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BENEDICT XVI: NEWS, PAPAL TEXTS, PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY

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This is a rare and unusually informative interview which hits several birds with one stone, as the subject not only can talk about the 'scandal of the moment' very authoritatively in view of his position, and about Pope Benedict XVI, with whom he worked closely for more than a decade, and of Malta and the Pope's coming visit there, since he is from Malta.


Mons. Charles Scicluna:
'Benedict XVI has great warmth
and great humility'

Interview by Steve Malia
Sunday Times of Malta

April 11, 2010




Mgr Charles Scicluna knows the Pope personally and is one of the most senior figures in the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith at the Vatican, which deals with cases of sexual abuse involving priests. He talks to Steve Mallia about Benedict XVI and the controversy engulfing the Church.

What does Pope Benedict's visit to Malta mean to you?
I see it as an opportunity to renew my faith, because the Pope is a focal point of our experience of faith in Jesus Christ... Being Catholic is being part of a great community and the Pope is the focal point of Catholic unity. Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI have always gone on these journeys in a pastoral spirit.

When Benedict visited Australia the newspapers there forgot the very negative coverage they had served up in the days immediately before the visit. The headline on the Sydney Herald read: 'A tsunami of faith and joy'. The experience was extraordinary.

Some people would argue that this Pope is considerably less popular than his predecessor.
He has a different charisma. I was at a supper with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the home of an official from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith before the conclave (which elected the Pontiff) in 2005, and we were discussing the next Pope. I remember Cardinal Ratzinger saying that John Paul II was a great man who left a great legacy, but the new Pope had to be himself and that everybody had a special gift to bring to the Church. When you're Pope your gift becomes very public. Benedict has his own special gifts.

The gift of communication does not seem to be one of them.
I think there is a different style of communication. Many people find it easy to listen to what Pope Benedict has to say but at the same time they find it very profound. The rhythm of applause among the congregation is different too.

John Paul II used to be applauded after every sentence. It's different with Benedict as people listen more. The applause is no less enthusiastic but it comes at the end. People have recognised that his style is very profound and very enriching. With John Paul II it was also enriching, but in a different way.

Some people would describe this Pope as cold. From your experience with him would you subscribe to that?
Not at all. He's a timid character. He did not have acting experience that Karol Woytila gained in Krakow as a young man - though he is an accomplished musician.

Having worked for Pope Benedict, I would say he is a very warm and courteous person whom I have never seen hurting anybody. He has great depth and enormous respect for others - which comes from great warmth.

How has he displayed this?
When I worked with him we were dealing with very serious matters such as sexual abuse of minors by priests. He's a man of faith, great intelligence, but also great intellectual honesty. A certain wisdom that comes from great humility - the ability to learn even at a mature age and to listen to others.

He also possesses the extraordinary gift of synthesis - he's able to take whatever he's listening to and turn it into something that's new but also something that's respectful of the input he has received.

The last Papal visit was 10 years ago. Has Catholic Malta changed in the past decade?
Malta has changed, we all know that. Even the role of the Church within Maltese society has changed, so we have a different paradigm and different challenges. The Pope, who knows Europe very well, will be able to address our new situation with great wisdom and great courage.

Has Malta changed for the worse in terms of values?
I wouldn't necessarily describe the change as negative. There are new challenges and new opportunities. We have become more cosmopolitan and that obviously flies in the face of a certain insular mentality that comes from our geography.

We have to redefine what makes us Maltese, so the Church and the Christian faith need to own their rightful place in the hearts of the Maltese. They should not take this for granted and I do not think they are taking this for granted. It is not a negative thing, but a new challenge for pastoral ministry in Malta and Gozo.

Fewer Maltese are going to Church. Is Malta a more secular nation these days?
That's very obvious and Church statistics show that. I would make a distinction between practising the faith and being Catholic. There is a great movement in Europe, which is very obvious, of Catholics who move away from practice but who still define themselves as Catholics. This is also a great challenge for the Church in Europe.

