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In New Papal Interview: SSPX, Migrants, Sex Abuse, Family Synods by Kathleen Naab
Pope Francis has given another interview, this time to the French Catholic La Croix newspaper.
Speaking with journalists Guillaume Goubert and Sébastien Maillard for La Croix, the Holy Father discusses issues ranging from migrants, the separation of Church and state, and the scandal of sexual abuse by priests.
He also takes a question on the Society of St. Pius X and on the synods on the family.
La Croix has now published an English translation of the interview, available here.
http://www.la-croix.com/Religion/Pape/INTERVIEW-Pope-Francis-2016-05-17-1200760633
Pope’s Morning Homily: Overcome Worldliness by Deborah Castellano Lubov
Worldliness will try to lure you, but do not give in.
According to Vatican Radio, the Holy Father gave this advice during his daily morning Mass today at Casa Santa Marta, as he drew inspiration from today’s Gospel reading where Jesus’ disciples were arguing among themselves over who was the greatest.
When the great saints spoke of being ‘very sinful,’ Francis explained, the reason for this was because they had this worldliness inside them and they had many worldly temptations.
None of us, the Argentine Pontiff acknowledged, can say, ‘I am a holy and pure person.’
“All of us are tempted by these things. We are tempted to destroy the other person in order to climb higher. This is a worldly temptation, but one that divides and destroys the Church. It is not the spirit of Jesus.”
Don’t Be Lured
Francis lamented that while Jesus was warning His disciples about His imminent humiliation and death, they were concerned with worldly matters, such as who would become the most powerful among them.
Reflecting on this, Pope Francis recalled Jesus’ warning to His disciples: ‘If anyone wishes to be first he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.’
The Pope urged faithful to overcome the lure of worldliness and human ambition, and warned against social climbers who are tempted to destroy the other in order to reach the top.
“Along the path where Jesus shows us to journey, the guiding principle is service. The greatest is the person who serves most, who serves others most, not the person who boasts, who seeks power, money… vanity, pride. No, these people are not the greatest.”
“This occurs in every institution of the Church: parishes, colleges, other institutions, even in the dioceses … everywhere. There’s this desire for worldliness and this is all about wealth, vanity and pride.”
Service and humility, Francis stressed, as Christ demonstrated to the Apostles and expects of His faithful today, are “the true path of Christian life.”
Pope Francis concluded, praying that the Lord “show us the way, to understand that love of this world, namely worldliness, is an enemy of God.”
Blessings Linked to Certain Orders by Fr. Edward McNamara
Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: This question is about the “Benedictiones Propriae” that are found in the Rituale Romanum. Can such blessings, reserved to priests belonging to certain religious orders, be validly imparted by any Catholic priest or only by the priests of the specific religious order? I ask this in the light of the instruction “Universae Ecclesiae,” especially No. 28. — A.C., Italy
A: The instruction “Universae Ecclesiae” further clarifies Pope Benedict XVI’s “Summorum Pontificum.”
This document states:
“27. With regard to the disciplinary norms connected to celebration, the ecclesiastical discipline contained in the Code of Canon Law of 1983 applies.
“28. Furthermore, by virtue of its character of special law, within its own area, the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum derogates from those provisions of law, connected with the sacred Rites, promulgated from 1962 onwards and incompatible with the rubrics of the liturgical books in effect in 1962.”
Our reader’s query refers above all to the 1964 instruction “Inter Oecumenici.” To wit:
“77. The blessings in the Rituale Romanum tit. IX, cap. 9, 10, 11, hitherto reserved, may be given by any priest, except for: the blessing of a bell for the use of a blessed church or oratory (cap. 9, no. 11); the blessing of the cornerstone of a church (cap. 9, no. 16); the blessing of a new church or public oratory (cap. 9, no. 17); the blessing of an antemensium (cap. 9, no. 21); the blessing of a new cemetery (cap. 9, no. 22); papal blessings (cap. 10, nos. 1-3); the blessing and erection of the stations of the cross (cap. 11, no. 1) reserved to the bishop.”
