Blog by-the-Sea

Perhaps 2 Million Demonstrators for the Family in Madrid

Spanish publication La Razon reports that more than 2 million people participated in yesterday's pro-family demonstration in Madrid, sponsored by Spanish bishops.  The article includes photographs showing people filling the streets of Madrid.  Vatican Radio reports 1.5 million.  Euronews reports 2 million.  Catholic World News has good coverage with the 2 million number.

However, the Associated Press reported that "tens of thousands" of people participated in   AFP also reports tens of thousands.  French blogger Lahire at Le Salon Beige expressed astonishment at the AP and AFP estimates -- 200 tens of thousands would be 2 million, but the MSM estimates imply much lower numbers.  The New York Times estimated hundreds of thousands, and mentioned the estimate of 1.5 million.  As it seems common in the U.S. for the mainstream media to underestimate numbers at pro-life and pro-family events, the actual count is probably much higher than suggested by AP and AFP. 

The protest was organized in response to new Spanish laws recognizing homosexual unions and making divorce more readily available.  Participants spoke in favor of the right to life, the defense of marriage as an indissoluble union between a man and a woman, and the right of parents to educate their children in accordance with their consciences (a response to new Spanish Socialist public education policy which, among other things, treats gay unions as the equivalent to marriage).  According to Sylvie at Le Salon Beige, participants came from Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Austria in response to the call from the Archbishop of Madrid.

E-Deo reported that the demonstration clearly denounced gay marriage, abortion, and laws facilitating divorce.  While it was open to all who defend life and support the natural law, it was explicitly Catholic.

BBC News posted its television news report, or part of it, on YouTube.  They disabled the embedding feature, so I cannot post the video here.  The BBC report mentioned an upcoming March election, in which the Socialists have a 2% lead.  The New York Times article also emphasized the upcoming election.  The bishops, however, denied that the  protest was political.  Rather, it was clearly a Catholic demonstration based on Catholic family values and religious rights, attended by people from several countries in Western Europe.

La Razon also has other articles on the event in Spanish (see links at the bottom of the page).

The Consistory for New Cardinals

Overview

There is a Vatican web page about the consistory with links to other pages with more information about the consistory and about the College of Cardinals.

EWTN will have two re-broadcasts of today's Eucharistic Celebration with the New Cardinals and Presentation of Cardinalitial Rings, at noon and midnight Eastern (9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. Sunday and 6:00 a.m. Monday in Rome).  You can watch EWTN online with either Spanish or English commentary.

The Holy Father announced the consistory and named the new cardinals at the end of the October 17 General Audience. They include 18 cardinal electors, and 5 cardinals who are beyond the maximum age for voting.  Among the familiar names (with links to articles about them) are two Americans: Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston (the first cardinal ever named from Texas) and Archbishop John-Patrick Foley, a former journalist originally from Philadelphia.  Other names of particular interest are Abp. Emmanuel Delly of Baghdad (patriarch of Babylon for the Chaldeans) and Abp. André Vingt-Trois of Paris.  Abp. Vingt-Trois was elected president of the French Bishops Conference this past Monday (La-Croix article in French).  His name was occasionally mentioned in the news this past year in connection with his historic ecumenical meeting with the Orthodox Church patriarch of Moscow, his involvement in liturgical issues including the Motu Proprio to extend the use of the Latin mass, and the funeral of his mentor Cardinal Lustiger (at which he presided).

Amy Welborn has posts titled Consistory 102 and Consistory 103 at Charlotte Was Both.

Photos of all 23 new cardinals are posted on La-Croix.  Click on the photo for the cardinal's name and for a short biographical sketch in French.

Friday's Meeting Considers Ecumenical and Inter-Faith Issues

John L. Allen, Jr. has an article about Friday morning's meeting titled Day 1: Sights and Sounds of the Consistory, mentioning the ecumenical issues to be discussed.  Catholic News Agency reported that the Pope met with Cardinals to discuss how to deal with the increasing number of Episcopalians and Anglicans seeking to enter the Catholic Church, as Benedict XVI has made reunification of the Church a key issue of his pontificate.   The Catholic News Agency article cited an earlier Times Online article as its source.

