Yawn

"Unfortunately, among them there are immigrants in an irregular situation, who, however, independently of their legal status, have inalienable human dignity. Therefore their rights must be safeguarded and not ignored or violated. An irregular migration status, in fact, does not mean criminality. The solution is better international cooperation that discourages irregularity, with increased legal channels for migration."

-Archbishop Marchetto, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, during the Global Forum on Migration and Development, held in Brussels, Belgium from July 9 to 11 [bolding mine]

Right, so if I live in Country A and I want to enter Country B and Country B has certain laws regarding immigration and I choose to circumvent those laws when I enter Country B, I am not breaking the law, I am simply irregularly entering Country B...

And when I commit a sin, I don't need to go to confession because I didn't actually commit a sin, I committed an irregularity...

In between

While the secular media has its way with the motu proprio and the Responses (prayers calling for Jews to convert = not very nice and the Catholic Church leaving out all the Protestants = how cliquish!), I mention another article I read that the readership might find interesting.

The Hoover Institution's Policy Review has an article entitled, "How the West Really Lost God" by Mary Eberstadt. I read through it already last week. I'd quote from it, but it's not very easy and the gist is easy enough to understand...

In some cases (Eberstadt likes to qualify every statement of hers with that phrase or something similar to it, as if by using it she cannot be accused of generalizing), family decline came before a decline in religious participation in Europe, contrary to the normally held sociological view that one finds religion and then goes on to breed as ordered to by God. She points out how the filtering through Western society of the ideals of the Enlightenment has not come out the way it was supposed to as religious belief carries on despite the fact that 'God is dead'. She points out that in a few cases, it seems more likely that a breakdown in family came before a decline in religious belief and participation. Eberstadt points out that long before the 1960s, Europe was demographically headed downhill. She also points out that prevailing sociological theory on the subject tends to atomize the individual instead of seeing him or her as a part of the larger whole...

So with family decline /preceding/ religious decline, Eberstadt plugs some holes and makes the point that maybe we've got it backwards, 'at least in a few cases'.

Read it all and decide if you agree.

The Church of Christ

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

RESPONSES TO SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING CERTAIN ASPECTS
OF THE DOCTRINE ON THE CHURCH
[In English]

"It follows that these separated churches and Communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives from that fullness of grace and of truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church"[12].

I was going to sort through one of the articles I read about the Responses, but the article is just too full of misinformation to even bother with and the reader response at the bottom is kind of sad.

EDITORIAL: Admissions

Now that the motu proprio is out and vacation looms for the Holy Father, I find myself at a crossroads.

Whatever the results of the sharing of the good points of each form of the rite may be, they won't necessarily affect me. Given my lack of hearing, singing, chanting and such is not really my concern, so while the motu proprio is a great intellectual exercise, liturgy just isn't my thing at this point.

We'll see what pops up on the news. Hopefully the Pope will finally get to curial reform... ;)

Summorum Pontificum

LITTERAE APOSTOLICAE
MOTU PROPRIO DATAE

BENEDICTUS XVI

SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM
[In Latin]

---

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS
BENEDICT XVI
TO THE BISHOPS ON THE OCCASION OF THE PUBLICATION
OF THE APOSTOLIC LETTER "MOTU PROPRIO DATA"
SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM
ON THE USE OF THE ROMAN LITURGY
PRIOR TO THE REFORM OF 1970
[In English]

On a day like today...

I'm sick. See you all tomorrow.

Dawn in the Eternal City

It's 11:20 PM here. I'm going to bed. The MP will be released as I sleep. Good morning, Rome. Have a happy day!

Gone again

I will be gone starting tomorrow through Thursday as the fourth is the principal holiday of the US civic religion (such as it is...). I'll leave with two quotes...

Pacem in Terris (1963) - John XXIII

But first We must speak of man's rights. Man has the right to live. He has the right to bodily integrity and to the means necessary for the proper development of life...

Declaration of Independence (1776) - Thomas Jefferson

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Continue to pray for the motu proprio's positive reception.

The open Church's bishop

The Atlantic Monthly has in its July/August issue an article on Jin Luxian, the longtime open bishop of Shanghai and more recently the de jure bishop of that diocese. The article online requires a subscription.

Included here are several paragraphs that aren't necessarily in order along with commends.

Under this policy, Jin was asked to take up his old responsibilities as rector of Shanghai’s seminary. Though the CPA would be looking over his shoulder, he saw the necessity: In all of China, there were at most 400 priests to serve 3 million Catholics. He believed that if the Church was to have any chance of survival, China would need young, well-educated priests, even if they were subjected to Communist propaganda during their training. Through a “foreign friend,” Jin requested permission from Rome. The response was that he should “wait for the collapse” of the Communist Party, then reopen the seminary. “They underestimated the Chinese Communist Party,” says Jin. And so, after “much prayer,” he acted in what he believed to be the best interests of China’s Catholics. “I didn’t obey the directive of Rome. I said, ‘Let the Catholic Church survive.’”
[...]

In conversation, Jin exhibits few doubts about his decisions, but occasionally his answers turn defensive. During one of our interviews, I asked about his impressions of the underground Church. He began to answer, then suddenly interrupted himself. “[The members of the underground Church] say they are loyal to the pope,” he said. “But I am as loyal as them. Why become bishop? I led the [Chinese] Catholics to pray for the pope and even printed the prayer! I reformed the liturgy. Before me, it was all in Latin. But the underground Church did nothing. If I stayed with them, I would do nothing, too.”
[...]

The last few sentences are interesting given the shifting liturgical landscape in the West. Ditching Latin and reforming the liturgy might not be the best things to take credit for when discussing one's achievements as bishop.

Then, as now, Beijing had two conditions for normalizing relations with the Vatican: the severing of the Vatican’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan (and as a consequence, the transfer of its embassy to the mainland) and an agreement not to interfere in China’s internal affairs. The Vatican has indicated that it’s prepared to meet the Taiwan condition, but the second issue, which encompasses the selection of bishops, is more difficult. Informally, the Vatican might be satisfied with a compromise similar to the process used to nominate Xing in Shanghai. However, public declarations to the contrary, it’s been suggested that both the government and the underground Church have a tacit interest in preventing a deal, since it would inevitably empower the open bishops and their conference, diminishing the government’s influence and the underground Church’s prestige.

Whether an immediate way can be found through the impasse may depend on what Benedict XVI has to say in a promised letter to Chinese Catholics. Leaked reports and the impressions of a source close to the drafting of the letter suggest that it will call, as John Paul II did, for reconciliation between the open and underground churches, and focus largely on pastoral concerns. Ultimately, it’s expected to portray China’s Catholics as largely united after a half century and to acknowledge that any diplomatic solution will need to accommodate both the vitality of the open Church and the struggles of the underground one.

Which the letter did..

The article as a whole is a biographical piece on Jin and his struggles. The main thrust seems to be Jin's efforts at creating a Chinese Church, even if it meant collaborating with Beijing. The main 'bad guys' seem to be Rome and the underground Church itself: it was described as both heroic and to blame for Catholicism's backwardness before Jin reformed everything.

It's on newsstands now, go check it out.

More on the letter

"Love and courtesy of this kind should not, of course, make us indifferent to truth and goodness."
-Second Vatican Council, as quoted in the Holy Father's letter to the Chinese

I read through most of the Holy Father's letter. I am quite pleased with its substance. Father Z made the point that, "A recurring theme in the first part of the letter is suffering." I myself am pleased that my hope that the message would be, "gut it out and stay true to the Church, your reward will be in the Kingdom of Heaven" proved true.

Terror attacks

The British people remain in our prayers in the run-up to July 7th. May Our Lady watch over that land and its people.

The letter

LETTER
OF THE HOLY FATHER

POPE BENEDICT XVI

TO THE BISHOPS, PRIESTS,
CONSECRATED PERSONS
AND LAY FAITHFUL
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Or it should be, "The Government of the People's Republic of China and whoever can get this illegally".

I skimmed it. I don't see anything about moving the nunciature. Bravo!

FUD

It gets discussed by the blogging community that concerns itself with the upcoming Motu proprio, but it is never mentioned that there is an actual phrase and acronym for it: Fear, uncertainty and doubt or FUD.

The Independent:

Church split feared as Pope backs return of 'anti-Semitic' Latin Mass

By Ian Herbert
Published: 30 June 2007

A plan by the Pope to authorise the widespread return of the controversial Latin Mass, despite concerns that parts of it are anti-Semitic, has provoked a backlash among senior clergy in Britain and threatens to divide the Catholic Church worldwide. The 16th-century Tridentine Mass - which includes references to "perfidious" Jews - was abandoned in 1969 and replaced with liturgy in local languages, to make worship more accessible to the bulk of churchgoers. But the Pope announced on Thursday that a long-awaited document liberalising the use of the Mass, which some clergy fear will also limit the Church's dialogue with Jews and Muslims, will be released next week.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, has written to the Pope to say that no changes are needed.
[...]

