NEWS ABOUT BENEDICT

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PASTORAL VISITS IN 2009
BY THE PRIMATE OF ITALY


The three pastoral visits outside Rome announced for the Holy Father in 2009 are all in
central Italy, fairly near to Rome. Monte Cassino is 80 miles south; San Giovanni Rotondo
is 180 miles east; Viterbo is 40 miles north, with Bagnoregio 10 miles away.
Both Monte Cassino and Viterbo-Bagnoregio are in the Lazio region, where Rome is. And
San Giovanni Rotondo is at the northern top of Puglia, which the Pope has visited twice
before (Bari in 2005, Brindisi earlier this year).



San Giovanni Rotondo does not appear on the large map but it is just a few miles directly to the east of San Severo, as the satellite photo shows.

The Italian service of

has this interesting take on the places chosen.





St. Benedict, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, and St. Bonaventure: Benedict XVI's announced pastoral visits in Italy next year will be under the aegis of the three saints associated with Montecassino, San Giovanni Rotondo and Viterbo-Bagnoregio, respectively.

The first visit will be to Montecassino and its famous abbey on May 24.



The abbot of Monte Cassino, dom Pietro Vittorelli (left photo, above), spoke to Alessandro Gisotti of the joy in the Benedictine community at the confirmation of the visit.

DOM VITTORELLI: The enthusiasm was uncontainable. I must say that I received so many manifestations of joy from the diocese, especially since this would come 29 years since a papal visit to Monte Cassino, and 5 years since the last visit of Cardinal Ratzinger who came here in November 2004. At that time, he celebrated a Mass for the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a few months later, he was elected Pope.


We know how Cardinal Ratzinger and now as Benedict XVI has always indicated St. Benedict as a model, especially for Europe today...
I met the Holy Father last on Sept. 20 in Castel Gandolfo. I had the chance to thank him personally for the beauty of the address he gave at the College des Bernardins in Paris, an address which was all woven through with the Benedictine monastic spirit.

He was speaking to the men of culture in France, but he was also addressing European culture in general in recalling the symbolic, historical and powerful significance that the Benedictine monks had in the construction of a post-barbarian Europe.

I believe that with this coming visit, the Pope will address the Benedictine world itself precisely to make us more conscious and responsible for this mission that we Benedictines have not only in Europe but in the world.




On June 21, the Pope will be in San Giovanni Rotondo, to pray before the remains of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, which has been exposed since last April for public veneration.

Gratitude to the Pope was expressed by Mons. Domenico D'Ambrosio, Bishop of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo (left photo, above).

MONS. D'AMBROSIO: It was, of course, the desire of the entire community, but above all, of the great family of devotees of every kind to Padre Pio. When I made the announcement last night at Church, the joy of everyone was visible, particularly Padre Pio's own brothers, the Capuchin monks.

And it is beautiful to have the Pope with us. His ministry is to confirm us in our faith. We need to feel validated in our commitment to the faith which here assumes a special character because of the spirituality and sanctity of padre Pio.


The Pope will also visit the hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo...
Of course. The hospital is the great materialization of Padre Pio's charity, and the Pope will give hope and encouragement to all those who are working in the example of St. Pio who made the hospital 'a temple of prayer and science'. [The saint's Casa di Sofferenze in San Giovanni Rotondo is recognized as one of Italy's finest hospitals offering tertiary (specialized) care.]




The third visit on September 6 will be to two small cities of Lazio - Viterbo and Bagnoregio. This is what Bishop Lorenzo Chiarinelli said:

MONS. CHIARINELLI: There was a great explosion of joy. The community feels the need to be confirmed in their faith. This encounter with the Supreme Pastor is a necessary experience of the Church which will be very beautiful.

We will be preparing the faithful along this line, not only within the Church, but also in the context of the diocesan territory. The civilian institutions are giving great resonance to the event.

Then there are our local cultural realities like the University, the theological institute we have expanded at Sant'Anselmo, the fact that people in the area strongly feel a link with the Successor of Peter. [Viterbo, one of the beautiful little walled cities of Italy, has a Palace of the Popes, since it was the seat of the Popes from 1257 to 1281, during which time five conclaves were held in Viterbo.]


The Pope will also be going to Bagnoregio, the birthplace of St. Bonaventure...
The figure and the work of St. Bonaventure are dear to this Pope, who is a scholar and theologian like the saint. His professorial qualification thesis in Germany was on his work. And just as he visited Pavia for St. Augustine, he said to me one day, "Bagnoregio, too, will be a reference point."


Additional info from Monte Cassino:

Pope asks all Benedictine abbots
and abbesses worldwide to join him
at Monte Cassino on May 24
Translated from

Dec. 9, 2008

Pope Benedict's visit to Monte Cassino will be historic for two reasons.

Announcing the visit of the Holy Father on May 24, Ascension Sunday, dom Pietro Vittorelli, the abbot, said the Pope had also asked him to convene all the abbots and abbesses of Benedictine monasteries around the world on that day so they could all pray together at the tomb of St. Benedict, one of Europe's patron saints.

"We will will celebrate Vespers together, and pray for the whole world," the abbot said, "It will truly be a uniquely special moment for the entire Benedictine order."

St. Benedict wrote the famous Rule of the order at Monte Cassino around 540. He died in the abbey in 547.

Dom Vittorelli also said that for the first time, a papal Mass at Monte Cassino will be celebrated in the open on the plain of Campo Miranda at the foot of the mountain.

He will proceed to tbe mountaintop abbey after the Mass.

"Benedict XVI comes to our Abbey 29 years after John Paul II made a visit," dom Pietro said, "and five years since his own visit here as a cardinal in November 2004, five months before he became Pope."



The Pope will also visit the Polish cemetery at the foot of the mountain to mark the 65th anniversary of the Allied bombings in World War II which resulted in the destruction of the abbey (fully reconstructed after the war and now a UNESCO World Heritage site).

During the visit, Benedict will also inuagurate the Casa della Carita, a center to help the most disadvantaged, established by the Roman Curia in what was a hospital in Cassino town. It will provide temporary shelter for homeless persons and other families in difficulty.

After the abbot's announcement of the Pope's visit, all the bells in all the parishes of the diocese pealed out for 15 minutes in celebration.

OR for 12/9-12/10/08:

Benedict XVI's letter on the dialog of cultures and religions:
'The Christian roots of Europe are alive'

Other Page 1 stories: The Pope's Dec. 8 homage to the 'Immacolata'; the Pope's Sunday and Monday Angelus messages; an editorial commentary on the misrepresentation of the Vatican's positions against a proposed UN convention on decriminalizing homosexuality and on not signing a convention on rights for the disabled; and a report from the UN that a billion people are now afflicted by hunger because of the world financial crisis.


THE POPE'S DAY

General Audience today - The Holy Father's catechesis was on St.Paul's concept of Christ as
'a new beginning of history' and about the 'new man' brought about by baptism and the Eucharist.

At 4 p.m., a concert for the Holy Father in Aula Paolo VI to mark the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration
of Human Rights. The Brandenburg State Orchestra of Frankfurt-an-der-Oder will perform.

GENERAL AUDIENCE TODAY

The Vatican has not yet posted the text of the Holy Father's catechesis, only the synthesis in different languages. Lella, who watched a direct telecast, says that the Pope appeared to have extemporized largely - which would explain the delay in posting the text. But I listened to the radio broadcast and, as usual, one cannot tell, because he speaks just as fluidly as when he reads, perhaps even more, in fact. Just like his improvisation of the 'Marana tha' prayer that ended his catechesis two weeks ago - it just gushed forth impassioned and powerful!


Here is how the Holy Father synthesized today's catechesis in English:

---

As we continue our catechesis on the writings of Saint Paul, I wish today to consider some of the ways in which this great Apostle contributes to our understanding of the Church’s sacramental life.

Baptism, he explains, is a sharing in the death and resurrection of Christ. We die to sin, and we rise with Christ to a new life of mystical union with him. Washed clean in the purifying waters, we emerge sanctified and justified, and we "put on" Christ.

Through Baptism, the believer becomes a "new creature", renewed in the Holy Spirit, and incorporated through the same Spirit into the one body of Christ.

In the sacrament of the Eucharist, the life of the Church is nourished and built up. Following the teaching handed down by the Apostles, the Christian community does what Jesus did at the Last Supper, when he took bread and wine, blessed them, and gave them to his disciples to eat and drink.

In this way, the memory of the Passion is recalled and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet is given to God’s people as they await his coming again.

The Eucharist seals the union between Christ and his bride, the Church – and in the course of a reflection on this mystical relationship, Saint Paul develops his understanding of Christian marriage.

By pondering the teaching of this great Apostle, may we grow daily in our love for the Church and draw deeply from the wells of living water that she opens up for us.

In his French, German and Spanish syntheses, he also referred to St. Paul's view of marriage. Here is the translation from the French:

Paul's doctrine also concerns the sacrament of marriage which he views through the image of the communion between Christ and his Church.

For the Apostle, the conjugal act expresses the fact that man and woman belong to each other. Marriage is a gift from God. It has its model in Christ's love for his Church.

---

Is it just me, or isn't there a noticeable and erratic slowdown in the loading of Photobucket images (since yesterday)? It's very disconcerting - and annoying -
to find no pictures for several seconds, then when they do appear, to find a number of little red crosses which one has to click to 'Show Picture'.

P.S. The Vatican has posted its selection of stories from tomorrow's issue of L'Osservatore Romano - and for the first time since I started following it, it does not carry the text of the Holy Father's catechesis. Instead, it carries a lengthy paraphrase of it as the main story on Page 1. (Obviously, the transcribers at the Press Office didn't finish transcribing what the Pope actually said in time to make the deadline for tomorrow's OR. I am now translating the paraphrase and will post it as soon as I am done.

hi Teresa

It has probably nothing to do with your problem but up here the catholic channel KTO seems to be out of order. Could not watch the general audience


Dear Flo -
Sorry about the KTO problem today, and I hope it will be resolved in time for today's concert. But thank you for reminding me that I can always watch live broadcasts on papal events there - more convenient than CTV streaming online which has stopped being available on Windows and Real media players.

TERESA

VATICAN CHRISTMAS TREE, A GIFT FROM LOWER AUSTRIA

VATICAN CITY, 10 DEC 2008 (VIS) - On Friday 12 December the Holy Father will receive a delegation from the region of Lower Austria led by Erwin Proll, governor of the region, and accompanied by 1,000 pilgrims, for the donation of the Christmas tree which will decorate St. Peter's Square during the festive season this year.

A communique released today explains that, apart from the main tree, Lower Austria has also donated around 40 smaller trees which will be used to decorate the Paul VI Hall, the Clementine Hall, the Pontifical Apartments and various offices of the Roman Curia.

The lighting ceremony of the tree in the square, a Norway spruce 33 metres high from the municipality of Gutenstein, will take place at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday 13 December. The tree, which has been decorated with more than 2,000 baubles and a large star, will be lit by a boy from the Altenburg Choir in the course of a brief ceremony due to be presided by Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, accompanied by Bishop Renato Boccardo, secretary general of the Governorate. Austrian government representatives and pilgrims will participate in the event, during which musicians and singers from Ziersdorf and Altenburg will provide musical accompaniment.

The Christmas decorations in St. Peter's Square will be completed on the evening of 24 December with the unveiling of the nativity scene located at the centre of the square. The scene of Jesus' birth, which dominates centre stage, is this year located under a temporary structure of wooden planks in the lee of "walls of Bethlehem". The setting on the outskirts of the town is emphasised by the presence of a watchtower, by a large gateway that serves as backdrop to the Nativity, and by humble dwellings stretching along the walls themselves. The scene is populated by a series of statuesque figures, some of which come from the nativity scene created by St. Vincent Pallotti in the Roman church of Sant'Andrea della Valle in 1842.

As is the case every year, the nativity scene was created by the Technical Services of the Governorate of Vatican City State, while the erection and decoration of the spruce tree was undertaken by Vatican workmen.

As mentioned earlier, the 12/11/08 issue of L'Osservatore Romano does not contain the 'official text' of the Holy Father's catechesis yesterday but an approximation of what he actually said, taking into account a few additions and changes that he extemporized.

The Vatican has now posted the official text online, and I have accordingly adjusted the earlier provisional translation to reflect the official text.



The catechesis of the Holy Father at the General Audience of December 10 at the Aula Paolo VI was dedicated to St. Paul's theology of the sacraments.

---

AUDIENCE OF 12/10/08
Catechesis #16 of the Pauline Year Cycle


Dear brothers and sisters,
Following St. Paul, we saw two things in the catechesis last Wednesday. The first is that our human history was poisoned from the start by the abuse of freedom which aimed to emancipate man from divine will.

Thus, he does not find true freedom but places himself in opposition to the truth, and consequently, falsifies our human realities. Above all, it (the abuse of freedom) falsifies fundamental relations - with God, between man and woman, between man and the earth.

We said that this poisoning of our history has spread throughout its fabric and that this inherited defect has been growing and is now visible everywhere.

The second was this: We learned from St. Paul that in Jesus Christ - he who is God and man - there came to be a new beginning in history and to history. With him, who came from God, a new story began that started with his Yes to the Father, founded not on the arrogance of false emancipation, but on love and truth.

Now the question is: how can we enter into this new beginning, into this new story? How does this new story get to me?

With the first poisoned story we are inevitably linked by our biological descendance [the official text corrects the 'theological' that was used in the OR article] since we all belong to the single body of mankind.

But the communion with Jesus, the new birth, the new humanity, how are they realized? How does Jesus come into my life, into my being?
The fundamental response of St. Paul, of the entire New Testament is - through the Holy Spirit.

If the first story comes to us, so to speak, through biology, the second comes in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Risen Christ. This Spirit created at Pentecost the start of a new humanity, of the new community - the Church, the Body of Christ.

But we must be even more concrete: this Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, how can it become my Spirit? The answer is that in happens through three modalities that are intimately connected to each other.

The first is this: the Spirit of Christ knocks at the doors of my heart, it touches me intimately. But in order that the new humanity should be a true body, so that the spirit can unite us and truly create a community - since the new beginning is characterized by overcoming divisions and creating the aggregation of what is dispersed - this Spirit of Christ visibly avails itself of two elements of visible aggregation: the word of announcement, and the sacraments, particularly Baptism and the Eucharist.

In the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul says: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (10,9), that is, you will have entered into a new history - a story of life and not of death.

Then St. Paul continues: "But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent?" (10,14-15). In a succeeding passage, he says: "Faith comes from listening" (Rom 10,17).

Faith is not a product of our thinking, of our reflection - it is something new that we cannot invent but can only receive as a gift, as a novelty produced by God.

Faith does not come from reading but from listening. It is not just an internal thing but a relationship with Someone. It presupposes an encounter with the announcement, it presupposes the existence of an 'otheer' who announces and creates communion.

Finally, he who makes the announcement does not speak for himself, but is sent. He is within a structure of mission that starts with Jesus sent by the Father, and goes down to the apostles - the word 'apostles' means 'messengers' - and continues in the ministry, in the missions handed down by the apostles.

The new fabric of history appears in this structure of missions, in which ultimately we hear God himself speaking, his personal word - his Son - speaks to us, comes down to us.

The Word was made flesh - Jesus - in order to truly create a new humanity. Therefore, the word of announcement becomes a sacrament in Baptism, which is a rebirth from water and the Spirit, as St. John would say.

In Chapter 6 of the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul speaks very profoundly of Baptism - we heard the text but it is useful to repeat it here: "Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life" (6,3-4).

Naturally, in this catechesis, I cannot enter into a detailed interpretation of a text that is not easy. I wish to note briefly three things.

The first: "We have been baptized" is a passive statement. No one can baptize himself, he needs somebody else. No one can make himself Christian all by himself. To become Christian is a passive process. Only from another can we become Christians. And that 'other' that makes us Christians, which gives us the gift of faith, is first of all, the community of believers, the Church.

From the Church, we receive our faith in Baptism. Without allowing ourselves to be formed by this community, we do not become Christians. An autonomous, self-made Christianity is a self-contradiction.

In the first instance then, this other is the community of believers, the Church, but even this community does not act by itself, according to its own ideas and desires. Even the community lives in the same passive process: only Christ can constitute the Church. Christ is the true giver of the Sacraments. This is the first point: No one baptizes himself, no one makes himself Christian. We become Christians.

The second pointis this: Baptism is more than just a cleansing: it is death and resurrection. Paul himself, speaking in the letter to the Galatians about the turning point in his life realized in his encounter with the Risen Christ, describes it with the words, "I died". At that point, a new life really starts for him.

To become a Christian is not a cosmetic operation that would add something beautiful to an existence that is already more or less complete. It is a new beginning and a rebirth: death and resurrection. Obviously, in resurrection, what was good in the preceding existence re-emerges.

