About-face:no proclamation of Saint John Mary Vianney as patron saint of all priests

In one of the most stunning and symbolic about-faces of the entire Pontificate, and as we had reported yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI did not proclaim Saint John Mary Vianney as Patron Saint of all priests of the world following the closing Mass of the Year for Priests, celebrated this Friday in Rome.

The holy Curé d'Ars did not need this honor. He did not ask for this honor. His entire life was a life of holiness shining through humility and disregard for himself. But that had been the Vatican's decision, the logical end of the fact that the Year for Priests was set to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the death of Saint John Mary Vianney.

In fact, when the Year was first announced by the Holy See Press Office, in March 2009, that proclamation was already mentioned:

During the course of the Year, Benedict XVI will proclaim St. Jean Marie Vianney as patron saint of all the priests of the world.

And that was confirmed by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations last month:

San Giovanni Maria Vianney ... in questa occasione sarà proclamato dal Santo Padre patrono di tutti i sacerdoti.

The meaning of this about-face? We cannot but share the view of our reader Martin in a comment in an earlier post:

It might be the case that St Jean Marie Vianney was not the best choice in the first place for monastic priests, but, since that decision had long been made, the revoking of it at the last minute would be one more blow to the "restaurationist" view of this papacy, a viewpoint which has already suffered some other severe setbacks.

This is quite regrettable, for things started quite well back in 2005. But I am afraid that we are now again in fully frozen mode, and that the wolves are getting ready for the next conclave.

All in all, a very sad day for the dignity of the Papacy.

Sancte Ioannes Maria Vianney, ora pro nobis!

__________________________

Ordinary

_________

Extraordinary!

For the Sacred Heart

1) Today, June 11, 2010, at 7:00 P.M, Msgr. Francois Gayot, Archbishop Emeritus of Cap-Haitien, Haiti, will offer a Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Church of Saint Jean Baptiste in Manhattan (on Lexington Avenue at 76th Street) The Pontifical Mass is the second Pontifical Mass for the Feast of the Sacred Heart to be organized by the Confraternity of the Sacred Heart, which is also behind the Conference on Devotion to the Sacred Heart to be held tomorrow, June 12, 2010, in the undercroft of the Church of Our Saviour in Manhattan.

2) Since today is the Feast of the Sacred Heart, please do not forget to recite the Actus Reparationis. Hopefully, its public recitation, as commanded by Pope Pius XI in 1928 (see No. 20 of Miserentissimus Redemptor), will not be neglected, especially by those congregations attending the Traditional Latin Mass on this day.

3) One devotion that has been greatly neglected since the end of Vatican II is the Night Devotion to the Sacred Heart, which had been promoted with singular zeal by Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey SS.CC. Night adoration consists of family members giving up one hour a month in between the hours of 9pm and 6am, to make a Holy Hour of Reparation within the home. A website has been established to make this devotion known once again to millions of Catholics: Sacred Heart Nightly Devotion

Una Voce in the Philippines

The Ecclesia Dei Society of Saint Joseph (EDSSJ) has been accepted as the first Philippine member of Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce. EDSSJ traces its origins to 1986, when the Traditional Latin Mass first began to be celebrated once more in the Sto. Domingo Church (then located in the Archdiocese of Manila). Through many difficult years the group has persevered, and is currently based in the Parish of the Lord of Divine Mercy, the sole parish in the entire Philippines where the Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated everyday under the provisions of Summorum Pontificum. The Chairman of the Society is Dennis Raymond Maturan, the Chaplain is Fr. Michell Joe Zerrudo, while I and Gerald Cenir of Pro Deo et Patria are among the Board Members.

The strangest news item of the year:Pope backtracking on decision to proclaim Vianney patron of all priests

Different versions of this have been circulating all day. The following was published by French Catholic daily La Croix:

According to informations of the [religious news] agency I.Media, confirmed to La Croix by Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, Benedict XVI has backtracked on his decision to proclaim Saint John Mary Vianney (1786-1859) "patron saint of all priests of the world", on the closing [ceremonies] of the Year of Priests.

This solemn proclamation should take place after the Mass celebrated this Friday on St.Peter's Square in the presence of over 10,000 priests from all over the world. The figure of this French mystic, already "patron saint of all parish priests of the world" since 1929 and "patron saint of the priests of France" since 1905, has not in the end been considered very representative of the priesthood at the 21st Century, and not very universal.

Other news sources have not mentioned any changes in the long-held plan of Pope Benedict XVI to proclaim the Curé d'Ars patron of all priests - first made public by the Holy See Press Office in March 2009.

If the papal backtracking is confirmed, it will be a highly symbolic move.

Let us pray for the Holy Father.

In the post-Conciliar Church, 1969 never ends...

It is simply amazing that the debates of 1969, when the "shocking" new things said by bishops and priests were "hip", keep coming back.

Now, it is the time for the Bishop of Osnabrück and head of the "Pastoral Commission" of the German Episcopal Conference, is now in the news for declaring that there are

"...new arguments for a diaconate for women. A recent canon law amendment [the motu proprio Omnium in Mentem, published last December] states the independence of the diaconate from the priesthood, said the Chairman of the Pastoral Commission of the German Bishops' Conference."

Source: Radio Vaticana. [Where else? The Catholic Church is probably the only institution whose fifth column is actually larger than all other columns put together.]

"For now, the Pope will not celebrate according to rites prior to the Council"

From declarations granted by Mgr. Guido Marini, Master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies, as reported by Rome Reports:

Mons. Guido Marini

Master of Ceremonies Benedict XVI

“I think the pope's attention to the liturgy, his lessons in this environment and his example, help many priests and many Catholics to rediscover the central value of the liturgy for the life of the Church and for the life of each person.”

According to the Papal Master of Ceremonies, the liturgy is not an area only reserved for experts. But he notes that Catholics need help to understand the full meaning of the liturgical symbols and gestures.