FUD:

Fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) is a sales or marketing strategy of disseminating negative (and vague) information on a competitor's product. The term originated to describe disinformation tactics in the computer hardware industry and has since been used more broadly. FUD is a manifestation of the appeal to fear.

Letter to the Chinese: Tomorrow

Catholic World News:

The Pope's letter, believed to be about 30 pages long, will retrace the recent history of Catholicism in China, including the persecution of the Church under the Maoist regime and the recent conflicts between the "underground" Catholics loyal to the Holy See and the "official" Church sanctioned by the Beijing regime. The Holy Father will emphasize that the Church is indivisible, and explain the Vatican's insistence on independence from government control.

The Pope's letter is addressed to "the bishops, the priests, the religious, and the lay faithful" of China, the Vatican said. The notice alerting journalists to the publication of the papal message was issued on June 29 although the Vatican press office was closed for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

My favorite topic and I'm sure one readers out there get tired of me harping about. The article doesn't say what if anything the letter will have on relations with the ChiComs versus relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan). I point out yet again that cutting ties with Taipei in order to better relations with the PRC is pointless. The PRC wants a photo op, that's all it wants. If we look at Sino-US relations since human rights was delinked from trade status, we see that improving trade relations has done nothing to help the poor souls in the bamboo gulag. Now that Sodano is gone, hopefully we'll see some realism in the Vatican along the lines that moving the nunciature will do nothing to help in the long term.

What the letter should say is simple: gut it out and stay true to the Church, your reward will be in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Waiting for other things

Sandro Magister takes a look at curial reform (and the lack thereof):

Appointments made at a snail's pace. Documents that are useless or continually delayed. Offices drifting aimlessly. Why the renewal of the Vatican bureaucracy is not a priority for Benedict XVI

Along the way, I made a little outline because at first Magister is questioning stuff, but then he seemingly accepts Benedict XVI's strategy...

1. Unification of the councils which hasn't helped anything
The Pope unified councils, etc. But nothing came of it and now the councils are separating again. What was the point?

2. Bertone and Nicora: organizers?
The secretary of state and the head of the patrimony are great administrators and organizers and much of the onus has fallen to them with their appointments. Yet neither has offered much in the way of reform.

Here we have the turn in Magister's piece:

3. B16's priorities: preaching, celebrations, 'Jesus of Nazareth'
The Pope is all about convincing people through his preaching, through the liturgical celebrations (though Magister oddly forgets to mention the papal master of ceremonies whom Benedict has left in place and whom Magister quite dislikes).

4. Biding time equals waiting out his enemies
The issues Benedict waited on while things settled:
a. deputy secretary of state
b. Chinese Catholics letter
c. the Motu proprio

5. His trusted men, those from outside
Bertone for example as well as the secretary at Divine Worship as well as Hummes from South America, etc. Friends close, enemies closer...

6. The (careful) appointment of bishops
Magister mentions that the Holy Father ponders long and hard over extensive dossiers (no mention of the Warsaw debacle though).

7. Against careerism
Magister ends with a quote from the Pope:

“It is through Him that one must enter the service of shepherd. Jesus highlights very clearly this basic condition by saying: 'he who climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber" (Jn 10: 1). This word 'climbs' – 'anabainei' in Greek – conjures up the image of someone climbing over a fence to get somewhere out of bounds to him. 'To climb' – here too we can also see the image of careerism, the attempt to "get ahead", to gain a position through the Church: to make use of and not to serve. It is the image of a man who wants to make himself important, to become a person of note through the priesthood; the image of someone who has as his aim his own exaltation and not the humble service of Jesus Christ. But the only legitimate ascent towards the shepherd's ministry is the Cross. This is the true way to rise; this is the true door."

July 7th

MOTU PROPRIO

THE 1962 MISSAL

TO BE RELEASED

7 JULY

More information: Kath.net has the scoop; Gerald and Father have translations and comments:

Kath.net | Gerald | Father Z

Voting rules

VATICAN CITY, JUN 26, 2007 (VIS) - Made public today was a "Motu Proprio," written in Latin, with which the Holy Father Benedict XVI restores the traditional norm concerning the majority required for the election of the Supreme Pontiff. According to this norm, in order for the election of a new Pope to be considered valid it is always necessary to reach a majority of two thirds of the cardinals present.

With this document, Benedict XVI substitutes the norm established by John Paul II who, in his 1996 Apostolic Constitution "Universi Dominici gregis," laid down that the valid quorum for electing a new Pope was initially two thirds but that, after three days of voting without an election, there would be a day dedicated to reflection and prayer, without voting. Thereafter, voting would resume for seven additional ballots, another pause for reflection, another seven ballots, another pause and yet another seven ballots. After which an absolute majority was to decide how to proceed, either for a vote by absolute majority or with balloting between two candidates. This was to happen only in the event that the cardinals arrived at the 33rd or 34th ballot without a positive result.

Baseball has marked the time

During the last few weeks I've watched the college baseball postseason as I have the last few years since it's been on ESPN. I like the College World Series because the camera is placed overlooking home plate in such a way that the TV viewer can judge balls and strikes (horizontally better than vertically, but one can still judge pretty well). Also as well I've watched the University of Iowa baseball team play at home. College baseball is a lot of fun to go and see.

A few years ago, I read an article about the format of the tournament and how the regionals ought to be based on geography and such. The argument went along the lines that northern teams are always underrepresented in the postseason because teams are chosen and those teams almost always come from the south. For instance, Iowa played fifty-four games this season. In contrast, Louisville (a team playing in the World Series) has won fifty games. The lack of competitiveness of the north is usually blamed on shorter seasons caused by winter and wet springs that cause games to be cancelled and teams to be out on the road losing instead of playing at home and winning.

Allowing teams from the north into regionals based on geography might be nice, but I would think that they'd still get shelacked once they met teams from the south that have been playing months longer in some instances. Thus the daydream today has been Iowa and a field with a retractable roof for more home games and parity with the south. This is not an idle dream either as baseball has come under threat in the state of Iowa. A few years ago, Iowa State dropped baseball as a varsity sport because it didn't have the money. Lately as well, there have been rumors that baseball could be cut at Iowa, though thankfully they've proven not to be true. A competitive Iowa team would help to solidify support within the athletic department and the fan base at large.

Coming soon?

The BIG THREE have information on the release of the Motu proprio. According to an Italian news report cited by Rorate Caeli, Father Z and NLM, the Motu proprio and its accompanying letter is slated to be released before Benedict XVI goes away for the summer. Rorate Caeli states that the Pope's vacation starts on 9 July.

The Motu proprio is for the freeing up of the Mass of St. Pius V as edited and set out in the 1962 Missal. It is speculated that it will allow priests to say Mass according to the previous form without needing authorization from their ordinaries who might otherwise object.

Keep reading the three linked-to blogs for more info and interesting comments.

Words to live by?

Better rashness than inertia; better a mistake than hesitation.
-DIE TRUPPENFUHRUNG

During the 1930s, Ludwig Beck, German general and eventual chief of the General Staff, wrote in one of the German army training manuals the above quote. The quote was the product of many years of Prussian and then German military experience. The sad part was that General Beck got involved in the July 20, 1944 coup attempt and displayed both inertia and hesitation.

While Count von Stauffenberg flew back to Berlin after having planted a bomb to blow up Hitler, the conspirators at Army Headquarters were fumbling around while valuable time slipped away (Hitler survived the bomb, as we all know). Realizing that Hitler was still alive, one of the generals saw the writing on the wall and arrested Beck and his fellows and Beck was ordered to commit suicide (in that he hesitated too and had to be helped along).

As we wait for certain events in the Church to take place, it might be wise to remember the above quote from the traditions of his countrymen...

A growing shelf

It's amazing just how books collect over time and suddenly you realize you have a shelf full of Catholic literature. I put up a shelf in my room the other week and the piles of books on my floor suddenly came together. Despite the Ratzinger books and other tomes of theology, I think the most imformative has been the book on the lives of the Popes. Always entertaining to leaf through that...

Thirty thousands?

It is said that B16 does not travel like JPII did and that he rests a lot while he is out and about. It might be wise though to stop and consider something else. Reports also focus on how more and more people have been coming to see B16 at what once were sleepy audiences during the week.

When a pope has something to say that is interesting and he actually stays in Rome, that means that people are likely to come to him. Are we not yet convinced that this pope is certain that Rome is the center of the Church? Are we at all surprised that he shows this by STAYING there as well as TALKING about it?

On this weekend of processions and pilgrimages, let us all look to the Eternal City and its bishop the Vicar of Christ on earth.

