboat on a stormy sea. But we have always been in the service of the Church and will continue to do so.
The withdrawal of the excommunications, along with Pope Benedict's Motu Proprio on the traditional Mas, is an important signal, truly an important one, for our little lifeboat. That is why I say I am filled with joy and satisfaction.
Where and when did you learn of the decree?
Several days ago in Rome, at the office of Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. We hugged each other.
Then, the first thing I did was to thank Our Lady - this was her gift. It was to obtain her intercession for this cause that some one million 700-thousand rosaries were offered since October by the faithful who all prayed for the recall of the excommunication.
Who, in the Vatican, worked most to reach this stage?
Of course, Cardinal Castrillon as head of Ecclesia Dei, which has been the liaison between the Holy See and our Fraternity. But above all, Pope Benedict XVI.
I saw that at the first meeting we had shortly after his election. Even while expressing his reproaches, the Holy Father always had a very kind attitude, truly paternal.
The decree says that the Holy Father trusts in your commitment "not to spare any effort to look deeper" during the necessary conversations that will follow with Vatican authorities "into the questions that remain open". What does that mean?
It means that, like all the children of the Church, we are entitled to discuss questions which we believe to be fundamental for the faith and for the life of the Church itself. I think that it acknowledges at the very least the seriousness of the critical positions we have taken during the past 40 years. We only want these questions to be cleared up.
The fact that the Holy Father appears to tend in that direction is a great comfort to us. It is important to understand that even when we make severe criticisms, we have never been against the Church, we have never been against the papacy.
What can we do? We are often called Lefebvrians as if in accusation, but we are not 'Lefebvrians', even if we consider that a badge of honor: we are Catholics. And the very first who was not Lefebvrian was Mons, Lefebvre himself.
When this is made clear, then people will understand our positions better. It will take time, but I believe that before long, it will be clear that everything we do is done for the Church.
Was the excommunication recall the result of negotiations and coming to an agreement, or was it a unilateral act of the Holy See?
Several times in the past, we had asked for freedom to celebrate the traditional Mass aod for the excommunications to be lifted. But what has just happened was not the result of negotiations or an agreement. It was a freely given unilateral action which shows that Rome truly wishes us well. For real and for good.
For a long time, we had been given the impression that Rome was not interested in discussing anything. But then everything changed, and we owe this to the Pope.
Why do you think Pope Benedict wanted to do this? Did he realize what a tangle this could land him in?
Oh yes, I believe he is well aware that there would be adverse reactions. But before and after he was elected Pope, he himself lways spoke of the crisis in the Church in the least ambiguous ways.
When I speak of his paternal kindness, I also mean that it is clear he knows the times in which we live, that he has the firmness to propose remedies, and attention to all his children.
Of course, this also means that critical reactions which are generally adverse to his actions may cause him suffering, but they will certainly not force him to change his thinking. That is the way he made this decision.
In this context, can one synthesize the news by saying that Tradition is no longer excommunicated?
Yes, even if it will take some time before this idea becomes currency within the Catholic World. Even today, in many circles, we are considered and treated as worse than the devil. And that everything that we say and do must be bad. So I don't think the situation will change all of a sudden.
But yes, now there is an act by the Holy See that enables us to say that at last, Tradition is no longer excommunicated.
What is it like to live excommunicated?
One regrets that such a mark of infamy is also exploited maliciously. But we have never felt excommunicated, we have never considered ourselves schismatic. We have always felt ourselves to be part of the Church, and the news we are discussing today proves that we were right.
Then one has to ask why it took so long to come to this point. Above all, what is the nature of the questions that the decree refers to which must still be discussed?
