BENEDICT XVI: NEWS, PAPAL TEXTS, PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY

See preceding page for earlier posts today, 11/19/10. It's a big news day, including confirmation that the Holy Father will make his third visit to Germany next year.






This announcement today was anticipated, but not the specific extent to which preparations have been made for the Ordinariate nor the nearness of the benchmark dates set... What exciting and eventful days we are experiencing, in this, the sixth year of the Benedictine Pontificate! Did anyone say 'transitional'????


Bishops of England and Wales
issue statement on Ordinariate

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Statement on the Implementation
of the Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum Coetibus':
The Establishment of a Personal Ordinariate in England and Wales

Much has been achieved over many years as a result of the dialogue and the fruitful ecumenical relations which have developed between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

Obedient to the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ to His Heavenly Father, the unity of the Church remains a constant desire in the vision and life of Anglicans and Catholics. The prayer for Christian Unity is the prayer for the gift of full communion with each other. We must never tire of praying and working for this goal.

During his visit to the United Kingdom in September, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was therefore keen to stress that the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus: “…should be seen as a prophetic gesture that can contribute positively to the developing relations between Anglicans and Catholics. It helps us to set our sights on the ultimate goal of all ecumenical activity: the restoration of full ecclesial communion in the context of which the mutual exchange of gifts from our respective spiritual patrimonies serves as an enrichment to us all.”

It is now just over one year since the Apostolic Constitution was published. The Pope’s initiative provided for the establishment of personal Ordinariates as one of the ways in which members of the Anglican tradition may seek to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.

As the Holy Father stated at that time, he was responding to petitions received “repeatedly and insistently” by him from groups of Anglicans wishing “to be received into full communion individually as well as corporately.”

Since then, it has become clear that a number of Anglican clergy and their faithful do indeed wish to bring their desire for full ecclesial communion with the Catholic Church to realisation within an Ordinariate structure.

In collaboration with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in Rome, the Bishops of England and Wales have been preparing for the establishment of an Ordinariate early in January 2011. Although there may be practical difficulties in the months ahead, the Bishops are working to address these at a national and local level.

Five Anglican Bishops who currently intend to enter the Ordinariate have already announced their decision to resign from pastoral ministry in the Church of England with effect from 31 December 2010. They will enter into full communion with the Catholic Church early in January 2011.

During the same month, it is expected that the Decree establishing the Ordinariate will be issued and the name of the Ordinary to be appointed announced.

Soon afterwards, those non-retired former Anglican Bishops whose petitions to be ordained are accepted by the CDF, will be ordained to the Catholic Diaconate and Priesthood for service in the Ordinariate.

It is expected that the retired former Anglican Bishops whose petitions to be ordained are accepted by the CDF, will be ordained to the Catholic Diaconate and Priesthood prior to Lent.

This will enable them, together with the Ordinary and the other former Anglican Bishops, to assist with the preparation and reception of former Anglican clergy and their faithful into full communion with the Catholic Church during Holy Week.

Before the beginning of Lent, those Anglican clergy with groups of faithful who have decided to enter the Ordinariate will then begin a period of intense formation for ordination as Catholic priests.

At the beginning of Lent, the groups of faithful together with their pastors will be enrolled as candidates for the Ordinariate. Then, at a date to be agreed between the Ordinary and the local diocesan Bishop, they will be received into the Catholic Church and confirmed.

This will probably take place either during Holy Week, at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday or during the Easter Vigil. The period of formation for the faithful and their pastors will continue to Pentecost.

Until then, these communities will be cared for sacramentally by local clergy as arranged by the diocesan Bishop and the Ordinary.

Around Pentecost, those former Anglican priests whose petitions for ordination have been accepted by the CDF will be ordained to the Catholic Priesthood. Ordination to the Diaconate will precede this at some point during Eastertide. Formation in Catholic theology and pastoral practice will continue for an appropriate amount of time after ordination.

In responding generously and offering a warm welcome to those seeking full ecclesial communion with the Catholic Church within the Ordinariate, the Bishops know that the clergy and faithful who are on that journey of faith will bring their own spiritual treasures which will further enrich the spiritual life of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

The Bishops will do all they can to ensure that there is effective and close collaboration with the Ordinariate both at diocesan and parish levels.

Finally, with the blessings and encouragement they have received from Pope Benedict’s recent Visit, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales are resolved to continue their dialogue with other Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities on that journey towards the communion in faith and the fullness of unity for which Christ prayed.

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50 Anglican priests
'to defect to Catholic church'
By Paula Fentiman, PA

Friday, 19 November 2010


Around 50 Anglican priests are expected to defect to the Roman Catholic Church next year, Catholic leaders said today.

The clergy have registered their interest in a Vatican scheme for disaffected Anglicans and will undergo training and formation for priesthood in the Catholic Church.

The details emerged after it was announced last week that three serving bishops and two retired bishops will enter the ordinariate, which allows members of the Church of England to join the Roman Catholic Church while maintaining aspects of their spiritual heritage.

It comes after the Archbishop of Canterbury warned that some parishes will be left without priests as disaffected Anglicans switch to Rome.

Dr Rowan Williams said vicars "jumping ship" through the ordinariate would pose a practical challenge.

Speaking to Vatican Radio yesterday during a visit to Rome, he said: "There will be at least some parishes which will now be without priests, so we have a practical challenge here and there to supply."

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, told a press conference following a plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England that he did not feel guilty about the defection of Anglican clergy.

He referred to the Archbishop of Canterbury's comment that he did not view the scheme as an "aggressive act" and said the Catholic Church was responding to requests.

"This is a response to requests," he said. "It's very interesting that yesterday, speaking in Rome, Archbishop Rowan said he did not view this as an aggressive act, so I don't feel guilty.

"I think you have to be very sensitive to the point at which people arrive in their lives when they have a profound conviction about where and how they must live their Christian discipleship.

"It's out of respect for that imperative of conscience that all of this takes place.

"This is not a process of rivalry or competition between our two churches and, indeed, we believe that mutual strength is very important because we have a shared mission, because we have a shared task. We are not in competition over the task of trying to bring the gospel to this society."

The Archbishop said he hoped members of Anglican parishes losing priests and possibly part of the congregation to the Catholic Church would "understand" and "respect" their decision "as sensitively and profoundly as their Archbishop, the Archbishop of Canterbury, does".

The bishops who have confirmed they definitely intend to enter the ordinariate are the Rt Rev Andrew Burnham, Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Rev Keith Newton, Bishop of Richborough and the Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev John Broadhurst, the Roman Catholic Church said.

They will be joined by the Rt Rev Edwin Barnes, former bishop of Richborough, and the Rt Rev David Silk, former Bishop of Ballarat, Australia.

Bishop Alan Hopes, who is overseeing the implementation of the ordinariate, said around 30 groups are expected to feature in the initial establishment, although exact numbers are not yet known.

Setting out the timetable for the process, he told reporters the three serving bishops will join the Catholic Church "in full communion" in January and "soon afterwards" they will be ordained as Catholic priests.

The retired bishops will be ordained before Lent while other Anglican clergy and lay people who decide to defect will be received into the Catholic Church and confirmed during Holy Week, he said.

Former Anglican priests who are accepted will then be ordained following "rigorous formation" and training in Catholic clergy during a 12-week course and will be expected to continue their studies following ordination.

He said priests and their "faithful" who had expressed interest had already begun preparing.

It is not yet known how many more priests will decide to move across as the scheme is established, but the Catholic Church is seeking to put together a fund to finance it in its early days, with the Archbishop of Westminster saying his diocese had pledged £250,000 to the ordinariate.

Decisions and issues such as housing and locations would be made on a local basis and Archbishop Nichols denied the Catholic Church was "seeking to acquire property" in the form of buildings belonging to the Church of England.

A statement issued by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales said: "In responding generously and offering a warm welcome to those seeking full ecclesial communion with the Catholic Church within the ordinariate, the bishops know that the clergy and faithful who are on that journey of faith will bring their own spiritual treasures which will further enrich the spiritual life of the Catholic Church in England and Wales."


What a difference a year makes:
The mood about the Ordinariate has changed
by ANNA ARCO

Nov. 19, 2010


When Anglicanorum coetibus was announced at a press conference in London a year ago, tense-faced bishops faced aggressive questions from journalists. The Archbishop of Canterbury, looked grave and uncomfortable. It was clear that the papal document had shaken people.

The headlines that followed had the Holy Father parking his tanks on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s lawn; there was talk of poaching and the barque of Peter casting its nets in other waters.

Then there was talk of small groups: for a while it even seemed that an Ordinariate might never be established. Then there was silence. Then, little by little, the rumours started trickling out: 10 groups of Anglicans, no, 30. Twenty members of the clergy, no, 50. One bishop, no, suddenly there were five.



This morning Archbishop Vincent Nichols and Bishop Alan Hopes laid out the timetable which has been discussed behind the doors of the bishops’ conference’s plenary meeting, in quiet gatherings with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the shepherds of the Anglo-Catholic flock. There was a distinct shift of mood.

Perhaps Dr Rowan Williams’s comments yesterday prepared the ground. He told Vatican Radio: “I think if the Ordinariate helps people evaluate Anglican legacy or patrimony, well and good, I’m happy to praise God for it. I don’t see it as an aggressive act, meant to destabilise the relations of the Churches, and it remains to be seen just how large a movement we’re talking about.”

When Archbishop Nichols faced an aggressive question from a journalist, today, he alluded to Dr Williams’s remarks.
“It’s very interesting that yesterday, speaking in Rome, Archbishop Rowan said he did not view this as an aggressive act, so I don’t feel guilty,” he said.

“I think you have to be very sensitive to the point at which people arrive in their lives when they have a profound conviction about where and how they must live their Christian discipleship. It’s out of respect for that imperative of conscience that all of this takes place.

“This is not a process of rivalry or competition between our two churches and, indeed, we believe that mutual strength is very important because we have a shared mission, because we have a shared task. We are not in competition over the task of trying to bring the gospel to this society.”

His comments seem to illustrate another quiet shift. Perhaps Catholics are beginning be more sympathetic to the difficult process Anglo-Catholics often go through before they decide to take up Anglicanorum coetibus.

Come January, the Ordinariate will be announced by decree, the Holy Father will choose an Ordinary (who this will be remains unclear) and the three active bishops will be ordained into the Ordinariate in order to serve the lay people and clergy who will follow them.

Come Holy Week — possibly even in the Easter vigil — the groups of lay people and former Anglican clergy will be received. This is likely to be an poignant moment, both for them and for the Catholic Church in this country.

Vatican communique on today's
'Day of Prayer and Reflection'
for the Pope and cardinals
(Morning session)
Translated from

Nov, 19, 2010

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1. The day of prayer and study with the College of Cardinals convoked by the Holy Father Benedict XVI on the occasion of creating 24 new cardinals, began this morning, Friday, Nov. 19.

2. At the start of the meeting, which took place in the New Synod Hall, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of cardinals, delivered a greeting to the Pope in the name of everyone present, thanking him for the recent beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman and for initiating the process of beatification for Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan, glory of the Vietnamese Church.




3. The Holy Father then took the floor and introduced the two subjects for the morning discussion. As to the first, he recalled that in the Lord's mandate to announce his Gospel, the exigency of freedom to do so was implicit, but throughout history, it has encountered diverse opposition.

The relationship between truth and freedom is essential, he said, but today, it faces a great challenge from relativism, which only seems to advocate the concept of freedom but in fact, risks destroying it in seeking to impose its 'dictatorship'.

Thus, he said, we find ourselves in a time of difficult commitment to affirm the freedom to announce the truth of the Gospel and the great acquisitions of Christian culture.

As for the second topic, the Pope recalled the essential importance of liturgy in the life of the Church, because it is the place of God's presence among us, and therefore, the place where Truth lives with us.

4. The morning session then discussed the two topics: freedom of the Church today, introduced by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State; and liturgy in the life of the Church, introduced by Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship.



5. Cardinal Bertone presented a panoramic overview of the attempts these days to limit the freedom of Christians in various parts of the world.

First, he called for considering the situation of religious freedom in the countries of the West. Although these are nations which generally owe to Christianity the profound features of their identity and culture, today they are in a process of secularization with attempts to marginalize the spiritual values of social life.

Second, the Secretary of State discussed the situation of religious freedom in the Islamic countries, recalling the conclusions drawn by the recent Special Synodal Assembly on the Middle East.

Finally, he discussed the activities of the Holy See and local bishops in defense of Catholics in the West as in the East. He also referred to the Holy See's commitments in the international field to promote respect for religious freedom both with individual states as well as with the United Nations.



6. Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera spoke on the importance of liturgical prayer in the life of the Church, referring to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and the Magisterium of Benedict XVI. In particular, he emphasized the importance of faithfulness to prescribed liturgical discipline.

7. During the discussions that followed the presentations, 18 cardinals spoke to consider more deeply the problem of religious freedom and the difficulties encountered by the Church in various parts of the world. Specific situations were discussed in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Islamic countries.

The cardinals also cited the serious difficulties encountered by the Church in the defense of values based on natural law, especially respect for life and for the family.

Also discussed was the state of inter-religious dialog, especially with Islam. Suggestions were made for concrete commitments to meet challenges in this area.

The discussions on the liturgy dwelt on the centrality of the Eucharistic celebration in the life of the Church, and on the respect demanded by the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

Further discussions were expected in the afternoon session.

8. At 1 p.m., the Holy Father hosted luncheon for the cardinals.

9. Two reports are expected in the afternoon session. The first, by William Cardinal Levada, is on the norms adopted by the Holy See for accepting Anglican clergy and faithful into the Catholic Church, and in behalf of minors who have been victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy.

The second presentation was to be by Archbishop Angelo Amato, on the relevance today of the Instruction Dominus Iesus on Jesus Christ as the one Savior, ten years since it was promulgated.

10. Besides the present cardinals, also in attendance were the 24 prelates who will formally be named cardinal tomorrow. A total of about 150 cardinals were present. Many had requested the Holy Father to excuse them for their absence due to health reasons or because of urgent pastoral commitments in their respective dioceses.

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The Pope leaves Aula Paolo VI after lunch with the cardinals:



Collegiality in the Church:
The Pope and the cardinals

Nov. 19, 2010

The appointment of new cardinals is always awaited with intense curiosity not only in the Church, but also by outside observers. As soon as the Pope announced the names of new cardinals a series of comments of the most varied perspectives began, statistical observations, calculations of the relative weights of nationalities, continents, and so on.

Of course in his nominations the Pope takes many different criteria into account, first among which are certainly duties in the service of Church and the universality of representation.

In this way the Pope forms a group of prominent personalities, who are entrusted with the crucial task of the election of the Successor of Peter, but who must also cooperate and support the Pope in his ministry with full spiritual solidarity.

The day of prayer and reflection that begins the November consistory, despite its inevitable brevity, reveals two important aspects of the function and the spirit in which the College of Cardinals operates and that should not be forgotten: prayer and reflection.

The Pope wants to pray with those who give the closest support to his service and wants to participate in their joint reflection. We can also observe that he wants to share a meal with them, which is perhaps of secondary importance, but not meaningless.

It is a community that meets, sharing responsibilities and concerns over the main problems that the Church faces in the world.

Benedict XVI follows and listens to every contribution with great attention, as he did in the weeks of the Synod of Bishops, as he does in the frequent ad Limina visits by group of Bishops from all parts of the world (at least 20 different groups in one year) in countless audiences and private encounters. His service is deeply embedded in the experience of the world’s episcopate.

Now, the days of the Consistory highlight another dimension of the "collegiality" of his style of government of the Church. We all accompany him with attention and prayer.


Communique on the afternoon session
Translated from

Nov, 19, 2010

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The afternoon session started at 5 p.m.. with Vespers, followed by the three presentations on the program.

First, Archbishop Angelo Amato spoke on the Declaration Dominus Iesus from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 10 years since its publication. He noted that it clarified some fundamental Christological and ecclesiological truths, that relaunched ecumenical and inter-religious dialog on the basis of a precise Catholic identity.

At the same time, he said, it did not close the way to positive research as indicated by the (Second Vatican) Council on the great question of the salvation of Christians.

Finally, he noted that Dominus Iesus, warning against misguided pluralism, continues to be a valid reminder of doctrinal and pastoral clarity that provides a basis for catecheses, for the new evangelization and for the missio ad gentes.

Cardinal William Levada then presented the two reports entrusted to him: on the "Response of the Church to cases of sexual abuse: Towards a common orientation" and on "The Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus".

In the first, the Cardinal gave an update on the current canonical legislations pertaining to the crime of sexual abuse of minors, and cited some observations regarding the wider responsibility of bishops for the care of the faithful entrusted to them - inspired, he said, by the words of the Holy Father and by his example of listening to the victims and receiving them.

He spoke of collaborating with civilian authorities and the need for effective commitment in protecting children and young people in their care, as well as careful selection and formation of future priests and religious.

Finally, he informed the assembly that the Congregation was preparing a circular Letter to the various bishops' conferences on guidelines for a coordinated and effective program following the abovementioned indications.

In the second report, Cardinal Levada explained the nature and origin of the Apostolic Constitution on the institution of Ordinariates for Anglican faithful who desire to enter 'corporatively' into full Communion with the Catholic Church.

He explained the ecumenical context and the present status of the constitution of these ordinariates, the first of which will be set up in Great Britain, as explained by the statement issued earlier today by the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.

In the ensuing discussions, 12 cardinals intervened (bringing the total interventions to 30). Some of them spoke about the topics considered in the morning session - religious freedom and liturgy - while the rest dwelt on the Church response to the problem of sexual abuse by the clergy.

