NEWS ABOUT THE CHURCH & THE VATICAN

Here's additional info on the Vatican state's new website.


Vaticanstate.va: Navigating the world's smallest country

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Seven weeks after Pope Benedict XVI praised Vatican civil servants for their work in "our little state, from the most visible to the most hidden," the state unveiled its own Web site.

The site -- www.vaticanstate.va -- is linked to and works closely with the Vatican's main Web site, www.vatican.va, but provides more information about the offices that help run the state, as opposed to the church.

Officially launched July 19 in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish, the site includes live pictures from five webcams.

With a click on their computer, Internet users can join pilgrims praying at Pope John Paul II's tomb in the grotto of St. Peter's Basilica. A camera high on the Vatican hill points toward the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. And three webcams have been set up on the dome itself: one looking at St. Peter's Square, another at the Vatican Gardens and the third at the home of the new Web site, the Vatican governor's office.

The site is set up for e-commerce, but online shoppers will have to wait until sometime in 2008 to order their Vatican stamps and coins or books, posters and reproductions from the Vatican Museums.

In an e-mail message July 18, the new webmaster said, "An exact date for the shopping has not been set," but the governor's office is working with the Vatican bank, formally the Institute for the Works of Religion, to make sure the site is user friendly and secure for credit-card transactions from around the world.

Oddly enough, the highly efficient Vatican postal service, which presumably would ship the goods, does not have its own section on the site, but the Vatican Telephone Service and the Vatican Pharmacy do.

The site includes a brief introduction to the government of Vatican City State, explaining that it is "an absolute monarchy. The head of state is the pope, who holds full legislative, executive and judicial powers."

Between the death of one pope and the election of another, the powers are assumed by the College of Cardinals, it says. And the cardinals who have not yet reached their 80th birthdays are responsible for electing the new pope.

The man chosen by the cardinals "becomes sovereign of Vatican City State the moment he accepts his election as pope," it says.

The site also explains how the pope generally delegates a portion of his powers to ensure the smooth governance of the state and the promulgation of laws regulating life for its 800 residents, its employees and visitors.

The state's courts merit a very brief description, but the 130-member Vatican police force gets a good-sized page. Perhaps because the police uniforms are not as famous as those worn by the Swiss Guards, seven photographs are included.

The Vatican fire department also falls under the responsibility of the governor's office, but it initially did not have its own section on the newly launched site.

With Pope Benedict XVI set to arrive July 27 in Castel Gandolfo, the home of his summer residence south of Rome, visitors to the new Web site could check out the villa's supermanicured gardens.

The site even points out that at 136 acres -- including 74 acres of gardens and 62 acres devoted to farming -- the villa's territory exceeds that of the 109-acre Vatican City State in the heart of Rome.

As the site launched, it had a detailed history of the villa, but almost nothing about the decorative plants in the gardens or the plants villa workers grow for sale. And it did not mention the milk-producing cows.

On the other hand, the section dealing with the Vatican Gardens names some of the species they host, like "the majestic camphor tree ('Cinnamomum glanduliferum')" and two varieties rare in Italy: an Australian silk-oak ("Grevillea robusta") and "two very tall examples of dawn redwood ('Metasequoia glyptostroboides')."

Like most official government Web sites, the Vatican City State site also includes an explanation and history of the Vatican flag and Vatican national anthem. Of course, there are links to sound files, giving visitors the option of hearing the anthem in its standard marching-band version or the much slower, fancier orchestral track.

Should the Vatican Pay for Abuse?


By Jeff Israely/Rome
Time Magazine
Wednesday, Jul. 18, 2007

Depending on the subject at hand, the day-to-day running of the worldwide Catholic Church can resemble either a sort of centralized sacred politburo or a loose confederation of autonomous dioceses. If you prefer a business model, it's top-down management vs. franchising. Though imperfect, these analogies can help address a lingering question in the wake of the Los Angeles archdiocese's record $660 million settlement with victims of clergy sex abuse: What is the Vatican's responsibility?

In Los Angeles, as in previous cases in the U.S. and elsewhere, the local diocese has essentially shouldered all of the administrative blame — and taken the financial hit — for the priest perpetrators and the bishops who failed to prevent their crimes, with no reference or responsibility assigned to the hierarchy in Rome. Still, victims' lawsuits frequently cite the Holy See, the Vatican-based juridical headquarters of the 1.1 billion-strong Catholic Church, and the Pope himself.

Since the issue exploded in 2002 with the scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston, it has been difficult to force the Vatican to respond directly to the innumerable court cases that have arisen, since, according to the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act, the Holy See is outside the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. But two recent cases, in Oregon and Kentucky, have cracked open the door for the first time to the possibility that the Vatican could one day be held financially responsible and officials in Rome could be forced to testify. Lawyers are trying to prove in both cases that the abusive priests can be considered employees of the Holy See. A final decision on whether the Vatican is liable for any monetary damages is probably years away. However, victims' advocates are encouraged that judges in both the Portland and Louisville lawsuits have not tossed out the cases on immunity grounds as had happened in the past.

The question of responsibility extends beyond dollars and cents. Many Catholics believe that officials in Rome bear a significant moral and administrative burden as the leaders of a hierarchy that allowed these predator priests to inflict such damage. They point out that when the Pope wants to impose new rules for the liturgy, rein in theologians or tighten entrance into seminaries, Rome expects those edicts to be fully applied at the local level. And so, they ask, where was the strong hand from above when it came to protecting the most innocent parishioners? If the burden is on the individual bishops, shouldn't some blame extend to the Pope, past or present, who hired each of them for the job?

Going back in time — and indeed some of the cases cited in the Los Angeles archdiocese go back to the first half of the 20th century — it would seem the Vatican does share some responsibility for the way that its clergy are trained, hired and transferred, as well as for the climate of secrecy that allowed many of these criminals to linger. At the same time, individual dioceses do in fact have wide latitude in the daily management of their affairs, with Rome rarely intervening on administrative, financial or pastoral matters.

In more recent times, Rome has had a mixed record in responding to the crisis. Pope John Paul II called an unprecedented meeting in Rome of all the American Cardinals in April 2002 to address the abuse scandal, but was believed to have been largely shielded in his later years from the worst details. His successor has taken a tougher line, and indeed just months before he was elected to be Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote of the "filth" of the Church in apparent reference to the sex scandals. Among the boldest administrative moves of Benedict since his 2005 election was the disciplining last year of Mexico's Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the 86-year-old founder of the conservative Legionaries of Christ, who had long been accused of past sexual abuse.

In some way, the failings of Rome on this front continue to be personified by former Boston Archbishop Cardinal Bernard Law, 75, who was largely seen as the symbol of the entire American scandal. After repeated calls to Rome to remove him were ignored, Law was finally eased out of the Boston job in December 2002, only to resurface the following year with a prestigious posting in Rome as the archpriest of the historic church of Santa Maria Maggiore. He was last spotted this month at the Fourth of July reception at the palatial Rome residence of Francis Rooney, the American ambassador to the Holy See. The new symbol of the crisis is undoubtedly the Archbishop of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger Mahony, whose agreement to the enormous settlement saves him from testifying in court. An Archdiocese lawyer told reporters that Mahony had made several trips to Rome in recent weeks to get the Vatican's support for the deal. The L.A. archdiocese will sell off some of its prized real estate and take out loans to help pay the settlement.

In financial terms, however, headquarters in Rome points out the relative modesty of its resources. According to the Vatican's recently released 2006 budget, annual expenses and revenues are just over $300 million, which includes operations of Vatican City and of the Church's diplomatic corps. The income comes both from individual donations directly to the Pope, called Peter's Pence, which nearly doubled to $102 million last year, and from contributions from dioceses around the world, which take in the vast majority of donated funds from parishioners. Ultimately though, the actual net worth of the worldwide Church, over which the Pope always holds the last word, is indeed vastly greater than the Vatican operating budget would indicate. Indeed, simply weighing the value of certain works of art inside St. Peter's brings estimates to the word "priceless." Another reason, perhaps, why Church officials in Rome don't want to face the potential economic risks of these lawsuits.

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COMMENT BY TERESA:

I find this yet another gratuitous addition to what I see as Jeff Israely's hostile campaign against the Pope and the Church which began on or around the second anniversary of Pope Benedict's election.

Of course, this idea has been foremost among the League of Dedicated Vatican-Chasing Shysters, from the moment they latched on to vistas of the astronomical financial gains (to themselves mostly) suddenly made possible by universal disgust over priests who commit sexual offenses against minors and youths!

But for a so-called 'religion correspondent' to give it play without pointing out the sheer fallacies in the idea is just irresponsible and proof of extreme prejudice.

How can a sensible person who covers the Vatican for a living not fail to point out two important facts:

1) The Church is not a multi-national corporation - it is not even primarily an 'organization' in the ordinary human sense, because it was instituted by Christ and because it represents the mystical Body of Christ.

2) Sin - with the guilt attaching to it - is very much a personal, not collective, responsibility. Even a business CEO cannot be held responsible for a crime that an employee of his commits entirely on his own and not in the name of the company.

Furthermore, Israely is flat wrong when he states that "the Vatican does share some responsibility for the way that its clergy are trained, hired and transferred..."

All three responsibilities he mentions are well within the jurisdiction and autonomous authority of the local bishop, who approves the curriculum used in local seminaries and decides on everything that has to do with his diocese administratively, including assigning or transferring priests.

If the Vatican had ever descended to micromanagement from Rome of what takes place in every diocese, we would have heard from the offended bishops, surely.

The Church has the Magisterium (including all Papal decrees) and the Code of Canon Law that apply universally, and every bishop is expected to follow these in exercising his local autonomy.

How each bishop obeys or chooses to disobey the Magisterium - let alone simple common sense and human decency,to begin with - is the bishop's personal responsibility, and even the Pope can do very little about it because of how the bishop is defined in the Roman Catholic Church. [Very apropos and informative in this respect is a 2006 article I just posted in REFLECTIONS ABOUT OUR FAITH...]

MILAN - "A very great joy!" (Una grandissima gioia!) was the Pope'e reaction to the liberation of Fr. Giancarlo Bossi, the Italian missionary abducted in southern Philippines last June 10.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the news was great joy for the whole Church.

At the start of his vacation in Lonrenzago last July 9, the Pope told newsmen that he offered daily prayers for Fr. Bossi.

Here are the stories about Fr. Bossi's release that were initially available. I first had access to the AsiaNews stories on their Italian service, but subsqeuently, both AP and AFP filed from Manila.


HE'S FINE AND HE HAS SPOKEN
TO HIS FAMILY, BUT HE WON'T
BE ASKED TO RESUME HIS WORK
IN PAYAO - 'TOO RISKY'

ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES, July 19 (AsiaNews) - "I am well, I survived on rice and salt," Fr. Giancarlo Bossi told AsiaNews in a brief statement. "And I am happy now that I have spoken to my family. However, before going back to Italy, I would like to say goodbye personally to my parishioners in Payao."

Fr. Bossi had been delivered by his captors to General Caringal, constabulary chief of western Mindanao, and he was brought to the Philippine army base in Zamboanga for a medical check-up before being flown to Manila to meet with Philippine President Gloria Arroyo.

Fr. Luciano Benedetti, of the Piontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, to which Fr. Bossi belongs, said Fr. Bossi told him he will no longer touch a cigaret, although he was a heavy smoke earlier.

Benedetti says that apparently his abductors were simply local gangsters who had no direct connections with any of the Muslim separatist or extremist groups on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

It appears also that he was never taken far away from where he was abducted. Credit is being given to the Philippine constabulary (a national police force), who apparently worked patiently behind the scenes through channels in touch with the abductors.

"Our happiness at his release is shadowed only by the fact that Fr. Bossi obviously cannot go back to his assignment in Payao. We know how much he loves his parishioners, and how much he was loved back by the local people, including Muslims. But the risk is too much to have him go back."

[AsiaNews had a story minutes after Fr. Bossi was released, but it gave no details either of where it happened or how.]


The AP story is more informative [I had to go look in Yahoo News Italy to find this] but claims, contrary to PIME statements, that the priest's abductors were a rogue separatist faction:


Kidnapped Italian priest freed


MANILA, Philippines, July 19 - An Italian missionary priest kidnapped more than a month ago has been released after negotiations with a rogue faction of a Muslim separatist group, Philippine police said Friday.

The Rev. Giancarlo Bossi, 57, was kidnapped June 10 in the Southeast Asian nation's volatile south.

Chief Superintendent Jaime Caringal, a regional police commander, said the Roman Catholic priest was freed at about 9 p.m. Thursday along the boundary between Lanao Del Sur and Lanau Del Norte provinces. "He is well, but he lost a lot of weight," Caringal said.

In Rome, Italian Premier Romano Prodi announced the release. "Father Giancarlo Bossi has been freed ... I'm truly emotional, happy," Prodi said. "Today is his mother's birthday, so it was also a very lucky coincidence."

On July 10, a Philippine marine convoy searching for Bossi was ambushed by Muslim insurgents in jungle on the southern island of Basilan, and 14 troops were killed. The military blamed the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf for the clash.

Pope Benedict XVI said last week that he was praying daily for Bossi, and Italy sent a longtime diplomat, Margherita Boniver, to the Philippines to work for his release. Benedict received the news of Bossi's release with "great joy," according to Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi.


AFP filed a later report:

Kidnapped Italian priest
freed in Philippines


MANILA, July 19(AFP) - Kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi was released by his captors in the southern Philippines and is now in government hands, a police official said Friday.

Bossi, who was very thin and had a very long beard, was unharmed but appeared weak and shaky after his ordeal, which lasted more than a month, said regional police head Chief Superintendent Jaime Caringal.

No ransom was paid for his release, the police official said.

News of the release of the priest, who was known to suffer from hypertension, was immediately relayed to the Italian government and it made the development public.

Bossi was released in the southern province of Lanao del Sur by Commander Kidi, a former member of the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Caringal said.

He was then taken to a police camp in the city of Zamboanga, he added.

Police and military sources said Bossi's release was negotiated by a former MILF member who had since been elected to a local government position.

Bossi, 57, a member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, was seized from his parish in the Zamboanga peninsula in the southern island of Mindanao on June 10.

Military officers in the region originally blamed renegade members of the MILF for the abduction.

Other officials said he might have been held by the Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic extremist group believed to have ties with the Al-Qaeda terror network.

Marines searching for Bossi on MILF-held territory on Basilan island were ambushed by the group last week. Some 14 of the troops were killed in the ensuing firefight and 10 were later beheaded.

The Vatican's changing relationship with Europe
All Things Catholic
by John L. Allen, Jr.
Friday, July 20, 2007


Last Friday, I was in Washington, for a symposium on "Religion and Public Life in Europe" onsored by the National Intelligence Council. The event brought together a number of prominent academic and policy analysts - plus one plebian journalist - to ponder religious trends in Europe and what they might mean for trans-Atlantic relationships.

In order to promote free discussion, the event was off-the-record. I don't think it violates anybody's trust, however, for me to share what I said, since that part belongs to me. I was asked to talk about thinking in the Vatican these days on Europe, and where things might be heading.

Other than light editing for length, the following is the gist of my presentation.

* * *

Some of you know that for the last two years, I've been working on a project to identify what I call "Mega-Trends in Catholicism," meaning the most important forces shaping the Catholic future. For the sake of manageability, I've come up with a list of 10, which are:

1. World Catholicism
2. Secularism and Catholic Identity
3. Islam
4. The New Demography
5. Expanding Lay Roles
6. The Biotech Revolution
7. Globalization 8. Ecology
9. Multipolarism
10. Pentecostalism

It's important to say that this list is intended as a descriptive, not prescriptive, analysis. My aim is not to argue that these points represent where Catholicism should be going, but rather to identify where it actually is going. Today I'll attempt to pull out from this research a few implications for the Catholic church's approach to Europe.

