Pope Benedict invites Catholics to bring light to the world

Rome, Italy, Dec 12, 2010 (CNA/EWTN News).- The "silent light of the truth, of the goodness of God" leads to true change in the world, said the Pope at Mass on Dec. 12.

Benedict XVI traveled outside Vatican walls for Mass at St. Maximilian Kolbe parish in an outer suburb of Rome.

In his homily the Pope recalled John the Baptist's expectation that the Son of God would bring about dramatic change in the world. The baptist sent disciples to ask Christ if he is the one who came to bring about radical change or if they should continue to wait for another.

Benedict XVI said Christ gives a response to John the Baptist's question by saying, "Look at what I have done. I have not made a bloody revolution, I have not changed the world with force, but I have lit many lights that make ... a great path of light in the millennia."

"So many" false prophets, ideologues and dictators have said that it was they themselves and not Christ who have brought change to the world, the Pope explained.

He admitted that they have succeeded in changing the world through empires, dictatorships and totalitarian rule. But, he added, "today we know that all that has remained of these great promises is great emptiness and great destruction.”

St. Kolbe, the parish's patron saint, showed this "light" in his life, said the Pope. He offered his life to guards in the place of a father of a family who was to be killed in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz.

In doing so, he "encouraged others to give themselves, to be close to the suffering, to the oppressed," said Pope Benedict XVI.

St. Kolbe was declared a martyr of charity when he was recognized as a saint in 1982 by Pope John Paul II.

Pope Benedict added that other Christians such as St. Damian of Molokai who worked with lepers and Mother Teresa of Calcutta who assisted the poor lived in a similar way.

In looking to these figures, it continues to be seen that it is not "violent revolutions or "great promises" that change the world, rather it is "the silent light of the truth, of the goodness of God" that does so,” he continued.

The Pope then invited everyone to bring light to the world, to pray to become a light for others. He asked that Christians live Advent daily in all aspects of life by being ever more open to God in order to "have light amidst so many shadows, so many daily fatigues."

The Pope closed by urging fidelity in marriage, communion in parishes between families of all backgrounds, and greater involvement of young people in the life of parishes.

Benedict XVI calls for patience in preparation for Christ's coming

Rome, Italy, Dec 12, 2010 (CNA).- Advent calls man to strengthen the virtue of patience as he relies on Scripture to "make firm" his heart for the coming of the Lord, said the Pope at Sunday's Angelus.

More than 2,000 children were part of the large crowd present to pray the Angelus with the Pope at noon on Dec. 12. They had come especially to have Benedict XVI bless the baby Jesus statues from their family nativity scenes.

The Pontiff greeted them in particular as they waved handkerchiefs up towards his window and many cheered from their strollers or atop the shoulders of parents.

The Pope focused his message before the prayer on patience, as spoken of in the day's reading from the Letter of St. James.

"Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord," the reading began.

This virtue is more important than ever today in a world in which it is "less popular," where change and the capacity to adapt to change are exalted, said the Pope.

"Without taking anything from these aspects, which are also qualities of man," he taught, "Advent calls us to strengthen that interior persistence, that resistence of the soul that permits us to not despair ... but rather to wait for it, to prepare the coming with hard-working confidence."

St. James spoke of the patience of farmers who await the autumn and spring rains and called people to "make firm" their hearts for the coming of the Lord.

This comparison to farmers is a "very expressive" one, said the Pope, as the farmer is "the model of a mentality that unites faith and reason equally." He does his work using his knowledge of the laws of nature but also entrusts the fundamental elements of his work to God's providence.

"Patience and constancy are precisely the synthesis between human commitment to and reliance on God," said the Pope.

And, Scripture, he said, is unfailing in making man's heart firm because "while everything passes and changes, the Word of the Lord does not."

He called Scripture a "compass" and an "anchor" that can be used to regain orientation when one feels lost or uncertain.

Prophets have found joy and strength in the Word, announcing "the true hope, that which does not disappoint because it is founded on the faithfulness of God." Men often find themselves on "mistaken paths" when choosing to seek out their own paths to happiness, he said.

"Every Christian," concluded the Pope, "by virtue of Baptism, has received the prophetic dignity: may every person rediscover and feed it, with regular listening to the divine Word."

After the Angelus, Benedict XVI asked the children to say a prayer for him and his intentions as they place the baby Jesus in the manger or grotto this Christmas.

Pope Benedict advocates right sexuality, not condom use, in fight against HIV

Vatican City, Nov 20, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Excerpts of Pope Benedict XVI’s new book are already causing a stir. Though some media reports claim he offers a change in papal teaching about condom use, Pope Benedict in fact says that a humanized sexuality, not condoms, is the right response to HIV.

The Nov. 21 edition of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano (LOR) will release excerpts of the pontiff’s book "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times.”

The book contains the Pope's responses to questions from Peter Seewald, a German reporter who spoke with him over a week last summer about the most sensitive and important questions in Church life today.

The themes treated in the book are edgy and the reception of the Pope's words is likely to be varied, but his answers offer a unique look into his teachings and his perspective on the Church and the world.

In the excerpts offered in LOR, just two brief paragraphs provide the Pope's response to a question on sexuality in the world today. He says that concentrating on the use of the condom only serves to trivialize sexuality.

This trivialization leads many people to no longer see sex as an expression of love, but as a self-administered drug. The fight against the banalization of sexuality is part of a great effort to change this view to a more positive one.

According to one much-commented excerpt printed in L'Osservatore Romano, the Pope concedes that there can be single cases in which the use of a condom may be justified.

He uses the example of prostitutes who might use prophylactics as a first step toward moralization, that is, becoming moral. In such a case, condom use might be their first act of responsibility to redevelop their consciousness of the fact that not everything is permitted and that one cannot do everything one wants.

While secular outlets such as Time Magazine characterized this remark as “a stunning turnaround” for the Church, Pope Benedict goes on to explain that this is not the true and proper way to defeat HIV. Instead what is necessary is the humanization of sexuality.

Elsewhere in the excerpts from the forthcoming book, the pontiff speaks of the footprint of Judaism, Islam and Christianity in the modern world.

He also expresses his shock at the extent of the sexual abuse of minors in the Church and the evident wish of mass media to discredit the Church for these abuses rather than purely to investigate the truth.

He warns that true tolerance can fall victim to current misunderstandings of the concept. He also speaks of the destruction of families, young people and society due to drug consumption.

Another controversy Pope Benedict addresses is whether the ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood is possible.

In brief, Pope Benedict says that it is not a question of responding to the wishes of the people, but a question of whether the Church has the power to ordain women. Repeating the words of John Paul II from a 1994 document on the priesthood, he said the Church "has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women.”

He explains that following Christ's establishment of Church leadership on the foundation of the original 12 male apostles is a question of obedience. It is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects to obey, he explains, but this is what makes it important.

The Church is not an arbitrary regime, he comments, and the priesthood is supposed to be a form of service and not domination. Even though it might be difficult, the Church follows the Lord's will and cannot be molded to the wishes of individuals.

The function of women in the Church is too significant to speak of discrimination, says the Pope, who notes the importance of historic figures such as Mary, Monica and Mother Teresa.

Women are so important, he says, that in many ways they define the face of the Church more than men.

Elsewhere in the excerpts, Pope Benedict describes himself as a beggar who relies on his friendship with the Lord, Mary and the saints to live his vocation. His life without Christian joy would be unsupportable, he declares.

British, Welsh bishops announce plans to receive ex-Anglicans into the Church

Westminster, England, Nov 19, 2010 / (CNA).-

Five Anglican bishops who announced earlier this month that they are quitting the Church of England, will be the first to join a new “personal ordinariate” established by the bishops of England and Wales this coming January.

The bishops unveiled their plans for the new ordinariate, or jurisdiction, in a Nov. 19 statement.

They said that Pope Benedict XVI will formally establish the ordinariate and name a bishop to lead it in early January 2011.

Pope Benedict invited Anglicans to join the Church last year under special provisions that would enable them to retain their own forms of worship and their tradition of permitting married priests.

In their announcement, the English and Welsh bishops said the new procedures for accepting Anglican converts have been worked out over the past year in cooperation with the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Under the timetable they laid out, the three former Anglican bishops who are not retired will be ordained to serve as priests in the new ordinariate. The other two bishops, who are retired, will be ordained by Lent 2011.

