NEWS ABOUT BENEDICT

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CONCELEBRATED WITH THE NEW CARDINALS




Translated from Vatican bulletins:

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At 10:30 today, Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the Holy Father Benedict XVI preisded at the Eucharistic concelebration with the 23 new cardinals created at yesterday's consistory and gave them their rings of office as "sign of dignity, pastoral solicitude and a firmer communion with the Seat of Peter." The Pope delivered a homily.


At the end of the Eucharistic concelebration, the Holy Father came out to the front steps of St. Peter's Basilica at 12:15 p.m. to recite the Angelus with the fathful gathered in St. Peter's Square. He spoke before and after the Angelus.'

At 13:15, in the Atrium of Aula Paolo VI, the Holy Father had lunch with the new cardinals and all the other cardinals who live in Rome or who came to Rome for the November 23 day of prayer and reflection with the Pope.

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A full translation of the Pope's homily has been posted inHOMILIES, DISCOURSES, MESSAGES, and of his Angelus messages in AUDIENCE AND ANGELUS TEXTS.












THE 'RING MASS':
Pope prays for Mideast peace
on eve of Annapolis conference


Vatican City, Nov. 25 (AsiaNews) – "Let us pray so that God may bring peace to Israelis and Palestinians" and for “the gift of wisdom to all the participants” when they meet for the Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in Annapolis.

Pope Benedict XVI this morning invited the new cardinals with whom he celebrated the Mass this morning in St Peter’s Basilica to join the day of prayer organised for today by the bishops of the United States. He repeated his call when he addressed the faithful gathered for today’s Angelus.

“Next Tuesday in Annapolis, in the United States, Israelis and Palestinians with the help of the international community will try to re-launch the negotiating process in order to find a just and lasting solution to the conflict that has brought bloodshed to the Holy Land and tears and suffering to the two peoples,” the Pope said.

“I call upon you to join the day of prayer organised for today by the Bishops’ Conference of the United States in order to beseech God’s Spirit to grant peace to this region so dear to us and give wisdom and courage to all participants in this important meeting.”

The prayer for peace and Christian unity are the “first and main mission” for the new cardinals as it is for the entire Church both of which are called to be in its service.

This was the central concept on which Benedict XVI based the homily he delivered during the Mass concelebrated with the 23 new cardinals he created yesterday.

More than a hundred other cardinals, hundreds of bishops, priests and faithful, mostly from the new cardinals’ dioceses, attended the Mass.

The Pope reminded the cardinals that the “throne” of Christ is the Cross and the “entire hierarchy of the Church, each charisma and ministry, everything and everyone are in the service of His Lordship.”

To those who now belong to the Church’s “Senate,” the Pope talked about the crucifixion that is represented on their ring.

“This for you, dear new Brother Cardinals, will always be a reminder of the King you serve,” he said, “on what throne He has been elevated and how faithful he has been till the end when he defeated sin and death with the strength of divine mercy. Mother Church, Christ’s bride, gives you this insignia as a memento of Her Husband as Christ loved the church and handed Himself over for her (cf Eph 5:25). Thus, wearing the cardinal's ring, you shall constantly be reminded to give your life to the Church.”

Taking off from today’s liturgical feast of Christ the King and from the 'Christological hymn' from the Paul's Epistle to the Colossians, the Pontiff said that “this text of the Apostle expresses a synthesis of truth and faith that is so powerful that we cannot but admire it deeply."

"The Church is the repository of Christ’s mystery. It is so with humility and no trace of pride or arrogance because it is the highest gift that it was given, with no merit in getting it, but which it is called to offer freely to humanity in every age as a horizon of meaning and salvation.

"It is not philosophy, nor gnosis, even though it includes wisdom and knowledge. It is the mystery of Christ, Christ Himself, Logos incarnate, who died and has risen, becoming the King of the universe.

"How can we not feel a wave of enthusiasm filled with gratitude to be allowed to contemplate the splendour of this revelation? How at the same time can we not feel the joy and sense of responsibility to serve this King, bear witness with one’s life and words to His Lordship? This, in particular, is our task, my venerated Brother Cardinals, namely to announce to the world Christ’s truth, hope for every man and for the entire human family.”

“In the wake of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, my venerated Predecessors and Servants of God Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II were true heralds Christ’s regality in today’s world.

"And it is for me a motive of consolation to always count on you, collegially and individually, in order to accomplish that fundamental task which is the Petrine ministry."

"In conclusion, closely united to this mission,” said the Pope, “is an aspect that I would like to touch upon and entrust to your prayers: peace among all of Christ’s disciples as a token of the peace that Jesus came to establish in the world.”

In a basilica draped in flowers, the Pope gave each new cardinal the last symbol of his office, i.e. the cardinal's ring. The ceremony was both festive and emotional. The day wioth the cardinals would end later with lunch hosted by the Pope for all the cardinals in Rome in Aula Paolo VI.


Consignment of rings:


Cardinal Delly of Baghdad; below, with Cardinal Foley of the USA

Click on thumbnail 2x to get full size-
Note detail of the Patriarch's chasuble.



Cardinal Sandri (Argentina), Prefect of the Cognregation for Oriental Churches, and
Cardinal Foley (USA), pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of Knights of Jerusalem [/DIM}


Cardinal Rylko (Poland), Prefect of the Congregation for the Laity; and Cardinal Vingt-Trois of Paris


Cardinal Karlic, emeritus Bishop of Parana (Argentina) and
Cardinal Navarrete (Spain), emeritus rector of the Gregorian University


Cardinal Sistach of Barcelona, and Cardinal Garcia-Gasco of Valencia


Cardinal Scherer of Sao Paulo; and Cardinal Robles-Ortega of Monterrey.


Cardinal Brady of Armagh (Ireland) and
Cardinal DiNardo of Galveston-Houston


Cardinal DiNardo and Cardinal Foley.


Right photo, Cardinal Cordes (Germany), president of the Pontifical Council
Cor Unum, alongside Cardinals Foley and Delly.


Pope concelebrates Mass
with new cardinals
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Concelebrating Mass with 23 new cardinals, Pope Benedict XVI gave each of them a gold ring as a symbol of their new bond with Rome.

The rings were engraved with the scene of Christ's crucifixion, and the pope told the cardinals it should remind them always "which king you serve" as they assume their new role in the church.

The Nov. 25 Mass in St. Peter's Basilica came the day after the pope presided over a consistory to formally create the new cardinals. Among them were U.S. Cardinal John P. Foley, grand master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, and Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.

The basilica was packed with prelates and pilgrims from around the world, and applause rang out when the pope slipped the ring on each new cardinal's hand.

"Receive this ring from the hand of Peter, and know that with the love of the Prince of the Apostles your love toward the church is strengthened," he said.

In his sermon, the pope noted that while the cardinals are considered to form the church's "senate" the value and dignity of their office depends in their personal relationship with Christ.

"In a particular way, venerated brother cardinals, our task is to announce to the world the truth of Christ, which is the hope for every person and for the entire human family," he said.

Touching on ecumenism, the focus of a papal meeting with cardinals two days earlier, the pope said he wanted to entrust to their prayers a particular goal of their shared mission: "peace among all the disciples of Christ, as a sign of the peace that Jesus came to establish in the world."

"Prayer for peace and unity constitutes your first and primary mission, so that the church may be bound firmly together, a sign and instrument of unity for the whole human race," he said.

After the Mass, the pope walked outside to the steps of the basilica and gave an Angelus talk to thousands of pilgrims who had watched the Mass on TV screens in St. Peter's Square under light rain.

He said he realized many of those who could not get a place inside the basilica had come from distant countries and thanked them for helping to manifest "the unity and universality of the Catholic Church."

The pope then gave greetings in seven languages, offering congratulations to various local churches that now have a cardinal.

Speaking in English, the pope said: "Let us give thanks to God for the gift of these new cardinals and strive to follow closely in the footsteps of Christ Our Lord, bearing constant witness to his saving truth."

After the Mass, the pope hosted all the cardinals, old and new, for lunch in the atrium of the Vatican's audience hall.


After the Mass:






Iraqis wave the flag at St. Peter's.


Irish President Mary MacAleese and French Interior Minister Aliot-Marie.


Cardinal Robles Ortega of Mexico, and Mexican folk dancers celebrating with him.

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 27/11/2007 03:23]

Ecumenism: The 'scarlet thread' of the consistory
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
Posted on Nov 25, 2007




Unlike Synods of Bishops, consistories don’t typically carry formal themes. But if one were looking to spot a scarlet thread (if you’ll pardon the pun) running through this gathering of cardinals and new cardinals in Rome, it would probably be ecumenism.