Brazil

Much has been made of the fact that since JPII took over, the Catholic population as a percentage of the wider population has fallen dramatically and that BXVI's flock is shrinking. We look to protestants and general apathy as reasons, we look to the 'spirit' of Vatican II, etc.

Tonight I was watching Billy Graham on TV. I have great respect for the Reverend Graham as he has done good work. But my brother and I couldn't help but remark once again just how little difference there was between a Christian minister calling Christ's sons and daughters back to the Church and a certain National Socialist orator who led a certain country to a world war in the last century. I mention this because indeed there is a fine line between Godliness and genocide: an audience is a powerful thing once you have it wrapped around your little finger.

When we look to our roots, we must always remember that reason is one of our core values in terms of finding Christ as opposed to emotion. Not to say that the latter doesn't play its part as well, but Catholicism has relied upon reason for several millennia. Reason will save the Church from destruction on both sides.

I read the fifth

I wanted to comment on a BBC story about how the Vatican Library is closing for a few years to build new facilities. The story said that scholars had no warning (the renovation begins with the summer break). I was like, 'what kind of warning do you need'? I guess scholars plan to visit and check stuff out for research, but really, it has been announced, how much lead time is needed?

In any case, I am hanging in there. I read that Father Z heard it might be the fifth for the MP. We'll see.

I get back and still no motu proprio!

Anyway, I am home. I don't know when I will be back to posting full time, but I'll be watching.

God bless and keep those Rosaries handy.

Vatican Watcher Update

Hello. This is Vatican Watcher's brother Samuel. I just though I would let Vatican Watcher's readers know that he has come out of the other side of his surgery looking a little worn, but alive! I know a lot of you have given Jacob well wishes and prayed for him. I'd like to thank you all for those and hope you will continue to keep Jacob in your prayers now, and hopefully always.

Goodnight and God bless you all.

Samuel

Final things

The Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis came out yesterday. I read through the introduction and then skimmed through the body. I think what I love most about Benedict is his pure emphasis on the Mass. If we all go to Mass and participate in Mass and if the Mass is done well, with love and care and attention, everything else in the world will sort itself out: The Mass is LOVE, our love of God, God's love of us. That's what I took to be the gist.

I was going to read through all of it, but my brother headed out and as he left, he brought in the package that was sitting outside the door. My 1962 Daily Missal finally arrived. After that, I spent some time leafing through it. It is a beautiful little book and well worth the wait. Now all I need to do is find the local Indult Mass (or go see the SSPX in Cedar Rapids) and watch.

Also this week, Putin came to visit the Holy Father in Rome. Asia News has a summary. Both sides afterwards described the meeting as positive.

That's about it. Tomorrow is my surgery. I've been anointed and I'm ready. I thank you all for your prayers and well-wishes that I've received so far. God bless you all.

Yours in Christ,

The rest of this week

Posting will remain light in the run up to Thursday and my date with my surgeon.

By the way, I read a column in the local news paper about how yesterday was the 89th anniversary of the first case of Spanish Flu that proceeded to wipe out within months 20 to 40 million people worldwide. That's just a fourth of the number of people who were infected. Rcovery time took years, leaving people bedridden and unable to work.

In the US, it killed 675,000 people in 18 months (that's ten times the number of people who had died during four years of the Great War) and more people in 24 months than have died of AIDS in 24 years. It reduced the lifespan of the average American by 10 years.

Let's say a prayer that the next version of the bird-to-man flu doesn't leave as terrible a path behind it.

One of those moments

Yesterday at Mass, there was a little ceremony for the catechumens/elect with blessings and laying on of hands. After the priest finished with the blessings, he came down and kneeled with the catechumens/elect (and everyone else). Everyone kneeled and prayed...

Except me, I was busy with two rather obvious thoughts that struck me.

1. The moment would have been that much more powerful if the Tabernacle had actually been situated on the main altar rather than its venerable place under the vigilance of Mary and the Infant at one of the side altars.

2. The priest, praying, with the people, rather than to the people... I know, I know, it's a obvious reaction, but just bear with me as I've never been to an Indult Mass.

That's all.

The new head of the CEI

Sandro Magister talks about the new head of the CEI (Italian bishops conference), Angelo Bagnasco, the recently appointed Archbishop of Genoa.

He has been archbishop of Genoa for a few months, but Benedict XVI also wanted him to be president of the bishops’ conference. He succeeds Ruini, to whom he is extremely loyal. His appointment is the confirmation of a project for a victorious Church

Further into the article:

Ruini’s reign at the CEI has lasted for twenty-one years – five as secretary, and sixteen as president. And now, his reign becomes a dynasty. Bagnasco, the heir, has sharp features and a sharp way of speaking like him, and like him he loves philosophy and has taught it for years, but above all he has an identical vision of the Church in Italy and in the world.

This is also the same “mission” that Benedict XVI handed down to the representatives of the Italian Church gathered in Verona last October: “to restore full citizenship to the Christian faith,” “to make visible the great ‘yes’ that God speaks to man and to life.”

It was Benedict XVI in person who installed the new president of the CEI. In all other countries, that appointment is decided by a vote among the bishops, but in Italy it falls to the pope.

The circumstances of the appointment as noted here are interesting in light of the little tussle noted before by Magister only a few weeks ago:

With Bagnasco as president, but not the pope’s vicar as before, the CEI exits its exceptional phase as personified by Ruini, and returns to normalcy. Very soon, perhaps in June, Bagnasco will be made cardinal, but he will in any case remain in Genoa as archbishop. His relationship with the pope will be less symbiotic, and Italian politics will no longer be focused solely on what the CEI says and does, but also on the Vatican secretariat of state. This, curiously, is now directed by Bagnasco’s predecessor in Genoa, cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

Bertone would have preferred for the CEI to have a less prominent president. He had tried to convince Benedict XVI to opt for the bishop of a moderately important diocese, and his candidate was Benigno Papa, of Taranto. He didn’t succeed.

But another longstanding hypothesis also fell by the wayside: that cardinal Angelo Scola, patriarch of Venice, would rise to the presidency of the CEI. Bertone’s “maneuver” was interpreted as hostile toward Ruini. But the conclusion refutes this: Bagnasco is a staunch follower of Ruini, more so than Scola, and his appointment was, in the end, recommended to the pope by Bertone himself. It was an epilogue that would have been difficult to imagine even a few months ago. Bagnasco’s name didn’t even appear in the survey conducted one year ago among the Italian bishops by then-secretary of state Angelo Sodano and by the nuncio to Italy, Paolo Romeo, in order to ascertain whom they would like as Ruini’s successor.

Towards the end, there is more of Archbishop Bagnasco's biography. This snippet is interesting:

In 2003, he was promoted as ordinary military archbishop for Italy, and there isn’t a corner of the world so far-flung that he won’t visit it to meet with Italian soldiers on “peacekeeping missions.”

In a letter to military chaplains, he writes: “Many times we are surprised to find treasures of goodness, moral uprightness, and simple heroism in seemingly impossible situations.”

It is pretty clear that Magister views Archbishop Bagnasco as a worthy successor to Cardinal Ruini, someone who is much the same mold as the Vicar of Rome. Seeing his credentials laid out here, they are quite impressive. I doubt that anyone can keep truly succeed in following Ruini (much as everyone thought that anyone could follow up JPII), but the archbishop's career points to a pastoral awareness that will serve him well.

The exhortation

Ss Perpetua and Felicitas
Feria

The daily Bollettino:

Si informano i giornalisti accreditati che martedì 13 marzo 2007, alle ore 11.30, nell’Aula Giovanni Paolo II della Sala Stampa della Santa Sede, avrà luogo la Conferenza Stampa di presentazione dell’Esortazione Apostolica Postsinodale del Santo Padre Benedetto XVI "Sacramentum Caritatis" sull’Eucaristia fonte e culmine della vita e della missione della Chiesa.

Interverranno:

Em.mo Card. Angelo Scola, Patriarca di Venezia, Relatore Generale all’XI Assemblea Generale Ordinaria del Sinodo dei Vescovi;

S.E. Mons. Nikola Eterović, Segretario Generale del Sinodo dei Vescovi.

(Il Documento è da considerarsi sotto embargo fino alle ore 12.00 di martedì 13 marzo 2007.

Il testo dell’Esortazione Apostolica Postsinodale - in lingua italiana, francese, inglese, tedesca, spagnola e portoghese - sarà a disposizione dei giornalisti accreditati a partire dalle ore 9.00 di martedì 13 marzo prossimo).

The really bad Babelfish translation:

The journalists inquire themselves credit you that 13 tuesdays March 2007, to hours 11,30, in the Classroom Giovanni Paul II of Know it Stampa of the Sede Saint, will have place the Press conference of presentation of the Apostolic Esortazione Postsinodale of the Saint Padre Benedict XVI "Sacramentum Caritatis" on the Eucaristia source and apex of the life and the mission of the Church.

