Blog by-the-Sea

Final Salute

Rocky Mountain News has a special report titled "Final Salute."  It is drawn from the work by its Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Jim Sheeler, who spent two years following Marine Corps Major Steve Beck as Beck worked with the families of Marines who died.  Sheeler's work is also the subject of a book published May 1 of this year, also titled Final Salute.

The Rocky Mountain News page includes a slide show of touching photos, a video, and a 24-page newspaper story about Sheeler's time spent helping the family of a young Marine who died in Iraq.

"People think that after the funeral, we're finished," Beck said.  "It's not over.  It's not over at all.  We have to keep taking care of the families."

Hat tip  TitusOneNine.

The Vatican and the Diplomacy of Human Rights in World Affairs

Three recent addresses highlight the Vatican's concerns in world affairs, rooted in human rights and a Catholic view of history.  The addresses particularly highlight the 60th anniversary of the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI's Address to the Diplomatic Corps (scroll down for the English translation) summarized the Holy Father's concerns for the state of the world for diplomats from other countries to the Vatican.

Today, the Vatican published an Address to the Sixth Session of the U.N. Human Rights Council by Msgr. Silvano Tomasi, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See.

Sandro Magister today highlights the Holy Father's homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany, in an article titled The Church's Diplomacy Has a Fixed Star: That of the Magi.  The homily, which preached Benedict XVI's theology of history, is provided by Magister in English translation with commentary stating that, without this homily, the Pope's address to the Diplomatic Corps "remains halting and incomprehensible."

"The Human Family, a Community of Peace"

The Vatican today released Pope Benedict XVI's Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace 2008, titled "The Human Family, a Community of Peace."

In it, he spoke about the importance of the family as the foundation of society, as the place where children learn to savor the "taste" of speech.  He said, "The language of the family is a language of peace; we must always draw from it, lest we lose the 'vocabulary' of peace. In the inflation of its speech, society cannot cease to refer to that 'grammar' which all children learn from the looks and the actions of their mothers and fathers, even before they learn from their words."

He spoke of the need to protect the rights of a family in society, and to provide for the basic needs of families within society.

He also spoke about the environment, calling the earth "our common home."  He cautioned that emerging countries, hungry for energy, should not meet those needs by harming poor countries that may be forced to sell their resources for less than what they are worth due to a lack of infrastructure.

He spoke of the need for a "solid foundation of shared spiritual and ethical values" in the human family, which is increasingly unified by globalization.  While he expressed that values grounded in the natural law are present in a fragmentary way in principles of humanitarian law incorporated into national and international legal authority, he added that "there is an urgent need to persevere in dialogue about these issues and to encourage the legislation of individual States to converge towards a recognition of fundamental human rights."

Concerning increasing international tension and the risk it poses for the future, he expressed concern about civil wars in Africa, the situation in the Middle East, and regret for the growing number of countries involved in the arms race.

Lastly, he mentioned that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Holy See's adoption of the Charter of the Rights of the Family (1983-2008) and the 40^th anniversary of the celebration of the first World Day of Peace (1968-2008).  In light of those anniversaries, he invited everyone to live "a more lively sense of belonging to the one human family, and to strive to make human coexistence increasingly reflect this conviction, which is essential for the establishment of true and lasting peace. I likewise invite believers to implore tirelessly from God the great gift of peace."

The Catholic Church at the Annapolis Conference on Peace in the Middle East

Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI asked Catholics throughout the world to join in prayer for the peace conference scheduled for tomorrow in Annapolis, Maryland.  His request came during his address before the midday Angelus, after concelebrating Mass with 23 new cardinals.  Recalling the 60-year history of conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, he said, "I ask you to join yourselves to the day of prayer declared today by the U.S. bishops' conference to implore the Spirit of God for peace for that region so dear to us and to give wisdom and courage to all the protagonists in this important meeting."

The U.S. Bishops' Conference ("USCCB") request for prayer appears on the USCCB website with a letter from Cardinal Francis George.  In addition to calling for a day of prayer yesterday, the Sunday before the peace conference, that letter also appeals for prayer to continue in the coming weeks and months.  Mentioning that the USCCB has worked and prayed for peace in that region for many years, Cardinal George added:

"This call to prayer has a special timeliness this week, but the path to a just peace will be long and will stretch beyond the peace conference itself. In the weeks and months ahead may we persevere in prayer for a just peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the whole region."

Today, the Vatican announced that its representative to the peace conference will be Under-Secretary for Relations with States Msgr. Pietro Parolin.  Due to the short amount of time in which to select a representative and make travel arrangements, both the Vatican's Secretary of State and Under-Secretary were not able to attend, according to John L. Allen, Jr.  Msgr. Parolin was appointed this afternoon to attend tomorrow's conference, and he left for Annapolis immediately.

Robert Moynihan named Msgr. Parolin as one of the Top Ten People of 2006 in Inside the Vatican's January 2007 issue, calling him "one of the Church’s most tireless and effective diplomats" in recent years.  Familiar with the Middle East, Msgr. Parolin was present when the Pope met with Muslim leaders on September 26, 2006, and he has previously traveled to other countries on sensitive international diplomatic missions.

Pope Benedict XVI's Letter to the Church in China

Pope Benedict XVI's Letter to China was posted today on the Vatican website in Chinese, English, French and Italian, together with an explanatory note and a declaration.  The explanatory note and declaration provide short explanations of the Pope's reasons for writing and his basic message, possibly in recognition that reporters and others might appreciate the background information and a concise explanation of the Pope's intentions in writing.

At the conclusion of the letter, he proposed May 24, the memorial of Our Lady, Help of Christians, venerated in Shanghai, as a world day of prayer in union with the Church in China, asking that "the Catholics of the whole world – in particular those who are of Chinese origin – will demonstrate their fraternal solidarity and solicitude for you, asking the Lord of history for the gift of perseverance in witness, in the certainty that your sufferings past and present for the Holy Name of Jesus and your intrepid loyalty to his Vicar on earth will be rewarded, even if at times everything can seem a failure."

The Accompanying Declaration

Here is the Declaration in its entirety, with today's date:

"By means of his Letter, which is made public today, Pope Benedict XVI wishes to express his love for the Catholic community in China and his closeness to it.  

"From the text of the Papal document two basic attitudes are clear: on the one hand, deep spiritual affection for all Catholics in China and cordial esteem for the Chinese people, and, on the other, an earnest appeal to the perennial principles of the Catholic tradition and the Second Vatican Council in the ecclesiological sphere. It is, therefore, a pressing invitation to charity, unity and truth.

 "The Letter is directed to the Church in China and deals with eminently religious questions, responding to precise queries which have been addressed for some time to the Holy See by Chinese Bishops and priests. It is not, therefore, a political document, nor, much less, an indictment of the government authorities, although it does not ignore the well-known difficulties which the Church in China must daily tackle.

  "The Holy Father recalls the "original plan" which Christ had for his Church and which he entrusted to the Apostles and their successors, the Bishops. In this light, he takes into consideration various problems of the Church in China which emerged during the past fifty years. From this "plan" he also draws inspiration and formulates guidelines to tackle and resolve, in a spirit of communion and truth, the said problems.

"In the Letter, Benedict XVI declares himself fully available and open to a serene and constructive dialogue with the civic authorities in order to find a solution to the various problems concerning the Catholic community, and to reach the desired normalization of relations between the Holy See and the Government of the People’s Republic of China, in the certainty that Catholics, by freely professing their faith and by giving generous witness of life, contribute also, as good citizens, to the good of the Chinese people."

The Explanatory Note

The Explanatory Note accompanying the Pope's letter is dated May 27.  It explains that the two basic thoughts of the letter are the Pope's passion for charity and his passion for truth.  It then sets the letter in the context of the history of the last 50 years of the Church in China, offers a short explanation of what prompted the Pope to write this letter, and then offers summaries of the letter and its tone that are more extensive than the short declaration given above.  Recognizing that the Pope's letter would attract media attention, the Vatican clearly made its best effort to avoid the risk that a mistranslation or erroneous headline might prompt an international incident in any way comparable to the misunderstanding of his lecture in Regensburg last year.  While Benedict XVI's letter addresses Chinese bishops, priests, religious and the faithful with an understanding of the history and complexity of their situation, the Vatican thus also made extensive efforts to make the letter understandable to those who would not otherwise understand its context or theological and practical implications.

