NEWS ABOUT THE CHURCH & THE VATICAN

CHURCH HAS DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH ALMOST EVERYBODY

Holy See now has Diplomatic Relations with 174 nations
Posted on January 11, 2006
From the Catholic Times

The Holy See maintains diplomatic relations with 174 countries - but not with the world's most-populous nation. The statistics were published in a communiqué issued Monday as Benedict XVI gave an address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. Among the diplomats meeting with the Pope today was a representative of the Russian Federation - with which the Vatican does not yet have full relations -- and the director of the representative office of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Also present were representatives of the European Union and of the Order of Malta, whose sovereignty is recognized internationally. When John Paul II became Pope in 1978, the Holy See had diplomatic relations with 85 countries. Among the countries with which the Holy See does not yet have full diplomatic relations are China, Vietnam, North Korea and Saudi Arabia. In an address to the diplomatic corps last May 12, Benedict XVI expressed the desire to see these nations "represented before the Apostolic See" as soon as possible.

A NEW TWIST ON THE AGCA STORY

From Zaman Online (Turkey)

Agca Letter to New Pope: Eternal Thanks to the Vatican!
By Anadolu News Agency (aa), Rome
Published: Wednesday, January 11, 2006
zaman.com


Mehmet Ali Agca, found guilty and imprisoned for the murder of journalist Abdi Ipekci and the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, has apparently sent a letter to Pope Benedict XVI.

The letter published in the Italian Newspaper La Republica reads “Eternal Thanks to the Vatican. I offer my deepest gratitude and respect to the pope for helping to secure my release.” According to the article Agca’s letter also read: “We, as the Agca family, are grateful to the Vatican. Over the past 25 years the Vatican has always helped me; it has supported me and always been as open as possible and for this reason, I offer the Vatican my deepest gratitude. Their forgiveness and support should be taken as an opportunity for greater friendship and dialogue between religions. My eternal thanks! I offer my deepest respect to Pope Benedict XVI for securing my being release in the name of the Agca family.”

The article reported that Agca’s brother Adnan Agca told: “My brother’s life is in danger, as some people have stated, there is no possibility of danger and the Vatican has offered a guarantee of security. My brother has fulfilled his punishment and the Vatican is with us also. No one can do anything to us.” Corriera della Sera newspaper reported Agca said: “I am so happy to be released. The Vatican continues the forgiveness and peace advocated by Pope Jean Paul II. This should be seen as an example for everyone,” in a statement released through his lawyer Mustafa Demirbag. Demirbag said in his statement to the Italian National News Agency (ANSA) that “Agca will be released at 12:00 on Thursday.” Avvenire newspaper, the official periodical of Italian Catholic Bishops Council, published a two page spread in relation to Agca’s release and ran the headline “He is released along with all his secrets.”

Meanwhile, Ferdinando Imposimato, who was elected as a member of parliament after retiring from his position as a judge in Italy, defended that Mehmet Ali Agca should be questioned over the kidnapping of Emanuerla Orlandi on 22 June 1983. Impasimato, acting on behalf of the Orlandi family, will apply to the Italian judicial system in this frame and demand Agca be questioned over the incident. Agca will reportedly be released on Thursday, January 12.

An Austrian online news agency cites the Times of London as saying that Pope Benedict
may name 84-year-old Graham Leonard, once AngLican Archbishop of London, a Cardinal
in the first consistory he will call as Pope. Becaused of Leonard's age, he would not
be eligible to take part in a Conclave.


Leonard converted to Catholicism in 1992, because he disagreed with the ordination of women
priests in the Anglican Church. He would be the first married Cardinal in the College.
He and wife Priscilla have two sons.

He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1995, received in audience by Pope John Paul II shortly
thereafter, and granted the title of Monsignore by the Pope. As Cardinal Ratzinger, the Pope
has known Leonard since he converted.

Several other Anglican bishops and hundreds of Anglican priests followed Mons. Leonard’s example
in protest against the ordination of women as priests. Leonard and other married Anglican priests
who have converted to Catholicism are exempt from the celibacy rule.

Friar Assails "Lies" Against Franciscans of Assisi
In Wake of Pope's Program to Organize City's Holy Sites

ROME, JAN. 10, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The head of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual lamented
what he said are lies against the Franciscans of Assisi, following papal measures to
organize the city's holy sites.

Minister General Friar Joachim Giermek's response to media reports appeared in an editorial
of the international news bulletin of the Conventual Franciscans, Fraternus Nuntius.
The order's General Curia publishes the bulletin.

Assisi has attracted media attention since Nov. 9, when Benedict XVI published a letter
entrusting the pastoral activity of the city's basilicas to the bishop of the local diocese.

The Holy Father's letter, issued on his own initiative, also streamlined the autonomy that
both the Friars Minor and Conventuals had had since 1969 when Pope Paul VI published
a similar document.

In the editorial in Fraternus Nuntius, Father Giermek observed that some observers regarded
Benedict XVI's decision as a way of "punishing the Franciscans," years after the
1986 interreligious meeting for peace convoked in Assisi by Pope John Paul II. According to
some media sources, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had been opposed the 1986 event.

"No profanation"

Father Giermek wrote: "Authentic lies have been published by some individuals who, despite
the fact they knew the truth, have however reproached (to give an example) the friars for
having authorized or allowed ritual abuses during the religious ceremonies of some delegations."

The Conventual Franciscan superior affirmed first of all that "no profanation of the
sacred sites took place," as some alleged.

Second, the Holy See organizes these events "in its own house," he added. "Preparations of
this type are attentively and carefully watched by the Vatican down to the smallest details.
To blame the friars is no more than a cowardly device used to unload old gripes and
to express one's appreciation or contempt for the Church's past policy and to try to influence
the future."

Father Giermek revealed that Benedict XVI's letter was "the motive of dialogue for a rather
long period before it was signed."

"This papal measure in fact has not been a surprise," the Conventual Franciscan stated.

In concluding, Father Giermek expressed a warm welcome to the new bishop of Assisi-Nocera,
Archbishop Domenico Sorentino, who will take possession of the diocese on Feb. 11.

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 10, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The Vatican Secret Archives may now be visited
on the Internet.

After selecting the language on the Holy See's site (http://www.vatican.va/),
a click on the Focus section of the home page offers a virtual walk through the archives'
age-old halls amid frescoes and documents.

One may (virtually) page through documents such as the 14th-century Parchment of Chinon,
which records the absolution of Pope Clement V of the leading members of the Templar Order.
Also accessible are the proceedings of the trial against Galileo Galilei.

Among other treasures, the Vatican Secret Archives include key documents concerning the
history of single nations.

