"Christmas isn't a fable for children, but the answer from God to the drama of humanity in search of true peace."
Vatican City, Dec 20, 2009 / (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI led the Angelus from the window of his Vatican chambers on this crisp, clear winter morning of the fourth Sunday of Advent in Rome. In his pre-Angelus address to thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, he echoed the words of the prophet Micah in Sunday´s liturgy, inviting the world to look to Bethlehem for peace.
The Holy Father began his address by quoting Micah's prophesy from 1,000 years before Christ's birth, 'But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.'
"So, there is a divine design that knows and explains the times and places of the coming of the Son of God into the world," said Benedict XVI of the prophesy.
"It's a design of peace ..." one that comes with the arrival of the Lord on Earth, he said.
"He himself will be the peace," adds Micah in his prophesy.
Benedict XVI said that Bethlehem is thus is a "city-symbol" of messianic peace, although, he lamented, "Unfortunately, in our days, that doesn't represent an achieved and stable peace, but one tiringly sought after and hoped for."
God doesn't give up, though, he continued, and so this year, as in all years, "he will renew in the Church the mystery of Christmas, prophesy of peace for every man and woman."
The Pontiff highlighted the power and timelessness of the message, saying, "Today, as in the time of Jesus, Christmas isn't a fable for children, but the answer from God to the drama of humanity in search of true peace."
"Even if we don't understand it fully, we trust ourselves to his wisdom and kindness. We seek, before all, the Kingdom of God, and Divine Providence will aid us."
Pope Benedict concluded with a "Merry Christmas to all!" that echoed through the pillars of the Square and was met with cheers from the crowd.
maandag 21 december 2009
Christmas is God's answer to drama of humanity, Pope declares
zaterdag 19 december 2009
John Paul II declared Venerable, moves one step closer to sainthood
Vatican City, Dec 19, 2009 / (CNA).-
Pope Benedict XVI has signed a decree recognizing the late Pope John Paul II's life of “heroic virtue.” With his signature, Benedict XVI throws the door wide open to the beatification of the much-loved Polish Pontiff and gives him the title "Venerable."
On Saturday morning, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints led by Archbishop Angelo Amato met with Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate their 40th anniversary as a dicastery of the Holy See and to present decrees for papal approval. Pope John Paul II's name was among the Congregation's nominations for those possessing “heroic virtue.”
The next step towards canonization of John Paul II is a second decree to be signed by the Pope that attributes a miracle to him. It is thought that this miracle will be one that has already taken place but has not yet been officially recognized. The miracle involves a French nun who was cured of Parkinson´s disease through John Paul II's intercession.
Following the approval of his first miracle, Venerable Karol Woytilya would be eligible for beatification, and pending a second miracle, he could be declared a saint.
The Vatican has processed his case in record time. Since the Pontiff´s death, less than five years have passed. Five years is the normal amount of time that must go by before the Holy See can begin the investigation process. In this case, Pope Benedict made an exception just a little over a month after John Paul II's death in March of 2005.
Among other documents signed by Benedict XVI on Saturday morning were decrees authenticating the heroic virtue of Pope Pius XII, Pontiff during World War II; the martyrdom of Jerzy Popiełuszko, a Polish priest killed in 1984, and a second miracle attributed to Bless Mary McKillop, who will now become Australia's first saint.
Holy Father declares World War II Pope is Venerable
Vatican City, Dec 19, 2009 / (CNA).-
In a recent round of authorizations by Benedict XVI on Saturday, Pope Pius XII was proclaimed as having displayed exemplary and “heroic virtue” in his life. The Holy Father's decision to move ahead with the declaration rebuffs claims that Pius XII did nothing to help the Jews during World War II. He now needs two miracles to be officially attributed to him to become a saint.
Pope Pius XII, born Eugenio Pacelli, is most remembered for being the Pontiff during World War II. While some say he did little to protest the deportation of Jews and the Holocaust, written records and witnesses tell another story. They testify to his actions in defense of the Jews. Accounts of his intervention to save 4,000 Jews from a ghetto in Rome and place them in convents and Catholic schools refute claims of his passiveness.
In May of 2009, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, former president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, a seminarian during the War, said that he couldn't remember anyone saying anything but good things about the Pope during that time. No one, he said, would have described the Pope's reaction as "silent," as would be said of him later.
In an article published in L'Osservatore Romano on May 28, 2008, Cardinal Ruini wrote, “it was obvious, in the atmosphere and ecclesial praxis of the time,” that if many “priests and religious communities, and the Vatican itself, had taken in and saved many persecuted Jews ... it could not have been done without the encouragement and consent of the Pope.”
Ruini called the claims of inaction nothing more than a "black legend."
Today's declaration on Pius XII was not the only news-making announcement.
Pope Benedict XVI also declared Pope John Paul II and eight others as having lived lives of “heroic virtue.” With the signature of the Pope and the support of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, they have all taken another step towards sainthood.
donderdag 17 december 2009
Cardinal Hummes calls priests to strengthen ministry through prayer
Vatican City, Dec 16, 2009 /(CNA).-
The prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, encouraged priests this week not to neglect prayer because it strengthens their ministry by cultivating “the intimacy of the disciple with his Master, Jesus Christ.”
“Truly without the essential nourishment of prayer, the priest becomes ill. The disciple cannot find the strength to follow the Master, and thus, he dies of starvation,” the cardinal warned in a letter.
Cardinal Hummes recalled that “prayer occupies a central place in the life of the priest,” and is a weapon for overcoming the devil, who seeks to weaken the shepherd in order to destroy the sheep.
“St. John Chrysostom warned that a decrease in shepherds always leads to a decline in the number of faithful in a community. Without shepherds, our communities will be destroyed,” he explained.
The prelate added that a lack of prayer leads to “less joy and happiness in ministry each day.” When a priest realizes “that his prayer life is weak, that is the time to address the Holy Spirit and pray.”
“The Spirit will reignite the passion and fervor for the Lord, who is always there...”
The cardinal encouraged priests to draw close to the manger in order to renew their friendship and discipleship, in order to be sent anew by Christ as his evangelizers.
Rogue archbishop dismissed by Pope Benedict from clerical state
Vatican City, Dec 17, 2009 / (CNA).-
The Holy See announced on Thursday that the former Archbishop of Lusaka, Emmanuel Milingo, has been dismissed from the clerical state after persistently acting against Church teaching. Milingo had already been suspended and excommunicated latae sententiae for serious transgressions in the last eight years.
The Holy See reported that despite repeated efforts to return the African archbishop to "full communion with the Supreme Pontiff and the other members of the College of Bishops" his continued neglect for Church doctrine has merited him the "further penalty of dismissal from the clerical state."
The former archbishop has a history of disobeying Church law.
The first of what the Vatican called "this unhappy series of events" took place in 2001 when Milingo tried to marry Mrs. Maria Sung, at which time he was subject to a "medicinal" suspension. He was not deterred as he subsequently pushed for the abolition of the discipline of priestly celibacy by leading groups and giving interviews "in open disobedience to the repeated interventions of the Holy See," reads the Vatican press office's official statement regarding the case.
Then, on Sept. 24, 2006 in Washington, D.C., Milingo ordained four bishops without the required pontifical mandate. Two days later on Sept. 26, he was excommunicated "latae sententiae"—by the very commission of the offense —following the order of the Holy See.
"Sadly," says the Vatican's statemtent, "Archbishop Milingo has shown no sign of the desired repentance with a view to returning to to full communion" with the Catholic Church. "Rather he has persisted in the unlawful exercise of acts belonging to the episcopal office, committing new crimes against the unity of the Holy Church."
It was recently brought to light, read the statement, that Milingo has once again taken part in the ordination of another round of bishops without the permission of the Apostolic See.
Due to these new "grave crimes" the archbishop is now being penalized with dismissal from the clerical state.
According to Canon Law, due to the combination of penalties, Milingo will now incur the "loss the rights and duties attached to the clerical state, except for the obligation of celibacy; prohibition of the exercise of any ministry, except... in those cases involving the danger of death; loss of all offices and functions and of all delegated power, as well as prohibition of the use of clerical attire."
