BENEDICT XVI: NEWS, PAPAL TEXTS, PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY

See preceding page for earlier items posted on 4/23/12.





Author says dissenting nuns' group
should return to authentic religious life
By Michelle Bauman


Washington D.C., Apr 22, 2012 (CNA/EWTN News) - An expert on religious women in America believes that renewal within the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) will require “very strong self-evaluation” and cooperation with the Vatican's recent call for reform.

“After having studied this for many years, I think it was 40 years in the making,” said Ann Carey, author of the 1997 book “Sisters in Crisis: The Tragic Unraveling of Women’s Religious Communities.” ['

Carey told CNA on April 20 that ever since the LCWR revised its statutes in 1971, it has had a rocky relationship with the Vatican.

“The Vatican was patient, trying to give the sisters some guidelines to modify the direction they were taking, and they resisted that,” she said.

On April 18, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced that it had appointed Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle to lead reform efforts within the conference.

The announcement came as the findings of a multi-year doctrinal assessment of the women's conference were released, raising concerns of dissent from Church teaching on topics including homosexuality, the sacramental priesthood and the divinity of Christ.

Carey said that members of the LCWR have “definitely” exhibited doctrinal problems and have also “made it quite clear that they are intent on changing the nature of religious life.”

They have also spoken of “loyal dissent,” as if to suggest that “it is permissible for one to disagree with Church teaching as long as one professes loyalty to the Church,” she added.

Carey explained that many of the problems illuminated in the Vatican’s assessment are the result of a “misinterpretation of Vatican II documents.”

In the early 1960s, the Second Vatican Council called on religious orders to renew and update themselves, removing “outdated” rules and customs so as to engage the modern world.

For example, many religious orders were continuing the custom of waking up at dawn and going to bed at twilight, she said. This rule was left over from a time before electricity was in use, and it is now unnecessary and outdated.

But while the Council called for renewal by returning to the orders’ original founding ideas and adapting them to modern times, many people misinterpreted this call and instead proceeded to “totally throw off some of the essentials of religious life,” she said.

The result was an abandonment of central elements of religious life, such as living and praying in community, serving in a corporate apostolate and wearing some type of distinctive religious garb, she explained.

Carey said that after Vatican II, members of many religious orders began to live in apartments and find their own jobs, separate from a corporate apostolate such as teaching or care for the sick.

In addition, they threw off the “loyalty and faithfulness to the Church” as well as the “deference to the hierarchy” that had previously characterized religious life.

The changes were so drastic that they caused some women to leave the LCWR, Carey said. These women formed another group, which eventually became an alternative superiors’ conference known as the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious.

This more traditional group, which requires its members to adhere to the essentials of religious life as understood by the Church, is attracting the bulk of young vocations today, she noted.

If the conference is to undergo a true renewal, Carey said, its members must re-examine the Church’s understanding of religious life and make a firm commitment to live as “representatives of the Church,” in union with the local bishop.

She emphasized that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is not trying to return to the pre-Vatican II days but is instead promoting an “accurate interpretation of those documents” and the life they portray.

Carey said it will be “very interesting to watch” as the situation progresses. While she does not know what will happen, she said there are ultimately only two possible outcomes.

It is possible that the LCWR will cooperate with the Vatican’s reform efforts and see that they have gotten away from Church teaching, she explained.

However, she is unsure whether that will happen, because some of the group’s members are “very convicted that what they’re doing is the right thing.”

The other option is for the conference to relinquish its canonical status and simply continue as a professional group, which Carey believes will cause them to “lose a lot of their members.”

She said that some of the group’s members value their canonical standing and have simply continued their membership with the conference over the years because they had always done so.

No matter what the organization decides, “there will be dissenting voices,” predicted Carey.

She explained that the LCWR consists of the leaders of various religious orders, so it is actually only made up of about three percent of the religious women in America. [The usual numbers cited are that it has 1,500 members who represent 80% of women religious in the USA".]

She said that she knows many individual sisters with no say in decisions of the conference who are “very unhappy” with the organization and “welcome this move” by the Vatican.

Carey also commented on the possibility of the group asking the Vatican to establish a new category of consecrated life that would better fit them.

While other types of consecrated life – such as hermits and consecrated virgins – do exist, she said, there would still be a pressing need to address the theological problems exhibited by the conference.

“For vowed religious to be embracing teachings that are dramatically opposed to the official Church teaching is very scandalous and damaging,” she said.


Important background information
about the CDF-LCWR situation
By Carl E. Olson

April 22, 2012

Author and journalist Ann Carey, who has for many years researched and covered the situation of women's religious in the U.S., reacted yesterday to the news of the CDF statement about the LCWR and the response, so far, of the LCWR. NRO's Kathryn Jean Lopez wrote:

---

Ann Carey is author of the book Sisters in Crisis: The Tragic Unraveling of Women’s Religious Communities, so she’s not remotely surprised by the Vatican’s call for reform of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

“Some people have speculated that the CDF renewal of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious was prompted by the LCWR and Network support of Obamacare in opposition to the bishops,” she observes. “That may have been the last straw, but the CDF move was a long time coming,” she tells me.

Carey provides the background: "The LCWR has disagreed with the Vatican on major issues since the early 1970s. The renewal model promoted by LCWR was a misinterpretation of the Vatican II mandates, and the Vatican tried to issue guidelines to correct the situation several times over the years, only to be rebuffed by LCWR. The LCWR leadership has been open about its right to loyal dissent and its determination to re-make religious life, and has influenced many religious orders to follow its path".

---

Carey has written several pieces for Catholic World Report about the LCWR and related matters. They are helpful in dispelling the dominant media image of sweet, little nuns doing nothing more than helping the poor and fighting the forces of injustice. ['Sweet little nuns"? No one could possibly think 'sweet' or 'little' when exposed to those strapping, generally aging, often so un-feminine (I am surprised they have not long ago replaced the gender-distinguishing title 'Sister' with 'Brothster'), almost always hysterical viragos, in whom the biological presence of a uterus still predisposes to hysteria ('hysteria' comes from the Greek word 'hystera' for womb). I would have due respect for them despite their often un-lovely manifestations if they showed that they care more about God than they do about power in the Church, and in this they are like all the other organized dissent groups within the Church. They are the polar opposite of another group of hypocrites who claim "I love Jesus, I just don't care about his Church". At least, they mention Jesus.]

In one, "In Denial" (May 2011), readers are given a sense of how badly some orders have gone off the rails, failing to observe even the most basic doctrines of orthodox, "mere" Christianity, never mind robust, authentic Catholicism:

---

For example, a sister whose motherhouse is in New York reports that the elderly in her order are dispersed in secular nursing homes where access to the sacraments is limited. Many sisters say that it is common in their religious orders for sisters chosen by leadership to give a“reflection” in place of the homily. And they say that strange rituals often replace observances of the Church’s liturgical practices.

Sister Elizabeth McDonough, OP wrote in Review for Religious in 1992 what sisters in dozens of communities have told her: “They are repulsed by rituals that center on shells and stones, streams and twigs, windmills and waterfalls, and at which so fundamental a Christian symbol as the cross of Jesus Christ is often noticeable only by its absence.” And it is obvious this trend continues today, as anyone can see by looking at photos on the web pages of a variety of women’s orders, as well as photos from LCWR assemblies that are posted on www.lcwr.org.

Even the doxology prayed in many of the women’s orders has been debased and neutered, with “Father” being replaced with “Source of all being,” and “Son” replaced with “Eternal word.” Liturgical books also have been corrupted, with many women’s orders replacing the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours with an inclusive-language, feminist version of the daily office. And routinely it is made quite clear to priests that they are not welcome to concelebrate at convent liturgies because the sight of multiple priests is upsetting or offensive to sisters who support the ordination of women.

---

Another essay, "Post-Christian Sisters", provides helpful background information for those unfamiliar with the contentious history of the LCWR. Carey notes that "the LCWR has had a stormy relationship with the Vatican for the past 40 years, and the LCWR has been very clear about its determination to 'transform' religious life as well as the Church itself." And:

---

The LCWR assembly in 1972 featured a canon lawyer who spoke on “Religious Communities as Providential Gift for the Liberation of Women” and suggested that women bring lawsuits against the Church in both civil and Church courts and stage economic boycotts of parish churches.

At the LCWR 1974 annual assembly, the membership approved a resolution calling for “all ministries in the church [to] be open to women and men as the Spirit calls them.”

Also in 1974, the LCWR published the book Widening the Dialogue, a response to 'Evangelica Testificatio', the Pope’s exhortation on renewal of religious life. The LCWR book was highly critical of the Pope’s teachings and was used by the LCWR in workshops for sisters.

When the first Women’s Ordination Conference was being organized in 1975, the LCWR president appointed a sister as liaison to the group planning the event. The Vatican curial office overseeing religious subsequently directed the LCWR to dissociate itself from the ordination conference, but the LCWR officers refused, and the sister went on to become coordinator of the organizing task force for the event.

At the 1977 assembly, the new LCWR president, Sister Joan Doyle, BVM, related that sisters were moving into “socio-political ministries” in or out of Church institutions, and she called for women’s involvement in decision-making at every level of the Church, as well as “active participation in all aspects of the church’s ministry.”

It was during the 1970s that the LCWR board voted to join the National Organization for Women’s boycott of convention sites in states that had not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, and the board obtained NGO status for the LCWR at the United Nations.

---

The piece details how the CDF issued a doctrinal warning to the LCWR in 2001 but was continually put off by seemingly endless talk of talking—that is, "dialogue" and "conversation", also known as "buying time" and "stonewalling" in the real world. And all at the service of continuing to reject Church teaching, ignore legitimate authority, and actively promote dissent:

In the LCWR 2001 annual report, Sister Mary Mollisson, CSA, LCWR president, reiterated the long-held conference strategy to keep “dialoging” with Church authorities to keep the issues open. She wrote:

“In keeping with our desire for right relationships among church officials and members of the Conference, the Presidency continues a dialogue with bishops and Vatican officials. We approach this dialogue with a sense of urgency and with a passion to stay in conversations that will decrease the tension between doctrinal adherence and the pastoral needs of marginalized people. We also continue to express our desire for women to be involved in more decision-making within church structures. The risk of this part of our journey is being misunderstood and being perceived as unfaithful to the Magisterium of the church.”

And she characterized Church officials as just not comprehending the sisters’ message: “Understanding of authority, obedience, communal discernment, and the prophetic nature of religious need further conversations.”

The LCWR national board agreed in 2002 to write letters of support to New Ways Ministry and chose as the theme for that year’s assembly “Leadership in Dynamic Tension.”

In her presidential address to the assembly, Sister Kathleen Pruitt, CSJP continued the LCWR mantra that the Church needed to be reformed, and that LCWR sisters were the very people to do it: “The challenge to us, how best to speak clearly, to act effectively to bring about necessary change, reform, renewal, and healing within our wounded world, our nation, among ourselves, and particularly in our church.… Call for change or reform of structures, modes, and methods of acting that perpetuate exclusivity, secrecy, lack of honesty and openness, all of which foster inappropriate exercise of power, is tension-filled.”

A LCWR press release after the 2003 assembly reported that “LCWR president Sister Mary Ann Zollmann, BVM challenged the [LCWR] leaders to maximize the potential to create change that is inherent in religious life. ‘We have uncovered within ourselves the power most necessary for the creation, salvation, and resurrection of our church, our world, and our earth. It is the power of relationship, of our sisterhood with all that is. This power is prophetic; it is the most radical act of dissent.’”

SEVEN YEARS AGO TODAY -

THE INAUGURAL MASS OF BENEDICT XVI'S PONTIFICATE

NB: Last year, the anniversary fell on Easter Sunday.


Tuesday, April 24, Third Week of Easter

ST. FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN (b Prussia 1777, d Switzerland 1622), Capuchin Friar and Martyr
He was born Mark Rey and his father was Burgermeister (mayor) of Sigmaringen. Always known for his charity,
when he became a lawyer, he dedicated his services to defending poor people. Eventually, he decided to become
a Capuchin like his brother George, and divided his ealth between poor seminarians and the poor. He was sent
as part of a missionary team by the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith to the Calvinists and
Zwinglians of Switzerland. Not an easy task, for he was immediately accused of opposing a peasant movement
for independence from Austria. Despite warnings, he continued to preach but had a strong presentiment of
death. He started signing his letters 'Pater Fidelis, prope diem esca vermium' ('soon to be food for worms').
He escaped a gunshot fired on him while preaching but eventually he was ambushed and killed. He was canonized
in 1746 as the first martyr of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith.
Readings for today's Mass:
usccb.org/bible/readings/042412.cfm


No bulletins posted so far from the Vatican.

OR today.
The only papal news is the Holy Father's message to the VII International Congress on Pastoral Care in Tourism (posted on this thread in the preceding page. But it also calls attention to the ff:

Gift book on B16 today
to all readers of OR and
Italy's 'Il Sole 24 Ore'



The book is BENEDETTO XVI: TEOLOGO & PONTEFICE, about which I posted a translation of Il Sole's news release about it on Sunday, April 22, in the preceding page, along with the Foreword to the 88-page book by OR editor, Giovanni Maria Vian. OR reproduces the original in Italian on its Page 1 today.

The additional information is that all told, 300,000 copies of the book are being given out today by OR and Il Sole, (which is Italy's equivalent of the US Wall Street Journal and the UK Financial Times). In addition, 200,000 copies will be given out in Spanish to readers of Spain's La Razon, which has carried the OR in Spanish as a Sunday supplement since 2010. The book can also be downloaded from the Il sole site in Italian, Spanish or English if you susbcribe to the newspaper.

It is always worth going back to re-read the great trilogy of homilies given by Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005. It's the best tribute we can do to him on these anniversary days. On April 18, 2005, just before the cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel to elect a new Pope, he gave what is now commonly referred to as the 'dictatorship of relativism' speech although he said much more than than; on April 20, the first homily he delivered as Pope to the cardinal electors the day after his election, delivered in Latin; and on April 24, the homily at the inaugural Mass of his Petrine ministry - the anniversary we observe today. They continue to be very powerful and will always be powerful because always relevant. Man will always be man and therefore fallible - as men of the Church will continue to be fallible...

MASS, IMPOSITION OF THE PALLIUM
AND CONFERRAL OF THE FISHERMAN'S RING
FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE PETRINE MINISTRY
OF THE BISHOP OF ROME

---

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
St. Peter's Square
Sunday, 24 April 2005



Your Eminences,
My dear Brother Bishops and Priests,
Distinguished Authorities and Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

During these days of great intensity, we have chanted the litany of the saints on three different occasions: at the funeral of our Holy Father John Paul II; as the Cardinals entered the Conclave; and again today, when we sang it with the response: Tu illum adiuva – sustain the new Successor of Saint Peter.

On each occasion, in a particular way, I found great consolation in listening to this prayerful chant. How alone we all felt after the passing of John Paul II – the Pope who for over twenty-six years had been our shepherd and guide on our journey through life! He crossed the threshold of the next life, entering into the mystery of God. But he did not take this step alone.

Those who believe are never alone – neither in life nor in death. At that moment, we could call upon the Saints from every age – his friends, his brothers and sisters in the faith – knowing that they would form a living procession to accompany him into the next world, into the glory of God. We knew that his arrival was awaited. Now we know that he is among his own and is truly at home.

We were also consoled as we made our solemn entrance into Conclave, to elect the one whom the Lord had chosen. How would we be able to discern his name? How could 115 Bishops, from every culture and every country, discover the one on whom the Lord wished to confer the mission of binding and loosing?

Once again, we knew that we were not alone, we knew that we were surrounded, led and guided by the friends of God.

And now, at this moment, weak servant of God that I am, I must assume this enormous task, which truly exceeds all human capacity. How can I do this? How will I be able to do it?

All of you, my dear friends, have just invoked the entire host of Saints, represented by some of the great names in the history of God’s dealings with mankind. In this way, I too can say with renewed conviction: I am not alone. I do not have to carry alone what in truth I could never carry alone. All the Saints of God are there to protect me, to sustain me and to carry me. And your prayers, my dear friends, your indulgence, your love, your faith and your hope accompany me.

Indeed, the communion of Saints consists not only of the great men and women who went before us and whose names we know. All of us belong to the communion of Saints, we who have been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we who draw life from the gift of Christ’s Body and Blood, through which he transforms us and makes us like himself.

Yes, the Church is alive – this is the wonderful experience of these days. During those sad days of the Pope’s illness and death, it became wonderfully evident to us that the Church is alive. And the Church is young. She holds within herself the future of the world and therefore shows each of us the way towards the future.

The Church is alive and we are seeing it: we are experiencing the joy that the Risen Lord promised his followers. The Church is alive – she is alive because Christ is alive, because he is truly risen.

In the suffering that we saw on the Holy Father’s face in those days of Easter, we contemplated the mystery of Christ’s Passion and we touched his wounds. But throughout these days we have also been able, in a profound sense, to touch the Risen One. We have been able to experience the joy that he promised, after a brief period of darkness, as the fruit of his resurrection.

The Church is alive – with these words, I greet with great joy and gratitude all of you gathered here, my venerable brother Cardinals and Bishops, my dear priests, deacons, Church workers, catechists. I greet you, men and women Religious, witnesses of the transfiguring presence of God. I greet you, members of the lay faithful, immersed in the great task of building up the Kingdom of God which spreads throughout the world, in every area of life.

With great affection I also greet all those who have been reborn in the sacrament of Baptism but are not yet in full communion with us; and you, my brothers and sisters of the Jewish people, to whom we are joined by a great shared spiritual heritage, one rooted in God’s irrevocable promises. Finally, like a wave gathering force, my thoughts go out to all men and women of today, to believers and non-believers alike.

Dear friends! At this moment there is no need for me to present a programme of governance. I was able to give an indication of what I see as my task in my Message of Wednesday 20 April, and there will be other opportunities to do so. My real programme of governance is not to do my own will, not to pursue my own ideas, but to listen, together with the whole Church, to the word and the will of the Lord, to be guided by Him, so that He himself will lead the Church at this hour of our history.

Instead of putting forward a programme, I should simply like to comment on the two liturgical symbols which represent the inauguration of the Petrine Ministry; both these symbols, moreover, reflect clearly what we heard proclaimed in today’s readings.

The first symbol is the Pallium, woven in pure wool, which will be placed on my shoulders. This ancient sign, which the Bishops of Rome have worn since the fourth century, may be considered an image of the yoke of Christ, which the Bishop of this City, the Servant of the Servants of God, takes upon his shoulders. God’s yoke is God’s will, which we accept. And this will does not weigh down on us, oppressing us and taking away our freedom.

To know what God wants, to know where the path of life is found – this was Israel’s joy, this was her great privilege. It is also our joy: God’s will does not alienate us, it purifies us – even if this can be painful – and so it leads us to ourselves. In this way, we serve not only him, but the salvation of the whole world, of all history.

The symbolism of the Pallium is even more concrete: the lamb’s wool is meant to represent the lost, sick or weak sheep which the shepherd places on his shoulders and carries to the waters of life.

For the Fathers of the Church, the parable of the lost sheep, which the shepherd seeks in the desert, was an image of the mystery of Christ and the Church. The human race – every one of us – is the sheep lost in the desert which no longer knows the way.