Both documents were approved by a Pope and have similar legal authority. However, “Universae Ecclesiae” speaks about a derogation from posterior laws incompatible with the rubrics of the earlier liturgical books, such as receiving Communion in the hand or the use of extraordinary ministers of holy Communion.
However, the abolition of these reserved blessings would not appear to fall into this category, as they would not be incompatible with the rubrics as such. In fact, what is abolished was a kind of privilege or favor granted to the priests of certain congregations.
After “Inter Oecumenici,” any priest could, and still can, impart any of these blessings in any language. It would not make legal sense that a priest could impart a blessing in English and not be able to impart the same blessing in Latin using the pre-1962 formulas.
These reserved blessings were principally:
Reserved to the Order of Servites: Blessing and erecting stations of the Sorrowful Mother in honor of Our Lady of the Seven Dolors; blessing and investiture with the black scapular of Our Lady of Sorrows; blessing of the rosary of the Seven Sorrows
Reserved to the Order of the Holy Trinity for the Ransoming of Captives: Blessing and investiture with scapular of Blessed Trinity; blessing of the rosary or Trisagion of the Most Holy Trinity
Reserved to the Congregation of Passionists: Blessing and investiture with the black scapular of Our Lord’s Sacred Cross and Passion
Reserved to the Congregation of the Missions: Blessing and investiture with the red scapular of Our Lord’s Passion and Sacred Heart, and of the Immaculate Virgin’s Loving and Compassionate Heart
Reserved to the Theatines, Clerks Regular: Blessing and investiture with the blue scapular of the Immaculate Virgin Mary
Reserved to the Order of Discalced Carmelites: Blessing and investiture with scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel; blessing of water in honor of St. Albert, Confessor
Reserved to the Order of Carmelites: Blessing of the rosary of St. Joseph; blessing of the Ring of St. Joseph
Reserved to the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for Ransoming Captives: Blessing and investiture with scapular of Our Lady of Ransom; blessing of water for the sick in honor of St. Raymond Nonnatus; blessing of candles in honor of St. Raymond Nonnatus; blessing of oil in honor of St. Serapion, Martyr
Reserved to Clerks Regular for Care of the Sick: Blessing and investiture with scapular of Our Lady, Health of the Sick
Reserved to the Hermits of St. Augustine: Blessing and investiture with scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel; blessing and investiture with the cincture in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Reserved to the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin: Blessing and investiture with scapular of St. Joseph, Spouse of Mary and Patron of the Universal Church
Reserved to the Order of Minims: Blessing and investiture with wool cincture in honor of St. Francis of Paola
Reserved to the Order of Preachers: blessing of cinctures in honor of St. Thomas Aquinas for preservation of chastity; blessing of rosaries of Our Lady; blessing of roses for the Society of the Rosary; blessing of candles for Rosary Society; blessing of water with the relics of St. Peter the Martyr; blessing of palms or other foliage on the feast of St. Peter the Martyr; blessing of water for the sick in honor of St. Vincent Ferrer.
Reserved to the Congregation of the Missions: Blessing and investiture with sacred medal of Mary Immaculate, commonly known as the Miraculous Medal; blessing of water for the sick in honor of St. Vincent de Paul
Reserved to the Order of Camaldolese: Blessing of the rosary of Our Lord
Reserved to the Congregation of Missionaries of the Precious Blood: Blessing of rosaries of the Precious Blood
Reserved to the Order of the Holy Savior: Blessing of rosaries of St. Bridget
Reserved to the Order of St. Benedict: Blessing of the sick with relic of True Cross or the Sign of St. Maurus the Abbot
Reserved to the Society of Jesus: Blessing of water in honor of St. Ignatius, Confessor
Many of these blessings are still practically, albeit not legally, reserved to members of these congregations as they are closely associated with their history or spirituality. Others, however, are widely used by devout Catholics, and it is good that any priest can impart these blessings.