They will take part:

Em.mo Card. Angel Drains, Patriarch of Venice, General Reporter to XI the Shareholders' meeting Ordinaria of the Sinodo of the Bishops;

S.E. Mons. Nikola Eterovi, General secretary of the Sinodo of the Bishops.

(the Document is from considering itself under embargo until hours 12,00 of 13 tuesdays March 2007.

The text of the Apostolic Esortazione Postsinodale - in Italian, French, English, German, Spanish and portuguese language - will be to disposition of the journalists credits to you to leave from hours 9,00 of 13 tuesdays next March).

The way forward may not be the Way

Sandro Magister sums up the latest on the situation with the Neocatechumenal Way. I'm not going to sum all of Magister's points. This paragraph illustrates his theme though:

To the numerous communities they have established in the Holy Land is added a ceaseless flow of Neocatechumenal pilgrims, who are carefully separated from the other visitors. Even the Masses are celebrated separately. And the procedures for their rituals are identical to those in any other part of the world, including the songs composed by their founder and supreme leader, Kiko.

Bolding is mine. Magister's point is that the Way is a world apart from the rest of the Church with its own Masses, its own society, its own doctrines that may or may not be in line with Catholic doctrine. With its strength in numbers and widespread dispersion, it has many defenders, but it is increasing being criticized now that its chief defender is gone. The bolded part is perhaps hyperbole, but Magister's point is an important one.

At the end, Magister has quotes from the Holy Father and the bishops of the Holy Land on their concerns with the Neocatechumenal Way that are worth the read.

Vietnam and the Church

Asia News:

Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) – Vietnam’s state-run press reported the arrival in Hanoi of a delegation representing the Holy See to discuss religious freedom and the normalisation of diplomatic relations. Newspapers report that the Vatican delegation, led by Undersecretary of State for Relations with States Mgr Pietro Parolin, will work directly with the government and the local Church. It is scheduled to remain in the country until March 11.
[...]

“We hope that in the future the Church will have a Vatican representative,” Father Joseph, a priest in one of Ho Chi Minh City’s parishes, told AsiaNews. “Although Hanoi and Rome do not have diplomatic relations Vietnamese Catholics can carry out some religious activities since 1986 when the country opened its doors to economic development and integration into the international community. However, the government still intervenes in the appointment of bishops and sets limits to the number of priests per parish.”

Bolding is mine. Not much really needs to be said here. The Vietnamese and the Holy See are where the PRC and the Holy See could be in a few years. Time will tell.

The interesting thing is the priest's remark about 'religious activities'. I love euphemisms like that. Just what is he driving at with that? They can go to Mass unhindered? The sacraments? When mentioned in the context of economic development and international integration, 'religious activities' seems so common and trivial.

A bit about China

Feria in both calendars

Last week, Sandro Magister came out with a piece on the People's Republic of China. The sum of it is that the government wants better relations with the Holy See and the state-run Catholic associatioin wants to save its fief from being left behind.

Magister's comments are interesting and they mirror what I've been saying all along, to wit, the senior leadership of the People's Republic could care less about the Catholic Church except insofar as the Church affects its hold on power. As it stands right now, with a clandestine Church that is larger than the official Patriotic Association, the senior leadership's best option is making the clandestine Church legitimate at the expense of its corrupt and pointless official association.

Thus, in order to bring the Catholic population in China under the aegis of the harmonious society as well as score the biggest foreign policy coup in quite awhile by restoring relations with the Holy See, the senior leadership is quite prepared to do away with the Patriotic Assocation. Of course, what we see now is the turf war as the association does what it can to drive the PRC and the Holy See apart in order to save itself...

This last week

The Curia has been on a retreat this last week, so I sort of took the week off as well. In the meantime, I've been working on a few things for an upcoming surgery as well as arranging for an Anointing before I go under the knife.

Lent has been enlightening so far. I have not had any unusual personal epiphanies, but I find myself waiting and watching moreso than normal as I walk towards my own personal Calvary. My surgery does not carry with it any extreme risk of death, but at this point in my adult life, I find myself taking care to prepare for such eventualities more than before.

Now I must prepare for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in an hour and a half.

The Mass in Baltimore

Feria in both calendars

The Baltimore Sun has an interesting article on the 'Tridentine Mass' and the indult parish where it is celebrated in Baltimore.

It starts off with a little context on the general indult situation and then goes on to explain the differences between the Mass of St. Pius V and the Mass of Paul VI.

"Identifying with the Tridentine Mass is a kind of a mild form of protest," says Mathew N. Schmalz, a professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross. "A lot of it has to do with a more aggressive assertion of Catholic identity and a feeling that that has been lost."

There is this gem on the balkanization of parishes (at least as far as Mass goes):

Bastress says the church almost operates like three separate parishes: the English-speaking community, those who come to Lithuanian services at 8:30 a.m., and the Tridentine followers at 11:30 a.m. The latter is the largest service with up to 175 attendees each Sunday, many of whom travel from as far away as Virginia or Pennsylvania to attend.

Nothing new at all here, but an interesting article from a mainstream newspaper.

The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

Father Z. has pictures up. I hope he won't mind if I borrow one to stick up here.



According to Zadok the Roman, the statue of St. Peter once again wore its triple tiara today after an absence of several years.

Here are details of the feast at New Advent.

On the missal front

A few posts down, I was lamenting my internet shopping experience. I received an email from Baronius Press in reply to my inquiry stating that my order had been received and that they were having issues with shipping.

No problem on this end as long as they have the order. :)

Ruini's successor

Rorate Caeli is quoting Italian media sources saying that Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa, has been tipped to succeed Cardinal Ruini.

Marco Tosatti in La Stampa and the publishers of Il Foglio affirm that the successor of Cardinal Ruini at the helm of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) will be (probably for Tosatti, certainly for Il Foglio) the new Archbishop of Genoa, Angelo Bagnasco, former Archbishop of the Italian Military Ordinariate and a "Bertonian". Il Foglio states that the change will probably be made public on March 7.

Union by wallpapering

Sunshine Coast Daily:

"Any idea of unity would have to be an arrangement where the Anglican Church exists with its particular theology and practice side by side. It would be a unity of diversity. But sadly it is a long way off."

Father Gowty said the main divide between the two churches was "a question of authority".

Just come right out, there's no reason to be afraid. Just string your two thoughts together so that everyone can understand.

It's a question of authority to keep our own theology (even it is totally different from Catholic theology).

That wasn't so hard.

The big things have been the Anglican primatial meeting in Tanzania and the alleged report (that didn't say what it was reported to say) that the Anglican-Catholic commission was to boldly call for union.

To summarize:
1. The Anglican primates gave the US church until September.
2. The report said no such thing.

Nothing to see here, move along.

What will those secularists say next?

national secular society (which does not capitalize its name at its website, so why should I?):

Title:
Italians Give The Pope A Kick In The Pants

First paragraph:
Pope Ratzinger spent most of last week hysterically berating the Italian government for bringing forward a new partnership law that gives legal rights to unmarried cohabiting heterosexual couples and to homosexual couples. Italy’s most senior cardinal, Camillo Ruini, then announced that he would issue an ‘official note’ to Catholics, asking them to make “a personal commitment to defend marriage and oppose de facto couples”. That was seen as a direct call on Catholic lawmakers to vote against the bill.

Second paragraph:
But a new poll shows that the Vatican is out of step with public opinion in Italy. [...]

Kick in the pants, hysterically berating... A good smile is needed before going into Lent. ;)

The Maltese situation

MaltaToday:

At a time when the Italian Episcopal Council was already at loggerheads with Italy’s centre-left over a proposed law on civil unions, Archbishop Pawlu Cremona’s recent declaration during Georg Sapiano’s discussion programme Doksa came as a genuine surprise to many.
In apparent dissonance with Rome, Archbishop Cremona replied with a resounding “yes” to Sapiano’s question concerning the necessity or desirability for the party in government to continue working to deliver on an electoral promise, made in 1998, to legislate on the rights and obligations of cohabiting couples.
Mgr Cremona said that the Church has already made it clear that the state must legislate to safeguard the rights and interests of those who live together, including, for example, brothers and sisters who share the same house.
[...]

Perhaps wary of treading on the Church’s traditional monopoly on family affairs – unaltered by 160 years of British rule, and only remotely tampered with by Dom Mintoff – the Maltese State has left cohabiting couples in a legal vacuum. Relegated to the status of second class citizens, they have no right of inheritance if their partner dies without leaving a will, no rights to the common home if abandoned by their partner, no say in any decisions affecting their partner’s health and not even a legal right to organise their partner’s funeral.