The third point: Matter is part of the sacrament. Christianity is not something that is purely spiritual. It involves the body. It involves the cosmos. It extends towards the new earth and new heavens.

Let us return to the last words in the text of St. Paul, who says, we can "wa;k in a new life". An element for examination of conscience by us all: to walk in a new life. That is Baptism.

Now we come to the sacrament of the Eucharist. I have shown in earlier catecheses with what profound respect St. Paul verbally transmits the tradition on the Eucharist which he received from the witnesses of that last night. He transmits these words like a precious treasure entrusted to his faithfulness.

And so, we really hear in these words the witnesses of the Last Supper: "For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and after he had given thanks, broke it and said, 'This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me'. In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me'" (1 Cor 11, 23-25).

It is an inexhaustible text. Even here, two brief observations. Paul transmits the words of the Lord over the chalice: this chalice is 'the new covenant in my blood'. In these words are hidden a reference to two fundamental texts from the Old Testatment.

The first reference is to the promise of a new covenant in the book of the prophet Jeremiah (cfr 31,31-34). Jesus tells the apostles and tells us: Now, at this hour, with me and in my death, the new covenant will be realized; from my blood will start the new story of mankind.

But there is also another reference, in these words, to the moment of the covenant on Sinai, where Moses said, "This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words of his"(Ex 24,8).

In this case, it was the blood of animals. The blood of animals can only be an expression of a desire, an anticipation of the true sacrifice, of the true worship. With the gift of the chalice, the Lord gives us the true sacrifice. The only true sacrifice is the love of the Son. With his gift of love, eternal love, the world enters into the new covenant.

Celebrating the Eucharist means that Christ gives himself to us, his love, so we may conform ourselves to him and thus create a new world.

The second important aspect of the doctrine on the Eucharist sppears in the same First Letter to the Corinthians where St. Paul says: "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf" (10,16-17).

These words show both the personal as well as the social character of the sacrament of the Eucharist. Christ unites personally with each of us, but he also unites with the man and the woman next to me. The bread is for me as well as for others. Thus, he unites us all to him, and all of us with each other.

We receive Christ in communion. But Christ unites equally with my neighbor. Christ and my neighbor are inseparable in the Eucharist. Thus we are all one bred, one body.

Eucharist without solidarity with others is an abuse of the Eucharist. Here we are at the root which is also the center of the doctrine of the Church as the Body of Christ, of the Risen Christ. We can also see all the realism of this doctrine.

Christ gives us his Body in the Eucharist, he gives himself in his body, and so he makes us his body, he unites us to his risen body. If man eats ordinary bread, the bread becomes, through the process of digestion, part of his body, transformed to the substance of human life.

In Holy Communion, the inverse process happens. Christ the Lord assimilates us into himself, he introduces us into his glorious body, and thus all of us together become his body.

Whoever reads only Chapter 12 of the First Letter to the Corinthians and Chapter 12 of the Letter to the Romans may think that the image of the body of Christ as an organism is only a kind of sociological-theological parable.

Actually, in Roman politology, this symbol of the body with different members that form a unity was used for the State itself, to say that the State is an organism in which everyone has a function: the multiplicity and diversity of functions together make up a body in which everyone has his place.

Just reading Chapter 12 of the Letter to the Corinthians, one might think that Paul was translating this (symbol) only to the Church, and that even here, it only implies a sociology of the Church.

But if we keep the Pauline text in mind (Chapter 10), we will see that the realism of the Church is something else - much more profound and true than that of a State-organism. Because Christ really gives his body and makes us his body. We become truly united with the resurrected body of Christ, and thus united with one another.

The Church is not a corporation like the State - it is a body. It is not an organization but an organism.

Finally, just a brief word about the sacrament of matrimony. In the first Letter to the Corinthians, we find only a few references, whereas the Letter to the Ephesians truly develops a profound theology of matrimony.

Paul defines matrimony as 'a great mystery' (6,32). He says it in reference to Christ and his Church. This passage highlights a reciprocity which is configured in a vertical dimension. The language of love should adopt a reciprocal submission which has its model in the love of Christ for the Church.

This relationship between Christ and the Church makes the theological aspect of matrimonial love primary - it exalts the affective relationship between spouses. An authentic matrimony will be lived best if in its constant human and affective growth, it always remains linked to the efficacy of the Word and the significance of Baptism.

Christ has sanctified the Church, purifying it through a washing with water accompanied by the Word. Participation in the body and blood of the Lord cements and makes visible a union that has been rendered indissoluble by grace.

Finally, let us listen to the words of St. Paul to the Philippians: "The Lord is near" (4,5). I think we have understood that through the Word and through the sacraments, in all our life, the Lord is near.

Let us pray to him so that we may always be touched in the intimacy of our being by this, his nearness, so that joy may be born, since it must be born wherever Jesus is truly near.

---

Vatican celebrates 60th anniversary
of Human Rights Declaration


With the attendance of Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and his wife Clio, Pope Benedict and the Roman Curia marked Wednesday the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by attending a concert at the Aula Paolo VI given by the Brandenburg State Orchestra of Frankurt-an-der-Oder.





The Holy Father thanks Spanish-born conductor Inma Shara and the other performers.


The concert was a project of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the St. Matthew Foundation established in honor of the late Cardinal François-Xavier Van Thuân of Vietnam.


Surprisingly, for an afternoon event at the Vatican, the text of the Pope's remarks is now available for translation. Here is a translation:

---

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
dear brotheres and sisters!


I address my heartfelt greeting to the authorities present, particularly the President of the Italian Republic, to the other Italian authorities, to the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, and all of you who have taken part in this evening dedicated to classical music, as interpreted by the Brandenburg State Orchestra of Frankfurt, directed on this occasion by Madame Inma Shara.

To her and the orchestra members, I wish to express the appreciation of everyone for the talent and the effectiveness with which they interpreted these evocative musical pieces.

I thank the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the Fondazione San Matteo established in the memory of Cardinal François-Xavier Van Thuân, for having promoted the concert, which was preceded today by a commemorative ceremony for the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the awarding of certain prizes: the Cardinal Van Thuan Prize for 2008 to Cornelio Sommaruga, ex-president of the Red Cross International Committee; the prize for 'Solidarity and Development' to Fr. Pedro Opeka, missionary in Madagascar; Fr. Jose Raul Matte, missionary among the lepers of the Amazonia; the officials of Project Gulunap for the establishment of a Faculty of Medicine in North Uganda; and those responsible for the Village of the Ercolini intended to integrate the gypsy children and youth of Rome.

My gratitude also goes to those who have worked to make this concert possible, and to RAI which broadcast it, thus widening the audience who were able to benefit from it.

Sixty years ago, on December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations, meeting in Paris, adopted the Universal Declaration fo Human Rights, which today still constitutes one of the most elevated reference points of the intercultural dialog on freedom and the rights of man.

The dignity of every human being is really guaranteed only when all his fundamental rights are recognized, protected and promoted.

The Church has always reiterated that fundamental rights, beyond the differing formulations and the different weights that they may have in various cultures, are a universal given because they are inherent in human nature itself.

Natural law, written by the Creator in the human conscience, is a common denominator for all men and all peoples. It is a universal guide that everyone can recognize and on the basis of which everyone can agree.

Human rights are ultimately founded in God the creator, who has given everyone intelligence and freedom. If we do away with this solid ethical base, human rights will remain fragile because they would be devoid of a soild foundation.

The celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Declaration thus constitutes an pccasion to veryify to what degree the ideals accepted by the majority of the community of nations in 1948, are respected today in the various national legislatures, and more than that, in the conscience of individuals and of the collectivity.

Undoubtedly, we have already come a long way, but there still remains much to be done. Hundreds of millions of our brothers and sisters continue to see their rights to life, liberty and security threatened. Equality for all and the dignity of every person are not always respected, while new barriers are being raised for reasons connected to race, religion, political opinions or other convictions.

Therefore, let the common commitment not cease to promote and better define the rights of man, and may the efforts intensify to guarantee that these rights are respected.
I accompany these wishes with a prayer that God, Father of all men, may grant us to construct a world where every human being feels accepted with full dignity, and where the relations among individuals and among peoples may be ruled by respect, dialog and solidarity.

To everyone, my blessing!

---

OR today.

At the General Audience, Benedict XVI speaks of St. Paul's theology of the Sacraments:
'The Church is a body, not an organization'

Other Page 1 stories: An editorial commentary entitled 'The second Jewish intifada' deploring the encounters in
Hebron between radical Israeli ex-settlers in the West Bank and local Palestinians; the Greek premier's appeal for
national unity in the face of widespread uprisings following the killing of an extremist youth.


THE POPE'S DAY

The Holy Father met today with
- Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster (Great Britain)
- Bishops of Taiwan on ad-limina visit.

This evening, the Holy Father will meet the university students of Rome after Mass at St. Peter's Basilica
(celebrated by Cardinal Agostino Vallini) for the annual pre-Christmas encounter started by John Paul II
in 1979. The Pope will symbolically hand to the students a copy of St. Paul's Letter to the Romans (recorded
on DVD), and will preside at the handover of the icon of Mary Seat of Wisdom from a Romanian student delegation
to Cardinal George Pell and an Australian youth delegation.




At a news conference today, the Holy Father's message for the World Day of Peace on January 1, 2009, was released.
The theme is "Fight poverty and build peace."
The entire message in its English version can be read on
www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/peace/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20081208_xlii-world-day-peace...



Here is AP's first take on the message:

Pope Benedict XVI condemns
quest for quick profit


VATICAN CITY, Dec. 11 (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI says the global financial crisis is a result of the quest for short-term gains at the expense of the common good.

Benedict examined international economic problems in an annual peace message that linked poverty to world conflicts.

The written message released Thursday says the gap between rich and poor has become more marked, even in the most economically developed countries.

Benedict has been speaking out frequently on the world financial crisis. He said in the message that international finance should sustain long-term investments and development but that finance limited to the short term "becomes very dangerous to everyone, even for those who benefit when the markets perform well."


POPE'S MESSAGE FOR
THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE 2009


VATICAN CITY, 11 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Today Benedict XVI's message for the celebration of the XLII World Day of Peace (1 January 2009) on the theme "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace" was published in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Below are some extracts from the message:

"Poverty is often a contributory factor or a compounding element in conflicts, including armed ones. In turn, these conflicts fuel further tragic situations of poverty".

"Fighting poverty requires attentive consideration of the complex phenomenon of globalization. ... The reference to globalization should also alert us to the spiritual and moral implications of the question, urging us, in our dealings with the poor, to set out from the clear recognition that we all share in a single divine plan: we are called to form one family in which all - individuals, peoples and nations - model their behaviour according to the principles of fraternity and responsibility".

"We know that other, non-material forms of poverty exist which are not the direct and automatic consequence of material deprivation. For example, in advanced wealthy societies, there is evidence of marginalization, as well as affective, moral and spiritual poverty, seen in people whose interior lives are disoriented and who experience various forms of malaise despite their economic prosperity. On the one hand, I have in mind what is known as 'moral underdevelopment', and on the other hand the negative consequences of 'superdevelopment'. Nor can I forget that, in so-called 'poor' societies, economic growth is often hampered by cultural impediments which lead to inefficient use of available resources".

"Poverty is often considered a consequence of demographic change. ... The extermination of millions of unborn children, in the name of the fight against poverty, actually constitutes the destruction of the poorest of all human beings. And yet it remains the case that in 1981, around 40% of the world's population was below the threshold of absolute poverty, while today that percentage has been reduced by as much as a half, and whole peoples have escaped from poverty despite experiencing substantial demographic growth. This goes to show that resources to solve the problem of poverty do exist, even in the face of an increasing population".

"Another area of concern has to do with pandemic diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. Insofar as they affect the wealth-producing sectors of the population, they are a significant factor in the overall deterioration of conditions in the country concerned. .... . It also happens that countries afflicted by some of these pandemics find themselves held hostage, when they try to address them, by those who make economic aid conditional upon the implementation of anti-life policies".

"It is especially hard to combat AIDS, a major cause of poverty, unless the moral issues connected with the spread of the virus are also addressed. First and foremost, educational campaigns are needed, aimed especially at the young, to promote a sexual ethic that fully corresponds to the dignity of the person; initiatives of this kind have already borne important fruits, causing a reduction in the spread of AIDS. Then, too, the necessary medicines and treatment must be made available to poorer peoples as well".

"Almost half of those living in absolute poverty today are children. ... When the family is weakened, it is inevitably children who suffer. If the dignity of women and mothers is not protected, it is the children who are affected most".

"The relationship between disarmament and development. The current level of world military expenditure gives cause for concern. ... an excessive increase in military expenditure risks accelerating the arms race, producing pockets of underdevelopment and desperation, so that it can paradoxically become a cause of instability, tension and conflict".

"States are therefore invited to reflect seriously on the underlying reasons for conflicts, often provoked by injustice, and to practise courageous self- criticism. If relations can be improved, it should be possible to reduce expenditure on arms".

"The current food crisis ... places in jeopardy the fulfilment of basic needs. This crisis is characterized not so much by a shortage of food, as by difficulty in gaining access to it and by different forms of speculation: in other words, by a structural lack of political and economic institutions capable of addressing needs and emergencies. ... All the indicators of relative poverty in recent years point to an increased disparity between rich and poor. ... the majority of the population in the poorest countries suffers a double marginalization, through the adverse effects of lower incomes and higher prices".

"In order to govern globalization, however, there needs to be a strong sense of global solidarity between rich and poor countries, as well as within individual countries, including affluent ones. A 'common code of ethics' is also needed, consisting of norms based not upon mere consensus, but rooted in the natural law inscribed by the Creator on the conscience of every human being".

"Effective means to redress the marginalization of the world's poor through globalization will only be found if people everywhere feel personally outraged by the injustices in the world and by the concomitant violations of human rights".

"Much of this global trade has involved countries that were industrialized early, with the significant addition of many newly-emerging countries which have now entered onto the world stage. Yet there are other low-income countries which are still seriously marginalized in terms of trade. Their growth has been negatively influenced by the rapid decline, seen in recent decades, in the prices of commodities, which constitute practically the whole of their exports. In these countries, which are mostly in Africa, dependence on the exportation of commodities continues to constitute a potent risk factor".

"Objectively, the most important function of finance is to sustain the possibility of long-term investment and hence of development. Today this appears extremely fragile: it is experiencing the negative repercussions of a system of financial dealings - both national and global - based upon very short-term thinking, which aims at increasing the value of financial operations and concentrates on the technical management of various forms of risk. The recent crisis demonstrates how financial activity can at times be completely turned in on itself, lacking any long-term consideration of the common good. ... Finance limited in this way to the short and very short term becomes dangerous for everyone, even for those who benefit when the markets perform well".

"The fight against poverty requires cooperation both on the economic level and on the legal level, so as to allow the international community, and especially poorer countries, to identify and implement coordinated strategies to deal with the problems discussed above, thereby providing an effective legal framework for the economy. Incentives are needed for establishing efficient participatory institutions, and support is needed in fighting crime and fostering a culture of legality. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that policies which place too much emphasis on assistance underlie many of the failures in providing aid to poor countries. Investing in the formation of people and developing a specific and well-integrated culture of enterprise would seem at present to be the right approach in the medium and long term. ... In a modern economy, the value of assets is utterly dependent on the capacity to generate revenue in the present and the future. Wealth creation therefore becomes an inescapable duty, which must be kept in mind if the fight against material poverty is to be effective in the long term".

"If the poor are to be given priority, then there has to be enough room for an ethical approach to economics on the part of those active in the international market, an ethical approach to politics on the part of those in public office, and an ethical approach to participation capable of harnessing the contributions of civil society at local and international levels. ... Civil society in particular plays a key part in every process of development, since development is essentially a cultural phenomenon, and culture is born and develops in the civil sphere".

"Globalization ... needs to be managed with great prudence. This will include giving priority to the needs of the world's poor, and overcoming the scandal of the imbalance between the problems of poverty and the measures which have been adopted in order to address them. ... The problems of development, aid and international cooperation are sometimes addressed without any real attention to the human element, but as merely technical questions - limited, that is, to establishing structures, setting up trade agreements, and allocating funding impersonally".

"In the Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, John Paul II warned of the need to 'abandon a mentality in which the poor - as individuals and as peoples - are considered a burden, as irksome intruders trying to consume what others have produced'. ... In today's globalized world, it is increasingly evident that peace can be built only if everyone is assured the possibility of reasonable growth: sooner or later, the distortions produced by unjust systems have to be paid for by everyone. ... Globalization on its own is incapable of building peace ... it points to a need: to be oriented towards a goal of profound solidarity that seeks the good of each and all. In this sense, globalization should be seen as a good opportunity to achieve something important in the fight against poverty, and to place at the disposal of justice and peace resources which were scarcely conceivable previously".

