CDW and CDF

Father Z quotes Andrea Tornielli who relates rumors that when Arinze goes, Amato, the secretary at CDF, will take over at CDW.

Tornielli:

The change of the guard foreseen at the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Vatican’s "liturgy ministry": Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze (who turned 75 last November) could soon leave his post, and in his post could arrive (and the conditional is important) the Salesian Archbishop Angelo Amato, 70 next June, presently Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The later’s post would be freed up for Bishop Rino Fisichella, the well-regarded Rector of the Lateran University.

The post goes on to relate how this is odd given that the current secretary at CDW, Archbishop Ranjith, has been so prominent in promoting the current pontiff's initiatives. A commenter at Father Z notes that it is precisely because of this support that it's possible Ranjith will be passed over at Divine Worship in favor of Amato from Doctrine of the Faith.

Perhaps that's possible. It's noted as well that it's customary for the secretary at one dicastery, if he moves up, to not take over the same dicastery. Personally, I wouldn't hold to custom in this instance. Ranjith has proven himself time and again a true supporter of the pope's program and it just seems to be totally bizarre to appoint Amato to succeed Arinze.

It would be funny though. The secretariat has supposedly dominated curial affairs for years. With Sodano gone and if this rumor proves true, the secretariat, CDF and CDW would be all headed by Ratzinger/CDF alums.

Magdi Cristiano Allam

Magister has up an essay on the reception of Magdi Cristiano Allam into the Catholic Church this past Easter Vigil. He has up various letters written by Allam and from Islamic scholars and from the Vatican in reply to the event and in reply to the replies. It's a pretty comprehensive summary of all that's flying around out there.

One passage caught my eye that Magister wrote himself:

But nothing intimidates Benedict XVI. At the Easter vigil, on Saturday, March 22, the pope baptized at the basilica of Saint Peter, together with six other men and women from four continents, a convert from Islam, Magdi Allam, 56, an Egyptian by birth, a famous writer and journalist and the vice director of the leading Italian daily, "Corriere della Sera," and the author of important books, the latest one entitled "Viva Israele [Long Live Israel]."

Bolding is my own. What I think people are starting to realize when it comes to His Holiness is that he is not only old school, he is /old school/ in that he is not afraid because he believes. Sure, everyone assumes that the pope is probably going to believe in God and all that, but I think that Benedict is willing to seriously engage Islam and risk all the consequences precisely because he believes in two things.

In the end the Church will prevail.
Martyrdom is not only noble and holy, but it is also not obsolete.

Leave it to the Daily Iowan

This at DailyIowan.com started off as a decent story about patterns and how these things play out. Then of course, it descended into blaming it on religiou... Bolding is mine.

People who commit these slayings usually suffer some sort of immense public embarrassment and often impose a choice, albeit an irrational one, on themselves, Black [a University of Iowa psych professor] said. Is my family better off dead or alive and left to suffer from public shame?

"It reflects a very distorted view of the future," said Michael O'Hara, a UI professor of psychology.

Though contradictory, Black said, many of these episodes can ultimately be tied to religion. Christian doctrine may explicitly forbid killing - and for Catholics, suicide as well - but such killers are frequently Christian white males.

According to these religious teachings, "they wouldn't get to heaven," Black said. "It's just part of the irrational person who sees his life as completely bleak and hopeless. So an afterlife may seem preferable."

Black said, however, that individuals such as Sueppel are more often white just because whites so heavily outnumber other ethnicities in Iowa.

Nice, huh. He forgot the part about it being a religion that is also about forgiveness. But then of course, that doesn't go along with the 'pattern'. :P In the last sentence, the professor adds that individuals are more likely to be white males because there just happens to be so many of them in Iowa. (Blogger's disclosure: I am a white male Catholic.) Couldn't the same conclusion be reached about this case since I would say that the majority of 'white males' may also be Christian?

A tragedy

As you all know, I live here in IC and the Sueppel case is dominating the news. I attend the same parish as the family, though I did not know them at all. Please pray for Sheryl Sueppel and her children: Eleanor, Seth, Ethan and Mira. Pray as well for the troubled soul of Steven Sueppel himself. Doctor Peters has a post regarding if Mr. Sueppel should be granted an ecclesiastical funeral. An excerpt:

One of the reasons we have rules is to help us guide our decision-making when circumstances make it difficult to think clearly. The horrific murder of the Sueppel family by their husband-father Steven, who then finally succeeded in killing himself, is nothing if not a difficult circumstance. My read, in any case, of 1983 CIC 1184.1.3, in light of the gruesome facts of this case, leads me to conclude that Steven Sueppel should be denied ecclesiastical funeral rites.

...
Requiescat in pace.

Best Potpourri of Popery

After taking a look thanks to a link at Father Z's blog, I saw that The Crescat is taking nominations for a variety of categories and I am gratified to see that this humble endeavor has been nominated in the 'Popery' category. It is always nice to be associated with the Romish cult in a positive way. ;)

A Rebirth?

Read and digest this essay from Spengler.

As I wrote in 2005, "Now that everyone is talking about Europe's demographic death, it is time to point out that there exists a way out: convert European Muslims to Christianity." Today's Europeans stem from the melting-pot of the barbarian invasions that replaced the vanishing population of the Roman Empire. The genius of the Catholic Church was to absorb them. If Benedict XVI can convert this new wave of invaders from North Africa and the Middle East, history will place him on a par with his great namesake, the founder of the monastic order the bears his name.

Will anyone rise to the challenge?

Let's repeat ourselves

Tuesday in Holy Week

From today's VIS email:

VATICAN CITY, 18 MAR 2008 (VIS) - As previously advised, the VIS bulletin will be suspended tomorrow Wednesday 19 March, Solemnity of St. Joseph and the Holy Father's name day, then from Thursday 20 March to Tuesday 25 March, the holy days of Easter and holidays in the Vatican. Service will resume on Wednesday 26 March.

Aren't holy days and holidays the same thing? Especially in a place like the Vatican? :P

Not Quite St. Patrick's Day

Monday during Holy Week
Saint Patrick's Day (though it was officially translated to the 15th)

You know anyone who's gotten drunk yet? It's fifteen minutes to ten in the morning here and I am logged in somewhere where a fine young gentleman from another time zone has already gotten a start and is quite drunk on 'Irish' brew... Of course, those who are more likely to go out and have a rip-roaring good time with their mates are also less likely to notice the fact that the sanctioning body that made Saint Patrick's Day what it is (the Holy Catholic Church!) moved it to March 15th this year...

In any case, I like to take a more sober approach to the day given it is the anniversary of my entry into the Catholic Church as well as this year falling during Holy Week.

I'm still considering what I want to do next Sunday for Easter. The Church commands us to receive Holy Communion at least once a year at Easter and I haven't since before my surgery last year. But swallowing even little particles is hard and I doubt they'd left me use a plastic straw if I brought one. I should email Father and ask what he thinks...

Here's a toast to all my Harrah and Henry kin.
Wear your green and say a prayer.

Palm Sunday

Or is it Passion Sunday?

All I know is that palms are given out, so it's Palm Sunday to me. :)

In any case, I went out to the communal penance service yesterday and was heard by a priest whom I did not recognize. He was friendly enough and offered a few words which I really didn't get before he moved on to to the absolution and that was that.

Then later in the day, I went to the Saturday evening Mass and sat in the balcony. Due to circumstances, I was just sitting up there reading along on my own and then we reached to Gospel. We all stood and again I was reading along, not exactly sure if they were doing the long form or the short form. Whatever. Then suddenly everyone knelt and I figured out where we were.

John Zmirak's mother

One Dead, One Wounded

My grandfather had all kinds of pro-life bumper stickers. One of them went along the lines of 'One dead, one wounded.' I guess in this case, it would be 'Three dead, period.'