In broad strokes, the bad news is that Europe will be less important to the Catholicism of the future, and in particular the European Union may almost disappear as a subject of positive political interest. This does not suggest a retreat from public life in Europe, but rather an engagement of a qualitatively different sort.

I'll comment briefly on three mega-trends mostly directly related to our topic. I'll then describe their likely implications for Europe in terms of three transitions in Catholic thinking:

From pragmatism to principle; from politics to culture; and from the European Union to multipolar diplomacy.

Mega-Trends

1. World Catholicism
A church long dominated by Europe and the United States is becoming steadily more global. The most important bit of data is this: In 1900, just 66 million Catholics, representing 25 percent of the global Catholic total, lived in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Today 720 million of the 1.1 billion Catholics in the world live in those regions, representing 66 percent, or two-thirds, of all Catholics alive. That's an enormously rapid shift, and it implies a rising Southern tide in Catholicism over the 21st century.

Mumbai, Nairobi and São Paulo will be to the 21st century what Paris and Milan were to the Counter-Reformation era in the 16th century, meaning the places where new energy first begins to stir. This will drive a far-reaching transformation of Catholic faith and practice.

2. Secularism and Catholic Identity
In response to runaway secularization in Europe and other pockets of the West, Catholicism today is practicing what sociologists call a 'plitics of identity', aggressively reinforcing its traditional doctrines, rites, and devotional practices.

It's a 21st century Catholic version of how Judaism responded to the destruction of the Temple and the reality of living in diaspora: 'building a fence around the law'.

Just last week has seen two classic examples, with decisions from Pope Benedict XVI to widen use of the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass, and a declaration from the Vatican that Catholicism is the lone true church willed by Christ.

3. Multipolarism
While the economic and military superiority of the United States will not vanish in the 21st century, the rise of a number of other states and non-state actors is creating a more multi-polar world with multiple centers of power and influence.

Two clusters seem poised to be especially consequential: what Goldman Sachs calls the BRIC nations of Brazil, Russia, India and China, who together represent 40 percent of the world's population, and whose combined economies by 2040 are projected to be larger than those of the United States or Europe; and an emerging Shi'a axis from the Mediterranean to Central Asia, in which Iran will play a leadership role.

Policy Shifts for Europe

With regard to Europe, these mega-trends are driving what I would call three reevaluations of traditional Catholic reflection and activism.

1. From Pragmatism to Principle
While the media referred to a battle between 'the Vatican' and the European Union over a proposed reference to God in the preamble to the new European constitutional document, insiders knew this wasn't quite accurate.

In reality, the Vatican, at least in terms of its diplomatic corps, regarded the so-called invocatio Dei as more symbolic than substantive. Their chief interest was in Article 52, which recognizes the juridical personality of religious bodies; stipulates that the constitution will not override national concordats with member states; and creates a mechanism for institutional dialogue between the EU and religious bodies.

Though Vatican diplomats argued on behalf of the invocatio Dei, some felt that a constitution without it was acceptable as long as Article 52 remained intact.

The truth is that it was never the Vatican versus the EU over the 'God clause'; it was Pope John Paul II versus the EU. When John Paul argued that a Europe without reference to its Christian heritage made no sense, he was not only attempting to persuade Brussels, he was also addressing sectors of Catholic opinion.

Under the weight of the Catholic identity movement, this intra-Catholic debate between pragmatism and principle has largely been resolved in favor of principle.

The clearest possible statement came on March 24, when Pope Benedict XVI received a delegation of European politicians and bishops taking part in a conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which was designed by its organizers to turn a new page in Vatican/EU relations.

Instead, Benedict on that day accused Europe of being in 'apostasy from itself', and argued that pragmatism is not realistic because it 'denies ideas and values inherent in human nature'.

What this suggests is that future Vatican policy on Europe will be more uncompromising and less amenable to Realpolitk solutions which aim to make a separate peace with secularism. This will have consequences across the broad, but one area likely to be especially combustible is same-sex marriage and gay rights.

A more identity-driven Catholicism may run up against the growing legal protection of homosexuality in Europe to produce legal action against the church under hate speech and anti-discrimination laws.

One under-40 Catholic priest I know, in this case a Canadian though he might easily be European, tells me that among priests of his generation, it's taken for granted that some may go to jail for defending Catholic teaching on sexuality. It's reminiscent of the way Catholic priests in Eastern Europe used to realistically accept that some of them might end up in Soviet gulags.

The church/state relationship in Europe will not always be quite this dramatic, but this shift does imply a more sharply defined and sometimes conflictual future.

2. From Politics to Culture
In the late John Paul years, there were three fairly clearly defined schools of thinking at the senior levels of Catholicism about the church's relationship with Europe: 1) the Vatican diplomacy school described above, based on striking pragmatic bargains; 2) the school around Cardinal Camillo Ruini of Italy, which held that Catholicism should aggressively challenge secularism, and that it still has the culture-shaping capacity to win on the political level here and now; and 3) the school around Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, which believed in an equally aggressive challenge to secularization, but had little hope for short-term success at the political level in today's European milieu, and therefore emphasized Christianity as a 'creative minority' making its voice heard in philosophical debates over values and first principles.

Under Pope Benedict XVI, it should be no surprise that the third school is in the ascendant.

One illustration of the difference came in June 2005, when Ruini led a campaign to urge Italian voters to abstain from a national referendum that would have liberalized the country's law on in vitro fertilization. When a majority of Italians failed to vote, the referendum was invalidated, and the church claimed victory.

The Ratzinger school welcomed the outcome, but some worried that it was a Pyrrhic victory because the underlying moral question was not settled. Privately, some would have preferred a clear No vote.

Vatican leaders today are also increasingly frustrated with accusations in Europe of what the Italians call ingerenza, or "interference," every time the church takes a position on a political debate, as if Catholicism seeks to impose a confessional position on a secular culture.

From the point of view of church leaders, the church does not propose its teaching on the force of its own positive law, but rather because that teaching is true - that is, it corresponds to deep ontological realities inscribed into the very nature of the human person.

Partly for this reason, the International Theological Commission, the chief advisory body to the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is today working on a document on Natural Law theory, meaning a mode of reasoning not based on confessional teachings or divine revelation, but rather on an analysis of nature which is, at least in principle, open to everyone.

This project will be the model of Vatican engagement with Europe in the future - concerned with a long-term recovery of objective philosophical and moral criteria of discernment.

Among other things, over time this may produce a fairly balanced Vatican approach to Muslim immigration in Europe - concerned about a loss of Europe's Christian specificity, but welcoming a new cultural subgroup that shares much of its religious and moral agenda. In France, we already see the outlines of a Muslim/Catholic alliance versus the apostles of laïcité.

To be clear, this does not mean a retreat from political questions - far from it. But it suggests an approach less focused on immediate outcomes than underlying concepts.

3. From the European Union to Multipolar Diplomacy
For most of its history, Vatican diplomacy has operated on what might be called a 'Great Power' theory, meaning that the church would attach itself to the great Catholic power of the day and look to it to protect its interests and advance its concerns.

For most of the post-World War II period, a fundamental diplomatic project of the Holy See was to promote the emergence of the European Union as the next Catholic, or at least Catholic-influenced, power.

Today, the wind has gone out of the sails of that project due to runaway secularization in Europe, and the growing hostility of secular elites to the church. As a practical matter, the Holy See today looks far more to the United States than to the EU as its natural interlocutor.

Yet the experience of the Iraq War, coupled with historical Vatican ambivalence about the allegedly Calvinistic character of American culture, and more recent memories of conflict under the Clinton administration, make that alliance inherently unstable.

In the future, Catholicism is likely to pursue a more bric-a-brac diplomatic style, looking to different poles of a multipolar world as its natural allies on different questions.

Specifically, one can look to a future in which the Vatican partners with the United States on questions of religious freedom and human rights, with Muslim states on the 'culture wars', and with the developing nations of the South on matters of social justice.

The prospects for Catholic partnerships with Shi'a Islam will be particularly interesting to track, given what Vali Nasr has rightly identified as striking structural similarities between the two traditions: their emphasis on clergy and divine intermediaries; belief in intercessory prayer; popular feasts and devotions; the centrality of sacrificial death and atonement; and belief in tradition alongside scripture.

Despite the current radicalization of Shi'a, Catholicism is arguably the global actor best positioned to engage it in dialogue. Those prospects may grow as below-replacement fertility levels in Iran begin to trigger a rapid aging of the population.

As Phillip Longman has observed, aging societies tend to be peaceful ones, because they can't afford to maintain large armies and also pay for pensions and health care, and also because as children become more scarce, parents are less inclined to encourage them to blow themselves up.

Not only does a multipolar Vatican diplomacy leave Europe a bit out in the cold, it also promises sharper conflicts with Europe, and this time not just on gay rights.

Catholic leaders from the global south are often bitterly critical of Europe and the United States on matters of economic justice and militarism; for example, many southern bishops talk about the World Bank and the IMF the way American bishops do Planned Parenthood, that is, as the church's central bête noir.

Perceptions of unfair trading practices in Europe, especially its massive agricultural subsidies, are a matter of deep southern Catholic resentment. Under the impress of multipolar diplomacy, we might anticipate a future in which the flashpoints of church/state relations in Europe could be expressed as 'sex, secularism, and subsidies'.

Conclusion

None of what I've said should be read to mean that the Vatican, or global Catholicism, has thrown in the towel on Europe. In many ways, from the Catholic point of view, Europe is simply too big to fail.

Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope in part because many cardinals believed that addressing the European crisis is the most important challenge facing Catholicism, and the new pope's choice of the name Benedict, with reference to the founder of European monasticism, was a way of signaling where his interests reside.

But the church's approach to Europe in the 21st century will be different, focused on fostering Catholic sub-cultures and addressing the deep currents of intellectual history, rather than presuming a shared core of basic values which can lead to strategic partnerships. It will be different, but it certainly will not be dull.

Vatican document does not diminish other faiths, states doctrine congregation chief

By Dan Morris-Young
7/19/2007
Catholic San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Catholic San Francisco) - The recent Vatican document emphasizing that only the Catholic Church possesses the “fullness” of the means for salvation was created primarily as an instructional tool for Catholics and should not be read as a diminishing of other faith communities, according to the churchman who signed it.

On the contrary, said Cardinal William J. Levada, who heads the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) which issued the document July 10, the narrative itself points out that “outside the Catholic Church elements of holiness and truth do exist and that the Holy Spirit is working in those other communities and churches as well.”

During a July 17 interview while visiting the San Francisco Bay Area, Cardinal Levada commented on his congregation’s work, Pope Benedict XVI’s recent instruction on the Tridentine Latin Mass, themes of the young papacy, and challenges facing the universal Church today.

The cardinal was quick to describe as “purely coincidental” the fact that his congregation’s document on the nature of the Church was made public only three days after the pope’s announcement of his decision to allow broader use of the Tridentine liturgical rite.

Many commentaries have linked the two. “”Many have tried to see it as some kind of one-two punch,” Cardinal Levada laughed, “but the truth is that it is simply a coincidence that they were published in such proximity.”

In restoring easier access “to the principal way of worship in the Church for more than 400 years,” the pontiff “expressed a great generosity” toward persons intensely devoted to the Tridentine Latin Mass, the cardinal said.

The papal directive “was not primarily aimed at the United States,” he said, adding that he feels it will have more impact in France, Germany and Switzerland and little effect in Latin America or Italy.

Turning to the doctrinal congregation’s recent commentary, “Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church,” the cardinal said it grew out of extensive conversation and collaboration with theological consultants to the CDF and others, as well as a broad review of published materials.

The document addresses five questions about the nature of the Church “and all five are a commentary on Vatican II documents,” the cardinal said, adding, “It has the advantage of collecting all that has happened since Vatican II up to the present time” and explaining how Church articulation of its own nature as well as its views of other Christian communities have developed.

He said he has been “somewhat surprised” at the amount of “ecumenical commentary” the document has generated. “It is primarily a document addressed to Catholics as believers and teachers and is intended to clarify the teachings of the Second Vatican Council,” he said, “especially the teaching on the nature of the Church.”

That teaching, he said, has been skewed by those who argue “that the Church of Christ can subsist in churches outside the Catholic Church, but that is not the case.”

Response to the CDF statement “has shown how much that is misunderstood,” he said. “Even many Catholics are fuzzy on it.”

“That is not to say that we deny that the Holy Spirit who guides the Church is also working with his gifts of grace and truth in those other communities and churches,” he said.

Recalling the heady days of the 1962-65 Vatican Council, Cardinal Levada said there was “a certain novelty” created by the council’s exhortations for Catholics “to see the Holy Spirit at work” in Christian denominations outside the Catholic Church, especially in view of what had been “almost a stance of hostility and opposition” to the non-Catholic religious world for some time.

“It was quite a striking insight to see recognized in official Catholic teaching that outside the Catholic Church there are elements of holiness and truth” in other congregations, he said.

Reaction to the document on the Church’s nature in the United States where many religious persuasions exists side by side clearly reflects the nation’s “egalitarian approach to society and therefore to churches,” he said, “where for you to say that your church is the one true church of Christ, and that another’s is not quite, is considered not to be the American way.”

“Being an American,” he continued, “I am sympathetic to that. We get along by saying, ‘You have your ideas and I have mine, and while we might not agree we can explain ourselves, and we can be friends even if we are not in agreement on every thing.’”

“Underlying a typical American idea of what a church is,” he said, “is the idea that we are the ones who make the Church, we create the Church. There is the slogan, ‘We are the Church.’ And, of course, there is the sense of the Church being made up of all the baptized. But we do not make the Church. God makes the Church. We receive the Church as a gift. And we receive the elements of grace and holiness and truth from God as a gift. They are part of God’s revelation.”

While “anyone in this country can hang up a shingle and say, ‘This is the Church of God on Post Street,’ for example,” he said, “the Catholic view is that the Church is not our creation. It’s a gift from God. And we have to accept that gift. We have to accept the elements of that gift. Take the Eucharist, for example. Not optional. Apostolic succession is not optional.”

“We don’t decide what it means to be a disciple of Jesus,” he said. “Jesus first laid down what his disciples should be and how they should follow him.”

He said the CDF document could be “very helpful to Catholics in the United States who are culturally conditioned” to accepting self-organized groups of worshippers as “churches”.

“It seems to me that the ecumenical vision of some is: ‘Well, we are all searching for one great united church that is still yet to be found.’ Catholic teaching is: Christ’s Church has never disappeared. It has been fragmented, wounded, broken apart but it has not disappeared,” he said, then added, “It is not that Catholics should be proud of being members of this Church. It is not because we are good that we receive the gift of Church. It’s God’s gift. And it is a gift that we very willingly hope to be able to share one day with everybody.”

In its emphasis on Vatican II teaching, the CDF document was in step with what Cardinal Levada said is one of the clear themes of Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy -underlining that the Council represents a continuity of Church life, not a point of discontinuity.

At the time of Vatican II, there was a temptation and a tendency to place Church practices and teachings in pre-conciliar and post-conciliar “baskets,” he said. “I know I did it. There was a kind of ‘throw this out, here’s the new stuff’. I think many of us regret that. ”

Describing Pope Benedict as “a very God-centered man,” Cardinal Levada said the pope “wants us to see the beauty of God’s handiwork. I think his encyclical letter ‘Deus Caritas Est,’ God is Love, is a great example of that.”

Cardinal Levada said the pontiff “wants us to understand that God is not remote. That is the whole point of the Incarnation of Christ.”