"Moreover, for some countries, the Vatican documents are the oldest ones, which even
mark the beginning of their own national history," explains the Web page.

The archives include about 85 linear kilometers (52 miles) of shelves. The oldest document
dates to the eighth century, while the archives have an almost uninterrupted documentation
starting from 1198.

The archives are primarily used by the Pope and the Roman Curia. In 1881, by decision
of Pope Leo XIII, part of the archives was opened to be consulted by scholars,
"thus becoming the most important center of historical research in the world."

First Stage Will Be Held in Rome Jan. 24-27

ROME, JAN. 11, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI plans to preside over the vespers that will help
mark the start of the 3rd European Ecumenical Assembly.

The vespers on Jan. 24, in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, will be for the feast of
the Conversion of St. Paul. Jan. 25 marks the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Some 150 delegates of churches, bishops' conferences, Christian communities and ecumenical
movements will take part in the launching of the Ecumenical Assembly. The events of this
stage of the assembly will run Jan. 24-27 and include conferences.

Thus will begin a process convoked by the Conference of European Churches, a non-Catholic
group, and the Council of European Bishops' Conferences, a Catholic group.

The initiative continues the tradition of the European Ecumenical Assemblies held
in Switzerland in 1989 and in Austria in 1997. This time, there is not just one event, but
a process in four stages.

The second stage will include a series of ecumenical meetings at the national or regional
level throughout Europe, in the second half of 2006 or the start of 2007.

Wittenberg, Germany, will be the venue for the third stage, from Feb. 15-18, 2007,
In which the 150 delegates mentioned will come together.

Finally, the assembly itself, attended by some 3,000 delegates, will be held in Sibiu, Romania, f
rom Sept. 4-8, 2007. Meetings will be organized at the same time, where possible,
in other European cities.

Judas Iscariot to get Vatican makeover -12/01/06
Interpretations of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus with a kiss, are being rethought by Vatican scholars.

The proposed “rehabilitation” of the man who was paid 30 pieces of silver to identify Jesus to Roman soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane, comes on the ground that he was not deliberately evil, but was just “fulfilling his part in God’s plan” reports the Times newspaper.

Historically Christians have often blamed Judas for aiding and abetting the Crucifixion, and his name is synonymous with treachery.

According to St Luke, Judas was “possessed by Satan”.

Now, a campaign led by Monsignor Walter Brandmuller, head of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Science, is aimed at persuading believers to look kindly at a man reviled for 2,000 years, reports the newspaper.

Mgr Brandmuller told fellow scholars it was time for a “re-reading” of the Judas story. He is supported by Vittorio Messori, a prominent Catholic writer close to both Pope Benedict XVI and the late John Paul II.

The suggested re-interpretation may be explained by some as a result, at least in part, of the new 'post-Christendom' context.

Within Christendom, a close alliance of church and government meant that Christians often played down Jesus’ radical message of mercy, love and forgiveness. Such values did not sit nicely with a church which had to play a part in governing, waging wars imprisonment and torture, and Jesus was often interpreted in more retributive terms.

As the church moves further from government however, room is made for interpretations of Jesus to re-emerge that are more in keeping with ideas of forgiveness rather than punishment.

Signor Messori said that the rehabilitation of Judas would “resolve the problem of an apparent lack of mercy by Jesus toward one of his closest collaborators”.

He told La Stampa that there was a Christian tradition that held that Judas was forgiven by Jesus and ordered to purify himself with “spiritual exercises” in the desert.

In scholarly circles, it has long been unfashionable to demonise Judas and Catholics in Britain are likely to welcome Judas’s rehabilitation.

Father Allen Morris, Christian Life and Worship secretary for the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, said: “If Christ died for all — is it possible that Judas too was redeemed through the Master he betrayed?”

The “rehabilitation” of Judas could help the Pope’s drive to improve Christian-Jewish relations, which he has made a priority of his pontificate.

Some Bible experts say Judas was “a victim of a theological libel which helped to create anti Semitism” by forming an image of him as a “sinister villain” prepared to betray for money.

In many medieval plays and paintings Judas is portrayed with a hooked nose and exaggerated Semitic features. In Dante’s Inferno, Judas is relegated to the lowest pits of Hell, where he is devoured by a three-headed demon.

The move to clear Judas’s name coincides with plans to publish the alleged Gospel of Judas for the first time in English, German and French. Though not written by Judas, it is said to reflect the belief among early Christians — now gaining ground in the Vatican — that in betraying Christ Judas was fulfilling a divine mission, which led to the arrest and Crucifixion of Jesus and hence to man’s salvation.

Mgr Brandmuller said that he expected “no new historical evidence” from the supposed gospel, which had been excluded from the canon of accepted Scripture.

But it could “serve to reconstruct the events and context of Christ’s teachings as they were seen by the early Christians”. This included that Jesus had always preached “forgiveness for one’s enemies”.

Some Vatican scholars have expressed concern over the reconsideration of Judas. Monsignor Giovanni D’Ercole, a Vatican theologian, said it was “dangerous to re-evaulate Judas and muddy the Gospel accounts by reference to apocryphal writings. This can only create confusion in believers.” The Gospels tell how Judas later returned the 30 pieces of silver — his “blood money” — and hanged himself, or according to the Acts of the Apostles, “fell headlong and burst open so that all his entrails burst out”.

Fortunately, the Times newspaper itself has come to the rescue, and using its wealth of theological knowledge to set everyone straight.

In an editorial today the paper concludes; “To see him as a victim is surely too generous — even by modern standards. To contend that he did not know what he was doing does not square with biblical evidence. To conclude that he was only obeying orders is not satisfactory either. Nor did the Roman Empire often exploit the equivalent of ASBOs. The Vatican may decide to be very kindly towards him. Yet, Judas is surely a ‘bad chap’.”

Well, that sorts that one out then.

Pius XII as a "Righteous Gentile"
Scholar Ronald Rychlak Defends Wartime Pope
From www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=82635

JACKSON, Mississippi, JAN. 11, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Despite what some modern critics say,
Pope Pius XII launched a multifaceted response to the Nazi campaign against the Jews.

So says, Ronald Rychlak, an adviser to the Holy See's delegation to the United Nations,
University of Mississippi law professor and author of "Righteous Gentiles: How Pope Pius XII
and the Catholic Church Saved Half a Million Jews from the Nazis".(www.spencepublishing.com)

Rychlak shared with ZENIT some of the information he has amassed in defense of Pius XII
and the Church, and how Catholics can respond to detractors.

Q: How is this book different from those that have previously defended Pope Pius XII?
What new information does it reveal?