Among others, it was suggested that the bishops' conferences be encouraged to develop plans that are effective, timely, detailed, complete and decisive, for the protection of minors, with due consideration of the multiple aspects of the problem, and to establish the necessary lines of intervention to bring justice, assistance to victims, and for the proper the formation of priests - even in the countries where the problem has not been manifested as obviously and as tragically as in others.

It was also decided to express the solidarity of the College of Cardinals, joining the Holy Father, with the peoples of Iraq and Haiti who have been particularly tried by recent events, and to raise funds in their respective dioceses to be sent through the Pontifical Council Cor Unum as charitable assistance.

The session ended shortly atfer 7 p.m., with brief remarks of thanks from the Holy Fahter, and the recitation of the Angelus.

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Vatican-based Ratzinger-B16 Foundation
to be presented on Nov. 26



VATICAN CITY, Nov, 19 (Translated from ASCA) - A foundation dedicated to propagating the thought of Benedict XVI has been established at the Vatican, similar to the Joseph Ratzinger-Papst Benedikt XVI Stiftung established in Germany in November 2008 by the members of the Ratzinger Schuelerkreis.

The Fondazione Vaticana Joseph Ratzinger-Benedetto XVI will be presented at a news conference on Friday, Nov, 26. by its president, Mons. Giuseppe Scotti, president of the Vatican publishing house LEV, and adjunct secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

Cardinal Camillo Ruini, former president of the Italian bishops' conference and a renowned theologian himself, will head the Foundation's scientific committee.

The Vatican-based Foundation has seed money of 1.6 million euros from the royalties earned by Volume 1 of JESUS OF NAZARETH. Since 2005, the Vatican publishing house holds all editorial and publishing rights to the works of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI. Royalties from the Pope's writings go to various charities and causes endorsed by him.

Additional information from the JR-B16 Stiftung:

The Munich-based German foundation has the following objectives:
1. Research and promotion of the theology of Joseph Ratzinger-Pope Benedict XVI through symposia, seminars and other presentations of his theology
2. Promotion of theology in his spirit, particularly through guest professorships and stipends for scholars in Biblical studies, Patristics and Fundamental Theology
3. Safeguarding his scientific work and spiritual legacy, particularly through a documentation and research center
4. Presentation of his theology and spirituality to the general public through modern communications technology

'Light of the World'
by Amy Welborn

November 19, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI’s third book-length interview with Peter Seewald, Light of the World, will be released next week – the 23rd.

I’ve read it, having been asked to be part of a sort of advance team to be available to the press for any coverage of the book. I can’t talk about specific content yet – on Sunday, I will be able to write about material in a few of the chapters, and then on the 23rd, of course (at 4:30 AM!) the chains are loosed.

I’ve written an op-ed on the book that will appear next weekend – that was a challenge, because there’s simply so much here – a lot to talk about in that limited kind of space for a largely secular audience.

I’ll say this, though – in the past, when people have asked me where to start in understanding the Holy Father’s mind, I’ve always directed them to the previous two interview books plus his autobiography Milestones. And then move on to some of the theological works.

Reading Ratzinger, you can waste a lot of time trying to insert him into your own ideological framework and agenda or you can cut to the chase, read his own words and understand him on his own terms. [Which is what I advocate, even for all his papal texts, including the 'routine' ones (that are hardly ever routine)! Leave the news reports for later - read the actual text whenever it is available. No paraphrase or attempt to report his texts are ever satisfactory!]

The interview books, I think, are really helpful on that score. Essential.

Light of the World fits in that same vein. Those who are familiar with Ratzinger’s thought, with his program, with his understanding of Church, the world and human existence will find this to be absolutely consistent.

Even the statements – and there are some – that are fairly hot and will garner headlines and puzzled blog posts on all sides – they’re consistent.

Obviously, I’ll have more to say on Sunday, but I’ll just say that for me, aside from all of the interesting insights into the papacy and recent controversies – the Legion, Regensburg, the Williamson affair, sexual abuse, liturgical reform - what drew me most strongly into this book was the spiritual quality.

As he always has, Pope Benedict articulates a framework for a spiritual life that is, in its simplicity, quite powerful.


LOTW: A book of hope and confidence
from an optimistic and courageous Pope


MUNICH, Nov, 19 (Translated from ADNkronos) - "History has demonstrated sufficiently how destructive the majority can be, for example, in systems like Nazism and Marxism-Communism, both of them ranged against the truth!"

This is one of the quotations from Peter Seewald's new interview-book with Pope Benedict XVI from an advance look at the book by ADNkronos.

The Pontiff expressed the same concept today, according to the account of his intervention this morning at the pre-consistory meeting with the College of Cardinals.

One of the chapters of the new book is, in fact, entitled 'The Dictatorship of Relativism'.

"Castel Gandolfo in summer. The road that lead to the Pontifical residence is a convergence of isolated country roads. The wheat in the fields wave under the breath of a light wind..."

This is how Seewald starts the book, the first face-to-face interview with a Pope. His first interview book, Salt of the Earth: Christianity and the Catholic Church in the 21st century, with then Cardinal Ratzinger in 1996 also started similarly ["Rome in winter. The people in St. Peter's Square were wearing coats and clasping their umbrellas..."].

That was in 1996. In 10 years, it had 14 editions in German, one in audio, 4 on CD, 19 editions in other languages including Chinese, Korean and Ukrainian.

And then in 2000 there was God and the world: Faith and Christian living in our time, the outcome of interview sessions from February 7-11, 2000, held in the Benedictine abbey of Montecassino.

Seewald recalls the first two interviews in the new book, but says that things were different this time: "A cardinal is a cardinal; the Pope is the Pope".

In the fifth year of Benedict XVI's Pontificate, the Bavarian author asked the Pope for another chance for an interview book. And the Pope agreed. He received him daily for an hour at a time in Castel Gandolfo from July 26-31.

The Pope did not ask to see his questions beforehand. Therefore, it was a true and proper conversation, which the book clearly reflects. The Pope reviewed Seewald's transcripts and made a few minor corrections to better clarify his meaning. Sources close to Seewald claim that the German manuscript was shown by the Pope to his closest collaborators.

The book is in three parts, according to its title - on the papacy, the Church and signs of the times, articulated in 18 chapters, covering topics such as the sex abuse scandal, ecumenism, dialog with Islam, the Williamson case, etc.

And it concludes with man's ultimate destiny, with a chapter entitled "Of the ultimate realities'.

Those who have read it say it is a book of hope and confidence, from an optimistic and courageous Pope.

Starting Sunday, parts of the book will be anticipated in some German and Italian newspapers.

(One imagines that in the USA, Ignatius Press will follow the same PR and timing strategy.)





There's a major book about Benedict XVI that's also coming out in English on November 23. 2010. It must be a hefty book as it costs $95 - even with the 33% discount from Amazon, it's still $64.12. The blurb on it is certainly very intriguing, and the three reviewers are as good as you can get for work on theology.


The Theology of Pope Benedict XVI:
The Christocentric Shift
by Father Emery de Gaál, Ph.D.
Palgrave Macmillan

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Many refer to Pope Benedict XVI as “the Mozart of Theology.”

Who are the personalities and thinkers who have informed his theology? What events, and which religious devotions, have shaped his personality? What are the central themes of his complex scholarship encompassing more than 1500 titles?

This study attempts to shed light on the unifying melody of the policies and positions of a pontificate charged with spiritual and theological depth. Especially in the 1970s an anthropocentric shift had occurred.

Emery de Gaál argues that, amid a general lack of original, secular ideas stirring public opinion, Benedict XVI inaugurates an epochal Christocentric shift; by rekindling the Patristic genius, he provides Christianity with both intellectual legitimacy and the scholarship needed to propel it into the twenty-first century.

Fr. de Gaál is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of St. Mary of the Lake operated by the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and located in Mundelein, Illinois. He studied theology in Munich and Pittsburgh and also published Theology: The Art of Equanimity. He is a Catholic priest of the diocese of Eichstätt, Bavaria, Germany.

* * *

“Pope Benedict XVI’s theological work and his pastoral and spiritual writings are here placed in the perspective of the mystery of Christ. Father Emery de Gaal has beautifully and exhaustively clarified the fundamental interpretative key to the Ratzinger texts and to the life of Pope Benedict XVI.”
- Francis Cardinal George, OMI
Archbishop of Chicago

“He was already one of the most important theologians of the past century before his election to the papacy as Benedict XVI in this century. But now Joseph Ratzinger must count as perhaps the most important postconciliar theologian, bar none. De Gaál gives us the most comprehensive study of the pope’s theology now available.

"But even more, he places the Pope’s thought in the context of the revolution in Catholic theology that started well before Vatican II and has continued on to this day: the revolution that abandoned neoscholasticism and shifted its focus to Christology. That story is indeed a dramatic one, and here it is dramatically and comprehensively told.

"This book is a ‘must purchase’ for every theological library – and for all admirers of that perhaps greatest of great theologians, Joseph Ratzinger.”
—Fr Edward T. Oakes, S. J.
Chester & Margaret Paluch Professor of Theology
University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary


“Father de Gaál’s work is indispensable for anyone who wishes to understand the Christocentric shift in the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI and in contemporary theological anthropology generally. It is the deepest analysis of the topic currently available.”
- Tracey Rowland, Professor and Dean
John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family
Melbourne, Australia

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Mons. Pope is an auxiliary bishop to Cardinal-designate Donal Wuerl of Washington, D.C. and is blogging from Rome, where he is part of the pilgrim delegation with Archbishop Wuerl.


Getting personal with the Word of God:
A powerful reflection by Pope Benedict
on the true reality of the Word of God
By Msgr. Charles Pope

Nov,. 19, 2010


Many people think of the Word of God as an “it” when in fact, the Word of God is a person, Jesus Christ. Jesus did not come merely to give us information and exhortation. He came to give us his very self. He is the “Word made Flesh.”

Pope Benedict makes this point in his most recent document, the Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Verbum Domini. I want to give an excerpt and then reflect briefly upon it.

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[There is a] statement made by the author of the Letter to the Hebrews: “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world ” (1:1-2)…..

Here the Word finds expression not primarily in discourse, concepts or rules. Here we are set before the very person of Jesus. His unique and singular history is the definitive word which God speaks to humanity.

We can see, then, why “being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a definitive direction.….

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us ”(Jn 1:14a). These words are no figure of speech; they point to a lived experience! Saint John, an eyewitness, tells us so: “ We have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth ” ( Jn 1:14b). ….. Now the word is not simply audible; not only does it have a voice, now the word has a face….(Verbum Domini 11-12)

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The Word of God is not merely on the pages of a book. The Word of God is not just an idea or ethical system. The Word of God is not just a set of teachings or doctrines. The Word of God is Jesus Christ. And to really grasp this Word can only take place when we meet Him, experience Him and His power active in our lives.

It is a danger to turn Scripture into an abstraction or just a text. St Thomas Aquinas says, The Son is the Word, not any sort of word, but one Who breathes forth Love. Hence Augustine says (De Trin. ix 10): “The Word we speak of is knowledge with love.”

Thus the Son is sent not in accordance with [just] any kind of intellectual perfection, but according to the intellectual illumination, which breaks forth into the affection of love, as is said (John 6:45): “Everyone that hath heard from the Father and hath learned, cometh to Me. (Summa Prima Pars, 43.5 ad 2).

Hence we cannot really grasp Scripture unless we have met Jesus Christ. Further, to authentically read Sacred Scripture is to more and more encounter Jesus Christ there. Before we analyze a text of Scripture we are summoned to encounter the one who is speaking to us.

It is surely possible for some, even secular scholar to analyze a Greek text of Holy Writ and parse its verbs. Perhaps another scholar can analyze idioms, or the historical context. Such research can help us understand what the text is saying at a mechanistic level.

But only a deepening and personal knowledge of Jesus Christ can help us to know what the text really means. It is this personal, historical, and on-going encounter with Jesus Christ that distinguishes true theology from mere religious study or literary criticism.

Indeed, theologians and Scripture scholars are dangerous if they do not personally know Jesus Christ. To “know” Jesus is not the same as to “know about” Jesus. I might know about Jesus Christ from a book or from some other person. But it is not enough to know “about” him. I must know him.

To be a true “authority” in Scripture requires that we have met and know the “author.” Do you see the word “author” in “authority?”

Note how the Pope quotes the Prologue of John’s Gospel ”.…. “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us ”(Jn 1:14a). and then says, These words are no figure of speech; they point to a lived experience! The Pope also says above in reference to the Hebrews 1 text: Here we are set before the very person of Jesus.

In the Liturgical context of Scripture, this fact is enshrined in our ritual. As the Priest or Deacon proclaims the Gospel, all the people stand out of respect. For it is Christ himself who speaks to them and whom they encounter in this proclamation of the Word.

At the conclusion of the proclamation of the Gospel, they acknowledge that they are encountering Jesus as they say to him personally: “Laus tibi Christe!” (Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ).

Hence, Scripture, and the wider concept of the Word of God, authentically interpreted by the Church, is not merely a book or a set of ideas. It is an encounter with a living God, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God is a person, Jesus Christ.

Perhaps a couple of quick stories to illustrate the difference between seeing Scripture merely as a text, and seeing it as an encounter with the Word made flesh, Jesus.

1. A rural Appalachian community was visited by a Shakespearean actor. They were amazed at his elegant but strange way of speaking. At one moment in his public recital he recited the 23rd Psalm. The words were elegant, pronounced in finest King James English with great drama and flair. At the end of his recitation a strange silence filled the room. Where applause would usually follow, an awkward silence ensued.

Finally a poor farmer in the back of the room stood and apologized that no one knew to applaud and that they meant no offense but they just weren’t sure he was done. “See, out in these parts we say it a little different.” The poor farmer then began, “The Loerd is mah shayperd….”

When he completed the psalm the room was filled with amens and “praise the Lord”s. The Shakespearean actor then told the poor farmer, “I was elegant, but your words had greater power. That is because I know only the technique, but you know the author.”

2. Some years ago I heard a Black AME Preacher address an ecumenical gathering at a revival. And he said to the gathered, “You know I heard some strange stuff in seminary! The professors said Jesus never really walked on water, that he didn’t really multiply loaves and fishes, he just got folks to be generous. They said, he didn’t really know he was God, or rise from the dead. He just lives on in our thoughts or something…..Can you believe they taught me that in a Christian seminary?!”

Through his description of these wretched “teachings” the moans and disapproval in the congregation of Protestants and Catholics were audible. He built his litany of faulty scholarship and you could hear folks saying, “Lord have mercy!” and “mah, mah, mah.”

And then he stopped and mopped his brow, and looked at them and said, “I tell you what! The problem with them wasn’t that they read the wrong books, y’all. The problem with them was that they ain’t never met my Jesus!”

Well, the house came down and folks were on their feet for ten minutes praising God. The Choir too leapt to their feet and began the familiar chorus: “Can’t nobody do me like Jesus, he’s my Lord!”

You get the point: when you’ve met Jesus Christ you just don’t doubt that he walked on the water, multiplied loaves, raised Lazarus, knew perfectly well that he was God and stepped out of the tomb on Easter morning.

The Word of God is not merely a text. It is a person, Jesus Christ, the Logos, the Word made flesh. And once you’ve met him. his spoken (and later written word) begins to make greater and greater sense and there is just no doubt that this Word is true and powerful.

Let me let Pope Benedict conclude as we recall his words above: the Word finds expression not primarily in discourse, concepts or rules. Here we are set before the very person of Jesus….These words are no figure of speech; they point to a lived experience! Saint John, an eyewitness, tells us so: “ We have beheld his glory, the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Perhaps it is only fitting that the first European leader to finally echo in public Benedict XVI's exhortation for Christian values is the Chancellor of Germany. This post is a few days late but I believe it is significant enough to post in this thread even if it is not about the Pope! Benedict XVI's crusade for Europe may be gaining a foothold...


The Pope with Angela Merkel in Castel Gandolfo, 8/28/06.


Merkel urges Germans
to stand up for Christian values
By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor



PARIS, Nov. 15 (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans debating Muslim integration to stand up more for Christian values, saying Monday the country suffered not from "too much Islam" but "too little Christianity."

Addressing her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, she said she took the current public debate in Germany on Islam and immigration very seriously. As part of this debate, she said last month that multiculturalism there had utterly failed.

Some of her conservative allies have gone further, calling for an end to immigration from "foreign cultures" -- a reference to Muslim countries like Turkey -- and more pressure on immigrants to integrate into German society.

Merkel told the CDU annual conference in Karlsruhe that the debate about immigration "especially by those of the Muslim faith" was an opportunity for the ruling party to stand up confidently for its convictions.

"We don't have too much Islam, we have too little Christianity. We have too few discussions about the Christian view of mankind," she said to applause from the hall.

Germany needs more public discussion "about the values that guide us (and) about our Judeo-Christian tradition," she said. "We have to stress this again with confidence, then we will also be able to bring about cohesion in our society."

References to the CDU's Christian roots and "Christian view of mankind" are standard in party convention speeches, but the phrases have become more frequent in recent months as Germany has been gripped by a heated debate over Islam and immigration.

The debate began last summer when former Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin published a bestselling book arguing that Muslim immigrants were simple-minded welfare spongers who threatened the country's economy and its long-term future.

President Christian Wulff, a Christian Democrat, fueled the controversy last month by saying Islam "belongs to Germany" because of the four million Muslims who now live there.

Merkel has sharpened her rhetoric on immigration in recent weeks while avoiding the toughest tones coming from the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).

But her party looks set to pass a resolution Tuesday stressing that German culture has Judeo-Christian roots, an idea that critics say aims to marginalize Islam.

The resolution says Germany's cultural identity is based on the "Christian-Jewish tradition," ancient and Enlightenment philosophy and the nation's historical experience. "We expect that those who come here respect them and recognize them, while keeping their personal identity," it says.

The term "cultural identity" (Leitkultur) is the CDU's answer to multicultural policies favored by the left-wing opposition, especially the Greens, which Merkel said has failed.

