You Report: an (unfortunately) extremely rare event, a Traditional Baptism in Portugal

Our reader Marco sends us the report:

On June 1, 2013, a small village in Portugal witnessed something which it hadn't seen since the new rite of Baptism came along - a traditional Baptism and Mass. There was no long wait for approval from the chancery this time - Summorum Pontificum was applied as it should be. The local priest was asked if he would allow the celebration, which he did. No questions were asked, no putting the matter into the diocesan chancery's hands, no interrogation by the chancery.

It took a while to get the church (which dates from the 15th or 16th century) ready, as the high-altar has been relegated to a "relic of times gone by". When the new altar was finally moved away, the high-altar was cleaned, candles placed, chalice and patten brought out, and the lighting turned on. The old, dark sanctuary seemed to have come alive once more as the gilt reredos reflected the light. The sanctuary coming alive once more seemed to have an effect on the whole church, as it as well seemed to have taken on a new life, awoken from its long slumber.

There was not enough baptismal water, but the Lord turned an apparent problem into a great blessing. The only rite the priest had at hand for baptismal water was that in the missal, the one used on the Paschal Vigil. So we, who have never had the chance - the "privilege" - to participate in a Traditional Triduum, were blessed with a glimpse of a small part of it before the Baptism began.

The Mass celebrated - a sung Mass - was the votive Mass of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The priest gave a very short, simple, but deep homily on obedience and how the Liturgy should shape us, and will shape our daughter.

It was a great grace for our daughter to be baptized as so many were generations before (as even my parents still were) in a church that received a number of generations of my relatives into the Mystical Body of Christ. Some people - mostly youths - came from north and south to be able to participate on this "extraordinary" Saturday, and they left much richer for it.

Hopefully one day all who wish can have access to the Traditional Mass in its entirety, and not consider it a "privilege" to do so, nor have to do so in hiding. Hopefully one day, God willing, Summorum Pontificum will be applied in Portugal.

Please, keep sending us your reports on the application of Summorum Pontificum throughout the world.

"The goal of economics and politics is to serve humanity"

[T]he goal of economics and politics is to serve humanity, beginning with the poorest and most vulnerable wherever they may be, even in their mothers' wombs. Every economic and political theory or action must set about providing each inhabitant of the planet with the minimum wherewithal to live in dignity and freedom, with the possibility of supporting a family, educating children, praising God and developing one's own human potential. This is the main thing; in the absence of such a vision, all economic activity is meaningless.

In this sense, the various grave economic and political challenges facing today's world require a courageous change of attitude that will restore to the end (the human person) and to the means (economics and politics) their proper place. Money and other political and economic means must serve, not rule, bearing in mind that, in a seemingly paradoxical way, free and disinterested solidarity is the key to the smooth functioning of the global economy.

Franciscus

Letter to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on the occasion of the G8 meeting

June 15, 2013

FIUV PP: more on the Lectionary

The Position Papers of the International Federation Una Voce published on Rorate Caeli, are subject to revision in light of comments and fresh information, so the versions accessible on the FIUV website are often slightly different from those originally published. This approach has been our policy from the first, and I am very grateful for the comments, including many on this blog, which have stimulated these improvements.

Today I am publishing an unusually substantial addition to the last Position Paper, the one about the Lectionary. Since publishing it there has been a lot of discussion of related issues, and some newly researched information has been made available. Fr Felix Just's longstanding website on the lectionary is very useful; a new entrant to the debate is the British blogger 'Countercultural Father', whose work on the 1969 Lectionary's missing passages has been very directly useful; a fantastic new resource is provided by another blog, 'Lectionary Study Aids', who has put together a comprehensive table of the 1962 Lectionary; I've also been able to consult the relevant chapter of Fr Cekada's 'Work of Human Hands' (which seems to be available to buy only here).

These are two appendices to the Lectionary paper, which provide some factual backing for the two central points of the paper. These are, first, that the old Lectionary has its own value, and should not be assumed to be inferior to the new one just because it is shorter; and second, the old Lectionary is so closely integrated into the 1962 Missal that the idea that a greatly expanded version, or even just the 1969 Lectionary in toto, could in some simple way be swapped in by way of 'mutual enrichment', is a non-starter.

The full paper, including the new appendices, can be downloaded as a pdf here. The whole series can be seen on the FIUV website here. The collected set of papers 1-13, printed as a short book, is available from Lulu here.

Comments can be sent to

positio AT fiuv.org

On 15th July I will publish a paper on the Proclamation of the Lections in Latin in the Extraordinary Form.

The Lectionary of the 1962 Missal: Appendices

Appendix A: Passages of Scripture found in the 1962 Lectionary omitted from the 1969 Lectionary

By using multi-year cycles, the creators of the 1969 Lectionary aimed to include a much increased quantity of Scripture in the liturgy. It is interesting to note that, despite this, certain Gospel passages familiar to those attending the Extraordinary Form on Sundays are not found in any year of the 1969 Lectionary’s Sunday cycle.