"The Church's social teaching has always been concerned with the poor. At the time of the Encyclical Letter 'Rerum Novarum', the poor were identified mainly as the workers in the new industrial society; in the social Magisterium of Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II, new forms of poverty were gradually explored, as the scope of the social question widened to reach global proportions. ... For this reason, while attentively following the current phenomena of globalization and their impact on human poverty, the Church points out the new aspects of the social question, not only in their breadth but also in their depth, insofar as they concern man's identity and his relationship with God".

"'In regard to the Church, her cooperation will never be wanting, be the time or the occasion what it may'. ... The Christian community will never fail, then, to assure the entire human family of her support through gestures of creative solidarity, not only by 'giving from one's surplus', but above all by 'a change of life-styles, of models of production and consumption, and of the established structures of power which today govern societies'".



POPE MEETS BAVARIAN PM

This was not on the Pope's published schedule, but the pictures were released to the media by the Vatican:

Pope Benedict XVI meets with Edmund Stoiber, State Premier of his native Bavaria.

Benedict XVI calls new attention
to the dogma of original sin

One of the most overlooked and rejected dogmas of the Church, it is is 'overwhelmingly obvious'
to the holy father, who has talked about it three times in the past eight days. Without it, he says,
Christian redemption 'would lose its foundation'.





ROME, December 11, 2008 – Three times in eight days, Benedict XVI has spoken about a dogma that has almost disappeared from ordinary preaching, and is rejected by the neomodernist theologians: the dogma of original sin.

He did this on Monday, December 8, at the Angelus for the feast of the Immaculate Conception; on the previous Wednesday, December 3, at the weekly audience with thousands of faithful and pilgrims; and again at the general audience on Wednesday, December 10.

At the Angelus for the Immaculate Conception, Papa Ratzinger said:

---

The mystery of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which we solemnly celebrate today, reminds us of two fundamental truths of our faith: original sin first of all, and then the victory over this by the grace of Christ, a victory that shines in a sublime manner in Mary Most Holy.

The existence of what the Church calls 'original sin' is, unfortunately, overwhelmingly obvious, if we only look around us, and above all within ourselves. The experience of evil is, in fact, so significant that it raises within us the question: where does this come from?

Especially for a believer, the question is even deeper: if God, who is absolute Goodness, has created everything, where does evil come from? The first pages of the Bible (Gn. 1-3) respond precisely to this fundamental question, which tests every human generation, with the story of creation and of the fall of the progenitors: God created everything for existence, and in particular he created the human being in his own image; he did not create death, but this entered the world through the envy of the devil, who, rebelling against God, also drew men into deceit, inducing them to rebel (cf. Wis. 1:13-14; 2:23-24).

This is the drama of freedom, which God accepts completely for the sake of love, while promising that there will be a son of woman who will crush the head of the ancient serpent (Gn. 3:15).

From the beginning, then, 'the eternal counsel' – as Dante would say (Paradiso XXXIII, 3) – had a 'fixed aim': the Woman predestined to become the mother of the Redeemer, the mother of Him who humiliated himself to the utmost, in order to restore in us our original dignity.

This Woman, in the eyes of God, has always had a face and a name: 'full of grace' (Lk. 1:28), as the angel called her when visiting her in Nazareth. She is the new Eve, wife of the new Adam, destined to be mother of all the redeemed.

As Andrew of Crete wrote: 'The Theotókos Mary, the common refuge of all Christians, was the first to be liberated from the primitive fall of our progenitors' (Homily IV on the Nativity, PG 97, 880 A). And today's liturgy affirms that God has 'prepared a worthy dwelling for his Son, and in anticipation of his death, has preserved her from all stain of sin' (Collect Prayer).

Dear friends, in Immaculate Mary we contemplate the reflection of the beauty that saves the world: the beauty of God that shines on the face of Christ."

---

But the Pope went even deeper into the subject of original sin, in the general audience on Wednesday, December 3.

Every Wednesday since the beginning of the Pauline Year, Benedict XVI has dedicated his weekly catecheses to illustrating the life, writings, and teaching of the apostle Paul. This was the fifteenth catechesis in the series.

In the two before it, the Pope had explained the doctrine of justification, and the connection between faith and works. This time, he opened with the analogy between Adam and Christ developed by Paul in the first letter to the Corinthians, and even more in the letter to the Romans. By using this analogy, Paul evokes the sin of Adam in order to give the greatest possible emphasis to the saving grace given by Christ.

As generally happens in the Wednesday catecheses, Benedict XVI used a text written by expert contributors. [This is a strange and perplexing claim to make, to say the least, because Benedict's catecheses are among the most personal expositions of his theological and pastoral thinking, and it has been presumed that he keeps Tuesdays free in order to work on the catechesis for the next day!] But as on other occasions, he departed from it. And this time, he did so more extensively than usual. Beginning in the third paragraph, he addressed those present directly, improvising.

He did the same thing at the audience on the following Wednesday, December 10. He had a written text in his hand, but he spoke almost entirely off the cuff. [This is not exactly accurate, as pointed out in the previous comments on this page about yesterday's catechesis.] Early in the address he returned to the topic of original sin:

---

Dear brothers and sisters, in following St. Paul we saw two things in the catechesis last Wednesday.

The first is that our human history has been tainted from the beginning by the abuse of created freedom, which intends to emancipate itself from the divine will. And in this way it does not find true freedom, but opposes itself to the truth, and as a result falsifies our human realities.

Above all, it falsifies the fundamental relationships: with God, between man and woman, between man and the earth. We said that this tainting of our history is spread through the entire fabric, and that this inherited defect has increased, and is now visible everywhere.

This was the first thing. The second is this: we learned from St. Paul that there is a new beginning in history and of history in Jesus Christ, He who is man and God. With Jesus, who comes from God, there begins a new history formed by his yes to the Father, and thus founded not on the pride of a false emancipation, but on love and truth.

But now the question arises: how can we enter into this new beginning, into this new history? How does this new history reach me? With the first tainted history, we are inevitably connected by our biological origin, we all belong to the one body of humanity.

But communion with Jesus, the new birth in order to enter to become part of the new humanity, how does this take place? How does Jesus come into my life, into my being? The fundamental answer of St. Paul, and of the entire New Testament, is: he comes through the work of the Holy Spirit.

If the first history gets underway, so to speak, with biology, the second gets underway in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the risen Christ. This Spirit created, at Pentecost, the beginning of the new humanity, of the new community, the Church, the Body of Christ.

---

These improvisations are an important element for understanding the thought of Benedict XVI. They highlight the things that are closest to his heart, the ones that he wants to impress most deeply in the minds of his listeners.

Original sin, this dogma that is so overlooked today, is one of these truths that Pope Ratzinger feels the need to revitalize.

And this is how he explained this to the faithful in the catechesis on December 3, the one most extensively dedicated to the topic, reproduced in its entirety here.
chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/212913?eng=y

This catechesis was translated on this thread and cross-posted in AUDIENCE&ANGELUS TEXTS as well as THE ST. PAUL thread on Dec. 3-4.

The Pope may announce
Holy Land trip at Christmas
by Lucio Brunelli
Translated from

December 11, 2008


Perhaps the Pope himself will personally announce on Christmas Day that he will travel to the Holy Land in 2009, 'God willing'. according to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, one of the organizers of the trip.

Bishop Twal told the ANSA news agency that unknown factors in the complicated political situation of the region would, of course, cause a modification of plans or even a re-thinking of the project.

But Benedict XVI obviously wishes strongly to be able to visit the land of Jesus's birth and all the diplomats necessarily involved in such a project - Vatican, Israeli and Palestinian - are working hard on it.

A tentatIVe program will reportedly be presented to the Pope in the next few days when a delegation from the Jerusalem Patriarchate will meet with him.

The draft calls for the Pope to arrive in Jerusalem on the evening of Sunday, May 10, coming directly from Rome, or alternatively, from Jordan. The trip would end Thursday morning, May 14, with departure from the Ben Gurion international airport in Tel Aviv.

Both Paul VI in 1964 and John Paul II in 2000 started their pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Amman, the Jordanian capital, home to one of the most important Arab Christian communities of the Middle East.

Three public Masses are planned - one on each full day of the visit - first at the Basilica of Gethsemane in Jerusalem next to the Garden on the Mount of Olives where Jesus was arrested; then at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, an Arab city located within Israeli territory; and finally at Manger Square in Bethlehem in front of the Basilica of the Nativity. [What? No Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre????]

The town of Jesus's birth is, for now, the only Palestinian destination scheduled. The Pope will get there from Jerusalem - though Bethlehem is barely ten kilometers away from the Holy City, he will go by helicopter.

Not just for reasons of security, but also because it would be impolitic to have the images of the Pope's car going through the Israeli checkpoint approaching Bethlehem, through the stretch of the 'fence' so hated by the Palestinians and now all covered with anti-Israeli graffiti.

The fence is a recent development and was not there during John Paul II's visit in 2000.

Outside of the three Masses, Benedict XVI will also make prayer visits to other places, including the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, perhaps the most sacred place of worship in the Christian world [and the site in recent days of a public shoving match between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks, who are among the many denominations with 'custodial' rights within the Basilica].

And yes, he will visit the Holocaust Museum of Yad Vashem, where he will deliver a homage to the victims of the Shoah. He will visit parts of the Museum, including the Hall of Darkness which commemorates in dramatic manner all the children killed in the Nazi extermination camps.

But, for obvious reasons, not the photo gallery where Pius XII is featured in the so-called Hall of Shame.

There are numerous complications that could affect the realization of this third pilgrimage by a Pope to the Holy Land. Between now and May, all the major political protagonists are likely to change.

Israel will hold new elections in February. But even Palestine anticipates parliamentary and preidential elections early next year.

Then there are the problems in Israel-Vatican relations linked to the long-standing stalemate in negotiations on implementing a fundamental Accord signed in 1993, with major unresolved questions like the juridical and fiscal status of Church properties.

Recently, when the first indiscretions about the Pope's coming trip became public, the Jerusalem Post reported that the Patriarchate of Jerusalem allegedly owes the Israeli government 300 million new shekels. [No kidding! That's about 77 million US dollars at the current exchange rate of 3.9 shekels to the dollar! Whatever for? Back taxes on Church properties that should not be taxed since they are religious or charitable??]

The other major dispute is over visas for priests, about which the Israel government is particularly stringent and stingy, and which is very inconvenient for priests who must carry out their pastoral activities in the Holy Land both within Israeli territory and in surrounding areas.

And the biggest problem: the peace process between Israel and Palestine.

Benedict XVI is, of course, aware of all these political obstacles. But he has apparently made clear to the diplomats that he intends his trip to be exclusively a religious pilgrimage.

Mons. Twal admits that he did not think the time was ripe for a visit by the Pope, and that he would have preferred a visit after the success of the peace process.

But, he concludes, "I am afraid that if we wait for that, we may have to go through another two or three pontificates."


Cardinal Ratzinger in Jerusalem, 1994. Inset shows him with Mons. Josef Clemens, his private secretary at the time.





Vatican team discusses
papal visit to Israel


JERUSALEM, Dec. 11 (AFP) – Israeli President Shimon Peres has met a Vatican delegation to discuss preparations for a possible visit by Pope Benedict XVI next year, his spokeswoman said on Thursday.

"We are waiting for the official declaration of this visit which must come from Rome, but the President on Wednesday started discussing with a Vatican delegation the programme of this visit which could take place in spring," said spokeswoman Ayelet Frish.



During a visit to Italy in September 2007, Peres invited the Pope to travel to Israel to strengthen the message of peace, reconciliation and hope throughout the Middle East.

Uneasy relations between the Vatican and Israel have been further strained by plans to declare Nazi-era Pope Pius XII a saint, despite widespread criticism of his inaction during the Holocaust.

The controversy, which has lingered for decades resurfaced in October as the Pontiff defended the memory of his wartime predecessor and said he wanted him beatified soon -- a first step towards declaring him a saint. But, citing Jewish sensitivities, the Vatican later indicated Benedict was holding off the process of having Pius declared a saint.

[Well, that's not quite the way it was, but the news agencies never bother to check up their background facts. To begin with, the Pope never said he 'wants him beatified soon' - it's not for him to say that. What he did say was that he hoped the beaitfication process could 'proceed happily'.]

Peres has stressed the row should not affect plans for the proposed papal trip.

Pope Paul VI was the first Pontiff to visit Israel, in 1964, and Pope John Paul II visited in 2000.

THIRD ENCYCLICAL TO COME OUT
EARLY NEXT YEAR?


Some of the initial commentary by the Italian MSM on the Pope's Message for the 2009 World Day of Peace have called it a preview of his social encyclical. Before I get around to translating some of the commentary, here is an excerpt from Vatican Radio's initial report:

Responding to a journalist's question At the news conference to present the Pope's message this morning, Cardinal Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace was asked about the Pope's so-called 'social encyclical'. Here is what he answered:

---

We are all awaiting the encyclical and we hope it will be published at the start of the New Year. I would think that the themes present in his Message for Peace will be further developed in the new encyclical.

---

A foretaste of
the Pope's 3rd encyclical
by Carlo Marroni
Translated from


The newspaper is Italy's equivalent of the Wall Street Journal or the Financial Times of London.


It is the appetizer - and a very rich one - to the imminent encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI on globalization.

The message of Benedict XVI for the World Day of Peace on January 1, 2009, is a summary of the Church's socio-economic thinking in recent years, but with the addition on an analysis on the causes of the current worldwide financial crisis.

One sees clearly the Pope's hand in Chapter 10 of the message, which denounces the logic of "the very short-term thinking, which aims at increasing the value of financial operations and concentrates on the technical management of various forms of risk".

In short, the world of 'financial global operators' who benefit fro short-term effects has been too tied up to self-referential motivations, "completely turned in on itself, lacking any long-term consideration of the common good".

The Pope's peace message in past years has confronted poverty, the consequences of wars, the dynamics of demography, but never before has it treated so concretely and integrally the world of finance.

But times change, crises evolve, and new protagonists emerge. Among whom one could list the Italian Minister of Economy, Giulio Tremonti, who cited a 1985 paper by then Cardinal Ratzinger on the limits of the free market, in an address on November 21 to the Catholic University of Milan.

At the presentation of the peace message, Cardinal Raffaele Martino was asked whether Tremonti had contributed to the contents of the message regarding the financial crisis.

After a quick consultation with Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, Cardinal Martino smiled and answered, "No comment".

A denunciation of a financial world that cannot see beyond its own nose, of speculative market schemes that aggravate the food crisis in poorer nations, anti-poverty policies that interfere with demographic development (Example: Cardinal Martino cites a current figure of 45 million abortions annually around the world), an unstoppable race to amass conventional weapons, and international commerce that serve to exclude poor countries destined to grow in numbers and be more increasingly burdened - all this, for the Church and the Pope, is proof that globalization in itself is unable to produce development, justice or peace.





Pope targets causes of poverty
in World Peace Day message



Vatican City, Dec. 11 (dpa) - Pope Benedict XVI has attacked financial greed, the arms race and unjust trade practices, which he identified as the root causes of poverty, in a document issued by the Vatican on Thursday.

The Pontiff's words are contained in a message for the Roman Catholic Church's traditional January 1, World Day of Peace, which for 2009 is themed: Fighting Poverty to Build Peace.

In his most outspoken and detailed analysis of poverty since his 2005 election, Benedict also focused on the current food crisis which, according to United Nations data published this week, has increased the number of hungry people to almost 1 billion.

Hunger is not caused by a shortage of food, but rather "difficulty in gaining access to it and by different forms of speculation," the pontiff said.

As for the current financial crisis, Benedict said that global markets, which are dominated by developed nations, are based "upon short-term thinking which aims at increasing the value of financial operations and concentrates on the technical management of various forms of risk."

Instead greater co-operation is needed between rich and poor countries to establish fairer trade practices and support for "fighting crime and fostering a culture of legality," Benedict said.

But the Pontiff, in an apparent reference to communism and similar ideologies, warned against "the illusion that a policy of mere redistribution of existing wealth can definitively resolve" poverty.

"Wealth creation ... must be kept in mind if the fight against material poverty is to be effective in the long term," the pontiff said.

The Pope also defined what he described as "moral and spiritual poverty," which, he suggested, is as widespread in the developed world as in poor nations.

In this context, Benedict defended the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion, and took issue with humanitarian groups who advocate the termination of pregnancy as a means to control population growth or to assert human rights.

"The extermination of millions of unborn children in the name of the fight against poverty, actually constitutes the destruction of the poorest of all human beings," Benedict said in the message.

Commenting on the Pontiff's words, the head of the Vatican's social justice department, Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, said 45 million "innocents" die because of abortion each year.

Benedict also referred to the fight against AIDS which he said could only be done effectively if "moral issues connected with the spread of the (HIV) virus are also addressed."