Merkel said this identity did not limit religious freedom and the same principle must apply for Christians elsewhere, a clear reference to Christian minorities in Muslim countries.

"Of course, we're for freedom to practice one's faith," she said. "But that also means religious freedom cannot stop at our borders. That applies also for Christians in other countries around the world."

Saturday, November 20, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time

Fourth from left: Portrait of the saint in her 80s.
ST. ROSE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE (b France 1769, d USA 1852), Nun, Mother Superior and Missionary
Born to an aristocratic family in Grenoble, she became a Visitation nun and did charitable work for 9 years following the French Revolution. When her convent closed, she joined the Sisters of the Sacred Heart and at age 49, was sent as a missionary to the United States, where she had hoped to work with native Americans. She and her sisters set up schools in Missouri and Louisiana. She was 72 when she was finally assigned to work with an Indian tribe. Mother Duchesne was 87 when she died. She was canonized in 1988.
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/nab/readings/112010.shtml


OR today.

Benedict XVI and the College of Cardinals precede
the consistory with a day of prayer and reflection:
'The freedom of truth'
Other Page 1 news: NATO leaders meet in Lisbon and define new strategic goals in Afghanistan;
Haiti remains without adequate international assistance to combat the current cholera epidemic; and
a feature on the Poor Clares and their mission, complemented by three other articles in the inside
pages on the role of female religious orders in the Church.


THE POPE'S DAY
The Holy Father presided at an Ordinary Public Consistory in St. Peter's Basilica to create
24 new cardinals, to whom he presented the cardinal's biretta and assigned them their
respective titular churches or diaconates in Rome.

The Pope opens up:
Some excerpts from
the much-awaited book
by Andrea Tornielli
Translated from

Nov. 20, 2010

"Are you afraid of an assassination attempt?" - "NO".

Benedict XVI's response is both dry and quite calm, to the question from journalist Peter Seewald in the book Light of the world - the first interview-book with a Pope resulting from six hours of a conversation during which the Pope never asked to screen the questions.

The book, published in Italian by the Vatican publishing house, goes on sale in ten languages on November 24.

Yesterday, a German website published some excerpts from the chapter entitled 'Habemus papam', in which Seewald - who has previously published two famous interview books with Cardinal Ratzinger, Salt of the earth and God and the world - asks Benedict XVI how he views his papal mission.

That mission to which he was called at the age of 78, after a lightning-fast Conclave, to succeed John Paul II. Recalling that Cardinal Ratzinger had been "beside John Paul II for 23 years" and that "he came to know the Roman Curia as no one does", Seewald asks the Pope how long it took him to realize the weight of his new universal mission.

The Pope answers: "One realizes the enormity of this task very early - as one knows when one becomes a chaplain, a parish priest or a professor, that one has a great responsibility, one can well imagine how great is the burden on the shoulders of someone who has responsibility for the entire Church. Therefore, one is naturally more aware that the task cannot be done alone. It must be done, on the one hand, with the help of God, and on the other, with a great deal of collaboration".

Vatican II, Benedict XVI points out, "taught us that collegiality is constitutive of the structure of the Church ", and therefore, the Pope is not "someone who can act like an absolute monarch, who takes all decisions in solitude and does everything by himself".

In another question, Seewald cites the advice of St. Bernard of Clairvaux to Pope Eugene III, asking him to be vigilant over what takes place in the papal court, and above all, to be attentive to the quantity of tasks to be done.

Papa Ratzinger answers that St. Bernard's De consideratione is "naturally, obligatory reading for every Pope". He refers in particular to one of the saint's warnings to his disciple who had become Pope: "Never forget that you are not the successor of Emperor Constantine but the successor to a fisherman".

The Pope adds that "one does not need to lose himself in activism". Seewald follows up by noting, "One has the impression that you work without interruption, without giving yourself a pause..."

The Pope says simply "No", going on to say that an important part - indeed, a decisive one - of his activity is "reflection, reading Sacred Scripture" and meditating on what Scripture says to us today. One cannot work simply to reduce the pile of papers on one's desk, he adds.

Seewald cites what Paul VI wrote on the night he was elected Pope: "I am in the pontifical apartment. A profound impression of unease and confidence at the same time... It is nighttime - prayer and silence. No, not silence - the world observes me, assails me. I must learn to love the world truly. The Church as it is. The world as it is". He asks Benedict XVI: "Like Paul VI, do you have a fear of facing the masses" of the faithful?

Benedict XVI reformulates the question, as if asking himself: "Is it right that the Pope should present himself to the masses and make himself seen as if he were a star celebrity?"

His answer is simple and immediate: the faithful "have a great desire to see the Pope", not so much for contact with his person, "but to be in contact with his ministry, with 'a representative of the sacred'", with the Vicar of Christ.

"In this sense, one should accept it without ever considering the exultation of the crowds as a compliment to his own person".

The interviewer then asks him if he ever feels afraid of an assassination attempt," and he says "No".

Then the discussion turns to the functions of the Church - a great global organization which, the Pope underscores, must never be thought of as a 'production enterprise'.

"We are not a business that seeks profits - we are the Church. This means that we are a community of human beings based in the faith. Our task is not to produce any product or to be a successful distributor of goods. Our task is to bear witness to the faith, to announce it".

The Church, he continues, has survived beyond cultures, nations, and eras, and "exists because it is united with Christ".

Papa Ratzinger, who elsewhere says he has never once thought of resigning as Pope, also says that in some way, he has regrets about the Regensburg lecture which, he says, he meant to be academic, and instead came to be seen as anti-Islam because of one quotation that was instrumentalized to that end.

He does not hesitate to speak of some 'errors' that have been committted in the first five years of his Pontificate, just as he admitted an error in the Williamson case, when he wrote to the bishops of the world.

He adds that further errors are 'probable' down the road "because one tends to be less careful than one is initially".

Seewald asks the Pope if he does not feel imprisoned in the Vatican and if it is true that he has secretly 'escaped' a few times.

"I don't do that," the Pope replies. "But I really miss the fact that I can no longer take a walk, visit friends or simply stay at home as I could do quite simply when I lived in Pentling. To go into the city with my brother, to a restaurant or to visit some event - I truly miss that. But the older one gets, the less you feel like doing things, and this makes it easier to bear with what you're missing."

BENEDICT XVI'S THIRD CONSISTORY
CREATES 24 NEW CARDINALS




Libretto Illustrations: The so-called "Dalmatic of Charlemagne' from the Vatican Museums. It is made of Hormuz silk and embroidered in gold and silver thread. The central image used on the cover is the Transfiguration of Christ. The dalmatic was considered a symbol of the deacon's service to the community, 'giving aid and joy through administering goods with justice'.


New cardinals bring total to 203 -
121 under 80 and eligible electors


20 NOV 2010 (RV) - Pope Benedict XVI created 24 new cardinals on Saturday, raising the number of Cardinals to 203, of whom 121 are under 80 and eligible to enter a conclave to elect a new Pope.

During a solemn public consistory in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict read the names of the 24 Cardinals in Latin.

The new group of cardinals includes heads of Vatican dicasteries; archbishops of major cities in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas; and retired prelates honoured for their lifelong service to the church.

Pope Benedict XVI told the men they must devote themselves totally to the Church and to Christ. In his homily, he asked the faithful to pray for them, saying:

“Let the Lord's spirit support these new cardinals in the commitment of service to the church, following Christ of the Cross even if necessary to shed their blood”

The Pope reminded the Cardinals that all are called, and all are aided by Divine Grace, adding “This is [your] certainty: Just listen again to the words of Jesus, asking 'Come, follow me' - only by returning to this original vocation is it possible to understand our mission in the Church as true disciples of Christ.”

This is the third consistory in Pope Benedict’s pontificate. He has now named 59 members of the College of Cardinals.







Pope creates 24 new cardinals
amid cheers in St. Peter's
by NICOLE WINFIELD



VATICAN CITY, Nov. 20 (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI formally created 24 new cardinals on Saturday amid cheers in St. Peter's Basilica, bringing a mostly Italian group into the elite club that will eventually elect his successor.

Speaking in Latin, Benedict read out each of the names of the new "princes of the church" at the start of the Mass, eliciting roaring applause from the pews and smiles from the cardinals themselves.

Wearing their new scarlet cassocks — to signify their willingness to shed blood for the Church — the cardinals processed first into the basilica, waving to well-wishers as organ music thundered in a festive yet solemn atmosphere.

The basilica was awash in red as some 150 cardinals from around the world came to Rome for the occasion of welcoming in their newest members.

The 24 new cardinals include heads of Vatican congregations, archbishops of major cities in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, and retired prelates honored for their lifelong service to the Church.

Their numbers bring the College of Cardinals to 203, 121 of whom are under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope.

Eight of the new voting-age cardinals are Italian, seriously boosting the Italian bloc and leading to some speculation that the papacy might eventually swing back to an Italian following a Polish and German Pope. [Quit the bullshit already! 25 Italians out of 120 total voters will hardly do that, especially as the Italians have never voted as a bloc! What is this MSM 'scheme' seeking to show that Benedict XVI is bending over backwards for the Italians? And why would he do that, anyway? Only one of the new Italian cardinals represents a major archdiocese - the other 7 are being promoted because they hold Curial ranks that, in effect, require a cardinal's authority.]

Benedict, 83, told the men of their new mission as cardinals, saying they must devote themselves totally to the Church and to Christ. In his homily, he asked the faithful to pray for them, saying:

"Let the Lord's spirit support these new cardinals in the commitment of service to the church, following Christ of the Cross even if necessary to shed their blood, always ready ... to respond to whatever is asked."

The senior new cardinal, Angelo Amato, who heads the Vatican's saint-making office, told Benedict at the start of the Mass of the "stupor" [the appropriate translation of 'stupore' in this context is 'wonder'] each one of the men feels to have been chosen.

"We recognize with trepidation our limits knowing the great dignity with which we have been entrusted and that we are called to testify to with our lives and activities," he said.

During the ceremony, the new cardinals each promised to obey the Pope, reading an oath in Latin to maintain communion with the Holy See, keep secrets given to them and not divulge anything that might bring harm onto the Church.

After pledging the oath, each new cardinal walked up to the pontiff who was seated on a gilded throne on the altar to receive his red zucchetto, or skullcap, and biretta, a three-ridged hat worn over it.

Applause broke out again as each received the Pope's blessing and kissed his ring.

One new cardinal, the Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, Antonios Naguib, wore a black cassock as is consistent with his role. [Not with his role, but with Coptic practice.]

A choir sang and a brass ensemble played as the men then greeted each of the other cardinals in the college, exchanging a few words of welcome.

There was Cardinal Kurt Koch of Switzerland, the new head of the Vatican office for relations with other Christians, greeting his predecessor, retired Cardinal Walter Kasper of Germany.

There was the new Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the Italian head of the Vatican's culture office, greeting the retired Vatican No. 2 Cardinal Angelo Sodano. And so on.

One of the loudest rounds of applause was for Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., who was joined in Rome by a delegation of some 400 well-wishers from the United States.

A cardinal's main task is to offer the Pontiff advice and eventually elect his successor. [In addition, of course, to his principal function - be it as a Curial official or as a diocesan pastor.]

This is the third time Benedict has held a consistory to create new cardinals. With Saturday's additions, he will have hand-picked 40 percent of the college, infusing it with conservative, tradition-minded prelates like himself and almost ensuring that a future Pope will carry on the path he has set out for the Church. {It's what every Pope does, and it's the obvious thing to do!]

During a day of reflection on Friday, cardinals new and old discussed some of the most pressing issues of concern to the Church, including the sex abuse scandal.

Cardinal William Levada, who heads the Vatican office responsible for dealing with abuse cases, told the cardinals his office was planning to issue a set of guidelines to bishops around the world on responding to priests who rape and molest children.

The Vatican said Levada spoke of the need for prevention programs, better screening of priests and the need to obey civil reporting requirements.



Receiving the biretta,above, from left: Curial officials Amato, Koch, Sarah, and Burke. Below, from left: Cardinal Ranjith of Colombo, Cardinal Naguib of Alexandria, Cardinal Marx of Munich, and Cardinal Pasinya of the Congo.



Here is a full translation of the Holy Father's homily:

---

[Eminent Cardinals,
Venerated Brothers in the Episcopate and Priesthood,
Dear brothers and sisters:

The Lord gives me the joy of carrying out, once more, this solemn act through which the College of Cardinals is enriched with new members, chosen from various parts of the world.

We have pastors who zealously govern important diocesan communities, and prelates assigned to the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, or who have served the Church and the Holy See with exemplary faithfulness.

Starting today, they become part of that coetus particularis - a special group - who give the Successor of Peter immediate and assiduous collaboration, sustaining him in the exercise of his universal ministry.

To them, first of all, I address my affectionate greeting, renewing the expression of my esteem and my sincere appreciation for the testimony that they render to the Church and to the world.

I especially thank Archbishop Angelo Amato, and I thank him for the kind statements he addressed to me.

I extend my heartfelt welcome to the official delegations from various countries, to the representatives of many dioceses, and to all those gathered here to participate in this event, at which these venerated and beloved brothers will receive the symbols of the cardinal's rank with the imposition of the biretta and the assignment of a title to a church in Rome.

The ties of special communion and affection which binds these new cardinals to the Pope make them singularly precious cooperators in the high mandate entrusted by Christ to Peter, to pasture his flock (cfr Jn 21,15-17), to bring together peoples with the solicitude of Christ's charity.

It is precisely from this love that the Church was born, called to live and journey according to the commandment of the Lord, in whom all the laws of the Prophets converge. To be united to Christ, in faith and in communion with him, means to be "rooted and founded in charity" (Eph 3,17), the fabric that unites all the members of the Body of Christ.

The Word of God just proclaimed helps us to meditate precisely on this very fundamental aspect. In the Gospel passage (Mk 10, 32-45), the icon of Jesus as Messiah - pre-announced by Isaiah (cfr Is 53) - is placed before our eyes. He did not come to make himself be served but to serve. His way of life would become the basis for new relationships within the Christian community and of a new way of exercising authority.

Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem and pre-announces for the third time, indicating to his disciples, the way through which he intends to bring to completion the work entrusted to him by the Father: It is the way of humility, giving himself up to the sacrifice of his life, the way of the Passion, the way of the Cross.

And yet, even after this announcement, as in the preceding ones, the disciples reveal all their difficulty pf understanding, of making the necessary 'exodus' from a worldly mentality to the mentality of God.

In this case, it is the two sons of Zebedee, James and John, who ask Jesus to be able to seat at the first places next to him in 'glory', manifesting expectations and plans of grandeur, of authority, of honor according to the world.

Jesus, who knows the heart of man, is not bothered by this request, but immediately highlights its profound weight: "You do not know what you are asking for". Then he leads the two brothers to understand that it means to follow him.

What then is the way to be taken by he who wishes to be a disciple? It is the way of the Master, the way of total obedience to God. That is why Jesus asks James and John: Are you ready to share my decision to fulfill the will of the Father to the very end? Are you prepared to follow this way, which goes through humiliation, suffering and death for love?

The two disciples, with their sure response, "We can", show once again that they have not understood the real meaning of what the Master has foretold for them.

And once again, Jesus, with patience, makes them take a further step: Not even experiencing the chalice of suffering and the baptism of death gives the right to the first place, because this is "for those who are prepared". It is in the hands of the Heavenly Father - man should not calculate, he should simply abandon himself to God, without claims, conforming himself to his will.

The indignation of the other disciples becomes an occasion to extend the teaching to the entire community. First of all, Jesus "called them to him" - it is the original gesture of vocation, to which he invites them to return.

It is very significant to refer to this constitutive moment of the calling of the Twelve, to 'being with Jesus', having been invited - because it reminds us with clarity that every ecclesial ministry is always a response to God's call - it is never the fruit of one's own plan or one's ambition, but it is conforming one's will to that of the Father who is in heaven, as Christ did in Gethsemane (cfr Lk 22,42).

In the Church, no one is master, but all are called, all are invited, all are assembled and led by divine grace. This is also our guarantee. Only by listening again to the word of Jesus, who asks "Come follow me", only in returning to that original call, is it possible to understand our own presence and mission in the Church as authentic disciples.

The request of James and John, and the indignation of the 'other ten' Apostles raised a central question to which Jesus wished to reply: Who is great, who is 'first' with God?

First of all, one must look at the behavior that "those who are considered the governors of nations" runs the risk of assuming: "to dominate and to oppress".

Jesus shows the disciples a completely different way: "Among you, that is not so". His community follows another rule, another logic, another model: "Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant, and and whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of everyone".

The criterion of greatness and of primacy in the eyes of God is not dominion, but service. The diaconate is the fundamental law of the disciple and of the Christian community, and lets us see something of the "Lordship of God'.

Jesus also indicates the point of reference: the Son of Man, who came to serve - thus synthesizing his mission under the category of service, understood not in the generic sense, but in the concrete sense of the Cross, of the total giving of life as 'ransom', as redemption for many, and he indicates this as a condition for following him.

It is a message that is valid for the Apostles, it is valid for all the Church, it is valid above all for those who have the task to lead the Pepple of God. It is not the logic of dominion, of power according to human criteria, but the logic of bowing down to wash feet, the logic of service, the logic of the Cross, which is the basis of every exercise of authority.

In every time and place, the Church is committed to conform herself to this logic and to testify to it in order to make the true 'Lordship of God' emerge, that of love.

Dear brothers elected to the dignity of cardinal, the mission to which God calls you today and which qualifies you to ecclesial service that will be even more charged with responsibility, requires an ever greater will to assume the style of the Son of God, who has come among us as one who serves (cfr Lk 22,25-27).