Let me try to say it in a few words. At a certain point, we saw that the Church had undertaken a new road, one which we believed would lead to great problems. At the same time, we have done nothing but to think, teach and practise what the Church has taught from the beginning - nothing more, nothing less. We have not invented anything. We have simply followed Tradition. And today, Tradition is no longer excommunicated.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/28/2009 2:28 PM] |
| 1/28/2009 1:06 PM |
|
| | | Post: 16,406 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
Chief Rabbinate of Israel
cuts ties with Vatican
By MATTHEW WAGNER
January 28, 2009
The Chief Rabbinate of Israel broke off official ties with the Vatican indefinitely on Tuesday in protest over the Pope's decision to reinstate a known Holocaust denier.
The Chief Rabbinate also cancelled a meeting scheduled for March 2-4 in Rome with the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews.
In a letter to the commission's chairman, Cardinal Walter Casper, Chief Rabbinate Director-General Oded Weiner wrote that "without a public apology and recanting, it will be difficult to continue the dialogue."
According to a Chief Rabbinate source, the letter was leaked to the Israeli press before it was received by the Vatican, which might further complicate relations between the Chief Rabbinate and the Catholic Church.
Last week, in an attempt to heal a decades-old rift between the Church and a group of ultra-conservative breakaway group of clergymen, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication of four bishops. The four Catholic bishops belong to the Society of Saint Pius, which opposed changes in Catholic doctrine made in the 1960s under the Second Vatican Council.
One of them is Britain's Bishop Richard Williamson, who is being investigated for Holocaust denial in Germany, according to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
In a recent interview with Swedish state television, Williamson denied the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis.
"I think that 200,000 to 300,000 Jews died in Nazi concentration camps, but none of them in gas chambers," Williamson told the interviewer.
"The historical evidence is hugely against six million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler. I believe there were no gas chambers," Williamson reportedly said.
He has also reportedly endorsed the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion and claimed that Jews are bent on world domination.
In a parallel development Tuesday, Bishop Bernard Fellay, the superior general of the Society of Saint Pius, distanced himself from Williamson's comments.
Fellay said he has forbidden Williamson from speaking publicly about any historical or political questions and that his views "don't reflect in any way the position of the society."
"We ask forgiveness of the Supreme Pontiff and all the men of good will for the dramatic consequences of this act," Fellay said.
Haifa Chief Rabbi Shear Yishuv Cohen, chairman of the Rabbinate's commission, told The Jerusalem Post that he expected Williamson to publicly retract his statements before meetings could be renewed.
"I understand the Pope's efforts to bring about unity in the Church, but he should be aware that, indirectly, he hurt Jews. We expect him to do the best to repair the situation." Weiner's letter called Williamson's comments "odious" and "outrageous."
Rabbi David Rosen, Director of the American Jewish Committee's Department for Interreligious Affairs, and an advisory member of the Chief rabbinate's commission, said that the Pope's decision has created an atmosphere of "bad faith."
Rosen reckoned that the Pope's move to lift Williamson's excommunication, which was made public just days before International Holocaust Day, was made due to a lack of proper consultation.
"I tend to believe that the Pope simply was not informed about Williamson in advance and now he is in a very uncomfortable situation."
Rosen said that the Pope had a history of improper preparation, leading to large-scale blunders. He cited a speech made in Regensburg, Germany, in which he quoted a medieval emperor who called Islam "evil and inhuman," comments that sparked a wave of Islamic-led violence against Catholic churches around the world.
Rosen said that the Rabbinate expected the Pope to take tangible steps against Williamson.
"I don't think it is my place to tell the Church precisely what to do. But Williamson should be censured in some way or forced to retract his statements.
"Until that happens, we may be in contact with the Vatican on an individual level, but there will be no official meetings."
Excuse me, but all this thin-skinned outrage from the Jews is just too tiresome already. It is almost as if they are looking for any excuse to find fault with the Pope and tantamount to saying he is pesonally responsible for every anti-Semitic opinion/attitude that any Catholic may possibly have.
|
| 1/28/2009 1:47 PM |
|
| | | Post: 16,408 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
January 28
Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas
Priest and Doctor of the Church
OR today.