Referring to Catholic opposition to the use of condoms, including as a means to prevent the spread of AIDS, Martino said the Pope was again stressing a "sexual ethic" which for the Church sees sexual relations confined within marriage between men and women.




Pope urges outrage over
the 'cruel forces of poverty'
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.

December 11, 2008


Arguing that the current financial crisis illustrates the failures of an economic approach “turned in on itself, lacking any long-term consideration of the common good,” Pope Benedict XVI today insisted that the struggle against “the cruel forces of poverty” must be the heart of any effort to promote global peace.

Facing chronic poverty, Benedict appealed for a sense of moral outrage: “Effective means to redress the marginalization of the world’s poor will only be found if people everywhere feel personally outraged by the injustices in the world, and by the concomitant violations of human rights,” he wrote.

Among other things, Benedict denounced escalating expenditures on weapons, called for greater attention to a mounting global food crisis, and insisted that efforts to curb child poverty in particular represent an urgent priority.

The comments came in Benedict’s annual message for the World Day of Peace, observed by the Catholic church on Jan. 1. The theme for the pope’s message this year is “Fighting Poverty to Build Peace.”

The message was presented this morning in a Vatican news conference.

Benedict stressed that he was not calling simply for new structures or policy measures, as important as they are, but also personal conversion.

“We often consider only the superficial and instrumental causes of poverty without attending to those harbored within the human heart, like greed and narrow vision,” he wrote. “What the fight against poverty really needs are men and women who live in a profoundly fraternal way and are able to accompany individuals, families and communities on journeys of authentic human development.”

Benedict argued that the mounting global financial crisis reveals a lack of sensitivity to the common good.

“The recent crisis demonstrates how financial activity can at times be completely turned in on itself, lacking any long-term consideration of the common good,” he wrote. “This lowering of the objectives of global finance to the very short term reduces its capacity to function as a bridge between the present and the future, and as a stimulus to the creation of new opportunities for production and for work.”

“Finance limited in this way to the short and very short term becomes dangerous for everyone, even for those who benefit when the markets perform well,” the pope wrote.

He also called for new curbs on the global arms trade.

“An excessive increase in military expenditure risks accelerating the arms race, producing pockets of underdevelopment and desperation, so that it can paradoxically become a cause of instability, tension and conflict,” he wrote.

Benedict called upon governments around the world to address the injustices which often form the underlying basis for conflicts. Strikingly, the pope asked governments to practice “courageous self-criticism.”

The Pope’s strong anti-poverty message came with two important caveats.

First, Benedict insisted that efforts to reduce poverty not be based on the assumption that population growth is at odds with economic development, and therefore that efforts to promote birth control or abortion should be part of anti-poverty strategies.

In fact, the Pope argued, some of the nations that experienced the strongest economic growth in the latter half of the 20th century also had surging populations.

Second, Benedict made clear that he was not talking primarily about classic bureaucratic approaches to fighting poverty, premised on government programs to redistribute wealth.

“The illusion that a policy of mere redistribution of existing wealth can definitively resolve the problem must be set aside,” the pope wrote. “Wealth creation therefore becomes an inescapable duty, which must be kept in mind if the fight against material poverty is to be effective in the long term.”

Benedict XVI is expected to issue a new social encyclical in the near future, so today’s message for the World Day of Peace may offer a preview of that document.

THE POPE TALKS ON ST. PAUL
TO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF ROME
Translated from







VATICAN CITY, Dec. 12 - "This year, the itinerary prepared for you by the diocese of Rome opportunely ties in with the Pauline Year," Pope Benedict XVI told the university students of Rome today, at their annual meeting with the Bishop of Rome before they go on their Christmas vacation.

"The bimillenial anniversary of the Apostle's birth," he said, " is helping the whole Church to rediscover its own fundamental missionary vocation, and at the same time, to draw fully from the inexhaustible theological and spiritual treasure of the Pauline Letters."

He consigned symbolically to the students Paul's Letter to the Romans which he called "one of the most important cultural texts of all time".

Last year, the document he gave them for study and reflection was his second encyclical Spe salvi, just a few days after it had been released.

He expressed the hope that Paul's famous epistle would become for them "substantial nutriment for your faith, leading you to believe more and better, and to reflect on ourselves, in order to arrive at a 'thought out' faith, and at the same time, to live this faith, putting it into practice according to the truth of Christ's commandment."

Only thus, he told them, "the faith that one professes becomes 'credible' even for others, who will be conquered by the eloquent testimony of facts."

The Christian announcement, he reminded them, "was revolutionary in the historical and cultural context of Paul's time" but conserves :a power of novelty that is always actual, and able to bring down other walls that continue to be erected in every context and every age."

The kernel of Paul's preaching was in the "newness of the salvation brought by Christ to mankind: in his death and resurrection, salvation is offered to all men without distinction".

"Offered, not imposed," the Pope emphasized. "Salvation is a gift that always requires being accepted personally. It is this, dear young people, that is the essential content of Baptism which is being proposed to you this year as a sacrament to rediscover, and for some of you, to receive or to confirm in a free and fully conscious choice."

"The death of Christ," said the Pope, "by God's power, is the source of life, inexhaustible spring of renewal in the Holy Spirit".

Thus, to be 'baptized in Christ' means "to be spiritually immersed in that death which is God's infinite and universal act of love, capable of rescuing every person and every creature from the slavery of sin and death".

On the other hand, "the new life of the Christian' consists in Christ's love from whom nothing can separate us, as Paul writes in the Letter, which, Benedict said, "is a message of faith, certainly, but at the same time is a truth that illuminates the mind, expanding it according to the horizons of God. It is a truth that orients real life, because the Gospel is the way to reach the fullness of life."

Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the Pope's new Vicar for Rome, celebrated Mass for the students, before the Pope came down from the Apostolic palace to address the gathering.




Here is a full translation of the Holy Father's address:

---

Eminent Cardinals,
Madame Minister and distinguished authorities,
Venerated brothers,
Illustrious rectors and professors,
Dear students!

The approach of the Holy Feast of the Nativity offers me the occasion, always a happy one, to meet the Roman university world.

I cordially greet Cardinal Agostino Vallini, my Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, and Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, whose presence brings back to my mind and heart the unforgettable experience of World Youth Day last July.

The handover of the icon of Mary Sedes Sapientiae (Seat of Wisdom) from the Romanian delegation to the Australians reminds us that this great 'network' of young people around the world is always active and in movement.

I thank the Rector of La Sapienza University of Rome and the student who addressed me in the name of everyone here.

I am grateful for the presence of the Minister for the University and Research, and wish every good to this sector, so important to the life of the nation.

I address a special greeting to the Israeli and Palestinian students who are studying in Rome, thanks to subsidies from the Lazio region and the Roman universities, and I also greet the three Rectors who took part yesterday bin the meeting on the topic, "From Jerusalem to Rome to construct a new humanism".

Dear friends, this year, the itinerary prepared for you by the Diocese of Rome ties in opportunely with the Pauline Year.

The bimillenial anniversary of the birth of the Apostle of the Gentiles is helping the entire church to rediscover its own fundamental missionary vocation, and at the same time, to draw fully from the inexhaustible theological and spiritual treasures of the Pauline Letters.

I myself, as you know, have been developing, week after week, a cycle of catecheses on this subject. I am convinced that even for you - on the personal level as well as in your community experience and apostolate in the university - the encounter with the figure and message of St. Paul will constitute a very enriching opportunity.

For this reason, I will be consigning to you shortly the Letter to the Romans, maximum expression of Pauline thought and a sign of his special consideration for the Church of Rome, or - to use the words of greeting of the Epistle itself - "to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy" (Rom 1,7).

The Letter to the Romans - as some of the professors present know very well - is without doubt one of the most important cultural texts of all time. But it is and remains principally a living message for the living Church, and as such, I place it in your hands this evening.

May this writing, which gushed forth from the heart of the Apostle, become substantial nutriment for your faith, bringing you to believe more and better, and even to reflect on yourselves, in order to arrive at a 'thought out' faith, and at the same time, to live this faith, putting it into practice according to the truth of Christ's commandment.

Only thus can the faith that one professes become 'credible' even to to others, who are conquered by the eloquent testimony of facts. Let Paul speak to you, Christian professors and students of Rome today, and make you participants in the experience that he had at first hand: that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is "the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Rom 2,16).

The Christian announcement, which was revolutionary in the historical and cultural context of Paul, had the power to bring down the 'wall of separation' that there was between Jews and pagans (cfr Eph 2,14; Rom 10,12).

It conserves the power of a novelty that is always actual, able to bring down other walls that come back to be erected in every context in every age.

The spring of this power is in the Spirit of Christ, to whom Paul consciously appeals. He said to the Christians of Corinth that, in his preaching, they should not count on "persuasive (words of) wisdom, but on a demonstration of spirit and power" (1 Cor 2,4).

And what was the kernel of his proclamation? It was the novelty of the salvation brought by Christ to mankind: in his death and resurrection, salvation is offered to all men without distinction.

Offered, not imposed. Salvation is a gift which always requires to be accepted personally. It is this, dear young people, that is the essential content of Baptism which this year is proposed to you as a Sacrament to rediscover, and for for some of you, to receive and to confirm as a free and fully conscious choice.

In the Letter of the Romans itself, we find a brilliant formulation of the meaning of Christian Baptism. "Are you unaware", Paul writes, "that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" (Rom 6,3)

As you can well gather, this is a very profound idea which contains all the theology of the Paschal mystery: the death of Christ, through the power of God, is the source of life, inexhaustible spring of renewal in the Holy Spirit.

To be 'baptized in Christ' means to be spiritually immersed in that death which is God's infinite and universal act of love, able to rescue every person and every creature from any slavery of sin and from death.

St. Paul, in fact, proceeds thus: "We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life" (Rom 6,4).

The apostle, in the Letter to the Romans, communicates to us all his joy in this mystery when he writes: "What will separate us from the love of Christ?... I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8, 35.38-39).

It is this same love of which the new life of Christians consists. Even here, St. Paul works an impressive synthesis, again a fruit of his personal experience: "The one who loves another has fulfilled the law," he writes. "Love is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom 13,8.10).

This, dear friends, is what I hand over to you this evening. It is a message of faith, certainly, but at the same time, it is a truth that illuminates the mind, expanding it according to the horizons of God.

It is a truth that orients real life, because the Gospel is the way to reach the fullness of life.

This is the way that Jesus already traced out - indeed, he is the Way himself, who has come from the Father to us, so that we may, through him, reach the Father. This is the mystery of Advent and of Christmas.

May the Virgin Mary and St. Paul help you to adore him and to make him your own with profound faith and intimate joy.

Thank you all for your presence. In view of the coming Christmas festivities, I extend heartfelt wishes to all of you, to your families and others dear to you. Have a good Christmas!

---

Among the university rectors chosen to address the Holy Father before his address was the rector of La Sapienza University (in left photo below).

OR today.

Benedict XVI's message for World Peace Day on January 1, 2009:
'Fight poverty and build peace'
The Church's concerns about the international situation gets full play in Page 1 today. After the Message for World Peace Day, the other big story was the observance of Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, and the Pope's statement after the concert to mark it Wednesday afternoon at the Vatican, that human rights remain fragile unless they have a solid ethical base, as well as the Holy See's formal statement to the United Nations on the occasion; and a report from the United Nations that the world today has six million persons living as refugees.



THE POPE'S DAY

At 9 a.m., the Holy Father and the Roman Curia listened to the Second Sermon for Advent of Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa,
Preacher of the Pontifical Household, at the Redemptoris Mater Chapel of the Apostolic palace.

Later, the Holy Father met with
- Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B., Bishop of Hong Kong
- Bishops of Taiwan (Group 2) on ad limina visit. Address in English.
- Participants of the plenary session of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Address in Italian.
- Erwin Pröll, Governor of Lower Austria, and a group of pilgrims representing the region which donated
the Christmas tree for St. Peter's Square this year
- The Co-Prince of Andorra for the exchange of documents on the ratification of an agreement between
the Holy See and the Principality of Andorra

In the afternoon, he meets with Group 3 of the Bishops from Taiwan.



The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith presented today the Instruction
"Dignitas Personae: On certain questions of bioethics" at a news conference.

The 56-page English synthesis of the document is on
212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/23039.php?index=23039&po_date=12.12.2008&lang=it#SINTESI%20IN%20LINGUA%2...



TAIWANESE BISHOPS:
UNITED WITH MAINLAND CATHOLICS





VATICAN CITY, 12 DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father received the bishops of the Taiwanese Episcopal Conference this morning at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

In the speech addressed to them the Pope emphasized that the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Catholic Evangelization in Taiwan represented "an occasion to manifest ever more eagerly your oneness with each other and with our Lord as you together promote the Church's common apostolate".

"This unity of mind and heart", he continued, "is evidenced by your desire to cooperate more closely in spreading the Gospel among non-believers and forming those already initiated into the Church through Baptism and Confirmation. I am pleased to note that you continue to coordinate a variety of institutions for this purpose, with due emphasis on the parish, the 'prime mover and pre-eminent place for catechesis'".

Speaking of the need FOR priests and catechists, the Pope recalled that the programs of priestly formation should be "designed with due consideration for the variety of ages, life conditions and duties found among your clergy" and asked that the catechists be furnished '"with the necessary resources so that they may follow the example of Jesus in speaking the truth straightforwardly and in a way readily accessible to all".

"Effective catechesis inevitably builds stronger families, which in turn give birth to new priestly vocations... Parents, pastors, teachers, parish leaders, and all the members of the Church must set before young people the radical decision to follow Christ, so that in finding him, they find themselves".

Benedict XVI referred to the recent pastoral letter of his episcopate, "Social Concern and Evangelization", which "underscores the Church's need to engage actively in the promotion of family life".

"Your deep concern for the good of families and society as a whole", he said, "moves you to assist couples in preserving the indissolubility of their marital promises. Never tire in promoting just civil legislation and policies that protect the sacredness of marriage. Safeguard this sacrament from all that can harm it, especially the deliberate taking of life in its most vulnerable stages".

"The Church's solicitude for the weak similarly compels her to give special attention to migrants. In several recent pastoral letters, you have indicated the essential role of the parish in serving migrants and raising awareness of their needs.


THE FUTURE OF ECUMENICAL DIALOG




The Holy Father greets Cardinal Kasper, president of the Vatican's ecumenical council.

VATICAN CITY, 12 DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received the participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and its president, Cardinal Walter Kasper, at the Sala Clementina.

The session is dedicated to the theme "The Reception and Future of Ecumenical Dialogue".

This topic, the Pope said, "presents two essential dimensions: on the one hand the discernment of the path taken up to now and, on the other, the identification of new paths to follow, seeking to overcome together the differences that unfortunately persist in the relationships between the disciples of Christ".

"Without a doubt, theological dialogue constitutes an essential ingredient for re-establishing the full communion that we all aspire to and, therefore, it must be sustained and encouraged. This dialogue is developed more in the context of ecclesial relations that . broaden it and involve not only pastors but the entire People of God".

The Holy Father cited the progress made in "relations with the Orthodox Churches and the ancient Eastern Orthodox Churches, both for what they bring to theological dialogue as well as for the consolidation and growth of ecclesial fraternity".

He also cited the last document of the International Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches entitled "Ecclesial Communion: Conciliar Character and Authority", saying that "it safely opens a positive perspective of reflection on the relationship between primacy and sinodality in the Church, a crucially important point in the relations with our Orthodox brothers and sisters".

In conclusion, Benedict XVI recalled that the plenary session had given special attention to the "Harvest Project" - referring to ecumenical consensus/convergence on some fundamental aspects of the Christian faith identified in the papers of the first four international bilateral dialogues to those who participated in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council.

The results of the dialogue with "the Lutheran World Federation, the World Methodist Council, the Anglican Communion, and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches", he said, are at "an intermediate stage of the journey" and that it would be "useful and opportune to objectively analyze these results".



Pope thanks Austrians
for this year's Christmas tree



No VIS release on this, but here are quick notes from the Pope's remarks to the group in German:

The Holy Father met with a delegation from Lower Austria at the Hall of Blessings in St. Peter's Basilica to thank them for the Christmas trees they donated this year not only for St. Peter's Square but also for the Apostolic Palace, including the Pope's own apartment.

The delegation was led by the regional governor Edwin Proell and included the Bishop of Sankt Polten, Mons. Klaus Kueng, and Mayor Johann Seper of Gutenstein, the commune that provided the trees.

The delegation included a boys choir from Altenburg and musicians from Ziersdorf who performed for the Pope.

He said Christmas trees are both a symbol of life and a symbol of the light of Christ.

Vatican issues major
new bioethics document
By NICOLE WINFIELD




Presenting tne CDF Instruction today: from left, Mons. Rino Fisichella, Mons. Luis Ladaria Ferrer, Fr. Federico Lombardi, Mons. Elio Sgreccia and Prof. Maria Luisa Di Pietro.
NB: Mons. Ladaria, CDF secretary, represented Cardinal William Levada, CDF prefect, who is recovering from back surgery in San Francisco.