The Son of God will not let this happen; he cannot abandon humanity in so wretched a condition. He leaps to his feet and abandons the glory of heaven, in order to go in search of the sheep and pursue it, all the way to the Cross. He takes it upon his shoulders and carries our humanity; he carries us all – he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.

What the Pallium indicates first and foremost is that we are all carried by Christ. But at the same time it invites us to carry one another. Hence the Pallium becomes a symbol of the shepherd’s mission, of which the Second Reading and the Gospel speak.

The pastor must be inspired by Christ’s holy zeal: for him it is not a matter of indifference that so many people are living in the desert. And there are so many kinds of desert.

There is the desert of poverty, the desert of hunger and thirst, the desert of abandonment, of loneliness, of destroyed love.

There is the desert of God’s darkness, the emptiness of souls no longer aware of their dignity or the goal of human life. The external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast.

Therefore the earth’s treasures no longer serve to build God’s garden for all to live in, but they have been made to serve the powers of exploitation and destruction.

The Church as a whole and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us life, and life in abundance.

The symbol of the lamb also has a deeper meaning. In the Ancient Near East, it was customary for kings to style themselves shepherds of their people. This was an image of their power, a cynical image: to them their subjects were like sheep, which the shepherd could dispose of as he wished.

When the shepherd of all humanity, the living God, himself became a lamb, he stood on the side of the lambs, with those who are downtrodden and killed. This is how he reveals himself to be the true shepherd: “I am the Good Shepherd . . . I lay down my life for the sheep”, Jesus says of himself (Jn 10:14f).

It is not power, but love that redeems us! This is God’s sign: he himself is love. How often we wish that God would make show himself stronger, that he would strike decisively, defeating evil and creating a better world.

All ideologies of power justify themselves in exactly this way, they justify the destruction of whatever would stand in the way of progress and the liberation of humanity. We suffer on account of God’s patience. And yet, we need his patience.

God, who became a lamb, tells us that the world is saved by the Crucified One, not by those who crucified him. The world is redeemed by the patience of God. It is destroyed by the impatience of man.

One of the basic characteristics of a shepherd must be to love the people entrusted to him, even as he loves Christ whom he serves. “Feed my sheep”, says Christ to Peter, and now, at this moment, he says it to me as well.

Feeding means loving, and loving also means being ready to suffer. Loving means giving the sheep what is truly good, the nourishment of God’s truth, of God’s word, the nourishment of his presence, which he gives us in the Blessed Sacrament.

My dear friends – at this moment I can only say:
Pray for me, that I may learn to love the Lord more and more. Pray for me, that I may learn to love his flock more and more – in other words, you, the holy Church, each one of you and all of you together.

Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves. Let us pray for one another, that the Lord will carry us and that we will learn to carry one another.

The second symbol used in today’s liturgy to express the inauguration of the Petrine Ministry is the presentation of the fisherman’s ring.

Peter’s call to be a shepherd, which we heard in the Gospel, comes after the account of a miraculous catch of fish: after a night in which the disciples had let down their nets without success, they see the Risen Lord on the shore. He tells them to let down their nets once more, and the nets become so full that they can hardly pull them in; 153 large fish: “and although there were so many, the net was not torn” (Jn 21:11).

This account, coming at the end of Jesus’s earthly journey with his disciples, corresponds to an account found at the beginning: there too, the disciples had caught nothing the entire night; there too, Jesus had invited Simon once more to put out into the deep.

And Simon, who was not yet called Peter, gave the wonderful reply: “Master, at your word I will let down the nets.” And then came the conferral of his mission: “Do not be afraid. Henceforth you will be catching men” (Lk 5:1-11).

Today too the Church and the successors of the Apostles are told to put out into the deep sea of history and to let down the nets, so as to win men and women over to the Gospel – to God, to Christ, to true life.

The Fathers made a very significant commentary on this singular task. This is what they say: for a fish, created for water, it is fatal to be taken out of the sea, to be removed from its vital element to serve as human food. But in the mission of a fisher of men, the reverse is true.

We are living in alienation, in the salt waters of suffering and death; in a sea of darkness without light. The net of the Gospel pulls us out of the waters of death and brings us into the splendour of God’s light, into true life.

It is really true: as we follow Christ in this mission to be fishers of men, we must bring men and women out of the sea that is salted with so many forms of alienation and onto the land of life, into the light of God.

It is really so: the purpose of our lives is to reveal God to men. And only where God is seen does life truly begin. Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is.

We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.

There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him.

The task of the shepherd, the task of the fisher of men, can often seem wearisome. But it is beautiful and wonderful, because it is truly a service to joy, to God’s joy which longs to break into the world.

Here I want to add something: both the image of the shepherd and that of the fisherman issue an explicit call to unity. “I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must lead them too, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd” (Jn 10:16); these are the words of Jesus at the end of his discourse on the Good Shepherd. And the account of the 153 large fish ends with the joyful statement: “although there were so many, the net was not torn” (Jn 21:11).

Alas, beloved Lord, with sorrow we must now acknowledge that it has been torn! But no – we must not be sad! Let us rejoice because of your promise, which does not disappoint, and let us do all we can to pursue the path towards the unity you have promised. Let us remember it in our prayer to the Lord, as we plead with him: yes, Lord, remember your promise. Grant that we may be one flock and one shepherd! Do not allow your net to be torn, help us to be servants of unity!

At this point, my mind goes back to 22 October 1978, when Pope John Paul II began his ministry here in Saint Peter’s Square. His words on that occasion constantly echo in my ears: “Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!”

The Pope was addressing the mighty, the powerful of this world, who feared that Christ might take away something of their power if they were to let him in, if they were to allow the faith to be free.

Yes, he would certainly have taken something away from them: the dominion of corruption, the manipulation of law and the freedom to do as they pleased. But he would not have taken away anything that pertains to human freedom or dignity, or to the building of a just society.

The Pope was also speaking to everyone, especially the young. Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us?

Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom?

And once again the Pope said: No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation.

And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life. Amen.

---

Perhaps not even Leo the Great delivered three great homilies following in quick succession as Benedict XVI did that April of 2005. But they only prefigured the great Paschal Triduum-Easter quadrilogy of homilies he would go on to deliver every year in the next six years...

Sorry I could not find a better report than the following to give an idea - a rather pale one compared to the reality - of the ceremony in St. Peter's Square on April 24, 2005, when for the first time since his brief appearance on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica on April 19, the world saw Benedict XVI formally installed as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

---

Benedict XVI officially installed:
Says 'listening with the Church'
will be his 'program of governance'
By Stacy Meichtry

April 24, 2005

Pope Benedict XVI officially took the reins of the Roman Catholic church Sunday, receiving the symbols of his authority with a call for unity with other faiths and a pledge to govern the church through cooperation rather than papal mandate.

In a ceremony colored by centuries-old pageantry, Benedict accepted the fisherman's ring and seal -- the symbol of his continuity with St. Peter -- and a lamb's wool pallium -- a sash that signifies the pope's role as the shepherd of the faithful. [It's not a sash - in the form Benedict XVI took it on that day, it was a long stole; since 2009, he has reverted to the collar form used by metropolitan bishops, except the papal pallium has the crosses in red, while the bishops have theirs in black.]

Benedict then delivered a homily that aimed to recast these tokens of papal power as symbols of servitude, signaling a dramatic departure from his former role as the church's chief doctrinal authority.

"At this moment there is no need for me to present a program of governance," he told the 350,000-strong crowd, composed of dignitaries, religious leaders, royalty and rank-and-file faithful. "My real program of governance is not to do my own will, not to pursue my own ideas, but to listen, together with the whole church."

Benedict extended his call to Christian churches "not yet in full communion" with the pontiff and to the "Jewish people," whom he characterized as "brothers and sisters," united with the church through "a great shared spiritual heritage."

As Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Benedict was the chief author of a document that reasserted Catholicism's superiority over other faiths and claimed that other Christian churches derive salvific power through their links to Catholicism. [A false reading of Dominus Iesus.]

On Sunday, Benedict showed no signs of excluding anyone from his reign. [That is such an uninformed reading! The Pope is a Universal Pastor whose ministry is therefore not exclusive. It is entirely another thing to clarify Catholic doctrine for all the faithful by affirming that the defining characteristic of the one Church Jesus founded, - which was undivided until the Great Schism of 1043, leaving the Roman Catholic Church as the only universal Christian church that traces its origins all the way back to the apostles [As do a few Oriental churches begun directly by the Apostles and therefore called 'apostolic churches'.]

"Like a wave gathering force, my thoughts go out to all men and women of today, to believers and non-believers alike," Benedict said.

Benedict began the ceremony beneath the Basilica, in a space believed to mark the burial spot of Catholicism's first Pope St Peter. He wore heavy golden vestments, embroidered with a seashell patterns and gripped a papal staff that once belonged to his predecessor, John Paul II. {So too did the miter and chasuble he wore.]

Upon appearing in the square, Benedict stood immobile before the cheering crowd. His eyes scanned the throng while his face remained expressionless.

With St. Peter's massive façade looming over his shoulder, Benedict waited as the fisherman's ring and the pallium were carried from the altar to his throne.

Cardinal Jorge Medina Estevez, the Chilean who proclaimed Benedict's name to the world from the basilica balcony last Tuesday, placed the pallium around the pontiff's neck. A simple stole made of white lambs wool, the pallium was embroidered with five crimson crosses that Estevez pinned with silver stakes to signify the nailing of Christ to the cross.

Benedict described the pallium, an accessory popular among Medieval popes, as a "yoke" that "does not alienate us, it purifies us -- even if this can be painful."

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican's Secretary of State, brought a golden jewel box before the pontiff with its lid ajar, exposing the glittering fisherman's ring, emblazoned with a relief of Peter casting his fishing net -- the image traditionally used to seal apostolic letters. Benedict plucked it from the box and slid his right ring finger through it.

Twelve people representing Christ's disciples then lined up to kneel before Benedict and kiss his ring. Among the 12 chosen was a religious woman -- the first ever to participate in the ritual.

As Benedict read the Mass's homily, his eyes fixed to the text. Occasionally he invoked the name of John Paul, stirring applause from the crowd and memories of his predecessor's commanding skills as an orator.

Once he cited John Paul's Mass of Investiture in 1978, when the late pontiff imported: "Do not be afraid!" The words stood in stark contrast to Benedict's soft-spoken message.

"I am not alone," Benedict declared, prompting loud cheers from the audience. "You see," he said, briefly lifting his eyes to the crowd in a brief departure from his text. "We see it. We hear it."

Benedict's call for unity also contrasted with the dire tones of the messages he had delivered as a cardinal -- most notably a Good Friday address that characterized the Church as a sinking ship and the pre-conclave Pro Eligendo Mass, in which the former cardinal called on the Church to defend itself against an ideology-based "dictatorship of relativism."

Sunday Benedict cast his condemnation of ideological influence in a more subtle light.

"All ideologies of power justify themselves in exactly this way. They justify the destruction of whatever would stand in the way of progress and the liberation of humanity," he said. "God, who became a lamb, tells us that the world is saved by the crucified, not by those who crucify."

"Pray for me," he said, "that I may not flee for fear of the wolves."

After the Mass concluded, Benedict mounted a white jeep and circled the square to the cheers of onlookers who held out their hands and flashed digital cameras.

Beyond the square, an endless crowd packed the Via della Conciliazione, which was lined with jumbotrons for the occasion. Similar screens were positioned outside Vatican City walls to accommodate late arrivals.

City officials estimated that 100,000 pilgrims from the ope's native Germany attended the event.

Among them was Simone Steffan, 30, who traveled 12 hours by train from Munich to arrive in Rome Sunday morning and secure a spot in the square.

"I saw the top of his hat," she said, describing the pontiff's cruise on the popemobile. Steffan followed most of the Mass in a state of incomprehension, waiting for the pontiff to speak in his native tongue. Her wish was not fulfilled. "I just wanted one word in German," she said.

Dignitaries from more than 131 countries also attended the Mass, including German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Prince Albert II of Monaco and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams; Metropolitan Chrisostomos, a top envoy for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Christian Orthodox; and a senior representative of the Russian Orthodox church, Metropolitan Kirill were present at the Mass and scheduled to meet with the freshman pontiff later in the day.

Following the Mass, dignitaries formed a line inside the Basilica to greet the newly installed pope. Schroeder gently bowed and shook hands with Benedict while Queen Sofia of Spain, wearing a lacy white dress and a flowing veil, knelt before the pontiff and planted a kiss on his newly minted ring.

Although Spain ranks among Europe's largest Catholic countries, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's prime minister, did not attend Benedict's investiture Mass. This week, the lower chamber of the Spanish parliament passed by an overwhelming majority a bill that allows gay couples to marry and adopt children.

As the former Cardinal Ratzinger, Benedict condemned homosexuality as a premarital sexual relationship. [How can the reporter of a major newspaper get that so wrong? Catholic teaching considers the physical homosexual act sinful, just as pre-marital heterosexual sex is.] He has not addressed the issue since becoming Pope as Vatican officials have worked hard to present their pope in a softer hue. [Yeah, right!. As if any Pope would begin his Pontificate by lecturing about homosexuality which is not exactly among the top problems for the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.]

Saturday Benedict met with the media and thanked them for their hard work and the intensive coverage they have provided during this time of the death of a Pope and the election of a new one.

Benedict "has been catapulted into this position," said Costantino Mirra, 52, who runs a sanitation company in southern Italy. "Before he had an embarrassing job," he said, referring to Benedict's days as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. "Now he can reflect, taking his new job one day at a time."

While his ministry officially began today, Benedict has been in the public eye for months. As the dean of the College of Cardinals, he was designated to celebrate the only Mass of the year that drew more supporters than Sunday's ceremony: John Paul's funeral.

In a repeat performance of that day, Italian authorities employed elaborate security measures. Boats patrolled the Tiber River, a no-fly zone was imposed, anti-missile units were put in position as were NATO surveillance aircraft. The city of Rome reported that 10,000 police were deployed.

In a final invocation of the late pope, Benedict reformulated John Paul's 1978 call to not be afraid: "I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ!"

---

I won't even begin to explain the bizarre circumstances that have kept me shut up for the past 48 hours, but let me just try to make up. I had just begin my Forum day on April 24, but at least I got in the anniversary pieces on the Pope... So let me just enumerate the more significant news items that I must make up on:

On April 24, the Pope had no public events, and the Vatican only issued a reminder that the Holy Father will preside at Holy Mass on Sunday, April 29,in St. Peter's Basilica to ordain new priests for the Diocese of Rome.

In Germany, the German bishops published the text of a five-page letter written by Benedict XVI to explain why the correct wording of Jesus's Eucharistic prayer ending with 'pro multis' - for many - not the translation that was used for the German Missal that translates into 'for all', as did the English translation which served for close to 40 years before the new translation went into effect last fall.

April 25 had a lot of important news reports:
- The Holy Father's General Audience in St. Peter's Square. He continued his catecheses on Christian prayer, specifically focusing on the prayers of the first Christian community. He noted how the Apostles concentrated on announcing the Word of God and leading the faithful in prayers, but appointed trusted deacons to take care of serving the needy.

- The official program was announced for the Holy Father's pastoral visit to Arezzo, Laverna and Sansepolcro on May 13.

- The Vatican announced that the Pope has named Cardinal Julian Herranz to head a cardinals' commission to look into the Vatileaks episode and report to him. The other cardinals working with Herranz are Cardinal Jozef Tomko and Salvatore De Giorgi.

- Marco Roncalli, the journalist-nephew of Pope John XXIII, has published the first complete biography of Albino Luciani, 'the Pope of smiles' John Paul I, while a German author Bernhard Müller-Hülsebusch. former Vatican correspondent for Der Spiegel, has written the book Ein Münchner in Rom with tales and anecdotes about the person rather than the Pope.

Today, April 26, the Holy Father met with yet another group of US bishops from the United States Northwest, and

- The Pope's Commission on China ended a three-day plenary meeting with a statement about the situation of the Church in China today, saying, among other things, that the Holy Father has forgiven some bishops who have taken part in illegitimate ordinations in China who wrote to explain their action and sought forgiveness, but that some have still not done so.

So, with that brief overview of all the items I must make up for, I shall post what I can by way of making up and to make sure that these are on record in this Forum, while looking out for other interesting articles in the past two days that I have not yet had time to research.

I am posting the 'almanac' entries for April 25 and April 26 together:

Wednesday, April 25, Third Week of Easter

Third from left, a depiction of Mark's martyrdom; the statue is by Donatello.
ST. MARK, EVANGELIST & MARTYR
Little is known of Mark's early life, except that he was born in Judea. The Acts and Paul's letters tell us he was a friend of both Peter and Paul. Peter called him 'my son', and
Mark's house in Jerusalem appeared to have been a gathering place for the early Christians. He travelled with Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey, but Paul did
Not want him along on the second one, though apparently they made up later as Paul asked him to visit him in prison. His Gospel is the oldest and shortest of the four Gospels,
and Eusebius says it is his account of what Peter preached. Ten to 20 years after Christ's Ascension, Mark came to Alexandria, in Egypt, where the Church he founded is now
the Coptic Orthodox Church. He is considered the first bishop of Alexandria and the founder of Christianity in Africa. He died a martyr under Nero's rule, when anti-Christian
feeling led the people of the city to drag him through the streets with a rope around his neck until he died. He is the patron saint of Venice, where in 825, two Venetian
merchants brought his relics from Alexandria. The Copts venerate his head at the St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. [NB: In what seems like a strange oversight,
the Holy Father has not given a catechesis on St. Mark or St. Luke. Since neither of them was an Apostle, one might have expected their stories to follow the first catecheses
on St. Paul in the Apostles series, before the cycle on the early Christians which began with Timothy and Titus.!]
Readings for the day's Mass: www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042512.cfm


4/25/12 AT THE VATICAN


General Audience - The Holy Father continued his catecheses on Christian prayer, focused lately on
the prayer activity of the Apostles and the first Christian community. Today, he pointed how the Apostles
acknowledged the importance of both prayer and works of charity, yet clearly gave priority to prayer and
the proclamation of the Gospel.

The Vatican released the program for the Holy Father's pastoral visit on May 11 to Arezzo in Tuscany and
the diocese's shrines in La Verna and Sansepolcro.

And the Secretariat of State released the following note:

Cardinals to investigate Vatileaks

April 25, 2012

---

In the wake of recent leaks of reserved and confidential documents on television, in newspapers and in other communications media, the Holy Father has ordered the creation of a Commission of Cardinals to undertake an authoritative investigation and throw light on these episodes.

His Holiness has determined that the said Commission of Cardinals, which will act at all levels on the strength of its pontifical mandate, shall be presided by Cardinal Julián Herranz, and shall have as its members Cardinal Jozef Tomko and Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi.

The Commission of Cardinals celebrated its first sitting on 24 April to establish the method and timetable for its activities.

---

Considering that the leaks occurred at the end of January and beginning of February. What does it say of the Secretariat of State that three months later, the Pope has to step in and name a commission of cardinals to investigate it? What does it say of the culture in SecState that they can't even seem to unravel an apparently simple case of rogue employees leaking out selected confidential files? What does it say of the Vatican police seeming not to have made any headway in what most of us in the general public would consider not a case that requires Sherlock Holmes or Fr. Brown?

