NEWS ABOUT THE CHURCH & THE VATICAN

Muslim support for Vatican statement
on ensuring food and fluid
for mentally incapacited patients

LONDON, September 20 2007 (ICN) - The Islamic Medical Association in the UK has issued the following statement:

“On behalf of the Muslim believers, we wish to express our happiness with, and full support for, the recent Vatican statement on ensuring food and fluid for mentally incapacited patients. We believe that the basic means for survival (food and fluid) should be ensured for every human being (and animal), whether or not they are healthy, ill or incapacitated. This is a basic human right for all. All human life is sacred, and only God, the Creator, has the right to end any human life, in its appointed time.

British Muslims are worried today about the new Mental Capacity Act, which allows and in some cases requires food and water to be denied to mentally incapacitated, non-dying persons. In doing that, our innocent patients will die in pain and agony from the horrific effects of starvation and dehydration. We oppose strongly any court decision or power of attorney used to justify participation in starving or dehydrating anyone to death. All Muslim doctors, nurses and patients, expressing our Islamic beliefs, should oppose this inhumane Act.”

Source: Islamic Medical Association in the UK

Rome Dominicans surprised at Dutch proposal for priestless Masses

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The general curia of the Dominicans expressed surprise over a booklet published by its order in the Netherlands recommending that laypeople be allowed to celebrate Mass when no ordained priests are available.

In a written statement released by the Vatican Sept. 18, the Dominicans' Rome-based leaders said that, while they "laud the concern of our brothers" over the shortage of priests, they did not believe "the solutions that they have proposed are beneficial to the church nor in harmony with its tradition."

The statement, dated Sept. 4, acknowledged the Dutch Dominicans' concerns about the shortage of vocations to the priesthood and the difficulty in offering the faithful in the Netherlands a wider celebration of the Eucharist.

But while the statement said Dominican leaders shared those same concerns it said they did "not believe that the method they (Dutch Dominicans) have used in disseminating" a booklet to all 1,300 parishes in the Netherlands was an appropriate way to discuss the issue.

An open dialogue about the availability of the Eucharist and the priestly ministry should be carried out through a "careful theological and pastoral reflection with the wider church and the Dominican order," the statement said.

"The booklet published by our Dutch brothers was a surprise to the general curia of the Dominican order," it said.

In late August, the Dominicans in the Netherlands distributed a 38-page booklet, "Church and Ministry," that proposed parishes in need of an ordained priest choose their own person to become the Mass presider. The parish could then present such candidates -- "women or men, homo- or heterosexual, married or single" -- to the local bishop to ask that they be ordained, according to the booklet.

However, basing its recommendation on practices within the early church, the booklet said if the bishop chooses not to ordain the candidate -- for example, because the person cannot meet the requirements of celibacy -- then the elected candidate and the congregation could still feel assured that when they come together to "share bread and wine in prayer," they are still receiving a real and valid Eucharist, the Dutch Dominicans' Web site said.

"What is important is an infectious attitude of faith," the booklet said.

One of the booklet's authors, theologian and Dominican Father Andre Lascaris, confirmed that the order was suggesting the elected leader would be celebrating a Mass and consecrating bread and wine for parishioners.

The "magical moment" of transubstantiation when Christ becomes present in the sacrament can also occur when people come together prayerfully, since the priest's words of the consecration "are missing in the oldest prayers" of the early church, he told Catholic News Service by phone Sept. 19 from Huissen, Netherlands.

Because of the priest shortage in the Netherlands, local church officials advise Catholics to drive to a nearby parish that has a priest, and some parishes have a Liturgy of the Word and a Communion service with preconsecrated hosts.

But Father Lascaris said a eucharistic service with preconsecrated hosts is like receiving "bread and wine from someone else's table."

He said to imagine going to a restaurant, "and you sit down and they bring you food from another restaurant" from a city far away.

Parishioners also want to celebrate together with a presider from their own community since a leader or priest is a member and "a servant of the community," he said.

He said Mass should not be "a method of power; we see it as a method of celebrating."

The Dutch Dominicans emphasized their proposals were meant for emergency situations when no local priest was available and a bishop refused to ordain a selected member of the community.

In an interview posted on the Dutch Dominicans' Web site, Dominican Father Harrie Salemans, another of the booklet's authors, said: "The church is organized around priests and finds the priesthood more important than local faith communities. ... This is deadly for local congregations."

Father Lascaris told CNS he did not think publishing and distributing the booklet was inappropriate.

Barring the Dominicans from disseminating ideas would be "strange," as would not allowing them to talk to other people, to journalists or even to the pope about suggestions on how to address the lack of priests available to celebrate Mass, Father Lascaris said.

The issue of priestly celibacy and the potential role of married priests came up at the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist in late 2005. Both synod participants and Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the obligation of celibacy for priests in the Latin rite.

The pope's 2007 apostolic exhortation, "Sacramentum Caritatis" ("The Sacrament of Charity"), and his special November 2006 meeting with top Vatican officials reaffirmed the value of priestly celibacy.

CHINA - VATICAN
All is ready for the ordination
of the new bishop of Beijing




Beijing, Sept. 20 (AsiaNews) – Everything is ready in the capital for the ordination of the new bishop of Beijing, Msgr. Giuseppe Li Shan, 43, who – according to various church sources – has full Holy See approval.

The ordination will begin a 9:00 am tomorrow morning in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Nan Tang). Because political figures of note are among those present all of the guests have been asked to be in the church by 7.30 for security reasons.

The number of the congregation is limited and has been equally distributed among representatives of the bishops, clergy, religious and lay.

In order to take part in the ceremony many priests and seminarians have been in the capital for days, travelling from Shanxi, Hebei, Guangdong. Journalists are not being allowed to attend the event; but it is highly probable that the ban only regards foreign press, while state news agencies will be permitted entry.

According to AsiaNews sources, the principal ordinant will be Msgr. Giovanni Fang Xingyao of Linyi (Shandong). Msgr. Paolo Pei Junmin of Liaoning will also take part in the celebration. Both prelates (ages 54 and 38, respectively) are part of the new generation of bishops approved by the Holy See.

In recent days numerous faithful from both the underground and official Church have wondered if Msgr. Li Shan had Vatican approval, or if the tradition of Fu Tieshan, the patriotic bishop who died in April this year would be continued. Church sources in Beijing gave assurances that the ordination of Msgr. Li has papal approval.

Msgr. Li Shan has been on a spiritual retreat which traditionally precedes ordinations.

The new bishop is a native of Beijing and comes from a family with a long Catholic teradition. He has never travelled abroad. By all ccounts, he is highly regarded as a true pastor and a man of faith, who is able to relate both to the faithful and to political authorities.

Msgr. Li Shan is ordained
as Archbishop of Beijing




Beijing, Sept. 21 (AsiaNews) – The new Archbishop of Beijing, Mons. Joseph Li Shan, was ordained this morning (9.00 local time, which is 12 hours ahead of Rome time).

According to AsiaNews sources, the new prelate has Vatican approval. Perhaps for this reason the security measures were tight and managed by the Patriotic Association, which has tried to claim “proprietary rights” over the new bishop.

Arhbishop Li Shan succeeds Mons. Fu Tieshan, a bishop ordained by the "patriotic' Church who died in April without ever having sought reconciliation with the Holy See.

Many Catholics who would have wanted to take part in the ceremony had to give up trying because of the difficulty of gaining access to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Nan Tang), which is not a big church.

Thus the vast majority within the Church, other than the priests and religious of the diocese, were authorities rather than regular parishioners. Yet despite their small numbers they welcomed their new pastor with warm applause.

Those present – foreign media were denied access – described the rite as being closer to a State ceremony than a religious celebration. Earlier, manhy Catholics were disappointed that there was no public Vatican declaration of the Pope's approval before the ceremony. [The ordination took place at 9 p.m. Thursday, Rome time. The Osservatore Romano containing the firstr public acknowledgement of Vatican approval came out Friday morning in Rome (Friday evening in China).]

For his part, the new bishop, in giving thanks for his new position, reportedly said that his vocation is to love the Church and his nation. These words recalled to many present the many occasions when John Paul II underlined that Catholics want to be good citizens.


The joy of Beijing’s Catholics



BEIJING, Sept. 21 (AsiaNews) - Over one thousand people took part in the ordination today of Mons. Joseph Li Shan as Archbishop of Beijing - among them government representatives and members of the Patriotic Association.

According to a local Catholic, Msgr. Li represents a great step forward for Church unity in China. The source participated in the solemn ordination of the new prelate. Some Catholics had complained earlier at the lack of a public declaration by the Vatican regarding the new bishop.

The new bishop, he said, “has Vatican approval. Now that the ceremony is over we can say this with joy”.

The ceremony took place in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Nan Tang (built in sixth century), and was presided over by Msgr. Giovanni Fang Xingyao of Linyi, one of the first Chinese bishops to seek approval from the Holy See.

Among the co-ordinants were Msgr. Luigi Yu Runsheng of Hanzhong; Msgr. Zhang Hanmin of Jilin; Msgr. Pei Junmin of Liaoning.

Among the bishops present who were ordained without Vatican approval were Ma Yinglin, of the diocese of Kunming; Jin Daoyuan of Changzi and Fang Jianping of Tangshan.

According to AsiaNews sources, “this morning’s ceremony represents a significant change in the government’s attitude towards the appointment of new Chinese bishops. The government concedes a certain type of freedom to our Church, and no longer imposes its own candidates; this is of great comfort to us and leads us to hope that a full and true unity between Catholics, as expressed in the Pope’s letter to the Church in China, can be reached”.

The morning Mass was attended by over one thousand people. Among them government representatives (Zhang Shuxian and Wang Zuoan, director and vice director of the Office for religious affaire) and members of the Patriotic Association (vice president Liu Bainian), who has repeatedly sought to credit himself with the ordination.

The new bishop was welcomed by Beijing’s Catholics with warm applause after his brief address at the end of the mass. The prelate thanked his family for having given him a Catholic education and all of the religious who formed him, as well as the government for the honour of becoming the bishop of Beijing.

Currently Msgr. Li lives in the residence occupied by his late predecessor, Michael Fu Tieshan, during the last years of his life.

He has announced his intention to celebrate mass in the various Churches of Beijing in order to begin “getting to know the Catholics of his diocese”.


Here is AP's story:
Vatican hopeful about new Beijing bishop
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN





BEIJING, Sept. 21 (AP) - The installation of a Chinese bishop well regarded by the Holy See marked the beginning of what could be a "new chapter, a new reality" in the Catholic church's relationship with the government in Beijing, a Vatican official said Friday.

Joseph Li Shan was appointed to the influential post of bishop of China's capital at a ceremony at Beijing's 400-year-old Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Police controlled access to the church, and attendance by several hundred priests, nuns, officials and ordinary Chinese Roman Catholics was by invitation only.

Persecuted in the first decades after the 1949 Communist takeover, the church has made a rapid recovery in the past 20 years. Yet China and the Vatican still have no formal relations that would allow direct contact between Rome and China's estimated 12 million to 15 million Catholics.

The appointment of bishops remains one of the thorniest issues dividing them, with the officially atheist Communist government refusing to yield control and the Vatican loath to concede its traditional right to appoint church leaders.

However, since becoming pope last year, Pope Benedict XVI has made several attempts to reach out to Beijing, especially in a June 20 letter urging the Communist leadership to permit more religious freedom and restore diplomatic ties with the Vatican.

While no breakthroughs have occurred, relations of late have been mostly free of the bitterness that characterized much of the last half century.

In recent years, the Vatican has pursued a compromise of sorts, giving its approval to several bishops after they were nominated by the Chinese state church — as church officials said was the case with Li. Officially, Li was elected by a body of 93 priests, seminarians, nuns and laypeople.

The former Beijing parish priest has been praised by both the Vatican and Beijing as concerned with the welfare of the church and being open-minded. His appointment as bishop in China's political center and his approval by the Vatican offer a chance to reduce tensions, church officials and experts said.

In Rome, a top Vatican diplomat, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, described the installation of the bishop as "without a doubt, a positive sign. Let's hope it continues."

Filoni, an Italian prelate who is the Holy See's undersecretary of state, said the development was a "first page" in what could be a "new chapter, a new reality."

Filoni noted the long-standing Vatican insistence that Christians in China be able to freely profess their faith.

"Both sides are being very prudent, very careful not to arouse the other's anger," said Anthony Lam, a researcher at the church-affiliated Holy Spirit Study Center in Hong Kong.

Friday's ceremony began with a processing of seminarians, nuns, priests and bishops, including ordaining prelate John Fang Xingyao of the eastern diocese of Linyi, who has received Vatican approval. Proceedings were broadcast to those outside via loudspeaker and closed-circuit television.

During the ceremony, the 42-year-old Li took a traditional oath of service to the church that also added a nod to government authority. He promised to "lead all the priests, seminarians and nuns of this diocese in adhering to the nation's Constitution, maintaining national unification and social stability."

Li replaces Bishop Fu Tieshan, a Communist Party supporter and hard-liner toward the Vatican whose death in April provided an opportunity for rapprochement between the state-controlled church and Rome.

While publicly the Vatican did not comment on Li's installation, in recent days church officials have said it was done with Vatican approval. Liu Bainian, the vice chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, the party-controlled body that oversees the church, said he "was not too clear" about the Vatican's stance toward Li.

But Liu said such priests "should be encouraged, not condemned," and added: "We know that the pope loves China."

Parishioners said they had no doubt that Li had been approved by the Vatican, even though no such explicit announcement has come from Rome.

"We're just very happy to have a new bishop," said Ma Ruixian, a 62-year-old retiree from Beijing who said he knew Li from his time at Beijing's St. Joseph's church in the busy Wangfujing shopping area.

"The only thing Chinese Catholics want is good relations with the Vatican," Ma said. "I hope Li can help."

From the online site of the Australian Broadcasting Commission today:

Pell welcomes contempt clearing




The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, has welcomed a report clearing him of contempt of the New South Wales Parliament over remarks about MPs voting for stem-cell research legislation.

Cardinal Pell was referred to the Upper House Privileges Committee in June after he remarked Catholic politicians voting for the Human Cloning Bill would face consequences for their place in the life of the Church.

He described the legislation to overturn a ban on therapeutic cloning as grotesque, saying it would legalise the creation of human-animal hybrids.

Cardinal Pell was criticised by MPs inside and outside Parliament, including practicing Catholics like Premier Morris Iemma, Deputy Premier Morris Iemma and Nationals MP Adrian Piccoli.

They argued politicians had a greater responsibility to their constituents than to their faith.

The Archbishop has released a statement saying the committee's decision is no surprise and a "win for religious freedom".

"Christians in Australia have long played an important part in ensuring that fundamental human rights are respected," he said.

"My contribution to the public discussion on human cloning was made in this spirit and tradition.

"To prevent religious leaders from publicly stating their claims to truth would stifle religious freedom and hamper open debate on matters of public interest."

The NSW Parliament passed the legislation on June 26.

VATICAN – RUSSIA
New bishop appointment in Moscow
raises ‘ecumenical hopes’


Vatican City, Sept. 21 (AsiaNews) – The faithful have welcomed the news that Fr Paolo Pezzi, from the Priestly Brotherhood of the Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo, is the new metropolitan bishop of the archdiocese of the ‘Mother of God” in Moscow.

Russian sources told AsiaNews Fr. Pezzi's nomination was greeted with “optimism and great expectation for real improvement in the relations between the Catholic Church in Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate.”

The priest, who was the rector of the ‘Mary Queen of the Apostle’ Major Seminary in Saint-Petersburg, replaces Mgr Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, who moves to the archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev, in Belarus.

For Moscow’s Catholic community the change at the top of the archdiocese “is the Pope’s, hence, God’s will, and we can look forward, hoping for real rapprochement with our Orthodox brothers,” the sources said.

Since Benedict XVI was elected Pontiff, relations between the Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate have gradually improved, finding
fertile ground for dialogue and joint commitment on issues like Europe’s de-Christianisation, human rights protection, the defence of the family and bioethics.

Relations at a local level have however remained tense. The Moscow Patriarchate has continued to accuse the Catholic Church with proselytising among the Orthodox faithful.

Churches 'are not bound
by the First Amendment
and cannot violate it'
All Things Catholic
by John L. Allen, Jr.
Friday, Sept. 21, 2007



Ronald Reagan once famously insisted that Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev “tear down that wall,” referring to the division of Berlin into East and West. In a somewhat less dramatic fashion, Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Curry of Los Angeles demanded Thursday that another wall be torn down - in this case, the metaphor of a “wall of separation” between church and state in the United States, which Curry called “bad law and bad history.”