Following the meeting, Allen reported in a post titled Practical cooperation, not doctrine, the new ecumenical frontier.  During the meeting, Cardinal Walter Kasper outlined the way forward in ecumenical discussions with the Eastern churches and the Orthodox, the denominations born of the Reformation, and the pentecostal movements that began in the 20th century.  Allen's article does not mention any discussion particularly considering Anglicans.  In a separate article, Allen discusses French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran's discussion at that meeting of a planned Vatican response to a letter from 138 Muslims.

Insight Scoop has an article about the Anglican situation written by Carl Olson, which mentions that meeting as well as the decision by Episcopalian Bishop John B. Lipscomb to seek to enter the Catholic Church, announced this past Wednesday.  He will be the fourth Episcopalian bishop this year seeking to become Catholic, following two previous retired bishops and one active sitting bishop. [For more on Bishop Lipscomb, see Catholic Online and The Living Church].

Saturday's Consistory

Zenit provides an overview of the Cardinals' Rite for this ceremony and for Sunday's presentation of the Cardinals' rings.

English translations of the Pope's homily is available from the Vatican (official translation) and from Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum. 

The Holy Father spoke of how changing times have made the College of Cardinals truly universal, particularly mentioning Iraq's Christian communities.  He reminded the new cardinals of their call to the service of love.  Here is an excerpt from Teresa Benedetta's translation:

"The evangelist Mark reminds us, dear and venerated brothers, that every true disciple of Christ can aspire to one thing only: to share his passion without expecting any reward. The Christian is called to assume the condition of 'servant' following the footsteps of Christ, thus living his life for others freely and in disinterested manner.

"It is not the search for power and success, but the humble gift of oneself for the good of the Church, that should characterize every act and word of ours. True Christian greatness, in fact, is not in domination but in service."

Reuters and Asia News have news articles about the consistory.  John L. Allen, Jr. has several posts about the consistory in his All Things Catholic - Daily News and Updates.  Those posts include  The Consistory of the Long-Suffering and The Most Democratic Day on the Vatican's Calendar.

Catholic News Service has several articles including one titled Pope creates 23 cardinals from 14 countries.

Sunday's Mass Concelebrated by the Pope and New Cardinals

In his homily at the "Ring Mass," Pope Benedict spoke of today's three Mass readings for the Solemnity of Christ the King as a triptych of "three great scenes: in the center is the Crucifixion, according to the account of the evangelist Luke; on the one hand, the kingly anointing of David by the ancients of Israel; and on the other, the christologic hymn with which St. Paul introduces the Letter to the Colossians [Col. 1:12-20]."  The cardinalitial rings, he said, represent the Crucifixion.  "May this, dear brothers and sisters, always be for you an invitation to remember which King you serve, the throne on which he was raised, and how he was faithful to the very end in order to defeat sin and death with the power of divine mercy."  Considering the hymn from Colossians and the cardinals who have dedicated their lives to the service to the Church, he said, "The Church is that part of humanity in which the kingliness of Christ is already manifest and whose preferential manifestation is peace. It is the new Jerusalem, still imperfect while it is a pilgrim through history, but able to anticipate in some way the heavenly Jerusalem."

The quotations above were taken from Teresa Benedetta's translation at Papa Ratzinger Forum.  Since this post was written, the Vatican's official translation has become available.  Asia News has an article.   

In his address after Mass and before praying the midday Angelus, the Holy Father spoke of the cardinals' primary mission as one of prayer for peace and Christian unity.  He drew attention to the request from the USCCB for prayer today for peace among Israelis and Palestinians, in advance of an international peace conference to be held November 27 in Annapolis, Maryland.

English translations of the Holy Father's address before the midday Angelus are available from the Vatican, Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.

John L.Allen, Jr.'s posts include Ecumenism the 'scarlet thread' of the consistory and an Interview with Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewisz of Minsk-Mohilev, Belarus.