The context includes persecutions dating back to the 1950's and government bodies that have attempted to authorize ordinations without papal consent.  In the 1980's, China saw a new growth of religious freedom, new churches were built, and the faith spread.   However, differences arose, ranging from clandestine ordinations of those who wanted to resist government control of the Church, to efforts by those ordained under state authority to subsequently seek to be accepted into  the communion of the Church.  Many of the latter were accepted in view of the complexity of the situation.  Since the 1990's, Chinese Catholics have sought precise instructions from the Vatican in how to address their situation and their conflicts.  Pope Benedict called a meeting held January 19-20, 2007, including the participation of some Chinese participants.  At the conclusion of the meeting, he decided to prepare a letter addressing the situation. 

The explanation and declaration clarify that the intent of the letter is pastoral and not political.  It sets out principles of Catholic ecclesiology and offers guidelines for the life of the Church in the context of the difficulties it faces in China.  The role of a bishop derives from that understanding of the nature of the Church.   The Pope's letter expresses hope for a dialogue leading to the eventual normalization of relations between the Chinese government and the Church, with progress toward agreement on the selection of Chinese bishops.

The letter revokes all earlier directives to the Church in China.  Changes in the situation there make it possible for the Chinese to follow the general canonical norms, seeking Vatican guidance when necessary.

The Letter

The letter itself is more than 11,000 words with 56 footnotes and a table of contents at the end.  Part One discusses the factual situation facing the Chinese Catholics and the theological principles governing their situation.  Part Two discusses specific pastoral problems, offering guidelines as to each of them.  It is dated on the Solemnity of Pentecost, May 27, 2007.

Pope Benedict went to considerable effort to emphasize his admiration for Chinese culture and to identify Chinese values that are consistent with the values of Christianity.  Although not expressly mentioned in the letter, the extent of the discussion reflects the basic principle of Christian thinking that respects the cultural contexts in which Christianity exists.  Pope Benedict has mentioned that in his previous theological writings, drawing from the efforts of the first and second century evangelists to present Christianity in the context of Roman culture, and the efforts of Pope/Saint Gregory the Great in the sixth century to present Christianity in England in the context of English culture (See the essay "Truth - Tolerance - Freedom" in Truth and Tolerance). 

[Note added July 7: Pope Benedict XVI has also written that the culture transmitted by the Church enriches those cultures.  In the Motu Proprio "Summorum Pontificum,"  Pope Benedict mentioned St. Gregory the Great as one of those popes "who made every effort to ensure that the new peoples of Europe received both the Catholic faith and the treasures of worship and culture that had been accumulated by the Romans in preceding centuries. He commanded that the form of the sacred liturgy as celebrated in Rome (concerning both the Sacrifice of Mass and the Divine Office) be conserved. He took great concern to ensure the dissemination of monks and nuns who, following the Rule of St. Benedict, together with the announcement of the Gospel illustrated with their lives the wise provision of their Rule that 'nothing should be placed before the work of God.' In this way the sacred liturgy, celebrated according to the Roman use, enriched not only the faith and piety but also the culture of many peoples."]

Quoting John Paul II's message from 2001, he expressed hope for overcoming misunderstandings by a dialogue leading to "concrete forms of communication and cooperation" between the Vatican and the People's Republic of China, the normalization of diplomatic relations with time and mutual good will.

He quoted his Encyclical of last year in discussing the role of the Catholic Church in connection with the various States in which it exists:

Likewise, therefore, the Catholic Church which is in China does not have a mission to change the structure or administration of the State; rather, her mission is to proclaim Christ to men and women, as the Saviour of the world, basing herself – in carrying out her proper apostolate – on the power of God. As I recalled in my Encyclical Deus Caritas Est, ‘‘The Church cannot and must not take upon herself the political battle to bring about the most just society possible. She cannot and must not replace the State. Yet at the same time she cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice. She has to play her part through rational argument and she has to reawaken the spiritual energy without which justice, which always demands sacrifice, cannot prevail and prosper. A just society must be the achievement of politics, not of the Church. Yet the promotion of justice through efforts to bring about openness of mind and will to the demands of the common good is something which concerns the Church deeply''.

In a discussion of the communion of particular churches and the universal Church, the following is a portion of the Pope's explanation of Catholic ecclesiology and the role of a bishop within the Catholic Church as mentioned briefly in the Declaration quoted above:

As you know, the profound unity which binds together the particular Churches found in China, and which likewise places them in intimate communion with all the other particular Churches throughout the world, has its roots not only in the same faith and in a common Baptism, but above all in the Eucharist and in the episcopate. Likewise, the unity of the episcopate, of which ‘‘the Roman Pontiff, as the Successor of Peter, is the perpetual and visible source and foundation'', continues down the centuries through the apostolic succession and is the foundation of the identity of the Church in every age with the Church built by Christ on Peter and on the other Apostles.

Catholic doctrine teaches that the Bishop is the visible source and foundation of unity in the particular Church entrusted to his pastoral ministry. But in every particular Church, in order that she may be fully Church, there must be present the supreme authority of the Church, that is to say, the episcopal College together with its Head, the Roman Pontiff, and never apart from him. Therefore the ministry of the Successor of Peter belongs to the essence of every particular Church ‘‘from within''.  Moreover, the communion of all the particular Churches in the one Catholic Church, and hence the ordered hierarchical communion of all the Bishops, successors of the Apostles, with the Successor of Peter, are a guarantee of the unity of the faith and life of all Catholics. It is therefore indispensable, for the unity of the Church in individual nations, that every Bishop should be in communion with the other Bishops, and that all should be in visible and concrete communion with the Pope. . . .

Communion is the fruit and demonstration of that love which springs from the heart of the Eternal Father and is poured out upon us through the Spirit whom Jesus gives us (cf. Rom 5:5), to make us all ‘one heart and one soul' (Acts 4:32). It is in building this communion of love that the Church appears as ‘sacrament', as the ‘sign and instrument of intimate union with God and of the unity of the human race.'

The sources cited, in footnotes, in support of those principles included the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium, sections 23 and 26, and a Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on some aspects of the Church understood as Communion by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith during the time when Benedict XVI was its head, Communionis Notio (28 May 1992), sections 11-14. 

He also quoted, in a footnote, his recent Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (22 February 2007), 6: ‘‘The Church's faith is essentially a eucharistic faith, and it is especially nourished at the table of the Eucharist. Faith and the sacraments are two complementary aspects of ecclesial life. Awakened by the preaching of God's word, faith is nourished and grows in the grace-filled encounter with the Risen Lord which takes place in the sacraments: ‘faith is expressed in the rite, while the rite reinforces and strengthens faith.' For this reason, the Sacrament of the Altar is always at the heart of the Church's life: ‘thanks to the Eucharist, the Church is reborn ever anew!' The more lively the eucharistic faith of the People of God, the deeper is its sharing in ecclesial life in steadfast commitment to the mission entrusted by Christ to his disciples. The Church's very history bears witness to this. Every great reform has in some way been linked to the rediscovery of belief in the Lord's eucharistic presence among his people''.

Before the synod on the Eucharist, the published sources for the thinking of Benedict XVI on the issues of ecclesiology and communion, and still helpful in addition to the apostolic exhortation, included Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today and Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith: The Church as Communion.

From that understanding of the nature of the Church, the Holy Father appealed for pardon and reconciliation within the Church in China, quoting his predecessor Pope John Paul II.  He then called for the Church in China to live in truth and charity with the State, drawing from Scripture and the Vatican II documents concerning the proper role of Church and State and their interaction with each other.  Speaking of Jesus, he said "His Kingdom does not establish its claims by force, but is established by bearing witness to and listening to the truth and it grows by the love with which Christ, lifted up on the Cross, draws people to himself (cf. Jn 12:32)'." (drawing from Vatican II's Declaration on Religious Liberty Dignitatis Humanae, section 11, and from his own  General Audience  of Wednesday 5 April 2006). 