The 56-page English synthesis of the document is on
212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/23039.php?index=23039&po_date=12.12.2008&lang=it#SINTESI%20IN%20LINGUA%2...
The USCCB has the full text on
www.usccb.org/comm/Dignitaspersonae/Dignitas_Personae.pdf


VATICAN CITY, Dec. 12 (AP) - The Vatican raised its opposition to embryonic stem cell research, the morning-after pill, in vitro fertilization and human cloning to a new level Friday in a major new document on bioethics.

But in the document, the Vatican also said it approved of some forms of gene therapy and encouraged stem cell research using adult cells. And it said parents could in good conscience inoculate their children with vaccines produced with cells derived from aborted fetuses.

The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued Dignitas Personae (The Dignity of a Person) to answer bioethical questions that have emerged in the two decades since its last such document was published.

With it, the Vatican has essentially confirmed in a single, authoritative instruction the opinions of the Pontifical Academy for Life, a Vatican advisory body that has debated these issues for years.

The Vatican's overall position is formed by its belief that human life begins at conception, and must be afforded all the consequent respect and dignity from that moment on.

The Vatican also holds that human life should be created through intercourse between husband and wife, not in a Petri dish.

As a result, the Vatican said it opposed the morning-after pill, even if it doesn't cause an abortion, because an abortion was "intended." In the use of drugs such as RU-486, which causes the elimination of the embryo once it is implanted, the "sin of abortion" is committed; their use is thus "gravely immoral."

The Vatican also said it opposed in vitro fertilization because it involves separating conception from the "conjugal act" and often results in the destruction of embryos. The Vatican supports, however, techniques that help couples overcome obstacles to getting pregnant.

In the document, the Vatican elaborated on a host of issues surrounding assisted fertility, saying it:

_Opposed the selective reduction of embryos often used in in vitro procedures since it essentially is abortion.

_Opposed pre-implantation diagnosis of embryos since it may be followed by the destruction of those embryos deemed defective or otherwise undesirable.

_Opposed freezing embryos, since it is "incompatible with the respect owed to human embryos" and also means they were created in vitro.

It said that, while freezing eggs is not in itself immoral, it becomes unacceptable when it occurs for the sake of artificial procreation.

The Vatican lauded as "praiseworthy" the suggestion by some to let infertile couples "adopt" the thousands of frozen embryos that have been produced in vitro over the years. But it said such adoptions present a host of medical, psychological and legal problems.

The instruction also weighed in on research involving stem cells, cloning and gene therapy.

The Vatican stressed that it fully supported research involving adult stem cells. But it said obtaining stem cells from a living embryo, even for the sake of effective therapies, was "gravely illicit."

It said gene therapy on regular cells in the body other than reproductive ones was in principle morally licit since it sought to "restore the normal genetic configuration of the patient or to counter damage caused by genetic anomalies."

But it said that cell therapy which seeks to correct genetic defects with the aim of transmitting the therapy onto offspring was more problematic.

"Because the risks connected to any genetic manipulation are considerable and as yet not fully controllable, in the present state of research, it is not morally permissible to act in a way that may cause harm to the resulting progeny," the document said.

In the document, the Vatican also:

_Repeated its opposition to human cloning for both medical therapies and reproduction. Such techniques could result in an individual being subjected to a form of "biological slavery from which it would be difficult to free himself."

_Said parents could in good conscience use a vaccine for their children that was developed using cell lines from an "illicit origin." Religious groups in the United States have pressed the Vatican to issue a statement concerning the morality of using vaccines developed using cell lines derived from aborted fetuses.

"Grave reasons may be morally proportionate to justify the use of such 'biological material,'" the instruction said, adding that the parents would have to make known their disagreement with the way the vaccines were developed and press for alternatives.

But the document was very strong in stressing that researchers using such material were in a different position and had a greater degree of responsibility.

It said they had a moral duty to remove themselves from the "evil aspects" of the original, illicit act — even if they and their institutions had nothing to do with it.


Vatican condemns
embryo stem cell research, cloning
By Philip Pullella



VATICAN CITY, Dec. 12 (Reuters) – A Vatican bioethics document Friday condemned artificial fertilization and other techniques used by many couples and also said human cloning, "designer babies" and embryonic stem-cell research were immoral.

The long awaited document from the Vatican's doctrinal body marked a big step by the Vatican into the brave new world of biotechnology, an area in which governments around the world are struggling to formulate legislation.

The document also condemned new drugs that block pregnancy from taking hold, such as the so-called "morning-after pill" and the drug RU-486, which blocks the action of hormones needed to keep a fertilized egg implanted in the uterus.

These drugs, as well as the IUD (intrauterine device), which has been in use for decades, were deemed to fall "within the sin of abortion" and are gravely immoral.

Dignitas Personae (Dignity of a person), an Instruction "on certain bioethical questions," is an attempt to bring Church doctrine up to date with recent advances in science and medicine.

The document, the most authoritative of its kind from the Vatican in 20 years, said human life deserved respect "from the very first stages of its existence (and) can never be reduced merely to a group of cells."

"The human embryo has, therefore, from the very beginning, the dignity proper to a person," said the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith's document, approved by Pope Benedict who headed the same office before his election in 2005.

It said most forms of artificial fertilization "are to be excluded" because "they substitute for the conjugal act ... which alone is truly worthy of responsible procreation."

Condemning in-vitro fertilization, it said the techniques "proceed as if the human embryo were simply a mass of cells to be used, selected and discarded."

The highly technical document said only adult stem cell research was moral because embryonic stem cell research involved the destruction of embryos. It also condemned freezing embryos.

Governments in countries including the United States are grappling with legislation on embryonic stem cell research.

The outgoing administration of U.S. President George W. Bush has placed restrictions on federal funds for embryonic stem cell research but President-elect Barack Obama has promised to lift them.

The 35-page document also attacked the concept of "designer babies," either by pre-implantation diagnosis during in vitro fertilization where embryos are selected before being transferred to a woman's womb, or in attempts at human cloning in the future.

It branded as "shameful and utterly reprehensible" diagnosis aimed at ensuring that only embryos free from defects or having the desired sex or other particular qualities are transferred into a woman's womb.

It condemned the concept of human cloning "to satisfy certain specific desires, for example, control over human evolution, selection of human beings with superior qualities, pre-selection of the sex of a child to be born, production of a child who is the "copy" of another, or production of a child for a couple whose infertility cannot be treated in another way."

Saying life was sacred from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death, the document also defended the Roman Catholic Church's right to intervene on such matters.

"There are those who say that the moral teaching of the Church contains too many prohibitions. In reality, however, her teaching is based on the recognition and promotion of all the gifts which the Creator has bestowed on man: such as life, knowledge, freedom and love," it said.


Vatican condemns cloning,
embryonic stem cell research
By Michelle Boorstein and Rob Stein

Dec. 12, 2008



The Vatican, in its first authoritative statement on reproductive science in more than 20 years, today condemned human cloning, designer babies, embryonic stem cell research that destroys human embryos and a host of techniques widely used to help infertile couples.

The sweeping 32-page document, which comes from the Catholic Church's highest rule-making authority and has the approval of Pope Benedict, warns about the moral dangers of a variety of procedures, including the freezing of unfertilized eggs and embryos, the injection of sperm directly into eggs, and the genetic testing of embryos to identify those with defects.

Although many of the arguments in Dignitas Personae -- Latin for "the dignity of a person" -- have been made before by Benedict and his predecessor, Pope John Paul, in public comments or writings, a church "instruction" from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is far more authoritative.

It reflects the Vatican's desire to focus attention on ethical questions raised by technologies that are becoming increasingly commonplace in the United States and elsewhere.

In addition to influencing Catholic doctors, patients and researchers, the document could spur debate among non-Catholics and possibly play a role in current political debates.

Barack Obama, for example, has promised to end restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, and the Bush administration is finalizing a broad new federal regulation designed to protect health-care workers who object to providing therapies or care they find morally objectionable. The document does not address either of those issues directly but provides ethical guidance on both.

"It makes very clear that the Church is very closely watching scientific progress and favors that progress but wants ethics to be part of that," said Richard Doerflinger of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "The whole subject of misuse of technology to demean human dignity is a major concern."

"I hope it will make Catholics more aware that they should not be cooperating with these technologies. None of this respects the dignity of the human person," said Kathleen Raviele, president of the Catholic Medical Association.

Catholic bioethicists and physicians were eager to read the Vatican's judgment on a variety of issues, including whether it is moral for people to "adopt" embryos that have gone unused by the parents who had them created -- a practice President Bush highlighted when he restricted federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

The Vatican document warned that the practice could help perpetuate the creation of more embryos outside the human body and outside heterosexual marriage.

It did not explicitly forbid the practice, but it sees the embryos as "consigned to an absurd fate with no morally acceptable solution," Doerflinger said.

Only a handful of Catholic experts were allowed to preview the document, and it was difficult to immediately gauge what impact it will have. Many non-Catholic bioethicists are also focused on technologies mentioned in the document, but the Catholic Church is historically a leader in the field of bioethics and is the world's largest Christian denomination.

Dignitas Personae, which is being released at an afternoon news conference in Rome, seeks to update Donum Vitae {The gift of life), which came out in 1987 and focused on in-vitro fertilization.

That was written by Pope Benedict -- then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- who was then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and has shaped its work and views.

Experts who had seen the document predicted it would trigger intense debate about embryo adoption as well as about alternative methods that have been proposed for obtaining embryonic stem cells. Those cells can be turned into any cell in the body and scientists hope to use them to treat a host of diseases.

Alternative methods, which involve, for example, cells that have been altered so they could never develop into a viable embryo, deserve further research in animals, the document said.

"What you have here is a green light to do it in animals with a view of settling it scientifically whether you can do it without creating a human embryo," said Robert P. George, a Princeton University bioethicist who serves on the President's Council on Bioethics and reviewed the document. "I think that's exactly where the Church should be -- let the science go forward."

Experts also said many Catholic parents would be reassured by the document's suggestion that vaccines that might have originally been developed using cells from aborted fetuses are acceptable. The document said parents should, however, register their opposition and use such vaccines only if there are no other alternatives.

The Church objects to such technologies for many reasons. Perhaps most importantly, the Church argues that life begins at conception, and so anything that results in the destruction of an embryo is considered immoral.

The Church also objects to any technology that separates procreation from sex between a married heterosexual couple, which makes many modern infertility therapies, such as in-vitro fertilization, "illicit."

Cloning and genetic engineering, in the Church's view, in essence put humans perilously close to attempting to play the role of God.

Maureen L. Condic, an associate professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the University of Utah School of Medicine, welcomed the Church's cautions.

"I think we are entering very rapidly into an age of great scientific potential and an age of great scientific peril," Condic said. "Science is advancing to the point of refashioning human nature and utilizing human beings in a variety of different contexts. I think this should raise grave concerns for any person who believes that humans have intrinsic dignity."

Glenn McGee, editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Bioethics, had not seen the document but said Pope Benedict in his career had commandeered a "broad attack on American technology" that had seriously diminished the freedom and prestige of Catholic bioethicists, causing fewer to speak out and write about such issues.

He said prenatal genetic testing is extremely common in Catholic hospitals and that Catholics make up a huge percentage of in-vitro fertilization patients.

"All bioethics journal editors are seeing a trend. We always talk about: Where did all the religious figures go who write about bioethics? Catholics in particular," he said.

Advocates for in-vitro fertilization and other infertility treatments had not seen the document but defended the technologies.

"It has contributed to the quality of life of patients and families through the improved ability to have children, which clearly is a worthwhile goal and a focus of many couples in their life goals," said Robert G. Brzyski, who chairs the ethics committee for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. More than 50,000 babies are born using in-vitro fertilization each year in the United States, he said.

"The fact is that most naturally created embryos are lost along the way," Brzyski said. "It's a reality of human biology."

Stem cell researchers also defended their work.

"I continue to believe that stem cell research is a moral imperative because of the tremendous needs of our patients and our goal in medical research to cure disease and relieve suffering," said George Daley of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. "Cells are not people and embryos are not people, and my first responsibility as a physician is to patients -- not cells in a petri dish." [Hey, Mr. Daley! The Church is OK, has always been, with adult stem-cell research where much of the progress in this field has been registered, just not with embryo research!]

Doerflinger noted that the document prominently praised scientific research, calling science "an invaluable service to the integral good of the life and dignity of every human being."


The problem with single-minded critics of the Church is that they consider any criticism or disagreement with specific uses and applications of science to be a condemnation by the Church of science in general - and deliberately foster this obvious fallacy in the public mind.

Has anyone ever branded opponents of nuclear weapons 'enemies of science' because they oppose the use of science to make weapons of mass destruction? No! And yet, the opposition of the Church to the misuse of possible technologies to manipulate natural life processes beyond normal therapeutic measures is exactly on the same order.

It is also very annoying that the media invariably use the loaded word 'condemn' whenever they report - and make headlines - about Church opposition to anything, a catchword to say "Watch out! Here's the Pope again breathing fire and brimstone on those who disagree with the Church."

***

It is emblematic of the above problem that there is need for a story like the following:


Officials say Vatican document
not an attack on modern science
By John Thavis



VATICAN CITY, Dec. 12 (CNS) -- The Vatican's new instruction setting forth moral principles in biotechnology should not be seen as a negative attack on modern science but as a defense of the sacred nature of human life, Vatican officials said.

"This is in no way an attempt to say 'halt' to the commitment of science in favor of life," Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said in a statement.

"On the contrary, the document offers a series of guideposts so that science is truly at the service of life and not of death, or of the arbitrary and dangerous manipulation of the human person," he said.

The instruction, Dignitas Personae, was issued Dec. 12 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It presents teachings -- and in many cases moral prohibitions -- in areas such as stem-cell research, human cloning, gene therapy and embryo experimentation.

In general, the document rejects any procedure that separates procreation from the conjugal act in marriage or presents risks to human life from the moment of conception.

"The Church believes it must be courageous and decisive in affirming these principles. The continuity of the development of the human being from the moment of conception does not allow for uncertainty in the defense of the embryo and his dignity," Father Lombardi said.

"This is a position in favor of small and weak human beings, who have no voice and who today, in fact, do not find many who speak in their favor," he said.

Dominican Father Augustine Di Noia, undersecretary of the doctrinal congregation, told Vatican Radio that it would be wrong to see the new document as a series of "No's" against prohibited services.

As Pope Benedict XVI has noted many times, these "No's" are derived from a much larger "Yes" to human life and human dignity, he said.

Father Di Noia said the document offers a number of other positive reflections, including appreciation of science and its recent developments, a "yes" to fertility treatments that overcome pathologies and re-establish the normal functioning of human procreation, a "yes" to the therapeutic use of stem cells when obtained licitly, and a "yes" to the value of every human being.

"Some of these affirmations and positive assertions have a negative side, but their principal direction is a positive account, a vision of what it means to be human, and why human life is sacred from conception to natural death," he said.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, predicted that the document would provoke various reactions. Some will ignore it, some will deride it, and others will label it another church effort to impede progress, he told a Vatican press conference.

But many, he said, will share the Vatican's concern and analysis, and others will be prompted by its teachings to formulate questions of their own regarding the morality of recent scientific developments.



Pope Benedict offers ethical
evaluation of biomedical advances



Vatican City, Dec 12, 2008 (CNA)- Today Pope Benedict XVI, through the work of several Vatican congregations, weighed-in on the ethical nature of various fertility treatments, experiments with stem cells, human cloning and the creation of hybrid embryos.

The new document issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) is the result of six years of study and deliberation on the most recent developments in the field of bio-technology.

Beginning with the words “the dignity of the person” (in Latin, Dignitas Personae), the aim of the three-part instruction is to provide responses from the Church to new bioethical questions that didn’t exist when the Church released her last biomedical document in 1987.

According to the CDF, the document seeks “both to contribute ‘to the formation of conscience’ and to encourage biomedical research respectful of the dignity of every human being and of procreation.”

Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, S.J., Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, explained at a press conference at the Vatican today that Dignitas Personae carries the weight of an official teaching of the Pope and "is of a doctrinal nature."

Archbishop Ladaria described the document as encouraging “biomedical investigation that respects the dignity of all human beings and of procreation.”

While it “does not exclude diverse biomedical technology as ethically illicit,” he said, "it will probably be accused of containing too many prohibitions.

“Nevertheless, faced with this possible accusation it is necessary to emphasize that the Church feels the duty of making those without voices heard."

Also speaking at the press conference was Professor Maria Luisa Di Pietro, associate professor of Bioethics at the Sacred Heart University, Rome, and President of the "Science and Life" Association.

Di Pietro noted that the new instruction from the CDF deals with techniques like assisted fertility, in vitro fertilization, the freezing of embryos and eggs, embryo reduction, and pre-implant diagnosis, among others.