In some cases the 1969 includes a different version of a pericope which the ancient Lectionary has chosen; in others no parallel passage is included. It seems worth listing both cases; the latter are emboldened, and where this is the case it is noted if the passage is not found in the 1969 weekday cycle.[1]

St Matthew:

6:16-21 ‘Fasting: when you fast...’ ‘Do not store up treasures on earth...’ (verses 19-21 omitted from the OF weekday cycle)

8:1-13 Leper healed; Centurion’s servant. (St Mark’s and St Luke’s accounts, respectively, used)

8:23-27 Calming of the storm (St Mark’s account used)

8:26: 1- 13 Caiaphas plotting; the precious ointment (St Mark's account used)

20:16b ‘For many are called, but few are chosen’ (omited from the Gospel of the 25^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, which stops at verse 16a; the parallel verse from Mt 22:14 is optional on 28^th Sunday of Ordinary Time)

St Mark:

16:14 ‘Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating;’ he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen (only in St Mark)

St Luke:

8: 4-15 Parable of the sower (St Matthew’s account used)

8:11: 14-23 ‘But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils...’ (St Mark’s account used)

8:24-26 The return of the Unclean Spirit (the corresponding passage from St Matthew is also cut) (also omitted from the OF weekday cycle)

8:27-28 ‘Happy the womb that bore you...’ (St Luke only)

8:14: 15-24 The banquet and guests who refuse to come... (St Matthew’s account used)

18: 31-34 ‘The Son of Man to be handed over...’ (cut from St Matthew and St Mark as well) (also omitted from the OF weekday cycle)

18:35-43 Healing of the blind man at Jericho (St Mark’s account used)

18:21: 29-33 The fig tree (St Mark’s account used)

St John:

6:59 ‘He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.’ (Only in St John) 

8:46-59 ‘you are a Samaritan, and possessed...’ ‘Abraham saw my day and rejoiced, Before Abraham was, I AM.’ (only in St John) (omitted from the OF weekday cycle)

14: 30-31 ‘The prince of this world is on his way...’ ‘I am doing exactly what the Father told me’ (only in St John) (omitted from the OF weekday cycle)

16:1-4 ‘They will put you out of the Synagogue.’  (only in St John) (omitted from the OF weekday cycle)

16: 5-11  ‘None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ...because the prince of this world now stands condemned.’  (only in St John)

16-22 ‘What does he mean: you will no longer see me, then you will see me?...’ ‘You are sad now... your hearts will be full of joy...’  (only in St John)

16: 23-30 ‘Ask and you will receive... the Father loves you...Now you are speaking plainly... the time will come when you are scattered...’  (only in St John)

A much longer list could be made of passages which are optional in the 1969 Lectionary, and of verses omitted from readings of the Epistles.[2] A particularly striking example of the latter is the passage from the First Letter to the Corinthians (11:27-9) warning against the unworthy reception of communion, which is read on both Maundy Thursday and Corpus Christi in the 1962 Lectionary, but is not found anywhere in the 1969 Lectionary.

This list shows that, even in the narrow terms of exposure to the Scriptures, the replacement of the 1962 Lectionary with the 1969 Lectionary involved loss as well as gain. More profoundly, it illustrates the difference in spirit between the two Lectionaries: the ancient Lectionary selects passages on the basis of different principles, and in a number of ways emphasises what the new Lectionary wishes to de-emphasise.[3]

This underlines the general point that each Lectionary is an integral part of its respective Missal, and reflects its spirit and preoccupations.[4]

Appendix B: Relationship between the Lectionary and the Chants

An important factor discussed in the body of the paper in considering any reform or expansion of the Lectionary for the Extraordinary Form is close relationship between the Lections in a given Mass Formulary and the other Propers, particularly the chants. Mass formularies in the Extraordinary Form do not usually present a single, obvious, theme; as has been noted the cycle of Sunday Epistles is independent of the cycle of Sunday Gospels, and the various propers are too concerned with their liturgical function—as processional chants, as the Secret Prayer introducing the Oblation, and so on—to appear as a unified, didactic group. Nevertheless, they contain many cross-references, and can often serve as commentary upon one another.

This is most clearly the case when chants take their text from one of the readings.[5] Although the great majority of chants are taken from the Psalms, the exceptions frequently take their inspiration from the lections of the day. A brief review of the Sunday cycle reveals that on six occasions the Communion Antiphon is taken from the Gospel of the day: the 1^st and 2^nd Sundays after Epiphany, Palm Sunday, 2^nd Sunday after Easter, and 3^rd and 14^th Sundays after Pentecost. The Communion is taken from the Epistle (Acts) on Whitsunday (Pentecost). The Alleluia verse is taken from the Gospel on 5^th Sunday after Easter. Such cross references, whether actual quotations or not, are still more frequent in the formularies of feast days and on Ember Days. Similar close connections exist between the Sunday Gospels and the antiphons of Lauds and Vespers.

A more subtle and all pervading relationship is described by the great German chant scholar Dom Dominic Johner, in relation to the Gradual and Alleluia:

The early Church utilized these chants as a means to impress on the hearts of the faithful the lessons inculcated by the Epistle, and to make them the more readily susceptible for the Gospel. Clergy and laity should, without further ado, be enabled to devote themselves entirely to the contemplation of the chant and its import.[6]

All things considered, it would be impossible to change the Lectionary of the Extraordinary Form substantially, without seriously compromising the coherence and integrity of the Missal.

Heroic Parenthood: the case against the NFP mentality

The big Catholic family is dead. Sure, there's a remnant of us left, who still get the stares in the grocery stores, or the eyes rolling every time a co-worker or, even worse, a family member hears mom's expecting again. But, by and large, most Catholics have been lost to the evils of artificial contraception for decades. 

The few Catholics who do not accept all the children God has intended for them, who do not go out and multiply as He commanded, yet still have a trace of Catholic sense to them, have been led to their present situation by many in the Church, with a peculiar understanding of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and its  broad extension to seemingly any specific circumstance, from exception to norm. And the consequences for the Church -- and society at large -- have been devastating.

Read this provocative piece from Christian Order and gain a thorough understanding of where part of the hierarchy has gone astray from the perennial teachings of the past, compiled beautifully by Pius XI and Pius XII, on this most grave matter for society and for souls. Then pass it along to wayward Catholics, and Catholics of good faith, who may be failing to live life abundantly.