Therefore, he concluded that an individual bishop and a legitimate national council of bishops may lead the Church under their apostolic authority, and also stated that independence, self-management and democratic administration of the Church is incompatible with Catholic doctrine.

Addressing the Chinese Episcopate, the Pope began by drawing a distinction between the role of the ordained clergy and the role of the lay faithful:

In the Church – the People of God – only the sacred ministers, duly ordained after sufficient instruction and formation, may exercise the office of ‘‘teaching, sanctifying and governing''. The lay faithful may, with a canonical mission from the Bishop, perform an ancillary ecclesial ministry of handing on the faith.

On that basis, he considered the difficulty arising when State agencies made up of persons who are not ordained, and sometimes not baptized, undertake to govern the Church and to appoint bishops.  Where clandestine ordinations have taken place in China, the Holy Father noted that this is not a normal condition, but rather one that exists amid suffering.  He expressed a hope that those validly ordained clergy who were ordained in secret will be recognized by the civil authorities.  Similarly, some bishops selected by the State and later legitimized by the Church have not always openly acknowledged their legitimization, leading to confusion among the faithful.  The Holy Father stated that it is indispensable that such clergy bring their legitimization into the open with increasing signs of their full communion with the See of St. Peter.

Conversely, any bishops appointed by the State who have not been legitimized by the Holy See are to be considered illegitimate although validly ordained.  The Bishops Conference of an individual nation is made up of the legitimate bishops, which cannot be subject to any civil authority in matters of faith.

The Pope thus made the following statement about the nature of the present College of Catholic Bishops of China:

In the light of the principles expounded above, the present College of Catholic Bishops of China cannot be recognized as an Episcopal Conference by the Apostolic See: the "clandestine'' Bishops, those not recognized by the Government but in communion with the Pope, are not part of it; it includes Bishops who are still illegitimate, and it is governed by statutes that contain elements incompatible with Catholic doctrine.

In Part II of the letter, he considered questions related to the celebration and concelebration of the Eucharist, the remaining restrictions on religious freedom that remain despite more openness in recent years, formation of the clergy, the "new evangelization", the need for careful discernment and religious formation for aspirants to the priesthood and religious life (including "a more solid formation with regard to the human, spiritual, philosophical-theological and pastoral aspects, to be carried out in seminaries and religious institutes"), the needs of the family, the need for a serious period of catechumenate for Christian initiation of adults, and the missionary nature of the Church always and everywhere.

In conclusion, the Holy Father announced May 24 as a day for prayer for the Church in China, as the memorial of Our Lady, Help of Christians, who is venerated at a Marian shrine in Shanghai.

Adoration of the Eucharist and a Thought for Those Held Captive

Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi (the body and blood of Christ) in the U.S. and some other countries.  Some other countries, including the Vatican, observed this feast on Thursday.  The photo here shows the tabernacle of Church of the Nativity in Rancho Santa Fe, California, beneath the crucifix, between Masses on Easter Sunday, 2006.  The light surrounding it comes from a hidden window behind the cross, an architectural effect that was much more pronounced on that day than is usually the case.

In today's reflection before praying the Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI mentioned the feast being celebrated today in some countries.  He spoke of the intrinsic link between adoration of the Eucharist and the celebration of the Mass, referencing the discussion of Eucharistic adoration in sections 66 to 69 of the Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation issued earlier this year, Sacramentum Caritatis.

An article is available from Asia News.  Full translations are available from the Vatican, Zenit and from Teresa Benedetta at Papa Ratzinger Forum. 

After the prayer, he also remembered those priests who have been kidnapped and held captive, as well as other people who have suffered kidnapping in various places in the world.  Here is that portion of his words, from Teresa Benedetta's translation:

"I frequently receive, unfortunately, requests in behalf of persons, among them Catholic priests, who are held in captivity for different reasons in various parts of the world. I have them all in my heart and in my prayers, and I think today, among other cases, of those held hostage in Colombia.

"I address my heartfelt appeal to the authors of these execrable acts so that they may become aware of the harm that they do and that they may return those they now hold captive to their loved ones as soon as possible. I entrust the victims to the maternal protection of the Most Blessed Mary, mother of all men."

As he was speaking, news was breaking in Rome and elsewhere that an Italian priest missionary had been kidnapped in the Philippines.  Father Giancarlo Bossi, kidnapped by 10 armed men this morning, is a missionary of P.I.M.E. (Pontificio Instituto  Missioni Estere), the missionary organization that publishes Asia News.   Asia News reports that Father Bossi's kidnappers are thought probably to be members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MLF"), which has fought for the independence of Mindanao since 1978, according to an officer of the Filipino Army.  The MLF has denied any involvement and has offered its assistance.

Father Ragheed Ganni, who died together with 3 subdeacons one week ago in Iraq, was a friend of Asia News, which has provided extensive reporting about the situation in Iraq.

Benedict XVI Raises Issue of Iraqi Christians in Meeting with George Bush

CNN has coverage of the Pope's meeting with President Bush today, including an online video that runs for about 3 minutes.  Asia News also has an article posted.  During the meeting, they discussed the president's meetings at the G8 summit that concluded yesterday. 

During the televised portion of the meeting, Bush mentioned the U.S. plan to increase contributions to fight AIDS and other diseases in Africa.  During the summit, 6 nations, including the U.S., agreed to commit a total of $60 billion for that purpose.  However, activists have objected that a commitment to spend $25 billion for that purpose by 2010 was already made 2 years ago, and only $2.3 billion of that sum has ever been delivered.  Delivery of increased funds will thus mark a significant achievement in international cooperation.

On June 1, the bishops of 7 leading countries, including all of the G8 countries except Italy, signed a letter to the G8 leaders calling for their attention to the poverty in Africa, as then reported by Zenit.  At the conclusion of Wednesday's general audience, the Pope also appealed to the G8 leaders for development aid to poor countries, especially Africa.  The Pope mentioned educational assistance in particular, mentioning a previous commitment of leading nations to provide for an elementary school education for all children by 2015.  Catholic Relief Services has significant ongoing work in the continent of Africa, and African bishops have had recent ad limina visits to the Vatican, drawing additional attention to the situation in their countries.  The Pope's prayer intentions for June specifically mention the Church in northern Africa.

As expected, the Pope raised the issue of the situation facing Christians in Iraq.  Recent kidnappings and  the recent killing of a Chaldean priest and his subdeacons in Iraq have drawn particular attention to the persecution of Christians in Iraq.  Asia News has a dossier of articles on the Church in Iraq.  In addition, Sandro Magister has featured articles about the Iraqi Church in his recent online reporting at www.chiesa.

The Patriarch for the Chaldeans, Emmanuel III Delly, recently appealed for an end to the persecution, placing blame on both internal conflicts among Iraqis who are each fighting for their own personal interests, and external forces including the U.S. troops in particular.  He stated, "External persecution is that which has affected the very dignity of all the Iraqi people, whose mosques, churches and institutions have been destroyed or occupied, without any respect for their faith."  He mentioned the Baghdad facility of Babel College, a Catholic school that was taken over for use by U.S. troops without consent and without compensation.  Iraqi Christians reacted to the unusual statement by the patriarch with hope, saying that they were finally doing something other than waiting in silence for Christianity to be driven out of Iraq or destroyed.

The Vatican issued a statement following their meeting mentioning the subjects discussed, which also included the Israeli-Palestinian question, Lebanon, Latin America, human rights and religious freedom, the defense and promotion of life, marriage and family, the education of the young, and sustainable development.

Prayers for the Palestinian and Israeli Peoples

In his reflection before praying the Regina Caeli today, Pope Benedict XVI thanked people for their prayers during his recent journey to Brazil, and he said he would say more about that journey in Wednesday's general audience.  He also mentioned the World Day for Social Communications, which this year has the theme "Children and communications media: a challenge for education."  After the prayer, he mentioned the ongoing violence and armed intervention in Gaza, calling on Israel and Palestinians to return to dialogue to end the violence.  He said he was praying for the Israeli and Palestinian people.