I went to Tanzania in July last year and was impressed by how vivid, colourful and joyful the Sunday liturgies were and people travelled long distances to listen to them. Unfortunately, fewer Catholics in Europe look forward to the Sunday liturgy and that is a challenge for the Church.

Is it failing to engage them?
To a certain extent, yes, which means our people need an experience of faith. They are not necessarily interested in ritual which does not speak to their hearts. If the Sunday liturgy in a parish were a celebration of Easter - because Sunday is the weekly Easter celebration - then I think it would attract more people.

However, I don't think it's just a question of the liturgy but also of motivation: 'Why am I going? Can't I be using my time in a more useful way? By sleeping in, for example, doing sport or doing something I feel is also invigorating and nourishing.' That is a challenge for the Church.

If cultural motivation goes away, what other motivation do our people, particularly youngsters, have? Sunday Mass attendance is only a symptom of something bigger.

Can someone be a Catholic and not go to Mass on Sunday?
Ninety per cent of Catholics in Europe, taking France as an example, don't go to Mass on Sunday. These are Catholics who have not learnt to celebrate their faith. That also means a faith that is in danger of being petrified or solidified into something merely reminiscent of the past with no relevance to the here and now.

Should the Church look down on these people, as is sometimes the approach?
No, I don't think the Church should look down on anybody. The Church is there for everybody - even for those who choose not to go to Mass on Sundays. They become a special concern like a member of the family who decides he no longer wishes to take part in family gatherings.

You are the Promoter of Justice in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. What does that mean?
In very simple terms, I'm a prosecutor in cases concerning the dignity of the sacrament of the Eucharist, of penance and also sexual abuse of minors by priests. So my role is to oversee investigations if they are carried out directly by the Congregation and then to prosecute cases if they are referred to the tribunal of the Congregation.

Prosecute is a very strong term...
Yes, but it's necessary. My role is to bring evidence before the judge. If there are facts to support an allegation, we face it. If not, the prosecutor must say 'I do not have a case'. Truth has to prevail. But if the promoter of justice is convinced of the guilt of a cleric, he has the duty to see that justice is meted out.

One accusation is that people in your position have not been willing enough to be convinced of the guilt of your fellow priests.
The accusation that it's all in-house is very old and I think that efforts to render the process more transparent will only help the Church. The Church has to be very, very clear on a simple point: that we are interested in the truth because only the truth will set us free. When it comes to minors, the paramount concern is the safety of children in churches and in organisations run by the Church.

You went on record recently saying: "We have to get our act together and start working for more transparency in investigations and more adequate responses to the problem." Implicit in that statement is a criticism of the Church.
Yes. That comment echoes what Cardinal Ratzinger said in his 2005 Via Crucis at a time when we were dealing with cases and trying to manage the frustration some of them made us feel because justice was not meted out as it should be. We are on a learning curve and should learn to do things more expeditiously.

Why wasn't justice meted out as it should be?
The Pope in his letter to Ireland does try to address the issue of 'Why?' I think it's because of a misplaced sense of protecting the institution; the mentality that you don't criticise the clergy because otherwise you're going to betray the institution.

Who are you referring to? Bishops? Priests?
It depends. You will find it on all levels, even the inability of certain people to denounce abuse against minors.

You have talked of a 'culture of silence'...
That was a reference to Italy but it does not just apply to Italy. Asia is a concern, so is Africa and other parts of the world.

Would you say there is a culture of silence in Malta?
Yes. But with the setting up of the Response Team in 1999, the Maltese bishops gave a very clear signal to people who wanted to express concern and they gave them a reference point - not only a place but also people to whom they could direct their grievance. This is a great plus for the Maltese Church in this area as people know there is somebody in charge to address their concerns.

One accusation is that this Response Team, or the bishops, will not pass on a complaint to the police. You've gone on record as saying that the Church will follow the law of the country it is in. Don't you think it's more correct to refer complaints to the police in all cases?
A high-level prelate from a country where reporting is mandatory told me he had met people who said that going to the police and the courts had done them a lot of harm. Sexual abuse is a criminal act and the authorities should make that clear.