It means following him in giving humble and total love to the Church his spouse, on the Cross. It is on that wood that the grain of wheat, which the Father has allowed to fall on the field of the world, dies to become mature fruit. This requires an even more profound and firm rootedness in Christ.

The intimate relationship with him transforms life ever more in a way that to be able to say with St. Paul "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2,20) constitutes the primary requirement in order that our service may be serene and joyous, and can give the fruit that the Lord expects of us.

Dear brothers and sisters, who today surround the new cardinals: pray for them! Tomorrow, in this Basilica, during the concelebration on the Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe, I will give them their ring. It will be a further occasion to "praise the Lord, who remains faithful always" (Ps 145), as we repeated in the Responsorial Psalm.

May his Spirit sustain the new cardinals in their commitment of service to the Church, following Christ on the Cross - if necessary, even usque ad effusionem sanguinis - to shedding their blood - ever ready, as St. Peter tells us in the reading just proclaimed - to respond to whoever asks about the reason for our hope (Cfr 1Pt 3,15).

]To Mary, Mother of the Church, I entrust the new cardinals and their ecclesial service, so that, with apostolic ardor, they may proclaim to all peoples the merciful love of God. Amen.

---

Following is the list of Churches and Diaconates assigned to the new cardinals:

1 Card. ANGELO AMATO, S.D.B., Diaconia di Santa Maria in Aquiro

2. Card. ANTONIOS S.B. NAGUIB

3. Card. ROBERT SARAH, Diaconia di San Giovanni Bosco in via Tuscolana

4. Card. FRANCESCO MONTERISI, Diaconia di San Paolo alla Regola

5. Card. FORTUNATO BALDELLI, Diaconia di Sant’Anselmo all’Aventino

6. Card. RAYMOND LEO BURKE, Diaconia di Sant’Agata de’ Goti

7. Card. KURT KOCH, Diaconia di Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore

8. Card. PAOLO SARDI, Diaconia di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice in via Tuscolana

9. Card. MAURO PIACENZA, Diaconia di San Paolo alle Tre Fontane

10. Card. VELASIO DE PAOLIS, C.S., Diaconia di Gesù Buon Pastore alla Montagnola

11. Card. GIANFRANCO RAVASI, Diaconia di San Giorgio in Velabro

12. Card. MEDARDO JOSEPH MAZOMBWE, Titolo di Santa Emerenziana a Tor Fiorenza

13. Card. RAÚL EDUARDO VELA CHIRIBOGA, Titolo di Santa Maria in Via

14. Card. LAURENT MONSENGWO PASINYA, Titolo di Santa Maria «Regina Pacis» in Ostia mare

15. Card. PAOLO ROMEO, Titolo di Santa Maria Odigitria dei Siciliani

16. Card. DONALD WILLIAM WUERL, Titolo di San Pietro in Vincoli

17. Card. RAYMUNDO DAMASCENO ASSIS, Titolo dell’Immacolata al Tiburtino

18. Card. KAZIMIERZ NYCZ, Titolo dei Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti

19. Card. ALBERT MALCOLM RANJITH PATABENDIGE DON, Titolo di San Lorenzo in Lucina

20. Card. REINHARD MARX, Titolo di San Corbiniano

21. Card. JOSÉ MANUEL ESTEPA LLAURENS, Titolo di San Gabriele Arcangelo all’Acqua Traversa

22. Card. ELIO SGRECCIA, Diaconia di Sant’Angelo in Pescheria

23. Card. WALTER BRANDMÜLLER, Diaconia di San Giuliano dei Fiamminghi

24. Card. DOMENICO BARTOLUCCI, Diaconia dei Santissimi Nomi di Gesù e Maria in via Lata

Apparently, the Italian media have been given the green light to file advance stories on THE BOOK starting today, because at least four of them have now come out with 'previews'. I first translated the report from Vatican Radio:

LOTW: A preview
Translated from the Italian service of


Next Tuesday morning, Peter Seewald's third interview-book with Benedict XVI will be formally presented at the Vatican Press Office.

Last July, Joseph Ratzinger for the third time granted the German journalist several hours of conversation on the Church and her challenges today, following the first two interview books with him before he became Pope.

ALessandro Gisotti anticipates some passages from the book that we have been allowed to report before the presentation:

"I really was looking forward to peace and tranquility," Papa Ratzinger replies with disarming simplicity when Seewald asks him to recall his feelings the day he was elected Pope.

Benedict XVI's reflection on this starts the first chapter of the book entitled "Popes don't fall from heaven". The Pope recounts that he had been 'most certain' that he would not be chosen for this enormous responsibility.

But he notes that since he was ordained as a priest, he had always entrusted himself to the will of the Lord even when it was different from what he wanted. "I cannot choose what I want, and ultimately, I just allow myself to be led by him".

The Holy Father, writes Seewald in the Foreword to the book, did not refuse to answer any question, "nor did he (later) change anything he had said, except for some minor corrections" in the interest 'of accuracy".

The result is a frank and direct dialog in which the Pope answers questions 'approached from 360 degrees', ranging from light topics such as his lifestyle and his favorite films, to the fundamental questions for the Church and man in our time.

One of the first chapters concerns the scandal over sex abuses by priests. "The facts," he says, "did not completely take me by surprise" but "the dimensions were an enormous shock".

To see "the priesthood unexpectedly soiled in this manner, and with it, the entire Catholic Church, has been difficult to bear". He notes "it was evident that the actions of the media were not purely guided by the search for truth", but that there was an intention to discredit the Church. [That's where MSM may well launch another full-out assault on him! And media wise guys like John Allen et al will say, "We could have told him beforehand to let sleeping dogs lie. Now see what he has done again!]

Nonetheless, he adds, "in the sense that some truth was brought to light, then we must be grateful". But then, "just because the evil was inside the Church, it could be used against her".

He warns against the threat that "tolerance can be abolished in the name of tolerance itself". No one, he underscores, "is forced to be Christian. But neither should anyone be constrained to live according to the 'new religion'... as though it were the one, true and binding religion for all mankind". [Somehow, Gisotti's account lacks an appropriate transition between the preceding paragraph and this!]

An important part of the book is dedicated to relations with the Jews.

"From the very first day of my theological studies," he recalls, "the profound unity between the Old and New Covenants was clear to me, in some way."

He goes on: "What happened in the Third Reich was a blow to us Germans, and all the more, it has urged us to look at the people of Israel with humility, shame and love".

On the question of the Good Friday prayer which many Jews find offensive, he says: "I modified it in a way that expresses our faith, namely, that Christ is salvation of everyone", but also "in such a way that we do not directly pray for the conversion of the Jews in the missionary sense, but that the Lord may hasten the historical hour when all of us shall be united".

That is why, he says, "the arguments used by a series of theologians expressing themselves polemically against me are ill-considered and do not do justice to what was done".

[Forgive me for interpellating here, but why did the Jews never protest the Good Friday prayer during the long Pontificate of John Paul II, who left the Good Friday prayer as it was modified by John XXIII, taking out only the reference to the 'blindness' of the Jews from the prayer as it had been formulated since the Council of Trent? Then Benedict XVI modifies it in accordance with St. Paul in Romans 12 - that Jews have had no problem with - and they're still up in arms against him????]

As for the issue over Pius XII, the Pope reiterates that the wartime Pope did all he could to save as many persons as he could [from Nazi-Fascist persecution]. It must be recognized, he advocates, that "he saved so many Jews, as no one else did". [War alert #2!]

On relations with the Muslim world, he points out that Christians are tolerant and therefore, "it is natural that Muslims are free to worship in their mosques" in Christian lands.

About the burqa, he observes, "I do not see a reason for a general ban on its use". But he says whenever it is "a sort of violence because ti is imposed on women" then, clearly "one cannot agree to that". But "if they wish to wear it voluntarily, I don't see why they should be kept from doing so".

On the matter of sexuality, he notes: "To focus only on the use of condoms signifies banalizing sexuality, and it is this banalization that represents the real danger (because) many people see it (sex) as a drug rather than as an expression of love.

He also says "There can be individual cases that justify the use of condoms, such as when a prostitute requires it, which could be a first step towards moralization, a first act of responsibility and awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do everything one wants to do.... Still, this is not the true and proper way to defeat the scourge of HIV". {Because we don't have the entire quotation nor its context, it's difficult to judge this statement, on account of the underlying sin of prostitution itself, which is more problematic than the use of a condom....]

On the role of women in the Church, Benedict XVI, echoing John Paul II, reiterates that the Church "does not have the faculty to confer priestly ordination on women". He also adds that "the functions entrusted to women in the Church are great and significant enough that one cannot speak of discrimination". [War alert #3!] Citing various female figures from Mary to St Monica and Mother Teresa, he points out that "in many ways, women define the face of the Church more than men".

[Of course, one wishes to say to each of the priestettes and aspirant priestettes and all their liberal advocates that instead of aspiring to be 'priests', they should aspire to be saints! And they can do that, whatever their station or occupation is!]

In one of the last chapters, Seewald asks the Pope: "What does Jesus want of us?"

The Holy Father replies: "he wants us to believe in him. That we allow ourselves to be led by him. That we live with him - thus becoming ever more like him, and therefore, truly just".

He says this is true of the Church as well. "Especially in a time like this that has been marked by scandal, we have experienced a sensation of sorrow and pain at how miserable the Church is and how much her members have failed to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ".

But, he concludes, we must be reassured by the fact that the Lord, "despite man's weakness... does not abandon the Church" but always acts through her.


Tomorrow's issue of OR has been posted online, and it contains a number of passages excerpted from THE BOOK. Will post as soon as translated!


The Pope, the Church and signs of the times:
Passages from 'Light of the World'
Translated from the 11/21/10 issue of



LIGHT OF THE WORLD is the title under which conversations held by Benedict XVI with the German journalist and author Peter Seewald will be published next week.

The new book, published in Italian by the Vatican publishing house LEV, will be released simultaneously in a dozen languages on Tuesday, November 23.

In its 18 chapters grouped into three parts - "The signs of the times', "the Pontificate", and "Where we are going' - Benedict XVI responds to the burning questions in today's world. Herewith we publish some passages.

---

The joy of Christianity
A thread has always run through my life , and it is this: Christianity brings joy, it widens our horizons. An existence that is lived always and only 'against' something would be unbearable.


A beggar
As for the Pope, he too is a poor beggar before God, even more than other men. Of course, I pray above all and always to the Lord, to whom I am linked, so to speak, by a long friendship. But I also invoke the saints. I am on 'very good terms' with Augustine, Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas. So I ask them, "Help me!"

The Mother of God is always a great reference point, and in this sense, I see myself among the communion of saints. Together with them, strengthened by them, I then speak with the good God, begging above all, but also thanking him; or simply, being happy.


Difficulties
I have taken them into account. But first of all, one must be very cautious in evaluating a Pope - whether he is important or not - when he is still alive. It is only afterwards that one can know what place a person or thing will eventually have in history, all told.

But that the atmosphere would not always be joyous [as Pope] was evident because of the present world configuration, with all the forces of destruction out there, with the contradictions that exist in the world, with all the threats and the errors.

But if I had only received consensus in everything, I would have had to ask myself if I were really announcing all of the Gospel!


The shock of the sex abuses
The facts did not catch me by surprise at all. At the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I was primarily occupied with the American cases, and I saw the situation mounting in Ireland. But the dimensions were nonetheless an enormous shock. [Despite the fact that they have involved, in the worst cases, a tiny fraction of priests, and in no worse incidence than in other social sectors!]

Since my election as Pope, I have met many victims of sexual abuse. In October 2006, speaking to the bishops of Ireland, I asked them "to establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take all measures necessary to avoid that they are repeated in the future, to assure that the principles of justice are fully respected, and above all, to heal the victims and all those who have been afflicted with these abnormal crimes".

To see the priesthood soiled in this way, and with it, the entire Catholic Church, has been difficult to bear. But it has been important not to forget that good exists in the Church, not just these terrible things.


Media and the abuses
It was evident that the media were not guided only by the pure search for truth, but that there was also some satisfaction in placing the Church on trial, and if possible, to discredit her.

Nonetheless, it is necessary to be clear about this: insofar as it meant bringing the truth to light, we must be grateful. Truth, when exercised with love, correctly understood, is the number-one value.

After all, the media would not have been able to report anything if there had been no evil committed at all. But because the evil was within the Church itself, they have been able to use it against her.


Progress
A problem has emerged with the term 'progress'. Modernity has sought its path guided by the ideas of progress and of freedom. But what is progress? Today we see that progress can be destructive. Therefore we have to reflect well on the criteria to adopt so that progress is truly progress.


An examination of conscience
Beyond isolated financial strategies, a global examination of conscience is absolutely inevitable. The Church has sought to contribute to this with the encyclical Caritas in veritate. It does not give answers to all problems. It is meant to be a step forward by looking at things from another point of view, not simply that of feasibility and success, but from a viewpoint in which the norm is love for one's neighbor that is oriented to the will of God and not to our desires.

In this sense, impulses and initiatives are necessary in order that a transformation of consciousness can truly take place.


The true intolerance
The real threat before which we find ourselves is that tolerance is being abolished in the name of tolerance itself. There is the danger that reason - so-called Western reason - claims to have finally found that which is correct, and therefore advances a claim of totality which is the enemy of freedom.

No one is forced to be a Christian. But neither should any one be forced to live according to the 'new religion' as if it were the only one that is true and binding for all mankind.


Mosques and burqas
Christians are tolerant, and as such, allow others their peculiar 'understanding' of what it is. We rejoice at the fact that in the Gulf states (Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Kuwait), there are churches in which Christians can celebrate Mass, and we hope that the same thing will occur elsewhere. That is why for us, it is natural that among us, Muslims can gather together to pray in their mosques.

As for the burqa, I do not see any reason for a general ban on its use. They say that some women do not use it voluntarily but that it is a sort of violence imposed upon them. It is clear that one cannot agree to that. But if they wear it of their own will, I do not see why they should be impeded.


Christianity and modernity
Being Christian is itself something living, modern, which traverses - forming and shaping it - all of modernity, and which in a way, truly embraces it.

But we need to wage a great spiritual battle, as I wished to demonstrate in the recent institution of the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization. it is important that we seek to live and think Christianity in a way that takes on what is good and just in modernity, but at the same time, distinguish and distance itself from what is becoming a counter-religion.


Optimism
One can think of it superficially, and restricting the horizon to the Western world. But if one observes more attentively - and this is possible for me thanks to the visits from bishops from around the world, and from so many other encounters - one sees that Christianity at this time is developing a creativity that is quite new...

Bureaucracy is worn out and tired. But there are initiatives that are coming from within, from the joy of young people. Christianity will perhaps take on a new face, perhaps a different cultural aspect.

Christianity does not determine world public opinion - others are in charge of that. Nonetheless, Christianity is the vital force without which even other things will not continue to exist.

Therefore, on the basis of what I am able to see and which I am able to experience personally, I am very optimistic about the fact that Christianity is taking on a new dynamic.


Drugs
So many bishops, especially those from Latin America, tell me that wherever cultivation and commerce in drugs take place - and this happens a great deal in their countries - it is as if a monstrous and evil animal has extended its hand over the country to ruin persons.

I believe that this serpent of drug trafficking and consumerism which has gripped the world is a power about which we do not always get an adequate idea. It destroys young people, it destroys families, it leads to violence and threatens the future of entire nations.

This, too, is a great responsibility that can be charged to the West. It needs drugs and therefore it 'creates' nations that provide that which will end up consuming and destroying their society. A hunger for happiness has emerged that cannot be satiated with what is, and thus finds refuge in what we might call the devil's paradise which can destroy man completely.


In the vineyard of the Lord
In effect, I have a directional function, but I have not done anything by myself, and I have always worked with a team - like so many other workers in the Lord's vineyard, who may have made some preparatory work. but is not made to be 'the first' and to take on responsibility for everything.

I understand that alongside the great Popes, there have to be small ones who make their own contribution. That is why at that moment, I was expressing what I truly felt...

The Second Vatican Council has taught us, rightly, that collegiality is constitutive for the structure of the Church - which means that the Pope is first in sharing, but not an absolute monarch who makes decisions by himself and wishes to do everything.


Judaism
I must say that from the day I started my theological studies, the profound unity between the Old and New Covenants, between the two parts of our Sacred Scripture, was somehow always clear to me.

I understood that we could read the New Testament only together with what preceded it, otherwise we would not understand it. Then, of course, what happened in the Third Reich was a blow to us Germans, and the more it has urged us to look at the people of Israel with humility, with shame, and with love.

These things were intertwined in my theological formation and have marked the course of my theological thinking. Therefore it was clear to me - and here, too, in absolute continuity with John Paul II - that in my announcement of the Christian faith, this new intertwining, loving and comprehensive, of Israel and the Church, must be central - based on respect for each other's way of being and of each other's respective missions...

And thus, at this point, I felt it was necessary to change something in the old liturgy [the Good Friday prayer]. In fact, the old formulation was such as to truly offend the Jews and certainly did not express in a positive way that great and profound unity between the Old and New Testaments.

And so, I thought that it was necessary to modify the prayer, in particular, as I said, with reference to our relationship with the Jews. I modified it in such a way that it contains our faith - that Christ is the salvation of everyone, that there do not exist two ways of salvation, and that therefore, Christ is also the Savior of the Jews, not only of the Gentiles. But to say this in a way that one does not directly pray for the conversion of the Jews in the missionary sense, but rather, that the Lord may hasten the historical hour when all men will be united. And that is why the arguments used by a series of theologians polemically against me are ill-considered and do not do justice to what was done.


Pius XII
Pio XII did everything possible to save people [during the war]. Naturally, one can ask: "Why did he not protest in a more explicit manner?" I believe he understood what would have been the consequences of a public protest. We know that because of this, he suffered a lot. He knew that he ought to have spoken but the situation kept him from doing so.