Thursday, April 26, Third Week of Easter

Extreme right, John Paul II at San Pedro's Canonization Mass.
ST. PEDRO DE SAN JOSE BETANCUR (b Canary Islands 1626, d Guatemala 1667)
Lay Franciscan, founder of the Bethlehemite Fathers and Sisters
He is both the first saint from the Canary Islands (Spain) and of Guatemala. Hermano Pedro (Brother Pedro), as he is
familiarly called, lived as a poor shepherd on Tenerife, the main Canary island, until he was 27, when he left to join
a relative in Guatemala. He first landed in Cuba where he worked until he could earn enough to go on to Guatemala. He
enrolled in a Jesuit school but could not keep up academically. He joined the secular Franciscan order at age 29, and
managed somehow to open a hospital for the convalescent poor, a shelter for the homeless, and a school for poor children,
not hesitant to knock at the door of rich Guatemalans for their aid. It led him to set up the Order of the Bethlehemite
Fathers, whose rule was approved after his early death (he was only 41), along with an Order of Bethlehemite Sisters.
He is credited with originating the tradition of the Christmas Eve 'posadas' procession now observed in many Latin
American countries, during which the faithful commemorate Mary and Joseph's efforts to find lodgings in Bethlehem.
Hermano Pedro was beatified in 1980, and John Paul II canonized him during his visit to Guatemala in 2002.
Readings for the day's Mass: www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042612.cfm


4/26/12 AT THE VATICAN

The Holy Father met with

- Mons. Salvatore Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promiting New Evangelization

- Mons. François Bacqué, Apostolic Nuncio (assignment not given)

- Six bishops from the states of Washington, Idaho and Montana, on ad limina visit.


The Vatican released a communique from the Papal Commission that Pope Benedict XVI formed to keep track
of the situation of the Catholic Church in China whic held its fifth annual plenary meeting this year
from April 23-25.


This time last year...

Preparations for the May 1 beatification of John Paul II made up the bulk of news from Rome and the Vatican.
Pope Benedict was in Castel Gandolfo for his traditional rest days after Holy Week and the Easter observances
and would return to the Vatican for the weekend celebrations devoted to his predecessor.

GENERAL AUDIENCE
April 25, 2012





Prayer, good works
both important but
prayer has primacy

April 25, 2012

Pope Benedict XVI continued his series on the Christian school of prayer this Wednesday with a reflection on the importance of prayer and works of charity in the life of the Church. Here is how he synthesized the catechesis in English:

---

In our catechesis on Christian prayer, we now consider the decision of the early Church to set aside seven men to provide for the practical demands of charity (cf. Acts 6:1-4).

This decision, made after prayer and discernment, provided for the needs of the poor while freeing the Apostles to devote themselves primarily to the word of God.

It is significant that the Apostles acknowledge the importance of both prayer and works of charity, yet clearly give priority to prayer and the proclamation of the Gospel.

In every age the saints have stressed the deep vital unity between contemplation and activity. Prayer, nourished by faith and enlightened by God’s word, enables us to see things in a new way and to respond to new situations with the wisdom and insight bestowed by the Holy Spirit.

In our own daily lives and decisions, may we always draw fresh spiritual breath from the two lungs of prayer and the word of God; in this way, we will respond to every challenge and situation with wisdom, understanding and fidelity to God’s will.

---

In the main catechesis, he said the Church has the "primary need" to proclaim the Word of God, but it also has "the duty of charity and justice": between the two there is no opposition, because charity "must be permeated by the spirit of contemplation of God", "without daily prayer our action is empty, it looses its deep soul, resulting in a simple activism that eventually leaves unsatisfied".

The Pope was inspired by the Gospel of Luke where it is said that the number of disciples were increasing, but those of the Greek language were complaining because their widows were being neglected compared to those of Jewish origin.

The English service of Vatican Radio translated a substantial part of the catechesis:

---

Faced with this urgency that involved a fundamental aspect in the life of the community, charity towards the weak, the poor, the powerless, and justice, the Apostles summoned the entire group of disciples.

In this time of pastoral emergency the Apostles discernment stands out. They are faced with the primary need to proclaim the Word of God according to the mandate of the Lord, but even if this is the primary need of the Church, they considered with equally seriousness the duty of charity and justice, that is their duty to assist widows, the poor, with love to respond to situations of need in which their brothers and sisters find themselves, to respond to Jesus' commandment: love one another as I have loved you (cf. Jn 15,12.17) .

So the two realities that have to live in the Church - preaching the Word, the primacy of God, and practical charity, justice - are creating difficulties and a solution must be found so that both can have its place, its necessary relationship.

And the reflection of the Apostles is very clear. They say, as we have heard: "It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word"(Acts 6.2 to 4).

Two things appear: first from that moment a ministry of charity exists in the Church. The Church must not only proclaim the Word, but also realize that the word is love and truth.

And the second point: these men must not only enjoy a good reputation, but they must be men filled with the Holy Ghost and wisdom. That is, they can not just be organizers who know what they are doing, but they must do so in the spirit of faith, with the light of God, in the wisdom of the heart and therefore their function, although mainly practical, however, is a spiritual function. Charity and justice are not only social actions, but they are spiritual actions made in light of the Holy Spirit...

So we can say that this situation is addressed, with great responsibility on the part of the Apostles, who make this a decision: seven men of good reputation are chosen, the apostles pray to ask for the strength of the Holy Spirit and then impose their own hands so that they devote themselves especially to the service of charity.

Thus, in the life of the Church, in the first steps it takes, is reflected in a certain way, what happened during Jesus's public life, at the house of Martha and Mary of Bethany. Martha was distracted by offering hospitality to Jesus and his disciples, Mary, however, is devoted to listening to the Word of the Lord (cf. Lk 10:38-42).

In both cases, the moments of prayer or and listening to God and daily activities, the exercise of charity are not opposing. The call of Jesus: " Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her" (Lk 10.41 - 42), as well as the reflection of the Apostles: "... we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6.4), show, the priority that we must give to God.

I do not want interpret this Martha-Mary pericope now: however, activity for another should not be condemned, but it must be stressed that even inwardly it must be penetrated by the spirit of contemplation.

On the other hand, St. Augustine says Mary’s reality is a vision of our situation in heaven, which we can never have completely here on earth, rather a little anticipation that contemplation of God must be present in all our activities.

We must not lose ourselves in pure activism, but always allow ourselves and our activities to be penetrated by the Word of God and thus learn true charity, true service to others which does not need many things: it certainly needs necessary things, but above all it also needs the affection of our heart, the light of God”.

In every age the saints have stressed the deep vital unity between contemplation and activity. Prayer, nourished by faith and enlightened by God’s word, enables us to see things in a new way and to respond to new situations with the wisdom and insight bestowed by the Holy Spirit...

Every step of our lives, every action, even of the Church, must be made before God in prayer, in the light of his word... prayer to defend themselves from the dangers of a hectic life which, says St. Bernard, is likely to harden the heart.

When the prayer is nourished by the Word of God, we can see reality with new eyes, the eyes of faith and the Lord who speaks to the mind and heart, gives new light to our path at all times and in every situation...

In our own daily lives and decisions, may we always draw fresh spiritual breath from the two lungs of prayer and the word of God; in this way, we will respond to every challenge and situation with wisdom, understanding and fidelity to God’s will.

---

Such endearing snapshots of our boyish 85-year-old Pope!

---

PASTORAL VISIT OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

TO AREZZO, LA VERNA & SANSEPOLCRO

Sunday, May 13, 2012

08.00 Departure from the Vatican by helicopter.

09.00 Arrival at the Communal Stadium 'Citta di Arezzo'

10.00 EUCHARISTIC CONCELEBRATION
Parco Il Prato, Arezzo
- Homily
REGINA CAELI
- Greetings.

12.30 Private visit to the Cathedral of San Donato in Arezzo.

13.15 Lunch with the Bishops of Tuscany
Bishop's Residence, Arezzo

16.30 Meeting wih the Organizers of the Pastoral Visit
Bishop's Residence

17.00 Departure by helicopter from the Communal Stadium for La Verna.

17.15 Arrival at La Beccia district in the Commune of Chiusi della Verna.

17.45 VISIT TO THE SHRINE OF LA VERNA
(where St. Francis received the stigmata)
in the presence of various Franciscan communities,
including the Friars Minor, the Poor Clares of Tuscany,
and other religious living in Chiusi La Verna.
- Address by the Holy Father.

18.45 Departure by helicopter from La Beccia for Sansepolcro.

19.00 Arrival at the Aviosuperficie heliport in Sansepolcro.

19.15 Private visit to the Co-Cathedral of Sansepolcro

19.30 MEETING WITH THE TOWNSPEOPLE
Piazza Torre di Berta, Sansepolcro
- Address by the Holy Father

20.15 Departure by helicopter from Sansepolcro for the Vatican.

21.15 Arrival at the Vatican heliport

---

Vatican commission says
China needs 'good bishops'
and well-formed laity

April 26, 2012

China needs a deeply formed Catholic laity, called to offer their own contribution in wider society; it needs priests and religious men and women who give "luminous evangelical witness"[ it needs "good bishops". But the evangelization of China " cannot be achieved by sacrificing essential elements of the Catholic faith and discipline".

These were the conclusions of the Commission for the Church in China, following the 5th annual meeting at the Vatican on April 23-25, contained in a communique released today.

The Commission was created by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, following his historic Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of China, that outlines his recommendations for the life of the Church in that country, where the government has been acting through a so-called official Church that does not recognize the authority of the Pope over the Church in China. This has resulted in an 'underground Church' composed of bishops, priests and faithful who are loyal to Rome, who have been subject to various persecutions and petty harassments over the years.

Last year, the Commission focused on the formation of priests and religious. This year, with a view to the upcoming Year of Faith, the Commission, composed of heads of Curial dicasteries that have competence over Church issues in China, as well and bishops, priests and religious directly involved in the life of the Church in China, tackled the question of formation for the laity.

But it also addressed the more difficult issues that the Catholic community in the country face, from the claim of 'entities that place themselves above the Bishops and claim to guide the life of the ecclesial community", to the question of illegitimate Episcopal ordinations, and the detention of some priests and bishops, as well as limits imposed on others in the exercise of their pastoral mission.

The following is the full sommunique:

---

The Commission which Pope Benedict XVI established in 2007 to study questions of major importance regarding the life of the Catholic Church in China met in the Vatican for the fifth time from 23 to 25 April.

With deep spiritual closeness to all brothers and sisters in the faith living in China, the Commission recognized the gifts of fidelity and dedication which the Lord has given to his Church throughout the past year.

The participants examined the theme of the formation of the lay faithful, in view also of the “Year of Faith” which the Holy Father has announced will be held from 11 October 2012 to 24 November 2013. The words of the Gospel, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and man” (Lk 2:52), set out the task to which the Catholic lay faithful in China are called.

In the first place, they must enter ever more deeply into the life of the Church, nourished by doctrine, conscious of their being part of the Catholic Church, and consistent with the requirements of life in Christ, which necessitates hearing the word of God with faith. From this perspective, a profound knowledge of the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be a particularly important aid for them.

In the second place, lay Catholics are called to take part in civic life and in the world of work, offering their own contribution with full responsibility: by loving life and respecting it from conception until natural death; by loving the family, promoting values which are also proper to traditional Chinese culture; by loving their country as honest citizens concerned for the common good. As an ancient Chinese sage put it, “the way of great learning consists in illustrating noble virtues, in renewing and staying close to people, and in reaching the supreme good.”

Thirdly, the lay faithful in China must grow in grace before God and men, by nourishing and perfecting their own spiritual life as active members of the parish community and by involving themselves in the apostolate, also with the help of associations and Church movements which foster their ongoing formation.

In this regard, the Commission noted with joy that the proclamation of the Gospel by Catholic communities, which are sometimes poor and without material resources, encourages many adults to request baptism every year. It was thus emphasized that the Dioceses in China should promote a serious catechumenate, adopt the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and care for their formation after Baptism as well.

Pastors, both Bishops and priests, should make every effort to consolidate the lay faithful in their knowledge of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, and in particular of ecclesiology and the social doctrine of the Church.

Moreover, it will be useful to dedicate special solicitude to the preparation of pastoral workers dedicated to evangelization, catechesis and works of charity.

The integral formation of lay Catholics, above all in those places where rapid social evolution and significant economic development are occurring, is part of a commitment to make the local Church vibrant and thriving. Finally, an adequate response to the phenomenon of internal migration and urbanization is to be hoped for.

Practical indications, which the Holy See has proposed and will propose to the universal Church for a fruitful celebration of the “Year of Faith”, will undoubtedly be heeded with enthusiasm and with a creative spirit also in China.

These suggestions will stimulate the Catholic community to find adequate initiatives to put into practice what Pope Benedict XVI has written regarding the lay faithful and the family in his Letter of 27 May 2007 to the Catholic Church in the People’s Republic of China (cf. Letter to the Bishops, Priests, Consecrated Persons and Lay Faithful of the Catholic Church in the People’s Republic of China, 15-16).

The lay faithful, therefore, are called to participate with apostolic zeal in the evangelization of the Chinese people. By virtue of their baptism and confirmation, they receive from Christ the grace and the task to build up the Church (cf. Eph 4:1-16).

In the course of the Meeting, attention then focussed on the Pastors, in particular on Bishops and priests who are detained or who are suffering unjust limitations on the performance of their mission. Admiration was expressed for the strength of their faith and for their union with the Holy Father. They need the Church’s prayer in a special way so as to face their difficulties with serenity and in fidelity to Christ.

The Church needs good Bishops. They are a gift of God to his people, for the benefit of whom they exercise the office of teaching, sanctifying and governing. They are also called to provide reasons for life and hope to all whom they meet. They receive from Christ, through the Church, their task and authority, which they exercise in union with the Roman Pontiff and with all the Bishops throughout the world.

Concerning the particular situation of the Church in China, it was noted that the claim of the entities, called “One Association and One Conference”, to place themselves above the Bishops and to guide the life of the ecclesial community, persists.

In this regard, the instructions given in the Letter of Pope Benedict XVI (cf. Letter to the Bishops, Priests, Consecrated Persons and Lay Faithful of the Catholic Church in the People’s Republic of China, 7), remain current and provide direction.

It is important to observe them so that the face of the Church may shine forth with clarity in the midst of the noble Chinese people.

This clarity has been obfuscated by those clerics who have illegitimately received episcopal ordination and by those illegitimate Bishops who have carried out acts of jurisdiction or who have administered the Sacraments. In so doing, they usurp a power which the Church has not conferred upon them.

In recent days, some of them have participated in episcopal ordinations which were authorized by the Church. The behaviour of these Bishops, in addition to aggravating their canonical status, has disturbed the faithful and often has violated the consciences of the priests and lay faithful who were involved.

Furthermore, this clarity has been obfuscated by legitimate Bishops who have participated in illegitimate episcopal ordinations. Many of these Bishops have since clarified their position and have requested pardon; the Holy Father has benevolently forgiven them.

Others, however, who also took part in these illegitimate ordinations, have not yet made this clarification, and thus are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.

The participants in the Plenary Meeting follow these painful events with attention and in a spirit of charity. Though they are aware of the particular difficulties of the present situation, they recall that evangelization cannot be achieved by sacrificing essential elements of the Catholic faith and discipline.

Obedience to Christ and to the Successor of Peter is the presupposition of every true renewal and this applies to every category within the People of God. Lay people themselves are sensitive to the clear ecclesial fidelity of their own Pastors.

With regard to priests, consecrated persons and seminarians, the Commission reflected once again on the importance of their formation, rejoicing in the sincere and praiseworthy commitment to provide not only suitable programmes of human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral formation for the seminarians, but also times of ongoing formation for priests.

In addition, appreciative mention was made of the initiatives which are being undertaken by various female religious institutes to coordinate formation activities for consecrated persons.

It was noted, on the other hand, that the number of vocations to the priestly and religious life has noticeably declined in recent years. The challenges of the situation impel the faithful to invoke the Lord of the harvest and to strengthen the awareness that each priest and woman religious, faithful and luminous in their evangelical witness, are the primary sign still capable of encouraging today’s young men and women to follow Christ with undivided heart.

Finally, the Commission recalls that this upcoming 24 May, the liturgical memorial of the “Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians” and the Day of Prayer for the Church in China, will provide a particularly auspicious opportunity for the entire Church to ask for energy and consolation, mercy and courage, for the Catholic community in China.

---

A great post by George Weigel that I missed when it first came out. One of the best things about it comes towards the end when the pre-eminent biographer of John Paul II says that "... the Vatican had finally acted, decisively, after three decades of half-hearted (and failed) attempts to achieve some sort of serious conversation with the LCWR about its obvious and multiple breaches of the boundaries of orthodoxy"... And it came about under Benedict XVI...

The Vatican and
the dissident sisterhood

April 23, 2012

In Chariots of Fire, two of the elders of Cambridge University invite the young Jewish runner Harold Abrahams to a formal, black-tie luncheon, during which they try to dissuade the upstart undergraduate from using a professional trainer to prepare for the forthcoming Paris Olympics. Abrahams declines to follow Oxbridge athletic orthodoxy and leaves in something of a huff. The Master of Trinity (brilliantly played by John Gielgud) sighs and says to the Master of Caius, “Another God, another mountaintop.”

It’s a scene worth keeping in mind when parsing the recent Vatican decision to take into a form of ecclesiastical receivership the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the umbrella association that represents the majority of American orders of sisters.

On April 18, after years of study, the Holy See appointed Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle to oversee the LCWR’s activities, supervise the LCWR’s adherence to the Church’s liturgical norms, review its links to affiliated organizations like the political advocacy group “Network,” and guide a revision of the LCWR’s statutes.

Sartain will be assisted by Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill. (appropriately enough, a veteran ice-hockey goalie used to taking hard shots), and Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo (whose theological analysis of the LCWR’s activities over the past decade shaped the decision to appoint Sartain as the Holy See’s delegate in charge of the LCWR).

That imagery — three men, acting on behalf of a male-dominated Curia, assuming leadership of an organization of women religious — proved irresistible to Vatican critics, eager to drive home the point that the Catholic Church doesn’t care about one half of the human race (as the proprietor of a once-great American newspaper once told his new Rome bureau chief as she was leaving the U.S).

Others were eager to use the Vatican action to prop up crumbling public support for Obamacare: The good sisters of the LCWR supported Obamacare; the aging misogynists at the Vatican whacked the LCWR; see, Obamacare must be right, just, proper, and helpful toward salvation!

The problem with the former criticism, of course, is that the Catholic Church is the greatest educator of women throughout the Third World and the most generous provider of women’s health care in Africa and Asia; there, the Church also works to defend women’s rights within marriage, while its teaching on the dignity of the human person challenges the traditional social and cultural taboos that disempower women.

As for the notion that the Church’s Roman leadership put the clamps on the LCWR because “the Vatican” objects to Obamacare, well, that would be the first European-style welfare-state initiative to which “the Vatican” has objected in living memory.

