NEWS ABOUT BENEDICT

Catholics have an opportunity to reclaim the Epistle to the Romans during this Year of St. Paul, if they participate more fully in the New Perspective studies on St. Paul, which indicate that the Lutheran (and generally Protestant) interpretation of sola gratia, sola fide is wrong or at least, unnuanced.

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THE POPE'S DAY, 7/3/08

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The Holy Father met today in Castel Gandolfo with
- H.E. Nathaniel Rahumaea Waena, Governor-General of the Solomon Islands, and his delegation.
- H.E. Donald W. Smith, Ambassador from Canada, on a farewell visit.
- Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, Prefect for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

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THE POPE HAS LEFT
THE VATICAN FOR THE SUMMER


Arriving in Castel Gandolfo yesterday evening by helicopter, the Pope surprised residents by coming out to
the Piazza in front of the Apostolic Palace to greet the welcoming crowd. He has usually done this by
appearing on the balcony overlooking the square shortly upon arriving at the summer residence.

A brief item in tomorrow's issueu of L'Osservatore Romano says the Pope was being shown the new sun roof installed for the inner courtyard of the Apostolic Palace (where the public gathers for the Sunday Angelus led by the Pope) when he heard his name being chanted by the crowd in the town square facing the Palace. He then decided to walk out to the square to greet them.



POPE WITH THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL
OF SOLOMON ISLANDS



The Vatican press Office released this communique today:

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Today in the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo, the Holy Father received in audience Sir Nathaniel Rahumaea Waena, governor general of the Solomon Islands, who subsequently went on to meet Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

In the course of the cordial meeting, discussions focused on the current political and social situation of the country, and on the significant contribution of the Catholic Church, especially in the fields of education, healthcare and human promotion.

In the name of the Holy See, the secretary for Relations with States thanked the governor general and the authorities of the Solomon Islands for their generous outreach to young people who wish to participate in the forthcoming celebration of World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, recognising the formative importance of the event.

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BROTHER DAMIEN OF MOLOKAI,
APOSTLE TO THE LEPERS,
LEADS NEW SAINTS FOR CANONIZATION


VATICAN CITY, 3 JUL 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in private audience Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins C.M.F., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorised the promulgation of decrees concerning the following causes:


MIRACLES

- Blessed, Fr. Damien de Veuster, Belgian professed priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1840-1889).

- Blessed Bernardo Tolomei, Italian founder of the Olivetan Benedictine Congregation (1272-1348).

- Blessed Nuno di Santa Maria Alvares Pereira (ne: Nuno), Portuguese professed layman of the Order of Friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (1360-1431).

- Servant of God Louis Martin, French layman (1823-1894) and Servant of God Marie-Zelie Guerin Martin, French laywoman (1831-1877). They were the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux.

MARTYRDOM

- Servant of God Francesco Giovanni Bonifacio, Italian, killed in hatred of the faith at Villa Gardossi, Italy (1912-1946).

HEROIC VIRTUES

- Blessed Nuno di Santa Maria Alvares Pereira (ne: Nuno), Portuguese professed layman of the Order of Friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (1360-1431).

- Servant of God Stephen Douayhy, Lebanese patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites (1630-1704).

- Servant of God Bernardino Dal Vago da Portogruaro (ne: Giuseppe), Italian archbishop of the Order of Friars Minor (1822-1895).

- Servant of God Giuseppe Di Donna, Italian bishop of Andria, of the Order of the Blessed Trinity (1901-1952).

- Servant of God Maria Barbara of the Blessed Trinity Maix (nee: Barbara), Austrian foundress of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (1818-1873).

- Servant of God Pius Keller (ne: Hans), German professed priest of the Order of St. Augustine (1825-1904).

- Servant of God Andres Hibernon Garmendia (ne: Francisco Andres), Spanish professed brother of the Institute of Brothers of Christian Schools (1880- 1969).

- Servant of God Chiara Badano, young Italian lay woman (1971-1990).


Pope approves Father Damien's miracle

VATICAN CITY, July 3 (AP) - The Vatican has moved a Belgian priest who ministered to leprosy patients in Hawaii close to sainthood.

The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI approved a miracle attributed to Father Damien. Damien was beatified in 1995 so the latest approval means he will be canonized at a date still to be set.

Damien ministered to leprosy patients who had been banished to Molokai after an epidemic in Hawaii in the 1850s. The Belgian-born priest contracted the disease and died in 1889 at 49.

The Vatican approved as a miracle the healing of a Honolulu woman diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She was cured in 1999 after she visited the island where Damien worked and prayed to the priest.


Fr. Damien, parents of St. Therese
advance toward sainthood






Vatican City, Jul 3, 2008 (CNA)- The head of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, met with Pope Benedict today to present him with 14 causes for canonization in their various stages. Among those approved for advancement towards sainthood are Fr. Damien De Veuster, a Belgian missionary to Hawaii, and the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux.

The miracle attributed to Fr. Damien is the cure of Audrey Toguchi, a 79-year-old retired schoolteacher who became ill in 1997 with a cancerous lump on her left thigh.

Upon discovering her cancer, Toguchi went to Fr. Damien’s grave and asked him to intercede for her healing. She then underwent surgery, but her doctor informed her afterwards that he could do nothing more since the cancer had spread to her lungs. Toguchi turned once again to Fr. Damien and the cancer soon began to inexplicably disappear of a four month period. For a full explanation of the miracle please visit: www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12523

The miracle credited to the parents of St. Therese involved the healing of Pietro Schiliro, an Italian newborn who was born in 2002 with partial lungs. The condition was so grave that doctors could do nothing and Pietro’s parents immediately had him baptized.

The Schiliros also began a novena to St. Therese’s parents and within a few weeks the Pietro made an unexpected recovery.



JOY AT LIBERATION OF INGRID BETANCOURT
AND OTHER GUERRILLA HOSTAGES IN COLOMBIA



VATICAN CITY, 3 JUL 2008 (VIS) - Vatican Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. expressed the Holy See's satisfaction last night at the liberation of 15 hostages held by the FARC guerrilla group in Colombia, among them former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.

"This is good news", Fr. Lombardi affirmed, "that creates much satisfaction and gives reasons for hope for the country".

"It is", he went on, "a sign of hope for so many other people" and for "the pacification of a country that has suffered from so much violence".

The liberation of the hostages, he concluded, "is also a positive response to the hopes expressed by the Pope, by the bishops and by the Church".

The director of the Holy See Press Office recalled that Benedict XVI had made numerous calls for the liberation of all hostages held by the FARC guerrillas.

Just earlier yeserday, in a video-message sent to Colombian bishops to mark the first centenary of their episcopal conference, the Holy Father stressed that the country's prelates must seek to be "men of harmony", and praised their "continual exhortations for an end to the violence, kidnapping, and extortion which affect so many sons and daughters of that beloved land".

The Pope concluded his Message by asking God "for an end to these situations which have caused so much suffering, and for a stable and just peace in Colombia, in a climate of hope and prosperity".



Pope expresses joy at rescue
of hostages in Colombia
By Carol Glatz



VATICAN CITY, July 3 (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI expressed joy upon hearing that hostages held by Colombian rebels had been freed after the Colombian army staged a bloodless military operation.

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said the July 2 liberation of 15 hostages from the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, is also "a sign of hope" for peace in a country that has been plagued by rebel violence for decades.

The Pope "is happy about this very wonderful news," he said July 2.

Colombian soldiers disguised as rebels tricked local FARC commanders into letting the hostages be airlifted in an unmarked helicopter.

Among those liberated were three U.S. contractors, who had been held by FARC since 2003. They were flown to Texas July 3. They had been captured when their drug surveillance plane went down in a rebel-held jungle.

In addition to freeing 11 Colombian soldiers and police -- some of whom had been held for a dozen years -- the military operation liberated former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. The Colombian politician was abducted in 2002 while she was running for president.

Pope Benedict had met with Betancourt's mother in February at the Vatican and repeatedly had called for the release of all those held hostage in Colombia.

"This liberation is also a positive response to those hopes expressed by the Pope, the bishops, the Church," Father Lombardi said.

The hostage rescue came a day after Pope Benedict launched an appeal for an end to the violence, kidnappings and extortion plaguing the country.

"I fervently pray to God that these situations which have caused so much suffering end as soon as possible and that a stable and just peace may reign in Colombia in an atmosphere of hope and well-being," he said in a video message to Colombia's bishops.

The video message was recorded at the end of June and broadcast July 1 to Colombian bishops attending the 85th plenary assembly of the Colombian bishops' conference in Bogota, Colombia.

The Pope praised the bishops for their efforts in working for peace in Colombia.

In a July 2 statement, Archbishop Luis Castro Quiroga of Tunja, president of Colombia's bishops' conference, urged FARC to "study with much seriousness the possibility of dialoguing with the government."

U.S. Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace, expressed joy over the release of the hostages.

"Such moments remind us of the ongoing suffering of so many Colombians who yearn for justice and peace," said Bishop Wenski in a July 3 letter to Archbishop Castro. "I join you in praying for the end of all violence in Colombia and a restitution of a just peace for all Colombians."

Bishop Wenski said he also was praying "that those who continue to be held will know the freedom that belongs to them and that hearts of violence will be turned to peace and reconciliation."

FARC, which began four decades ago by defending landless peasants but has become notorious for kidnapping and drug trafficking, has been fighting to overthrow Colombia's elected governments.

The Colombian bishops have acted as intermediaries in talks between the government and the guerrillas, most recently in efforts to free hundreds of hostages, but in recent months the church has been pushed out of its central role. The church also has worked to demobilize smaller paramilitaries in the country responsible for the ongoing conflict.

Colombia's government estimates there are some 700 people still being held hostage by rebels.

In a year Pope Benedict XVI
has reshaped the liturgical landscape
by Shawn Tribe

July 4, 2008


The Pontiff liberated the traditional Mass a year ago next week with the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum.
Noted liturgical blogger Shawn Tribe describes how the Motu Proprio has already begun to transform the Church
4 July 2008



A year ago an event occurred in the life of the Church whose influence was significant enough that it might be said to have demarcated a new era: the post-Summorum Pontificum era.

Of course, in proclaiming "eras" one must be careful of hyperbole, but it is arguable that the papal Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, which clarified the place of the usus antiquior[the old practice. literally] (or the 1962 Missale Romanum) in the life of the Church, created a situation which is bound to have far-reaching effects on the liturgical landscape of the Church.

Of course, to speak of far-reaching effects is not to say that these effects will all be immediate, or will not happen by degrees over time. After all, the shifts in understanding and approach to the Catholic liturgy, on both the academic and practical level, are not going to change overnight. It will take time, and measuring the impact of the Motu Proprio is not simply the project of a few months, but rather one of years.

Still, it is possible even a year out to take stock of what the early fruits of the Motu Proprio have been.

For the most part, typical parish life yet remains typical parish life, and this was to be expected. Any sense that the papal Motu Proprio would be a magic fix that would introduce overnight a massive introduction of traditional liturgy could only be unrealistic - though how many really expected this is questionable - a minority, no doubt.

That said, there have been many visible effects which can be witnessed. For one, there have been a number of successful training conferences hosted in various regions of the world for priests and seminarians interested in learning about the usus antiquior.

The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales hosted such a conference at Merton College, Oxford, in the summer of 2007 and is hosting another in the same location this summer. The Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius, based in Chicago, Illinois, have sent one of their priests as far away as Eastern Europe to offer similar training, and recently held a spring training session in Chicago. They have even coordinated sessions for the laity.

Beyond this, the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter and the Institute of Christ the King have also organised similar training sessions with great success. More continue to be planned and interest continues to be expressed. While the numbers of priests who have attended these conferences so far is not going to be in the thousands so much as the hundreds, the fact is that it is yet hundreds who have begun to walk the road toward the celebration of the ancient Roman liturgy.

Aside from training, there has also been a noticeable increase of Masses now being offered according to the 1962 Missal. Some of the most encouraging of these developments are those now being offered at Catholic university campuses where they were not previously offered.