The search for Christian unity was the principal topic for discussion during the business meeting of cardinals with the pope on Friday, and Benedict XVI returned to the theme in his homily for this morning’s “Ring Mass,” in which each of the 23 new cardinals received the ring which, along with the crimson biretta, is the primary symbol of their office.

Benedict closed his homily by saying that he wanted to touch upon something and commend it to the prayer of the new cardinals: “Peace among all the disciples of Christ, as a sing of the peace that Jesus came to bring to the world.”

“The church is that portion of humanity in which the lordship of Christ is already evident,” Benedict told the cardinals, “which has peace as its privileged manifestation.”

“Prayer for peace and unity constitutes your first and principal mission,” Benedict told the cardinals, “so that the church may be ‘healthy and compact,’ a “sign and instrument of unity for the entire human race.”

The new cardinals concelebrated the Mass with Benedict, once again held inside St. Peter’s Basilica rather than in the square outside. Although the square can accommodate much larger crowds, Benedict is known to prefer to celebrate inside the basilica whenever possible, regarding it as a superior liturgical space.

Benedict opened his homily by noting that today is the Feast of Christ the King, and that each of the three Scripture readings for the day, in different ways, pivot on the figure of Christ. The pope reminded the cardinals that their ring carries the image of the crucified Christ, as a reminder of the “kind of throne upon which he was exalted” and of the call to “give your life for the church.”

Benedict also said that “announcing to the world the truth of Christ” is the primary obligation of the cardinals, a duty shared with the pope and the entire church.

“The church is the depository of the mystery of Christ,” the pope said. “It is so in all humility and without any shadow of pride or arrogance, because it’s the greatest gift it’s received without any merit on its part, and it’s called to offer that gift freely to humanity in every epoch.”

Benedict insisted that the truth of Christ “is not a philosophy or a gnosis,” even if it includes the loftiest peaks of human thought. It is instead a person, the “logos” of God.

Referring to cardinals as "the senate of the church," Benedict called upon them to form one whole under Christ. That remark was taken by some analysts as an indirect plea for unity among the cardinals, in view of recent debates over matters such as Benedict's motu proprio, meaning a document exercising his legal authority, which broadened permission for celebration of the Latin Mass in use prior to the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).

Not every cardinal has been unabashedly enthusiastic. Cardinal Diogini Tettamanzi of Milan, for example, has told priests in his diocese that the ruling does not apply to them, since they use the Ambrosian Rite rather than the Roman one. Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels has downplayed the document, saying there's little interest in the old rite in his country.

Such comments led Sri Lankan Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, secretary of the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship, to complain that some bishops are "in rebellion against the Pope" and guilty of pride, "one of the gravest sins".

There was an American touch to the music for this morning’s Mass. The organ was played by Monsignor James Edward Goettsche, the longtime organist for St. Peter’s Basilica and a native of Los Angeles, California, and one of the choirs was from an American parish.

In addition, Cardinal Francis Stafford, formerly of Denver and today head of the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary, was one of two cardinal-deacons chosen to stand alongside Benedict XVI as he celebrated the Mass.

AT YESTERDAY'S CONSISTORY RITE




Here is a translation of a front-page interview in the Nov. 25 issue of Osservatore Romano. I am posting with it an image used in one of the stories yesterday because it illustrates the details that Mons. Marini describes.



In this photograph posted by Caterina, the ritual six candelabra are on the altar behind the Pope.
But since the altar is behind him, Mons. Guido Marini has placed a slim Crucifix in front of the Pope
(on a red-and-gold base at the top of the steps leading to the crypt, in lower right hand side of photo).
For a better view, click on thumbnail 2x for full size.



The Consistory rite:
Wollwing tradition
under the sign of collegiality


A rite rich in symbolic significance to express continuity between past, present and future. That is how Mons. Guido Marino, master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, describes the celebrative aspects of the Ordinary Public Consistory to create 23 new cardinals, presided by Pope benedict XVI in St. Peter's basilica yesterday


The first striking liturgical element was the placement of the Crucifix in the center of the Assembly.
The Crucifix placed at the foor of the Altar of Confession faces the faithful to express the desire that everyone present should be oriented towards it. It is a sign of continuity between the present and the past in a liturgical tradition which also looks ahead.


What about the vestments wore by Benedict XVI?
This continuity between past, present and future is also made visible in the vestments. The cope is in gold silk trimmed with a stole coming from a far older vestment (perhaps from the 15th century), with images from the lives of the saints, including Peter and Paul. The miter belonged to Pius IX.

The fact that the Pope used a cope - which hasn't been worn for this occasion in recent times - underscores that the Consistory takes place in a liturgical context. [In consistories in the past few decades, including Benedict's first, the Pope wore choir dress with a ceremonial mozzetta and stole, as he wears for civil functions in which he acts as head of state.]


Particularly suggestive was the entrance procession in which the Pope - unlike in previous consistories - was accompanied by the new cardinals.
The Consistory over time had been situated within a celebration of the Liturgy of the Word. Therefore the introital procession with the Pope - preceded by the cardinals - underlines the liturgical aspect already highlighted by the vestments used.


Who assisted the Pope in the rite?
Two assistant deacons (José Miguel Ramón Fuentes and Biagio Saiano), as tradition has it.


What about the chair from which Benedict XVI led the celebrations?
It was the chair of Leo XIII* which has been used other times by the Pope but not during a liturgical celebration. It is the first time, therefore - at least in recent times - that it is used liturgically as the chair of the Roman Pontiff.


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*Pope Leo XIII was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903, succeeding Pope Pius IX. Reigning until the age of 93, he was the oldest pope, and had the third longest pontificate, after the John Paul II.

NB: Zadok the Roman on his blog yesterday, having attended the Consistory, says Mons. PieroMarini, the previous papal liturgical master, attended the rite from a seat in the back of the choir.

Here si the translatyion of another front-page interview in today's Osservatore Romano:

Patriarch expresses his gratitude
to Pope Benedict XVI
by Gianluca Biccini


Cardinal Delly photographed at his residence in Baghdad two weeks ago. [New York Times photo by Joao Silva]


"It is an honor not only for me, but for the entire nation, for all Iraqis without distinction. The Lord has given us the gift of intelligence so we can talk to each other and carry on a dialog, because unless there is peace, there cannot be security."

That is how Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly commented on the words of Benedict XVI at the Consistory yesterday, November 24, when the Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans became a cardinal. Here is the interview granted by the spiritual head of the Catholic community in Iraq.


What do you feel?
Above all, gratitude to the Pope who has dignified and distinguished all of our people. I also hope that this choice will be useful for my country, for the land where our father Abraham was born.

I intend to continue being at the service of all Iraqis, Christian and Muslim. I believe the Pope wished to show a sign of reconciliation.


What was the effect in Iraq of the news that you had been elevated to the rank of cardinal?
After the Pope's announcement, I met with the Prime Minister, his deputy, and the President of the Republic, who all congratulated me.


What is the present situation in Iraq?
Every day, the population has to face a series of difficulties, especially at the level of communications. But now that things are slowly improving, many families are starting to return to their homes, and even the churches are able to resume worship services. These are signs of hope, and Christians are children of hope.

But this is not to forget the victims in the past and all those who continue to be victims.

I want to be clear that there is no persecution in Iraq against Christians as such, but against all Iraqis, because the car bombs kill Christians and Muslims alike, without regard for race or religion.

The sufferings of Christians are the same as those of Muslims, and vice-versa. Not only churches but mosques, too, have been destroyed. and this is happening in a land where both communities lived together for 14 centuries. That is why Muslims - Sunni and Shia alike - come to me, and I go to them.


You speak excellent Italian. Did you study in Rome?
Yes, at the Urbanian and the Lateran (universities). I was ordained as a priest here in 1952 by Cardinal Pietro Bondi. I came back for the Second Vatican Council, first as a consultant expert (perito), then as a member.


You have been a bishop since 1962, then after 40 years as an auxiliary to the Patriarch, you thought of retiring in 2002.
I resigned because I had reached the age limit, but the Lord disposed otherwise. At the end of 2003, after the war in Iraq had started in March, John Paul called a Bishops Synod of the Chaldean Church at the Vatican, and, in a serene, harmonious atmosphere, they chose me as Patriarch of Babylon.


Benedict XVi has been following events in Iraq attentively.
In November 2005, he too called a special synod of the Chaldean bishops. In April 2006, the Iraqi bishops designated two days of prayer and fasting to impliore the Lord for peace and concord. The Pope immediately joined our initiative, as he has always shown us his attention.