What both these lines of critique fail to grasp is that the problem posed by many of the sisters within the religious orders that make up the LCWR, and by the LCWR as an organization, is precisely the problem noted by the Master of Trinity: “Another God, another mountaintop.”

The difference is that Harold Abrahams acknowledged his unorthodox views, while the LCWR leadership, to vary the cinematic metaphors, took on the role of Captain Renault, professing itself “shocked, shocked” that anyone could imagine anything doctrinally awry in the organization or its affiliated orders.

A few facts — not an abundant commodity in the early coverage of the controversy — might help clarify both the current situation and the likely next moves in this ecclesiastical drama.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious is a kind of trade association. Its membership is composed of orders (known in Catholic argot as “congregations”) of religious women who take perpetual vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. These women are often called “nuns,” although technically nuns live in cloisters and the LCWR congregations have active, public ministries in education, health care, and social service; thus their members are more properly called “sisters.”

These congregations control billions of dollars of assets, given to them back in the day when the sisters who ran Bing Crosby’s parish school in The Bells of St. Mary’s were the Hollywood idealization of an actual reality.

No more. Sister Mary Benedict (Ingrid Bergman) and the other sisters at the fictional St. Mary’s wore religious habits, lived in a convent, led a rigorous prayer life, taught the catechism without question, eschewed the public eye — and while they may have jousted with male ecclesiastical authorities like Bing Crosby’s Father Chuck O’Malley, it was O’Malley who made the final decisions for the parish and the school, and Bergman and the sisters who obeyed, even if they didn’t like it.

Yet the final scene in the movie has Sister Benedict teaching the somewhat-full-of-himself Father O’Malley a thing or two about faith — a resolution reached and a lesson taught, not by rebellion, but by obedience.

Those days are long gone, and it’s both absurd and dishonest for the media and the Catholic Left to propagate the myth that the 21st-century life of those religious women whose orders are LCWR members is just a modernized version of The Bells of St. Mary’s.


Yes, many sisters continue to do many good works. On the other hand, almost none of the sisters in LCWR congregations wear religious habits; most have long since abandoned convent life for apartments and other domestic arrangements; their spiritual life is more likely to be influenced by the Enneagram and Deepak Chopra than by Teresa of Avila and Edith Stein; their notions of orthodoxy are, to put it gently, innovative; and their relationship to Church authority is best described as one of barely concealed contempt. [Thanks, Mr. Weigel, that is a seemingly obvious reality that has generally been glossed over in all the reportage about these dissident sister, although the contempt comes across in billows of sulphurous smoke in every statement they make and in their actions. For some reason, I find their dissidence is somehow even more obnoxious than those Austrian and German dissident priests.]

Some communities of LWCR sisters no longer participate regularly in the Eucharist, because they cannot abide the “patriarchy” of a male priest-celebrant presiding at Mass. Thus faux Eucharists celebrated by a circle of women are not unknown in these communities.

Even those LCWR-affiliated communities that hold, tenuously, to the normal sacramental life of the Church regularly bend the liturgical norms to the breaking point in order to radically minimize the role of the priest-celebrant; at one such Mass I attended years ago, the priest did virtually nothing except pronounce the words of consecration.

The other fact to be noted about the LCWR congregations — largely unremarked in the Gadarene rush to pit plucky nuns against Neanderthal prelates — is that they’re dying. [I read in one recent report that the median age of these harpie-throwbacks was 68! Natural selection does work in wondrous ways]

The years immediately following the Second Vatican Council saw a mass exodus from American convents; and in the four and a half decades since the Council concluded, American Catholic women’s religious life in the LCWR congregations has suffered various forms of theological, spiritual, and behavioral meltdown.

In the face of those two large truths, young Catholic women have quite sensibly decided that, if they wish to do good works or be political activists while dressing like middle-class professionals and living in apartments, there is little reason to bind themselves, even in an attenuated way, to the classic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience — each of which has undergone a radical reinterpretation in the LCWR congregations.

So the LCWR orders are becoming greyer and greyer, to the point where their demise is, from a demographic point of view, merely a matter of time: perhaps a few decades down the road, absent truly radical renewal. {There you are! Darwin's natural selection at work! In this case, 'survival of the fittest' begins with the natural attrition brought about by age. Too bad none of them will ever be the 'Martin/Martina Luther' they each dream to be.] (Meanwhile, the congregations of religious women that have retained the habit, a regular prayer life, and a commitment to Catholic orthodoxy are growing.)

There are more than a few ironies in this particular fire. One of them was pointed out by author Ann Carey in her 1997 book, Sisters in Crisis, which, while based on research in the LCWR archives and authorized by the LCWR, was subsequently denounced by the Conference — a preview of its “shocked, shocked” reaction to the recent Vatican action.

Carey was under no romantic illusions about mid-20th century American religious life when she began her work; by showing that many sisters of the pre–Vatican II decades were poorly educated, poorly formed, and badly overworked.

Carey made clear that genuine reform was essential if the remarkable flourishing of women’s religious life in the United States — something quite without parallel in the world, in terms of numbers — was going to be sustained.

Yet Carey also showed how the “reform” undertaken before, during, and after the Council pulled so hard on the central threads of religious life (and especially on the understanding of the vows) that the entire tapestry unraveled.

Moreover, Carey discovered that the beginnings of this “reform” were largely designed by men: priest-consultants brought in to advise the LCWR’s predecessor organization, address its annual conferences, and help redesign sister-formation programs. Ironically enough, it was men, not liberated women, who charted the path to the radical feminism that eventually led too many LCWR sisters and the LCWR itself into a mental universe unmoored from even the minimal requisites of Christian orthodoxy. [What a great way to describe the unhinged universe of these dissidents! And we are not surprised, are we, that dissident priests instigated them? But I bet the so un-female LCWR sisters - BTW, they couldn't pick a better name whose anagram would not read like 'liquor'??? - are spouting more sulphurous smoke to see that fact pointed out. Hah! They were instigated by males. Not exactly 'radically feminist', are they?]

“Minimal requisites” is no exaggeration. As Bishop Blair’s analysis of the LCWR’s assemblies makes unmistakably clear — and from materials readily available from the LCWR — there is very little in the Creed and the Catechism of the Catholic Church that is not up for grabs in the LCWR’s world: the Trinity; the divinity of Christ; the sacraments; the constitution of the Church as episcopally ordered and governed; the very idea of “doctrine”; the notion of moral absolutes; the nature of marriage; the inalienability of the right to life — Catholic teaching on all of these is not infrequently regarded in the LCWR and among its affiliated orders as impossibly old hat because of that teaching’s alleged linkage to “patriarchy.”

That doctrinal implosion, further influenced by feminist leadership theory of the woolliest sort, set the stage for the tortured re-readings of poverty, chastity, and obedience to be found in the extensive literature that shapes the theological imagination of many of the sisters in LCWR congregations, those congregations’ leadership, and the LCWR itself.

And here is the next, great irony: In their determination to be countercultural, many LCWR-affiliated sisters have become precisely the opposite, parodies of political correctness who embrace every imaginable New Age “spirituality” and march in lockstep with American political progressivism as it has defined itself since the Sixties.

Thus the sisters formed in the LCWR cast of mind are not at all countercultural. In public life, it’s the pro-life cause, which they largely eschew, that is the real counterculture. And in religious life, it’s the dynamic orthodoxy of post–Vatican II, post–John Paul II Catholicism — the Church of the “New Evangelization” — that poses a dramatic and demanding challenge to the soggy “spirituality” of postmodern America.

Many LCWR sisters, for their part, regarded John Paul the Great as a hopeless misogynist and never forgave his 1994 apostolic letter reaffirming that the Church is authorized to ordain only men to the ministerial priesthood.

The Catholic Church that has stood fast against the Obama administration’s encroachments on religious freedom is the real counterculture; the LCWR, for its part, has become very much part of the progressive establishment.

The shock in all this, therefore, is not the shock the LCWR unpersuasively confessed when the Vatican decision to take it into receivership was made public. The shock was that the Vatican had finally acted, decisively, after three decades of half-hearted (and failed) attempts to achieve some sort of serious conversation with the LCWR about its obvious and multiple breaches of the boundaries of orthodoxy. [And it took BENEDICT XVI to see it through!]

Acts two, three, and four in this drama are not likely to be pacific. Given the LCWR’s self-understanding as an evolutionary (or revolutionary) vanguard challenging the patriarchal evils embedded in the Catholic Church’s forms of governance, it is not easy to see how the LCWR can accept a situation in which a man — Archbishop Sartain — will guide the revision of the organization’s statutes while making the final decisions about the topics to be discussed and the speakers to be chosen for LCWR annual assemblies.

Immediately after the public announcement of the Vatican action, Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B., a leading exponent of the LCWR worldview, said flatly that “there is only one way to deal with this . . . they [the LCWR] would have to disband canonically and regroup as an unofficial interest group.” [I did not realize Chittister was a Benedictine - the sort that gives Benedictines a bad name, like those monks in Germany who accused children in their care!]

Whatever else it may have conveyed about her ecclesiastical sensibility, Sister Joan’s reaction had the virtue of honesty. The LCWR and many of the sisters in its affiliated congregations have been living for decades in what I have come to call “psychological schism”: While they remain canonically inside the Church’s legal boundaries, they nevertheless adhere to “another God” and seek “another mountaintop.”

Sister Joan’s immediate reaction honestly recognized that and drew the curtain on a long-running charade.

To be sure, a self-dissolution of the LCWR would create any number of problems. It might well provoke payback in the form of congregations of women religious taking their health-care systems even farther out of the orbit of Catholic life and practice. That, in turn, might lead to all sorts of legal unpleasantness.

But that is almost certain to happen in any event, for the dying of the LCWR orders is going to lead to an endless series of legal battles over property originally given to the sisters on the understanding that they were an integral part of the Catholic Church.

Thus, if the LCWR refuses to accept the Vatican’s decision and dissolves itself, the realities of the situation will be clarified. And that would be an improvement over the muddle — created in part by the resistance of the sisters and in part by the fecklessness of Church authorities — that has gone on for decades.

A clear delineation of who stands on which side of the boundaries of Catholic orthodoxy and orthopraxis, which are not infinitely elastic, would have a cleansing effect. [Not just for the LCRW but all Catholic dissidents, especially the organized ones.]

And that cleansing might, just might, be the beginning of authentic reform among the once-great orders of women religious in the United States that are members of the LCWR. That reform would not aim to re-create the lost world of The Bells of St. Mary’s.

It would aim at the further development of forms of women’s religious life — already being lived in orders that are not members of the LCWR — that make their own unique contribution to the culture-forming counterculture that is the Catholicism of the New Evangelization.



The Church and the sisters:
What is really happening?
The standard media account about the CDF and LCWR
lacks essential information and historical background
by Ann Carey

April 26, 2012

From the moment the United States Bishops announced on April 18 that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) had issued a document ordering a supervised renewal of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), confusion and misinformation about the initiative have run rampant.

Sensational headlines have appeared, such as: “Nuns Gone Wild! Vatican Chastises American Sisters” (Daily Beast, April 20), “Vatican waging a war on nuns” (Chicago Sun Times, April 20) and “Guess Who the Vatican Is Picking on Now …” (Philly Post, April 23).

The common theme in most media reports about the CDF initiative, as these headlines suggest, is that out-of-touch men in the Vatican are unfairly criticizing the most faithful and hard-working members of the Church — the sisters. So, is this really the case? Hardly.

On page one of the eight-page CDF document, the accomplishments of women religious are cited and praised: “The Holy See acknowledges with gratitude the great contribution of women Religious to the Church in the United States … .”

However, the document goes on to point out that vowed religious are much more than social workers: they are consecrated persons who have a special place in the Church that must be marked by a strong faith and allegiance to Church authority.

The LCWR, it continued, has shown a “diminution of the fundamental Christological center and focus of religious consecration which leads, in turn, to a loss of a ‘constant and lively sense of the Church’ among some religious.”

Additionally, the CDF document emphasizes that the initiative is addressed only to the LCWR, a 1,500-member organization to which many leaders of women’s religious orders belong. The initiative is not directed to the other 54,000 sisters in the United States who do not belong to the LCWR, though press reports have tended to confuse this point and characterize all sisters as members of the LCWR.

This is quite incorrect, and many sisters who are in LCWR-related orders have contacted this writer to emphasize that they have neither membership, voice or vote in the LCWR, and they do not appreciate being associated with the organization.

In fact, many sisters in LCWR-related orders are quite pleased about the CDF action. As one such sister wrote in an e-mail: “I am so grateful to Pope Benedict and to all in Rome and in the USA who have contributed to this resolution. It has been a long nightmare and a severe cross for 40-plus years!”

What have this “nightmare” and “cross” involved? In the 1950s, the Vatican asked religious superiors all over the world to organize themselves into national conferences under the direction of the Holy See.

The idea was to help religious leaders network with each other to improve their orders and to facilitate communication and cooperation with Church authorities. Thus, the Conference of Major Religious Superiors of Women’s Institutes was canonically established in 1959.

However, in 1971, the women’s conference led a version of renewal of religious life that went far beyond anything envisioned by the Second Vatican Council, which had asked religious orders to discard outdated customs and to adapt their apostolate to modern needs, not to change the very nature of religious life.

At its 1971 annual assembly, the LCWR changed its statutes, its purpose and its name without Vatican approval, thus beginning 40 years of conflict with the Vatican. The Vatican insisted on changes to the new bylaws, to acknowledge the authority of the bishops and the Holy See. The Vatican also took three years to approve the name change, and only then said the new name should be accompanied by a sentence giving the original name.

Two sisters who had been executive directors of the LCWR for the 14 years between 1972 and 1986 wrote a book describing this metamorphosis of the conference: The Transformation of American Catholic Sisters (Temple University Press, 1992). The authors, Sisters Lora Ann Quinonez, CDP, and Mary Daniel Turner, SNDdeN, wrote:

The newly-adopted bylaws and title signaled a transformed understanding and appreciation of the raison d’être of the conference; not only was it to be a forum for enabling leadership, it was also to become a corporate force for systemic change in Church and society.

As the book’s authors went on to note, this transformation of the conference caused conflicts with Church authorities and other sisters that centered around the nature of religious life and relations with ecclesiastical authority. These conflicts in turn filtered down to the orders led by LCWR members who were heavily influenced by the LCWR agenda that has insisted on the right to “loyal dissent.”

Over the years, Catholic liturgies at LCWR meetings and assemblies were edged out in favor of New Age rituals and para-liturgies led by women. Workshops and speakers tended to focus on social and political issues rather than ecclesial, as evidenced by the resolutions passed at the 2000 LCWR assembly: To work for legislation to bring people out of poverty; for better working conditions for laborers in factories along the U.S.-Mexico border; and support for a “global peace force.”

Speakers at annual assemblies and LCWR publications often questioned the authority of the hierarchy. In a 2000 National Board report, vice-president Sister Mary Mollison, CSA, wrote about “talking points” developed by the LCWR to “‘initiate conversations with official leaders’ at all levels of the Church ‘to address the exercise of ecclesiastical authority experienced as a source of suffering and division by many within the Catholic community.’”

Further, the conference seemed preoccupied with transforming religious life. The LCWR Annual Report for 2006-2007 recalled that speakers at the 2006 assembly “spoke of this moment as a new era in religious life, a time for creative thinking, a time for envisioning consecrated life in ways previously not imagined.”

Indeed, the Vatican and some bishops tried for years to get the LCWR and its members to adhere to canon law and the essentials of religious life, but these efforts were rebuffed by LCWR leaders.

For instance, in 1971, Pope Paul VI issued the apostolic exhortation Evangelica Testificatio, giving his observations about how religious orders were renewing themselves. While he praised religious for their dedication, he also noted that some religious orders were not adhering to norms of religious life.

The LCWR reacted by publishing Widening the Dialogue, a 1972 book of essays critical of the apostolic exhortation. The essays from that book were then used in LCWR workshops for sisters. Similarly, the LCWR dismissed a 1983 document from the Congregation for Religious that detailed canonical norms for religious life.

The LCWR also adopted the technique of deflecting criticism of its activities and philosophy by reminding critics of all the good works sisters have done, and many in the media have looked no further than noting the sisters’ accomplishments.

What is often missed is the fact that sisters were able to accomplish all they did because the traditional way of religious life — daily prayer and life in common, a corporate apostolate, strong adherence to the teachings of the Church, and close cooperation with bishops—enabled their ministries.

However, many orders influenced by the LCWR have changed that traditional way of religious life in favor of individual ministries, small or single living units, independent prayer, and distancing from Church authority.

The LCWR also became adept at neutralizing criticism by prolonging “dialogue” so that conclusions were never reached. And it embraced the concept of instructing Church authorities. As then-LCWR president Sister Nancy Sylvester, IHM, wrote in her 2000 President’s Report: “We free ourselves to offer such insights to our brother bishops and invite them to see anew some of the official teachings of our Church.”

Like the headlines of today, efforts over the years by Church authorities to encourage religious orders to reform themselves aroused sensational media charges of hierarchal “patriarchy” and “misogyny” and headlines like “Battling for ‘Nuns’ Rights” (Newsweek, Sept. 8, 1969) and “American sisters of 1980s look beyond ‘Roman roulette’ to bigger challenges” (National Catholic Reporter, Feb. 27, 1981.

Meanwhile, doctrinal difficulties and defiance of Church authorities continued. For example, in 1985, the LCWR invited Sister Margaret Farley, RSM, to be the featured speaker at its annual assembly, even though she had signed the New York Times 1984 statement sponsored by Catholics for a Free Choice that claimed there was more than one legitimate Catholic position on abortion.

The U.S. Bishops and the Vatican asked the LCWR to withdraw the Farley invitation, but it refused, so Archbishops John Quinn of San Francisco and Pio Laghi, apostolic delegate, cancelled their scheduled appearance at the assembly, where they also had been invited to speak. Similar problems arose over the years on life issues and sexual morality.

The transformation of the superiors’ conference, which moved the organization away from Church authority and the traditional models of religious life to emphasize political, justice, and liberation issues, caused some sisters to leave the conference in the early 1970s and form their own small group of superiors.

The Vatican tried for years to reconcile the women superiors, but finally concluded this was impossible, and canonically erected another group of women’s superiors in 1992, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR) for superiors of orders that have retained a more traditional style of religious life and close ties with the institutional Church.

Currently, the superiors in the CMSWR lead orders with about 8,000 members, and the LCWR members lead orders with about 48,000 sisters. (A few superiors of women belong to neither group, and some belong to both). Even though CMSWR members represent fewer sisters, CMSWR communities are receiving the majority of new vocations and have an average age in the 30s, whereas the average age in LCWR-related communities is in the 70s.

A 2009 study on “Recent Vocations to Religious Life” by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University found that young people prefer the “more traditional lifestyle of religious life” in which members live and pray in community, work in a common apostolate, wear religious garb and “are explicit about their fidelity to the Church and the teachings of the Magisterium.” (See "The CARA Study and Vocations", Catholic World Report, May, 2011.)

Even with the aging of their communities, many members of the LCWR have continued to support the LCWR agenda that has often brought it into conflict with Church authorities. Other members who may not be as supportive of that agenda have maintained membership to take advantage of resources provided by the LCWR.