Now, more reasonable persons admit that Pius XII saved many lives, but they also say he had antiquated ideas about the Jews and that he would not have been up to the level of Vatican II. But that is not the question. What is important is what he did and what he sought to do, and I believe that it is truly necessary to acknowledge that he was one of the greatest among the 'just' and that, he saved so many Jews as no one else did.


Sexuality
To be focused only on the use of condoms is to banalize sexuality, and this banalization represents the dangerous reason itself that so many persons no longer see in sexuality an expression of their love but only as a sort of drug that is self-administered.

That is why the battle against the banalization of sexuality is part of the great effort by the Church in order that sexuality may have positive value and can exercise a positive effect on the human being in his totality.

There can be individual cases that justify the use of condoms, such as when a prostitute requires it, which could be a first step towards moralization, a first act of responsibility to develop anew the awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do everything one wants to do.... Still, this is not the true and proper way to defeat the scourge of HIV. What is truly needed is to humanize sexuality.


The Church
Paul did not see the Church as an institution, as an organization, but as a living organism, in which everyone functions for each other, and are united through Christ. It is an image, but it leads deep and is very realistic, if only because we believe that in the Eucharist we truly receive Christ, the Risen One.

And if each of us receives the same Christ, then we all are truly united in this new body that has arisen like the grand space for a new humanity. It is important to understand this, and therefore to see the Church not as an apparatus which must do everything - there are limits to what it can do with the apparatus that it has - but as a living organism that comes from Christ himself.


'Humanae vitae'
The perspectives of Humanae vitae remain valid, but it is something else to find ways that are humanly possible. I think there will always be minorities intimately convinced of the rightness of those perspectives, and who, in living them, remain fully content, so that they become fascinating models for others to follow.

We are sinners. But we should not use this fact to act against truth, namely, when people do not live up to its high morality. We must try to do all we can to support and sustain ourselves reciprocally.

But to express all this from the pastoral, theological and conceptual viewpoints, in the context of present sexology and anthropological studies, is a huge task to which one must devote oneself so much more and far better.


Women
John Paul II's formulation is very important: "The Church does not, in any way, have the faculty to confer priestly ordination on women". It is not about not wanting, to but not being able to.

The Lord gave a form to the Church with the Twelve Apostles and their succession, though bishops and priests. It wasn't us who created this form of the Church - which was constituted by him, starting with him.

To follow the form he instituted is an act of obedience, and in today's world, perhaps one of the most serious acts of obedience. But this in itslef is important - that the Church demonstrates she is is not a regime of arbitrariness.

We cannot do whatever we wish. There is the will of the Lord, to which we hold, even if this is effortful and difficult in the culture and civilization of today.

Moreover, the functions entrusted to women in the Church are so great and significant that one cannot speak of discrimination. It would be so if the priesthood were a kind of power, but on the contrary, it ought to be a service. If one looks at the history of the Church, then one will realize that the significance of women - from Mary to Monica and to Mother Teresa - have been so eminent that in many ways, women define the face of the Church more than men do.


The ultimate things
This is a very serious question. Our preaching, our announcement, is in effect broadly oriented, unilaterally, to the creation of a better world, whereas the world that is truly better is almost never mentioned at all.

This requires us to examine our conscience. Of course, one must speak to one's audience, speak to them about what is within their horizon. But it is our task at the same time to break through that horizon, to widen it, in order to look at the 'last things' [in traditional Christian teaching, this term refers to death, judgment, hell and paradise].

The 'last things' are like hard bread to men today - they seem unreal to him. They would prefer concrete responses for today, solutions for their daily tribulations. But they are responses which will remain half done, if they do not allow me to sense and acknowledge that I go beyond this material life, that there is judgment, that there is grace, that there is eternity. But for this, we must also find new words and new ways that will allow man to break through the sound barrier of the finite.


The coming of Christ
It is important that every era be close to the Lord. That we know ourselves, here and now, to be under the Lord's judgment and that we allow ourselves to be judged in his tribunal.

There have been disputes about the double coming of Christ, first in Bethlehem, and again ath the end of times, since St. Bernard Clairvauz spoke of an Adventus medius - an intermediate coming - through which he repeatedly enters human history.

I believe he used the right tonality. We cannot establish when the world will end. Christ himself said nobody knows. But we must nonetheless remain always ready for his coming, and to be certain above all, that in our sorrows, he is always near. At the same time, we should know that we are under his judgment for all our actions.

---

OMG! Even as I was translating the above, the news crawl on TV is saying 'Pope changes his stand on condoms'! It begins already....

Yep - it's top of the line in the ARD online-news.

This should be interesting!!

The ultra montane-ists are going to scream: treachery!!! He's caving in to modernism once and for all.

The liberals and the press will be stunned and will be looking for ways to spin it into whatever suits them best.

I think this entire book is going to shake up the press for quite a while!!
Do you reckon many copies will be sold?!

He's done it again!! He's surprised them all. And still nobody can put a label on him.

I think its great!!

So, before I can check out the other Italian reports 'excerpting' from THE BOOK, I have to take note of this first rather misleading brouhaha over the excerpts that have appeared so far! P.S. It turns out the uther Italian reports were all re-teporting the passages published by OR, so I have not lost anything.
Here is what AFP reported - limiting itself to the condom issue:


Pope softens stand on condoms



BERLIN, Nov, 20 (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI says that condom use is acceptable “in certain cases”, notably “to reduce the risk of infection” with HIV, in a book due out Tuesday, apparently softening his once hardline stance.

In a series of interviews published in his native German, the 83-year-old Benedict is asked whether “the Catholic Church is not fundamentally against the use of condoms.”

“It of course does not see it as a real and moral solution,” the Pope replies.

“In certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality,” said the head of the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics.

The new volume, entitled “Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times”, is based on 20 hours of interviews conducted by German journalist Peter Seewald.

Until now, the Vatican had prohibited the use of any form of contraception — other than abstinence — even as a guard against sexually transmitted disease.

Benedict sparked international outcry in March 2009 on a visit to AIDS-ravaged Africa when he told reporters the disease was a tragedy “that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems.”

To illustrate his apparent shift in position, Benedict offered the example of a male prostitute using a condom.

“There may be justified individual cases, for example when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be … a first bit of responsibility, to re-develop the understanding that not everything is permitted and that one may not do everything one wishes,” Benedict was quoted as saying.

“But it is not the proper way to deal with the horror of HIV infection.”

Benedict reiterated that condom use alone would not solve the problem of HIV/AIDS. “More must happen,” he said.

“Becoming simply fixated on the issue of condoms makes sexuality more banal and exactly this is the reason why so many people no longer find sexuality to be an expression of their love, but a type of self-administered drug.”


To which Damian Thompson posts an immediate reaction:

Pope Benedict's extraordinary comments
about condoms and HIV reflect
his charity and common sense

November 20th, 2010

The news is confirmed: Pope Benedict XVI is modifying the Catholic Church’s absolute ban on the use of condoms. In doing so, however, he is not radically departing from Church teaching but, rather, helping to clear up years of disastrous confusion relating to the specific area of condoms and AIDS.

The Pope’s comments, in an interview to be published on Tuesday, are wise, humane, carefully balanced – and another reminder of the 83-year-old pontiff’s ability to surprise the world by refusing to conform to the stereotype of “hardline conservative”.

Benedict XVI is not contradicting the teaching of Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae that the use of artificial birth control is wrong. But, on the basis of the reports published this afternoon, he is softening its application in circumstances that could not possibly have been anticipated in 1968.

Contrary to media reports, it has never been entirely clear whether the Church forbids the use of condoms to stop the spread of HIV. Is it a sin to use a condom where not using one would condemn one partner to the horrors of HIV infection?

Statements by leading clergymen, including African archbishops, have indicated that the Church’s answer was “yes” – but several cardinals strongly disagree.

In a controversial interview en route to Africa in March 2009, the Pope appeared to sign with hardliners when he suggested that the use of condoms helped to spread AIDS in the continent. The science behind that claim is contested, to put it mildly [But you are wrong, Mr. Thompson - he did not say that condoms helped spread AIDS - he said condoms were not an aswer to preventing AIDS bur rather added to the problem (he did not say so, but the rationale in al the epidemiological studies which have shown this is so - the science is not contested - is that condoms give its users a false sense of security, when it is not failproof, and the economics of condom giveaways in the Third World has often resulted in entire batches of condoms that have become defective due to poor storage conditions and other factors], and the Vatican seemed shocked by the almost universally hostile response it produced.

Actually, it was not certain even then that Benedict XVI had come to a fixed view on the subject, and the interview to be published on Tuesday indicates that he has been giving the matter deep thought.

His comments to Peter Seewald reaffirm his belief that the use of condoms is not “the answer” to AIDS – but he goes on to say that “in certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality”.

He also says: “There may be justified individual cases, for example when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be … a first bit of responsibility, to redevelop the understanding that not everything is permitted and that one may not do everything one wishes. But it is not the proper way to deal with the horror of HIV infection.”

Arguably, the subtlety of this moral judgment simultaneously pulls the rug from under the feet of certain Catholic conservatives (who oppose any softening of the line on condoms) and liberals (who want Church teaching drastically changed to permit condoms within marriage).

We shall have to wait to see how the Pope expounds his views – but the common sense reading of these remarks is that he regards the use of a condom as a lesser evil than the transmission of an infection that he rightly describes as a “horror”.

If that is Benedict’s considered opinion, then I suspect that only a small minority of the faithful will disagree with him. The argument that it is better to infect someone with a deadly virus than to use a condom is a cruel misjudgment, particularly when it is backed up by pseudoscience claiming that the virus can jump through holes in the rubber.

The core of Catholic teaching on contraception – that artificial birth control interferes with God’s purpose – remains intact, as the Pope certainly intends it to. He upholds the teaching of Paul VI and John Paul II that sex should take place only between a married man and woman and must be free of artificial contraceptive devices.

But today’s news does raise one intriguing question. Would the Polish Pope, who consistently sounded a stern note on matters of sexuality, have adjusted the application of Church teaching in this fashion? It is, shall we say, hard to imagine him doing so.



UGHhhh! So much speculation already... I've always personally believed that individual Catholics have to settle questions like contraception and life support with the help of their confessor. One size cannot fit all in these matters - in fact, each case is very specific and personal - and unless one intends to make a habit of contraception or euthanasia, there may be cases of force majeure that will demand a heroic exercise of judgment that should, however, remain private between the individual and his/her confessor.

However, when one of two spouses is infected with HIV, I don't consider it force majeure that can justify using a condom, because the obvious alternative is abstinence, which is what the Church preaches in such cases. So IMHO, I would dispute anyone who would interpret what the Pope said to mean that he thinks it is all right for condoms to be used in such a case.


John Allen, who has been 'absent' since the trip to Spain and even about this weekend consistory and pre-consistory, has quickly jumped into the condom tempest, and offers some background on Church 'study' about the use of condoms when one of the spouses has HIV:


Pope signals nuance on condoms
by John L Allen Jr

Nov. 20, 2010


Pope Benedict XVI has signaled that in some limited cases, where the intent is to prevent the transmission of disease rather than to prevent pregnancy, the use of condoms might be morally justified.

[That's quite a leap from what the Pope was quoted as saying about its use by a prostitute as a first act of self-awareness! I stand by my translation of the Italian statements as reported by both RV and OR, which does not imply any of that at all. Perhaps the original German does? Since AFP was reporting from Berlin, one assumes they were translating from the German... And it is strange that Allen uses AFP's quotes when he cites the OR as the source for the quotsation.]

While that position is hardly new, in the sense that a large number of Catholic theologians and even a special Vatican commission requested by Benedict XVI, have endorsed it, this is the first time the Pope himself has publicly espoused such a view.

The comments do not yet rise to the level of official Church teaching, but they do suggest that Benedict might be open to such a development.

The comments from Benedict come in a book-length interview with German journalist Peter Seewald titled Light of the World: The Pope, the Church, and the Signs of the Times, published in English by Ignatius Press.

Excerpts from the Seewald interview were published today by L’Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican newspaper.

The question of condoms arises in chapter eleven, in the context of Benedict’s March 2009 journey to Africa. That trip was largely overshadowed by controversy over comments the Pontiff made to reporters aboard the papal plane, to the effect that condoms actually make the HIV/AIDS crisis worse.

Benedict is clearly still annoyed by that reaction, saying he felt he was being “provoked” by the question about condoms. The suggestion was that the Church is indifferent to HIV/AIDS, when in reality “the Church does more than anyone else,” Benedict says.

Benedict goes on to say that his point was simply that one cannot solve the problem of HIV/AIDS merely by distributing condoms, something that even secular AIDS experts would concede.

While broadly defending traditional Catholic teaching against artificial birth control, Benedict also suggests that in some limited instances the use of a condom might be morally defensible.

“In this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality,” the Pope says.

Benedict offers the example of a male prostitute. In that situation, he says, the use of a condom “can be a first step in the direction of moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants.”

Beyond the question of prostitution, many mainstream Catholic moral theologians have also argued for the moral acceptability of condoms in the case of a married heterosexual couple where one partner is HIV-positive and the other is not. In that set of circumstances, theologians have argued, condoms would be acceptable since the aim is not to prevent new life, but to prevent infection.

Back in 2006, Benedict asked the Pontifical Council for the Health Care Pastoral under Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán, who has since retired, to examine precisely that question.

Having polled the doctors and other health care professionals, as well as theologians, who consult with the council, Barragán presented the Pope with a tentatively positive response – that in the case of couples where one partner is infected with HIV and the other is not, condoms could be justified.

To date that position has not been officially codified, and some Vatican officials have said on background that they worry doing so would be seen publicly as a blanket endorsement of condoms. Yet Benedict’s comments to Seewald suggest that the Pope himself is at least positively inclined to such a development.

[I don't know. Seeing as abstinence is officially the primary teaching of the Church in its AIDS prevention strategies, why would it not advocate it for an HIV-infected spouse????]


P.S. I decided to break up the post and put the full excerpt of what the Pope said and what followed from that in a separate post - below the book review and interview with Seewald...

And now, a full-blown book review, which even better, does not contain a single negative word or thought about Benedict XVI!....


In 'Light of the World',
Benedict XVI expresses himself
straight and to the point
by Isabelle de Gaulmyn
Translated from

Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010

The interview book with Benedict XVI, Light of the World, is permeated through and through by the idea that the world cannot deal with its problems without God, the Other.

One must take the road to Castel Gandolfo, the summer residence of the Popes. Sit on a comfortable chair, in front of the Pope, with a crackling fire nearby. [Why would there be a fire in the summer???] And listen. This is what this book invites us to do, and truly, it is a total success.

The tone is free, simple, sometimes light, as when Benedict XVI admits he does not use the stationary bicycle prescribed for him by his doctor, or when he states his appreciation for the Don Camillo films.

But the conversation becomes deeper and covers all the great stakes of the world and the Church, and the greta spiritual questions.

Here is a book that should once and for all silence all those who would portray Benedict XVI as a closed man, all coiled up to spring backward into the past. The man who, since 2005, has sat on Peter's Chair shows himself with stunning humility, with the capacity, which no Pope before him has had, of intellectual self-criticism.

He looks at the world full of hope, despite its upheavals, aware of its difficulties, its joys and its pains. If there is any catastrophism at all, it's on the part of the interviewer, Peter Seewald, some of whose questions end up rather jarring by their apocalyptic tone.

But the Pope lends himself gracefully to questions meant to look at the first five years of his Pontificate. No revelations here, but the impression that Benedict XVI deeply feels all the incomprehensions about him.

On the Regensburg lecture, this admission: "I conceived and gave the lecture as a strictly academic text, without thinking that the reading given to a pontifical discourse whould not be academic but political", but then he notes that it served to relaunch Christian-Muslim dialog.

On the Williamson case, the feeling that he was misunderstood: "Their excommunication [of the Lefebvrian bishops] had nothing to do with Vatican II - it was because of a transgression against Papal primacy [Mons. Lefebvre defied John Paul II's express instruction and went ahead and ordained four bishops not approved by the Pope] which they had just proclaimed in a letter expressing their approval of that principal. Therefore, the juridical consequence was clear".

But, he underscores afterwards, "Alas, we did a bad job of public information" about the lifting of the excommunications, and on top of that, there came 'the Williamson catastrophe": "We made the mistake of not having studied and prepared adequately in this regard". [Humble Benedict, loyal to his 'team' and sharing their mistake!]

About AIDS and his infamous statement about condoms, he does not regret anything. On the one hand, the Church is doing a great deal in the field to combat AIDS, but on the other, that "one cannot resolve the problem by distributing condoms".

On this occasion, however, he opens a door, looking at the use of condoms in order to reduce the risk of infection, which "could nonetheless be a first step on the road to a sexuality that is lived differently, a more human sexuality".

Finally, the pedophile crisis, that he compares to a volcanic explosion whose ashes have covered the Church and her priests. His words are strong, in proportion to his reaction.

"It caught me by surprise," he says, because from his personal knowledge of the cases that had gone through his desk at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, "the extent of it was a shock to me, despite everything".

He rejects the idea of a conspiracy against the Church: "But because the evil was within the Church, they were able to use it against her".

On his pontificate, Benedict XVI points out the main axes:

- Ecumenism, especially the rapprochement with the Orthodox Churches, and he considers a meeting between Rome and Moscow as 'within the order of the possible'.

- Relations with other religions, especially the Jews, whom, he says, he prefers to call 'our fathers in the faith' rather than 'our older brothers' [John Paul II's phrase].

In this respect, one must note how often Benedict XVI refers explicitly to the Second Vatican Council, in whose line he fully situates himself. He does not think it is necessary to call a new Council, but rather, to apply Vatican II.