* * *
Readers may send questions to zenit.liturgy@gmail.com. Please put the word “Liturgy” in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country. Father McNamara can only answer a small selection of the great number of questions that arrive.
Bishops Cautiously Welcome Court’s Decision on Little Sisters Case by ZENIT Staff
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion in the case of Zubik v. Burwell, in which Catholic and other religious organizations, including the Little Sisters of the Poor, are challenging the HHS mandate requiring them to facilitate health insurance coverage of sterilization, contraception, and drugs and devices that may cause abortions.
The Court unanimously vacated the decisions before it, remanding the cases to the lower courts with instructions to afford the parties the opportunity to work out an alternative approach to the mandate. In the meantime, the Court forbade the government from imposing taxes or penalties on the organizations for failure to provide the required “notice” and “certification” or otherwise to trigger the “accommodation.”
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, offered the following statement in response:
I am encouraged by today’s unanimous decision of the Supreme Court. It wipes away the bad decisions that so many of our charitable ministries were appealing, it maintains hope that we might resolve this dispute finally and favorably sometime in the future, and in the meantime, it prevents the Administration from issuing crippling fines against those who object.
I take this occasion to reiterate the unity and resolve that the bishops of the United States have expressed repeatedly in opposition to the HHS mandate, such as in their Special Message from 2013 and their statement “United for Religious Freedom” from 2012. I also recall the encouragement that we have received from Pope Francis in this regard during his recent apostolic visit to the United States, first by his remarks at the White House, and then by his personal visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor.
Speaking about religious liberty from the White House in September, Pope Francis said “that freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions. And, as my brothers, the United States Bishops, have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.”
In light of this, USCCB will continue its opposition to the HHS mandate in all three branches of government. We are grateful to the Supreme Court for the opportunity to continue that effort. We remain convinced that, as a nation, we do not wish to push people of faith and their ministries out of charitable work – under threat of severe government fines – or leave freedom of religion protected only in private worship.
US Bishops on Obama’s Directive in ‘Bathroom Wars’: Not Even an Attempt at Balance by ZENIT Staff
Both in US courts and in social and news media, the “bathroom wars” have come to be a defining point of these first months of 2016. At issue is the response of schools to students who define themselves as transgender, and specifically, if these students should use the bathrooms and locker rooms of the sex with which they identify.
Last week, the Obama administration stepped into the battle with a directive issued to public schools, saying that transgender students should be allowed to use the bathroom of the sex with which they identify. Federal funding could hinge on schools’ compliance with the directive.
Two Committee chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued the following statement in response to guidance issued May 13 by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education entitled “Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students”:
The Catholic Church consistently affirms the inherent dignity of each and every human person and advocates for the wellbeing of all people, particularly the most vulnerable. Especially at a young age and in schools, it is important that our children understand the depth of God’s love for them and their intrinsic worth and beauty. Children should always be and feel safe and secure and know they are loved.
The guidance issued May 13 by the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Education that treats “a student’s gender identity as the student’s sex” is deeply disturbing. The guidance fails to address a number of important concerns and contradicts a basic understanding of human formation so well expressed by Pope Francis: that “the young need to be helped to accept their own body as it was created” (Amoris Laetitia [AL], no. 285).
Children, youth, and parents in these difficult situations deserve compassion, sensitivity, and respect. All of these can be expressed without infringing on legitimate concerns about privacy and security on the part of the other young students and parents. The federal regulatory guidance issued on May 13 does not even attempt to achieve this balance. It unfortunately does not respect the ongoing political discussion at the state and local levels and in Congress, or the broader cultural discussion, about how best to address these sensitive issues. Rather, the guidance short-circuits those discussions entirely.
As Pope Francis has recently indicated, “‘biological sex and the socio-cultural role of sex (gender) can be distinguished but not separated'” (AL, no. 56, emphasis added). We pray that the government make room for more just and compassionate approaches and policies in this sensitive area, in order to serve the good of all students and parents, as well as the common good. We will be studying the guidance further to understand the full extent of its implications.