In the United States this includes Georgetown University, the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Seton Hall, Ave Maria University and others. Numbers are less the issue here than is the fact of the spread of this liturgy to areas in an academic environment where youth will be able to more readily partake of it, learn from it and be inspired by it.

As far as parishes are concerned, it is difficult to gauge what the precise response has so far been, but certainly gains have been made on this front and it is quite common to hear of parish priests now offering the usus antiquior in addition to the regular slate of Masses in the modern form.

While this is not the significant majority of priests and parishes of course - again, that wouldn't be realistic to expect at this point - the gains are nonetheless noteworthy. Where there was once perhaps a single celebration of the ancient Roman liturgy in a city - often at best - there is now a much greater likelihood of at least a few more being offered with some measure of frequency.

(A good example of this would be the Archdiocese of Detroit in the United States which, at present count, now has at least nine parishes which now offer the usus antiquior. Prior to the Motu Proprio there were only one or two.)

It must also be noted that progress is not only being reported in European context, but we also see evidence of growth in countries like Chile, the Philippines and HongKong Kong, to name a few.

When one considers this situation of availability as compared to even one year ago, the gains are proportionally quite impressive. All this as well - it is to be remembered - in the very earliest infancy of the post-Motu Proprio era. We can only expect to see further increases in this regard - and I would propose that these increases will likely be significant.

New personal parishes and the like are also being established. In Canada's largest, most populous diocese, Toronto, it was recently confirmed that the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP) had been invited into that archdiocese and work was underway to find a suitable situation for them. This is in addition to the Toronto Oratory which already offers Mass in the usus antiquior on Sundays and weekdays. Likewise, an FSSP apostolate was recently established in Quebec City under Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Primate of Canada, while another parish was offered to the FSSP in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Most significant, however, were the advancements that occurred within the Diocese of Rome itself. Whereas the community attached to the usus antiquior in that city formerly had use of a very small chapel that was located at the end of an alley, that same community has now been established as a personal parish for the ancient liturgy and has been given use of a large historical church that sits upon a well-travelled Roman piazza - a church which contains important works of sacred art.

This development, perhaps more than any, bespeaks the effects of the Motu Proprio - and we must be clear that what happens within Rome does have an effect and influence upon what happens without; it very much sets a model and template that can help other dioceses feel more confident in doing likewise. With these changes and for these reasons, the Roman personal parish is perhaps now the single most important apostolate for the usus antiquior.

Another barometer for the times is the fact that at least a few seminaries have already begun to adapt to the new liturgical situation within the Church. One seminary in the United States now offers the usus antiquior on a regular weekly basis for its seminarians, another monthly, while others have at least seen it celebrated in their seminary chapels - something previously unheard of.

In terms of formation, while most are still adjusting to the new realities and considering how they should approach them (which is perhaps not unreasonable, even if there is surely some proverbial dragging of feet in a number of cases as well) a few have got on board quite quickly with the fact that their seminarians need to be given liturgical training and formation in the 1962 Missale Romanum.

Recent statements by Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos during his visit to London last month further emphasised this very point and perhaps suggests the prospect of some sort of eventual Vatican requirement to this effect for seminaries - though that remains to be seen.

A final visible effect is the fact that a popular Catholic media company, the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), has begun airing occasional Masses in the ancient liturgy from their beautiful Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Alabama. This has included two Solemn Masses offered by priests of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter and a Missa Cantata by another priest.

Further, they have also recently aired a Solemn Pontifical Mass of Ordination for priests of the Fraternity of St Peter, celebrated by Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos in the Cathedral of Lincoln, Nebraska. In addition to these liturgies, they have also aired programmes on the matter of Summorum Pontificum and have been very active in using their resources to record important pontifical liturgies, including that of Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos in Westminster Cathedral in June, and earlier, the Pontifical Mass of Cardinal George Pell in Australia.

EWTN has also jointly produced a training video for the usus antiquior with the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter that looks to be extremely important and effective. If one takes into consideration that prior to the Motu Proprio, few if any such Masses were aired, and only some occasional documentaries on some of the priestly orders attached to the usus antiquior, this can be understood as being a direct effect of the Motu Proprio.

The potential influence of this should not be underestimated either. EWTN reaches approximately 146 million homes in 127 countries at last count. That is a great deal of exposure in very short order. If EWTN continues on this path and eventually begins to air the usus antiquior with even greater frequency, the effects could be even more significant. Their actions have already done quite a bit to help take the 1962 Missale Romanum into the mainstream.

This perhaps presents us with a natural transition into those effects of the Motu Proprio which might not be as visible yet, but which are nonetheless worth considering and examining.

In my capacity as editor of The New Liturgical Movement I can attest to the fact that there is a great deal of interest behind the scenes that, as of yet, is not visible, but which is preparing to blossom.

Psychologically, the effects of the Motu Proprio have been significant. While there are yet indeed stalwart ideologues who are steadfast in their opposition to the ancient liturgy, or others who yet cling to the notion that the "extraordinary form" intends to imply that this form of the Roman liturgy is to be a marginal note in the life of the Church, there has been a noticeable shift in general openness toward the ancient Roman liturgy.

Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos would certainly not share the former opinion when, in his recent June address to the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, he declared that the Holy Father wishes that this form of the liturgy might find a place anywhere and everywhere in the life and parishes of the Roman Church. Whereas the ancient liturgy previously had a strong stigma attached to it, the legal clarifications surrounding its status, as well as the evident value that the Supreme Pontiff was attaching to it, created a more positive and open climate.

In one sense, it worked to eliminate the fear that attachment to the ancient Roman liturgy was somehow tantamount to a rejection of Magisterial authority. It further clarified that the Church saw this form of the liturgy as having a place, not as a special exemption to the law or as a pastoral compromise - though some have still tried to interpret the Motu Proprio in the light of the latter, an interpretation that, with more and more statements coming from Rome, is being consistently shown to be narrow and untenable - but rather because of its own inherent value as part of the received tradition and for its value for the Church and the faithful generally.

Summorum Pontificum made clear that the ancient Roman liturgy has a place at the very heart and centre of the life of the Church and spoke to the importance of approaching these matters in the light of continuity rather than rupture.

Whether through eager and active acceptance or simply a resigned passivity, in many places and for many people, attachment and promotion of the ancient Roman liturgical rites has become much easier - though evidently there is yet much work to be done.

Further, we have spoken of those priests who have already begun to celebrate the usus antiquior in their parishes, or the personal parishes that have been established, but it is also important to remember that this is but the tip of the iceberg.

Previously we spoke of the many priests who have attended training courses, but not all of these priests (in all likelihood not even a majority of them) have yet started to offer the ancient liturgy publicly. Training is just that, and it implies a certain gradual process by which a priest sets out on the road of learning to celebrate Mass according to the Missal of 1962, but he is unlikely to simply take a training course and begin immediately to offer this liturgy in a significant way, if at all.

Nor does this account for the many other priests and seminarians who have expressed a great interest and desire in attending these courses but who have not yet been able to do so. Nor does it speak to those priests or seminarians who have chosen other means by which to learn about this liturgical treasure of the Church - whether through smaller, more localised training sessions, one-on-one training, or self-study by means of training DVDs (which are now quite a few in number). From what I can tell, this group actually makes up the unseen majority of those interested in offering the usus antiquior.

In terms of the increase of Masses actually being offered according to the 1962 Missal since the release of the Motu Proprio, it seems that what we have really witnessed were primarily those who were already substantially prepared to offer this liturgy and who simply needed greater freedom to do so at their own discretion.

What we haven't seen so much of, however, is the substantial "baby boom" of priests and seminarians who, in the new post-Summorum Pontificum era, have now begun the process of study, training and practice, but whose desire to celebrate this liturgy has not yet come to fruition. Nor have we seen ordained the many seminarians who likewise have an interest in celebrating this form, but who, for evident reasons, are not yet able to do so.

One cannot help but note the even further-afield effects that are likely to come from this. As that Summorum Pontificum "baby boom" comes into effect in the next decade or so, the result of seeing more priests begin to offer this form of the liturgy is likely to set in play a kind of domino effect.

More Masses in more places in the usus antiquior means greater exposure. That in turn will naturally lead to greater interest and even further normalcy and regularisation of this liturgy in the life of the Church, which will not only potentially affect other priests and laity, but also seminarians and potential seminarians.

The future bodes well even if it is a future that is not without some challenges and growing pains.

There are still trials and much work to be done. On the one hand, there is some outright opposition to the Motu Proprio and the ancient liturgy - which should hardly come as any surprise given the climate and posturing of the past 40 years. For some, this is a major psychological battle, particularly if they went through those turbulent times themselves.

In other cases, some now seem far more inclined to enable the presence of the usus antiquior in their diocese - a welcome thing - but perhaps more so under the terms of the former indult than Summorum Pontificum - which could be for more or for less benevolent reasons.

Evidently, while one can welcome the addition of Masses in the 1962 Missal in these cases, this presents a need to firmly but charitably work to educate and promote both the clergy and laity's liturgical rights, with the proper understanding of the bishop's role in this regard, and with regard to the liturgy generally.

The bishop does indeed have a role, but it is not the role that it was under the terms of the indult; it is rather a role of obedience to the law and tradition of the Church. That said, decades of thinking of the 1962 Missale Romanum as either an exception to the law, or an aberration, is not easily undone overnight, and so it is, again, perhaps no surprise that such conservative patterns of thinking can yet remain. It seems likely that only time and greater familiarity will heal some wounds.

An aspect that has not been touched upon, but which should be mentioned, is that all of this in turn should eventually have a positive effect on the modern form of the Roman liturgy as well by virtue of re-introducing many to the received liturgical tradition - which certainly seems to be an aspect the Pope also had in mind.

A number of priests who have been focused upon "the reform of the reform" to date have now additionally taken to learning to celebrate the 1962 Missal, presumably for its own sake on the one hand, but also for the reason that it provides them with a further or quicker means by which to celebrate a more traditional form of the Roman liturgy in their parish and priestly life - in ways that may yet be still difficult as regards the modern liturgy.

Whatever their reasons, this helps to connect them, the reform of the reform itself, and potentially members of their parish, to the tradition, which can only help act as a leaven for initiating and driving the reform of the reform at all levels.

Perhaps one of the best-known recent examples of this was that of Fr Joseph Fessio SJ, one of the founders of the Adoremus Society and one of the most prominent reform of the reform voices in the English-speaking world today, who has begun to offer the ancient liturgy publicly and regularly. Other examples abound as well. All of this bodes well for both forms of the Roman liturgy, particularly when one considers what we have not yet seen but likely will see in the coming years.

The Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, set off a kind of "quiet revolution" within the Church. Revolution is perhaps too strong a word and one which carries negative connotations typically, but the word is apt insofar as we are referring to a significant shift and change as regards the status quo. It is a shift that will occur on various fronts, by degrees, and over time.

The ingredients are already present and slowly but surely momentum is building, something we have already seen in this first year. Whether one's focus is upon the ancient liturgy or a reform of the reform, there is much to be thankful for in this past year, and much reason for anticipation and hope for what the future will bring - even despite the opposition and challenges that yet exist.

But all that said, for those who wish to see these things effected now is not a time to rest on one's laurels for much work remains to be done. Those interested in fostering and nurturing the effects of the Motu Proprio must take upon themselves an evangelical and apologetic spirit, seeking to promote the riches of the liturgical tradition of the Church with joy, prudence, charity, excellence and vision.

In many regards the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, has given us the tools to begin to implement what he agreed as a cardinal was so necessary: a new liturgical movement. Indeed, it seems no exaggeration to suggest that we are seeing the substantial beginnings of just that.

Shawn Tribe lives in Canada. He has written on the topic of liturgy for various publications and is the founder and editor of The New Liturgical Movement, a blog focused upon liturgical news, history, theology and the liturgical arts.

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Panorama magazine's Vaticanista has not always been the most reliable source for Vatican stories although he keeps trying. Here's his latest speculation, and note how 'sweeping' - and misleading - his first statement is. The item title is even more outrageous - it was actually "Benedict XVI changes the Mass - entrusts the Cognregation for Divine Worship with studying the new liturgy", but I am not inclined to use such a rash assumption for a heading, because obviously, it has nothing to do with a 'new liturgy', only with changes in the same liturgy that would re-institute Latin for the 'formulaic' part of Roman Catholic ritual.


