Holy Father accepts no excuses for clerical abuse, affirms cardinal

Vatican City, Mar 25, 2010 / (CNA).-

The president of the Italian bishops’ conference, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, remarked this week that in the Holy Father's pastoral letter to Irish Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI teaches the faithful to not fear the truth about the sexual abuse of minors by priests. Likewise the Pontiff underscores his firm decision to confront this issue without excuses or cover-ups.

Cardinal Bagnasco made his statements at a meeting of the Italian bishops’ executive committee, which took place this week. The cardinal said, “The more attempts there are to disparage his pure and kind character, the more the People of God view the Pope with emotion and pride. For this reason too we renew our strongest relationship, our deepest affections, and our full and solid communion" with the Church.

In his letter, the cardinal recalled, the Pope confronts the painful truth about the clerical sex abuse crisis and notes that the Church must not fall back on the "tendency to drudge up excuses for the actions of certain clergy members.”

His letter is “imbued with a sincere spirit of contrition and the unquestionable testimony of the Church, which is not on the defensive when she must take upon herself the ‘consternation,’ the ‘sense of betrayal,’ and the ‘remorse’ for what some of her ministers have done.”

“Benedict XVI leaves no room for uncertainty or minimization,” Cardinal Bagnasco said, adding that “the clear initiatives the Holy See has given for years confirm the determination to arrive at the truth with the necessary means, once the facts have been sorted out.”

“At this present time in which she feels humiliation, the Church learns from the Pope to not fear the truth, even when it is painful, to not hide it or cover it up. However, this does not mean enduring strategies to discredit her in general,” the cardinal said.

“It is appropriate, then, that we all return to calling things by their names at all times, to indentify evil in all of its gravity and in the multiplicity of its manifestations,” he added.

Pope: Scientists also can arrive at sanctity

Science and faith are not opposed, Pope Benedict teaches

Vatican City, Mar 24, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

A “friendship” exists between science and faith, said the Holy Father during his catechesis on Wednesday morning in which he spoke of St. Albert the Great, “one of the greatest teachers of scholastic theology” and the patron of those who study natural sciences. He used the saint’s example to urge young people to seek God’s guidance for their “life project.”

As a teacher, scholar and writer in the 13th century and “being a man of prayer, science and charity,” said the Pope, St. Albert “enjoyed great authority in his interventions, in various events of the Church and of the society of that time.”

There was “something of prodigious” about the culture of the Dominican, the Holy Father said, explaining that beyond philosophy and theology his “encyclopedic interests” included every other known discipline at that time including physics, chemistry, astronomy and even botany and zoology.

Pope Benedict said that this teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas still has much to teach us, particularly, he pointed out, “St. Albert shows us that there is no opposition between faith and science.”

St. Albert, the Pope remarked, “reminds us that there is friendship between science and faith, and that scientists can, through their vocation to study nature, follow an authentic and absorbing path of sanctity."

“A man of faith and prayer,” he was able to “ serenely cultivate the study of natural sciences and advance the understanding of the micro and macrocosm” and doing so “to nourish (his) thirst and love for God.”

His dedication to the sciences was not accidental. The Bible, pointed out the Holy Father, “speaks to us of creation as the first language through which God ... reveals to us something of himself.”

Referring to the Book of Wisdom in particular, he said that the “phenomena of nature, endowed with greatness and beauty” are affirmed, “they are like the works of an artist, through whom, by analogy, we can know the Author of creation.”

All scientists who are inspired in their work like St. Albert was, see a world that “appeared and appears as the good work of a wise and loving Creator,” the Holy Father noted.

“Scientific study is thus transformed into a hymn of praise,” he observed.

At the beginning of his address, the Holy Father had recalled St. Albert’s path to finding his vocation, following his calling from his native Germany to the Dominican order in Padova, Italy.

Drawing inspiration and a lesson for today’s youth from the experience of the 13th century saint, Pope Benedict XVI said, “often, in the years of youth, God speaks to us and indicates to us the our life project. As for Albert, also for all of us personal prayer nurtured by the Word of the Lord, the association with the Sacraments and the spiritual guidance of illuminated men are the ways to discover and follow the voice of God.”

Jesus is Justice in person, declares Benedict XVI at Angelus

Vatican City, Mar 21, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

The Holy Father prayed the Angelus with the faithful in St. Peter’s Square today, their numbers increased by pilgrims taking advantage of a long weekend due to the Solemnity of St. Joseph. On the Fifth Sunday of Lent, he offered a perspective on the day’s liturgy in which Jesus condemns the sin and saves the sinner.

Sunday’s Liturgy offers the story of Jesus defending the adulterous woman from the scribes and Pharisees. Wanting to condemn her to death by stoning, they present the case to Jesus’ judgment, wishing also to put him to the test.

“The scene is loaded with drama,” said the Pope at the Angelus, “the life of that person depends on the words of Jesus, but his life does too.”

When the “hypocritical accusers” entrust the case to the judgment of Jesus, “in reality it is actually him that they want to accuse and judge.”

“Jesus, though, is ‘full of grace and truth,’” pointed out the Pope. “He knows the heart of every man, he wants to condemn sin, but save the sinner and unmask hypocrisy.”

Benedict XVI cited the observation of St. Augustine on the Biblical account. Augustine examined the meaning of Jesus’ bending down to write on the earth with his finger while under the insistent interrogation of the accusers.

“This gesture shows Christ as a divine legislator,” he said, alluding also to God’s action of writing the law with his finger on the stone tablets.

“Therefore, Jesus is the Legislator, he is Justice in person.”

Jesus’ words that call for the man without sin to cast the first stone are “full of the disarming force of the truth, that topples the wall of hypocrisy and opens the consciences to a greater justice, that of love, in which consists the full fulfillment of every precept.”

He added, “It is justice that saved also Saul of Tarsus, transforming him into St. Paul.”

As the accusers leave the scene Jesus absolves the woman of her sin, said the Holy Father, therefore giving her “a new life oriented to the good.”

This is the same grace, pointed out the Pope, that later influenced the Apostle’s words to the Philippians, “Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus.”

“God desires for us only the good and life,” summarized Pope Benedict. “He provides the health for our soul by way of his ministry, freeing us from evil with the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so that no one is lost, but all have a way of repenting.”

He continued with an exhortation to all priests to follow the model of St. Jean Vianney, patron of priests, in the ministry of Sacramental forgiveness, “so that the faithful rediscover the meaning and the beauty, and may be healed by the merciful love of God…”

The Pope concluded by calling for us to learn from Jesus’ example “to not judge and to not condemn our neighbor” and “to be intransigent with sin – starting with our own! – and indulgent with people.

“May the holy Mother of God who, exempt from every fault, is mediatrix of grace for every repentant sinner, help us,” he prayed.

After the Angelus, Pope Benedict recalled the celebration of the 25th anniversary of World Youth Day on Palm Sunday. He said he expects numerous youth at St. Peter’s Square on Thursday to celebrate the milestone in a special encounter.

The Pope to the victims of abuse

Papal letter to Ireland urges abuse victims to look to Jesus Christ’s healing power

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

The healing power of Jesus Christ’s self-sacrificing love can free even those in “the darkest and most hopeless situations,” wrote Pope Benedict in a Pastoral Letter to the Church in Ireland. The “intense” letter voiced sorrow to abuse victims while urging reparation for sins.

In a pastoral letter released on Saturday, the Holy Father urged victims to find solace and communion with the Church through a relationship with Jesus Christ, who was also "a victim of injustice and sin." He exhorted abuse victims to look to the wounds of the Savior’s unjust suffering.

Calling for all of the faithful of Ireland to turn to the Gospel for renewal, the Holy Father explained again that the cases of abuse "deeply disturbed" him. He proposed measures for guidance on the path of healing, renewal and reparation.

"I can only share in the dismay and the sense of betrayal that so many of you have experienced on learning of these sinful and criminal acts and the way Church authorities in Ireland dealt with them," he wrote to Irish Catholics.

To the victims of abuse and their families, he said "you have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured.

"Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated."

Relating that it is "understandable" that they may find it difficult to forgive or reconcile with the Church, he added "In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel."

"I ask you not to lose hope,” he continued. “It is in the communion of the Church that we encounter the person of Jesus Christ, who was himself a victim of injustice and sin. Like you, he still bears the wounds of his own unjust suffering."

Noting that it might be difficult for some of the victims to even set foot in a church, he explained that the power of evil is broken and mankind is “reborn to life and hope” in Christ’s own wounds, “transformed by his redemptive sufferings.”

"Speaking to you as a pastor concerned for the good of all God’s children, I humbly ask you to consider what I have said."

Recalling the long history of Irish Catholicism, he remarked that the factors which contributed to abuse “have obscured the light of the Gospel to a degree that not even centuries of persecution succeeded in doing.”

"I pray that, by drawing nearer to Christ and by participating in the life of his Church – a Church purified by penance and renewed in pastoral charity – you will come to rediscover Christ’s infinite love for each one of you.”

"I am confident that in this way you will be able to find reconciliation, deep inner healing and peace."

Pope Benedict XVI emphasized that the Irish Catholic community must now face the task of addressing the abuse crisis with "courage and determination," though its resolution will not be swift.

"Perseverance and prayer are needed, with great trust in the healing power of God’s grace," he indicated.

The Church in Ireland must "acknowledge before the Lord and before others the serious sins committed against defenseless children."

"Such an acknowledgement, accompanied by sincere sorrow for the damage caused to these victims and their families, must lead to a concerted effort to ensure the protection of children from similar crimes in the future."

Addressing abusive priests and religious in Ireland he wrote: "you betrayed the trust that was placed in you by innocent young people and their parents and you must answer for it before Almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals."

Calling for accountability, repentance and atonement, he told them "God's justice summons us to give an account of our actions and to conceal nothing."

"Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God's mercy," he exhorted.

Addressing the bishops of Ireland, he condemned "grave errors of judgment” and “failures of leadership.”

Along with making a full implementation of canon law in cases of child abuse, he ordered the episcopacy to “continue to cooperate with the civil authorities in their area of competence."
It is "imperative" that child safety norms be revised and updated to ensure their application "fully and impartially in conformity with canon law."

"Only decisive action carried out with complete honesty and transparency will restore the respect and good will of the Irish people towards the Church to which we have concentrated our lives."

He asked the bishops to deepen their pastoral concern for their flock and to offer encouragement to priests to "stir up the flame of their love for Christ and their commitment to the service of their brothers and sisters."

Pope Benedict invited current priests and religious to "cooperate closely with those in authority" and "reaffirm your faith in Christ, your love of his Church and your confidence in the Gospel's promise of redemption, forgiveness and interior renewal."

"In this way," he added, "you will demonstrate for all to see that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more."

The Holy Father called upon all the faithful to persevere along the path “marked out by the Gospel."

Providing some proposals for healing, reconciliation and renewal, the Holy Father invited all the faithful to offer their Friday penances until Easter of 2011 for the "outpouring of God's mercy and the Holy Spirit's gifts of holiness and strength upon the Church in your country."

He asked the Irish faithful to offer up their fasting, prayer, Scripture reading and works of mercy for "the grace of healing and renewal” for the Church in Ireland, with particular attention to Eucharistic Adoration.

"Through intense prayer before the real presence of the Lord, you can make reparation for the sins of abuse that have done so much harm, at the same time imploring the grace of renewed strength and a deeper sense of mission on the part of all bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful."

"I am confident that this program will lead to a rebirth of the Church in Ireland in the fullness of God’s own truth, for it is the truth that sets us free," he wrote.

He also proposed the plan for the organization of an Apostolic Visitation to "assist the local Church on her path of renewal."

The pontiff urged a nationwide Mission to be held for all bishops, priests and religious to "rediscover the roots of your faith in Jesus Christ."

The Holy Father commended the priests of Ireland to the intercession of Saint John Mary Vianney, praying that the Irish priesthood be revitalized.

In closing, he included a prayer of his own composition for the Irish Church’s guidance, comfort, reconciliation and renewal.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, spokesman for the Holy See, presented the Holy Father's Pastoral Letter to the press on Saturday morning at the Vatican. He called the wording of the document "very strong" and "intense."

Cardinal Sean Brady, at Mass in the Cathedral of Armagh, welcomed the letter, calling Saturday "a very historic day for the Catholics of Ireland."

Due to Pope's rigor, sex abuse victims are rendered justice, writes Italian bishop

Rome, Italy, Mar 15, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

In an article titled "The rigor of Benedict XVI against the filth in the Church," Bishop Giuseppe Versaldi of Alessandria, Italy defended the "rigor" of the Holy Father in fighting sexual abuse within the Church. It is "ungenerous," he wrote, to deny the "open and decided battle" he and the Church are leading against these crimes.

In Sunday's edition of L'Osservatore Romano, the bishop wrote that some clarifications are needed regarding the sexual abuses that have been coming to light in recent days. He began by emphasizing the Church's "wholehearted condemnation of these serious crimes that disgust the conscience of anyone."

When these crimes involve people with vested roles in the Church, he added, "the scandal becomes even graver and more detestable.”

"Rightly, the Church does not intend to tolerate any uncertainty as to the condemnation of the crime and the removal from the ministry of whomever turns out to be stained of such infamy, along with just reparation for victims."

After underscoring this position, however, Bishop Versaldi brought up the existence of a "tenacity towards the Catholic Church," commenting that it is as if it were the institution with the most frequent instances of abuses.

He referred to a "much reduced" number of cases in the U.S. and "even fewer in Europe," saying that while this puts the phenomenon in perspective quantitatively, "it does not reduce in any way its condemnation nor the fight to eradicate it, as the priesthood demands that only humanly and spiritually mature people enter.”

"Even a single case of abuse by a priest would be unacceptable," he stressed.

But the "negative image" given to the Catholic Church is exaggerated, Bishop Versaldi said, considering that "no causal nexus exists" between the priest's celibacy and deviant behaviors. First of all, “because it is well known that sexual abuses of minors are more widespread among lay and married people than among celibate clergy; secondly, the statistics of the research highlight that the priests guilty of abuses already do not observe the vow of celibacy."

However, he continued, "it is even more relevant to underscore that the Catholic Church - despite the deformed image with which it is wished to be represented - is the institution that has decided to lead the clearest battle against sexual abuses against minors starting from within."

This is the place where Benedict XVI has given "a decisive impulse to this fight," thanks to his 20-plus years of service within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Bishop Versaldi stated. From this "observatory," he explained, the Pope worked extensively with cases of sexual abuse and promoted reforms including "more rigorous" legislative norms.

"Now, as Supreme Pastor of the Church, the Pope maintains ... in this field a style of government that aims for the purification of the Church, eliminating the 'filth' that nests in it."

"Benedict XVI demonstrates himself to be, thus, a vigilant shepherd over his flock, despite the false image of (being) a devoted scholar only to writing books who would delegate to others the government of the Church," stressed the Bishop of Alessandria.

"It is thanks to the greater rigor of the Pope that several episcopal conferences are shedding light on cases of sexual abuses, collaborating also with civil authorities to render justice to the victims," he explained.

Bishop Versaldi then called it "paradoxical" that the Church would be represented "as if it were the responsible entity for abuses of minors." He also dubbed it "ungenerous" not to recognize "the merit" of the Church, "especially Benedict XVI," in leading "an open and decided battle against the crimes committed by its priests."

The bishop further proposed "another paradox" that exists today: that "wisely" established Church norms that are strict in preventing those who are immature "in the sexual field" from becoming priests, are “attacked and criticized by that same group that would like it to be the principal (entity) responsible for abuses of minors.

"The clear and rigorous line assumed by the Holy See," he concluded, "should instead be received in the Church ... to guarantee the truth, justice and charity towards everyone."