Telegraph.co.uk: Artist hanged herself after aborting her twins

An artist killed herself after aborting her twins when she was eight weeks pregnant, leaving a note saying: "I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good mum."

Emma Beck was found hanging at her home in Helston, Cornwall, on Feb 1 2007. She was declared dead early the following day - her 31st birthday.
[...]

Emma was happy to find out she was pregnant, but Emma's boyfriend wasn't happy. Emma had a history of depression. When she finally got to the hospital after missing a few appointments as she struggled, a certified counselor was not to be found... They gave her a number to call because everyone was off on holiday leave.

Welcome, my friends, to the NHS.

Her suicide note read: "I told everyone I didn't want to do it, even at the hospital. I was frightened, now it is too late. I died when my babies died. I want to be with my babies: they need me, no-one else does."

...

Requiescat in pace.

Remember This?

Less Than A Million... with the BBC story about how the number of worldwide religious had fallen below a million?

Magister as always presents for us the bright side:

But there are many of these. Some, although not very well known, are astonishing.

One of these, for example, is the Institute of the Incarnate Word.

Founded by Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela in 1984 in Argentina, in the city of San Rafael in the province of Mendoza, after just a quarter century it counts today, in its men's branch, 302 priests, 21 deacons, 195 seminarians studying philosophy and theology, 51 novices, and 95 students in the minor seminary.

Its generalate house and its center of formation are in Segni, 40 miles east of Rome, in the empty buildings of the diocesan seminary. The bishop of Segni, with the approval of the Holy See, recognized it in 2004 as an institute of diocesan right. But it is also present in 32 countries, including Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, China, Tajikistan, and Greenland.

Its women's branch, named the Servants of the Lord and of the Virgin of Matarà, counts 226 religious under perpetual vows, 251 under temporary vows, and as many novices and postulants. It is headed by a young Dutch sister, Maria de Anima Christi Van Eijk, and is present in 22 countries. A Dutch bishop is also a close friend of the institute, Johannes Baptist Gjisen, who is now in Iceland as head of the diocese of Reykjavik.

Furthermore, there is a burgeoning third order composed of laypeople, under vows and not, with various degrees of membership.
[...]

t's spirituality is founded upon the Incarnation of the Word, and is expressed in both a strong missionary impulse and in the "evangelization of culture."

The central feature of formation in the institute is the teaching of Saint Thomas Aquinas, mediated by one of the greatest Thomist philosophers of the 20th century, Fr. Cornelio Fabro.
[...]

The bolding and the link in the article are mine. Another example here in the US is the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist up in Michigan. I've gotten letters from them several times asking for funds to enlarge their mother house because as the cute form letter puts it, they are undergoing a 'vocations crisis' of a different sort. Then there are the Carmelites out in Wyoming, etc. Unless they are all misrepresenting their numbers and orthodoxy, I don't think the state of the religious life as put out there by the BBC is quite so stark.

The Future of Europe?

Spengler's essay posted today needs to be read.

Salient points:

Europe’s Man of Destiny is Geert Wilders, the 35-year-old leader of Holland’s tiny Freedom Party. He has provoked the world Muslim community in order to draw the violent jihadists out of the tall grass, and he seems to be succeeding. Call what Wilders has done nasty but necessary, and blame Europe’s so-called mainstream leaders for abandoning their posts, and leaving the standard in the hands of a young man with the courage to grasp it. At the moment the Dutch government is quaking over the consequences of a 10-minute film that Wilders plans to release in April denouncing the Koran.
[...]

Thus far, the authorities of Europe have made clear that they will do nothing to prevent the murder of a prominent citizen. If Ayaan Hirsi Ali, whose plea to the European Parliament made headlines, can expect no help from the authorities when her life is at imminent risk, what succor can the anonymous victims of Islamist violence expect?

I am ashamed to say that it did not become clear to me that Wilders has taken the only appropriate course of action until I read carefully the Archbishop of Canterbury’s now-infamous "sharia" speech. Stripped of casuistry, he proposed that Muslim women subject to forced marriages, genital mutilation, or domestic violence should be handed over to Muslim religious courts, rather than be offered the protection of English Common Law. To my knowledge, this is the first time that one of Europe’s spiritual leaders has proposed to abandon innocent victims to their fate.

Archbishop Dr Rowan Williams, to be sure, has a point. But he should have stated plainly what he really thinks. What he wanted to say is more or less: "To protect a few hundred or a few thousand colored ladies, the English state will have to put its big boots on, kick down the doors of Muslim homes, trample through Muslim living rooms, tear up the fabric of Muslim communities, and disrupt the social order. Why not turn such cases over to religious courts and wash our hands of them?" I reiterate: this is satanic hypocrisy.

If decent and well-meaning men like Dr Williams are so afraid of communal violence as to abandon the founding principles of common law and Judeo-Christian ethics, it is long past time to debate the fine points. Blessed are the pre-emptors, for they will get on with it.
[...]

The man must be batty?

Almost a thousand years of slow and steady legal evolution that has defined the rights of Englishmen...

Dr. Williams thinks we all can't get along without separate courts:

An approach to law which simply said - there's one law for everybody - I think that's a bit of a danger...

You, sir, are the danger!

On second thought, maybe he agrees with Irene's friend that imposing one's creed upon another is 'a damned cheek'?

The Good Friday Prayer, Continued

Ruth Gledhill quotes a blogger named Irene who in turn quotes a friend who commented about the revision of the Good Friday prayer:

Irene, who is currently refreshing her knowledge of Latin at Haifa uni, says: This text would not be acceptable to the majority of the Jewish people, for whom any attempt to get us to convert to belief in Jesus as Messiah goes against the tenets of Judaism. This prayer would appear to be on a par with those evangelical Christians (not all, of course) who wish all Jews to emigrate to Israel, in order to hasten to second coming of Christ.

'I have an Anglican friend staying with me at present and I read it to her and she wasn’t very amused and thought it a damned cheek, actually.

'She said. ‘It implies that if you don’t recognize Jesus Christ, you won’t be saved’. In Judaism you can be ‘saved’, or at least be worthy of heaven without being a Jew. This would appear to be the main difference between the Jewish and Catholic approaches.'

It is difficult not to conclude that this represents a re-emergence of supercessionism. A discussion of the Pope's views when he was still Joseph Ratzinger shows that the former Pope clearly regarded the 'new covenant' as the fulfilment of the covenant of Sinai.

Bolding of Irene's friend's comment is mine. A damned cheek indeed. But then of course, Jesus is only the Son of God...

The Good Friday Prayer

RORATE CAELI has the new version of the prayer in Latin and an unofficial translation.

Doctor Alcuin Reid:

Roma locuta est: causa finita est. This traditional maxim of Catholic life needs to be remembered. It refers to the right of the Holy See – and most specifically of the Sovereign Pontiff – to decide on matters of discipline and governance of the Church. Once the arguments have been duly heard and the Supreme Authority decides, loyal Catholics obey: even if they personally disagree about the prudence or otherwise of a decision.
[...]

Less Than A Million...

The number of members, predominantly women, some engaged only in constant prayer, others working as teachers, health workers and missionaries, fell 94,790 to 945,210.

Of the total, 753,400 members were women, while 191,810 were men, including 136,171 priests and 532 permanent deacons.

The figures were published next to a report of Pope Benedict XVI's meeting with nuns, monks and priests from many countries gathered in St Peter's Basilica in Rome last weekend.

The BBC's David Willey in the Italian capital says the accelerating downward trend must have caused concern to the Pope.

The Roman Catholic Church has an aging and diminishing number of parish and diocesan clergy and this latest fall is quite dramatic, our correspondent says.