But in Malta we still have this principle, as Judge Victor Caruana Colombo explained, that the police need the consent of the victim in order to proceed. I understand the practice within the context of a very small society like ours where a person may seek redress but prefers to shy away from a public spectacle which would be more humiliating than empowering.

But, at the same time, this approach promotes the culture of silence.
It promotes it only if the victim has no access to a social service network or Church agency. The situation is tragic if you are left to weep alone and suffer the consequences of sexual abuse.

The abuse by priests in Ireland has hit hard. Why did the Pope feel it was necessary to take the unusual step of writing a pastoral letter to the Irish?
Because the situation in Ireland is very tragic - in the sense that people feel betrayed by the Church. That is something the Pope himself expressed, as well as great humiliation and frustration at this turn of events. There is a sea change in Ireland. The Pope has to confirm his brethren in faith and that means acknowledging sin where it has taken place.

The situation became more serious when fingers started being pointed at the Pope directly - the accusations being that he failed to take action against Fr Lawrence Murphy who abused children in the US as well and against a German priest, Fr Peter Hullermann. Do you think the Pope is innocent in relation to these accusations?
I am sure he is because I know his attitude to these cases. That is beyond doubt. The facts show that and journalists and public opinion would do well to consider those facts closely.

Regarding the Murphy case, the Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (Cardinal Ratzinger) was informed of the abuse - which happened in the 1950s - in 1996. Fr Murphy was very sick and, as happens in such cases, the Church first ensured he was of no risk to minors and, second, took care of the human condition of the priest. He actually died a few months after the final decision on his case was taken in 1998.

Regarding Fr Hullermann, the Archdiocese of Munich has gone on record saying that the Vicar General, Mgr Gerhard Gruber, who was responsible for the clergy, took the decisions in the case of the priest who was considered a high risk. I think that clears the facts with regard to the Pope.

Some people might say the vicar general was a scapegoat.
Munich is a very large archdiocese with 1,000 diocesan priests and the archbishop there would need to delegate responsibilities. When that happens, the vicar general would then have the power to decide on issues of this nature.

Should advanced age be a factor when it comes to taking action against a priest?
It is when it comes to penalties. The main concern is that the accused priest should not be a danger to children or young people. If such priests are old or bedridden, they are supervised and that is a very important concern for the community. If they are still a risk then of course, that is another question. People of mature age have been dismissed from the clerical state by the Pope because they would not agree to be placed under supervision. There is no single solution. Every case is a unique tragedy.

What steps have been taken by the Congregation in recent years to improve the safeguards?
Promotion of a safe environment for children is left to the individual diocese. The diocese has to promote the protection of children on its own territory. It also has to be responsible for the screening of personnel - clergy and non-clergy - as well as liaising with the statutory authorities to be able to implement any safeguards.

So it is not the responsibility of the Congregation to enforce or impose protection of children policies, but we are responsible for the negative side - that is, people who offend are brought to our tribunal. That is our specific role.

Does the Congregation view paedophilia as an incurable condition?
This is not a question of dogma or doctrine, but a question of psychology and human sciences - which have developed on this aspect in recent years. There are compulsive paedophiles who are sick and who cannot control their compulsion.

However, most cases (60 per cent) involve ephebophilia (sexual preference for mid-to-late adolescents). If you're talking about sexual relations with a 17-year-old, that would be heterosexuality or homosexuality. So diagnosis has to be carried out on a case by case basis and we would need expert advice before deciding.

Does the Church now just want to get rid of these priests?
Dismissing the person from the clerical state means they have no status as clergy and they cannot abuse the trust people instinctively put in clergy. We have to ensure they are not destitute - that is what Canon Law demands - but the outcome of the future of such people is a concern which the Church has to share with society.