The statement was issued by Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; and Archbishop George Lucas, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Catholic Education.
Pope Praises What a Priest Can Offer to Today’s Suffering World by ZENIT Staff
What makes the life of a priest interesting? For whom and for what does he serve? What is the ultimate reason for his self-giving?
These were the questions posed by the Pope to the bishops of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), whom he met Monday afternoon on the occasion of its 69th assembly, inaugurated Monday in the Vatican and scheduled to conclude on Thursday, 19 May.
The theme of the assembly is “The renewal of the clergy”, and Francis affirmed at the beginning of his discourse that he did not intend to offer the prelates a systematic review of the figure of the priest, but rather to invite them to draw closer, “on tiptoe”, to any of the parish priests in their communities to observe how they live and serve, in a cultural context that is likely very different to that in which he took the first steps in his ministry, as in Italy, as elsewhere, many traditions and view of life have undergone profound change.
“We, who often deplore this time with a bitter and accusatory tone, must also be aware of how tough it is: in our ministry, we encounter so many people who suffer as a result of a lack of references to look to. How many wounded relationships there are!” said the Pope. “In this context, the life of our priest becomes eloquent as it is different, alternative. Like Moses, he is one who approaches the fire and lets his ambitions of a career and power be consumed by the flames. He makes a bonfire of the temptation to see himself as a ‘devotee’, who seeks refuge in religious intimacy that has little spiritual content. … He is not scandalised by the frailties that stir the human spirit: aware that he too is a healed paralytic, he is distant from the coldness of the overly rigorous, and from the superficiality of those who offer cheap condescension. He accepts, instead, to take responsibility for the other, feeling that he participates in and is responsible for his destiny. With the oil of hope and consolation, he makes himself the neighbour of each person, sharing in his … suffering. … He has no agenda to defend, but instead each morning consigns his time to the Lord so that he can be met by the people and to go out to meet them. Therefore, our priest is not a bureaucrat or the anonymous functionary of an institution, nor is he an employee; he is not motivated by criteria of efficiency.”
The priest knows that “love is everything. He does not seek earthly assurances or honorific titles … in his ministry he asks nothing for himself beyond his real needs, nor does he attempt to bind to him the people entrusted to him. His simple and essential style of life and his availability present him as credible in the eyes of the people and bring him closer to the humble, in a pastoral charity that makes him free and fraternal. He is a servant of life, who journeys with the heart and the steps of the poor; their presence enriches him. He is a man of peace and reconciliation, a sign and an instrument of God’s tenderness, careful to spread goodness with the same passion with which others take care of their own interests. The secret of our priest … is in that burning bush that has branded with fire his existence, conquering it and conforming it to that of Jesus Christ, the definitive truth of his life. It is the relationship with Him that safeguards him, keeping him apart from the spiritual worldliness that corrupts, and from any form of compromise or meanness.”
After outlining the profile of the priest, the Holy Father went on to speak about those to whom he serves, specifying first of all that “the priest is to be considered as such to the extent that he feels he participates in the life of the Church, of a concrete community which whom he shares his journey. The faithful people of God remains the source from which he originates, the family with whom he is linked, the home to which he is sent. This common belonging, that springs from Baptism, is the breath that frees from the self-referentiality that isolates and imprisons. ‘When your boat starts to take root in the immobility of the dock, set sail for the open sea’, said the bishop Hélder Câmara. … And most of all, not because you have a mission to fulfil, but because structurally you are a missionary; in the encounter with Jesus you have experienced the fullness of life and therefore desire with all your being for others to recognise themselves in Him.”