The number of Catholic nuns worldwide declined by about a quarter during the reign of Pope John Paul, and this further drop shows that new recruits are failing to replace those nuns who die, or decide to abandon their vows, he adds.

Is this for real? The old orders are getting grey and dying off along with the rest of the post-war boom. Welcome to global demographics.

A History Lesson, Part I

No, I do not think 'an history lesson' makes any sense when you say it.

Read this at RORATE CAELI on the events of 1988, a period of church history I never learned about during my formative years (we didn't learn much church history, period).

Father-General Nicolás

Last Call for the Society of Jesus – To Obedience (with the homily of Cardinal Rodé

Reaction at RORATE CAELI of the election of Father Adolfo Nicolás

Magister's thoughts snd excerpts from Christianity in Crisis: Asia by Father Nicolás

On Death

Many people commented on the importance of the funeral Mass and the Catholic tradition of prayer. I know that readers of this blog will offer their own prayers as well. Thank God for the Church, for the parish, and for our Catholic faith at a time such as this.

--Father Tim Finigan

Australians, I need your help

Given the ever greater pace we are seeing in the Holy Father's reform efforts, from the MP to crosses and candles on the altar to outright facing 'east' in the Sistine Chapel, I've love to know what the situation is with the renovation plans for Cardinal Pell's cathedral. Are they still going forward with the new freestanding altar? If anyone has news, please comment.

EDIT: Here's the original post at Shrine of the Holy Whapping.

The "La Sapienza" Affair

I've been busy... But on to business.

Catching up on Father Z this morning, I read his piece on the Holy Father's canceled visit to "La Sapienza" University in Italy because professors and students were protesting madly and his security and dignity could not be guaranteed.

I was referred then to Zadok, who has all the details on the ground:

Pope to Visit the Sapienza University

Gah! It's not about Galileo!

Credit where credit is due

They're worse than I thought...

Ruini - Show support for the Pope on Sunday!
I don't have much to add to this myself beyond what Father Z and Zadok have to say. In the comments to the various quotes, a lot of biblical verses are quoted to support His Holiness. Dusting yourself off after being thrown out is a good one, as is the story of Peter turning back to Rome after Jesus asks him where he's going.

Birthday

Vigil of the Epiphany; Commemoration of St. Telesphorus, pope and martyr
Feria; St. John Neumann

Day off. See you all tomorrow.

More on Saint Telesphorus and Saint John Neumann from last year.

When the Church Attacks

Octave of the Holy Innocents, martyrs
Feria

From the National Secular Society (of the UK):

The Government and the Catholic Church are at loggerheads again in Spain following a mass demonstration in Madrid over the New Year. The rally, organised by the Church, was supposed to be “in defence of the family” but was, in fact, an attack on the Spanish Government’s legalisation of gay marriage, its new fast-track divorce law and a new civics course that parents can choose for their children instead of religious indoctrination in schools. The Pope made an appearance via a video link to cheer on the bigots. The Church claimed that two million people had taken part in the rally, but an independent count by El Pais newspaper put the number at less than 160,000. Even they had to be bussed in from all over the country, and some even from Portugal.
[...]

My bolding. It goes on like that. It's funny how they phrase that. I bolded the attack words in the article. But they criticize the rally because it was claimed that it was in support of the family while they rattle off a list of criticisms of government policy. But if they bothered to think through their argument, maybe they'd realize that support of something usually means support of something against something else, namely the policies listed of the Spanish government.

I got through the first paragraph and stopped. If anyone else has the fortitude to go on, feel free.

Catholic World News:

Madrid, Jan. 3, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Spanish government leaders have asked the country's Catholic bishops to apologize for the massive pro-family rally held in Madrid on December 30, Vatican Radio reports.

Leaders of the Socialist governing party have charged that the Church intervened in partisan political affairs with the rally, which drew nearly 2 million participants. (The government is reporting that only 160,000 took part in the demonstration.) The government has asked the bishops' conference for an apology.

Although 40 bishops took part in the pro-family event, and the hierarchy gave clear support to the event, the rally was organized primarily by lay Catholic activists. The organizers have consistently argued that the rally was not intended as a partisan political event, but as a public expression of support for the traditional family founded on Christian marriage.

One part of the Secular Society's bit that I didn't quote was the part on numbers. There's some dispute over if the rally's attendance was six digits or seven. Note the distinction given between clerical and lay organization of the rally.

Quinceanera

Update #2: Picture restored.


From www.commodoreevents.com

DENVER (AP) — On the day she is to become a woman, Monica Reyes sits in front of the church for Mass. Her white dress — sewn in her mother's Mexican hometown — spills over her chair like an oversized lampshade.

The priest urges her to live as a daughter of God. Her parents give her a gold ring shaped like the number 15. Near the end of the service, Reyes lays a bouquet of roses before a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Then she steps through the worn, wooden doors of St. Joseph's, a Roman Catholic parish for generations of poor, Hispanic immigrants, and into a 20-seat white Hummer limo that rents for $150 an hour.

Read the entire piece. A couple of points...

Matovina said the Denver archdiocese's efforts will resonate with some families and be ignored by others, much like couples who go through the motions of marriage preparation classes to get a church wedding.
[...]

At the same time, the ritual is a point of tension with the Catholic church because Catholic families want their faith to be part of the celebration yet it isn't a sacrament, like marriage.

The Reyes family does not attend Mass regularly, but would never consider the Quinceanera legitimate without the blessing of a priest. A portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe watches over the living room of the family's apartment.

"The reason to have the Mass is to be blessed, and to say thanks to God," said Monica's mother, Luz.

The article makes much of the industry that surrounds the entire thing. I am at once intrigued, but also repelled by the expense of the entire thing. I've read in different places about the thoughts of Confirmation devolving into a 'coming of age' sacrament and I wonder how that plays into the event with these girls and all the trappings of their Church-sanctioned events. Food for thought.

The Deaf Church

Ed Peters talks today about deafness and its place in the Church and how the Church ministers to those who are deaf. He quotes from and responds to an article in Zenit from the 1st where a priest was interviewed on the issues facing deaf Catholics such as sign language, participation in Mass and vocations.

I'm not going to rehash the good doctor's remarks, but I'll make a few points of my own. To start off, I am a deaf Catholic. I was not deaf from birth, rather I lost my hearing over time and only reached complete deafness as a young adult. I don't necessarily identify with the 'Deaf' community and at this point, my sign language skills are rather meager.

On participation in Mass:
I go to Mass with hearing people in a parish that does not provide any kind of services. And that's fine for me. I have my missal for the readings, I follow along based on what Father is doing, I have continuous silence in which to contemplate the Divine. I miss singing, both singing myself and listening to it, but it's not something that bothers me too much anymore. Mostly my problem is staying focused thanks to the fact that it's just me and my silence, but we all have our crosses to bear.

Personally, if I had the option of an on-site closed captioning service, I would consider it. Dr. Peters makes a point about how reading closed captions does not necessarily fit in with 'active participation', but having used captioning throughout my later years of university that it can be quite useful and does not hamper at all 'active participation' if you consider what goes on in the usual university classroom.

On the other Sacraments:
I take along a notepad to Confession. I usually write out what I have to confess beforehand simply because it's speedy and leaves the priest time to write down whatever he wants regarding penance and absolution. Even if it was available, I wouldn't think to take in with me a translator of some kind. Being out there in the world beyond hearing, but not having much contact with the wider Deaf community, that kind of personal contact is always welcomed.

On Vocations:
On this issue, I cannot necessarily speak with clarity. While discerning a vocation, I emailed the vocations director of the diocese (who is now vice-rector of NAC in Rome I believe) and he was quite helpful, even providing me with some info on deaf priests in other dioceses. Later, I met with the director of vocations for the local Jesuit province and after a cordial conversation where we discussed my various health issues, we came away with a conclusion that the priesthood wasn't right for me, but not because of any issue with my deafness per se.