More Mass changes?
By Ignazio Ingrao
Translated from
the 7/4/08 issue of


The Mass rite may change. According to some 'indiscrezioni' [the Italian term for 'rumors' or 'unconfirmed reports'],Benedict XVI has charged the Congregation for Divine Worship to study some modifications to the liturgy.

In particular, the Pope is said to want Latin used once again for the 'formula' of the Eucharistic Consecration [To non-Catholics: the most solemn part of the Sacrifice of the Mass, when the priest repeats Christ's words at the Last Supper, consecrating bread and wine as his Body and Blood].

He would also want this for the ritual formulas used in Baptism, Confirmation, Confession and the other Sacraments.

Another change would involve the place in the Mass for exchanging the sign of peace. Since this was introduced in 1970, it takes place just before Communion. The Pope reportedly wants to see it transferred to the Offertory - as the Ambrosian rite now does [and as the Neo-Catechumenals have been doing, formally sanctioned by the Pope in the recent approval of final statues for the movement],so as not to break up the meditative spirit that precedes Communion.

These would be modifications that add to the changes in lutrgy and sacred vestments that the Pope and his ceremonial master, Mons. Guido Marini, have made in the past few months to recover ancient traditions: the Cruficix at the center of the altar, distribution of Communion in the traditional way (kneeling communicant receives the Host on the tongue), the Cross-topped Papal pastoral staff [in place of the Crucifix], the change in the style and size of the papal pallium, the revival of the papal throne used during the last consistory, and celebrating Mass with the priest's back turned to the assembly.

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It is, of course, maddening to have Vatican correspondents doggedly using the wrong - and misleading - terminology for certain things. Such as 'papal throne', which is not a throne at all, any more than the special chair used for a President or Prime Minister is. And the usual 'priest turning his back to the assembly' - rather than the priest leading the assembly in turning towards God - betrays an utter lack of regard for what the Mass is.

In any case, if the changes described do take place, then more power to Pope Benedict! Mass is a sacrament, and all sacraments are rites -marking real events that are also laden with great and profound spiritual significance. As such they are special events, and special events deserve to be elevated above the commonplace, the routine and the quotidian.

Ritual language is one way of doing that - not just using Latin instead of the vernacular for the ritual formulas, but when the vernacular is used, then the translation deserves to be poetic and elevated rather than prosaic and pedestrian.

It's hard to understand the rationale that religious ritual should appeal to the most common denominator - meaning, reduced to the most familiar and informal way imaginable, as the Novus Ordo has tended to become - rather than to man's higher potential, to his sense of beauty, dignity and transcendence. To do otherwise is to lose the sacra in sacrament.

Nice to know that Papa's in CG and also about the approval of Father Damien's miracle. I heard about him on a SaintCast, his story is very interesting.

Pope to be the first reader
in Bible-reading marathon
for Italian TV
By Cindy Wooden



ROME, July 3 (CNS) -- On the evening of the opening of the world Synod of Bishops on the Bible, Pope Benedict XVI will serve as the first reader on Italian state television's Bible-reading marathon.

Plans for "The Bible, Day and Night" were unveiled during a July 3 press conference in the Rome offices of RAI, the state-owned broadcasting company.

Beginning Oct. 5, each of about 1,200 people will read for between four and eight minutes until all 73 books of the Catholic editions of the Bible have been read. No commentary will be offered and the only pause provided will be a musical interlude every 90 minutes.

Pope Benedict's reading from the Book of Genesis will be broadcast on RaiUno, RAI's flagship station. Most of the other readings expected to take place over the course of seven days and six nights will be broadcast on RaiEdu, a satellite channel.

Immediately after the Pope reads from Genesis in Italian, Rome's chief Rabbi Riccardo di Segni will read the same text in Hebrew, organizers said.

As of early July, they said, it was not certain whether the Pope would join other readers for a live broadcast from Rome's Basilica of the Holy Cross or whether his reading would be pre-recorded.

While the Bible-reading marathon coincides with a Catholic event and was organized with Vatican assistance, Italy's Protestant, Orthodox and Jewish communities also are involved and will have representatives among the readers, RAI said.

Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, told the July 3 press conference that while the Pope normally does not get involved in such events he signed on after learning that the initiative involves "simply reading the texts, therefore a pure proclamation of the Word."

The head of the Italian Bible Society, Daniele Garrone, a Protestant theologian, told the press conference: "RAI's project, 'The Bible, Day and Night,' will bring the sacred Scriptures to the public square, to that modern public square which is television. This free, public circulation of the Bible has been the objective of the Bible Society for more than 200 years."

Garrone said that, rather than seeing the program as a joint Bible reading under the leadership of Pope Benedict, people should see it as "everyone together before the Scriptures."

"We will all be together on the same level," he said. "It is a beautiful image of the Church as a creature of the Word. It is a lesson for the divided churches, reunited before the Word that calls them, guides them and forgives them."

This project was speculated about a few weeks ago, but the Vatican bureau of RAI-TV said at the time that the project had been proposed but there was nothing final yet. Corriere della Sera online adds that
the last reader on October 11 will be Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, reading Chapter 22 of the Apocalypse.



Pope to read the Bible on Italian TV
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.

July 3, 2008


Pope Benedict XVI will read the first chapter of the Book of Genesis on Italian national television October 5, the RAI television network announced today, in a broadcast expected to last roughly one hour.

The Pope’s appearance will kick off a six-day RAI telethon in which the entire Bible will be read by various personalities. The series is projected to conclude Oct. 11 with the 21st chapter of the Book of Revelation, to be read by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

Oct. 5 is the opening day of the Synod of Bishops dedicated to the theme of “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.”

According to Giuseppe de Carli, who heads the division of RAI devoted to Vatican coverage, Benedict XVI will appear in the late afternoon of Oct. 5, following the opening ceremonies of the synod. It is yet to be determined whether the broadcast will be live or taped, De Carli said.

Corriere della Sera, Italy’s main daily newspaper, reported this morning that Benedict XVI has proposed that the broadcast be carried live, from his residence in the Apostolic Palace.

The six-day RAI broadcast, titled “The Bible, Day and Night,” will feature a series of other readers, with most located in Rome’s Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. The readings will be conducted in Italian.

Readings of literary classics have proved to be surprise ratings winners for Italian television. A recitation of Dante's Divine Comedy by noted comedian and actor Roberto Benigni, familiar to international audiences from the film "Life is Beautiful," was a smash hit in 2007, garnering a 45 percent share of the national audience at its peak.

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, USCCB vice president, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston and Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington will represent the United States during the upcoming synod.

Betancourt to meet Pope next week




The Vatican newspaper gave first play
to the Betancourt rescue story
in today's issue.


BOGOTA, Colombia, July 4 (AFP) - French-Colombian ex-hostage Ingrid Betancourt says she has been invited to a face-to-face meeting with Pope Benedict XVI next week at the Vatican.

"I don't have a date set yet but the Vatican has confirmed my meeting with the Pope," she said.

Ms Betancourt said it was her sister, Astrid, who told her of the Vatican's invitation. Astrid is the wife of a top French diplomat.

"It is a meeting that one cannot pass up," said Ms Betancourt, 46, who spent more than six years in captivity in the Colombian jungle, where she was held by leftist rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Ms Betancourt was freed yesterday along with 14 other hostages. She is a devout Catholic, and her mother, Yolanda Pulecio, met the Pope last year when her daughter was still in captivity.

Pope and Patriarch together
and images for the Pauline Year
By Elizabeth Lev



ROME, JULY 3, 2008 (Zenit.org).- How blessed Christians are to have seen God! When the Word was made flesh, all of our senses were invited to participate in the experience of the Lord. More than just a recounted story, Jesus came to be seen and touched. Centuries of art have celebrated this happy event: the Incarnation.

And what a sight greeted the faithful at the Mass for the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul last Sunday in St. Peter’s Basilica: Christ’s Vicar on earth, Benedict XVI, seated side-by-side with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople upon the high altar over the tomb of St. Peter.

This was the second time in two days the two men appeared together. The evening before they had presided over vespers at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls to inaugurate the Year of St. Paul for the Churches of both East and West.

The city has been abuzz with the meaning of these fraternal appearances. Could it be that we will see the Churches of the East and West united in our lifetimes? Experts are already hard at work analyzing the significant gestures and issues, but I found myself fascinated by the images that these two extraordinary religious figures dwelt upon during the Mass.

As the twins Romulus and Remus founded the Rome that would grow into an empire, so did Sts. Peter and Paul, as Benedict XVI said in his homily. “Through their martyrdom, they became brothers; together, they are the founders of the new Christian Rome.”

As Benedict XVI and Bartholomew I stood on the tomb of St. Peter, it seemed almost as though Paul had returned to Rome, and that the elusive encounter we search for in the Gospels between the two apostles in the Eternal City was happening before our eyes.

Over their heads soared Michelangelo’s dome, with the words of Christ to Peter shimmering in the sunlight: “You are Peter and on this rock I will build by Church” (Matthew 16:18).

From one of the piers supporting the massive dome, the statue of St. Andrew by Francis Duquesnoy faced the two men. Brother to Peter and the first to be called, St. Andrew died in Greece after having spent his last years spreading the Gospel through the Eastern Empire.

One could imagine his joy as he saw the spiritual leader of millions from the lands where he suffered and died reunited with the successor of his brother. Following the Liturgy of the Word, Bartholomew I took a seat near the tribune of St. Andrew.

Benedict XVI and Bartholomew I both drew upon the shared tradition of images in the two Churches during the Mass.

Bartholomew I’s homily gave us a glimpse of Eastern art. Speaking of the icons that are part of the celebrations for this feast day, he described an image of Sts. Peter and Paul exchanging a fraternal embrace.

The Patriarch commented that the icon reflects the traditional story recounting the martyrdom of the two saints. When sentenced to their deaths, he reflected, Sts. Peter and Paul exchanged the kiss of peace one last time as St. Paul said: “'Peace be with you, foundation of the Church and pastor of the sheep and lambs of our Lord.'

"Peter then said to Paul: 'Go in peace, preacher of good morals, mediator, leader and solace of righteous people.'”

The Patriarch then addressed Benedict XVI saying, “It is indeed this kiss that we have come to exchange with you, Your Holiness, emphasizing the ardent desire and love in Christ, things which are closely related to each other.”

Benedict XVI’s homily also meditated on the same image of the fraternal kiss between the two great Roman apostles, a reflection of harmony in the visual tradition of the Church.

The Roman Pontiff also spoke of the Church of Gentiles and its birth at the foot of Christ’s cross. “The centurion of the Roman execution squad recognizes the Son of God in Christ,” said Benedict XVI, referring to the soldier Longinus who exclaimed, "Truly this man was the Son of God" (Mark 15:39).

A few feet away, Bernini’s colossal statue of St. Longinus stood before them, arms akimbo, hair, drapery and musculature rippling as the awe of realization washes over him. His kinetic excitement, his feeling of profound witness of a crucial moment sparkled in the basilica that day.

Across from the Roman centurion, the gigantic statue of St. Helen, the mother of the man who brought the Church to Constantinople, stood in its niche by the altar, reaching out to invite everyone to join Longinus at the foot of the cross and to see and be amazed.

Behind their heads in the apse of the basilica, mosaic letters spelled out Christ’s charge to St. Peter, “Feed my sheep and lambs” (John 21:17) in both Latin and Greek. For many there, it seemed as though Sts. Peter and Paul were joining forces once again to tend to an increasingly threatened flock in this postmodern world.

Addressing the archbishops who were to receive their palliums, Pope Benedict used an image taken from the dawn of Christianity, the Good Shepherd. “When we put the pallium on our shoulders, this gesture reminds us of the Shepherd who puts the lost sheep upon his shoulders -- the lost sheep who by himself can no longer find the way home -- and takes him back to the sheepfold.”

This symbol, whether painted hastily on a catacomb wall or engraved on a stone sarcophagus, has accompanied Christians since the earliest years of developing a visual narrative of the story of salvation.