In point of fact, Curry insisted, separating church and state is neither what the First Amendment was intended to do, nor is it what has actually happened over more than 200 years of American history. For that reason, he said, it’s time to “abandon the language of church/state separation” altogether.

The Irish-born Curry, who has written extensively on church/state relations in the United States over the years, spoke at a symposium on faith and politics sponsored by Duquesne University in Pittsburgh on Sept. 20.

In essence, Curry’s argument was that the image of a “wall of separation” between church and state, which comes from an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists, has badly distorted the popular American understanding of the First Amendment.

Specifically, Curry said the First Amendment’s “free exercise of religion” clause has come to be misunderstood, under the influence of the idea of separation between church and state, in at least three fatal ways:

- As a government grant of religious tolerance, ignoring that religious freedom is actually an element of natural law;
- As requiring religion to stay out of public debates and spaces, which, Curry argued, was never the intent, nor is it the actual meaning of the First Amendment;
- As empowering the government to foster the religious freedom of individual citizens, when in fact, Curry said, all the First Amendment means is that the state has no power in religious matters.

Curry noted that it was the 1947 Supreme Court case Everson v. Board of Education that enshrined the metaphor of a “wall of separation” as a guiding idea in American legal thought. (The case involved charges that a program in New Jersey, in which the state paid the cost of transportation to and from private schools, indirectly amounted to establishment of religion.) Curry said that in the 60 years since, the wall metaphor has been “an unmitigated disaster.”

In truth, Curry argued, the only subject addressed by the First Amendment is the state - churches, he said, “are not bound by the First Amendment and cannot violate it.”

Curry said that religious bodies have every right to involve themselves in the public life of the country, as religious leaders and groups have done repeatedly throughout American history, from debates over slavery and the death penalty to stem cell research and immigration.

Further, Curry said, there’s no reason that church and state can’t collaborate in pursuit of a legitimate secular aim, such as education or poverty relief.

Taking the “wall” metaphor seriously, Curry said, distorts the original American understanding of the free exercise of religion into something more akin to the rigid French policy of denying religion any public voice or role.

“Churches can be as involved as they want to in political affairs,” Curry said. “They may risk their tax exemption, but that’s not a matter of constitutional law.”

“We hear a lot today about the church imposing its beliefs on the country, but this isn’t so,” he said. “Having religious reasons for favoring or opposing a secular law is not prohibited by the constitution. If we do that, we end up controlling or banning certain forms of thought, which is precisely what the founders wanted to avoid.”

The “wall” image, Curry said, has also fostered what he described as a false notion that the government has a positive role as a promoter of individual religious freedom. This illusion, he said, has produced an ever-increasing cycle of demands for new religious exceptions to public law:

- The use of drugs such as peyote in religious ceremonies;
- Refusal to display one’s photo on a driver’s license on the grounds that it violates scriptural bans on graven images;
- Refusal to use a social security number on the grounds that “only God should number us”;
- Refusal to accept blood transfusions for oneself or one’s children;
- Refusal to send children to public schools beyond a certain level.

In each case, Curry said, there may be an argument for accommodation of these behaviors on the grounds of fairness or compelling public interest, but it’s not because the behavior is religious.

“If anyone can decide what’s religious and then demand that the government protect it, we would have complete anarchy,” Curry said.

Under the influence of a false reading of the “free exercise” clause, Curry said, courts sometimes grant exemptions from civil laws to religious groups on an ad-hoc basis.

For example, he said, the Supreme Court has held that the Amish don’t have to send their children to school beyond the eighth grade, but they refused to allow a Jewish military officer to wear a yarmulke under his uniform.

Unwittingly, Curry argued, such jurisprudence puts the courts in the position of deciding who gets religious freedom and who doesn’t.

As another example, Curry pointed to a Florida case in which a municipality had proposed knocking down headstones in a cemetery to make mowing the grass easier. Both Christians and Jews objected on the grounds that the headstones had religious significance, and the judge actually spent weeks studying the theological and spiritual significance of burial rituals in both faiths. Curry argued that the case should have been decided on other grounds, such as basic fairness or due process, rather than having the court assess specifically religious questions.

Curry’s deliberately provocative conclusion was that those who promote the notion of a “wall of separation” between church and state are guilty of the same approach to the First Amendment that Christian fundamentalists take to the creation accounts of Genesis - reading it outside its historical context and the intent of its authors.

The wall metaphor, Curry said, “is incapable of leading us to appreciate the true meaning of the First Amendment.”

Three other interesting notes from Curry’s presentation.

First, as he has in the past, Curry sounded a note of caution about public funding for Catholic schools, such as voucher programs. He noted the irony that at the same time Catholic leaders have clamored for greater public support for church-run schools, they have also expressed growing concern for their Catholic identity. Curry noted that it’s tough to have both at the same time, since “he who pays the piper calls the tune.”

“I suppose all of us want to have our cake and eat it too,” he laughed.

Second, Curry pointedly conceded in response to a question from the floor that, given his premises, there’s precious little constitutional justification for having publicly funded Catholic chaplains (or chaplains from any other denominational background) in either the armed forces or the prison system.

He said that public authorities often bend the rules for religious groups in ways based more on cultural tradition than the Constitution.

“I go to celebrate Mass sometimes in the prisons, and every time I bring a small amount of wine with me, which is completely against the regulations,” Curry said. “Thank God, no one so far has arrested me.”

Third, Curry said that in many ways the Supreme Court has not adopted the idea of a “wall of separation” between church and state in its actual jurisprudence. The court has held, for example, that while a public school cannot require prayer, students who organize prayers on their own may do so on school grounds.

“The court needs to bring its rationale in line with its actual decisions,” Curry said.



RACISM IN THE CHURCH?
IN INDIA, IT'S CASTE PREJUDICE


I’ve been on the road this week, speaking at two venues in the Portland area (All Saints Parish and a two-day theological symposium at Mount Angel Abbey), plus speaking at the same symposium at Duquesne University where Curry appeared.

Mount Angel, a picturesque abbey nestled on a wooded hilltop called Tapalamaho, or “mount of communion,” in the local Native American language, was founded in 1882 by two Swiss-German Benedictine monks. Shortly afterwards the community opened a seminary, also called Mount Angel, which is now the oldest seminary West of the Rockies. It draws seminarians from all over the country, both diocesan and religious order candidates.

My topic at Mount Angel was my “Mega-Trends in Catholicism” project, and if the quality of questions I drew over two days is any indication of the vitality of the seminary, something fairly impressive is happening under Abbot Nathan Zodrow and the faculty.

This is the kind of place where one can be standing around having a cup of coffee, and an eager young seminarian will come bounding up to ask what the Vatican’s position is on Wittgenstein. (He was disappointed to learn there isn’t one, though I tried to soften the blow by discussing Benedict’s views of language, especially the idea of Christianity as a culture that fosters its own argot.)

My first mega-trend is the demographic shift in global Catholicism from north to south, and as I was repeatedly reminded, Mount Angel in many ways offers a microcosm of that broader current in the church. Today’s seminarians are disproportionately likely to be Hispanic, Asian and African, creating both healthy diversity and inevitable tensions.

The very last question I was asked, at the end of an intense two-day symposium, makes the point. We had been discussing the global expansion of Pentecostalism in the 20th century, and a young African seminarian rose to say that in his experience, other denominations sometimes do a better job of dealing with racism inside the church than Catholicism. If the Catholic future lies to some extent in the global south, he asked, doesn’t this suggest that Catholicism will need to come to terms with racism in its own house?

I cannot pretend to have given a terribly satisfying answer; perhaps the most important point I made was to validate the importance and the urgency of the question. I also can’t say whether things are any worse in Catholicism than in other traditions, and I suspect a great deal depends on what specific location and community one has in mind. Yet there’s no doubt that serious problems endure, and in the 21st century those challenges could easily metastasize if the church does not get ahead of the curve.

At a theological level, the Catholic church describes itself as the sacrament of the unity of the human family. In principle, “catholic” means universal, so that a truly Catholic church ought to challenge prejudices of all sorts, whether racial, cultural, national, or ideological. Catholicism thus contains within itself unique resources to challenge the stain of racism.

Yet, I acknowledged, the church has not always succeeded in mobilizing those resources especially well. It’s important to realize, I said, that racism in the church is not just a problem in the global North, as if it’s only white Catholics who need to confront the ghosts in their closet.

One example comes from India. Estimates are that somewhere between 60 and 75 percent of Indian Catholics are Dalits, who often see Christianity as a means of protesting the caste system and of affiliating with a social network to buffer its effects.

Beginning in the 1970s, the Catholic church took up the Dalit cause in Indian society, yet the church itself has a mixed record. Archbishop Marampudi Joji of Hyderabad, the first Dalit archbishop, said in a 2005 interview that “discrimination against Dalits has no official sanction in the church, but it is very much practiced.”

Joji told a story about a meeting between Catholic leaders and the former Prime Minister Indira Ghandi in the 1970s. When the bishops complained about the treatment of Dalits, according to Joji, Gandhi shot back: “First do justice to the Dalits within your church, and then come back to me and make your representation on their behalf. I shall do my best for you then.” Yet as of 2000, just six of the 156 Catholic bishops in India were Dalits, and out of 12,500 Catholic priests, only about 600 were Dalits.

Sensitivity to caste distinctions in the Indian church still runs strong. When Joji was appointed to an archdiocese where Dalits are not a majority, outgoing Archbishop Samineni Arulappa of Hyderabad complained, “Rome is being taken for a ride. Rome does not know the ground realities.”

These are complex questions, and I have no magic bullet solution. It seems to me, however, that the beginning of wisdom is to acknowledge that racism, either inside Catholicism or outside it, is not a North/South issue. It’s a primal temptation of the human heart, one that Catholics will be challenged to address with new clarity in the 21st century as growing pluralism becomes a fact of ecclesiastical life.

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


It's amazing but true - how is it no one has dared to speak these blunt truths before in such a systematic way as Bishop Curry does, going straight for the jugular on this issue? The 'separation between Church and State' that has been bandied about all these many decades is just as unfounded an mythical as the progressivists' ideas of Vatican-II.

AFTER ALL THE PASSION AGAINST THE MASS MP


Remember how in the almost two years of speculation that preceded the Pope's Motu Proprio on the Mass, France was identified as the epicenter of major opposition to the Church-wide validation of the traditional Mass?

Beatrice rounded up the reporting in Le Figaro, Le Monde and La Croix on the MP on September 14, when the MP went into effect - and lo and behold, everything appears calm and untroubled, even if the p.c. line among the three newspapers (as it has been with most liberals) is that "Well, hardly anyone asked for it!" That was hardly the point. Why do the opponents see this as a competition, which was farthest from what the Pope had in mind?

It is also painful to note how everyone continues to call it the Latin Mass, as though Latin were the operative word in all this. It's just so pig-headed - and anti-rational - to refuse to see the Mass in its totality and reduce it to a question of language.

But at least, there appears to be none of the relentless venom from the Italian dissidents, and we must be thankful for that.

Here are translations:


The Latin Mass 'returns'
but makes no waves
By SOPHIE DE RAVINEL
www.lefigaro.fr/

The effectivity of the decree by which Benedict XVI has liberalized the old Latin rite of the Mass begins today in an atmosphere of weak mobilization.

The tsunami warnings have fallen short [And pray, tell, who were the alarmists? Isn't this a blatantly revisionist way of presenting the news? The Pope and all who support him have always said "This does not change anything for the overwhelmingly majority who are at ease with the New Mass." So what tsunami was anyone expecting??]

The expected traditionalist wave has not overwhelmed the Catholic Church in France, after the decision taken by Benedict XVI last July. Nor has one heard more from those who opposed the papal decision.

Now that the decree allowing any priest to celebrate the traditional Mass if a group of faithful request it goes into effect, the traditionalists have not been rushing forward. During the recent conference of French bishops, it was noted that "there have been requests since the beginning of July...but not too many." [The subtext of such a statement being that a) very few really care, and b) therefore, this was all so unnecessary.]

Since it is impossible to quantify 'on a national level', the bishops' spokesman nevertheless underscored the 'positive climate' that has prevailed over the land since the summer.

"In the dioceses, there is a clear will to execute this Motu Proprio. The bishops have addressed themselves by correspondence to their priests about this, and sometimes, to the faithful directly. The issue is being addressed," he assured.

In Lyon, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin met with his priests about the Motu Proprio last week. "We can say that on that day, there were no requests from specific groups, " said Pierre Durieu, the communications aide for the diocese. "Thus, it is as it was before - a mass in Lyon, another in Franchevile."

Likewise in Rennes, Poitiers, Pontoise... In these dioceses, a weekly Mass has already been offered to those who prefer the traditional Mass, and that should meet the demand.

In the diocese of Verdun, the traditional Mass is not celebrated at all. Yes, in Paris, 'some requests' have been received - and the archbishop has responded by making more Masses available [Aha! Interposing an authority that is not even called for in this case, when it is not for the bishop to decide!] Nevertheless, the climate could not be more peaceful. [What on earth were they expecting? Massgoers of the ordinary form going out of their way to pick a fight with the traditionalists, or vice-versa?]

"But we are barely back from summer vacation," remarks Marc Erhard, a father from Eure-et-Loir who says he is in the midst of bringing together a like-minded group with the help of priests from the Bon Pasteur Institute [traditionalist seminary] in Courtalain. "There are already some 40 of us, including our children, and we are ready to seek an audience with the bishop." [Didn't the Bon Pasteur priests tell Erhard this was no longer necessary? It's OK, if they simply intend a gesture of courtesy by it.]

Not much mobilization either among the staunch objectors. While regretting that the debate has "narrowed and closed it on itself" and "settling accounts with a badly-digested past", Jesuit priest Pierre de Charentenay said: "Obviously, the status quo wins, without any question." [Oh you, uncharitable souls, who see this as a competition! No one is supposed to lose because both sides can follow what they want!]

An occasion to find out will be in Bordeaux on Saturday, when Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, will ordain 5 new priests using the traditional rite, in the presence of Cardinal Jean Pierre-Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux and president of the French bishops conference. [What's to find out? It's an ordination, and the traditional rite will be used. How many people will show up? Considering that Ricard was one of the staunchest objectors? Stop already with keeping score!]

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The motu proprio
causes no ripples
by Nicholas Seneze
and regional correspondents
www.la-croix.com/


Now that the Papal decree liberalizing the use of the Tridentine Missal [It is not the Tridentine Missal - it's the John XXIII Missal! It is inexcusable that the reporter of a Catholic newspaper, who should know better, is as slipshod and factually wrong as those in the secular media], there seems to be very little demand from its faithful adherents for the moment....

All in all, as of today (9/14), we have not learned of more than 10 new places in France which will have the traditional rite available, mainly in dioceses where none have been celebrated since 1970. This is based on a telephone survey made by La Croix last week of all the dioceses. One must check back in a few months to see just how amle is the effect of this reform.

But these first figures seem to prove that the 124 places of worship already offering the traditional Mass according to John Paul II's Ecclesia Dei adflicta in 1988, are adequate. Even if some bishops, as in Annecy (Haute-Savoie), are thinking of directing the adherents of the old Mass to larger churches. For instance, in Paris, they would be sent from Notre-Dame-du-Lys to Saint-Gemain-l'Auxerrois....

"The requests will come after September 4," says Fr. Paul Aulagnier, ex- superior for France of the St. Pius`X Fraternity, who took place last year in the establishment of the Bon Pasteur Institut [priests who broke away from the Lefebrists to come into full communion with Rome].

But this ex-associate of Mons, Marcel Lefebvre has his doubts about the Motu Proprio. "I am not sure that the procedure chosen by the Holy Father is the right one," he says. "Will the parish priests dare to accept the request of the faithful who are loyal to the Missal of John XXIII? And what would be the attitude of the bishops towards parish priests [who accommodate the requests]?" [Sadly, even this priest continues to think in pre-Summorum Pontificum terms, and seems to think it's the bishop above all who must be accommodated!]« ...

Nevertheless, on the part of the bishops of France - who discussed the subject last Tuesday at a meeting of their Permanent Council composed of the metropolitan archbishops - one notes a real wish to pacify.

The Motu Proprio must be applied in full - all of it. [But how else is it to be applied? Partially?] So, no question of dealing with groups who do not accept the validity of the 1970 liturgical reform.