Anyway, that's just a few of my thoughts, not very well formed, in response to Dr. Peters' comments. It's not something Dr. Peters addressed directly, but I would posit that while ministering to the deaf is important, simply because of my situation, I think that ministering to those who once had hearing and then don't is a ministry of its own that overlaps with but is not the same as a ministry for the deaf in general.

Pick your prelate!

Octave of St. John Apostle and Evangelist
The Most Holy Name of Jesus (optional)

Damian Thompson: Who should succeed Cardinal Cormac? I don't know enough about the English hierarchy to propose anyone myself and I doubt anyone from outside is going to be brought in in this day and age. Perhaps a Pole? I see that my favorite UK blogger, Father Tim Finigan, has been proposed. Perhaps I should second him? Of course, choosing a prelate for such the archbishopric ought not be a popularity contest. We'll see though what the results are of Mr. Thompson's polling of his readers.

On a more practical note, tonight are the Iowa Caucuses. If anyone wants to advise me on who to throw in with in either party, leave a comment. ;)

Real Dialogue?

Octave of St. Stephen Protomartyr, Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors

Sandro Magister has out a piece on a planned meeting between the Holy Father and 138 prominent Muslims led by a prince of Jordan that follows an exchange of letters last year. I'm not going to quote all of this at all, just one part. Bolding is my own.

The letter from cardinal Bertone, dated November 19 and made public about ten days later, proposes three main topics of discussion: "effective respect of the dignity of every human person"; "objective awareness of the other's religion"; "'a common commitment to promoting mutual respect and acceptance among the younger generation."

In commenting on Bertone's letter, the Egyptian Jesuit Samir Khalil Samir – who is one of the scholars of Islam most closely heeded by the pope, together with another Jesuit, Christian W. Troll, of Germany – emphasized that the letter of the 138 is not clear on the first of these topics, and that instead some of its signatories say that they are not at all interested in talking about freedom of conscience, about equality between men and women and between believers and nonbelievers, about the distinction between religious and political power – in short, about the achievements of the Enlightenment that the Catholic Church has made its own, but that Islam is still far from accepting.

For its part, the letter from the prince of Jordan to cardinal Bertone, dated December 12 and likewise made public about ten days later, insists that the Catholic-Muslim dialogue be primarily "theological" and "spiritual," and that it have as its object – more than aspects defined as "extrinsic," like the commandments of the natural law, religious liberty, and equality between men and women – the "Common Word between Us and You" which is at the center of the letter of the 138, or the unicity of God and the twofold commandment of love of God and neighbor.

Benedict XVI wants to talk about the Enlightenment perhaps, but as I read this, I see he wants to talk about concrete steps that will help real people, women, non-Muslims living in Muslim lands, etc. The prince of Jordan has in mind theological discussion along the lines of, as I read it, 'You're okay, we're okay, we believe in the same God with two different traditions, have a nice day'. Something that validates the idea that there is just one big Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition.

Benedict XVI has definite ideas about religious dialogue and something like that isn't on his agenda, period. I look forward to seeing how they solve this and come up with meaningful points to discuss this spring.

Also of interest:
Spengler's thoughts on post-Muslims
Spengler's thoughts on "presentable" Islamists

World Peace Day message

Circumcision of the Lord and Octave of the Nativity
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God; World Day of Peace

The Holy Father in his homily for the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God and the World Day of Peace started off with the family as the center:

but the true peace, that one announced from the angels in the night of Been born them, is not simple conquest of the man or fruit of political agreements; it is in the first place divine gift to implorare constantly and, at the same time, engagement to ahead carry with patience being remained always docile the commandos of the Getlteman.

The Holy Father then spoke about the family as the basis for peace.

The natural family, founded on the wedding between a man and a woman, is "crib of the life and the love" and "before and the irreplaceable educatrice to the peace".

There's more and worth a good read for its defense of the traditional family and then its interesting look at the Virgin Mary and how everything proceeds from her title 'Mother of God'.

Resolutions

Saint Sylvester I, pope and confessor
Seventh day in the Octave of the Nativity

One thing I need to do next year is get back into doing this. Since my surgery, I've been slacking off all year and that needs to change. So my resolution is to do at least one news post per day (and maybe skip weekends). We'll see.

Louis E. and I have been discussing the College of Cardinals in the previous post. Check it out if you have any thoughts on the subject. Chime in.

I suppose that's about it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Calendar

I once made this cool chart. It plotted the days of the week that Christmas could fall on and then the succeeding Sundays because I was interested in seeing if it was at all possible for there ever to be a Second Sunday of Christmas since the calendar jumps through so many hoops this time of year thanks to Epiphany's move to a Sunday. I carried it out for all seven days I think and came to the conclusion that it was impossible and that the Second Sunday of Christmas has been banished forever and ever (at least in the US).

In any case, I just thought of that. I was going to post on how today is the sixth day of the Octave of Christmas and how it strikes me as odd every year that it is the only day that is a feria, but that's not really interesting in and of itself.

I was going to wait until tomorrow to pronounce who I think is the most important player this last year, but we might as well cut to the chase:

Benedict XVI
Pretty obvious, huh? After all, he did issue the MP, he wrote an encyclical. Didn't he come out with Jesus of Nazareth too this year? Honorable mention goes to the good Archbiship Ranjith of CDW just because he's been at the fore in defending the Holy Father's work this year.

We all know what is the major story of the year (Summorum Pontificum), but what is important but largely overlooked, even at the time it was issued, is the Apostolic Letter in the form of a Motu Proprio with which Pope Benedict XVI reinstates the traditional norms for the majority required to elect the Supreme Pontiff. The two-thirds majority was something that came out of the history of the Church and as it stood, if John Paul II's reform had been in place at the time of his election, he probably wouldn't have been elected. Two-thirds requires consensus and Benedict XVI rightly restored the equilibrium of the papal election process. Of course, he added a few tweaks of this own, but they can be forgiven. Of course, it would be nice if the 'general acclamation' method was reinstated as well, but we will go on hoping all the same.

That about sums up the Year of Our Lord 2007. See you next year. Have a nice rest of the Octave and God bless.

If only I had the patience...

I'd have a cool banner and posts with embedded video.

Of course, I hate video because most web videos are not closed captioned for the hearing impaired, namely me. :)

The 29th

As part of the class, we had to memorize the prologue, either for recitation or copying down. Middle English is hard.

Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury.

1 Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote,
2 The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
3 And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
4 Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
5 Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
6 Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
7 The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
8 Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
9 And smale foweles maken melodye,
10 That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
11 So priketh hem Nature in hir corages-
12 Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
13 And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
14 To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
15 And specially, from every shires ende
16 Of Engelond, to Caunturbury they wende,
17 The hooly blisful martir for the seke
18 That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke.

For the edification of ye humble souls, here is a blog that deals with all things ecclesiastical in England. The journalist, good Mister Thompson, is reported to be resented by certain parties due to his journalistic efforts. Enjoy.

Christmas Eve

The time of expectation draws now to an end as Christmas arrives and Christ increases with each passing (and longer) day.

As a little boy with a blanket reminded us:

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

As another little boy said, I say unto all of you:

God bless Us, Every One!

Merry Christmas!

Alexy II is for Putin

From Interfax-Religion:

Moscow, December 13, Interfax - Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia supports First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's proposal to Vladimir Putin that he become prime minister upon the expiration of his presidential term, if Medvedev is elected president.

"If there is such a combination of a new president and Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin], provided that he gives his consent, I think this would be a great blessing for Russia," Alexy said on NTV on Thursday.
[...]

"However, having known Vladimir Vladimirovich for years, I can acknowledge that ambition and pride have never prevailed in his activities," he said.