Bishop of Alessandria Giuseppe Versaldi is the ordinary emeritus of canon law and psychology at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Experience of mercy key to real relationship with God, says Pope Benedict

Vatican City, Mar 14, 2010 /(CNA).-

Presiding over the mid-day Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the day's Gospel that presents the parable of the prodigal son. He explained that “only experiencing forgiveness, recognizing ourselves loved by a free love, greater than our misery, but also our justice, can we finally enter into a truly filial and free relationship with God.”

In his address before the Angelus on this fourth Sunday of Lent, the Holy Father asked, “What would our culture, art and, more generally, our civilization be without this revelation of a Father God, full of mercy? The parable never stops moving us and every time we hear it or read it, it is capable of suggesting new meanings to us.”

Benedict XVI stated that “this evangelical text has the power to speak to us about God, to show us his face, better yet, his heart. After Jesus spoke to us of the merciful Father, things are no longer as they were, now we know God. He is our Father that out of love made us free and endowed us with a conscience, (one) that suffers if we get lost and rejoices if we return.”


For this, continued the Pope, “the relation with Him is built through a history, similarly to what happens with each child and their parents: in the beginning he depends on them, later he claims his own autonomy and finally – if there is positive development – reaches a mature relationship, based on recognition and true love.

“In these stages we can also read moments of the path of man in his relationship with God,” the Pope taught.

“There can be a phase that is like childhood: a religion marked by necessity, dependence. Little by little man grows and emancipates himself, he wants to free himself of this submission and become liberated, adult, capable of regulating himself on his own and making his own choices autonomously, thinking even to be able to do so without God.”

The Holy Father later cautioned that “exactly this phase is delicate, and can lead to atheism, but it also often hides the need to discover the true face of God.”

“Fortunately,” he assured, “God never let's go of his loyalty, and although we distance ourselves and get lost, he continues with his love, forgiving our mistakes and speaking interiorly to our conscience to reclaim us for himself.”

In the parable, explained the Pope, “the two sons behave in opposite ways: the younger falls ever lower, while the older remains at home, but also he has an immature relationship with the Father, in fact, when the brother returns, the older of the two is not happy like the Father, instead he becomes angry and does not want to enter the house.”

“The two sons,” he said, “represent two immature ways of relating with God: rebellion and infantile obedience. Both forms are overcome through the experience of mercy. Only experiencing forgiveness, recognizing ourselves loved by free love, greater than our misery, but also our justice, can we finally enter into a truly filial and free relationship with God.”

The Pope concluded by urging meditation on this parable by identifying ourselves in the sons, “and let's especially contemplate the heart of the Father. Let's throw ourselves into his arms and let ourselves be regenerated by his merciful love. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, help us in this.”

Pope showed wisdom and firmness against abuses as CDF prefect, says Msgr. Scicluna

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

The Avvenire newspaper of the Italian Bishops' Conference printed an interview on Saturday which sheds light on how cases of sexual abuse are dealt with in the Catholic Church. The role of then-Cardinal Ratzinger in the providing the guidelines for the Congregation's processing of 3,000 cases in the last nine years is also examined.

Avvenire interviewed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's "promoter of justice," Monsignor Charles J. Scicluna, who investigates crimes against the Eucharist, the sanctity of the Sacrament of Penance and the sixth commandment, "You shall not commit adultery," all of which fall under the category of "delicta graviora" (serious transgressions).

In the interview, which is printed in its entirety in English on Vatican Radio's website, Msgr. Scicluna affirms the Church's historically firm stance against pedophilia, saying that "the condemnation of this kind of crime has always been firm and unequivocal." He concedes, however, that in practice "It may be that in the past - perhaps also out of a misdirected desire to protect the good name of the institution - some bishops were ... too indulgent towards this sad phenomenon."

He added that secrecy in the cases has not been practiced to hide facts, but has been employed in the "investigative phase" to protect "the good name of all the people involved; first and foremost, the victims themselves, then the accused priests who have the right - as everyone does - to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty."

"The Church does not like showcase justice," he underscored.

Msgr. Scicluna said that the accusation that then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had covered up the facts as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is "false and calumnious." He added that the future Pope had displayed "great wisdom and firmness in handling those cases."

"Therefore," he said, "to accuse the current Pontiff of a cover-up is, I repeat, false and calumnious."

A "poor" translation of the English version of a text called “Instruction Crimen Sollicitation” from Pius XI's pontificate in 1922, "has led people to think that the Holy See imposed secrecy in order to hide the facts," he explained.

Msgr. Scicluna revealed that when a priest is accused of a delictum gravius (serious transgressions), first the local bishop must investigate the accusation and find it to be well founded. If the outcome of the first investigation sustains the accusations, the case is referred to the disciplinary office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In the last nine years, said Msgr. Scicluna, the Congregation has dealt with three thousand cases of crimes committed over the last fifty years by diocesan and religious priests. He added that "about 60 percent of the cases chiefly involved sexual attraction towards adolescents of the same sex, another 30 percent involved heterosexual relations, and the remaining 10 percent were cases of pedophilia in the true sense of the term."

These 300 cases, he continued, "are of course too many, but it must be recognized that the phenomenon is not as widespread as has been believed."

Of those accused, twenty percent had a full trial, the majority of which resulted in convictions, he indicated. Sixty percent of cases did not go to trial, mostly due to the advanced age of the accused, but, he assured, administrative and disciplinary provisions have been issued against them.

"It must be made absolutely clear that in these cases, some of which are particularly sensational and have caught the attention of the media, no absolution (of the crime) has taken place," he emphasized.

For 10 percent of the remaining 20 percent of cases, "in which the proof is overwhelming, the Holy Father has assumed the painful responsibility of authorizing a decree of dismissal from the clerical state."

In the final 10 percent the accused priests themselves requested dispensation from their priestly obligations, "requests which were promptly accepted," the monsignor said.

Most of the 3,000 cases, he said, have come from the United States, but the percentage of cases from the U.S. has dropped in recent years.

Last year, of 223 cases reported worldwide, around 25 percent came from the U.S.

Although there has been an average of 250 cases a year in the last few years, Msgr. Scicluna said the number is "reduced."

"It must, in fact, be borne in mind that the overall number of diocesan and religious priests in the world is four hundred thousand, but this statistic does not correspond to the perception that is created when these sad cases occupy the front pages of the newspapers," he said.

Priests: Complete adherence to Christ and His Church

Solid priestly identity essential as secularism grows, Pope tells priests

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

Pope Benedict met with priests and bishops participating in an international theological convention on Friday and spoke with them on the importance of understanding what it means to be a priest. This awareness of their identity is all the more important as secularism advances and some try to reduce the priesthood to being almost a 'social worker.'

Speaking of priestly identity in the modern "policentric" context, which often fades our idea of identity, "it is important clearly to bear in mind the theological specificity of ordained ministry, in order not to surrender to the temptation of reducing it to predominant cultural models," the Pope began.

In the presence of "widespread secularization which progressively tends to exclude God from the public sphere and from the shared social conscience, the priest often appears 'removed' from common sense," Pope Benedict said, adding that it's often a result of “the most fundamental aspects of his ministry."

For this reason, he explained, "it is important to avoid a dangerous reductionism which, over recent decades... has presented the priest almost as a 'social worker,' with the risk of betraying the very Priesthood of Christ."

Reacting to this dangerous reduction of priestly identity, the Pope proposed understanding the priesthood by looking at it as the Church sees the texts of the Second Vatican Council, using a “hermeneutic of continuity.”

In the same way, the Pope explained, “there appears to be a need for a hermeneutic that we could describe as 'of priestly continuity,' one which, starting from Jesus of Nazareth, Lord and Christ, and passing through the two thousand years of history, the greatness, sanctity, culture and piety which the Priesthood has given the world, reaches our own day."

In the times in which we live, he continued,"it is particularly important that the call to participate in the one Priesthood of Christ in ordained ministry should flower from the 'charism of prophecy.'”

"There is great need for priests who speak of God to the world and who present the world to God; men not subject to ephemeral cultural fashions, but capable of authentically living the freedom that only the certainty of belonging to God can give.”