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

The following story makes it appear that the French bishops, while professing to be in full compliance with the MP, are having the first and last say, nevertheless - exactly as they did with John Paul II's 1988 Motu Proprio. As if Benedict had not issued his own MP! If so, they may not be as rude and brutal as the Italian dissidents, but they're still guilty of crass disobedience, overweening ego and arrogance - "Le loi, c'est moi! The Pope? Tough luck!"


The Latin Mass, now possible,
raises litte interest
Stéphanie Le Bars
www.lemonde.fr/


Since the publication in July of the papal decree liberalizing the Latin Mass which goes into effect Sept. 14, the bishops of France have not received more than a handful of requests for the traditional Mass beyond those that are already allowed.

In the diocese of Lille, where two traditional Masses are already said on Sundays, a request by some families in the Dunkerque region has led the bishop to create a new celebration once a month. [Once a month! Isn't every Catholic supposed to go to Mass every Sunday?}

In Nanterre, the episcopal vicar in charge of the 'dossier' has received 'six letters' coming from individuals, whereas the papal text says the request should come from a 'stable group' of parishioners. Nonetheless, a second Latin Mass may be authorized.

In the diocese of Laval, where there has been, since the spring, conflict between a group of traditionalists and the bishop, putting the MP in place meant having a series of 'meetings and consultations'. But, starting September 16, two churches in the diocese will alternate in hosting an additional Mass in Latin.

The goal of unity expressed by the Pope does not seem to have been reached. [But how stupid to draw a conclusion on the day the MP first goes into effect!]

"Those who oppose Vatican-II continue to be opposed," says a priest in the Paris region. "And I don't see any signs of yielding on the aprt of the Lefebvrists."

Beyond the liturgical conflict, the integristes remain opposed to the innovations and values of Vatican-II.

[But these schismatics who will accept nothing of Vatican-II are not the ones addressed by the MP. To begin with, they have been using the traditional rite forever, so they do not need the MP. Next,Summorum Pontificum only addresses the liturgical question - acknowledging the continuing full validity of the 1962 Missal, while reaffirming the full validity of the 1970 reform. It obviously does not tackle the intractable stand of those who would reject Vatican-II in toto, and refuse to see that a legitimate Church council cannot be repudiated by the Church itself.]

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


9/24/07
P.S. About the Bordeaux ordination referred to in the last paragraph of the first article above - here is a brief update:

Today, Saturday 22nd of September 2007, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos was sent by the Pope to ordain five new priests for the Institute of the Good Shepherd in Bordeaux, France.

The ordination took place in Saint-Eloi, the historical church which had been restored by Father Laguérie, Superior General, at 9:30 AM.

Cardinal Ricard, President of the French Episcopal Conference of bishops and Archbishop of Bordeaux attended. Cardinal Ricard has been openly criticized by some parish priests for being present in such a ceremony as can be seen on the French TV.


And, from thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com/
a firshand report from France:


Summorum Pontificum in Paris, France
posted by Philippe Guy


The Archbishop of Paris made it known, before the 14th of September, that nothing would change in the diocese since a mass had already been granted in 1985 in Saint-Eugène, and two more one week after the episcopal ordinations of Mgr Lefebvre, in Notre-Dame du Lys and Sainte-Odile. According to him this was supposed to meet the needs of the faithful.

This was limited to the Mass and did not include sacraments. There was another condition which, even if it is not written is applied in many French dioceses: no priests from the Ecclesia Dei institutes can be tolerated, only diocesan priests celebrating both liturgies. According to them, no special skill is required to celebrate the extraordinary form.

On the 14th of September, no sign of joy or thanksgiving in the French dioceses and many restrictive commentaries from the bishops. But a surprise in Paris.

The courageous parish priest of Saint-Georges took on his own to announce an evening TLM [traditional Latin Mass) every Thursday. And he started with an unexpected sung mass on the 14th. In his parish, his predecessors had demolished the liturgical choir, burnt all the vestments and got rid of the candlesticks and so on.

Please pray for this priest and his congregation who will certainly not please the archbishop and his strategy.

Convert to Catholicism

Episcopal bishop to become a Roman Catholic


Episcopal Bishop Jeffrey Steenson of Rio GrandeAlbuquerque, Sep 24, 2007 / 08:28 am (CNA).- Yet another Episcopal bishop has announced his intention to resign from the Episcopal Church and become a Roman Catholic.

Bishop Jeffrey Steenson of Rio Grande, New Mexico is expected to announce his decision on Monday, reported The Living Church.

“I believe that the Lord now calls me in this direction. It amazes me, after all of these years, what a radical journey of faith this must necessarily be. To some it seems foolish; to others disloyal; to others an abandonment,” said the bishop in a statement prepared for the House of Bishops, which was meeting in New Orleans.

“My conscience is deeply troubled,” he continued, “because I sense that the obligations of my ministry in the Episcopal Church may lead me to a place apart from scripture and tradition. I am concerned that if I do not listen to and act in accordance with conscience now, it will become harder and harder to hear God’s voice.”

He said he would ask for permission to resign as the ordinary of Rio Grande by the end of the year and hoped then to be released from his ordination vows in the Episcopal Church.

The bishop told The Living Church that the meeting of the House of Bishops at Camp Allen in the spring had a major effect on his decision. He described the March meeting as “a profoundly disturbing experience.”

“I was more than a little surprised when such a substantial majority declared the polity of the Episcopal Church to be primarily that of an autonomous and independent local church relating to the wider Anglican Communion by voluntary association,” he reportedly said in his statement. “This is not the Anglicanism in which I was formed, inspired by the Oxford Movement and the Catholic Revival in the Church of England … honestly, I did not recognize the church that this House described on that occasion.”

Bishop Steenson will be the third bishop of the Episcopal Church to become a Roman Catholic this year. Bishop Dan Herzog of Albany moved shortly after his retirement in January. Bishop Clarence C. Pope, retired Bishop of Fort Worth, returned to Roman Catholicism in August.

Priests who 'desert',
priests who 'come back'
by GianPaolo Salvini, S.J.

This is a major excerpt from the article in the current issue of La Civilta Cattolica. The translation is provided by Sandro Magister in his post today about Cardinal Bertone's active role in supervising the contents of the Jesuit-published magazine, long believed to reflect the Vatican viewpoint, as each issue is first evaluated by the Vatican Secretariat of State before publication. This particular article, however, was reportedly commissioned by Cardinal Bertone himself.


The media talk about priests very often, but unfortunately they do so above all in order to divulge instances of scandal or to condemn the Church's attitudes, judged as being too harsh toward them. There is a good deal less talk about the personal care that the Church constantly exercises toward priests. [...]

What is the situation today of those who, after having abandoned the priesthood – something that usually happens amid great suffering – ask to be readmitted to the priestly ministry? Who are they, and how many?

Because the figures that are circulated in this arena are sometimes farfetched, we would like to present accurate information about both the abandonment of the priestly ministry, and about the rather less well-known phenomenon of the readmittance to it of those who had left it behind.

This is, in fact, in our view, an area that demonstrates in ways that are more easily understood today the care of persons on the part of the Church, or more precisely the "maternity" of the Church, something that is rarely emphasized.

* * *

There are no exact figures on the numbers of priests who, having left the ministry, are now married. On the basis of indications sent to the Vatican from the dioceses, from 1964 to 2004, 69,063 priests left the ministry. From 1970 to 2004, 11,213 priests have returned to the ministry. This means that there cannot be more than 57,000 married priests.

Probably there are many fewer, because over forty years a number of them have died. So the figures cited by the press and by the associations of married priests, speaking of 80,000-100,000 ex-priests, are unfounded.

Today the proportion of defections is rising slightly, but it cannot be compared to the proportion during the 1970’s. Each years from 2000 to 2004, an average of .26% of priests have left the priesthood, or 5,383 in five years.

At the same time, there has also been a rise in the number of those asking to be readmitted to the priestly ministry. Of the 1,076 priests who leave the ministry each year, 554 ask for a dispensation from the obligations imposed by the priestly state: celibacy, and the recitation of the breviary (1).

Of the remaining 552, 74 return to the ministry each year. It may be noted that 40% of the requests for dispensation come from priests belonging to a religious order or congregation. Since August 1, 2005, 16 percent of the requests for dispensation have come from deacons. For the period from 2000 to 204, there are 2,240 priests whose situation cannot be determined.

More precise data for the individual years reveal that, in 2000, 930 priests left the ministry, while 89 were readmitted. 571 dispensations were granted, of which 68 were extended to men under the age of 40, and 39 to men at the point of death. 112 dispensations were granted to deacons.

In the five years after this, the figures rose, but not by much. In 2002, there were 1,219 defections, and 71 re-entries; 550 dispensations were granted, 19 of which were for men under the age of 40 and 31 for men at the point of death; 98 dispensations were granted to deacons. In 2004, there were 1,081 defections and 56 re-entries; 476 dispensations were granted to priests, 27 of which were for men under the age of 40 and 6 for men at the point of death.

From August 1, 2005 to October 20, 2006, the congregation for the clergy received 804 requests for dispensations, including those for deacons. Including the 100 applications received by the congregation for the sacraments, the requests come: 185 from the United States, 119 from Italy, 60 from Spain, 59 from Brazil, 52 from Poland, 48 from Mexico, 32 from Germany, 31 from the Philippines, 29 from Argentina, 27 from India, 26 from France, 23 from Ireland, 22 from Canada, etc.

Different Vatican congregations are mentioned because until 1988 responsibility for dispensations belonged to the congregation for the doctrine of the faith; it then passed to the congregation for divine worship and the discipline of the sacraments; in 2005, at the Holy Father’s decision, it was transferred to the congregation for the clergy.

* * *

The reasons for abandoning the priestly ministry, or at least the ones that are given, are highly varied. Most requests for dispensation are due to situations of emotional instability, together with other factors that ultimately make the situation of many priests almost irreversible, but there are also cases of crises of faith, conflicts with superiors or difficulties with the magisterium, depression, and serious limitations of character.

On average, with all the variations that go into making an average, desertion takes place after thirteen years of ministry. These men are ordained at the age of 28, and are in their 50's at the time when they ask for a dispensation, because in general they wait for about ten years before asking for one. 50.2% of those who ask for a dispensation are already in a civil marriage, 14.5% percent are in a situation of cohabitation, and 35.2% live alone.

Generally, observing the cases of requests for dispensations sent in since the year 2000, it can be said that most of the priests who have left the ministry have found respectable employment in the most varied sectors.

Almost all have a job or a professional career, and are not in need of assistance. Quite a few of them have been taken in by bishops to fulfill ecclesiastical roles, and, once a dispensation has been received, to teach religion classes, or in any case to work in institutions under ecclesiastical authority.

There are also cases of ex-priests who carry out delicate tasks in the education of young people or in the formation of the clergy. Associations and organizations have also been created – obviously without any relationship with the hierarchy or any form of approval – that bring married priests together to offer their priestly services to those who request them, like members of the faithful who because of an irregular situation or for the sake of convenience do not want to use the services of a regular priest (2).

There exists, finally, a distinct group of priests who, some time after leaving the ministry, demonstrate a clear nostalgia for it and a strong desire to resume the priestly ministry to which they were called and for which they prepared. Many of them apply pressure to be readmitted to the priesthood, but without abandoning their life as married priests, which the Church cannot grant without changing its law on celibacy. Not a few of them seek to exercise some form of priestly ministry in the Protestant confessions or in the sects.

* * *

There have always been in the Catholic Church licitly ordained married men who exercise the priestly ministry: these are priests of the Eastern Catholic rite. This is a traditional practice for both the Orthodox and Catholic Eastern Churches, and it was fully confirmed by Vatican Council II.

But in the Latin rite Church as well there are married priests who fully and legitimately exercise their priestly functions. These are ministers who have come into the Catholic Church from Anglicanism or from other Churches and Christian groups.

But there is also the presence of married Eastern rite Catholic priests who, as we have said, have always existed, but until now they were present only in areas that were predominantly Eastern rite, where they exercised their ministry beside Orthodox or other non-Catholic clergy, without causing problems in the communities.

But today, a certain number of married Eastern rite Catholic priests are emigrating to cities in the West, where they are welcomed by some bishops who, in difficulty because of a shortage of clergy, entrust parishes to them. Members of the faithful and priests look with some perplexity upon this new phenomenon to which they are not accustomed. [...]

* * *

When one speaks of the "restoration" of married priests, using a term that is perhaps not entirely appropriate, one must distinguish among the various types of cases and clarify what it is that is being discussed.

There is, above all, the case of the married Anglican or Lutheran ex-ministers who, having converted to Catholicism, ask to become priests, and who since the time of Pius XII have been allowed to continue their conjugal life within their families.

After these individual cases, there arose that of several hundreds of Anglican pastors, most of them married, who asked to be admitted into the ranks of the Catholic clergy because they did not agree with some of the decisions made by their Church, especially in the matter of the admission of women to holy orders. Requests along these lines continue even today, and in general they are well received. On average there are seven or eight of these each year. There were 12 in 2004, 9 in 2005, and 13 in 2006.

Then there are the priests who have left the priestly ministry and married, but, once free from the marriage bonds, ask to be readmitted to the exercise of the ministry.

Once there were only a few cases like this, but today they have multiplied, and the Church has modified its legislation in order to accompany better those who had consecrated their lives to its service and later made other choices.

New procedures have been established that offer a guide for "benevolent" bishops (as they are called in canonical language), and the majority of the cases are concluded with the granting of pontifical clemency.

From 1967-2006 there were 438 requests for readmission, which were at that time still being handled by the congregation for the doctrine of the faith. 220 of these were approved, 104 were rejected, while 114 others were postponed pending further documentation.

In order to ask for readmission to the exercise of the ministry, apart from the request of the interested party, a declaration is required from a "benevolent" bishop, or from the major superior of a religious congregation, expressing his willingness to incardinate the person into his diocese (or into his religious institute, with the profession of temporary vows), and offering assurances that there is no danger of scandal if the request is granted.

The petitioner must be free from the sacramental marital bond, and he must not have civil obligations toward a wife or minor children. This normally supposes that the children are adults, financially self-sufficient, and not living with their father. If he has married, he needs to present either a certificate of his wife's death or a decree of annulment.

It is also asked that he not be "too advanced [in age], within reason" and that testimony be presented from laity and clergy on his fitness to resume ministry. It is also asked that he take at least six months of refresher courses on theology. Finally, if it is a former member of a religious order who now wants to be incardinated within a diocese, it is also asked that the religious superior of his original order provide a "nihil obstat."

As can be seen, while the legislation in force in the matter of celibacy has not been modified, the Church's praxis has been significantly changed, in the sense of going to meet the desire of men who have abandoned the ministry for the most varied reasons and now desire to resume the mission for which they have prepared for years and which still holds value and significance for them. The rigidity of a former time, which harshly judged and condemned any abandoning of the priesthood, has been tempered by a pastoral praxis that is certainly more understanding and "maternal." [...]

In this sense, it is rather significant that over about thirty years, 11,213 priests have been readmitted to the priestly ministry who had abandoned it for the most varied reasons. [...] While fully respecting those who decide to serve the Lord better in a different state of life that they have embraced after realizing that they were not suited for the priestly life, the Church cannot help but rejoice at every return to the priestly ministry, finding once again a person willing to serve with all of his being the ecclesial community and the cause of the Gospel.


NOTES

(1) In the past, the situation was rather different, in part because of the very rigid norms in place until 1964, which later became more relaxed, and then, after October 14, 1980, somewhat more rigid again. The norms are clearly reflected in the number of dispensations requested and granted in the various periods. Before 1980, 95% of dispensations requested were granted; after that they fell to one third of the requests. From 1914 to 1962, 810 requests for dispensations were submitted, of which 315 were approved and 495 rejected. From 1964 to 1988, the requests received totaled 44,890, of which 39,149 were granted and 5,741 denied, for a total of 39,464 dispensations granted and 6,236 rejected out of 45,700 requests received by the congregation for the doctrine of the faith.

(2) Among these rather paradoxical associations, we may cite "Rent a priest," which is fairly active in the United States. It is comprised of 167 priests organized into "deaneries" that cover the entire territory of the United States. It also numbers around fifteen members in Germany, five in Canada, and a few others scattered around the world.

VATICAN PHILATELIC MUSEUM OPENS TO THE PUBLIC

VATICAN CITY, SEP 25, 2007 (VIS) - This morning the opening ceremony was held for the new Philatelic and Numismatic Museum of Vatican City State, located within the Vatican Museums.