The doctrinal congregation head praised Pope Benedict’s preaching and teaching skills. “On Sundays St. Peter’s Square is almost full of people just to hear him talk for about five minutes… and then pray the Angelus. He is extraordinary, and we are learning a lot about him.”

Interestingly, Cardinal Levada said, “I am quite confident that he never expected to be pope. And so he is learning how to be pope. But he is a quick study and of course had so much experience at the side of John Paul II. I think you can say he represents a great gift of God to us at this time.”

Challenges facing the universal Church include “the disconnect between faith and reason in the modern world” cited by the pope in his address in Regensburg, Germany last November, Cardinal Levada said. He said the pope “rightly identified as a very significant challenge” a growing view that modern civilization “makes religion no longer necessary, or some would say, even possible.”

Another challenge, he said, is to infuse “into the body politic” an active “love of neighbor and the service we are called to give each other” by Christ to address global issues of war, starvation and disease. The pope, he said, “often returns to this theme” and exhorts Christians “to use our human ingenuity and creativity to overcome these evils.”

Fr. Bossi thanks the Pope
and everyone who prayed for him
during his ordeal


There is great joy in the whole Catholic world, starting with the Pope, for the release of Fr. Giancarlo Bossi after 39 days in captivity, having been abducted on June 9 not far from the parish church he served in Payao, province of Zamboanga, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

He was released yesterday just a few kilometers from where he had been kidnapped. Father Bossi had lost weight but expressed his resolve to resume his missionary life as soon as possible.

Tiziani Campisi of Vatican Radio spoke to Fr. Bossi by telephone in Manila, where the priest will spend a few days of rest and recovery, with Fr. Gianni Sandalo, who heads the missionaries of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in the Philippines.

Fr. Bossi: I am quite well. I have lost some weight, but otherwise, everything's fine.

What can you tell us about your experience?
I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It was very hard. On the other hand, I am starting to realize that it can teach me many lessons. I will have time, in the next few months, to reflect properly on all that happened.

Where there movements when you felt discouraged?
No, I thank God I was never discouraged. I thought of two other colleagues - Fr. Benedetto, and Fr. Giuseppe Pierantoni - who had also been captured and later released. So I set my heart at rest by telling myself, "I, too, will be released one of these days."

I never lost that sense of calm, and for this, I truly thank the Lord because he kept me calm in the face of everything.

Was there any dialog with your abductors?
Everyday, they talked of this or that. They prayed. I prayed. One of their questions was, "Are we praying to the same God?" And I also asked that to myself, "Are we praying to the same God, when you are praying with a weapon in your right arm and a kidnapped person on your left?" It's questions like these that I need to reflect upon further, in trying to make sense of what happened.

Did they explain why they abducted you?
They said they wanted money to be able to buy more weapons, and they kidnapped me because, since I am a foreigner, they believed the Philippine government would have done anything to gain my release.

Were you told of all the initiatives of prayer and solidarity for your sake, including the Pope's?
I can only say thank you with all my heart for the prayers of the Pope and to Fr. Gianni, who has been telling me all about what has taken place since I was kidnapped. My joy can only keep growing as I hear these things.

I must thank everyone who has prayed for me. The experience gave me a lot of time to think about my whole life, all the persons I ever met, all my friends, the living as well as those who have gone before - and that alone was a beautiful experience.

Fr. Bossi, as a missionary, how has this epxerience changed your way of looking at your mission?
I think it has made me understand how far we still are from recognizing each other as brothers. I hope and trust that the day will come when we can all say together as children of God that God is our Father and that therefore we are all truly brothers and sisters.


Meanwhile, correspondent Stefano Leszczynski spoke by telephone to Fr. Giambattista Zanchi, superior-general of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, who first made this statement:

Fr. Zanchi: I thank the Lord because he has naswered the orayers of so many Christians as weell as non-Christians. During all this time, we had moments of great concern because it was not possible to check what was being said about the kidnapping. Once we were told that they saw Fr. Bossi being beaten and then taken away. There were so many jackals, so many people claiming to know where he was who said they would talk for a fee. It was not at all easy to deal with all this.

Many missionaries have undergone traumatic experiences like this. Does it affect their missionary spirit at all or do they go on doing what they have to do, in general?
In all similar cases - and we have had quite a number in different countries, even in wartime situations - everyone of them has said they want to stay where they were, even when they are asked to leave because of evident risk.

This is part of the missionary vocation. Wherever we go, we are in the hands of the Lord. We only try to do what is good for all - and I think even the Muslims who lived in Payao (Fr. Bossi's parish) understood this. Like every missionary, he was genuinely in the service of the people, simply to show that God only wants what is good for everyone.

Radio Vaticana, 20 luglio 2007

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

During Fr. Bossi's captivity, PIME went out of its way to deny every statement made that stated or implied his abductors were Muslim - in the absence of direct evidence, and also, to prevent aggravating any local hostilities.

However, Fr. Bossi's statements clearly indicate his captors were Muslim militants - though not necessarily terrorists. The Muslim separatist movement in the Philippines has now splintered into diffrent factions, since it started in the 1960s as the Muslim National Liberation Front (MNLF) which was openly financed by Libya and supported by the League of Islamic Nations.

Libya stopped its financing after an agreement with the Marcos government which led to the establishment of regional autonomy for the Muslims of Mindanao, the Philippines' second-largest island, where the majority of the country's Muslims live. (They make up less than 10 percent of the Philippine population, even in Mindanao itself, where Islam gained a foothold in the 12th-13th centuries because of Mindanao's proximity to Indonesia, site of two major Muslim empires at the time). The head of the MNLF became the first governor of the autonomous region.

The post-autonomy separatist movements, which have sprung up in the past 20 years, have a decidedly Islamist ideology - definitely unfounded insofar as asking for a separate state when they are so clearly in the minority. It would be analogous to the Christians of Iraq demanding to have a separate state, which clearly they don't demand.

Freedom of religion has never been a problem in the Philippines, even during the 350 years of Spanish rule. Filipino Muslims during all those centuries lived peacefully and peaceably in their own communities, one of the reasons being they were never a significant number, to begin with.

The Philippines is still at least 90% Christian and 80% Catholic.

Here is a translation of a report in PETRUS today:

By Ilona Malysz


Why is this priest
virulently anti-Semitic?


WARSAW - Severe canonical punishment will be announced shortly for Fr. Tadeusz Rydzyk, the Redemptorist priest who founded the extremely rightist radio station Radio Maryja.

This was announced a news conference in Cracow by Fr. Joseph Tobin, superior-general of the Redemptorists in Poland.

The possible sanctions, Tobin said, do not exclude exiling the priest from Poland so that he can no longer direct the radio station's operations.

He has been accused of using the radio to pursue an anti-Semitic campaign and to promote an excessively reactionary viewpoint, as well as repeated insubordination to his Redemptorist superiors who have requested him to desist from his objectionable activities.

Lately, Rydzyk lost the backing of the President of Poland, who used to be one of his allies, because of Rydzyk's repeated accusations against the Jewish community, calling them a 'lobby', among other things.

The Jews promptly responded by calling Rydzyk 'a Goebbels in priestly wear'. [Joseph Goebbels was Hitler's propaganda minister.]

Lately, it was also learned that in the past, Rydzyk had edited a neo-Nazi newspaper called Nasz Dziennik.

NB: The dispatch does not state who is imposing the canonical punishment on Rydzyk, nor the meaning of 'Nasz Dziennik'.

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

Here's a related item from PETRUS:


Stop that priest!
By Bruno Volpe


VATICAN CITY - 700 Polish intellectuals have written an open letter against Fr. Tadeusz Rydzyk, the director of Poland's Radio Maryja, which has become openly anti-Semitic.

The Polish station has nothing to do with Italy's very popular Catholic station Radio Maria.

Rydzyk has earned popular ire and warnings from his Redemptorist superiors because of his station's increasingly vitriolic attacks against Jews. The various Catholic websites in Poland have all denounced Rydzyk's anti-Semitism, especially now it has been revealed that he also founded a newspaper that is anti-Semitic.

Now, the political, cultural and Catholic communities of Poland have united against Rydzyk.

We can only join this opposition against someone like Rydzyk who is as dangerous - if not more - for the Church than the pedophile priests of Los Angeles.

STOP HIM NOW!

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

Here's what CWN reported:

Krakow, Jul. 20, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Several hundred prominent Polish figures have joined in a public call for disciplinary action against the priest who heads the controversial Radio Maryja.

Former Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki and former foreign minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski led a group of over 700 people who signed an open letter released through the Center for Culture and Dialogue in Krakow, complaining that public statements by Father Tadeusz Rydzyk have "revealed his contempt" for Jews and his intolerance toward political opponents.

Describing the priest's public statements as "contemptible," and saying that his influence has become steadily more divisive, the signatories asked Church leaders to take action to curtail the public influence of the Redemptorist priest.

Earlier this week Father Joseph Tobin, the superior general of the Redemptorist order, said that he has investigated reports about Father Rydzyk's public statements, and said that a statement about the controversial priest will be released shortly.

[Obviously, the CWN story was written before Tobin's news conference reported by PETRUS above.]

Jesus Lands in the Congo –
After a Two-month Delay

That's how long it can take for news about the Church to travel from Rome to part of central Africa.
The testimony of Fr. Raphaël Dila of the diocese of Mbujimayi.
A serious communication problem, for the Vatican agenda.

by Sandro Magister



ROMA, July 19, 2007 - In the middle of Africa is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And at the center of Congo, in the Eastern Kasai province, is the diocese of Mbujimayi.

Raphaël Dila Ciendela, 44, a priest of the diocese of Mbujimayi, found out only at the beginning of June thatPpope Benedict XVI had published - almost two months earlier, on April 16 - the book entitled JESUS OF NAZARETH.

"I learned about it by chance, while talking with a priest friend, the rector of a seminary in my diocese, who had received the volume from a confrere who had just returned from Europe."

Soon after it was Fr. Raphaël's turn to take a trip to Europe. That was when he had the chance to see with his own eyes, for the first time, a copy of the volume.

"It was June 21, and I had just arrived in Italy. I saw the book by chance at the home of a friend of mine in Pisa. I finally bought the French edition for myself in Bordeaux, on July 11, the feast of Saint Benedict."

The case of Fr. Raphaël is a glaring example of how uncertain communications are between the Church of Rome and the Churches of some areas of the world.

The example is all the more revealing in that Fr. Raphaël does not live in some far-flung village in the equatorial jungle, where the Catholic religion may have just barely arrived.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, eight times as big as Italy and with a population of about 55 million, is the African country with the largest number of Catholics, at 30 million.

In the diocese of Mbujimayi there are more than 2 million Catholics, more than half the population. Fr. Raphaël has a post of great responsibility there: he is the diocesan administrator of the public schools, which in Congo include both the privately managed and state-run institutions, from the elementary to the middle schools.

Ordained a priest in 1989, he taught in the seminary, worked as a pastor, and presided over the diocesan commission for the family. He was then sent to Rome to continue his studies.

He obtained his theology doctorate in 2005 at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, with a brilliant dissertation published in a book entitled Mariage et virginité. Contribution à la compréhension du 'Bien conjugal' de Saint Augustin à la lumière du magistère contemporain [Marriage and virginity: contributions to understanding the ‘Conjugal good’ from Saint Augustine to the insight of the modern magisterium]. He also obtained a maser’s degree in philosophy from the state university Tor Vergata” in Rome.

During these studies he served in the parishes of Aggius and Aglientu, in Sardinia, where he was warmly welcomed by the people.

Apart from Tshiluba - the language of his region - he speaks fluent French, the official language in Congo, and Italian. He also knows English and German.

He has gathered a personal library that is small in size but rich in important works and authors. But for a year his books have remained boxed up in Italy, waiting for a 'window' of relative peace in Congo that would permit them to be sent to Mbujimayi.

In Italy, he was an assiduous reader of www.chiesa, and subscribed to the Newsletter.

But since he has returned to Congo, it has again become much more difficult for him to keep up to date on the life of the Church around the world.

There are very few telephone land lines in the diocese of Mbujimayi. There are internet points in the cities, but here, too, the connections are very unreliable.

Fr. Raphaël recounts:

"Above all, the electrical current comes and goes. When it is there, the signal for internet access is often lacking. In the rare moments when everything is working, lines form at the internet points. You wait patiently in line, and when it's your turn it can happen that the current again goes out, or the signal drops. It's the same story if you return the following day."

And cell phones?

"This is the device that connects us to the world. But they can be used only in certain zones. Where there is no service you need the expensive satellite telephone, but very few can afford this."

The newspapers?

"They practically do not exist. Even in the capital, Kinshasa, with 7 million inhabitants, it is impossible to find a kiosk."

The television?

"There are small local stations in Mbujimayi. But their programs are extremely modest, and outside of the city there is no electricity for receiving them. The major Western television networks, the only ones that could provide information, require a satellite dish, which is extremely expensive."

The radio stations?

"At least these reach almost everywhere. The radios are battery-operated, and many local FM stations are available. For information, the preferred sources are foreign networks like the Voice of America, the BBC, Radio France Internationale, Deutsche Welle. Vatican Radio can also be received in Congo, on shortwave."
[And the good priest never heard of the book even from Vatican Radio?]

Are there Catholic radio stations?

"Some of the dioceses have them. The diocese of Mbujimayi also has a radio station, which rebroadcasts some of Vatican Radio's programming and gives information on the life of the Church, in both French and Tshiluba."

And books?

"There is just one bookstore in Mbujimayi, owned by Catholic missionaries. The books are in French. But there is a saying among us that goes: 'If you want to hide something from a Congolese, stick it in a book. He’ll never open it.' The saying has an underpinning of truth, in part because books are terribly expensive compared to the miserable salaries here. So even those who want to read can't afford it."

End of story. In the Vatican, the secretariat of state, the pontifical commission for social communications, and the other officials in charge of media matters should place at the top of their agenda this very problem: how to bring news and documents from Rome quickly to the diocese of Mbujimayi and to all the other regions of the Church that find themselves in a similar situation, not only in Africa.

And all the more so in that these segments of the Catholic population are not the rear guard of the Church. They are often the youngest and most lively components, with the most fervent faith, the strongest missionary impulse. They are its future.

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

Come on, Mr. Magister. Stop just complaining online, for God's sake! You've used the strongest language possible in several columns now over the past two years - and nothing has happened. Use your clout and get on the phone to Fr. Lombardi or Georg Gaenswein! At least, get some assurance that someone in the Vatican is paying attention, and they're attending to the problem!


P.S. On his blog today, Magister tells of yet another prelate from Africa - this one a cardinal from Ghana - who only learned about JON when he was in Venice recently for a conference. Magister writes (translated):

---

...Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson learned about the existence of the book on June 20, casually, while he was taking part in a meeting in Venice of the scientific committee for the dialogue-with-Islam-oriented magazine Oasis of the Patriarchate of Venice.

Turkson is Archbishop of Cape Coast in Ghana: a city and a country with a majority Christian population, a place much better linked to the rest of the world than other African countries. And in the capital, Accra, you're more likely to find a newsboy selling Time or Newsweek on the streets than you can find a public toilet.

---

I must say, though, beyond the inefficiency of the Vatican communications services, these two incidents also reflect a strange negligence on the part of both priest and cardinal about trying to keep informed! If they failed to hear about JON - which was announced in November 2006 with great resulting to-do, and whose publication this spring was even more universally publicized, then what else might they not have heard about? Assuming they never read any international newspaper or magazine, they could not possibly have missed hearing about JON if they at least listen to Vatican Radio!