The first few paragraphs explain the basic situation along with the archbishop's interesting position on the issue. What I find most interesting though is the line that I bolded that gives away in my mind the true intent of the legislation. If all it takes is a will to make sure that person A cohabitating with person B have clear rights of inheritance to each other's property, that's easily remedied. But instead, more rights are demanded in the slippery slope down into the abyss.

Whatever Archbishop Cremona's thoughts are on 'pastoral statements' and the like, he ought to look over the cliff at what lies below before he takes the plunge. The Church's primary goal ought to be protecting the family, not facilitating the ease in which cohabitating couples can simulate family life with all the legal bells and whistles.

Close encounters

Ash Wednesday

Catholic News Service:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- One of Sunni Islam's leading clerics has accepted Pope Benedict XVI's invitation to meet for talks in Rome, the Vatican said.

Grand Sheik Mohammed Sayyid Tantawi of Cairo's al-Azhar University, a world-renowned center of Islamic scholarship, agreed to the encounter "with satisfaction," the Vatican said Feb. 20. No date was announced for the meeting.

It would be the pope's highest-profile encounter with an Islamic leader since his September speech in Regensburg, Germany, that sparked controversy and criticism throughout the Muslim world.
[...]

Pretty straightforward. The charm offensive visiting lecturer series continues on, which is good.

I find it interesting though that the word 'encounter' is used. It brings to mind aliens meeting humans and divers encoutering whales in clear blue water...

Monday morning

I find that if I do not get up early enough to start working at a certain time, I am just not in the mood to sort through stuff and blog. I got later than I normally would today and thus I have this excuse for a post rather than the news snippets and commentary we're all used to here.

So tomorrow!

One of those moments

Ss Faustinus and Jovita
Feria

On January 29, I ordered a 1962 Missal from Baronius Press. After I completed my order, I was taken to a page with my order number. Now for some bizarre reason, I clicked past that to check something out thinking I'll go back. At the same time, I was telling myself, 'the page will expire!!!' But I clicked past and lost the number. Well, I consoled myself with the idea that the confirmation email will contain the info on my order and all will be well.

No email. :(

So now over two weeks later, I'm waiting anxiously. I filled out the web form to make inquiries, but without my order number, I doubt I'll get any information back.

Hmmmmmmm.

Bertone: A subtle Sodano?

Sandro Magister has this morning an article on the maneuverings around the appointment of the next president of the Italian bishops conference (CEI). The prime figure in the maneuverings is Cardinal Bertone, Secretary of State.

Magister starts out by recounting the major failure of Bertone's tenure thus far.

The winning candidate, Stanislaw Wielgus, was clouded over with the suspicion of having collaborated with the secret services of the communist regime. But neither the Vatican nuncio in Poland, Józef Kowalczyk, nor his direct superior in Rome, Bertone, had made any effort to investigate his past thoroughly and inform the pope of the matter. It was enough for them that Wielgus had sworn in secret before the nuncio, on December 2, that he had never done anything against the Church, although he had acted as a spy for years.

Four days later, Benedict XVI made the appointment official. On December 21, he solemnly reconfirmed it – only to see later the documents that had come to light, and to realize that Wielgus had lied even to him, the pope.

Benedict XVI, left alone by a negligent curia, had no choice but to resolve the matter himself by applying the ax of dismissal to Wielgus on January 6. It was an appointment that had begun poorly and ended even worse.

Following this is a brief recounting of the Sodano affair of last year where the former Secretary of State attempted to do an end-run around the Pope in the appointment of a successor of Cardinal Ruini as president of the CEI at the end of his term. At that time, Benedict himself had to step in to set things according to his wishes.

One year ago, when cardinal Angelo Sodano was in office and Ruini was about to finish his third five-year term as president of the CEI, the Vatican nuncio to Italy at the time, Paolo Romeo, in agreement with Sodano, sent a letter to the 226 Italian bishops to ask them, under a pontifical seal of secrecy, to indicate who they wanted as the successor.

The trouble was that Benedict XVI, who as pope and primate of Italy has the right to appoint the president of the CEI, did not at all intend to proceed immediately with the replacement.

And so, when on February 14 of last year the letter from Romeo appeared in the press, the pope, highly annoyed, immediately ordered Ruini’s reconfirmation in office “donec aliter provideatur,” until other arrangements are made. And the schedule for Sodano’s retirement was moved forward.

Magister describes how at the beginning of last autumn, there was agreement between the Holy Father and Cardinal Ruini on the succession and the personnel involved.

The new president of the CEI was supposed to be cardinal Angelo Scola, the patriarch of Venice and a friend of Ratzinger’s since the early 1970’s, when they were among the founders of the international theological journal “Communio.”
[...]

Scola was supposed to be joined as the new president of the CEI by the current secretary, bishop Giuseppe Betori, a staunch follower of Ruini, who was confirmed by the pope last spring for another five-year term.

Furthermore, his ascent was supposed to be followed by that of the real emerging star of the Italian episcopate, Cataldo Naro, the bishop-theologian of Monreale, on the verge of being promoted as bishop of Palermo within a few years, likely to become the future leader of the CEI.

But disaster struck...

If not for the fact that at the end of September, during those same days, Naro died of heart failure, and Betori had to be operated on for a cerebral aneurysm. The transition at the top of the CEI was postponed, and, moreover, everything came back into question.

At this point, Magister describes Cardinal Bertone's plans for a restructuring of the CEI as well as his choices to carry out his plans, including many men from his home region and home diocese.

But Bertone had something completely different in mind. In the meantime, step by step, he was building his own team of highly faithful associates, all from Canavese like him, and from the little diocese of Ivrea.

As the new nuncio to Italy, in the place of Romeo, who had been promoted as bishop of Palermo, he would install Giuseppe Bertello. And as secretary of the CEI, in the place of the convalescent Betori (who in reality had recovered very well) there was a great buzz about the appointment of the current bishop of Ivrea, Arrigo Miglio.

For the presidency, as a geographical counterbalance, he proposed a man from southern Italy, the Capuchin Benigno Papa, archbishop of Taranto and vice-president of the CEI for the south.

In mid-January, Bertone was sure he had convinced the pope of the value of the appointments he had proposed. And, in effect, it hadn’t been difficult for him to find an opening. As cardinal, Ratzinger had often expressed himself in critical terms toward the bishops’ conferences.

But alas for Cardinal Bertone, Magister describes Cardinal Ruini's reaction and efforts upon seeing the plans of the Secretary of State.

So on February 2, when cardinal Ruini came to visit the pope two days before flying to Turkey to say Mass in the church where Fr. Andrea Santoro had been martyred one year ago, he discovered that the rumors were true and that the plan was very close to being carried out.

In brief: Benigno Papa as president, Miglio as secretary, Betori removed, and Scola out of the game.

Benedict XVI had received a letter opposing Scola from cardinal Severino Poletto, archbishop of Turin and a pupil of cardinal Sodano. The appointment of Scola as president, Poletto cautioned in the name of the other bishops of the Piedmont region, would divide the CEI rather than unite it.

Naturally, Benedict XVI took note of Ruini’s counterarguments, against what he maintained would appear as a public disowning of his presidency and a decapitation of the CEI at a crucial moment, and he returned to meet him again after he came back from Turkey.

But in the following days, the national media presented Bertone’s operation as a fait accompli. More than that, in the jubilation of the anti-Ruini camp there began to circulate the idea of a political agreement between the Vatican secretary of state and the head of the leftist government in Italy, the Catholic Romano Prodi: with the offer of a less interventionist CEI presidency, in exchange for a taming of the laws on de facto unions proposed by the government.

But it’s enough to follow, day by day, the insistent rhythm of the statements from Benedict XVI and Ruini in defense of the “irreplaceable uniqueness” of the family to understand how the story will end.

Scola is once again in the running for the presidency of the CEI, or at least the leader of some cardinal archbishopric is. Betori will stay on as secretary.

As for Bertone and the other prelates of the curia, the spiritual exercises for the entire first week of Lent will be preached to them by the super-combative cardinal Giacomo Biffi. He’s been called in by Benedict XVI.

Really, having seen Ruini in action over the years, did Bertone think that his plans would succeed against Cardinal Ruini?

One would think that in just one appointment, Benedict could pick a total Ratzinger loyalist, someone who, regardless of seniority or ecclesiastical rank, was completely and totally in line with Ratzinger's thought AND had no other agenda besides carrying out the Pope's will while serving as a watchdog on the Curia. Isn't that what the Secretary of State ought to be for?

The little mini-biography presented by Magister of Cardinal Scola is interesting.