“This will enable them, together with the ordinary and the other former Anglican Bishops, to assist with the preparation and reception of former Anglican clergy and their faithful into full communion with the Catholic Church during Holy Week,” the bishops said.

In addition, the statement envisions that Anglican clergy who have decided to convert will begin “a period of intense formation for ordination as Catholic priests.”

At the same time, individual Anglicans and congregations together with their pastors will be enrolled as candidates for the ordinariate.

It is likely, the bishops said, that they will be received into the Church and confirmed either during Holy Week, at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday or during the Easter Vigil.

“The period of formation for the faithful and their pastors will continue to Pentecost,” according to the statement. “Until then, these communities will be cared for sacramentally by local clergy as arranged by the diocesan bishop and the ordinary.”

Also around Pentecost, those former Anglican priests whose petitions for ordination have been accepted by the Vatican’s doctrine office will be ordained as Catholic priests.

Former Anglican Bishop John Broadhurst, one of the five who announced his resignation from the Church of England on Nov. 7, said he was “pleased” with the plans announced by the English and Welsh bishops.

The bishops said they were seeking to bring former Anglicans into “full ecclesial communion with the Catholic Church within the ordinariate.” They said they recognize “that the clergy and faithful who are on that journey of faith will bring their own spiritual treasures which will further enrich the spiritual life of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.”

While they acknowledged that there may be “practical difficulties in the months ahead,” the Catholic bishops pledged to “do all they can to ensure that there is effective and close collaboration with the ordinariate both at diocesan and parish levels.”

Pope tells new cardinals to be ready to sacrifice their lives

Vatican City, Nov 20, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Pope Benedict welcomed the newest cardinals Nov. 20 with a call to service and sacrifice, even if it means spilling their blood.

Two Americans, Donald W. Wuerl and Raymond L. Burke, are among the 24 new cardinals the Pope "created" on Nov. 20. Others come from a variety of countries, from Ecuador to Zambia, while 10 are Italians.

The warm reception they received inside St. Peter's Basilica contrasted with the cool morning in Rome, which was drenched by the steady rain of a late fall thunderstorm.

As the soon-to-be members of the Cardinal's College processed to the high altar they were met with cheers, applause and even an airhorn which was quickly silenced by Vatican security.

Flags from many nations waved to greet them, including many from Sri Lanka and the Congo, to welcome their countrymen in the group.

The extremely festive initial atmosphere was punctuated by eruptions of applause at the Pope's announcement, one-by-one, of the names of each candidate.

The Congo's Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa and Germany's Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, the youngest in the group at 57 years old, received enormous ovations.

The basilica quickly took on a solemn and prayerful spirit, as the reading of the Scriptures began. The readings were laden with meaning for the guests of honor.

The first was an excerpt from the First Letter of Peter in which he called Christians to always be ready to bear witness to the reason for their hope so that "those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.

A passage from the Gospel of St. Mark recounted Jesus' teaching to his closest disciples that he who strives to be first will be last. Jesus told them, "whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.

"For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

The Pope picked up on the theme in his homily. He said.that Christ's teaching of service indicated a new path for Christian communites and a new way of exercising authority.

Christ thus taught that the fulfillment of the work entrusted to one by God "is the path of the humble gift of oneself up to the sacrifice of life, the path of the Passion, the path of the Cross," explained Pope Benedict XVI.

It is a valid message for the entire Church and especially for her leaders, he said.

"It is not the logic of dominion, of power according to human criteria, but the logic of bowing to wash feet, the logic of service, the logic of the Cross that is at the foundation of every exercise of authority."

He then directed his words to the 24 cardinals-to-be. "(T)he mission, to which God has called you today and that qualifies you for an ecclesial service even more laden with responsibility requires an always greater will to assume the style of the Son of God, who came among us as He who serves."

Each man took on this responsibility as he swore fidelity and obedience to the Pope and his successors.

The Pope also reminded each new cardinal that the dignity of the office is symbolized by the color red, "signifying that you are ready to act with fortitude, even to the point of spilling your blood for the increase of the Christian faith, for peace and harmony among the people of God, for freedom and the spread of the Holy Roman Catholic Church."

At these words, the Pope received them one-by-one, placing the "berretta," the traditional three-cornered red hat, upon each of their heads. The second in line, Patriarch Antonios Naguib of Alexandria, Egypt of the Copts, was the lone man who did not receive the traditional hat. He instead received a special modification of the long black headdress traditional to the leader of the Copts.

And, as each received his new title and an embrace from the Pope, the faithful once again filled the basilica with cheers of joy for the new "princes of the Church."

Converting Anglican bishop says papal action changed the landscape

Richborough, England, Nov 14, 2010 / (CNA).-

The Anglican Bishop of Richborough told his flock that he plans to become Catholic because Pope Benedict XVI’s apostolic constitution “completely changed the landscape” for Anglo-Catholics and he now believes that he must lead the way to union with the Universal Church.

Bishop Keith Newton of Richborough, England said in a pastoral letter to priests and people in the Richborough area that he will resign as bishop as of Dec. 31. He will not conduct any public episcopal services. This “difficult” decision followed much thought and prayer, he remarked.

“I will, in due course, be received into full communion with the Catholic Church and join the Ordinariate when one is erected in England, which I hope will happen early next year.”

Pope Benedict established the proposed Anglican Ordinariate, a special jurisdiction within the Catholic Church, in his apostolic constitution “Anglicanorum Coetibus.”

Bishop Newton explained that although the issue of the ordination of women as Anglican bishops has been an important factor in his decision, it is “not the most significant.”

Noting the “surprise” of the Pope’s action on Anglican-Catholic relations, he said that most Anglicans have prayed for union with the Catholic Church. However, this union has seemed less likely because of “the new difficulties concerning the ordination of women and other doctrinal and moral issues affecting the Anglican Communion.”

“Although we must still pray for sacramental and ecclesial unity between our Churches that now seems a much more distant hope,” Bishop Newton said. The ordinariates provide an opportunity for “visible unity” and Anglicans are able to retain “what is best in our own tradition which will enrich the Universal Church.”

“I hope you will understand that I am not taking this step in faith for negative reasons about problems in the Church of England but for positive reasons in response to our Lord’s prayer the night before he died the ‘they may all be one’,” the bishop continued.

While expressing sympathy with the position that Anglicans with traditional views need leadership at a “vital” time, he rejected the example of a leader who should “stay to the bitter end like the captain of a sinking ship.” Rather, he noted the scriptural image of the shepherd, who must lead his flock from the front rather than follow it from behind.

“This is what I hope I am doing. I am leading the way and I hope and pray that many of you will follow me in the months and the years ahead,” he explained.

Bishop Newton acknowledged those who want to remain in the Church of England, but he said he could not continue to be their bishop “with any integrity” and cannot provide the episcopal leadership they deserve.

“You need a new Bishop of Richborough who has the same vision as you have and one for whom a solution in the Church of England is a priority. My priority is union with the Universal Church,” he added.

He said he has enjoyed being Bishop of Richborough for more than eight years and is grateful for the support he has received from so many Anglican priests and laity. The bishop asked forgiveness from those he has disappointed and sought continued prayers for himself and his wife.

Bishop Newton is one of three active Anglican bishops who are joining the Catholic Church. These so-called “flying bishops” have been serving Anglicans in different areas who do not accept the ordination of women to the priesthood and other changes in the Anglican Church.

Two retired Anglican bishops are also entering full communion with Rome.

College of Cardinals to discuss Anglican converts, clerical abuse

Vatican City, Nov 8, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

On the eve of the consistory to create 24 new cardinals, the princes of the Church will examine the entry of Anglicans into full communion with the Church and the Holy See's response to sex abuse in the Church. Pope Benedict XVI's successor at the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, will present the themes.

Capping a "day of reflection and prayer," the cardinals will take a look at three current and particularly sensitive themes.

The announcement came in a statement to journalists from the Holy See which outlined the schedule for the Nov. 19 retreat of the College of Cardinals. The schedule for the day before the highly anticipated cardinal-creating consistory includes discussions about religious freedom and "the liturgy in the life of the Church today."

After praying vespers, the cardinals and cardinal-designates will examine three important issues in today's Church. The first theme, proposed by prefect and cardinal-designate Angelo Amato, will reflect on 10 years since the publication of the "Dominus Iesus," the declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the universal salvation offered by Jesus Christ and the Church.