However, many of those resources have been named as problematic in the CDF document, which was quite comprehensive in delineating “serious doctrinal problems which affect many in Consecrated Life,” such as a distortion of the role of Jesus in the salvation of the world and undermining “the revealed doctrines of the Holy Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and the inspiration of Sacred Scripture.”

The document also noted a rejection of the faith and Church authority and unacceptable positions on women’s ordination, ministry to homosexual persons, and human sexuality, as well as inadequate presentation of the life issues.

The CDF document cited canon law, which governs superiors’ conferences, and said, “It is clear that greater emphasis needs to be placed both on the relationship of the LCWR with the conference of Bishops, and on the need to provide a sound doctrinal foundation in the faith of the Church.”

In order to “implement a process of review and conformity to the teachings and discipline of the Church,” the CDF named Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle as apostolic delegate, to be assisted by Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, a civil and canon lawyer, and Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo, a member of the U.S. Bishops Committee on Doctrine who conducted the doctrinal assessment of the LCWR.

Assisted by an advisory team of his choice, Archbishop Sartain was directed to spend up to five years seeing that:

• the LCWR establishes a formal link with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops;

• the LCWR statutes are revised to reflect clarity about the scope of the mission and responsibilities of the conference;

• LCWR publications are reviewed and revised where necessary and speakers at future programs be approved by the delegate;

• LCWR future programs be developed to provide a deeper understanding of the faith;

• LCWR events and programs are given review and guidance to insure a proper place for the Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours;

• LCWR links with the organizations Network and Resource Center for Religious are reviewed.

How will the LCWR react?

The LCWR “presidency” (past president, current president and president-elect) posted a brief statement on the LCWR website soon after the CDF document was released, saying they were “stunned by the conclusions of the doctrinal assessment of LCWR by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Because the leadership of LCWR has the custom of meeting annually with the staff of CDF in Rome and because the conference follows canonically-approved statutes, we were taken by surprise.” The statement also said the LCWR board would meet within the month to “review the mandate and prepare a response.”

However, it seems that while the contents of the CDF document may have been a surprise, the fact that the sisters would receive it at their annual visit to the CDF was not really a surprise.

The second sentence of that LCWR website statement was changed a day or so later to read: “We had received a letter from the CDF prefect in early March informing us that we would hear the results of the doctrinal assessment at our annual meeting; however, we were taken by surprise by the gravity of the mandate.” No explanation was given for the amended statement.

Thus, while the sisters might have been “stunned” by the contents of the document, they had no reason to be surprised that it was coming. Additionally, the LCWR had been given a “doctrinal warning” by the CDF in 2001 to correct doctrinal problems. When no progress had been made in seven years, the CDF told the LCWR in 2008 that it would undertake the doctrinal assessment. Thus, eleven years passed between the first warning and the issuance of the CDF directive.

Now speculation rages about how the LCWR will react. Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, a former president of the LCWR (1976), told the National Catholic Reporter that to remain true to themselves, the LCWR members should simply “disband canonically and regroup as an unofficial interest group.” However, if that occurs, that secular group would become just one of many secular professional organizations, and would certainly lose much of its credibility among women religious.

On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether there are enough moderate members of the LCWR who want to keep the organization afloat and work with Archbishop Sartain and his team to reform and renew as a legitimate superiors' conference.

On April 25, the LCWR presidency announced that the LCWR board would meet May 29 to June 1 to discuss the CDF mandate “in an atmosphere of prayer, contemplation and dialogue and will develop a plan to involve LCWR membership in similar processes. The conference plans to move slowly, not rushing to judgment.”

No doubt intense and lively conversations will be taking place within the LCWR in the next few weeks.

Friday, April 27, Third Week of Easter

Second from right: The saint's statue in the Founders' Gallery of St. Peter's Basilica.
ST. LOUIS-MARIE GRIGNON DE MONTFORT (France 1673-1716)
Priest, Preacher, Founder of the Missionaries of the Company of Mary and of the Daughters of Wisdom
Educated in Paris's St. Sulpice in the so-called French school of spirituality, Louis acquired his lifelong devotion to the Virgin Mary by extensive reading while he was a librarian at St. Sulpice. Ordained in 1700, he joined the third Order of the Dominicans and asked permission to preach the rosary, especially among the 'very poor, in the spirit of 'To Jesus through Mary'. He dedicated himself to preaching all over western France, advocating daily Communion and imitation of Mary's obedience to God's will. At one point, because of opposition from local bishops, he went to Rome to speak to Pope Clement IX about his work. Appreciating the value of his work in France, the Pope granted him the title of Apostolic Missionary. Louis was also a sculptor who carved many statues of Mary, and a poet who wrote thousands of devotional hymns. His writings on Mary, especially the book True Devotion to the Virgin Mary, have influenced at least four Popes - Leo XIII and Pius X, who incorporated his thoughts in their encyclicals, Pius XII who canonized him and was considered the first Marian Pope, and John Paul II who said he was influenced by St. Louis's books in the seminary and who adopted his episcopal motto, 'Totus tuus', from Louis's Marian devotion. However, the saint's own personal motto was 'God alone' ('in every cell of my body'). When he was appointed chaplain of a hospital in Poitiers, he met the woman who would become Blessed Marie Louise de Trichet, and they would work together in caring for the poor and opening schools for them. In 1715, Louise and her co-workers formed the core for the Daughters of Wisdom congregation. Louise would outlive her mentor, but she was eventually buried next to him in his Basilica in Sevres. Although he had a short life (he was a priest for only 17 years), Louis de Montfort is considered as a candidate to be named Doctor of the Church.
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042712.cfm


AT THE VATICAN TODAY

The Holy Father met with

- Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (regular meeting)

- Mons. Mario Roberto Cassari, Apostolic Nunzio to South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana

- H.E. Madame aría Jesús Figa López-Palop, Ambassador of Spain, on a farewell visit.

And in the afternoon with

- Mons. Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
(weekly meeting with CDF Prefect, in place of Cardinal William Levada)

P.S. The announcement of the new CDF Prefect in place of Cardinal Levada who is retiring after having turned 75,
is a bit overdue. It was expected after Easter. Nothing so far in the Italian media.

At 85, Pope Benedict
more inspiring than ever
Seven years after his election, he remains
exemplary in his humility and trust in God
By Francis Phillips

Friday, 27 April 2012

Reading the very moving testimony of Pope Benedict XVI on his 85th birthday on April 16 [the writer is referring to the extemporaneous homily given by the Pope at his birthday Mass in the Pauline Chapel], I was struck by the strong faith he radiated.

Of course, if you are Pope it goes without saying that you must have “faith”, but nonetheless, to stand firm on the world’s stage as an old man, knowing that the media is watching and waiting for you to show obvious evidence of age, is a sign of great inner strength.

It was an inspiring Christian witness – and so much more uplifting than all the gloomy predictions of what will happen in our own approaching demographic winter in the UK.

The Pope said, “I am in the final stage of my life’s journey and I do not know what awaits me. However, I do know that the light of God exists, that He rose again, that His light is stronger than all darkness, that the goodness of God is stronger than all the evil in this world. This helps me to continue with confidence…”

It says everything about trust, about belief and about the meaning of life, faced as we are all the time by the seemingly incomprehensible “darkness” of evil deeds.

On April 19 the Holy Father also celebrated the seventh anniversary of his election as Pope. It made me look again at the section “Habemus Papam” in his book of 2010: Light of the World, a conversation with Peter Seewald.

Probed by the interviewer to describe his emotions on being elected, Pope Benedict replied simply, “Seeing the unbelievable now actually happen was really a shock. I was convinced there were better and younger candidates. Why the Lord settled on me, I had to leave to him. I tried to keep my equanimity, all the while trusting that he would certainly lead me now. I would have to grow slowly into what I could do in each given situation and always limit myself to the next step…”

Again, there is the evidence of great trust, humility – and an echo of John Henry Newman’s words, “One step enough for me”. I would like to think that his visit to England for the beatification of Blessed John Henry has been for the Holy Father one of the highlights of his pontificate so far.

A final thought: I was slightly pulled up by the Pope’s remarks at the end of his Wednesday catechesis on April 25, when he recalled “our constant duty to drive carefully and with a sense of responsibility”. Oh dear. There was a time when my driving licence testified to several speeding fines and I was teetering on a ban.

Mercifully those days are now behind me. Let’s hope I’m not a menace on the roads if I live to reach the Pope’s age.




Sandro Magister also finally filed his seventh anniversary tribute to the Pope, but I find it flawed by his failure to check a few basic facts (trusting his memory instead) and by a couple of conclusions that I respectfully disagree with.

What distinguishes Benedict XVI
after seven years as Pope -
He will perhaps be remembered more for his homilies than his encyclicals
And for his daring moves which are usually far from mainstream.
As in the Madrid WYD, during a sudden and violent thunderstorm...

ROME, April 27, 2012 – No one said it last week in the flood of tributes to Benedict XVI on his seventh anniversary as Pope. But the element which most revealed the profound sense of his Pontificate was a summer thunderstorm.



It was a torrid night in Madrid in August 2011. In front of Pope Benedict, on the vast esplanade of a disued airportm a nkllion and a half young people, average age 22, largely 'unknown'.

Suddenly, a torrent of rain with thunder, lightning and huge winds struck the assembly, out in the open, without refuge. Clusters of spotlights fell off their moorings, posters and other light items were blown away, and even the Pope appeared drenched [despite the huge umbrellas his aides vainly tried to shield him with].

But he stayed where he was, to the explosive jubilation of his audience, their spirits undampened by the unexpected manifestation from the heavens.

When the wind and rain ceased, after about 20 minutes, the Pope disposed of his prepared text and spoke briefly to the soggy assembly. [Actually, he then left the stage briefly to change into vestments for the Eucharistic Benediction and Adoration, while stage crew checked out there was no structural damage to the stage and its hangings.]



He asked them to look to Jesus, living and present in the consecrated host, the Blessed Sacrament on the altar. World Youth Day 2010: the Eucharistic Adoration.

And he knelt in worshipful silence. The cue for his congregation to kneel on the soggy ground. And so they remained in total silence. For as long as their Pope led them.

[Later, before leaving them for the night, he said the following: “Dear young people we have lived an adventure together; firm in our faith in Christ we have resisted the rain! Before I go I would like to wish you all a good night. Thank you for your joy and your resistance! Thank you for the incredible example you have given. Like this night with Christ. you can always overcome life’s trials, never forget this!” A most fitting end to an episode unprecedented in papal annals.]

This was not the first time that Benedict XVI had set the example for Eucharistic Adoration at World Youth Day. He did it at the first one he attended in Cologne in 2005, to the wonder of many. [For the first time the world saw almost a million young people kneel in silent worship of the Eucharist, on that field in Marienfeld. And it would happen again on a racetrack outside Sydney at WYD 2008. On a smaller scale, with the Catholics of London in Hyde Park, September 2010, and with the youth of Croatia in Zagreb in 2011.]

In evaluating this Papacy, few have understood the audacity of these actions which are far from mainstream. But when Benedict XVI does them and explains why, he does so with the calmness of someone who is not inventing anything of his own, but is simply going into the depth of human adventure and Christian mystery.



Five centuries ago, Raphael, in his sublime fresco entitled "Disputation over the Blessed Sacrament' found in the Apostolic Palace, had placed the consecrated host in the center of his composition, on the altar of a grand cosmic liturgy in which the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit interact with the earthly and cedlestial Church, in time and eternity.

When Benedict XVI convoked his first Assembly of the Bishops' Synod in 2005, he dedicated it to the Eucharist. [I don't know how Magister can make this mistake about a fact I had supposed everyone covering the religious beat would know: The Synodal Assembly was convoked the previous year by John Paul II, who decided it would be dedicated to the Eucharist. Benedict XVI did 'benefit' enormously from inheriting the Synodal Assembly, for which he then wrote that amazing Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation that remains one of the best texts of his Pontificate - in an embarrassment of great texts - but it is simply wrong to say he convoked it.]

It was his idea to have an image of that very fresco by Raphael projected on the wall screens in the Synod Hall for the benefit of all the bishops of the world.

A great deal of discussion ahs been generated by Benedict XVI's erudite lectures at the Unviersity of Regensburg and the College des Bernadins in Paris, at London's Westminster Hall and in the German Bundestag.

But it will be shown one day that the true distinction of this Pope are his homilies, as they had been centuries ago for Pope Leo the Great, the Pope who stopped Attila the Hun at the gates of Rome.

[Magister is probably biased by the fact that he has made it his admirable task to compile Benedict XVI's homilies and Angelus messasges throughout the liturgical year for the past three years now and will probably continue. But IMHO, Benedict XVI is distinguished by - and will be remembered long after - for more than just his homilies, but for the extraordinary richness of his writing in all genres of papal documents and secular texts. Of course, his homilies are great, and would tend to be remembered more, or quoted more, because they are brief. But how can anyone say that the text of JESUS OF MAZARETH or of Spe salvi or Sacramentum caritatis or Verbum Domini, or the Regensburg and Bernardins lectures, just off the top of my head (because they happen to be my favorite texts), are any less great and memorable???? Nor can one discount those texts addreessed primarily to the secular world, because I have not come across any Church historian pointing to any precedent or parallel text from previous Popes.]

Benedict XVI's homilies are those that attract the least notice. He says them during Mass [or Vespers]/ Thus, perilously near [why 'perilously?] Jesus whom he indicates to all as present in the bread and wine - the Jesus whom, as he preaches tirelessly, was the very same who had explained the Sacred Scriptures to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, who were so similar to the disoriented men today, the Jesus who revealed himself to them when he broke the bread - as in Caravaggio's famous painting at the National Gallery in London - and who vanished from sight as soon as they recognized him. Because that is how faith is, it is never a view that is geometrically complete, but the inexorable play between freedom and grace.

To the little or no faith of so many men today, to the Mases that have been trivially reduced to peace 'embraces' and brotherly assemblies, Pope Benedict instead offers a palpable faith in the God who makes himself near to us, who loves and forgives, and who gives us himself so we may partake of his Body and Blood.

This was the faith of the early Christians, as Benedict XVI recalled in his Angelus homily two Sundays ago. The designation of Sunday as 'the Lord's Day', he said, was a gesture of revolutionary daring by the Apostles, because the event that it recalled had been so extraordinary and overwhelming: the resurrection of Jesus, as well as his subsequent appearances as the Risen Lord among his disciples, which fell on the 'first day of the week', the day God began Creation.

The earthly bread that becomes communion with God, Benedict said in another homily, "is the start of the transformation of the world - into a world of resurrection, a world of God".

Now, a further reservation about Magister's primary statement. The extraordinary fact of what took place at Cuatro Vientos in August 2011 was not that the Pope had stayed despite the near-Biblical tempest - I cannot imagine any other Pope who would not have done what he did.

The extraordinary thing was for the Eucharistic Adoration to take place as it did, for Benedict XVI to have decided not to forego the high point of the program - literally, come hell or high water - out of any misplaced 'consideration' for his congregation ("The poor dears - they're wet and cold and uncomfortable. Let's not put them through another half hour in their condition!").

He judged correctly that these hundreds of thousands who had kept him company for three days already, had not come to Madrid to be 'comfortable' but to find their faith, to show their faith, and to be proven in their faith. So, of course, they had no problem joining him in Eucharistic Adoration. That, to me, after the compelling reality of one and a half million people kneeling on the mud for Eucharistic Adoration, was the other extraordinary thing - the Pope's faith in this young people, and his confidence that his faith in them is not misplaced.

Note from the Patrons of the Vatican Museums about the Raphael fresco:

---

The Disputation over the Blessed Sacrament (or more appropriately, The Triumph of Religion), painted by Raphael between 1508 and 1511, represents Christianity’s victory over and the transformation of the multiple philosophical tendencies shown in the School of Athens fresco on the opposite wall. The theologians of the Disputation are not gathered in a vaulted temple like the philosophers of the School. Instead, their bodies make up the Church’s architecture. They form one body, united in an ethereal apse flanking the Trinity and the Eucharist, that when consecrated becomes the body of Christ.

---

And here is an exceptional tribute from one of the Hispanic world's most followed religion writers, the 71-year-old veteran newsman, reputed to have 'good' contacts in the Vatican, and who is better known by the title of his column/blog, which translates to 'The stork in the tower'... Bear with the introduction, which includes references to recent ecclesial events in Spain...

An extraordinary Pope
by F.J. Fernandez de la Cigona
Translated from


April 25, 2012

We are living through some thrilling days for the Church. With a lot of news. That fortunately is all good. If some days, one is hard put to find a subject to write about, these days there is a surfeit.

It seems as if someone has taken the bull by its horns, at last, and is doing extraordinary things, God be blessed.

The Pope, in his solemn homily at the Chrismal Mass, reproached the dissident Austrian parish priests for their disobedience. The Spanish bishops are doing the same for the theologian Andres Torres Queiruga [apparently, someone whose writings are habitually in contradiction to orthodox Catholic doctrine]. And in Ireland, the Vatican has ordered two dissident Redemptorists to observe a period of silence. In Argentina, the resignation of a 57-year-old bishop has been accepted. [Must look this up. Can't give a parenthetical explanation because I know nothing about it.]

And the bishop of Alcala (Spain), object of a true lynching because he sustains the doctrine of the Church, is getting multiple new supporters - a phenomenon that has not been seen in Spain for a long time. The only surprise it the silence of his brothers in the episcopate which, fortunately for them, none of whom seemed to understand his attitude, is starting to break.

Those who have now come over to the bishop who is being punished for being faithful are his brother bishops from Calahorra, Cordoba, Solsona, and the ermitus bishop of Mondonedo-Ferrol. One hopes more will be joining them.

There's more. The worst religious sisters in the United States have been placed under supervision by the Holy See.

The liturgy of the Neo-Catechumenal Way, a movement which is doing much good for the Church, is being reviewed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which should end, once and for all, polemics over whether their Masses are fully acceptable, or whtehr they need some corrections which doubtless will be accepted by the 'kikos' [a designation used for the Neocats by the Hispanic media after Kiko Arguello, one of the movement's founders] because of their unquestioned love for the Church and the Pope. [Cigona must be a good friend of the Neocats, because he glosses over the fact that the Pope already warned them of their idiosyncratic Mass five years ago but they have done nothing about it so far. That's disobedience, too, as the assertive sisters of the LCWR and the Austrian priests have shown, only to a lesser degree but equally selfish. The Neocats have been accused of two major ecclesial faults all these years - this insistence on devising their own version of the Mass, and their apparent failure to work with the local dioceses in which their missionary families live. Neither of those faults can be taken lightly.]

And what seems to me the most important of all, the Lefebvrian almost-schism, fracture, rupture or however you call it, appears to be on the way to an imminent resolution. God grant that at the last minute, so many hopes will not be dashed.

For one month, that's not bad at all. I would never have dreamt of so much good news in the Church. Well, yes, I dreamt it, though firmly convinced that it could only be a dream.

But an extraordinary Pope, all of 85 years, is showing a vitality and an energy that was hardly imaginable earlier. So slight in appearance, so frail, so humble, so wise, he has taken hold of the tiller of the Church, a ship whipped by constant storms, with a strength that is not natural in old age. It is the strength of the Holy Spirit.