Mons. Guido Marini

Master of Ceremonies Benedict XVI

“The liturgy has a popular dimension that should be preserved because through the liturgy we find ourselves with the mystery of God. There the mystery of salvation it is made real for the life of each person. So it is important to prepare people so they can read the gestures and symbols of the liturgy.”

In recent years, Benedict XVI has brought back some traditional liturgical elements that were rarely used. For example, the presence of the crucifix in the center of the altar or the receiving communion on the knees. They are gestures the pope has explained as the so-called “hermeneutic of continuity.”

Mons. Guido Marini

Master of Ceremonies Benedict XVI

“The hermeneutics of continuity highlights that in the life of the Church there is an authentic growth in the way in which they don't cut the roots so that this development includes the richness of its history and tradition.”

He says that for now it is not expected that the pope will celebrate a mass according to rites prior to the Second Vatican Council.

Monsignor Marini regularly receives instructions from the pope, but the office of liturgical ceremonies also proposes elements

for each celebration.

Mons. Guido Marini

Master of Ceremonies Benedict XVI

“In addition to putting into practice the instructions of the pope, we suggest some liturgical elements. He decides whether to accept them or not. It's to say, in every ceremony there are instructions from the Holy Father and suggestions presented by our department.”

In any case, since the pope has written many works on the liturgy, from his time as a cardinal, for the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations, it is very easy to know what the pope expects of every celebration. In other words, that the celebration helps draw people closer to the mystery of God.

Tip: Brian Kopp, at The Gregorian Rite.

More Rumors on the Congregation for Bishops

La Ciguena de la Torre is claiming that Cardinal Pell has declined to accept the post of Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, reportedly due to age (!) and ill-health. (It was reported earlier this year that the Cardinal had been fitted with a pacemaker.)

La Ciguena notes the rumor that with Cardinal Pell declining the appointment, the Congregation for Bishops will go to Leonardo Cardinal Sandri. Other rumors name Cardinal Ouellet. Well, we shall see...

"Who prays well, has no place for silliness in his life"

Marianna Popieluszko at the grave of her son, June 5, 2010

The Polish blog Iwka.Onething has published an article with various quotes from Marianna Popieluszko on how she raised up and prayed for her son, Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko. Some quotes from the article:

She was teaching her children how to pray kneeling daily before the small home altar with the figure of the Holy Mother. On Wednesdays – they prayed to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, on Fridays – to the Heart of Jesus, on Saturdays – to Black Madonna of Czestochowa. In May the whole family would recite Litany of the Blessed Virgin, in July – to the Blood of Jesus, in October and throughout the rest of the year – the Rosary. During the storms she would lit (sic) a candle and pray.

“His first seminary was in his home.”

“He was a nice, obedient child, but every child can be that way, if parents will keep them straight. All my children were the same. I did not punish them, there was no hitting, but very stern words: You have to do it. My kids were not into mischief. Who prays well, has no place for silliness in his life”

Yes, holiness is possible, even in our time.

"The murderer shouted 'Allah Akbar!' "... and beheaded the victim

Well, well... so our first suspicions on the murder of Luigi Padovese, Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia and President of the Turkish Bishops' Conference, were not unfounded. AsiaNews reports:

[Alexandretta] - Today at 4pm local time the funeral will take place of Msgr. Padovese, killed by his driver, Murat Altun, strangely "crazed" last June 3. Meanwhile, new details have emerged on the dynamics and motives of the killing that has prostrated the Turkish Church.

...

Even the dynamics of the killing is clearer: the Bishop was stabbed in his house. He had the strength to go out the door of the house, bleeding and crying for help and there he was killed. Perhaps only when he fell to the ground, was his head cut off.

Witnesses said they heard the bishop cry out for help. But more importantly, is that they heard screams of Murat immediately after the murder. According to these sources, he climbed on the roof of the house shouted: "I killed the great Satan! Allah Akbar! ".

This call coincides perfectly with the idea of beheading, making sense that it is like a ritual sacrifice against evil. This correlates with the murders of ultranationalist groups and Islamic fundamentalists who apparently want to eliminate Christians from Turkey.

...

Establishing the truth is necessary for the Turkish State, because it shows its modernity and ability to guarantee rights, but it is also necessary for the Church. According to police sources, it seems that Murat is offering a new justification for his action: Mgr. Padovese was a homosexual, Murat, 26, was the victim, "forced to suffer abuse." The killing of the bishop was not martyrdom, but an act of "legitimate defence".

What else could one expect from Turkey and Turks?

Just another day in "The Eldest Daughter" - that is, فرنسا

1. The Strasbourg City Council unanimously approved yesterday the construction of a confessional Muslim cemetery under public administration, the first one in France. (Alsace has a different system in France in which the traditional religious confessions present for hundreds of years in the region - that is, the Catholic Church and Reformed and Jewish congregations - receive public support. Mohammedanism is not considered a "recognized confession", but that was no problem for the Council.)

2. Last Saturday, June 5, was the day on which the first stone of the mosque of Roissy-en-Brie), a building of 2155 square meters, was placed, in the presence of Chantal Brunel (MP for the constituency) and Sylvie Fuchs (Communist mayor of Roissy-en-Brie), as well as Sheikh Saeed Ramadan Al Bouti and Mohamad Nasereddin (Chairman of the Muslim Cultural Association of Roissy-en-Brie).

The mayor has contributed to this construction project by agreeing to lower the price of land, which used to be government-owned, by about 10%, at its sale in 2008 to the Muslim Cultural Association of Roissy-en-Brie, responsible for the project. The General Council of the Department of Seine-et-Marne also gave a contribution, of 185 000 euros, which will be matched by the contribution of the regional council of Île-de-France.

Félicitations à tous!