An article is available from Asia News.  Translations are available from the Vatican, Zenit and from Teresa Benedetta at Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Here is an excerpt from Teresa Benedetta's translation:

"Once more, in the name of God, I plead for an end to this tragic violence, while I express to the Palestinian and Israeli peoples who are under such trials, my fraternal closeness and assure them that I remember them with prayers. " 

New Help for Travelers to the U.S.

There is a new webpage at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for people from other countries who have had visa problems or "no fly list" identity confusion problems making it difficult for them to travel to the U.S.  The page is for "TRIP" (the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program).  A TV news report here says the program promises to resolve problems within 10 days caused by erroneous information in the Homeland Security system. 

In the past, some people have had enormous difficulty getting into the U.S. for vacations and work or traveling internationally to or from the U.S.  Where those problems are caused by erroneous information in the U.S. database, TRIP will help make corrections.  This will help some people who have had such problems as denied or delayed boarding, extra searches, and other problems caused by having a name similar to someone suspected of terrorist involvement or other errors in the Homeland Security database.

Anyone studying or working in the U.S. should continue to be sure to keep their passport and any visa current and to renew them before they expire.  The rules are strictly enforced.

For a bit of sarcastic British humor on flying into Los Angeles, see this Times Online column from last summer.

It may help to know that U.S. citizens also have had difficulty traveling internationally to and from the U.S.  The inspections can be particularly frustrating in U.S. airports thought to have the greatest terrorist risk, such as Los Angeles.  My own list of horror stories that have happened to me and to people I know at the L.A. airport, include: an airport inspector in L.A. broke open someone's new ski -- apparently to look for a bomb or drugs inside! -- costing him more money than an entire 4-day ski trip to Whistler was supposed to cost, and there was no warning or opportunity to just cancel the trip rather than have his expensive new ski broken; on the same trip, another person's ski boot bag arrived in Canada with only one boot inside after it went through the airport luggage inspection; an L.A. luggage inspector on a different international trip tore open the lining inside my Samsonite luggage end to end to look inside the lining, leaving the suitcase in unpresentable condition and impossible to repair -- again, no warning (newer luggage has a zipper in the lining for inspectors); on yet another trip, a new bottle of pricey rum packed in checked luggage for a flight out of L.A. arrived partially emptied (to search for liquid explosives?  I imagine it went to other use).  And that's how they treat Americans.  So don't take it personally.

The Vatican's Response to New Violence in Lebanon

Bombs struck two Christian areas north of Beirut yesterday as Lebanon remembers the second anniversary of the killing of its former prime minister, Rafic Hariri.  Two people were killed and about 20 people were injured.  Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, spoke of it as an anti-Christian attack.  Crowds are gathering today in Lebanon to remember the event, with an 11:00 a.m. event supported by the Lebanese government.  The government is concerned that the turn-out may be low because of fear of violence.  Asia News, AFP and  AP have stories.

The text of Cardinal Bertone's telegram of condolence, sent in the name of Pope Benedict XVI, reads as follows (translation from Vatican Information Service):

"Profoundly grieved by the terrible attack that struck Lebanon this morning, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI asks Your Beatitude to express his spiritual closeness to the injured and to the relatives of the victims, and give them assurances of his prayers. Entrusting to divine providence those who died so tragically, the Holy Father invokes the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary upon the entire Lebanese nation. He calls upon the Lebanese people and their representatives to unanimously reject violence and hopes that, in this dramatic event, they may find the motivation for a commitment in favor of national unity and the common good."

Last month, Cardinal Bertone spoke of Lebanon in an exclusive French language interview with Catholic publication La Documentation Catholique, in its January 7, 2007 issue (number 2371).  Here is his answer to an interview question about the Pope's concern for finding a solution to the difficulties in Lebanon (my translation).  I have asked the publisher for permission to translation the entire interview, as I have not found it anywhere in English, and I have not received a response:

"It is indeed a painful question. The church has taken many initiatives.  It is activating all possible channels, including non-catholic Christians in this region, to create platforms of dialogue and convergence on precise objectives.  It also wants to stimulate the international community to extinguish the hotbeds of war, to decrease tensions and to bring the belligerents to dialogue.  The Church hopes that an international conference will meet and that the Church will be ready to take part in it, to obtain at least a result.  It is toward this end that the Pope wished to write to the [Lebanese] Christians for Christmas.  If Christian communities disappear from the Middle East, it will be an irrevocable loss.  In Lebanon, they are constitutive of the Country's identity and survival.  Moreover, the Maronites have been the backbone of the Christian presence in the East and contributed to realize it for centuries.  It is more urgent than ever to obtain a result at the international level, however small it may be, that makes it possible to resolve the situation. Right now, It is a major issue of 2007."

Cardinal Bertone's View on Turkey's Bid for EU Membership

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's Secretary of State, was interviewed recently in French, by the bi-monthly publication La Documentation Catholique.   In that interview, he spoke about Turkey's efforts to obtain membership in the European Union.  Although La Documentation Catholique is available online only to subscribers, La-Croix has an article online with substantial quotations and summarization.  An individual issue of La Documentation Catholique can be purchased online for 5 Euros, delivered by e-mail, for those who want the entire interview.

Today, Sandro Magister provides an article (available in several languages, including English) titled More on Turkey in Europe: The Cardinal Secretary of State Speaks.  The French language interview was released on January 7, after a January 5 article in which Magister spoke about news reporting about the pope's own views on Turkey.  Pope Benedict XVI has not formally commented on the issue as pope, and more recent comments by the Vatican have been conditioned on Turkey's compliance with EU requirements, particularly freedom of religion. 

In the interview as quoted in La Documentation Catholique, according to Magister, Cardinal Bertone " used terms more favorable than those used in the past to express the Holy See’s position on Turkey’s entry into Europe."  Accordingly, Magister now considers that interview and the light it sheds on the Vatican Secretary of State's current stand on the issue of Turkey's bid for EU membership.

Cardinal Bertone stated, "“without Turkey, Europe would no longer benefit from that bridge between East and West that Turkey has always been throughout history.”   He discussed the possibility of concentric circles within the European Union, with a possible second tier of membership for countries such as Turkey that do not make up the historic core of Europe and yet have been one of Europe's historic partners.  He expressed a concern that leaving Turkey out of the EU altogether might favor the growth of Islamic fundamentalism in that country.

Some of the political background related to Turkey's petition for admission to the European Union, was discussed on this blog in the context of the Pope's apostolic journey to Turkey, in a post entitled Information and Prayer for the Pope's Visit to Turkey.  That post was updated daily during the journey, so that it is now dated December 1, 2006 although it was written progressively from November 27 to December 2.

Pope Benedict's Address to the Diplomatic Corps

The Vatican and Zenit have both published the Vatican's English translation of Pope Benedict XVI's address today to the Vatican Diplomatic Corps.  The Vatican has diplomatic ties with 125 nations.  The Holy Father's address was given in the course of the annual exchange of new year's greetings between the Pope and the Diplomatic Corps.

In addressing the challenges that the diplomats face together with the Vatican, he mentioned the millions of people, particularly women and children, who lack food and shelter; disarmament and negotiations over conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction;  terrorism and the need for related security issues to be approached from an "global and farsighted perspective"; and migrants fleeing violence in their home nations. 

He also mentioned the importance of life issues that are threatened by efforts to trivialize abortion in Africa, threats to the natural composition of marriage of a man and woman, and by scientific research without , such as efforts at human cloning for supposedly therapeutic ends.

He then considered the positive characteristics of our age: growing dialogue between cultures and religions, growing awareness of the international community of human rights to life and religious freedom, and the struggle to eliminate poverty and corruption.

In addressing concerns for peace, he specifically mentioned Africa and the problems of specific African nations.  He then mentioned Brazil and his apostolic journey to Brazil that is scheduled for later this year.  He mentioned certain other countries of particular concern, including Columbia, Cuba, China, India, Vietnam, East Timor, North and South Korea, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka.

He addressed the Middle East as an area of particular concern, mentioning his Christmas letter to the Catholics in that region, and the need for a global solution to the conflicts in that region.  Concerning Europe, he mentioned Romania and Bulgaria, which recently joined the European Union, as well as Europe's Christian heritage, and concern for its future.  Lastly, he mentioned the Balkans.