Basically, the chapter dedicated to reforms that have been demanded by liberal Catholics, like married priests, the problem of remarried divorcees, or the Church position on contraception, shows that Benedict xVI does not believe in the possibility of changing the Church from the top, through transformation of its organisms, or by any form of 'activism'. [Whoa! This is a conclusion by the reporter, not a quotation. I hope she is is not implying that he believes it can be changed from below, heaven forbid! If at all, I would think that he does not believe the proposed 'reforms' are possible at all in the Church!]1]

One may reproach him for that. But it's been a constant position with him for years: that true reform will come from communion, to a return to what is essential in Christianity, by means of a profound conversion.

His firm belief: One must make visible the center of Christianity at the same time as the simplicity of being Christian.

Benedict XVI is haunted by the urgent need to repropose the question of God in a escularized world. "We are moving towards a Christianity by choice," he says. "But the general power of the Christian imprint comes from him".

He notes that if John Paul II, in a precise critical situation ddeply branded by Marxism, was concerned with "achieving a breakthrough to faith, to show it as the center and the way", then for his part, his mission is "to uphold the Word of God as the decisive word, while at teh same time, to give Christianity the simplicity and profundity without which it cannot function".

That is the great challenge of what he calls the 'new evangelization', with the two pillars that he never tires to recall, the bond between faith and reason, and the centrality of Christ as the only way to salvation.

From cover to cover, one is struck by the consistency of a thought that is convinced that the world cannot find a way out of its problems without meeting God, the Other: "So many problems need to be resolved, but not one will be, if God is not in our heart and if he does not become visible again in the world".

At the start, not without humor, Benedict XVI depicts himself as a 'small Pope' beside a 'giant' like Karol Wojtyla...

A 'small Pope'? History will decide. But in any case, a Pope who is capable of looking beyond the walls of the Vatican in order to place the Church once more in the vaster perspective of human history and its salvation at the start of the third millennium.





Seewald: ‘I know of few young people
so alive, so curious and so modern as the Pope’
By Edward Pentin

Friday, 19 November 2010


A series of candid interviews with Pope Benedict XVI will go on sale around the world next week in the eagerly anticipated book: Light of the World, The Pope, The Church and The Signs of the Times by Peter Seewald.

Mr Seewald, a German author and former magazine editor, has shared these brief comments about the book – the first ever to contain verbal interviews between a pontiff and a journalist.

Mr Seewald, how important do you think the book will be in helping people become better acquainted with the Pope?
Benedict XVI is still always falsely portrayed. Fundamentally, he is a very dear man and extremely lovable. Here is someone who is inexhaustible, a great giver. And if I’m honest, I know of few young people who are so fit, so productive, so alive, so curious and in a certain sense so young and as modern as this seemingly old man on the throne of Peter.

This book contains not only an analysis of the crisis in the Church and society, but it is in some ways also a portrait of the Pope.

How much has the Pope changed since your last conversations with him?
Well, to begin with, he’s quite simply gotten older. Aged 83 and leading the universal Church with 1.2 billion members is no trifling matter. Of course, this office has a tremendous aura, but the Joseph Ratzinger of earlier times is also the Joseph Ratzinger of today.

He is like hard wood when it comes to the basic tenets of the faith – but he is also a shepherd, even more sensitive, humble and wiser now. Above all, he has kept his beautiful, subtle humor. Basically he is a very dear man, extremely lovable. and his willingness to help others is positively touching.

You have said that some people will be upset by the book. What did you mean by this, and might this harm his pontificate?
This book will not fit well for many people, some because they will feel uncomfortable, their critical attitude to this Pope won’t change, and for others because this man does not correspond to their image of him as a reactionary.

Conversely, Light of the World will make many people sit up – through his clarity, his truth, and ultimately through his prophetic words. It’s inconceivable to me that it would harm his pontificate.

On the contrary, it will give us a new, unobstructed view of the Pope’s work and his great achievements so far. And it can help us in a world where so often the blind lead the blind, looking to find guidance.

There is no doubt Pope Benedict is not only one of the greatest theologians, but also one of the greatest intellectuals and thinkers of our time. This book is a message to the world and the Church. And I think, as rarely before, it helps us come to understand not only the times in which we live, but also the core issues of the faith.

ALL OF WHAT THE HOLY FATHER
REALLY SAID ABOUT CONDOMS

Here, from CWR, which is a publication of Ignatius Press, publisher of the English version of THE BOOK, is the full excerpt of what the Pope said.... Obviously, Ignatius anticipated that this particular answer would provoke fresh controversy:


An excerpt from Light of the World
From Chapter 11:
"The Journeys of a Shepherd," pages 117-119:

---

On the occasion of your trip to Africa in March 2009, the Vatican’s policy on AIDs once again became the target of media criticism. Twenty-five percent of all AIDs victims around the world today are treated in Catholic facilities. In some countries, such as Lesotho, for example, the statistic is 40 percent. In Africa you stated that the Church’s traditional teaching has proven to be the only sure way to stop the spread of HIV. Critics, including critics from the Church’s own ranks, object that it is madness to forbid a high-risk population to use condoms.
The media coverage completely ignored the rest of the trip to Africa on account of a single statement. Someone had asked me why the Catholic Church adopts an unrealistic and ineffective position on AIDs.

At that point, I really felt that I was being provoked, because the Church does more than anyone else. And I stand by that claim. Because she is the only institution that assists people up close and concretely, with prevention, education, help, counsel, and accompaniment. And because she is second to none in treating so many AIDs victims, especially children with AIDs.

I had the chance to visit one of these wards and to speak with the patients. That was the real answer: The Church does more than anyone else, because she does not speak from the tribunal of the newspapers, but helps her brothers and sisters where they are actually suffering.

In my remarks I was not making a general statement about the condom issue, but merely said, and this is what caused such great offense, that we cannot solve the problem by distributing condoms. Much more needs to be done. We must stand close to the people, we must guide and help them; and we must do this both before and after they contract the disease.

As a matter of fact, you know, people can get condoms when they want them anyway. But this just goes to show that condoms alone do not resolve the question itself. More needs to happen. Meanwhile, the secular realm itself has developed the so-called ABC Theory: Abstinence-Be Faithful-Condom, where the condom is
understood only as a last resort, when the other two points fail to work.

This means that the sheer fixation on the condom implies a banalization of sexuality, which, after all, is precisely the dangerous source of the attitude of no longer seeing sexuality as the expression of love, but only a sort of drug that people administer to themselves.

This is why the fight against the banalization of sexuality is also a part of the struggle to ensure that sexuality is treated as a positive value and to enable it to have a positive effect on the whole of man’s being.

There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality.

Are you saying, then, that the Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of condoms?
She, of course, does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality

---

Dr. Janet Smith, one of the selected few who was given the book to review earlier, follows up with this discussion, for which she is eminently qualified:



Nov 21, 2010

We must note that the example that Pope Benedict gives for the use of a condom is a male prostitute; thus, it is reasonable to assume that he is referring to a male prostitute engaged in homosexual acts.

The Holy Father is simply observing that for some homosexual prostitutes the use of a condom may indicate an awakening of a moral sense; an awakening that sexual pleasure is not the highest value, but that we must take care that we harm no one with our choices.

He is not speaking to the morality of the use of a condom, but to something that may be true about the psychological state of those who use them. If such individuals are using condoms to avoid harming another, they may eventually realize that sexual acts between members of the same sex are inherently harmful since they are not in accord with human nature.

The Holy Father does not in any way think the use of condoms is a part of the solution to reducing the risk of AIDs. As he explicitly states, the true solution involves “humanizing sexuality.”

Anyone having sex that threatens to transmit HIV needs to grow in moral discernment. This is why Benedict focused on a “first step” in moral growth.

The Church is always going to be focused on moving people away from immoral acts towards love of Jesus, virtue, and holiness. We can say that the Holy Father clearly did not want to make a point about condoms, but wants to talk about growth in a moral sense, which should be a growth towards Jesus.

So is the Holy Father saying it is morally good for male prostitutes to use condoms? The Holy Father is not articulating a teaching of the Church about whether or not the use of a condom reduces the amount of evil in a homosexual sexual act that threatens to transmit HIV.

The Church has no formal teaching about how to reduce the evil of intrinsically immoral action. [That was my point about the underlying sin of prostitution in the example given.]

We must note that what is intrinsically wrong in a homosexual sexual act in which a condom is used is not the moral wrong of contraception but the homosexual act itself. In the case of homosexual sexual activity, a condom does not act as a contraceptive; it is not possible for homosexuals to contracept since their sexual activity has no procreative power that can be thwarted.

But the Holy Father is not making a point about whether the use of a condom is contraceptive or even whether it reduces the evil of a homosexual sexual act; again, he is speaking about the psychological state of some who might use condoms. The intention behind the use of the condom (the desire not to harm another) may indicate some growth in a sense of moral responsibility.

In Familiaris Consortio (On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World), John Paul II spoke of the need for conversion, which often proceeds by gradual steps:

---

To the injustice originating from sin … we must all set ourselves in opposition through a conversion of mind and heart, following Christ Crucified by denying our own selfishness: such a conversion cannot fail to have a beneficial and renewing influence even on the structures of society.

What is needed is a continuous, permanent conversion which, while requiring an interior detachment from every evil and an adherence to good in its fullness, is brought about concretely in steps which lead us ever forward. Thus a dynamic process develops, one which advances gradually with the progressive integration of the gifts of God and the demands of His definitive and absolute love in the entire personal and social life of man. (9)

---

Christ himself, of course, called for a turning away from sin. That is what the Holy Father is advocating here; not a turn towards condoms. Conversion, not condoms!

Would it be proper to conclude that the Holy Father would support the distribution of condoms to male prostitutes? Nothing he says here indicates that he would. Public programs of distribution of condoms run the risk of conveying approval for homosexual sexual acts.

The task of the Church is to call individuals to conversion and to moral behavior; it is to help them understand the meaning and purpose of sexuality and to help them come to know Christ, who will provide the healing and graces that enable us to live in accord with the meaning and purpose of sexuality.

Is Pope Benedict indicating that heterosexuals who have HIV could reduce the wrongness of their acts by using condoms? No. In his second answer he says that the Church does not find condoms to be a “real or moral solution.”

That means the Church does not find condoms either to be moral or an effective way of fighting the transmission of HIV. As the Holy Father indicates in his fuller answer, the most effective portion of programs designed to reduce the transmission of HIV are calls to abstinence and fidelity. [Well, I am glad I was not wrong about this!]

The Holy Father, again, is saying that the intention to reduce the transmission of any infection is a “first step” in a movement towards a more human way of living sexuality.

That more human way would be to do nothing that threatens to harm one’s sexual partner, who should be one’s beloved spouse. For an individual with HIV to have sexual intercourse with or without a condom is to risk transmitting a lethal disease.

An analogy: If someone was going to rob a bank and was determined to use a gun, it would better for that person to use a gun that had no bullets in it. It would reduce the likelihood of fatal injuries.

But it is not the task of the Church to instruct potential bank robbers how to rob banks more safely and certainly not the task of the Church to support programs of providing potential bank robbers with guns that could not use bullets.

Nonetheless, the intent of a bank robber to rob a bank in a way that is safer for the employees and customers of the bank may indicate an element of moral responsibility that could be a step towards eventual understanding of the immorality of bank robbing.



Dr. Janet E. Smith holds the Father Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. She speaks nationally and internationally on Catholic teachings on sexuality and on bioethics, and has published numerous articles and several books on sexuality and bioethics. She is serving a third term as a consultor to the Pontifical Council on the Family. She is author of The Right to Privacy, a study of Roe v. Wade and related court cases.


In retrospect and having now seen the full excerpt about condoms, the OR should have run the entire excerpt - which is not rather brief, after all - instead of simply the short paragraph that it did. It might have anticipated the ruckus that the 'teaser' would raise and should have given the whole two-question set!


Finally, CNS's John Thavis, quoted in an omnibus article in Catholic Herald which makes use of Dr. Sith's article as well as that by John Allen, has a more sensible take on the issue, I think, than Allen:

John Thavis, another distinguished Vatican commentator, said: “These are nuanced comments, and one should read the passage in full to gauge the Pope’s position. The Pope’s answer seems to invite follow-up questions.

“Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that the Vatican has never proclaimed a ‘ban’ on condom use in AIDS prevention; on the contrary, some Vatican theologians and officials have argued that for married couples in which one partner is HIV-infected, use of condoms would be a moral responsibility.”

He added that “despite journalistic hyperventilation” the Pope’s comments do not signal a major shift in Vatican thinking on condoms.

“What the Pope has done is to raise the issue publicly,” he said, “making clear that the Church’s teaching against condoms as a form of birth control is different from its position on condom use in disease prevention.”




Someone in the blogosphere - the super-sensible and ever-reliable Jimmy Akin - shares my misgivings about OR's excerpt of an excerpt, but he says it much better...


The Pope said WHAT???
about condoms????

---

Among the disservices L’Osservatore Romano performed by breaking the book’s embargo in the way it did was the fact that it only published a small part of the section in which Pope Benedict discussed condoms.

As a result, the reader could not see the context of his remarks, giving the reader no way to see the context and guaranteeing that the secular press would take the Pope’s remarks out of context (which they would have anyway, but perhaps not this much).

Especially egregious is the fact that L’Osservatore Romano omits material in which Benedict clarified his statement on condoms in a follow-up question.

So L’Osservatore Romano has performed a great disservice to both the Catholic and non-Catholic communities.

---

Here is what he wrote before that:

Pope Benedict’s new book, Light of the World: The Pope, The Church and The Signs Of The Times, isn’t even officially out yet but is already at the center of an online media controversy.

The controversy erupted Saturday morning when L’Osservatore Romano unilaterally violated the embargo on the book by publishing Italian-language extracts of various papal statements, much to the chagrin of publishers around the world, who had been working on a carefully orchestrated launch for the book on Tuesday.

Among the extracts was one dealing with the use of condoms in trying to prevent the spread of AIDS, and the press immediately seized on this (e.g., Reuters, Associated Press , BBC online).

And so we were treated to headlines like:

* Pope says condoms sometimes permissible to stop AIDS
* Pope: condoms can be justified in some cases
* Pope says condoms can be used in the fight against AIDS

Particularly egregious is this statement by William Crawley of the BBC:

---

Pope Benedict appears to have changed the Vatican’s official stance on the use of condoms to a moral position that many Catholic theologians have been recommending for quite some time.

---

GAH!

Okay, first of all, this is an interview book. The pope is being interviewed. He is not engaging his official teaching capacity. This book is not an encyclical, an apostolic constitution, a papal bull, or anything of the kind. It is not published by the Church. It is an interview conducted by a German-language journalist.

Consequently, the book does not represent an act of the Church’s Magisterium and does not have the capacity to “change[] the Vatican’s official stance” on anything. It does not carry dogmatic or canonical force.

The book (which is fascinating and unprecedented, though that’s a subject for another post) constitutes the Pope’s personal opinions on the questions he is asked by interviewer Peter Seewald.

And, as Pope Benedict himself notes in the book:
"It goes without saying that the Pope can have private opinions that are wrong".

I don’t point this out to suggest that what Pope Benedict says regarding condoms is wrong (we’ll get to that in a moment) but to point out the status of private papal opinions. They are just that: private opinions. Not official Church teaching. So let’s get that straight.

[He then proceeds to make the comments on OR that I started with, and then goes on to cite the full excerpt as well as Dr. Smith's analysis.]




While we're at it, here's the New York Times report, with the headline and the lede both proclaiming the wrong-headed MSM line. But the story itself also suggests someone has read the book itself, as it contains some quotations not found in the OR set - probably Laurie Goodstein who is acknowledged at the bottom as having 'contributed' to the article...


Pope says condoms to stop AIDS
may be acceptable
By RACHEL DONADIO



ROME, Nov 20 — Pope Benedict XVI has said that condom use can be justified in some cases to help stop the spread of AIDS, the first Vatican exception to a long-held policy condemning condom use.

The Pope made the statement in a series of interviews with a German journalist, part of an extraordinary effort to address some of the harshest criticisms of his turbulent papacy.

The Pope made clear that he considered the use of condoms a last resort and not a way to prevent conception. The example he gave of when they could be used was in the case of male prostitutes.

Amid his vigorous defense of the Church in contemporary society, Benedict also acknowledged some of the Church’s failings, like in the sexual abuse crisis, which he calls “a volcano of filth” sent by the devil.

He pointed to a “readiness for aggression” among those who criticized him for revoking the excommunication of a bishop who denied the scope of the Holocaust.

Benedict also discussed his contentious speech in Regensburg, Germany, in 2006, which provoked the ire of the Muslim world; denounced drug abuse, explained what he described as the impossibility of ordaining women as priests, and, with surprising candor, said that if he did not feel up to the task of being Pope, he would resign.

The revelations — which show the Pope to be at once personal, provocative and largely unapologetic [What should he apologize about that he has not already done before????] — come in the first book-length interview ever to be granted by a sitting Pontiff, conducted in July by Peter Seewald, the author of two previous books of interviews with Benedict when he was still a cardinal.

In allowing the Pope to speak for himself, the book is a clear acknowledgment of the challenges facing Benedict, 83, whose five-year-old papacy has suffered a series of profound crises, including over the sexual abuse of minors by priests. Even his greatest defenders concede his papacy has had grave communications problems.

The book “proves once again that Benedict XVI is his own best advocate,” said George Weigel, a papal biographer who wrote the introduction for the English-language edition of the book, Light of the World, which will be published on Tuesday. (The Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, published excerpts online on Saturday afternoon.)

In the book, Benedict upholds the view that the Roman Catholic Church does not see condoms as “a real or moral solution,” and says that they are “not really the way to deal with the evil of H.I.V. infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality.”

But for the first time, he opened the door for at least some more open debate on the issue.