Source: Le Salon Beige

The Virgin and Popiełuszko: signs of the victory of Good over evil

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

At the midday hour it is the Church’s tradition to turn in prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, joyfully recalling her ready acceptance of the Lord’s invitation to become the mother of God. It was an invitation that filled her with trepidation, one which she could scarcely even comprehend. It was a sign that God had chosen her, his lowly handmaid, to cooperate with him in his saving work. How we rejoice at the generosity of her response! Through her “yes”, the hope of the ages became a reality, the One whom Israel had long awaited came into the world, into our history. Of him the angel promised that his kingdom would have no end (cf. Lk 1:33).

Some thirty years later, as Mary stood weeping at the foot of the cross, it must have been hard to keep that hope alive. The forces of darkness seemed to have gained the upper hand. And yet, deep down, she would have remembered the angel’s words. Even amid the desolation of Holy Saturday the certitude of hope carried her forward into the joy of Easter morning. And so we, her children, live in the same confident hope that the Word made flesh in Mary’s womb will never abandon us. He, the Son of God and Son of Mary, strengthens the communion that binds us together, so that we can bear witness to him and to the power of his healing and reconciling love.

I would now like to say a few words in Polish on the happy occasion of the beatification today of Jerzy Popiełuszko, priest and martyr: [I send cordial greetings to the Church in Poland which today rejoices at the elevation to the altars of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko. His zealous service and his martyrdom are a special sign of the victory of good over evil. May his example and his intercession nourish the zeal of priests and enkindle the faithful with love.]

Let us now implore Mary our Mother to intercede for all of us, for the people of Cyprus, and for the Church throughout the Middle East with Christ, her Son, the Prince of Peace.

Benedict XVI

Angelus - Cyprus

June 6, 2010

The world needs the Cross

The focus of our celebration today is the Cross of Christ. Many might be tempted to ask why we Christians celebrate an instrument of torture, a sign of suffering, defeat and failure. It is true that the Cross expresses all these things. And yet, because of him who was lifted up on the Cross for our salvation, it also represents the definitive triumph of God’s love over all the evil in the world.

There is an ancient tradition that the wood of the Cross was taken from a tree planted by Adam’s son Seth over the place where Adam was buried. On that very spot, known as Golgotha, the place of the skull, Seth planted a seed from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden. Through God’s providence, the work of the Evil One would be undone by turning his own weapons against him.

Beguiled by the serpent, Adam had foresaken his filial trust in God and sinned by biting into the fruit of the one tree in the garden that was forbidden to him. In consequence of that sin, suffering and death came into the world. The tragic effects of sin, suffering and death were all too evident in the history of Adam’s descendants. ...

As a punishment for their sin, the people of Israel, languishing in the desert, were bitten by serpents and could only be saved from death by looking upon the emblem that Moses raised up, foreshadowing the Cross that would put an end to sin and death once and for all. We see clearly that man cannot save himself from the consequences of his sin. He cannot save himself from death. Only God can release him from his moral and physical enslavement. And because he loved the world so much, he sent his only-begotten Son, not to condemn the world – as justice seemed to demand – but so that through him the world might be saved. God’s only-begotten Son had to be lifted up just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that all who looked upon him with faith might have life.

The wood of the Cross became the vehicle for our redemption, just as the tree from which it was fashioned had occasioned the Fall of our first parents. Suffering and death, which had been a consequence of sin, were to become the very means by which sin was vanquished. The innocent Lamb was slain on the altar of the Cross, and yet from the immolation of the victim new life burst forth: the power of evil was destroyed by the power of self-sacrificing love.

The Cross, then, is something far greater and more mysterious than it at first appears. It is indeed an instrument of torture, suffering and defeat, but at the same time it expresses the complete transformation, the definitive reversal of these evils: that is what makes it the most eloquent symbol of hope that the world has ever seen. It speaks to all who suffer – the oppressed, the sick, the poor, the outcast, the victims of violence – and it offers them hope that God can transform their suffering into joy, their isolation into communion, their death into life. It offers unlimited hope to our fallen world.

That is why the world needs the Cross. The Cross is not just a private symbol of devotion, it is not just a badge of membership of a certain group within society, and in its deepest meaning it has nothing to do with the imposition of a creed or a philosophy by force. It speaks of hope, it speaks of love, it speaks of the victory of non-violence over oppression, it speaks of God raising up the lowly, empowering the weak, conquering division, and overcoming hatred with love. A world without the Cross would be a world without hope, a world in which torture and brutality would go unchecked, the weak would be exploited and greed would have the final word. Man’s inhumanity to man would be manifested in ever more horrific ways, and there would be no end to the vicious cycle of violence.

Only the Cross puts an end to it. While no earthly power can save us from the consequences of our sins, and no earthly power can defeat injustice at its source, nevertheless the saving intervention of our loving God has transformed the reality of sin and death into its opposite. That is what we celebrate when we glory in the Cross of our Redeemer. Rightly does Saint Andrew of Crete describe the Cross as “more noble, more precious than anything on earth […] for in it and through it and for it all the riches of our salvation were stored away and restored to us”.

Benedict XVI

Homily

Mass with Priests and Religious, Latin Parish of the Holy Cross (Nicosia, Cyprus)

EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Dimitras and Others v. Greece (applications nos. 42837/06, 3269/07, 35793/07 and 6099/08)

[See also Lautsi v. Italy]

OBLIGATION TO REVEAL RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS

TO AVOID TAKING OATH ON BIBLE IN COURT

CONTRARY TO FREEDOM OF RELIGION

Unanimously

Violation of Article 13 (right to an effective remedy)

Violation of article 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion)

of the European Convention on Human Rights

Principal facts

The applicants are Panayote Dimitras, Theodoros Alexandridis, Nafsika Papanikolatou and Andrea Gilbert. The last applicant is a United States national and the other three are Greek nationals. They were born in 1953, 1976, 1955 and 1947 respectively and live in Athens.