Rychlak: In "Righteous Gentiles" I directly respond to arguments made by the critics
of Pope Pius XII and the Catholic Church during the Nazi era. I generally tried to avoid doing
that in my last book -- "Hitler, the War, and the Pope" -- because I wanted to lay out
the facts chronologically just as they happened.

Philosopher Michael Novak, author of the foreword to "Righteous Gentiles," pointed out that
over the past five years there have been so many books and articles that set forth arguments
against the Church that a book responding to them had become necessary.

That's what I have tried to do with this book: address each and every argument that has been
lodged against Pope Pius XII and the Catholic Church during the Holocaust.

As for new information, the first chapter of "Righteous Gentiles" sets forth 18 new pieces
of evidence that have come to light in recent years. Each one casts a positive light on
Pius XII and the Catholic Church.

The book also discusses Pope Pius XII, the Germany clergy and other rescuers from nations
throughout Europe. Those topics have not, for the most part, been discussed in other recent
pro-Pius XII books.

Q: How did Pius XII and the Catholic Church respond to Nazi aggression?
Rychlak: Pius XII's response was multifaceted. He opened buildings throughout Rome,
providing food, shelter and clothing to all those in need. He also made many statements
in opposition to the Nazis and in support of the Jews.

His first encyclical, "Summi Pontificatus" -- released just weeks after the outbreak of war --
expressly mentioned Jews and urged solidarity with all who profess a belief in God.
Allied forces later dropped thousands of copies behind enemy lines for propaganda purposes.

In his 1942 Christmas statement, Pius spoke on behalf of "the hundreds of thousands who,
through no fault of their own, and solely because of their nation or race, have been
condemned to death or progressive extinction."

His 1943 encyclical "Mystici Corporis Christi" explained: "Our paternal love embraces all
peoples, whatever their nationality or race." He went on to say that Christ, by his blood,
made Jews and Christians one "breaking down the middle wall of partition ... in his flesh by
which the two peoples were divided."

Pius XII also used his representatives throughout Europe to intervene on behalf of Jewish
victims. He sent open telegrams complaining to collaborating governments and commiserating
with the persecuted.

He established the Pontifical Relief Commission which distributed food, medicine and
clothing in 40 countries during the war, and he created the Vatican Information Office which
supplied information about missing persons and helped reunite families -- all without any
discrimination on the basis of race, religion or nationality.

Many Catholic rescuers were inspired by the repeated appeals in support of Jews that were
broadcast on Vatican Radio. Some rescuers even testified to direct papal orders that
they received to help victimized Jews.

The Pope's position, like his means of inspiring the resistance, was well understood
during the war. The New York Times reported that because of him, "hiding someone 'on the run'
became the thing to do."

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints, following a 39-year investigation into Pius XII's life,
concluded that the only way to save the Jews was with "secret but efficient ways to shelter them,
provide them food and clothing, and move them to neutral countries. Pius XII did this in
a manner unequaled by any state or organization."

Q: What did you find in your research of Church archives, especially the confidential
Vatican report on Pius XII?
Rychlak: I was able to draw upon documents that I saw for the first time in March 2003,
when I traveled to Rome to examine materials from newly opened Vatican archives. I returned
to Rome in April 2004, at which time I was given extraordinary access to the still-confidential
internal Vatican report -- the "positio" -- prepared by historians for the Congregation
for the Causes of Saints.

This eight-volume work includes sworn testimony from about 100 witnesses who knew Pius XII.
It also reviews all the scholarship in the area -- critical and supportive -- and looks to
the victims, the rescuers and the Nazi villains.

Relying on this evidence, and applying reasonable standards to evaluate his leadership --
as opposed to the ever-shifting and unfair procedures adopted by so many critics -- it sets
forth a compelling case that he lived a life of heroic virtue.

Q: Why do so many scholars and critics want to find Pius XII culpable in Nazi atrocities?
Rychlak: The "positio" concludes that there is a campaign to denigrate the personality and
work of Pius XII. This should not, I think, be taken as an orchestrated campaign of critics
working in conjunction.

Rather, many of the critics share a view of the world that runs counter to the Catholic Church,
and they have tried to advance their view and discredit the Church by denigrating Pope Pius XII.

Read through to the end of most of these books and you will find that the authors are
critical not only of Pope Pius XII, but also the late Pope John Paul II, the positions expressed
by Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI, traditional Catholic doctrines of papal supremacy,
the all-male priesthood and especially Catholic sexual teachings.

In fact, because the Catholic Church stands as the pre-eminent voice advancing the very concept
of ultimate truth, it is their main target -- not Pius or any other individual.

Q: What factual evidence can Catholics cite in response to criticism of Pius XII and
the Church during World War II?
Rychlak: Much of the evidence, including sheltering, feeding and clothing the Jews of Rome,
is well known. The same goes for his public statements and the offer of gold to pay a ransom
so that the Nazis would not deport Roman Jews. The diplomatic protests and radio broadcasts
are not as well known, but are just as important.

Some of the newly discovered evidence that is set forth in "Righteous Gentiles" includes
letters from Pius XII containing money to be used to help interned Jews.

There is also a 1933 letter from Secretary of State Eugenio Pacelli -- before he became Pius XII --
instructing the papal representative in Germany to intervene with the Nazi government regarding
"anti-Semitic excesses in Germany."

In 1923, Pacelli -- who was then the papal representative in Germany -- wrote to Rome reporting
that "right-wing radicals" and "followers of Hitler" were persecuting Catholics and Jews.

He praised the "learned and zealous" archbishop of Munich who had been attacked by the Nazis
because he "had denounced the persecutions against the Jews."

Q: Why is Pius XII's exoneration crucial to future Catholic-Jewish relations?
Rychlak: As Jews and Catholics have come together in recent years, this issue has remained
a stumbling block. It's unfortunate, because we share so many interests and outlooks. We need
to get to the truth, which will permit us to focus on joint efforts and shared heritage.

That, not revision of Catholic doctrine or social teaching, is the important result that
should come from honest research into the Catholic Church during the Nazi era.

Q: Why do you think the Jewish people should award Pius XII the title of "Righteous Gentile"?
Rychlak: Since 1963, a commission headed by an Israeli Supreme Court justice has been charged
with awarding the title "Righteous among the Nations."

In general, when a non-Jewish person risked his or her life, freedom and safety in order
to rescue one or more Jews from the threat of death or deportation, without exacting
monetary compensation, the rescuer qualifies for consideration as a "Righteous Gentile."

As Rabbi David Dalin has long asserted, based on the record that we already have,
Pope Pius XII fully deserves that designation. I also think that this designation would
once-and-for-all resolve the controversy and heal the divisions.