I was mystified to see today that Corriere della Sera, Italy's largest newspaper, devoted exactly teo short sentences to reporting yesterdays consistory - an item that simply said, translated:

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The Pope creates 23 new cardinals

VATICAN CITY - You should act with fortitude, uo the shedding of blood." With the solemn formula pronounced yesterday by BenedictXVI at St. Peters, the consistory concluded with 23 new cardinals, of which 18 are 'electors'.

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So I checked the New York Times and the Washington Post, which did report on the consistory, but both used the AP wire-service story, evidently not thinking it an event important enough for a correspondent of theirs to write about.

The other major Italian daiies did report the consistory. The Times of London did not report it yesterday, but its Rome correspondent filed an omnibus report today, leading off with the Pope's appeal to pray for the success of the Annapolis conference before leading teh Angelus prayers at St. Peter's Square today..








Pope offers prayers for Middle East summit
By Richard Owen in Rome
From Times (of London) Online
November 25, 2007


Pope Benedict XVI today offered prayers for this week's Middle East summit at Annapolis, saying he hoped the participants would find the "wisdom and courage" needed to bring peace to the Holy Land.

He said he hoped the meeting would relaunch negotiations "to find a just and definitive solution to the conflict which for 60 years has bloodied the Holy Land and provoked so many tears and suffering among two peoples".

Pope Benedict was speaking at a ceremony at St Peter's at which he gave 23 new cardinals their rings of office and urged them to work for "peace and unity", a day after he had given the new 'Princes of the Church' their red hats. The Pope last held a consistory to create new cardinals in March last year, when he installed fifteen.

The new cardinals come from Italy, Ireland, Germany, the United States, Spain, India, Argentina, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Senegal, Brazil and France, and also included Iraq's first cardinal, Emmanuel III Delly, the Baghdad-based Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, who was applauded by the congregation as he knelt before the Pope.

The pontiff appealed for an end to the war in Iraq and deplored the plight of Iraq's Christian minority. "Our brothers and sisters in faith are experiencing in the flesh the dramatic consequences of an ongoing conflict and are living in an extremely fragile and delicate political situation," the pontiff said.

Eighteen of the new cardinals are under 80 and so eligible to enter a secret conclave to elect the next Pope. The other five, including Patriarch Delly, are over 80.

The new cardinal electors include Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop John Patrick Foley, former head of Vatican Social Communications, Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, and Archbishops Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris, Oswald Gracias of Bombay, Francisco Robles Ortega of Monterrey in Mexico, and John Njue of Nairobi.

Cardinal Brady asked for prayers for peace in Northern Ireland, saying "I take this opportunity to ask people to pray that the peace process in Northern Ireland will continue to be a source of pride and joy and inspiration to peacemakers across the world".

Before the ceremonies the Pope presided over a debate on ecumenism at which the main report was delivered by Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the pontifical council for Christian unity. He said an historic encounter between Pope Benedict and the Alexiy, the Russian Orthodox Patriarch, would "help improve relations" but did not say when or where such a meeting might take place.

On relations with the Anglicans Communion, Cardinal Kasper told The Times during a recess that dialogue was "complicated" by its internal crisis over the ordination of women and homosexual clergy. "We hope they make a decision very soon. They cannot postpone all this crisis. There must be a decision made. But it is in their hands, not ours."

Relations with Protestant Churches generally were more difficult because of "an inner fragmentation", he said. "Some of them have turned to liberal positions, and there are now new ethical problems dividing them," he said.

Cardinal Kasper warned the gathering that the Catholic Church was losing members to Pentecostal and other charismatic and evangelical Protestant sects, and said it must "ask itself why". He said the Church needed a "self-critical pastoral examination of conscience" to confront the rise of such groups, which had 400 million followers worldwide, notably in Africa and Latin America.

"We shouldn't begin by asking ourselves what is wrong with the Pentecostals, but what our pastoral shortcomings are" Cardinal Kasper said. In Brazil alone the number of Roman Catholics is down from 90 percent half a century ago to 67 percent.

He gave the consistory details of a new document approved by a Vatican-Orthodox theological commission to heal the 1,000-year schism between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. In the document, Catholic and Orthodox representatives both agreed that the Pope has primacy over all bishops, but did not agree what authority that gives him.

Cardinal Kasper said the document marked the first time Orthodox churches had agreed that there was a "universal level" of the church, and that the chief primate was the Pope as Bishop of Rome. But he warned that the road to full unity would be "very long and difficult".

The document was agreed at a meeting at Ravenna last month (October) at which Russian Orthodox Church representatives walked out after a dispute with representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul), Bartholomew I.

The cardinals also discussed Christian relations with Islam and Judaism.


The wire services reported today's event only in the context of the Mideast appeal:


Pope prays for Annapolis summit,
urges prayers of wisdom, courage among participants



VATICAN CITY:, Nov. 25 (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday urged the faithful to pray that the participants at this week's Mideast summit find the "wisdom and courage" necessary to bring peace to the Holy Land.

During his traditional Sunday blessing, Benedict noted that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had called for a day of prayer before the U.S.-sponsored summit to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that opens Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland.

He asked the faithful to join in the prayer for "peace in a region so dear to us and for the gifts of wisdom and courage for all the protagonists of this important meeting."

He said the meeting hoped to relaunch negotiations "to find a just and definitive solution to the conflict which for 60 years has bloodied the Holy Land and provoked so many tears and suffering among two peoples."

The United States is hoping that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will declare a formal resumption of peace talks, in the presence of a large international audience, at the two-day summit. Talks broke down amid violence seven years ago.
'

Pope calls for prayer
ahead of Annapolis summit


VATICAN CITY, Nov. 25 (AFP) - During his traditional Sunday blessing, Pope Benedict XVI said the US Conference of Catholic Bishops had called for a day of prayer before the US-sponsored summit to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that opens Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland.

He asked the faithful to join in the prayer for "peace in a region so dear to us and for the gifts of wisdom and courage for all the protagonists of this important meeting." He said the meeting hoped to restart negotiations "to find a just and definitive solution to the conflict which for 60 years has bloodied the Holy Land and provoked so many tears and suffering among two peoples."

The United States is hoping that Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will declare a formal resumption of peace talks, in the presence of a large international audience, at the two-day summit. Talks broke down amid violence seven years ago.


====================================================================

Sidebar from the Houston Chronicle team that covered Cardinal DiNardo in Rome - Tara Dolley (writer) and Smiley Pool (photos):

The rains in Rome

For the second day in a row the skies opened up as services inside St. Peter's concluded. Today's downpour was stronger than the previous day and caught thousands out in the open square.



Umbrellas were going for five euros each from hawkers in the streets. I'm told that one can be had for three euros away from the square, but business near the basilica was brisk at whatever price the hawkers asked due to the huge crowd of people streaming out of the Mass.

Those unfortunate enough to be without cover found themselves quickly drenched. That turns out to be a particular hardship for anyone wearing a cassock - of which there are plenty around the Vatican. A wet cassock "weights about 400 pounds" one unlucky clergyman quipped.



A little rain however did nothing to deter fifteen women who came 6,000 miles to perform the traditional religious dances of Mexico in honor of new Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega. As most people fled in the rain, the dancers of Matachines de Monterrey were as hard to miss as they were exuberant.

'New Catholic' at rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/
posted the above photos - Amazing, considering that
Benedict XVI yesterday was using the Novus Ordo, and
Pius XX (whenever this was taken) obviously was in
pre-Conciliar mode! Both at the Altar of Confession
under Bernini's central baldachin in St. Peter's.



Two more pictures of the Ring Mass picked out by Shawn Tribe
at New Liturgical Movement, showing the altar configuration,
as well as the presence of two deacons robed in dalmatics
assisting the Pope. One of the deacons is Cardinal Dario
Castrillon-Hoyos, chairman of Ecclesia Dei and a cardinal-
deacon in the hierarchy. [I must look up an apparent provision
in the ritual book for the presence of two deacons during
certain Papal liturgies].




Also worth comparing: The Pope's historic liturgical ensemble for the consistory, left;
and the contemporary chasuble and miter he wore for the Ring Mass, right. The central
panel on the chasuble resembles the 16th-century trim on the cope. Perhaps Mons. Guido
has found a literal way of illustrating the 'continuity in renewal' of tradition - by
adapting still-usable features from old vestments that would otherwise be too
threadbare or fragile to wear. As for the miters, the 19th-century one actually looks
better-proportioned, even if it is taller, than the contemporary one. And the narrow
silhouette seems more flattering than the curious flaring out of the contemporary miter.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful



Why Benedict XVI Is So Cautious
with the Letter of the 138 Muslims

Because the kind of dialogue he wants is completely different.
The pope is asking Islam to make the same journey
that the Catholic Church made under pressure from the Enlightenment.
Love of God and neighbor must be realized
in the full acceptance of religious freedom

by Sandro Magister



ROMA, November 26, 2007 – The letter from the 138 Muslims addressed last month to Benedict XVI and to the heads of the other Christian churches received a spectacular collective reply in a message signed by 300 scholars and published in The New York Times on November 18.
[NB: It came in the form of a full-page ad, therefore was not reported anywhere as news.]

