Very unseemly, but one can no longer be surprised by the elementary errors habitually committed by the Vatican Press Office - which in its bulletin on this event, 1) mis-identifies the delegation as a 'Finnish Lutheran delegation', as it did last year (see Page 270 of this thread) and 2) does not even mention the name of the delegation leader, let alone its members (it's never a big delegation), which includes the Catholic Archbishop of Helsinki, who is the 'Eminence' addressed by the Pope in his salutation. He is Mons. Teemu Sippo, S.C.I., the first ethnic Finn to hold the office since the diocese was re-established after the Reformation.
It is unpardonably wrong to identify the ecumenical delegation that includes a Catholic Archbishop, as a 'Lutheran delegation'. And it is rude, as well as a breach of protocol, especially on this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, to treat the delegation as a nameless mass, since they represent the leaders of the major Christian confessions in Finland, including the Catholic Church. And this is a yearly event - it's not happening for the first time.[
Benedict XVI meets ecumenical
delegation from Finland
January 17, 2013
At 12 noon today, the Holy Father received in audience
an ecumenical delegation from the Lutheran Church of Finland [sic, in Italian] on the occasion of their annual pilgrimage to Rome to celebrate the Feast of St. Henrik, patron of Finland.
Here is the text of the Pope's address to the delegation:
Your Eminence,
Your Excellencies,
Dear Friends,
Once again I am happy to welcome your Ecumenical Delegation on its annual visit to Rome for the feast of Saint Henrik, the patron saint of Finland. It is fitting that our meeting takes place on the eve of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, whose theme this year is drawn from the Book of the Prophet Micah: "What does God require of us?" (cf.Mic 6:6-8).
The Prophet makes clear, of course, what the Lord requires of us: it is "to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God" (v. 8). The Christmas season which we have just celebrated reminds us that it is God who from the beginning has walked with us, and who, in the fullness of time, took flesh in order to save us from our sins and to guide our steps in the way of holiness, justice and peace.
Walking humbly in the presence of the Lord, in obedience to his saving word and with trust in his gracious plan, serves as an eloquent image not only of the life of faith, but also of our ecumenical journey on the path towards the full and visible unity of all Christians.
On this path of discipleship, we are called to advance together along the narrow road of fidelity to God’s sovereign will in facing whatever difficulties or obstacles we may eventually encounter.
To advance in the ways of ecumenical communion thus demands that we become ever more united in prayer, ever more committed to the pursuit of holiness, and ever more engaged in the areas of theological research and cooperation in the service of a just and fraternal society.
Along this way of spiritual ecumenism, we truly walk with God and with one another in justice and love (cf. Mic 6:8), for, as the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification affirms: "We are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works" (No. 15).
Dear friends, it is my hope that your visit to Rome will help to strengthen ecumenical relations between all Christians in Finland.
Let us thank God for all that has been achieved so far and let us pray that the Spirit of truth will guide Christ’s followers in your country towards ever greater love and unity as they strive to live in the light of the Gospel and to bring that light to the great moral issues facing our societies today.
By walking together in humility along the path of justice, mercy and righteousness which the Lord has pointed out to us, Christians will not only dwell in the truth, but also be beacons of joy and hope to all those who are looking for a sure point of reference in our rapidly changing world.
At the beginning of this New Year, I assure you of my closeness in prayer. Upon all of you I cordially invoke the wisdom, grace and peace of Jesus Christ our Redeemer.
Information about the FEC, including its member churches, observer churches and associate organizations may be found on
]http://www.ekumenia.fi/briefly_in_english/
With instant access to information, and therefore instant fact-checking, now made possible by the Internet, there is no excuse for any information agency or outlet to make elementary errors of commission or omission in reporting facts. One must assume the superiors at the Vatican communications offices are not even aware of these mistakes, or they would not be happening so frequently and egregiously. This apparent lack of supervisory interest and exercise is unacceptable under any circumstances, and unforgivable for those who are in charge of Vatican communications.
Remember this time last year when the MSM raised an outcry because the Vatican Press Office released Wikipedia biographies of the new cardinals announced by the Pope for the February 2012 consistory? Fr. Lombardi's excuse was that his office did not have time to prepare the data themselves - a) Could they not have asked the Congregation for Bishops which ought to have had all the biodata they need?; and b) Assuming the staff just wanted to take the easy way out, shouldn't their superiors have been aware of it and issued the necessary warning that "These data are taken from Wikipedia"? Granted, Fr. Lombardi has too many things on his plate, but surely, he has subordinates who should be looking out for these problems. It looks as if they are all just as complacent, and frankly derelict, in their duties, if not outright irresponsible.
Not to be sanctimonious, but insofar as my personal responsibility goes, although this is just an informal forum, I try my best to check out facts before I pass them on, and I am sure I am not 100% successful, but I do my best, and constantly expect to be corrected promptly by the followers of the Forum - it has happened occasionally, for which I am truly grateful - if I am in error. Anyone purveying information must have, at the minimum, an elementary sense of respect for the facts. It is truly troubling that there seem to be too many literal 'numb skulls' having a hand in Vatican communications.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 19/01/2013 21:11]