Names and Links for Information about the New Cardinal Electors

 (with links to the page about each at the Catholic Hierarchy website and more links following some of the names)

    1. Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches

Zenit had an article November 15 from an interview that Cardinal Sandri granted to l'Osservatore Romano earlier that week.  In it, Cardinal Sandri lamented Christians' emigration from the Holy Land.

    2. Archbishop John Patrick Foley, Pro-Grand Master of the Knights of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

John L. Allen, Jr. has a transcript of a press conference with new Cardinals Foley and DiNardo.  Last month, Francis X. Rocca profiled Cardinal Foley for Religion News Service, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary's Hermitage Report announced "Philadelphia Rejoices for Native Son."  Vatican Radio has an audio interview with him.

    3. Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, President of the Pontifical Commission and of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

    4. Archbishop Paul Joseph Cordes, President of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum".

    5. Archbishop Angelo Comastri, Archpriest of the Vatican Basilica, Vicar General for Vatican City State and President of the Fabric of St Peter.

    6. Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

    7. Archbishop Rafaele Farrina, S.D.B., Archivist and Librarian of Holy Roman Church.

    8. Archbishop Agustín Garcia-Gasco y Vicente of Valencia, Spain.

    9. Archbishop Seán Baptist Brady of Armagh, Ireland.

The BBC has an article about Cardinal Brady's background and his elevation to cardinal.  The Belfast Telegraph also has an article about him.  Rocco Palma has a post about Cardinal Brady at Whispers in the Loggia, calling his post-consistory reflections among the day's "standout remarks."  Rocco posted a good bit of that address, and has the entire text available for download from that post.  Vatican Radio has an audio interview with him broadcast yesterday, and another audio broadcast with his thoughts from Friday.  Zenit has a November 26 article.

    10. Archbishop Lluís Martínez Sistach of Barcelona, Spain.

    11. Archbishop André Vingt-Trois of Paris, France.

La-Croix also has articles related to the consistory in French, including an interview with Archbishop Vingt-Trois of the archdiocese of Paris.  Here are two segments from that interview in my translation:

Archbishop, as president of the Conference of Bishops and cardinal, how does a Christian see these and this power?  I live and receive these events as a special grace.  As I think about the election to presidency of the bishops, which was fast, what motivates someone to vote may vary, but the result is a spiritual sign: The Holy Spirit requires it.  It was the same thing when the pope asked me to be a cardinal. It is a grace that I receive as a gift from God.

And power?  I am not fascinated by the power associated with my responsibility. My way of living ecclesial authority is not by means of exercising an authoritative power, but rather by means of an authority of conviction and assent. . . .

Are you passionate about your mission?  Yes, but to be passionate does not mean to be excited!  I was very happy in Tours and am truly so in Paris where I have inherited a diocese which functions very well.  I was lucky, as they say, but on a Christian level, my spiritual objective is always to better understand the will of God, to better apply it to myself.  I do not see myself living it from the dramatic perspective of the anguish of Gethsemane (that is not my situation), but rather from the more peaceful perspective of the Annunciation and Mary's statement: "Be it unto to me according to your word."

Are you a mystic?  I am not a mystic.  I try to be a believer.  I pray!  I am not just a man who performs the scheduled exercises.  I also have a personal encounter with Christ, particularly by meditation on Scripture, the rosary, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. . . . Once a month, I have a Monday of silent prayer with priests.  Not to forget periods of retreat four or five times a year. . . .

    12. Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, Italy.

    13. Archbishop Théodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar, Senegal.

    14. Archbishop Oswald Gracias of Bombay, India.

Vatican Radio's article about the events of the consistory mentions Cardinal Gracias in its title and gives special attention in the body of the article to Cardinal Gracias and Cardinal Delly.  Vatican Radio also has an outline of Cardinal Gracias' biographical information on a page with links to listen online to radio broadcasts related to the consistory.