And, of course, always remember to seek the spiritual direction of a faithful and solidly traditional Catholic priest.

Fill in the blank: "I'm a Catholic, but I'm not a Catholic _____"

President Éamon de Valera greets Pope John XXIII (1961)

This week, the pro-death Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland made history when he became the first non-Catholic head of government since the Free State was founded, in 1922 (there have been a couple of Protestant Presidents).

Non-Catholic? Well, here is what he said:

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny has declared that he is "a Taoiseach who happens to be Catholic but not a Catholic Taoiseach" after criticism by the Church of his abortion Bill.

[Independent]

We had never realized how incredibly convenient this is: a Catholic can be a non-Catholic in different parts of his life. "I am a person who happens to be Catholic, but not a Catholic person." For instance, an abortion practitioner might say, "I am a Catholic, but not when I am performing abortions": natural law and morals end where each different part of my life, such as my job, begins. One might call it "Kennolicism".

So, please take part in our game: "I'm Catholic, but I'm not a Catholic ____ ."

Mystici Corporis at 70 - IThe true Church of Christ is the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Roman Church

The major encyclical of Pope Pius XII on the Church, Mystici Corporis Christi, the clearest and most incisive document on the Bride of Christ in the 20th Century, was signed on June 29, 1943, Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, days before the bombing of Rome and the fall of the Fascist government. As war raged, Pope Pacelli felt the great need to clarify matters in the spiritual war being fought within the Church by the re-emerging Modernists, who wished once again to muddle the doctrine on the Church. In the upcoming weeks, we will celebrate this great anniversary with a special series.

____________________________________

In the brilliant prolixity of his writings and his allocutions, the late and beloved Sovereign Pontiff, Pope Pius XII, made important contributions to many areas within the field of Catholic doctrine. Yet one theological treatise seems to have been affected and improved more effectively than any other by what he wrote and said in his capacity as the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth. That treatise is the tractatus de ecclesia Christi.

During the early years of the twentieth century there was more confusion and misunderstanding about the Church than about any other reality studied in the science of sacred theology. Three factors were responsible for the comparatively imperfect status of popular writing about the kingdom of God on earth. First, there was the fact that the treatise on the true Church of Jesus Christ had a history quite different from that of most of the other individual treatises within the confines of dogmatic theology.¹ Second among these factors was the unfortunate misinterpretation of terminology employed in St. Robert Bellarmine's classical De ecclesia militante over the period from the sixteenth century until the nineteenth.² The last and the most important factor was the influence of popular and superficial religious writing strongly influenced by liberal Catholicism.³

These three factors, acting together, produced a condition in which religious books by some rather influential Catholic authors tended, during the first half of the twentieth century, to speak of a kind of super-Church, a Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, in some way distinct from and superior to the visible Catholic Church over which the Bishop of Rome presides as visible head and as the Vicar on earth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Basically, it was that condition which the late and great Sovereign Pontiff was called upon to remedy. And, by the force of his most important writings and allocutions, he fulfilled this task most admirably.

Amidst the literally thousands of entries in the official Acta of Pope Pius XII there are hundreds of documents in which he set forth teaching about the nature and the dignity of the Catholic Church as the true Church of Jesus Christ. As a result any full-scale study of the effects of Pius XII in the field of ecclesiology would have to be expressed in a rather formidable volume. Yet, among the very numerous documents which would certainly have to be scrutinized in such a work, there are a very few statements of his which had particular moment for all theologians interested in the treatise on the Church. He seemed to have a special affection for these declarations. I can think of no more effective way of honoring his beloved memory in this issue of The American Ecclesiastical Review than that of bringing together his most striking teachings about the Church he loved so much and guided so well.

Mystici Corporis Christi

The Mystici Corporis Christi and the subsequent encyclical, the Humani generis, may well go down in history as the two most important doctrinal statements issued by Pope Pius XII during the course of his long and glorious reign as Christ's Vicar on earth. Both exercised an extraordinarily powerful regulatory influence within the tractatus de ecclesia Christi.

Pope Pius XII issued the Mystici Corporis Christi on June 29, 1943. The first and the most fundamental contribution it made to Catholic thought on the Church is contained in the following sentence:

If we would define and describe this true Church of Jesus Christ — which is the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Roman Church — we shall find nothing more noble, more sublime, or more divine than the expression "the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ" — an expression which springs from and is, as it were, the fair flowering of the repeated teaching of the Sacred Scriptures and the holy Fathers.⁴

After this strong and eminently clear declaration, there could be no shadow of excuse for any tactic tending to depict the Mystical Body of Our Lord as in any way distinct from or superior to the visible Catholic Church, the religious society over which the Vicar of Christ rules as the visible head. The expression "Mystical Body of Jesus Christ" appears in this ringing pronouncement of Pius XII as the description and even as the definition of the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Roman Church. The Mystici Corporis then gives the coup de grace to the teachings that the true Church of Jesus Christ is something other than a visible or truly organized society in this world by the following pronouncement:

Hence they err in a matter of divine truth, who imagine the Church to be invisible, intangible, a something merely "pneumatological" as they say, by which many Christian communities, though they differ from each other in their profession of faith, are united by an invisible bond.⁵

In the same way this great encyclical letter reproves the error and confusion inherent in the writings of those Catholics who taught the existence of a twofold Church of God in this world:

For this reason We deplore and condemn the pernicious error of those who dream of an imaginary Church, a kind of society that finds its origin and growth in charity, to which, somewhat contemptuously, they oppose another, which they call juridical. But this distinction which they introduce is false: for they fail to understand that the reason which led our Divine Redeemer to give to the community of men He founded the constitution of a Society, perfect in its kind and containing all the juridical and social elements — namely, that He might perpetuate on earth the saving work of Redemption — was also the reason why He willed it to be enriched with the heavenly gifts of the Paraclete.⁶