By Mike Ceaser
July 20, 2007
Catholic News Service (www.catholicnews.com)

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) A right-wing paramilitary leader's declaration that an assassinated Colombian archbishop secretly helped lead the outlawed paramilitary organization has triggered objections from church and political leaders.

Diego Fernando Murillo, a feared paramilitary leader known as "Don Berna," testified in court July 17 that another paramilitary leader had told him the late Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino of Cali was one of six secret leaders of the paramilitaries blamed for many of the worst massacres committed during Colombia's four-decade civil war.

Murillo said that Carlos Castano, who was for years the right-wing organization's most powerful leader, ordered a search for the archbishop's killers. One man was convicted for killing the archbishop in 2002, but who ordered it is still a mystery. Castano was later killed by rival paramilitary leaders.

Retired Bishop Fabian Marulanda Lopez of Florencia, secretary-general of the Colombian bishops' conference, called the idea that Archbishop Duarte had belonged to the paramilitaries impossible.

Bishop Marulanda said he'd "always understood that (Archbishop Duarte) had a strong opposition to all of the outlaw groups."

Archbishop Duarte harshly criticized Colombia's outlaw organizations during one of his final sermons before his assassination, according to news reports.

Archbishop Duarte had participated in secret meetings intended to resolve the nation's long civil war between Castano and government officials, in which two leftist guerrilla armies are pitted against the government and its paramilitary allies.

In 1997, Archbishop Duarte hosted in his residence a meeting between Castano, Minister of the Interior Horacio Serpa and others. Father Jorge Cadavid, who also attended the meeting, told Caracol Radio that Archbishop Duarte harshly criticized Castano.

Serpa said that the archbishop hosted the meetings as "a service which (Archbishop) Duarte, a highly responsible person who was in no way associated with any criminal group," provided to the country.

Serpa added that he mentioned the meetings publicly, and only a few days later Archbishop Duarte was killed.

Murillo and other paramilitary leaders have given up their arms as part of a controversial peace deal with the government. They are now in court to confess their crimes in order to obtain reduced prison terms.

But many human rights advocates and other observers call the paramilitary demobilization a charade, and say that the death-squad leaders have hidden most of their crimes and have tried to falsely implicate others with their testimony.


SOURCE: www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?...

By Fady Noun
July 20, 2007
National Catholic Register (www.ncregister.com/)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (National Catholic Register) - Blind fanaticism is reaching unprecedented heights in this capital city, and for the Christians who live here and throughout Iraq it is turning into a nightmare.

Persecution against Christians is being unleashed in many cities and neighborhoods where Christians and Muslims coexisted peacefully, if somewhat coldly, some years ago. In fact, the patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq, Archbishop Emmanuel III Delly, called it "open persecution, as in the early centuries of the church."

In Baghdad, especially in the neighborhood where Christians have their main church buildings, the structures are being bombed, desecrated and looted, crosses torn down or broken and hosts trampled.

Priests and deacons are being abducted, often ransomed, and sometimes killed.

Families are being thrown out of their homes without notice or forced to abjure Christianity and embrace Islam.

Businesses are being robbed, men abducted and killed - or released in exchange for a huge ransom that leaves families without any resource.

There are also threats and intimidation designed to have young Christian women married off to Muslims, and extortion occurs in the form of forcing payment of the jizya (Islamic tax for non-Muslims).

Four Chaldean Christians in Kirkuk kidnapped July 4 were released a week later through the mediation of the Chaldean Church and the sheiks of Kirkuk, according to AsiaNews.

Outside Iraq, the refugee population is growing, especially among Christians.

"We fled Iraq, my wife and I, two months ago," said Nouri, who entered Lebanon illegally and insists on keeping his family name anonymous. Living in a small room in a Beirut suburb, the 50-year-old is still in shock.

He lived in a cottage in Kut, south of Baghdad, and ran a liquor shop. After the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003 his shop was burned down.

Holding on, Nouri decided to sell liquor from his house. But one day, two grenades were thrown at the house at an hour when the whole family was gathered. Nobody was hurt, and Nouri stayed in the neighborhood.

Then one night masked men broke into the house and abducted his brother. Using his cell phone, they asked for a $40,000 ransom. Nouri sold some property and paid the ransom. But, mercilessly, the abductors managed to extort another $30,000 from his father.

At last Nouri decided to quit, leaving behind his father and mother who still hope they will see their abducted son alive.

Pope Benedict

The Christians of Iraq are experiencing an "authentic martyrdom" and must be supported materially and spiritually by the entire church, Pope Benedict XVI said June 21 in a speech to representatives of the Catholic communities in the Middle East and to Catholic aid agencies that assist them.

"Peace, so long implored and awaited, unfortunately is still largely being offended," the holy father said, speaking just weeks after the June 3 murder of Chaldean Father Raghid Ganni, along with three sub-deacons.

Those murders made the news, but similar stories do not.

"A Syrian Orthodox priest was 'returned' in pieces to his family, head and limbs cut off, because the payment of the ransom had been delayed," said Bishop Michael Kassarji, head of the Chaldean Diocese of Beirut, Lebanon.

Behind every story of a priest released, there is an untold story of a ransom paid, said an ecclesiastical source who wishes to remain anonymous.

For Bishop Gergis Kass, of the Syrian Orthodox Church, the ransom went up to $200,000. Some of the abducted men have even been sold to other abductors.

Efforts to bring reason to the situation, by negotiating with authoritative Sunni and Shiite religious figures, have been in vain, said Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni, an assistant to Archbishop Delly. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Parliament have been solicited, to no avail, he added.

As a matter of fact, the archbishop asked al-Maliki to launch the new security plan in Baghdad in the Christian neighborhoods first, "where terror walks the streets." But the government and allied forces had a different agenda.

"We even planned to negotiate with the gangs and groups that control the neighborhoods, but we were deterred from doing so," said Bishop Warduni. "We were told they are not Iraqis, rivals to each other and impossible to reason with."

He also deplores the "absence of courage" of many a priest who has fled the terror, abandoning his flock, thus triggering new waves of departures among a population already reduced in number, disarrayed and frightened. Only three Chaldean priests are left in Baghdad, from the original 25 that were there.

Smuggling refugees

The hard times are not due solely to hard-line Islamists, though. Chaldean Bishop Michel Kassarji of Beirut has just returned from Iraq, where he attended a synod of his church. He recounts how Archbishop Delly protested against the unauthorized occupation by the U.S. Army of the Seminary of the Chaldean Church. Requests to the armed forces to leave the building were in vain.

The issue here is not only a decision taken without consultation by the U.S. Army and an aggression against a cultural property, but also a behavior that endangers the Christians by letting Muslim groups conclude that the Chaldean Church is siding with the enemy by giving over the buildings, said Bishop Kassarji.

"We had to wear helmets to come in and carry the boxes out," recounted Bishop Warduni, who added he "took the risk, more than once, to go to the green zone" to talk with civil and military authorities about the problem. The American military command, he said, pointed out that if they leave after what had happened, they would not be held responsible for the looting that could follow.

To this day, around two-thirds of the 2 million Christians of Iraq have fled their homes. Some found refuge in the northern province of Kurdistan where life conditions are precarious, but where at least they are distant from "Islamic" blackmail, threats and terror.

The finance minister of Kurdistan, Sarkis Agajan, an Assyrian Christian, is earnestly trying to relocate and help refugees coming from Baghdad and southern Iraq. Whether one admits it or not, a massive shift in population, a "religious cleansing" is taking place, which will profoundly change Iraq’s demographics and ultimately its identity.

"It's nothing less than a human tsunami," said Bishop Kassarji, who lives just outside Beirut.

Aliens in flight

At a rate of two or three families a week, Chaldean Catholics are sneaking into Lebanon illegally, fueling a profitable underground business. "They are discreetly dropped around five in the morning, in front of our building," said Bishop Kassarji.

Iraqi Christians have already flooded Jordan and Syria. Around 9,000 have illegally entered Lebanon since 2003. These are generally poor and desperate and do not wish to return home at all. They hope for United Nations help in getting into the United States, Canada or Scandinavia, but in the meantime, they do small jobs in Lebanon. They are threatened by abuse, though, and risk three months of prison if they are caught without papers.

To get an Iraqi released, Bishop Kassarji's contacts include the Lebanese president, ministers, security officers and church figures as well as influential and wealthy figures close to the Iraqi government. He also has to take great care to check whether some criminal fleeing Iraq may be lurking behind an apparently meek refugee.

He also struggles to house, feed and clothe these families and provide medical assistance, schooling and legal aid.

Ultimately, in Lebanon, Iraqi refugees are victims of a "no-see" policy that keeps their problems hidden and managed through under-the-table interventions and contacts, since open acknowledgement would have political as well as legal consequences that the government cannot face.

Some Lebanese Christians have advocated giving these refugees Lebanese nationality, since their numbers are so limited. Contacts have even been made with the Sant'Egidio Community in Rome to buy a piece of land for settlement purposes. But things are not that simple, not in Lebanon at least, an Arab exception where the question of the balance between Christians and Muslims is sensitive.

Any way you look at it, the problem is complex. Sitting at his office in East Beirut, where the telephone is almost constantly ringing, Habib Efrem, president of the Syriac Orthodox League, an association aimed at promoting the legal rights of his community, doesn’t hide his alarm.

In a country like Iraq, where Christians numbered around 2 million a few years ago, there are only 600,000 left.

At the beginning of the 20th century, he said, there were around 1.5 million Christians in Aleppo, Syria. They are now 100,000.

He is afraid the same process is eroding the Christian presence in the whole Middle East, the cradle of Christianity.



Fady Noun, based in Beirut, Lebanon, is a correspondent for National Catholic Register.

SOURCE: www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=2477...

Osservatore Romano devoted much of its front page today for this story about Fr. Giancarlo Bossi, filed from Manila.




The joy expressed by the Holy Father
is the synthesis and peak of
common feeling in the Church


MANILA, July 20 - Joy is the prevailing feeling among everyone for the liberation yesterday of Fr. Giancarlo Bossi, 57, a missionary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME, from its Italian acronym) who was kept captive for 3 days in Payao, the parish he has been serving in Zamboanga province, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

The joy expressed by Pope Benedict XVI upon hearing the news is the synthesis and peak of the feeling that pervades the Church. Joy and thanksgiving unite Catholics to all men of goodwill, in the Philippines and the rest of the world, which has feared and prayed for Fr. Bossi all this time.

"The Pope has prayed so much for this to happen. The news is an occasion of the greatest joy for all the Church and for the Holy Father himself," said Fr. Federico Lombardi, Vatican press office director.

There is authentic Christian joy and profound relief for the happy outcome of difficult work undertaken these past few weeks by the governments in Rome and in Manila, working with Church officials.

"During those 39 days, we frequently moved from one place to another. The kidnappers treated me well, and I prayed for them every night," said Fr. Bossi during a brief meeting with newsmen arranged soon after his release.

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo immediately made a private plane available to take Fr. Bossi to Manila where she later met with him at the Presidential palace.

Fr. Bossi's release came opportunely on his mother's 87th birthday. The family had taken care not to make her aware of his kidnapping, so when he called from the Philippines on Thursday, she simply had the joy of hearing his annual birthday greeting as she had come to expect.

The release of Fr. Bossi, under the auspices of the Philippine constabulary (national police), took place just a few kilometers from his parish church in Payao, where he has served for 27 years. The negotiations were carried out by Philippine authorities coordinating closely with Italian government representatives.

Fr. Bossi recalls he was kidnapped by 11 armed men when he was on his way to say Mass in Bulawa, a village of Payao. His abductors, later reduced to 5 men who kept guard over him, told him they belonged to the Islamic fundamentalist group Abu Sayyaf, which is linked to Al Quaeda. However, both the Philippine police and PIME doubt this claim.

In any case, the conference of Filipino bishops issued a statement saying that "No ransom was paid to obtain the release of Fr. Bossi. All we had to do was pray that the event would resolve itself in the best way possible."

PIME issued a statement today to "thank everyone who worked for Fr. Bossi's release, particularly the Italian government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the office of crisis management, the Philippine government, its police and local leaders."

The statement said: "Having received with great joy the news of Fr. Bossi's release. PIME wishes to express its gratitude to God above all, for having returned our brother to us, safe and sound. The Lord has really listened to the intense prayers of so many people - Christians, Muslims, people of other faiths - who joined their prayers to ours and to those of the Holy Father."

"There have been many initiatives of solidarity that began in support of Fr. Bossi's release, and we know that several more are in progress. May these initiatives be further occasion to celebrate, as it was for Fr. Bossi's family, particularly for his mother Amalia, whom he was able to call on her birthday. We thank everyone from the heart, and for all, we ask the Lord's blessing and the gift of peace."

Although he's out in Poland running a summer seminar on the thought of John Paul II, George Weigel did file this piece earlier this week on his 'blog' at the Wahnington Post/Newsweek's turly eclectic site called 'On Faith'.


One Body, Imperfect Parts
By George Weigel
Poted 7/18/07


To those for whom religious 'preference' is of no more consequence than any other lifestyle choice - something like Saab or Volvo, Nationals or Orioles, medium-rare or rare, chardonnay or chablis - the recent document from the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, clarifying once again the self-understanding of the Catholic Church vis-a-vis other Christian communities as that self-understanding was expressed at the Second Vatican Council, can only sound strange, even offensive.

To those who take seriously Christ's promise that he would preserve his Church in truth through the power of the Holy Spirit, the CDF clarification (approved by Pope Benedict XVI) is an invitation to serious theological conversation. That conversation emphatically includes theologically serious Christian believers in non-Catholic Christian communities. So let's try a little theology.

There is one Church of Christ for, as St. Paul taught, the Church is the body of Christ and Christ has but one body.

The unity of the one Church of Christ fractured (formally) along an east-west fault-line in 1054.

The unity of western Christianity fractured in the 16th century and has been re-fracturing ever since (witness the latest sorrows of the Anglican Communion, or the northern Baptist/southern Baptist split during the American Civil War, or any of hundreds of other examples).

But whatever the fractures, and along whatever fault-lines, all those who are baptized in the name of the Trinity are baptized into the one body of Christ. So all the baptized are in a real but imperfect state of communion with each other.

Why 'imperfect'? Because different Christian communities have different understandings of the nature of the Church that is the one body of Christ. To ignore these differences as if differences make no difference is to say that the truth of the Church which Christ bequeathed to the Church makes no difference.

So genuine ecumenism means engaging differences with respect and civility, not ignoring differences. Rodney King was no theologian, and "Why can't we all just get along?" is not a maxim for serious theological dialogue.

The Catholic Church, at the 'liberalizing Second Vatican Council' (to use the standard journalistic trope), declared that, according to its self-understanding, it is the fullest, most rightly-ordered expression of the will of Christ for his church. The Catholic Church also acknowledged, at Vatican II, that there are important and life-giving elements of sanctification and grace in other Christian communities.

So the question became, how say both of these things at once: how say that the Catholic Church is the most rightly-ordered expression of Christ's will for his Church, and that the grace of Christ works through Christian communities that have a deficient concept of Church order from the point of view of Catholic doctrine?

The Council fathers decided to use the Latin phrase subsistit in - the one Church of Christ 'subsists in' the Catholic Church - in place of the Counter-Reformation formula, according to which the one, true Church of Christ 'is' the Catholic Church, for that formula seemed to preclude the possibility of grace operating through other Christian communities.

An ocean of ink has been spilled over the nuances of 'subsistit in' since Vatican II, but the essential points remain: the Catholic Church believes itself to be the most rightly-ordered expression of the will of Christ for his Church and the Catholic Church believes that the grace of Christ, in the Holy Spirit, works in and through other Christian communities. (Which of these communities are "Churches" and which are "ecclesial communities," as the Catholic Church understands them, has to do with the sacramental system, or lack thereof, in these various expressions of Christian faith.)