They were summoned to appear in court on various dates between February 2006 and December 2007, as witnesses, complainants or suspects in criminal proceedings. In conformity with Article 218 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, they were asked to take the oath by placing their right hands on the Bible. Each time, they informed the authorities that they were not Orthodox Christians and preferred to make a solemn declaration instead, which they were authorised to do.

In several cases, in the standard wording of the minutes of the proceedings concerned, the words “Orthodox Christian”, were crossed out and replaced by the handwritten references “atheist” and “made a solemn declaration”, for example. Some records were actually incorrect, stating “Orthodox Christian – took the oath” when in fact the person was an atheist and had made a solemn declaration instead. Even when they appeared in court without being required to take the oath, the applicants had had to reveal their religious convictions in order to request the amendment of the standard reference to “Orthodox Christian” on the form used for the minutes.

Complaints, procedure and composition of the Court

Relying on Articles 9 (right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion), 13 (right to an effective remedy), 8 (right to respect for private and family life and correspondence) and 14 (prohibition of discrimination), the applicants complained that they had been obliged to reveal their “non-Orthodox” religious convictions when taking the oath in court.

They further alleged, relying on Article 6 § 1 (right to a fair trial), that the presence of religious symbols in the courtrooms and the fact that Greek judges were Orthodox Christians raised doubts about their impartiality.

The applications were lodged with the European Court of Human Rights on 16 August 2006, 4 January 2007, 13 July 2007 and 11 January 2008 respectively.

Judgment was given by a Chamber of seven judges, composed as follows:

Nina Vajić (Croatia), President,

Christos Rozakis (Greece),

Khanlar Hajiyev (Azerbaijan),

Dean Spielmann (Luxembourg),

Sverre Erik Jebens (Norway),

Giorgio Malinverni (Switzerland),

George Nicolaou (Cyprus), Judges,

and also Søren Nielsen, Section Registrar.

Decision of the Court

[...]

Articles 8, 9 and 14

The Court reiterated that freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which went hand in hand with pluralism, was one of the foundations of a “democratic society” and that in its religious dimension that freedom was an essential part of any believer’s identity, as well as being a precious asset for atheists, agnostics, sceptics and the unconcerned. It had already held that freedom to manifest one’s religious beliefs included an individual’s right not to reveal his faith or his religious beliefs and not to be obliged to act or refrain from acting in such a way that it was possible to conclude that he did or did not have such beliefs – and all the more so when aptitude to exercise certain functions was at stake.

The applicants had been considered as Orthodox Christians as a matter of course, and had been obliged, sometimes in hearings, to point out that they did not subscribe to that faith and, in some cases, to specify that they were atheists or Jews in order to have the standard wording of the minutes amended. In some court records they were expressly described as “atheists” or “of the Jewish faith”.

This interference with their freedom of religion had been based on Articles 218 and 220 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and pursued the legitimate aim of the proper administration of justice. Article 218 regulated the taking of the oath in court, on the Bible. It was thus presumed in the Code of Criminal Procedure that all witnesses were Orthodox and willing to take the oath, as reflected in the standard wording of the records of court proceedings. Indeed, it is only exceptions to the rule that Article 220 provides for, allowing those who were not Orthodox Christians to take the oath in conformity with another religion or to make a solemn declaration if they had no religion or their religion did not permit oath taking.

The wording of Article 220 actually required people to give details of their religious beliefs if they did not want the presumption contained in Article 218 to apply to them. Some of the applicants had had to convince the court officials concerned that they did not subscribe to any religion, failing which they would have had to take a religious oath. The incompatibility of the impugned legal provisions with Article 9 of the Convention was even more evident in Article 217 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which stipulated that in any event all witnesses were required, amongst other information, to state their religion before testifying in criminal proceedings. The Court further noted that, unlike the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Code of Civil Procedure provided for witnesses, if they so wished and without any other formality, to be able to choose between taking a religious oath and making a solemn declaration.

The Court found that requiring the applicants to reveal their religious convictions in order to be allowed to make a solemn declaration had interfered with their freedom of religion, and that the interference was neither justified nor proportionate to the aim pursued. There had therefore been a violation of Article 9.

Having regard to these findings, the Court did not consider it necessary to examine the complaint under Articles 8 and 14 separately.

Under Article 41 (just satisfaction), the Court held that Greece was to pay the applicants 15,000 euros jointly in respect of non-pecuniary damage.

***

The judgment is available only in French. This press release is a document produced by the Registry. It does not bind the Court. The judgments are available on its website. [http://www.echr.coe.int/]

New classical radio station

From Radio Netherlands Worldwide:

From 3 June, Radio Netherlands Worldwide is offering listeners around the world a new service: classical music radio via the internet.

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, it will broadcast classical music by Dutch composers and performers to an international public,... . RNWClassical.com. That's the trademark of this English language 'broadcaster' on the RNW websites. Its goal is to reach an international public with classical music by Dutch composers and performers. However, although music speaks for itself in all languages, the specialists who present it will do so in English.

BBC Radio 3 has, of course, been available online for years, as well as several other venues (including several on-demand websites, such as the Orgelconcerten page hosted by Dutch broadcaster NCRV). We invite our readers to post their favorite online radio stations in the comments.

___________________

Updated: Suggestions from our readers:

(1)Traditional Catholic Radio;

(2)Classical Minnesota Public Radio;

(3)FD Auditorium (Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI): Filodifusione Quinto Canale);

... would you like to add your tip?

Eucharist - Passion - Sacrifice - PriesthoodBody - Blood - Soul - Divinity

A masterful lesson of our Pope on the Feast of Corpus Christi:

Dear brothers and sisters!

The priesthood of the New Testament is closely tied to the Eucharist. Today, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and near the end of the Priestly Year, we are invited to meditate on the relationship between the Eucharist and the priesthood of Christ. ... It is the joy of community, the joy of the whole Church, which, contemplating and adoring the Blessed Sacrament, recognizes the real and permanent presence of Jesus the Eternal High Priest.