Finally, Pope Pius XII, writing in the Mystici Corporis Christi, set forth the truth that the visible Catholic Church is actually the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the true Church of God spoken of in the Scriptures, when he brought out the fact that the members of the Catholic Church recognizable as such, or, in other words, the members of the visible Catholic Church, are the true and only members of the true Church. He wrote:

Actually only those are to be included (annumerandi) as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith, and who have not been so unfortunate as to separate themselves from the unity of the Body (neque a Corporis compage semet ipsos misere separarunt), or been excluded by legitimate authority for grave faults committed.⁷

There was another point magnificently clarified by the late Sovereign Pontiff in the text of the Mystici Corporis Christi. That was the teaching on the necessity of the Catholic Church for the attainment of eternal salvation. The following passage gives precious instruction on the status of those who are linked to the true Church by an unconscious or merely implicit desire or intention to enter this society.

As you know, Venerable Brethren, from the very beginning of Our Pontificate, We have committed to the protection and guidance of heaven those who do not belong to the visible Body of the Catholic Church (qui ad adspectabilem, non pertinent Catholicae Ecclesiae compagem), solemnly declaring that after the example of the Good Shepherd We desire nothing more ardently than that they may have life and have it more abundantly. Imploring the prayers of the whole Church We wish to repeat this solemn declaration in this Encyclical Letter in which We have proclaimed the praises of the "great and glorious Body of Christ," and from a heart overflowing with love We ask each and every one of them to correspond to the interior movements of grace, and to seek to withdraw from that state in which they cannot be sure of their salvation (in quo de sempiterna cuiusque propria salute securi esse non possunt). For even though by an unconscious desire and longing (inscio quodam desiderio ac voto) they have a certain relationship (ordinentur) with the Mystical Body of the Redeemer, they still remain deprived of those many heavenly gifts and helps which can only be enjoyed in the Catholic Church. Therefore may they enter into Catholic unity and, joined with Us in the one, organic Body of Jesus Christ (in una Iesu Christi Corporis compagine coniuncti), may they together with us run on to the one Head in the Society of glorious love. Persevering in prayer to the Spirit of love and truth, We wait for them with open and outstretched arms to come not to a stranger's house, but to their own, their father's home.⁸

There is another important item on which the Mystici Corporis Christi issues a doctrinal decision. Prior to the issuance of this encyclical Catholic theologians had debated as to whether the residential bishops of the Catholic Church derived their power of jurisdiction immediately from Our Lord or from Him through the Roman Pontiff. In this document, Pope Pius XII took occasion to speak of the Bishops' power of jurisdiction and he described it as something "which they receive directly (immediate) from the same Supreme Pontiff."⁹ In the edition of his Institutiones Iuris Publici Ecclesiastici which came out after the issuance of the Mystici Corporis Christi, Cardinal Ottaviani took occasion to state that this teaching, which had hitherto been considered up until this time as more probable, and even as common doctrine, must now be accepted as entirely certain by reason of the words of the Sovereign Pontiff Pius XII.¹⁰

^{Msgr. Joseph  Clifford Fenton 
Pope Pius XII and the Theological Treatise on the Church
(American Ecclesiastical Review, Dec. 1958 - excerpt)}

Notes:

Thank you so much for your understanding!

I am grateful, too, for the sincere efforts the Church of England has made to understand the reasons that led my Predecessor, Benedict XVI, to provide a canonical structure able to respond to the wishes of those groups of Anglicans who have asked to be received collectively into the Catholic Church: I am sure this will enable the spiritual, liturgical and pastoral traditions that form the Anglican patrimony to be better known and appreciated in the Catholic world.

Franciscus

Address before Justin Welby, leader of the "Church of England" 

June 14, 2013

[Dedicated to the dear Ordinariates of England & Wales and Australia]

The "Gay Lobby": confirmations all around- Bergoglio ends Vatican omertà- Fr. Oko: "The true challenge of the Pontiff is the heresy of homosexuality"

From today's article of Paolo Rodari for La Repubblica:

The embarrassment of the Roman Curia exists for various reasons. On the one had, for the distance that seems to be always greater between a Pope who decides to live in Santa Marta and not in the pontifical palace in order to be freer in the work of cleaning the Curia itself from those who work against it, and who worked against it during the pontificate of Benedict XVI. On the other hand, for the shock [caused] by the peculiar fashion [of announcing the news, that is through CLAR], that seems to have been almost chosen on purpose by the Pope in order to make known a real concern of his.

...

Gian Franco Svidercoschi, former vice-director of [Holy See daily] L'Osservatore Romano, knows how to read behind what was left unsaid by the Vatican. He explains: "The embarrassed silence of the Curia shows that the Pope's words are true. This lobby which is talked about evidently has existed for a while, though I believe it to be composed by mid-level characters of the Roman Curia itself. We know for a fact that during the General Congregations that preceded the Conclave, the three Cardinals in charge of the work on Vatileaks reported on it. If, among the persons involved, there had been any cardinals, these would not have been allowed to take part in the Conclave, as it happened with Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien."