“There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants,” the Pope said.

Condoms have been a contentious issue ever since Pope Paul VI denounced birth control[artificial birth control, it must be stressed! MSM has the bad habit of omitting important qualifiers, as when in recent years, it has taken to refport that the Vatican opposes 'stem cell research', without specifiying it objects to using embryos for such research, not to all SC research!] in his famous 1968 encyclical, Humanae Vitae.

In recent years, bishops in Africa and elsewhere have been quietly calling on the Vatican to relax its stance to allow for condom use as part of a broader approach to fight the spread of H.I.V. and AIDS. [Not the bishops in the countries where the Church's ABC strategy has been successful!]

The Rev. Joseph Fessio, a former student of Benedict and the editor in chief of Ignatius Press, which is publishing the English-language edition of the book, said the Pope’s remarks on condoms were among the most surprising in the volume.

“It’s very carefully qualified,” he said. “It would be wrong to say, ‘Pope Approves Condoms.’ He’s saying it’s immoral but in an individual case the use of a condom could be an awakening to someone that he’s got to be more conscious of his actions.”

The book also devotes an entire chapter to the sexual abuse crisis which roared back this spring, likening it to a natural disaster that marred a year he had intended to celebrate priests.

He says he was not surprised by the scandal, having spent 25 years as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office that handles doctrinal and disciplinary questions, and which victims and critics have accused of not acting swiftly and decisively enough in tackling abuse or punishing abusive priests. [Of course, the Times must dig that in!]

In the book, Benedict says of the abuse crisis that erupted in the United States in 2001: “We responded to the matter in America immediately with revised, stricter norms. In addition, collaboration between the secular and ecclesiastical authorities was improved. Would it have been Rome’s duty, then, to say to all the countries expressly: Find out whether you are in the same situation? Maybe we should have done that.”

And he acknowledged that the scandal had undermined the moral authority of the Catholic Church. “It is not only the abuse that is upsetting, it is also the way of dealing with it. The deeds themselves were hushed up and kept secret for decades. That is a declaration of bankruptcy for an institution that has love written on its banner.”

Laurie Goodstein contributed reporting from New York.


11/21/10
Regarding the decision of OR to 'excerpt the excerpt on condoms' from LOTW in its Sunday issue posted online Saturday afternoon, Andrea Tornielli notes in his Sunday blog that one obvious effect of the ill-considered OR move (ill-considered not because it provided some advance passages from the text ahead of the embargo imposed on everybody else, but because it chose to include the excerpt about condoms) was that it sucked out all the oxygen in the media world, all but eclipsing any mention of the consistory!

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 23/11/2010 06:15]

November 21, Last Sunday of the Liturgical Year

SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE
Celebrated on the last Sunday of the liturgical yearJesus is not often portrayed as a king, literally. The oldest known portrait of Christ is the 6th-century Pantocrator (leftmost photo) at the Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai. Christ the King is often depicted as the Pantocrator, especially in Orthodox imagery. Christ at the Last Judgment (detail from Michelangelo's fresco) is the other usual 'kingly' portrayal of Christ. 'King of the Jews' images come with Crucifixion portrayals.
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/nab/readings/112110.shtml



OR today.

The OR does not provide information on the contemporary Christ portrait used to illustrate the item on LOTW.
The consistory presided by the Roman Pontiff to create 24 new cardinals:
'Journeying along the way of Christ'
Page 1 also contains an editorial on 'The God question' and previews the book LIGHT OF THE WORLD with a compilation of excerpts including a headline-grabbing incomplete excerpt of the Pope's statements about condoms and HIV. The other Page 1 news reports the expression of solidarity by the College of Cardinals with the peoples of Haiti and Iraq in their current emergencies; and NATO agreement on a new plan for a US anti-missile shield in Europe.

THE POPE'S DAY
The Holy Father presided at the Mass for the Solemnity of Christ the King at St. Peter's Basilica, concelebrated
with the 24 new cardinals, to whom he also gave their cardinal's ring.

Angelus at noon


November 21 is also the Feast of the Presentation of Mary, which is secondary this year to the major Feast of Christ the King as the dates coincide.
FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF MARY
The apocryphal Proto-Evangelium of James recounts that the girl Mary was consecrated to God by her parents Joachim and Anna, in thanksgiving for having the child after long years of barrenness. First celebrated in 6th century Jerusalem, the feast is one of the 12 major feasts in the Greek Orthodox liturgy, where it is formally known as 'the entry of the all-Holy Theotokos (God-bearer) into the temple'. It became a Catholic feast in the 16th century, emphasizing Mary's holiness from the start of her life - the one human being destined to be a living temple of God, 'greater than any temple built by man'.

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 22/11/2010 13:42]

MASS FOR THE SOLEMNITY
OF CHRIST THE KING
The Pope gives the ring
to the new cardinals



Libretto illustrations: Images from the 'Dalmatic of Charlemagne' (back). Images from the front illustrated the libretto for yesterday's consistory.

At 9:30 today, the Holy Father Benedict XVI presided at St. Peter's Basilica the Eucharistic concelebration with the 24 new cardinals created in the consistory yesterday.

In the course of the Mass, he gave each of them the cardinal's ring as 'a sign of rank, of pastoral solicitude and of firmer communion with the See of Peter".




Here is a translation of the Pope's homily:

---

Eminent Cardinals,
Venerated Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Dear brothers and sisters:

On the Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe, we have the joy of gathering around the Altar of the Lord together with the 24 new cardinals whom I added yesterday to the College of Cardinals.

To them, first of all, I address my heartfelt greeting, which I extend to the other cardinals and all the other prelates present, as well as to the distinguished authorities, the honorable ambassadors, priests, religious and all the faithful who have come from various parts of this world for this occasion, with its evident character of universality.

Many of you would have noted that even the last Public Consistory for the creation of new cardinals in November 2007 was celebrated on the vigil of the Solemnity of Christ the King. Three years have passed, and therefore, following the Sunday liturgical cycle, the Word of God comes to us today through the same Biblical readings for this important feast.

It takes place on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, and it presents to us, at the end of the itinerary of faith, the kingly face of Christ, like the Pantocrator in the apse of ancient churches.

This coincidence invites us to meditate profoundly on the ministry of the Bishop of Rome, and on that linked to it, the ministry of cardinals, in the light of the singular Kingship of Jesus, our Lord.

The first service of the Successor of Peter is to the faith. In the New Testament, Peter becomes the 'rock' of the Church as the bearer of the Creed: the 'we' of the Church begins with the name of him who first professed faith in Christ - it starts with his faith.

It was a faith that was first acerbic and still 'too human', but after Easter, it became mature and able to follow Jesus up to giving himself - mature in believing that Jesus is truly the King; that he is so, precisely because he remained on the Cross and gave his life for sinners.

In the Gospel, we read that everyone asked Jesus to come down from the Cross. They derided him, but that was also a way to exculpate themselves, as if to say - "It's not our fault that you are on the Cross; it's your fault alone, because if you were really the Son of God, King of the Jews, you would not be there, but you would save yourself and come down from that infamous gallow. So, if you stay there, it means that you are wrong and we are right."

The drama that takes place at the foot of the Cross is a universal drama - it concerns all men in front of God, who shows himself for who he is, namely, Love.

In the crucified Jesus, divinity is disfigured, stripped of every visible glory, but it is present and real. Only faith can recognize it: the faith of Mary, who guards in her heart this last tile of the mosaic of the life of her Son. She still does not see the whole picture but she continues to trust in God, repeating once more with the same abandon, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord" (Lk 1,38).

And there was the faith of the good thief: a faith that had barely budded, but enough to assure him of salvation: "Today you will be with me in Paradise". That 'with me' is decisive. Yes, that is what saves. Of course, the good thief is also on a cross like Jesus, but above all, he is on the cross with Jesus.

Unlike the other malefactor, and all the others who mocked them, he does not ask Jesus to come down from the Cross nor to bring him down from the Cross. He asks instead: "Remember me when you enter your Kingdom".

He sees Jesus on the Cross, disfigured, unrecognizable, and yet he entrusts himself to him as to a King, or rather, as to the King. The good thief believes what was written on the tag above Jesus's head, 'King of the Jews' - he believes in it, and so he trusts. Because of this he is already, right away, in God's 'today', in Paradise, because Paradise is to be with Jesus, to be with God.

Therefore, dear brothers, here emerges clearly the first and fundamental message that the Word of God tells us today - to me, Successor of Peter, and to you Cardinals. It calls us to be with Jesus, like Mary, and not ask him to come down from the Cross, but for us to stay there with him.

This, because of our ministry, we ought to do not only for ourselves but for the whole Church, for all the People of God. We know from the Gospel that the Cross was the critical point for the faith of Simon Peter and the other Apostles. It is clear, and it cannot be otherwise: they were men and thought 'like men' - they could not tolerate the idea of a crucified Messiah.

The 'conversion' of Peter was fully realized when he gave up wanting to 'save' Jesus but accepted that he should be saved by him. He renounced wanting to save Jesus from the Cross and accepted to be saved by that Cross.

"I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers" (Lk 22,32), the Lord said to him. Peter's ministry consists entirely of his faith, a faith that Jesus recognized right away, from the start, as genuine, a a gift form the heavenly Father. But a faith that had to to go through the scandal of the Cross, in order to become authentic, truly 'Christian', in order to become the 'rock' on which Jesus could build his Church.

Participation in the Lordship of Christ is concretely verified only in sharing his humiliation, on the Cross. Even my ministry, dear brothers, and consequently, yours too, consists entirely of the faith.

Jesus can build his Church on us to the degree that he finds in us the true faith, the Paschal faith, that which does not want Jesus to come down from the Cross, but trusts in him on the Cross. In this sense, the authentic place for the Vicar of Christ is the Cross, and to persist in obedience to the Cross.

This ministry is difficult because it is not aligned to man's thinking, to that natural logic which remains always active in us. But this is and always remains our first service - the service of faith, which transforms all of life:

To believe that Jesus is God, that he is the King precisely because he reached the point of loving us to the very extreme. It is this paradoxical kingship that we must bear witness to and announce, as he, the King, did, - that is, following the same way and striving to adopt his logic, the logic of humility and service, of the grain of wheat that dies in order to bear fruit.

The Pope and the cardinals are called on to be profoundly united above all in this: All together, under the leadership of the Successor of Peter, we must remain under the Lordship of Christ, thinking and acting according to the logic of the Cross - though this is never easy nor to be taken for granted.

In this, we must remain compact, and we are because we are not united by an idea or a strategy - we are united by the love of Christ and his Holy Spirit.

The efficacy of our service to the Church, the Spouse of Christ, essentially depends on this - our faith in the divine kingship of crucified Love.

Because of this, the image of the Crucifixion is found on the ring that I will give you today, seal of your nuptial vow with the Church. For the same reason, the color of your garments evokes blood, symbol of life and love.

The Blood of Christ, which, according to an ancient legend, Mary collected as it flowed from the pierced side of her Son who had just died on the Cross, and which the apostle John contemplated as it flowed out with water, as the Scriptures had prophesied.

Dear brothers, our wisdom comes from this - sapientia Crucis, the wisdom of the Cross. St. Paul reflected deeply on this, having been the first to develop organic Christian thought, centered precisely on the paradox of the Cross [/DIM](cfr 1Cor 1,18-25; 2,1-8).

In the Letter to the Colossians - whose Christological hymn is propsoed to us in today's liturgy - the Pauline reflection, made fruitful by the grace of the Spirit, already reaches an impressive level of synthesis in expressing an authentic Christian concept of God and the world, of personal and universal salvation.

And everything is centered on Christ, Lord of hearts, of history, and the cosmos: "For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross (through him), whether those on earth or those in heaven" (Col 1,19-20).

This, dear brothers, is what we are always called on to announce to the world: Christ, 'image of the invisible God'; Christ 'firstborn of all creation' and 'those who rise from the dead', because, as the Apostle writes, "in all things he himself is preeminent" (Col 1,15.18).

The primacy of Peter and his Successors is totally in the service of the primacy of Jesus Christ, the only Lord; in the service of his Kingdom, namely, in his Lordship of love, so that it may come and be disseminated, renew men and things, transform the earth and make peace and justice germinate in it.

Within this plan that transcends history, but at the same time, is disclosed and realized in it, is the Church, the 'Body" of which Christ is 'the Head' (cfr Col 1,18).

In the Letter to the Ephesians, St, Paul speaks explicitly of the Lordship of Christ and presents it in relation to the Church. He formulates a prayer of praise to "the greatness of the power of God" who resurrected Christ and made him the universal Lord, then concludes: "And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way" (Eph 1,22-23).

The same word 'fullness' that belongs to Christ, Paul attributes here to the Church, through participation: the body, in fact, participates in the fullness of the Head.

And this, venerated Brother Cardinals - and I also address all of you who share with us the grace of being Christian - is our joy: that of taking part in the Church, in the fullness of Christ through obedience to the Cross, "to participate in the destiny of saints in the light", to be 'transferred' to the kingdom of the Son of God (cfr Col 1,12-13).

Because of love, we live in perennial thanksgiving, and even through trials, we do not feel less the joy and the peace that Christ has left us, as an earnest of his Kingdom which is already in our midst, and that we look to with faith and hope, and of which, in charity, we have a foretaste. Amen.

---

What a powerful homily! I kept getting shivers as I was translating. Benedict has not reflected publicly as often about Peter as he has about Paul, but whenever he does, he throws a whole new and exhilarating light on the fisherman-Rock! This homily seems an appropriate companion piece, in its own way, to LIGHT OF THE WORLD!

One certainly did not expect the following explicit and detailed note from the Vatican Press Office in response to the worldwide headline-making misreading of statements about condoms made by the Pope in the new interview book that won't even come out till Tuesday!

Obviously, the Pope himself must have thought it necessary to issue this clarification right away - even though his statements, taken as a whole, and not isolated out of context, were pretty clear. It was quite alarming even to someone like me to wake up today to headlines that have stalwart orthodox Catholic writers, UN officials and condom advocates all chiming in that the Pope has taken a significant turn in Church teaching... Imagine what the Pope must have felt!


NOTE OF FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI
ON THE WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
REGARDING CONDOM USE
Translated from

Nov. 21, 2010

---

At the end of Chapter 20 in the book LIGHT OF THE WORLD, the Pope responds to two questions regarding the fight against AIDS and the use of condoms, questions that referred back to the discussion that followed statements made by the Pope on his trip to Africa in 2009.

The Pope clearly states that at the time, he did not wish to take a position on the question of condoms in general, but wished to affirm forcefully that the AIDS problem cannot be resolved only by distributing condoms because much more needs to be done - to alert, educate, help, advice, and be near to persons who must guard against beuing infected and those who are already infected.

The Pope notes that even in non-ecclesial circles, a sumilar awareness has developed, as evidenced in the so-called ABC strategy (Abstinence - Be Faithful - Condoms), in which the first two elements, abstinence and fidelity, are much more decisive and fundamental for the fight against AIDS, whereas the condom appears more of an easy way out when the other two elements are not present. It should therefore be clear that condoms are not the solution to the problem.

The Pope then widens his outlook to insist that concentrating only on the use of condoms is equivalent to banalizing sexuality, which loses its meaning as an expression of love between two persons and instead becomes a 'drug'.

Fighting against such banalization of sexuality is "part of the struggle to ensure that sexuality is treated as a positive value and to enable it to have a positive value over the whole of man's being".

In the light of this broad and profound view of human sexuality and the problem it faces today, the Pope reaffirms that "of course, the Church does not regard condoms as a real or moral solution" to the AIDS problem.

In this, the Pope is not reforming or changing the teaching of the Church, but reaffirms it in the perspective of the value and dignity of human sexuality as an expression of love and responsibility.

At the same time, the Pope considers the exceptional situation in which the exercise of sexuality represents a true risk to the life of another perosn. In this case, the Pope does not morally justify the disordered exercise of sexuality, but thinks that the use of a condom to mimimize the danger of contagion can be 'a first act of responsibility", a "first step on the way towards recovering a more human sexuality", rather than exposing one's partner to a mortal risk by not using it.

In this, the Pope's reasoning can certainly not be called a revolutionary turnaround.

Many moral theologians and authoritative Church personalities have sustaiend and continue to suatain analogous positions. Nonetheless, it is true that we have not heard it before with such clarity from a Pope, even if it is expressed informally and not magisterially.

Benedict XVI thus courageously gives us an important contribution of clarification and examination in depth of a question that has long been debated.

It is an original contribution because on the one hand, it keeps faith with moral principles and demonstrates lucidity in rejecting an illusory way such as 'confidence on the condom'.

On the other hand, it also shows a comprehensive and farsighted view which is careful to observe small steps forward - even if they are merely initial and still confused - of an often spiritually and culturally impoverished mankind towards a more human and responsible exercise of sexuality.

---

I doubt that the above clarification will clear up the confusion. The most I can deduce from the Pope's own words is that he finds it a hopeful sign if a prostitute, presumably HIV-infected, shows concern for his casual partner by using a condom, because it shows a rudimentary sense of responsibility.

But does that translate to saying that in the case of a Catholic couple of which one spouse is HIV-infected, they should use condoms, as Cardinal Martini has advocated, rather than observe abstinence as the orthodox teaching goes?

I think that question should have been explicitly confronted by Fr. Lombardi's statement. Otherwise, the next best option to abstinence would be for the couple to discuss their options with their confessor and then make a judgment. In other words, for now, no hard-and-fast rule as yet, outside abstinence, for Catholic couples in such a situation.

Reuters has now come up with its own mini-selection of quotations from THE BOOK...


Quotes from new book
by Pope Benedict



VATICAN CITY, Nov. 21 (Reuters) - Here are some quotes from the English translation of Pope Benedict's new book, Light of the World: The Pope, the Church, and the Sign of the Times.