Therefore, continues the statement, "the participation of the faithful in any future celebrations organized by Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo is to be considered unlawful."
The Vatican communique explained that the dismissal of a bishop from the clerical state is quite exceptional but that it was necessary given the repeated offenses of ordaining new bishops. It also stated clearly that these new bishops were not to be considered valid, nor were any subsequent ordinations based on them. It also underscored the penalty of excommunication for any priests ordained without the pontifical mandate.
The Holy See concluded its statement by expressing the "profound sorrow" of the Church for the unapproved acts of the archbishop, and entrusted "to the power of prayer" the repentance of any other individuals involved in the condemned actions.
woensdag 16 december 2009
New papal decree clarifies role of deacons and result of defections on marriage
Denver, Colo., Dec 15, 2009 / (CNA).- This morning the Vatican published a Motu Proprio from Pope Benedict called “Omnium in Mentem” and dated October 26. According to J.D. Flynn, a canon lawyer for the Archdiocese of Denver, the new document clarifies the nature of a deacon's orders and the impact of defections from Catholicism on the validity of a marriage.
“Omnium in Mentum,” roughly translated as “Everything in Mind,” deals with two unrelated topics, a fact that caused Flynn to observe that it's probably easier to publish one Motu Propio than two.
Writing in an explanatory note for the Motu Proprio, Archbishop Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, commented on the modified canons (1008, 1009, 1086, 1117 and 1124). These variations, he said, "concern two separate questions: adapting the text of the canons that define the ministerial function of deacons … and suppressing a subordinate clause in three canons concerning marriage, which experience has shown to be inappropriate."
The first issue addressed by the Motu Propio is the role of the diaconate.
Part of the current canon “describes sacred orders as participating in the headship of Christ,” Flynn explained. “The Motu Proprio clarifies that priests and bishops participate in the headship of Christ 'in persona Christi,' whereas deacons serve the Church, the people of God, through the ministry, services, or 'diaconias' of liturgy, word, and charity.” Thus, Flynn said, the document emphasizes that there is a “clear distinction between the diaconate and the presbyterate.”
“The distinction is between the deacon who acts “in imago Dei” and the priest who acts 'in persona Christi,'” Flynn explained.
What this means in layman's terms is that “we see the diaconate as a unique ministry unto itself and not simply a step along the way to the priesthood,” he added.
The second item considered by the Motu Propio is an obscure clause regarding a dispensation in canon law.
The reason for this allowance under the 1983 Code of Canon Law was to attempt to support the institution of marriage, even for Catholics who had renounced the Faith, Flynn said. Catholics who defect from the faith, or formally renounce it, must do so by writing a letter to their bishop stating their defection.
The only consequence of a defection prior to “Omnium in Mentem” was that the defector would subsequently be able to “get married validly without observing canonical form,” noted Flynn. This would mean that a defecting Catholic could validly be married in a civil ceremony, for example, without a dispensation.
“This Motu Proprio eliminates the impact of defections on marriage and requires that defectors follow canonical form for marriage,” he stated.
Stressing that “this idea that you can defect from the church by formal act for the purposes of marital validity has always been a sort of anomaly to our theology,” Flynn explained that the document abolished the anomaly.
He also noted that, “in the United States, we get very, very few defections by formal act.”
“What this really is, is an affirmation of our theology. Theologically we understand that what makes us Catholic is our Baptism or our reception in to the Church. Whether we want to be Catholic is not germane to the question of whether we are Catholic. Whether we follow the teachings of the Church or not is not germane to the question of whether or not we are Catholic. The thing that the church says is that all Catholics are bound to the teachings of the Catholic Church.”
Thus, at the theological level, the document establishes “that the Church does not participate in a congregational ecclesiology,” said Flynn. “Our ecclesiology is sacramental.”
dinsdag 15 december 2009
Pope Benedict XVI and Italian bishops condemn attack on Berlusconi
Vatican City, Dec 15, 2009 / (CNA).-
Pope Benedict XVI and the Bishops’ Conference of Italy have spoken out against the assault of the Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, who was struck in the face Sunday following a rally in Milan. Italy's leader suffered two broken teeth, a minor nose fracture and cuts on his face following the attack.
According to the BBC, a man hit Belusconi in the face with a souvenir-sized replica of the city's cathedral.
In a telegram sent to Berlusconi signed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Holy Father expressed his “paternal closeness” and hopes for a “quick recovery.”
The Italian bishops said the attack was “an episode of singular and abominable gravity. As we express our sincere closeness to Minister Berlusconi, we hope for a more serene and respectful cultural climate for our country so that the good of everyone will be realized in society and in political life.”
The director of the Holy See’s Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, said the attack was “a very grave and worrisome act that manifests the real risk of violence when words are translated into actions.
“All violence must be firmly condemned immediately by all political parties and all levels of society.”
zondag 13 december 2009
The secret of joy is found in the Nativity, Pope says at Angelus
Vatican City, Dec 13, 2009 / CNA).-
Saying he shared the “secret joy” of his audience, Pope Benedict dedicated his Angelus address to the blessing of the "Bambinelli," the baby Jesus figurines to be used in family, school and parish Nativity scenes all over Rome.
The central message of the liturgy on the Third Sunday of Advent was the apostle Paul´s invitation to the Philippians: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I say again: rejoice the Lord is near!"
Pope Benedict XVI spoke on a cool, rain-sprinkled afternoon in Rome.
"The Mother Church," he explained before the Angelus, "while she accompanies us towards the holy feast of Christmas, helps us rediscover the meaning and the delight of Christian joy, so different from that of the world."
The Pope noted that so many families, teachers and catechists come to St. Peter's Square to have their baby Jesus figurines blessed. He remarked that he is filled with great joy at their presence and interest in keeping alive the tradition. He also said it is necessary to “try to live in the everyday reality of what Christ's Nativity represents, which is the love of Christ, his humility and his poverty.
The blessing of the Bambinelli, he added, “reminds us that the Nativity is a school of life, where we can learn the secret of true joy. This doesn't consist of having many things, but in feeling loved by the Lord, in making ourselves a gift to others and in loving ourselves."
Pope Benedict alluded to the Holy Family, who didn't seem to be “a very fortunate family” but were still "filled with intimate joy because they loved and helped each other and most have all they were sure that their story is the work of God, Who is made present in little Jesus."
The shepherds would have also been joyful in seeing the Lord despite their meager conditions, the Pontiff explained, because in the infant Jesus they would have recognized, with the help of their faith, "the sign of God's promise coming true for all men who love Him."
True joy, he said, consists in its feeling that our personal and communal existence is fulfilled by “a great mystery, the mystery of the love of God."
"To rejoice we need not only things, but also love and truth, we need a God that is near, that warms our heart and responds to our profound expectations. This God is manifested in Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary."
"Thus," concluded the Holy Father, "that 'Bambinello' that we put in the stable or the cave is the center of everything, the heart of the world."
After the Angelus, the Pope invited the faithful and pilgrims to pray with him for the four priests killed in Africa last week, so that the Lord “may take them into His House, console those that cry for their loss and bring, with His coming, reconciliation and peace."
zaterdag 12 december 2009
Without God we risk our own destruction, writes Benedict XVI
Rome, Italy, Dec 11, 2009 / (CNA).-
Pope Benedict officially congratulated the Italian bishops’ conference for hosting this week’s “Conference on God.” He outlined the importance of such initiatives for keeping God within “man’s horizons,” because without Him “humanity loses its orientation and risks committing steps towards its own destruction.”
The conference was kicked off with a letter that the Holy Father wrote to the president of the Italian bishops' conference, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco. In his message, the Pope praised the work of the episcopal conference and its cultural project committee in organizing this meeting of the minds “that confronts one of the great themes that has always fascinated and exposed the human spirit.”
“The question of God is central also for our age,” said the Pope, describing it as an era “in which we often tend to reduce man to just one dimension, the ‘horizontal,’ considering openness to the Transcendent irrelevant to his or her life.”
“The relationship with God … is essential for the path of humanity, the Church and each Christian has the duty to make God present in this world, to seek to open to men the access to God.”