The message originated in the Divinity School of Yale University, specifically through the initiative of its dean, Harold W. Attridge, a professor of New Testament exegesis.

The signatories belong mainly to the Protestant confessions, of both "evangelical" and "liberal" strains, and include such a celebrity as the theologian Harvey Cox. But the list of the 300 also includes a Catholic bishop, Camillo Ballin, the apostolic vicar in Kuwait.

Other Catholics include the Islamologist John Esposito of Georgetown University and the theologians Donald Senior, a Passionist, and Thomas P. Rausch, a Jesuit from Loyola Marymount University.

Also Catholic – although at the margins of orthodoxy – are Paul Knitter, a specialist on interreligious dialogue, and Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, a teacher at Harvard and a feminist theologian.

The message lavishes praise upon the letter of the 138. It endorses the letter's contents, or the indication of the love of God and neighbor as the "common word" between Muslims and Christians, at the center of both the Qur'an and the Bible. And it prefaces everything with a request for forgiveness to "the All-Merciful One and the Muslim community around the world."

This is the reason given for the request for forgiveness:
"Since Jesus Christ says: 'First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye' (Matthew 7:5), we want to begin by acknowledging that in the past (e.g. in the Crusades) and in the present (e.g. in excesses of the 'war on terror') many Christians have been guilty of sinning against our Muslim neighbor."

In releasing the message, its promoters announced that it will be followed by meetings with some of the signers of the letter of the 138, in the United States, Great Britain, and the Middle East, meetings that will also be open to Jews.

* * *

Benedict XVI and the directors of the Holy See appear more cautious and reserved toward this flurry of dialogue.

The Holy See immediately replied to the letter of the 138 Muslims with polite statements of appreciation. But it put off until later a more fully elaborated response.

The only comment on the letter of the 138 so far released by an institution connected to the Holy See – The Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies – has also been kept in the shadows, in spite of the fact that it emphasizes the new and positive elements of the Muslim initiative.

Not even L'Osservatore Romano mentioned it. The only reference made so far to the letter of the 138 in the newspaper of the Holy See was within a note announcing and commenting on the November 6 meeting between King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia and Benedict XVI.

Osservatore did not even give coverage to the commentaries on the letter of the 138 by two scholars of Islam highly respected by pope Joseph Ratzinger, the Jesuits Samir Khalil Samir, from Egypt, and Christian W. Troll, from Germany.

But it is precisely from reading these commentaries – and that of Troll in particular – that one understands the reason for the caution of the Church of Rome.

Troll notes that the letter of the 138 Muslims, with its insistence on the commandments of the love of God and neighbor as the "common word" of both the Qur'an and the Bible, seems intended to bring dialogue onto the sole terrain of doctrine and theology.

But – Troll objects – there is a gaping distinction between the one God of the Muslims and the Trinitarian God of the Christians, with the Son who becomes man. This cannot be minimized, much less negotiated.

The true "common word" must be sought elsewhere: in "putting into effect these commandments in the concrete, here-and-now reality of plural societies."

It must be sought in the defense of human rights, of religious freedom, of equality between man and woman, of the distinction between religious and political powers. The letter of the 138 is elusive or silent on all of this.

And it is so intentionally. One of the main authors of the letter, the Libyan theologian Aref Ali Nayed, a professor at the University of Cambridge, explained himself this way in an interview with Catholic News Service, the agency of the United States bishops' conference:

"Mere ethical/social dialogue is useful, and is very much needed. However, dialogue of that kind happens everyday, through purely secular institutions such as the United Nations and its organizations. If religious revelation-based communities are to truly contribute to humanity, their dialogue must be ultimately theologically and spiritually grounded. Many Muslim theologians are not just interested in mere ethical dialogue of ‘cultures’ or ‘civilizations’."

* * *

But what is the kind of dialogue with Islam that Benedict XVI wants?

The pope explained this most clearly in a passage of his pre-Christmas address to the Roman curia, on December 22, 2006:

---

In a dialogue to be intensified with Islam, we must bear in mind the fact that the Muslim world today is finding itself faced with an urgent task.

This task is very similar to the one that has been imposed upon Christians since the Enlightenment, and to which the Second Vatican Council, as the fruit of long and difficult research, found real solutions for the Catholic Church.

It is a question of the attitude that the community of the faithful must adopt in the face of the convictions and demands that were strengthened in the Enlightenment.

On the one hand, one must counter a dictatorship of positivist reason that excludes God from the life of the community and from public organizations, thereby depriving man of his specific criteria of judgment.

On the other, one must welcome the true conquests of the Enlightenment, human rights and especially the freedom of faith and its practice, and recognize these also as being essential elements for the authenticity of religion.

As in the Christian community, where there has been a long search to find the correct position of faith in relation to such beliefs - a search that will certainly never be concluded once and for all - so also the Islamic world with its own tradition faces the immense task of finding the appropriate solutions in this regard.

The content of the dialogue between Christians and Muslims will be at this time especially one of meeting each other in this commitment to find the right solutions. We Christians feel in solidarity with all those who, precisely on the basis of their religious conviction as Muslims, work to oppose violence and for the synergy between faith and reason, between religion and freedom."

---

The letter of the 138 contains no trace of this proposal that Benedict XVI issued to the Muslim world in December one year ago. This is a sign that there is truly a great distance between the visions of these two.

The vision of Benedict XVI is the same one that the other authorities of the Holy See demonstrate each time they speak on these topics.

Proof of this is the message addressed to the Muslims last October, on the occasion of the end of Ramadan, from the pontifical council for interreligious dialogue, headed by cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.

This message also has at its center "freedom of faith and its exercise," as a task for all the religions, in keeping with the "plan of the Creator."

And this is a vision that Ratzinger has been defending with great consistency for years, first as cardinal and then as pope.

The lecture in Regensburg, on the need for "synergy between faith and reason" is the most fully elaborated foundation for this vision.

But even before this, the premises of how Benedict XVI conceives of dialogue with Islam and the other religions must be traced back to the discussion he had in January of 2004, in Munich, with the secular philosopher Jürgen Habermas.

On that occasion, Ratzinger said that a universally valid "natural law" is far from being recognized today by all cultures and civilizations, which are divided from each other and also divided on this issue within themselves.

But he indicated the way in which "the essential norms and values known or intuited by all human beings" may be illuminated and "keep the world united."

The way is that of a positive bond between reason and faith, which are "called to reciprocal purification" from the pathologies that expose both of these to domination by violence.

A great scholar has conducted a particularly lucid analysis of Benedict XVI's vision in relation to Islam: the German jurist Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde, in an essay published this year in German, and translated in Italy by the magazine Il Regno.

Böckenförde agrees completely with the pope in maintaining that Islam is now facing a challenge similar to the one posed to Christianity by the Enlightenment, in the matter of freedom of religion.

At Vatican Council II, the Catholic Church responded to this challenge with the declaration Dignitatis Humanae on religious freedom as founded upon the rights of the person.

But, Böckenförde asks, is the Muslim world ready to make a similar journey? Is it ready to recognize the religious neutrality of the state, and therefore the equal freedom, within the state, of all the religions?

The Muslims living "in diaspora," as minorities in the countries of Europe and the West, seem willing to accept this recognition. Proof of this is a declaration adopted in 2001 by the association of Muslims in Germany, which stated: "Islamic law binds Muslims who live in diaspora to adhere to the local legal system."

But what about where Muslims are in the majority, and control the state? Böckenförde is skeptical. He maintains that Islam, in a position of command, remains far from accepting the neutrality of the state, and therefore the full freedom of all religions.

Böckenförde is so convinced of this that he concludes his essay with a hypothetical conjecture: the hypothesis that in a European country, Muslim immigrants should be close to becoming the majority of the population.

In this case – the German jurist maintains – that country would have the right to close its borders, in self-defense. Because a secular state cannot renounce the "natural law" that is its foundation: "a law induced by membership in a cultural world rooted in the elements of the classical world, Judaism, and Christianity, but reconceived within the context of the Enlightenment."