The book, in question and answer format with the German Catholic journalist Peter Seewald, is due to be published on Tuesday in various languages.

---

On condoms to fight the spread of AIDS:

There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps, when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralisation, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanisation of sexuality.

She (the Church) does not regard it (the use of condoms) as a real or moral solution, but, in this case, there can nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.


On the Roman Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis:

Yes, it is a great crisis, we have to say that. It was upsetting for all of us. Suddenly so much filth. It was really almost like the crater of a volcano, out of which suddenly a tremendous cloud of filth came, darkening and soiling everything, so that above all the priesthood suddenly seemed to be a place of shame and every priest was under the suspicion of being one like that too.


On the possibility of resigning one day
instead of reigning for life:

When the danger is great one must not run away. For that reason, now is certainly not the time to resign. Precisely at a time like this one must stand fast and endure the difficult situation. That is my view. One can resign at a peaceful moment or when one simply cannot go on. But one must not run away from danger and say that someone else should do it...

Yes, if a Pope clearly realises that he is no longer physically, psychologically and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office, then he has a right, and, under some circumstances, also an obligation, to resign.


On the Church's position against
women priests and homosexual acts:

When, for example, in the name of non-discrimination, people try to force the Catholic Church to change her position on homosexuality or the ordination of women, then that means that she is no longer allowed to live out her own identity and that, instead, an abstract, negative religion is being made into a tyrannical standard that everyone must follow. That is then seemingly freedom -- for the sole reason that it is liberation from the previous situation....

The Church has no authority to ordain women. The point is not that we are saying that we don't want to, but that we can't. The Lord gave the Church a form with the twelve (male apostles) and, as their successors, with the bishops and the presbyters, the priests. This form of the Church is not something we ourselves have produced. It is how he constituted the Church...

The issue at stake here is the intrinsic truth of sexuality's significance in the constitution of man's being. If someone has deep-seated homosexual inclinations -- and it is still an open question whether these inclinations are really innate or whether they arise in early childhood -- if, in any case, they have the power over him, this a great trial for him, just as other trials can afflict other people as well.

But this does not mean that homosexuality thereby becomes morally right. Rather, it remains contrary to the essence of what God originally willed.


On the use of the burqa:
As for the burqa, I would see no reason for a general ban. Some say that many women would not wear the burqa voluntarily at all and that it is actually a violation of women. One can, of course, not agree to that. But if they want to wear it voluntarily, I do not know why it must be prohibited.


On dialogue with Protestants:
We must recognise the fact that Protestantism has taken steps that have led it farther away from us, rather than closer to us - women's ordination and the acceptance of homosexual partnerships are just two of many similar examples.

There are also other ethical positions, other instances of conformism with the spirit of the present age, that make the dialogue more difficult.


On whether he feels intimidated by succeeding
the enormously popular Pope John Paul II:
I simply told myself that I am who I am. I don't try to be someone else. What I can give I give, and what I can't give I don't try to give, either.

I don't try to make myself into something I am not. I am the person who happens to have been chosen -- the cardinals are also to blame for that -- and I do what I can.


On wartime Pope Pius XII
At the present time, we have new, clever people who say that, while he did save many lives, he had old-fashioned ideas about Jews that fall short of Vatican II (the 1962-65 Church Council). But that is not the question.

The decisive thing is what he did and what he tried to do, and on that score we really must acknowledge, I believe, that he was one of the great righteous men and that he saved more Jews than anyone else".

---

NB: Corriere della Sera today has what I think the best selection of excerpts so far from the book - but I have to translate first, and it's rather lengthy! (Goody!!!) Among other things, it includes citing some wisdom from St. Exupery's The Little Prince! How can you not love this man???

Benedict XVI talks to Peter Seewald:
The labors of the Papacy
and the challenges to the faith -
but also a passion for
Peppone and don Camillo
Translated from

Nov. 21, 2010

As a preview of Peter Seewald's book-length interview with the Pope, which comes out on Tuesday, we print here a few pages from the book...

---

Holy Father, on April 16, 2005, on your 78th birthday, you told your co-workers how much you were looking forward to your retirement. Three days later, you found yourself the head of the Universal Church with its 1.2 billion members. It's not exactly a task one takes on in old age.
I truly looked forward to finding peace and tranquillity. Instead, finding myself suddenly in front of this immense task was for me, as everyone knows, a real shock. The responsibility is, in fact, enormous.

You later said you had the impression that a cleaver had fallen on you...
Yes, in fact, the thought of a guillotine came to mind: Look, now it is falling, and it will hit you! I was so very certain that this responsibility would never be destined for me, that God, after so many long and hard-working years, would have granted me some peace and tranquillity.

The only thing I could tell myself, to clear up my head, was: "Obviously, God's will is otherwise. So for me, it was the start of something completely different, a new thing altogether. But he will always be with me...

In the so-called Room of Tears, what were you thinking?
Actually, at that time, I was occupied by very practical questions, external ones. Above all, how to adjust the garments, and the like.

I knew that shortly after this, from the central Loggia, I would have to say some words, and I started to think, "What could I say?"

For everything else, from the moment that the choice fell on me, I was capable only of thinking, "Lord, what are you doing to me? Now it's your responsibility. You must lead me! I am not capable of this. If you wished me for this, then now you must help me!"

In this sense, I found myself, so to speak, in a very close dialog with God, to tell him that it he did one thing, then he must also do the other.

Did John Paul II want you to be his successor?
I don't know. I think he left everything in the hands of God.

What were the last words he said to you before he died?
He was suffering a lot, but he was very lucid, though he could no longer say anything. I asked for his blessing which he gave me. Then we were left holding each other's hand with affection, knowing that this would be our last meeting.
...

Can you truly speak in the name of Jesus?
In announcing the faith and in administering the Sacraments, every priest speaks and acts on the mandate of Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ. He entrusted his Word to the Church. This Word lives in the Church. And if, in my innermost being, I accept and live the faith of the Church, then when I announce him, I speak for him, even if it is clear that in the details there will always be inadequacies and weaknesses.

What counts is that I am not proposing my own ideas but that I seek to think and live the faith of the Church, to act on his mandate in an obedient way.

Is the Pope truly 'infallible'? And therefore an absolute monarch whose thought and will are sovereign?
No, that's wrong. The concept of infallibility had been developing in the course of centuries. It was born from the question of whether there existed somewhere an ultimate organism, an ultimate level which could decide [about dogma].

The First Vatican Council, following a long tradition that dated back to primitive Christianity - decided that an ultimate level did exist... That in specific circumstances and conditions, the Pope can take decisions that would be binding in terms of making clear what is the faith of the Church, and what is not.

This does not mean that the Pope can continually produce 'infallibilities'. Normally, the Bishop of Rome acts like any other bishop who professes his faith, announces it, and is faithful to the Church. Only in specific conditions, when tradition is clear about a question, and he knows that he is not acting arbitrarily, can the Pope say: "This specific thing is the faith of the Church, and to reject it is not the faith of the Church".

In this sense, Vatican-I defined the faculty of making this ultimate decision - in order that the faith can preserve its binding character... Obviously, the Pope can have mistaken personal opinions.... Being Pope does not mean setting oneself up like a sovereign filled with glory, but rather bearing witness to him who was crucified.

Of course, there have been Popes who said, "The Lord has given me this ministry. Now, let me enjoy it!" But that, too, is part of the mystery behind the history of the Popes!

Christian willingness to be a sign of contradiction appears to be the thread that runs through your biography...
Long experience shapes character, it forges your thoughts and actions. Naturally, I was not always 'against', out of principle. There have been many beautiful instances of sharing...

All my life has had a guiding principle which is that Christianity brings joy, it widens our horizons. A life that is lived always and only being 'against' something would be unbearable. But at the same time, I have always kept in mind, even if in varying degrees, that the Gospel finds itself opposed by powerful constellations.

In my childhood and adolescence, up to the end of the [Second World] war, this was particularly obvious. Then since 1968, the Christian faith has found itself opposed by a new plan for society and it has had to face ideas that have been trumpeted arrogantly.

Thus, to bear attacks while resisting them is part of the game. But Christian resistance is meant to highlight what is positive about Christianity...

Karol Wojtyla was, so to speak, given by God to the Church in a very specific and critical situation, in which the Marxist generation, that of 1968, questioned everything about the West, but also, a situation in which later, the reality of socialism collapsed.

For him to open the threshold to faith in this situation, to indicate faith as the center and the way, represented a historical moment that stands out significantly.

You are now 83. Where do you get your strength?
Actually, this is an effort that is almost excessive for a man of 83. Thank God, there are so many good collaborators. Everything is thought and carried out in a common effort. I trust that the good God will give me the strength that I need to do what is necessary. But I realize that my strength is waning.

What does a Pope do in his free time?
Even in his free time, the Pope must examine documents and read official acts. There is always so much that needs to be done.

But with the papal family - the four ladies of Memores Domini and my two secretaries - we always have meals together, and that is a time for relaxation.

Do you watch TV together?
I watch the news with my secretaries, and sometimes, a DVD.

What films do you enjoy?
There's a very beautiful film on St. Josephine Bakhita, who was African, that we recently saw. [It was produced by the same company that produced the film on St. Augustine. One might think they are inspired by the Holy Father's preferences. Bakhita was one of the emblematic saints he cites in the encyclical Spe salvi .] And I like the films on don Camillo and Peppone.

The Pope is always dressed in white. Have you ever worn something else instead of a cassock?
No. It's because of something said to me by John Paul II's second secretary, Mons. Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki: "the Pope always wore his cassock. You should do the same".
...

To use a secular term, is there some sort of a 'direct line' to heaven?
Yes, I sometimes have that impression. In the sense that I think: "OK, I was able to do something that wasn't of my own doing! Now, I trust you, so I realize that yes, I had help: something happened that did not come from me". In this sense, there is an experience of grace in one's ministry.

Should we question whether the new direction the world has taken has something to do with the return of Christ?
We should see in the present time the need for a turnabout, to announce it, and to announce that it cannot take place without interior conversion.

What do you mean, concretely?
Part of this conversion is to place God in the first place - then everything will change - men will start anew to seek the word of God to make it shine as reality in their own lives.

We should, so to speak, dare anew to experience God so he can function in our society.... This was one of the things that John Paul II held very dearly: to make it clearly understood that we must look to Christ who is with us, to Christ who has come, and to Christ who will come. In this perspective, we live the faith looking to the future.


Will Benedict XVI do as John XXIII?
[This question, which apparently refers to Vatican II, obviously needs some context, which the Corriere editor does not provide...]
To bring to life what has been said, while remaining in profound continuity with the faith, is a process that is so much more difficult than the Council itself was. Especially if one considers that Vatican II was received by the world through the interpretation of the mass media, and through its own documents, which almost no one has read!
[I think the question probably had to do with whether B16 thinks it is necessary to call a Third Vatican Council as many have been advocating, especially in view of the next question.]

Do you think that the Church can really avoid having a Vatican III?
We have had more than 20 ecumenical councils, so sooner or later, there will be another. At the moment, I do not see conditions that call for it.

I think that at this time, the Synodal assemblies are the correct instrument, because they have the representation of the entire episcopate which is 'in search', who actually hold the Church together while at the same time, bringing her forward.

The future will tell is if and when it is time to do this by calling a grand Council.

Does the Pope still believe in what be believed in as a child?
I would say that what is simple is true, and what is true is simple. Our problem is that with so many trees, we can no longer see the forest. With all the knowledge we have gained, we can no longer find wisdom.

In this sense, even [Antoine] St. Exupery's The Little Prince - who did not understand anything of all those intelligent things - saw much more and better, after all was said and done...

In the Resurrection, God created a new form of existence. Beyond the biosphere and the noosphere, he created a new sphere in which man and the world arrive at unity with God.

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WOW!... His answer alone to what he felt when he was in the Room of Tears are well worth the wait so far.... How naturally and simply he tells us of his 'conversations' with God... How easily he speaks of weighty things and light in such a conversational and colloquial way without in any way dumbing down anything!!!.... THANK YOU, CORRIERE DELLA SERA, FOR THE BEST PREVIEW SO FAR...

MORE EXCERPTS

, which is publishing the English edition of LOTW (as well as the Mexican edition I believe, in Spanish, of course), has now released brief excerpts from three of the book's chapters:


From Chapter 1
"Popes Do Not Fall from the Sky" pages 3-5:

In the so-called “room of tears” during a conclave three sets of robes lie waiting for the future Pope. One is long, one short, one middle-sized. What was going through your head in that room, in which so many new Pontiffs are said to have broken down? Does one wonder again here, at the very latest: Why me? What does God want of me?
Actually at that moment one is first of all occupied by very practical, external things. One has to see how to deal with the robes and such. Moreover I knew that very soon I would have to say a few words out on the balcony, and I began to think about what I could say. Besides, even at the moment when it hit me, all I was able to say to the Lord was simply: “What are you doing with me? Now the responsibility is yours. You must lead me! I can’t do it. If you wanted me, then you must also help me!” In this sense, I stood, let us say, in an urgent dialogue relationship with the Lord: if he does the one thing he must also do the other.

Did John Paul II want to have you as his successor?
That I do not know. I think he left it entirely up to the dear Lord.

Nonetheless he did not allow you to leave office. That could be taken as an argumentum a silentio, a silent argument for his favorite candidate.
He did want to keep me in office; that is well known. As my seventy-fifth birthday approached, which is the age limit when one submits one’s resignation, he said to me, “You do not have to write the letter at all, for I want to have you to the end.” That was the great and undeserved benevolence he showed me from the very beginning.

He had read my Introduction to Christianity. Evidently it was an important book for him. As soon as he became Pope he had made up his mind to call me to Rome as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He had placed a great, very cordial, and profound trust in me. As the guarantee, so to speak, that we would travel the right course in the faith.

You visited John Paul II one more time when he was on his deathbed. On that evening you hurried back from a lecture in Subiaco, where you had spoken about “Benedict’s Europe in the Crisis of Cultures”. What if anything did the dying Pope say to you?
He was suffering much and, nevertheless, very alert. He said nothing more, though. I asked him for his blessing, which he gave me. So we parted with a cordial handshake, conscious that that was our last meeting.


From Chapter 6
"Time For Conversion" , pp 64-66

The changes of our time have brought other life-styles and philosophies of life with them, but also a different perception of the Church. Advances in medical research pose enormous ethical challenges. The new universe of the Internet, too, demands answers. John XXIII seized upon the change after the two world wars so as to interpret the “signs of the time”, as he put it in the bull of convocation Humanae salutis, dated December 25, 1961, as pointing to a council, even though he was already at that time an old, sick man. Will Benedict XVI do the same?
Well, now, John XXIII made a great, unrepeatable gesture in entrusting to a general council the task of understanding the word of faith today in a new way.

Above all, the Council took up and carried out its great mission of defining in a new way the Church’s purpose as well as her relation to the modern era, and also the relation of faith to this time with its values.

But to put into practice what was said, while remaining within the intrinsic continuity of the faith, is a much more difficult process than the Council itself. Especially since the Council came into the world in the interpretation devised by the media more than with its own documents, which are hardly ever read by anyone.

I think that our major task now, after a few fundamental questions are clarified, is first of all to bring to light God’s priority again. The important thing today is to see that God exists, that God matters to us, and that he answers us.

And, conversely, that if he is omitted, everything else might be as clever as can be — yet man then loses his dignity and his authentic humanity and, thus, the essential thing breaks down. That is why, I think, as a new emphasis we have to give priority to the question about God.

Do you think that the Catholic Church could really get around having the Third Vatican Council?
In all we have had more than twenty councils, and surely there will be another one someday. At the moment I do not see the prerequisites for it.

I believe that at the moment the bishops’ synods are the right instrument, in which the entire episcopate is represented and is, so to speak, “searching”, keeping the whole Church together and at the same time leading her forward.

Whether then someday the moment will come again to do this in a major council, that we should leave to the future. At the moment we need, above all, those spiritual movements in which the universal Church, drawing upon her current experiences and at the same time coming from the interior experience of faith and of its power, sets up guideposts— and thereby makes God’s presence the central focus again.



From Chapter 17
"The Return of Jesus Christ", pp 175-177:

Jesus does not merely bring a message, he is also the Savior, the healer, Christus medicus, as an old expression has it. Given this society of ours, which is so broken and unhealthy in so many ways, as we have often said in this interview, isn’t it an especially pressing task of the Church to take extra pains to highlight the offer of salvation contained in the Gospel? Jesus, at any rate, made his disciples strong enough, not just to preach, but also to expel demons and to heal.
Yes, that’s key. The Church is not here to place burdens on the shoulders of mankind, and she does not offer some sort of moral system.

The really crucial thing is that the Church offers Him. That she opens wide the doors to God and so gives people what they are most waiting for and what can most help them.

The Church does this mainly through the great miracle of love, which never stops happening afresh. When people — without earning any profit, without having to do it because it is their job — are motivated by Christ to stand by others and to help them. You are right that this therapeutic character of Christianity, as Eugen Biser put it, ought to be much more clearly in evidence than it is.

A major problem for Christians is that they stand unprotected in the middle of a world that is basically continually launching bombs against the alternative values of Christian culture. Wouldn’t you have to say that it is impossible to be entirely immune to this sort of worldwide propaganda in favor of negative behavior?
It is true that we need something like islands where faith in God and the interior simplicity of Christianity are alive and radiant; oases, Noah’s arks, to which man can always come back for refuge.

Liturgical spaces offer such protective zones. But there are also various communities and movements, the parishes, celebrations of the sacraments, exercises of piety, pilgrimages, and so forth, in which the Church attempts to instill powers of resistance as well as to develop protective zones in which the beauty of the world, of the gift of being alive, also becomes visible in contrast to the rampant brokenness around us.