How has this issue affected the morale of the Church - in Rome and outside of Rome?
The current pressure doesn't help morale. But I think Catholics are used to being under pressure and this is another type. However, I find that all this pressure not only humiliates us but purifies our commitment and also gives us a deeper understanding of the virtue of hope - which is about persevering in moments of tribulation.

In his encyclical Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope), Pope Benedict talks in a very beautiful way of the gift the virtue of hope gives us. In moments of great tribulation and humiliation, the virtue of hope helps us to go on, to go forward and helps us survive through the storm.

Some people have described the Church's current predicament as a crisis. Do you see it like that?
If crisis means a turning point, then it's welcome. Because that means that whatever good comes from this - and good will come from this - is going to change the way we look at certain problems and the way we address them. Crises are also opportunities. And these are very good opportunities for us to grow.




NB: I posted the ff article just before having to leave this morning, before I had a chance to go through it - but I was wary because during the 2008 presidential campaign, Kmiec, a staunch supporter of Barack Obama and who was hoping to be named his ambassador to the Vatican, said quite a lot of dumb if not objectionable things about orthodox Catholic teaching. He is an ultra-liberal Catholic, whose words I would consider coming from a forked tongue!... And indeed this article is infinitely worse than I thought it could be - and especially inappropriate in many ways, coming from an ambassador of the United States. DO NOT BE TAKEN IN by the 'promising' title


The irrelevancy of scandal
to love of the Catholic Church

by Douglas Kmiec
US Ambassador to Malta

April 11, 2010


With great anticipation and happiness, Malta awaits the visit of the Holy Father in the coming week. Formally celebrating the 1,950th anniversary of St Paul's arrival on the island, my own sense is that the purpose of Pope Benedict XVI's visit has a larger purpose: specifically, to witness first-hand the vibrancy of the Catholic Church in Malta as the Holy Father prayerfully searches for answers for why so many Catholics elsewhere in the world are adrift from their faith.

It is far too easy to blame the highly publicised priestly scandal for the alienation of Catholics in Europe or the United States. The declines in Mass attendance, vocations, and marriage within the Church preceded widespread knowledge of the ugly behaviour on the part of a tiny fraction of errant priests by decades.

This is not to dismiss the scandal as inconsequential, especially for the families affected. One paedophile priest is enough to ruin a life. Nor is it meant to contradict the Pope's working hypothesis for ecclesiastical decline in Europe: namely, cultural secularism. It is to suggest, however, that understanding the diminished standing of the Catholic Church outside Malta requires a more careful inquiry into the reasons for, and not just the fact of, secularity.

As will be seen, the Church makes a fundamental error when it misdirects too much of its effort towards enacting moral instruction into law rather than converting the hearts and minds of the faithful. [What moral instruction has the Church 'enacted into law'? God gave Moses the Ten Commandments at Sinai, and then the Son of God restated them into the one Great commandment. No other laws are needed, nor has the Church added any.]

The Church in America has unfortunately learned this lesson the hard way. Misdirecting the focus of the Church toward legal change, rather than personal, spiritual conversion, reduces the standing of the Church to ordinary lobbyist, alienates the non-Catholic members of the polity and leaves Catholics with far too little understanding of the obligations entailed by formation in the faith. [Kmiec is betraying his own political approach to everything. he has not really been listening to Benedict XVI or the other Popes before him if he thinks that the Church has ever considered Christian conversion, as in change of heart for the better, secondary to any political battles. And as though the Church were incapable of multi-tasking in any way. Its opposition to liberal laws that overturn two millennia of universal tradition with regard to abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage, is a defense of its basic doctrines, and it is just as entitled to this defense as Kmiec is defending his liberal views.]

Now more than ever, the Vatican understandably desires to hold up Malta to the world as an example [REALLY!!!], not of perfection, for the Maltese know better, but as a country where genuinely expressed contrition is encouraged by the model of Christ-like forgiveness still practised.

The scandal in the Church is numbing. One reason is because it seems to undermine the last of leg of the three-legged platform upon which modern society has rested: the integrity of the public official; the stability of family; and the pastoral, moral formation of individuals in the Church.