The second and third themes will be presented by Cardinal Levada. One of them will address Benedict XVI's Apostolic Constitution “Anglicanorum coetibus," which offers Anglicans a way to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church in the form of personal ordinariates. Ordinariates are special jurisdictions within the Church that allow members to worship according to a specific traditions.

The first ordinariate is expected to be created quite soon in the U.K. Five Anglican bishops announced their resignations on Nov. 8 in pursuit of full communion with the Catholic Church.

The second presentation by Cardinal Levada is titled "The response of the Church to cases of sexual abuse." The theme is unprecedented, at least publicly, among cardinals' collegial discussions.

The Holy See released a "Guide to Understanding Basic CDF Procedures concerning Sexual Abuse Allegations" last April. The Nov. 19 discussions, however, will take place behind closed doors.

Pre-consistory retreats are not a novelty in Pope Benedict's pontificate, according to Vatican analyst Sandro Magister. Before the last consistory in 2007, cardinals examined ecumenical dialogue and general issues in the Church. In 2006, themes included the mission of retired bishops, full communion with the Society of St. Pius X, liturgical reform and Catholic-Muslim relations.

The College of Cardinals is currently composed of more than 200 members. The 24 newly-elected members will be made cardinals on Nov. 20.

Pope calls for Church to rediscover the Word of God

Vatican City, Nov 11, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Pope Benedict XVI has issued a lofty and impassioned plea for everyone in the Church to rediscover the Bible and to grow in “an ever greater love of the Word of God.”

“We must never forget that all authentic and living Christian spirituality is based on the Word of God proclaimed, accepted, celebrated and meditated upon in the Church.

The Pope’s new apostolic exhortation, “Verbum Domini” (The Word of the Lord), issued Nov. 11, is a book-length response to a special 2008 Synod for Bishops on the Bible and the life of the Church.

In this document, the Pope offers a rich theological reflection on the meaning of the Word of God becoming flesh and the meaning of the Scriptures as the Word of God.

The Pope reaffirms forcefully the Church’s traditional teaching that the Bible is the revealed Word of God written by human authors inspired by the Holy Spirit. He notes that it conveys not just moral and spiritual truths but also truths about “the reality of human history.”

“The history of salvation is not mythology, but a true history,” the Pope said.

He added: “It must be remembered first and foremost that biblical revelation is deeply rooted in history.”

But the Pope declined to wade into the controversial question of how “true” Scripture is when it speaks of historical events.

Some had hoped that the Pope would pronounce on the precise meaning of the Church’s teaching that Scripture is “without error.”

Instead Pope Benedict reaffirmed the traditional teaching but called for further study of the relationship between what scholars call the divine “inspiration” of Scripture and its “inerrancy.”

“A deeper study of the process of inspiration will doubtless lead to a greater understanding of the truth contained in the sacred books,” he said.

“Certainly theological reflection has always considered inspiration and truth as two key concepts for an ecclesial hermeneutic of the sacred Scriptures,” he added.

“Nonetheless, one must acknowledge the need today for a fuller and more adequate study of these realities, in order better to respond to the need to interpret the sacred texts in accordance with their nature.”

The Pope expressed what he called his “fervent hope” that such research would continue and would “bear fruit both for biblical science and for the spiritual life of the faithful.”

The heart of “Verbum Domini” is a long and often technical discussion of “hermeneutics,” or the proper method for interpreting the sacred texts.

The Pope warned of the errors and risks of a “dualistic” and “secularized” approach, which treats the Bible as if it is only a historical or literary document.

The Bible, he said, must be studied through “serious historical research.” But students must then build on those findings to discover the spiritual meaning that God intends to communicate in the Scriptures.

He criticized “fundamentalist” or “literalist” interpretations and urged renewed appreciation for the symbolic and spiritual interpretation techniques used by the ancient Fathers of the Church.

He also urged interpreters to study how the saints read the Bible.

“The most profound interpretation of Scripture comes precisely from those who let themselves be shaped by the Word of God through listening, reading and assiduous meditation,” he said.

Everyone who seeks to interpret the Bible — from the ordinary believer to the pastor or the theologian, must remember — the Pope said: “The Bible is the Church’s book, and its essential place in the Church’s life gives rise to its genuine interpretation.”

He added: “An authentic interpretation of the Bible must always be in harmony with the faith of the Catholic Church.”

Pope Benedict also devoted a long passage on the importance of the Scriptures in the Church’s sacraments and worship.

“The liturgy is the privileged setting in which God speaks to us in the midst of our lives; he speaks today to his people, who hear and respond,” he said. “Every liturgical action is by its very nature steeped in sacred Scripture.”

From the start of his pontificate, Pope Benedict has emphasized that the right understanding of Scripture is necessary for the true understanding of Christ, salvation, and the truths of the Catholic faith.

In his homily upon assuming the chair of the Bishop of Rome in May 2005, the Pope described his mission as being “at the service of, the Word of God.”

“It is incumbent … to ensure that this Word continues to be present in its greatness and to resound in its purity, so that it is not torn to pieces by continuous changes in usage,” he said.

And the Pope has repeatedly emphasized that the Word of God is the key to the Church’s mission in a world that has grown increasingly forgetful of God.

In a letter to the world’s bishops last year, Benedict said: “Leading men and women to God, to the God who speaks in the Bible: this is the supreme and fundamental priority of the Church and of the Successor of Peter at the present time.”

These themes are all present in “Verbum Domini.”

The new document calls for “recovering the centrality of the divine Word in the Christian life.”

“Our own time,” the Pope writes, “must be increasingly marked by a new hearing of God’s Word and a new evangelization.”

In addition, Pope Benedict includes a decidedly personal section in which he proposes to teach people the practice of praying with the Bible, known as “lectio divina,” or sacred reading.

The Pope called for a renewal of prayerful, personal reading of Scripture and for Scripture to be “every more fully at the heart of every ecclesial activity.”

“The Church is built upon the Word of God; she is born from and lives by that Word,” Pope Benedict said.

“Throughout its history, the People of God has always found strength in the word of God, and today too the ecclesial community grows by hearing, celebrating and studying that Word.”

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How many Catholics are there in Britain?

Pope Benedict XVI is the head of the biggest Christian denomination in the world, some one billion Roman Catholics, or one in six people. In Britain there are about five million Catholics, or about one in 12 people.

As he arrives in the UK for the first visit by a pontiff since 1982, what do statistics tell us about the state of the Roman Catholic Church in this country?

According to the 2001 census, there were 41 million Christians in Great Britain, making up almost three quarters of the population (72%). This group included the Church of England, Church of Scotland, Church in Wales, Catholic, Protestant and all other Christian denominations.

How this 41 million breaks down is harder to work out. The Church of England says about 26 million people have been baptised, the Catholic Church claims just over four million members in England and Wales - and another 695,000 in Scotland. Out of a total population of about 60 million, that means about one in 12 people in Great Britain is Catholic.


Figures for church attendance suggest both the Catholic and Anglican churches suffered a gradual fall in numbers up to around the turn of the century, but since then numbers appear to have more or less stabilised.

Numbers from the Catholic Directory suggest that currently about one million Catholics in England and Wales regularly attend mass. But according to the Catholic National Library, figures for mass attendance were not kept before 1989 and therefore no comparison is possible with the 1982 papal visit.

The Bishops' Conference of Scotland says an estimated 184,283 attended mass regularly in 2008. There's no equivalent figure for All Ireland - but the Catholic directory says there were an estimated 4.3 million Catholics living in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 2008.


Figures for the number of men entering the priesthood show that after a fairly steep decline in the late 1980s and 90s, the numbers have begun to pick up again.

The Christian Research group which looks at trends in Christian faiths in Britain says numbers have stabilised in recent years - contrary to its claim in 2007 that congregations would continue to decline.

It seems numbers for the Catholic Church may have been boosted by an influx of immigrants - from Eastern Europe and Africa. While rural congregations have been dwindling, inner city churches have seen numbers rise.


The National Secular Society feels any boost in numbers will be shortlived. It estimates there will only be 101,700 Catholics attending church annually by 2050, compared to the current total of about one million.


Figures gathered by the National Centre for Social Research show that membership of most religions is lower now than it was 30 years ago, with a marked decline appearing among people who say they belong to the Church of England from 40 to 20%.