"Today," said the Holy Father, "the most necessary prophecy is that of faithfulness" which "leads us to live our priesthood in complete adherence to Christ and the Church."

Priests, said the Pope, cannot forget about this fundamental association with God which "is the right framework in which to understand and reaffirm, also in our own time, the value of celibacy which in the Latin Church is a charism imposed by Holy Orders" and "an expression of the gift of the self to God and to others."

"The vocation of priests is an exalted one, and remains a great mystery even for those of us who have received it as a gift."

He continued saying that the "limitations and weaknesses" of priests "must cause us to live and safeguard this precious gift with great faith, a gift with which Christ configured us to Himself, making us participants in His mission of salvation."

"Dear priests," the Holy Father concluded, "the men and women of our time ask us only to be priests to the full, nothing else.

"The lay faithful will be able to meet their human needs in many other people, but only in the priest will they find that Word of God which must always be on his lips, the Mercy of the Father abundantly and gratuitously distributed in the Sacrament of Penance, and the bread of new life."

Five hundred priests and 50 bishops attended the two-day convention from March 11 - 12 at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.

Homilies should not exceed eight minutes, advises Vatican prelate

Vatican City, Mar 11, 2010 / (CNA).-

In a new book consisting of reflections based on the 2008 Synod on the Word of God, the secretary for the Synod of Bishops, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, writes that homilies should not last more than eight minutes.

In his book, “The Word of God,” the archbishop elaborates on methods priests can use in preparing their Sunday homilies. His first suggestion – taken from Pope Benedict XVI himself – advises that clergy members begin preparing for their Sunday homilies nearly a week in advance.

Archbishop Eterovic explains that each week the Holy Father begins his Sunday homily preparations on the Monday before, so he “has sufficient time to understand the passages from the Sunday readings. The readings become the object of profound meditation, in light of specific events, at personal and community levels.”

“Improvisations must be avoided,” the archbishop continues, “since the homily is too serious of a reality to be delivered to the faithful without adequate planning.”

The preparation for Sunday homilies, Archbishop Eterovic suggests, “can also take on the form of Lectio Divina.” He adds that priests who use this method usually “see generally positive results.”

The archbishop then notes five steps for improving homilies: “Determine the main theme of the homily, inspire interest in the faithful," and "do everything possible to transmit one’s own convictions by appealing to their hearts and intellects.

He also advises priests to help the faithful to memorize the theme of the homily … and prompt an active response in the faithful by suggesting concrete actions such as prayer, readings, activities in family, in the parish, at work or in society.”

It is “useful to remember that in general the homily should not be longer than eight minutes, the average time listeners can concentrate,” the archbishop says. “The preacher can write the homily, but at the time of delivery he should use an outline, a special guide that will allow him to follow a logical line of thought while looking at the faithful.”

Archbishop Eterovic also explains that in order to keep up-to-date, the preacher should use the Bible and a newspaper in preparing homilies.

Pope gives full support to German bishops' plan for responding to abuses

Vatican City, Mar 12, 2010 / (CNA).-

Archbishop of Freiburg Robert Zollitsch met with Pope Benedict on Friday to speak of the revelations of sexual abuse against minors and measures being taken to investigate and prevent further occurrences. Pope Benedict, he said in a press conference afterward, expressed his "full support" for the steps put in place by the bishops' conference to respond to abuses.

Archbishop Zollitsch, president of the German Bishops' Conference, hosted a press conference at the Teutonic College in the Vatican after the papal audience. There, he told reporters about the content of his meeting with the Holy Father which he had come from directly.

Archbishop Zollitsch said that he had informed the Pope further about the abuses that had come to light in recent weeks. The Pope, he added, listened to his account with "great dismay, attentive interest and deep emotion." The fundamental theme of the meeting was the Feb. 25 statement devised in the Spring Plenary Assembly of the German Bishops' Conference, where the bishops laid out a plan for addressing the issue.

The bishops established a four point plan to reveal the truth, appraise current guidelines for dealing with abuses, intensify prevention measures and appoint individuals to positions of oversight and responsibility.

The archbishop said he discussed these measures with the Pope, who in turn told him they should continue with these measures, as they are "decisive" and "courageous."

"We need to bring the truth to light" out of respect for the victims, even if they are facts that took place decades ago,” said Archbishop Zollitsch.

The episcopal conference, he added, is discussing new procedural measures, based on those used in Austria, for abusive priests. Besides these punitive measures, he pointed out, they foresee health-related, therapeutic or pastoral assistance for the victims and their families.

In each diocese, he revealed, there will be "contact people" to turn to for assistance and he expressed the desire of the Catholic Church in Germany to have contact with educators from schools and people involved in youth activities to develop a means of preventing future cases.

Furthermore, the president of the bishops' conference announced that on April 23, 2010 there will be a "round table" meeting organized by the Ministers of the Family and of Education to bring together everyone involved, including the families and religious to speak of the sexual abuses and possible preventive measures.

Members of the German Bishops' Conference will be in attendance at this conference, he said.

The archbishop also expressed the intention of the Church to collaborate with state justice authorities to investigate and punish those who have committed the crimes. He explained that the Church always collaborates with state justice, except in cases where the victim decides against it.

Church procedure, he added, does not put any obstacles in the way of state proceedings, they are independent of each other.

Explaining further the contents of his meeting with the Pope, which lasted between 40 and 45 minutes, he said that the Holy Father had approved of the decision to select a bishop to oversee the process of investigating possible abuses, and had additionally approved of the individual to which the job has been entrusted, Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier.

German clergy are prepared to accept responsibility for confirmed abuses within the Church, said the archbishop, who used the occasion to once again ask forgiveness on behalf of the episcopal conference of Germany.

Archbishop Zollitsch said he was "thankful" that Pope Benedict has lent his support to the plan of the bishops.

The Pope, he said, "gives us the courage to seek the truth."

The archbishop added that he was "confident that we will be able to continue on our path to heal the wounds of the past and possibly avoid wounds in the future."

In his comments to reporters, the president of the German Bishops' Conference said he knew too little to say anything about Msgr. Georg Ratzinger—the Pope's brother—and the cases from the Diocese of Regensburg.

He also reiterated the words from the German bishops' statement that the abuses have nothing to do with the vow of celibacy. The statement says that being "a celibate priest can only be promised by those who have the necessary human and emotional maturity for this."

Vatican: Pope was 'completely extraneous' to Munich sex abuse decision

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

Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See's Press Office, released a statement on Saturday morning in which he made three "observations" regarding sexual abuse by people and in institutions of the Catholic Church. He also addressed dismissed as unfounded attempts to link the Pope to a decision to transfer a priest found to have committed sexual abuse when Benedict XVI was Archbishop of Munich.

The first of the three "observations" made by Fr. Lombardi was to point out that the "line taken" by the German Bishops' Conference has been confirmed as the correct path to confront the problem in its different aspects.

Fr. Lombardi included some elements of the statement made by Archbishop Robert Zollitsch at a Friday press conference following his audience with the Pope. The Vatican spokesman highlighted the approach established by the German bishops to respond to the possible abuses: "recognizing the truth and helping the victims, reinforcing the preventions and collaborating constructively with the authorities - including those of the state judiciaries - for the common good of society."

Fr. Lombardi drew attention to Archbishop Zollitsch's affirmation, without any doubts, of the expert opinion that the vow of celibacy of the priest has no relationship to cases of pedophilia.

He also reaffirmed that the Holy Father supports the German bishops in their plan and that this approach could be considered "useful and inspiring" to other episcopal conferences in similar situations.

Secondly, Fr. Lombardi referred to the interview given to Avvenire by the "promoter of justice" from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Monsignor Charles Scicluna, who explained in detail the norms of the Church for investigating cases of sexual abuse of minors.

The Vatican spokesman highlighted the most important element of the interview: that the Church has in no way promoted hiding the crimes, but has put an "intense activity" in motion to confront, judge and punish them in an appropriate manner "within the framework of ecclesiastical ordinance."