The new museum brings together all the stamps and coins minted in Vatican City State from 1929 to the present day. It includes a section containing sketches, printing plates, plaster models, bronze casts and other materials illustrating the various phases in the production of stamps and coins. It also contains a philatelic retrospective on the history of the postal service of the Pontifical State (1852-1870). The pictures on display in the new museum are original sketches by various artists that have been used in the production of postal stamps and aerograms.

In a separate development, it has been announced that the Holy See will once again participate in the "European Heritage Days," an initiative promoted by the Council of Europe in which more than 40 countries on the continent take part. The celebrations this year will take place on Sunday, September 30, on the theme: "Europe, a shared heritage. The continent's Christian roots."

On that day, entrance to the Vatican Museums and to the catacombs in Rome will be free of charge. At the San Callisto Catacombs on the Old Appian Way a photographic exhibition will be inaugurated entitled "The Catacombs of Rome, a privileged destination for European pilgrims." The exhibition will remain open to the public until October 30, 2007.

September 26, 2007
Catholic Information Service for Africa (www.cisanewsafrica.org/)

PRETORIA, South Africa (CISA) – The former Catholic archbishop of Bulawayo said that he will remain a human-rights advocate and has no intention of running for the presidency of Zimbabwe in next year's elections as rumored.

At the same time, Archbishop Pius Ncube has said he is convinced that the nation's president, Robert Mugabe, 83, will win the March 2008 elections through mass intimidation, use of food as a weapon and by mass election rigging.

The archbishop also said his life has been in danger for sometime and that he had received numerous warnings from friendly sources within the regime urging him to be very cautious about where he went.

Speaking out for the first time since he resigned on Sept. 11, Ncube said he would not leave Bulawayo but would intensify his commitment to bring an end to the Mugabe regime. His personal prayer life was the source of his strength in the face of his tribulations.

The former archbishop spoke during a Sept. 19-20 visit to the Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI) here. The institute belongs to the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference.

A report by Father Sean O'Leary of the institute said the institute had invited the archbishop as an act of solidarity and support. Ncube, an ardent critic of Mugabe's misrule, resigned after he was sued for adultery in what is widely seen as a smear campaign against him.

At the peace institute meetings, the former archbishop spent the first evening among friends and spoke freely of the situation in Zimbabwe and his personal problem, Father O'Leary said.

The following day, Ncube visited St. John Vianney Seminary and spoke to three different groups of seminarians. In the afternoon he asked to be allowed to do some shopping. "The deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe was brought home to those with him on the shopping trip when he chose to buy six large loaves of bread and 10 kilos of flour among other things to take home with him," Father O'Leary said.

Later, he addressed a number of leading South African businessmen at a gala dinner in his honor, organized by the institute.

According to Father O'Leary, over the two days visit, Ncube spoke with pain about the deteriorating plight of the people, lack of food, breakdown of health and education systems, the fact that shops are now empty and the increasing number of the desolate poor.

He lamented the division in the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and placed the blame for the division on Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the party's larger faction. Attempts by the archbishop to encourage the two sides to come together had been rejected by Tsvangirai.

He said efforts by the South African government and other regional leaders to negotiate with Mugabe to end the crisis in the country are useless, adding that President Thabo Mbeki and the Southern African Development Community were aligned with Mugabe.

Ncube said he resigned for the sake of the church in general and the Archdiocese of Bulawayo in particular, explaining that because of him the church was suffering. He said the government refused to do anything for anyone in the archdiocese as long as he headed it.


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

U.S. Kicks Off 40 Days for Life:
Nationwide Campaign to End Abortion





WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPT. 26, 2007 (Zenit.org)- People of faith and conscience from some 80 cities in 33 states are launching the largest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in American history, said the 40 Days for Life campaign director.

David Bereit said this about 40 Days for Life, a pro-life campaign that starts today, focusing on 40 days of prayer and fasting, peaceful vigils at abortion facilities, and grass-roots education.

The 40-day time frame was chosen from examples in biblical history where God brought about world-changing transformation.

Bereit said, "40 Days for Life is a campaign about faith, and this faithfulness is truly preparing this country for the beginning of the end of abortion."

Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, North Dakota, is encouraging all in his diocese to participate in the 40 Days of Life.

The bishop asked especially for prayer vigils to be held at the state's only abortion clinic, located in Fargo.

Bishop Aquila said in his letter: "Make a plan for prayer and fasting. Then, if you are not homebound or physically impaired, schedule an hour or more of prayerful vigil.

"I have asked each priest of the diocese to do the same and to challenge you to follow his example."

Recognizing that sparsely populated North Dakota has fewer abortions than other states, the 57-year-old bishop explained that "low numbers are not enough. Not even one abortion per week is acceptable. Not one per month. Not one per year. Not one in our lifetime."

"God has called us to put an end to abortion in the state of North Dakota," Bishop Aquila concluded, "He does not call us to do what is impossible, but to proclaim the gift of life and to build a civilization of truth and love."

The 40 Days for Life concludes on Nov. 4.

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


'The largest simultaneous
pro-life mobilization in history
An interview with a co-director of
Sacramento’s 40 Days for Life Campaign
California Catholic Daily
Sept. 26, 2007


Wynette Sills is a Catholic wife and mother of three children. She and her husband, Ed, are organic farmers north of Sacramento. An experienced sidewalk counselor, she is a co-director of the 40 Days for Life Campaign in Sacramento.


What is “40 Days for Life?”

It’s the largest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in history: a continuous, 960-hour, prayer and fasting vigil outside of abortion sites in 89 cities in 33 states. We’ll be keeping vigil at our region’s busiest abortion facility, Sacramento Planned Parenthood at 29th and B St, from September 26th through November 4th.


Has 40 Days for Life been tried elsewhere?

It’s been done in 9 cities around the country, with fantastic results. College Station, Texas, activated over 1,000 people and slashed the local abortion rate by 28%. Green Bay, Wisconsin, rallied 700 people - only 2% had ever been active in pro-life efforts before - and saved two babies from abortion during the first hour of their campaign.

Houston, Texas, directed 120 pregnant women away from one abortion site to pregnancy care centers, and one of the most notorious abortion sites in the city closed down after being in operation for over 20 years.


What will “40 Days for Life” look like in California?

The two participating cities in California are Sacramento and Orange. We had our amazingly enthusiastic first planning meeting for the Sacramento campaign on July 31.

The Prayer Vigil will be a prayerful presence. No graphic signs are allowed and every participant must sign a ‘Statement of Peace,’ which gives rules for maintaining a law-abiding, respectful vigil. Already hundreds of new people are registering to participate.


Will there be any attempt to get an estimate of the impact?

We plan to have nearby pregnancy resource centers document increased numbers of women seeking help to have their babies. We have a regular presence at the other two main abortion facilities - one of them is another Planned Parenthood - and will be watching closely if the targeted site tries to shift business there.

People at the vigil sites will record their observations: number of cars, number of clients, and prayer requests.


Are you working closely with the police?

Yes. The Sacramento Police Department has already been informed, and we have a very good working relationship with them. We appreciate their presence. After all, aren't we on the ‘same team’, all interested in protecting innocent human life?

Planned Parenthood may attempt to spin the media against us. They may have ‘pledge a picketer’ type of fundraising. But they don't have the fervor or infrastructure to respond adequately for the 960 hours we will be there.


Will you still be recruiting new participants even after the campaign gets started?

Yes, it is never too late to join. We recently received the endorsement of our Bishop Weigand of the Sacramento Diocese and his message was sent to parishes throughout the diocese. We hope that churches of all denominations from Bakersfield to Oregon will organize caravans to join us in Sacramento.

Of course, individuals can drop in at any time during the 40 days. Groups should call our vigil coordinator, Chris Jonas, at (530) 878-0598 to schedule a time that needs to be filled. No signs are needed. We have already ordered signs with the messages we have agreed to focus on.


Reader Ygnacia contributed the ff:


The Novena for Life to be said for 40 days starting September 26th and ending Novemeber 4th begins each day with this beautiful prayer composed by John Paul II:

---

O Mary, Bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the Living,
to you do we entrust the cause of Life.
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of Life
with honesty and love to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives,
and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely,
in order to build, together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.

---

OUR FATHER - HAIL MARY - GLORY BE...

Episcopal Leaders Try to Avoid Schism
By RACHEL ZOLL

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 26 (AP) — Even the fiercest critics of the Episcopal Church's liberal drift say it's too soon to know whether the bishops' latest pledge to "exercise restraint" in approving another gay bishop will go far enough to help prevent an Anglican schism.

"It will take months and years to really see," said Bishop Martyn Minns, who leads a conservative network of breakaway Episcopal parishes.

Overseas, people on both sides of the debate registered their unhappiness Wednesday. Some supporters of gay clergy accused Episcopal leaders of caving in to conservatives led by African archbishops, while traditionalists criticized what they saw as a cleverly worded declaration of defiance.

The 77-million-member fellowship has been splintering since 2003, when Episcopalians consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The Episcopal Church is the Anglican body in the U.S.

Episcopal bishops released their pledge to "exercise restraint" Tuesday in the final moments of a six-day meeting — and as the decades-long debate over interpreting the Bible threatens to shatter the world Anglican Communion.

Anglican leaders had set a Sunday deadline for the Americans to pledge unequivocally not to consecrate another gay bishop or approve an official prayer service for same-sex couples.

On Wednesday, the Rev. Colin Coward, director of Changing Attitude England, said he believed the bishops had met the Anglican request.

"If conservatives continue to press for the exclusion of the Episcopal Church, transgress provincial boundaries and decide not to attend the Lambeth Conference in 2008, they will take responsibility for provoking a tear in the Anglican Communion and will have withdrawn from the our fellowship," Coward said.

Martyn Minns, a former Episcopal priest who was consecrated as a bishop in the Church of Nigeria to serve Episcopalians alienated from their own bishops, said on Tuesday that the American bishops' statement was "the totally wrong response."

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader, took the unusual step of attending the meeting for the first two days, pushing bishops to make concessions for the sake of unity. Anglican lay and clergy representatives from overseas also participated, chastising Episcopal leaders for the turmoil they've caused.

Episcopal bishops responded by affirming a resolution passed last year by the Episcopal General Convention that urged bishops to "exercise restraint" by not consenting to a candidate for bishop "whose manner of life presents a challenge" to Anglicans and the church. The promise falls short of an outright ban.

Episcopal leaders also promised they wouldn't approve official prayers to bless same-gender couples and insisted that most Episcopal bishops do not authorize the ceremonies. However, it is widely acknowledged that many individual priests offer blessings informally in their own parishes and will continue to do so despite Tuesday's pledge.

Williams and other Anglican leaders will evaluate the bishops' statement in the coming weeks. But before he left New Orleans, the archbishop of Canterbury played down the significance of the Anglican demands, saying "there is no ultimatum involved."

Canon Jim Naughton, a spokesman for the Diocese of Washington, said the statement "reassures our partners in the Anglican Communion that we have taken their concerns seriously." However, Minns said the bishops' statement was "the totally wrong response," and said many Episcopalians are already "voting with their feet."

Four of the 110 Episcopal dioceses — Fort Worth, Texas; Pittsburgh; Quincy, Ill.; and San Joaquin, Calif. — are taking steps to split off from the national church and align with an overseas Anglican church. And about 60 of the more than 7,000 Episcopal parishes have left or have lost a significant number of clergy and members, according to the national church.

Anglican leaders from Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and elsewhere have violated Anglican tradition that they minister only within their own provinces and have consecrated bishops to oversee breakaway Episcopal congregations in the United States. In their statement Tuesday, bishops said they "deplore" the incursions and "call for them to end."

Conservative Bishop John Howe of the Diocese of Central Florida said the statement wouldn't satisfy all Anglican leaders, but predicted "most will find it acceptable." Howe is staying in the Episcopal Church, even though his diocese, based in Orlando, has rejected Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as a leader because she is liberal.

The next crucial event for the communion will be the Lambeth Conference, in July in England. The once-a-decade meeting brings together all the bishops in the Anglican world. Whether Williams can persuade bishops to attend will be a measure of the strength of the communion.

Williams did not invite Robinson or Minns. But some Anglican prelates don't even want to be at the same table as Episcopalians who consecrated Robinson. Still, Robinson has been in private talks with Williams to find a way he can attend, possibly as an observer.

By Michael Swan
September 27, 2007
The Catholic Register (www.catholicregister.org)

TORONTO, Canada (The Catholic Register) – An open letter from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association to Ontario Education Minister Kathleen Wynne has called for the a constitutional amendment to defund Catholic schools, and linked religiously based education with anti-Semitism, the incarceration of Japanese-Canadians in concentration camps during the Second World War and sexual and physical abuse at residential schools in Northern Canada.

"The time is ripe to reassess the merits of Catholic school funding," said CCLA general counsel Alan Borovoy in a letter to Wynne. "The circumstances in today's Ontario differ quite substantially from those obtained in pre-Confederation Upper Canada. In today's multi-religious, multicultural and heterogeneous Ontario there is simply no justification – if ever there was one – for conferring special benefits on the Catholic community."

Eliminating Catholic school funding and denying funding to other faith-based schools will ensure social cohesion and prevent Canada from ever returning to the days when , "Within living memory, this country jailed thousands of innocent Japanese Canadians, denied many aboriginal people the right to vote, restricted immigration from developing countries and turned back Jewish refugees from Hitler's Germany. There is no reason to believe such behavior could never again be possible," Borovoy argues.

Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association president Bernard Murray called Borovoy's argument an "assault."

Rooted in our history, publicly funded Catholic schools are embedded in the social structure and life of our province" said the OCSTA in a Sept. 24 release.

"I think they’re trying to inflame a situation that is already sensitive enough," said Toronto Catholic District School Board chair Oliver Carroll.

Catholic and Jewish schools may well preach tolerance, but who is to say what is taught at other schools, said Borovoy.

"I don't want to be casting aspersions by any implication, but there would be some of the others (faith-based schools) – and I don't mean all of the others – where you may not have such messages of tolerance. So we’ve been led to believe by the media," Borovoy told The Catholic Register.

Common public schooling, based on civic values, is the only sure antidote against fear, suspicion and hate directed at minorities, said Borovoy. In public schools children learn to live with diversity because they share the classroom, the baseball diamond and the gymnasium, he said.

"That setting is substantially better for society than could happen if the public schools lost the vast number of their students to religious schools and you wound up with a religiously balkanized school system," said Borovoy.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association argument is ideological rather than legal, said constitutional lawyer Peter Lauwers.

"It's clearly a political argument," said Lauwers, who has argued on behalf of Catholic education before the Supreme Court of Canada. "There are some points of law in it, but they're simply points you would expect him to raise as he goes by. There's nothing in it that's particularly legal."

The CCLA opposed the extension of funding through the end of high school in 1984, and Borovoy has always championed an anti-religious view of education, including banning prayer and religious instruction from public schools, said Lauwers.

"Borovoy believes that religion has no place in education, and that's his ideological position. It's one that many parents obviously don't agree with,” he said.

"The idea that somehow or other Catholics divide the society just doesn't stand up when you take a look at it," said Carroll.

When Borovoy's views get a national hearing on the front pages and on all the major television news programs, it's time for Catholics to sharpen their arguments in favor of faith-based education, said Carroll.

"We’re letting down the whole system by not being out there, letting people know what goes on in the Catholic schools, and how good they are, and the contribution they make," he said.

Carroll accused his own board of focusing too much on the internal discussion within the Catholic community and failing to make the case for Catholic education to the rest of the province.

"There’s almost an interia built in, and I'm speaking about Toronto Catholic, built into the system that says, 'Well, what was is good, and so that's enough to carry us into the future.' The idea of talking to ourselves just is not going to carry the day when it’s over and done with," Carroll said.


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

Dutch Dominicans back
women, gays, married men as priests
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
New York
Posted on Sept. 27, 2007


Despite a cool reception in Rome and among local bishops, the Dutch province of the Dominican order does not appear to be backing away from its recent call for priestly ministry “from below,” which would allow local communities to select whomever they wish – including married men, women and homosexuals – to celebrate the Eucharist and the other sacraments.

That proposal came in the form of a 9,500-word booklet called “Church and Ministry,” recently distributed by the Dominican order in the Netherlands to the country’s 1,300 parishes.

The booklet encourages Dutch parishes to act with “self-confidence and courage,” choosing their own ministers even in defiance of church authorities, confident that “they are able to celebrate a real and genuine Eucharist when they are together in prayer and share bread and wine.”