Concluding his address, the Holy Father offered these words of hope and summarization:

"The situations I have mentioned constitute a challenge that touches us all – a challenge to promote and consolidate all the positive elements in the world, and to overcome, with good will, wisdom and tenacity, all that causes injury, degradation and death.  It is by respecting the human person that peace can be promoted, and it is by building peace that the foundations of an authentic integral humanism are laid. This is where I find the answer to the concern for the future voiced by so many of our contemporaries. Yes, the future can be serene if we work together for humanity. Man, created in the image of God, has an incomparable dignity;  man, who is so worthy of love in the eyes of his Creator that God did not hesitate to give his own Son for him. That is the great mystery of Christmas, which we have just celebrated, and which continues to spread its joyful atmosphere over our meeting today.  In her commitment to serve humanity and to build peace, the Church stands alongside all people of good will and she offers impartial cooperation. Together, each in his place and with his respective gifts, let us work to build an integral humanism which alone can guarantee a world of peace, justice and solidarity. In expressing this hope, I also pray to the Lord for all of you, for your families, for your staff, and for the peoples that you represent."

The Israeli Prime Minister's Visit

Vatican Information Service today has a press release on today's visit by the Prime Minister of Israel"

VATICAN CITY, DEC 13, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today released the following communique:

  "Today Wednesday, December 13, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received Ehud Olmert, prime minister of Israel. Subsequently, the prime minister went on to meet Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti and Msgr. Pietro Parolin, respectively secretary and under-secretary for Relations with States.

  "In the course of the discussions, attention turned to the matter of peace in the Middle East, and to questions regarding the position of the Catholic community in Israel, also in view of the forthcoming Christmas celebrations."

Catholic News Service also has an article about their conversation and about the recent drop of the number of Christian tourists and residents in Bethlehem.

Urgent Peaceful and Equitable Solutions Necessary for Lebanon

This morning, Pope Benedict blessed a new church building at a Mass in Rome.  His homily there was the last scheduled papal homily until Christmas Eve.  Translations are available from Papa Ratzinger Forum, Zenit and the Vatican.  The Vatican also has a translation of the Pope's greeting to the parish children.

During his homily, the Pope spoke of Jerusalem as the City of God, including this (Papa Ratzinger Forum translation):

"The city [in Zech. 2:8-9] is a spouse. Not simply an edifice of stone. Everything which is said about the city in grandiose images refers back to something living: to the Church of living stones of which even now the future city is being built. It refers back to the new people who in the breaking of bread become one Body with Christ (cfr 1 Cor 15,45). As man and woman become 'one flesh' in their love, so Christ and humanity gathered together in the Church become through the love of Christ 'one spirit' (cfr 1 Cor 6,17; Eph 5,29ss)."

In his reflections before praying the Angelus today, the Pope also spoke of the Church as a building, formed by the living stones who are the faithful, as described in I Peter 2:4-5 and Ephesians 2:20-22, with Christ as its cornerstone.  We participate in building that temple, with Christ as the principal mover, as He "pitches his tent among us" (John 1:14).  At the end of time, that building will be completed as the "heavenly Jerusalem."  During Advent, we turn our attention to that heavenly Jerusalem, looking for its coming.  An article about the Holy Father's reflections at the Angelus is available from Asia News.  Full translations are available from Papa Ratzinger Forum, Zenit and the Vatican.

After the Angelus, the Pope drew attention to the situation in Lebanon.  As described today by Reuters and CNN, hundreds of thousands of people flooded Beirut today, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.  Siniora has accused Shiite militants from Hezbollah of trying to stage a coup, as the protests have continued for 10 days and are worsening.  Saudi Arabia's King Abdulla, who supports the present Lebanese government, said yesterday that their Arab region is "like a powder keg ready to explode."

As reported yesterday by AINA, Lebanon's Council of Maronite bishops issued a communique this past Wednesday, calling for new elections that can be truly representative of the communities of Lebanon in order to lessen the tension, and called for an urgent meeting of the Lebanese parliament to address the crisis.

Responding to the situation and to the Lebanese bishops' communique, the Pope said (as translated by Papa Ratzinger Forum):

"I therefore share, in the face of recent events, the strong fears expressed by the Patriarch, His Beatitude, Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, and of the Maronite Bishops, in the communique they made public last Wednesday.
 
"Together with them, I ask the Lebanese and their responsible political leaders to have at heart only the good of the nation and harmony among its communities, deriving inspiration for their task from that unity which is the responsibility of all and of everone, and requires patient and persevering efforts, along with a trusting and permanent dialog (cfr ibid. n.20).
 
"I also wish that the international community help identify urgent peaceful and equitable solutions necessary for Lebanon and the entire Middle East, and I invite everyone to prayer at this grave moment."

Information and Prayer for the Pope's Visit to Turkey

(Updated December 2)

Background and Overview Information

Christopher Blosser has an extensive post titled "Anticipating Pope Benedict's Papal Visit to Turkey" with much information and analysis about the country, its Muslim population's view of the Pope and his lecture at Regensburg, the Pope's view of Islam, and the journey that David Van Bierna in Time Magazine says "has the potential to define his papacy."

John L. Allen, Jr. is posting frequent and very informative articles at  NCR Cafe.

The American Papist is following the news in anticipation of the journey, and Papa Ratzinger Forum has a section devoted to the journey. 

The Vatican has published an itinerary for the journey, which will take place this coming Tuesday through Friday, November 28 to December 1.

Zenit has posted the Introduction to the Missal that the Pope will follow during the journey, which can also be found on the Vatican website.  It includes statements about the significance of the Apostolic Journey, and provides information about plans for celebrations with the Catholic community and ecumenical celebrations.

Television coverage for the journey will be provided by EWTN beginning November 28.  To watch EWTN live online, go to the main page, hold your cursor over "Television" at the top of the page, then over "Live TV - English", and then select Real Video or Windows Media.  A different EWTN page has the schedule of its broadcasts planned for the trip.  Television coverage also will be provided live online by KTO (French Catholic television).  KTO may have some archived videos available for watching online  at a later date, as they do for the journey to Bavaria.

Vatican Radio has a page on apostolic visits, which will probably include some radio news broadcasts as well as written texts of the Pope's homilies and addresses during the journey.  Vatican Radio has an  Arabic site for Christian readers in Arabic speaking countries.

Yahoo's Papacy and the Vatican slideshow officers photos of the journey.

Le Figaro offers an interactive map and photos of each of the locations on the Pope's itinerary. (No need to read French to view the map and photos. Click on the orange arrow.)

Prayer for the Journey:

The Knights of Columbus has organized a spiritual pilgrimage to accompany the Pope in prayer as he journeys to Turkey, beginning tomorrow with the Solemnity of Christ the King.  Printable (.pdf) versions of the prayer can be downloaded from the K of C site.  Here is the prayer that appears on the Knights of Columbus website, which all Catholics are asked to pray daily:

"Heavenly Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name, we humbly ask that you sustain, inspire, and protect your servant, Pope Benedict XVI, as he goes on pilgrimage to Turkey – a land to which St. Paul brought the Gospel of your Son; a land where once the Mother of your Son, the Seat of Wisdom, dwelt; a land where faith in your Son’s true divinity was definitively professed. Bless our Holy Father, who comes as a messenger of truth and love to all people of faith and good will dwelling in this land so rich in history.  In the power of the Holy Spirit, may this visit of the Holy Father bring about deeper ties of understanding, cooperation, and peace among Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, and those who profess Islam.  May the prayers and events of these historic days greatly contribute both to greater accord among those who worship you, the living and true God, and also to peace in our world so often torn apart by war and sectarian violence.

"We also ask, O Heavenly Father, that you watch over and protect Pope Benedict and entrust him to the loving care of Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Fatima, a title cherished both by Catholics and Muslims. Through her prayers and maternal love, may Pope Benedict be kept safe from all harm as he prays, bears witness to the Gospel, and invites all peoples to a dialogue of faith, reason, and love.  We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord.  Amen."