By comparison, the numbers of those claiming to be Catholic has remained fairly stable, dropping only 1% from 10 to 9% since 1983.


The number of people of all faiths attending church services appears to be at a low ebb, with 58% of those polled saying they never attend services.

But attendance does peak at Christmas. According to Church of England statistics, 35% of the population attend a Christmas service of some sort, rising to 42% in London.

Pope calls new bishops to a 'service of love' in imitation of Christ

Vatican City, Sep 11, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Addressing a gathering of new bishops on Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI said the life of the bishop should be “a service of love” and a “continual oblation to God.” He told the prelates to imitate Christ in poverty and humility and to find strength and wisdom in the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Father met with 102 new bishops from mission territories in 40 countries on Saturday morning in the Swiss Hall of the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo, L’Osservatore Romano reports.
The prelates, all of whom have been appointed in the last year, are taking part in a seminar promoted by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples to assist them as they begin their new ministry.

Welcoming their visit to Rome to deepen their knowledge of their responsibilities as bishops and to renew their profession of faith at the tomb of St. Peter, Pope Benedict XVI told the participants that "the Church places not (a) few hopes" in them.

He went on to remind them of some of their duties to the faithful, noting that these are made more difficult by challenges such as poverty and persecution. "To you," he said, "awaits the task of feeding their hope, of sharing in their difficulties, inspiring yourselves in the charity of Christ which consists of attention, tenderness, compassion, (a spirit of) welcoming, availability and interest in the problems of the people for whom you are disposed to give your lives."

In each task, Benedict XVI emphasized, the bishops are sustained by the Holy Spirit, through which they were "configured" to Christ in their ordinations. "In fact," he added, "the episcopal ministry is understood only starting with Christ, the source of the single and supreme priesthood, of which the bishop is made participant."

Calling the bishops to imitate Christ the "humble and poor" servant, he said they can remain ever close to Him through frequent contemplation in prayer and adoration. "The life of the bishop," he explained, "should be a continual oblation to God for the salvation of his Church, and especially for the salvation for the souls that are entrusted to him."

In this pastoral attititude of giving lies the bishop's "true dignity," the Pope added, explaining that it derives from making himself the servant of all “to the point of giving his own life.”

“The episcopate, in fact, - as the priesthood - must not be misunderstood according to mundane categories. It is a service of love," he said.

"The bishop is called to serve the Church with the style of God made man, becoming ever more fully a servant of the Lord and a servant of humanity."

Referring to their "primary duty" of announcing the Word of God while also administering the sacraments, the Pope said that to be convincing in their ministry, they must “believe and live what they announce and celebrate."

Concluding his remarks by noting that their wisdom and strength to witness to salvation and peace comes from the power of the Holy Spirit, Pope Benedict told the new bishops "He will guide the paths of your episcopal ministry."

Benedict XVI affirms First Communion for children at age of reason

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Aug 18, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

The Holy Father remembered Pope St. Pius X and reviewed his Church reforms and renewals during Wednesday's general audience catechesis. Pope Benedict highlighted the importance of St. Pius X's decree that set the "age of reason" as the appropriate time for children to receive First Communion.

The general audience was held in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo as is customary at this time of year. The space was filled with pilgrims carrying flags and banners and waiving scarves.

During the catechesis, Benedict XVI spoke of Pope St. Pius X, who from the time of his ordination at 23 years old, "showed that deep love of Christ and the Church, that humility and simplicity and that great charity towards the most in need, that were characteristic of his entire life."

Although he accepted his election to the papacy with difficulty because he did not feel himself to be worthy of the position, Pope Benedict XVI said, "he left an indelible mark in the history of the Church" through a pontificate that "was characterized by a notable effort for reform, summarized in his motto 'Instaurare omnia in Christo' (Renew all things in Christ)."

Pope Benedict pointed to Pius X's reorganization of the Roman Curia, how he began work to re-examine the Code of Canon Law and his revision of the protocol for priestly formation. He also spoke of the Pope-saint's work to develop a universal catechism after having witnessed the great need for a reference point of the faith amidst widespread emigration.

"The Catechism called 'from Pius X,' was for many a sure guide in learning the truth of the faith for its simple, clear and precise language and for its expositive effectiveness," recalled Pope Benedict.

He was also reminded of the attention Pius X gave to liturgical reform, in an effort "to guide the faithful to a more profound prayer life and to a fuller participation in the Sacraments." Referencing the 1903 motu proprio "Tra le sollecitudini," he explained that Pius X asserted through it that "the true Christian spirit has its first and indispensable source in the active participation in the sacrosanct mysteries and in public and solemn prayer in the Church.

"For this," continued Benedict XVI, "he recommended receiving the sacraments often, promoting daily participation in Holy Communion, (being) well prepared, and anticipating opportunely the First Communion of children at seven years of age, 'when the child begins to reason' ... "

In marking the 100th anniversary of the Pius X-approved decree "Quam singulari" earlier this month, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments wrote about the same subject in the Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano newspaper. He suggested that the Church must confirm Pius X's decree and even possibly contemplate lowering the age further to ensure the graces for children as they reach the age of reason amidst the difficulties of today's world.

Concluding Wednesday's catechesis, the Holy Father said:

"Dear brothers and sisters, St. Pius X teaches all of us that the base of our apostolic action in the various fields in which we work must always be for us an intimate personal union with Christ, to cultivate and grow day after day this nucleus of all of his teaching, of all of his pastoral genius.

"Only if we are in love with the Lord will we be capable of bringing men to God and opening them up to His merciful love."

Is Ex Corde Ecclesiae still relevant?

Catholic Education prefect: Only universities with strong Catholic identity will last

Vatican City, Aug 13, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

"Only the Catholic university that conserves its identity will have a future," said the prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education just days before the 20th anniversary of John Paul II's document “Ex Corde Ecclesiae.” Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, in speaking about the continued relevance of the document on Catholic higher education, explained that if a Catholic university loses its identity, it becomes just like any other.

The Apostolic Constitution “Ex Corde Ecclesiae,” which established guidelines for the functioning of Catholic universities, was presented by Pope John Paul II 20 years ago this Sunday. Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education and prefect emeritus of the Apostolic Signatura, spoke with CNA about the importance of the document on Friday.

According to Cardinal Grocholewski, two motivations led John Paul II to write the document. The first was the "importance" that he attributed to the Catholic university, which, he said, the Pope himself explains best at the end of the document in an exhortation for Catholic witness. The second reason, the prefect pointed out, was that John Paul II believed it was necessary to create legislation outlining the nature and mission of Catholic universities, while giving them juridical norms for their creation and the composition of their faculty.

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“Ex Corde Ecclesiae” has produced "great results," he said, most of all we can see this in the foundation of so many Catholic universities "with a clear disposition" since its publication in 1990.

Citing the creation of more than 250 Catholic universities during Pope John Paul II's pontificate, he said, "many of these have had a guideline from the very beginning, a clear vision of what a Catholic university should be."

This has been especially significant in African and ex-Communist countries, he explained.

"I think that many universities, also based on this document, have strengthened their identities, which is very important," he added.

Fidelity to the Magisterium

CNA asked the cardinal about certain challenges that have come up in the course of applying norms for John Paul II's ideal for the Catholic university, such as the need for a "mandatum," a statement from the local bishop that assures theologians are in communion with the Church's teachings.

The cardinal prefect said that this is a question of methodology as with any other field of study. He explained that "to be a theologian, one must believe in the Sacred Scriptures and Tradition and must be united to the Magisterium (teaching) of the Church."

"It is a rather risky assumption if a single person wishes to be more important than the Magisterium of the Church," he remarked.

Catholic Identity

When asked about the requirement for Catholic institutions of higher learning to promote their Catholic identity, even with non-Catholic faculty members, the cardinal replied that all professors have a "responsibility" in this sense to the Church, and before science and the world.

"In the Catholic university people who are not Catholic can also teach, but they are obligated to respect the Catholic identity."

Reflecting on the application of the Apostolic Constitution today, Cardinal Grocholewski said that it remains "current everywhere." He considers it to be an "stupendous" document that "gives spirit to the Catholic university."

To the cardinal, "the Catholic university that conserves its own identity, as was delineated in Ex Corde, truly has a future and will contribute to the good of society," while seeking to be an interlocutor between cultures and a force for progress.