* * *

In any case, there is no lack in modern Islamic thought of positions "open to a tolerant form of reason," as Ratzinger defined them in his conversation with Habermas in 2004.

One of these positions is highlighted by Fr. Maurice Borrmans, former head of the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, in the latest issue of Oasis, the magazine in multiple languages, including Arabic and Urdu, sponsored by the patriarch of Venice, cardinal Angelo Scola.

Borrmans cites a Tunisian scholar who lives in Paris, Abdelwahab Meddeb, who commented positively on the theses of Benedict XVI in an essay entitled "Le Dieu purifié," included in a collection published in France: La conference de Ratisbonne: Enjeux et controverses (The Regensburg lecture: Stakes and controversies).

Meddeb writes, in part:

"In Regensburg, the pope wanted to prompt the Muslims to undertake an effort of anamnesis, so that they might forsake violence and return to the articulation of the logos familiar to their ancestors, so that they might broaden and deepen it."

And after recalling that these "ancestors" of an Islam purified by reason included the great philosopher Averroes (1126-1198), he continues:

"It is toward these territories that the Muslim must make his return, to participate in the great logos, in its broadening and deepening within the way of purification that neutralizes violence and establishes an ethical serenity."

Abdelwahab Meddeb is not among the signatories of the letter of the 138, nor of the letter of the 38 from a year before.

----------

The response of 300 Christian intellectuals to the letter of the 138 Muslims, in the "New York Times," November 18, 2007:
> Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response
www.yale.edu/divinity/news/071118_news_nytimes.pdf

And its presentation by the Divinity School of Yale University:
> Historic Unanimity of Major Christian Leaders...
www.yale.edu/divinity/news/press.shtml#historic

The commentary by Christian W. Troll:
> Towards a common ground between Christians and Muslims?
chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/173921

Aref Ali Nayed's interview with Catholic News Service:
> Aref Ali Nayed Interview with CNS
www.islamicamagazine.com/Common-Word/CNS-interview.html

The magazine of the Sacred Heart Fathers of Bologna, the latest issue of which, number 18 of 2007, contains the Italian version of the essay by Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde, "Der säkularisierte Staat. Sein Charakter, seine Rechtfertigung und seine Probleme im 21. Jahrhundert", Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung, München, 2007, pp. 11-43:
> Il Regno
www.ilregno.it/it/rivista_articolo.php?RID=0&CODICE=48

The multilingual magazine of the patriarchate of Venice, the latest issue of which, in October 2007, published the article by Maurice Borrmans on "Il dialogo sbocciato dal seme di Ratisbona":
> Oasis
www.cisro.org/

---

The Holy Father met today with
- Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec
- Delegations from Iraq
- The new cardinals, their families and diocesan faithful. Plurilingual address.

---

AUDIENCE FOR NEW CARDINALS
AND THEIR FAMILIES, FRIENDS


Cardinal Delly, arriving early,greeted by a media crush; Cardinal DiNardo, by his delegation..



SOLID COMMUNION BETWEEN PASTORS AND THE POPE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 26, 2007 (VIS) - At 11.30 a.m. today, the Holy Father received the 23 new cardinals created in the consistory held on Saturday, November 24, at the Aula Paolo VI, with their families , friends and other faithful who accompanied them to Rome.

"The consistory and yesterday's Eucharistic celebration," said the Pope, "have provided us with a unique opportunity to experience the catholicity of the Church, well represented by the varied provenance of the members of the College of Cardinals, gathered in close communion around Peter's Successor."

Having greeted the new cardinals in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Polish, the Pope addressed them all together giving them assurances of his prayers and asking them always to accompany him with "your valuable human and pastoral experience.

"I place great reliance on your precious support in order to be able to carry out my ministry to the entire people of God," added Benedict XVI. He then addressed the families and friends of the new cardinals whom he asked to keep on praying for them and for him, "that communion between pastors and the Pope may remain solid, so as to present the whole world with the testimony of a Church faithful to Christ and ready to meet the spiritual hopes and needs of modern man with prophetic courage."

The Holy Father concluded: "Returning to your dioceses, bear my greetings and the assurances of my constant prayers to the Lord. Upon you, dear cardinals, and upon everyone present here, I invoke the protection of the heavenly Mother of God and of the saintly Apostles Peter and Paul."


Left photo, the Pope greeting Cardinal Brady, while Cardinal Garcia-Gasca goes on to Mons. Gaenswein.
Right photo, The Pope and Cardinal Delly.



Cardinal Delly before the other cardinals arrive, greeting the Pope, and with fellow cardinals. .


Cardinal Scherer stands for his turn; Cardinal DiNardo has just greeted the Pope.

[
Cardinal DiNardo's Texas pilgrims; and a nephew of Cardinal Sandri 'on his own'.


Cardinal Foley.


Cardinals pray at the end of the special audience.

Vatican, in shift, says
Pope won't meet Dalai Lama

I was just going to translate an Italian news item about this, but Reuters now has it in English.

VATICAN CITY, Nov. 26 (Reuters) - The Vatican said on Monday Pope Benedict did not have any plans to meet the Dalai Lama next month, contrary to a previous announcement that had irked China and raised concern about efforts to improve relations.

A Vatican official who spoke on condition of anonymity told reporters in October the Pope would meet the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism on December 13. The Dalai Lama is considered a traitor by Beijing since leading a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

China responded by saying the meeting might "hurt the feelings of the Chinese people" and urged the Pontiff to take actions showing he "is sincere in improving relations".

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Monday "no audience is planned" with the Dalai Lama and added there had never been an official announcement of a meeting.

The Pope has made improving ties with China a major goal of his pontificate and issued a 55-page open letter in June saying he sought to restore full diplomatic relations with Beijing that were severed two years after the 1949 Communist takeover.

Still, the Vatican has long opened its doors to the Dalai Lama but has kept such encounters low-profile.

Pope Benedict held a "strictly private" and "strictly religious" audience with him in October last year, but omitted the Dalai Lama's name from the list of people received by the Pontiff that day.

The Dalai Lama has this year met U.S. President George W. Bush at the White House, as well as leaders of Austria, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

The diplomatic push has been met with a stream of vitriol from Chinese officials and state media, calling the 72-year-old a "splittist" bent on independence for Tibet and accusing him of orchestrating anti-Chinese activities in the remote region.

The Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit Italy next month and politicians are debating whether he should be allowed to address parliament.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Writing by Phil Stewart)

===================================================================

I'll have to translate at least one Italian item that is far more analytical and contextual.

Pope hints at Ireland visit
By John Cooney in Rome
Irish Independent (Dublin)
Tuesday November 27 2007
www.independent.ie/


THE first Papal visit for almost 30 years was looking increasingly likely last night after Pope Benedict XVI said he hopes to visit Ireland.

The Pontiff conveyed his wishes personally to Ireland's new Cardinal, Sean Brady, at a private audience in the auditorium of the Paul VI hall in the Vatican, where the two men embraced warmly.

Cardinal Brady took the opportunity to renew the invite which he first made in October last year on behalf of the Irish Hierarchy.

Pope Benedict's immediate confirmation that he would like to come to Ireland despite his limited foreign travel schedule was a clear signal that a visit is being seriously considered by the 80-year-old Pope.

Speaking to the Irish Independent immediately after his audience, Cardinal Brady said: "I took the opportunity of our brief meeting to renew the invitation on behalf of the Irish Episcopal Conference."

Asked what Pope Benedict's response was, Cardinal Brady revealed that the Holy Father said: "I hope so".

This clearest indication to-date of the Pope's desire to undertake an Irish visit, the highlight of which would be a fulfilment of the late John Paul II's plans to pray in the Armagh Cathedral of St Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, will renew intensive diplomatic lobbying by the governments in Dublin, London and Belfast to bring this about.

The high-profile attendance by representatives from the three administrations at the weekend ceremonies in Rome, at which the former Archbishop Brady (68) was installed as a member of the College of Cardinals, has been well received by both the Pope and senior Vatican officials.

President Mary McAleese, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, the British Minister overseeing the North, Shaun Woodward, and the Stormont Executive's Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, attended the ceremony.

All spoke glowingly of the era of potential prosperity and permanent peace that has opened up as a result of the formation of the power-sharing executive at Stormont.

In turn, Pope Benedict has cited, on several occasions in recent months, his belief that the peace settlement in the North provides a model for the resolution of other conflict situations in the world, especially the Middle East.

Cardinal Brady told the Irish Independent that he sensed that the presence at his installation of President McAleese and the top level representatives from the three governments was "a consummation" of the appeal by Pope John Paul II in Drogheda during his historic visit to Ireland in 1979 when he prayed for an end to violence.