Monday, November 27:

The Pope has added to his itinerary a visit to Istanbul's Blue Mosque.  Turkey's prime minister has agreed to meet the Pope Tuesday at the Ankara airport before departing for a NATO summit.

Security measures will be unprecedented for Turkey.  The greatest risk may be to the churches, homes and businesses of ordinary Christian families rather than to the Pope and those accompanying him, according to a quote from anti-terrorist expert Ely Karmon at NCR Cafe.  Part of the problem is that Turkish nationalists identify Christianity with the nation's rival, which is Greece.

Meanwhile, in the political background, AFP reported this morning that negotiations between the European Union and Turkey have broken off over the issue of opening Turkey's ports and airports to Cyprus.  Discussions are now expected over whether to suspend Turkey's EU accession negotiations.   A  decision is not expected until December 11.  The Pope's visit had nothing to do with this decision.  The Pope's opposition to EU membership for Turkey, years ago, has been mentioned in recent news articles, and ANSA has now reported that Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, has stated that he hopes Turkey can fulfill requirements for EU membership.  While the latter statement was conciliatory, it could be construed as a reference to such issues as Cyprus.

3,000 reporters are expected to cover the story of this apostolic journey.

Tuesday, November 28:

On departure this morning from Rome, the Pope told journalists that his journey is "pastoral, not political."

John L. Allen, Jr. reports on the Pope's answers to 3 questions from reporters on the plane.  The Pope spoke of the importance of dialogue and brotherhood with Muslims, Turkey's bid for EU membership, its constitution rooted in the French constitution, the importance of his meeting with Bartholomew I, and the historic importance of Constantinople to Christianity.

John Allen also reports on the Pope's brief meeting with Turkey's prime minister at the airport in Ankara, a meeting that reportedly was uncertain until the last minute.  The Vatican viewed it as a positive sign, while the Italian press saw it as an effort by the Turkish government to avoid the freeze in negotiations for its admission to the EU, according to L'Evangile de la Vie.

Articles on the Pope's arrival are also available from Catholic News Service and Catholic News Agency.

Address to the President's Office of Religious Affairs:  Vatican Radio has published the transcript of the Pope's address to the President of Turkey's Office of Religious Affairs today in Ankara, also available on the Vatican website and Zenit.  The address was given in English.  He spoke of his love for the Turks, the spiritual bond that unites Muslims and Christians, and the wish to come to know each other better.  He also mentioned the importance of freedom of religion for individuals and communities, and .  Here is an excerpt from his expression of what Muslims and Christians can accomplish together:

". . . . As men and women of religion, we are challenged by the widespread longing for justice, development, solidarity, freedom, security, peace, defence of life, protection of the environment and of the resources of the earth. This is because we too, while respecting the legitimate autonomy of temporal affairs, have a specific contribution to offer in the search for proper solutions to these pressing questions.

"Above all, we can offer a credible response to the question which emerges clearly from today’s society, even if it is often brushed aside, the question about the meaning and purpose of life, for each individual and for humanity as a whole. We are called to work together, so as to help society to open itself to the transcendent, giving Almighty God his rightful place. The best way forward is via authentic dialogue between Christians and Muslims, based on truth and inspired by a sincere wish to know one another better, respecting differences and recognizing what we have in common. This will lead to an authentic respect for the responsible choices that each person makes, especially those pertaining to fundamental values and to personal religious convictions."

Speech to the Diplomatic Corp: Vatican Radio also has a translation of the Pope's Speech to the Diplomatic Corp, given at the Apostolic Nunciature in Ankara, also available on the Vatican website and Zenit.  That address was given primarily in French, as the language of diplomacy.  He stated that he had "come here as a friend and as an apostle of dialogue and peace."  He spoke of the importance of international institutions, authentic debate, and the threats posed by spreading terrorist action.  He encouraged freedom of religion in the secular state of Turkey, to people of various religions, adding that the presence of religions as a source of progress and enrichment for all "assumes, of course, that religions do not seek to exercise direct political power, as that is not their province, and it also assumes that they utterly refuse to sanction recourse to violence as a legitimate expression of religion."  He spoke of the different roles of the Church and the international community in matters of interest to both, and mentioned a wish to cooperate with Muslims to promote "peace, liberty, social justice, and moral values."

Here is an excerpt:

"Assuredly, recognition of the positive role of religions within the fabric of society can and must impel us to explore more deeply their knowledge of man and to respect his dignity, by placing him at the centre of political, economic, cultural and social activity. Our world must come to realize that all people are linked by profound solidarity with one another, and they must be encouraged to assert their historical and cultural differences not for the sake of confrontation, but in order to foster mutual respect."

According to Christian News Service, after the speech, the Pope greeted each diplomat individually and gave them papal medallions.

Thoughts about the day from Vatican Radio's translator, Sister Janet.

Wednesday, November 29:

Vatican Radio has a broadcast about the day's planned events, centering on Ephesus.

The Pope visited a remote location to see the Marian shrine that is called "Mary's house" ("Meryem Ana Evì" in Turkey) and is said to have been the place where the Blessed Virgin Mary died.  It is the only Marian shrine that is visited by as many Muslims as Christians.  There is no archaeological evidence to support the idea that Mary lived there.  However, German mystic Blessed Anna Katharina Emmerick identified it as the spot where Mary spent her last days based upon one of her visions, and the Lazarist Fathers founded the sanctuary there in the 19th century based on that vision.

The Catholic view of shrines in the Holy Land is discussed in "The Shrine: Memory, Presence and Prophecy of the Living God," issued by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in 1999.

The Pope's homily at the shrine is already available in English from the Vatican website and also at Zenit.  The Pope spoke to a small crowd of only about 300 people, about half of them Germans from the nearby German-language parish of St. Nicholas.  He prayed the opening collect in Turkish.  He spoke of his love for the Christians of Turkey, who are a small minority facing hardships.  He prayed for Father Andrea Santoro, a missionary who was killed in Turkey in February.  Here is an excerpt from his words about Mary (links added):

"Looking down from the Cross at his Mother and the beloved disciple by her side, the dying Christ recognized the first fruits of the family which he had come to form in the world, the beginning of the Church and the new humanity. For this reason, he addressed Mary as "Woman", not as "Mother", the term which he was to use in entrusting her to his disciple: "Behold your Mother!" (Jn. 19:27). The Son of God thus fulfilled his mission: born of the Virgin in order to share our human condition in everything but sin, at his return to the Father he left behind in the world the sacrament of the unity of the human race (cf. "Lumen Gentium," 1): the family "brought into unity from the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Saint Cyprian, "De Orat. Dom.," 23: PL 4, 536), at whose heart is this new bond between the Mother and the disciple. Mary's divine motherhood and her ecclesial motherhood are thus inseparably united."

John L. Allen, Jr. reports: "In Ephesus, Supreme Pontiff becomes a simple country pastor"

Today, he will also meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Orthodox Church's "Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and the New Rome".  This ecumenical meeting has been the primary purpose of the journey, although media attention and the need to respond to Muslim reaction to September's lecture at Regensburg have given more importance to Christian-Muslim dialogue than was originally anticipated.

Catholic News Agency has an article about the Pope's meeting and prayer with Bartholomew I in Istanbul this afternoon.  Sister Janet explained that 2 of the hymns were written for the occasion by the monks at Mount Athos.  One of those hymns was in honor of Pope Benedict.  Sister Janet wrote:

"It was lovely to see the genuine appreciation of this hymn by the Holy Father, who could, of course, understand what he was hearing. There was the combined appreciation of the theologian and the musician and so he forgot his tiredness. The familiar little discreet smile of enjoyment of moments when he can’t just grin was lovely to see."

Bartholomew I's welcome address to Benedict XVI is available from Zenit .  In the Ecumenical Patriarch's English translation, here is the entire address:

"Your Holiness, beloved Brother in the Lord,

"It is with sentiments of sincere joy and satisfaction that we welcome you to the sacred and historical city of Istanbul.