In a way, wrote the Pope, the Conference on God seeks to “show the various routes that lead to the affirmation of the truth about the existence of God.” But that’s not the only thing this open debate serves for, continued the Holy Father, saying it also sheds light on the “essential importance that God has for us, for the hope that illuminates our path, for the salvation that waits for us after death.”
Pope Benedict also pointed out that mankind cannot forget history. “The experience of the past, also not far from us, teaches that when God disappears from the horizon of man, humanity loses its direction and risks making steps towards its own destruction.
“Faith in God opens man up to the horizon of a certain hope,” on which we can rely, so as to “abandon ourselves with trust into the hands of the Love that sustains the world.”
The conference is an initiative organized and promoted by the “Cultural Project Committee” headed by Cardinal Camillo Ruini. It has gathered believers and non-Christians from a wide variety of backgrounds to ensure that the “God debate” is present in an increasingly secular society.
At the opening of the conference on Thursday, Cardinal Bagnasco thanked the Pope for his words of support and added that the three-day gathering would be “moved by the typically human and profoundly Christian demand to seek the Truth.”
This, he continued, might sound “vane or illusory” to the non-Catholic, but the process of seeking Truth “demands an open investigation, in all areas, on the profound significance of living and functioning.”
And this search, said Cardinal Bagnasco, is one of the elements that most “distinguishes man from animal or machine.”
Pope meets with Irish bishops, plans measures to respond to abuse
Vatican City, Dec 11, 2009 / (CNA).-
Pope Benedict XVI and high-ranking members or the Roman Curia met with two members of the Irish bishops’ conference in the papal library on Friday to listen to their concerns and discuss the issue of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Pope was admittedly “deeply disturbed and distressed” by the contents of the Murphy Report released on Nov. 29 and expressed his commitment to investigating the matter further.
Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland, and Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin met for 90 minutes with Vatican representatives, including Secretaries of State Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti. Also present were Cardinal Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, Cardinal Re, Cardinal Ballestrero, Cardinals Wells and the Irish Nuncio.
In a press communiqué delivered to the press by Fr. Federico Lombardi, the Holy Father responded that he “wishes once more to express his profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy who have betrayed their solemn promises to God, as well as the trust placed in them by the victims and their families, and by society at large.”
The meeting with the Pontiff comes two days after the Irish bishops’ conference issued a public apology for the abuse committed by some members of the Irish Catholic clergy over the last three decades. In part, their statement said, “This should never have happened and must never be allowed to happen again. We humbly ask for forgiveness.”
Benedict XVI also said that “he shares the outrage, betrayal and shame felt by so many of the faithful in Ireland, and he is united with them in prayer at this difficult time in the life of the Church.”
The Pontiff provided his assurance that the Church will continue in its efforts to discover “how these shameful events came to pass and how best to develop effective and secure strategies to prevent any recurrence.”
“The Holy See,” added the Pope, “takes very seriously the central issues raised by the Report including questions concerning the governance of local Church leaders with ultimate responsibility for the pastoral care of children.”
A pastoral letter to the Irish faithful will be forthcoming “in which he will clearly indicate the initiatives that are to be taken in response to the situation.”
In closing, Benedict XVI encouraged “all those who have dedicated their lives in generous service to children to persevere in their good works in imitation of Christ the Good Shepherd.”
Relations progress as Vietnamese president meets with Pope
Vatican City, Dec 11, 2009 / (CNA).-
Pope Benedict XVI met with the President of Vietnam, Nguyen Minh Triet, this morning at the Apostolic Palace in a much awaited encounter. Although it appears that the two countries have not yet decided to establish full diplomatic relations, the Vatican called it "a significant stage in the progress of bilateral relations with Vietnam."
President Triet and a group of at least 12 other delegates from his administration were in attendance for the morning audience. The occasion took place in what was described as a ‘friendly’ atmosphere and lasted for around 40 minutes, incidentally the same amount of time the Pope dedicated to the U.S. President on his visit earlier this year.
Members of the press who witnessed the audience described the atmosphere in particular as “striking” and “almost festive” and said the Pope talked to the delegation “right up to the door” on their way out.
The meeting of the two world leaders was especially meaningful because it showed another solid step towards renewing what were at one time mostly stable relations. Relations with the Holy See were ruptured in 1975 following the unification of North and South Vietnam, at which time there were acts of aggression against the Church, including the expulsion of the Pope's respresentative.
The warm reception on both sides could be considered another reason to celebrate for Vietnamese Catholics, who have just celebrated 350 years of evangelization in their country and the 50th anniversary of the episcopal conference.
There was hope from Catholics in the communist country that this visit had been arranged to announce even stronger formal diplomatic ties, thus producing greater religious freedom in the country and even possibly paving the way for a papal visit at some point in their jubilee year.
Nevertheless, prior to the visit, Catholics throughout Vietnam continued to face persecution for demanding the return of church properties that were seized during the 1975 Communist Revolution.
Monsignor Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon, Bishop of Dalat, and president of the Vietnamese bishops' conference explained to Fides news agency on Wednesday, "For us, this encounter is a sign of reciprocal respect, that will allow for a very useful exchange. The communication serves for a mutual understanding that will open up new promises and hopes for Vietnam and for the Catholic Church."
woensdag 9 december 2009
dinsdag 8 december 2009
Pope Benedict calls on Catholics to entrust themselves to Mary
Vatican City, Dec 8, 2009 / (CNA).-
Pope Benedict XVI presided over a rare mid-week Angelus from the Apostolic Palace window on this cool, overcast day in Rome, the occasion being the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. The Pontiff called Mary the "new Eve" and urged all Catholics to entrust themselves to her protection.
Pope Benedict dedicated his pre-Angelus address to an explanation of why Mary is "Immaculate" and what that title might say to us.
He quoted from the book of Genesis and the Gospel of Luke in providing the illustration for the visitors and pilgrims at St. Peter's.
Referring to the passage from Genesis first, he recounted the words of God in Gen. 3:15 about how, after original sin, God made a promise to Satan, then in serpent form, that "the offspring" of woman would strike at his head.
And, the pope continued, "the day would come when 'a son of woman' would do this very thing.”
"So, through the offspring of the woman, God himself wins," concluded Benedict XVI.
He "has defeated once and for all the age old tempter."
For this reason, he explained, so often you see the renderings of the "Immaculate One" with the serpent underfoot.
Turning to today's Gospel, the Holy Father noted, "The evangelist, Luke, on the other hand, shows us the Virgin Mary that receives the announcement of the celestial Messenger. She appears as the humble and authentic daughter of Israel, true Zion in which God wishes to make his dwelling. She is the young descendant from which shall be born the Messiah, the just and merciful King." It was through her that God decided to rebuild his people, said the Pope.
"Differing from Adam and Eve, Mary remained obedient to the will of the Lord, with all of her being she pronounces her 'yes' and she puts herself fully at the disposal of the divine design."
"She's the new Eve, true 'mother of all the living,' of all that through their faith in Christ receive eternal life."
"What immense joy to have as a mother Immaculate Mary!" the Holy Father exclaimed to the crowd, explaining that they can ask her for help in times of need. "Each time that we experience our fragility and the suggestion of evil, we can turn to her, and our heart will receive light and comfort."
We must remember in the trying times, he continued, that "we are her children and the roots of our existence are deeply rooted in the infinite grace of God."
He then invited the faithful to entrust their lives, families and the entire world to the Immaculate Virgin, that we might find in her as the Church does a "star" to direct us to the course of Christ.
Pope Benedict plans to take his own advice and entrust himself to the Virgin Mary at the monument dedicated to her in Rome's Piazza di Spagna later this afternoon.
Benedict XVI holds up Mary as solution to negativity of urban life
Rome, Italy, Dec 8, 2009 / (CNA).-
The Holy Father made the trip across Rome this afternoon to complete the traditional act of papal veneration at the monument of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. In his message from the Piazza di Spagna, he contrasted the loving example of Mary with the persistent drum beat of evil found in the news media.