The patriarch praised "Vladimir Vladimirovich's selfless devotion to our homeland, his love for our homeland and huge efforts that he has made for the benefit of our homeland, its might, and its development for the good of our people."

It's such a simple word, so easy to say... tsar...

Although it would probably make a lot of Russians living outside the Motherland angry, especially the Romanov remnant, I would certainly before Putin being declared the tsar, if only because it would immediately clarify things. We all know he's going to manipulate things to stick around. Why not just go all the way and be done with it?

Fidelity

From RORATE CAELI:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Castrillon is the first Cardinal deacon; hence, it is before him that the oath must be taken. No connection with ED [Ecclesia Dei].
14 December, 2007 13:47

That was posted in reply to a discussion at RORATE about news regarding the bishop-elect of Savona-Noli swearing "an oath of fidelity to the Church before the Vatican Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", in the hands of the Eminent Cardinal Dario Hoyos Castrillon [sic]." Some were of the opinion that it was motivated by the diocesan administrator's previous banning of the Mass of Blessed John XXIII.

The explanation itself is not news, but I found the mention of this tradition to be an interesting one. In fact, I think I will inaugurate a new label in honor of little snippets like this: traditions.

North vs. South

Interfax Religion:

Meanwhile, the Constantinople Patriarchate had interpreted canonical rulings to state that ‘it had an exclusive right to convene all-Orthodox sessions’, Fr. Vsevolod reminded. However, ‘mechanisms of inter-Orthodox consultations had not been functioning for several decades’, he underlined.

‘Those, who spoke of their exceptional right to call all-Orthodox sessions, have actually blocked this process when it came down to an attempt to clear up the rights of equally significant local Churches’, the representative of the Moscow Patriarchate said.

According to him, the developing crisis in inter-Orthodox relations which are currently in the degree of ‘a grave and chronicle decease fraught with lethal risk’ results in appearance of parallel dioceses ‘not only in diaspora, but also on the canonical territories of certain Churches’.

AsiaNews:

In this regards and referring to the decision by the Moscow Patriarchate to abandon the Ravenna working session, an Orthodox member of the joint commission on condition of anonymity spoke to AsiaNews about the problems that may be created by the Russians non participation. He explained that the Russian Church has entered a phase of post communist transition and that an internal battle for succession has begun. All external statements are subject to internal use to further different positions. In his view, there is a need for caution, and optimism, because no-one [within the Russian Orthodox Church] will dare go against the dynamics of history. Moreover the decision to withdraw from Ravenna was not shared by many Russian prelates.

The East fascinates me to no end. The Latin Church has its divisions, but in the end, there is the Pope and he is Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church. If you accept it, then that's that and if you don't, you're out. In the East though, with its co-equal (for the most part) churches, this ongoing conflict between Moscow and Constantinople being fought on many fronts is interesting to watch as it plays out. You have agents of Constantinople in Ukraine doing what they can to help along an independent Kiev patriarchate. You have the Russians walking out of Ravenna and rumors of power struggles. With that kind of dynamic, the Latin Church's ongoing struggles over liturgy and a return to orthodoxy seem eminently solvable. After all, you're either with the Pope or you're against him.

It's Advent

Little Lent and all that.

And it had an appropriate beginning of sorts as we had our first ice storm. It came down in pretty copious amounts as I found out when we took out the trash last night. A good inch of that hard, semi-frozen sleet/slush on the ground. I haven't looked to see if any of it has melted this morning, though the National Weather Service said it was supposed to climb back above freezing later last night.

While I was off doing other things, we've had new cardinals and an encyclical. Most of the first paragraph of "Spe salvi" is now quoted at the top of this blog. I am only through to 16 myself, so I still have a ways to go, but so far it has been fascinating. I need to pick up a physical copy to sit next to my copy of "Deus caritas est".

I don't think I've read it anywhere else, but it seems interesting in itself that both encyclicals of Benedict XVI have been signed and released in the same period of the year. Taking both together, it's sort of a reverse look at the liturgical year with "Spe salvi" leading us into Advent and our hope for the coming of our Savior and then "Deus caritas est" on Christmas itself telling us about who He is and what He has brought us.

You read it here first: encyclical #3 will have something to do with Pentecost.

Saturday Morning

I always feel better after Confession. I'm not very good at it, but after I get out of it, I usually have a comtemplative smile.

On my way out, I picked up a calendar for next year with all the seasons and feast days. As I walked out and looked at the calendar, I was pleased by it. If nothing else tells us what kind of times we are living in in the Church, it is a calendar that has on its front Pope Benedict XVI and titled 'Catholic Traditions'.

I need some help. Back when I was in seventh grade, I was included as in my region's junior high choir. Bucking the trend that God and public school must be completely separated, we sang a medley of 'Gloria', 'Adoremus' and 'Kyrie'. At the same concert, the high school all-state choir performed as well and three of their five selections were about praising God (with their final song being 'Battle Hymn of the Republic'). Their first song consisted of the following as I remember it and I've always been on the look-out for the full lyrics since then, but I've never found them. It was a very short a cappella piece, a very nice one.

What I remember:

Come let us sing
Sing to the Lord our God
And raise a joyful voice (something)
Sing to God a song of joy.

Come let us sing
Come let us sing
Sing to the Lord our God
(something)
Sing to God a song of joy!

Anyone know it?

Dear Leader, Holy Father

Spengler:

None of the political leaders of the West, and few of the West's opinion leaders, comprehend this. We are left with the anomaly that the only effective leader of the West is a man wholly averse to war, a pope who took his name from the Benedict who interceded for peace during World War I. Benedict XVI, alone among the leaders of the Christian world, challenges Islam as a religion, as he did in his September 2006 Regensburg address. Who is Joseph Ratzinger, this decisive figure of our times, and what led the Catholic Church to elect him?

His review/exposition on 'Twentieth Century Catholic Theologians', by Father Fergus Kerr.

Junk Mail Christianity

Since I subscribed to NCRegister (but since let it lapse), I've gotten all kinds of junk mail from various orders and causes and the like that I'd like to donate to, but let's face it: I'm a walking charity case myself. :D

But that's beside the point...

I went through mail yesterday afternoon after I got home and two things stood out. One Benedictine monastery sent me a St. Benedict prayer card as well as a CD of their chant work along with a little pamphlet describing what's on the CD. One problem though: I'm deaf. ;)

In another letter I opened up yesterday, I received a set of rosary beads and a 'How To Pray The Rosary' pamphlet. Not exactly high quality stuff, but definitely something worth having.

Prayer cards...
Chant CDs...
Rosary beads...

The mail is a good thing when it comes to providing one with such things. :)

Audiences

I don't normally post these unless it's someone interesting. An archbishop from India isn't too out of the ordinary, but his name sure is:

VATICAN CITY, OCT 26, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo, archbishop of Ranchi, India.

Someone named after my patron saint! How splendid. :D

Cardinal Biffi in his own words

Sandro Magister has a run-down of Cardinal Biffi of Bologna with extracts from His Eminence's new memoirs, published now as he reaches the age of eighty and thus passes from the electorate of the College of Cardinals. The entire piece is worth reading, but a section in particular stands out (my bolding):

"4. Finally, I would like to point out to the new pope the incredible phenomenon of 'Dominus Iesus': a document explicitly endorsed and publicly approved by John Paul II; a document for which I am pleased to express my vibrant gratitude to Cardinal Ratzinger. That Jesus is the only necessary Savior of all is a truth that for over twenty centuries - beginning with Peter's discourse after Pentecost - it was never felt necessity to restate. This truth is, so to speak, the minimum threshold of the faith; it is the primordial certitude, it is among believers the simple and most essential fact. In two thousand years this has never been brought into doubt, not even during the crisis of Arianism, and not even during the upheaval of the Protestant Reformation. The fact of needing to issue a reminder of this in our time tells us the extent of the gravity of the current situation. And yet this document, which recalls the most basic, most simple, most essential certitude, has been called into question. It has been contested at all levels: at all levels of pastoral action, of theological instruction, of the hierarchy.