He who lives for the Gospel thus enters into “a virtuous sharing: the pastor is converted and confirmed in the simple faith of the Holy People of God, with whom he works and in whose heart he lives. This belonging is the salt of life for the presbyter; it ensures that his distinctive feature is communion, lived with the laity in relationships able to value the participation of each person. In this time, in which social friendship is scarce, our first task is that of building communities.” Likewise, for the priest it is fundamental to “rediscover himself in the Cenacle of the presbytery. This experience … free of narcissism and clerical jealousies, enables mutual esteem, support and goodwill to grow; it favours a communion that is not merely sacramental or juridical, but fraternal and concrete. … Communion is truly one of the names of Mercy.”
The Pope went on to observe that the reflection on the renewal of the religious community that is taking place in the CEI also includes the chapter dedicated to the management of structures and assets, and in this regard he affirmed that “with an evangelical view, avoid weighing yourself down in a pastoral of conservation, that obstructs openness to the perennial newness of the Spirit. Keep only that which may serve for the experience of faith and the charity of God’s people.”
Francis concluded by asking what is the ultimate reason for self-giving in priestly life, noting that it is very sad to see those who spend their life in half-measures, “with one foot raised! They calculate, weigh up, and risk nothing for fear of losing out. … They are the unhappiest of all. Instead our presbyter, with his limits, is one who plays to the end: in the concrete conditions in which his life and ministry have placed him, he offers himself gratuitously, with humility and joy, even when no-one seems to realise this. Even when he intuits that, in human terms, perhaps no-one will thank him enough for his boundless self-giving. But he could not do otherwise: he loves the earth, that he acknowledges every morning to be visited by God’s presence. He is a man of Easter, who looks to the Kingdom, towards which he is aware that human history journeys, despite its delays, obscurities and contradictions. The Kingdom – the vision Jesus has of man – is his joy, the horizon that allows him to relativise the rest, to dissolve his worries and anxieties, to stay free from illusions and pessimism; to safeguard peace in his heart and to disseminate it by his gestures, his words, and his attitudes.”
“Here I have outlined the triple belonging that constitutes us”, the Pope concluded: “belonging to the Lord, to the Church, and to the Kingdom. This treasure in earthen vessels must be protected and promoted. Be thoroughly aware of this responsibility, and take good care of it with patience and willingly offering your time, hands and heart.”
Pope’s Telegram for Death of Cardinal Giovanni Coppa by ZENIT Staff
Below is a ZENIT translation of the telegram of condolences Pope Francis sent upon learning of the death of Cardinal Giovanni Coppa, of the Italian diocese of Alba.
**
Cardinal Angelo Sodano
Dean of the College of Cardinals
Vatican City
The death of dear Cardinal Giovanni Coppa, a native of the Diocese of Alba, provokes, in my soul, deep emotion and sincere admiration for a man esteemed in the Church who lived with faithfulness his long and fruitful priesthood and episcopate in the service of the Gospel and the Holy See. I remember with gratitude his generous and competent work as diligent collaborator with six Popes who entrusted delicate and important offices to him. Called to the first Apostolic Chancery, he then continued his mission in the Secretariat of State, and would cooperate in the work of Vatican Council II as a Latin scholar. As an assessor at the Secretariat of State, and as a delegate in the papal representations, he witnessed pastoral wisdom and thoughtful attention to the needs of others, reaching out to all with goodness and gentleness. As papal representative to the Apostolic Nunciature in Prague, he witnessed a commitment, which was particularly intense and fruitful, for the spiritual good of the nation. I offer heartfelt prayers so that, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary and of St. Ambrose, of whom he [the late cardinal] was a renowned scholar, the Lord may welcome the late cardinal in His eternal joy and peace, and I send my Apostolic Blessing to all those who share in the sorrow for the loss of this zealous pastor.
Francis PP.[Original text: Italian] [Translation by Deborah Castellano Lubov]
Vatileaks II Trial Continues by ZENIT Staff
On Saturday 14 May, at 9.30 a.m. a further hearing was held in the ongoing trial for the dissemination of reserved information and documents in Vatican City State Tribunal, according to information provided by the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J.