"It was the answer to John Paul's prayer," he added.

But the Cardinal also noted that there was a sense of "unfinished business" because Pope John Paul's intention to visit Armagh had been frustrated by the violence of the IRA.

Last night, Vatican sources indicated that, while consideration was being given to Pope Benedict's visiting Ireland, no commitment had yet been made, and the first definite sign of a planned visit would require its inclusion in his draft travel schedule.

The Vatican officials confirmed that the programme for Pope Benedict's visit to America next spring were almost completed, but that this has not dampened speculation that he could make a brief stop-over in Ireland en route to the United States.

Last night at the final public event in his three-day Rome engagements, Cardinal Brady presided at his first Mass as a Prince of the Church in the Basilica of St John Lateran.

Iran's Secret Weapon: The Pope
By JEFF ISRAELY/ROME
Monday, Nov. 26, 2007


While no one doubts that the Pope, any Pope in modern times, will always favor negotiations 'at almost any cost', as this article puts it, rather than any armed conflict, the implication of this article that Benedict XVI, in particular, would lend himself to be used as a 'secret weapon' - a less dramatic but more direct and precise term is 'tool' - by any government is condescending, to say the least. Especially if, again as Mr. Israely's analysis puts it, Iran would use the Pope's well-meaning efforts in favor of 'negotations before and rather than anything else' to buy time for Ahmadinejad to put his nuclear-weapons program firmly in place.


The diplomatic chess game around Iran's nuclear program includes an unlikely bishop. According to several well-placed Rome sources, Iranian officials are quietly laying the groundwork necessary to turn to Pope Benedict XVI and top Vatican diplomats for mediation if the showdown with the United States should escalate toward a military intervention.

The 80-year-old Pope has thus far steered clear of any strong public comments about either Iran's failure to fully comply with U.N. nuclear weapons inspectors or the drumbeat of war coming from some corners in Washington.

But Iran, which has had diplomatic relations with the Holy See for 53 years, may be trying to line up Benedict as an ace in the hole for staving off a potential attack in the coming months.

"The Vatican seems to be part of their strategy," a senior Western diplomat in Rome said of the Iranian leadership. "They'll have an idea of when the 11th hour is coming. And they know an intervention of the Vatican is the most open and amenable route to Western public opinion. It could buy them time."

If the situation heats up in the coming months, the question of exactly what role the Vatican would play could become pivotal. Says one high-ranking Vatican official: "The Iranians look to the Holy See with particular attention. It is born from our common religious matrix. This could be utilized to offer ourselves as an intermediary if the crisis worsens."

Among the potential moves: a forceful series of public appeals by the Pope, a Vatican emissary sent to Washington and Tehran, or a visit to the Vatican by Iranian President President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Located in a leafy Rome neighborhood, the Iranian embassy to the Holy See features an entryway lined with a large photograph of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and framed, centuries-old correspondence between popes and Persian monarchs, including a Nov. 16, 1561, letter in Latin from Pope Pius V to Shah Tahmasp I.

The current No. 2 official at the embassy, Vice-Ambassador Ahmad Fahima, said that despite some concern last year about the Pope's provocative speech about Islam in Regensburg, Germany, "relations between Iran and the Holy See are very good."

Last April's release of 15 British sailors held by Iran — a decision that Ahmadinejad called "an Easter gift" — came just a day after the Pope had sent a private letter asking for their liberation.

"There was respect for the request of the Pope," said Fahima, who also cited a Rome meeting in May between Benedict and former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami as a sign of the mutual good will. "The policy of the Holy See is important throughout the whole world," the diplomat said.

Asked about the standoff with the West over his country's nuclear program, Fahima repeated Iran's insistence that it is seeking atomic power only for civilian purposes. Moreover, he said he doubts that the United States can resolve key regional issues in the Middle East, including Iraq and Lebanon, without the help of Iran.

"We don't expect the superpower will attack," Fahima concluded. "But if they do, I am sure the Holy See would not be favorable to such a choice."

Iran has a surprisingly large diplomatic corps at the Vatican (only the Dominican Republic has more diplomats accredited to the Holy See) who have a monthly meeting with papal advisers. But other unofficial discussions, in trattorias and cafes and a variety of Church

institutions, are a constant part of the diplomatic workings in Rome. And over recent months, the conversations have centered on the looming showdown over Iran's nuclear program.

Says one key Catholic Church player involved in these discussions: "The Pope will speak explicitly only when the conditions call for it. One difference this time [compared with Iraq] is that we're hoping the American bishops could speak out [against any attack plans]. That would be of great help."

For now, Benedict is maintaining a low profile. During his September trip to Austria, the Pope chose not to address the Iranian nuclear question in a key speech to world diplomats in Vienna, which is the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Though Vatican officials say they are concerned about Iran's development of nuclear arms, the pontiff is both doctrinally bound and personally inclined to pursue a negotiated settlement at almost any cost.

In 2003, then serving as a senior Vatican Cardinal, the current Pope was firmly behind John Paul II's opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Indeed, many in Rome cite parallels between the current push from American hardliners to confront Iran and the walkup to the war in Iraq.

"The Holy See hasn't forgotten what happened in Iraq," says one Vatican insider. "Seeing how that situation has developed, there is great, great prudence on the part of the Holy See. The judgment shown on Iraq weighs on the Iran situation."

As elsewhere, U.S. and Iranian officials in Rome do not have any direct contact. With American officials, Vatican diplomats sometimes raise the subject of Iran in the context of ongoing efforts to stabilize Lebanon, where the Catholic Church is actively involved in negotiations because of that country's large Christian population.

Indeed, while home to a relatively small Christian minority, Iran is seen at the Vatican as a key player in the broader context of inter-faith relations. Religious experts say that Catholicism and Shi'a Islam have a surprisingly similar structure and approach to their different faiths.

"What you have in Iran is a strong academic tradition, with both philosophical and mystical aspects — in many ways like Catholicism," says Father Daniel Madigan, a Jesuit scholar of islam, and a member of the Vatican's commission for religious relations with Islam who helped arrange for Khatami's visit. There is also a clerical hierarchy in Shi'ism that is absent in other forms of Islam.

Madigan notes that Iranians have long studied other cultures and religions. "They know their Western stuff," he said. "Right now, they're isolated because of sanctions, but they really do want to interact with the world." And Rome is one place the interaction has already begun.

Earlier today, I posted stories about the Annapolis conference in CULTURE & POLITICS, preceding it with a re-citation of the Holy Father's words about the conference with which he started his Angelus message last Sunday. Indeed, the Nov. 26-67 issue of L'Osservatore Romano today still used the Pope's message as its main story on Page 1.

I will post OR coverage of the process on this thread, knowing that the OR, under its new editors, directly reflects the primary interests of the Holy Father, of which peace in the Holy Land obviously ranks high.


OR today, carrying the Pope's Angelus message,
which also had the following Page 1 news item:


'A historic occasion
not to be under-estimated'
By Luca Possati


"This is a historic occasiont hat should not be under-estimated", Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) said on his arrival in Washington Monday on the eve of the international conference in Annapolis sponsored by the United States to re-start Israeli-Palestine peace negotiations.

As 49 other delegations representing interested nations and international organizations gahered in Annapolis, Issraeli and Palestinian panels were meeting frantically to come up with a joint statement in advance of the conference.

President Bush, declaring himself satisfied with the participation of thje Arab nations, inclusing Syria and Saudi Arabia, said it was his 'personal commitment' to reakize the plan for "two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security."

Preceding the conference in Annapolis, Bush was to meet yesterday wth Abu Mazen and Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert separately. In the afteroon, the was a meeting among the members of the Quartet (the United Nations, the European Union, the USA and Russia) which had been trying since 2003 to get Israel and Plestine to follow a road map for peace, with little success.

Some observers said the Annapolis conference takes place amid much skepticism and with low expectations. Multiple meetings between Olmert and Abbas in Jerusalem and Ramallah since August failed to come up with a joint agreement on anything, idnciating how deeply divided they are on the main sticking points to peace.

Last June, the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas gained control of the Gaza Strip last June, expelling alll representatives of Abbas's Fatah party and forcing him to form an emergency government, the tensions between the two factions have steadily risen, often resulting in waves of violence.

Israel, which pulled completely out of Gaza in 2006, has declared the Strip 'hostile territory' and cut off its electric power supply.

In such a climate, the sticking points between Issrael and Palestine are well-known. First, the definition of the borders of a Palestine state. The Palestinian Authority demands that Israel pull back to its borders before the 1967 war, including East Jerusalem.

