American Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Segnatura (the Vatican's Supreme Court in canonical matters), was the keynote speaker at the Fifth Annual Liturgical Conference held in Fota island, Ireland, by liturgists who share Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI's ideas on liturgy. The conference was held July 6-9 this year.
The four earlier Fota conferences produced two books reporucing the papers and discussions on various aspects of liturgy and sacred art and architecture.
Cardinal Burke speaks out on
Vatileaks, liturgical liberties and
USCCB fight for religious freedom
By Sarah MacDonald
CORK, Ireland, July 9 (CNS) -- The head of the Vatican's highest court described the spate of leaks of confidential Vatican documents as "most grave crimes" and warned that those responsible must be discovered and "appropriately sanctioned."
Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, said the confidentiality of Pope Benedict XVI's privacy of communications must be respected so he can more effectively do his job.
"It is not a question of hiding anything but of respecting conscience," the U.S.-born cardinal told reporters following his address to the Fifth Fota International Liturgy Conference.
Left, Cardinal Burke also celebrated the closing Mass of the conference in the traditional form; right, the Cardinal after the Mass.
He added that he was appalled by what had happened in the events dubbed "VatiLeaks" by the Italian media.
"I am trusting and praying that these people will be discovered and they will be properly sanctioned," he said.
Speaking July 9, on the final day of the three-day conference focusing on the theme "Celebrating the Eucharist: Sacrifice and Communion," Cardinal Burke discussed 'the Eucharist as sacrifice in canonical history'.
The cardinal particularly mentioned Canon 818, which safeguards against a priest celebrating Mass and introducing his own wording, prayers or preaching according to his own judgment.
Asked about a priest in the Diocese of Belleville, Ill., who in June was removed as a pastor because he introduced new wording into the liturgy to make it "more meaningful," Cardinal Burke explained that any priest who took such liberties would have been warned by his bishop first. Only if the priest persisted, he explained, would sanctions be imposed.
"The priest is the servant of the rite. Christ has given us the sacred liturgy in his church and the priest serves. He is not the protagonist," Cardinal Burke said.
"It is absolutely wrong for the priest to start making changes to make it more interesting because he wants to make the liturgy better," he added.
Cardinal Burke also warned against excessive use of the concelebration of liturgy and called for the practice to be reviewed where it is used repeatedly. He told the conference that excessive use of concelebration could result in priests losing sight of the fullness of their office and an understanding of the Eucharist as a sacrifice.
After his presentation the cardinal spoke with Catholic News Service about the U.S. bishops' Fortnight for Freedom, commending the nationwide campaign to address what church officials consider government infringements on religious freedom.
Cardinal Burke criticized government actions and policies that, he said, were aimed at reducing freedom of conscience and the right to worship as one pleased.
"The thinking behind this is that religion has nothing to do with public life and that within your church or chapel you can worship as you please but that can't have anything to do with your public life," he said.
Cardinal Burke warned that such thinking was "absolutely contrary" to the Christian understanding of conscience. He stressed that sacred liturgy, which was the conference's focus, had a direct impact on forming Catholics' consciences and, as a consequence, had a direct impact on their public lives.
Commending the U.S. bishops for their stance on the federal contraceptive mandate under the health reform law recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, the cardinal said he was "praying for them that they will be able to continue even in the face of persecution."
He said what the bishops were attempting to achieve was "needed to save (the U.S.) from a sort of totalitarianism in which the state dictates what people are to think and do."
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 11/07/2012 18:58]