    15. Archbishop Francisco Robles Ortega of Monterrey, Mexico.

    16. Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, U.S.A.

The Houston Chronicle published questions and answers last week with Cardinal DiNardo.  Catholic News Agency had an article about him earlier this week.  Catholic News Service has an article titled  Amid celebrations, Texas prelate makes time for prayer, family.  Houston's KTRK TV News website has an article announcing Saturday that Houston now has its first cardinal. Allen has a transcript of the press conference.  Zenit published an interview with him on Friday.  Vatican Radio has an audio interview broadcast November 14.

    17. Archbishop Odilo Pedro Scherer of São Paulo, Brazil.

    18. Archbishop John Njue of Nairobi, Kenya.

Other Cardinals

    1. H.B. Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of Babylon for Chaldeans

Catholic News Service has an article about Cardinal Delly titled  Elevation of Chaldean patriarch highlights plight of Iraqi Christians.  John L. Allen, Jr. reports about the Pope's explanation of his reason for making Cardinal Delly a cardinal, in Pope says new Iraqi cardinal a sign of 'spiritual closeness'.  Zenit has an article from November 25 and a second Zenit article November 26.

    2. Archbishop Giovanni Coppa, Apostolic Nuncio;

    3. Archbishop emeritus Estanislao Esteban Karlic of Paraná, Argentina;

    4. Fr Urbano Navarrete Cortés, S.J., former Rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University; and

    5. Fr Umberto Betti, O.F.M., former Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University.

A photo of Cardinal Betti, who cried at the consistory, is offered at Shrine of the Holy Whapping, with comments.

USCCB Fall Meeting

I will update this post from time to time this week in order to keep all information about this year's USCCB Fall Bishops' Meeting in the same post.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Fall assembly begins tomorrow and runs through Thursday.  The USCCB website has a page devoted to topics discussed at the fall meeting, with links to individual pages on each of several topics for discussion and voting.  There is a separate page with the texts of statements, addresses and press releases issued during the meeting.

EWTN's Special Broadcasts will include Monday's and Tuesday's morning and afternoon sessions, and Wednesday's morning session.  After that, the bishops will have some time together without television coverage.

John L. Allen, Jr. is providing several updates and interviews each day at All Things Catholic.

Updated November 20: Cardinal Sean's Blog has photos and comments from Cardinal Sean O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap., of Boston.

Monday, November 12

I only caught a little bit of the television coverage this morning while I was getting ready for work.  What I heard was part of Bishop Skylstad's opening address, which I thought was quite remarkable.  Moreover, I was more than pleased to see a full transcript of that Presidential Address already posted on the USCCB website and picked up by Zenit.  It was a significant address on the subject of Church leadership, with depth and eloquence.  Here is an excerpt:

"For us as Bishops, a deep and Christ-like vision of leadership must be at the heart of our service. Christ has called us, as successors of the Apostles, to be his voice in our time. And our time needs to hear the voice of Christ. The Old Testament reminds us of a basic truth: without a vision the people will perish (see Proverbs 29:18). That vision is Christ’s. It is carried by the Church; and we, like Jeremiah, must cry out and not hold back. Indeed at a time like this it should be all so clear to us: We cannot shrink from our calling to be shepherds, to be leaders."

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., also spoke today, announcing that Pope Benedict XVI will travel to the U.S. this coming April.  A USCCB press release provides the tentative schedule for the visit to Washington and New York.  Also see the article from Catholic News Service.

Tuesday, November 13

In this morning's voting, Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago, was elected as the new president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops by an 85% majority on the first ballot.  His election was anticipated, as he has been vice-president.  It is common for the current vice-president to be elected to the presidency.  His election was greeted by very warm applause from the bishops.

In the voting for vice-president, the election that has been more carefully watched, the first ballot produced votes for several candidates, requiring a second ballot followed by a run-off.  The two candidates with the most votes were Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of the Diocese of Tucson.