The Pope addressed Romans from the site of the famous Spanish Steps, where he said a statue of Mary "almost keeps watch over the city.”
Mary, Benedict XVI pointed out, is present all over Christian cities in paintings, mosaics and chapels, and through her presence she reminds us that "where sin is abundant, grace is overabundant."
"She is the Immaculate Mother that repeats also to the men of our time: do not be afraid, Jesus has conquered evil, he has conquered over it at the root, freeing us from its dominion."
"How much we need this wonderful news!" the Pope exclaimed, remarking on the contrast of this message to the communication of evil spread daily through the news media to the people.
This negativity, he continued, "isn't completely disposed of and day by day it accumulates. The heart hardens and thoughts are clouded."
"This is why the city needs Mary."
The Holy Father explained that by her very presence "she speaks to us of God, reminds us of the victory of Grace over sin and brings us hope even in the mostly humanly difficult situations."
Pope Benedict then delivered a powerful reflection on the dangers of urban living, The city, he said, has a tendency to make people disappear and every so often the story of one of these "invisible people" gets picked up by the media and exposed to the public "without mercy, or with false mercy." Every person, though, desires "to be accepted as a person and considered a sacred reality" and we all "require the greatest respect."
Each of us, though, as a part of our city is called to make it more hospitable. Said the Pope, "Everyone contributes to its life and to its moral climate, in good or in evil."
We "often we complain about the pollution of the air" but there also exists a "pollution of the spirit" that can impede us from treating others as they deserve to be treated. He stressed the importance of remembering that the people around us are not just bodies or "objects with faces, exchangeable and consumable."
It is Immaculate Mary, said the Holy Father, that "helps us to rediscover and defend the depth of the person, because in her there is perfect transparence of the soul in the body." "She is purity in person, in the sense that spirit, soul and body are in her fully coherent between themselves and with the will of God."
The Madonna teaches us to see the world and others "with mercy, with love, with infinite tenderness," he explained.
Pope Benedict closed the gathering with praise for those who already practice this behavior in their actions and implored all to "lend an ear to the voice of Mary" in her message that "where sin is abundant, grace is overabundant." In being aware of this and acting with our hearts, he said, our cities will be "more beautiful, more Christian, and more human."
Papal preacher says priests should avoid 'frenetic activism'
Vatican City, Dec 8, 2009 / (CNA).-
In his first Advent reflection for Pope Benedict XVI and members of the Roman Curia, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher of the Pontifical Household, warned that a threat exists today that, “because of the low number of priests, affects the clergy and the entire Church: it’s called frenetic activism.”
Using the writings of Abbot Chautard as inspiration for his reflection, Father Cantalamessa said that in order to understand how to follow Christ, one must journey down a path founded upon “a personal relationship that is full of trust and friendship with the person of Jesus,” who is the soul of every priesthood.
Referring to Chautard’s book, “The Soul of Every Apostolate,” the papal preacher underscored that the work was published just a few years before Vatican II, “in a period in which there was great enthusiasm for parish work.” The book addressed “the heart of the problem, denouncing the danger of an empty activism.”
Chautard wrote: “God wants Jesus to be life of our works.” For this reason, in reflecting on the need for priests to be servers of Christ, Father Cantalamessa remarked, “On the invisible passport of the priest where ‘profession’ is listed, one ought to read: servant of Jesus Christ’.”
The essential service of the priest to the Lord Jesus is thus “to continue His work in the world,” by being a witness to the truth, the saving will and the love of God for man.”
According to L’Osservatore Romano, Father Cantalamessa also explained that communicating Christ to others does not mean being his successors, as “Jesus has no successors, because He is not dead, He is alive.”
In his work the priest must strive to make man become friends with God, he continued, citing the passage in which the Lord calls His disciples “friends” and not servants.
He concluded his reflection emphasizing the importance of prayer in the life of the priest, as only with an intense prayer life can a priest be fully dedicated to his pastoral work.
zondag 6 december 2009
Church celebrates feast of St. Nicholas, the 'original' Santa Claus
CNA STAFF, Dec 6, 2009 / (CNA).-
As a young man he is said to have made a pilgrimage to Palestine and Egypt in order to study in the school of the Desert Fathers. On returning some years later he was almost immediately ordained Bishop of Myra, which is now Demre, on the coast of modern day Turkey.
The bishop was imprisoned during the Diocletian persecution and only released when Constantine the Great came to power and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.
One of the most famous stories of the generosity of St. Nicholas says that he threw bags of gold through an open window in the house of a poor man to serve as dowry for the man’s daughters, who otherwise would have been sold into slavery.
The gold is said to have landed in the family’s shoes, which were drying near the fire. This is why children leave their shoes out by the door, or hang their stockings by the fireplace in the hopes of receiving a gift on the eve of his feast.
St. Nicholas is associated with Christmas because of the tradition that he had the custom of giving secret gifts to children. It is also conjectured that the saint, who was known to wear red robes and have a long white beard, was culturally converted into the large man with a reindeer-drawn sled full of toys because in German, his name is “San Nikolaus” which almost sounds like “Santa Claus.”
In the East, he is known as St. Nicholas of Myra for the town in which he was bishop. But in the West he is called St. Nicholas of Bari because, during the Muslim conquest of Turkey in 1087, his relics were taken to Bari by the Italians.
St Nicholas is the patron of children and of sailors. His intercession is sought by the shipwrecked, by those in difficult economic circumstances, and for those affected by fires. He died on December 6, 346
Word of God produces abundant fruits, Pope Benedict says at Angelus
Vatican City, Dec 6, 2009 / (CNA).-
From the window of the Vatican Palace, Pope Benedict XVI delivered his pre-Angelus address to the pilgrims and faithful gathered below in St. Peter's Square on the second Sunday of Advent. His message encouraged them to follow the word of God, which St. Ambrose said "will produce its fruits for us."
The Pontiff began his pre-Angelus address by speaking of Luke's Gospel (Lk 3, 1-6) referring to John the Baptist, who at the time is preparing "the scene on which Jesus is about to appear and begin his public mission."
Pope Benedict noted the "abundant references" of St. Luke to political and religious figures of the time, the years 27 or 28 A.D.
"After this broad historical introduction," he added, "the subject becomes 'the word of God', presented as a force that comes down from on high and descends upon John the Baptist."
"Thus," said the Pontiff, using the words of St. Ambrose, "St. Luke says that the word of God came down on John... so that the Church gets its start not from men, but from the Word."
"That, then, is the meaning: the Word of God is the subject that moves history, inspires the prophets, prepares the way of the Messiah, calls together the Church."
"Jesus himself is the divine Word made flesh in the virgin womb of Mary; in Him God revealed himself fully, he has said to us and given us everything, thus opening for us the treasures of his truth and of his mercy."
The Holy Father again cited St. Ambrose, whose feast day is tomorrow: "Then the Word descended, down to the earth, which before was a desert, so that it would produce its fruits for us."
"Dear friends," concluded Benedict XVI, "the most beautiful flower germinated from the word of God is the Virgin Mary. She is the gem of the Church, garden of God on earth. But, while Mary is the Immaculate One... the Church is always in a fight between the desert and the garden, between the sin that dries the earth and the grace that irrigates it so that it might produce abundant fruits of saintliness."
"We pray then that the Mother of the Lord will help us, in this time of Advent, to ‘straighten out’ our lives, that we let ourselves be guided by the word of God," his pre-Angelus address concluded.
zaterdag 5 december 2009
Advent meditation series in Papal chapel contemplates origins of priesthood
Vatican City, Dec 4, 2009 / (CNA).-
The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, reported today that the Apostolic Preacher, Capuchin Friar Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, will be starting the traditional Friday meditations for Advent in the Papal chapel, Redemptoris Mater, today. The subject of the meditations will be "Ministers of Christ and dispensers of the mystery of God."
Fr. Cantalamessa told L'Osservatore that the series will "follow in line with the scope of Holy Father Benedict XVI's designation of the Year of the Priest..."
This year, he said, "should serve to bring the priest back to the inner core, to the source of each apostolate, of each priesthood, that not only gives efficacy to his ministry, but also joy to the presbyterium."