No papal stories on Page 1. Main story - 50,000 stricken with cholera in Mugabe's Zimbabwe;
the UN summit in Madrid on the fight against hunger; President Obama's 'ecological New Deal';
and an editorial by American priest Robert Imbelli which ostensibly reflects on the new President's
inaugural speech to bring up Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural speech in which the Civil War President
prayed for 'the better angels of our nature' to prevail. Imbelli modulates into a prayer that
the angels of the unborn may not be ignored and that they may not be excluded from the pact of
citizenship demanded by the new President.
THE POPE'S DAY
General Audience today - The Holy Father made a statement about having revoked the excommunication
of four bishops belonging to the Prietly Fraternity of St. Pius X, and reiterates solidarity with the Jews
as the world marked Holocaust Memorial Day yesterday.
BENEDICT XVI'S GREETING
TO THE NEW PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW
The Vatican released the text of the congratulatory telegram sent by the Holy Father to the new Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, who was elected yesterday after being the caretaker of the Russian Orthodox Church following the death last month of Alexei II.
As Metropolitan Kirill and #2 man to Patriarch Alexei, the new Patriarch visited Benedict XVI at the Vatican in December 2007.
TO HIS HOLINESS KIRILL
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND OF ALL RUSSIA
I HAVE RECEIVED WITH GLADNESS THE NEWS OF YOUR ELECTION AS PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA. I WARMLY CONGRATULATE YOU AND WISH YOU EVERY STRENGTH AND JOY IN THE FULFILMENT OF THE GREAT TASK WHICH LIES BEFORE YOU AS YOU GUIDE THE CHURCH OVER WHICH YOU NOW PRESIDE ALONG THE PATH OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND UNITY.
IN PRAYER, I ASK THE LORD TO GRANT YOU AN ABUNDANCE OF WISDOM TO DISCERN HIS WILL, TO PERSEVERE IN LOVING SERVICE OF THE PEOPLE ENTRUSTED TO YOUR PATRIARCHAL MINISTRY, AND TO SUSTAIN THEM IN FIDELITY TO THE GOSPEL AND THE GREAT TRADITIONS OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOXY.
MAY THE ALMIGHTY ALSO BLESS YOUR EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN COMMUNION AMONG THE ORTHODOX CHURCHES AND TO SEEK THAT FULLNESS OF COMMUNION WHICH IS THE GOAL OF CATHOLIC-ORTHODOX COLLABORATION AND DIALOGUE.
I ASSURE YOUR HOLINESS OF MY SPIRITUAL CLOSENESS AND OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S COMMITMENT TO COOPERATE WITH THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH FOR AN EVER CLEARER WITNESS TO THE TRUTH OF THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE AND TO THE VALUES WHICH ALONE CAN SUSTAIN TODAY’S WORLD ALONG THE WAY OF PEACE, JUSTICE AND LOVING CARE OF THE MARGINALIZED.
WITH BROTHERLY AFFECTION IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, I INVOKE UPON YOU THE HOLY SPIRIT’S GIFTS OF WISDOM, STRENGTH AND PEACE.
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/28/2009 2:33 PM] |
| 1/28/2009 2:18 PM |
|
| | | Post: 16,409 | Registered in: 8/28/2005
| Gold User |
|
GENERAL AUDIENCE TODAY
At the General Audience today, the Holy Father resumed his catechetical cycle on St. Paul, with reflections on the Apostle's letters to Timothy and Titus, his principal collaborators. Here is how he synthesized today's lesson in English:
In our catechesis on the writings of Saint Paul, we come now to the Pastoral Epistles, the two Letters addressed to Timothy and the one to Titus.
Although their authorship remains debated, these three Letters, while subsequent to the central years of Paul’s life and activity, clearly appeal to his authority and draw from his teaching.