In the run-off, Bishop Kicanas was elected as vice-president.  Interestingly, the new president is the Archbishop of Chicago, and the new vice-president is a native of that city who was previously auxiliary bishop of Chicago.  Bishop Kicanas's biographical summary on the diocese website includes this:

"Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on April 27, 1967, Bishop Kicanas served in various capacities in the Archdiocese’s seminary system for more than 25 years. . . . Principal among his pastoral interests are vocations, the permanent diaconate, and encouragement of lay ministry. Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Kicanas the coadjutor Bishop of Tucson on October 30, 2001. Upon the retirement of Bishop Manuel D. Moreno as fifth Bishop of Tucson, Bishop Kicanas became the sixth Bishop of Tucson on March 7, 2003." 

The new president and vice-president will take office Thursday.  Having been elected vice-president, Bishop Kicanas will have a strong change of becoming president in three years.  The USCCB issued a press release about the election (also available in Spanish).

As President of the USCCB, Bishop Skylstad today issued the final draft of a document on Iraq, which was affirmed by the bishops yesterday.  The USCCB today issued a Press Release about the document.  The text of the entire document, titled "A Call for Bipartisan Cooperation on Responsible Transition in Iraq," is available for download in .pdf format here: A Call for Bipartisan Cooperation Final draft.

Catholic News Service has an article about the bishops' briefing concerning the ongoing study into the causes and contexts of sex abuse within the Church in the U.S.  Six categories of research are now in progress, as outlined to the bishops.

November 14

The bishops approved a statement on faithful citizenship and political responsibility.  The USCCB website's page on the Bishops' Meeting includes a press release and downloadable summary and full text of the statement.

They also approved a statement on stewardship and teenagers, which can be downloaded at the same page in either English or Spanish.

Homily for the Beatification of 498 Martyrs

The Vatican has now posted an English translation of Cardinal José Saraiva Martins' homily for the beatification mass for 498 martyrs of the Spanish Civil War.  See more at this earlier post, which has been updated accordingly.

Jesuits' Feast of All Jesuit Saints and Blesseds

John Brown, S.J., of the Companion of Jesus website, reminded bloggers today that November 5 is the Feast of All Saints and Blesseds of the Society of Jesus.  One of the features of the Companion of Jesus website is a series of videos that John Brown, S.J. and Carlos Esparza, S.J., prepared this past July called "Jesuit Review," a short series of web videos offering an introduction to Ignatian Spirituality, Jesuit history and some recent Jesuits.

He mentioned some pages on Jesuit saints and blesseds that will let you access the list by saints' and blesseds' names, by year, or by the date of their memorial, which are also very nicely arranged.

The Beatification of 498 Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War

Here are links to some articles and blog posts about today's beatification (updated November 9 with the homily now available in English translation):

The Holy Father's words at the noonday Angelus were about martyrdom.  A separate post is devoted to that address. 

His apostolic letter raising the 498 martyrs to the glory of the altar is not yet available in English on the Vatican's website.  I will add a link later as it probably will be translated into English soon.

Cardinal Martins' homily from the Mass is now available in English translation on the Vatican website.  Here is an excerpt from it:

The Martyrs scaled the peak of heroism in the battle in which they gave their lives for Christ. The heroism to which God calls us is hidden in the thousand skirmishes of our life each day.  We must be convinced that our holiness - this holiness, let us have no doubt about it, to which God calls us - consists in achieving what John Paul II called the "high standard of ordinary Christian living" (Novo Millennio Ineunte, n. 31).

The message of the Martyrs is a message of faith and love. We must examine ourselves courageously and make practical resolutions to discover whether this faith and this love are expressed heroically in our own lives; heroism also of faith and love in our action, as people inserted into history like the leaven that causes dough to rise properly.

Discalced Carmelite Curia

This significant statement about forgiveness is a portion of the Curia's news coverage of the beatification:

The splendid beatification ceremony took place on Sunday 28^th October at St Peter’s Square in Rome. In preparation, the Provincial of Castile sent a pastoral letter to the Province. In it he emphasized that the Carmelite martyrs died pardoning their executioners. It was this that inspired the hymn composed for the occasion by Fr Luis Miguel Sánchez, from the Toledo community, titled “Witnesses of pardon in a world thirsting for peace …” The Provincial recalled in his circular letter the words written by Fr Tirso de Jesús María in the letter sent to his family on the eve of his execution: “Pardon them and bless them and amen to everything, just as I love them and pardon them and bless them.....”