Scola doesn’t have the crystalline clarity of a Ratzinger or the inexorable argumentation of a Ruini, but these limitations are actually advantages for him. The opaque formula “hybrid of civilizations” that he loves to offer against the phrase “clash of civilizations” has brought support for him from the progressive camp. Likewise the multilingual magazine “Oasis” that he has created in Venice, and which he went to present last January in Washington and New York, has won him a name as a multicultualist “liberal,” in spite of the fact that he comes from the group Communion and Liberation.

I need to subscribe to Oasis.

Orthodox news

From Interfax Religion:

Ukrainian Uniats urge to join NATO now - daily

Moscow, February 14, Interfax - Ukrainian political processes are being intertwined with the nation’s church life deeper and deeper.

Some Greek Catholics urge to join the NATO as soon as possible even from the preaching pulpit, the Trud daily said on Wednesday.

The February meeting of Volhynian Regional Interior Department Board held earlier this week started with a supplication service. From now on all important police events in Western Ukraine will start with a church service, the daily added.

It was also decided to make the staff of Interior Department’s regional boards and district offices regularly participate in the cervices. ‘Only those may fight the crime who have God in their hearts,’ the Volhynian Interior Department Board head Ivan Proshkovsky.

Meanwhile police officers from Khmelnitsky Region had their personal guns blessed. The like spiritual empowerment in Galichina’ police has its specific feature: the officers are led to churches marching in formations.

The above story is really bizarre in the way it goes from NATO to church-police relations with absolutely no transition. It's like two different stories put together to give the article some length. But hey, whatever floats their boat at Interfax.

Vatican’s representative in Russia urges Catholics to respect Orthodox traditions

Moscow, February 14, Interfax - Representative of the Holy See in Russia, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, has pointed out that it is important for the Catholics to respect the Orthodox church tradition for a success of the ecumenical dialogue.

‘We will seek to show more gestures of sympathy and respect for the Russian Orthodox Church, putting distrust and prejudice away, as we work only for the sake of Jesus. We must try to understand with love, and understanding takes learning’, Archbishop Mennini writes in an address to the readers of Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism which have been republished in Russian.

[A whole lot of talk on the book]

The Catholic clergy are strongly recommended ‘to pay attention to the norms existing in Eastern Churches for their faithful and to avoid any, even seeming proselytism’ and ‘to show sincere respect for the liturgical tradition of other Churches and church communities, which are asked, in their turn, to show reciprocal respect for the Catholic tradition’.
[...]

Good ideas all around.

Finally, back to Ukraine: Ukrainian Orthodox demand air time for the canonical Church radio and TV

Moscow, February 13, Interfax - Ukrainian Orthodox believers fear Roman Catholic proselytism and urge authorities to give them some air time for broadcasting.

‘We demand that the canonical Orthodox Church, which has formed spirituality, morals, and civilization image of our nation for centuries, be suitably represented at Ukrainian state TV and radio in accordance with its authority and number of believers,’ the Fraternity of St. Alexander Nevsky’s appeal to the Ukrainian government, the text of which Interfax received on Tuesday, said.

The appeal of the representatives of Ukraine’s Orthodox community was an answer to the association agreement between the president of Ukraine’s national broadcasting Viktor Nabrusko and the director of programming at Vatican Radio Federico Lombardi.

The Catholics would have seven casts a week at the state radio, ‘while the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in fact has no air time at the national radio,’ the Fraternity’s representatives noted.

That is really weird. They have /no/ air time at all? Huh.

Anyway, the news round-up out of Ukraine and Russia is complete for another day.

The Oriental Orthodox

Zenit:

The fourth meeting of the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches took place in Rome from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, 2007, under the co-chairmanship of His Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and His Eminence Metropolitan Bishoy of Damiette, secretary-general of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
[...]

Addressing the group, Pope Benedict said, "Your meeting concerning the constitution and mission of the Church is of great importance for our common journey toward the restoration of full communion. The Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches share an ecclesial patrimony stemming from apostolic times and the first centuries of Christianity. This 'heritage of experience' should shape our future 'guiding our common path toward the re-establishment of full communion' (cf. "Ut Unum Sint," 56)." The Pope also expressed his concern for the situation of Christians in the Middle East, calling upon them to be "courageous and steadfast in the power of the Spirit of Christ."

Following the plan for the dialogue that was adopted at the Preparatory Meeting in 2003, the following papers were presented during the course of the meeting:

-- "Mission, Witness, Service and the Problem of Proselytism," by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian
-- "The Mission of the Church," by Bishop Paul-Werner Scheele

-- "The Salvation of Nonbelievers in the Patristic Period," by Father Mark Sheridan, O.S.B.
-- "The Church and the Salvation of Non-Christians in the Second Vatican Council and Afterward," by Monsignor Johan Bonny

-- "The Salvation of Nonbelievers," by Metropolitan Bishoy
-- "Marriage Between Catholics and Muslims: A Catholic Perspective," by Archbishop Peter Marayati
-- "Mixed Marriages With Non-Christians," by Metropolitan Bishoy.
[...]

Bolding is mine as well as the link to the encyclical. The full commission is scheduled to meet again in 2008 in Syria. The Eastern Orthodox tend to get all the hoopla, but the Chalcedonian-schism churches and Rome have been making steady progress over the years.

Going to Korea?

The Korea Times:

VATICAN CITY _ Could Pope Benedict XVI be the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to make a visit to South and North Korea? Chances are being heightened after a breakthrough was made in the North Korean nuclear standoff on Tuesday.

President Roh Moo-hyun is scheduled to pay a visit to Pope Benedict XVI with first lady Kwon Yang-suk on Thursday and talk about the agreement made during the six-party talks in Beijing on Pyongyang’s nuclear disarmament.

It is the second time for a South Korean president to visit Vatican City. South Korea has two cardinals _ Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan and Nicholas Cardinal Cheong Jin-suk _ and some 5.1 million Catholics.

The late Pope John Paul II visited South Korea in 1984 to mark the 200th anniversary of Catholicism in the country and then in 1989 to attend the 44th foreign pastoral visit.

Pope Benedict XVI has not yet made a visit to either of the two Koreas.
[...]

That's all well and good. Not much to talk about.

North Korea agreed to shut down its main nuclear reactor and eventually disable its nuclear weapons program in exchange for energy assistance, just four months after the Stalinist state conducted its first nuclear test.
[...]

Trusting the Norks to follow through at this point in time is nuts. If in a year spent dismantling under constant supervision with verifiable results, the Norks have made definite progress, then East Asia can relax.

Sorry, Cyril and Methodius

Saint Valentine
Saints Cyril and Methodius

It really is too bad that the Church had to dump St. Valentine from February 14th in favor of St. Cyril and his brother St. Methodius. It's true, Cyril did die on the 14th, but still. On a day that is known as 'Valentine's Day' throughout the West and even portions of the Muslim world, the brother-apostles to the Slavs seem destined to be relegated to weekday memorial Masses while the rest of the world is busy giving and receiving chocolate and flowers (and lingerie and sex in the hypersexualized-media culture, but we don't need to go there).

Divorcing the Saints Valentine from their day can only lead to the further spiral downward away from the Christian origin to the day into commercial hell. The Holy Father's letter for Lent dealing with love is well-times to have been released the day before Saint Valentine's Day.

So say a prayer for all three Valentines and Cyril and Methodius.

Waiting for peace

AsiaNews:

Rome (AsiaNews) - The 12 February issue of the influential weekly America, published by US Jesuits, carries an article (its cover article) titled "A New Treaty for the Holy Land?", written by Arieh Cohen, a frequent contributor to AsiaNews from Tel Aviv.

The article calls for consideration of the possibility of achieving legal security for the Church in the Holy Land through a multilateral treaty that would include a mechanism for "monitoring and enforcement," and which would apply to both Jerusalem and the two national States, Israel and the future Palestinian State.

The need to consider this, the article says, arises from the observation that, while the "question of Jerusalem" remains unresolved, the pioneering attempts to secure the freedoms and rights of the Church in the two national States through bilateral Agreements have not yet given practical results. The Palestinian State is not yet in existence, and the Holy See's 1993 Fundamental Agreement with Israel has not yet been written into that State's laws, making it in practice unenforceable in Israel.

But a proposal for a multilateral treaty for Jerusalem does exist, and was discussed in the late 1990's by diplomats of several countries, and it could be enlarged to cover religious freedom and respect for the Church's historic rights in the two national States as well. This does not mean that the ongoing efforts to perfect the bilateral Agreements should or could be given up, the writer observes, but that it might be useful to study a multilateral alternative.

This suggestion is an interesting one. If it is meant as a final completion of the process going on now, it would certainly be worth pursuing.

The birthday party

Zenit:

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 11, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI will preside over a Mass in St. Peter's Square to mark his 80th birthday.

Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Holy Father's vicar for Rome, sent a letter Friday to invite all the faithful to the celebration on April 15, the eve of the German Pontiff's birthday.