Against threats to the purity of the apostolic tradition, they insist on a discerning understanding of the Scriptures and fidelity to the deposit of faith. Scripture and Tradition are seen as the "firm foundation laid by God" for the life of the Church (cf. 2 Tim 2:19), and the basis of her mission of leading all people to the knowledge of God’s saving truth (cf. 1 Tim 2:1-4).
The Pastoral Epistles also reflect the development of the Church’s ministerial structures, and in particular the emergence of the figure of the Bishop within the group of presbyters. They present the Church in very human terms as God’s household, a family in which the Bishop acts with the authority of a father.
Inspired by this vision, let us ask Saint Paul to help all Christians to live as members of God’s family, and their Pastors to be strong and loving fathers, committed to building up their flocks in faith and unity.
Before giving his final post-catechesis greeting to the faithful in Italian, he said he had three special messages to deliver. Here is a translation:
Before greeting the Italian-speaking pilgrims, I have three messages to communicate.
The first -
I learned with joy the news of the election of Metropolitan Kirill as the new Patriarch of Moscow and All the Russias. I invoke on him the light of the Holy Spirit for generous service to the Russian Orthodox Church, entrusting him to the special protection of the Mother of God.
The second -
In my homily on the occasion of the solemn inauguration of my Pontificate, I said that the 'call to unity' is the 'explicit' task of the Pastor.
Commenting on the Gospel passage on the miraculous catch of fish, I cited that "although there were so many (fish), the net was not torn” (Jn 21:11), continuing with the words: "Alas, beloved Lord, with sorrow we must now acknowledge that it has been torn! But no – we must not be sad! Let us rejoice because of your promise, which does not disappoint, and let us do all we can to pursue the path towards the unity you have promised... Do not allow your net to be torn, Lord, help us to be servants of unity!"
In compliance of this service of unity, which qualifies in a specific way my ministry as the Successor of Peter, I decided several days ago to grant the remission of the excommunication incurred by four bishops ordained in 1988 by Mons. Lefebvre without papal mandate.
I carried out this act of paternal mercy, because repeatedly, these prelates have shown their sincere suffering for the situation in which they were.
I hope that my gesture may be followed by their expeditious commitment to comply with further steps necessary to realize their full communion with the Church, by showing their true loyalty and true acknowledgment of the Magisterium and authority of the Pope and of the Second Vatican Council.
The third communication -
In these days when we commemorate the Shoah, I am reminded of the images gathered from my various visits to Auschwitz, one of the concentration camps where the brutal carnage of millions of Jews took place, innocent victims of blind racial and religious hatred.
Even as I renew with affection the expression of my full and indisputable solidarity with our brothers who were the beneficiaries of the First Alliance, I hope that the memory of the Shoah will lead mankind to reflect on the unpredictable power of evil when it conquers the heart of man.
May the Shoah be for everyone a warning against forgetting, against negation or reductionism, because violence committed against one single human being is a violence against all.
No man is an island, a famous poet wrote. May the Shoah teach both the old and new generations that only the effortful way of listening and dialog, of love and of forgiveness, can lead the peoples, cultures and religions of the world to the desired goal of brotherhood and peace in truth.
Never more should violence debase the dignity of man!
Here is a translation of his entire catechesis:
CATCHESIS #19
in the Pauline Year cycle
Dear brothers and sisters,
The last letters of the Pauline epistolary, about which I would like to talk today, have been called the Pastoral Letters, because they were sent to individual Pastors of the Church: two to Timothy and one to Titus, close collaborators of St. Paul.
In Timothy, the Apostle saw almost an alter ego: indeed, he entrusted him with important missions (to Macedonia: cfr At 19,22; to Thessalonia: cfr 1 Ts 3,6-7; to Corinth: cfr 1 Cor 4,17; 16,10-11), and later he would write a flattering eulogy: "I have no one with the same spirit as he, who will know how to concern himself at heart with the things that concern you" [My translation, for now, since the citation given is Phm 2,20, which is not the corresponding passage].