"This is a city that has known a treasured heritage for the growth of the Church through the ages. It is here that St. Andrew, the "first-called" of the Apostles founded the local Church of Byzantium and installed St. Stachys as its first bishop. It is here that the Emperor and "equal-to-the-Apostles," St. Constantine the Great, established the New Rome. It is here that the Great Councils of the early Church convened to formulate the Symbol of Faith. It is here that martyrs and saints, bishops and monks, theologians and teachers, together with a "cloud of witnesses" confessed what the prophets saw, what the apostles taught, what the Church received, what the teachers formulated in doctrine, what the world understood, what grace has shone, namely … the truth that was received, the faith of the fathers. This is the faith of the Orthodox. This faith has established the universe.

"So it is with open embrace that we welcome you on the blessed occasion of your first visit to the City, just as our predecessors, Ecumenical Patriarchs Athenagoras and Demetrios, had welcomed your predecessors, Popes Paul VI and John Paul II. These venerable men of the Church sensed the inestimable value and urgent need alike of such encounters in the process of reconciliation through a dialogue of love and truth.

"Therefore, we are, both of us, as their successors and as successors to the Thrones of Rome and New Rome equally accountable for the steps -- just, of course, as we are for any missteps -- along the journey and in our struggle to obey the command of our Lord, that His disciples "may be one."

"It was in this spirit that, by the grace of God, we visited repeatedly Rome and two years ago in order to accompany the relics of Saints Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, formerly Archbishops of this City, whose sacred remains were generously returned to this Patriarchal Cathedral by the late Pope. It was in this spirit, too, that we traveled to Rome only months later to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul.

"We are deeply grateful to God that Your Holiness has taken similar steps today in the same spirit. We offer thanks to God in doxology and express thanks also to Your Holiness in fraternal love.

"Beloved Brother, welcome. "Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord."

"Blessed is the Name of the Lord now and forevermore."

The Holy Father's address to the Ecumenical Patriarch is available from the Vatican, Zenit and Vatican Radio.  Again, here is the entire address in a text issued by the Holy See:

"'Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity' (Ps 133:1)

"Your Holiness,

"I am deeply grateful for the fraternal welcome extended to me by you personally, and by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. I will treasure its memory forever. I thank the Lord for the grace of this encounter, so filled with authentic goodwill and ecclesial significance.

"It gives me great joy to be among you, my brothers in Christ, in this Cathedral Church, as we pray together to the Lord and call to mind the momentous events that have sustained our commitment to work for the full unity of Catholics and Orthodox. I wish above all to recall the courageous decision to remove the memory of the anathemas of 1054. The joint declaration of Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, written in a spirit of rediscovered love, was solemnly read in a celebration held simultaneously in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome and in this Patriarchal Cathedral. The Tomos of the Patriarch was based on the Johannine profession of faith: "Ho Theós agapé estin" (1 Jn 4:9), Deus caritas est! In perfect agreement, Pope Paul VI chose to begin his own Brief with the Pauline exhortation: "Ambulate in dilectione" (Eph 5:2), "Walk in love." It is on this foundation of mutual love that new relations between the Churches of Rome and Constantinople have developed.

"Signs of this love have been evident in numerous declarations of shared commitment and many meaningful gestures. Both Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II were warmly received as visitors in this Church of Saint George, and joined respectively with Patriarchs Athenagoras I and Dimitrios I in strengthening the impetus towards mutual understanding and the quest of full unity. May their names be honored and blessed!

"I also rejoice to be in this land so closely connected to the Christian faith, where many Churches flourished in ancient times. I think of Saint Peter's exhortations to the early Christian communities "in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" (1 Pet 1:1), and the rich harvest of martyrs, theologians, pastors, monastics, and holy men and women which those Churches brought forth over the centuries.

"I likewise recall the outstanding saints and pastors who have watched over the See of Constantinople, among them Saint Gregory of Nazianzus and Saint John Chrysostom, whom the West also honors as Doctors of the Church. Their relics rest in the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, and a part of them were given to Your Holiness as a sign of communion by the late Pope John Paul II for veneration in this very Cathedral. Truly, they are worthy intercessors for us before the Lord.

"In this part of the Eastern world were also held the seven Ecumenical Councils which Orthodox and Catholics alike acknowledge as authoritative for the faith and discipline of the Church. They are enduring milestones and guides along our path towards full unity.

"I conclude by expressing once more my joy to be with you. May this meeting strengthen our mutual affection and renew our common commitment to persevere on the journey leading to reconciliation and the peace of the Churches.

"I greet you in the love of Christ. May the Lord be always with you."

Meanwhile, in the political background, the EU's executive arm today recommended cutting off talks with Turkey on 8 of the 35 issues considered for European Union membership, with the talks to continue at a slower pace than before.  The Turkish prime minister, who is at the NATO summit in Latvia, said this was not acceptable.  The Washington Post reports on the events related to Turkey's efforts to obtain EU membership, ongoing while the Pope is in Turkey.

Thursday, November 30:

The Ecumenical Patriarchate website has a page of photos of the Pope with Bartholomew I today.  That website also has an article about the Pope's arrival today at the patriarchate for the liturgical celebration of St. Andrew the Apostle.  Vatican Radio has a broadcast about the occasion.  (The Pope spoke about St. Andrew at the General Audience on June 14).  The video of the Mass is available on KTO and will probably also be archived at Vatican Television.

The Patriarchate's website also has posted Bartholomew I's homily, which is also available from Zenit.  Here is an excerpt:

"The Divine Liturgy is at once the heavenly kingdom and our home, "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21.1), the ground and center where all things find their true meaning. The Liturgy teaches us to broaden our horizon and vision, to speak the language of love and communion, but also to learn that we must be with one another in spite of our differences and even divisions. In its spacious embrace, it includes the whole world, the communion of saints, and all of God's creation. The entire universe becomes "a cosmic liturgy", to recall the teaching of St. Maximus the Confessor. This kind of Liturgy can never grow old or outdated."

Vatican Radio has posted Pope Benedict's speech at the Patriarchal Cathedral today, which is also on Zenit and the Vatican website.

Zenit has posted an interview with Bartholomew I from the Italian newspaper Avennire.

Both the Patriarchate and Vatican Radio have posted their Common Declaration signed today during their visit.   The Common Declaration is also found on the Vatican website.

John L. Allen, Jr., comments: "Great symbols from pope and patriarch, but no breakthroughs.  Catholic News Service has an article about the day, saying that the Pope and Bartholomew I affirmed their commitment to unity. 

Catholic News Agency has an article, saying that this celebration with Bartholomew I of the major Feast of St. Andrew was his top objective.

Sandro Magister called the Pope's speech after that liturgy "perhaps, the best synthesis of the thought displayed in the pope’s homilies and addresses."  An excerpt:

"On 7 December 1965, the eve of the final session of the Second Vatican Council, our venerable predecessors took a new and unique and unforgettable step in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George and the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican respectively: they removed from the memory of the Church the tragic excommunications of 1054. In this way they confirmed a decisive shift in our relationship. Since then, many other important steps have been taken along the path of mutual rapprochement. I recall in particular the visit of my predecessor, Pope John Paul II, to Constantinople in 1979, and the visits to Rome of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.

"In that same spirit, my presence here today is meant to renew our commitment to advancing along the road towards the re-establishment – by God’s grace – of full communion between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople. I can assure you that the Catholic Church is willing to do everything possible to overcome obstacles and to seek, together with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, ever more effective means of pastoral cooperation to this end."

The Pope's itinerary for today included:

A visit to Hagia Sophia which lasted 20 minutes (the seat of the patriarchate for many centuries, then a monk for several centuries, and now a museum).  KTO has the video archived online for viewing (click on "Regarder le Video").

A visit to the Blue Mosque (Catholic World News and Catholic News Service have articles about that).  Although some of the media have reported that Pope Benedict prayed, or even that he prayed toward Mecca (Such as Deutsche Welle: "the pope turned towards Mecca in a gesture of Muslim prayer"), the significance of the gesture, a sign of respect, has drawn discussion.   Catholic News Service explained:

"Then, as they drew close to the carved marble 'mihrab,' the grand mufti told the pontiff: 'In this space everyone stops to pray for 30 seconds, to gain serenity.'

"The mufti told the pope he was going to pray. The pope, his arms folded over his pectoral cross, stood next to the mufti and moved his lips, a moment shown in close-up on Turkish TV.