Associated Press

Reuters

UPI

BBC

Vatican Radio audio report yesterday on preparations for the beatification.

Vatican Radio audio report today on the beatification.

Moniales (a blog by Dominican sisters) has a post from yesterday about a Dominican contemplative among those beatified.

Tucson Priests beatification blog concerning two of the 498 martyrs beatified today, with entries by Fr. Jose Luis Ferroni, OCD.  The two Tucson priests were Discalced Carmelites who were among a group of Spanish Carmelites living in Tucson.  They returned to Spain and were martyred after their return.  Fr. Ferroni is now studying Church history in Rome.  He was formerly at El Carmelo Retreat Center, where he was the Carmelite priest assigned to the Secular Carmelites here in San Diego.

Rorate Caeli post from October 25.

Zenit article from October 24.

Alexis II, Patriarch of Moscow, at Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris

Here are English translations, by me, of Archbishop André Vingt-Trois' greeting to His Beatitude Alexis II, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, at the Cathedral of Paris this past Wednesday, and the Address of Alexis II at the Cathedral.  These translations were made from the French texts available on the website of Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris.  I have not found an English translation elsewhere.  If I find one, I will add a link to this post.

Greeting by Archbishop André Vingt-Trois:

Beatitude,

It is a great honor for the Catholics of Paris, and especially for their archbishop, to be able to welcome your Beatitude to this prestigious cathedral.  For more than eight hundred years, it has been the center of our city and the architectural symbol of the faith of our city’s Christians.  Even more importantly, on account of the events that have transpired here, it is a symbol of our national identity with which many French people identify, even if they are not Christians.  From the number of its visitors from all continents, it is one of Paris’s best known and most visited monuments.  But, beyond all that, it is above all the diocese’s mother church where Parisian Catholics often meet.  We are proud to honor you here today.

Your visit this day is not a tourist’s visit, but the visit of a great believer.  On the occasion of your visit to Western Europe, your Beatitude wished to make a special pilgrimage here to venerate the significant relics from the Passion of our Savior, and in particular the Crown of Thorns which we received in trust and which we regularly venerate in this cathedral.  I am happy that you accepted the invitation that I sent to you for this walk of a believer and pilgrim.

The material traces, the relics, of the Passion of the Lord turn our gaze and our prayer to the blessed days of his terrestrial sojourn, when, pressed by the love of God, he came to give his life for the benefit of the multitude of humanity.  This outpouring of divine mercy makes us bend our knees before the Father, from whom comes all fatherhood and all love.  The long history of humanity, and especially that of 20th century Europe, has shown what horrors political ideologies can attain that have rejected love in preference for the domination of the party or the idolatry of race and power.  This long tragic period at least has shown how, strengthened by the power of his resurrection, the true disciples of Christ, even if they have been condemned to silence and clandestine living, or have been persecuted, kept the zeal of faith alive by all the possible means, often at the price of their freedom or lives.  By venerating the Crown of Thorns, we unite in one same movement the memory of Christ’s Passion, their memory, and the memory of those who have followed in his steps by fidelity to the faith.

Our common attachment to the person of Christ crucified and resurrected allows me to make a vow in your presence: that your Holiness’s pilgrimage will be a living sign of the bonds of faith that already unite our Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, that it also will be a prophetic sign of the unity among Christians to which we aspire.  As you know, the events of modern history have allowed Orthodox Christians to become well established in France.  Thanks to them, we French Catholics can know Orthodoxy better, in the unity of its faith and the diversity of its traditions and jurisdictions, and our relations are facilitated by the representation and coordination service that exists in the Assembly of French Orthodox Bishops.  We are building brotherly relations with the Orthodox that we wish to develop further.  I do not doubt that your presence here today constitutes an encouragement to move forward in a better mutual knowledge and a brotherly respect between members of our Churches.