Presidents may have affairs or improperly give favours to campaign donors, but priests were different. Sometimes taking vows of poverty, they not only opined that it is blessed to be poor in spirit [Opined? Christ said so!] , they lived a life unencumbered by material obsession. Obedient to their religious superiors, priests submitted their very will to the service of others. And celibacy, extraordinary in any age to contemplate, seemed superhuman in a world where modesty is a forgotten norm and pornography seeps through every internet portal.

And the family? This "first cell of civilisation", as John Paul II described it, has had its own difficulty. Work has been favoured over child rearing by both parents. Couples forego marriage, inviting out of wedlock births with their now well-documented ill effects on the resulting children who then face greater risks of poverty, illiteracy, delinquency, and poor health.

Similar effects are experienced by the children of divorce, which while not recognised by the Catholic Church, has inevitably, if covertly, been pursued by Catholics as well. Hardly anyone made the case any longer in favour of marriage, save same-sex couples, as large numbers of men and women subordinated marriage to university, the first job, house, car, flat screen television, etc.

In the 1950s and 60s, the Church in America was thriving: Catholic school enrolments well above capacity; the election of the first Catholic President, John Kennedy, and a highly confident Church under John XXIII throwing open its windows to the world, and for the first time, acknowledging freedom of religion as a human right, premised not on being "the one, true" Church, but simply as a matter of human dignity.

The Church had a sex problem, however. [Contraception adn abortion are sex problems???]

In the 1960s, the beginnings of a more permissive age pressed to remove the view of the Catholic Church from the civil laws governing sexual behaviour. Laws against married couples using contraceptives were invalidated by the US Supreme Court and quickly extended to unmarried couples.

That precedent would legalise abortion in America and most countries around the globe would follow suit. Then and now, abortion was argued by some to be advanced contraception.

Appalled, Catholic intellectuals saw abortion and infanticide as one, and argued within the Church that modern forms of contraception be accepted. Paul VI said "no", preferring the perfect ideal of an inseparable procreative and unitive marital commitment. This is a beautiful image of marriage, but many Catholics disregard the teaching and began a duplicitous relationship with their faith.

The sorry tale of abuse, and transfer, and abuse again, began to be told in America in the mid-80s as a result of litigation in Louisiana. However, it would not be until Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law resigned in the early part of this first decade of the new millennium that the Vatican articulated its zero tolerance ethic which directs that a priest be separated from active ministry if there is a bona fide case of abuse.

Not every case is bona fide, of course. The late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin was falsely accused. Often the cases are decades old and well beyond the statute of limitations for criminal penalty. Even if a case was still fresh, the cases are not easy to prove given the lack of witnesses other than the victim.

All this has been known for some time. What is curious is why it has again suddenly flashed to page one. Perhaps it is the documentation that abuse was not confined to the US, but deep within even highly-Catholic Ireland. Perhaps it was the insinuation that the current Pope was aware of the problem and said little.

The secular press in the United States made this small, if obvious, fact into a major story and now there are calls for the Pope's resignation, full disclosure, and the lifting of the time bars which preclude prosecution or action for damages.

The scandal requires realism. On the facts as known, papal resignation is as unthinkable as full disclosure ought to be mandatory. Likewise, compulsory is prosecution of any priest still engaged in the sordid business.

That said, criminally prosecuting stale cases beyond the statute of limitations would likely violate principles of due process, and while damages suits are theoretically possible, the offending priests are almost always penniless, and the judgment then is simply a wealth transfer from one innocent set of parishioners to another.

When the money comes from a Church fund, the result is less money for schools, hospitals and the myriad other social goods supplied under Catholic auspices.