The Catholic Church cannot, will not, and, frankly, should not suggest that it is but one consumer option in a supermarket of Christian possibilities. To do so would be to reduce ecumenical dialogue to a vague exchange of pleasantries, of no real consequence because the exchange really has nothing to do with the truth - the truth that Christ promised to the Church.

That the self-understanding of the Catholic Church creates tensions with other Christian communities is obvious; those are, however, creative tensions, as they lead to genuine exchanges of insight. That is the lesson of the most developed ecumenical dialogues of the past forty years - between Catholics and Anglicans, Catholics and Lutherans, Catholics and evangelicals - and, because of the nature of the Church and the nature of religious truth, that's the way it's going to be in the future.

One part of the one Church of Christ has achieved full unity, as the late Pope John Paul II taught - and that is the Church of martyrs. Having given their lives for Christ, and thus having borne the fullness of witness to the truth of Christ, the martyrs now live in the fullness of unity with Christ that continues to elude the Church in history.

The 20th century was the greatest century of martyrdom in Christian history, more Christians having been killed for their fidelity to Christ in the last century than in the previous nineteen together. Those martyrs were Anglicans, Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic. Their unity in Christ ought to be a spur to an intensified quest for unity-in-truth in the body of Christ here and now.

Italian priest kidnapped in Philippines to meet pope at youth event in September


The Associated Press
Saturday, July 21, 2007

VATICAN CITY: An Italian missionary priest held hostage for over a month by Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines will tell Pope Benedict XVI of his ordeal at a youth meeting in September, officials said Saturday.

The Rev. Giancarlo Bossi will address the pope and Italian youths gathered for the Sept. 1-2 meeting in the central Italian town of Loreto, said Monsignor Giuseppe Betori, secretary-general of the Italian bishops' conference and chief organizer of the event.

Bossi's "courageous experience as a missionary will enter into the hearts of many young people," Betori said in a statement.

Bossi, 57, was kidnapped June 10 on his way to celebrate Mass in southern Zamboanga Sibugay province, and was dumped Thursday night along a road, where police picked him up.

Before Betori's announcement, Bossi told the Vatican-affiliated missionary news agency AsiaNews that he is due to return to Italy in mid-August, and that he would be glad to take part in the Loreto event.

"It would be a truly marvelous moment: I have never met the Pope it would really have great meaning for me," Bossi told the agency on Saturday.

In an interview with Vatican Radio on Friday, Bossi thanked Benedict, who said last week that he was praying daily for Bossi.

The priest said after his release that he lost 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) on a meager diet of fish and rice during his ordeal, but that he was not threatened by his captors and was treated with respect.

Filipino police have said Bossi's release followed negotiations with the captors — rogue elements of a Muslim separatist group or the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf — and that no ransom was paid.

The Teflon cardinal:
Mahony's history, going back to his days as a seminarian,
could help him weather the abuse scandal.
By David Rieff
Los Angeles Times
July 22, 2007


At first glance, it seems difficult to imagine how Cardinal Roger M. Mahony can survive the pedophile scandal. Far from putting the matter to rest, the $660-million settlement that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay the victims of the abuse - child rape, alas, is often the more accurate term - can only lead to further wonder, and worry, about the cardinal's conduct throughout the course of the scandal.

By his own admission, Mahony decided not to inform the police when he learned what was going on, and, indeed, he allowed the most predatory of the priests to return to their ministries after treatment programs the cardinal himself now concedes were ineffective.

Saying, as he now does, that he wishes that the victims' lives were like "VHS tapes" that could be rewound to a point before the crimes were committed seems like an extraordinarily self-exculpating way of describing what went on.

And skeptics can surely be forgiven for wondering why the archdiocese decided to settle only a few days before Mahony would have been obliged to testify in open court.

And yet, however grotesque it may appear to those who are understandably unwilling to forgive Mahony for what he now concedes were grievous errors, my guess is that he will survive relatively unscathed in his position - unlike, say, his counterpart Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston, a prince of the church who had to be removed from office by the Vatican and transferred to virtual exile in Rome.

Indeed, Mahony is not only likely to remain in office but can be expected to do so with his power and his moral authority among the overwhelming majority of his parishioners largely intact.

How to account for the 'Teflon' quality of L.A.'s cardinal? In large measure, the answer lies in the enormous changes in the Catholic Church in the United States in recent years changes whose ground zero is to be found in the Los Angeles Archdiocese. Above all, this means the deepening Latinoization of the L.A. flock and Mahony's role as perhaps the most powerful friend Latino immigrants have, not just in the Catholic Church but in the country as a whole.

Anyone who has any sense at all of Roman Catholic America knows how fundamentally the church has changed over the last several decades. Once largely composed of people with European roots, the church now increasingly serves Latinos, both immigrant and native-born.

Nationally, Latinos account for 39% of the Catholic population. In Los Angeles, the archdiocese estimates that Latinos make up more than 70% of the total Catholic population. It is a huge increase both proportionally and in absolute numbers, and is almost entirely attributable to the vast and continuing immigration from Mexico and Central America of the last three decades.

Demography is destiny, and it is simply a fact that the fate of the Catholic Church in the United States is now bound up with the destiny of these immigrants and their children and grandchildren.

Understandably, this transformation has been enormously complicated for the church, whose hierarchy is still dominated by the descendants of Italian, Polish and, above all, Irish immigrants like Mahony himself.

What distinguishes Mahony, however, is that since his days as a seminarian, he has thrown in his lot with the Latin Americanized Roman Catholicism whose center has always been Southern California (even if it is now a nationwide phenomenon).

Many of the cardinal's critics, appalled by his conduct throughout the pedophile scandal, have argued that his continual focus on immigrant issues and his emphasis on the Latino community have been part of a cynical effort to change the subject from the ongoing coverup. But Mahony's involvement with Latino issues long predates his rise to eminence within the church.

In fact, he has been remarkably consistent from his early days as a seminarian in the 1950s, when he ministered to Latino farm workers in Ventura County, to his days as a priest intimately involved in Cesar Chavez's United Farm Workers movement, to his time heading former Gov. Jerry Brown's California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, to his time as bishop of Stockton in the 1980s, to his current activism on behalf of immigrant rights and labor rights (issues that in Southern California are inextricably linked).

Indeed, Mahony, who was born in Hollywood in 1936, and whose father ran a poultry processing plant that even in the 1940s employed mostly Latino workers, once told me about a raid of the factory by border patrol agents.

"These guys came in with guns drawn as if a bank robbery was taking place," recalled Mahony, who was a kid working in the factory at the time. "And the way they treated people! It was as if they were dirt. Even now, I can close my eyes and see it as if it were yesterday. From that day forward, I believe my life and that of immigrants have been intertwined."

Far from resisting it, Mahony has welcomed the growing Latino nature of the church. Certainly no L.A. Latino was surprised when the cardinal participated in the huge pro-immigrant rally last spring (wearing not his usual cardinal's garb but a T-shirt that read "We Are America" in English, Spanish and Korean). He even tacitly encouraged parishes to involve themselves in the planning for the demonstration.

As a result, the affection and respect in which Mahony is held in Latino Los Angeles is enormous and is unlikely to be shaken even by the pedophile scandal. To the contrary, "Rogelio" Mahony, as he is known in East L.A., will almost certainly retain the allegiance of the vast majority of his parishioners.

It is this fact that explains the difference in the way the church sex abuse crisis has played out in L.A. and the way it has played out in cities like Boston.

As a shrewd lay Catholic friend of mine in Los Angeles pointed out to me recently, in Boston there eventually was organized lay opposition beyond that of victims organizations - and that was what finally made Cardinal Law's position untenable. In the end, Law also lost the allegiance of many of his own parish priests. Nothing could be further from Mahony's situation.

When I spent six weeks reporting a long story last year on Mahony and the Catholic Church in L.A., not one Latino Catholic I spoke to at parish churches all over the city raised the sex abuse issue. Despite criticism of the cardinal from Anglo parts of town (Catholic and non-Catholic alike), the fact is that, like it or not, the pedophile scandal is simply not a central issue in most L.A. parishes.

Should it be otherwise, given the fact that the scandal is all too real? In considerable measure, this depends on who you are. Undoubtedly, many Latino Catholics are dismayed by the scandal, many of whose victims and perpetrators were Latino themselves. But Latinos in general and immigrants in particular have found a powerful champion in Mahony at a time when the powerful are more given to immigrant-bashing than to compassion or solidarity.

Viewed from this perspective, it should not be surprising if Mahony's congregants overwhelmingly choose to forgive him for what he did and did not do. Mature self-interest dictates nothing less.

Whether Mahony failed to deal with the troubled priests, whose depredations he ignored for so long because it was a distraction from these social issues he deemed more important, is of course something only the cardinal could tell us. And with the settlement having relieved him of that obligation, he is unlikely ever to do so.

David Rieff is the author of many books, including "At the Point of a Gun: Democratic Dreams and Armed Intervention" and "A Bed for the Night: Humanitarianism in Crisis."


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

Gerald Augustinus has this informative item today:

“In 1998, Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony was a central figure in one of the most notorious sex-abuse trials in Catholic church history. The case involved two Stockton-area brothers who had been abused by a priest from the time they were toddlers until they were in their late teens, both before and after the Stockton diocese had received complaints against the priest. A jury was so disturbed by the drama that unfolded in San Joaquin County Superior Court, it awarded $30 million in damages to the brothers, an amount later negotiated to $7 million. Mahony was not a defendant in the case, but he was bishop of Stockton during a critical period addressed in the lawsuit. He had ordered an evaluation after the priest himself admitted he was a molester, then reassigned him to another parish, where he abused victims for years to come.”

This is a most informative interview conducted in Shanghai last May by Gianni Valente of 30 GIORNI magazine, before the release of the Pope's letter to the Catholics of China, with the 91-year-old Bishop of Shanghai, who is very clear about where he stands and why he has been cooperating with the Chinese government.

The most interesting thing is that many of his positions coincide with those that Pope Benedict XVI would recommend and instruct in his letter.

This is a translation from Italian:





An interview with
Aloysius Jin Luxian,
'Patriarch' of Shanghai
By Gianni Valente

Today, when anyone talks to him, the first thing he does it to apologize that "I am a poor old man who is half-deaf." It's a clever Jesuit's way of breaking the ice.

Everyone knows quite well that Aloysius Jin Luxian, Bishop of Shanghai, despite the aches and pains of a man his age, has a very sharp mind. And is as clear-sighted as ever.


Bishop Aloysius celebrating Mass on May 1.


Q: May is a month of pilgrimage even to Our Lady of Sheshan, the sanctuary that is on a hilltop just outside Shanghai. How did it go this year?

Our Lady of Sheshan (Mary, Help of Christians)has been Shanghai's main shrine since the 19th century, and in the 1920s it became a national sanctuary. So every year, starting in mid-April, pilgrims start arriving from all over China. Last year, there were more than 70,000. May first is the peak day, when we always get more than 10,000 pilgrims visiting.

This year, we started greeting our Patroness when the procession was just starting at the foot of the hill. On the way up, we prayed, sang and offered flowers. When we got to the Church, I celebrated Mass. The Church can only hold about 3,000, so most of the pilgrims heard Mass outside. But they were so packed outside that if it had rained, the ground would not have gotten wet.


The Cathedral of SheShan


Q: Two years ago, you consecrated as auxiliary bishop the young Joseph Xing, who in theory, would succeed you? How is it going with him?

Xing was nominated by Rome, and two years ago, I consecrated him. He works very well. His primary responsibility is pastoral work in the dioceses. We have 140 churches for 150,000 faithful.

We had hoped that the underground Catholics would recognize him, because he was nominated by Rome. But reality is not that simple. The underground bishop has forgotten him altogether. The Vatican representative in Hongkong named a vicar general for the underground community here. That's why here, people don't believe Rome really wants to have the clandestines come out into the open. [Well, then, the Pope's letter must have surprised them pleasantly!]


Q: When will Xing take over the diocese?

He himself does not want it to happen right away because he is still young, the diocese is large, and the situations are rather complicated. Moreover, by canon law, Xing is only the auxiliary bishop, and that does not give him the right of succession. That's why I am waiting for Rome to make him bishop coadjutor with the authorization of the government. As far as I am concerned, I would want him to take over tomorrow - after all, I am 91.


Q: The nomination and ordination of Xing seemed to be a model for all China - nominated by the Vatican, voted on by teh representatives of the diocese, approved by the government. But then in 2006, there were new illegitimate ordinations...

I truly hope his nomination becomes a model in order to resolve this problem of bishops' nominations. But things are not that easy. A foreign diplomat told me that to do things in China, once must. first of all, have a lot of patience, then one must persevere, and one must be very attentive to tactics.


Q: Meanwhile, the Bishop of Beijing, Michael Fu Tieshan, died in April.

Bishop Fu died after an illness that lasted more than two years. But no one took advantage of the time to prepare for his succession. That's really a great pity. I hope that the Holy See and the Chinese government have good contacts about this to avoid unnecessary problems.


Q: But now, everyone's awaiting the Pope's letter. Personally, what do you expect?

The faithful all over China are awaiting this letter because it is very important. I have no doubt of the Pope's acquaintance with the Chinese situation, of his profound love for our people, and of his trust in us. I think the letter will be a milestone in the history of the Church in China. And I hope that the 'post Papal-letter time' will come soon for the Catholics of China.


Q: The missionary Jeroom Heyndrickx wrote that the Papal letter should answer a crucial question that has been pending since the 1980s - whether the priests and faithful of the official Church and the underground Church can celebrate the Eucharist and the sacraments together.

I read Fr. Heyndrickx's article. He understands China and loves the Church. I hope that officials on both sides will study his article and agree with his considerations.


Q: Cardinal Zen hopes above all that the letter will set clear rules which everyone should follow to avoid perpetrating the impression that there is an independent Chinese Church. Do you think this will be useful?

I read Cardinal Zen's intervention along with the news about the meeting that the Holy See held last January to discuss the China question. At the end of that meeting, there was a brief official communique that It thought was very good and that I appreciated. There hasn't been any other published news since then.

But I would like to say a few things. First, with some singular exceptions, all the Catholics of China have a profound love and perfect obedience for the Vatican. Speaking for Shanghai, I guarantee 100% absolute obedience to the Pope by the faithful.

Second, there is no question of an independent church in China. Let me say it again, the Chinese Catholics absolutely do not want to see the Church of China separated from the Pope. On the contrary, they despise all those who are trying to promote such a separation.

Third, the problem of episcopal ordinations is not the only issue that needs to be resolved. There are others. For my part, those so-called 'eight points' issued by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in 1988 [which prohibited full sacramental communion with the priests and bishops registered with the Patriotic Association] are no longer useful.


Q: Even you accepted being ordained without Rome's approval and for many years were considered illegitimate. What is the difference between the situation in the early 1980s and today in 2007?

I became an auxiliary bishop in 1985 without the Pope's nomination. But the circumstances then were completely different. At that time, it was impossible to be in contact with Rome. Before my ordination, I invited Fr. Tang Han from Hongkong and Fr. Murphy from the USA to be present at the ceremony. Their presence was a great comfort to me. I felt that if the Vatican had not been in favor, it would have been impossible for them to come here.


Q: The international community everywhere else - even in the Muslim and Communist countries - has accepted that the nomination of bishops is properly the Pope's jurisdiction, and that it does not constitute a threat to national sovereignty. Why is this principle not accepted in China?

Bishops serve to guarantee the apostolic succession and the validity of sacraments - they are not political agents of a foreign power. So I hope the Chinese government will understand the situation and that a solution can be reached through dialog.