The Holocaust was a horrible era in the history of mankind. The best way to assure that
it is not repeated is to deal honestly with the facts.

The victims of that era thanked Pius XII, the rescuers identified him as their
inspiration and the Nazis detested him. Those who want to revise history have ignored this evidence.

I hope that "Righteous Gentiles" can, in some small way, help restore the truth.
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Sister Lucia's Remains to Be Moved to Fatima

ROME, JAN. 12, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The mortal remains of Sister Lucia, who saw apparitions of Our Lady
in 1917, will be moved from the Carmelite convent of Coimbra, where she died, to the Shrine of Fatima.

The news was confirmed by the Roman Society for Pilgrimages, an institution dependent on the Holy See,
which is organizing pilgrimages to the Portuguese shrine for the occasion.

The public will be able to take part in the Feb. 19 event, which will included a procession
to the Chapel of the Apparitions, Mass, and the transferral of the remains to the basilica.

The remains of the religious, who died at age 97 last Feb. 13, will rest next to those of her two
cousins, Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta, who also witnessed the Virgin Mary's apparitions
with her. The liturgical memorial of the two Blessed is celebrated Feb. 20.

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Code: ZE06011523

Date: 2006-01-15

Good Will Equals Salvation? (Part 1)

Theologian Ilaria Morali Responds

ROME, JAN. 15, 2006 (ZENIT.org).- If it is enough to seek peace with good will to be saved, of what use is Christianity?

This is the question posed after Benedict XVI's address during the Nov. 30 general audience, in which he spoke about the possibility of salvation for non-Christians.

In Part 1 of this interview with ZENIT, theologian Ilaria Morali, a professor of theology at the Gregorian University, and a specialist on the topic of grace, explains the Pope's words, and the Church's magisterium on the subject.

Q: The Pope said in that general audience that the salvation of non-Christians is a fact: "There are people who are committed to peace and the good of the community, despite the fact that they do not share the biblical faith, that they do not know the hope of the eternal city to which we aspire. They have a spark of desire for the unknown, for the greatest, for the transcendent, for an authentic redemption." How is this possible?

Morali: According to what I have been able to read in the press or hear on the radio, the Holy Father's words have caused great surprise. It would seem that he said something absolutely new and revolutionary.

Some believe that with these words the Church has admitted at last that it isn't necessary to be a Christian to do good and to obtain salvation; that what matters is to be men of peace regardless of the faith one professes. It is, of course, a very hasty and superficial reading of the Holy Father's words.

To understand this address we must first emphasize three aspects.

The Holy Father made this affirmation in the context of St. Augustine's commentary for this Psalm: For St. Augustine, as for Christians of the first centuries, Babylon was the symbol par excellence of the city of evil, of idolatry. It is the opposite of Jerusalem, which, on the contrary, represents the place of God, the place where Christ's redemption was accomplished.

In Christian tradition the antithesis Babylon-Jerusalem has very many meanings. Essentially, the Pope presents two of them, which are intertwined. According to the earlier meaning, Babylon is the present in which we are prisoners, while Jerusalem is the heavenly goal.

The second meaning is of a different sort: Babylon as the city or area where people live who do not profess the biblical faith. On this level is encased what the Pope sees in St. Augustine as a "surprising and very timely note," the fact that the saint recognized the possibility that also in such a city, where faith in the true God is not cultivated, there can be people who promote peace and goodness.

A second aspect that must be pointed out of the Pope's words is the point of departure, taken from St. Augustine's words. The Pontiff stresses three specific characteristics: In the first place, that the inhabitants of Babylon "have a spark of desire for the unknown," desire for eternity; in the second place, that they harbor "a kind of faith, of hope"; and in the third place that "they have faith in an unknown reality, they do not know Christ or God."

A third and last point refers to these people's fate. The Pope affirms with St. Augustine that "God will not allow them to perish with Babylon, being predestined to be citizens of Jerusalem." But with a very specific condition: "That they be dedicated with a pure conscience to these tasks."

The Pope, as the words of St. Augustine themselves demonstrate, try to remind us of a truth that belongs from the beginning of Christian history to our faith and that profoundly characterizes the Christian conception of salvation.

This truth contains two fundamental principles: The first is that God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth, as St. Paul says in the Second Letter to Timothy. To know, in this sense, means to adhere, to welcome the Lord in one's life.

The second: Historically, the Gospel has not been able to conquer all hearts, whether because it has not arrived materially in all places on earth, or because, though it has arrived, not all have accepted it.

Q: And, in this context, what is the Christian doctrine of salvation?

Morali: The Christian doctrine of salvation is very clear. To explain it, I would refer to two texts of the magisterium: The first is an address of Pius IX on the occasion of the consistory that took place on December 8, 1854, on the occasion of the solemn proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The Pope said that those who do not know the true religion, when their ignorance is invincible, are not culpable before the eyes of God.

Years later he wanted to take up this teaching again clarifying the meaning of invincible ignorance in the encyclical letter "Quanto Conficiamur Moerore" of 1863. "It is known," he wrote, "that those who observe with zeal the natural law and its precepts engraved by God in the hearts of all men, can attain eternal life if they are willing to obey God and lead a good life."

Pius IX proposed again a conviction consolidated for centuries in Christian theology: There are men and women who, for various reasons, whether because of cultural conditionings, or because of an experience or a negative contact with the Christian faith, are unable to consent to the faith.

Although it might seem that these people consciously reject Christ, one cannot make an unquestionable judgment on this rejection.

Invincible ignorance indicates precisely a condition of lack of knowledge in regard to Christ, the Church, the faith, a lack of knowledge that, for the time being, cannot be overcome with an act of will.

The person is blocked, as though unable to express a "yes" to faith.

As we see every day among our acquaintances, the reasons why many people say no to Christ are many: disappointment, betrayal, poor catechesis, cultural and social conditioning.

Pius IX himself admitted the difficulty of delimiting the cases of invincible ignorance, stating: "Who will arrogate to himself the power to determine the limits of that ignorance according to the character and variety of peoples, of regions, of spirits and of so many other elements?"

Pius IX taught us therefore a great prudence and great respect for those who do not have the gift of faith in Christ.

We are not able to understand altogether the reasons for a rejection of faith, nor can we know with certainty that someone who seems to have no faith, in fact has a very imperfect form of faith.

Q: Given the fact that a Christian is baptized, can he think he is already saved?

Morali: Of course not. Baptism is not an automatic guarantee of salvation. If it were so, the effort to lead a Christian life would be futile. Every Christian must make the effort to merit this salvation with a life of fidelity to God, of charity towards his brothers, of good works. However, no one can be certain of his own salvation, because only God has the power to grant it.