John Paul II certainly prepared the way. As well as his successor. But what we are seeing with this Pope, who was expected to have a brief transitional Pontificate, has exceeded all expectation. Even the most optimistic.

He has begun the eighth year at the helm of the Church. There were those who did not think he would live this long. There are those who would now evoke that Gospel passage: "How well it is here. Let us make three tents..." [Peter at the Mount of Transfiguration.]

Holy Father, wse Catholics would like to build you a beautiful tent so that you may always be among us. How well we are with you! A tent that will protect you from attacks by the enemies of God and the Church, and in which you will be happy, surrounded by the love of your children.

It had seemed impossible for anyone to become loved following the phenomenon of John Paul II. Who made all the Catholics in the world fall for him. John Paul the Great. He died in the odor of sanctity and the grief of multitudes.

The bar had been set inaccessibly high. More so for an aged Pope, with the light step and the shy smile. A gentle breeze following a veritable cyclone. An actor who filled the stage and knew it, and a successor who seems to curl up into himself whenever the curtain rises.

After Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with its choral apotheosis, it was said that no greater music could possibly be performed by any orchestra.

Now, we have Mozart with his delicate harmonies which has similarly been received passionately by a public that had thought the earlier concert could not possibly be equalled.

And I am sure that the 'Santo subito' proferred by the multitude in St. Peter's Square, inspired by some supernatural power, in April 2005, and which the whole world heard and echoed, will be repeated one day which, God grant, may yet be far away.

Cigona must be praised for the audacity of his concluding sentence and its total unepectedness. None of the most ardent Benedict admirers in the media has dared say anything like it, and who knows if they have even thought it! Though it is something we Benaddicts have always thought, along with the inevitable 'Dpctor of the Church' that must come with sainthood in his case. From our minds and hearts into God's ear!

Now, Cigona would really have pushed the limits of audacity if instead of the somewhat inadequate title "An extraordinary Pope', Cigona had insisted that his article be entitled 'The next santo subito', which would have been logical! That would have made the whole world take notice, and lead to some interesting media pyrotechnics as the first anniversasyr of JPI's beatification approaches! But Benedict XVI does not need that kind of media atention for now - who knows what horrors his enemies would generate with the uproar. He is, and God knows, that's what counts.

However, I have a minor problem with Cigona's last metaphors. Beethoven's Ninth with its choral 'Ode to Joy' is something obviously associated with Benedict XVI and used as a soundtrack for many of the documentaries about him. If I am not mistaken, it is also the one work that has been performed for him more than once at the Vatican.

I know that Cigona means to use Beethoven and John Paul II as parallel 'greats' in their respective fields. And that the Benedict-Mozart metaphor is prompted by the current Pope's love of Mozart. Except that Mozart's music antedated Beethoven's by quite a few generations. And so the musical metaphors are somewhat faulty though well-meant.

But let that not detract from the power of his conclusion!

AP only came out with their commentary on the Holy Father's seventh anniversary as Pope on Friday, 4/27, and predictably harps on the MSM meme these days about the return of the Panzer-Pope though the writer does not use the term. She starts out by loading all the negatives against the Pope and the Church, using the Pavlov-reflex anti-Magisterium arguments of dissident Catholics and seculars, but does end up giving the pro-Church view (knowing full well that those would tend to be cut off if the article exceeds the space allocated to it by the editor!). But at least, she presents it. However, her presentation necessarily cries out for a whole lot of fisking because she tends to perpetrate established media commonplaces that are a priori biased against the Church.

Entering his eighth year as Pope,
Benedict XVI presses traditional views
by Nicole Winfield




VATICAN CITY, April 27 (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI began his eighth year as Pope this week after spending the waning days of his seventh driving home his view of the Catholic Church, with a divisive crackdown on dissenters and an equally divisive opening to a fringe group of traditionalists.

The coming year may see more of the same as the Vatican gears up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 church meetings that reshaped the Catholic Church and are key to understanding this papacy and Benedict's recent moves to quell liberal dissent and promote a more conservative brand of Catholicism.

[However MSM and his critics may choose to preesent it i.e., as negatively as they can), Benedict XVI is only doing - gladly, prayerfully and vigorously - his duty as Pope to preserve and defend the faith handed down to him. If he did not, he would be derelict as Pope. Even John Paul II's popularity in MSM did not prevent them from excoriating him every time he reaffirmed traditional Catholic teaching and practice, as, most notably, when he wrote that the Church - and the Pope - do not have the ability to authorize ordination ofd women.]

Tuesday marked the anniversary of the start of Benedict's pontificate, which officially began April 24, 2005, with an inaugural Mass in St. Peter's Square.

The Pope promised then not to impose his own will on the Church but to rather listen “to the word and the will of the Lord, to be guided by him, so that he himself will lead the Church at this hour of our history.”

[And he has not deflected from that in any way. He has never imposed 'his own will', any more than he has imposed 'the will of the dissidents'.
Certainly neither the dissidents nor AP can say that what they want is 'the will of the Lord'. They claim instead that it is 'the spirit of Vatican II', even if nothing in the Vatican-II documents overturns anything the Church has taught through the centuries. Not even the traditional Mass, as any simple reading of Sacrosanctum Concilium will show. But the over-zealous Vatican-II progressivists, who insist that the Council was the beginning of a 'new Church', claim that all their 'reform' demands are 'according to Vatican II' - and this claim has not been questioned at all by willfully uninformed MSM reporters who have not bothered all these years to fact-check those blatantly false claims!]

Seven years later, Benedict certainly has left a mark on the Church. He has pressed a conservative interpretation of Vatican II's key teachings, appointed like-minded bishops, and made his priority the revitalization of traditional Catholicism in a world that, he often laments, seems to think it can do without God.

He set out many of those priorities in a December 2005 speech to his closest collaborators running the Vatican, insisting Vatican II didn't represent a break from the past as many liberal-minded Catholics would like to think, but rather a renewal of the Church's core teachings and traditions.

The Vatican last week put those words into action, cracking down on the largest umbrella group of nuns in the United States, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. [It wasn't just 'last week'. Benedict XVI has been consistent about standing up for Tradition whenever he has to, and to demonstrate what he means by his own example, as in what the liturgy ought to be. As he said in giving back full legitimization to the traditional Mass, what was good enough for all the saints of the past - and helped make them the saints they are - cannot suddenly be evil or objectionable overnight. I, for one, am very eager to see when the dissidents will be able to produce the first candidate saint from their ranks. If they even believe in sainthood, at all!]

The Pope's old office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, appointed a bishop to revise the conference's statutes and review its programs and publications, and accused the group of taking positions that undermine Church teaching on the priesthood and homosexuality, while promoting “certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.”

Two weeks earlier, the Pope himself took to task a dissident group of priests in heavily Catholic Austria who have called for ordaining women and relaxing the celibacy requirement for priests, questioning whether their call for disobedience was more about imposing their own ideas on the church than renewing it.

Yet on the very day it announced the crackdown on the U.S. nuns, the Holy See said it was nearing agreement to bring an ultra-traditionalist conservative group of Catholics back into communion with Rome after two decades of schism.

The group, the Society of St. Pius X, broke from Rome after rejecting many of the teachings of Vatican II, particularly its outreach to Jews and people of other faiths, and the sanctioning of the New Mass that essentially replaced the old Latin Mass. [Yes, but Nicole, their remaining objections are to new pastoral teachings, not to new doctrine, because Vatican II introduced no new doctrine.

Benedict has gone to tremendous lengths to reconcile with the group, fearing the expansion of a parallel conservative church that already boasts more than 550 priests and 200 seminarians. [A misleading statement of why the Pope has been pushing for reconciliation. Once again, it is his duty as Pope to uphold Church unity. The FSSPX happen to be the only significant dissent group in the Church to have had the courage to take their own path completely - with their own seminaries and priests - adhering to everything the Church has taught up to 1965 but rejecting what they consider objectionable in Vatican II's pastoral teachings. None of the other organized progressivist dissident groups has dared to leave the 'refuge' of the Church no matter how openly they flout her teachings. Down the centuries, the Church has always had such dissenters - but only Martin Luther had the balls to break away.]

To critics, the coincidence was remarkable: The Vatican was in a way rejecting the U.S. nuns who had embraced Vatican II and its call to go out into the world to serve the poor [The sisters are not being reproved for 'serving the poor', but for teaching and advocating positions against Catholic teaching in their own ultra-liberal interpretation of Vatican II, which never changed an iota of traditional Church treaching!]), while embracing the Society of St. Pius X that rejected Vatican II.

Top officials at the Leadership Conference of Women Religious have said they were “stunned” by the Vatican decision and surprised by its gravity. [Yeah, right! Very much like Captan Renault in the film Casablanca who says he is 'shocked, shocked!' that ganbling is taking place at the bar, even as the croupier is handing him his cut of the earnings!]

Online petitions supporting them have been launched, and Jesuit author Father James Martin has started a Twitter campaign, WhatSistersMeanToMe, highlighting individual nuns who had an impact on him and others.

“Catholic sisters are my heroes: they've been my teachers, my mentors and my friends,” Martin said in an email. “The women represented by the LCWR fully embraced the changes that the church asked of them after the Second Vatican Council, revisiting their founding documents, throwing themselves into work with the poor, and reimagining community life, all while remaining faithful to their vows.”

[Fr.Martin should be ashamed of 'stretching the truth', to say the least, in asserting LCWR activities in totally positive, uncritical terms, fully ignoring the reality that has been obvious to informed observers and as stated by the lcwr women themselves in various statements, books and documents over the years. And, if only for consistency, the LWCR should reject Martin's 'helping hand' since he is, after all, a man. Why should his support for them be any less 'patriarchal' than the priestly function of celebrating Mass which they denounce as wrongly patriarchal?

Yet conservative Catholics long have complained that the majority of sisters in the U.S. have grown too liberal and flout Church teaching on issues such as homosexuality and a male-only clergy.

The Vatican in its admonition of the LCWR complained that speakers at its assemblies often contradict or ignore core church teaching and that Catholic doctrine as a whole isn't stressed enough in the conference's member communities.

Conservatives have championed Benedict's move to bring about a more orthodox faith to the Church, even at the expense of popularity among liberals. [The issue of following Church teaching and practice has never been about being conservative vs liberal, which are essentially convenient labels with various degrees of connotation - it's simply a question of orthodoxy vs heterodoxy bordering on heresy. Orthodoxy is what the Church and its Magisterium teach and practice; everything else is, at the very least, dissidence and willful selfishness.]

“Benedict understands his mission as custodian of the faith,” said Father Robert Gahl Jr., an Opus Dei priest and professor of moral philosophy at Rome's Pontifical Holy Cross University. "The Pope has little interest in opinion polling and focus groups. He is not going to adjust the doctrine according to popular opinion or majority belief. Benedict's aim is to unite the Church around the faith handed down by Jesus, the Church's founder."

[I somehow doubt that Winfield or her like-minded colleagues in the media will even take notice of that statement. Though if they simply read any source material about the functions and duties of the Pope, they would not even have to be told! No one is so ignorant as one who simply doesn't want to know, much less take into account, anything that is incompatible with his/her world-view!]

Saturday, April 28, Third Week of Easter

ST. PIERRE CHANEL (b France 1801, d Futuna,South Pacific 1841)
Marist Priest, Missionary, Martyr
Pierre always wanted to be a missionary but after being ordained as a priest, he was given a parish assignment
to a district considered 'bad', which he managed to rehabilitate during the three years he served it, by his
devotion to the poor. At age 28, he was one of the first to join the new Society of Mary which was dedicated
to missionary work in the South Pacific. He led a small group of Marists that headed there, one of them
staying in New Zealand to be the first bishop of Auckland, while Pierre went on to the island of Futuna, a French
possession halfway between Samoa and Fiji. He had to learn the language and deal with whalers, traders and
warring natives, but he converted a few natives gradually. When he managed to convert the son of the local
chieftain, he was clubbed to death and hacked to pieces. He became the first martyr in Oceania and of the Marist
order. Within a few years, the other missionaries who followed him converted the whole island including the king.
They were also able to recover Pierre's remains, which followed an odyssey from Futuna to Auckland to Sydney,
then finally back to France in 1850. He was beatified in 1889 and canonized in 1954. He is considered the
patron saint of Oceania.
Readings for today's Mass: www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042812.cfm


AT THE VATICAN TODAY

The Holy Father met with

- H.E. César Castillo Ramírez, Ambassador of Peru to the Holy See, who presented his credentials.

- Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops (weekly meeting).

New envoy from Peru presents
his credentials to the Pope



Pope Benedict XVI this morning received the letters of credence from the new AmBassador to the Holy See from Peru, César Castillo Ramírez. The new ambassador was until this assignment, the Peruvian ambassador to Italy.

“For you and for many”


April 28, 2012

What did the Pope do while he was in Castel Gandolfo during the week after Easter? He put pen to paper and, writing in his native language, composed a very important letter which he addressed to the German bishops.

The letter, which was released a few days later, refers to the way in which the words of the Consecration of the chalice of the Lord’s sacred Blood are translated during the Mass. He favours the translation “for many” – which is more faithful to the Biblical text – to the translation “for all,” a [post-Vatican II] modification of the Biblical translation which was intended to underscore the universality of the salvation which was brought about by Christ.

Some will say that this distinction can only be appreciated by specialists. However, understanding this distinction helps to clarify what the Pope considers to be truly important, and the spiritual point of view from which he approaches it.

The words which are used for the institution of the Eucharist are fundamentally important for Pope Benedict, because these words lie at the heart of the Church.

By saying “for many,” Jesus is saying that he is the Servant of Yahweh who was foretold by the prophet Isaiah. When we say “for many,” therefore, we both express our fidelity to the word of Jesus, and recognize Jesus’s fidelity to the words of the Scripture.

There is no doubt that Jesus died so that everyone might be saved. This, along with the profound significance of the words that are used for the institution of the Eucharist, should be explained to the faithful through the use of solid catechesis.

When the Lord offers himself “for you and for many,” we become directly involved and, in gratitude, we take on the responsibility for the salvation which is promised to everyone.

The Holy Father – who has already touched upon this in his book about Jesus – is providing here profound and insightful catechesis about some of the most important words in the Christian Faith.

The Pope concludes by saying that, in this Year of Faith, we must proceed with love and respect for the Word of God, reflecting on its profound theological and spiritual significance so that we might experience the Eucharist with greater depth. We hope to do so indeed.



The new English translation of the Roman Missal which has been in use since last fall already uses the translation 'for many' for 'pro multis'. However, it must be noted that as early as 2006, the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship, then under Cardinal Arinze, already informed all the bishops of the world that 'pro multis' must be translated in their respective languages as 'for many', not 'for all' (which would be 'pro omnibus' in Latin, a formulation the Church has never used in the words of the Consecration). Here is a news item on that 2006 notification:

---

'Pro multis' means 'for many',
Vatican tells bishops preparing
new Missal translations


VATICAN CITY, Nov, 18, 2006 (cwn) - The Vatican has ruled that the phrase translationspro multis should be rendered as "for many" in all new translations of the Eucharistic Prayer.

Although "for many" is the literal translation of the Latin phrase, the translations currently in use render the phrase as "for all." Equivalent translations (für alle; por todos; per tutti) are in use in several other languages.

Cardinal Francis Arinze, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, has written to the heads of world's episcopal conferences, informing them of the Vatican decision. For the countries where a change in translation will be required, the cardinal's letter directs the bishops to prepare for the introduction of a new translation of the phrase in approved liturgical texts "in the next one or two years."

The translation of pro multis has been the subject of considerable debate because of the serious theological issues involved. The phrase occurs when the priest consecrates the wine, saying (in the current translation): "...It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven".

The Latin version of the Missal, which sets the norm for the Roman liturgy, says: "...qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum".

Critics of the current translation have argued, since it first appeared, that rendering pro multis as "for all" not only distorts the meaning of the Latin original, but also conveys the impression that all men are saved, regardless of their relationship with Christ and his Church. The more natural translation, "for many," more accurately suggests that while Christ's redemptive suffering makes salvation available to all, it does not follow that all men are saved.

Cardinal Arinze, in his letter to the presidents of episcopal conferences, explains the reasons for the Vatican's decision:

- The Synoptic Gospels (Mt 26,28; Mk 14,24) make specific reference to “many” for whom the Lord is offering the Sacrifice, and this wording has been emphasized by some biblical scholars in connection with the words of the prophet Isaiah (53, 11-12).

It would have been entirely possible in the Gospel texts to have said “for all” (for example, cf. Luke 12,41); instead, the formula given in the institution narrative is “for many”, and the words have been faithfully translated thus in most modern biblical versions.

- The Roman Rite in Latin has always said pro multis and never pro omnibus in the consecration of the wine.

- The anaphoras [Eucharistic Prayer] of the various Oriental Rites, whether in Greek, Syriac, Armenian, the Slavic languages, etc., contain the verbal equivalent of the Latin pro multis in their respective languages.

- “For many” is a faithful translation of pro multis, whereas “for all” attempts a wider context that belongs more properly to catechesis, not to the liturgy.

- The expression “for many”, while remaining open to the inclusion of each human person, is reflective also of the fact that this salvation is not brought about in some mechanistic, authomatic way, without one’s willing or participation.

Rather, the believer is invited to accept in faith the gift that is being offered and to receive the supernatural life that is given to those who participate in this mystery, living it out in their lives as well so as to be numbered among the “many” to whom the text refers.

- In line with the instruction Liturgiam Authenticam, efforts should be made to be more faithful to the Latin texts found in the so-called typical editions of the Roman Missal, on which all translations are based.

---

I will need some time to translate the Holy Father's letter to the German bishops as it is only available in German... However, here is a translation of the brief statement by Mons. Roberto Zollitsch, Archbishop of Freiburg and president of the German bishops' conference (DBK) at the time that the DBK published the Holy Father's letter:



Statement on the Holy Father's
letter to German bishops

Archbishop Zoillitsch issued this statement regarding the Holy Father's letter dated April 14, 2012, on the subject of the proper translation of the words said at the Consdecration of the wine at Holy Mass:

---

The new translation of the Missal that is under preparation follows the bases laid down by the Vatican document Liturgiam authenticamin 2001. It provided, among other things, for the proper translation of the words said at the consecration of the wine, about which there had been much discussion in the past.

The Holy Father now has expressed himself on this issue in a letter to German-speaking bishops. The letter offers an explanation and puts an end to the discussion.

The letter presents with careful argumentations why the Pope desires the words to be translated as previously directed by him [through the 2006 instruction from Cardinal Arinze cited earlier in the post].

The letter is a sort of catechesis on the correct understanding of the words said at the Consecration. It also fully clarifies the theological premises and the content of the translation that we must prepare.

The letter is an important impetus for the German bishops to proceed rapidly with our translation [of the Missal]. The detailed propositions of the Holy Father are also a valuable contribution to understanding the redemptive action of Jesus Christ "in order that the universality of the salvation he brings may be expressed unmistakably in the sense that Jesus meant" (Benedict XVI).