But from the lips of Benedict XVI, the image seemed as fresh and apt as it must have been to the first community of persecuted Christians.

Faith, history and art, brought together on the tomb of St. Peter, allowed the gathered faithful to bask in the long visual tradition of the Church while looking forward with hope to the future.

The Bible to be read on RAI in October will obviously be in Italian. Very likely, they will be using the new translation put out by the Italian bishops' conference last month after 20 years gestation.

Here is part of a long story from L'Osservatore Romano in May, one of several stories I have every good intention of sharing in translation, but which I end up not getting around to. I actually translated about half of this, one early morning when I thought I could still get to post it before passing out, but I did not finish the translation - and still haven't. But there's enough information here for now - and I will complete the translation as soon as I can.


A NEW 'VULGATE' BIBLE
FOR ITALIANS




Monsignor Betori explains
the new translation:
'I can say quite easily:
It's the best'
By Maurizio Fontana
Translated from the
5/25/08 issue of



Twenty years work on a translation that aims to be the 'Vulgate' for Italians in the 21st century ['vulgate' in Latin simply means 'common' in the sense of 'widespread'] - that's a summary of the undertaking by the Italian bishops conference, explained by its secretary, Mons. Giuseppe Betori, who is a Biblicist himself, in a long interview with L'Osservatore Romano. [Betori since this interview has been named the new Archbishop of Florence succeeding Cardinal Antonelli who has become the President of the Pontifial Council on the Family.]
On May 29, the first copy of the new Bible translation will be presented to Pope Benedict XVI at the general assembly of the CEI.


First of all, why a new translation?
Many may think that we are changing for the sake of change, perhaps because we are tired of what we have. Actually, this follows a decision taken by the Holy See in 1965 when, after Vatican-II, Paul VI decided it was a good time to review St. Jerome's Vulgate in the light of new critical texts for both the Old and New Testaments.

This project then had a long gestation, which resulted in a first edition (Latin) in 1979, then a second one in 1986, proposed by John Paul II to the whole Church as the 'editio typica' for liturgical use. Obviously, the Pope also suggested that translations in the modern languages should be made using the same criteria used for the New Vulgate.


In turn, this New Vulgate built on the work of revision carried out by the Abbey of St. Jerome founded by Pius XI...
Yes. The abbey had restored the critical text of the Vulgate. On this basis, the new revision was done which went beyond the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts used by St. Jerome. The New Vulgate used for its basis critical texts in use today: for the Old Testament, the Stuttgart Hebrew Bible, an edition which makes full use of the Dead Sea scrolls found in Qumran; for the New Testament, the reference work was the so-called Nestle-Aland, the edition of the New Testament in Greek which unites the two main critical texts used today.

So, on the basis of these texts, we looked at all the translations for liturgical use.


Meanwhile, the CEI had come out with its own Bible version...
Yes. that Bible was published in 1971 as an immediate answer to the need for a Biblical text in Italian that took into account the change to the use of the vernacular in liturgy. But that was not a new translation - it was based on a translation already in use, with the changes made by a committee under Cardinal Ermenegildo Fiorito.

That revision was examined by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship as far as the parts to be used for the liturgy . We had a second edition in 1974 which is the one that has been in use to this day. The difference with this new translation is that we went back to original texts.


What criteria were given to the translators?
Here, it is necessary to point out that the work of translation - which was really a profound revision - had two successive phases.

First, the goal was to translate the critical texts envisioned for the New Vulgate but to arrive at a text that was as most communicative as possible, smoothing out the lexical and syntactical difficulties.

This first phase was characterized by translation that was conceptual rather than literal. St. Jerome himself, following Cicero, explained
that in translation, one must not translate the words but the ideas in the form that the language allows.

But it must also be said that St. Jerome, in reference to the Bible, also specified that this principle cannot be applied totally when translating a sacred text because 'even the order of words has a mystery'. That is, with Scripture, we are looking at texts which even in form - as words - contain the imprint of God himself.

Then came the next phase of translation, based on the publication by the Holy See of the instruction Liturgiam authenticam on the right way of translating the liturgical books. In this, the instructions underscore a greater attention to faithfulness to the original text even in the literal sense.

And that is where the goal was all oriented towards making the Italian text conform as much as possible to the way the text is expressed in the original Hebrew or Aramaic or Greek. Such that the same word should be translated the same way in all contexts, unless the context clearly has a different connotation.

Let me make an example. In the Old Test5ament, the word 'hesed' is translated as 'mercy'. In the translation which is now being used, there is an inconsistent oscillation between synonyms. In the new translation, however, the word 'mercy' always goes back exclusively to the root word 'rehem' which indicates 'viscera', referring to the merciful attitude of God.

The new translation also tries to keep the language traditional. For example: the word 'thief' is kept in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. but not in Luke, who used another word.

In short, case by case, it was sought to obtain a certain consistency in translating words and in the composition of sentences to make the text as close as possible to the literary form of the original texts.


Try to forget you are the secretary of the Italian bishops conference, and tell us, as a Biblicist, is this new translation really better?
Without a doubt. It is much more faithful to the original texts. Errors and imprecisions have been eliminated, and it's much more attentive to consistency of terms.

These pages will also show clearly the dependence of a text in the New Testament on the Old. And so, the greeting of the Angel to Mary [at the Annunciation] now begins with "Rejoice!", in which the 'chaire' is read in the light of the book of the prophet Sophronius in which the announcement of the return of the Lord to the holy city uses the same word to exhort Jerusalem to joy.

From this perspective, it now becomes easier, reading the text of St. Luke, to see that behind the words of the angel, the evangelist wished to match this event in Nazareth - the incarnation of the Son of God - to the ancient prophecy about the return of God in the midst of his people.


And what about the other versions such as the Concordata or that 'in the current language'?
Those have different ends. For example, the translation 'in the current language' seeks to give an immediate sense of the meaning, but it does not do justice to the richness of the sense as it is in the original text.

But this new tradition allows us to approach the rich potential of the original language, the amplitude of the meaning enclosed by the word that is sued.


What could possibly be the most authoritative competitors for the new translation?
Actually, almost everything else has disappeared. The old translation was meant to be used in liturgy. But then it became 'the translation' - a reference even for spiritual reading and theological study. Even the so-called "Nuovissima versione della Bibbia" (Newest version of the Bible) is something else: it was produced by many Biblicists, using different criteria for every book.

But in this New Vulgate, there is a single set of criteria, because the entire Bible was revised in a unitary manner. In this sense, it is very important to point out the concept of plural usage for this version.

In fact, all the comments - the non-specialist ones - which circulate today in Italy about the Bible are based on the CEI Bible. In fact, within the ecclesial community, there is only one Bible used today, the CEI's. And I can easily say that the new one is the best.

We used the best specialists for each book, after which there was a global review of all the books in order to remedy any inconsistencies or deformities in formulation and presentation.

This means that the life of the faith for a Catholic in Italy does not have more than one language: the same text that is read in the liturgy is the same that the faithful takes into his hands for a lectio divina, and that perhaps, later - if he goes to Biblical class - he will meet the same text to study for cultural and/or theological purposes.

This gives unity to the language of the faith on the Biblical level - something we have never had in Italy! We have never had an Italian translation like the King James Version for English-speaking faithful, or Luther's translation, for the Germans.

We had the Vulgate (St. Jerome's dating back to 405). And our language of Biblical faith has been put together from Italian translations of Latin words from the Vulgate. Now, this new translation, which will be prevalent both in distribution and in community usage, will offer an occasion to create a new and more appropriate Biblical language.

.....

The Vatican released the official program today for the Pope's visit to France.

APOSTOLIC VOYAGE TO FRANCE
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE MARIAN APPARITIONS IN LOURDES
September 12-15, 2009

P R O G R A M


ITALY
Friday, September 12

Fiumicino (Rome)
09.00 Depart from Leonardo da Vinci international airport for Orly (Paris).

FRANCE
Paris
11.10 Arrival at Orly airport.
- Official welcome ceremony.

12.25 Welcome ceremony at Elysee Presidential palace.
- COURTESY VISIT WITH THE PRESIDENT OF FRANCE.

13.00 MEETING WITH FRENCH OFICIALS, Elysee Palace.
- Address by the Holy Father.

17.00 MEETING WITH JEWISH REPRESENTATIVES, Apostolic Nunciature in Paris.
- Address by the Holy Father.

17.30 MEETING WITH THE WORLD OF CULTURE, College des Bernardins.
- Address by the Holy Father.

19.15 VESPERS CELEBRATION WITH PRIESTS, RELIGIOUS, DEACONS AND SEMINARIANS, Notre Dame Cathedral.
- Address by the Holy Father.

20.30 GREETING TO THE YOUTH, Notre Dame Square.
- Address by the Holy Father.


Saturday, September 13
09.10 BRIEF VISIT TO THE INSTITUT DE FRANCE.

[Home of the various French Academies, of which Joseph Ratzinger was elected Associate Member in 1992
to take the seat of the late Soviet physicist Andrei Sakharov in the Academy for Political and Moral Sciences]

10.00 HOLY MASS, Esplanade des Invalides.
- Homily.

12.30 Lunch with the Bishops of the Ile de France region and the papal entourage, Apostolic Nunciature.

15.50 Leave the Apostolic Nunciature.

16.30 Leave Orly airport for Tarbes-Lourdes airport.

Lourdes

17.45 Arrival at Tarbes-Lourdes airport.

18.00 Leave airport by helicopter for Antoine Béguère stadium in Lourdes.

18.20 Arrive at Antoine Béguère stadium.

18.30 JUBILEE WALK: Visit to the Church of the Sacred Heart and the 'Cachot' [hut where Bernadette Soubirous lived].

19.15 VISIT TO THE GROTTO OF THE APPARITIONS.

21.30 CONCLUSION OF THE MARIAN TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION, Rosary Square,
Lourdes Shrine Complex.


Sunday, September 14

10.00 HOLY MASS TO CELEBRATE THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARIAN APPARITIONS, Lourdes meadow.
- Homily.

12.00 ANGELUS PRAYER, Lourdes meadow
- Remarks by the Holy Father.

12.45 Lunch with the Bishops of Midi-Pyrenees and the papal entourage,
St. Joseph Hermitage.

17.15 MEETING WITH FRENCH BISHOPS, at St. Bernadette Hemicycle.
- Address by the Holy Father.


Monday, September 15
08:30 Depart the Residence of St. Joseph Hermitage.

08.45 Visit the Chapel of the Hospital of Lourdes.

09.30 HOLY MASS FOR THE SICK, Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.
- Homily.

12.10 Depart by helicopter from Antoine Béguère stadium for the airport of Tarbes-Lourdes.

12.30 Arrival at the airport.
- DEPARTURE CEREMONY
- Address by the Holy Father.

13.00 Depart Tarbes-Lourdes airport from Rome-Ciampino.

ITALY
Ciampino

15.15 Arrival at Ciampino airport.

NB: Rome, Paris and Lourdes are all in the same time zone.


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

A typical 'news story' reduction of the program follows. The meeting with President Sarkozy is not news at all - it's an SOP. If I were writing the story, I would perhaps lead off by saying that on the first day of the trip, the Holy Father will be delivering six addresses - count them! - half the 12 he will be delivering (plus the homily in Paris the next day, and five in Lourdes later). I don't think Benedict XVI has had any Day-1 as crowded as this one! And perhaps, there should have been an attempt to explain why the Holy Father is not meeting this time with representatives of other Christian confessions and faiths other than the Jews:


Pope to meet Sarkozy
during France trip



VATICAN CITY, July 4 (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI will meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy and representatives of the country's Jewish community during a stop in Paris on his September pilgrimage to the Roman Catholic shrine of Lourdes, the Vatican said Friday.

Benedict will pay a visit to Sarkozy at the Elysee palace in Paris on the first day of his Sept. 12-15 trip. He will then meet members of Western Europe's largest Jewish community before leading a ceremony at Notre Dame cathedral.