[Part 2 of this interview appears Monday]

Here is Part 2 of the interview posted by Nessuna directly above, from Zenit's English service. Links to both parts -
www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=82821
www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=82875
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Is Faith Necessary for Salvation? (Part 2)
Theologian Ilaria Morali Responds


ROME, JAN. 16, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Is faith necessary for salvation?

Ilaria Morali, a professor of theology at the Gregorian University, and a specialist in the subject of grace, responds to this question in Part 2 of this interview with ZENIT.

The interview took place with an eye toward understanding better Benedict XVI's address at the general audience of Nov. 30, during which he spoke about the possibility of salvation for non-Christians.

Part 1 of this interview appeared Sunday.

Q: Since the Second Vatican Council, what has been the Catholic view of nonbelievers?

Morali: The question offers me the occasion to touch upon one of the aspects the Pope has commented upon regarding the "spark" harbored by those who do not have biblical faith.

Vatican II places among the latter both people belonging to other religions as well as people who are specifically nonbelievers. They are two profoundly different groups, but united by the fact that they do not have the faith of Christ. The former cultivate some form of religious belief; the latter affirm that they do not have faith.

In No. 16 of the dogmatic constitution "Lumen Gentium," the Council, recalling the principle of the universal saving will of God, affirmed that those who seek God with sincerity, and make an effort under the influence of grace to do his will with works, known by the dictate of conscience, may obtain eternal salvation.

This affirmation reflects indirectly the teaching of Pius IX, but it emphasizes an aspect not considered until now: that of grace. The search for the good, the determination and the will to carry it out are effects of the action of grace.

Moreover, the Council added, almost to stress this principle, "Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life."

According to the Council, no effort can take place "without grace." That means that God is also close to those who do not know him. This same teaching is found in the pastoral constitution "Gaudium et Spes," where in No. 22 the Council acknowledges that grace works in the hearts of all men of good will.

The people to whom the Holy Father refers are, in a certain sense, the same as those of whom the Council spoke. However, some one might object that the Council, in No. 7 of the decree "Ad Gentes" on missionary activity, underlines the principle of the necessity of faith for salvation, in addition to the need of baptism and of the Church.

It might also be underlined that in this number Vatican II affirms that "those cannot be saved, who though aware that God, through Jesus Christ founded the Church as something necessary, still do not wish to enter into it, or to persevere in it."

According to Catholic doctrine, faith of course, is necessary for salvation. This principle, sanctioned in the Letter to the Hebrews 11:6 has been accepted by the Christian tradition since its beginning. And here, in this context, it is proposed again in a clear way.

Q: And who does not have a complete faith?

Morali: Christian tradition itself acknowledges that not all have received the gift of the fullness of faith and that there can also be very imperfect forms of faith.

In the chapter on faith, the Roman Catechism, which was composed after the Council of Trent, acknowledges that there are different degrees of faith: There are those who have a great faith and others who have a fragile faith.

It takes this teaching from the Gospel, in reference to the many words that Jesus Christ pronounced on the faith of his disciples, of the people with whom he met.

However, we cannot pause on this first part of the Council's reflection proposed in No. 7 of the decree "Ad Gentes" on the necessity of faith, but we must also read what follows: "Though God in ways known to himself can lead those inculpably ignorant of the Gospel to find that faith without which it is impossible to please him, yet a necessity lies upon the Church, and at the same time a sacred duty, to preach the Gospel."

This means that God has his ways to lead men to faith and we certainly cannot penetrate in the inscrutable divine action in the hearts of men. In its complexity, the teaching of "Ad Gentes" helps us to understand two principles.

First, that it is not possible to be saved without faith. As history teaches us, men have certainly existed and will exist who consciously deny God, staining themselves with atrocious faults. They will have to answer before God for having exiled and excluded him from their lives, converting that of others into a hell. It is an inescapable fact that there is no salvation for these.

Second, there are many more people who, even stating that they are not believers, will obtain eternal salvation. These are people who give Christians an extraordinary example of generosity and rectitude. If I accept the conciliar teaching, then, for me, who am a believer, the good that they do is already the effect of grace that works in a hidden way in them and I must pray that this grace will one day give them the possibility of being led to an explicit faith.

Moreover, I must admit that in this invisible work of grace, God leads them to faith in an absolutely mysterious way.

Q: Is it necessary to let grace act on its own in those people in whom it acts in a hidden way?

Morali: That does not mean that, as a Christian, I must not do everything possible so that this grace that acts in a hidden way in these people of good will might attain to fullness, though it might not always achieve this. My witness and my prayer are a support to the divine work, but God has his times and his designs.

Speaking again of the "spark" of which the Pope spoke in his address, I would like to recall an affirmation of Tertullian: "alma naturaliter Christiana" [the soul is naturally Christian]. He said this referring to people who lacked education in the faith, but who experienced inklings of faith.

Tertullian's expression has entered the reflection on faith of those who seem not to have faith, as it reflects the longing, in the depth of every man, to know God.

This longing is inscribed in a person's heart and, as Henri de Lubac would say, is the proof that we are created in the image of God and that this image is as an indelible sign. Man longs for Jesus Christ because he bears the image of God in his heart, and the image of God is Jesus Christ.

Tertullian also says that "fiunt no nascuntur christiani," which means: "Christians are not born, but made." It means that this longing needs to be corresponded by knowledge of God and this knowledge only Jesus Christ can give.

The longing of the heart for fullness is not enough; one must come to this fullness in fact. Thus is understood the importance of the evangelizing work of the Church, called to lead men to that fullness that is realized with baptism and perfected throughout a Christian's life.

... are really great. Thanks Teresa!

Africa (Nairobi)

January 17, 2006
Posted to the web January 17, 2006


The 2003 assassination of the Vatican ambassador to the Central African nation still remains "a mystery," his home diocese in Ireland says.

Bishop John Kirby of Clonfert, Ireland, delivered that message Sunday, January 9 when he presided at a mass to mark the second anniversary of the death of Irish-born Archbishop Michael Courtney, 58.

Archbishop Courtney was shot dead in an ambush in Minago, south of Bujumbura, on December 29, 2003. He was working to promote peace in the country. Burundi is recovering from a 12-year civil war, in which more than 300,000 people, mostly civilians, died.

"After two years the mystery of the assassination of Archbishop Michael Courtney is still unsolved. We do not know who killed him or why they chose to do so," said Bishop Kirby in his homily before relatives of the deceased prelate, church representatives and civil authorities.

However, the "peace accord in place in Burundi today is largely the result of his endeavors," said the prelate.