"The nature and duties of the priesthood, as presented in the two texts of the New Testament most directly pertaining to the theme" will be contemplated in the talks.
These two texts, are "Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. " (1 Corinthians 4:1) and "Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. " (Hebrews 5:1)
Thus, the meditations will "shed light on the original identity of 'the spirit of each priesthood,' returning to the foundation among all of the historic tasks and details taken on over the course of the centuries."
According to Cantalamessa's website, he has been the Apostolic Preacher at the Vatican since 1980 when he was appointed by then Pope John Paul II. His position requires that he give meditations on Fridays during Lent and Advent in the Papal chapel. He is also a member of the delegation for dialogue with Pentecostal churches and presents the Sunday Gospel during the week on Italy's RAI, a national television station.
Besides the Pope, those present at the meditations include members of the Papal chapel among them Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops, Secretaries of the Congregations, Prelates of the Roman Curia and of the Vicariate of Rome, Superior Generals and Procurators of the religious orders.
zondag 29 november 2009
Pope on Advent: With Jesus, there is no life without meaning
Vatican City, Nov 29, 2009 / CNA).-
On Saturday night, Pope Benedict XVI officiated a celebration in St. Peter's Basilica of first vespers before the first Sunday of the Advent season. His message in the homily was one of 'silence and hope' during the season of Advent.
The Holy Father ushered the Church into the new liturgical year, telling those in attendance at yesterday evening's celebration of first vespers that "Advent invites us to pause in silence to understand a Presence."
In his homily, Pope Benedict, gave a short lesson on the meaning of 'advent' to those early Christians who adopted the word "to explain their relationship with Jesus Christ." He taught that the word adventus would have been understood by them in that time to mean "God is here, he hasn't retired to his world, he hasn't left us alone." He further explained that an additional definition of the word could be " a visit from God."
His Holiness implored that the faithful put aside the activities, amusements, and multiple societal interests that "possess us" and can "sweep us away" to take the time observe silence and seek to understand signs of God that are present in every day life. These signs, he said, illustrate the presence of His love.
The Pontiff explained that "Advent invites and stimulates us to contemplate the Lord present."
It's also a time of expectation and hope, the Pope said. "It is a favorable occasion for our salvation." But, he continued, one has "hoped too little if beyond the profession or social position he has nothing left to hope in"
"Hope signals the path for humanity, and for Christians," he continued, " this is encouraged by a certainty: the Lord is present in our lives."
Through this relationship, he said, when a person's "time is full of sense, and in each instant we perceive something specific and valid, then the joy of the expectation makes the present more precious."
Pope Benedict called the congregation to "live the present intensely" and to "project it towards the future" with the gifts given to each of them. "In this way," he related, "the Christian Advent becomes occasion for a reawakening of the true meaning of expectation in us, returning to the heart of our faith that the mystery of Christ, the much awaited Messiah... "
"And if Jesus is present there no longer exists any time without meaning and empty," said the Holy Father, "if He is present, we can continue to hope even when others can no longer assure us of support, even when the present becomes difficult."
"Advent is a time of the presence and the expectation in the eternal," he stated. "Exactly for this reason, it is... the time of joy, an internalized joy, that no suffering can negate. Joy because God is made child."
vrijdag 27 november 2009
Third phase of Catholic/Anglican dialogue to include cooperative investigation of 'divisive' issues
Vatican City, Nov 27, 2009 / (CNA).-
An interview on Vatican Radio Wednesday morning revealed that the third phase of official dialogue between the the Catholic Church and the Anglican communion, to take place within the next year, will include what Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams deemed last week to be 'divisive' issues.
Discussions will focus on the relationship between the universal church and the local church.
Interviewed for the radio report was Monsignor Mark Langham, responsible for advancing Catholic/Anglican dialogue at the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.
Msgr. Langham said that the “starting point” of the talks between the two churches would be "the broader question of the relationship between the universal church and the local church." He explained that cooperative investigations into issues that have arisen in the Anglican church in recent years, particularly the ordinations of women and practicing homosexuals as well as same-sex marriage within the church's discipline, could be fruitful.
In a conference last week in Rome, Archbishop Williams noted that these “divisive” issues should be avoided. However, following talks between representatives from the two churches in recent days it appears that it will be precisely those issues that will be discussed in the third, and likely final, phase of ecumenical dialogue.
Langham added that dialogue, intended to further cooperation "on all sorts of levels," is essential to the relationship, but that they would like to make headway beyond the meeting table.
ARCIC, the Anglican—Roman Catholic International Commission, is looking to promote a "wide range of possibilities for encounters," from the parish level all the way up to leadership within both communities.
Despite criticism as to the validity of these dialogues, leaders from both churches are hoping for positive outcomes.
The churches will complete their 40th year since the inauguration of the first phase of these ecumenical dialogues in 2010.
Laity must bear witness to Christ, says Cardinal Bertone
Assisi, Italy, Nov 26, 2009 / (CNA).-
During a Mass this week in Assisi celebrating the 10th anniversary of the reopening of the Basilica of St. Francis, Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, reminded the Catholic laity that they must bear “concrete witness that Christ the King, the liberator and savior of every man and all mankind.”
During the Mass celebrated on Sunday, Cardinal Bertone said the laity, in light of their baptism, are called to bear witness to Christ and help the poor and marginalized feel closeness to Him.
The cardinal added that the royalty of Christ, “passed on to you through the Cross, continues to be made manifest to the world today through the community of the redeemed,” that is, through Christians.
For this reason, the laity have the task of “working for the promotion of the human person, animating the temporal realities with the gospel spirit and thus bearing concrete witness that Christ the King is the liberator and savior of every man and all mankind.”
“To serve and to reign, says an ancient formula used for catechetical teaching. Christ the King has reigned on the wood of the cross, after giving an example to the disciples with the washing of the feet. St. Francis reigned loving 'sister poverty,' dressing only in a habit and animated by a sincere love for his Lord and for the poor,” the cardinal said.
“We, dear brothers and sisters, should follow our path of faith to share, on the day of our death, the same crown of glory,” he added.
woensdag 25 november 2009
Pope challenges pilgrims to use Holy Trinity as model in relationships
Vatican City, Nov 25, 2009 / (CNA).-
Continuing the theme of Christian culture in the Middle Ages in his weekly catecheses, Pope Benedict chose Hugh and Richard of Saint Victor's Monastery in Paris as the subjects of today's address at his general audience. These 12th century theologians "remind us that theology is grounded in the contemplation born of faith and the pursuit of understanding, and brings with it the immense joy of experiencing the eternal love of the Blessed Trinity."
Hugh of Saint Victor is known for his treatise, “On the Sacraments of the Christian Faith,” which was an influential document in defining the nature of a sacrament. He reached considerable status in his time, to the point of being called "a second St. Augustine." Hugh was known for inculcating the desire in his disciples to constantly seek the truth.
In his famous treatise, he emphasized the institution of sacraments by Christ and the communication of grace through the sacraments. Also proposed in the document was the value of sacraments as outward signs.
Among Hugh's students at the monastery was Richard, a disciple who would later become the prior of Saint Victor. In Richard's teachings there was an emphasis on the allegorical sense of Scripture and on the continuous observance of virtue, both of which were promoted in his instruction as fundamental to achieving human maturity and contemplative wisdom.
Richard's treatise “On the Trinity” studied the mystery of the triune God by analyzing love, whereby the mutual giving and receiving between two persons finds its perfection in the creation of a third.
Pope Benedict XVI said the authors such as these two move us to the contemplation of heavenly realities and the admiration of the Holy Trinity as a perfect model of communion.
"How much the world would change if in families, parishes and any type of community, if relationships had as a model the three divine Persons, that not only live with the others, but for them and in them!" the Holy Father exclaimed.
In closing, the Pontiff extended a welcome to pilgrims from all nations, including those on pilgrimage from Japan to celebrate the first anniversary of the beatification of Blessed Peter Kibe and Companions.
dinsdag 24 november 2009
Vatican official explains that Anglican conversions are fruit of authentic ecumenism
Vatican City, Nov 23, 2009 /(CNA).-
Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, explained last week that the entrance of Anglicans into the Catholic Church is the fruit of authentic ecumenism inspired by the Second Vatican Council.