According to the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius of Caesarea, from the 4th century, Timothy later became the first Bishop of Ephesus (cfr 1,4).
As for Titus, he too must have been very dear to the Apostle, who described him explicitly as "full of zeal... my companion and co-worker" (2 Cor 8,17.23), and even "my true child in our common faith" (Ti 1,4). He was charged with a couple of very sensitive missions to the Church of Corinth, the results of which encouraged Paul (cfr 2 Cor 7,6-7.13; 8,6).
Afterwards, when he was ordered to do so, Titus rejoined Paul at Nicopolis in Epirus, Greece cfr Tt 3,12), then was later sent to Dalmatia (cfr 2 Tm 4,10). At the time of the letter addressed to him, he was Bishop of Crete (cfr Tt 1,5).
The Letters addressed to these two Pastors occupy a very special place in the New Testament. Most exegetes now believe that these letters were not written by Paul himself, but that they come from 'the school of Paul", reflecting his legacy for a new generation, perhaps integrating some brief passage or words from the Apostle himself.
For example, some words from the Second Letter to Timothy seem so authentic that they could only have come from the heart and mouth of the Apostle himself.
Without a doubt, the ecclesiastical situation that emerges in these Letters is different from that during the central years of Paul's life. At that time, he described himself retrospectively as 'herald, apostle and teacher' of the pagans in faith and in truth (cfr 1 Tm 2,7; 2 Tm 1,11); He presented himself as someone who had obtained mercy because, as he wrote, "I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life" (1 Tm 1,16).
Therefore, the essential thing was that in Paul - a persecutor converted in the presence of the Risen Lord - the Lord's magnanimity is an encouragement for us, to lead us to hope and to trust in the mercy of the Lord who, notwithstanding our smallness, is able to do great things.
Beyond the central years of Paul's life, new cultural contexts are also presupposed here [the letters to Timothy]. Indeed, there is an allusion to the emergence of teachings that were to be considered completely false and erroneous (cfr 1 Tm 4,1-2; 2 Tm 3,1-5), such as those that claimed matrimony was not a good thing (cfr 1 Tm 4,3a).
We see how modern that concern is, because even today, Scripture is sometimes read as an object of historical curiosity, and not as the word of the Holy Spirit, in which we can hear the voice of the Lord himself and recognize his presence in history.
We could say that the brief list of errors presented in the three letters anticipates some of the features of that subsequent erroneous orientation which went under the name of Gnosticism (cfr 1 Tm 2,5-6; 2 Tm 3,6-8).
The author confronts such doctrines with two basic recommendations. The first is to advise a spiritual reading of the Sacred Scripture (cfr 2 Tm 3,14-17), that is, a reading that considers it as truly 'inspired' and coming from the Holy Spirit, so that one may be instructed in salvation".
One reads Scripture correctly by placing oneself in conversation with the Holy Spirit, thereby obtaining light "for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tm 3,16).
In this sense, the Letter adds: "so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work"(2 Tm 3,17).
The other reminder was to stress the good 'deposit' (parathéke): a special word in the pastoral Letters which refers to the tradition of apostolic faith that must be preserved with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
This so-called 'deposit of faith' is to be considered as the sum of the apostolic tradition and as a criterion of faithfulness in announcing the Gospel.
We must also take into account that in the Pastoral Letters as in all of the New Testament, the term 'Scriptures' means explicitly the Old Testament, because the writings of the New Testament were either not written yet or were not yet part of the Scriptural canon.
Therefore, the Tradition of the apostolic announcement, this 'deposit', is the key for understanding Scripture, the New Testament. In this sense, Scripture and Tradition, Scripture and the apostolic teaching as interpretative key, are placed side by side, almost merging into each other to form together "God's solid foundation" (2 Tm 2,19).
The apostolic message, namely Tradition, is necessary to introduce us to an understanding of Scripture and to catch in it the voice of Christ. In fact, one must "hold fast to the true message [of faith] as taught" (Tt 1,9).