As noted by Archbishop Ladaria, the Vatican finds many of the practices in use today immoral. In vitro fertilization, for example, is found to be immoral because of the “blithe acceptance of the enormous number of abortions involved.”

This fact alone “vividly illustrates how the replacement of the conjugal act by a technical procedure…leads to a weakening of the respect owed to every human being,” the document says.

Bishop Elio Sgreccia, the former president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, addressed the third part of the document that deals with newly proposed therapies that involve the manipulation of the embryo or the human gene pool.

"The text holds that it is necessary," he said, "to keep in mind one fundamental distinction: theoretically, genetic therapy can be applied to somatic cells with directly therapeutic ends or to germinal cells."

The current work on germinal cells is not moral because “there still does not exist a safe technique," he stressed, "because it could entail the risk of deformation in the hereditary genetic patrimony of future generations."

Bishop Sgreccia also affirmed that "the distinction between reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning is untenable.”


John Allen has a fairly lengthy instant analysis of Dignitas Personae, which I have posted in FAITH AND SCIENCE.

Pope's busy year highlights three themes:
St. Paul, the Bible, U.S. trip
By John Thavis



VATICAN CITY, Dec. 12 (CNS) -- For Pope Benedict XVI, 2008 was the year of St. Paul, the year of the Bible and the year of the United States.

Amid the hundreds of papal meetings and events, those three themes stood out in special focus as 2008 drew to a close.

In June, the Pope opened a jubilee year to celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul. Accompanied by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and other representatives of Orthodox and Anglican churches, he said the apostle was a model of missionary courage for people struggling against religious indifference in modern society.

In October, the Pope presided over a three-week Synod of Bishops on the Word of God that explored ways to bring Catholics closer to the Bible and promote better use of Scripture in liturgy and catechesis.

Closing the assembly, the Pope emphasized that the church's missionary activity will fall flat unless it is nourished by scriptural reading and understanding.

The Pope will now write a follow-up document based on the synod's 55 final propositions, which included a proposal to admit women to the official ministry of lector, or Scripture reader, at Mass.

In April, Pope Benedict made his first papal visit to the United States, spending six days in Washington and New York and addressing the U.N. General Assembly. Among the highlights were a private meeting with victims of clergy sex abuse, Masses at baseball stadiums in both cities and a solemn visit to ground zero to pray for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

During his U.S. visit, the Pope took aim at what he called the "attack of a new secularism" that threatens to undermine traditional moral values and the voice of religion in public affairs.

American society is at a moral crossroads, he told his listeners, as it faces problems such as social alienation and anger, increased violence and "forgetfulness of God."

The Pope's clear and repeated condemnation of sex abuse in the United States was echoed during his July trip to Australia, where he joined more than 200,000 young Catholics from 170 countries for World Youth Day celebrations. Before leaving the country, he celebrated a private Mass with Australian victims of clergy sex abuse.

His visit to Australia was the longest foreign trip in duration and distance. Addressing cheering throngs of young people, he urged them to give themselves to Jesus and told them: "In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair."

In June, President George W. Bush paid a visit to the Vatican, in a sense returning the Pope's visit to the White House two months earlier. The two leaders spoke privately and then, in a break with protocol, took an informal walk through the Vatican Gardens.

Although the Pope and the Vatican steered clear of involvement in the U.S. presidential election campaign, as soon as it was over the Pope sent a message to President-elect Barack Obama, congratulating him and offering prayers for him and the entire country. [And he would have done the same thing, whoever won the election!]

Pope Benedict's third foreign trip of 2008 was to France, where he celebrated Mass for an overflow crowd in Paris and visited the Marian shrine of Lourdes, where he commemorated the 150th anniversary of Mary's apparitions at the site.

China was clearly on the Pope's mind in 2008. In May, he welcomed China's Philharmonic Orchestra to the Vatican, saying he wanted to extend a hand of friendship to the country. Later that month, he let the Chinese people know he was praying for them following a deadly earthquake.

The Pope also established May 24 as the world day of prayer for the church in China. [He did this in 2007, in the Letter to the Catholics of China]. The text this year expressed the hope that Catholics in China would never live in fear of spreading the Gospel.

The Church in Iraq suffered increasing anti-Christian violence and intimidation, and the Pope deplored the death of Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul, who was found dead in March, two weeks after being kidnapped. In July, the Pope discussed the worsening situation with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

In India, a deadly wave of anti-Christian violence in Orissa state prompted a papal appeal for greater government protection.

In inter-religious affairs, the Pope helped arrange a new chapter in Catholic-Muslim dialogue when the Catholic-Muslim Forum met at the Vatican in November. Addressing participants, he said members of both faiths have a common obligation to defend human rights and help the world's suffering.

In a meeting in October with the International Jewish Committee on Inter-Religious Consultations, the pope said Catholic-Jewish dialogue was a "sacred duty." The meeting was shadowed in part by continuing controversy over the sainthood cause of Pope Pius XII.

At a Mass Oct. 9 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pope Pius's death, the pope defended the late pope's efforts to help Jews during World War II; at the same time, he has put Pope Pius's cause on hold while the Church reflects more deeply on the issue, Vatican officials announced.

In liturgical matters, Pope Benedict introduced some changes to papal Masses; for one thing, those receiving Communion from the Pope now receive the host on the tongue while kneeling.

He also approved optional wordings for the concluding words at Mass and was considering a proposal to move the sign of peace to a different part of the liturgy.

The Pope issued no encyclicals or other major teaching documents in 2008, yet in talks to parishes, politicians and church organizations he focused increasingly on two themes: economic justice and the environment.

When international leaders met twice for financial consultations during the year, he urged them to tackle global poverty with courage and to honor the commitments made in 2000 toward structural relief to poorer countries.

To the Church's own faithful, he hammered home what has become a favorite theme: that the practice of real-world charity is a litmus test of Christian faith, and that those facing God's final judgment will have to respond to questions like, "Did you feed me when I was hungry?"

As the global economic crisis worsened during the year's second half, the Pope reminded financial institutions of their duty to put people before profits. He also reminded people that modern ideals of money and material success are passing realities, saying: "Whoever builds his life on these things -- on material things, on success, on appearances -- is building on sand."

In Australia, in the northern Italian mountains and at the Vatican, the Pope also spoke frequently about the need to safeguard creation. To World Youth Day participants, he emphasized that the morality of environmental protection flows from God's plan for creation as a whole.

In October, at the increasingly "green" Vatican City, he saw the installation of a new solar-panel roof at the Vatican's audience hall.



I suppose Mr. Thavis is catering to his employer, the US Conference of Bishops which owns CNS, IN singling out the US trip rather than giving equal billing to all three foreign trips the Holy Father made in 2009. World Youth Day and the Lourdes jubilee are not any less significant than the trip to the US - and by the way, the article omits any mention that the Pope also addressed the United Nations, the original motivation for the US trip, to begin with.

Pope visits Italian embassy today;
Will see 'new' Michelangelo Crucifix
recently acquired by the Italian government



ROME, Dec. 12 (Summarized/Translated from various items by ASCA) - Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Italian embassy to the Holy See at the 16th-century Palazzo Borromeo in Rome Saturday morning.

The visit comes two months after his official visit to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano at the Quirinale and tow months since the annual reception at the embassy to mark the singing of the Lateran Pacts in 1929 and its amendments in 1984.

The Lateran Pacts established the Vatican as a sovereign state and formally established relations with the Italian state which had been unresolved since the unification of Italy in 1860 which saw the dissolution of the Papal States which had occupied a significant part of the Italian peninsula.

The amendments in 1984 established the so-called eight-per-thousand (0.8%) share* of annual Italian state income tax revenues for the Church in Italy (through the Italian bishops conference) in compensation for all the Church properties nationalized during the unification. 2009 will mark the 80th and 25th anniversaries, respectively, of the Pacts and their amendment.

The Pope's visit will also mark the recent completion of restoration on the Palazzo's chapel dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo (1530-1584, who became cardinal-archbishop of Milan, canonized in 1610), whose family received the property as a gift from Pius IV when the future saint was a youth. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone re-dedicated the chapel on December 3.

Welcoming the Pope will be Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, Culture Minister Sandro Bondi, Undersecretary of the Prime Minister's Cabinet Gianni Letta, along with Ambassador Antonio Zanardi Landi.

Accompanying the Pope will be Cardinal Bertone and his two deputies, Monsignors Dominique Mamberti and Fernando Filoni, along with the Apostolic Nuncio to Italy, Mons. Giuseppe Bertello.

After praying at the chapel, where he will also greet embassy staff and their families, the Pope will meet with the Italian authorities. A highlight will be the presentation to the Pope of a 16-cm wooden Crucifix authoritatively attributed to Michelangelo, even in the absence of direct documentary evidence.

It was recently acquired by the Italian government for 3.5 million euros form its previous owner (unnamed) and will be displayed in public for the first time starting Dec. 23 at the Queen's Hall of the Italian Chamber of Deputies.

Its proportions are said to fit perfectly to the proportions indicated in Leonardo's famous drawing often called the Canon of Human Proportions (also, Vitruvian man).

The Verdi String Quartet of Milan will perform a Mozart quarter (the so-called Dissonance Quartet).

Before leaving the embassy, the Pope will unveil a commemorative plaque of his visit, the fourth by a Pope.

Earlier visits were by Pius XII, in June 1951, after he consecrated the new altar at the nearby Basilica of Sant'Eugenio; by Paul VI in October 1964, to consecrate the St. Charles Borromeo Chapel, to which he brought a relic of the saint; and by John Paul II in March 1986 during a pastoral visit to the parish, during which he gave an image of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa to the Borromeo Chapel.


*[Subsequently, the Italian government legislated that the state itself or other religions could benefit from this 0.8% share to be used for religious and social purposes only, depending on the individual taxpayer who can indicate his preference on his income tax form (the Catholic Church, the Italian State, the Jewish communities, or some designated Protestant denominations).

In practice, less than the required 40% of taxpayers have indicated a preference, so the revenue has been given according to a pre-determined share in which the Catholic Church gets 87% and the Italian state about 11%. In the past few years, the Catholic Church has received about a billion euros annually under the arrangement. It pays for most of the expenses of the Church in Italy (not the Vatican) including salaries for priests and parish employees.]


OR today has a piece on the Michelangelo Crucifix, which I am posting in the CULTURE&POLITICS thread

OR today.

Benedict XVI to the bishops of Taiwan on ad-limina visit:
'Stay spiritually united with your brothers on the mainland'

Other Page 1 stories: A commentary by Mons. Rino Fisichella - 'A common effort needed to defend life' - on the new Vatican instruction regarding some bioethical issues (the issue contains the entire Instruction as a supplement); and the exchange of documents between the Vatican and Andorra regarding Church matters in the principality. The inside pages contain the texts of the Pope's addresses to the plenary session of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (above left photo), to the Lower Austrian delegation for the Christmas trees donated this year to the Vatican (center photo), and to the Roman students Thursday night at St. Peter's Basilica (right photo).


THE POPE'S DAY

The Holy Father visited the Italian embassy to the Holy See at Rome's Palazzo Borromeo this morning.



VATICAN CHRISTMAS TREE LIT



Later today, the Christmas tree at St. Peter's Square was lit, as hundreds of pilgrims from the fir tree's native Austria sang carols in the pouring rain.

The Vatican says the 109-foot (33-meter) red spruce from the Piesting Valley is the tallest since Pope John Paul II started the tradition of setting up a tree in the square in 1982.

It is decorated with 2,000 gold and silver balls, white lights and a shining star. It stands next to a larger-than-life-sized Nativity scene which will be unveiled Christmas Eve.

Yesterday, addressing a delegation from Lower Austria, the region that donated the Christmas trees for the Vatican this year, the Holy Father spoke on the symbolism of the Christmas tree.

He thanked the Austrian pilgrims, saying it would give him joy to see it from his apartment window.

Here is a translation of the Pope's remarks:

---

A most cordial Gruess Gott to all of you who came to bring the Holy Father and to the Church in Rome the Christmas tree which, along with the Creche, will adorn St. Peter's Square during this Christmas season.

I welcome especially the regional Governor of Lower Austria, Dr. Erwin Proell, whom I thank for the kind words he expressed in the name of all who are here.

I greet the Bishop of Sankt Poelten, Klaus Kueng, whom I also thank for his words which have touched my heart.

As a representative of the delegation and all the guests from Lower Austria, I greet the mayor of Gutenstein, Johann Seper, in whose territory this majestic tree grew - the tallest so far in the history of the Christmas trees at St. Peter's Square.

And not the least, I greet the young singers of Altenburg and the musicians of Ziersdorf, who have given our meeting a festive air with their performances, and are, so to speak, the messengers of your country's rich culture and its multiple traditions.

Thank you from my heart! Where Austria is, there is music - and we have experienced that today in a wonderful way.

The gift that comes from the woods of your beautiful country - including other trees you have brought that will bring the Christmas atmosphere to the Apostolic Palace and other places in the Vatican, including my own study - reminds me of the visit which I made to your country last year.

On that occasion, I visited one of the great convents [Heiligenkreuz Abbey in the Vienna Woods] that are a feature of your country and testify to its profoundly Christian history.

It should be the task of all the faithful to see to it that such testimony for Christ remains alive even in the future, in order to give men support and orientation in their lives, or, as you, Mr. Governor, said in concrete terms - a guardrail to hold on to, so we can move ahead.

The Christmas tree will, in the coming weeks, bring joy to the Romans and to many pilgrims from every part of the world who will be coming to the Eternal City during the festivities for the Nativity of Christ.

I, too, will be looking at it from my window, and it will be my joy when I can look down and admire the Creche and the tree. But I will also have occasion to go down to the tree directly, pray before the Baby Jesus, and enjoy the lights of the tree and its beauty.

Its arrow-like form, its greenery and the lights on its branches are a symbol of life. The lights bring us all the mystery of that Holy Night.

Christ, the Son of God, brings to the dark world, cold and unredeemed, into which he was born, a new hope and a new splendor. If man allows himself to be touched and illuminated by the splendor of the living truth that Christ is, he will experience an interior peace in his heart, and he himself will become a peacemaker in a society which yearns so much for reconciliation and redemption.

Dear friends, once more let me say 'Vergelt's Gott!' ['May God reward you' - a Bavarian and Austrian form of saying Thank you] for this beautiful gift!

I also thank everyone who was unable to come here, the sponsors, and those who took care of transporting the trees. May the Lord reward you for the willingness with which you generously contributed to this project.

I extend to you my best wishes for a Christmas celebration filled with grace, and I ask you to extend my wishes to your families and all your fellow citizens.

I assure you of my prayers for your families and for your wonderful country, as I commend you all to the intercession of Mary, Patroness of Austria, and your region's patron saint Leopold, who now, as a beautiful sculpture, will also be able to be 'at home' in my room.

May the Lord protect your region and bless all Austria.

---

VISIT TO ITALIAN EMBASSY


The Vatican has posted the texts of the Holy Father's visit today to the Italian Embassy to the Holy See housed in Rome's 16th-century Palazzo Borromeo. [See preparatory article and backgrounder two posts above.]



The Pope admires the Michelangelo Crucified Christ recently acquired by the Italian government.


VISIT OF THE HOLY FATHER
TO THE ITALIAN EMBASSY TO THE HOLY SEE
Translated from



At 10:45 this morning, the Holy Father Benedict XVI left the Vatican by car to visit the Italian Embassy to the Holy See.

Upon his arrival he was greeted by Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, the Deputy Under-Secretary of the Prime Minister's Cabinet Gianni Letta, and Ambassador Antonio Zanardi Landi.

Before entering the Chapel of the Embassy, the Holy Father greeted the children of the office staff who lined the way.



He spent a few moments in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and then addressed the Embassy staff and their families after a tribute from Mr. Letta, who also extended an apology in the name of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who could not be present because of his daughter's wedding today.

Here is a translation of the Pope's remarks:

---

Mr. Under-Secretary to the President's Council of Ministers,
Dear friends:

On my brief visit here to the Italian Embassy, my first appointment takes place in this beautiful chapel that has just been renovated and restored.

I am very happy to meet you here in this chapel, you who constitute the community of life and work in this Embassy. I greet you all and your families with affection.

I address a special greeting to the Undersecretary of the Cabinet who has brought me the greetings of the Prime Minister, and has addressed a warm welcome to me in your behalf.

He recalled that this chapel, which was blessed a few days ago by the Cardinal Secretary of State, is dedicated to a saint whose name is indissolubly linked to this building, St. Charles Borromeo.

He, together with his brother Federico, received this building as a gift from their uncle, Pope Pius IV, with whom, when he was named cardinal at a young age, he collaborated in the governance of the universal Church.