...

The first thing that is always to be kept in mind is that Jesus was not a priest according to Jewish tradition. His was not a priestly family. He did not belong to the descendants of Aaron, but of Judah, and he was therefore legally precluded from the priesthood. The person and activity of Jesus of Nazareth do not find themselves in the way of ancient priests, but rather in that of prophets – and in this line, distanced himself from a ritual conception of religion, criticizing the approach that gave value to human precepts tide to ritual purity rather than observing the commandments of God, that is, to that love for God and neighbour, which is "worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:33).

Even within the Temple of Jerusalem, the sacred place par excellence, Jesus performed a purely prophetic act when he chased the money changers and sellers of animals, all of which were used for the traditional offering of sacrifices. So Jesus is not recognized as a priestly Messiah, but prophetic and royal. Even his death, which we Christians rightly call "sacrifice", had nothing of the ancient sacrifices. Indeed, was the opposite: a most infamous death, by crucifixion, which took place outside the walls of Jerusalem.

In what sense, then, is Jesus a priest? The Eucharist gives us the precise answer. We can begin, again, from those simple words that describe Melchizedek: "He offered bread and wine" (Genesis 14:18). That is what Jesus did at the Last Supper: he offered bread and wine, and in that gesture summed up His whole self and his whole mission. In that act, in the prayer that precedes it and the words that accompany it, there is the whole sense of the mystery of Christ, as the Epistle to the Hebrews expresses in a decisive step that must be mentioned: "In the days of His earthly life,” the author writes, referring to Jesus, “He offered up prayers and supplications, with powerful cries and tears to God who could save Him from death, and, because of his complete abandonment to God, His prayers were heard and answered. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek."(5.8 to 10). In this text, which clearly alludes to the spiritual agony of Gethsemane, the passion of Christ is presented as a prayer and an offering. Jesus faces His "hour", which leads to death on a cross, immersed in profound prayer, which consists of the union of his own will with the Father. This dual and single will is a will of love. Lived in this prayer, the tragic proof that Jesus addresses is turned into an offering, a living sacrifice.

The Letter to the Hebrews says that Jesus "was heard." In what sense? In the sense that God the Father freed Him from death and raised Him. He was heard precisely because of his complete abandonment to the will of the Father: God’s loving plan was able perfectly to fulfil itself in Jesus, who, having obeyed even unto death on the cross, is become the "cause of salvation" for all those who obey Him. He is become the high priest himself, having taken upon himself all the sin of the world, as the "Lamb of God." It is the Father who gives this priesthood to Him at the very moment in which Jesus goes through the passage of his death and resurrection. It is not a priesthood according to the order of the Mosaic Law (cf. Lev 8-9), but "according to the order of Melchizedek" – according to a prophetic order, dependent only on its unique relationship with God.

Let us return to the expression of the Letter to the Hebrews, which says: "Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered." The priesthood of Christ involves suffering. Jesus really suffered, and He did so for us. He was the son and did not need to learn obedience to God, but we do: we always have and we always will.

For this reason the Son assumed our humanity and allowed Himself to be “educated” in the crucible of suffering, allowed himself to be transformed by it, like the grain of wheat, which in order to bear fruit, must die in the ground. Through this process, Jesus was "made perfect" in Greek teleiotheis. We must pause over this term because it is very significant. It shows the culmination of a journey, one that is precisely the the Son of God’s path of education and transformation by suffering through the painful passion. It is owing to this transformation that Jesus Christ has become "high priest" and can save all who trust Him. The term, teleiotheis, correctly translated as "made perfect", belongs to a verbal root, which, in the Greek version of the Pentateuch, i.e. the first five books of the Bible, is always used to indicate the consecration of the ancient priests. This discovery is very important because it tells us that the passion was for Jesus as a priestly consecration. He was not a priest according to the Law, but He became so existentially, in His in its paschal passion, death and resurrection, He offered Himself in atonement – and the Father, exalting Him above all creatures, constituted Him universal Mediator of salvation.

We now return, in our meditation, to the Eucharist, which will soon be at the centre of our liturgical assembly and subsequent solemn procession. In it, Jesus anticipated his sacrifice, not a ritual sacrifice, but a personal one. Jesus, in the Last Supper, moved by the "eternal spirit" with which He will then offer Himself on the Cross (cf. Heb 9:14), acts. Giving thanks and praise, Jesus transforms the bread and wine. It is Divine love, which transforms: the love with which Jesus accepts in advance the act of giving all of Himself to us. This love is nothing but the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father and the Son, which consecrates the bread and wine, and changes their substance into the Body and Blood of the Lord, making present in the Sacrament the same sacrifice that takes place cruelly on the Cross.

We may therefore conclude that Christ was the real and effective priest, because he was full of the strength of the Holy Spirit, was filled with the fullness of God's love, and this, precisely, "in the night he was betrayed," precisely in the “hour of darkness"(cf. Lk 22:53). It is this divine power, the same power that realized the Incarnation of the Word, which transforms the extreme violence and extreme injustice into the supreme act of love and justice.

This is the work of the priesthood of Christ, which the Church has inherited and carried through history, in the twofold form of the common priesthood of the baptized and that of ordained ministers, in order to transform the world with the love of God. Everyone, priests and lay faithful alike, are nourished by the same Eucharist, we all prostrate ourselves in adoration, for the Eucharist is present our Master and Lord, the true Body of Christ, Priest and Victim, the Salvation of the world.

Come, let us exult with songs of joy! Come let us adore Him! Amen.