Fr. Dariusz Oko speaks to Il Giornale:

But the problem of the homosexual lobby in the sacred palaces could be just the tip of the iceberg: there are those who are convinced that the great challenge of the new Pope is to tackle the problem. One of those is Fr. Dariusz Oko, theology progessor at the Pontifical University John Paul II, in Krakow, who in December had publicly denounced the gay lobby in the Vatican, and who reaffirms it today: "The Holy Father has confirmed that which everyone had known for many years," he explains, "I think that the wall of omertà that has existed for a long time is destroyed. But now, how to demolish that other wall of omertà that exists inside the seminaries? Who is concerned with the revolution of Benedict XVI who forbade the ordination of homosexual priests?" The Polish priest is convinced that on this matter the Pope has a great battle to wage: "The problem of the gay lobby in the Vatican is important, but marginal," he explains. "The true challenge of the Pontiff is the heresy of homosexuality, what I call the 'homoheresy, that is, the rejection of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church on homosexuality, whose defenders are in favor of priesthood for gays. The Holy Father must combat this heresy that has spread throughout the Church.". And the root of the problem, Fr. Oko confirms, is to be found in the places of formation: "Who, in Italy, is interested in the current situation of the seminaries?", the theologian asks. "And there is where the future of the Church is decided! The only way forward is to continue the revolution of Ratzinger, who wished to 'free' the seminaries from gay educators and homosexual seminarians." ...

Pope to Synod Committee: Encyclical on Faith coming out shortly; written with "four hands" with Benedict XVI

Once again offering off-the-cuff remarks (this time in his meeting with the members of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops), the Pope revealed two things.

As reported by Il Mondo:

"An encyclical" on faith "should come out shortly", "[written] by four hands, it is said: Pope Benedict, who delivered it to me, started it; it is a strong document"... "I have received this great work that he has done, and I have brought it forward."

"Four hands"? So... it pretty much confirms the report made by the Bishop of Molfetta following an ad limina visit, denied by the Holy See spokesman, a denial celebrated by disingenuous people...

Also today, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of 54-year-old Fernando Isern, Bishop of Pueblo (Colorado), according to canon 401 § 2, of the Code of Canon Law (reasons of health or other grave reason). Bp. Isern, a follower of former Miami Archbishop John Favarola, had been named Bishop of Pueblo by Benedict XVI in 2009.

Antonio, "the Saint"

Il Santo, "the Saint" loved by the multitudes. The Evangelical Doctor, the miracle-worker, the Canon and the Friar, from Lisbon to Padua, the humble man of God entirely dedicated to Christ and His Church, a beacon of holiness for all ages.

______________________________

VERBA EXHORTATIONIS S. ANTONII A PADUA

Neo-Triumphalism: George Weigel's Offenses Against Pious Ears

The latest article by Mr. Weigel in First Things is yet another in a series of articles wherein he touts the "triumphs" of Vatican II over the previous magisterium. This time, he does so by making fun of the former head of the Holy Office during the years before, during, and after the Council, His Eminence Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani.

And to what purpose? Mr. Weigel implicitly embraces a hermeneutic of rupture by suggesting that Dignitatis humanae deviates from the Church's long-standing teaching that error should not be allowed to flourish in society; indeed, his writing suggests the embracing of the modernist doctrines condemned by Pius IX, those doctrines of latitudinarianism and pluralism in society.

His argument could be expressed like this: a pre-conciliar ultra-conservative got utterly silenced during the Council on the issue of religious freedom. Having silenced the bad guy, allegedly the Church now claims that the state has no competence in restricting or promoting truth in religion (against the teaching of the entire tradition), and so therefore, there is a new theology of religious tolerance of persons, wherein one cannot be discriminated because of their abhorrent religious ideas, even if that means they believe, for instance, in mass suicides or terrorism in the name of religion-- they should still be respected and tolerated in society, because, well, we believe in tolerance.

The real purpose of the article is revealed when he tries to show the secularists taking up the "old teaching" of the Church, and in the name of secularism use a "no tolerance" policy to discriminate against religious groups. This is convenient for Weigel, because it shows that the old theology was in fact very bad, and vindicates the new theology for being so egalitarian.

However, there are not a few errors in Weigel's argument.

First, Weigel knows that the actual doctrinal teaching of the document is one of the most disputed of the Council, and a definitive interpretation has yet to be given. He therefore claims a particular interpretation, his interpretation, unsurprisingly one of rupture with the past, in order to demonstrate his point; namely, that Ottaviani, representative of tradition and the evil pre-conciliar days, paved the way for the persecution of the Church by the modern state that took up his outdated doctrines.

Further, he knows that the false interpretation of this document was one of the greatest catalysts in the Abp. Lefebvre affair, and so Mr. Weigel uses his column to claim a sort of triumphalism of the Spirit of Vatican II over those who would remain firmly attached to tradition or at least the "reform in continuity" as the hermeneutic for interpreting the documents of the Council -- including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. What he fails to do, however, is give the other side of the story, and that is that this program following a false interpretation of the Council has done nothing but diminish the Church's voice in the public sphere, resulting in an entire loss of Catholic identity, while at the same time not at all preventing the great persecutions of Catholics in the post-Conciliar age, including in our own days.

Finally, and this is perhaps the most truly grievous error, Mr. Weigel makes the mistake of placing on a similar level the teaching authority of the Church, who cannot err when teaching on matters of faith or morals, with the fallible judgments of those leaders in civil society (for instance, the promotion of Secularism). In doing so, his statements implicitly diminish the authority of the Church, and likens the claim that the Church has over the fullness of the truth to that of a modern, subjective State -- one whose "truth" is one among many, rooted in an arbitrary positivism or personal conviction of what one thinks is right or wrong, and without reference to an objective truth rooted in divine and natural law. Surely, more respect can be given for the authority of the Church, if not for one of her Princes.

In the future, it may help Mr. Weigel for him to begin with theology in order to correctly summarize events of the life of the Church in light of the truth of the matter, rather than in the light of political spectrums and intrigues, which, while perhaps may make for good journalism and great laughs, have no bearing on God's divine truth.