The Roman headquarters of the Dominicans issued a statement through the Vatican on Sept. 18 saying it was “surprised” by the booklet, and that the order’s leadership does not believe “the solutions they have proposed are beneficial to the church, nor in harmony with its tradition.” Bishop Huub Ernst, emeritus bishop of Breda in Holland, has announced that the Dutch bishops will prepare a “counter-booklet” to explain official church teaching.

Nonetheless, the Dutch Dominicans have announced a second printing of their booklet in response to what they described as strong public interest, along with a discussion guide for use in parishes and other settings. They also say the four authors of the booklet will begin posting responses to commonly asked questions on the order’s web site in October.

For Catholics old enough to remember the period immediately following the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), the storm surrounding the booklet will be reminiscent of earlier controversies in the Dutch church, long regarded as among the most liberal in the world.

The late Pope John Paul II called a special Vatican synod for the Netherlands in 1980, at which time Dutch bishops were instructed to defend church teachings on some of the same matters under discussion in the Dominicans’ booklet – clerical celibacy, tampering with the official rules for the Mass, and allowing laity to perform roles reserved to priests.

The booklet, which is styled as a “contribution to renewed discussion” rather than a “doctrinal position,” begins with a survey of the current pastoral situation in the Netherlands. Noting a rise in the number of “Services of Word and Communion” held each week because there is no priest to celebrate a Mass, the authors charge that “official church authority in principle opts for a protection of the priesthood in its present form over against the right of church communities to the Eucharist.”

On the ground, the authors assert, most parishes would prefer to allow a lay member of their own community, man or woman, lead the Eucharist. The authors say that relationships between church authorities and people in the pews are frayed, claiming “the parties have no or hardly any confidence in each other.”

The authors describe situations in which parishes sometimes disregard the official Eucharistic prayers prescribed by the church, including the words of institution believed to transform the bread and wine at Mass into the body and blood of Christ, as not in tune with “the modern faith experience.” They claim that some parishes don’t want to accept pastors appointed by church authorities, and in some cases, they say, Catholics have set up separate legal foundations so that parish funding is not dependent upon the diocese.

All of these practices, the authors claim, usually occur with some degree of secrecy so as not to attract the bishop’s attention. On that basis, they claim, “the church has returned to the catacombs.”

In a section devoted to the future, the document proposes that the local community should choose its own ministers to preside at the Eucharist. Ideally, they say, these ministers, male or female, would then be ordained by the local bishop.

The authors also suggest that all the people at Mass should say the words of institution together, symbolizing that these are not “magic words” that are the sole prerogative of an ordained priest. Receiving the Eucharist, they propose, should be open to all, including members of other religions.

Referring to church law that bars married men and women from the priesthood, the document asserts that those prohibitions rest upon “an outdated philosophy of humankind and an antiquated view of sexuality.” Current shortages of priests, the authors assert, are thus “unnecessary and unreal.”

As their basis for these proposals, the authors cite what they describe as an “organic model of church” adopted at the Second Vatican Council, in opposition to a “hierarchical” model that saw the church as a pyramid with the clergy at the top.

Wim Houtman, religion editor for Nederlands Dagblad, a major Dutch newspaper, told NCR that the booklet reflects the views of an aging generation in Holland, many of whom are active in their local parishes, and disappointed by what they see as a conservative turn under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Yet such debates, Houtman said, “mean nothing … to the people in their twenties and thirties who increasingly make the music in the Dutch Catholic Church.”

An English translation of the “Church and Ministry” document issued by the Dutch Dominicans may be found in the Special Documents section on NCRonline.org: Church and Ministry.

I feel so stupid that I did not bother to look for a website for the recent Third European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu, Romania, when they had - and have - one all the time, and in English, too, on
www.eea3.org/
For the moment, here is the text of the final communique from the Aseembly. Please note the asterisk note following the statement about the human being shortly after the opening of the third sub-section. The phrase 'from conception to natural birth' was reportedly dropped because of pressure from Protestant delegates to the Assembly.



THIRD EUROPEAN ECUMENICAL ASSEMBLY
Sibiu, Romania
4 – 9 September 2007
Assembly Message
Saturday, 8th September 2007


The light of Christ shines upon all!

We, Christian pilgrims from all over Europe and beyond, witness to the transforming power of this light, which is stronger than darkness, and we proclaim it as all-embracing hope for our Churches, for all of Europe and for the entire world.

In the name of our Triune God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we have assembled in the city of Sibiu, Romania (4th-9th September 2007). This third European Ecumenical Assembly was marked especially by the richness of Orthodox spirituality and tradition. We recall and renew the serious commitments we already made in Basel and Graz and we regret that, up to now, we have failed to fulfil some of them. However, our confidence in the transforming energy of the light of Christ is stronger than the darkness of resignation, fatalism, fear and indifference.

Our third European Ecumenical Assembly began in 2006 in Rome and continued in 2007 in Wittenberg. This ecumenical pilgrimage involved many regional meetings and those of Orthodox Churches in Rhodes and young people in St. Maurice. We welcome with joy the young people’s commitment and the contribution they made to the Assembly. Assisted and motivated by the Charta Oecumenica, our Assembly pursued the work started in earlier assemblies and has been an occasion for an exchange of gifts and of mutual enrichment.

We are not alone on this pilgrimage. Christ is with us and within the cloud of witnesses (Heb 12:1), the contemporary martyrs accompany us: the witness of their life and death inspires us individually and corporately. In communion with them, we commit ourselves to let the light of the transfigured Christ shine through our own witness deeply rooted in prayer and love. This is our humble response to the sacrifice of their lives.


The light of Christ in the Church

The light of Christ leads us to live for others and in communion with one another. Our witness to hope and unity for Europe and for the world will be credible only if we continue our journey towards visible unity. Unity is not uniformity. There is enormous value in experiencing afresh that koinonia and exchanging those spiritual gifts that energised the ecumenical movement from its beginning.

In Sibiu we again felt the painful wound of division between our Churches. This even concerns our understanding of the Church and its unity. The distinct historical and cultural developments in Eastern and Western Christianity have contributed to these differences, and understanding them requires our urgent attention and ongoing dialogue.

We are convinced that the wider Christian family has to deal with doctrinal questions, and it must also seek a broad consensus about moral values derived from the Gospel and a credible Christian lifestyle that joyfully witnesses to the light of Christ in our challenging modern secular world, in private as well as in public life.

Our Christian spirituality is a precious treasure: once opened, it reveals the variety of its riches and opens our hearts to the beauty of the face of Jesus and to the strength of prayer. Only if we are closer to our Lord Jesus Christ, can we become closer to one another and experience true koinonia.

We cannot but share these riches with all men and women who are seeking light in this continent. Spiritual men and women begin with their own conversion and this leads to the transformation of the world. Our witness to the light of Christ is a faithful commitment to listen, live and share our stories of life and hope, which have shaped us as followers of Christ.

Recommendation One: We recommend renewing our mission as individual believers and as Churches to proclaim Christ as the Light and the Saviour of the world;

Recommendation Two: We recommend continuing the discussion on mutual recognition of baptism, taking into account the important achievements on this topic in several countries and being aware that the question is deeply linked to an understanding of eucharist, ministry and ecclesiology in general;

Recommendation Three: We recommend finding ways of experiencing the activities which can unite us: prayer for each other and for unity, ecumenical pilgrimages, theological formation and study in common, social and diaconal initiatives, cultural projects, supporting society life based on Christian values;

Recommendation Four: We recommend the full participation of the whole people of God in the lives of our Churches and, at this Assembly in particular, note the appeal of young people, the elderly, ethnic minorities, and disabled people.

The light of Christ for Europe

We consider that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:27) and deserves the same degree of respect and love, despite differences of belief, culture, age, gender, or ethnic origin.*

[*At this point during the reading of the Message to the Assembly, a phrase "From conception to natural death” was offered verbally which was subsequently translated as - From birth to natural death - From the beginning of life until natural death. None of these phrases form a part of the official text of the message.]

Being aware that our common roots lie much deeper than our divisions, while looking for renewal and unity and the role of the Churches in today’s European society, we focussed on our encounter with people of other religions.

Aware in particular of our unique relationship with the Jewish peoples as people of the Covenant, we reject all forms of contemporary anti-Semitism and, with them, will foster Europe as a continent free of every form of violence.

There have been periods in our European history of harsh conflicts but there have also been periods of peaceful co-existence among people of all religions. In our day there is no alternative to dialogue: not compromise, but a dialogue of life where we can speak the truth in love.

We all need to learn more about all religions, and the recommendations of Charta Oecumenica should be developed further. We appeal to our fellow Christians and all who believe in God to respect other people’s right to religious freedom, and express our solidarity with Christian communities who live in the Middle East, Iraq, and elsewhere in the world as religious minorities and feel that their very existence is under threat.

As we meet Christ in our needy sisters and brothers (Mt 25:44-45), together enlightened by the Light of Christ, we Christians, according to biblical injunctions to the unity of humanity (Gen 1.26-27), commit ourselves to repent for the sin of exclusion; deepen our understanding of ‘otherness’; defend the dignity and rights of every human being, and ensure protection to those in need of it; share the light of Christ which others bring to Europe; call upon European states to stop unjustifiable administrative detention of migrants, make every effort to ensure regular immigration, the integration of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, uphold the value of family unity and combat trafficking in human beings and exploitation of trafficked persons. We call on Churches to increase their pastoral care of vulnerable immigrants.

Recommendation Five: We recommend that our Churches should recognise that Christian immigrants are not just the recipients of religious care but that they can play a full and active role in the life of the Church and of society; offer better pastoral care for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees; and promote the rights of ethnic minorities in Europe, particularly the Roma people.

Many of us are thankful that we have experienced profound changes in Europe in recent decades. Europe is more than the European Union. As Christians we share the responsibility for shaping Europe as a continent of peace, solidarity, participation and sustainability. We appreciate the commitment of the European Institutions, including the EU, Council of Europe, and the OSCE, to an open, transparent and regular dialogue with the Churches of Europe.

Europe’s highest political representatives honoured us with their presence and thus expressed strong interest in our work. We have to face the challenge to bring spiritual strengths into this dialogue. Europe was initially a political project to secure peace and it now needs to become a Europe of the peoples, more than an economic space.

Recommendation Six: We recommend developing the Charta Oecumenica as a stimulating guideline for our ecumenical journey in Europe.

The light of Christ for the whole world

The Word of God disquiets us and our European culture: those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again! Christians must be free from fear and insatiable avarice that make us live for ourselves, powerless, narrow-minded and closed.

The Word of God invites us to avoid squandering the precious heritage of those who for the last sixty years have worked for peace and unity in Europe. Peace is an extraordinary and precious gift. Entire countries aspire to peace. Entire peoples are waiting to be delivered from violence and terror. We urgently commit ourselves to renewed efforts towards these ends. We reject war as a tool for resolving conflict, promote non-violent means for conflict resolution, and are concerned about military re-armament. Violence and terrorism in the name of religion are a denial of religion.

The Light of Christ shines on the term ‘justice’, linking it to divine mercy. Thus enlightened it escapes any ambiguous pretence. Throughout the world and even in Europe the current process of radical market globalisation is deepening the division of human society between winners and losers, harms the value of countless people, has catastrophic ecological implications and precisely in view of climate change is not compatible with sustaining the future of our planet.

Recommendation Seven: We urge all European Christians to give strong support to the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations as an urgent practical step towards the alleviation of poverty.

Recommendation Eight: We recommend that a consultative process, addressing European responsibility for ecological justice, facing the threat of climate change; European responsibility for the just shaping of globalisation; the rights of Roma people and other European ethnic minorities, be initiated by CCEE and CEC, with the Churches in Europe and with Churches of other continents.

Today more than ever, we acknowledge that Africa, a continent already intertwined with our own history and future, experiences levels of poverty about which we cannot remain indifferent and inactive. The wounds of Africa touched the heart of our Assembly.

Recommendation Nine: We recommend backing initiatives for debt cancellation and the promotion of fair trade.

Through sincere and objective dialogue, we contribute to and promote the creation of a renewed Europe, where unchangeable Christian principles and moral values, derived directly from the Gospel, serve as a witness and promote active engagement in European society. Our task is to promote these principles and values, not only in private but also in public life. We will cooperate with people of other religions who share our concern for creating a Europe of values that also prospers politically and economically.

Concerned about God’s creation, we pray for a greater sensitivity and respect for its wonderful diversity. We work against its shameless exploitation, from which the “whole creation awaits its redemption,” (Rom 8:22) and commit ourselves to working for reconciliation between humanity and nature.

Recommendation Ten: We recommend that the period from the 1st September to the 4th of October be dedicated to prayer for the protection of Creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change.

*********

Paying tribute to all who contributed to this journey, particularly the young oikumene, who urged this assembly to be courageous in living the Gospel, we unite in prayer:

O Christ, the True Light, which illumines and sanctifies every human being coming into this world, shine on us the light of your presence, that in it we may behold the unapproachable light, and guide our paths for the work of your commandments. Save us and lead us into your eternal kingdom. For you are our Creator, Provider and Giver of all that is good. Our hope is in you and to you we give glory, now and forever. Amen.

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

I will keep looking for an account of the Catholic participation in Sibiu.

Catholic theologians
fear loss of intellectual freedom
By Eric Gorski

This is an AP story that came out in USA TODAY yesterday. It's one of those facile and outrageous commentaries by journalists who may not even have the basic qualifications to comment on Catholic theology.


It's not easy being a Roman Catholic theologian these days. Trying to explain a centuries-old faith's place in modern times is hard enough. Now some Catholic thinkers worry the Vatican is more concerned with unity than messy debates that can lead to new ideas.

The case of the Rev. Peter Phan is the latest example of the tension between church authorities and Catholic theologians. A 2004 book by Phan, a Georgetown University professor, has come under scrutiny for going beyond the Vatican's comfort zone in suggesting that other religions might have merit.

"Individual theologians can be creative, or they can be irresponsible," said the Rev. James Heft, director of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California. "The exercise of central authority can be overbearing, or it can be a necessary corrective. So it's a complex situation."

American Catholics and the broader public have good reason to care about what may look like an intramural squabble, Heft said. Theologians often do the thinking that contributes to profound changes in Catholic teaching — on everything from the church's relationship with Jews and other Christians to the role of lay people.

The conflict at the heart of the Phan case, he said, strikes at "one of the major questions of our time, especially in the coming decades: How we can speak of one faith expressed distinctively in a variety of cultures?"

Over recent decades, the Vatican has clamped down on theologians who advocate fighting poverty and injustice through the social gospel and liberation theology. More recently, the focus has shifted to the nature of Jesus Christ and salvation, one of the defining concerns of Pope Benedict XVI's papacy and his previous work as a cardinal.

Earlier this year, Benedict released a document reasserting the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, reiterating themes in the 2000 Vatican document Dominus Iesus. That document states non-Christians are "in a gravely deficient situation in comparison with those who, in the church, have the fullness of the means of salvation."

Phan explored salvation and other themes in his 2004 book, Being Religious Interreligiously, the focus of the Vatican inquiry. The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the book is "notably confused on a number of points of Catholic doctrine and also contains serious ambiguities," according to the National Catholic Reporter.

Among the chief concerns, said the independent Catholic weekly: that Phan's writings could be interpreted as saying non-Christian faiths "have a positive role in salvation history in their own right, and are not merely a preparation for the Christian Gospel." A committee of U.S. bishops is conducting a separate inquiry into Phan's work.

The increasing diversity of Catholic theologians, Phan among them (he is Vietnamese-American), is greatly influencing the debate about Catholicism's place among other religions, said Terrence Tilley, chairman of the Fordham University theology department.

"What we have in the last 20 years is a new development," said Tilley, president-elect of the Catholic Theological Society of America. "Discussions of the saving value of other faith traditions had been carried on in a European context by European theologians who had little deep and rich understanding of other religious traditions. Their conversations ran on some pretty clear rails. But the train these days is on a different set of tracks."

A refugee from the Vietnam War, Phan is a priest of the Dallas Diocese and former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America. He was the first non-Caucasian to hold the post.

Phan has declined comment on the investigation. Officials at Georgetown, the nation's oldest Catholic university, issued a statement saying the Jesuit school "embraces academic freedom and supports the free exchange of ideas in order to foster dialogue on critical issues of the day, especially those related to faith, ethics and international affairs."

The Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown, said the Vatican too often views the Catholic theologian as working in an echo chamber, repeating back church teachings and documents.

The process of debating theology can be messy, but better to endure the messiness than stifle thought, said Reese, who was forced to resign as editor of America magazine after it published articles challenging church teaching.

"If you knew a company where the executive leadership was not on speaking terms with the research division, would you invest in that company?" Reese said. "That's what we have in the Catholic church today. The hierarchy is very suspicious of the theologians and the theologians are very suspicious of the hierarchy. And that's a very unhealthy situation."

The Rev. Joseph Fessio, a former doctoral student of Pope Benedict whose publishing house is the primary publisher of the pope's writings in English, said the Vatican is neither heavy-handed nor close-minded in weighing questionable theology. What often fails to be disclosed, he said, is the long process allowing all sides to be heard.

"It's important for theologians to talk to each other, reflect and try to reformulate and understand more deeply what the church's belief is," Fessio said. "But if they move outside the realm of the church as soundly defined, then it's a sign that they have gone beyond their competence as a theologian."

"You can boil it down pretty simply," Fessio said. "Who has the final say in on what Catholics must believe? The answer is, 'not the theologians.'"

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


I don't see why the advocates of 'free thought' don't get it:
Sure, every Catholic, theologians included, is free to think what he/she wishes to think. He/she may write about it, crusade about it as much as he wants, etc.

The only condition is that if the views are at variance with the doctrine of the Church, then dissenters must be ready to forfeit the right to teach and preach said doctrine in the name of the Church. That's only fair.

Therefore, any theologian teaching his discipline in a Catholic school who publishes doctrine - in the name of Catholicism - that the Church finds questionable or unacceptable, must either revise the publication to reflect accepted Catholic doctrine, or stop teaching at a Catholic school.

It's not a question of academic freedom at all. It's a question, above all, of one's keeping the faith, of 'thinking with the Church' int he case of theologians.

Other than the sanction imposed on Leonardo Boff in the 1990s to keep public silence of a year about his controversial teachings on Christ and liberation theology, the withdrawal of permission to teach Catholic theology in a Catholic school has been the most severe sanction imposed by the CDF so far on dissident theologians.

The dissidents - from Hans Kueng onwards - have otherwise gone on their merry way, mining the media celebrity gained for them by a Church sanction into big bucks and guaranteed status in the list of the liberal media's go-to resources as dependable Church-bashers whenever needed.

On 9/28/07, the German Bishops Conference ended its fall meeting in Fulda, Germany, at the end of which, with Gemran efficiency, the bishops released a two-page "Guidelines for German Dioceses on the Apostolic Letter motu proprio Summorum Pontificum"

dbk.de/imperia/md/content/pressemitteilungen/2007-2/2007-068_1-leitlinien_summorum_pontif...


Cardinal Karl Lehmann, president of
the German bishops conference.


Rorate caeli posted this translation by Chris Gillibrand, of Catholic Church Conservation. Although the German bishops conference site has an English section, the last entry in it is from July 2007.

Inasmuch as the PDF form ends with a provision
"For the diocese of .....
(Signed) ................"
I think it is admirable that all the German dioceses will be issuing the same guidelines, whereas in most other countries, each bishop appears to have taken it on himself to issue his own 'explanatory letter' to the Motu Proprio, as if the Pope did not already have an explanatory letter that says everything that needs to be said.

What's not clear is whether the German bishops will also be giving the faithful the German translations of the Motu Proprio itself and the Pope's explanatory letter, in addition to these guidelines, which are mercifully brief, and cannot be faulted for any breach of the letter of the decree, even if the guidelines are far from enthusiastic.



Apostolic Letter motu proprio 'Summorum Pontificum'
Guidelines for German Dioceses

1.
The possibility for the celebration of Mass in the extraordinary form must be carried forward under the leadership of the Bishop by the principle of harmony between the interests and well-being of the Faithful making the request and the orderly care of souls. The permission of the extraordinary form may not reinforce existing tensions or cause new division (see Summorum Pontificum Article 5 § 1).

2.
The ordinary form of the celebration of Mass is using the Missale Romanum 1970 (in the version of the Editio typica tertia 2002 and - up to the appearance of the German issue of the 3rd Edition - `the Missal for the Dioceses of the German speaking areas' 2. 1988 Edition). For the extraordinary form of the celebration of Mass, the Missale Romanum 1962 (e.g. Editio juxta typicam Regensburg 1962, with Diocesan propers) is to be used (see Summorum Pontificum Article 1).

3.
The Parish Mass is to be celebrated in the ordinary form. On Sundays, one Mass in the extraordinary form, in addition can 0be celebrated, not however replacing the Mass in the ordinary form (see Summorum Pontificum Article 5 § 2).

4.
The request for permission (in accordance with Summorum Pontificum Article 5 § 1) by groups of laymen (see Summorum Pontificum Article 7) can be made to the Parish Priest within a Parish and/or within a Parish organisation or a pastoral unit (Cathcon note- several parishes united together), which is the responsibility of a Parish Priest. If groups, however, consist of members of different Parishes and/or a Parish organisations or pastoral units, the request is to be addressed to the Diocesan bishop.

5.
About the kind and size of the groups making the request, nothing is laid down, in order to be able to respond to the local conditions appropriately.

6.
The necessary suitability of the priests for the celebration in the extraordinary form of the rite (see SP Article 5 § 4) is covered by the following requirements:

- General suitability, which each priest must possess;

- Acceptance of the whole liturgy of the Church in their ordinary and extraordinary forms (see accompanying letter of Pope Benedict XVI);

- Familiarity with the extraordinary form of the Rite;

- Understanding of Latin .

The Diocesan Bishops will make, as required, provision available for continuing and further training for the acquisition of the familiarity with the extraordinary form of the Rite and for the acquisition of the necessary understanding of the Latin language.

7.
The Parish Priest and/or Rector of a Church is not obliged, even if he possesses the suitability, to celebrate the Missale Romanum 1962. If he believes, because of official burdens or for personal reasons, that he is unable to meet the wishes of the Faithful, he should turn to the Diocesan bishop. The right of the Faithful in this matter (Summorum Pontificum Article 7) remains unaffected .

8.
The Calendar and order of readings of the Missale Romanum 1962 should be used for the celebration of Mass in the extraordinary form 1962. Attention should be given to the already announced extensions after a period of time of the Calender through the Ecclesia Dei Commission..

For the reading of the readings in the vernacular (see Summorum Pontificum Article 6) the Perikopes are to be extracted from the recognised lectionary of the Missal for the Dioceses of the German speaking areas of 1988. Alternatively, the Schott of 1962 can be used.

9.
The German Bishops will for now make no use of the right to establish personal parishes (Summorum Pontificum Article 10) for the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

10.
As the basis for the report envisaged after three years over the experiences with the regulations of the Motu Proprio (see Accompanying Letter of Pope Benedict XVI.) the Parish Priest and/or the Rector, if he gives permission for the Mass celebration in the extraordinary form in his Parish and/or Church must make a report to the Diocesan Bishop.

Parish Priests and Rectors, in whose Parishes and/or Churches Mass celebrations in the extraordinary form take place, must inform the Diocesan Bishops on a continuous basis about any development.

These guidelines take effect from 10/1/2007 and will be reviewed after a year.

Fulda, 27.09.2007

Conservative Anglicans see
no change in 'American problem'
by Lillian Kwon
Christian Today
September 28, 2007


What The Episcopal Church had hoped to be a "clear and unambiguous" statement has left both sides of the Anglican divide dissatisfied, with some saying the Episcopal bishops are again dodging their response to avoid losing their place in the global communion.

"I'm saddened but not surprised," said the Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, missionary bishop of the Anglican breakaway CANA (Convocation of Anglicans in North America), in a teleconference on Wednesday. "I think basically they ducked. The response they've offered does not clarify as was requested."

The Episcopal House of Bishops affirmed Tuesday that they would "exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion," essentially ceasing the consecration of gay bishops. They also pledged not to authorise the blessing of same-sex unions until a broader consensus emerges in the Communion, or until General Convention takes further action.

At the same time, the bishops called for "unequivocal and active commitment to the civil rights, safety, and dignity of gay and lesbian persons."

The statement was released at the conclusion of a six-day meeting in New Orleans.

The response by The Episcopal Church – the U.S. branch of Anglicanism – was offered as an attempt to "mend the tear" in the Anglican Communion which has been wracked particularly since it consecrated openly gay bishop V. Gene Robinson in 2003.

Anglican bishops set a Sept. 30 deadline for The Episcopal Church to respond to their requests – which were a culmination of years of conversations – that they make an unequivocal pledge not to consecrate another openly gay bishop or authorise same-sex unions. Conservative leaders have more specifically called for a "heartfelt repentance" and "genuine change" to get back in line with the communion and with Scripture, as many of the bishops in the Global South has stated.

Many Episcopal bishops showed support for the statement, saying it represents the current reality of where The Episcopal Church stands. But conservatives were disappointed in the Episcopal response, which they say indicated no change in their stance on homosexuality among other issues.

"It's business as usual," said Minns, who is currently in Pittsburgh, Pa., with 50 other orthodox Anglicans to discuss how to up the level of their "Common Cause Partnership" as they see The Episcopal Church walking apart from the global Anglican family.

"I think it's clear the American church wants to continue its way and to ignore the persistent requests that have been made from the rest of the communion," the CANA bishop noted.

Supporters of gay clergy, meanwhile, accused the Episcopal bishops of caving in to pressure from conservatives, according to The Associated Press.

Furthermore, a number of media outlets, including the BBC, had viewed the Episcopal response as an agreement to halt the ordination of gay clergy.

“Bishop [Neil] Alexander [of Atlanta] said that he hoped for a ‘clear and unambiguous’ statement from the bishops. Well, judging by the initial media response, the statement released Tuesday night falls short of ‘clear and unambiguous,’” noted respected theologian Dr. R. Albert Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and one of America’s pre-eminent evangelical leaders.

“Mark yesterday (Tuesday) as another date of disaster in New Orleans,” he wrote in his weblog.

While Episcopal bishops said they “believe” their responses to the Anglican Communion “provide clarity and point toward next steps in an ongoing process of dialogue,” breakaway Anglicans were looking for a more clear-cut statement on the U.S. church body’s stance rather than the middle ground they chose to take.

"I would have preferred that they would pull back and say that 'we've gone too far' and say that 'we've got to get back in line with the rest of the church and the price of what we're looking for is too high,'" said Minns, who often calls the controversy the "American problem."

The other option would be to stand up for what they believe in, mainly a pro-gay stance, and be willing to pay the price for it, Minns added.

"I guess I was looking for clarity on either end of that," he said. "But what they've done is stay in the middle."

Although controversy in the communion heightened over homosexuality, the larger issue comes down to both the authority of Scripture and mutual submission within the community of faith, Minns explained.

"I believe that in fact that part of what we're looking at is the church that wants a sanction to go its own way without respect to the mind of view of others," he said.

Episcopal leaders have indicated that they will not go "backward" on their 2003 decision to consecrate Robinson and are further appealing Archbishop Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual head, for Robinson's invitation to the 2008 Lambeth Conference – a global Anglican gathering that takes place ever 10 years.

While the communion calls for the pastoral care of all people, including homosexuals, it does not support openly gay priests serving in a pastoral role. Anglican bishops are to live out in their own lives the teaching that they proclaim, Minns explained, and if they live in a deliberate contradiction to what they teach or to what the organisation they serve teaches, they are not effective. The Anglican Communion rejects homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture.

In an initial response to the Episcopal statement, Nigeria Archbishop Peter Akinola, arguably considered the most powerful Anglican leader, said it "seems clear from first reading that what is offered is not a wholehearted embrace of traditional Christian teaching.”

"The unequivocal assurances that we sought have not been given; what we have is a carefully calculated attempt to win support to ensure attendance at the Lambeth Conference and continued involvement in the life of the Communion," he commented.

Some are hoping the Episcopal statement will make room for more dialogue to keep the Anglican family together, but conservatives believe they're at the end of lobbying back and forth as they have been doing for the past decade.

"The meeting in Dar es Salaam basically said this is one last chance," Minns stated, referring to the gathering of Anglican leaders, called primates, in February, at which they drafted their ultimatum and warned that The Episcopal Church would face consequences for full participation in the communion if a response is not given "in good conscience."

With congregations discontent and "hurting" in The Episcopal Church and after some 10 years of meetings and still no movement, orthodox Anglican leaders said they can't remain silent any longer, said Minns.

"The reality of division is becoming clearer by the minute," he stated. "We need to move forward."

Primates who made the requests are now expected to respond to the Episcopal statement and acknowledge its adequacy or lack thereof.

--------------------------------------------------------------------


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October 1, 2007
Catholic Information Service for Africa (www.cisanewsafrica.org/)

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (CISA) – Archbishop Pius Ncube who resigned Sept. 11 will now be in charge of pastoral programs at the Catholic Archdiocese of Bulawayo.

As pastoral director, his duties include coordinating pastoral work, pastoral structures, training and courses for pastoral workers.

"In this work I shall assist people in coming closer to God, and this includes promoting human rights and defending the disadvantaged," the archbishop said.

He was assigned the task by Father Martin Schupp, the apostolic administrator of the vacant archdiocese.

Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of the Zimbabwean archbishop, who is facing allegations of adultery.

In a letter written by the archbishop and released by the Vatican press office Sept. 11, the archbishop wrote that he offered his resignation to Vatican officials to spare sullying the image of the church.

In the announcement last week, the archbishop said his "passion is for evangelization," and he does not have "the slightest interest in entering into politics." Speculation has been rife that Archbishop Ncube resigned to fight it out with President Robert Mugabe for the country's top job in elections due March 2008.

"I would like to make it clear that in the Catholic Church we have a rule against the clergy getting into party politics or taking on civil duties," the archbishop said in a statement.

Moreover, he said, when clergy became politicians in Zimbabwe their Christian values were compromised. "Also, I have seen that many politicians are concerned chiefly with the accumulation of power and wealth, rather than with alleviating the suffering of their people."

He insisted he was a clergyman, whose passion was to work for the church and that he shall continue to stand up in defense of human rights, which are part of the gospel of Christ.

The catastrophic situation in Zimbabwe demanded that he continue to speak out. "I shall continue to speak out for human rights – that is non-negotiable. Come rain or high water, in a situation where there is gross oppression, as in Zimbabwe, I shall continue to speak out."

"This is part of the prophetic role of the church," he said, "to stand up and strongly defend the human rights of the poor and oppressed people."


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

By Nancy Wiechec
October 1, 2007
Catholic News Service (www.catholicnews.com)

SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) – As planning for the world's largest youthfest gathers momentum, Sydney's cardinal said his main concern was the spiritual preparation of young Australians.



VOLUNTEER STAMPS WORLD YOUTH DAY ON TINY CROSSES – A volunteer stamps a World Youth Day 2008 logo on tiny crosses being made at the Mary MacKillop Outreach Center in Sydney, Australia, Sept. 16. Senior workers at the center are making tens of thousands of the crosses to be distributed during the journey of the World Youth Day cross and icon. (CNS)

Logistical difficulties will be involved in hosting up to a half-million people for World Youth Day 2008, admitted Sydney Cardinal George Pell, but he said he is confident that the July 15-20 celebration will be well organized.

"The most important challenge is the spiritual and religious preparation," he said.

Both young people and clergy told a group of visiting journalists in late September that they feel religion slipping away in their culture. Nineteen percent of Australians did not claim a religion in a 2006 census, up 2 percent from the previous count.

"An increasing minority of young Australians and other Australians are tempted to believe that you can live a good life without God," said Cardinal Pell. "There's an erosion of faith and practice."

Nick Seselja, 23, called Australia's church a "sleeping giant" ready to be awakened. Patrick Langrall, 19, said many parts of the country suffer from a "spiritual drought."

But the two said they were encouraged by their own faith experiences and the preparations for the event. They said they are hoping for the spiritual gains that have been realized by past hosts of international World Youth Days.

Bringing together such large numbers of youths has an impact, said Langrall.

"It encourages you to witness your faith a lot stronger in the years to come," he said. "People need that reaffirming of faith."

Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher, coordinator of the 2008 event, echoed that thought. The dividend of World Youth Day is "a greater connection and commitment to God and the church," he said.

Cardinal Pell said he personally saw "deep conversions" in some youths with whom he traveled to World Youth Day in Rome in 2000.

"I am very much an enthusiast for the religious potential of World Youth Day," he said.