He also wrote that it is important to note that special attention was given to these themes when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, was the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

"His line has always been that of rigor and coherence in confronting even the most difficult situations," added Fr. Lombardi.

The final observation Fr. Lombardi made was that a recent communique from the Archdiocese of Munich answers questions about a priest who was found guilty of abuses after being transferred from Essen to Munich, where Cardinal Ratzinger was archbishop at the time. The communique, he stressed, shows that the archbishop was completely "extraneous" to the decisions made after the abuses were verified.

"It's rather evident that in recent days there are those who have sought - with a certain tenacity, in Regensburg and in Munich - elements for personally involving the Holy Father in the questions of the abuses. For every objective observer, it's clear that these efforts have failed," he stated.

The Vatican spokesman concluded by reaffirming that "despite the tempest," the Church sees the course to follow "under the sure and rigorous guide of the Holy Father."

Fr. Lombardi concluded by expressing his hope that the process might help all of society to "take charge" of improving ways to protect and form children and youth.

Benedict XVI received in audience the president of Panama

Benedict XVI: It is necessary to return to confession

Pope: "Violence does not resolve conflicts!"

Catholic bishops maintain celibacy not linked to pedophilia

Vienna, Austria, Mar 11, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

After media outlets misinterpreted an article by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn to say that he is questioning the Church's rule of priestly celibacy, several high ranking churchmen have spoken out in praise of celibacy as a gift. They also dismissed the idea that celibacy is connected to pedophilia.

Greeting participants and introducing the sessions for the international theological conference taking place at the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome on Thursday, Cardinal Claudio Hummes called the celibacy of priests "a gift of the Holy Spirit." Other cardinals have also weighed in on the role of celibacy in recent days.

"Priestly celibacy is a gift of the Holy Spirit that asks to be understood and lived with fullness of meaning and joy, in total rapport with the Lord," said Cardinal Hummes, the prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, according to ASCA news of Italy.

"This unique and privileged relationship with God makes the priest the true witness of a singular spiritual paternity ..." continued Cardinal Hummes.

He went on to say that "the Church, insofar as the mystical body of Christ, sees all faithful associated by the gift of being a priestly people, but at the same time we know that Christ chooses some (who) are priests that continue the mission for him."

The question of celibacy and its possible role in recent cases of sexual abuses against minors has been in European headlines over the last two months.

According to an ANSA report on Thursday, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, president of Caritas International, said, "I don't understand how there can be a link between celibacy and child sex abuse," and noted that the media frenzy only focused on abuse cases involving priests.

Bishop Gerhard Muller of Regensburg, Germany, who is now dealing with sex abuse cases in his diocese, said it was "nonsense" to associate pedophilia with celibacy.

The comments by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna which sparked speculation that he supported a reconsideration of the discipline of celibacy were made in an article he wrote for the diocesan magazine “Thema Kirche.”

In the article, Cardinal Schönborn called for an "unflinching examination" of possible reasons for pedophilia, and said that this includes the issues of training priests "as well as the question of what happened in the so-called sexual revolution.”

"It also includes the issue of priest celibacy and the issue of personality development. It requires a great deal of honesty, both on the part of the church and of society as a whole."

His comments were clarified by diocesan spokesman after headlines in international media touting his support for an end to celibacy were published. The spokesman said that Cardinal Schönborn was not questioning the Church's position on celibacy "in any way."

Pope urges priests to offer Confession and educate faithful on sin

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

Participants in this week’s course on the hearing Confessions met with the Holy Father in audience on Thursday morning. To the group of priests, Pope Benedict XVI underlined the importance of guiding their flocks "not to conform itself to this world" and the necessity of opening a “dialogue of salvation” with those who seek forgiveness.

Remembering the Cure of Ars, St. Jean Vianney, as having “exercised heroically and fertilely the ministry of reconciliation,” the Holy Father said that priests can learn “not only an inexhaustible trust in the Sacrament of Penance... but also the method of the ‘dialogue of salvation’ that must be carried out in it.”

The roots of this “heroicism and fecundity,” explained the Holy Father, are found “above all, in an intense personal penitential dimension.”

"Awareness of one's own limits and the need to turn to Divine Mercy in order to ask forgiveness, to convert the heart and to find support on the path of saintliness, are fundamentals in the life of priests. Only someone who has himself experienced greatness can convincingly announce and administer the Mercy of God," the Holy Father explained.

Living in a society "marked by the hedonistic and relativistic mentality, that tends to erase God from the horizon of life," does not lend to the development of "a clear framework of reference values does not help to discern good from evil and mature a just sense of sin," the Pope observed.

This, Benedict XVI noted, is not very different from the period in which St. Jean Vianney lived, marked as it was by "a mentality hostile to the faith, as expressed by certain forces that even sought to prevent the exercise of the priestly ministry."

"In these circumstances, the saintly 'Cure of Ars' made 'the church his home' in order to lead men and women to God," the Pope added, "and he appeared to his contemporaries to be an evident sign of God that he encouraged many penitents to come to his confessional".

Thus, the Holy Father urged, "it is necessary for priests to live their own response to vocation 'exaltedly,' because only someone who daily becomes a living and clear presence of the Lord can arouse a sense of sin in the faithful, give them courage and stimulate their desire for forgiveness from God."

There is a necessity for priests to return to the confessional, Benedict XVI emphasized, to ensure that the people "find mercy, counsel and comfort, feel loved and understood by God and experience the presence of the Divine Mercy, alongside the real Presence in the Eucharist."

The Holy Father also touched on the "crisis" of participation in the Sacrament of Penance. He said that this lack of repentance is "an appeal addressed first and foremost to priests and to their great responsibility to educate the people of God in the radical demands of the Gospel. In particular, it calls on them generously to dedicate themselves to hearing sacramental confessions, and courageously to guide their flock not to conform itself to this world, but to make choices that go against the tide, avoiding deals and compromises."

This is the task of the priest, Pope Benedict concluded, to open a "dialogue of salvation" with their penitents, as suggested by the "Cure of Ars." A dialogue that, "arising from the certainty of being loved by God, helps man to recognise his own sin and progressively to introduce himself into a stable process of conversion of heart, which leads to the radical rejection of evil and to a life lived in accordance with God's wishes."

Young priests have been taking part in a conference on Confession promoted by the Apostolic Penitentiary this week in the Vatican. The course is focused on "moral and canonical themes that involve the penitential ministry" and has touched on specific and delicate circumstances such as confession for divorcees and pedophiles.

Apostolic Exhortation on Bible expected after Easter

Vatican City, Mar 10, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Following a press conference on Monday to present a new book, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic announced that Pope Benedict XVI will soon release an apostolic exhortation on the Bible. The exhortation will address themes presented at the most recent general assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

In October of 2008, the Synod of Bishops met in the Vatican to discuss the relationship of the Word of God and the Church.

According to the secretary general of the Synod, Archbishop Eterovic, Catholis can expect the document from the Holy Father after Easter, according to Rome Reports.

Of the post-synodal exhortation, he said, "It is addressed to the whole Church and all people of good will. The pope will invite all to read the Word of God to find Jesus Christ, The Path, Truth and Life for everyone."

The archbishop was presenting the book "The Word of God. Reflections on the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops" in which he documents the discussions of the assembly of 2008 pertaining to the meaning of the Bible today and ways to better understand Sacred Scripture, in addition to teachings from Pope Benedict XVI.

St. Bonaventure teaches Christians about being open to new charisms, Pope explains

Vatican City, Mar 10, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy Father returned to St. Bonaventure for the subject of his catechesis at the General Audience on Wednesday morning. This saint, he said, not only kept the Franciscan order together with his theology that accepted "newness" into the Church but also teaches modern Christians how to be open to new charisms in the Church.

St. Bonaventure, from his place as general minister of the Franciscan Minors, refuted the idea present within the order in the 13th century that St. Francis had ushered in a “totally new phase in history.” Within this perspective promoted by so-called “spiritual” Franciscans, the Holy Spirit had come to replace Christ and the Church in a new and final age, Pope Benedict recalled.