Herein lies the greatest difficulty of the neo-conservative position-- the true fruit of the nouvelle theologie of the mid-20th century: in the embracing of modern philosophies, one is no longer able to know anything with real certainty anymore. The faith becomes an entirely personal conviction devoid of an ecclesial dimension, and the law of non-contradiction becomes more of a guideline, rather than a logical premise. And people like Weigel, who think that they are holding a Catholic position and building up the faith by championing a program of modernizing the Church, in fact only succeed in leading people to error and confusion.

[Dominicus is a new contributor to Rorate Caeli, with posts of a more theological bent.]

[Image: Cardinal Ottaviani celebrates Mass on December 10, 1963, in the Church of Santa Maria di Loreto, Rome, for the Roman Union of Bakers - source: Biblioteche di Roma - Cinecittà Luce archives.]

Storm in the Vatican

While some dismiss the words of Pope Francis to his dear and close friends of the CLAR on June 6, as reported by those present, as "nothing", no subject has been more explosive than this within the Vatican walls since the beginning of the Bergoglian pontificate.

Carlo Marroni, the religious correspondent for Il Sole-24Ore, the main national business newspaper  and most sober daily in the country, owned by the Italian industrial confederation Confindustria, reports on how the revelation of the Pope's words was received by some in the Vatican.

Storm in the Sacred Palaces after the words on the "gay lobby" attributed to the Pope

analysis by Carlo Marroni 

June 12, 2013 

The words attributed to the Pope on the 'gay lobby' in the Vatican and on the 'stream of corruption' - not denied neither by the Holy See not by Bergoglio's interlocutors, the South American religious welcomed a few days ago - generated an underground storm in the Sacred Palaces, that is coming out shily at the moment. ...[Pope Francis], however, does not seem to be disturbed by the incident. Quite the opposite.

...

The doubt remains if he wished in some way that the words expressed in private on the "lobby" (a theme that would have been treated, as far as it is said, also in the voluminous dossier on Vatileaks) come out in the open - even if perhaps not in this way - in order to signal clearly within the Curia that it is a theme that he wants to tackle. "Bergoglio certainly does not have behind him a career as a Curia prelate dedicated solely to the management of political matters - a monsignore from beyond the Tiber affirms - but he remains always a Jesuit, and as all his confreres used to administer skillfully delicate matters."  Francis's upcoming moves will have to be studied with great attention.

And from Matteo Mattuzzi in Il Foglio today:

But, if Bergoglio's words have raised some embarrassment beyond the Tiber - the "no comment" of Father Lombardi indicated it -, in the episcopate there are also those who applaud the papal remark: "Finally, he has said it," says an Italian bishop who prefers to remain anonymous.

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Traditional Diaconal Ordination of Diocesan Seminarian

In the great bastion of Traditional practices in the Congregatio Solesmensis, the Abbey of Our Lady of Fontgombault (Notre-Dame de Fontgombault), in Indre (central France), the Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, Dominique Rey, ordained one of his seminarians to the major order of the Diaconate, according to the Traditional Pontificale Romanum. The new Deacon was formed in Fontgombault.

As Riposte Catholique recalls, it is the fourth time a diocesan seminarian of Fréjus-Toulon is introduced to the major Orders by way of the Traditional rites of Holy Orders by Bp. Rey.

The Mighty Lobby: a tip for journalists

For those journalists reading us now, and who wish to know more about the "lobby" mentioned by Pope Francis in his talk with the Latin American religious, here is a tip.

On April 3, 2013, the conservative Catholic Italian website Corrispondenza Romana published a short article on the widespread problem of homosexuality in the Diocese of Rome. Its title was "Il dramma della sodomia nella diocesi di Roma" ("The drama of sodomy in the Diocese of Rome"), and its author was Emanuele Barbieri. The post made references to the famous article by Fr. Dariusz Oko, also published by us, and to some specific events in Rome, particularly priests supposedly protected by a bishop, and the apparently scandalous situation of that venerable and historic Roman seminary called Almo Collegio Capranica.

"Was"? Well, in what must be a record-breaking event in the incredibly slow Italian judicial system, in just a couple of weeks the website received a judicial order to remove the post, that was available at this page. Who was interested in the removal of this information? Why? Well, there is your lead, just follow the signs.

Comment: the Mighty Lobby and fear of the Past Plus: the pains of a spiteful Vaticanist

With the storm less strong at the moment, we will be quite honest: we were not very bothered by the words pronounced by Pope Francis to the religious of CLAR and that we were the first to bring to worldwide attention. Considering the whole text, we are pleased with most of it: on the "gay lobby" that is mighty and powerful within the Vatican and his denunciation of it, on Vatican corruption, on new age sisters, on old orders with no vocations and a Materialistic approach to the assets given to them by Catholics for the work of God and not for their own selves... Was he critical of an apparently Traditionalist group? Possibly (we do not know to which specific organizations he was referring). On the other hand, he never stops talking of his greatest spiritual influence, his grandmother, who could only be counted as a Traditional Catholic these days... 

So, while he is strong in his call for Catholics not to be afraid of the future, he seems to be somewhat very afraid of the past. In his own meditation for his daily mass at Domus Sanctae Marthae today, the Pope said, "We take the values of this culture a little bit from here, a little bit from there ... They want to make this law? All right, let’s go ahead and make this law. Let’s broaden the boundaries here a little. In the end, let me tell you, this is not true progress. It is adolescent progressivism: just like teenagers who in their enthusiasm want to have everything and in the end? You slip up ... It’s like when the road is covered in ice and the car slips and go off track... This is the other temptation at the moment! We, at this moment in the history of the Church, we cannot go backwards or go off the track!"