"5. A good Catholic told me about asking his pastor to let him make a presentation of 'Dominus Iesus' to the parish community. The pastor (an otherwise excellent and well-intentioned priest) replied to him: 'Let it go. That's a document that divides.' What a discovery! Jesus himself said: 'I have come to bring division' (Luke 12:51). But too many of Jesus' words are today censured among Christians; or at least among the most vocal of them."

Catholic Education

Aside from the larger places like Notre Dame, Boston College or Georgetown, I've always been interested in the status of the smaller places that advertise themselves as 'traditional' and all the other adjectives.

Father Z has a long post with various quotes from parents, students, alumni and even an official response to one allegation from Franciscan U. of Steubenville in Ohio. It's a fascinating look at 'Charismatic' orthodoxy meeting 'traditional' orthodoxy, if you all will permit me the use of such broad and non-specific terms.

Have a look.

Because now I'll never hear it anyway...

1
Day of wrath and terror looming!
Heaven and earth to ash consuming,
David's word and Sibyl's truth foredooming!

2
What horror must invade the mind,
when the approaching judge shall find,
and sift the deeds of all mankind.

3
The trumpet casts a wondrous sound,
through the tombs of all around,
making them the throne surround.

4
Death is struck and nature quaking,
all creation is awaking,
to its judge an answer making.

5
The written book shall be brought forth,
in which is contained all
from which the world is to be judged.

6
So when the Judge shall sit,
whatever is hidden shall be seen,
nothing shall remain unpunished.

7
What am I, wretched one, to say,
What protector implore,
when (even) a just person will scarcely be confident?

8
King of tremendous majesty,
you who save gratuitously those to be saved,
save me, fount of pity.

9
Remember, gracious Jesus,
that I am the cause of your journey;
do not let me be lost on that day.

10
Seeking me, you sat exhausted;
you redeemed me by undergoing the Cross;
let so much toil not be in vain.

11
Just judge of vengeance,
grant the gift of forgiveness,
before the day of reckoning'.

12
I groan, as one guilty;
my face is red with shame;
spare, O God, a supplicant.

13
You who forgave Mary [Magdalen],
and heard the plea of the thief [Dismas]
have given hope to me also.

14
My prayers are unworthy;
but you, the Good, show me favour,
that I may not be consumed by eternal fire.

15
Grant me a place among the sheep,
and separate me from the goats,
placing me at your right hand.

16
When the wicked are confounded,
doomed to flames of woe unbounded,
call me with Thy Saints surrounded.

17
Low I kneel, with heart submission!
See, like ashes my contrition!
Help me in my last condition!

Liturgical Doings

Though we do look at our own diocese and its liturgical doings at times, we don't stray too often into the larger currents of the 'reform of the reform' and the 'extraordinary form' except as they are referenced by the Holy Father.

However, Dan at the Holy Whapping has a post and then a clarification that sets out his thoughts on one 'methodology' as championed by the New Liturgical Movement; Shawn Tribe of the NLM responds to Dan's initial post at the NLM.

Liturgy used to be something I was interested in, but not so much now. However, the ongoing discussion is interesting in and of itself.

Mixed Feelings

With the news of the consistory and the list of the soon-to-be cardinals made know, we have before us the prospect that Archbishop DiNardo will be the only US bishop who will be receiving the red hat. The archbishop is of course the ordinary of the of Houston-Galveston archdiocese down in the great state of Texas and his cardination (or however it's spelled) will be the first for the US South.

All congratulations to the archbishop certainly. But as a former resident of the diocese of Sioux City during HE's tenure there, I am left to wonder if western Iowa is somehow unworthy of greatness and must only be a stepping stone for prelates on their way up.

But ignore my flyover-country inferiority complex.

As for the rest of the list... Archbishop Comastri will soon get his red hat. Does that merit him a higher place on the List of Papabili? Only time will tell.

Housekeeping II

We turn away from our constant vigil of all things Roman to note some new links down the left column.

The Joyful Eunuch is a new blog meant for young people. I had a nice conversation with its blogger and got a chance to talk shop for a little while the other night.

Fumare is a Catholic legal blog that has recently turned to coverage of the Ave Maria School of Law debacle. AveWatch covers the same issue. For those who may be unfamiliar with the situation, several years ago, the former head of Domino's Pizza funded the founding of the new Ave Maria School of Law up in Michigan. Then, with the founding of his new university complex in Florida, he and the dean of the school decided the law school would relocate. Faculty were not consulted and recently, three dissenters were given the boot based on trumped up charges. Very bad all around.

Vatican Watcher rating: I wouldn't send my kid to Ave Maria.

Housekeeping

The custom links remain the same, but the Blogrolling list got cleaned up. If you read and you find your blog is missing, leave a comment and an updated URL.

Huh?

Times (of London) Online has a story on how once of John Paul II's cassocks has been cut up into a hundred thousand pieces to meet demand from the Faithful. All well and good. But in the story there is this quote:

But the scheme has caused disquiet in the Vatican, which is anxious to discourage the veneration of relics, seen as a medieval practice with no place in the modern church. “Wars were fought over the hunt for relics in the Middle Ages,” said Bishop Velasio De Paolis, secretary of the Apostolic Signature, the Vatican’s top judicial body.

Someone doesn't like all the 'superstitious mumbo-jumbo'... Wars were fought over Transubstantiation as well. Maybe we should just label the entire Mass as 'medieval' too.

Braveheart

The thing in 'Braveheart' where English lords get to sleep with the new wifes of Scottish men in order to 'breed out the Scots'...

Wallace is a big time Catholic who's been to Rome. He's pious and all that. We all know Mel is personally into the entire traditional scene...

So why in the hell wasn't Longshanks in the movie worried in the least bit by promulgating a law that broke several commandments, namely adultery and coveting one's neighbor's wife, not to mention violating sizable chunks of canon law, etc?

I think such a law would be grounds for interdict and excommunication, don't you?

But hey, great battle scenes. :D

Links and Comment

RORATE CAELI discusses an Italian newspaper's comments on if the MP is even in effect yet. A commenter named David says that since it's not in the AAS along with other details, it's not in effect, despite RC's assertions to the contrary. Yet David never mentions whether or not the MP has or has not been published in the L'Osservatore Romano which he himself asserts is an official newspaper of record by which documents such as the MP may be promulgated. Nice try, but if you want to point out it's not been printed in the AAS but never point out if it's been printed in the L'Osservatore Romano, you're not going to sell it to me.

Father Z posts an interview of a confrere of his back in Minnesota with the traditionalist The Remnant. Good points are made all around. The comment about how people tend to buy into the 'restoration' idea is a great one since people always love to restore things (unless you were just so into the 1970s renewal that you were positively in love with Urban Renewal as well and took delight in turning America's downtowns into blocky architectural wastelands). The good Father of the interview and the The Remnant interviewer brought up an impending persecution of Catholics and the possibility that we are living in the End Times. I left a comment:

Re: The End Times and Catholic persecution

Certainly when you reach out, you’ll find those of the O’Brien frame of mind, to reference to Michael O’Brien and his book ‘Father Elijah’. Personally, I tend to be more of the ‘The Name of the Rose’ sort who views predictions and feelings of the impending arrival of the End Times with a grain of salt as so many past predictions have come to naught.