Relevant Links

Central Africa
Religion
Legal and Judicial Affairs
Burundi
Crime and Corruption



Bishop Kirby recounted that Archbishop Courtney, who had been appointed apostolic nuncio to Cuba, asked the Holy See to allow him to stay in Burundi for another month because he believed he was close to "achieving a peace accord of some significance."

The decision ultimately "cost his life," said Bishop Kirby. "While we do not know who planned his death, we know something" of his motivation for life. "He believed in the richness of life and lived his life to the full."

Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)

January 17, 2006
Posted to the web January 17, 2006









Central Africa

Religion
Legal and Judicial Affairs
Burundi
Crime and Corruption

Il Senso dei Fedeli
It's funny: if you read the other forums, you'd think that Catholicism stops at the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, that only Republican Americans are Catholic and that the other 94% of the global body is just, well, a nonentity.

Well, just in case you've been snookered into the American Calvinism (Manifest Destiny?) which claims to be The Faith in these days, there's more in Rome than just the Vatican and the swarms of seminarians, and there's more -- much more -- to the Universal church than these fifty states (Thank God.)....

I was talking with a friend over there the other morning, and he was on a rail about how, even now, the Italian papers are so wrapped up with the hierarchy's reaction to things. This was in response to the Pope's speech to the Lazio politicos, which was splayed with enormous articles and pictures all over the national front pages on Friday, as if B16 had invented the wheel or something.

In the wake of the weekend's contentiousness over the Pacs (civil partnership) legislation and other political hot-buttons which have attracted the attention of the Holy See and the CEI (the Italian Bishops' Conference), Corriere della Sera, the top Italian daily based in Milan, ran a poll in today's edition on the opinions of declared Catholics on their positions about the church's chosen issues.

Translation:

87.8% of Italians call themselves Catholic, but only 36.8% practice it.... [The survey shows] an increase of 8% who have returned to Catholicism compared to the same poll 15 years ago.... [T]he crisis is not one of religion, but of religiosity. 65.6% of Catholics support divorce. 77.8% are either slightly or not at all in favor of the barring of remarried divorcees from communion. 66% deem as unjust the position of the synod of bishops which would seek to deny the Eucharist to politiciand who support laws which do not conform to God's law.

ABORTION -- 83.2% of the country favors it in cases in which the mother's life is in danger, 72.9% in cases of grave anomalies and the malformation of the fetus, 65.1% in cases of sexual violence. The figures drop notably to 23% and 18.6% [respectively] when economic conditions or the wish of the mother to not have children are at issue.

PACS -- 68.7% of Italian Catholics polled by Eurispes support the introduction of Pacs, the civil union partnerships....

ASSISTED SUICIDE AND EUTHANASIA -- 58.7% of Catholics support assisted suicide. 38.1% support euthanasia, 48.1% is opposed while 13.8% are undecided.

YOUTH -- 30.8% of those interviewed between 18 and 24 years of age attend Mass every Sunday, compared to 22.4% and 28.5% of those questioned in the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups.

PRAYER -- For 76.2% the prime reason to come to church is prayer. 16.4% goes only due to family tradition and 14% shies away from the need to find strength in the most difficult moments of life....

SACRAMENTS -- The most deeply-held sacraments of Catholics are those of baptism, important for 86.8% of the country, and matrimony (85.3%). Following in importance are the eucharist and confirmation. Confession is given a decisively low level of importance. Only 54.3% of the interviewed (Catholics and non-Catholics) believe in miracles, which are absolutely disbelieved by 37.2% of those polled....

POLITICS -- For those who keep appraised of political affairs, voters of the left (71.1%) and the center-left (50%) believe that the Church intervenes more than they would like on ethical questions, while the adherents of the center and center-right are particularly numerable those who consider "in just measure" the interventions of ecclesiastical institutions on such issues (respectively 66.7% and 48.6%).
Make of it all what you will.

Thanks to Beatrice.France, here are two articles that appeared in the French
media earlier this week regarding the Lefebvristes. The first is from the French online
Catholic newspaper La Croix, and the second is from a Belgian site La Libre Belge.
Herewith, my translations-
---------------------------------------------------------------

Mgr. Fellay is pleased about
the dialogue with Rome
By Nicolas SENEZE
La Croix, 1/16/06

Mgr. Bernard Fellay, superior-general of the Fraternity of St. Pius-X, welcomed the Pope’s
address to the Roman Curia on December 22, 2005, with interest.

Since the meeting on Augsut 29, 2005, at Castel Gandolfo between Pope Benedict XVI
and Mgr. Fellay, the dialog has proceeded between Rome and the Lefebvrists.

“The discussions have been lengthy, but they have been perhaps the most fruitful of all
we have had so far,” Mgr. Fellay declared in Paris on Jan. 13, to the members of the
Association of Religion Journalists .

Fellay, who met Dec. 15 with Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, president of the Ecclesia Dei
commission, said he feels, on the part of the Vatican, a will to resolve the problem
as quickly as possible.

“Rome wants to go fast, but we are not as sure that we want to go so fast,” he said,
pointing out that “if we signed an agreement today, not all of our members would
necessarily follow.”

What appears to please Mgr. Fellay most is Rome’s willingness to tackle the underlying
problems. “It is important for us that we resolve these problems sooner rather
than later,” he explained.

First of all, liturgical reform. The Lefebvrists refuse to employ the Mass they call
“Paul VI” (the Post-Vatican II Mass), because they reject its “ecumenical character.”

“They have taken away all that was specifically Catholic in the Mass,” Mgr. Fellay judged.
“But more profoundly, there is the faith itself. Liturgy is the expression of a vision
of Catholic life – it is this vision that is the basic question.”

From this arises the lefebvrists’ objections to several points made by Vatican II:
religious liberty and acceptance of laicity in the State; ecumenism and the possibility
that Christians may express with different words the same truths of the faith,
inter-religious dialog and “the spirit of Assisi.”

Therefore Mgr. Fellay followed with much interest Benedict XVI’s address to the Curia
on Dec. 22, in which the Pope contrasted two interpretations of the Council: on one hand,
“the hermeneutics of discontinuity and rupture”; on the other, “the hermeneutic of
reform, and of renewal within continuity,” which the Pope favors.

“It is a major text, “ Mgr. Fellay notes. “One sees well that the Holy Father is trying
to put the Council in a new light. At the same time, he concedes that there was
a rupture, at least in the presentation.”

Fellay generally rejoiced over the speech, “even if I think that it still did not
go far enough.”

The last point that has satisfied the lefebrvrists in the discussions with Rome:
the statement by Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos that there had been no “schism” in the formal
sense by Mgr. Lefebvre. In an interview on Italian TV, the cardinal said he preferred
to call it a “schismatic attitude.”