Benedict XVI

Homily for the Mass of Corpus Christi

Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and of

Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran

[Translation provided by Radio Vaticana; compared with original text]

The death of Spain step by step

From Libertad Digital:

Controversy abounded at the traditional feast of Corpus Christi in Toledo this Thursday. Because, despite the tradition, the military serving in the city, belonging to the Infantry Academy, could not grant military honors to the Blessed Sacrament, displayed in the Custodia de Arfe, due to the entry into force of the new Rules of Military Honors that [Socialist] Minister Carmen Chacón adopted a few weeks ago.

The Pioneers Squad received the Custodia de Arfe in full uniform, only because they received special permission from Chacon on Wednesday, and carrying only the sword. The military did not carry the Spanish flag, as they traditionally do, or remained in military position in front of the [Sacrament].

The same Spanish Socialist government recently approved the law, duly signed by the Bourbon monarch, making abortion a "right".

On the Feast of Corpus Christi...

From Radio Vaticana:

Apostolic Vicar Murdered in Turkey

(03 Jun 10 – RV) A “horrible and incredible fact'', ''we are deeply dismayed”: this was the first response of Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, on hearing the news of the assassination of Mgr. Luigi Padovese, Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia and President of the Turkish Bishops' Conference. As of yet the circumstances surrounding the murder are not clear, what is known is that he was stabbed to death by his driver at approximately 1 pm local time.

Luigi Padovese was born in Milan on March 31, 1947. On October 4, 1965 he entered the Capuchin friars and exactly three years after that expressed his solemn vows. On 16 June 1973 he was ordained a priest. He became Professor of Patristics at the Pontifical Antonianum University.

Before being ordained bishop he was director of the Institute for Spirituality in the same university for 16 years. He was also visiting Professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical Alphonsian Academy .

For 10 years he was a guest at the Eastern College in Rome for the Congregation of Eastern Churches. He was also a consultant to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. On 11 October 2004 he was appointed Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia and Titular Bishop of Monteverde.

Only recently, in a Vatican Radio interview to mark the anniversary of the murder of Don Andrea Santoro, the Fidei Donum priest killed four years ago in the church of Santa Maria in Trabzon, Turkey, Bishop Padovese had said :”I would like to point out that he was killed as a symbol, because he was the reality of what it means to be a Catholic priest. Not only was the person killed, but they wanted to target the symbol that the person represented: remembering him at this time, within the framework of the Year for Priests, is most significant, because it reminds us that being a follower of Christ can lead to laying down your life”.

Hear more:

Below we publish Fr Lombardi’s full statement:

“This is a horrible news that left us deeply shocked and of course, desperately sorry. Bishop Padovese was a person who of great worth for the witness of the Church's life in Turkey, and even in difficult situations, was a courageous person dedicated to the Gospel. The circumstances or motives of this death need to be better understood, what remains is a life gifted for the Gospel. This fact, on the eve of a Papal trip towards the Middle East, to encourage the Christian communities living in this region, lends an extraordinary intensity, helping us to profoundly understand the urgent need for the solidarity of the universal Church to support these Christian communities”.

Yet another "Founder" forced to step down

The Holy See has reportedly ordered Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela, founder of the Institute of the Word Incarnate (IVE), to step down from his post as General Superior. He is currently reported to be in a monastery in France.

(A short English-language post can be seen here; articles in Spanish here, here, here and here; more articles in this blog and in yet another blog).

The command comes in the wake of an investigation by Bishop Eduardo Maria Taussig of San Rafael, Argentina of various accusations against the Fr. Buela. However, some conservative and traditionalist Catholics are claiming that Fr. Buela and his institute are simply being persecuted by the "liberals" in the Argentine hierarchy.

Alongside the Legionnaries of Christ, the Institute of the Word Incarnate has been one of the largest and more successful of the "conservative" religious congregations of recent decades, having been founded in 1984 and reputedly with 1,400 members in its three branches. As of 2006 it counted 289 priests.

"One must then bear in mind the living tradition of the whole Church"

In the November 2009 edition of Living Tradition, Msgr. John F. McCarthy reflects upon Pope Benedict XVI's address of 14 Oct. 2008, to the constituents of the Fourteenth General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops. The Holy Father's words, criticising Modernist interpretation of Sacred Scripture, anticipated in part that month Synod Proposition 12, requesting clarification of the Church's beliefs regarding the inspiration and truth of the Bible. Following the Oct. 2008 meeting of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, the Pope instructed the Pontifical Biblical Commission to prepare a study on the subject of Proposition 12, and the PBC had already prepared an early draft of the study by April 2009. Although this is certainly "old news," still the Pope's words of 14 Oct. 2008 illustrate his thinking on authentic and fruitful Catholic exegesis of Scripture, and on the relationship between the so-called historico-critical methodology and Catholic exegesis and theology, and could indicate in part what the final draft of the PBC study on the Bible's divine inspiration and truth will have to say. The Pope's address, from an unofficial English version provided by the Vatican website, is as follows (emphasis added):

Dear Brothers and Sisters, the work for my book on Jesus offers ample occasion to see all the good that can come from modern exegesis, but also to recognize the problems and risks in it. Dei Verbum 12 offers two methodological indications for suitable exegetic work. In the first place, it confirms the need to use the historical-critical method, briefly describing the essential elements. This need is the consequence of the Christian principle formulated in John 1:14, Verbum caro factum est [the Word was made flesh]. The historical fact is a constitutive dimension of Christian faith. The history of salvation is not a myth, but a true story and therefore to be studied with the same methods as serious historical research.

However, this history has another dimension, that of divine action. Because of this Dei Verbum mentions a second methodological level necessary for the correct interpretation of the words, which are at the same time human words and divine Word. The Council says, following a fundamental rule for any interpretation of a literary text, that Scripture must be interpreted in the same spirit in which it was written and thereby indicates three fundamental methodological elements to bear in mind the divine dimension, the pneumatology of the Bible: one must, that is, 1) interpret the text bearing in mind the unity of the entire Scripture; today this is called canonical exegesis; at the time of the Council this term had not been created, but the Council says the same thing: one must bear in mind the unity of all of Scripture; 2) one must then bear in mind the living tradition of the whole Church, and finally 3) observe the analogy of faith.