Following of the ideas of Joachim of Fiore, these brothers believed that an “eternal Gospel” had replaced the New Testament and that history was divided into three phases, one for each person of the Trinity.

This new age was said to have been brought into being by St. Francis, who they believed had inaugurated a time when Church hierarchy was no longer necessary. The Holy Spirit, they thought, was at the base of a new age in which Christian brotherhood would bring peace and reconciliation.

But this perspective contained a “grave misunderstanding” which brought them to an erroneous vision of Christianity, the Pope said.

St. Bonaventure dealt with this question in his last work, "Hexaemeron," in which he explained that "God is one throughout history. ... History is one, even if it is a journey, a journey of progression” and that “Jesus is the last word of God." St. Bonaventure also taught that "there is no other Gospel, no other Church to be awaited. Thus the Order of St. Francis must also insert itself into this Church, into her faith and her hierarchical order.”

He also proposed that the Church always moves forward, is not immobile and experiences newness within it. In this statement, said the Pope, he adds to the theology of the Church Fathers in saying that in the Church there is room for newness, guaranteed through the uniqueness of Christ, and that "utopian spiritualism" cannot be constructed within it.

St. Bonaventure, said the Pope, "teaches us of the necessary discernment... of sober realism and of openness to new charisms given by Christ, through the Holy Spirit, to his Church."

The ideas of decline and "spiritualistic utopianism" continue to repeat themselves, Benedict XVI pointed out.

He explained, "We know how after the Second Vatican Council some were convinced that everything was new, that there was another Church, that the pre-conciliar Church was finished and that we would have another, completely other."

This, said the Holy Father was "an anarchic utopianism, and thanks to God the wise helmsmen of the boat of Peter - Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II - defended the newness of the Council on one hand and, at the same time, the uniqueness and the continuity of the Church," which, he said "is always the Church of sinners and always the place of grace."

In this sense, said the Holy Father, St. Bonaventure provided a clear line of government for the order in which, guided by healthy realism and spiritual courage, members had to bring themselves "as close as possible to the realization of the sermon on the mount, that for St. Francis was a rule."

Following his catechesis on the Franciscan saint, the Holy Father made an appeal for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey on March 8 and called for an end to violence and reconciliation in Nigeria.

Vatican spokesman says European sex abuse cases being dealt with correctly

Vatican City, Mar 9, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

The Vatican's spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi commented today on the decades-old sex abuses cases in several European countries that recently came to light and lauded the Church for its “transparency” and “timely and decisive action” in dealing with them. Fr. Lombardi also stressed that focusing just on the problem of sex abuse in the Church gives a “false perspective” on an issue that affects society at large.

The Vatican spokesman opened his remarks by first noting the efforts of Pope Benedict and the Church to address the problems within the Church in Ireland. However, Fr. Lombardi explained that his comments are aimed more on the sex abuse cases surfacing in Germany, Austria and Holland.

“The main ecclesiastical institutions concerned - the German Jesuit Province (the first to be involved, through the case of the Canisius-Kolleg in Berlin), the German Episcopal Conference, the Austrian Episcopal Conference and the Netherlands Episcopal Conference - have faced the emergence of problem with timely and decisive action,” Fr. Federico stated on Tuesday.

“They have demonstrated their desire for transparency and, in a certain sense, accelerated the emergence of the problem by inviting victims to speak out, even when the cases involved date from many years ago. By doing so they have approached the matter 'on the right foot', because the correct starting point is recognition of what happened and concern for the victims and the consequences of the acts committed against them.”

At the same time, Fr. Lombardi said that “These events mobilize the Church to find appropriate responses and should be placed in a more wide-ranging context that concerns the protection of children and young people from sexual abuse in society as a whole.”

“Certainly, the errors committed in ecclesiastical institutions and by Church figures are particularly reprehensible because of the Church's educational and moral responsibility,” he noted, “but all objective and well-informed people know that the question is much broader, and concentrating accusations against the Church alone gives a false perspective.”

“By way of example,” Fr. Lombardi offered, “recent data supplied by the competent authorities in Austria shows that, over the same period of time, the number of proven cases in Church institutions was 17, while there were 510 other cases in other areas. It would be as well to concern ourselves also with them.”

Fr. Lombardi also ensured that the “the crime of the sexual abuse of minors has always been considered” by the Catholic Church “as one of the most serious of all, and canonical norms have constantly reaffirmed this, in particular the 2001 Letter 'De delictis gravioribus.'” Fr. Lombardi insisted that although some have cited the document as contributing to creating a “culture of silence,” those “who know and understand its contents, are aware that it was a decisive signal to remind the episcopate of the seriousness of the problem, as well as a real incentive to draw up operational guidelines to face it.”

The Vatican spokesman concluded his remarks by saying that “although the seriousness of the difficulties the Church is going through cannot be denied, we must not fail to do everything possible in order to ensure that, in the end, they bring positive results, of better protection for infancy and youth in the Church and in society, and the purification of the Church herself.”

God reveals himself to the humble and the poor.

True wisdom needed to understand suffering, Holy Father teaches

Vatican City, Mar 7, 2010 /(CNA/EWTN News).-

Following his visit to the Roman parish of St. John of the Cross on Sunday, the Holy Father returned to the Apostolic Palace for the Angelus. In his remarks, the Pope underscored the need to look at life through the perspective of conversion.

As God appears to Moses in the form of the burning bush, said Benedict XVI reflecting on Sunday's Liturgy, he also reveals himself in different ways in the lives of each of us. "To be be able to recognize his presence, however, it's necessary that we bring ourselves to his side with knowledge of our misery and with profound respect."

Otherwise, the Pope said, "we render ourselves incapable of finding him and entering into communion with him."

In this light, he repeated St. Paul's observation that God does not reveal himself to those who are "pervaded by arrogance and thoughtlessness, but to those who are poor and humble before him."

The Holy Father then turned to the Gospel from Luke which took place following the deaths of some Galileans who were killed by Pontius Pilate, and others who died when the tower of Siloam collapsed.

Pope Benedict said that "Jesus proclaims the innocence of God, who is good and cannot want evil" as the people in the reading attribute the deaths in the community to divine punishment.

"Do you think that they also were greater transgressors than all the men living in Jerusalem?" asked Jesus in the Gospel. "No, I tell you. But if you do not repent, you will all perish similarly.”

In these words, taught the Pope, Jesus invites the perspective of conversion: "misfortunes (and) mournful events should not arouse curiosity or investigation for possible culprits in us, but they should represent occasions to reflect, to win over the illusion of being able to live without God, and to reinforce, with the help of the Lord, the commitment to changing (our) lives."

God, in his fullness of mercy, said Pope Benedict, never stops calling us to come back, to grow in his love, to "concretely" help our neighbors and to live in the joy of grace.

The possibility of conversion, “demands that we learn to read the facts of life in the perspective of the faith, encouraged also by the holy fear of God."

In the midst of sufferings and mourning, "true wisdom," concluded the Pope, is being able to realize "the precariousness of existence and reading the human story with the eyes of God, who, wishing always and only the good of his children, for an inscrutable design of his love, sometimes permits us to be tested by pain to guide them to a greater good.

The Holy Father prayed for the aid of Most Holy Mary to bring all Christians back to the Lord and to support us in "our decision to renounce evil and accept with faith the will of God in our lives."

Parishioners have responsibility for mission of the Church, says Benedict XVI

Rome, Italy, Mar 7, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

On Sunday morning, the Holy Father celebrated Mass at St. John of the Cross, a parish located in the northern part of Rome. In his first visit to the relatively new church, Pope Benedict reminded the congregation that they are "co-responsible" for the Church and her mission.

The Holy Father presided over the Eucharistic celebration on the third Sunday of Lent on his visit to the church, which was consecrated in 2001. He exhorted the people “to make this church a place where you can better listen to the Lord, who speaks to you in Sacred Scripture," he said, calling it the "life giving center" of the community.