The pope's pilgrimage to Lourdes on Sept. 13 marks 150 years since an illiterate peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous said she had visions of the Virgin Mary in the southwestern French town.

Thousands of Catholics have since said they were healed of illness after praying and bathing in a spring at the site of St. Bernadette's 1858 vision.

During his three-day stay at the shrine, Benedict will take part in processions and celebrate Mass with ailing pilgrims.


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


The French episcopal conference has opened a site for the papal visit, so far only in French:
www.pape-france.org/accueil.html




And Beatrice on her site benoit-et-moi.fr has very thoughtfully provided this map:

XII Ordinary General Assembly, Synod of Bishops, Oct 5-26, 2008

THE WORD OF GOD IN THE LIFE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH



The Bible on television:
Recovering a treasure of culture and faith
By Mons. Gianfranco Ravasi
President, Pontifical Council for Culture
Translated from
the 7/5/08 issue of



The integral reading of the Bible on Italian television is without a doubt a spiritual and cultural event which will have a noteworthy media impact on a global scale.

It will take place starting October 5, and the first reader will be Pope Benedict XVI, who will read the first chapter of Genesis, live from the Apostolic Palace.

The 'great code' of Western civilization will thus be transmitted by an extraordinary medium in the hope of making a fresh breach in the hearts and minds of men and women today.

Recent surveys have brought to light the preoccupying fact - in different parts of the world - of an increasingly scarce knowledge of Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and of the loss of familiarity, including the physical, with a text which, for centuries, had accompanied the daily lives of believers.

It is a spiritual and cultural impoverishment about which everyone, believers and those less so, should feel horrified.

Almost as a response to such alarming data, initiatives have been multiplying to promote greater awareness of Biblical texts through public lectures and discussions. For instance, many such events in Milan, and most recently, at the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto.

The Bible marathon in October - coinciding with the opening week of the Synodal assembly of bishops at the Vatican - is intended to multiply exponentially the beneficial effects of recovering this great treasure of culture and faith.

It is not insignificant that along with the Pope, those involved in this unprecedented marathon include Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State; Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary-general of the Bishops' Synod; along with representatives of other Christian churches and ecclesial communities, as well as the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni.

It will be a convergence of sensibilities, of cultures and of faiths. A turning together to the sources of Scripture to re-propose it to the general public as a sign of hope for today's world.

For the reading - which, except for the Pope reading from the Apostolic Palace, will originate from the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Rome, the Biblical text will be divided into 46 units of 1,162 passages, each unit designed to last three hours, with intervals of silence and of appropriate music at intervals.

The Bible involves he who reads it as well as he who listens because it is actualized and incarnated in them. A text, in fact, and particularly, a Biblical text, is appropriated by the reader in a way that makes it 'explode' in all its potential and richness through literary, artistic, ascetic, mystical and theological intuition.

It sounds unfinished, but that's all there is to the article...But to refresh our memory of the context in which this unprecedented Biblical marathon is being held, flashback to the first announcement of the October Synod:


Pope Benedict calls his first bishops’ Synod:
Scriptures will be theme of 2008 gathering
By Gerard O'Connell



VATICAN CITY, Oct. 9, 2006 (UCAN) – Pope Benedict XVI has convoked a World Synod of Bishops for October 2008 to discuss the theme, “The Word of God in the life and mission of the Church,” the Vatican announced on Oct. 6.

The synod is scheduled to take place Oct. 5-26, 2008, at the Vatican. Pope Benedict is expected to preside at the gathering, which will bring together 250 "synod fathers" from all continents.

The Pope, well aware of widespread criticism among the bishops regarding the functioning of previous synods, introduced some changes into the process of the last meeting of the Synod of Bishops in October 2005. He reduced its duration from four weeks to three and allowed participants one hour of "free discussion" at the end of each working day.

This is the first time Pope Benedict has called a synod and chosen its theme. His predecessor, the late Pope John Paul II, had already set the 2005 Synod on the Eucharist in motion.

The Vatican provided no explanation for Pope Benedict's choice of theme, but sources say he chose it following consultation with the world's bishops and after their responses had been examined and prioritized by the 15-member council elected by the previous synod.

In recent years, however, leading churchmen including the biblical scholar Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini of Milan, Italy, have advocated that the place of the Scriptures in the life of the Church should be the subject of a future synod of bishops.

They have maintained that this could help foster greater understanding and love of the Scriptures among Catholics worldwide, pastors and laypeople alike. Some also have claimed it would contribute to development of a more biblically based spirituality among Catholics that, in the long run, could help bring Christians closer together, with a view toward their eventual unity.

The 2008 gathering will be the 12th ordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops since Pope Paul VI established it in 1965 as a permanent institution for the promotion of greater collegiality between the world's bishops and the Pope, as requested by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).

The first such synod was held in 1967. The final document of the last one, the Synod on the Eucharist, is nearing completion and could be issued by Pope Benedict in a matter of months. {The document, the Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis was published in December 2006.]

But the Vatican has not yet announced an official date for publication of that document, Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist.
In preparation for the 2008 synod, the secretariat of the Synod of Bishops will issue the lineamenta, or guidelines, to help guide discussion on the synod's theme in every local Church over the next 12 months.

Based on the input received from bishops' conferences, the Synod secretariat will then ask one or more persons to draft a working document known as the instrumentum laboris, for the 2008 synod, in consultation with the post-synodal council elected in 2005.
[This was published last month by the Vatican.]



The finalized text will be sent to bishops worldwide several months in advance of the October 2008 gathering, and it will serve as the working document or launching point for discussion at the synod.

Benedict the communicator -
in the words of the editor
of L'Osservatore Romano
Translated from

July 4, 2008

The Pope who will lead off the integral reading of the Bible in an unprecedented TV marathon on October 5 has abundantly disproved the myth according to which he would be an uncommunicative Pope in contrast to his predecessor.

Giovanni Maria Vian, who is oconcerned daily with papal communications as editor of L'Osservatore Romano, tells Il Riformista: "Benedict XVI knows how to communicate - and wishes to communicate more than one would think. Of course, he has his own style of doing this, quite different from that of Papa Wojtyla."


How would you describe Benedict XVI's communicative art?
The best communicators are those who are not conditioned by the audience that they are addressing. Benedict XVI, in this sense, simply speaks to the heart of whoever he is talking to, and that is why he gets across.

I would say that he has learned from experience that the best communicative technique is to just be very well prepared about what he has to say without any thought of trying to impress anyone. And he has had many arenas to put that into practice. He was university professor for a long time, than a diocesan bishop, and then Prefect of the most high-profile office in the Roman Curia. So he has always known how to communicate well.


And he always has an attentive audience. They applaud him quite often....
He is not, of course, interested in the applause, and at times, he will try to cut it short. His interest is to focus everyone on Christ, not on him. So that's another reason the faithful listen to him.


How does he prepare himself for these addresses?
Let me just cite one detail. One of the most important events for the Pope every week is the catechesis at the Wednesday general audience. So, as his predecessors Paul VI and John Paul II did, he tries to keep Tuesdays free of any audiences. This allows the Pope to prepare carefully what he has to say the next day. But in general, Pope Benedict works with alacrity on all his addresses. With excellent results, as in his homilies for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul


He also speaks extemporaneously quite a bit...
If you prepare yourselves well enough, then obviously you can also improvise well. And he is excellent at that. Even if he does not use Papa Luciani's technique...


What was that?
John Paul I, in his brief Pontificate, often spoke without notes. But most of the time, it was not improvised. What he did was to memorize what he wanted to say. And it was an extraordinary thing...


Who do you think inspires Benedict XVI as a communicator?
Definitely, Augustine. Remember, before he was baptized, he came to Milan to learn the art of oratory from Ambrose. And in Milan, he refined his communicative gifts. And then there's St. Paul, who knew Greek well and used it very effectively - and whom Augustine himself indicates as the model of the Chrsitian orator in De Doctrina Christiana. In more recent times, Benedict's predecessors, starting with Pius XI, paid great attention to how they communicated. Just think that just a few days after the Lateran pacts went into effect, Pius XI asked Guglielmo Marconi [Italian inventor of wireless communication] himself to set up Vatican Radio!


Does Benedict XVI involve himself as much in Vatican media as did Pius XI?
Judging by the attention he pays to the Osservatore, I would say Yes. For instance, he has asked us to illustrate our stories with more photos - nad he means significant picture choices such as in the Frankfuerter Allgemeine Zeitung.


Do you think the TV public would be interested in listening to the Bible?
Very much so. Just think, in the last festival at Spoleto, two laymen - Giorgio Ferrera and Ernesto Galli della Loggia - organized Bible readings. Besides, Pope Benedict himself sets so much store by teaching Scriptures. He knows that the ignorance today of both Jewish and Christian Scriptures is widespread and very serious.

PASTORAL VISIT TO CAGLIARI (SARDINIA), Sunday, September 7, 2008

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF OUR LADY OF BONARIA AS PATRONESS OF SARDINIA



The Archdiocese of Cagliari, capital of the Italian island-region of Sardinia (Sardegna), has released
the program for the Holy Father's pastoral visit on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008.

---

PASTORAL VISIT TO CAGLIARI
Sunday, September 7, 2008




09:30 Arrival at Elmas airport, Cagliari.

10:30 Eucharistic Concelebrazion presided by the Holy Father
in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Bonaria
NB: No other Mass will be celebrated this day in the diocese.

13:30 Lunch at the Sardinian Regional Seminary
with the bishops of Sardinia and the papal entourage.

16:30 Travel from the Seminary to the Catehdral of Cagliari
for private prayers

18:00 Meeting with the youth at Largo Carlo Felice

19:30 Departure for Rome from Elmas airport

---

Elements of the banner for the visit that I put together for the Forum:



The papal visit logo.



Poster showing the Holy Father, the facade of the Basilica of Our Lady of Bonaria,
and the image of the Madonna of Bonaria.




Seal of the Archdiocese and full facade of the Basilica of Our Lady of Bonaria.
The site banner for the shrine reads "Shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria, Cagliari.
Supreme Patroness of Sardinia, Protector of Sailors".



Logo for the centenary of the papal decree that
declared our lady of Bonaria the patron saint
of Sardinia. "Behold your mother, Sardinia!"

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

THE POPES AND SARDINIA

Benedict XVI will be the third Pope to set foot on Sardinia, during which he will add yet another Marian shrine to the list of those he has visited as Pope (Czestochowa, Altoetting, Ephesus, Loreto, Aparecida, Mariazell, Savona, Genoa, Leuca, plus Lourdes in September).

However, the shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria has been associated with all the Popes of modern times, according to a brief history available from its website:


Pius IX, Pius X, Pius XI.


Pius IX decreed the coronation of the Madonna on April 24, 1870. 5th centenary of the arrival of the image – recalled 15 years alter with a reconsecration of the Shrine.

On Sept. 13, 1907, Pope Pius X proclaimed Our Lady of Bonaria as Supreme patroness of Sardinia.

On April 22, 1926, the present Church was inaugurated and given the title of Minor Basilica by Pius XI.


Pius XII, John XXIII, and Paul VI.

On April 24, 1958, the Shrine celebrated the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of Our Lady as Sardinia’s Supreme Patroness. Vatican Radio and RAI broadcast the words of Pope Pius XII to more than 100,000 faithful who had gathered in front of the Basilica for the celebratory Mass.

On December 7, 1960, the Shrine reopened to worship with a new altar after months of restoration. A letter from John XXIII was read for the occasion.

On April 24, 1970, sixth centenary of the arrival of the miraculous image in Cagliari, Pope Paul VI became the first Pope to visit Sardinia.



On October 20, 1985, John Paul II celebrated Mass for some 130,000 faithful in front of the Shrine of Our Lady,on the third and last day of a three-day pastoral visit to Sardinia.


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

More background information on the Shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria and its venerated image has been posted in thread PASTORAL VISITS IN ITALY.

FROM PAUL VI'S PASTORAL STAFF
TO THE FERULE OF PIUS IX

This is one of those items I never got around to post, but it's the sort of random reflection that a reflective reporter would make and that one appreciates. Accattoli wrote it while covering the papal trip to the United States, and is typical of his blog, which is mostly made up of personal reflections, usually on small daily observations, rather than comments on the news.