---

The subtitle of this article, "The media image of the Pope has changed much in the past seven years" and its introductory paragraph give a misleadingly positive view of what the journalists interviewed had to say about Benedict XVI - in part because Mora who put it all together, chose to pick out only the positive things that the newsmen had to say about Benedict XVI for his introduction. But alas, their overall view is largely negative, and despite their demurrals - mostly for show, it seems - virtually unchanged from all their prejudice-bound perceptions seven years ago. Some perceptions are even appalling... Believe me, not one of those interviewed below, except perhaps the lady from ANSA, began with "that attitude of good will without which there is no understanding" that Joseph Ratzinger humbly asked of his readers in the Preface to Volume I of JESUS OF NAZARETH... And that is why I chose the banners I used for this post!


Benedict XVI in the eyes
of those who cover the Vatican
The media image of the Pope has
changed much in the past 7 years
by H. Sergio Mora
Translated from the Italian service of


VATICAN CITY, April 24 ZENIT.org) - From initial suspicicion in the media to great interest today, Benedict XVI is a Pope whose image in the media has improvbed fremarkably.

From someone who was initially seen by the media as the 'Panzerkardinal; and the 'rottweilker of the faith', he is now
seen for what he really is:

S kind and humble intellectual who has learned to be comfortable with crowds and has endeared himself to the faithful.

A reformer who has never lost sight of his principal mission: to announce Christ to the world, and bring Catholics closer to their Church.

A Pope who has Faced openly the Church's most critical problems fromm the frontlines, most notably that of the various crises caused by sex-offending priests and the bishops who covered up for them, in the process making many enemies.

ZENIT spoke to some of the journalists who have been covering the Vatican and have followed Benedict XVI's Ponitificate,

Giovanna Chirri, Vaticanista of the Italian news agency ANSA:

---

This Pope is a theologian who has become a reformer but has nedver lost sight of his mssion: to announce Christ to the world. He found himself heir to quite a few problems - just think of the priest pedophiles and the Vatican financsial system - but he has always acted with decision.

There has been no lack of communications difficulties and information leaks, but he has intervened in all such problems insofar as he is able to.

In all his homilies in recent days and during Holy Week, it seemed obvious to me that his principal objective is to spread the faith and to do it in such a way that allCatholics may be capable of announcing Christ.

---

Frédéric Mounier, Rome correspondent of the French Catholic daily, La Croix:

---

In Rome, I found a reality about Benedict XVI that is different from his image in France. This Pope is not a Panzerkardinal, but a humble intellectual, who is very attentive about listening to others.

But I fear that his positions are not much listened to today because they do not fit the usual rules of media communication - he speaks in depth, and he is an intellectual. He takes tHE time to think out his positions, which are not based on emotion. So his thoughts are very interesting but far from the capacity of ordinary folk to listen. I think this is a great challenge to his Pontificate.

---

What on earth is Mounier saying? Has he listened to the Pope's catecheses, his Angelus mini-homilies, his messages and addresses to young people and children, and even his major homilies, at all? The Pope never condescends to his listeners - much less, insult them as Mounier does in saying that ordinary folk do not have the capacity to listen to the Pope's words - by talking down to them in any way. Rather, he manages to speak in a way that brings them almost effortlessly to the level of understanding the concepts he presents.

People like Mounier often tend to forget - if they ever bothered to inform themselves, to begin with - that Joseph Ratzinger spent a quarter-century teaching young university students, with such communicative powers that his lectures - delivered without notes - were attended by students who were not even registered in his classes and even by outsiders drawn by his early fame as a spellbinding lecturer. They called him Goldmund even then ('golden mouth', Chrysostom in the Greek form) for his mastery of communicating knowledge, even if he was always soft-spoken and never a Ciceronean orator. In the same way, people came expressly to listen to his homilies when he was Archbishop of Munich.

Yet even the best Vaticanistas have never seemed to factor in this overwhelming reputation that Joseph Ratzinger had as a master communicator long before he came to Rome. If they had, they ought not to have been too surprised that he has been attracting more audiences to the Vatican than even the wildly popular John Paul II.

Did Mounier ever stop to consider why - or was he even aware of it - documents like the first two encyclicals and Sacramentum caritatis were almost instant million-copy sellers in Italy alone? When did papal texts like this ever become best-sellers with the 'common folk'? (Italy does not have a million intellectuals.) Or, is he even aware that the Vatican publishing house is thriving on its mass-publication Benedict booklets that compile his thoughts on various spiritual topics (the Benedetto XVI Pensieri series of which there are at least two dozen titles by now?

Benedict XVI proves, among all the leading persnalities in the world today, that if you have something to say that corresponds to what people seek, they will come to hear you and will buy your books.

So Mr. Mounier, do your homework on Joseph Ratzinger, and then drop into a LEV bookstore - there are two off St. Peter's Square - and sample those two-euro booklets on Benedict's thoughts. Fortunately, for all of us, there are other sources of information other than just the MSM.]

Salvatore Izzo, Vaticanista of the Italian news agency AGI

---

Benedict XVI is acquiring a paternal image that initially he did not have. It's like someone who has been used to lived alone in a condominium where he may perhaps find all the various ambient noises irritating, until he has children himself, and everything changes.

He has been working mightily to bring all Catholics close to the Church - not just the traditionalists but also the more innovative ecclesial movements. It may not be obvious to everyone, but that's how it is.

---

[Frankly, I was taken aback by the near-banality of these comments by Izzo, because I find him, by far, the most diligent and productive of all those reporting on the Pope daily; more importantly, he does so with the right attitude towards the Pope and the Church, an unabashed 'senire cum Ecclesia'

Patricia K. Thomas of Associated Press Television News:

---

As a journalist, I see him up close, one might say, and I think he has changed since the start of his Pontificate because he is a humble man who is always ready to listen. [So how exactly has he changed? He was always humble and a good listener!]

If you ask me how Americans see him, I will say that these days, because of the Vatican's decision about a group of US sisgers, I can say that there is an anger against him and the Vaticvan that many are venting on the Internet. [So, Patricia, have you been able to quantify whatever is posted on the Internet to make the general statement that 'there is an anger against him and the Vatican'? Aren't you just projecting the AP world-view?]
Those who do not go to Mass believe that the Pope wants to return the Church to the past, that he listens more to the Lefebvrians than to the American sisters. [Those who think so are uninformed bigots who simply take their cues from what media like AP tell them.]

When he went to the United Sates he spoke against pedophilia [and presumably gained a lot of approval], but now there is a crescendo of hostility.

---

[There you go again, speaking as though you had a built-in sensor that enables you to poll all Americans instantly on any subject you can think of, so you can state your own opinions as a general statement applying to all Americans. How many of them - with all the economic woes besetting them - would even bother to thnk about those sisters now feigning to be 'victims' when they have been the aggressors lo these past 40 years!... And one should remind Ms Thomas that bad poll numbers - real ones, not imagined - mean absolutely nothing to the Pope, who is not running for Mr. Congeniality. ]

Juan Lara of the Spanish news agency EFE:

---

I have always had more or less the same perception of Benedict XVI because I have always followed Vatican news, but there certainly has been a change. In the sense that initially, he was seen as a person who was too serious, orthodox, conservative.

But he has shown himself to be very amiable, and someone who has proposed a rather advanced social Magisterium.

Then there is the significant fact that the issue over scandals caused by misbehaving priests came to a head in his Pontificate, and that he confronted it head-on, and has proceeded to clean house. It is very important that he did so from the frontlines himself.

---

Maarten Lulof van Aalderen, correspondent of the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf:

---

The perception that people had of Benedict XVI from the start has not changed at all. From the media point of view, he was a professor-Pope - that was the idea, and it has remained. [This man is not saying anything! He is a professor-Pope, among many other things that he is. But what exactly is the MSM idea - Van Aalderen's idea - of a 'professor-Pope'? Is that supposed to be a black mark? ]

This is a Pope who still finds it difficult to communicate with the people. He has not managed to resolve this problem at all!

---

[Another ignoramus who should go the head of the class with Mounier, wearing the dunce cap. People like them are either genuinely ignorant about the Pope's long career before he came to Rome, or are deliberately wearing blinders so as not to have to change the idee fixe they have about him. They do not even try to mask their obvious biases and a priori judgments, which they should be able to submerge if they were genuine journalists. But this is how they perpetrate their black myths. If you say something often enough, no matter how false or outrageous, the public will end up accepting your lies as fact.]

Elisabetta Piqué, correspondent in Italy for the Argentine daily La Nacion:

---

Benedict XVI, without having the charisma of John Paul II, has succeeded to loosen up a bit in public. Originally, he did not dare touch anyone, but now he takes children into his arms and kisses them. [I do not remember that he ever did not dare touch anyone! When he went to his old apartment the afternoon after his election as Pope, he touched everyone who held out their hands to him. And he started kissing babies the first time he walked down the central aisle of St. John Lateran, where he celebrated his first Mass as Pope before he did that in St. Peter's Basilica... Creating false memories' is another manifestation of journalist bias - they invent memories and state them as fact to support some false assertion they make.]

I think he has learned to manage himself in front of crowds. [Gee, you think? A man who strikes almost everyone who gets to meet him as extremely refined would need to 'learn to manage himself in front of crowds'? What is he - a spastic or a brutish boor?]

He has learned to endear himself to people wherever he goes. [This woman's condescension is boundless! Can anyone really 'learn to endear himself' to others, and if he does, isn't he then a hypocrite? You are either endearing because that is your nature, not because you want to be, or you can take on a persona meant to be endearing, as manipulative politicians like Obama do, which makes them prime hypocrites!]

Consider his last apostolic visit. I have been to Cuba before, where almost no one goes to Mass. And yet he managed to make himself liked. Not to speak of Mexico.

When he was elected Pope, he had the image of the Rottweiler, of the Grand Inquisitor. But instead he has shown himself to be very amiable, and while he is an intellectual, he is also very humble. Everytime the Vatican has made a communications error, he has always acknowledged it.

---

[Oy veh, Elisabetta! Did you just become Ms Hyde after being Dr. Jekyll? I think this kind of schizophrenia tends to overtake those who have less constitutional resistance to reality and are therefore able to make some concession to fact.]

Andres Beltramo, Vaticanista of the Mexican news agency Notimex:

---

I think he has changed, but even the perception about him has changed. Starting with the fact that he has now travelled to many countries, and this has accelerated the change of perception.

In his last trip, for instance, he was not known for the most part. Especially because he had remained in the shadow of John Paul II, and there was a great question mark about his person. ][That's Beltramo's personal perception - because that's not at all the attitude so raucously and enthusiastically demonstrated by all the Mexican groups present at every General Audience and Angelus at the Vatican or Castel Gandolfo, who are certainly not cheering the shadow of somebody!]

But when they [the Mexicans] were exposed to him directly, there wass a change of attitude. [Is Beltramo saying that all those hundreds of thousands who turned up to welcome Bdenedict XVI in Leon simply turned up and spent hours waiting for him - this shadow of somebody - without knowing anything about him? Whatever 'change of attitude' Beltramo imagines, it certainly was not from utter lack of interest for someone they did not know or care to know, to love at first sight! It had to start from a healthy interest and curiosity in a Pope - after all, there have only been 265 throughout history - and the veneration for the Pope that is ingrained in cradle Catholics. And then, the actual physical sight of him turned all that interest, curiosity and veneration into a personal bond that was collectively felt. The very same 'mechanism' that had caused the Mexicans to develop a special affinity to John Paul II, caused them now to feel a similar affinity to Benedict XVI.]

Of course, the media had written and spoken about him, perhaps critically, which was reflected in the public attitude, but the effect was temporary. What sticks more is what the people feel after seeing the Pope personally, and so they are left with a peerception quite unlike what the media have told them. [All the more reason they wouldn't have turned up in such massive numbers in Leon for his arrival if they had swallowed whatever negative images the media had conjured up for them earlier!]

---

Alessandro Speciale, Vatican correspondent for UCA News, Religion News Service and Vatican Insider:

---

Benedict XVI found himself facing a challenge and a crisis that he had never imagined he would have to build his Pontificate on - the sexual abused crisis.

But he was able to respond in a way that measured up to the great demands of the circumstances - something which not many persons within the Church hierarchy would have been able to do, and would simply have dismissed it by saying "The world is attacking the Church".

But this Pope is aware that it was an evil within the Church that must be extirpated. Perhaps he may not have wished that the early years of his Pontificate had not been focused on this, but in the eyes of the world, this is what has marked his Pontificate so far. It is a challenge he was not expecting but to which he has responded adequately.

---

Call me unduly prickly and intolerant of reporters who are not comme il faut, but isn't Speciale being rather naive about this? He speaks as though Benedict XVI, alone among all the Church hierarchy, had not previously done all his homework - since 2001, at least - on this 'filth' within the Church. He was therefore prepared to act when he had to - but not expecting perhaps the degree and extent of the malevolence that would be directed at him personally, even if he had experienced the 'long Lent' brought on by the eruption of this issue in the USA in 2000-2002. John Paul II was visibly sick by then, and the media spared him the personal scourging they would inflict on his successor less than a decade later. They spared him the additional agony, despite his apparent obliviousness to the double life of a Marcial Maciel he would publicly praise as a Catholic model as late as 2004! If the media can respect infirmity, why can they not show the same respect for age, especially when, in this case, the man they chose to vilify and blame for every action committed by sex-offender priests and conniving bishops was the only man who had persevered for years in carrying on the burden entrusted to his office of dealing with these cases?]

April 29, Fourth Sunday of Easter

Third from left: The Mystical Marriage of Catherine, Giovanni da Paolo, 1470; third from right, the head of St. Catherine in Siena's Basilica di San Domenico.
ST. CATERINA DA SIENA (Italy, 1347-1380), Virgin, Dominican lay sister, Mystic, Doctor of the Church
Caterina Benincasa was born the 23rd child of a Tuscan wool merchant, with a twin sister who died in infancy. At age 6, she told about seeing Jesus in a vision, the first of her lifelong mystical experiences, and at age 7, she vowed herself to chastity. Despite pressure from her family to marry, she joined the Dominican Third Order and lived the next three years of her life in seclusion but through her letters encouraging others in their spiritual life, she gathered an active apostolate around her. Her self-mortification to the extreme was well-known, and towards the end of her life, lived only on Communion. Early on, she started to wear a steel chain around her waist, with which she would beat herself three times a day, once for Christ, once for the living, and once for the dead. In 1366, she told her confessor she had entered into a 'mystical marriage' with Christ, who urged her to leave her private life and work in public. With her sister Dominicans, she travelled through the region advocating clergy reform and spiritual renewal, where she also gained renown for performing miracles of healing. She became interested in public affairs and started to exchange letters with public figures, including, famously, two Popes. (Her expression 'dolce Cristo in terra' for the Pope has become immortal, and was particularly dear to San Jose Maria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei). When the Great Western Schism began in 1378 that led to two and sometimes even three rival Popes at a time, she travelled to Avignon and convinced Gregory VI to return to Rome. When he died, she supported the cause of his successor Urban VI and went to Rome at his invitation to serve at the Vatican. She died at the age of 33, ostensibly from failure to eat. More than 300 of her letters survive, along with her main work, The Dialogues of Divine Providence in which she recreates her own conversations with God. In 1375, she is believed to have received the stigmata in Pisa, but these only became visible on her death. Her remains are venerated in the Church of Santa Minerva in Rome, but about ten years after she died, her native city of Siena was able to take possession of her incorrupt head, and when it came home to Siena, her own mother was still alive to take part in the procession that installed the relic in the Basilica of San Domenico. The Benincasa house in Siena was kept intact and is now a shrine to the saint. In 1939, Pius XII declared her and St. Francis of Assisi as co-patrons of Italy; in 1970, Paul VI proclaimed her and St. Teresa of Avila as the first woman Doctors of the Church, and in 1999, John Paul II made her one of the Patrons of Europe. Notably, the Bishop of London made reference to the fact that today is the feast day of St. Caterina at the wedding ceremony earlier of the UK's Prince William to Catherine Middleton.
Readings from today's Mass: www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042912.cf


AT THE VATICAN TODAY

Mass in St. Peter's Basilica - The Holy Father ordained 9 new Roman priests from three seminaries of Rome.

Regina caeli - The Holy Father reflected on the figure of Jesus as the Good Shepherd in today's Gospel.
He called attention to the beatification today at the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls of Giuseppe Toniolo,
father of 7, Italian economist and sociologist, whose life straddled the 19th and 20th centuries, and who put
into practice the principles of Leo XIII's social encyclical Rerum Novarum. Also beatified today was
Pierre-Adrien Toulorge, an exemplary 18th century priest who was martyred during the Reign of Terror,
in his hometown of Coutances, France.


21 dead in attacks on Christians
in Kenya and Nigeria

NAIROBI, April 29 (AGI) - There have been new attacks against Christians in Africa where one person was killed and ten wounded, four seriously, when a grenade was thrown at a Catholic church in Nairobi. Police sources have reported that twenty people died in an attack in Nigeria.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack during Mass at the international Church of God’s Miracles in Nairobi’s Ngara district. Six of those wounded have been hospitalized at the Guru Nanak Hospital while those most seriously injured are at the National Kenyatta Hospital. A number of witnesses have reported that the bomb may have been placed under the altar by one of those attending Mass, probably an accomplice.

It is thought that the attacks was carried out by the Somali militia Shabaab, linked to Al Qaeda and previously responsible for other attacks against Christians in Kenya.

In March one person died in a similar attack in Mombasa and nine died in attack on a bus stop in Nairobi. Last week the American Embassy warned its citizens in Kenya that attacks were considered imminent.

Subsequently, Vatican Radio had this report:

Vatican condemns new church attacks


The head of the Vatican Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, condemned Sunday’s church attacks in Nigeria and Kenya.

The first attack in Nigeria targeted a section of Bayero University's campus in the city of Kano where churches hold Sunday services, with gunmen killing at least 16 people and wounding at least 22 others. Later, gunmen open fire at a Church of Christ chapel, killing five people.

The attacks are blamed on the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram, which wants to introduce strict Sharia law in the country.

Meanwhile, Al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militants from Somalia are blamed for a grenade attack on a church in Nairobi, Kenya. One person died and 15 people were wounded.

Father Lombardi called the terrorist attacks “horrific” and “dispicable”. He also called on the local population not to yield to the temptations of hate. He expressed the Holy See’s closeness to the communities suffering from what he called “hideous violence”, which they experience as they “peacefully celebrate a faith which proclaims love and peace for all.”

MASS ON THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Ordination of 9 Priests, Diocese of Rome


Libretto cover: Christ the Good Shepherd, mid-3rd-cent fresco, ceiling of the Good Shepherd cubicle, Catacomb of San Callisto, Rome.

At 9 o.clock this morning, The Holy Father presided at Holy Mass during which he conferred Holy Orders on 9 deacons who were educated in Rome's diocesan seminaries.

Eight of them will serve as priests in the Diocese of Rome, while the ninth, who was educated at the Almo Collegio Capranico, will serve the diocese of Bui Chu in Vietnam.