On the eve of a scheduled meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and the leader of the Anglican Church, Archbishop Rowan Williams, Cardinal Kasper commented on the openness of the Catholic Church to Anglicans who asked to be admitted into full communion.
Ecumenism is not an “option” that the Church can accept or reject but is rather “a sacred duty,” he said.
“Ecumenism is not an appendix of our pastoral obligations or a luxury. The principles of the Vatican II decree ‘Unitatis redintegratio,’ that is, ecumenism in truth and love, are also valid for the future. This decree is the magna carta of our ecumenical journey towards the future,” the cardinal said.
The decree "Unitatis redintegratio” states that “promoting the restoration of unity between all Christians is one of the main ends proposed by the sacrosanct Vatican Council II,” he added.
Cardinal Kasper added that the effort to reach out to Anglicans is in complete conformity with the decree, “which distinguishes between conversions and ecumenism as dialogue with the other churches for the purpose of full communion.”
He reiterated that the decree does not represent “a new ecumenism,” but rather the fruit of the ecumenical dialogue of recent decades, “a strong drive to move ahead in our ecumenical commitment.”
Bishops of England and Wales establish commission to help Anglicans join Catholic church
London, England, Nov 23, 2009 / (CNA).-
The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales have set up a commission to help as many as 200 Anglican congregations join the Catholic Church under the new Apostolic Constitution.
John Broadhurst, the Anglican Bishop of Fulham and chairman of the Anglo-Catholic group Forward in Faith, said mass conversion was a real prospect, the Daily Mail reports.
“We have a thousand priest members in my organization and there are many others who agree with us,” Bishop Broadhurst said. “The main issue for many Anglican priests is now the ownership of parish churches.”
The commission may consider the possibility of church sharing or making 100-year leases of some Anglican buildings.
Apparently in response to news of Pope Benedict XVI’s provision for Anglicans who want to become Catholic, one Anglo-Catholic parish has been vandalized and its vicar has received a threatening phone call.
Fr. David Waller of St. Saviour’s Church in Walthamstow in North East London discovered the church sign defaced with the words “C of E No Pope” painted in white.
According to the Telegraph blogger Damien Thompson, the priest found a message on his answering machine threatening him with physical violence.
However, the message was distorted and “sounded drunken,” the Anglican priest reported, saying he didn’t want to “make too much of it.”
The parish is part of Forward in Faith.
Fr. Waller said that the parish has not made a decision about its future, but he is encouraged by the Pope’s offer of a Personal Ordinariate for Anglicans.
“The key players in the parish, including the churchwardens, are completely disillusioned with the Church of England and see the Ordinariate as the solution,” the priest told Thompson. “I can’t speak for all the silent folk in the pews, but a significant number of them are Eastern European Roman Catholics, so I don’t think it would be a problem for them.”
zondag 22 november 2009
Christ the King brings peace and defeats the 'dominion of death,’ Pope Benedict says
Vatican City, Nov 22, 2009 / (CNA).-
In his message on the Feast of Christ the King to the tens of thousands of people gathered on St Peter's Square, Pope Benedict XVI explained that the "power" of Christ is different from that of "the great of this world." Choosing Christ the King, he said, does not guarantee success, but peace and joy.
"Choosing Christ does not guarantee success according to the criteria of today’s world, but ensures that peace and joy that only He can give,” Pope Benedict added. “This is shown, in every age, by the experience of many men and women who, in Christ's name, in the name of truth and justice, have been able to resist the lure of earthly powers, with their different forms, until their fidelity was sealed with martyrdom.”
The Feast of Christ the King, he continued, is "a celebration of relatively recent introduction, but it has deep biblical and theological roots."
"It begins with the expression ‘King of the Jews' arriving then to that of ‘universal King,’ Lord of the cosmos and of history, so far beyond the expectation of the same Jewish people."
Benedict XVI expounded on the regal power of Jesus: “It is not that of the kings and great of this world, it is the divine power to give eternal life to free us from evil, to defeat the dominion of death. It is the power of love, which knows how to derive good from evil, soften a hardened heart, bring peace to the bitterest conflict, turn the thickest darkness into hope.”
“This kingdom of grace cannot impose anything, and always respects our freedom,” he added. “Christ came to 'bear witness to the truth', as stated before Pilate. Whoever receives his testimony, comes under his ‘banner,’ according to an image that was dear to St. Ignatius of Loyola.”
“Choosing Christ,” the Pope concluded, “does not guarantee success according to the criteria of this world, but ensures that peace and joy that only He can give."
After the Angelus, the Holy Father commemorated the beatification in Nazareth on Sunday of Sr. Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, in the presence of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad Twal, and the prefect for the Congregation of Saints, Archbishop Angelo Amato.
Sr. Marie-Alphonsine was born in Jerusalem in 1843 into a Christian family, which included nineteen children. “She discovered her vocation to religious life early on, and passionately pursued it despite initial difficulties raised by her family,” the Pontiff said.
“To her goes the credit of founding a congregation formed only of local women, with the aim of religious education, to overcome illiteracy and raise the conditions of women of that time in the land where Jesus exalts his dignity. The Central point of this new spirituality and intense devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the beacon of life wholly consecrated to God was the Holy Rosary, her constant prayer, her lifeline, her source of grace.”
“The beatification of this most significant female figure is of particular comfort to the Catholic community in the Holy Land and is an invitation to trust always, with firm hope, in Divine Providence and the maternal protection of Mary,” Pope Benedict concluded.
Also, Benedict XVI recalled yesterday’s “Pro Orantibus” Day, dedicated to cloistered religious communities, on the day of Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple.
"I welcome the chance,” he added, “to extend my cordial greetings to them and renew my invitation to all to support them in their needs. I am also glad, on this occasion to publicly thank the nuns who have in turn occupied the small monastery here in the Vatican: the Poor Clares, Carmelites, Benedictines and, recently, the Visitation sisters. Your prayer, dear sisters, is most valuable to my ministry."
zaterdag 21 november 2009
Pope and Anglican Primate meet for 20 minutes, say dialogue will continue
The Pope received Williams this Saturday morning, and according to a Vatican press release, "in the course of the cordial discussions attention turned to the challenges facing all Christian communities at the beginning of this millennium, and to the need to promote forms of collaboration and shared witness in facing these challenges."
The private meeting also “focused on recent events affecting relations between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, reiterating the shared will to continue and to consolidate the ecumenical relationship between Catholics and Anglicans," the press release said.
Both the Holy Father and the Anglican Primate expressed their hope in the Anglican - Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), due to meet in the next days to start the "third phase" of ecumenical dialogue.
ARCIC was established by Pope Paul VI and the Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey in 1967. It worked in two phases. The first phase was completed with the publication of a report in 1981, dealing with three topics: the Eucharist, Ministry and Authority.
The second phase covered a vast range of topics including: Salvation and the Church, in 1986; The Church as Communion, in 1991; Life in Christ: Morals, Communion and the Church, in 1993; The Gift of Authority, in 1999. It culminated with the publication of "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ," in 2005.
Despite the advancement in theological dialogue, the effort toward unity was critically damaged by the 1992 decision of the Anglican Communion to allow the ordination of women.
A preparatory commission for a third phase of ARCIC met in London in October 2007. Over coming days, the commission entrusted with preparing the third phase of the international theological dialogue is due to meet and establish the next issues to be discussed.
During a conference in Rome early this week, the Archbishop of Canterbury said that "divisive" issues such as the ordination of women should be avoided to focus on other ecclesiological, less conflictive issues.
But well-known British Catholic commentator Damien Thompson asked skeptically on Saturday:
"There’s going to be a 'third phase' of this waffle? To discuss what? Tips on where to buy the tastiest organic biscuits to serve after Sunday morning services?"
vrijdag 20 november 2009
There is an urgent need to reunite faith and culture, Pope tells universities
Vatican City, Nov 19, 2009 / (CNA).-
This afternoon Pope Benedict XVI met with professors and students of Roman Pontifical Universities and discussed the “urgent need, which still persists today, to overcome the separation between faith and culture.”Speaking as well to participants in the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC), the Holy Father drew from John Paul II's Apostolic Constitution “Sapienta christiana,” which has its 30th anniversary this year, and stated its continued relevance in today's society.