Addressing the involvement of the lay faithful, he urged them to not only be "collaborators" in their roles in the Church but to be "corresponsible for the being and action of the Church."

Benedict XVI told the families and youth to become involved in the announcement of the Gospel, not waiting for others to bring messages that "don't lead to life," but to make themselves "missionaries of Christ" for others. In going out into different areas of the community, he added, they can educate people to pray and to live life as a gift from God.

Referring to Jesus' message of conversion in Sunday's Gospel, Pope Benedict emphasized that we are all invited by God to change ourselves by thinking and living according to the Gospel, making corrections to our ways of praying, acting and working in relation to others.

"Jesus directs this call to us with urgency," explained the Holy Father, "...because he is worried for our good, our happiness and our salvation."

"For our part, we should respond to him with a sincere interior effort, asking him to make us" realize the aspects of our lives where we are called to repentance.

The Holy Father concluded by highlighting the Lenten invitation to each one of us "to recognize the mystery of God that makes itself present in our lives."

"We remain in the contemplation of this mystery … to better understand the mystery of Lent." He then emphasized the necessity of living "individually and as a community in perennial conversion, so as to be a 'constant epiphany' in the world of the living God, who liberates and saves for love."

Pope Benedict XVI was joined by a number of clergy on the occasion, including Cardinal Vicar of Rome Agostino Vallini and parish priest Fr. Enrico Gemma.

Pope Benedict XVI: The love of neighbour cannot be delegated

Be living models of the Good Samaritan, Benedict XVI encourages volunteers

Vatican City, Mar 6, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

The Holy Father met with thousands of members of the Italian Civil Protection Service on Saturday in the Paul VI Hall. He commended their voluntary service in protection of the common good and the dignity of man, comparing their work to that of the Good Samaritan.

Drawing attention to the strength of the volunteer organization in its approximately 1.3 million members, Pope Benedict XVI called it "one of the most recent and mature expressions of the long tradition of solidarity," which has its foundation "in the altruism and generosity of the Italian people."

Italian Civil Protection Service’s (ICPS) mission and "vocation" of protecting people and their dignity, he said, is well-represented in the name of the organization.

The ICPS provides assistance and security for national and international emergencies as well as major events, such as World Youth Day 2000 in Rome. They offered a massive response following the earthquake that rocked L'Aquila, Italy April 6, 2009.

"This mission," he continued, "does not only consist in emergency management, but in a precise and worthy contribution to the realization of the common good" which is always the goal of human coexistence "especially in the moments of great trials."

These occasions, said the Pope, provide a chance for "discernment and not desperation" and they offer the opportunity to design new plans for society oriented towards virtue and the good of all.

In the figure of the Good Samaritan, said the Holy Father, we see a model for the protection of the person and commitment to the common good. "This person indeed demonstrated charity and humility tending to an unfortunate person in the moment of utmost need."

While others turned a blind eye, the Good Samaritan taught us to "walk towards the emergency and to prepare ... the return to normalcy," he pointed out.

As these pages in Luke's gospel show us, said Benedict XVI, "love of our neighbor cannot be delegated: the State and politics, though with the necessary attention for welfare, cannot replace it."

Pope Benedict XVI repeated the words from his encyclical, “Deus caritas est” saying, "Love will always be necessary, even in the most just society" and this "requires and will always require personal and volunteer commitment."

For this reason, the Holy Father told the group of an estimated 7,000 people from the ICPS, volunteers are not just "hole-fillers" in society, but they are people who "truly contribute to delineate the human and Christian face of society."

"Without volunteer work, the common good and society cannot last long, as their progress and their dignity depend in great measure exactly on those people who do more than their strict duty."

The Holy Father called the members of the ICPS to be "living icons of the Good Samaritan," giving attention to their neighbors, remembering the dignity of man and inciting hope.

"When a person doesn't limit himself to just completing his duty in his profession and in the family, but he works for others, his heart delights. He who loves and serves another freely as a neighbor lives and acts according to the Gospel and takes part in the mission of the Church, which always protects the entire human and wants to make him feel the love of God," Pope Benedict concluded.

Vatican paper looks at faith connection between saints and their mothers

Rome, Italy, Mar 5, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Italian historians are taking interest in the role mothers in transmitting faith to their sons. Referring to the examples of St. Jean Vianney, Popes Pius X and Paul VI, the Vatican newspaper suggests that this relationship is fundamental to religious vocations.

According to an article published in the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano (LOR), historians at a recent conference in Modena, Italy commented on the need to study the relationship that ties the man of faith to his mother. In studying biographies, they asserted that faith is almost always transmitted to a man by his mother.

LOR indicates that while research into this relationship can be useful in "reconstructing biographical events of public personalities, it assumes a deeper and almost essential significance" if one looks at the emergence and maturation of a religious vocation.

St. Jean Vianney, the Cure of Ars and patron of priests, spoke of this relationship often, telling his parishioners "virtue passes from the heart of the mother to the heart of the children," the Vatican newspaper noted.

In the book Mothers of Saints, by Albina Henrion, the prayerfulness of the Cure of Ars is attributed to the influence of St. Jean's mother who created an atmosphere of prayer that "he almost breathed in his family life."

The saint said about his gift of prayer, "After God, it is the work of my mother," and added that children "voluntarily do what they see done."

In the book, the story of his mother's great charity throughout her life is told as well as her encouragement of young Jean's vocation and how she convinced the boy's father to allow him receive religious instruction. Although she did not live to see him ordained, he carried her example on through the "inexhaustible and charitable exercise of his ministry," reported LOR.

Another example offered by the Vatican newspaper was Saint Pius X, whose mother, Margherita Sanson, raised him and numerous brothers and sisters. She taught them to pray first thing in the morning, communicate with God throughout the day in Mass and Scripture reading, and to end each day with prayer, bringing the family together for an open examination of conscience. After describing this tradition, a friend of the family said, "is it any wonder that a holy soul came out of there?"

Following her son's episcopal ordination and placement in Mantova, the future Pope Pius X visited his mother to thank her. After kissing his episcopal ring, she showed him her wedding ring and said, "Your ring is very beautiful, Giuseppe, but you wouldn't have it if I didn't have this."

Margherita lived to see her son become the Patriarch (Archbishop) of Venice.

The final example presented by LOR was that of Pope Paul VI, who talked of an "unpayable debt of gratitude to his mother." To her, he said, "I owe my sense of concentration, of interior life, of the meditation which is prayer, the prayer that is meditation. Her entire life was a gift."

After the deaths of his parents, he said, "To the love of my father and of my mother, to their union I owe my love of God and love of man."

Paul VI, indicates LOR, offered a further insight, saying, "We, they tell us, all live more or less from that which a woman has taught us in the sublime dimension. And boys feel it more than girls, because of nature... priest-sons even more strongly, because they are consecrated to solitude."

Looting and thefts display absence of faith in God, remarks Chilean bishop

CNA STAFF, Mar 3, 2010 / (CNA).-

In comments to Catholic News Agency, Bishop Philip Bacarreza Rodriguez of Santa Maria de Los Angeles in Chile explained that the looting and thefts that have occurred following the earthquake on February 27, are "a further demonstration of the people's lack of Christian values,” and absence of faith.

In a telephone conversation with CNA from the Chilean city of Los Angeles, which was also hit by the earthquake, the bishop said, “People are looting the supermarkets in reality because they need to eat ... I can understand that to a certain point. But there have also been acts of vandalism that are truly unacceptable. These people do not steal food, but televisions” and other items having nothing to do with survival.

Bishop Rodriguez went on to denounce "gangs who come to rob the victims. Unfortunately it is a sign of human evil. It is a further demonstration of lack of Christian values, the absence of faith in God."

Emergency situation

Speaking later about his own experience of seeing his house “destroyed and rendered uninhabitable," Bishop Bacarreza noted that the Chilean people are in immediate need of "food, supplies, clothing, blankets - these kinds of things." While many people and organizations are sending aid, he added, what is also needed now is detailed organization in order to distribute the supplies.