In the past, the Holy See entered into treaties with Mussolini in Italy and Franco in Spain to resolve similar problems. I don't see why it should not be possible to come to similar terms with the Chinese.

I think we should protect our principles, but there should be come flexibility in applying them. In its dealings with Christians today, China is conditioned by her history, but I hope that the passing of time will help overcome some misunderstandings.[I feel so frustrated when an interviewer does not follow up. What misunderstandings, for example?]


Q: Some observers say it's the leaders of the Patriotic Association who are in the way of normalizing relations among the Chinese government, the Church in China and the Holy See.

Perhaps some of those in the PA do not want diplomatic relations established because they fear they may lose power. But I personally think that the PA cannot have anything to do with the political decisions of the government. As long as there is someone at the right political level in Beijing who will decide to start diplomatic relations with the Vatican, then it will be impossible for the PA to throw up any obstacles.


Q: Many times in the past and even in some cases today, the Holy See has agreed that civilian governments have some part in the selection of bishops. What model do you think could be adopted for China?

The selection of bishops is a decision of the Holy See - the principle must be affirmed. But because the political historical and economic context differs according to the country, the Holy See often decides to enter into specific agreements with the individual governments. I hope the Vatican and China can enter into such an agreement with respect to bishops' nominations.

Vietnam is an example. The Vatican proposes two candidates, the government chooses one of them. It is said that the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of the United Front of the Vietnamese Communist Party and the Office of Religious Affairs sent a delegation to visit the Bishop of Ho Chi Minh City in order to understand the Vatican nomination process better. I think that indicates a trend for the future.





Q: The problem is that among Catholic Chinese, many - looking back at the history of the past 50 years - maintain that authentic faith demands a refusal to be subject in any way to civilian authority. What do you think?

The attitude of most Chinese Catholics is this: Above all, we obey the teaching of Christ, and he said "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's..." We also follow what St. Paul said to the Romans: "Everyone must be subject to constituted authority. There is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are established by God." [No citation is given - so I cannot look up the exact passage. This is translated from the Italian.] St. Paul also says that "Those who govern are not to be feared when they do good, only when they do bad."

For him, "it is necessary to be subordinate, not out of fear of punishment, but for reasons of conscience" and that one must render "what is due to everyone: tribute, taxes, fear, respect."

Here, the government of the Communist party was established 60 years ago, and since then, it has been the effective government of China.
The last few decades have shown that the present government has been the best in the history of the People's Republic. Why should Catholics, who represent less than 1 percent of the population, oppose the government?


Q: On the part of the Chinese leadership, they cannot grasp the true sacramental nature of the Church which they consider to be a political entity. What do you think can help to overcome such equivocation?

The Chinese government is materialistic, because its basic parameter is Marxism. So it will be difficult to get rid of that influence on their perspective. Many political developments in Eastern Europe confirmed the Chinese government's view of the political role carried out by the Catholic Church. I think objective reality will show that the Vatican does not have any political objectives, and before such objective facts, the Chinese government may change its attitude about the Vatican.


Q: The reconciliation between the two Catholic communities will be difficult because of psychological conditioning. The underground Catholics may feel like the workers who were there from the beginning and are concerned that those who started late will get the same compensation. And those in the open church sometimes think the underground Catholics are like prodigal sons who should acknowledge that their choice to live the faith outside state control was a wrong one.

Yes, reconciliation and reunification will be difficult. Today, both sides await the Pope's letter with different attitudes. We are very confident, and we await the Pope's letter with relative optimism. We guarantee that we will receive it with fervor. The clandestines cannot help being concerned - and they even fear excommunication, which is reflected in bitter articles written by some priests out of Taiwan.

I think their concerns are unnecessary. We believe firmly that the Church is a merciful mother, that the Holy See will treat us like a merciful father. We should forget about any fears of being rejected.

There are young Chinese now who become Christians without knowing anything about the history of the Church in China. In view of persistent divisions, isn't there a risk that even its glorious past of martyrdom and Christian witness may become a burden?

In China today, there are many young people who are seriously facing the great questions of life. They have had very little contact with the virtues of ancient morality, because after the Revolution, traditional virtues were not preserved or appreciated.

Now, in this consumer society, dominated by economic power, there are many young people who feel the void. And they would like to know about Jesus. Some of them end up becoming Christians. They know nothing of the past in China. But time goes forward, so it's important to look to the future. Personally, I don't think it is necessary to talk to them about a difficult past. I do hope that with the Spirit of Christ, they may take their place in the society of the future and help to build it.


Q: For long periods in your life, you have been misunderstood. Some have called you the 'red bishop' or even the 'yellow Pope'. When you look at the actual situation of the Church in China today, what concerns you and what comforts you?

Some have also said I am an enigma. Here almost all the old bishops have been in prison, and became bishops after coming out of prison. In general, there has been no muttering against them. They are all well regarded, even abroad.

About me, what they are saying inside China now is generally positive - my frank way of speaking is appreciated, and they consider me to be politically transparent. But abroad, so many wrong things are being said about me, and often contradictory. I can only laugh about it all. I don't want to judge anyone.

What concerns me is the present and the future of the Church in China because everything is urgent. Se should protect our priests, our seminarians and our nuns from being contaminated by the outside world so they can truly be witnesses for Christ. This is the most important thing on which we should focus our energies.

Moreover, the politics and economy of China are advancing in giant steps. In less than 20 years, the role of China in the world will be much more significant. A society of one billion, 300 million Chinese wish to create a harmonious society. I hope the Church can make its contribution to this process.

Under these circumstances, I truly would not like to see the Church in China split. At the very moment when the entire Chinese nation is involved in achieving a great economic and civic miracle, I hope that the 10 million Chinese Catholics will not take an isolated position with respect to the multitude of their countrymen. I hope they will not to choose to be out of tune with everyone else so that they will not find themselves emarginated in the future.

Please pray to God for us. I hope that whoever is in a position can use his influence to guide our Church in China to internal harmony, to the harmony of the Church of China with the universal Church, so that we may all be members of the One Body, in communion with each other.

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Valente's sidebar - a biographical sketch of Bishop Jin - is even more fascinating:


ALOYSIUS'S CHOICE
By Gianni Valente


Now that he can look back at his long life from a vantage point of 91 - almost 92 - years, Aloysius Jin Luxian can say that time has been kind to him.

For his still numerous detractors the 'Patriarch' of Shanghai remains a living enigma. But his life, as it emerges from an invaluable biography by the French journalist Doran Malovic (Le pape jaune [The yellow Pope], Perrin Editions, 2006) is a unique road map to retrace - up to its most intimate and sorrowful details - the unprecedented story of the Church in China over the past 60 years.

When Luxian was born in the Christian village of Pudong - then an area of ricefields and now the Skyscraper City of the new Shanghai -
the city was already a cosmopolitan megalopolis chockfull of traffics, Russians who had fled from the Soviet Union, opium dens and prostitutes.

His mother was a devout Catholic, and his father was a bon vivant who liked to stay out with friends drinking and smoking Havanas. He was baptized in and heard his childhood Masses in an old pagoda that missionaries had transformed into a Church.

His Jesuit training took place in a church with very colonial features, where the superiors did not speak Chinese and the lifestyle of the Jesuit novices - electricity, central heating, eggs and cheese, meat every day, after-dinner coffee - now seems to him like an island of privilege in a sea of misery.

He was sent to Europe for further studies right after the Second World War - first in France, and then two years in Rome, where he earned his doctorate with a thesis on the Trinity. He became a f4riend and confidante of Fr. Henri de Lubac, before the latter and some of his fellow Jesuits ran afoul of the Holy Office in the 1940s.

When Mao Zedong took power in China, Jin defied his superiors and decided to return to China, where he was promptly accused by the Communists of being a spy sent by Pope Pius XII to organize a counter-Revolution. But he was soon suspect even in Church circles. The Vatican Nuncio told his Jesuit superiors that he was a questionable element because of his ideas about a necessary 'decolonization' of the Church in China.

Nevertheless, the brilliant young Jesuit who had just completed his studies in Europe was named the rector of the Shanghai seminary. When the Chinese government started expelling foreign missionaries, he joined an underground network aiming to combat the effects of Communist propaganda on the faithful.

In September 1955, he and his closest collaborators were arrested in a government clean-up campaign against dissidents and thrown into jail. Jin said he learned from that "Never ever do anything clandestine with Communist masters."

He spent 20 years in Mao's prisons. But in 1973, when he was transferred to a jail in Beijing, he was co-opted to work as an official translator for the government. The most infamous accusations were made against him, many of them coming from his own fellow Jesuits abroad. They claimed that during interrogatories in the 1950s, he had betrayed some of those he had worked with. One claim had it he was being coerced into working for the government to save a daughter he had sent to America in secret.

When in the 1980s, he accepted to become Bishop of Shanghai named by the 'official' Church, but without the Pope's approval - while his predecessor Bishop Gong was under house arrest - Jin's reputation as a career-chaser and a puppet of the regime came to be accepted even in the Vatican.

At that time, while other bishops who had been ordained without Vatican approval sought thereafter to be validated by the Vatican, Jin did not join them, opening himself to accusations of schism.

He knew that the Holy See had already recognized the clandesine consecration of another Jesuit, Joseph Fan*, to become the eventual legitimate successor of Gong, and that by canon law, there cannot be two bishops for a single diocese. He bided his time because he felt that his choice would help return the church in Shanghai to normalcy after a period of great persecution.

"My duty as a priest," he explains in the biography, "was to convince the Chinese authorities of my good faith, of my identity as a Chinese patriot, and of the inoffensive nature of our Catholic faith."

He tells Malovic that during those years, there were many who were more courageous than he was. And it is certainly debatable whether he is right that he was more effective serving the Church by being friendly to the authorities - even while having an irregular canonical status - in order to avoid suspicions and repression from the regime.

But time takes its course, and the facts speak for Jin. Shanghai became the first diocese to be able to bring back the daily prayer for the Pope. Its seminary and its entire diocesan structure flourished. Jin never had to sign any document supporting an 'independent' Chinese Church.

And the nomination eventually of his candidate successor Joseph Xing Wenzhi - who was nominated by the Pope, 'elected' within the diocese, and approved by the government - was a masterwork of diplomacy and sensus Ecclesiae that actually worked out even in the tricky minefield of Vatican-China relations.


Bishop Jin consecrates
his potential successor.


Jin's role in all that finally earned him the canonical recognition he had so desired from the Vatican, and Benedict XVI even invited him to come to Rome for the Bishops Synod in 2005 (although the Chinese government did not allow the four invited bishops to go).

"If I were living abroad, I could have been an anti-Communist hero," Jin told Malovic. "But not in my own country."

He expresses the hope that the silent martyrdom he underwent by being accused as an accomplice of those who persecuted the Church may somehow lighten his penance for his sins. "God alone knows where my loyalty has been, and it is His judgment I care about, not that of other men."

[*What happened to Bishop Fan then? What a fascinating story this is!]

Unless it will involve the Pope directly, I will post all news/commentary about the China issue in this thread.


The Pope Writes,
but Beijing Authorities Don't Respond

Caution and reserve after Benedict XVI's letter to the Church of China.
Two political approaches collide. But there's also controversy among the Catholics.
Cardinal Zen accuses the sinologist Heyndrickx of distorting the pontiff's thought.

by Sandro Magister



ROMA, July 23, 2007 - Benedict XVI's letter to the Catholics of China was shown to the Beijing authorities ten days before its publication, at the end of June.

But "there have been no official reactions so far," Vatican secretary of state Tarcisio Bertone said on July 18. There was only a terse message from the Chinese foreign ministry a few hours after the publication of the letter, with the ritual re-proposal to the Vatican of the two constant pre-conditions: non-interference in China’s internal affairs, and the breaking of diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The reservation of the Chinese authorities is judged in the Vatican as 'a positive reality'. It is supposed that there is a difference in viewpoints, in China, between the highest political authorities - who are aiming at greater 'harmony- with the Church - and the apparatus of the communist party, which is more hostile.

On June 28 and 29, on the eve of the publication of the papal letter, the United Front - an organism that works in the shadow of the communist party for the implementation of its religious politics - had gathered in Huairou, near Beijing, a good number of bishops officially recognized by the regime, in order to drum into them for the umpteenth time the doctrine that the Chinese Church must be national and independent from Rome.

This difference of viewpoints is shown especially in the appointment of bishops for the official Church, the one recognized by the government.

On July 5, the Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po, which is close to the communist party, wrote that new official bishops will be installed within the next few months, without and against the approval of Rome, in the dioceses of Guangzhou, Guizhou, Hubei, and Ningxia.

But in the meantime, the first new bishop elected in China according to official procedures, after the publication of the pope's letter, is that of Beijing. And the person pre-selected is such that in the Vatican the news of the appointment was taken not as an affront, but as a relief.

The new bishop-elect is Joseph Li Shan, 43, of Beijing, from a strongly Catholic family, a favorite of the faithful who had him as a pastor in the commercial neighborhood of Wangfujin: entirely the opposite of his predecessor, Michael Fu Tieshan, an adherent of the communist regime who has never reconciled with the pope.

Cardinal Bertone described the new bishop-elect as 'a very good and suitable person'. And he added: "The election took place according to the canons of the official Church, and now we are waiting for the bishop-elect to ask for the approval of the Holy See. We are optimists."

The official procedures established by the communist authorities, in China, prescribe that every new bishop be designated not by Rome, but by an official assembly of priests, sisters, and laymen from the area, and that he then be confirmed by the council of Chinese bishops recognized by the regime. Ordination takes place after this.

In the judgment of the Holy See such an ordination is sacramentally valid, but illicit. In order to rectify his illicit state and re-enter into communion with the Church, the new bishop must ask for and obtain the pope's approval. In fact, almost all the official bishops present in China today have obtained this, more or less explicitly.

The letter written by Benedict XVI to the Catholics of China dictates exactly the conditions for leading back to unity - in the fidelity of all to Rome and in accord with the state authorities - the Catholics of this country, healing the fracture between the official Church and the clandestine one.

The first reactions in the Catholic camp seem to be heading in this direction. For example, the clandestine bishop of Qiqihar, Joseph Wei Jingyi, had read at all the Masses a pastoral letter of his on the application of the pope’s guidelines. In it, he said he wanted to reconcile with some priests of the diocese who had refused obedience to him because they saw him as too accommodating toward the communist regime. And he invited all to participate in the sacraments administered by the official bishops and priests, provided that they were in communion with Rome.

But there is no lack of disagreement and controversy among the Catholics, not only over how to interpret the letter from Benedict XVI, but also over the accuracy of the Chinese translation released by the Vatican.

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, bishop of Hong Kong, has pointed out what he judges as two serious discrepancies.

The first, at the end of chapter 7 of the letter, is where the pope writes that "in the process of recognition [on the part of the civil authorities] the intervention of certain bodies obliges the people involved to adopt attitudes, make gestures and undertake commitments that are contrary to the dictates of their conscience as Catholics.{

This happens – he writes – 'in not a few particular instances'. But the Chinese version omits the translation of these next words of the pope: 'indeed almost always'.

Cardinal Zen highlights a second discrepancy in the unsigned explanatory note that the Holy See released together with the pope’s letter.

While the papal letter, in chapter 8, limits itself to describing in a neutral way the behavior of some bishops who "under the pressure of particular circumstances, have consented to receive episcopal ordination without the pontifical mandate", the explanatory note goes farther: it adds that these bishops have done this "especially concerned with the good of the faithful and with an eye to the future".