"One of the great blessings that the World Youth Day will give us is that it will present the one true God to us, remind us of the teaching and the role of Christ, the only Son of God, and generally place spiritual values in the public domain," he said.

In preparation, the Australian church established a comprehensive catechesis program that began in June 2006 and will extend to July 2008. It includes a monthly e-pilgrimage newsletter that can be downloaded from the Web site www.wyd2008.org.

It also established the Holy Hour of Power, which encourages Catholic parishes and schools to hold an hour of eucharistic adoration each week.

The World Youth Day song, "Receive the Power," was released this year and has been downloaded at least 45,000 times from the Web.

The Diocese of Wollongong recently appointed its first full-time youth ministry coordinator. In Sydney, St. Mary's Cathedral has adapted the music and liturgy of its Sunday evening Mass to attract young people.

But probably the most interest in World Youth Day comes with the touring of its two symbols -- the cross and its accompanying icon of Mary and the child Jesus.

The cross and icon, entrusted to the youth of the world by the late Pope John Paul II, are on a journey that will cover the island continent. At the end, Australian youths will have escorted the two symbols thousands of miles to 400 locations in the country's 28 dioceses.

Each stop offers young people and others the chance to join in a prayer service or liturgy centered on the theme of World Youth Day, which discusses receiving the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Cairns a public prayer rally with the cross and icon caught the attention of several passers-by.

"The cross is definitely a draw," said Daniel Hopper, the Wollongong Diocese's executive director for World Youth Day. Although the church in Wollongong keeps the World Youth Day program front and center with little pilgrimages, youth concerts and other activities, he said he thinks the arrival of the cross will spur even greater participation and encourage more local youths to register for July's main event.



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

Hundreds of thousands celebrate feast of Our Lady of the Rosary in Argentina

Buenos Aires, Oct 1, 2007 / 10:41 am (CNA).- More than 800,000 people from across Argentina and other countries gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in the city of San Nicolas de los Arroyos on September 25 to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the Marian apparitions there.

After a Mass celebrated by Bishop Hector Cardelli of San Nicolas de los Arroyos, thousands of people filed their way through the shrine to pray and offer thanks to Our Lady of the Rosary.

At 3pm under a shower of rose petals, the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary was carried through the streets of the city to the field where the she appeared to Gladys Motta on September 25, 1983.

After the procession Bishop Cardelli celebrated Mass again, praying that “the constant presence of Mary would be the great sign of our times.”

“When we refuse to listen to Mary [when she tells us] to obey what He tells us, when our will does not conform to that of God out of ignorance and refusal to accept it, the feast of our lives is left without the best wine; we no longer celebrate, but rather we waste it and squander it on things that take us away from God, on pride and arrogance that supplant God.”

He noted that during the last century, “the number of Marian apparitions has multiplied,” and that people are being called “to return to the World, to do the will of God, to be converted in Jesus Christ. The merciful mother makes use of apparitions to call us to the urgency of conversion,” he stressed.

October 1, 2007
UCANews (www.ucanews.com)

HONG KONG (UCAN) – Catholics in mainland China have mixed views on how the recent ordination of the Beijing bishop will impact China-Holy See relations and reconciliation between the "open" and "underground" church communities.

Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing, 42, was ordained on Sept. 21 in the Chinese capital with a papal mandate and Chinese government recognition.

According to Beijing Diocese's Tianguang (heavenly light) Web site, Bishop Li declared at a post-ordination banquet that his goal is consistently to lead his priests and other Catholics to love the country and the church in accord with the "independent, autonomous and self-management" principle.

As the prelate presided at his first Mass on Sept. 23 at Beijing's Church of the Savior, also known as North Church, he gave thanks to God, the church, the pope and government officials of all levels.

One Catholic who attended the Mass told UCA News that Bishop Li briefly mentioned Pope Benedict XVI but did not say the pope approved his ordination. The Catholic, who asked not to be named, remarked, "I think that already means the Vatican has approved him. I'm sure all the faithful would understand."

An open-Church bishop in China who did not attend the ordination told UCA News on Sept. 24 he believes China and the Vatican reached a consensus before the ordination was held. "Otherwise, the Vatican secretary of state would not have talked about the candidate two days after (Bishop) Li's July 16 election and approved him so fast," said the prelate, who also asked not be named.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, reportedly told a press conference on July 18 in Italy that Bishop Li is "a very good, well-suited" person. The open-church prelate said such mutual acceptance has a positive effect on China-Vatican relations.

However, a Catholic media worker in China, who also asked for anonymity, told UCA News on Sept. 25 that some mainland church Web sites did not mention Bishop Li's papal mandate for fear officials might close their Web sites or publications.

"There are no diplomatic ties between China and the Vatican," the Catholic worker also pointed out, "so the Beijing government does not wish to see its church controlled by Rome."

Since the papal mandate was not mentioned at Bishop Li's ordination, an underground priest in southeastern China told UCA News he wonders if the new bishop of Beijing and other open bishops, who have received a papal mandate, will follow the pope's recent letter to Catholics in China.

In that letter, released by the Vatican on June 30, Pope Benedict XVI asked "that legitimation, once it has occurred, is brought into the public domain at the earliest opportunity, and that the legitimized bishops provide unequivocal and increasing signs of full communion with the successor of Peter."

The underground priest said: "How many bishops have actually done that? How about those who have not made public their legitimacy? It seems the Vatican could do nothing." He added that some legitimate bishops in the open church who professed loyalty to the Vatican merely take their papal mandate as "a protective amulet."

Concerns have also surfaced about illegitimate bishops concelebrating not only the Beijing bishop's ordination but also the Sept. 8 ordination of Coadjutor Bishop Paul Xiao Zejiang of Guizhou, also with papal approval. An article in the Sept. 21 issue of the Italian-language L'Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican daily newspaper, expressed regret at their presence.

In a comment posted on a Catholic Web site outside China, a person identified simply as an underground Catholic laments the Vatican's "soft stance" about the illegitimate bishops involvement. Questioning whether the sufferings of underground clergy to maintain communion with the pope have been for naught, the website poster asks those clerics, "Who will recognize your loyalty?"

Even so, an underground priest in northwestern China told UCA News that since the pope has approved the Beijing bishop, he would consider "surfacing" and serving in the open church.


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

Indian priest says kidney stone
disappeared overnight after praying
for Mother Teresa's intercession
by Nirmala Carvalho


New Delhi, Oct. 3 (AsiaNews) – Mother Teresa has carried out a miracle by healing a Salesian father in India of kidney stones. The priest himself, Fr. V. M. Thomas from Guwahati, Assam, spoke to AsiaNews.

According to the priest, who personally knew Blessed Teresa, the “disappearance” of his illness came about thanks to her intercession.

The stone disappeared in an unexplainable manner after Father Thomas celebrated Mass and prayed to Mother Teresa on September 5, the day before he was scheduled for surgery.

“The stone was 13mm or 1.3 cm and caused me intense abdominal pain for several months. Medical examinations in a Guwahati hospital revealed, that I had kidney stones and doctors prescribed medicine to help dissolve them, but the medicines were ineffective and surgery was advised”.

“My surgery was scheduled for September 6th. As nothing happens by chance; my surgeon gave me permission to leave the hospital to celebrate Mass at Shishu Bhavan, a Missionary of Charity convent, and during the Eucharist I asked the faithful to pray for me especially through the intercession of Mother Teresa”.

A day later, when the final presurgical x-ray was taken, the doctors could not locate the stone. A repeat X-ray also proved negative. The chief surgeon then ordered another ultrasound, but that also proved negative. The surgery was cancelled as the stone had “disappeared.

“My doctors have - adds Fr. Thoams - certified my case a ‘Miracle”. Msgr. Thomas Menamparampil, Archbishop of Guwahati, agrees that the priest’s recovery “is above and beyond scientific and human explanation”.

Fr. Thomas worked closely with Blessed Teresa for over 10 years.

“In 1980, as Principal of the Salesian School in Guwahati as well as the Rector of the Institution, I helped Mother Teresa open up her children’s home in the city for abandoned children (Shishu Bhavan) and to raise awareness among people and the local administration, initially hostile to her work. I remember she would always say: ‘the poor must be served and loved at all cost’. Her example and her charisma continue to guide our work and our mission in society”.

Wow this is wonderful news! The doctors have said that his case is a miracle and the archibishop agrees but I assume this will have to go through more checks. Fr. Kolodiejchuk was saying on the SaintCast a short while ago that they were waiting for one more miracle and asked that people pray for her intercession.

October 3, 2007
Catholic News Agency (www.catholicnewsagency.com)

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (CNA) – Pro-abortion supporters interrupted Mass at the Catholic cathedral here and attempted to receive Holy Communion. When they were refused, they forced the celebrant to end the Mass.

The decision by the celebrant, Father Bismark Conde, to deny them Communion during the Sept. 30 Mass bothered the women, some of whom are members of the pro-abortion group Catholics for a Free Choice. They remained in the church and demanded to receive the Eucharist.

According to the Nicaraguan daily La Prensa, the others in attendance at the Mass began to demand out loud that the women leave the church, while Father Conde attempted to maintain calm and prevent a confrontation. Many began to call the women "killers" and "baby killers," shouting, "God will punish you for what you are doing."

"At that moment the police were not inside the church, because the police agents were on guard outside the cathedral, where another group of women were protesting in favor of therapeutic abortion," the newspaper reported. Police eventually forced the women inside to leave the church.

Father Rolando Alvarez, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Managua, said the incident sent a "negative message to the people, especially to the country's children," as the protesters' attitudes "only display harmful elements, when civil conduct is what should prevail in society."

People are able to sense when something isn't right, Father Alvarez noted. "The people are the ones who end up passing judgment on these types of situations. We do not need to condemn an act of this nature because the people know what is good and what is bad," he said.

One of those in attendance at the Mass, Maria Emilia Paredes, told La Prensa that the women "were profaning the house of the Lord, a protest that should have taken place outside, because as Christians, as Catholics, we should be respectful. They do not yet know the Lord. If they did, they would not have done this. They provoked what happened from the moment they came in with the phrases on their T-shirts."

Ofelia Palacios, who was also in attendance, said the women who came into the church wearing shirts that read "Yes to Abortion" were committing a sacrilege. "They want to be famous," she said, “but they should protest somewhere else."

Current Nicaraguan law punishes the disruption of religious services recognized by the state with five to 45 days in prison.

If the disruption is accompanied by threats, violence, insults or displays of scorn, the punishment can be increased to 45 to 90 days.


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

In looking for good comprehensive and analytical reports about Alexei in France, I am glad I came upon the dispatches from Itar-Tass, a Russian news consortium. The emphasis of reporting by the Western press below is very different, it is clear. I'm having less luck finding pictures!

Incidentally, I must re-state that in the interests of ecumenism, I have been posting stories about major developments in all the other Christian churches on this thread.




Patriarch Alexei at the European Parliament
(AP photo, from the Herald Tribune).


Patriarch’s speech opens new page
in the history of the Council of Europe


STRASBOURG, October 3 (Itar-Tass) - PACE President Rene van der Linden said the speech by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia had opened a new page in the history of the Council of Europe.

In his meeting with Alexy II, van der Linden said the PACE [Parliament of the Council of Europe?] involved democratically elected representatives of all peoples, cultures and religions. That is why the PACE became the unique forum to develop an inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue, which would bear fruit, he added.

He thanked the patriarch for his accord to give a speech at the international political organisation. “This proves that as a deeply believing and humane person you share the Council of Europe’s firm commitment to the fundamental right – the right to dignified life. This means progress and the protection of democracy, human rights and the supremacy of law,” van der Linden said.

The patriarch’s visit and speech demonstrates that his life was devoted to “building up bridges” between people.

The patriarch’s speech at the PACE proves of the PACE contribution to developing such dialogue, van der Linden stressed.

Alexy II welcomed the steps taken by the Council of Europe to improve interaction between religious communities. “We see in this a long-expected answer to our calls for dialogue. Due to the PACE efforts religious leaders and secular representatives will be able to address parliamentarians. Thus, a new page was opened in this history of this European organisation,” the patriarch said.

Alexy II said he is convinced that the Council of Europe would become a platform to conduct a serious inter-cultural dialogue, involving religious leaders that would help avoid possible collisions between different ideologies.

Alexy II said the Orthodox and Catholic Churches should protect Christian values.

In an interview with Le Figaro, Alexy II said he is convinced that the Orthodox and Catholic Churches “must protect Christian values against freedom, which is interpreted as permissiveness”.

In his words, he “does not rule out a possibility of meeting Pope Benedict XVI”. “Maybe, we’ll meet in a year or two years, but not in a month,” the patriarch added.

Alexy II stressed that he “comes against my meeting with the Pope (it should be historical) to be only an event for the press. It should really help us settle disagreements”.

The French press reports that relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches warmed after 2002. According to French mass media reports, Alexy II is visiting a Catholic country for the first time after the Schism of 1054.

The revival of the Christian cultural tradition in Europe would have a favourable impact on the relations with people of different cultural and religious traditions, the patriarch said.

“Christian cultural revival will consolidate the ground for a dialogue and for cooperation of various cultural and religious traditions,” he stressed.

Cultural exchanges between Russia and Western Europe promote the consolidation of Christian traditions. The Russian Orthodox Church makes its contribution to it. It organised the exchange of students between religious educational establishments of Russia and other countries. For instance, students from Germany, France, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the United States and China study at Moscow religious schools, while our students study in Greece, France, Switzerland, Germany, the United States and Italy.

Earlier in the day, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia was met at the Cathedral of Three Saintly Hierarchs with an offering of flowers, bread and salt.

The prayer service with the participation of Alexy II made a good start to the patriarch’s visit to Paris. “It is a great honour and excessive joy for us today to accept the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,” Archbishop Innokentii of Korsun said.

“This unforgettable day opens a new page in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in France,” he stressed. In his words, France granted asylum to many immigrants in the difficult times. “Then it was not easy to take a decision in order to preserve the Church’s unity,” he noted.

“Initially, the prayer house was placed at the car park’s underground storeroom. Then parishioners could build this church at their own expenses. May the founders of the town church hope that the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia will come here,” the archbishop said.

“We are convinced that irrespective their church jurisdiction many compatriots would be glad to share this joyful event jointly with us,” the archbishop stressed.

“Your arrival gives peace and graceful spirit of union in the period of restoration that is linked with the name of Your Holiness,” Archbishop Innokentii told the patriarch. “Your visit will give a new life to our eparchy,” he said by donating him the icon of Paris’ patrons – St. Dionysius, St. Germanus and Venerable Genevieve.

Alexy II thanked parishioners and presented the Korsun archbishop the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir. He also thanked Archbishop Innokentii for his works as chairman of the commission for the restoration of canonical unity within the Russian Orthodox Church and awarded him the second-class Order of St. Vladimir.

“I entered this saint cathedral with special feelings. I am grateful that God gave me an opportunity to visit this church,” Alexy II said.

The patriarch spoke with fervour about those who “put a light to their faith 75 years ago in order to help anyone see the light of Orthodoxy”. “The founders of this cathedral gave Western Europe rich traditions of theology and icon painting. Their works helped many natives of this country come to Orthodoxy,” Alexy II said.

In addition, the patriarch said, “It is time to think of building a new church that would worthy represent the Russian Orthodox Church.” “The laity is growing and the cathedral cannot contain all parishioners,” the patriarch said. “That is why it is necessary to build the new church,” he said.

Addressing parishioners, Alexy II said the restoration of canonical unity within the Russian Orthodox Church “is the first step towards strengthening Orthodoxy in other countries”.

“I’m grateful that God helps us restore unity when all reasons for schism among immigrants disappeared,” the patriarch said.

He said he is hopeful that “those who did not establish canonical relations with the Church due to old-dated views on Mother of the Church will also take part in this”.

The patriarch greeted Orthodox hierarchs who represent the Church of Constantinople, the Serbian and Romanian Churches. He called for “building up the unity of Holy Orthodoxy by following special traditions”. “This problem should be solved by each Orthodox church. The unity should not be implanted artificially, but it may occur through people’s communication and interaction,” Alexy II stressed.

The patriarch wished all participants in the prayer service to increase the faith and brotherly affection”.




The Patriarch (center) called on President Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace in Paris.


Alexy II: Orthodox, Catholic stances
coincide on many issues


PARIS, October 3 (Itar-Tass) - Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia said the positions of the Orthodox and Catholic churches coincide on many issues.