Quite true about "teen Progressivism". But would it be so bad to move backwards if that meant having more Catholics with as firm a faith as that of his own nonna?... Better than having a powerful "lobby" manipulating this same faith...

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In a very belated article on the Pope's words to CLAR, a certain Vaticanist who has not had a big story for some time says today:

The reference to traditionalism sparked an immediate reaction among professed Ratzingerians who pointed to a discontinuity with Benedict XVI. But these censors got it wrong. It was the then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger himself who spoke about the “Pelagianism of the pious".

Traditionalists are very grateful to Benedict XVI, but they are surely not "Ratzingerians". Which is why no Traditional website spoke of any "discontinuity" with the previous pontificate because of these specific words.

On the other hand, the Vaticanist above is the one, in fact, who can be numbered among the "widows" of the past pontificate: he used to fed big stories in those years, provided by those who thought he was a friend of the Pope, when he was nothing of the sort. It is not our fault that he and other Italian Vaticanists (and a famous American one) slept on the job for almost 24 hours in one of the most exciting stories of the young Pontificate - actually, the most exciting story, because it is in fact the first one that bridges the critical events of 2011 and 2012 (including, but not limited, to "Vatileaks") and the current Pontificate, through the mention of the mighty Vatican "lobby" by the new Pope; a lobby that, all things seem to point, was not exactly foreign to those events...

CLAR confirms the report on papal audience, iuxta modum...

See 2nd Update here or below.

Pope to Latin American Religious: Full text Update: Religious confirm they were the source

[First post: traditional groups; second post: "gay lobby" in the Curia]
[Original source: Reflexion y Liberacion; in case of dead link, copy in our repository]

On June 6, 2013, the Pope received the presiding board of the CLAR (the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and Women - Confederación Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Religiosos y Religiosas). A transcript of the pope's words was made by those present, and given to the Chilean ultra-progressive page Reflexión y Liberación (Reflection and Liberation) for exclusive publication.

Whoever knows the Pope and who knew the words and demeanor of former Cardinal Bergoglio can have no doubts about the accuracy of the words below - in which different groups within the Church and the Curia are specifically mentioned. Words in (parentheses) are part of the original transcript to provide the context. Words in [square brackets] were added by us to clarify language difficulties and explain a few points. All ellipses are part of the original Spanish transcript. We hold no public opinion on any part of the text: we report, you decide.

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In an unprecedented gesture, Pope Francis received and held a dialogue of one hour with the board of the Confederación Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Religiosas y Religiosos (CLAR). They spoke in a circle, among equals, as it happened in the first communities founded by Jesus...

In an environment of trust and simplicity, Francis prompted the leaders of the CLAR to not be afraid of continuing to carrying on their mission to the boundaries and to the borders.... "Courage! Advance towards new horizons! Do not be afraid to run risks going to the poor, and to new emerging subjects in the continent," said Pope Bergoglio, who at the end of the meeting emphatically thanked religious life for being "sign and witness of the Gospel" in many places in Latin America and the Caribbean.

We offer our readers - exclusively - this short synthesis of this historical meeting held in the Holy See.

Audience with Pope Francis

CLAR, 06.06.13

"Open the doors... Open the doors!"

They will make mistakes, they will make a blunder [meter la pata], this will pass! Perhaps even a letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine (of the Faith) will arrive for you, telling you that you said such or such thing... But do not worry. Explain whatever you have to explain, but move forward... Open the doors, do something there where life calls for it. I would rather have a Church that makes mistakes for doing something than one that gets sick for being closed up...

(on his election) I did not lose my peace [of mind - no perdí la paz] at any moment, you know? And this is not from myself, I am of the kind that gets worried, that gets upset... But I did not lose my peace at any moment. This confirms to me that this comes from God...

(upon mentioning to him the hope that his gestures at this time have brought us, he makes reference to having stayed at Santa Marta) ....these gestures... they have not come from me. They have not occurred to me. It is not as if I had brought a plan, nor that I have made one myself once elected. I do it because I felt this was what the Lord wanted. But these gestures are not mine, there is Someone else here... this gives me confidence.

I came [to Rome] only with the necessary clothes, I washed them at night, and suddenly this... And I did not have any chance! In the London betting houses I was in 44th place, look at that, the one who bet on me won a lot, of course...! This does not come from me...

It is necessary to shake things up [flip things over, lit. dar vuelta (a) la tortilla]. It is not news that an old man dies of cold in Ottaviano [Rorate note: referring to the surroundings of via Ottaviano and the Ottaviano Rome Metro station, near the Vatican], or that there be so many children with no education, or hungry, I think of Argentina...On the other hand, the main stock exchanges go up or down 3 points, and this is a world event. One must shake things up! This cannot be. Computers are not made in the image and likeness of God; they are an instrument, yes, but nothing more. Money is not image and likeness of God. Only the person is image and likeness of God. It is necessary to flip it over. This is the gospel.

It is necessary to go to the causes, to the roots. Abortion is bad, but that is clear. But behind the approval of this law, what interests are behind it... they are at times the conditions posed by the great organizations to support with money, you know that? It is necessary to go to the causes, we cannot remain only in the symptoms. Do not be afraid to denounce... you will suffer, you will have problems, but do not be afraid to denounce, that is the prophecy of religious life...

I share with you two concerns. One is the Pelagian current that there is in the Church at this moment. There are some restorationist groups. I know some, it fell upon me to receive them in Buenos Aires. And one feels as if one goes back 60 years! Before the Council... One feels in 1940... An anecdote, just to illustrate this, it is not to laugh at it, I took it with respect, but it concerns me; when I was elected, I received a letter from one of these groups, and they said: "Your Holiness, we offer you this spiritual treasure: 3,525 rosaries." Why don't they say, 'we pray for you, we ask...', but this thing of counting... And these groups return to practices and to disciplines that I lived through - not you, because you are not old - to disciplines, to things that in that moment took place, but not now, they do not exist today...