Concelebrating with the Pope were Cardinal Agostino Vallini, His Holines's Vicaf General for Rome; his Vice Regent, Mons. Filippo Iannone; the auxiliary bishops of Rome; the superiors of the three seminaries (Pontificio Seminario Romano Maggiore, Almo Collegio Capranica and Collegio Diocesano Redemptoris Mater), and the parish priests of the ordinands.



Pope to new priests:
'God's presence more intense
the heavier the cross
that the priest must bear'

April 28, 2012

It was a day to remember for nine deacons who were ordained on this World Day of Prayer for Religious Vocations by Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Basilica.

Eight of the deacons were from the diocese of Rome, one a former pilot, another a chemistry graduate. Also ordained on Sunday was a deacon from Vietnam who had previously been a lawyer.

Speaking to the congregation which included the family and friends of the new priests, the Holy Father said that the priest, like the shepherd, is called to lead the faithful entrusted to him to true life, “a life in abundance”

The Pope told the new priests that the value of their priestly life was not just about social works, it was also about living a life in the vital presence of God - a presence made "all the more intense when the weight of the priest’s cross in life is heavier".

Referring to Sunday’s readings, Pope Benedict also noted, during his Homily, that Jesus had "the experience of being rejected by the leaders of his people, yet helped by God he founded a new church".

The priest, said the Pope, is called to live the experience Jesus lived, to give himself fully to his work as preacher and healer.



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

---

Venerated Brothers,
Dear Prdinands,
Dear brothers and sisters:

The Roman tradition of cedlebrating priestly ordinations on the fourth Sunday of Easter, the Sunday of the Good Shepherd, contains a great wealth of significance, linked to the con vergence of the Word of God, the liturgical rite, and the Paschal season in which it occurs.

In particular, the figure of the shepherd, so relevant in Sacred Scripture and naturally, very important for the definition of a priest, acquires its full truth and clarity in the face of Christ, in the light of the mystery of his death and resurrection.

You too, dear ordinands, can always draw from this richness every day of your life, thus continuallky renewing your priesthood.

This year, the Gospel is the central part of Chapter 10 in the Gospel of St. John, and begins with Jesus;s affirmation: "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (Jn 10,11).

Here we are immediately led to the center, to the summit of the revelation of God as the shepherd of his people. This center and summit is Jesus, he who died on the Cross and resurrects from the sepulchre on the third day, who rises again with all his humanity, and in this way, he involves us, every man, in his passage from death to life.

This event - Christ's Passover - in which the pastoral work of God is realized fully and definitively, is a sacrificial event: that is why the Good Shepherd and the Supreme High Priest coincide in teh person of Jesus who gave his life for us.

But let us briefly looo even at the first Readings and the responsorial psalm (Ps 118). The passage from the Acts of the Apostles (4,6-12) presents us with the testimony of St. Peter to the leaders of the people and the elders of Jerusalem after the miraculous healing of the cripple.

Peter states with great frankness that Jesus "is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved" (vv 11-12).

The Apostle then goes on to interpret Psalm 118 in the light of Christ's Paschal mystery - the psalm in which the praying man gives thanks to God who has responded to his cry for help and who brought him to safety.

The Psalm says: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes" (Ps 118,22-23).

Jesus had lived that experience: of being rejected by the leaders of his people andrehabuilitated by God, placed at the foundation of a new temple, of a new people who would give praise to the Lord with fruits of justice" (cfr Mt 21,42-43).

Thus, the first Reading and the responsorial psalm, which is Psalm 118 itself, strongly recall the Paschal context, and with this image of the rejected stone adn then rehabilitated draws out attention to Jesus who died and resurrected.

On the other hand, the second reading, taken from the First Letter of John (3,1-2), speaks to us of the fruits from Christ's Passover - our having become children of God. In John's words, one still feels all the wonder at this gift: we are not just called children of God, but "we truly are" (v 1).

In effect, the filial condition of man is the fruit of Jesus's salvific work: with his Incarnation, with his Death adn Resurrection, and with the Gift of the Holy Spirit, he has placed man into a new relationship with God, the same relationship he has with the Father.

That is why the Risen Jesus says: "I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (Jn 20,19). It is a relationship that is already fully real but which has not yet been fully manifested: it will be in the end, when, God willing, we shall be able to see his face without a veil" (cfr v 2).

Dear Ordinands, it is that to which the Good Shepherd wants to lead us. It is that to which the priest is called to lead the faithful who are enrusted to him: to the true life, life "in abundance" (Jn 10,10).

Let us return to the Gospel, and to the parable of the shepherd. "The good shepherd gives his own life for his sheep" (Jn 10,11). Jesus insists on this essential characteristic of the true shepherd who is He himself: that of 'giving his own life".

He repeats it three times, and concludes by saying: "This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father" (Jn 10,17-18).

Clearly, this is the qualifying trait of the shepherd as Jesus interprets in his own person, according to the will of the Father who sent him, the Biblical figure of the Shepherd-King, whose principal task is to sustain the people of God, to keep them united and to lead them - this entire kingly function is flly realized in Jesus Christ in the sacrificial dimension, in the offering of his life.

It is realized, in one word, in the mystery of the Cross, in that supreme act of humility and oblative love. The abbopt Theodore Studite said: By means of the Cross, we, the sheep of Christ, have been united into one single flock destined for eternal dswelling places" (Discorso sull’adorazione della croce: PG 99, 699).

This is the perspective towards which the formulations of the Rites of Ordination for Priests that we celebrate today are oriented. For example, among the questions that have to do with "the commitment of the elected", the last one, which has a climactic and in some ways synthesizing character, reads: "Do you resolve to be unitred more closely every day to Christ the High priest, who offered himsedlf for us to the Father as a pure sacrifice, and with im to, consecrate yourself to God for ths salvagtion of all?"

In fact, the priest is he who becomes, in a singular way, introduced into the mystery of the Sacrifice of Christ, in a personal union with him, in order to prolong his salvific mission. This union, which comes thanks to the Sacframdent of Holy Orders, asks to become 'ever closer' through the generous co-response of the priest himself.

That is why, dear Ordinands, shortly you will respond to that question, saying, "I do, with the help of God."

Subsequently, in the explicative Rites, at the mioment of the Chrismal unction, the celebrant will say: "The Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, guard and preserve you, that you may sanctify the Christian people and offer sacrifices to God".

And then, at the offering of the breand winde: "Receive the offerings of the holy people for the eucharistic sacrifice. Take note of what you do, imitate that which you will celebrate, coform your life to teh mystery of the Cross of Christ the Lord".

It highlights very strongly that, for the priest, celebrating the Holy Mass every day does not mean carrying out a ritual function, but fulfilling a mission that involves entirely and profoundly one's very existence, in communion with the Risen Christ who, in his Church, continues to carry out the redemptive Sacrifice.

This Eucharistic-sacrificial dimension he is inseparable from the pastoral, and constitutes the nucleus of truth and salvific power upon which the effectiveness of our every activity depends.

Of course, we do not just mean effectiveness on the psychological or social plane, but of the vital fecundity of the presence of God at the profoundest human level.

The very preaching, the works, the actions of various kinds that the Church carries out with her multiple initiatives, would lose their salvific fecundity if the celebration of the Sacrifice of Christ were any less profound. And this is entrusted to ordained priests.

Ineed, the priest is called on to live in himself what Jesus experienced firsthand - namely, to give oneself wholly to preaching adn to the healing of man from every affliction of the body asnd spirit, and then, in the end, to sum up everything in the supreme gesture of 'giving one's life' for men - a gesture which finds its sacramental expression in the Eucharist, perpetual remembrance of Jesus's Passover.

It is only through this 'door' of the Paschal sacrifice that men and women of all times and places can enter eternal life. It is through thois via santa (holy way) that they can complete the exodus that will lead them to the 'promised land' of true freedom, to the "green pasgtures' of peace and joy without end (cfr Jn 10,7.9; Ps 77,14.20-21; Ps 23,2).

Dear Ordinands, may this Word of God illuminate all your life. And when the weight of the Cross is heavier, ber aware that it is the most valuable time, for you and for the persons entrusted to you: By renewing with faith and love your "Yes, I do, with the help of God", you will be cooperating with Christ, High Priest and Good Shepherd,in pasturing his sheep - even if it were just the one lost sheep, but for whom there will be a great feast in Heaven!

May the Virgin Mary, Salus Populi Romani, walways keep watch over each of you and on your paths. Amen.

---

REGINA CAELI TODAY



Praying for more vocations
and honoring two new Blesseds

The Holy Father led the Regina Caeli prayers at noon from his study window overlooking St. Peter's Square, during which he asked the faithful on this World Day of Prayer for Vocations to pray that more people would hear Christ’s call to the priesthood. In English, he said:

---

Today’s Gospel highlights the figure of Christ the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his flock. Today we also pray for vocations to the priesthood: may more young men hear Christ’s call to follow him more closely, and offer their lives to serve their brothers and sisters. God’s peace be with you all!

---

After the prayers, he reminded the faithful of two beatifications which took place today.

At the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls, Giuseppe Toniolo) (1846-1918, who has been called 'God's economist', for having put into practice the principles of Leo XIII's social encyclical Rerum Novarum. Born in Treviso, northern Italy, he became a university professor in many of Italy' leading universities, including Oadua and Pisa, where he spent his last years.

In Coutacnes, France, Pierre-Adrien Toulorge (1757-1793, a Premonstratensian priest, was beatified in recognition of his martyrdom during the Reign of Terror in France.

---

Dear brothers and sisters,

Shortly before now, the Eucharistic celebration at St. Peter's Basilica, during which I ordained nine new priests of the Diocese of Rome, ended. Let us give thanks to God for this gift, a sign of his faithful and provident love for the Church.

Let us draw close spiritually to these new priests and let us pray that they may fully accept the grace of the Sacrament which has conformed them to Jesus Christ, Priest and Shepherd.

And let us pray so that all young people may be attentive to the voice of God who speaks to their heart interiorly, calling them to detach themselves from everything in order to follow him.

This is the purpose to which today's World Day of Prayer for Vocations is dedicated. Indeed, the Lord always calls, but many times, we do not listen. We are distracted by many things, by other, more superficial voices. And then, we are afraid to listen to the voice of the Lord, because we think that it may deprive us of our freedom.

In fact, each of us is the fruit of love: certainly, the love of our parents, but more profoundly, the love of God. The Bible says: If even your mother can forget you, I will never forget you because I know you and I love you (cfr Is 49,15).

The moment I become aware of this, my life changes - it becomes a response to this love, greater than any other, and in this way, my freedom is fully realized.

The young people whom I consecrated as ppriests today are not different from other young people, except that they have been profoundly touched by the beauty of God's love, and they could do no less than to respond with their ehole life.

How did they encounter God's love? They met it in Jesus Christ: in his Gospel, in the Eucharist, and in the community of the Church. In the Church one discovers that the life of every man is a story of love. Sacred Scripture shows this clearly, and it is confirmed by the testimonials of the saints.

St. Augustine's statement in his Confessions is exemplary, when he addresses God and says: "Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside... You were with me, but I was not with you... You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness" (X, 27.38).

Dear friends, let us pray for the Church, for every local community, so that they may be like an irrigated garden in which all the seeds of vocation that God sows in abundance may germinate and mature.

Let us pray so that this garden may be cultivated everywhere, in the joy of feeling that we are all called, in the variety of our gifts.

In particular, families are the first environment in which one 'breathes' the love of God, who gives us an interior strength even in the midst of the difficulties and trials of life. Whoever lives in his family the experience of God's love receives an inestimable gift which will bear fruit in its time.

May all this be obtained for us by the Blessed Virgin Mary, model of free and obedient acceptance to the divine call, Mother of every vocation in the Church.

After the prayers, he said this:
I address a special greeting to the pilgrims who are gathered at the Basilica of St. Paul outside thw Walls, where this morning, Giuseppe Toniolo was proclaimed Blessed. Living in the 19th and 20th centuries, he was a husband and father of seven, a university professor and educator of young people, economist and sociologist, passionate servant of communion in the Church.

He applied the teachings of the encyclical Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII; he promoted Catholic Action, the Catholic University of Sacro Cuore, the Settimani Sociali [Social Consciousness Weeks] for Italian Catholics, and an institute of international law on peace.

His message is of great relevance especially in our time. Blessed Toniolo shows the way of the primacy of the human being and solidarity. He wrote: "Above and beyond the legitimate good and interests of single nations and States, there is an indissoluble element that coordinates and unites everyone, namely, the duty of human solidarity".

Also beatified today, in Coutances, France, was the priest Pierre-ADrien Toulorge of the Premonstratensian Order, who lived in the second half of the 18th century. Let us give thanks to God for thisluminous 'martyr for the truth'.

I greet the participants in the European meeting of university students, organized by the Diocese of Rome on the first anniversary of the beatification of Pope John Paul II.

Dear young people, continue confidently on the path of the new evangelization in the universities. Tomorrow evening, I will be with you spiritually for the prayer vigil that will be held in Tor Vergata, near the great Cross that marks the site of World Youth Day in 2000. Thank you for your presence.

---

The Pope and the faithful whose faith the Church protects.

Dissent and neo-clericalism
The 'silent schisms' in the Church
and the Pope's call for a return to
the essentials of the Christian faith
by Andrea Tornielli
Translated from the Italian service of


Although much media attention has understandably been focused lately on the outcome of the dialog between the Holy See and the FSSPX, the society founded by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre which may soon return to full communion with Rome, there is no doubt that another type of dissent within the Catholic Church is far more vast and widespread.

The dissent is most notable in central Europe (Austria, Germany and Belgium) and Ireland, where groups of priests have signed on to various appeals, including an open 'call to disobedience' (of Rome), in matters regarding sexuality, priestly celibacy, female priests, and a greatly expanded ecclesial role for laymen [including carrying out some priestly functions].

In the United States, there has been an uproar over the decision of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to censure the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and place them under supervision by a US bishop because of their positions on abortion, contraception, homosexuality and women's ordination in direct contradiction to Church teaching [along with their various heterodox affirmations on Catholic doctrine over the years].

There are 'silent schisms' within the Church, often reported in the news, which contribute to shatter the image of a 'Church triumphant' [not that the pilgrim Church on earth can proclaim itself the 'Church triumphant'!].

Schisms that cannot easily be explained away as hiccups of the post-Vatican II controversies and its progressivist fringe which appears destined for extinction.

In the face of such dissent, one sees the difficulty that bishops have in trying to 'manage' dissent, hoping instead that 'Rome will intervene' for them. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that it would be difficult to confront the dissenters' demands openly.

[And why should that be? Isn't it the bishop's duty to lay down Church law and discipline in his jurisdiction? The Austrian and German bishops have tried all these years to 'dialog away' dissent, to no avail, because dialog is obviously futile when the Church cannot change its teachings and practice to accommodate the dissenters' demands for 'reform'. In the Church, No is No, and there is no room for compromise on doctrine and Tradition. So why all the rigmarole of dialog - when the dissenters themselves are obviously set in their positions. Why can't the concerned bishops simply say, "Look, you may believe your arguments are unanswerable, but the Church will not change what is has taught and done for centuries just because you want her to. If you cannot live with that, then leave!"]

Benedict XVI gave an example of how the issue can be confronted from the pulpit, even, in his homily at the last Chrismal Mass. He referred to the 'call for disobedience by some European priests', and specifically to their demand for ordination of women.

The Pope replied by posing questions as to what it means for a Catholic to conform himself to the will of Christ and to follow him. The approach he took - as he did with the FSSPX - was that of someone who, being the Rock as well as the supreme authority of the Church, continually gives the profound reasons which underlie the Church's doctrinal positions, in language appropriate to the times.

For almost a quarter-century, Joseph Ratzinger led the Church's doctrinal office, during which he had to deal on a daily basis with such problems.

Before he had even been called to Rome by John Paul II, this is what he said of the role of the Church, in a homily dlivered in Munich in December 1979:

---

The Church Magisterium protects the faith of the simple folk - those who do not write books, who do not speak on TV, who cannot write editorials for the newspapers. This is its democratic task. She must give voice to those who do not have a voice.

It is not the learned who determine what is true in our baptismal vows - rather it is our baptismal vows that determine what is valid in the interpretations of the learned. It is not the intellectuals who must be the measure for the simple folk - rather, it is the simple folk who must be a measure for the intellectuals.

Intellectual explanations are not the measure for our baptismal profession of faith, but those baptismal vows, in their ingenuous literalness, should be the measure of all theology. The baptized person - he who keeps his baptismal vows - does not need to be taught. He has received the definitive truth and carries it with him along with faith itself...

Finally, it must be clear as well that to say someone's opinion does not correspo0nd to the doctrine of the Catholic Church is not a violation of human rights.

Everyone should have the right to form his own opinions and express them freely. The Church with Vatican-II expressed herself decisively for freedom of expression, and it continues to be. But this obviously does not mean that every opinion external to the Church can be recognized as 'Catholic'.

Everyone can express what he wants to, according to his own conscience. But the Church should be able to tell its faithful which of those opinions corresponds to the faith, and which do not. This is her right and her duty, so that Yes remains Yes, and No is No, thereby preserving that clarity which she owes to her faithful and to the world.

---

In the light of those statements, one can better understand why Benedict XVI wished to establish a new dicastery dedicated to the new evangelization and why he has decreed a Year of Faith.

For Papa Ratzinger, the call to the essentialness of the baptismal vows, whose ABC's are often ignored in the very heart of that Europe which was once Christian, is urgent.

But it would be a mistake to say that his urgent call is intended only as a reproof to certain dissent. It is a far wider and deeper call which also involves the ecclesiastical world that is more in line with this Pontificate - involving them in the urgency of announcing the faith, and of a deeper knowledge of its contents.

Indeed, many career-minded prelates should detach themselves from undue interest or closeness to political causes, from taking sides in partisan politics, from being named to membership in public entities, and in general, avoid undertaking public interventions in matters that can be carried out with greater freedom by lay Catholics.

One of the outcomes hoped for by Vatican II, which began 50 years ago, was the role of the laity in the Church. It is not out of place to note that the very deceree dedicated to this subject, Apostolicam actuositatem, appears to be, of all the Vatican-II documents, the one that has been least realized concretely in the life of the Church.

In many countries, a neo-clericalism has emerged that seems to consider laymen simply as the 'secular arm' of the local hierarchy which directs everything or would want to, even in areas outside their competence.

[And here I thought that when Tornielli used 'neo-clericalism' in his title alongside 'dissent', it was a wonderful term to describe the wannabe 'dictatorship of the dissidents' who would, in fact, impose themselves as the clericalists of their alternative church! It turns out, he really means the 'neo-clericalists' among the Church hierarchy.]


On the matter of dissenting priests, surely they have all forgotten - or are ignoring - the vows they made before God and the Church when they were ordained. I was struck with this thought when watching the ordfination rites earlier today and listening to the questions that the Pope, as principal celebrant, asked of the ordinands collectively and individually before they were anointed with the Holy Chrism. In which, among other things, they vow to respect the teachings and Tradition of the Church.

And the last vow they make, one by one (as opposed to their responses in unison to the other vows), is most notably this:

Sorry for the fuzzy reproduction - it comes from the libretto of the Mass today (4/29), but for some reason, Mons. Marini's office has disabled the 'Snaoshot' tool for the librettos which are in PDF, and the screen-capture image is bad!