I’m of the opinion that the MP and the renewal of the 1962 Missal are too easy a temporal landmark to base ideas of an impending crisis. The End Times will come in God’s good time and not with any kind of prelude like the MP: it’s just way too obvious.
Comment by Jacob — 22 September 2007 @ 5:29 pm

For those of you who are interested in secular politics and the upcoming US presidential election, I found this post at 'Suitably Flip' to be quite interesting regarding the campaign contributions made by the Hsu guy donated millions for himself and others, all while on the run from an outstanding warrant for his arrest in the great state of California.

The MP II

The MP went into effect on the 14th. I guessed in the last post that there would be something in the next issue of the weekly newspaper. It arrived today and...

ZIPPO!

Must be hard work spelling out in your own words what the Pope spelled out in his own words. Of course, HE the Bishop could be using his Latin skills as a former teacher to actually come up with a decent translation since the Holy See has dropped the ball there. We'll wait and see, but HE is on borrowed time right now.

The MP

My bishop has promised some kind of guidelines for the implementation of the MP here in the diocese by tomorrow. I would assume that they will be published in the next edition of the newspaper. HE is a former Latin teacher, so I am hoping that he has some interest in the 'Latin Mass' and will support it here at home, but we'll see.

The Salzburg Catholic Theme Park

Last night on TV was The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer (who reportedly said of working with Andrews that it was like being hit over the head by Valentine's Day everyday). Of course, Fraulein (I have heard from a German that 'fraulein' is now not used for 'miss', it's viewed as impolite) Maria leaves the abbey and goes off to serve as governess of the von Trapp children and promptly turns them into great singers and so on.

On top of the singing and the lyrics that I totally remembered and even the hand gestures of Max (:D), last night I was paying attention to the churches and the abbey in particular during those parts. Robert Wise's montages of the local ecclesiastical architecture, first forwards as Maria goes out into the world and then backwards when she retreats to the abbey, was quite impressive.

I wonder about how much of all that survived post-Vatican II and the modern world?

Papal diplomacy II

Here we looked at the article in The Economist that called on the Holy See to shed its sovereignty and become one large NGO (non-governmental organization) along the lines of the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders.

At the time, I really didn't feel like going through and talking about it, but I asked a couple of questions for readers to think about. They were:

But would that be the best method of getting across the Catholic message in an institutional way? Aside from the historical and traditional points surrounding the Papal States, Vatican City and the juridical status of the Holy See, diplomatic status does have its benefits for the Pope's nuncios.

Now, the secretary for relations with states, Archbishop Mamberti, has responded in the Italian bishops' newspaper Avvenire. His reply to The Economist's piece has been translated and quoted by Sandro Magister at www.chiesa for our edification.

The archbishop:

“This is certainly not an acceptable invitation! It may have arisen from an imprecise understanding of the Holy See’s position in the international community: a position that can be traced back to the beginning of the international community itself, and has been reinforced above all since the end of the nineteenth century.

“With the disappearance of the Papal States, it has, in fact, become increasingly more clear that the Holy See’s international juridical personality is independent of the criterion of territorial sovereignty. This situation is accepted tranquilly by the international community both on the bilateral level – I recall that there are almost 180 countries that maintain diplomatic relations with the Holy See – and on the multilateral level, as shown in particular by the UN general assembly resolution 58/314 of 2004, which expanded the range and prerogatives of the Holy See’s action as a permanent observer at the UN.

“Behind the invitation to reduce itself to a non-governmental organization, apart from a lack of understanding of the Holy See’s juridical status, there is probably also a reductionist vision of its mission, which is not sectarian or linked to special interests, but is universal and inclusive of all the dimensions of man and humanity.

“This is why the Holy See’s activity within the international community is often a ‘sign of contradiction’, because it does not cease to raise its voice in defense of the dignity of each person and of the sacredness of all human life, above all the most vulnerable, and in defense of the family founded upon marriage between one man and one woman. It does not cease to assert the fundamental right to religious freedom, and to promote relations among individuals and peoples founded upon justice and solidarity.

“In carrying out its international role, the Holy See is always at the service of the comprehensive salvation of man, according to Christ’s commandment. It comes as no surprise that there are some who seek to diminish the resonance of its voice!”

Magister goes on with various facts and figures and he makes the argument that this move is meant to silence the Holy See. It can be all for peace in Burundi, but on the topics of abortion or euthanasia, it ought to be silent and so on. Magister notes though that the Holy See has relations with almost two-hundred states and they in the form of the General Assembly of the UN have only strengthened the Holy See's position in that body.

Stuff

Magister has profiles of two up and coming gentlemen in the Curia. The gist of the entire piece is that scholars in much the same mold of Benedict XVI are being appointed here and there to the 'cultural' positions of the Curia. If anyone knows of the scholarly credentials of those in such positions of power as the Secretariat of State, the Congregation for the Clergy or CDF, I'd be interested in knowing more...

Long-time blogger Amy has moved on from Open Book to a more personal blog. We wish her well in her new endeavor and hope that her time for writing valuable works expands as she hopes. Good luck and God bless.

Sistani

Moving aside from personal thoughts to more worldly topics, Magister has a piece today on Grand Ayatollah Sistani, the religious leader of the Shi'ites of Iraq and a man we've mentioned at this blog a few different times.

The piece mentions how because of Sistani's moderate viewpoints, he has been the target of various assassination attempts and his co-workers have been killed one by one. Magister's quote of the words of the Chaldean patriarch after meeting Sistani are instructive:

“The grand ayatollah received us with a warm ’welcome,’ he spent an hour with us, and at the end he did not disguise his satisfaction. Our common desire is that of finding a way to bring peace and tranquility to the country. We both know that Iraq is sick, but we want to find together the medicines to heal it. We talked together like two brothers who love each other.”

Magister also notes the grand ayatollah's response to the Regensburg speech which sharply contrasted with much of the Muslim world:

In September of 2006, during the days of violent anti-papal protest that exploded in the Muslim world after Benedict XVI’s lecture in Regensburg, representatives from Sistani paid two visits to the secretary of the Vatican nunciature in Baghdad, Thomas Hlim Sbib, in order to express esteem and friendship toward Benedict XVI, and the desire for a meeting with him in Rome.

Magister rightly points to the /religious/ background of Sistani's moderation which is a traditional look at Shi'ism. Shi'ism looks to the twelfth imam who has left this world and will return again someday. While Khomeini's revolution in Iran was not only a political one, but also a religious one in redefining Shi'ism, Sistani holds to the old ways:

Amir Taheri, an Iranian intellectual exiled in the West, says: “For Sistani, power belongs to the twelfth imam. But since he is gone, it passes to the people. The final decision is to be made by the individual on the basis of reason, the greatest gift from God. Sistani’s vision is Aristotelian, a society of pious citizens.”

The grand ayatollah's website may be found at www.sistani.org.

A loss...

...of faith? Hardly. Despite my circumstances, my belief in the Divine remains steadfast.

Rather, I look back at the old question of the Divine plan for myself. As you all know, I explored the priesthood for a little bit. As I learned though, due to my physical infirmities, that was ruled out. That left marriage and a family as I did not really see myself following in the path of those worthy souls who have chosen the path of lifelong virginity.

Well, I had my surgery back in March and while thanks to my guardian angels and those saints up there who are looking out for me I survived, I am faced with the prospect that I will never eat again and will require a feeding pump eighteen hours a day from now until the day I die.

So where does that leave me? Trust in medical science to someday come up with something? A miracle? Or do I trust in the Lord and join Him on the way to Calvary?

There are other things I worry about as far as finding a job, being a husband, a father or just being single from here on out, but that's pretty much it. That's about it.

Communion question

Since my surgery, I've not be able to swallow solids. I have been able to swallow liquids, but only through a straw because my mouth doesn't work and then I usually cough up icky stuff from the back of my throat.

For you priests and informed laypersons, what's my best option for Communion?