Zen complains that the note, in bestowing this praise upon the bishops who accept illicit ordination, "puts the others, who refused to surrender to pressure, in a very bad light, as if they neglected the good of the faithful and were short sighted." And he adds: "I dare to protest in the name of the latter".

As the tribune for this denunciation, on July 3, cardinal Zen chose UCA News, the most important Catholic news agency in East Asia.

And he did the same on July 18, to reply to a comment on the papal letter written a few days earlier, again for UCA News, by one of the most renowned Catholic sinologists: Fr. Jeroom Heyndrickx, from Flanders, director of the Ferdinand Verbiest Institute at the Catholic University of Louvain.

Fr. Heyndrickx had maintained that the papal letter encourages the members of the clandestine Church to come out into the open, to ask for and obtain the recognition of the civil authorities and to share the sacraments with the bishops and priests of the official Church.

Cardinal Zen replies that nothing of this is found in the letter by Benedict XVI; that the sacraments can be shared only with the bishops and priests of the official Church on communion with the pope, and not with those in schism from Rome; that the clandestine Church will continue to have a reason to exist as long as the communist authorities presume to control and subjugate the Church; and that the clandestine bishops have no motive to ask for official recognition if this involves – as 'almost always' happens – taking on obligations 'contrary to the dictates of their conscience as Catholics'.

"It is astonishing," writes cardinal Zen, "that intelligent and learned as Fr. Heyndrickx is, he could possibly misread the pope's letter to the Catholics in China".

The cardinal advances a suspicion: that Fr. Heyndrickx's frequent study visits to China 'can become liabilities' and that "his every initiative needs the approval of Mr. Liu Bainian, head of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, and has to be carried out according to conditions imposed by him."

A deadly doubt. Because a great number of Chinese Catholics, including the members of the official Church, maintain that Mr. Liu Bainian is their worst enemy, the one who most embodies the politics of the Church’s submission to the regime.

From Louvain, Fr. Heyndrickx reacted to the cardinal Zen's accusations with a note published by UCA News on July 20.

He repeats that the principal aim of the letter from Benedict XVI is that of encouraging the two Chinese Catholic communities, official and clandestine, to pray and to celebrate the Eucharist together.

He maintains that his interpretation of the papal letter is shared by many representatives of the Chinese Church: and he brings in as an example the pastoral letter of bishop Wei Jingyi.

He insists that he obeys only the Church and the pope, and not the Chinese officials with whom he makes an effort to dialogue.

Because "dialogue is not equal to weakness, but is the spirit of the popes letter, which we all should follow. [...] An open dialogue between a united Chinese Church and a united Chinese government will solve more problems than confrontation between a divided Church and a divided government."



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

I've gone to the UCAN site to pick up the two items referred to above - Cardinal Zen's July 20 reply to a July 18 article by Fr. Heyndrickx - plus Fr. Heyndrickx's original commentary on the Pope's letter from July 6 (which I had posted in NEWS ABOUT BENEDICT) and am posting them here for reference. I don't have time to read the two 'new' articles through just now. I'm posting them here in chronological order .



I
Pope's Letter Begins New Phase
in China Church History

LEUVEN, Belgium, July 6 (UCAN) -- An expert on the Catholic Church in China says the letter that Pope Benedict XVI recently issued to Chinese Catholics has opened a new page of Church history in the mainland.

Father Jeroom Heyndrickx, a member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and director of Ferdinand Verbiest Institute at Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, applauds the letter for clearly answering important pastoral questions that have long perplexed mainland Catholics.

The priest, who often visits China, says in a UCA News commentary that China's Catholics and government have awaited the letter anxiously, and many Church people now find its pastoral guidelines even more concrete than they had anticipated.

The commentary Father Heyndrickx wrote for UCA News follows:


The Beginning of a New Phase
in the History of the Church in China:
Reflections on Letter of Pope Benedict XVI
to the Church in China


The pastoral letter of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholic Church in China, published on June 30, is remarkable and historic for its content and style.

The pope speaks like a father to the Chinese Catholics and with respect to Chinese authorities, and he puts forward clear principles to both of them.

In carefully chosen words, he expresses his understanding of the sufferings of the "underground community," which refuses to cooperate with the government, but also for the "official community" and for its decision to cooperate.

He expresses some fundamental theological principles asking both communities to reconcile, and he calls on civil authorities to enter into dialogue beyond the misunderstandings of the past.

The letter is remarkable for its content because it gives a clear answer to the burning pastoral questions that have divided the Chinese Church internally for 20 years. Only Rome can clarify the confusing discussions of the past.

I understand the meaning of the pope's letter as follows:

There is only one Chinese Catholic Church and it is faithful to the Holy See. Bishops and priests of both communities may concelebrate, but the pope encourages them first to express among themselves their unity by a profession of faith. For the Church to live underground is not a normal situation. There is at present no longer any reason to keep an underground Church community going in China. The pope, therefore, revokes all privileges that were conferred to China's underground community in the past. Chinese faithful may also take part in the Eucharist of priests of the official Church community.

The pope expresses these pastoral guidelines after he, in the first part of his 26-page text (English version), exposes at length some basic theological principles on the communion of particular Churches with the universal Church, reconciliation, and the need for dialogue and cooperation in charity and truth between Church and state, while giving to God and to Caesar respectively what belongs to each.

The pope promised in January that he would write a letter to the Catholic Church in China. Since then, they awaited this letter impatiently, and so did civil authorities. There was even some tension. All planned ordinations and other important Church activities were postponed "until after the letter of the pope," even if it was not said in just those words.

The causes of this uncertainty in China were calls expressed outside the mainland for confrontation with Chinese authorities, as well as last year's illicit episcopal ordinations in China at which Chinese bishops recognized by Rome had been forced to participate.

Everybody wondered: will the pope's letter threaten to apply canonical sanctions for illicit ordinations that may happen in the future? Or will the letter instead be a friendly though urgent call for unity and dialogue?

The large majority of Catholics in remote places in China's countryside had other concerns. The vital question for them has existed for decades: yes or no, may we participate in the Eucharistic celebration of the "open" (official) Church communities? Do we commit a mortal sin if we do, as we were taught?

So much confusion has been caused by what was said, preached and written about these questions that only the highest Church authority could give a clear answer. This is what happened in the pastoral letter. The pope says there: only one Catholic Church exists in China. Let Chinese Catholics peacefully celebrate the Eucharist together.

But there is more in the letter. The pope admonishes the official bishops appointed by the Holy See to make their appointment public. They apparently did not make that sufficiently clear in the past. The pope does not speak a warning language to bishops ordained without papal appointment, but he does ask them to clarify their relation to Successor of Peter now. Underground bishops are encouraged to apply for recognition by civil authorities.

An underground Church "is not a normal feature of the Church's life" for the Catholic Church, says the pope. All bishops should now unite so that Rome can finally recognize officially the already existing Chinese Bishops' Conference. This could not be done until now because the underground bishops are not members, while some other members of the conference are not appointed by Rome.

The pastoral letter touches here upon an extremely delicate point related to Church-state relations. It suggests that the present statutes of the Chinese Bishops' Conference still need to be amended.

In the present situation, one entity "desired by the State" -- apparently referring to the Patriotic Association -- stands above the bishops and makes important pastoral decisions, some even related to the appointment of bishops. Doing so, it in fact directs the Church. This situation takes the pastoral authority away from the bishops, which is against Catholic teaching: "Only a legitimate Episcopal Conference can formulate pastoral guidelines, valid for the entire Catholic community of the country concerned."

The pastoral letter contains more concrete pastoral guidelines than many of us may have anticipated. But they are all important, useful guidelines urgently needed in the Chinese local Church and they are included in Canon Law.

Priests are reminded that they should be incardinated in one clearly defined diocese. Dioceses that have a limited number of priests and experience difficulty in finding a suitable candidate-bishop are encouraged to ask neighboring bishops to help find alternative candidates. Bishops are reminded to set up structures required in their dioceses to promote cooperation and dialogue in pastoral work, such as: diocesan curia, presbyteral council, college of consultors, diocesan pastoral council and financial commission.

The letter even refers to the importance of registering Church properties in the name of the Church, not of individuals. It all shows how well the Holy See is informed about and concerned with the concrete needs of the Church in China.

The pope pleads for the principle of separation between Church and state, a relation in charity and truth to be realized through open dialogue. However, he introduces some points that, from the side of the Church, are not discussable.

The proposal to set up a Church independent from the Holy See is incompatible with Catholic doctrine. The principle that bishops must be appointed by the successor of Peter is crucial for the Church, since only appointments by the pope assure the unity of the Church and the apostolic succession of bishops. These appointments have no political character at all. The pope refers to internationally accepted documents that state the appointment of Catholic bishops by the pope is part of true freedom of religion.

For some readers, the letter may create the impression of being "too clear" and "too explicit," leaving nothing to be discussed and clarified in the dialogue with diplomats. This is the opinion of some friends in China who stress that in China one should leave some things to be cleared up by private bargaining. But here, too, the problem is that years of discussion have created confusion around matters of principle that are crucial for the Church.

Just as pastoral guidelines were urgently needed for the Chinese Church, so too is there need to make clear what is and is not discussable with regard to relations of the Church with the state.

Some people would have criticized the pope if he did not clarify these points. But he repeatedly expresses his hope and trust that, through dialogue, all these questions can be clarified and agreed upon.

As a concrete example, the pope cites the new division of dioceses that civil authorities introduced over the past 50 years but never previously agreed upon with Rome. The pope says this can be discussed whenever opportune and helpful.

This is the beginning of a new phase in the history of the Chinese Catholic Church. Together with the letter in which Pope John Paul II offered excuses for what happened in the 19th century, this pastoral letter is undoubtedly the most important and historical document ever written by Rome to the Chinese Church.

The key words are: reconciliation, unity and dialogue. Nowhere in this letter does the pope call for confrontation. Marked by reconciliation and unity inside the Church and dialogue with civil authorities on the basis of equality and mutual respect, it initiates a new phase in Chinese Catholic Church history.



II
'Don't Misread Letter Of The Pope,'
Says Cardinal Zen

HONG KONG, July 20(UCAN) -- Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong says he is pained that "some serious blind spots" appear in a recent UCAN commentary.

Father Jeroom Heyndrickx, a member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and director of Ferdinand Verbiest Institute at Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, wrote the commentary, "Pope's Letter Begin New Phase in China Church History," and UCA News published it on July 6.

In it, Father Heyndrickx says the letter of Pope Benedict XVI to the Chinese Catholics, released on June 30, will have positive long-term impact.

Cardinal Zen also applauds the pope's letter but laments that the commentary demonstrates Father Heyndrickx has been misled and no longer enjoys "a vast consensus and positive regard among China-watchers."

In a message to UCA News, the cardinal lists "mistakes" in the commentary, and says he is providing such feedback because "I cannot allow people to be misled in their understanding" of the papal letter.

Cardinal Zen's feedback on the commentary by Father Heyndrickx follows:

Don't misread the Pope's letter


Fr. Jeroom Heyndrickx is surely a most respected Sinophile and has done a lot of work to bridge the Chinese Catholic community with the universal Church. So it pains me to see some serious blind spots in his recent mindset. There used to be a vast consensus and positive regard among China-watchers for the many undertakings by Fr. Heyndrickx, who enjoys the benefit having the support of a well-established Verbiest Foundation and a Catholic Leuven as the venue for many initiatives.

Sometimes, however, achievements can become liabilities. The effects of our actions are not always immediately seen. Now, Fr. Heyndrickx's every initiative needs the approval of Mr. Liu Bainian, of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, and has to be carried out according to conditions imposed by him, Mr. Liu's prestige has thus been steadily built up.

The enormous power of Mr. Liu has allowed him to oppress and humiliate our bishops. Now, fearful that his position will be undermined by the normalization of ties between China and the Holy See, and with the support of the Religious Affairs Bureau, he masterminded the illegitimate Ordination of bishops last year using threats, deceit and even forceful abduction.

Fr. Heyndrickx did not see things that way, but blamed the confrontation on us (on me?). It is astonishing that intelligent and learned as he is, he could possibly misread the Pope's letter to the Catholics in China.

Out of respect for the Holy Father's letter, I cannot allow people to be misled in their understanding of it. Here I want to point out the mistakes in Fr. Heyndrickx's reading:

(Fr.H. = Father J. Heyndrickx, commentary in UCAN on July 6)

Fr.H. (1): Paragraph 1 (starting from "I understand the meaning of the Pope's letter as follows.") "Bishop and priests of both communities may concelebrate..."


Paragraph 7 "Let Chinese Catholics peacefully celebrate the Eucharist together."

Objection: It is not precise to state matters so simply. What is allowed is concelebration with Bishops in the "official" Church, who are now in communion with the Holy Father, but not with those who are still illegitimate and not reconciled.

Fr. Heyndrickx seems to attach too much importance to unity in celebrating the Eucharist, but such unity without real hierarchical communion would be a lie.


Fr.H. (2): Also in Paragraph 1 "There is at present no longer any reason to keep an underground Church Community going in China."

Paragraph 8 "underground bishops are encouraged to apply for recognition by civil authorities."

Objection: No. This is not in the letter. What the letter says is:
"The clandestine condition is not a natural feature of the Church's life" and those who "have felt themselves constrained to opt for clandestine consecration" did so because they did not wish "to be subjected to undue control over the life of the Church." Now, if that control is still there in the official Church, then there is reason for people to remain in the underground.

The underground bishops are not encouraged to apply for registration; they are only given the faculty or, rather, the heavy responsibility to make a "very difficult decision" for their individual dioceses as to whether they should seek recognition.

Actually, what precedes in the letter seems rather to discourage them from seeking recognition because, as the letter says: "In not a few particular instances, indeed almost always, in the procedure of recognition, the intervention of agencies obliges the people involved to adopt attitudes (accept an independent Church), make gestures (concelebrate with illegitimate bishops) and undertake commitments (join the Patriotic Association) that are contrary to the dictates of their conscience as Catholics."


Fr.H. (3): Paragraph 5 Fr. Heyndrickx appears to oppose "canonical sanctions" to calling for unity and dialogue".

Objection: Of course the letter centers on unity and dialogue, but Article 1382 of Canon Law is still explicitly mentioned in the Pope's letter where it states: "The code of Canon Law (cf. c. 1382) lays down grave sanctions both for the Bishop who freely confers Episcopal ordination without an apostolic mandate and for the one who receives it: such an ordination in fact inflicts a painful wound upon ecclesial communion and constitutes a grave violation of canonical discipline." (Part 1, Section 9, Paragraph 1

Fr. Heyndrickx seems to be confused; he reads too many things into the letter of the Holy Father. This risks disturbing the wonderful balance achieved in the letter between truth and charity, and it is a serious matter.


Cardinal Joseph Zen, SDB




III
'In Obedience To The Pope,
Not To Any Partner In Dialogue'

LEUVEN, Belgium, July 20 (UCAN) -- Given the complex situation of the Church in China, it is not surprising that the pope's recent letter to Catholics there is understood differently by different people, says Father Jeroom Heyndrickx.

The veteran Church-in-China observer makes this point in responding to two critiques of his earlier commentary on the pope's letter, titled The Beginning of a New Phase in the History of the Church in China, which UCA News published on July 6.

In this response, Father Heyndrickx replies to points raised by Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong in the cardinal's commentary, Don't Misread the Pope's Letter, which UCA News published on July 18. He also answers points he said were raised in a critique written by an unnamed "friend from China."

Father Heyndrickx is a member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and director of Ferdinand Verbiest Institute at Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.

His article follows:


In obedience to the pope,
not to any partner in dialogue


I was asked to write comments on the pastoral letter of Pope Benedict XVI to the Church in China and I have done so in my article "Pope's Letter Begins New Phase in China Church History."