The love for the Church on this remarkable island of faith and family is manifest, strong, and indeed a great source of happiness. This was, frankly, obvious everywhere we worshipped during Holy Week, from the blessing of the chrism in St John's where hundreds of clergy recommitted to their priestly vows; to the Holy Thursday re-enactments of the Last Supper; the all-night vigils before the Eucharist, the seven church visits, the adoration of the cross on Good Friday and the stunning processions and crowds watching them for miles, to the vigil paschal candle bringing light back into a darkened world, to the Hallelujah first sung and then sent aloft to the heavens aboard abundant fireworks on Easter Sunday.

Since the story of abuse has been disclosed to Malta and the US alike, why does Malta's love for the Church eclipse that of the US?

Let me suggest a tentative response that may at first seem entirely counter-intuitive: the Church in America has sought to enact faith into law; Malta has depended more on the conversion of heart and mind, rather than legal sanction.


[Sounds to me like pandering to the Maltans. Surely that is not necessary. Also, it's not as if Malta has escaped secularization at all, even if 98% of the population is Catholic, and even if the beautiful religious traditions live on among the 'folk', the regular faithful.]

This tentative speculation may be resisted simply on the grounds that America's Constitution prohibits the establishment or favouring of one faith over another, while Malta gives acknowledged favour to the Catholic tradition. One might think, therefore, that it is Malta that depends on law's coercion not America. However, that's not the way it actually works.

Remember, Catholics in America saw the law of the land take a decidedly neutral (some would say 'hostile') turn in the 1960s and thereafter. Where laws once prohibited and punished fornication, adultery, the use of contraception, abortion, and divorce, today all of those practices are free of practical criminal or civil sanction. In Malta, most if not all of these behaviours remain unlawful.

In America, it is commonplace to hear clergy strongly denounce abortion, but then devote all of their attention not to changing the hearts and minds of those in front of them in the pew, but to mounting a campaign to have the law changed. [That is clearly a hostile, highly biased and indiscriminately generalized statement to denigrate any attempts by the Church to defend its doctrine.]

In America, the Church is much less likely to intervene in a troubled marriage with counselling and prayer than it is to run to the General Assembly to lobby against no-fault divorce.

In brief, faith in America is devoted to converting the law. Faith in Malta is focused on the formation of the person. The former is the trade of lobbyists and public officials; the latter is the vocation of theologians and pastors.


[What an arrant misrepresentation of 'faith in America'! Kmiec betrays his contempt for the Church for not buying into the secular liberal biases. But why should he slander the bishops, priests and faithful who sincerely try to live according to the faith they profess?]

Ask an American whether they love the Church and the answer will often depend on whether the Church is then promoting a liberal or conservative cause with which they concur. Healthcare, abortion, and immigration are all suitable topics for homiletic instruction, but in America these are frequently omitted from Church sermon, even as they are the staple of Church submissions before legislative testimony. [Kmiec does not seem to be aware that a homily is supposed to be based on the Gospel reading for the day, not on the topic-du-jour!]

There is nothing wrong with the Church reflecting upon the Gospel and suggesting how it might guide a citizen's perspective on contemporary social problems. However, seeing the Church itself as an 'institutional person' in the throes of politics has a profoundly negative effect on the spiritual capability of the Church. [What is the extent of these so-called 'throes of politics'? Are messages by the bishops to stand up for Catholic doctrine prohibited? On the other hand, it is precisely leftist 'Catholics' like Kmiec who aggressively peddle their views and endorse candidates who espouse those views. The Church does not endorse persons - only ideas - in these political battles!]

With priests understandably reluctant to be partisan in face-to-face pastoral instruction, the leadership of the American Church has been the opposite before legislative assembly. [You'd think that bishops and priests advocating orthodox Church practice were leading delegations to Congress and marches - when it is their opponents who are doing this all the time! ]

????Charges of hypocrisy result, which becomes anger when the particular position asserted by the institutional Church in the political arena, but not the pews, is antagonistic to one's own view.????? [Say again? Please use the active voice, with a proper subject, instead of a passive construction that makes no sense!]