The basis of everything is precisely faith in the historical revelation of the goodness of God, who in Jesus Christ concretely manifested his 'love for all men", a love which in the original Greek text is significantly called 'phil-anthropy' [love of man] (Tt 3,4; cfr 2 Tm 1,9-10); God loves mankind.
Altogether, we can see that the Christian community was configuring itself in very clear terms, with an identity that not only keeps clear of incongruous interpretations, but affirms above all its own anchorage to the essential points of the faith, which here is synonymous to 'truth' (1 Tm 2,4.7; 4,3; 6,5; 2 Tm 2,15.18.25; 3,7.8; 4,4; Tt 1,1.14).
In faith is found the essential truth of who we are, who God is, how we should live. And the Church is defined as 'the pillar and foundation" (1 Tim 3,16) of this truth (the truth of faith).
In any case, she remains an open community, of universal breadth, who prays for all men of every order and rank, so that they may come to knowledge of the truth: "(God) wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth" that "Jesus Christ gave himself as ransom for all" (1 Tim 2,4-5).
Thus, the sense of universality, even if the communities were still small, was strong and determinative for these Letters. In addition, these Christian communities "slander no one" and "exercise all graciousness toward everyone" (Tt 3,2).
This is one important component of these Letters: universality and faith as truth, as a key to reading Sacred Scripture, of the Old Testament, thus delineating the unity of announcement and Scripture, and a faith open to everyone that bears witness to God's love for everyone.
Another typical component of these Letters is their reflection on the ministerial structure of the Church. They are the first to present her triple subdivision into bishops, priests and deacons (cfr 1 Tm 3,1-13; 4,13; 2 Tm 1,6; Tt 1,5-9).
We can observe in the Pastoral Letters the confluence of two different ministerial structures and thus, the constitution of the definite form of the Church ministry.
In the letters from the central years of his life, Paul speaks of 'bishops' (Phil 1,1) and of 'deacons': this was the typical structure of the Church as it took shape in the pagan world - in which the figure of the apostle remains dominant, and the other ministries developed gradually.
If, as mentioned, we had bishops and deacons in the Churches formed in the pagan world, and not priests, the latter were the dominant structure in the Churches that were formed in the Judaeo-Christian world.
At the end of the Pastoral Letters, the two structures are joined: thus appears 'the bishop' (cfr 1 Tm 3,2; Tt 1,7), always in the singular, and accompanied by the definite article - 'the bishop'. And beside the bishop, we find priests and deacons.
The figure of the Apostle was always determinative, but the three Letters, as I have said, were no longer addressed to communities but to individuals: Timothy and Titus, who on the one hand, appear as bishops, and on the other, start to take the place of the Apostle.
Thus we note initially the reality that will much later be called 'the apostolic succession'. Paul tells Timothy in very solemn tones: "Do not neglect the gift you have, which was conferred on you through the prophetic word with the imposition of hands on the presbyterate" 1 Tim 4, 14).
We can say that the words also mark the first appearance of the sacramental character of the ministry. And so we have the essential structure of the Catholic Church: Scripture and Tradition, Scripture and anouncement, forming an ensemble. But to this structure that we might call doctrinal, must be added the personal structure - the successors of the Apostles as witnesses to the apostolic message.
Finally it is important to note that in these Letters, the Church understands itself in very human terms, analogous to the home and the family. Particularly in 1 Tm 3,2-8, we can read very detailed instructions on the episcopate, such as these:
"A bishop must be irreproachable, married only once, temperate, self-controlled, decent, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money.
"He must manage his own household well, keeping his children under control with perfect dignity, for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of the church of God?
"He should not be a recent convert, so that he may not become conceited and thus incur the devil's punishment. He must also have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, the devil's trap".
One must note above all the important attitude towards teaching (cfr also 1 Tm 5,17), which finds an echo in other passages (cfr 1 Tm 6,2c; 2 Tm 3,10; Tt 2,1), and then, a special personal characteristic, that of 'paternity'.