Indeed, it was after the death of his older brother that the young nephew of the Pope began a process of spiritual maturation which led to a profound conversion marked by his decisive choice of an evangelical life.

When he became a bishop, he dedicated all his attention to the Archdiocese of Milan. His biography shows clearly the zeal with which he carried out his episcopal ministry, in constant closeness to the people, especially during the years of the plague, so that he came to be called, because of his generous dedication, "the angel of the plague-stricken".

The human and spiritual experience of St. Charles Borromeo shows how divine grace can transform the heart of man and make him capable of love for his brothers to the point of sacrificing himself.

Dear brothers and sisters, I entrust each of you present here and your loved ones to the protection of St. Charles, so that you may realize the mission given to you of service to your neighbor according to your different assignments.

Finally, I take the occasion to wish you all a merry and blessed Christmas, while I bless you all from the heart.

---

After this, the Pope unveiled a plaque to commemorate his visit.

He then proceeded to the Hall of Flags where he was welcomed by other government ministers and shown a wooden sculpture of the Crucified Christ attributed to Michelangelo.



Antonio Paiolucci, director of the Vatican Museums, and Cristina Acidini, superintendent of the Florence state museums, brief the Pope about the Michelangelo Crucifix.

From there he proceeded to the Embassy Reception Hall. The Verdi String Quartet from Milan played the fourth movement of Mozart's Quartet No. 19 in C-major, K. 465.






After a tribute addressed to him by Foreign Minister Frattini, the Holy Father delivered the following remarks. Here is a translation:

---

Mr. Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Under-Secretary of the Cabinet,
Mr. Ambassador to the Holy See,
Representatives of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See,
Illustrious authorities,
Ladies and gentlemen!


I am truly happy to have been able to accept the kind invitation for me to visit this historic edifice, the seat of the Embassy of Italy to the Holy See.

I greet everyone cordially, starting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, whom I thank for the kind words he addressed to me.

I greet the other ministers and authorities present, and especially Ambassador Antonio Zanardi Landi. I thank you from my heart for the kind welcome, which came with a pleasing musical intermezzo.

As we have been reminded, this historic Palazzo has received visits from three of my predecessors: the Servants of God Pius XII, on June 2, 1951; Paul VI, on October 2, 1964; and John Paul II, on March 2, 1986.

In today's solemn but at the same time familial circumstances, I am also reminded of my recent encounters with the President of the Republic: last April, at the concert he offered me to mark the third anniversary of the start of my ministry on Peter's Chair; last October 4, at the Quirinale; and then, last Wednesday, at the Vatican, for the concert that marked the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which you referred, Mr. Foreign Minister.

As I address today a deferential and grateful greeting to the President of the Republic, I am happy to reiterate what I said at the Quirinale, that "in the City of Rome, the Italian State and the Apostolic Seat live together peacefully and collaborate fruitfully".

It suffices to note the singular attention shown by the Pontiffs towards this diplomatic seat to acknowledge the important role that the Embassy of Italy has played and continues to play in the intense and special relations between the Holy See and the Italian Republic, as well as in the relations of mutual collaboration between the Church and State in Italy.

We will certainly have the chance to demonstrate this important double order of diplomatic, social and religious ties this coming February on the 80th anniversary of the signing of the Lateran pacts and the 25th anniversary of the agreement that modified the Pacts.

These coming anniversaries have already been pointed out to underscore the fruitful relationship that exists between Italy and the Holy See. It is a concordance that is even more important and significant in the present world situation, in which the persistence of conflicts and tensions among peoples makes it even more important that those who share the same ideals of justice, solidarity and peace should work together.

Also, reiterating what you said earlier, Mr. Foreign Minister, I can only remark with sincere gratitude on the collaboration which takes place daily between the Embassy of Italy and my Secretariat of State.

In this regard, I cordially greet all the chiefs of mission who have served previously here at Palazzo Borromeo, who have kindly wished to be present here today.

This brief visit is propitious to reiterate that the Church is well aware that "fundamental to Christianity is the distinction between what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God (cf. Mt 22:21), in other words, the distinction between Church and State" [Encyclical Deus caritas est, N,. 28).

The Church not only recognizes and respects such distinction and autonomy, bur rejoices over it as a great progress for mankind and a fundamental condition for the Church's own freedom and the fulfillment of its universal mission of salvation for all peoples.

At the same time, the Church also feels that its task, following the dictates of its own social doctrine, and structured "on the basis of what is in accord with the nature of every human being" (ibid.), to awaken in society the moral and spiritual forces that can contribute to open the will to the authentic demands of what is good.

Thus, in upholding the value of certain fundamental ethical principles not only for private life but above all for the public good, the Church contributes to guarantee and promote the dignity of the person and the common good of society, so that the desired cooperation between Church and State may be realized in this sense.

Allow me now to express my gratitude for the precious contribution which this diplomatic representation, as well as Italian authorities in general, generously offer so that the Holy See may freely carry out its universal mission and also to maintain diplomatic relations with so many nations of the world.

In this respect, I greet the dean and the representatives of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See who are taking part in this encounter. I am sure that they share this appreciation for the valuable services that Italy renders in support of their sensitive and special mission.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is truly significant that Italy's diplomatic representation to the Holy See has had, since 1929, its seat here where the young Charles Borromeo lived when he was serving as an official collaborator of the Pontiff in the Roman Curia, guiding what is normally called the diplomacy of the Holy See.

Those who work here can therefore find in the saint a constant protector, and at the same time, a model to inspire them in carrying out their daily tasks.

I entrust to his protection all who are gathered here today, and I sincerely extend every good wish to all.

As the feast of the Nativity of the Lord Jesus draws near, I extend my wishes to the Italian authorities, starting with the President of the Republic, and to the entire population of this beloved peninsula.

My wishes for peace extend to all the nations on earth who are more or less represented officially at the Holy See. It is a wish for light and authentic human progress, for prosperity and concord, which are all realities we can aspire to with confident hope, because they are gifts that Jesus brought to the world by his birth in Bethlehem.

May the Virgin Mary, whom we venerated a few days ago as the Immaculate Conception, obtain these gifts and every other desired true good for Italy and the entire world, from her Son, the Prince of Peace, whose blessing I invoke from the heart on all of you and those dear to you.

---

After the address, the Holy Father socialized briefly with some of the guests before returning to the Vatican.

In fact, because it is a major Church document, I placed it right on this thread, on this very page - a long, long post yesterday, 12/12/08, with 4 or five items, about 5-6 posts above this. I placed John Allen's lengthy 'instanalysis' in the FAITH & SCIENCE thread. And I could only indicate links because it is a lengthy document, as ff:

The 56-page English synthesis of the document is on
212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/23039.php?index=23039&po_date=12.12.2008&lang=it#SINTESI%20IN%20LINGUA%2...
The USCCB has the full text on
www.usccb.org/comm/Dignitaspersonae/Dignitas_Personae.pdf


Let me take the occasion to note how prompt the USCCB site has been to post not only a news release about Dignitas Personae, but the full English text, the Vatican English synthesis, and a two-page Q&A about it - as soon as the Vatican lifted the embargo at noon yesterday.



And now, it even has it ready to sell as a booklet, by January 2009:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


OR today.

At the Italian embassy to the Holy See, the Pope exhorts collaboration for the dignity of the person and the common good:
'The distinction between Church and State
a sign of progress and freedom'

Other Page 1 stories: An editorial on the visit; a report on the summit meeting among China, Japan and South Korea on the financial crisis; and
the Holy Father's telegram of condolence for the death of Cardinal Avery Dulles, about whom there are two more articles in the inside pages.
[Stories on Cardinal Dulles are posted in NOTABLES].


THE POPE'S DAY



Angelus today (Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent).

ANGELUS TODAY




For Gaudete Sunday, today, the third week of Advent, the Holy Father had a brief but very rich Advent message -
Gaudete means "Rejoice" because God is near; St. Paul exhorted the faithful to always be ready as though
the coming of the Lord was imminent, without yielding to alarmism, but, the Holy Father said, the Lord's
nearness is not a question of space or time, but of love, which brings everyone close together.




It is also the day for a treasured tradition for Roman children - the day of the 'Bambinelli', when they bring the Infant Jesus
figurines for the Holy Father's blessing, to be placed in the Christmas creches in their homes, schools, and parishes.

The event is organized annually by the Centro Oratori Romani of the Diocese of Rome in the parishes and schools of the city.

This year, he asked the children to join him in a prayer he composed for the occasion.




Here is a translation of the Holy Father's words today:

---

Dear brothers and sisters,

This Sunday, the third in Advent, is called Gaudete Sunday, from the opening word, "Gaudete" - Rejoice! - in the entry antiphon of today's Holy Mass.

It is taken from St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians, where he writes: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!" (Phil 4,4). Immediately afterwards, he says why: "The Lord is near" (Phil 4,5).

That is the reason for joy. But what does it mean - "The Lord is near"? In what sense should we understand this 'nearness' of God?

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians of Philippi, was evidently thinking about the return of Christ, and invites them to rejoice because that is a certainty.

Nonetheless, St. Paul himself, in his Letter to the Thessalonians, points out that no one can know the moment of the Lord's coming (cfr 1 Ts 5,1-2), and warns against every alarmism, as though the return of Christ were imminent (cfr 2 Ts 2,1-2).

And so, even at that time, the Church, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, understood quite well that the 'nearness' of God is not a question of space or time, but rather a question of love: love brings closeness.

The Nativity of Christ reminds us of this fundamental truth of our faith, and before the Christmas manger, we can taste Christian joy, contemplating in the newborn Jesus the face of God who made himself be among us out of love.

In this light, it is a true pleasure for me to renew the beautiful tradition of blessing the Bambinelli, the statuettes of the Baby Jesus to lay in the manger.

I particularly address myself to you, dear boys and girls of Rome, who have come this morning with your Bambinelli, which I will now bless.

I invite you to join me by following this prayer attentively:

---

God, our Father,
you so loved men
that you sent us your only Son Jesus,
born of the Virgin Mary,
to save us and lead us back to you.

We pray to you, that with your blessing,
these images of Jesus,
who is about to come among us,
may be, in our homes,
the sign of your presence and your love.

Good Father,
give your blessing to us, as well,
to our parents, to our families, to our friends.

Open our heart,
so that we may receive Jesus in joy,
do always what he asks of us
and see him in all those
who have need of our love.

We ask this of you in the name of Jesus,
your beloved Son who comes
to bring peace to the world.

He lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

---

And now, let us recite together the Angelus Domini, invoking the intercession of Mary so that Jesus, who in being born, brings men the blessing of God, may be received with love in all the homes of Rome and around the world.

After the Angelus, he said:

Today, in the Diocese of Rome, we celebrate the day for the construction of new churches. In recent years, some new parochial complexes have been completed, but there are still communities which continue to avail only of provisional and inadequate structures.

I thank from the heart all those who have supported this commitment which is so important to the Diocese and I renew the invitation to everyone: let us help the parishes of Rome to build their Church.


In English, he said:

I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for today’s Angelus prayer. On this Third Sunday of Advent we are called to rejoice because the Lord is near. As we renew our hope in Jesus and look forward to his coming, may we experience in our lives the deep joy of his salvation. I wish you all a pleasant stay in Rome, and a blessed Sunday!

---

OUR UNIVERSAL PARISH PRIEST

It is truly edifying to note how consistently the Holy Father uses his Angelus messages as a direct expression of his role as pastor of the Universal Church, first, and then, as Primate of Italy and Bishop of Rome. His messages are structured to contain the elements any local parish priest generally has in his Sunday talks to his flock - first, the homily, and then the announcements that directly concern them.

In the case of the Holy Father, the homily is always for the universal audience of faithful, to begin with, and any men of good will who are willing to listen to what the spiritual leader of the Christian world has to say.

Then he comes to his 'parochial announcements', which are of three kinds: the first, for his worldwide 'parish', when he speaks of situations around the world; then, for Italians, since he is Primate of Italy; and finally, for his own diocese as Bishop of Rome. In the last two cases, he calls attention to specific pastoral concerns or diocesan and regional events of a religious and/or social nature.

At the end of every Angelus or Mass broadcast from the Vatican, I feel very uplifted, I find myself euphoric/beatific and ready to face any surprises - even occasionally annoying ones - that may be in store for me when I go to church afterwards! I become 'more truly Christian', i.e., more charitable all round - at least for the rest of the day. The fact that Rome is six hours ahead of my local time works very well for my spiritual wellbeing!

Sorry, Teresa. I hate to spoil your good mood but the jackals are trying to mount an attack again. They just won't give Benedict a break.


Pope Benedict XVI under-fire for 'negative' statements

Richard Owen in Rome
From Times Online
December 15, 2008

Pope Benedict XVI has come under fire from a leading Vatican watcher as "The Pope who says No" following a series of "negative" Vatican statements on homosexuality, the disabled and bio-ethics.

On Friday the Vatican made its most authoritative statement on bio-ethics for twenty years, condemning artificial fertilization, human cloning, "designer babies" and embryonic stem-cell research. The document, "Dignitas Personae" (Dignity of the Person) was issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which the Pope headed as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before his election as pontiff.

The document also condemned the "morning-after pill" and the drug RU-486, which blocks the action of hormones needed to keep a fertilized egg implanted in the uterus. It said such drugs, as well as the IUD (intrauterine device), fell "within the sin of abortion" and were "gravely immoral".

Marco Politi, the veteran Vatican correspondent of La Repubblica, said this was "yet another papal no" after Vatican opposition to UN declarations on the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the rights of the disabled, on the grounds that they could be seen a sanctioning gay marriage and abortion.

"It is one veto after another" Mr Politi wrote. "Not to this, no to that. No, no, no". He said the Vatican was clearly aware that under Pope Benedict it was acquiring a reputation for "banning everything", since it had issued a "pre-emptive statement" noting that "on a superfical first reading" the document on bio-ethics "might give the impression of being a collection of prohibitions". "But that is precisely the public perception", Mr Politi said.

Mr Politi, the author with Carl Bernstein of "His Holiness", a study of Pope John Paul II and the fall of Communism, said the Vatican risked appearing to put the stress on a rigid observance of doctrine ahead of human dilemmas, suffering and distress.

Mr Politi said the German-born Pope Benedict, elected after the death of John Paul II in April 2005, had sought to confound his reputation as a doctrinal hardliner by devoting his first encyclical to the topic of love and compassion. He was capable of a "surprising capacity for involvement and great tenderness" when visiting parishes. The message he sought to convey was that "Christianity is joy".

This was not the impression he gave to the world, however. Instead he had opposed reforms such as a long discussed revision of doctrine allowing divorced Catholics to take Holy Communion, and had also failed to carry out his promise to dedicate himself to inter faith dialogue and the "full and visible unity" of all Christians.

Instead he had gone out of his way to stress the obstacles in the way of ecumenism, and had recently declared that inter-religious dialogue "in the strict sense of the word" between Christians, Jews and Muslims was "not possible". He had a "minimalist vision" of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

The only "reforms" carried out in the past three years, Mr Politi said, were the revival of the Latin mass and the provision of new and "more miliaristic" uniforms for the Vatican gendarmerie. It was not question of Catholic doctrine, which remained the same under Pope Benedict as it had under John Paul II. The problem was rather Benedict's "insufficient capacity for speaking to the world" in the way John Paul had done.

Whereas John Paul had skilfully used the media, going out of his way to talk to Vatican journalists on papal trips, Pope Benedict "keeps his distance", responding only to a limited number of questions submitted in advance, Mr Politi said. When encountering reporters while on holiday, "the first words to pass his lips are "Thank you, no questions". Attendances at papal audiences had fallen from over four million in the first year of Benedict's pontificate to below three million.

Giovanni Miccoli, the religious historian, said Pope Benedict's pontificate so far had been "rich in declarations but poor in facts". Mario Morcellini, Professor of Communications at Rome University, said Pope Benedict has rightly not sought to imitate his predecsssor. "But he seems to have difficulty in coming out of his shell and entering into contact with the masses", Professor Morcellini said, adding that it was "not clear if this was intentional".

"Pope Benedict XVI has come under fire from a leading Vatican watcher as "The Pope who says No" following a series of "negative" Vatican statements on homosexuality, the disabled and bio-ethics."

Translation: NOOOOO!!!!! I can't believe it!!! This Pope actually believes in the teachings of the Church and wants to keep the faithful educated about them!! He's not changing them!!! NOOOOO!!!!

Notice that this article is full of quotes from Politi, who is (I believe) known to write unfavorably about B16. Also, I think we can say the same about Richard Owens & the Times from looking at previous articles.

"The only "reforms" carried out in the past three years, Mr Politi said, were the revival of the Latin mass and the provision of new and "more miliaristic" uniforms for the Vatican gendarmerie."