Stressing the importance of Catholic schools retaining their roots, the cardinal said that "if the Catholic university loses its identity, it's similar to all the other universities, practically it becomes less significant and this is a big challenge, or a big problem."

He noted that his congregation has received protests from people who attended Catholic universities, who have said that the education being offered was not in line with Church teaching. They have said that if the institution does not offer a Catholic education while claiming to be Catholic, it is "hypocritical and lying."

"I think they are right," said the cardinal prefect," and the same goes for Catholic grade schools, he said.

"I think that only the Catholic university that conserves its identity will have a future."

“Ex Corde Ecclesiae,” he said, "does not demand a 'grand reform,' the document is current, it is a very realistic approach, and in itself it has a great dynamism to make the Catholic university important in today's world ... where, as we know there is a cultural and moral relativism that creates so much damage."

What is needed in the modern context of permissibility and relativity, he said, is "the Catholic university that defends the truth, the objective truth."

The Model Catholic University

There is no specific model Catholic university in the world, noted Cardinal Grocholewski. Universities should not compare themselves to each other, he also advised, "rather they should turn to the document which is fundamental for the Catholic university, which is 'Ex Corde Ecclesiae'.”

"There," he said, "the ideal of the Catholic university is outlined, and I think that studying this document is much more productive" than looking to the "diverse realities" of other universities for direction.

Asked about Pope Benedict XVI's perspective on Catholic education today, the cardinal prefect said he is "a great enthusiast of the Catholic university. He practically rejoices when he sees that the Catholic university, (as) it progresses, preserves its identity ..."

The current Pope, he said, has encouraged him to continue "to fight for the Catholic university."

Apostolic nuncio to Haiti reports relief work continues in ‘chaotic’ times

Konigstein, Germany, Aug 12, 2010 / (CNA).-

The apostolic nuncio for Haiti has announced that the reconstruction of churches destroyed by the January earthquake should start early next year. However, he emphasized that the Church’s first priority must be helping the disaster victims in a “chaotic” situation further hampered by corruption and selfishness.

Archbishop Bernardito Auza spoke about relief work in Haiti during a visit to the international headquarters of the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Germany.

“First of all we have to look after the faithful, and then take care of the churches, which have to be built structurally better and safer,” he commented. As many as 70 percent of the buildings in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince were devastated by the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Thanking the charity for its support in the disaster and for its promise to support church reconstruction and educational programs, Archbishop Auza explained the situation in Haiti.

“The people are still traumatized. The parishes have been scattered, and over half the churches are destroyed,” he said.

Parish organizations built up over decades have dissolved after the disaster. While help is being provided, he said the situation is still “chaotic,” he told ACN News. “People have simply scattered. Some now live in camps, while others have moved out into the provinces. Others again have come into the city in search of work,” he added.

Schools will be a priority in reconstruction, the nuncio said, as this is an area where the Church takes her responsibilities “very seriously.” The Church provides over half of the schools in Haiti and according to the archbishop these are better than the state schools.

“For the Catholic Church, education and a Christian upbringing are the key to the true development of the country,” he remarked, lamenting a lack of funds for educational buildings and staff.

Archbishop Auza said that a lack of progress in reconstruction is due not only to lack of infrastructure and the collapse of government administration, but also widespread corruption. A selfish mentality still prevails, he reported.

The nuncio thanked ACN for its “indispensable assistance” in supporting pastoral work in Haiti, saying such work is needed to put people “back on their feet.”

ACN has received more than $5.1 million in donations for Haiti.

Lay Eucharistic ministers not entitled to position, Archbishop Burke clarifies

Vatican City, Aug 12, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

The rights of girls and Catholic lay faithful to carry out certain roles on the altar are not prescribed as "rights" within the Church, according to the Church's top legal authority, Archbishop Raymond Burke. The statement came in a clarification he wrote about the consequences of the reintroduction of the Latin Rite Mass by Pope Benedict.

The Catholic Church of Germany recently printed a commentary on the application of Benedict XVI's 2007 motu proprio, "Summorum Pontificum," which made Pope St. Pius V's Latin Rite Mass more widely available. In the preface of the volume, printed for the third anniversary of the motu proprio, Archbishop Raymond Burke clarified some confusion about the legislation's practical use.

Archbishop Burke is the prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, which is often described as the supreme court of the Catholic Church.

According to Vatican Radio, the archbishop explained in the preface that due to the motu proprio's papal origins, it is not just an act of legislation brought about as a "favor" to a specific group for the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Mass in Latin, but one that applies to the entire Church.

Archbishop Burke wrote, "it is about a law whose finality is the protection and promotion of the life of all the mystical body of Christ and the maximum expression of this life, that is to say, the Sacred Liturgy."

It implies an obligation of the Church "to preserve liturgical tradition and maintain the legitimate celebration of both forms of the Roman Rite, that preceding the Second Vatican Council and that which followed it," he said.

Archbishop Burke pointed out that the Holy Father himself explained that for the communion of the Church in the past and the future, "universally accepted uses of uninterrupted apostolic tradition" must be observed.

This, he he pointed out should be done "not only to avoid errors, but also to transmit the integrity of the faith, so that the law of the prayer of the Church might correspond to her law of faith."

The American archbishop went on to point out that certain elements may need to be clarified in this regard. For example, he wrote, among the "rights" of the baptized, assistance by "persons of the feminine sex" at the altar is not included. Additionally, serving as a lector or as an extraordinary distribution of communion is not a right of the laity, he noted.

As such, out of respect for the integrity of the liturgical discipline within the Roman Missal of 1962, these more modern modifications are not observed in the extraordinary form.

This clarification comes just a week after L'Osservatore Romano writer Lucetta Scaraffia published an article on the altar server pilgrimage to the Vatican which drew thousands of boys and girls alike. She drew some attention as she proposed that the introduction of girls into the position of serving at the altar "meant the end of every attribution of impurity to their sex ... it meant a different attention to the liturgy and an approach to the faith in bringing it near to their very hearts."

Archbishop Burke clarified, however, that the reality of the matter is that neither the presence of girls at the altar, nor the participation of lay faithful "belong to the fundamental rights of the baptized."

Pope teaches that through Christian existence, we are called to transform the world

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Aug 11, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

We are asked to dedicate our lives to the Lord in the same way as the martyrs, taught Pope Benedict on Wednesday. While it may not be as a vocation to lay down our lives, he said, we are called to an always greater love of God and neighbor, "to transform our world."

Hosting Wednesday's audience in the interior courtyard at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, the Holy Father greeted the faithful in eight different languages. In his Polish greeting, he asked for "generous and efficient aid" for the victims of recent flooding in Pope John Paul II's homeland, which was recovering from being swamped by high water levels just last spring.

During a catechesis centered on martyrdom in light of the frequency of feasts for martyrs in the month of August, Pope Benedict taught that the foundation of martyrdom is really quite simple. It's based, he said, "on the death of Jesus, on his supreme sacrifice of love, consumated on the Cross so that we might have life."

It follows the same logic as that of the grain of wheat that dies and produces much fruit, said Benedict XVI. "Jesus is the grain of divine wheat, which allowed itself to fall to the earth, that allowed itself to split, to break in death and, in this way, opens itself and thus can produce fruit in the vastness of the world."

Martyrs, he explained, follow Christ completely "freely accepting to die for the salvation of the world, in a supreme proof of love," and their strength to do so comes from an intimate union with the Lord.

"If we read the lives of the martyrs, we are astonished by their serenity and courage in confronting suffering and death: the power of God is manifested fully in the weakness, in the poverty of he who entrusts himself to Him and puts his hope only in Him."

The martyr, he went on, is "a free person that in a single definitive action gives his entire life to God, and, in a supreme act of faith, hope and charity, abandons himself into the hands of his Creator and Redeemer; he sacrifices his life to be associated totally to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross."

Put briefly, noted the Pope, "martyrdom is a great act of love in response to the immense love of God."

Repeating his words from last Sunday's Angelus catechesis, he said again that while we are not likely to be called to martyrdom, "none of us is excluded from the divine call to holiness, to live (our) Christian existence in a 'high' way.

"We all, especially in our times in which selfishness and individualism seem to prevail, must take on as our first and fundamental commitment that of growing every day in an ever greater love of God and our brother to transform our world," he concluded.