“In this way,” Fellay remarked, “we are on the way to regularising the Fraternity
of Pius X, although there is still a question over the legitimacy of the episocopal
ordinations of 1988 (when Mgr. Lefebvre ordained four bishops (including Fellay), without
the authorization of Rome, thus leading to the excommunication of all concerned."

“For Rome, there was no state of necessity that justified the ordinations,” Fellay said.

What form will this “regularization” take? It could be a statute of autonomy,
for instance, a personal apostolic administration such as that created in 2001 in Campos,
Brazil, for the followers of Mgr. Antonio de Castro Mayre, another integriste bishop,
who was co-consecrator of the illicit ordinations of 1988.

“I am almost sure that we will be given this,” Mgr. Fellay confides. “even if we
do not want to be Catholics set apart. We do not demand the pre-conciliar Mass for
ourselves but for everyone. But perhaps it is necessary to go through a transitional stage.”
----------------------------------------------------------------

Mgr. Fellay 'very optimistic'
By Bernard DeLattre
La Libre Belge
1/13/05 “I think we are making progress, but slowly. One of the elements that hold us
back is psychological: wariness. There is a lot of work to do to overcome such wariness.
It needs time. But I am very optimistic. I am absolutely sure that one day, there will
be no more problems between the Fraternity and Rome."

In Paris on Friday, the 13th, the superior-general of the Fraternity of St. Pius-X,
Mgr. Bernard Fellay, spoke about the future relations between Catholics and lefebvrists.
The successor to Mgr. Marcel Lefebvre as head of the fraternity – who along with
three other bishops named at the same time as he, were excommunicated after their
ordination in June 1988 – bases his optimism on the tenor of the audience that he was
given by Benedict XVI last August.

The head of the traditionalist Catholic group, which does not accept this description,
credits the new Pope for showing doctrinal and theological inflections “along a new
line”, and approves of “his clarity, his precision and his desire to eliminate
positions which pose problems.”

Thus, for instance, the Pope implicitly accepted the “state of necessity” invoked by the
lefebvristes that compels to them to stay at the margins of Catholicism. The Fraternity
expressed the wish that “Vatican II should be viewed in a new light and distance itself
from what has become its usual presentation.”

Over sensitive issues like the Mass, real negotiations will get underway between Rome
and Econe (French site of the lefebvriste headquarters) to revive a protocol of
agreement signed in May 1988 between then-Cardinal ratzinger and Mgr. Lefebvre, who
however ended up rejecting it.

The Fraternity publicly aims to be given a form of apostolic administration through
which its bishops would also be fully integrated into the episcopal corps of Rome.
But serious differences remain between the Vatican and the Fraternity, which claims
to be present in 65 countries throughout 5 continents, with 159 priories, 725 mass centers,
about 500 priests and about a hundred seminarians.

Mgr. Fellay also reiterated Friday that his movement remains opposed to the principle
of state neutrality and laicity. According to him, “The state is a creature of God.
It has accounts to settle with God. The Poltiical man, like all men, will have to respond
for his acations before Gpod. It is therefore not possible to isolate temporay activity
from the disposition and laws of God.”

The lefebvristes also remain cool towards everything that has to do with ecumenism
and inter-religious dialog, and are therefore happy at the nuance which they believe
to see
in the new Pope in this regard, compared to his predecessor.

However, the lefebvristes fault both John Paul II and Benedict for their policy of
“repentance.” The fraternity is fiercely against the “penitential approach”
of the Catholic Church with respect to past faults, singularly related to Jews and/or to
relationship with the Jews.

The recent story that the Catholic Church is preparing to "rehabilitate" Judas Iscariot
was apparently based on a mistaken report in the Times of London. Here is an instructive
account from a well-documented blog by rorate-caeli.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, January 14, 2006
Mea culpa -
Why it is important to directly read mistranslated texts
The wrong Judas article in The Times

A few days ago, The Times [of London] published a story of a "campaign" to "rehabilitate"
Judas. I myself mentioned it here as soon as a friend sent me the link. Naturally, I should
rather have checked the story in the Italian daily which had published it, La Stampa,
since The Times is known to have botched Catholic news before.

The problematic Times' quotes are the following:

Vatican moves to clear reviled disciple's name

JUDAS ISCARIOT, the disciple who betrayed Jesus with a kiss, is to be given a makeover
by Vatican scholars.
...
Now, a campaign led by Monsignor Walter Brandmuller, head of the Pontifical Committee
for Historical Science, is aimed at persuading believers to look kindly at a man
reviled for 2,000 years.

Mgr Brandmuller told fellow scholars it was time for a "re-reading" of the Judas story.
He is supported by Vittorio Messori, a prominent Catholic writer close to both
Pope Benedict XVI and the late John Paul II.
--

Now, The Times is mostly correct in its portrayal of Messori. Both Messori and Brandmüller
are quoted by La Stampa in a sidebox of an article about a "new finding" (not that new,
actually) in Italy of an apocryphal text of the 4th century called "The Gospel of Judas"
(mostly unknown and which had been mentioned only by St. Irenaeus of Lyon) --
but Brandmüller is horribly mistranslated by The Times, in a very serious error,
which has had great repercussion in the past few days.

Brandmüller is quoted in the beginning of the sidebox, commenting on the finding.
These are the words published in La Stampa (Edition of January 11, 2006, p. 25) --
the words in black [underscored in this reproduction] are mine:

[The writings of the "Gospel of Judas"] "Are testimonies which are
useful only to historically frame the Christianity of the origins, but their impact
should not be emphasized," explains Monsignor Walter Brandmüller, who presides
over the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences in the Vatican. "The relevance of
such a text is not in the historical level and it seems to me at least uncalled for
to expect some novelties on what is known about the dawn of the Christian age, even
more so as it has no pertinence whatsoever [non c'é alcuna attinenza] to religious
worship or [to a religious] level", Brandmüller details. "It means rather an addition
which may serve to rebuild the circumstances and the context in which the initial preaching
of the teaching of Christ developed."

...That's it. No "Vatican scholars", no "campaign", but very sound, historically precise
and theologically orthodox words by Mgr. Brandmüller, whose opinions on St. Pius V
I had already highly commended here and who has written extremely important texts
on the correct interpretation of Vatican II.

We have no problem in recognizing our mistakes here, even those caused by The Times --
which should better hire a couple of fact checkers.

rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2006/01/mea-culpa-why-it-is-important...