The concepts of “Sapienta christiana,” the Pope continued, “still retain their validity. Indeed in modern society where knowledge is becoming ever more specialized and sectorial but is profoundly marked by relativism, it is even more necessary to open oneself to the wisdom which comes from the Gospel.”
“Man, in fact, is incapable of gaining a full understanding of himself and the world without Jesus Christ,” continued the Holy Father. “He alone illuminates man's true dignity, his vocation and ultimate destiny, and opens his heart to a firm and lasting hope.”
Pope Benedict then discussed the methods for reuniting faith and culture and called for “a greater commitment to evangelization in the firm conviction that Christian Revelation is a transforming power.”
“It is capable of of illuminating, purifying and renewing man's conduct and his cultures,” continued the Pontiff, “and must remain the focal point for teaching and research...”
Professors and students “must never lose sight of the goal to be pursued,” said the Pope, which is “that of becoming instruments for the announcement of the Gospel.”
The Pope concluded his address by saying, “Catholic Universities, faithful to an identity which makes a specific point of Christian inspiration, are called to promote a 'new humanistic synthesis,' knowledge that is 'wisdom capable of directing man in the light of his first beginnings and his final ends,' knowledge illuminated by faith.”
Benedict XVI meets with president of Suriname
Vatican City, Nov 20, 2009 / (CNA).-
Today the Holy Father met with Dr. Ronald Venetiaan, president of Suriname. The two heads of state discussed issues of concern in the South American country, with particular focus on the government's social policies.
According to the Vatican press office, the meeting also focused on “the defense of the environment and on fields of collaboration between Church and State."
President Venetiaan then met with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone as well as Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
woensdag 18 november 2009
Letter on marriage clarifies opposition to divorce, cohabitation and same sex unions
On the final day of their annual meeting, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a pastoral letter on marriage titled “Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan,” which restates and clarifies the Church's teachings to empower those seeking to defend marriage against the cultural currents of cohabitation, contraception, divorce and same sex unions.
“Thank goodness this is out there, clearly stated, with ample documentation and very reasonably put forward,” Baltimore's Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien told the Baltimore Sun. “I think it's going to be a very positive document.”
The pastoral letter does not represent any new teaching on the part of the Catholic Church or the USCCB. Instead, it strives to be a definitive source used as a reference for those defending traditional marriage.
Noting that “couples too often reflect a lack of understanding of the purposes of marriage,” the document states that “marriage is a lifelong partnership of the whole of life, of mutual and exclusive fidelity, by mutual consent between a man and a woman, and ordered towards the good of the and the procreation of offspring.”
“Marriage is not merely a private institution,” the bishops wrote. “It is the foundation for the family, where children learn the values and virtues that will make good Christians as well as good citizens,” which demonstrates the integral nature of marriage in society.
The letter emphasizes that “male-female complementarity is essential to marriage.” This is because “man and woman are two different ways of being a human person.” “They are different as male and female, but the same as human persons who are uniquely suited to be partners or helpmates for each other.”
Also important to the complementarity aspect of marriage is the fact that “marriage does not exist solely for the reproduction of another member of the species, but for the creation of a communion of persons.” Thus, the document asserts, marriage has two ends or purposes. It is both unitive and procreative. This means it is oriented towards the good of the spouses as well as the raising of children. These two goods of marriage cannot be separated.
The pastoral letter also addresses the sanctity of marriage as a vocation and gives encouragement in dealing with the threats of contraception, cohabitation, divorce, and the call for legal recognition of same sex unions.
"People are entering into marriage probably without an adequate appreciation of the beauty of marriage and the gift that it is," Archbishop O'Brien said. "The document is meant to strengthen Christian marriage, to prepare people who are going to be married before they enter that bond to appreciate what the commitment is, and also to open a discussion in our culture as to what the differences are today and to try to reach some common ground."
zondag 15 november 2009
Jesus Christ’s words are eternal amidst a creation ‘destined to end,’ Pope Benedict says
With thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI focused his address on Sunday’s Mass reading from the Gospel of St. Mark. While creation is “destined to end,” he said, Jesus’ words are "eternal."
On the second-to-last Sunday of the liturgical year, Pope Benedict expressed his thanks to God for another year in “the great family of the Church” almost complete: “It is an inestimable gift, which permits us to live in history the mystery of Christ, welcoming in the paths of our personal and communal existence the seed of the Word of God, an eternal seed that from the inside transforms this world and opens it to the Kingdom of Heaven.”
St. Mark, he added, today presents us a part of the discourse of Jesus on the end times: “In this discourse, there is a sentence that is striking for its clear synthesis: ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.’”
The expression “Heaven and earth,” Benedict XVI explained, appears frequently in the Bible to indicate all the universe, the entire cosmos. “Jesus,” he added, “declares that all that is destined to pass away, not only earth, but Heaven, which is included here in the cosmic sense, not as synonymous of God.”
“Sacred Scripture is unambiguous. All creation is destined to end, including elements divinized by ancient mythology. There is no confusion between creation and the Creator, but a clear difference.”
“With such clear distinction, Jesus affirms his words ‘will not pass away,’ which stand by the part of God and accordingly, are eternal,” the Pope expounded. “Pronounced with the concreteness of his early existence, these are prophetic words par excellence, as Jesus affirms (in the Gospel of St. John) when he turns to the heavenly Father: ‘the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.’”
In a well-known parable in the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus compares himself to a sower and explains that the seed is the Word. “The ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit” are part of the Kingdom of God, the Holy Father said.
“That is, they live under his rule, remaining in the world, but no longer part of the world. They bear in themselves…a principle of transformation that already now manifests itself in a good life, animated by love, and in the end, will produce the resurrection of the body. Behold the power of the Word of God.”
The Pontiff concluded by explaining that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the living sign of this truth: “Her heart was “good earth” that welcomed with complete openness the Word of God, such that all her existence, transformed according to the image of the Son, was introduced to eternity, soul and body, anticipating the eternal vocation of each human being.”
“Now, in prayer, let us make our own her response to the Angel ‘may it be done to me according to your word,’ so that following Christ along the way of the cross, we too can reach the glory of the resurrection.”
Catholic charity is not mere social work, Vatican dicastery warns
Vatican City, Nov 15, 2009 / (CNA).-
The Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the Vatican dicastery responsible for coordinating Catholic charitable organizations around the world, issued a statement on Saturday recalling that Catholic Christian charity is not merely social work, and that workers in Catholic organizations need to be renewed in their faith.
At the end of its 28th Plenary Assembly, held at the Vatican on November 12-14, the President of Cor Unum, Cardinal Paul Joseph Cordes, said that “two key guidelines have emerged from those responsible of the Church's charitable activity: first, that the ultimate goal of our work is to bear Christian witness by means of helping the poorest, but to witness Christ means to first have encountered him.”
Second, “to evangelize requires first to be constantly educated, otherwise, along the work of charity operators, there is the risk of assuming the priorities established by other international organizations alien to the Church, The Church cannot silence its own foundation in Faith,” the statement ads.
On Friday Nov. 13, upon receiving the members of Cor Unum, Pope Benedict XVI highlighted that “Faith is a spiritual force that purifies reason in the search for a just order, freeing it from the risk of being confused by selfishness, interest and power.”
On Saturday Cardinal Cordes said that Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Deus Caritas Est "set the agenda" of Cor Unum's future.
"The dicastery will continue to promote, in the varied world of charity and volunteering, the constructive witness of Christian individuals and communities," he explained.
DI TRINTITRES DJADUMINGU SIKLO B
Promé Lektura : Daniel 12. 1-3
Salmo : Salmo 16, 5. 8-11
Di dos Lektura : Hebreonan 10, 11-14. 18
Evangelio : Marko 13, 24-32
Ki dia fin di mundu lo yega?