"Communicate without fear the joy of friendship with Jesus"

Eucharist is Jesus' greatest gift to us, teaches Pope Benedict XVI

Rome, Italy, Aug 4, 2010 /(CNA/EWTN News).-

Benedict XVI underscored the importance of the Eucharist on Wednesday as a "treasure whose value cannot be measured." Illustrating a young third century martyr's dedication to the Body of Christ, he exhorted the tens of thousands of altar servers present at the audience to also give their lives in service to the Lord.

Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi estimated the number of people in St. Peter's Square at more than 80,000.

The Holy Father addressed the faithful in German, out of consideration for the native tongue of the great majority of the 53,000 young people present at the audience as part of a pilgrimage of European altar servers.

After donning a white pilgrim's handkerchief himself, he remembered St. Tarcisius in the catechesis. The young boy was martyred in Rome in the year 257 in the act of protecting the Eucharist and is now one of the patron saints of altar servers.

Reflecting on this life given in devotion to God, Pope Benedict told the young people in the square that St. Tarcisius teaches us "the profound love and great veneration that we should have towards the Eucharist."

"It is a precious good," he said, "a treasure whose value cannot be measured, it is the Bread of life, it is Jesus who makes himself food, support and strength for our daily path and open road to eternal life; it is the greatest gift that Jesus left us."

Offering advice to altar servers everywhere, the Pope exhorted them to give generous service to Jesus in the Eucharist. "It is an important task," he explained, "which permits you to be particularly close to the Lord and to grow as his true friends." He went on to ask them to protect this friendship as St. Tarcisius did, "ready to give (their) lives so that Jesus might be brought to all," and to be courageous and joyful in communicating it to their friends.

And, while our calling may not be to martyrdom, "Jesus asks faithfulness of us in the small things, the every day tasks, the witness of His love, attending Church and to the many friends with whom we learn to know him ever more. "

Speaking on the significance of their help, present at the altar when the bread becomes Jesus' body and the wine His blood, the Holy Father told them, "You are fortunate to live this great mystery closely!

"Carry out with love, with devotion and with faithfulness your task of serving; prepare yourselves well for the Holy Mass! Helping your priests in the service at the altar you contribute to making Jesus closer, to being ever more present in the world, in everyday life, in the Church and in every place."

He concluded by asking the for intercession of St. Tarcisius and St. John Vianney to aid them in their service.

Canadian Anglican Catholic group votes to unite with Rome

Vancouver, Canada, Jul 28, 2010 / (CNA).-

With “overwhelming support,” a recent meeting of leaders in the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada (ACCC) voted to unite with the Roman Catholic Church through the Apostolic Constitution created by Pope Benedict XVI.

The ACCC, part of the Continuing Anglican Movement, is made up of more than two dozen congregations. Its Eighth Provincial Synod and Thirteenth Diocesan Synod were held simultaneously at the Rosemary Heights Retreat Center in Surrey, British Columbia.

The website VirtueOnline.org published a letter from Dean Shane B. Janzen detailing the event.

The meeting was attended by four ACCC bishops, including Bishop Peter Wilkinson, the communion’s Metropolitan and Ordinary. Archbishop John Hepworth, the Australia-based Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), was also present.

The discussion included the House of Clergy and the House of Laity and focused on the implementation of a proposed Canadian Anglican Catholic Ordinariate under the Apostolic Constitution “Anglicanorum Coetibus.”

Support for the Ordinariate was unanimous in the House of Clergy and received 25 of 30 votes from lay delegates, with two members opposing the proposal and three abstaining.

The synod then passed a resolution enabling Bishop Wilkinson, with the advice and consent of the Provincial Council, to enact the necessary canonical ordinances and rules to establish the Ordinariate.

The House of Clergy elected members of the Interim Governing Council, which nominated and elected Bishop Wilkinson as the first Bishop Ordinary of the proposed Ordinariate.

According to Dean Janzen’s letter, the Diocesan Council also made financial changes to ensure that the diocese’s restricted funds are protected from “any potential litigation.”

Dean Janzen wrote that the focus of the synod was “the worship and praise of Almighty God; the proclamation of Christ's saving Truth; and faithful witness to the faith, order and discipline to Christ's one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”

He reported that attendees left with “a renewed sense of optimism for the future and a clear vision for the present.”

“With the overwhelming support of clergy and laity for unity with the See of Peter and the establishment of a Canadian Anglican Catholic Ordinariate, our Diocese is now able to move forward united, renewed, and hopeful,” his letter read, according to VirtueOnline.

After exposé, Vicariate of Rome asks clergy leading 'double lives' to leave priesthood

Rome, Italy, Jul 23, 2010 / (CNA).-

After an Italian media report exposed sexual activity by gay priests in Rome, the Vicariate of Rome responded quickly by calling on all priests who are leading such "double lives" to come out and leave the priesthood for the good of the Church community.

The Italian weekly magazine Panorama ran a feature story on Friday morning titled, "The wild nights of gay priests." The article tracks three supposed priests, monitoring their behavior in gay nightclubs and soliciting them for sexual encounters by way of male prostitutes hired by the magazine.

The author, Carmelo Abbate, claims to have everything on tape, including the sexual acts and the same priests celebrating Mass. Panorama, considered a socialist magazine, has set up priests before using false requests for the Sacrament of Confession to "poll" what they teach on moral or political issues and then publish the results.

In response to Friday's story, the Vicariate of Rome, the office which assists the Pope in running the Diocese of Rome, released a message stating that "the purpose of the article is obvious: to create scandal, defame all priests ... discredit the church and - in another way - put pressure on that part of the Church defined by them as 'intransigent, that strives not to face the reality' of homosexual priests."

Not denying the information in the article, the vicariate said that the Church community cannot help but feel "sorrow and dismay" at seeing the report, knowing its priests intimately "not by their 'double lives,' but with a 'single life,' happy and joyful, consistent with their vocation, given to God and the service of the people, committed to living and witnessing to the Gospel and model of morality for all."

Because the Panorama article painted the 1,300 priests of the Diocese of Rome using gross generalizations, the vicariate replied that the essence of the Church of Rome is not found in those with "'double lives,' who haven't understood what 'Catholic priesthood' (is) and should not have become priests."

"Know," the statement continued, "that no one forces them to remain priests, exploiting only the benefits."

"Coherence would require them to come into the open. We don't wish to hurt them, but we cannot accept that due to their behavior the integrity of the all the rest might be tarnished."

"Before such facts," the vicariate asserted, "we firmly adhere to what the Holy Father Benedict XVI has repeated several times in recent months: 'the sins of priests' call us all back to conversion of heart and life and to be vigilant so as not to 'pollute the faith and Christian life, damaging the integrity of the Church, weakening her capacity of prophecy and testimony, tarnishing the beauty of her face'."

Benedict XVI Writing Third Volume on Jesus

Benedict XVI working on third and final volume of ‘Jesus of Nazareth’

Vatican City, Jul 23, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Pope Benedict XVI's vacation time is now being dedicated to writing the third volume in what could safely be called the "Jesus of Nazareth" series. The new work will seek to shed light on the story of Jesus' childhood from the Gospels.

Fr. Federico Lombardi "broke" the official news in his weekly "Octava dies" editorial program for Vatican television although news had already spread that the Holy Father was working on an addition to the first two books. Some Italian journalists had reported that it would be a book, others a mere appendix to the previous two volumes. Fr. Lombardi referred to it as a "volume."

Following a first book on Jesus' public ministry and a second on the Passion and Resurrection, the Vatican spokesman said that "Benedict XVI has now laid his hands on the third and final part, dedicated to the 'Gospels of childhood'."

It will concentrate on the accounts of Jesus' early life from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Fr. Lombardi also said that the second book of the "Jesus of Nazareth" series is now being translated and is expected to be released in Spring 2011.

On the significance of the Pope's work on the new volume, Fr. Lombardi pointed out, "It's clear ... how close it is to his heart to bring this great design started years ago to a close."

The Vatican spokesman recalled the "crucial importance" given to the first volume during the bishops' synod in Oct. 2008 on the "Word of God," when various speakers referred to it as "a model of theological and spiritual reading of the Gospels" and "a guide for believers to find - through the Gospels - the person of Jesus."

Fr. Lombardi hoped for a similar the result of the third volume, exclaiming, "Take us to meet Jesus!"