"When they turned away, according to a reporter on the scene, the pope told the mufti, 'Thank you for this moment of prayer.'"

Asia News reported:

"Two minutes of silence, a prayer made obvious only by the moving lips of Benedict XVI and the imam of the Blue Mosque. Different prayers, of course, elicited by the Pope who said—“Let us pray for brotherhood and the good of humanity!—in response to the imam, who during the visit to Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, showed the Pontiff the Muslim prayer book, saying that “each Muslim prayer begins with the name of Allah; Allah is the name of God”. Having placed his hand on the book, the Pope invited those presents to pray. At the moment he was in front of the mihrab, the niche in direction of Makkah.

"Fr Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Room, denied there was a prayer. “The Pope,” he said, “stood before the Mihrab in meditation and he certainly turned his thoughts to God”.

"However one may want to characterise what Benedict XVI did, it has an illustrious precedent in John Paul I’s prayer in the Damascus Mosque, although there it took place before the spot that is traditionally considered to be the burial place of John the Baptist.

"The “meditation” occurred in the afternoon, which was set aside for visits to three places each in its way linked to religion: Saint Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Armenian Cathedral of Saint Mary."

Robert Moynihan, at Inside the Vatican, offered this thought:

"The answer seems to lie, in part, in Benedict’s somber, realistic evaluation of the present threat of war and socio-political conflict for the whole human family in this "globalized" world, and the consequent urgent need for human beings to find a way to live in peace together, so that our children and their children may not inherit a world of blood and iron ruined by war and its consequences."

His last stop of the day was for a moment of prayer, to celebrate the Word in the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral, and meeting there with Armenian Orthodox Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafina.  According to Asia News:

"In his greeting, Benedict XVI made a reference to the Armenian genocide. 'I give thanks to God,' he said in fact, 'for the faith and Christian witness of the Armenian people, passed on from one generation to the next, often in truly tragic circumstances like those endured in the last century'."

Pope Benedict's address to Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafina is available in English from Zenit and the Vatican.

The Vatican's program for the day indicated that the Pope's day would also include a meeting with Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan Filuksinos Yusuf Cetin, a meeting with the Grand Rabbi of Turkey, and a meeting and dinner with members of the Catholic Episcopal Conference.

Teresa Benedetta at Papa Ratzinger Forum discusses the Pope's later meetings of the day, which apparently took place after the news media filed their reports.  His visit to the Blue Mosque concluded around 4:00 p.m.  He visited the Armenian Cathedral at 6:00 p.m. and then returned to the Apostolic Nunciature, where he met with the Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan and the Grand Rabbi of Turkey.

At 6:30 p.m., he greeted a group of local Catholic youth who were outside of his window.  Teresa Benedetta describes this unplanned occurrence:

"An encounter with Catholic youths - leaning out the window of the Apostolic Nunciature, and remaining there for five long minutes as 500 Catholic youths, almost all from Istanbul, sang and prayed.

It was an event of great simplicity - with the Pope smiling and later giving them his blessing.

The young people had prepared this prayer rally with songs, psalms and prayers - and so they did, for at least three-quarters of an hour in the gardens of the Nunciature.

Jubilation when the Pope showed himself, leaning out the window to be able to see them better. Later he told them that he would carry them always in his heart and would remember them every day in his prayers.

When the youths sang "Stay with us" in Turkish, he answered, "But the Lord is always with us."

Friday, November 1:

The Pope's last homily of the journey was given this morning in French at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul.  The video will be available on KTO.  The service included 7 languages.  Vatican News Service has translations into other languages, including an English translation of the homily.  The subject was the desire for unity of the Church, reuniting Catholic and Orthodox Christians.  Here is an excerpt from the homily as posted by the Vatican, probably the written draft prepared earlier: 

"Twenty-six years ago, in this very Cathedral, my predecessor, the Servant of God John Paul II, expressed his hope that the dawn of the new millennium would "rise upon a Church that has found again her full unity, in order to bear witness better, amid the exacerbated tensions of this world, to God’s transcendent love, manifested in his Son Jesus Christ" (Homily in the Cathedral of Istanbul, 5). This hope has not yet been realized, but the Pope still longs to see it fulfilled, and it impels us, as disciples of Christ advancing with our hesitations and limitations along the path to unity, to act ceaselessly "for the good of all", putting ecumenism at the forefront of our ecclesial concerns, and not committing our respective Churches and communities to decisions which could contradict or harm it. Thus we will truly live by the Spirit of Jesus, at the service of the common good."

The homily as reported by Catholic News Service included statements about Christianity and Islam that do not appear in the written homily on the Vatican website, probably an indication that the Pope added some comments extemporaneously as he often does.  In addition to the references to Christians and Muslims living in harmony (at the end of the written homily), CNS reports:

"The pope paid tribute to this rich variety, asking Turkish Catholics to continue to live the faith in a humble manner with a sense of service to others.

"'To live by the Spirit is not to live for oneself alone, but to let oneself be conformed to Christ Jesus by becoming, like him, the servant of his brothers and sisters,' he said."

AFP reports his departure from Istanbul, calling this "a momentous visit in which he reached out to Muslims and Orthodox Christians while standing firm on key issues such as papal authority and Europe's Christian roots."

Catholic World News covers his departure, concluding a joyful journey that had begun amid concern and high security measures.  The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Turkish Catholic bishops, Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II, and Armenian Metropolitan Filuksinos  Cetin, all accompanied him to the Istanbul airport to see him off. 

According to an article from korazym.org quoted at Papa Ratzinger Forum, the governor of the region, military commandant, and mayor of Istanbul also accompanied the Pope to the airport.  That article offers quotations from the Pope's words at the airport just prior to his departure for Rome:

"'This trip took place in utmost serenity,' he said. 'At every step, I saw how the authorities had done everything possible (to make it safe) and how the citizens cooperated with the authorities. I hope that the visit remains as a sign of friendship among peoples and religions, and that its positive effects may go beyond these days.'

He added: 'I hope that the road will open to communion between Europe and this city, bridge between Europe and Asia, and that institutions and civilizations will be drawn closer.'

"'I am taking home some books that will give me a deeper knowledge of this city and the country,' he said.

"Upon being told that Istanbul had been chosen Cultural Capital of Europe for 2010, he remarked: 'It is well deserved.'

"Then he went on to recount: 'Even the city where I have lived for a long time, Regensburg, once bid for this honor but it did not get it.' [It was the Pope's only reference to Regensburg during his entire visit! A different European city is designated every year as European Capital of Culture.]

"'I think that dialogue is obligatory for the Catholic Church. I am grateful to the Lord for giving me the chance to make a sign in this respect and contribute to understanding among cultures.'"

Requiem for the Fallen Soldiers: A Memorial Quilt and Anthology for November 11

In the U.S., today is Veterans Day.  Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, the day when World War I ended in 1918 (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month).   Early ceremonies honoring Armistice Day were observed in England and France.  An English unknown soldier from World War I was buried in Westminster Abbey, and a French unknown soldier was buried at the Arc de Triomphe, each nation's highest place of honor.   In the U.S., an American unknown soldier was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in 1921, and it became a special place of honor for American veterans. 

In 1947, a U.S. veteran from World War II organized "Veterans Day" in honor of all American veterans.  In 1954, the U.S. Government officially changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day.  Unknown soldiers from World War II, the Korean War, and the Viet Nam War were later added to Arlington.  However, the body of the unknown soldier from Viet Nam was later exhumed and identified, and then moved.  Today's Veterans Day ceremony will honor the tombs of the unknown soldiers, and parades will honor all U.S. veterans.

In some other countries, November 11 is also remembered for veterans, and it is still particularly remembered for World War I.  It is known as "Remembrance Day" in the U.K., Ireland, Australia and Canada.  It is known as "Poppy Day" in South Africa and Malta.  It is still called "Armistice Day" in Belgium, which was the first country deeply affected by World War I, and in France, where the Armistice Agreement ending World War I was signed.  A 2004 article from Deutsche Welle reports the ceremonies and remembrances on November 11 in various parts of the world.  There is no official ceremony in Germany, which lost World War I.