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 19/01/2006 15.46]

The Italian and German services of ZENIT published yesterday an interview with
Monsignor Walter Brandmueller himself to straighten out the Judas story.
Here is a translation -

----------------------------------------------------------------
ROMA,Jan. 17, 2005 - A lot of sensation was raised in Italy by the report that the Maecenas
Foundation for Ancient Art of Basel, Switzerland, and National Geographic magazine plan to
publish this Easter – in French, English and German - the contents of a manuscript
from the first century AD with the apocryphal gospel of Judas. Before this, one had only
known about the manuscript tthrough St. Irinaeus (bishop of the second century).

The announcement started a debate over Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus
Christ. The newspaper La Stampa, in a January 11 article, reported that some sources
claimed the manuscript would lead to a reevaluation of Judas, as someone who served
a function in the salvific design of God.

Stampa also reported comments by the writer Vittorio Messori and by Mons. Walter
Brandmueller, president of the Pontifical Committee on Historical Sciences.

On the basis of these comments, the Times of London published an article on January 12
claiming that Brandmueller would lead a campaign to convince the faithful that Judas
was, in fact, a good man. The article also claimed that some Biblical scholars are
convinced that the negative image of Judas over the centuries was influenced by
anti-Semitic texts.

To clarify the sense and implications of all this, ZENIT interviewed Mons. Brandmueller.

The Times has written that you are leading a campaign to rehabilitate Judas…
This has absolutely no basis. I found out about it myself when I read the Times and
I do not know how it started. I did not speak to the Times, and I cannot imagine how
this idea could have started. As for the manuscript itself, one must emphasize that
apocrypha belong to a certain literary genre, they are a sort of religious fiction,
that cannot be considered as documentary source for the historical figure of Judas.

Let us wait for the critical edition of this apocryphal gospel, which will certainly be
interesting from the point of view of the history of ancient literature, but it is
impossible to express premature judgments.

What do we know about this apocryphal gospel of Judas?
Ireneus spoke of this first in 180 AD, and later, even Epifanius and a Pseudo
Tertullian also referred to it. According tho them, it must have been a Greek text
of gnostic origin written by the Cainist sect (cainiti) In the middle of the second
century AD.

The gnostic sect of the Cainists gave a positive value to all the negative figures
of Hebrew and Christian scriptures, including the serptent-tempter, Cain
(from whom they get their name), Esau and Judas Iscariot. But the discovery of this
manuscript is nevertheless interesting from the point of view of giving us more
knowledge of paleo-Christian literature.

Some claim that the eventual rehabilitation of Judas would improve the dialogue
with the Jews.

The dialogue between the Holy See and the Jews is proceeding ver well on other bases,
as the Pope reminded us during his visit to the Cologne Synagogue last August,
and as he referred to again yesterday when he met with the Chief Rabbi of Rome.

THE SWISS GUARD CELEBRATES 500 YEARS PROTECTING THE POPES

Swiss Guards: Pope's personal army 500 years old

From Yahoo
Thu Jan 19, 6:28 PM ET

VATICAN CITY (AFP) - The Swiss Guard, the Pope's personal army of mercenaries and an unlikely relic of Europe's troubled, war-torn past, is about to celebrate its 500th anniversary.

It will be a birthday party to remember, a cascade of ceremonies over the next few months culminating in a mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI himself on May 6, the day each year when new recruits are admitted to the world's smallest and oldest standing army.

The commemorative festivities will begin in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday with a mass for the 110 members of the Pontiff's guard, presided by the Vatican's Secretary of State, Angelo Sodano.

Later the same day a 70-strong honor guard, decked out in their medieval military costumes of blue, red and yellow, will receive the Pope's blessing in St. Peter's Square, reenacting the moment five centuries ago when the first contingent of 150 Helvetian soldiers -- renowned for their fighting prowess -- passed through the Porto del Popolo and into the Vatican, where they were blessed by Julius II.

Ever since then, the requirements for joining this elite force have been almost the same: "I am a Swiss citizen, a Roman Catholic faithful, of good moral ethical background, between 19-30, at least 174 centimeters tall, and not married," reads a partial list addressed to potential applicants.

On April 7, a contingent of ex-guards from Switzerland will begin a four-week "march toward Rome" along the same route taken by their military forebears, arriving in time for the swearing-in ceremony presided over by Benedict XVI.

The attendant parade usually takes place in the San Damasco Courtyard, but this year will be in St Peter's Square for the first time.

Driven from their impoverished, Alpine cantons in the 15th and 16th centuries, thousands of young mercenaries enrolled in the armies of the fiefdoms, kingdoms and city states that were constantly at war in France, Italy and Germany during the early Renaissance.

The Swiss Guard's greatest moment of glory was probably on May 6, 1527 when all but 42 of 189 soldiers died fighting off the armies of Charles V, which attacked and overran the Vatican.

The surviving guardsmen ushered Pope Clement VII to safety via a hidden passageway.

Famous for their colorful uniforms and medieval weapons, guards don civilian clothes as part of the Pope's security detail when he travels.

Two events have marred the recent history of this storied, elite unit.

The 1981 assassination attempt on Benedict XVI's predecessor, Pope John Paul II, resulted in more emphasis being placed on the guards' bodyguard role with training in unarmed combat, pistols and submachine-guns.

And in May 1988, the head of the guards and his wife were killed by a young recruit, who then committed suicide, a tragedy that remains clouded in mystery to this day.

The Swiss guards work side-by-side with another security force, the pontifical police.

It is not always a easy relationship: the police, charged with protecting the Vatican state, are Italian and know the place inside out. Most of the Swiss guards do not speak Italian, and have little opportunity to learn it.

Indeed, their limited mobility and strict requirements about sleeping in their quarters mean that the most potent enemy they face is often boredom.

Swiss guards serve for a minimum two years, renewable up to 25 years.

Synod Secretary: Why Celibacy?
The French Archbishop Roland Minnerath of Dijon, who served as Special Secretary of October's Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist, has sparked conversation in Rome and across Europe with the release of a new book which questions the rationale for continuing the discipline of mandatory celibacy for clergy.

NCR briefs:

“If this tradition deprives communities of priests, to the point of bringing them to the brink of extinction, then why not let it evolve?” writes Minnerath, a canon lawyer and member of the French bishops’ doctrinal commission. He is said to be close to Benedict XVI.

“Celibacy was convenient for the priestly vocation,” he said, “but was not dogmatically bound. Ordaining a married man does not cause any doctrinal problem.” Discussing the book on French radio, Minnerath said he thought “married men whose children are grown and [who] have some seniority” would be good candidates for a married clergy.
One crucial element of Minnerath's proposal not mentioned here is that his envisioned viri probati be financially self-sufficient, freeing the church from the obligation to support a presbyteral spouse and home.

BY Rocco Palmo