"We pray with the Pope and for the Pope, praying for an abundance of divine blessings for him," wrote Cardinal Ruini, president of the Italian episcopal conference.

The Mass will be celebrated on Divine Mercy Sunday, a liturgical solemnity introduced by Pope John Paul II.

The cardinal also asked the faithful to pray for Benedict XVI on April 19, the second anniversary of his election as Supreme Pontiff.

On April 2, Benedict XVI will preside over a Mass for the eternal repose of John Paul II.

Bolding is all mine.

No legislation can change the law of the Creator

The Seven Founders of the Servite Order
Feria

AKI:

[...] Pope Benedict XVI on Monday slammed the planned legislation as weakening the family and harming society. "No legislation can change the law of the Creator without making the future of society precarious with laws which are in stark contrast with natural law," the pontiff said.

"A very concrete application of this principle can be found in relation to the family, which is the intimate communion of life as founded by the Creator, with its own rules," Benedict also said. The family "has its stability under divine laws. The good fortune of spouses and society does not depend on arbitrary acts."
[...]

The bill was approved last week for consideration in the parliament. It has proven to be highly divisive, even in Mr. Prodi's ruling coalition; if it fails, it could lead to the fall of the coalition and Mr. Prodi's government.

Indult Watch

Father Z. has lately mentioned February 22, the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, as the latest rumored date for the issuance of the motu proprio. Father Z. noted that he had heard nothing himself from his usual sources and that it was merely the rumor, though 2/22 was as good a date as any.

What I said last April (yes, we've been waiting oh so long!):

Anyone who is in the know on what Benedict's plans are is not going to say anything worth reporting. Those who are talking are outside the inner circle and are just talking for the sake of striking it rich should his particular prognostication prove to be right.

Happy Heart Day!

I was casually browsing through Valentine's Day cards even though I don't have a young lady to whom to send one (ladies take note). I noticed a trend.

Happy Heart Day in place of Happy Valentine's Day.

Obviously, the word 'Valentine' was all over the place, but there was some advertising for this 'Heart Day' along with one of the cards that I looked at saying on the inside, "Happy Heart Day."

Is this some kind of move away from the Christian origin of the day (even though the day of love has little to do with the three Roman martyrs who were honored on February 14 before they were liquidated from the General Roman Calendar)? Are we seeing another Christmas-secularization?

To where did I disappear?

I was sick on Wednesday. On Thursday I was tired. On Friday, I got up late after having slept all evening on Wednesday and having gotten up at 5:30 on Thursday. So there you have it.

The Pope denounced something!

UConn's (that is the University of Connecticut) newspaper, The Daily Campus, has a commentary from the editorial board on the Pope's recent statements on euthanasia.

Title:
Pope Mistaken On Euthanasia

First line:
Pope Benedict XVI denounced euthanasia over the weekend, once again proclaiming life a gift from God and asserting that it could not be terminated under "the guise of human compassion."

[Yes, a 78-year-old man who has various academic degrees denounces euthanasia, a mistaken position. At the same time, Cardinal Martini's arguments are nuanced (more on that later in the essay).]

Thesis statement:
While it is indeed the pope's prerogative to take a stance on such divisive issues, the purportedly infallible Benedict is undoubtedly mistaken on the issue of euthanasia. Without question, euthanazing a pain-wrought patient who is not going to recover is an act of genuine human compassion that should not be prohibited.

[It is his prerogative, thanks for the boon. Ohhhh, mention how the Pope is purportedly infallible as a counterpoint to calling his misguided views mistaken, that is just so clever! Everyone should go to UConn!]

Second paragraph, first line:
Many terminal illnesses can be extremely painful to endure.

[Oh really! Thanks for sharing that gem, who knew!?]

Third paragraph:
The pope ought to heed the words of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, who contradicted the pontiff last month when he said that terminally ill patients deserve the right to refuse "unreasonably obstinate" treatment that will merely stave off inevitable death. While Martini does not support active euthanasia, i.e. administering a lethal injection to a dying patient, his nuanced perspective on the subject is appreciated, given the generally unyielding nature of the Vatican. Perhaps, in the future, a pope may come to realize, like Martini, that allowing a consenting party to die is not tantamount to murder.

[This Martini guy is smart and nuanced. Why isn't he Pope? He's a man of the 21st century.]

Conclusion:
Societies proscribe murder because killing another human being entails violating his or her rights. In the case of an individual who wants to die, however, preserving life does not mean preserving one's rights - it means violating them. While the pope is right to believe that life deserves respect, he is wrong to maintain that all life must be continued. As evidenced by the will of some patients to die, some lives simply are not worth continuing. In these cases, euthanasia is the most rational and compassionate course of action.

[The wise, rational, compassionate and purportly infallible student editorial board of The Daily Campus of the University of Connecticut, USA has spoken!]

Enemies of the Church (both real and imagined?)

Saint Romuald, Camaldolese Abbot
Feria

Vatican clamps down on controversial bishops

That is the headline from CathNews. The article reports that Call to Action and Voice of the Faithful activists are alleging that Bishop Gumbleton is not allowed to speak without permission of the local ordinary, which he was denied in Arizona.

Which makes absolutely no sense since if Bishop Gumbleton really had something he felt strongly about, he could stand on any street corner in this country and shout to the heavens his message. The Bishops of Phoenix and of Tucson stated that it was due to Call to Action's positions that they asked Bishop Gumbleton not to address the local chapter.

But of course, Bishop Gumbleton and his friends obey, but then proclaim how they are oppressed when if they were really serious about their positions, they ought to have disobeyed and paid the consequences. Thoreau, where art thou?

The other bishop being clamped down upon is the one in Paraguay who wants to run for president, Fernando Armindo Lugo Mendez. In reply to his request to be laicized, he was suspended for his continued political activities.

The request was not accepted because being a bishop is considered by the Church, something that is "accepted freely forever."

The Paraguayan Constitution also does not allow ministers of any religion to hold the post of president.

The Pope "can either accept my decision or punish me. But I am in politics already," the bishop was quoted as saying.

Known for his work among the poor, Mr Lugo was appointed bishop of San Pedro by Pope John Paul II in 1994. He retired as bishop 10 years later.

Those blog awards

Since they are being mentioned today, everyone out to go nominate his or her favorite blog at the Catholic Blog Awards site.

Go check it out. ;)

Paging Dr. Peters

Dr. Peters sounds off on the excommunication case in Salzburg where an auxiliary bishop has allegedly excommunicated a mall owner for renting space for an abortion clinic.

Finally, as I've said many times, canon law imposes excommunication only for a very narrow range of actions; renting space to an abortion clinic isn't among them. Maybe it ought to be, and maybe there's some other way to visit penal consequences on what is obviously an objectively gravely immoral action; but as of now, even if the right diocesan officers were citing the most relevant canons, there is no excommunication in canon law for the act described.

Schedule in Brazil

From Zenit, with rearranging:

May 9, Wednesday
Arrival in São Paulo in the afternoon.

May 10, Thursday
Meeting with young people at Pacaembu Stadium in the afternoon.

May 11, Friday
In the morning, the Pope will preside over Mass with the country's bishops in Campo de Marte.

In the afternoon he will meet with the prelates in the cathedral of São Paulo.

The Pontiff will then travel to the southeastern city of Aparecida.

May 12, Saturday
In the morning, he will visit a "Fazenda da Esperanca" (Farm of Hope) in Guaratingueta. These "fazendas" are centers for the rehabilitation of drug addicts and are present in several countries. The initiative began in the Brazilian state of São Paulo.

At 6 p.m. on the same day, Benedict XVI will pray the rosary with the faithful in the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida.

May 13, Sunday
At 10 a.m. the Pontiff will preside at Mass and at 4 p.m. will open the working sessions of the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America.

That night, he will travel to Guarulhos International Airport for his return trip to Rome.

Bioethics and natural law

Saint Agatha

Sandro Magister talks about two documents that are coming out soon, one on bioethics and another on natural law, both from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. My excerpts below have gotten rather long, but do read through them all. The bit about the 'Ratzinger style' is interesting. The link to the CDF document is mine.

ROMA, February 5, 2007 – Unborn life and the natural law: these are the themes of two new documents being prepared by the Vatican congregation for the doctrine of the faith. They were announced in the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference, “Avvenire,” in an interview with the secretary of the congregation, archbishop Angelo Amato.

The first document:

The first of the two new documents, the one on unborn life, will follow in the footsteps of the instruction “Donum Vitae,” published in 1987 by the then-prefect of the congregation, cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

Amato says in this regard:

“This Donum Vitae II is not intended to abolish the previous one, but to confront the various questions of bioethics and biotechnology that are posed today, and that were still unthinkable back then. Donum Vitae still retains all of its value, and in certain regards it is prophetic.