The second [concern] is for a Gnostic current. Those Pantheisms... Both are elite currents, but this one is of a more educated elite... I heard of a superior general that prompted the sisters of her congregation to not pray in the morning, but to spiritually bathe in the cosmos, things like that... They concern me because they ignore the incarnation! And the Son of God became our flesh, the Word was made flesh, and in Latin America we have flesh abundantly [de tirar al techo]! What happens to the poor, their pains, this is our flesh...

The gospel is not the old rule, nor this Pantheism. If you look at the periphery; the destitute... the drug addicts! The traffic of people... This is the gospel. The poor are the gospel...

(upon mentioning the hardship of being in charge of the Roman Curia, and the commission of cardinals who will support him, etc.) And, yes... it is difficult. In the Curia, there are also holy people, really, there are holy people. But there also is a stream of corruption, there is that as well, it is true... The "gay lobby" is mentioned, and it is true, it is there... We need to see what we can do...

The reform of the Roman Curia is something that almost all Cardinals asked for in the Congregations preceding the Conclave. I also asked for it. I cannot promote the reform myself, these matters of administration... I am very disorganized, I have never been good at this. But the cardinals of the Commission will move it forward. There is Rodríguez Maradiaga, who is Latin American, who is in front of it, there is Errázuriz, they are very organized. The one from Munich is also very organized. They will move it forward.

Pray for me... that I make mistakes the least possible...

Aparecida is not over. [Rorate note: the reference is to the 5th General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, held in the Marian shrine of Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007. See our lengthy coverage of the meeting in our Aparecida Notes series.] Aparecida is not simply a document. It was an event. Aparecida was a different thing. First, because there was no working draft. There were suggesions, but not a draft. And in the end, there was no document either, but on the eve of the final day, we had 2,300 "notes"... Aparecida moved towards the continental mission. There ends Aparecida, in the push towards mission.

What Aparecida had that was special was that it was not celebrated in a hotel, nor in a retreat house... it was celebrated in a Marian shrine. During the week, we celebrated the eucharist and there were some 250 people, because it was a regular workday. But on the weekends, it was full....! The people of God joined the Bishops, asking for the Holy Spirit...

I saw - I name him because I see him more standoffish, more like this, he is good, but he is like that - I saw the Prefect, João [Rorate note: João Braz de Aviz, then-Archbishop of Brasilia, now Cardinal-Prefect of Religious], who went out with his miter, and people got close to him, and they brought the children near, and he greeted them, and hugged them like this... This same bishop then voted. He could not have voted the same way as if he had been in a hotel!

We had the meeting rooms under the Shrine. So the background music were the chants, the celebrations in the Shrine... This made it very special.

There is something that concerns me, even though I do not know now to understand it. There are religious congregations, very, very tiny groups, a few persons, very old people... They have no vocations, what do I know, the Holy Spirit do not want them to go on, perhaps they have already fulfilled their mission in the Church, I do not know... But there they are, clinging to their buildings, clinging to money... I do not know why this happens, I do not know how to understand it. But I ask you to be concerned with these groups... The management of money... is something that needs to be reflected upon.

Enjoy this moment that we live in the Congregation for Consecrated Life... It is a moment of sunshine... Enjoy. The Prefect [Cardinal Aviz] is good. And the Secretary [Abp. Rodríguez Carballo, OFM], that was "lobbied" by you! No, really, being the president of USG [Union of Superiors General], the logical thing was that it would be him! It's better...

Place all your effort in the dialogue with the Bishops. With CELAM [Latin American Episcopal Conference], with the national conferences... I know there are some who have a different idea of communion, but... Talk, speak with them, tell them...

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Update (1300 GMT): Il Sismografo, that frequently links to us, asked the Vatican spokesman directly today about the content of the report. Fr. Lombardi's answer was the following: "The meeting of the Holy Father with the members of the Presidency of the CLAR was a meeting of a private nature. I do not have therefore any declarations to make on the contents of the conversation." Grazie, Il Sismografo! / Following up on Lombardi's refusal to comment, the large Spanish broadsheet El Mundo added this moments ago: "Despite this, several Vaticanists asked by elmundo.es consider that it is perfectly plausible the Francis has pronounced them [these words], considering that the Pontiff is capable of speaking without restraint on any matter, as delicate as it may be."

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2nd Update (2000 GMT): The Presidency of CLAR confirms the content of the report, even though they regret it was made public. They do not vouch for every detail, but they do not deny those, either:

"Bogota, Colombia, June 11, 2013

"The Presidency of CLAR deeply regrets the publication of a text referring to the conversation held with the Holy Father Francis in the course of a meeting on this past June 6. A conversation that took place prompted by questions made by those present to the Pope.

"In that occasion, no recording of the conversation was made, but soon afterwards a summary of the same was made based on the recollections of those present. [Rorate notes: at least one of those present had a visible writing pad in his hands; maybe another device was also used to capture the conversation.] This summary, that does not include the questions posed to the Holy Father, was destined to the personal memory of the participants, and not for any reason meant for publication, something for which, on the other hand, no authorization had been requested.

"It is clear that, on this basis, the singular expressions contained in the text cannot be attributed to the Holy Father with certainty, but only their general sense.

"The Presidency of CLAR deeply regrets what has happened and the confusion it may have caused.

"Sister Mercedes Leticia Casas Sánchez, FSpS - President
Fr. Gabriel Naranjo Salazar, CM, - General Secretary" (Source)

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