No ta straño topa riba nos kayanan persona ku ta pertenesé na distinto grupo religioso bisando nos ku señalnan di fin di mundu ya ta presente. Nan ta bisa nos ku mundu "ta asina malu..." i nan ta mira den guera i violensia señalnan mas ku kla ku pronto e ta yega.
Ki dia Hesus lo bini atrobe?
E Evangelio di awe ta hasi referensia no na fin di mundu sino na e di dos binida di Hesus. Tur dos realidat por bai huntu, pero nan tin nifikashon mas ku distinto.
Tin kristian ku ta mira e último momentonan komo señal di tragedia si no ta di inmenso doló i sufrimentu. Tin hopi hende ku te ainda no a duna nan mes kuenta ku kere den Hesus semper ta e regalu mas bunita ku un ser humano por risibí. Binimentu bèk di Hesus na final di tempu no ta motibu di tristesa sino di speransa.
E Palabra di awe ta bisa nos ku "Lo e reuní esnan ku e skohe for di e kuater skinanan kardinal di mundu". Yegada nobo di Hesus ta pa reuní esnan ku a laga buraku den nan bida den su mensahe i den su persona. No ta pa establesé kondena sino pa uni den amor i plenitut ku riba e kaminda diario di bida semper nos falta. Binida di Hesus di nobo ta salbashon.
E final ku Hesus ta trese pa nos no ta fin natural di mundu sino final di e mundu di piká i di morto.
Nos ta asina kustumbrá di biba den e bida aki rondoná di piká i di morto, ku inklusive riba nos kaminda di tur dia nos mester un fin i un kuminsamentu di nobo. E ehersisio aki nos ta hasiendo kada bia di nobo. Kiko ta konfeshon si no ta un finalisá un bida ku intenshon di keda den un eksistensia nobo?
Pa hudiunan di e époka di Hesus destrukshon di e tèmpel tabata mará na fin di tempu. Hesus ta laga nan mira ku esaki no ta asina. Realidat ta ku Hesus a muri i a resusitá i e tèmpel a keda destruí pero no a yega ainda na final di tempu i di historia.
Señor ta hasi uso di e lenguahe i figuranan ku hopi hudiu tabata konosé i tabata usa ya pa basta siglo i a laga sa ku e lo bolbe di nobo. Si na prinsipio di Beibel ta bisa nos ku Dios a krea solo, streanan, shelu ... den e teksto di awe e ta bisa nos ku nan lo para e loke a krea nan p’e; nan ta spera un kreashon nobo. Fecha di e binida nobo aki ta mantené su mes den e mas apsoluto sekreto. E Parusía —e binida di e Yu di Hende— ta e punto kulminante i meta di hinter istoria humano.
A lo largu di siglonan nos komo ser humano a resistí tantu komo individual komo den grupo na mandato di Dios; historia humano ta ehèmpel kla di e resistensia aki. Nos a avansá den hopi realidat ku ta afektá e ser humano, pero nos no por bisa ku nos proyekto- i ambishonnan ta orientá totalmente riba Dios. Banda di e trigo yerba shimaron ta krese i siglonan ku su historia no por a konvensé tur hende ku Dios ta spera algu di nos i di e mundu riba kua nos ta. Binida definitivo di Hesus ta e gran triunfo di Dios riba e kreashon desviá di su kaminda.
Evangelio di San Huan ta bisa nos ku "na prinsipio tabata e Palabra..." E teksto aki ta rekordá nos ku na final di tur kos e palabra aki lo keda ku "e lo no pasa bai".
Mi mester konfesá ku ya tin algun aña ku kada bia di nobo den mi memoria ta aparesé un frase di Evangelio ku ta konsolá i animá mi. E ta esun di Hesus riba krus ku e ladron na kua e ta lansa su promesa: "awe lo bo ta huntu ku mi den paraiso..." E no ta laga pa spera final di tempu pa laga sali na kla su delaster lugá, E ta bis’é "awe" sabiendo Señor bon ku ora nos muri nos ta pafó di tempu i di historia. E "Awe" aki ta mas ku un anunsio i un promesa, ta e siguridat di ku esun ku pone su mes ku konfiansa den brasa di esun krusifiká tin bida nobo.
Un final paresido pa historia humano ta e promesa ku Hesus ta hasi na nos. E ta bisa nos ku na final di e kaminda E ta spera nos i ku E no ta laga nos keda nos so den e duresa di kamindanan di bida.
Final di tempu ta awe, nan ta e señalnan ku ta mira ku ta animá pa buska Dios i laga nos ser transformá pa E.
Mi ta kere ku ateo- i gnóstikonan igual ku kreyentenan mester di e binida nobo di Señor. Nos a kere pa medio di fe, sin mira; nan mester mir’é di nobo p’asina nan kurason kere. Den fondo e binida nobo di Hesus ta oportunidat definitivo ku e ta duna hende p’asina yega na e magnífiko enkuentro aki entre Dios i sernan humano. Señor ta stima nos asina tantu ku e ta bolbe di nobo p’asina loke el a krea no ta pèrdí leu di su paraiso. Historia di ser humano ta kuminsá den un paraiso i ta terminá den un paraiso. Den e promé Dios tei ku ta mira desobediensia di e ser humano; den e di dos E ta reuní ku nos di nobo pa ofresé nos su amor eterno. Ta dos momentu di un mesun historia, historia di Dios i di humanidat liberá.
Ku ami tin miedu di fin di mundu? Ni den lo mas mínimo. "Awe lo bo ta ku Mi den paraiso..."
dinsdag 10 november 2009
Provision for Anglicans published, celibacy question answered
Vatican City, Nov 9, 2009 / (CNA).-
Anglicans who wish to enter into communion with the Catholic Church received the path for doing so today as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) published the papal declaration “Anglicaoranum coetibus.” The document clears up questions about married priests and the power of the ordinariates' bishops among other issues.
The president of the Bishops Conference of England and Wales, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, welcomed the publication of the Apostolic Constitution and accompanying norms saying, “This now makes clear the provision made by the Holy See and enables those who have made requests to the Holy See to study it in detail.”
“It is important to remember that this is a response to requests made to the Holy See by Anglicans and former Anglicans from across the world. It is not a provision specifically for England & Wales and clearly there is much reflection to be done by all concerned,” Archbishop Nichols underscored.
Both the Apostolic Constitution and the norms for implementing it are dated November 4, the feast of St. Charles Borromeo, and are signed by Cardinal William Joseph Levada and Archbishop Luis F. Ladaria S.J., respectively prefect and secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The newly published declaration “introduces a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing personal ordinariates, which will allow the above mentioned groups to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony,” the Vatican press office announced. The Anglican provision is accompanied by a set of complementary norms which will guide its implementation.
The provision is being presented by the CDF as a move to strengthen Christian unity and the diversity of expression of the Faith.
The congregation also pointed out that the Anglican provision is “not an initiative on the part of the Holy See, but a generous response from the Holy Father to the legitimate aspirations of these Anglican groups. The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church.”
The sticky issue of married priests within the new Anglican ordinariates was also addressed by the CDF, which said, "The possibility envisioned by the Apostolic Constitution for some married clergy within the personal ordinariates does not signify any change in the Church's discipline of clerical celibacy.”
Moreover, married Anglican clergy who wish to continue serving as clerics in the new ordinariates will be required to apply for admission to the Catholic priesthood on a case-by-case basis. Seminarians studying to become priests in the ordinariate will be required to remain celibate.
The CDF reminded the faithful in its statement today that, “According to the Vatican Council II, priestly celibacy is a sign and a stimulus for pastoral charity and radiantly proclaims the reign of God."
The Apostolic Constitution contains 13 sections which concern, among other things: the formation of the new ordinariates; the power of the bishop, "to be exercised jointly with that of the local diocesan bishop in those cases provided for in the Complementary Norms;" candidates for Holy Orders; the creation of new Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; the "ad limina" visit of the ordinary, etc.
Finally, the Constitution says that all Anglican lay faithful as well as members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life must make known their desire to enter into communion with the Catholic Church in writing.