It was attended by the members of the Tribunal (Professors Giuseppe Dalla Torre, Piero Antonio Bonnet, Paolo Papanti-Pelletier and Venerando Marano), the Promoter of Justice (Professors Gian Pietro Milano and Roberto Zannotti), and the defendants, Ángel Lucio Vallejo Balda, Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui and Nicola Maio, whereas the defendants Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi were absent. All five respective legal representatives were present: Emanuela Bellardini, Laura Sgrò, Rita Claudia Baffioni, Lucia Teresa Musso and Roberto Palombi.
The hearing was dedicated fully to the further examination of witnesses, and at the beginning of the hearing an Ordinance was read by which the Tribunal ruled that three of the witnesses requested by Chaouqui’s defence – Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, Almoner of His Holiness – would not be present. Indeed, the Chancellor had received communications from aforementioned three prelates, in which they declared that they would invoke article 248, paragraph 2 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, according to which public officials shall not be compelled to give evidence of what has been confided to them as part of their duty, other than in cases in which the law expressly obliges them to inform the public authorities. However, Cardinal Parolin added that he wished to specify that he did not have any information to refer regarding the issue for which he was cited as a witness, namely the relationship between the defendants Vallejo Balda and Chaouqui.
Therefore, the testimonies of three witnesses were heard: Bishop Augusto Paolo Lojudice, auxiliary of Rome, requested by Chaouqui’s defence; Roberto Minotti, former head of information technology at the Prefecture for Economic Affairs at the time of the events in question; and Msgr. Alfredo Abbondi, official at the same Prefecture, requested as witnesses by the Promoter of Justice. The witnesses answered questions from the Promoter of Justice, the counsels for the defence and the panel of judges.
Following the interrogation of each witness, the respective report was read and approved. The hearing ended shortly before 3 p.m.
This morning, at around 11 a.m., a further hearing was held.
At the beginning of the session, the president read the following Order of the Court: “Considering the deposition of the deputy commissioner Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti during the hearing of 16 May 2016; given that outcomes emerged that, although present in the seized information and computer appliances, were not known by the Promoter of Justice and the defendants; that Article 400 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides for the acquisition for the proceedings of the documentation shown by the witness during his testimony; the Promoter of Justice and the counsels for the defence may present requests exclusively in relation to the aforementioned documentation during the hearing of 24 May 2016 at 3.30 p.m.; the session shall be dedicated to the examination of the witnesses Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti and Stefano De Santis, and expert witnesses (17.5.2016)”.
The report of the declaration made yesterday afternoon by the witness Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti was read and approved. The session was concluded shortly after 11.30 a.m. and, as indicated in the order, the next hearing will take place on 24 May at 3.30 p.m.
Note: Article 400 paragraph 2 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to situations in which manifestly influential evidence emerges during the discussion.
The session held yesterday afternoon was dedicated to the further interrogation of witnesses. Although summoned, Mario Benotti and Paolo Mondani were not present, and the President asked the counsels for the defence of Msgr. Vallejo Balda and the Promoter of Justice whether to continue with further summons. They answered that they were willing to renounce their testimony for reasons of procedural economy.
The four witnesses present were therefore examined: Fabio Schiaffi, official of the Protocol of the Prefecture of Economic Affairs, requested by the Promoter of Justice; Professor Lucia Ercoli, health official of Vatican City State and Msgr. Vittorio Trani, chaplain of the Regina Coeli prison, requested by the defence for Chaouqui; and Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti, commissioner of the Gendarme Corps Vatican City State Gendarme Corps, who performed the forensic analysis of information and computer appliances seized during investigations, requested by the Promoter of Justice. The witnesses responded to questioning by the Promoter of Justice, the counsels for the defence and the panel of judges.
Following the interrogation of each witness, the respective report was read and approved. Since the deposition of the witness Gauzzi was prolonged and needed more time, at 7.15 p.m. the President of the Tribunal adjourned the hearing until 11 a.m. the following day, for the continuation of the examination of witnesses.
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