As always before, I express therein only personal views, not representing any institute. Besides the critique expressed by Cardinal Zen and a friend from China, I have received many reactions from open as well as underground Church communities in China confirming that they fully agree with my understanding.

The pastoral letter of underground Bishop Wei Jingyi speaks exactly in the same line as I do. It makes me feel that I am in good company. We share our opinions as Christians and friends to help each other to read the letter of the pope correctly. My two friends have written their critique to my article with the same intention.

Given the dramatic and historic complexity of the situation of the Church in China, one should not be surprised that some of us understand the pope's letter differently. To search for the right way to understand the letter of the pope, and to do that in the media in charity and truth, is in itself healthy and will do no harm.

I am now very tempted, however, to correct the unjust interpretations of my article by both my friends and to answer the personal attacks against me by Cardinal Zen. But then I realize that we should discuss that further among us. To turn to the media to state how wrong somebody else is ends up in harming both charity and truth. It leads to confrontation and causes even more division. We should rather seek concrete ways towards dialogue and unity inside our communities. That is obviously what the pope wants us to do and this does not preclude expressing our different views among us.

But unity can only grow when we pass beyond existing different views and encourage each other and all our friends inside the two Catholic communities - open and underground -- to look for opportunities to pray and celebrate the Eucharist together. The pope encourages Chinese Catholics to do exactly that. This is undoubtedly the most crucial pastoral guideline in the pope's letter. Anyone who ignores this misreads the letter. Let us all learn from underground Bishop Wei Jingyi.

We should not put more conditions than the pope does for celebrating the Eucharist together; and if the pope says that "the clandestine condition is not a natural feature of the Church's life," why then search for reasons to justify keeping an underground Church community alive?

The pope's letter expresses the same priority concern of the Lord Jesus, namely: to create a united, internally reconciled Chinese Church. If we read the letter properly, we should take concrete steps into that direction. The Spirit will work more efficiently through such concrete steps than He works in any discussion or confrontation in the media.

The pope's letter demonstrates to all of us that it is possible to make one's own principles crystal clear in a language of dialogue and mutual respect without having to enter into open confrontation. In the course of the recent 25 years, during which I visited the Chinese Church and dialogued also with civil authorities in China, I have tried hard to walk that road of dialogue. I do not pretend that I always succeeded.

But I have learned that it does not take much courage to use the media to prove one's own views and criticize others while it takes a lot of guts to sit down with those who disagree with you and have long personal dialogues to overcome differences and seek the common ground.

Dialogue is not equal to weakness. Yet dialogue is the spirit of the pope's letter, which we all should follow. And of one thing I am sure: I have always remained true to my own self and to my identity as a Catholic missionary. To dialogue or to cooperate in any activity has never required me to deny any Church principle.

Being blacklisted in China, falsely accused, misunderstood, interrogated for hours, or even being declared "persona non grata" for three years, has never made me leave the road of dialogue. I remain today in obedience only to the Church and the pope, not to any partner in dialogue as was mistakenly and unjustly surmised in one of the two articles.

The pope's letter is for all Chinese Catholics a compass on the road towards one reconciled Chinese Church. A joint and frank open dialogue between a united Chinese Church and a united Chinese government will solve more problems than confrontation between a divided Church and a divided government.

Jeroom Heyndrickx CICM

The Countdown Begins
Inside World Youth Day 2008
By Catherine Smibert

Preparing with Prayer Power

SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 22, 2007 (Zenit.org).- With one year to go, the host city for the 2008 World Youth Day is buzzing with what some on the ground are describing as "holy anticipation."

And to honor the request of Benedict XVI and his predecessor, prayer is playing a vital role in the variety of preparatory activities occurring throughout Sydney and other national dioceses.

Last Friday, July 20, a year from the day of the final papal Mass, young and old alike united in one of the oldest churches in Sydney for what the coordinator of WYD '08, Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher, dubbed "A Holy Hour of Power."

The evening began with a stunning rendition of the already popular WYD theme song, "Receive the Power," performed by young Catholic performing arts students.

Tears then sprang to the eyes of some of those gathered as they witnessed a screening of Benedict XVI's most recent audience emphasizing his encouragement in the Australian mission.

But following some more song, Scripture and a personal testimony from ex-professional football player-turned WYD director of evangelization and catechesis, Steve Lawrence, it was really Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament who took center stage.

Learning from the first Aussie faithful

As Bishop Fisher pointed out, the exact location for the sacred event emphasized the challenge Sydneysiders face today.

He recounted the history of St. Patrick's Church as dating back to the early 1800s when the first Catholics in the nation tried to obtain a grant of land for a church and the government refused their request. Then, the only priest was expelled by the British Authorities, leaving behind just one consecrated Host.

But this didn't stop the Aussie Catholics witnessing to their faith, the bishop told us. The picture of persecuted Catholics gathering secretly for prayer was used to describe those early years as a "catacomb" era.

"The lay faithful continued to guard and adore Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament for an entire year … until another French priest arrived to consume it and say a Mass for them again," the bishop explained.

So, as we returned to the roots of our faith in this continent, Bishop Fisher encouraged Australians to try and tap in to that dedication of our forefathers and to revive devotion to God's truth and will.

Such encouragement echoes the Pope's appeal in his WYD message when he instructs youth to become the new soul of humanity by being credible witnesses to the Church's mission to the world.

Here Benedict XVI clarifies that we can only be Christ's missionaries if we allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit.

And this is echoed by the willingness of every parish across Sydney and the 'WYD SYD' (as it's affectionately known here) team.

Twenty-six-year-old Ivan Yau, WYD Coordinator for the Military Ordinariate of Australia, told me that "already the Spirit-filled experiences surrounding the event here in Sydney are really firing us up to do our part in responding to the Pope's request that we help launch a new Pentecost for the Church and humanity in the third millennium."

"We're sure the visitors of the world will share in our abundant sense of commitment to live up to our calling not to fear becoming great evangelizers," he added. "Now we tangibly know we can do anything with the Holy Spirit!"

Indeed the instructions and urgency of mission as presented in Benedict XVI's 6-page message for this occasion are already being followed Down Under.

In paragraphs 7 and 8 of the document, the English translation of which has still not been released, the Pope especially highlights young peoples' growing unease about their future, their questions regarding fighting injustices and suffering and how they should react to violence and egoism which seem to prevail in today's society -- but most importantly, how to give meaning to their lives.

In response to these concerns, Benedict XVI appeals to the world's youth not to forget the greatness of God's gifts which are the fruits of the Holy Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, meekness and self control.

The Pope says that these can heal the wounded world and above all the world of today's youth.

The Holy Father calls on youth to become the new soul of humanity by being credible witnesses to the Church's mission to the world.

"Once again," he writes, "I tell you that only Christ can fulfill man's innermost desires"

Benedict XVI clarifies that we can only be Christ's missionaries if we allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit.

And though he's aware that "some people may feel that by presenting the precious treasure of their faith to people who don't share the faith means being intolerant … this is not so -- because representing Christ does not mean imposing Christ."

July 23, 2007
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

PRETORIA, South Africa (Catholic Online) - Allegations of adultery against an archbishop who has been an outspoken critic against the Zimbabwean government should not divert attention about the political and economic crisis gripping the African nation, said the region's Catholic bishops.

In a letter published July 20, president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg, expressed "sadness and concern" about the suit filed against Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city, by a state worker who charged the church leader had sexual relations with the man's wife who worked for the archdiocese.

It has been suggested that the charge of adultery may be a part of a campaign to silence the church's leading voice against bad governance in the country.

"These allegations (and corresponding publicity) unfortunately come at a time when Zimbabwe is facing one of its worst political and economic crisis in its history, a crisis which Archbishop Ncube has consistently expressed great concern about and which we believe the country should be focused on," Archbishop Tihagale said, noting that the crisis has caused many from crossing the border to find refuge in neighboring countries.

The region’s bishops' conference hopes, he said, that "Zimbabweans and the international community will not be sidetracked by these allegations in their efforts of finding a lasting solution to the serious problems bedeviling the country at present."

Archbishop Ncube's "voice of reason," he said, is "very important and should continue to be heard."

"At the moment, the archbishop's guilt or innocence has yet to be proved and therefore we appeal to the media and everyone concerned to allow the law to take its course without passing premature judgment on the archbishop aimed at casting doubt on his credibility reputation and dignity," said Archbishop Buti Tlhagale, urging Catholics in Zimbabwe and throughout the world to offer prayers for the church leader.


SOURCE: www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?...

July 23, 2007
UCANews (www.ucanews.com)

MANILA, Philippines (UCAN) - Bishops have warned that "all-out war" against Islamic rebels who reportedly ambushed government troops searching for a kidnapped Italian missioner will not solve the conflict in the southern Philippines.

Armed men kidnapped Father Giancarlo Bossi of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions from his parish in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay on June 10 and freed him on July 19, reportedly without ransom.

Bishop Martin Jumoad of Isabela, in whose prelature the fighting is to focus, told UCA News that "all-out war" against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) "is not the solution" to the conflict in Basilan. His prelature serves the island province, 900 kilometers (about 560 miles) southeast of Manila.

If fighting erupts, the bishop told UCA News on July 23, "more civilians will be affected and children will suffer most." Intensified warfare would also "heighten the animosity" between the military and the MILF, he said.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters on July 20 at Malacanang Palace that the armed forces have deployed "several battalions" of marines to Basilan. That same day, Brigadier General Romeo Prestoza, commander of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), told reporters he too will deploy a company to "augment" the forces in Basilan in "punitive action" against the rebels.

Prestoza said "the PSG is ... giving its all-out support to the AFP and the government in their continuous effort to suppress these acts of terrorism."

Fourteen marines were killed in a clash with rebels on July 10 as they reportedly searched for Father Bossi in Basilan, where he reportedly was seen with his kidnappers. Ten marines in that encounter were found beheaded.

MILF officials have confirmed that their troops clashed with soldiers who entered their area without coordination but denied responsibility for the beheading, asserting that such an act is against Islam. When the clash occurred, the MILF, established in 1977 to fight for an independent Islamic state, was under a ceasefire with government to allow for peace negotiations.

Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak, head of the military ordinariate, has openly stated that "all-out war" against Islamic rebels is not a "permanent solution" to the conflict in Basilan. "The permanent solution is attending to the needs of the people," he said on July 20 in an interview over church-run Radyo Veritas.

Bishop Tumulak's ordinariate ministers to all military personnel, their dependents and civilian employees of the AFP and the Philippine National Police. The prelate said some soldiers do not want war but are "forced" to respond to "killings" and "ambush" to "protect our people."

He urged people to pray for the members of the armed forces because "they do not know what is waiting for them" when they head out on their assignments.

General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., AFP Chief, told reporters on July 21 in Manila that "all-out war" is the government's "last resort" in "seeking justice" for the slain Marines.

Even so, Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro, AFP public information office chief, told a media briefing on July 23 "an order has already been" issued to "run after the perpetrators of this beheading." He said government troops are "conducting detailed operations" and the operation commander has to say "when to start the operations, referring to the punitive actions."

Bacarro said there is "always need for coordination" with national police headquarters, but it is "not necessary" to seek a "go signal" from headquarters if their "targets" are sighted. "The order has been issued to run after the perpetrators and bring them to the bar of justice," he said.

Armed Forces, police and local government officials presented Father Bossi in Zamboanga City, 850 kilometers (about 530 miles) southeast of Manila, on July 20, hours after his kidnappers freed him. The priest was taken to Manila later that day where he met with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In their "very short conversation," Father Bossi told reporters after the meeting, Arroyo had mentioned the Basilan encounter and the beheading of Marines.

"I feel so sorry because if I was not kidnapped, they (the marines) would still be alive," the 57-year old priest said. He added that he wants to meet the families of slain marines, and "I'll try to see how I can help them."


SOURCE:http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=24787

July 24, 2007
UCANews (www.ucanews.com)

MANILA, Philippines (UCAN) - Women are refraining from wearing shorts and clothes with plunging necklines to church, but others believe people should dress as they please, despite Manila Archdiocese's new guidelines on proper Mass attire.

Lanelyn Carillo, a 30-year-old office worker, says she became "conscious" of the way she dresses for Mass after seeing a poster outside the church showing what is and what is not "appropriate attire."

She told UCA News on July 5 after Mass at Saint John the Baptist Church in Quiapo, downtown Manila, she used to go to Mass in jeans and a shirt, but she carefully picked a top with sleeves on that Sunday. "I believe the guidelines will strengthen" the respect Filipinos have for a "holy place," she added.

Posters outside the church list and illustrate "proper attire" for Mass. Other parishes in the archdiocese have displayed the posters since June 19 when its Ministry for Liturgical Affairs (MLA) gave the guidelines to priests.

Men are asked to wear collared shirts with sleeves, and jeans or slacks, but caps, sports jerseys and shorts are "improper." For women, collared blouses, dresses, skirts, "corporate or office attire or school uniforms" are advised.

The list also provides examples of "improper" attire for women at church – blouses with spaghetti straps or tank tops, miniskirts or skimpy shorts, sleeveless dresses or those with revealing necklines.

In Carillo's view, there is "nothing wrong" with dressing up "the way you want yourself to be seen by others," though such "freedom" has limits.

On July 6 at Our Lady of the Abandoned Church in Marikina City, east of Manila, 64-year-old Lito Limbo criticized the dress code as an "unacceptable" imposition. "What is in the person's heart is more important," he told UCA News. Limbo also expressed concern that the dress code would lead to a further "decline" in the number of churchgoers.

The Church's National Filipino Catholic Youth Survey of 2002 described most Filipino Catholic youths as "nominal Catholics." Some 44.9 percent of Catholic Filipinos aged 13-39 reported "seldom practicing their faith," and up to 3.8 percent said they "never practice their faith." The survey defined "nominal Catholics" as people living their faith in a "personal way," such as by praying or doing good deeds, yet "very seldom" going to church for Mass.

But Tonton Casado, an MLA program assistant, told UCA News on July 19 that parishioners asked the MLA in June to issue guidelines on proper Mass attire.

Priests shared the feedback of parishioners at archdiocesan clergy meetings before deciding to draft the guidelines. Father Godwin Tatlonghari, MLA's assistant minister, issued a circular letter containing the guidelines on June 19 to parish priests, chaplains and shrine rectors in the archdiocese.

According to the circular, parishioners themselves had asked priests to take note of the "increasing number" of people attending Mass and other church functions "garbed in a way that disrespects the sanctity of the House of God and the sacredness of the liturgical celebration."

Corazon Yamsuan, Manila Archdiocese's communications director, told UCA News on July 13 that the liturgical ministry did not discuss sanctions, such as refusing Communion or entry to churches. "Parishes may choose to just talk individually to those who are not in proper attire, but only to remind them," Yamsuan said. The guidelines were issued as a "reminder" to churchgoers about the "proper attitude" or "disposition" in church and at Mass, she explained.

The media have discussed questions about penalties parishioners may face.

In Cebu City, 565 kilometers (about 350 miles) southeast of Manila, Monsignor Esteban Binghay told reporters that pastors tend to be "considerate" about how people dress depending on their situation. If the church is near a park or public place, he said, people understandably come to Mass dressed for a picnic.

He also said that some laborers, especially in the construction industry, work even on Sundays and want to attend Mass. He said undershirts and shorts may seem "improper" in one context but are alright in another. He stressed that improper dress could "distract" the congregation but is not sinful.

Msgr. Cayetano Gerbolingo, Cebu cathedral's administrator, told UCA News that he favors giving parishioners "fatherly advice" and cautions priests against "humiliating" Massgoers.


SOURCE: www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?...