Only where the two methodological levels, the historical-critical and the theological one, are observed, can one speak about theological exegesis — of an exegesis suitable for this Book. While at the first level, today’s academic exegesis works on a very high level and truly gives us help, the same cannot be said about the other level. Often this second level, the level constituted of the three theological elements indicated by Dei Verbum seems to be almost absent. And this has rather serious consequences.

The first consequence of the absence of this second methodological level is that the Bible becomes a book only about the past. Moral consequences can be drawn from it, one can learn about history, but the Book only speaks about the past and its exegesis is no longer truly theological, becoming historiography, the history of literature. This is the first consequence: the Bible remains in the past, speaks only of the past.

There is also a second even more serious consequence: where the hermeneutics of faith, indicated by Dei Verbum, disappear, another type of hermeneutics appears of necessity, a secularized, positivistic hermeneutics, whose fundamental key is the certitude that the Divine does not appear in human history. According to this hermeneutic, when there seems to be a divine element, one must explain where it came from and bring it to the human element completely. Because of this, interpretations that deny the historicity of divine elements emerge. Today, the so-called “mainstream” of exegesis in Germany denies, for example, that the Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist and says that Jesus’ corpse stayed in the tomb. The Resurrection would not be an historical event, but a theological vision. This occurs because the hermeneutic of faith is missing: therefore a profane philosophical hermeneutic is stated, which denies the possibility both of the entrance and the real presence of the Divine in history. The consequence of the absence of the second methodological level is that a deep chasm was created between scientific exegesis and lectio divina. This, at times, gives rise to a form of perplexity even in the preparation of homilies.

Where exegesis is not theology, Scripture cannot be the soul of theology and, vice versa, when theology is not essentially the interpretation of the Scripture in the Church, this theology has no foundation anymore.

Therefore for the life and the mission of the Church, for the future of faith, this dualism between exegesis and theology must be overcome. Biblical theology and systematic theology are two dimensions of the one reality, what we call Theology.

Due to this, I would hope that in one of the propositions the need to bear in mind the two methodological levels indicated in Dei Verbum 12 be mentioned, where the need to develop an exegesis not only on the historical level, but also on the theological level is needed. Therefore, widening the formation of future exegetes in this sense is necessary, to truly open the treasures of the Scripture to today’s world and to all of us.

Previous posts on this subject:

Synod Retrospective: Proposition 12 on Inspiration and truth in the Bible

Pontifical Biblical Commission to take up Synod Proposition 12

Pope addresses PBC on the Divine Inspiration and Truth of Scripture

Veni Praecelsa Domina

Come, o Supreme Lady,
O Mary, do thou visit us,
enlighten our sickly souls
by the example of thy life.

Come, O Salvatrix of the world,
take away the filth of sin;
by visiting thy people,
remove their peril.

Come, O Queen of nations,
extinguish the flames of guilt,
rectify what is wrong,
give us to live innocently.

Come, and visit the sick,
O Mary, fortify the strong
with thy holy vigor,
so that the brave fail not.

Come, O thou Star, and Light of Seas,
shed thy ray of peace on us;
let the heart of John exult
with joy before the Lord.

Veni Praecelsa Domina

(an ancient Sequence for the Traditional Feast of the Visitation,

in honor of the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen)

Una Voce consultation:Help Una Voce compile a worldwide report by the lay faithfulwhile the episcopal letters are being written

Our friend Mr. Leo Darroch, President of the International Federation Una Voce, wrote this as a comment in our last thread, and we believe it deserves a post of its own:

Readers of Rorate Caeli may be interested to know that the International Federation Una Voce has just started a consultation exercise; the third since the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum was promulgated.

In September 2008 all member associations were asked to provide information about the implementation of the motu proprio in their countries during the first year. This first report was presented in Rome to the PCED and a copy for the Holy Father was entrusted to Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos. Subsequently, I received a letter from the Substitute at the Secretariat of State thanking me for the report and advising me to contact the Prefect of the Papal Household for a brief audience with the Holy Father.

The Una Voce Federation then conducted a second consultation exercise in September 2009 to monitor developments during the second year of the motu proprio and I was able to place this report directly into the hands of the Holy Father on 28th October 2009 (see our website for report and photographs). I was accompanied by Vice President Jack Oostveen, Secretary Rodolfo Vargas Rubio, and Treasurer Mrs Monika Rheinschmitt. We were able to spend several minutes explaining the contents of our report and present other documentation. During that visit to Rome we also presented copies of our report to all the Prefects and Secretaries of all the major dicasteries and also to l’Osservatore Romano.

I believe this forthcoming Una Voce report on the third anniversary of the motu proprio, which coincides with the accounts being produced by our bishops, will be of vital importance in the safeguarding of the traditional Mass and liturgy. It is no secret that many bishops are against Summorum Pontificum and their reports may well reflect this antipathy. It is for this reason that I have asked our members for comprehensive reports and documentation that truly reflects the situation in their countries so that Rome will be in no doubt about the reality of the implementation of the motu proprio. Despite the lack of episcopal enthusiasm in many parts there is a real growth in interest in the traditional liturgy; the International Federation Una Voce is receiving requests from many parts of the world for information and help, and none more so than in Central and South America – and from young people. Anyone who is not a member of any group and would like more information may I suggest that you check out our website www.fiuv.org and contact the member association in your country or area. Although it is right and proper for the Pope to consult his bishops it is quite clear from the motu proprio that the Holy Father's concern is for priests and the laity. Therefore, it is perfectly in order for the laity to make their feelings known to Rome about how it is being implemented.

Leo Darroch,

President - Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce

By the way: if you can help the great work accomplished by the International Federation, consider their latest appeal. Donations can be made by PayPal.