Parish priests sensing the hostility pursue a strategy of substantive homiletic avoidance. Outside, the Church is perceived as partisan, while the sermons inside are often vapid with repetitive messages of 'can't we just all get along'. As it turns out, when the Church external has been acting more as politician than prelate, the answer is 'no, we can't'. [More senseless hodge-podge! Yet Kmiec can construct a simple straightforward sentence when he wants to!]

The value of avoiding these divisions is well understood in Malta where this lesson was re-learned the hard way. Many have recounted to me their discomfort with the Church for having taken sides between Labour and Nationalists in an era not very long ago.

Having once been denied Communion at a Mass in America for endorsing Barack Obama as President [Is this true at all???], I understand the depth of the wound of being excluded from the body of Christ for exercising one's prerogative as a citizen - even if my local bishop would later proclaim the denial wholly unjustifiable. (see Kmiec, Can a Catholic Support Him? Asking the Big Question about Barack Obama; Overlook/Penguin 2008). [How cheap! To use an article ostensibly to welcomee the Pope in order to shill his book!]

It is not enough to say it is wrong for the Church to be anti-Mintoff or anti-Obama. Of course, the denial of faith and the rankness of partisanship are worse when the Church is not only engaging in politics, but also doing so in a manner that takes on the role of precinct captain rewarding one's political friends and punishing one's political enemies.

[I believe the preceding paragraphs were the real object and objective of this lengthy exercise by Kmiec.]

For most of its history (with perhaps the single historical anomaly mentioned), Malta's exceptionalism has meant a strengthened faith through substantively robust instruction in the context of extraordinary liturgical worship. [Great, Kmiec sees Malta's exceptionalism, but not that of the United States, despite all its fialings and mistakes! What a sameless hypocritical panderer!]

The Holy Father has fingered secularism for the decline of the Church in Europe, and that may be right, but arguably it is the Church acting like a secularist that prompts a believer to see the Church, not as unique in voice and purpose, but fungible. It is easy to confuse the cause, imprudent partisan activity by the Church, with its effect - secular disinterest and an allergy against all things religious.

[I'm cutting off the rest of the paragraphs in which Kmiec continues to carry on his theme that the Church in the United States is 'consciously entwined with politics. You can find the full article here, if you can tolerate more of Kmiec's prose:
www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100411/opinion/the-irrelevancy-of-scandal-to-love-of-the-catholic...


In these weeks following Easter, as we recite the creed, let us truly rejoice in "the one true, Catholic and apostolic Church" that can still be found in Malta. Let us also pray that the Holy Father will be refreshed and encouraged by his visit here.

And pray for the Catholic Church in America,
may it again come to love the Church as Christ loved it, and as He loves us [Gee! Cardinal George and the entire USCCB should go down on their knees because the Secular Saint Douglas Kmiec is leading a prayer itnervention in favor of the US Church!] by never overlooking the unconditional availability of forgiveness even for those who have hurt or offended us unspeakably. [Oh, please!....]

Welcome, your Holiness. Be not afraid to be refreshed by the "uncommon kindness" that welcomed Paul almost two millenniums ago and that still sets human shortcoming and divisive partisanship aside in order to reaffirm that "above all, let your charity and zeal show how you love the Church. Your work is for the Church, which is the body of Christ." [And what should the Holy Father have to fear in Malta? Boors and vandals who disfigure his face on billboards?]

[I would have tossed the whole thing into the TOXICWASTE&LOONYBIN except that the Holy Father is visiting Malta - and this man uses the pretext of a 'welcome' article to ventilate his political positions against Church teachings that the Pope has called 'non-negotiable' - and to calumniate the US Church while he's at it. He's a loose cannon, and even Barack Obama knew better than to name him ambassador to the Vatican!]





Pastoral Letter on Pope Benedict XVI’s
first visit to Malta







Beloved Sons and Daughters,

It has always been our firm conviction that the shipwreck which caused the apostle Paul to be washed ashore on our islands did not happen merely by coincidence. In much the same way, today, we feel that it is indeed providential that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has chosen to make this pastoral visit to our country.