He concluded by noting that through the Pope’s dedication to the Church and the faithful, even during his "holidays," we can see that we are "at the heart" of his service.

According to Fr. Lombardi, during the first two weeks of his summer vacation, the Pope also revisited one of the volumes of his "Opera omnia," the collection of his life works which have begun to be published in German and Italian.

Benedict XVI among the top ten oldest Popes since 1400

Rome, Italy, Jul 22, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Benedict XVI is now the seventh oldest Pope since reliable records began being collected in the year 1400, according to a U.S. statistician. In the words of Pope Benedict himself, however, age is not as important as wisdom.

Anura Guruge, an IBM information systems expert, IT adviser and obvious fan of Papal history, presented a table offering a ranked list of the oldest known Popes on his site www.popes-and-papacy.com on Monday. On that very day, Benedict XVI passed into the seventh slot on his list, just behind John Paul II who died at 84 years old.

Not all Popes in history are considered in the study, explains Guruge on the site, because dates logged in records before the year 1400 "are either unreliable or unavailable and as such are impractical for meaningful analysis."

According to his information, at the age of 83, Benedict XVI is currently seventh on the list of most aged Popes, but should he remain on the See of Peter until 2015 he will overtake Clement XII, currently in second place after living to 87. Topping the list of oldest Popes in the last six centuries is Leo XIII, who died at 93 years old in 1903.

An earlier entry on the same site reports that, since 1400, Joseph Ratzinger was the fifth oldest Pope on his election date and more advanced in age at that time than any other Pontiff in the 274 years prior. He had only just turned 78 years old three days before his election.

Guruge's table also presents the number of years each of the oldest 11 Popes reigned and the percentage of their lives they spent as the Successor of Peter.

Vatican Radio, in a Wednesday article that picked up the striking story, commented on the latter as a "curious" statistic which "suggests a deeper reflection, if we look at it on a different level from mere 'summer' curiosity.

"It suggests a spiritual characteristic proper to the Petrine ministry that is tied to the relative value of longevity," about which, the Holy See's radio station pointed out, Pope Benedict himself made an observation in a Nov. 2008 homily for defunct cardinals and bishops.

Reflecting on a passage from the Book of Wisdom, Benedict XVI said, "True, honorable old age is not just an advanced age, but wisdom and a pure existence, without malice ... The world reputes that he who lives a long life is fortunate, but God, more than to age, looks to the rectitude of the heart. The world gives credit to the 'wise' and to the 'learned,' while God prefers the 'little ones'.

"God," asserted the Pope at the time, "is the true wisdom that does not age, he is the genuine richness that does not spoil, he is the happiness to which the heart of every man aspires profoundly."

Purification of Church from 'serious sins' a long process, says Fr. Lombardi

Vatican City, Jul 17, 2010 / (CNA).- Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said Saturday that the new norms on sexual abuse are an "important step," but, he warned, law "is not everything" in the battle against serious sins. He observed that the Church's path to a "purer and more evangelical witness" will not be short.

Fr. Lombardi reflected on the effects of the updates to Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) norms concerning the "most serious" sins on his weekly Vatican Television editorial "Octava dies." The details of the updates were released during a press briefing he gave on Thursday with CDF promoter of justice, Msgr. Charles Scicluna.

In his editorial, the Vatican spokesman said that with the publication of the norms, "the Church has taken an important step in addressing the question (of sexual abuse) with responses that will be lasting and have a profound impact.

"Clear and well-known laws are an essential guide for any large community, such as the Catholic Church, which must have its own common rules." These rules remain autonomous from those of the many countries in which it exists, he explained, adding that "the just civil laws must obviously be respected and put into practice by men of the Church, as by every citizen, also for the crimes of abuse."

Highlighting some of the standout elements of the quite extensive updates to canonical procedures, he said that the modifications enable "faster and more effective" trials and greater assistance due to the presence of lay experts on ecclesiastical tribunals. They also increase the statute of limitations and officially consider abusing those with "a limited use of reason" and the possession of pedophile pornography as among the gravest of sins, he outlined.

But, while "law is necessary" to combating sexual abuses within the Church, "it is not everything," Fr. Lombardi pointed out.

Change must come about through "commitment to education, the formation of clergy and staff who work in institutions linked to the Church, information and prevention, dialogue with and personal care for the victims," he said, noting that it is a “huge area in which the Church has mobilized itself, as urged for by the Pope, in many countries.

"For its part, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith continues to work to give aid to local bishops in formulating coherent and effective guidelines,” Fr. Lombardi underscored. “The new law is important, but we know well that our commitment to a purer and more evangelical witness must be a long road."

Msgr. Scicluna: New norms important, ongoing action needed

Vatican City, Jul 15, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).- Monsignor Charles Scicluna took part in a press briefing on Thursday for the release of modified Vatican norms on how to examine and punish cases involving the "most serious sins." He fielded a number of questions as to its content but underscored the importance of ongoing action for successfully bringing about change in the Church.

Journalists in the Holy See's Press Office spoke of the encounter as "unseen since the days of Cardinal Ratzinger." The Maltese promotor of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith fielded questions on complex matters with apparent ease, answering journalists' queries regarding many aspects of the updates to the Motu Proprio of 2001 in both English and Italian.

About the concern in the media that sexual abuse against minors was being equated with the attempted ordination of women in the eyes of canon law, Msgr. Scicluna said in English, "They are not on the same level." Serious sins are divided into those against Christian morality and those committed during the administration of the sacraments, he explained.

Sexual abuses of minors and child pornography are the graver sins and represent "an egregious violation of moral law." And while the attempted ordination is grave, it's "on another level," he said, explaining that it is a wound that goes against the Catholic faith and the sacrament of Holy Orders.

"So they are (both) grave but on different levels," Msgr. Scicluna said, noting in Italian that their comparison is incidental as both "are found in the only document that attempts to put in order all of the competence on the delicts that are reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."

He also defended Pope Benedict XVI's stance on the obligation to obey civil law in cases of sexual abuse of minors. Msgr. Scicluna said the Pope has been "very clear. The Christian obeys civil law when it is just and there is no doubt that in this case civil law is just."

The promotor of justice added that when the law allows the victim to choose whether or not to report a crime, their wishes must also be respected.

He also called an additional wording that gives the CDF the ability to examine the actions of Church prelates and functionaries an "important signal because it means that the congregation will be able to investigate and then submit its results to the Pope."

On behalf of the CDF, Msgr. Scicluna thanked the Holy Father for his "stamp" on the revision of the norms.

"So," he concluded, "I think this is a very important step from the point of canon law, from a technical point. But, a document is always a document, it does not solve all the problems. It is a very important instrument, but it is the way you use the instrument that is going to have the real effect on the Church."

CDF to publish directions for local bishops on handling abuse cases

Vatican City, Jul 15, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).- During a briefing today with journalists for the release of new norms on cases of "the most serious sins" in the Church, Fr. Federico Lombardi spoke about the work that continues to be done in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). He said that the congregation is working on new, comprehensive documents compiled from the experiences of individual bishops' conferences to create better guidelines for handling abuse cases on a local level.

The announcement came within an officially published comment from Fr. Lombardi, who explained the scope of the direction further during the briefing.

The Vatican spokesman informed reporters that the CDF is "currently examining how to help the bishops of the world formulate and develop, coherently and effectively, the indications and guidelines necessary to face the problems of the sexual abuse of minors, either by members of the clergy or within the environment of activities and institutions connected with the Church ...”

These additional documents, he said, will bear in mind “the situation and the problems of the societies in which they operate."

Straying from his prepared notes, Fr. Lombardi explained, "It has always been said that the episcopates that know the different situations in the different countries and the different norms and cultural situations should make their own guidelines to confront the problem of the abuse of minors by clergy ... and (in) other Catholic institutions.

"Episcopates," he went on, "have an important role because they know the specific situations in each place. The CDF is studying and working, based on the experience of the different guidelines given by the Episcopates to give the directions to help to establish a coherent framework between the different episcopal conferences" to take advantage of positive contributions offered.

"It's a work of coordination, integration, suggestions and harmonization of the guidelines but without eliminating the role of the Episcopates in this field."

While there is no time line for the release of these guidelines and it is still unknown what form the documents might take on, Fr. Lombardi assured that "they are working (at the CDF).”