I am repeating a photo I recently used because it shows off the Pius IX staff best.


April 17, 2008

From the Crucifix of Paul VI to the Cross of Pius IX: it seems to be Benedict XVI's way of illustrating a broad view of papal continuity which he had first indicated by choosing the name Benedict - breaking the 'conciliar' series of Johns and Pauls.

From the smaller (but heavier) Crucifix that he carried for almost three years to one that is taller than he is. As if to say: Look at the Cross, not at me.

From a post-modern Crucifix to a traditional Cross - because the one, holy, Catholic Church speaks all languages.

From the Christ of kerygma to the Cross of dogma. To make clear that the faith remains what it has always been.

From the Christ of the announcement to the Cross of proclamation. To show that Christians not only narrate the good news but affirm it.

From a silver Crucifix to a golden Cross. Because it is called the 'crux gloriosa'.

From the tormented Christ of the sculptor Scorselli to the resplendent Cross of papal goldsmiths. Because every metal and every art take their part in the cosmic liturgy.

From a bent Crucifix to a reflecting Cross. Because he who had been brought down was resurrected.

From a realistic Crucifix to a historical Cross with a central orb and three terminals with medallion illustrations. Because the story it evokes does not end with death on the Cross.

From a new Crucifix to an old Cross: To show that the Church of always is not bound to irreversible reforms.

These are the thoughts that came to me when I first saw the pastoral staff that Benedict XVI used on Palm Sunday and which he used today at the Mass in Washington, D.C.


The other two observations he recorded at the time were more mundane, but quite disarming. They more properly are peripheral POPE-POURRI material but I will keep them here since they all come from the same blog during the same time period:

By helicopter over Manhattan
April 18, 2008

"The Holy Father's helicopter always takes off first and lands last," is what we are told in the written "work program for journalists joining the papal flight".

It is significant even if it is a reversal of the usual Vatican protocol for every papal event: "The Pope arrives last and leaves first."

I am on a fourth helicopter of the US Marines (after the three carrying the Pope and his entourage) for 15 journalists envied by the rest because we have been chosen to be in the pool for the Pope's visit to UN headquarters - leaving from JFK airport without losing contact with the Pope.

What a beautiful 'butterfly's flight' over Manhattan, almost touching the tips of the skyscrapers, over the ships on the river, and above the vortex where the Twin Towers used to be.

I was very entertained and equally moved, like a child. I would never have this sort of gift if I were not doing what I do. And then finally, here we are with the Pope, at the seat of the United Nations. Not a place I would normally have been to, either. Journalism has made me experience things far beyond my own poor possibilities.


An embrace to all from Ground Zero
April 19, 2008

Ernesto John Salvatore Migdalia Kathleen Helga Miguel Mary Emmet Christy Desirèe Laura Paul Eileen Dymphna Joseph Linda Eileen Julie Rose John Jean Thomas James: These were the persons who stood around the Pope and the candle he had just lit at the bottom of the crater in Ground Zero.

They represented the human family struck by that tragedy - those who were in the Twin Towers and managed to save themselves, the families of those who died, the first-aid workers and the rescuers.

I listed their names to say that I embrace each of them as brothers and sisters. We 65 journalists who had been accredited to join the papal flight were all present on a platform off to one side, along with other media members accredited by the city of New York.

The 13 skyscrapers that loom over the crater were representatives too, in a sense, keeping vigil over that hole in the ground, whose depth is truly immeasurable. They seemed rather unreal, grey and mute, seen from down below where we were, their tops lost in the morning fog.

This crater is now a construction hive where they are setting the foundations for a new Freedom Tower which is planned to rise here by 2012, to 541 meters high, 130 more than the fallen towers.

It was cold and sorrowful where we were, 80 meters below ground level, where we had waited two hours for the ceremony, standing on the bedrock of Manhattan. And from that depth - de profundis - I could only think, I embrace you all.

The confrontation of cultures and religions
according to the Fathers of the Church:
Christian truth manifested
by putting it into practice
by Mons. Angelo Amato
Secretary, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Translated from
the 7/3/08 issue of





It seems that the Vatican newspaper published this article to coincide with the end of the Holy Father's catechetical cycle on the Fathers of the Church. It is an overview of what the Fathers did to defend, explain and sustain the Christian faith in its early centuries.


An initial epistemological proposal regarding inter-religious dialog would counsel following two tracks which are quite distinct from each other since they have different ends which are not always complementary.

There is first the dialog of charity, which tends to construct a reconciled and pacific human civilization. And there is the dialog of truth which aims to discern the truth in single religious beliefs.

The dialog of charity can be manifested above all in the dialog of life, through respect tor one's interlocutor as a person who belongs to the same mankind and therefore worthy of welcome, of esteem and even of friendship.

Such a dialog can also be realized in the dialog of action, which implies collaboration among the religions of the world to achieve peace among nations, to defend nature and its laws, to protect life especially that of the weakest, to achieve solidarity with regards to the goods of the earth, to protect the freedom of every human being, above all religious freedom, to affirm justice, equality and fraternity, to overcome the negative aspects of globalization, to eliminate poverty and hunger in the world.

It is clear that the dialog of charity opens up boundless horizons, just as God's love, infused into our hearts, is boundless.

The second articulation of inter-religious dialog is the dialog of truth which implies the freedom to confront each other on the contents of one's own religious convictions, while respecting the conscience of others and recognizing the sincerity of one's interlocutor.

It is a difficult dialog whose aim is not to arrive at universal religion with a least common denominator, but which should impel its participants to explain the essential characteristics of their religious beliefs.

One must keep in mind that all the great religions, not just Christianity, make the claim to truth and universality. That is why the dialog of truth is indispensable for an objective discernment of how things really are.

I will present some reflections on this aspect, the dialog of truth, in summary indications based on the very long history that the Church has had in this dialog.

I start from an affirmation in Dominus Iesus which says: "In the practice of dialogue between the Christian faith and other religious traditions, as well as in seeking to understand its theoretical basis more deeply, new questions arise that need to be addressed through pursuing new paths of research, advancing proposals, and suggesting ways of action that call for attentive discernment" (No. 3).

I think it is time to go beyond the theories of exclusivism, inclusivism and relativism, with their respective specifications, and aim instead in a twofold direction. Above all, one must avoid a generic inter-religious dialog which ignores the specific identity of each participants.

Inter-religious dialog, like ecumenical dialog, demands bilateral confrontation, in which the participants are considered in their specific originality and can therefore manifest their respective 'truth'.

In the second place, an inter-religious dialog of truth should focus on the essential contents of different beliefs and therefore on their vision of God (if they refer to God at all), of man and of the cosmos.

The dialog of truth must be a concrete confrontation on religious, ethical, educational, political and social beliefs - in short, on the hard core of each one's religious conviction.

One must therefore avoid generic confrontations that are founded only on superficial phenomenological analyses, but open up instead to frank bilateral confrontation on the participants' respective religious propositions on God, man and the cosmos.

This presupposes a good detailed knowledge of one's faith as well as an equally complete knowledge of other beliefs. That is why a dialog of truth cannot be improvised without trivializing it, and perhaps even risk betraying one's convictions and that of others.

Of course, in a culture such as the post-modern, where opinion prevails and truth seems to be an evanescent mirage, the dialog of truth seems like a countercurrent challenge. It implies a change in the dynamic of inter-religious dialog.

Benedict XVI's lecture at Regensburg may be considered the start of a new attitude which goes beyond the restricted schemes of diplomatic dialog that ignores the consequences of a virtual dialog divorced from reality, to plunge into a 'dialogue de verite et de vie' in which the very existence of the interlocutors is in play, in all the global complexity of their human and religious realization.

Obviously - and it cannot be otherwise - my considerations start off from a Christian frame of reference and are accompanied by historical observations and philosophical-theological reflections.

To respond to those who ask for the reason behind Christian hope, one must make references to the truth. In fact, St. John declares: "It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true" (Jn 21,24).

Dialog is a literary form with a long tradition, and it was present in Greek philosophy as well as in the Gospels.

In the inter-religious confrontation, early Christianity had to face certain challenges which were co-related - and very actual even today: the rational justification of the faith, the question of its truth, and the possibility of actualizing it in the concrete existence of Christians.

Justin in the second century, in his dialog with the Jew Tryphon, considered both the Old Testament and Greek philosophy as two roads that led to Christ, to the Logos.

"That is why", Benedict XVI comments in one of his catecheses, "Greek philosophy could not oppose itself to Christian truth, and Christians could draw from it with confidence, as from an asset they owned."

Tertullian in the second and third centuries speaks of Christianity as vera religio veri Dei [ture religion of true gods] distinct from the Roman religion.

Even Lattanzius (3rd-4th century) considered the Christian faith as the vera religio veraque sapientia (the true and wise religion).

Tertullian identified the differences between the new religion and the principal philosophical currents, in the triumph of 'the charity of the Spirit', which, to the violence of persecutors, opposed the blood, sufferings and patience of martyrs.

As a good apologetist, he was aware that Christianity needed to be communicated positively. For this reason, he adopted the speculative method to illustrate the rational foundations of Christian dogma, and systematically examined them in depth, starting with the description of "the God of the Christians": "He whom we adore," he said, "is a unique God."

He proceeds, using the antitheses and paradoxes characteristic of his language: "He is invisible, even if, yes, he can be seen: ungraspable, even though he is present through grace; inconceivable, even if human senses can perceive him; therefore he is true and great!" (Apologetics 17, 1-2).

The Fathers had to to face numerous anti-Christian criticisms by pagan writers and philosophers, and above all, by the neo-Platonist philosopher Porfirius (third century), whose considerations were as clear as his teacher Plotinus's were obscure.

His anti-Christianity had a triple motivation. Above all, his rejection of Scriptures, especially the Gospels, since he considered the evangelists to have been clowns and impostors who practiced magic to deceive ignorant people.

Porfirius thus rejected the Incarnation and the resurrection of the flesh as irreconcilable with the Platonic dualism of the absolute separation between the intelligible and the sensible, this last being considered intrinsically evil.

Finally, he questioned that Christianity had anything new at all, since the need for conversion, the practice of good deeds towards one's neighbor, the respect for all creatures, were values that were defended even by ancient Greek wisdom.

These arguments would subsequently be taken up by the emperor Julian in his Contra Galilaeos [Against the Galilean]. The apostate emperor was scandalized by the claim to truth advanced by Christians with respect to other religions. For him, all people should be able to venerate their own divinities, which are always partial expressions of transcendent divinity.

The senator Simmacus (fourth century) used the same line to defend religious pluralism and relativism, considering the cult of the goddess Victory, for instance, equally valid as the Christian cult.

From these indications one notes the massive well-argued offensive against Christianity by the culture of the time. And the Church, through its pastors and its best minds, responded in similarly firm and detailed manner.

For example, in St. Ambrose's answer to Simmacus, he affirms that only God can teach the mystery of God, not man who does not even know himself: "(Simmacus) says that there cannot be just one way to reach such a great mystery. That which you do not know, we know from the voice of God himself. And that which you search by conjecture, we learn from the wisdom and truth of God himself" (Epistles 18, 7-8).

Even Arnobius of Sicca (3rd-4th century) wrote an apology for Christianity, Adversus nationes, whose unitary line was characterized by passion for the truth in the confrontation between the Christian faith and pagan polytheism, well-known to him because it had been his earlier existential reference.

He underscores the capacity of reason to judge correctly and to grasp and accept Christian truth. His method, centered on contrasting doubt and certainty, was the dialectical expression of falsehood and truth.

On the question of true religion, the Christians admit that the mystery of God is inaccessible with purely human powers. But the revelation of Christ is the word of God himself, revealing himself with wisdom and truth. Thus it follows that the Christian religion is the true religion.

It is not a gnosis, a salvation through knowledge, but a historical fact - the saving mystery of the incarnation, passion, death and resurrection of Christ, Son of God, through whom mankind is offered communion with God as a gift of life and truth.