Israel recently said it was committed to keeping its commitment to the 'road map' to peace indicated by the Quartet in 2002, which includes not to start any more settlements on Palestinian territory, not to expropriate Palestyinioan lands, and to dismantle any 'illegal' military posts on Palestinian territory.

The Palestinian side has pointed out that that the road map calls for a 'freeze' to Israeli settlements - which they interpret to mean not expanding any existing Israeli settlements. Olmert has not promised this last.

Far more sensitive for both sides is the status of Jerusalem. Having occupied East Jerusa,lem in 1967, Israel then declared in 1980 that the city is Israel's 'eternal and indivisible capital', a stattus not recognized by the international community.

Olmert has talked about the possiblity of ceding parts of East Jerusalem to the Palestinians. But hte Israeli Parliament, impelled by conservative members, voted to raise the quorum of votes necessary to approve any change in Israeli control over all of Jerusalem.

Then, there is the unresolved problem of Palestinian refugees - those who left what is now Israeli territory after the state of Israel was created in 1947. Sixty years later, those refugees have swelled to 4.3 million, of which 1.6 million are now in Palestinian territory, while the rest live in refugee camps in other Arab nations.

L'Osservatore Romano - 26-27 novembre 2007)

====================================================================



And the English service of Vatican Radio reported from Annapolis today:

Annapolis opens with
last-minute joint statement


(27 Nov 07 - RV) With a handshake, leaders of the United States, Israel and the Palestinians agreed this evening to immediately launch peace talks with the goal of reaching a final accord by the end of 2008.

President George W. Bush made the dramatic announcement at the opening of a 44-nation Middle East peace conference, with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas standing alongside him.

The accord emerged from lengthy, last-minute negotiations between the parties on a joint document meant to chart the course for negotiating the toughest "final status" issues of the conflict - Jerusalem, borders, security and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

As the summit to secure peace in the Middle East started in Annapolis, near Washington DC, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and the West Bank, in protest against the summit.

In the West Bank, police loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas violently broke up demonstrations, killing one protester and seriously wounding several others.

More than 40 countries are attending the peace conference - 7 years after the last fully-fledged talks on peace between the neighbouring communities of Israel and Palestine.

The Holy See was invited to attend the conference and is represented by Monsignor Pietro Parolin, undersecretary for relations with states.

On Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI urged the faithful to pray that the participants at the summit find the «wisdom and courage» necessary to bring peace to the Holy Land.

I've already given up hope that Papa will come to England......but if he goes to Ireland, just try to stop me following him!!!!!!!!
I'm currently very interested in everything Irish.....so this is wonderful news! I hope he will be going to Knock.

Translated from the Italian service of Vatican Radio today:

Archbishop Pezzi of Moscow says
'The Orthodox appreciate Benedict XVI
because he underscores the need
for a communion in deed'



Archbishop Pezzi, right, at his consecration Oct. 29
as Moscow archbishop replacing Mons. Kondrusiewicz, left.


The day of reflection and prayer that preceded last week's Consistory once again underscored Pope Benedict XVI's commitment to ecumenism. Alessandro Gisotti intervewed the Archbishop of Moscow, Mons. Paolo Pezzi, who was in Rome, on how the Orthodox orld sees the Pope's efforts.


Mons. Pezzi: I think the judgment is generally positive, for two reasons above all. The first, that the Pope does not speak about ecumenism generically, but he sees it as a communion that must be lived together, in deeds. I believe that is an aspect that is well appreciated.

The second reason is that the Holy Fahther has said he will do everything possible to do away with the things that would get in the way of full communion. So this also implies not 'hiding' away from the problems that may arise, but to have both the courage and the patience to face them.


Your Excellency, you have met with the Pope in recent days. What was the Pope's latest indication about the dialog with the Orthodox?
The most obvious thing I came away with was the Pope's passion for the good of the Catholic Church, even for the tiny flock in Moscow. And he was very interested in any openings we have in actual relations with the Russian Orthodox.


In remarking on your nomination, the Orthodox Metropolitan Kirill said that it is a time of thaw between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. But problems continue. For instance, the Patriarchate of Moscow has expressed many reservations about the Ravenna document. What points can be worked on to recover from that setback?
I think there are two directions which may be helpful. The first is not to be afraid to discuss these problems openly, to share the issues, the points of difference, anything we might consider obstacles to full communion.

The second is something which I think is becoming a testing ground - to take a common stand on social issues, in which values rooted in Christianity can certainly be an opportunity for dialog and even collaboration.


We have been speaking of relationships at the top, so to speak, of both Churches. How are relations at the base?
In some regions, there are intense and significant relationships, I might even say friendships, particularly among the clergy. But some places are more difficult. I think, above all, that there should be far better reciprocal knowledge about each other's church. But knowing about the other is never abstract. This should be accompanied by charity, so that it is possible to do things together.


Cardinal Kasper said recently that a meeting between the Holy Father and the Patriarch of Moscow would be 'useful'. What needs to be done to make it even possible?
To that question, I have to answer very sincerely, I don't know. To get from being 'useful' to being 'possible', there has to be agreement on what is meant by being useful. What use would such a meeting serve?

I think it would be useful precisely to examine more deeply the issues in the way of full communion, understanding that not everything depends on such a meeting, but that neither is it merely for show. That it should be considered a step in the overall path to unification.

I think Cardinal Kasper meant that such a meeting would provide new impulse to the ecumenical effort. [Try selling that to Alexei!]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful


Luigi Accattoli in his blog yesterday makes a good point. Here is a translation -

Last Friday, Cardinal Tauran spoke to the full meeting of cardinals on the 'encouraging sign represented by the letter of 138 Muslim personages' to the Pope and other Christian leaders last month, and that there would be an answer 'soon'.

Question: Is the Holy See (i.e., the Pope), going to answer the letter by itself (himself)? Wouldn't it be better if an answer came from all 27 Christian leaders to whom the letter was addressed by name?

The letter was evidently conceived as an appeal to the 'Leaders of the Christian churches in all the world' from 'Muslim religious leaders'.

They not only cite Judaeo-Christian Scriptures in their canonical text, but also addressed with perfect knowledge of Christian 'officialdom', listing the Christian leaders in the order of precedence that has generally been accepted in church circles: first, the Pope and the four major Patriarchs, then the Patriarchs of Mowcow, Serbia, Romania, all the other Orthodox Churches, and the non-Orthodox Eastern churches, the Anglican Primate, the president of the federation of Reformed Churches, and the secretary of the World Council of Churches.

So why don't the Christian leaders send a common response? Or try at least. Do we take it for granted that the Christian world is so much more frzagmented internally than the Muslim world is?

Ecumenism should be expressed in deed whenever possible, not merely talked about, and I think this is a very good opportunity: A new fact must be answered in a new way. Not to mention that a common answer would have a heavier weight.

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I doubt that any answer coming from the Vatican would be from the Pope, but rather from Cardinal Tauran's Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious dialog - withthe Pope's express or tacit approval. But some of the individual addresssees of the Muslim letter have already answered back individually. The Archbishop of Canterbury sent an answer the very day the letter was handed to him in Lambeth Palace.

If you haven't checked it out, the official site for A COMMON WORD
www.acommonword.com/
has been posting responses as they come in, incuding 3 from Jewish individuals or groups.

And for the record and quick reference, here are the addressees in the order they are named:

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An Open Letter and Call from Muslim Religious Leaders to:
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI,

His All-Holiness Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople, New Rome,
His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa,
His Beatitude Ignatius IV, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East,
His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem,
His Beatitude Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,
His Beatitude Pavle, Patriarch of Belgrade and Serbia,
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania,
His Beatitude Maxim, Patriarch of Bulgaria,
His Beatitude Ilia II, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia,
His Beatitude Chrisostomos, Archbishop of Cyprus,
His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece,
His Beatitude Sawa, Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland,
His Beatitude Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana, Duerres and All Albania,
His Beatitude Christoforos, Metropolitan of the Czech and Slovak Republics,

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Apostolic Throne of St. Mark,
His Beatitude Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians,
His Beatitude Ignatius Zakka I, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church,
His Holiness Mar Thoma Didymos I, Catholicos of the East on the Apostolic Throne of St. Thomas and the Malankara Metropolitan,
His Holiness Abune Paulos, Fifth Patriarch and Catholicos of Ethiopia, Tekle Haymanot, Archbishop of Axium,

His Beatitude Mar Dinkha IV, Patriarch of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East,

The Most Rev. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury,
Rev. Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and President of the Lutheran World Federation,
Rev. George H. Freeman, General Secretary, World Methodist Council,
Rev. David Coffey, President of the Baptist World Alliance,
Rev. Setri Nyomi, General Secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches,

Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, General Secretary, World Council of Churches,
And Leaders of Christian Churches, everywhere….