Certain things cannot be done quickly. It is clear that it is important to the Pope to teach the faithful before certain things are done. If you are not paying attention to what this "liturgical Pope" (as the NLM calls him) has been doing and teaching, you are definitely missing out. What about his wonderful teachings to the faithful? I guess those are 'Ho hum, BORING' to some.

"It was not question of Catholic doctrine, which remained the same under Pope Benedict as it had under John Paul II. The problem was rather Benedict's "insufficient capacity for speaking to the world" in the way John Paul had done." [Here we get to the meat of it. He's not talking to us like John Paul did. He doesn't behave like John Paul did and thus he fails in their eyes.]

"Whereas John Paul had skilfully used the media, going out of his way to talk to Vatican journalists on papal trips, Pope Benedict "keeps his distance", responding only to a limited number of questions submitted in advance, Mr Politi said. [Umm..as far as I know, that's not new. JP II answered pre-submitted questions as well. B16 is not afraid of answering off-the-cuff questions.] When encountering reporters while on holiday, "the first words to pass his lips are "Thank you, no questions"." [Yeah, because when he's on holiday, his first worry should be about answering media questions.]

"But he seems to have difficulty in coming out of his shell and entering into contact with the masses", Professor Morcellini said, adding that it was "not clear if this was intentional".

What??? That is why he will sometime put down the prepared text and speak off the cuff. Or has given Q&A's which have never been done before by any Pope. By the way, has this fellow seen any of his visits? Especially to Brazil, America and Australia. I can't understand how anybody can STILL make this claim any more.

Well. I, for my part, wish he'd say no more often. Louder, with authority (that's prob. the German in me ). It's not really his way of saying things, but, I'm sure he's quite capable of it.

What on earth are these people expecting?? Pope <=> Catholic!? Oh my God!! The Pope is truly Catholic!! Help! And he has the nerve to stand up for his beliefs! He has the nerve to say no! Isn't he supposed to be sweet and soft and forgiving? Like the self-fabricated image of Jesus, most of those people seem to have?

I think most of the media is still pi**ed off, because they haven't been able to figure him out. Is he the fluffy, cuddly teddy bear, or the doctrinal hardliner? Or both? Or what!?

Avoiding constant contact with the masses can hardly be a surprise, considering the natural shyness and humility of the current Pope.
The mass contact is supposed to be with Jesus! Not with Peter.

I was away for most of last night and when I wake up today, what do I find?

God knows I have been exercised often enough on this thread whenever Politi comes out with one of his anathematic rants against Benedict XVI. And I must admit I didn't get to see the article Owens refers to (published 12/13) until just now, because the last I checked out Politi was the previous day, 12/12, when he wrote a fairly routine report on the Pope's message for the World Day of Peace - indicating he shares much of Benedict's thinking about globalization and its ills. Which, of course, is not surprising for a writer who is very openly liberal.

But to put his Dignitas Personae screed in perspective, it might be helpful to know that it appears on Page 15 of the newspaper in the section CRONACA, which is the section Italian newspapers devote to reporting routine local events that qualify as news - generally crimes and scandals. That, in itself, is of course, a commentary on how Repubblica considers the Pope and the Vatican. [The article on the Peace message came out on page 20, in the section ECONOMIA. How's that for editorial judgment?]

Of course, although papal/Vatican/Church news and commentary are among the staples of Italian MSM, only because the Vatican happens to be in Italy, they rarely put such news or commentary on Page 1 unless it is something inescapably historic like the death or election of a Pope. Or in the case of Repubblica, whenever its founder-publisher Eugenio Scalfari - self-styled prophet and tireless scourge of the Church - unleashes one of his poison-pen screeds against the Pope or Catholicism.

So Politi himself rarely makes it to Page 1 of his own newspaper. The last time was probably when he reported the result of the April 19, 2005 Conclave.

The secular attitude of the Italian MSM insures a rather low-level awareness among their readers/audience of the significance of what the Church represents in their lives. And the other drawback is, of course, that whatever the MSM choose to say - and how they say it - inevitably influences public opinion about the Church, since for the general public, it's their only source of information about the Church.

That said, I cannot keep my journalistic hackles from bristling aggressively at Politi's flagrantly disingenuous posturing in this particular item - in which one would think he was hearing for the first time that the Church says No to all the things it opposes in the document! These have been known all along, just that the positions have been consolidated, made precise, and formulated into a teaching document for the Church.

Politi writes as a committed ideologue - journalists have no business bringing their ideologies into their reporting, but this has now become universal practice - so, his venom spews mostly from the liberal 'vomit reflex' against Church teachings which go against their deepest convictions.

But he also has a hostility against Benedict XVI which flares out whenever the occasion presents itself - i.e., when he can attack him on ideological grounds. And his hostility manifests itself, among other things, in a comparison, always unflattering for Benedict, to John Paul II. Ideologues and fanatics, who are one and the same, do not have rational reactions; they react reflexively in the most predictable ways with iron-cast platitudes that offer nothing new, and Politi proves this all the time.

I do not doubt Politi sincerely admires the late Pope, but his insistence on the unflattering comparisons he makes is quite self-serving because it is almost like shilling for himself, having written a biography of John Paul II as co-author with Carl Bernstein of Watergate repute.

And, of course, I am not surprised that Richard Owen of the Times of London - another journalist who derives sheer glee from being able to put down Benedict XVI - saw fit to purvey Politi's rant to Anglophone readers. I feel almost obliged to translate Politi's article in full (it makes up 2 pages on a Word document), whch I will if I find the time later today.

No OR today.


THE POPE'S DAY

The Holy Father met today with

- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops
- Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches
- Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris and president of the French bishops' conference;
his vice presidents and secretary-general
- Rev. Fr. Julian Carrón, President of Comunione e Liberazione (C&L).

Wonder what this is about? The archbishop was Papa's former secretary, Mietek.


POPE INVITES YUSHCHENKO TO VISIT VATICAN

Today, 18:18

KYIV (Interfax-Ukraine) – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Lviv Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki has handed Ukrainian President Victor Yuschenko an invitation from Pope Benedict XVI to visit the Vatican, the presidential press service reported on Monday.

During his meeting with Mokrzycki the president congratulated the new archbishop on his elevation.

"I'm sure you will honorably carry out the duties entrusted to you," Yuschenko said.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Mokrzycki as Archbishop of Lviv on October 21, 2008


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Well, we know Mietek was at the Vatican several weeks ago and had an audience with the Pope [although I never did get around
to hunting down a photo of it in either the Vatican or Felici catalogs] - his first after formally taking over as Archbishop
of Lviv from his patron, Polish Archbishop Marion Jaworski.

And that Yushchenko was supposed to visit the Vatican earlier this year, but cancelled a few days before schedule because
of a domestic crisis in Kiev. So perhaps the Holy Father merely wants to reassure Yushchenko that he still looks forward
to his visit.

Yushchenko was host recently to the cream of the Orthodox world. including both Bartholomew I and Alexei II, when Kiev
celebrated the 1020th anniversary of its Christianization in 988, officially considered the birthday of the Russian
Orthodox Church. [In this sense, Kiev is the primate Christian diocese in all the Russias, but the Patriarchate of Moscow
formally took that on when the Russian Orthodox Church became independent of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1448.
I checked the data in Orthodox Wiki and cross-checked it in a regular encyclopedia.]

TERESA


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Here's a story about a visit that won't be made - not that anyone expected it would, in view of well-known circumstances.


Pope 'turns down'
invitation to visit Taiwan


TAIPEI, Dec. 14 - Pope Benedict XVI has turned down the invitation from the Archbishop of the Taipei Archdiocese to visit Taiwan
next year, news reports said Sunday.

The Central News Agency said that Archbishop John Hung extended the invitation to the Pope during his week-long visit to the Holy See
which ended on Sunday.

During two audiences, Hung invited the Pope to attend celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Catholic
Church in Taiwan. It is said the Pope only smiled and gave no affirmative answer.

A Vatican official told Hung that the Pope had a busy scheduled for the next two years, so he probably would not be able to visit
Taiwan. But he would send an envoy to preside over the celebrations in Taiwan.

The envoy is expected to be Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Hung said.

Hung led a delegation to the Vatican on December 6 to report for the first time to Benedict XVI on the state of Taiwan's
dioceses, and invite the Pontiff to visit Taiwan in 2009.

The Roman Catholic Church requires diocesan bishops to visit the Pope and report on the state of their dioceses every five years.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary, Taiwan's bishops and parish priests hope to baptize 15,000 people next year.

The Catholic Church was established in Taiwan in 1859 when three Spanish Dominican priests from the Philippines and
five Chinese missionaries arrived in Kaohsiung and built Taiwan's first Catholic church. Catholicism first arrived in
the 17th century when Taiwan was occupied by the Spanish.

There are 724 Catholic churches, 682 priests and 1,052 nuns in Taiwan, with 300,000 believers.

The Vatican has been trying to improve ties with China so that it can take better care of the 12 million Catholics in China.
A papal visit to Taiwan would likely strain those relations.

The Vatican moved its embassy from China to Taiwan in 1957 after the founding of the atheist People's Republic of China in 1949.

But in recent years, the Vatican has been working to normalize relations with Beijing, which demands that the Holy See
cut ties with Taiwan and stop interfering in China's religious affairs.



I think the Taiwanese Catholics understand the considerations that go into the Holy Father's actions with respect to all 'three' Chinas -
the mainland (People's Republic of China); Hongkong which enjoys a special autonomous status within the People's Republic; and
the Republic of China (Taiwan), where the Vatican has had a Nunciature since the 1950s, after Mao Tse-tung's Communist
government virtually kicked it out of the mainland.

The Taiwan government was set up by the so-called Nationalist Chinese who were defeated by the Chinese Communists in the 1945-1949
civil war that followed World War II. And of course, the People's Republic claims that Taiwan is properly part of all-China (which
it was, until 1949). I personally hope that eventually a Hongkong-like situation can result, with Taiwan reverting back to China
but retaining substantial autonomy.

As a child growing up in northern Philippines, where Taiwan is the nearest foreign land (Taipei is less than an hour away by air)
to us, I remember we always called Taiwan 'Formosa', the name given to it by the Portuguese explorers who 'discovered' it in
the 16th century - Ilha Formosa, they called it, 'beautiful island'. It is a beautiful little country, and it is amazing how the Taiwanese
turned it into one of Asia's economic miracles.

But not the least among its attractions (Oh, the food!!!!) is the world's most astounding collection of Chinese art housed in
the Palace Museum of Taipei - all the cultural treasures that the Nationalists were able to take out of the mainland, a near-miraculous
feat that left the Forbidden City almost bare other than its buildings and monuments. They have so much that they can afford
to keep changing the items that are on public display!

Here's the state of speculation at this point on more changes in the Roman Curia, as cardinals appointed to the top Curial posts by John Paul II have reached the canonical retirement age of 75 or will be getting there within the first part of the New Year. From La Stampa's senior Vaticanista.


It will have taken 4 years
for Benedict to get his 'own' Curia
by MARCO TOSATTI
Translated from

Dec. 15, 2008


VATICAN CITY - Starting in January, major changes are anticipated in the Roman Curia, when Benedict XVI, nearing his 82nd birthday, may finally complete setting up his own Curia in place of that he inherited from John Paul III almost four years ago.

Last week, he named the Primate of Spain and Archbishop of Toledo, Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera to be his 'Minister' (Prefect) for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, a position crucial to Benedict's intention to curb excesses that have arisen from the post-Conciliar liturgical reform.

The 'little Ratzinger', as the Spanish cardinal has been called, is thought to be a better guarantor of this compared to his predecessor, Cardinal Francis Arinze, who was not so nostalgic for the traditional Mass.

Initially, Canizares will be helped at the reins by Mons. Malcolm Ranjith, the Congregation's secretary whom many had earlier speculated to be in line to succeed Cardinal Arinze.

However, the malicious rumor is that it was at Ranjith's urging that the President of his native country Sri Lanka [who was a recent visitor visit to the Vatican) wrote the Pope to request the appointment of Ranjith as Archbishop of Colombo.

This would put Ranjith in line for a cardinal's hat, well placed in the Asian hierarchy, and keep his name in play for a future Vatican position.

But there is quite a list of Curial heads due for canonical retirement. Among them, Cardinal Raffaele Martino, the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and peace, who turned 75 last November. [The Pope has the discretion to keep bishops and cardinals in office even beyond 75, if the prelate agrees, as John Paul II did with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.]

There is no clear candidate to succeed Martino, and papa Ratzinger does not generally telegraph his intentions too early.
Some important names in Vatican diplomacy (i.e., in the Secretariat of State) are said to be pushing for Cardinal Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, who is usually included among the list of 'progressive' cardinals.

There is no particular love between the cardinal and the Pope, but Benedict has named prelates not previously known to be in his 'circle'. [I can think offhand of Cardinal Tauran at CIRD and Mons. Ravasi at Culture.]

Then, there is Cardinal Walter Kasper, who turned 75 last March, the point man for dialog with other Christians and with the Jews. Some think he may retire early in 2009 after the Week of Christian Unity which is celebrated the third week of January to coincide with the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. And before the election of the successor to the late Patriarch of Moscow.

The man rumored to take his place is the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, friend and disciple of Joseph Ratzinger.

Vienna has always been a favored place for encounters with Orthodox Christians, and it is known that Benedict XVI hopes to make the most concrete steps towards Christian reunification among the eastern churches.

An Italian candidate to succeed Kasper is Mons. Vincenzo Paglia, Bishop of Terni, a theologian like Kasper and president of the Italian bishops' committee for ecumenical dialog. He is also the 'spiritual father' of the Sant'Egidio Community.

But perhaps the most significant new appointment may well be that of the Prefect for the Evangelization of Peoples, the so-called Red Pope, who oversees the Church's world wide missionary activities.

The current prefect, Cardinal Ivan Dias, former Archbishop of Mumbai, was one of Benedict's early Curial appointments, and an Asian papabile at the last Conclave. But reliable sources claim that Cardinal Dias suffers from poor health which may cause him to resign his post as early as January.

On January 30, another pivotal cardinal turns 75 - Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, while the Pope's 'minister for health', Mexican Cardinal Javier Lorenzo Barragan, President of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Health Care Ministry, completes one year of extension in office beyond statutory retirement age.

Not the least, the Pope is also expected to name in January the new Archbishop of Westminster - top prelate for Great Britain - with the retirement of Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, who has also been serving beyond the statutory retirement age.

The names of the Archbishop of Birmingham, Vincent Nichols, and the Archbishop of Cardiff, Peter Smith, have been mentioned.

OR for 12/15-12/16/08:

At the Angelus, the Pope invites all to prepare for Christmas with joy:
'The nearness of God is all about love'
Other Page 1 stories: An editorial commentary expressing the hope that the US may lead the way towards a 'fraternal' solution for the world financial
crisis; and a story on President Bush's surprise visit to Iraq and Afghanistan. There are two articles in the inside pages on Pope Clement XIII,
whose 250th death anniversary is marked this year; an excerpt from a new book by Cardinal Arinze about his letters to a young priest when he was
a young bishop himself; a reflection on Advent by the American Trappist Thomas Merton who died 40 years ago; an essay on Mary Magdalene
occasioned by recent archeological discoveries in Magdala; and an article on the artistic consensus about the attribution to Michelangelo of
the Crucified Christ shown to Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday [translated and posted in the thread CULTURE & POLITCS].



No papal events scheduled today (Tuesday).





The Office of Papal Liturgical Celebrations has issued a reminder on the schedule of liturgical rites
to be presided by the Holy Father during the Christmas season:

---

Dec. 24, Wednesday
Solemnity of the Lord's Nativity
24:00 St. Peter's Basilica
CAPPELLA PAPALE
Midnight Mass

Dec. 25, Thursday
Solemnity of the Lord's Nativity
12:00, Central Loggia of St. Peter's
'Urbi et Orbi' Blessing

Dec. 31, Wednesday
18:00, St. Peter's Basilica
First Vespers and Thanksgiving for 2008


JANUARY 2009

Jan. 1, Thursday
Solemnity of the Most Holy Mother of God
XLII World Day of Peace
10:00, St. Peter's Basilica
CAPPELLA PAPALE
Holy Mass

Jan. 6, Tuesday
Solemnity of the Lord's Epiphany
10:00, St. Peter's Basilica
Holy Mass

Jan. 11, Sunday
Feast of the Baptism of our Lord
10:00 Sistine Chapel
Holy Mass and Baptism of Babies

---

Pope has chosen themes
for WYD in 2009, 2020,
and 2011 (Madrid)



VATICAN CITY, 16 DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father has chosen the themes for the next three World Youth Days, as a spiritual itinerary to culminate in the international WYD celebrations in Madrid, Spain, on August 16-21, 2011.

- 24th World Youth Day (2009): "We have set our hope on the living God" (1 Tim 4:10)

- 25th World Youth Day (2010): "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mk 10:17)


- 26th World Youth Day (2011): "Rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith" (cf Col 2:7).