Two thousand years ago, during his short stay among us, and through his preaching of the Gospel, Paul introduced the Maltese and Gozitan people to Jesus Christ; as they came to know Him, Christian hope was instilled in their hearts.

In anticipation of the visit of His Holiness the Pope, and in order that this visit will not simply be a matter of ceremony, it would be appropriate to pause for a moment and ask: Where do we stand at present with respect to our faith and what are the fruits of the Gospel which we received so many years ago and which has shaped our identity and traditions?

We have no doubt that if we open up our hearts to embrace this occasion, it could be for us a moment of grace which will serve to encourage and fortify us in our faith.

Lately, as your Bishops, we have asked you to take a moment to discern the choices which today lie ahead of us, both as a society and as a Church. Peter asked that the first Christians would be “always ready to give an answer to every man who asks for the reason for the hope” that is to be found in them (1Peter 3,15).

There is no doubt that the successor of Peter, during his forthcoming visit, will ask of us something similar, more so in this day and age, when we live in a world which often demands that we substantiate our beliefs by practical reasoning.

We are convinced that the Pope, not only by the words which he will express to us, but also through his spirituality, will raise many questions about Christ and his message. We encourage everyone – not only those who are walking in the path of faith, but also those who feel burdened by the doubts of faith – to heed the Pope’s message.

We are not to be fearful of the challenges he will present us with; rather we should continue to seek and to raise questions regarding Christ’s message.

Embedded in the culture of our people are the foundations of the Church of Jesus Church, as laid down by Paul. Our ancestors continued to build upon those foundations. The history of our people is a testimonial to the fact that this Pauline Church has rendered great services for the benefit of Maltese society.

Nobody can deny that by conveying the Gospel to us, the Church has greatly enriched our culture. Today, at a time when we feel we are at crossroads in so many areas of our life and our faith, we are all called upon to renew and rejuvinate our Church in order that it may be as God ordained it: a Church which bears resemblance to the first Christian communities; a Church built, first and foremost, upon the Word of God and the Eucharist, particularly the Sunday Eucharist.

We do not wish to be a fearful Church, a Church behind closed doors. In spite of what some may think, neither do we wish to be a Church which imposes itself upon society and upon others.

We wish to be a Church which acquires its strength through the Word of God and through the testimony of those who are thoroughly convinced of their faith. We wish to be a Church that is not reluctant to enter into dialogue with the world and with all human beings, irrespective of their beliefs.

We reiterate that this is a moment of grace for us all. Just as Paul’s visit gave new life to the social set-up of that time, so too, this short stay of Pope Benedict among us, can provide the impetus required for us to focus once again upon the core of our faith, which in spite of having always been close to our hearts, is certainly in need of renewal.

The Pope’s profound personality, as well as his prophetic knowledge of our times – traits which emerge clearly upon reading his first Encyclicals – will enable usto open our eyes to our current situation.

We may expect the Pope to guide us in the proper direction in order that our country may continue to have a vision for the future which is not misleading, but rather to continue to embrace the Christian faith as a treasure which enhances, and not lowers, the dignity of the human person and its nation.

In the face of the tragedy of the shipwreck, the Maltese people welcomed Paul, supported him in his time of need and loved him. Today the Church – and most especially, the Pope, is also in troubled waters. There are those who are trying to silence his prophetic voice.

We feel that, like our forefathers, we are called upon to show our love for the Pope and ally ourselves with him. In this respect, during the forthcoming weekend, we invite the people of Malta and Gozo to welcome warmly the Pope, who will be visiting us in the name of the Lord!

We encourage you to participate in all the encounters which are being organized to celebrate the two days during which His Holiness will be among us.

This visit is indeed a moment of grace, and we entrust it to Our Mother Mary and the Apostle Paul.

We impart upon you our Apostolic Blessing.

PAUL CREMONA O.P.
Archbishop of Malta
MARIO GRECH
Bishop of Gozo





[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 13/04/2010 00:39]
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