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Poll shows New Yorkers Welcome Papal Visit
By Sewell Chan
New York Times
Nov. 27

Nearly one-quarter of New York City voters have an unfavorable opinion of Pope Benedict XVI and a similar proportion do not approve of the way he is doing his job, but an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers — 70 percent — believe his planned visit in April will be good for the city, according to Quinnipiac University poll results released this morning.

The poll of 1,007 registered voters in the city, conducted from Nov. 13 to 18, found that 9 percent of respondents had a “very favorable” opinion of Pope Benedict, 47 percent had a “favorable” opinion, 16 percent had an “unfavorable” opinion and 7 percent had a “very unfavorable” opinion.

By a large majority, New Yorkers view the pope’s visit as good for the city: the respondents agreed with that proposition by a margin of 70 percent to 15 percent, and Catholic voters even more strongly, by a margin of 88 percent to 9 percent.

Asked whether they approved of the job the pope is doing, 36 percent said they approved, 24 percent said they didn’t, and 41 percent said they were undecided. Roman Catholic voters approved of the pope’s handling of his responsibilities by a margin of 62 percent to 22 percent.

The poll also found that 29 percent of New Yorkers, including 60 percent of Catholics, would like to attend the pope’s Mass at Yankee Stadium, scheduled for April 20.

The visit will be the fourth papal visit to New York City in history. Pope Benedict XVI, who is 80, visited New York in 1988 when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the church’s top theologian.

“Most New Yorkers don’t know Pope Benedict XVI as well as they knew his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, so his favorability and approval are just O.K.,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “Maybe that will change in April."



Sarkozy to visit Pope Dec. 20

VATICAN CITY, Nov 28, 2007 (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy will have an official audience with Pope Benedict XVI on December 20, the I.Media news agency reported Wednesday.

The visit, planned for several months, will see the two men discuss details of a possible trip by the head of the Catholic Church to France in 2008.

The pope is expected to mark the 150th anniversary of the first vision of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, in southwest France.

If the Pope does accept an invitation to Lourdes, he may also take up earlier invitations to visit from the Bishops of Paris and Mont-St-Michel in the northwest, although no dates or official confirmations have been made.

Whilst in Rome, Sarkozy is also expected to officially receive the title of "honorary Canon" at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral church of Rome.

The title is traditionally given to the president of France as a mark of the long ties between the country and the Roman Catholic Church.


Pope Calls Christians to Protect Planet

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says a "moral awakening" in favor of the environment is needed, and rich countries should not abuse the resources of developing nations.

This exhortation forms part of the message sent in the Pope's name by Archbishop Fernando Filoni, "sostituto" of the Vatican Secretariat of State, to the 92nd Social Weeks of France, celebrated in and around Paris from Nov. 16 to 18.

The pontifical message affirmed, “It is necessary to rejoice at the fact that our contemporaries recognize more and more the need for a lasting development in order to leave to future generations a truly inhabitable planet, in the perspective offered by the Creator."

The text voiced fears of men and women of today, such as “exhausting the resources of the planet, the rapid thawing of the glaciers, the increase of the greenhouse effect, the increase of natural disasters, excessive emission of carbon dioxide.”

“These are some of the warning signs that call for a moral awakening in favor of the earth,” the Pope asserted. “Once again, poorer countries will have to suffer the most serious consequences provoked by the attitude of the industrialized world and the trust -- sometimes excessive -- in scientific and technical progress."

Benedict XVI said that God gave man his Spirit so that, with the use of reason, humans may design projects "oriented toward permitting a better distribution of the natural resources and of the goods of the earth," including a restrained use of forests and biological reserves.

“The richest nations are called not to abuse improperly the resources of the developing countries without returning to them the revenue derived from the resources of their land and underground," he affirmed. "It is a matter of the elemental principles of justice and equity and the universal destination of the goods of the earth. Besides, it is a work system about which it is necessary to reflect.”

The Pope asked that each Christian “adopt new behaviors in order to serve as guardians of nature and the environment. Human intelligence has many possibilities for stimulating a new, lasting development."



POPE TO VISIT ROMAN HOSPITAL ON SUNDAY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 27, 2007 (VIS) - On Sunday, December 2, Benedict XVI is due to visit the Roman hospital of St. John the Baptist, which belongs to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of people suffering from neurological disorders.

The Pope will celebrate Mass for the patients and their families before going on to visit the reanimation unit, one of the few Italian healthcare structures specifically dedicated to providing specialized therapy for patients recovering from comas.

According to a note published by the communications office of the Order of Malta, this event has a twofold historical significance: firstly because it is "the first visit by a Pope to this hospital," and secondly because the hospital itself has a long-standing link to the See of Peter, "being built on the site of the ancient 'Castello della Magliana,' used by Pontiffs for centuries as their summer residence.

The GA was held inside Aula Paolo VI today. The Holy Father's catechesis was on St. Ephrem the Syrian, a 4th century theologian who represented Christianity without the influence of Greek thought. Later, he made an appeal for increased efforts to combat the spread of AIDS, to fight against the prejudices attached to AIDS patients, and to take care of AIDS patients, especially children. The world marks a day dedicated to the AIDS problem on December 1.

A translation of the Pope's full text has been posted in AUDIENCE AND ANGELUS TEXTS.

Here is the Pope's English synthesis of today's catechesis:

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In this week’s catechesis we turn to Saint Ephrem, the greatest of the Syriac Fathers and the most renowned poet of the patristic age. Saint Ephrem’s theology, deeply grounded in the Scriptures and profoundly orthodox in content, was expressed in poetic language marked by striking paradoxes and vivid imagery.

Through his mastery of poetic symbolism, Ephrem sought to communicate, especially in his Hymns, the mystery of the trinitarian God, the incarnation of the eternal Son born of the Virgin Mary, and the spiritual treasures contained in the Eucharist. His poetry and hymns not only enriched the liturgy; they also proved an important means of catechesis for the Christian community in the fourth century.

Particularly significant is Ephrem’s teaching on our redemption by Christ: his poetic descriptions of the interplay of the divine and human aspects of this great mystery foreshadowed the theology and, to some extent, even the language of the great christological definitions of the Councils of the next century.

In his life-long service to the Church as a deacon, Saint Ephrem was an example of fidelity to the liturgy, meditation on the mystery of Christ and charitable service to his brothers and sisters.

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Protect and help immigrants,
Pope tells governments
By Philip Pullella



VATICAN CITY, nOV. 28 (Reuters) - Governments must do more to help young immigrants and refugees assimilate in host countries and protect them from sexual exploitation and human trafficking, Pope Benedict said on Wednesday.

For their part, immigrants must obey laws and never resort to violence, Benedict said in a message for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will fall on January 13.

The Pope issued his message as rich countries around the world, from the United States to Europe, are engaged in heated debates about immigration and its effect on everything ranging from national culture, to education, to crime.

In the two-page message, the Pope said the vast globalization process had created many problems. Young immigrants, including children, too easily fell victim to the worst form of exploitation, he said.

"These boys and girls often end up on the street abandoned to themselves and prey to unscrupulous exploiters who often transform them into the object of physical, moral and sexual violence," he said.

"While it is true that much is being done for them, even greater commitment is still needed to help them by creating suitable hospitality and formative structures."

According to the United Nations UNHCR refugee agency, there are nearly 33 million asylum seekers, refugees and others whose situation is of concern to the UNHCR.

The Pope said concern for the problems of immigrants seeking a better life should not detract attention from the plight of the millions of victims of forced migration, especially children.

"It is impossible to remain silent before the distressing images of the great refugee camps present in different parts of the world," he said. "How can we not think that these little beings have come into the world with the same legitimate expectations of happiness as the others?"

For their part, the Pope said, immigrants must "scrupulously and seriously" fulfill their duties to host countries.

"Be respectful of the laws and never let yourselves be carried away by hatred and violence," he said.

Earlier this month, Italy and Romania were mired in a bitter diplomatic rift over Rome's decision to deport dangerous foreigners, most of them Romanian immigrants involved in a spate of crimes in the Italian capital.

Thanks for the article about the polls on what New Yorkers think about the Holy Father's visit. Good to hear. I still think this poor image of an inforcer remains (remember the title on one of the Brazilian papers during the Holy Father's visit: The Pope Smiles!'). Hopefully people get to know him better during this visit. Also thanks for the articles about the GA today.