Indeed, the bishop is considered the father of the Christian community (cfr also 3 Tim 3,15). Moreover, the idea of the Church as 'house of God' has its roots in the Old Testament (cfr Nm 12,7), reformulated in Heb 3,2.6.
Whereas in other passages we read that all Christians are no longer strangers nor guests, but citizens alongside the saints and familiars of the House of God (cfr Eph 2,19).
Let us pray to the Lord and to St. Paul that we too, as Christians, may always distinguish ourselves, in relationship to the society in which we live, as members of the 'family of God'.
And let us pray as well that the pastors of the Church may always have paternal sentiments, at once tender and strong, in the formation of thw House of God, of the community, and of the Church.
Pope Benedict expresses
'full and indisputable solidarity'
with the Jews
By ALESSANDRA RIZZO
VATICAN CITY, Jan. 28 (AP)- Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday expressed his "full and indisputable solidarity" with Jews and warned against any denial of the horror of the Holocaust.
With his comments, the Pope was reaching out to Jews angered by his recent decision to rehabilitate a bishop who says no Jews were gassed during the Holocaust.
"As I renew my full and indisputable solidarity with our brothers," Benedict said, "I wish that the memory of the Shoah will prompt humanity to reflect on the unpredictable power of evil when it conquers the hearts of men." Shoah is a Hebrew word for the Holocaust.
"May the Shoah be a warning to everyone against oblivion, denials or reductionism," the Pope told thousands of pilgrims at a weekly audience at the Vatican.
The Vatican had already distanced itself from comments by bishop Richard Williamson, a Briton who has denied that 6 million Jews were murdered during World War II. The Holy See said that removing the excommunication by no means implied the Vatican shared Williamson's views.
Wednesday's remarks were the first comments on the issue by the Pope himself since the controversy erupted.
The German-born Benedict recalled his visits to the Auschwitz concentration camp — including as pope in May 2006 — and the "brutal massacre of millions of Jews, innocent victims of blind racial and religious hatred."
Benedict lifted the excommunication of Williamson and three other bishops last week.
The four were excommunicated 20 years ago after they were consecrated by the late ultraconservative Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre without papal consent — a move the Vatican at the time called an act of schism.
Williamson said in an interview broadcast last week on Swedish state TV that historical evidence "is hugely against 6 million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler."
He cited what he called the estimates of the "most serious" revisionists that "between 200,000-300,000 perished in Nazi concentration camps, but not one of them by gassing in a gas chamber."
Jewish groups, including the American Jewish Committee, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Israel's quasi-governmental Jewish Agency, denounced the Vatican for bringing a Holocaust denier back into the fold.
Benedict made clear from the start of his pontificate that he wanted to reconcile with Lefebvre's rebellious traditionalist Society of St. Pius X.
Lefebvre bitterly opposed the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that brought liberal reforms to the church.
Benedict said Wednesday he had lifted the excommunication because the bishops had "repeatedly shown their deep suffering over the situation."
Pope 'Pepperl' makes the acquaintance of a lion cub ('Hello, Kitty!') after a circus troupe performs some variety acts for him.
OK, so it turns out 'Cubby' wan't quite the tame kitty he looked like in the first pictures, but our 'Pepperl' is unfazed:
Lion cub greets Pope with a roar
VATICAN CITY, Jan. 28 (AP) – Pope Benedict XVI was greeted by an unusual guest during his weekly audience at the Vatican: a feisty lion cub.
The beast was brought to the Pontiff in the Vatican's Paul VI hall on Wednesday as part of a performance by members of the Medrano Circus. An amused Benedict looked on as jugglers in sparkling costumes performed.
He got up when the lion cub was carried closer so he could pat it.
The lion's response: a roar, which drew laughter from the Vatican audience.
[Edited by TERESA BENEDETTA 1/28/2009 9:58 PM] |