St. Augustine, in his tract De vera religione, seeks to dissuade his benefactor Romanianus from Manichaeism and to lead him to the Church. In the work, he criticizes the pagan cults and presents true religion as adoration of the One and Triune God.

The mysterious writer known as Dionysius the Areopagite (6th century) makes a significant contribution in that, like Paul, he places the Gospel in dialog with Greek wisdom. His intention was the search for truth: "I do not wish to be polemical," he writes in a letter. "I simply write about the truth, I seek the truth."

This attitude goes to the heart of the true spirit of every dialog: the search for truth. That is why Dionysius - as Benedict XVI commented in his catechesis on May 14, 2008 - "appears to us as the great mediator of the modern dialog between Christianity and the mystical theologies of Asia.".

With respect to inter-religious dialog, the Pope adds: "One sees that dialog does not accept superficiality. It is precisely when one enters into the profundity of an encounter with Christ that the vast space for dialog opens up. When one meets the light of truth, one realizes it is a light for all: polemics vanish, and it becomes possible to understand each other, or at least, to speak to each other and come closer."

Thus the Fathers of the Church were attentive to the rational justification of Christianity, in irenic but sometimes polemical confrontation with other philosophical and religious concepts, making use of recta ratio (right reason) as the way to divine truth. On the basis of this rational justification, they also showed the existential exemplariness of Christians.

In fact, one cannot otherwise explain the extraordinary and rapid spread of Christianity in the ancient world, succeeding to integrate profound philosophies and to surpass religions that had been considered invincible till then.

Of course, the missionary dedication of the apostles, especially Paul of Tarsus, was great, but an undeniable contribution was the practical character of Christianity which soon became a religion for everyone.

"Christian", for Ignatius of Antioch, was he who lived a life in harmony with his faith.

For Origen, the truth of Christianity was proven by putting it into practice. Christian life, in fact, is not only interiority but is manifested in the conduct and language of its faithful.

For John Chrysostom, the Christian "should be recognizable everywhere by the way he walks, the way he looks at things, by his entire exterior behavior and by his very voice" (Homily 4, 7).

In the face of Celsus's critique that Christianity had nothing original in it, Origen did not protest, explaining rather that the presumed lack of novelty in Christian ethics was because God had given ethical criteria common to all mankind so that the last judgment would be based on criteria which are truly equal for everyone.

There are two elements which concern the essential fulfillment of ancient thought in Christianity. First of all, Christian truth is not a truth only for experts but for everyone; it is not a merely theoretical truth but a practical one; it is not a truth only for the academy but even for concrete living. Christian simplicity is far from gnostic fables. Not only wise men but even simple people have contributed to the spread of Christianity.

Often the Fathers called Christians 'true philosophers'. Jerome asked himself, "Who reads Aristotle? How many know Plato or his books, or even his name? ... But everyone talks about our simple men and our fishermen, whose words resound all over the world. That is why I propose their simple words in equally simple language."

In the second place, Christian simplicity is not simplemindedness or superficiality, but docta ignorantia (knowing ignorance) analogous to Socratic ignorance. It means a higher knowledge that surpasses the dialectics of philosophers and rhetoreticians in order to be able to reach everyone.

Christianity's claim to truth and universality was therefore inherent from the beginning in its very identity, testified to not only by hairsplitting arguments but by a way of life that is humanly legible and exemplary. Such a truth is spread not by coercion but by conviction: at the basis of the Christian message is the principle of freedom.

ANGELUS TODAY


A full translation of the Holy Father's words before and after the Angelus prayers today has been posted in AUDIENCE & ANGELUS TEXTS.






In this photo, the Pope points to the new sun roof above the interior courtyard in Castel Gandolfo,
saying to the faithful, "Have you noticed our new roof? It's wonderful!"




At the noonday Angelus today in Castel Gandolfo, the Holy Father spoke about the coming World Youth Day in Sydney and the G-8 summit of the world's leading industrial nations which opens in Tokyo tomorrow.

In his words to English-speaking pilgrims, he referred to the Gospel today and spoke about the summer holidays:

---

I am happy to welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at this Angelus.

During these months many will be taking their annual holiday. Let us pray that all who are travelling on the roads will do so in safety, with prudence and respect for others. In this way our summer break will truly be a time for relaxation, family life and friendship.

In today’s Gospel we are reminded by Jesus that children welcome the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us purify our hearts so that, like them, we may receive in simplicity the will of God and follow generously day by day the path marked out for us.

I wish you all a pleasant stay in Castel Gandolfo and Rome, and a blessed Sunday!

---

Pope calls on G8 nations
to help overcome hunger
and extreme poverty





Castel Gandolfo, July 6 (Adapted from AsiaNews) - At his first Angelus this year from his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Benedict XVI called on the leaders of the world's richest nations meeting in Japan, to "put at the centre of their deliberations the needs of the weakest and poorest populations, whose vulnerability has grown today because of financial speculation and turbulence, and its perverse effects on the prices of food and energy".

"I hope that generosity and farsightedness may help lead to decisions capable of relaunching a fair process of comprehensive development, in protection of human dignity", the Pope said.

He recalled that in recent days, many religious leaders including some episcopal conferences, have spoken out about this G-8 summit. Joining his voice to "this pressing appeal for solidarity", the Pope asked the G8 leaders to take "all of the measures necessary to overcome the scourges of extreme poverty, hunger, illness, illiteracy, which still strike so much of humanity".

But Benedict XVI's first thought in his words preceding the recital of the Angelus was for the 23rd World Youth Day, which will be celebrated in Sydney starting July 15.

The Pope leaves for Australia on July 12 to preside at the major events of WYD starting July 17, with the Ecuharistic vigil on Saturday, July 19, and the Eucharistic celebration on Sunday, July 20.

Benedict XVI called on is all Catholics to "feel themselves as participants in this new stage of the great pilgrimage of young people across the world, begun in 1985 by the Servant of God John Paul II".

"The next WYD", the Pontiff continued, "promises to be a renewed Pentecost: in effect, already for a year the Christian communities have been preparing by following the trail that I marked out in the message on its theme, 'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses' (Acts 1:8).

"This is the promise that Jesus made to his disciples after the resurrection, and which remains always valid and relevant in the Church: the Holy Spirit, awaited and welcomed in prayer, infuses into believers the capacity of being witnesses of Jesus and his Gospel.

"I am certain that from every corner of the world, Catholics will unite with me and with the young people gathered together, as in a Cenacle, in Sydney, intensely invoking the Holy Spirit, so that he may flood hearts with interior light, with love for God and for neighbour, with courageous initiative in introducing the eternal message of Jesus in the various languages and cultures".

In his greetings to various language groups afterwards, the Pope had affectionate words for dozens of children (many of them Chinese) and their chaperones from the Soong Ching-ling Foundation of Italy, a non-governmental organisation viewed very favourably by the government of Beijing.

Founded in 1982, it is dedicated to the Christian wife of Sun Yat Sen, the father of the Chinese republic. Before her death in 1981, she was appointed the (only) female president of the People's Republic of China.

The foundation works for the education and health of Chinese children, and extends its efforts into other parts of the world.

"Love, concord, harmony, and solidarity", the pope said, "are the values that you want to promote in China and in the other countries of the world. Art and culture can unite peoples: children represent the future of the human family and are thus called to construct a more beautiful and more human world".

The Pope took the opportunity to say, "Your presence permits me to send a wish for peace and joy to all of your peers in China and in the world". And he added in the Chinese language: "Nimen hao!" (greetings to you!).




Pope urges G8 leaders
to focus on world's poor




CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, July 6 (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI called on Group of Eight leaders meeting in Japan this week to focus on the needs of the world's poorest and most vulnerable.

He urged them to place "at the centre of their deliberations the needs of the weakest and the poorest, more vulnerable now because of speculation and financial turbulence and their perverse effects on the prices of food and energy."

Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialised nations will Monday begin three days of annual talks in the Japanese mountain resort town of Toyako that will be dominated by the fragile world economy and global warming.

The 81-year-old Pontiff, speaking at his summer residence at Castelgandolfo near Rome during his traditional Sunday Angelus prayer, urged "generosity and far-sightedness" during the talks.

Benedict called on the leaders to "courageously adopt all the necessary measures to overcome the scourges of extreme poverty, of hunger, disease, illiteracy, that still affect such a great part of humanity."




Pope looking forward to trip
Australian Associated Press
July 06, 2008




POPE Benedict XVI said today he was already thinking ahead to his departure for Australia next weekend.

"My thoughts are already in Australia," he said at his summer residence in Castelgandolfo near Rome during his traditional Sunday Angelus prayer.

The 81-year-old Pontiff will attend the July 15-20 World Youth Day.

"The first groups of boys and girls are already heading from other continents to Australia for this new stage in the great youth pilgrimage launched in 1985 by (Benedict's predecessor) John Paul II.

"I am sure that from every corner of the Earth, Catholics will unite with me and the youths gathered (in Sydney) to invoke the Holy Spirit ... in a variety of languages and cultures.''

The Pontiff, who is set to leave for Australia on Saturday, will rest for a few days before his first official appearance on July 17.

Benedict will leave Sydney on July 21 after World Youth Day ceremonies culminate in an open air mass at Randwick Racecourse expected to attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.

So now we know.....


Pope to holiday
at semi-rural Australian retreat



SYDNEY, July 6 (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI has chosen a retreat centre on Sydney's north-western outskirts for his three-day holiday in Australia, the Sunday Telegraph reported Sunday.

The Pope is travelling to Australia later this month for World Youth Day, a six-day event celebrating the Catholic faith aimed at young people.

He arrives on July 13 but will not be officially welcomed to Sydney until July 17, and where he would spend the first three days of his visit had been a tightly-kept secret.

He will not enjoy Sydney Harbour views or a trip to the Great Barrier Reef during his stay at the Kenthurst Study Centre, but will be able to glimpse the scenic Blue Mountains, the Sunday Telegraph said.

He will spend his time there relaxing, playing the piano and taking part in daily prayers, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, told the paper.

"The venue was chosen as it is a semi-rural location run by the Catholic Church which is in close proximity to Sydney," he said.

"At his time at Kenthurst Study Centre, he will be resting from his long flight -- which is the furthest he has travelled."

The centre is close to Richmond RAAF Air Base, where the Pope will fly in, and is run by the conservative Catholic organisation Opus Dei.

The Pontiff will leave Australia on July 21 after World Youth Day ceremonies culminate in an open-air mass at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse expected to attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims on July 20.

Set in 25 acres of native bush with views of the Blue Mountains, Kenthurst Study Centre is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from central Sydney and has a chapel which accommodates about 40 people.


Here's the original report:

Pope's Sydney digs unveiled
By Marnie O'Neill




July 06, 2008

THE Pope will spend his first three days in Australia unwinding at a semi-rural retreat run by conservative Catholic organisation Opus Dei where television is banned but guests are permitted to bring their own radios.

Cardinal George Pell yesterday confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI would be taken straight to the Kenthurst Study Centre, on Sydney's north-western outskirts, after flying into Richmond RAAF Air Base next Sunday.



The retreat caters for as many as 30 guests and features tennis, volleyball and basketball courts and a 25m swimming pool. It also has plenty of room to land the helicopter, which the Pope will use to beat Sydney's traffic later in the week.

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An AdobeFlash presentation showing the facilities in the center can be seen on their site
www.kenthurststudycentre.org.au/

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While the Pontiff is unlikely to be shooting hoops, he will be able to indulge his love of playing piano and catch glimpses of the Blue Mountains from the many bush trails on the property before beginning his pastoral duties at World Youth Day.

"The venue was chosen as it is a semi-rural location run by the Catholic Church which is in close proximity to Sydney,'' Cardinal Pell said.

"At his time at the Kenthurst Study Centre, he will be resting from his long flight - which is the furthest he has travelled.

"He will be partaking in his daily prayers, and doing some of the things he enjoys, such as playing the piano.''



The centre itself resembles a large country home but features austere decor suited to an Opus Dei residence. The rooms are simple, furnished with just a single bed, desk, sofa and a small heater.

The centre's hospitality manager, Maryanne Woodhead, said World Youth Day organisers contacted Opus Dei and asked if the Kenthurst facility could also accommodate visiting bishops and cardinals.