Regarding those clerics who have spoken out lately:

Amato further clarifies:

"The study of such delicate topics is the competency of our congregation, which then submits its work to the pope. And therefore the opinions on these topics that come from other ecclesiastical institutions or personalities – as respectable as these may be – cannot have the authoritativeness that the mass media sometimes seem to want to attribute to them."

The opinions of ecclesiastical persons to which Amato refers include, in particular, those expressed by cardinal Carlo Maria Martini in the “Dialogue on life” he published in the weekly “L’espresso” in April of 2006, a discussion that dealt with the very same topics found in “Donum Vitae.” They also include the opinions formulated by the same cardinal on the matter of euthanasia last January 21, in the newspaper “Il Sole 24 Ore,” one week before this interview with Amato in “Avvenire.” Both of cardinal Martini’s contributions diverge on a number of points from the Church’s official teaching.

The second document:

But the second new document, the one on natural law, will be the very first of its kind. On a number of occasions Benedict XVI has indicated as the foundation of shared existence among all men the moral principles inscribed upon the heart of every man, and “spoken in an unmistakable way by the quiet but clear voice of conscience.” But even as prefect of the congregation of the doctrine of the faith, he never dedicated a specific document to this.

Amato explains:

“A Catholic, for example, cannot consent to legislation that introduces marriage between two persons of the same sex; this is contrary to biblical revelation and to the natural law itself. [...] The pope often cites natural law in his catecheses. Our congregation is preparing something on this topic, and to that end has already consulted all of the Catholic universities. Everyone’s responses are very encouraging, even those from the professors considered the most ‘difficult’. The natural law is very important, in part because it alone provides the foundation for productive interreligious dialogue.”

The volume of the documents of the CDF was also discussed by Archbishop Amato in his interview with the Italian Bishops Conference's newspaper.

The first 200 pages of the volume collect the documents released by the congregation when its prefects were the cardinals Alfredo Ottaviani and Franjo Seper. The next 400 pages collect the much more extensive and numerous texts from when Ratzinger was prefect. In Amato’s view, it is possible to speak of a “Ratzinger style” in the congregation.

“With him, there was an effort to extend and articulate the arguments in defense of contested truths of the faith, and also a desire to present reliable guidelines on the many challenges of contemporary culture.”

At the Vatican site, the CDF page has listings of doctrinal and disciplinary documents.

Scandal prevented

Amy reports:

...from a source with, er...knowledge. Terry McAuliffe's application for the Knights of Malta was "withdrawn." The Knights office in DC was flooded with emails and calls - and, I'd expect, many of them from the good Knights and Dames themselves.

Amen.

Papal appearances

VATICAN CITY, FEB 2, 2007 (VIS) - Below is the calendar of liturgical celebrations due to be presided over by the Holy Father between the months of February and April.


FEBRUARY

- Wednesday 21, Ash Wednesday. In the basilica of Santa Sabina at 5 p.m., blessing and imposition of the ashes.

- Sunday 25, first Sunday of Lent At 6 p.m. in the Apostolic Palace's "Redemptoris Mater" Chapel, beginning of the spiritual exercises of the Roman Curia.


MARCH

- Saturday 3. At 9 a.m. in the Apostolic Palace's "Redemptoris Mater" Chapel, conclusion of the spiritual exercises of the Roman Curia.

- Sunday, 25, fifth Sunday of Lent. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Felicity and her martyr children. At 9.30 a.m., celebration of the Eucharist.

- Thursday 29. At 5.30 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, penitential celebration with young people from the diocese of Rome.


APRIL

- Sunday 1, Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord. At 9.30 a.m. in St. Peter's Square, blessing of palms, procession and Mass.

- Monday 2. In the Vatican Basilica at 5.30 p.m., Mass for Pope John Paul II.

- Thursday 5, Holy Thursday. In the Vatican Basilica at 9.30 a.m., Chrism Mass. In the Basilica of St. John Lateran at 5.30 p.m., the beginning of the Easter Triduum with the Mass of the Last Supper.

- Friday 6, Good Friday. In the Vatican Basilica at 5 p.m., celebration of the Lord's Passion. Way of the Cross at the Colosseum at 9.15 p.m.

- Saturday 7, Holy Saturday. Easter vigil at 10 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica.

- Sunday 8, Easter Sunday. Mass in St. Peter's Square at 10.30 a.m. At midday, from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, "Urbi et Orbi" blessing.

- Sunday 15, second Sunday of Easter. At 10 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Mass for the 80th birthday of Benedict XVI (born on April 16, 1927).

- Saturday 21 - Sunday 22, pastoral visit to Vigevano and Pavia, Italy.

- Sunday 29, fourth Sunday of Easter. At 9 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, priestly ordination of deacons from the diocese of Rome.

General symptoms or just a few extremists?

AKI:

Rome, 1 Feb. (AKI) - A television report to be aired in Italy on Thursday night shows that clerics in three Italian mosques are campaigning for Islamic sharia law in the country. The report by a Somali and an Iraqi journalist who attended services at the mosques of viale Jenner in Milan, at the center of several anti-terror investigations, Centocelle in Rome and Varese, in northern Italy, also shows how the imams promote poligamy, which is illegal in Italy, according to transcripts from the programme published by Italy's leading paper Corriere della Sera on Thursday.

Footage to be aired by 'A veil between us' on satellite television news channel Sky TG24, shows Abu Imad, an imam at the Viale Jenner mosque, saying that "their (Italy's) democracy is useful to us, as a community and as individuals. The truth is that in the land of Muslims, if we are Muslims, we must be governed by Sharia." The imam concludes his speech that the majority Catholic country "will become an Islamic state."

The cleric in Milan is also quoted as saying that "poligamy is a problem which can be solved." "Those in poligamous marriages are few and if someone wants to have two wives, it is possible to find a solution. For example, he could marry officially one in a civil ceremony and the second one only under Sharia. It's not a problem."

Bolding is of course mine. These guys are either really stupid or they know something we don't. Or maybe they're just hoping for general apathy.

1. There will be calls of 'they're just a few extremists, they don't represent Islam in Italy', and they'll disappear back under the radar again for five to ten years until they start putting together sizeable communities with electorial clout. Then the democratic system will be in trouble.

Or:

2. We've seen lately a subtle trend towards dealing with 'immigrants' and the like in Europe. Europe seems to be finally realizing that things are not great and with clerics like this speaking out more and more boldly than before, they ought to be getting the message loud and clear. Hopefully they'll remember the lesson of Mein Kampf and realize their enemies have publicly stated their intentions and are now only biding their time and waiting for general European apathy to grow and birthrates to fall even further.

The Vatican Game

Purification of the BVM
Presentation of the Lord

Chicago Sun-Times:

Nanko-Fernandez and four of her colleagues -- Melissa Maday, assistant to CTU's vice president; Gilberto Cavazos-Gonzalez, a professor of spirituality, director of Hispanic ministry and a Franciscan priest; Robin Ryan, a systematic theology professor and Passionist priest, and Thomas Nairn, a Franciscan priest and professor of Catholic ethics -- joined me this week to play a spirited (pun intended) round of Vatican: The Papal Election Board Game.

[...]
The Vatican game, released last week by the College of DuPage Press, is something of a hybrid of Monopoly, Risk and Clue -- with a bit of theological Chutes-and-Ladders thrown in for good measure.

Authored by Stephen Haliczer, a retired historian from Northern Illinois University who specializes in Catholic history (the Inquisition in particular), the game follows six cardinals through their early careers as they build their reputations, the death of a pope, and the conclave to elect his successor.
[...]

But then ... divine intervention brought the conclave proceedings and what had become a rather boisterous game, to an abrupt halt, when Nairn (who had been trailing with 63 votes) read his fifth conclave card:

"The Holy Spirit intervenes in your favor by appearing to certain cardinals who have been wavering in their support for you. +40 votes."

Habemus Papam!

With 103 votes, Nairn, as the Jesuit cardinal from Panama, became heir to the throne of St. Peter.

"I just want you all to know that the rightful pope was unseated by a pigeon!" would-be Pope Carmen shouted in faux disgust.

That's when she remembered her hat.

'Intervention of the Spirit'
The baseball cap Nanko-Fernandez brought to the table, the one with the P for "pope" on it, was a Team Panama hat from the World Baseball Classic.

Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo.

"It's always the intervention of the Spirit," Cavazos-Gonzalez said.

They say God moves in mysterious ways. I suppose that includes baseball hats and board games, too.

Mmmhmmm....

Stuff to do today

Saint Ignatius, Bp of Antioch
Feria

Good morning, readers.

I have to take my car in for some work in an hour or so, so I won't be posting this morning. Perhaps when I return home this afternoon I will, but we'll see.

Be sure to hit the 'Daily Readings' blogs down on the left.