The Chilean bishop rejected the idea that the earthquake was divine punishment, calling it instead “an opportunity: God corrects his children because he loves them. Sometimes we are so caught up in frivolous things, such as celebrities,” and when “these kinds of events occur, they bring us back to reality.”

The prelate also noted that many churches have suffered damages and cracks to their foundations. We need to “determine whether these cracks are deep or just on the surface. The minor seminary suffered roof damage. That needs to be fixed as soon as possible,” as the rainy season is approaching.

“The cathedral is okay,” he added, although two other churches were damaged, “and many rural chapels were affected, but we don’t have all of the information yet,” the bishop added.

“We must trust in God and help each other,” he stressed, “because Christian charity at this time of trial must be put into action. Everyone who has resources and greater means should help those who have been affected the most.”

“Let us trust in God and that the Virgin Mary, our patroness, will protect us and be with us.”

"Imitate Christ, the ideal for every Christian"

St. Bonaventure is model of contemplation and action, says Benedict XVI

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Pope Benedict XVI taught today on the holy life of St. Bonaventure during the General Audience at Paul VI Hall. Of this saint it has been said that "all who saw him were pervaded by a love that the heart could not conceal," the Pope said.

The Holy Father began his teaching by admitting a "certain nostalgia" while preparing the catechesis, as he thought back to his youth when he researched the life St. Bonaventure.

"His knowledge engraved not a little of my formation," said Pope Benedict.

Among the "great Christian figures" that contributed to the "harmony between faith and culture" of the 13th century was Bonaventure, whom the Pope described as a "man of action and of contemplation, of profound piety and of prudence in government."

An event that marked his life happened when he was when he was just a boy. Struck by a serious illness from which not even his father, a doctor, thought he would recover, his mother prayed for the intercession of St. Francis and he was healed.

Years later, while studying in Paris he joined the Franciscans, explaining his choice by saying that this order "recognized the action of Christ."

Benedict XVI quoted Bonaventure's words from a letter to a brother in the order, "I confess before God that the reason that made me love the life of Blessed Francis most is that it is alike to the beginnings and the growth of the Church ... the religion of Blessed Francis was not established by the prudence of men, but by Christ."

While completing a difficult course of study in the Theology College of the University of Paris, the Holy Father recalled, "he matured his own personal reflection and a spiritual sensibility of great value that, in the course of the following years, he knew how to transfuse into his works and sermons, in this way becoming one of the most important theologians in the history of the Church."

He started to teach Franciscan theology in Paris and it was at this time that he wrote on "evangelical perfection," showing how the mendicant orders followed the Gospel through their practices of vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

This teaching, said Pope Benedict, is "always current: the Church is enlightened and beautified by the faithfulness to their vocation of these sons and daughters of hers, who not only put the evangelical precepts into practice but, by God's grace, are called to observe the evangelical counsels and thus bear witness - with their poor, chaste and obedient lifestyle - to the fact that the Gospel is a source of joy and perfection."

St. Bonaventure was elected Minister General of the Friars Minor (Franciscans) in 1257, at that time there were 30,000 brothers spread from China to North Africa.

With the great expansion came various interpretations of the Franciscan message and to address the possibility of internal fracture, he saw that a consolidation and sharing of ideals and motivations was needed to unify the Franciscan action and spirit.

Collecting documents and listening to first-hand testimonies of the life of St. Francis, Bonaventure produced a book on the life of the saint, which became the official biography.

In this biography, noted Pope Benedict, St. Francis emerges as "a man who passionately sought Christ. With the love that leads to imitation, he entirely conformed himself to Him. Bonaventure indicated this as a living ideal for all the followers of St. Francis."

This is the "living ideal" that St. Bonaventure offered to the order, and "this ideal," pointed out Benedict XVI, is "valid for every Christian, yesterday, today, always, was indicated as a program also for the Church of the Third Millenium by my Venerable predecessor John Paul II."

Bonaventure died in 1273, having only just been made a bishop and cardinal by Pope Gregory X.

In closing, Pope Benedict turned to the words of an anonymous pontifical notary who "offers us a conclusive portrait of this great saint and excellent theologian: 'Good man, affable, pious and merciful, height of virtue, loved by God and men ... God indeed had given him such a grace, that all who saw him were pervaded by a love that the heart could not conceal.'"

This "holy Doctor of the Church," concluded Benedict XVI, "reminds us of the meaning of our lives with the following words: 'On earth we can contemplate the immensity of divine things by reason and admiration; in the heavenly homeland, on the other hand, we can view them, when we will have been made similar to God and by ecstasy will enter into the joy of God.'"

Priestly celibacy is not the cause of sexual abuse, reaffirm German bishops

Rome, Italy, Mar 1, 2010 / (CNA).-

At the conclusion of their plenary assembly, the Bishops’ Conference of Germany issued a statement regarding the “cases of sexual abuse by clergy members during the 1970s and 80s.” They noted that “priestly celibacy, as experts have confirmed, is not the cause of these acts of sexual abuse.”

In a statement published by L’Osservatore Romano the bishops explained, “A life of celibacy can only be assumed by someone who possesses the essential emotional maturity.” The prelates went on to note the necessity that future priests receive life-lasting, “attentive and rigorous” formation.

During their assembly, the bishops also decided to develop new strategies for confronting the crisis of vocations, because, they explained, the problem of sexual abuse may have had its origin in “the quality of seminarians,” who then went on to become priests.

“We German bishops accept our responsibility and condemn the abuse committed by the priests, religious and lay people of our dioceses,” they wrote. “Mortified and shocked, we ask all the victims of these terrible acts for their forgiveness. Our desire is for there to be sincere clarity, without false expectations, even if the acts took place many years ago.”

“The victims have a right to this.”

The bishops also reported that Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier, Germany was named director of the committee responsible for handling cases of sexual abuse by clergy members.

Later this month, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Germany, Archbishop Robert Zoellitsch, will address the issue directly with Pope Benedict XVI. Then in August, the German bishops will revise and update the norms issued in 2002 on sexual abuse by the clergy, putting a special emphasis on preventative measures.

Lenten spiritual exercises show importance of a ‘listening heart,’ Pope comments

Vatican City, Feb 28, 2010 / (CNA).-

Following the final meditation of a week of Lenten spiritual exercises, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Roman Curia on Saturday. He welcomed the week as an opportunity to renew their priestly vocations and looked to the example of Mary as a major lesson from the retreat.

The Holy Father first thanked Fr. Enrico dal Covolo, the Salesian Father of Don Bosco who led the series of 17 meditations along the course of the week. He praised him for the "passionate and very personal way he guided us in the path towards Christ, in the path of renewal of our priesthood."

The theme of this year's meditations, taking place within the Year of the Priest, was "Lessons from God and the Church on the Priestly Vocation."

Reflecting on Fr. dal Covolo's insistence during the reflections on the importance of "a listening heart," the Pope said, "In reality, it seems to me that this might summarize the entire Christian vision of man."

Man, he continued, "has the necessity of listening" to others, but "mostly to the Other... God."
"Only in this way does one know himself, only in this way does he become himself," Pope Benedict stated.

Mary, he said, shows us what it is to have a "listening heart." In Luke's gospel, the Holy Father pointed out, she is presented as a woman who is "immersed in the Word of God, listens to the Word... holds it in her heart.

"In listening she conceived the eternal word, gave her flesh to this word," he emphasized.
As Mary listened to the Word, joined by the communion of saints, said the Holy Father, we are also called to do so, not in isolation, but in the "us" of the Church and the saints.

In his closing comment, the Holy Father reiterated his gratitude to Fr. dal Covolo in helping participants in the exercises to renew their perception of the meaning of the priesthood and to remain aware that priestly consecration "is destined to become a mission."

"So, with renewed courage, we wish now to face our mission," concluded Pope Benedict XVI.

The Holy Father also made reference to the spiritual exercises during the Sunday Angelus. He thanked all people "who were spiritually close" to him and members of the Curia during the week.