The tyranny of the majority

Magister has a piece on the motu proprio that Benedict XVI released regarding the election of the Pope. As we recall, it changed John Paul II's constitution and did away with the absolute majority provision after thirty-four ballots.

In the piece, an essay written by a prominent 'progressive' is given. In that essay is an interesting thought experiment detailing how the second 1978 conclave might have gone had it been under the rules promulgated by its eventual winner and it offers insight into the history of the Church ruled by the tyranny of the majority.

Papal diplomacy

The Economist has an article on the Papal diplomatic service and its reputation around the world. To make a long story short, they're tireless and efficient or so we're led to believe.

But what interests me more is the editorial stance of the article to the effect that the Holy See should drop its status as a sovereign entity and start being the largest NGO of the world. But would that be the best method of getting across the Catholic message in an institutional way? Aside from the historical and traditional points surrounding the Papal States, Vatican City and the juridical status of the Holy See, diplomatic status does have its benefits for the Pope's nuncios.

Read and think about it.

On the frontier

Sandro Magister has a piece on the Church in the Congo. He explains through a first person account of a priest the difficulty in getting the news or even the Pope's book to the interior of that country and others like it.

Raphaël Dila Ciendela, 44, a priest of the diocese of Mbujimayi, found out only at the beginning of June that pope Benedict XVI had published – almost two months earlier, on April 16 – the book entitled “Jesus of Nazareth.”

“I learned about it by chance, while talking with a priest friend, the rector of a seminary in my diocese, who had received the volume from a confrere who had just returned from Europe.”

Soon after it was Fr. Raphaël’s turn to take a trip to Europe. That was when he had the chance to see with his own eyes, for the first time, a copy of the volume.

“It was June 21, and I had just arrived in Italy. I saw the book by chance at the home of a friend of mine in Pisa. I finally bought the French edition for myself in Bordeaux, on July 11, the feast of Saint Benedict.”

Magister talks about the spotting internet access, the lack of TV, newspapers, book, etc. Jusb about the only thing they have is radio and there they must rely on things like the BBC and Vatican Radio on shortwave.

There are of course the usual recommendations for the Holy See:

End of story. In the Vatican, the secretariat of state, the pontifical commission for social communications, and the other officials in charge of media matters should place at the top of their agenda this very problem: how to bring news and documents from Rome quickly to the diocese of Mbujimayi and to all the other regions of the Church that find themselves in a similar situation, not only in Africa.

And all the more so in that these segments of the Catholic population are not the rear guard of the Church. They are often the youngest and most lively components, with the most fervent faith, the strongest missionary impulse. They are its future.

Going to the library

The BBC has a story on the upcoming closure of the Vatican Library until 2010. Scholars complain about their disrupted schedules, etc. etc.

There is a lot of good information on the library itself.

The Vatican Library was started by Pope Nicholas V in the early 1450s with an initial 350 Latin manuscripts. By the time he died in 1455, the collection comprised some 1,500 documents and was already the largest in Europe.

The collection now contains more than 1.5 million printed books, in addition to 150,000 precious manuscripts, the earliest of which date back to the days of the late Roman Empire.
[...]

One of the library's greatest treasures is the Codex Vaticanus, the world's oldest Bible, written by hand in the days of the first Christian Emperor Constantine, early in the 4th Century AD.
[...]

Mr Piazzoni, a layman, is proud that the Vatican Library is in the vanguard of digital technology. Microchips have already been installed inside some valuable books, which tell librarians if a book is missing from its regular stack.

In co-operation with a Japanese company, new techniques have also been developed to read palimpsests, or ancient documents that have been written over again in the days when parchment or paper was a valuable commodity.

"Using ultraviolet rays we can now easily scan documents digitally to reveal the writing underneath, which is invisible to the naked eye," Mr Piazzoni said.

I asked him why stacks of old card indexes still fill one of the reading rooms when the library catalogue has been transferred to a digital database.

"We shall never destroy them because scholars often prefer to use the old library cards, and they are a permanent record which we can always use to check possible mistakes in the database," he explained.

A pope speaks out

CAIRO (Reuters) - Pope Shenouda III, the head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church, criticised Pope Benedict on Saturday over a Vatican document asserting Catholic primacy, saying his pride in Catholicism was making him enemies.

"The man (Pope Benedict) makes enemies every time. In his first statements a few months back, he lost all the Muslims. And now this time, he lost a lot of the Christian denominations because he has begun to err against Christians themselves," Shenouda told the state-run daily Al-Ahram.

Article link

Pride in Catholicism... I bet almost every martyr who has ever lived and has ever died for the Faith has had Pride in Catholicism. But you know, that kind of Pride just isn't appropriate when directed towards others, even if it has been Catholic teaching for how many centuries?

Three reasons

Michael McGough of The LA Times has a piece on the MP.

This little snippet really says a lot:

The worst-case scenario is that the pope is reaching out to traditionalist followers of the late "rebel archbishop" Marcel Lefebvre, whose followers have problems with post-Vatican II Catholicism that extend well beyond the language in which the Mass is recited.

By God, it's a damned travesty if the Pope actually reaches out right instead of left!

Someone's got it backwards

From swissinfo.org:

The Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches said in a statement that Rome's position threatened past ecumenical progress. It added that it was concerned that the Catholics would "no longer be in universal communion with other churches."

Shouldn't that be universal communion with the Catholic Church? I assume this quote is in referring to protestant groups: I didn't realize we were in universal anything with them...

It can't be broken if it never existed in the first place. But thanks for playing.

EDITORIAL: Comments

If you're going to comment with something along the lines of 'There is no God' or 'There is no Pope' or 'I didn't have a choice', don't bother. Comments are moderated and I'm just going to reject those.

The other day, I got in my inbox a message for a comment to be moderated. It was a link to a YouTube movie that I /watched/ with images and text that made the point as far as I could tell that someone was unhappy because he 'didn't have a choice' as far as a religion while he was still a minor living off his parents' dime. Maybe the movie had a point and maybe it didn't, but any longtime reader will be smart enough to remember my physical condition and not post links to YouTube considering that such movies are notorious for not being closed captioned for the hearing impaired...

The interweb is a great thing, but podcasts and vidcasts are kind of pointless to those who can't hear them. :)

How many minutes to Midnight?

"Basically, what we are in the grip of at the moment, and Benedict is one of the engineers of this, is what I would call a strong re-assertion of traditional Catholic identity,"

-John Allen, quoted by a Reuters story entitled, "Is Pope Benedict turning back Catholic clock?"

Father Reese of America fame chimes in in the same article:

"This is the Pope being the German professor who is going to clarify language in his classroom," said Father Tom Reese, senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. "And he thinks the world is his classroom."

"The problem with that is that he defines what a church is and by doing so takes any discussion of what a church is off the table in dialogue (with other religions)," said Reese, a leading U.S. Jesuit author.
[...]

"His intention is not to insult people but many times that's the way it come across," Reese said. "He uses words the way he defines them whether people like it or not, whether it upsets gays, women, theologians, Protestants or Muslims."

George Weigel, a prominent U.S. lay Catholic theologian, author and leading conservative commentator:

"Christian communities which maintain a clear sense of their doctrinal and moral boundaries can not only survive the encounter with modernity, they can flourish within it. Whereas Christian communities which fudge their boundaries tend to wither and eventually die,"

And of course Mr. Allen gets the last word:

"The Vatican's calculation is that the retrenchment we are going through now may result in a smaller church but it will be a church that is more focused, more energetic, and in the long term that will pay off,"

Have fun as pundits, guys. I know I didn't reading you. :/

For Father Tucker...

...who quoted Barry Goldwater here.

Another quote that might not go along with his point but bears thinking about:

I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.

-Speech accepting the Republican Presidential Nomination

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.