The letters are arriving What can you tell us?

Do you remember this portion of the Papal letter to Bishops which accompanied the publication of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum?

Furthermore, I invite you, dear Brothers, to send to the Holy See an account of your experiences, three years after this Motu Proprio has taken effect. If truly serious difficulties come to light, ways to remedy them can be sought.

A reader in America informs us that his archdiocese received a letter from the Vatican on the application of Summorum Pontificum two weeks ago (just in time for its third anniversary) and is close to sending its response back.

Could you tell us anything, from wherever you are in the world? You may also send us any relevant information on the matter: newcatholic AT gmail DOT com.

Cardinal Cañizares to visit IBP in Bordeaux

On Saturday, July 10 at 9:30 am we will have the great pleasure of welcoming to Saint-Eloi in Bordeaux, His Eminence Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship. It is a great honor to have this prelate at the Institut du Bon-Pasteur, which he has always held in high esteem. He will perform the ordinations of a priest, Father Jean-Francois Billot, a deacon, Father Remy Balthazard, and a sub-deacon, Father Stephen Lecarme.

I therefore have the pleasure of inviting you all to this moving ceremony to see and hear the head of the liturgy for the Universal Church. His commitment to the extraordinary form is well known and he is a master of its use.

I also have the pleasure of inviting you all to the first Mass to be celebrated by Fr. Billot the following day, July 11 at 10:30 am in the same parish….

I look forward to seeing you for this great event in the Church!


Abbé Philippe Laguérie

The number of priests and seminarians per French diocese

SOURCE

Past and future events

1. The first pictures of one the French Pentecost Pilgrimages are now available: the Paris-Chartres Pilgrimage (Le Forum Catholique); many other pictures available here.

2. The Prefect of Divine Worship, Cardinal Cañizares Llovera, will visit the main church of the Institute of the Good Shepherd, the Parish Church of Saint-Eloi (Bordeaux), on July 10, where he will take part in the ordinationof a new priest, a new deacon, and a sub-deacon.

¡Feliz bicentenario!

As the news of the almost complete domination of Napoleon Bonaparte's troops in Spain arrived in the Indias, cries for autonomy started to be heard throughout the crumbling Spanish Empire.

Catholic would fight against Catholic (there were many Catholics, and, yes, there were several Freemasons, but on both sides) until the dust settled in Ayacucho, Peru, in 1824. But the autonomy claimed by the vecinos of City of the Most Holy Trinity in the Port of Saint Mary of Buenos Aires on May 25 1810 would never be reverted.

On this Argentine Bicentennial, we salute all Catholic patriots in the Americas in this "Bicentennial Year" for many of their nations, remembering the words of a Catholic, General Manuel Belgrano, in his will signed on May 25, 1820:

"In the name of God, and with his holy grace, Amen. Let it be known that I, Manuel Belgrano, a native of this city, brigadier of the armies of the United Provinces of South America, legitimate son of Domingo Belgrano y Peri and of María Josefa González, both deceased; being infirm with what Our Lord God has deigned to give me, but by his infinite mercy in possession of my complete judgment, fearful of the death which infallibly comes to every creature and of the uncertainty of its time, in order that it will not come without the things related to my conscience and to the welfare of my soul are not ordered, I have decided to established my will, believing, before everything else, as I firmly do, in the great mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three Persons and one only true God, and in the other mysteries and sacraments which are possessed, believed, and taught by our Holy Mother the Roman Apostolic and Catholic Church, under whose true faith and belief I have lived and profess to live and die, as a Catholic and faithful Christian that I am, taking as my intercessor and advocate the Most Serene Queen of the Angels, Mary Most Holy, Mother of God, Our Lady and devotion [and Lady] of the Heavenly Host, under whose protection and help I order my will in the following manner:

"1st. I first deliver my soul to God Our Lord, who created it from nothing, and I deliver my body to the earth from which it was formed, and, when His Divine Majesty decides to take my soul from the present life to the eternal one, I order that my body, wrapped in the habit of the patriarch of Saint Dominic, be buried in the pantheon that my family holds in said convent [Dominican Convent of Buenos Aires]..."

Picture: Belgrano delivers his command baton to the Virgin of Mercy, naming her General of the Argentine Army (1812).

In need of a revolution?

I'm supposed to be on blogging recess until May 30, but the following passage in a recent speech by Bishop William Shomali of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem on the upcoming Middle Eastern Synod in Rome (October 10-24, 2010) caught my attention. I think it deserves to be discussed on this blog:

The Synod sets forth two main goals:

1 - Confirm and strengthen Christians in their identity through the Word of God and the Sacraments.

2 - Giving new life to the ecclesial communion between the sui iuris Churches so that they might provide an authentic witness of joyful and attractive Christian life.

One peculiarity of the Middle East is the large number of sui iuris Eastern Churches that have taken root here: the Melkites, Syrians, Maronites, Copts, Armenians and Chaldeans. These churches need to live their liturgical and linguistic particularity on the one hand, and a greater communion among themselves on the other. Currently, this communion leaves something to be desired. They also need pastoral and liturgical renewal. The Latin Church went through this change at the Second Vatican Council, which revolutionized its liturgy and ecclesiology and gave it a new openness to the world. The Eastern Churches are in need of a similar revolution so that they might be able to adapt and modernize and thus better meet the needs of their congregations today.

Incidentally, the Lineamenta for the upcoming Synod states that:

60. The Liturgy promises to be an area of regular collaboration between Catholics and Orthodox. Many desire a liturgical renewal which is grounded in Tradition and cognisant of modern sensitivities and current spiritual and pastoral needs. As far as possible, such work needs to be collaborative undertaking.

No one denies that the Eastern Catholic Churches are facing serious challenges, but one wonders how the move to renew these Churches will impact on the sacred liturgy.