In his meeting with French Catholic bishops on Wednesday, Alexy II said the coincidence of the positions by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches on many issues “proves of effective cooperation between them (the churches)”.

In his view, the Orthodox and Catholics “jointly come against abortions, euthanasia and homosexual marriages” that run counter Christian values.

“The French Catholic Bishops' Conference was one of the sides that organised my visit to your country. We are very grateful for this. I see in it one more step towards developing cooperation between the Orthodox and Catholics in preaching traditional Christian values,” the patriarch said.

In his words, “The base of such cooperation is the coincidence of the positions of our Churches on many issues that the present-day world raises. Our views are close in public and personal moral, the public mission of believers, family values, bioethics and many other problems.”

“We jointly come against abortions, euthanasia, homosexual marriages and other similar phenomena of the present-day world that run counter Christian ideology,” Alexy II stressed.

“The coincidence of our stances is not accidental. We have common roots based on ancient Apostle traditions of Christianity. This is the fundamental of our effective cooperation,” the patriarch said.

He recalled that the Russian Orthodox Church and the Rome Catholic Church have the examples of successful interaction. “Our representatives to European institutions in Strasbourg, Brussels and to the U.N. in New York jointly work in order to make the voice of Christianity to sound convincingly and powerfully all around the world,” he said.

Alexy II said he praises contribution made by the Local Orthodox Church to Christianity. “Each eparchy, which represents any church in France, is designed to take part in a direct and fruitful dialogue with local authorities and the secular society, and with representatives of other Christian churches,” the patriarch noted.

The meeting involved Metropolitan Emmanuel of France and Archbishop Gabriel of Comana (Patriarchate of Constantinople), Bishop Juha of France and Western Europe (Serbian Orthodox Church) and Metropolitan Joseph (Romanian Church).

The Russian Orthodox Church was represented by six hierarchs – Archbishop Innokentii of Korsun, who leads the Russian Orthodox Church parishes in France, Archbishop Feofan of Berlin and Germany, Bishop Ilarion of Vienna and Austria. The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad was represented by Bishop Mikhail of Geneva and Bishop Michael of Geneva and Western Europe, and Bishop Agapit of Stuttgart.

Metropolitan Emmanuel thanked Alexy II for his invitation to take part in the prayer service at the Cathedral of Three Saintly Hierarchs and for his support for the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops of France.

Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia was met at the Cathedral of Three Saintly Hierarchs with an offering of flowers, bread and salt.

The prayer service with the participation of Alexy II made a good start to the patriarch’s visit to Paris. “It is a great honour and excessive joy for us today to accept the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,” Archbishop Innokentii of Korsun said.

“This unforgettable day opens a new page in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in France,” he stressed. In his words, France granted asylum to many immigrants in the difficult times. “Then it was not easy to take a decision in order to preserve the Church’s unity,” he noted.

“Initially, the prayer house was placed at the car park’s underground storeroom. Then parishioners could build this church at their own expenses. May the founders of the town church hope that the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia will come here,” the archbishop said.

“We are convinced that irrespective their church jurisdiction many compatriots would be glad to share this joyful event jointly with us,” the archbishop stressed.

“Your arrival gives peace and graceful spirit of union in the period of restoration that is linked with the name of Your Holiness,” Archbishop Innokentii told the patriarch. “Your visit will give a new life to our eparchy,” he said by donating him the icon of Paris’ patrons – St. Dionysius, St. Germanus and Venerable Genevieve.

Alexy II thanked parishioners and presented the Korsun archbishop the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir. He also thanked Archbishop Innokentii for his works as chairman of the commission for the restoration of canonical unity within the Russian Orthodox Church and awarded him the second-class Order of St. Vladimir.

“I entered this saint cathedral with special feelings. I am grateful that God gave me an opportunity to visit this church,” Alexy II said.

The patriarch spoke with fervour about those who “put a light to their faith 75 years ago in order to help anyone see the light of Orthodoxy”. “The founders of this cathedral gave Western Europe rich traditions of theology and icon painting. Their works helped many natives of this country come to Orthodoxy,” Alexy II said.

In addition, the patriarch said, “It is time to think of building a new church that would worthy represent the Russian Orthodox Church.” “The laity is growing and the cathedral cannot contain all parishioners,” the patriarch said. “That is why it is necessary to build the new church,” he said.

Addressing parishioners, Alexy II said the restoration of canonical unity within the Russian Orthodox Church “is the first step towards strengthening Orthodoxy in other countries”.

“I’m grateful that God helps us restore unity when all reasons for schism among immigrants disappeared,” the patriarch said.

He said he is hopeful that “those who did not establish canonical relations with the Church due to old-dated views on Mother of the Church will also take part in this”.

The patriarch greeted Orthodox hierarchs who represent the Church of Constantinople, the Serbian and Romanian Churches. He called for “building up the unity of Holy Orthodoxy by following special traditions”. “This problem should be solved by each Orthodox church. The unity should not be implanted artificially, but it may occur through people’s communication and interaction,” Alexy II stressed.

The patriarch wished all participants in the prayer service to increase the faith and brotherly affection”.

The patriarch’s visit to France is completing the solemn celebrations devoted to the reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church. Since September 1 the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church and the choir of the Sretensky Monastery have visited Russian churches all around the world. The choir will accompany the patriarch’s divine services in Paris – at the Russian cathedral of the Three Saintly Hierarchs, at Notre Dame de Paris before Christ’s Crown of Thorns and at the Russian cemetery St.-Genevieve de Bois.

The official visit by Alexy II was held at the invitation of PACE President Rene van der Linden who considers the development of an inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue one of the most important tasks of his presidency.

The speech by Alexy II at the PACE was devoted to the restoration of Christian culture that created conditions for strengthening mutual understanding and interaction between the peoples on the European continent.

The patriarch’s speech at the PACE proves of the PACE contribution to developing such dialogue, van der Linden stressed.

Alexy II said the Orthodox and Catholic Churches should protect Christian values.

In an interview with Le Figaro, Alexy II said he is convinced that the Orthodox and Catholic Churches “must protect Christian values against freedom, which is interpreted as permissiveness”.

In his words, he “does not rule out a possibility of meeting Pope Benedict XVI”. “Maybe, we’ll meet in a year or two years, but not in a month,” the patriarch added.

Alexy II stressed that he “comes against my meeting with the Pope (it should be historical) to be only an event for the press. It should really help us settle disagreements”.

The French press reports that relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches warmed after 2002. According to French mass media reports, Alexy II is visiting a Catholic country for the first time after the Schism of 1054.

The revival of the Christian cultural tradition in Europe would have a favourable impact on the relations with people of different cultural and religious traditions, the patriarch said. “Christian cultural revival will consolidate the ground for a dialogue and for cooperation of various cultural and religious traditions,” he stressed.

Consider the Telegraph's tabloid-like slant! Can you imagine the universal backlash of liberal opprobrium if Pope Benedict or any ranking Catholic made the same statements?


Gay people are ill,
says Russian patriarch
Daily Telegraph (UK)
03/10/2007




Homosexuals are like kleptomaniacs and have an illness, the head of Russia's Orthodox Church said yesterday.

Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia told MPs at the Council of Europe that civilisation was threatened by a split between Christian morality and human rights, which were being used to excuse declining moral standards.

"We can see it in a new generation of rights that contradict morality, and in how human rights are used to justify immoral behaviour," he told a meeting of the council's Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg.

Earlier this year, Alexy II banned a gay rights parade through Moscow.

He said that sinners could be accepted despite their sins, but ignoring the moral teachings of the Bible threatened Europe's standing in the world.

But the patriarch insisted that no state power should interfere with an individual's personal life. "After all, being moral or immoral is a matter of free personal choice."


Here's a more comprehensive report about the patriarch's activities from the Herald Tribune:


Patriarch Alexy of Russia
assails gays in speech
at Council of Europe
By Stephen Castle
International Herald Tribune
Published: October 2, 2007



STRASBOURG: Russia's senior religious leader assailed homosexuality as a sin and an illness Tuesday and urged Europe to rediscover its Christian values.

Speaking to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a body that polices human rights in Europe, Patriarch Alexy II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, made few concessions to West European sensibilities as he called for a return to Christian values.

Alexy's visit to Strasbourg came before a planned meeting Wednesday with French bishops and President Nicolas Sarkozy. Though he has travelled before to countries that are predominantly Roman Catholic, this visit is his highest-profile trip to Western Europe and another step toward better relations with the Vatican, from which the Orthodox Church has been estranged for almost a thousand years.

In a recent newspaper interview, Alexy suggested that a meeting with the pope could take place within two years, though he has also emphasized that difficulties remain, in particular the activities of Catholic missionaries in Russia.

Alexy's speech to the assembly in Strasbourg echoed the Russian government's condemnation of acts of terrorism and its resistance to independence for Kosovo.

"There are many monuments that are sacred to the people of Serbia," the patriarch said of Kosovo, "and we cannot silently stand by when those monuments are being destroyed, despite the fact that they are under the protection of Unesco and were built in the 12th, 13th or 14th century."

But in a 50-minute appearance Alexy focused mainly on the need for Europe to rediscover its Christian values and abandon moral relativism, arguing that there was a "break between human rights and morality, and this break threatens the European civilization."

"We can see it in a new generation of rights that contradict morality, and in how human rights are used to justify immoral behavior," Alexy said. He has called for an alliance with the Roman Catholic Church on moral issues.

Alexy's comments on homosexuality provoked the most direct challenge to West European liberal thinking and the ideas of nondiscrimination pioneered by the Council of Europe, among other bodies.

Asked by the British Liberal Democrat council member David Russell-Johnston about the Orthodox Church's opposition to a planned gay pride march in Moscow, Alexy said that his religion told him to "love sinners despite their sins."

He added, however, that "no one should force me and my brothers and sisters in faith to keep quiet when we call something a sin when it is a sin according to the word of God."

Homosexuality is, he continued "an illness" and a "distortion of the human personality like kleptomania." The patriarch portrayed the gay rights parade in Moscow as advertising for immoral behavior and asked: "Why don't we have advertising for kleptomania?"

The comments drew applause from a number of council members from Orthodox countries including Russia, which is a member of the Council of Europe.

Russell-Johnston said later that the analogy drawn between homosexuality and kleptomania was "ridiculous."

The patriarch had, Russell-Johnston said, "repeated his aggressively intolerant position."

"What was regrettable was that a lot of people applauded him," Russell-Johnston said. This contradicted the position of the parliamentary assembly that "homosexuals and lesbians have human rights and their dignity should be respected."

In May 2006, violence against homosexuals prompted Terry Davis, secretary general of the Council of Europe, to urge the Russian authorities to prosecute those involved in the attacks which, he said, were "neither isolated nor spontaneous."

After the patriarch's appearance Tuesday, Davis, who held a 30-minute private meeting with Alexy, described the reference to kleptomania as an "unfortunate analogy." He praised Russell-Johnston for raising the issue, but added that the patriarch was "entitled to his view as a religious leader." Gay rights were not discussed during their private meeting, Davis said.

Davis also highlighted other areas of Alexy's speech, including his criticism of the growing gap between rich and poor in Russia, and the growing materialism of Russian society.

Other senior figures in the council also emphasized the symbolism of the patriarch's appearance for the cause of intercultural dialogue. René van der Linden, president of the Parliamentary Assembly, said that through his "strong public condemnation of xenophobia, extremism and ethnically motivated crimes," Alexy had demonstrated his "commitment to peace and mutual respect."



This is from Reuters:

Russian Patriarch links rights
and Christian ethics
By Gilbert Reilhac


STRASBOURG. Oct. 2 (Reuters) - Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexiy II said on Tuesday European civilisation was threatened by a divorce of human rights from Christian ethics that opened the way to immoral behaviour.

Talking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at the start of a visit to France, he defended his opposition to a Gay Pride parade in Moscow. He told a questioner after his speech he had compassion for homosexuals, but gay sex was a sin and gay parades were "propaganda for homosexuality".

Alexiy's speech echoed similar defences of Christianity in Europe by Roman Catholicism's Pope Benedict, who is keen to hold a historic meeting with the Russian prelate. Alexiy told a French newspaper a meeting could take place in a year or two.

"From the very beginning, human rights developed in the context of Christian morality, forming with it a kind of tandem," he said. The Council of Europe's role is to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

"Yet today, there occurs a break between human rights and morality and this break threatens European civilisation," he said . "We can see it in a new generation of rights that contradict morality."

The growing gap between rich and poor and fading ideal of social justice in Russia and elsewhere in Europe was a major problem that required a moral solution, he said.

"In Russia, our Church has many times called to discuss the miserable condition of millions of honest workers whose very few compatriots are extremely rich and glaringly extravagant," he said.

Alexiy also called for the study of religions in school because, he said, many extremists claimed to act on religious grounds. "These destructive forces grow on the soil of religious ignorance and moral scarcity," he said.

The Russian Orthodox Church is the largest in Orthodox Christianity, which claims about 220 million followers. The Vatican, representing 1.1 billion Catholics, wants to work more closely with it to defend Christianity in Europe.

Relations were strained after the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991 as the Russian Orthodox Church accused the Catholics of trying to expand their influence there. Recent high-level contacts have been friendlier.



Here is how the Indian news agency ANI reports it:

Russian patriarch brands
homosexuals as ill


London, Oct 3 (ANI): Comparing homosexuals with kleptomaniacs, Patriarch Alexy II, the head of Russia's Orthodox Church, has said that gay people have an illness.

The Telegraph quoted Patriarch Alexy II as telling MPs at the Council of Europe that civilisation was threatened by a split between Christian morality and human rights, which were being used to excuse declining moral standards.

"We can see it in a new generation of rights that contradict morality, and in how human rights are used to justify immoral behaviour," he told a meeting of the council's Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg.

Alexy II went on to say that sinners could be accepted despite their sins, but ignoring the moral teachings of the Bible threatened Europe's standing in the world.

However, he insisted that no state power should interfere with an individual's personal life, saying: "After all, being moral or immoral is a matter of free personal choice."

Earlier this year, Alexy II had banned a gay rights parade through Moscow. (ANI)

Cardinal Murphy O'Connor pressures
London hospital to be pro-life
By Jonathan Petre
Religion Correspondent
Daily Telegraph (UK)
10/04/07



Britain’s senior Roman Catholic leader has intensified the pressure on a private Catholic hospital popular with celebrity mothers to conform to Church teaching on abortion.

Speaking publicly for the first time during the long-running dispute, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-OConnor urged St John and St Elizabeth’s in north London to become the country’s “flagship pro-life” hospital.

The Cardinal’s comments came on the eve of a critical board meeting at which the hospital is due to accept or reject a new code of ethics barring doctors from referring abortions or providing contraceptives.

The Cardinal, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, who is patron of the hospital, drew up the new code after an inquiry last year found that medical staff were already breaching Church teaching.

The code was supposed to be implemented at the beginning of this year, but has been delayed by opposition from doctors and executives.

advertisementThe impasse has centred on plans by the hospital to open a new £11 million development on its site next month for GPs who are obliged to provide some family planning services under their NHS contracts.

The Cardinal, who in 2005 discussed the case with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, said that it was up to him to ensure that the hospital abided by Catholic principles, adding: “It can’t be Catholic unless I say so.”

He told the Catholic Herald newspaper that the hospital could became “a flagship, a sign of our convictions.

“It is important to give a sign to society that here is a hospital which will adhere to this particular code.”

He continued: “I am putting myself on the side of the acceptance of the code. “I don’t want to consider other possibilities and I don’t see why I should.

“If there is a board which wants the hospital to be a Catholic hospital then why don’t we go along that road?

“There are difficulties which have arisen but it is up to the board to work them out.

“I do think it is important for me to get it right. It seems to me that what is being asked is not unreasonable or not impossible to fulfil.”

The hospital, which was founded by the Church in 1856, was once run by the Sisters of Mercy, an order that worked with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War.

Described in magazines as the “poshest place to push”, its maternity unit has become popular with celebrities and the actresses Cate Blanchett and Emma Thompson and the models Kate Moss and Heather Mills are among those who have given birth there.

Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor said that the final decision over the code of ethics rested with the hospital’s board.

He added: “If it came to crunch I would say this is no longer a Catholic hospital but I won’t want to do that. I want it to be a pro-life hospital.

“It may need reorganisation but it would be well worth it.” Lord Bridgeman, the chairman of the trustees, has said that he is confident that a satisfactory compromise can be agreed.