"We don't know how many there will be but we are on stand-by to cater for a number of visiting dignitaries,'' she said.

"The police are here securing (the compound). There may be dignitaries from politically unstable countries who require additional protection.''

After his three days of private retreat, the Pope will move to Cathedral House in the city to stay with Cardinal Pell for the rest of the week.

Sadly, the view from his room will take in sections of Cook and Phillip Park, which remain under construction.

City authorities are scrambling to complete the forecourt closest to the Archbishop's residence before July 9, when they hand over the site to World Youth Day organisers.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore's office confirmed hoardings around the forecourt near St Mary's Cathedral would be gone tomorrow.

The $10 million refurbishment of the park was intended to be finished by February this year but the completion date has been delayed repeatedly and remains indefinite. The City of Sydney has blamed the delays on wet weather.

Meanwhile, World Youth Day organisers have privately urged the Pope to issue an apology to victims of sexual abuse by church officials.

The plea has been made in a letter from church leaders and sent to the Vatican. It calls on the Pope to make a historic statement on sexual abuse in a list of suggested 'live' issues, including Aboriginal reconciliation, he could address in his Australian speeches.

The Vatican has not yet responded to the list.

RE: Angelus

Thank you! I was wondering what was going on in that pic. How very interesting.

RE: Papa resting at the Kenthurst Study Centre

I'm glad to have this information before I leave. I'm sure, if people can get close to the property there will be crowds outside. Like when Papa stays at a bishop's residence.

Lori in Australia with Papa

Okay, Lori, so now you know where Papa will be before the WYD activities start and you will be there at that time also. Being a seasoned member of this forum, although incredibly young, you have read all the methods used by older, more experienced members to overcome all obstacles and get near Papa. It's time to see how your generation measures up.

We are expecting to see photos of you at Kenthurst chatting with Papa, having tea with him in the courtyard, taking a stroll together in the gardens.

Good luck, kiddo. Have a great time in Australia!

'Summorum Pontificum' one year later:
Fr. Zuhlsdorf analyzes its effects
By Annamarie Adkins




MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, JULY 6, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's letter Summorum Pontificum on the traditional form of the Mass has sparked an increased interest in the Latin-language liturgy, especially among priests, says an expert on liturgical translations.

Father John Zuhlsdorf, a former employee of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, is a noted authority on both liturgical translations and the 1962 Missal. He also writes the "What Does the Prayer Really Say?" column in the Wanderer newspaper, and is the author of a popular blog by the same name.

In Part 1 of this interview with ZENIT, he spoke about new interest in the traditional Latin Mass and various concerns raised regarding Summorum Pontificum.


Has there been much of a demand for the traditional Latin Mass since the release of Summorum Pontificum?
No and yes. We have not seen hordes of the faithful hammering on rectory doors to demand the older Mass. But there has been a steady increase of parishes where the traditional Latin Mass is now celebrated regularly. The trickle is becoming a stream.

Initially, there were unrealistic expectations. Many who favor the older Mass were overly optimistic that the floodgates would crash open. The naysayers, often in positions of power, tried to stem the tide by speaking very negatively, not only about the older Mass, but also about the people who desire it.

Many diocesan bishops, incredibly, threw up unreasonable obstacles to the good provisions the Holy Father generously promulgated. That resistance is now crumbling under the scrutiny of the blogosphere and pressure from the Holy See.

The other factor is that very many young priests want to learn the traditional Latin Mass. For example, I hear that over 1,000 priests have requested the new training DVD that the Fraternity of St. Peter made together with EWTN.

Scores of priests are attending training workshops in Chicago and Nebraska, in Oxford, England, and elsewhere, whenever they are offered. As priests learn this form of the Mass, they will begin implementing it in parishes.

Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, Benedict XVI's point man in these matters, stated that the Holy Father hopes this Mass will be offered widely, even if it has not been requested by the faithful.

University chaplaincies are being pushed by students to make the traditional Latin Mass available. This trend will only increase on an upward curve.


The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei is reportedly preparing a document to clarify some ambiguities related to implementing Summorum Pontificum. What have been the main difficulties thus far that such a document should address?
The document will probably clarify some terms in the Motu Proprio that have been used by some diocesan bishops and priests to block what the Holy Father is trying to accomplish.

For example, Summorum Pontificum says priests must be idoneus, "capable, competent" to say Mass with the older book. Idoneus, a technical term, refers to the minimum requirements for competence, not to expertise.

Cardinal Edward Egan of New York, a distinguished canonist in his day, correctly stated that idoneus, as far as the Latin language is concerned, means that the priest must be able to pronounce the words properly. That is the minimum.

Of course we hope for far more than that. But some bishops are subjecting priests to exams in Latin before they determine whether he can exercise his right to say Mass using the 1962 Missale Romanum, or even in Latin with the Novus Ordo, that is to say, Mass in his own rite, as a priest of the Latin Church.

Another issue is how large a group, a coetus, making a request for the older Mass must be before the parish priest is required to act in their favor. Those and other questions pertain to the interpretation of the Motu Proprio.

Practical questions have arisen as well. For example, the Holy See should give direction about the relationship of the two liturgical calendars. I think the Holy See should issue an "ordo" for the traditional Mass, a yearly booklet indicating which Mass must be said each day.

Clarifications about the style of vestments that may be used, or the sort of music, could be useful. There are questions about Communion in the hand, or altar girls, how those fit with the spirit and the rubrics of the pre-conciliar Mass.

Smaller details, for example about the so-called second Confiteor before Communion, or some traditions people desire from before the 1962 Missal, should be made clear.

This upcoming document, and its particular authoritative responses, will help make the implementation of Summorum Pontificum orderly and serene.


You have argued that Summorum Pontificum is the centerpiece of Benedict XVI's 'Marshall Plan' for the Church. But the term 'Marshall Plan' implies rebuilding from the ground up. Can you describe this plan and the role you believe the traditional Latin Mass fits within it?
Useful as they are, analogies limp. After World War II the United States rebuilt war-ravaged Europe both for humanitarian reasons, and also to help create trading partners and a prosperous bulwark against Communism.

After Vatican II, many spheres of the Church were devastated, ravaged by internal dissent, a loss of continuity with our tradition, and from erosion by the secularism and relativism of the prevailing modern world.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had been concerned for years about the loss of Christian identity, which is at the heart of Western Civilization. Now Papa Ratzinger, I believe, is working to reinvigorate our Catholic identity, within the Church herself among her members and spheres of life, so that we can resist the negative influences of secularism and relativism.

Only with a solid identity can we, as Catholics, have something positive and healthy to offer to the world at large, a clear voice offering important contributions in the public square.

Our identity as Catholics is inextricably bound together with the way we pray as a Church.

To give shape and strength to our Catholic identity in these difficult times, we need an authentic liturgical renewal, a renewal that reintegrates us with our tradition, brings us into continuity with the deep roots of our Catholic Christian experience of two millennia.

Contrary to the notions of most progressivists, "the Catholic thing" did not begin in the 1960s.

Benedict XVI is guiding us to a healthier vision of the Church's doctrine, history, public worship and our very identity as Catholics. There can be no authentic change for a better future without continuity with our past. Liturgy is the tip of the spear.


In Part 2 of the interview, Fr. Zuhlsdork talks about the impact Summorum Pontificum has had on the life of the Church life one year after its release.

Benedict XVI stated in the letter accompanying Summorum Pontificum that he hoped each form of the Mass -- ordinary and extraordinary -- would mutually enrich the other. In particular, he desired that the extraordinary form would restore a sense of the sacred to the ordinary form, or Novus Ordo. One year after Summorum Pontificum, have you seen the extraordinary form exercise any "gravitational pull" on the Novus Ordo?
Yes, we can see this “pull” at work in some places, but there is a long way to go. Gravity exerts a steady pull, but inertia, especially momentum in the wrong direction, must still be overcome.

It has only been one year since the letter was issued, and only since September that it has been in force. Initially there were flurries of enthusiasm and vituperation, crowing and panic.

The text had to be read and absorbed. The Holy See had to clarify the authentic wording. Problems and questions are still being identified. A document with clarifications obviously remains on the drafting desk.

But the mere awareness of the provisions of Summorum Pontificum has made an impact. “Personal parishes” are being established for use of the older Mass and rites of sacraments. Books and training materials had to be created. They are now starting to be published. All this takes time.

Also, the Holy Father changed the conversation about liturgy and certain post-Conciliar practices by celebrating the Novus Ordo in a more traditional way, by using historic vestments, by returning to distributing Communion on the tongue to people kneeling, and so forth.

But the real pull of the older Mass and Benedict XVI’s efforts toward continuity with the Novus Ordo will be felt in the future.

For example, time and time again younger priests tell me that after learning the traditional Latin Mass, they never say Holy Mass in the Novus Ordo the same way. There are things you learn about priesthood and Holy Mass from the traditional Latin Mass that you simply don’t pick up from the Novus Ordo, especially as it is usually celebrated in so many of our parishes and chapels.

How a priest says Mass affects a parish profoundly, at the level of reverence, vocations, everything.

Even though Rome wasn’t destroyed in a day, neither will it be quickly rebuilt. We have suffered a disastrous loss of basic priestly formation in Latin and theology and the culture that goes with them. This will take time to recover.

Seminaries need time to ramp up to meet the new needs the letter calls forth. Seminarians are eager to learn. Who will do the teaching?

In parishes young people more and more desire a greater continuity with the past. They are discovering their Catholic heritage and that they have been robbed. Eventually they will hold the positions of influence in parishes and Catholic schools.

On a concrete level, some bishops, priests, liturgists and musicians are rethinking the value of some common post-conciliar practices.

For example, a few days after Benedict XVI started to distribute Communion on the tongue to people kneeling, a bishop in the United States did precisely the same thing for Corpus Christi.

They are reassessing the great advantages of Mass celebrated "ad orientem," everyone facing the same direction toward the altar and the Crucifix. Latin is being reappraised. Musicians are dusting off the treasury of sacred liturgical music that has been hidden for decades.

The "motu proprio" is pulling, but there is still resistance, and laziness. Time, patience and open minds are needed to get things moving. The law of inertia in physics is that bodies in motion or at rest stay that way until another force works on them. The "motu proprio" is such a force.


What have been some noteworthy, or perhaps unexpected, developments in the Church related to Summorum Pontificum since its release?
A noteworthy result must be the shift in attitude of and about people who desire traditional liturgy.

For so long the ecclesiastical establishment looked down on and marginalized more traditional Catholics, shoving them to the back of the bus because of their attachment to our tradition. Some of the more benign saw them as being like our family’s nutty but harmless aunt up in the attic.

On the other hand, many traditionalists, perhaps out of the deep hurts and disillusionment they felt after all the changes in the Church, the silly season of illicit innovations, the ash-canning of our beautiful churches, music, vestments, statues, devotions, you name it, wound up with an enormous chip on their collective shoulder.

As time went by, many of them knew no other way to “negotiate” with bishops and priests but simply to get in their face, make pushy demands, and arrogantly tell them what to do. It got to a point where even clerics who were open and sympathetic started to wince and back away whenever traditionalists approached. And so the waters of good relations froze.

Now, because some of the pain and alienation is starting to melt away in the hearts of many traditionalists, now that they can simply have what they should have been able to have all along, now that a little warm sunshine is being beamed in their direction by the Holy Father and others who share his vision, pastors of souls are starting to unclench as well.

The ice is breaking up and the water is flowing again. This was not an unexpected development. I fully believed this would happen because traditionalists are mostly good people who love the Holy Church and want the best for their families, priests and bishops.

Bishops and priests, even when they are not personally inclined to traditional things, are mostly good men who love their flocks and sincerely desire their good. They all share common ground in what really matters. What I am surprised by is that the breaking of the ice dam -- though there is a long way to go yet -- is happening so quickly.

I under-estimated the warmth of the sunlight and the openness of hearts, especially on the part of some bishops who, as a body, have not shown themselves in the past to be very friendly to traditional liturgy. This has made me rethink my own attitudes.