"This is an important element to keep in mind," Fr. Lombardi explained. "It isn't as if with the publication of the norms concerning the delictus gravioribus, the congregation has finished its task and won't think about it any more. It works, rather, to help develop, clarify and coordinate."

Going back to his prepared remarks, he said that "This will be another crucial step on the Church's journey as she translates into permanent practice and continuous awareness the fruits of the teachings and ideas that have matured over the course of the painful events of the 'crisis' engendered by sexual abuse by members of the clergy."

Create AccountSign In Vatican Publishes Revised Norms on Grave Offences

Fr. Lombardi explains newly published norms on sex abuse, serious sins

Vatican City, Jul 15, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).- On Thursday, the Holy See published new norms for the treatment of crimes considered to be "most serious" within the Church. In a press briefing, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi explained the updates, including an extension of the statute of limitations for cases involving the sexual abuse of minors and the official addition of other "delicta graviora" to the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

The release of the updates took place in an unannounced meeting with the press in the Holy See's Press Office, which was hosted by Fr. Lombardi and Msgr. Charles Scicluna, the promotor of justice within the CDF. The modifications are included in 31 articles divided into two parts: Substantive Norms and Procedural Norms.

Fr. Lombardi released a statement meant to facilitate the reading of the norms for the "non-specialist public," in which he outlined the most important elements of the modifications to the "most serious sins" or "graviora delicta." They were originally promulgated by John Paul II in the motu proprio "Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela" in 2001.

According to the Vatican spokesman, the updates to this document were meant to "organically integrate" the "new 'faculties'" given to the CDF by the Pope for the last nine years, "so as to streamline and simplify the procedures and make them more effective and to take account of new problems."

Although the norms touch on a variety of sins considered to be "most serious,” Fr. Lombardi's explanation of the modifications concentrated mostly on Church policy regarding the sexual abuse of minors.

In that regard, he first pointed out that updates incorporate measures to "accelerate procedures," particularly wording that gives the CDF the possibility of reaching a decision in cases without a full judicial process. Further modifications also establish that particularly serious cases are to be sent straight to the Pope, who will decide whether or not to dismiss the offender from the priesthood.

Fr. Lombardi noted there is another simplifying norm which establishes that a doctorate degree in canon law is no longer required for a person, including members of the lay community, to take part in the judicial process as a member of the tribunal, a lawyer or a prosecutor.

He went on to explain that the statute of limitations for pursuing a case of sexual abuse against an alleged abuser was increased from 10 to 20 years after the victim's 18th birthday, with the possibility of further extension on a case-by-case basis.

Additionally, the mentally disabled will be considered on par with minors in the consideration of cases of sexual abuse, and involvement with pedophile pornography is now counted among the most serious sins of the Church.

In the explanatory note, Fr. Lombardi stressed that the question of collaboration with civil authorities "remains untouched" in the documents published on Thursday. "It must be borne in mind," he said, "that the Norms being published today are part of the penal code of canon law, which is complete in itself and entirely distinct from the law of States."

The matter of collaboration with civil authorities, he explained, was taken up in the guidelines released by the Holy See last April. In that document, the CDF suggested that local Church authorities "comply with the requirements of law in the various countries, and ... do so in good time, not during or subsequent to the canonical trial."

Fr. Lombardi went on to say that "Today's publication of the Norms makes a great contribution to the clarity and certainty of law in this field; a field in which the Church is today strongly committed to proceeding with rigor and transparency so as to respond fully to the just expectations of moral coherence and evangelical sanctity nourished by the faithful and by public opinion, and which the Holy Father has constantly reiterated."

Turning to further modifications to the norms, the spokesman outlined three in particular, noting that they are already in force.

"These include crimes against the faith (heresy, apostasy and schism) for which competency normally falls to ordinaries, although the Congregation becomes competent in the case of an appeal; the malicious recording and disclosure of sacramental Confession about which a decree of condemnation was published in 1988; and the attempted ordination of women, about which a decree was published in 2007."

They should not be considered as "novelties," Fr. Lombardi observed, rather they are norms that were already in practice that have been "inserted" into the wording of canon law.

Holy Father chooses religious freedom as theme for 2011 World Day of Peace

Vatican City, Jul 13, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).- On Tuesday, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict decided the theme for the 2011 World Day of Peace celebration will be “Religious freedom, the path to peace.”

A communique released on July 13 stated that the event, “will therefore be dedicated to the theme of religious freedom. It is well known that in many parts of the world there are various forms of restriction or denial of religious freedom, from discrimination and marginalization based on religion, to acts of violence against religious minorities.”

According to the Vatican, the World Day of Peace has been celebrated every year on January 1, since 1968.

Emphasizing that religious freedom is about man coming to understand himself, the Holy See said in its communique, “Religious freedom is authentically realized when it is experienced as the coherent search for truth and for the truth about man. This approach to religious freedom offers us a fundamental criterion for discerning the phenomenon of religion and its expressions.”

The statement also underlined that the approach “necessarily rejects the 'religiosity' of fundamentalism, and the manipulation of truth and of the truth about man. Since such distortions are opposed to the dignity of man and to the search for truth, they cannot be considered as religious freedom.”

Quoting the words of the Holy Father when he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in 2008, the statement said, “Human rights, of course, must include the right to religious freedom, understood as the expression of a dimension that is at once individual and communitarian - a vision that brings out the unity of the person while clearly distinguishing between the dimension of the citizen and that of the believer.”

“Today,” the communique added, “there are many areas of the world in which forms of restrictions and limitations to religious freedom persist, both where communities of believers are a minority, and where communities of believers are not a minority, and where more sophisticated forms of discrimination and marginalization exist, on the cultural level and in the spheres of public, civil and political activity.”

“It is inconceivable,” Benedict XVI remarked during his address to the U.N., “that believers should have to suppress a part of themselves - their faith - in order to be active citizens. It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one's rights. The rights associated with religion are all the more in need of protection if they are considered to clash with a prevailing secular ideology or with majority religious positions of an exclusive nature.”

“Refusal to recognize the contribution to society that is rooted in the religious dimension and in the quest for the Absolute - by its nature, expressing communion between persons - would effectively privilege an individualistic approach, and would fragment the unity of the person,” the Holy Father told the U.N.

Tuesday's communique concluded by emphasizing that, in light of the Pontiff's words, “man cannot be fragmented, and separated from what he believes, because that in which he believes has an impact on his life and on his person.”

Vatican claims net financial loss, sees improvement over 2009

Vatican City, Jul 10, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican's accounts continue to run in the red but have improved from last year, the Holy See announced on Saturday. Deficits from the past are gradually being reabsorbed.

Three days of meetings took place this week between members of the Council of Cardinals, the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See and the Vatican City State Governorate. The sessions focused on organizational and economic matters of the Holy See and the governorate in 2009.

Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, president of the prefecture and incidentally named the Pontifical delegate to the Legion of Christ on Friday, reported a nearly $5.2 million deficit for 2009 in the Holy See's balance sheet, which contained over $321 million in expenses.

On a positive note, the Holy See's statement explained that the "negative fluctuations" which had been "suspended" in 2008 were "absorbed" this year. Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi told journalists that these "fluctuations" amounted to between eight and ten million Euro ($10.1-12.6 million).

Expenses largely result from the activities of Vatican dicasteries and other bodies, including Vatican Radio, that "participate in the pastoral care of the Pontiff of the Universal Church."

The Governorate of the Vatican City State, which is economically independent from the Holy See, reported a deficit of $9.8 million, a little less than half of last year's declared shortfall. While the negative figure was attributed to the effects of the global economic crisis, its "containment" gave the governorate the opportunity to regain momentum from financial losses in 2008.

The Vatican statement underscored that the administration of the governorate does not depend on contributions from the Holy See and that it "autonomously confronts its own economic necessities."

Among the most notable costs during 2009 were those for a study carried out for a new communications infrastructure, improvements to the Vatican Museums, the care of Vatican patrimony which includes all of the Papal basilicas, security within the Vatican and restructuring of the Vatican Apostolic Library.

The three major sources of income for 2009 were contributions from Peter's Pence of $81.5 million, from the Catholic dioceses of the world of $31.5 million and from other institutions including the Vatican's Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) which donated $63.2 million.

The statement concluded with words of gratitude from members of the Council of Cardinals to all who, "in a generous and often anonymous way, sustain the apostolic and charitable ministry of the Holy Father in service of the Universal Church."