The differences between our respective traditions, like the differences between our social and cultural situations, far from constituting an insurmountable obstacle, actually encourage us to develop an exchange with each other of the gifts of Providence.  We have received much already, especially from Russian theologians of the immigration.  We are following the revival of the Orthodox Church in Russia with interest, and we give thanks for the fruits that it is producing, especially in parish and monastic life and the service of the poor.   We Catholics are convinced that we have much to learn and to gain by experience from the Orthodox Churches.  Would I dare to say that our own experience of a faith lived in a very different situation must not fail to interest you?

Beatitude, we are about to hear together the proclamation of the same Gospel, we will each pray in our tradition the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples.  We will bless the Christians brought together in this brotherly meeting.  How could we not be inspired by the prayer of Jesus himself before his Passion: "That they may be one as we are one"?

+ Andre VINGT-TROIS, Archbishop of Paris

Address by His Beatitude Alexis II:

Your Excellency, Archbishop André Vingt-Trois, Bishops, dear fathers, brothers and sisters, I would like, first of all, to express my gratitude to you,  Archbishop André Vingt-Trois, for your invitation to visit your cathedral and to venerate one of the most significant relics of the Christian world - Our Lord Jesus Christ’s crown of thorns.  Thank you too for allowing the Orthodox Christians to pray here regularly.

The Savior’s death and resurrection opened the gates of eternal life to us, where, according to the expression of an ancient liturgical chant, there "is neither pain, nor sadness, nor moaning."  Even if the world surrounding us is fraught with vain and false idols, even if it is full of affliction, despair and sorrow, we know that the gates of Heaven are open to us, and we invite everyone to enter there, answering God’s invitation: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.”  That call is given to every man and to all people.  Thanks be to God that it has been heard by many people throughout the course of European Church history.  Millions of men and women still answer it today.

The time has come for us to combine our efforts to face the new challenges of the present world.  We, the Christians, must find the opportunity to testify together to the Truth of the Gospel and to eternal ethical values.  Indeed, we see that present day society, losing ethical benchmarks and following false values, is becoming increasingly inhumane and cruel, generating multiple conflicts and oppositions, as much between people as between communities and people.  That is why I address to you today, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, with a deep concern and awareness of our common responsibility before God for our present world’s situation.

This cathedral is the true heart of Paris and of all France.  For centuries, its ancient walls witnessed many historical tribulations during which it seemed that iniquity triumphed and that evil won.  However, each time, the relic preserved here expressed the power of God.  I deeply hope that this cathedral will be not only the symbol of your country’s past, and your people’s past, but also the symbol of their future.

Benefiting from the hospitality of the honorable Archbishop of Paris, I would like to address some words to the Orthodox bishops, priests and faithful gathered together this evening to pray together before this relic.  In the 20th century, divine providence brought to France people from various Orthodox countries: from Russia, Greece, the Ukraine, Bellorussia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova . . . The history of this emigration has been such that several dioceses and many parishes were created, springing from local Orthodox Churches.  The diversity of the Orthodox presence in France is both a special richness and, at the same time, a responsibility.

It is a richness, because the canonical and spiritual link with the mother Churches allows their faithful living in the West to grow within the Orthodox tradition, relying on their own culture and language.  The diversity of traditions and their mutual exchange makes it possible to enrich our lives and ministries.

It is a responsibility because you are called to creatively combine the various traditions and to reinforce Orthodox unity in France, without neglecting the characteristics of this or that part of the Orthodox people from various homelands living in this country.

Your Excellency, dear Archbishop André Vingt-Trois, honorable bishops and pastors, dear brothers and sisters, I am sincerely happy that the Lord has allowed me to visit France and to meet you today.  I wish you all, dear colleagues, to grow "in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to him be glory now and to the day of eternity."

Alexis II's Address Before the Counsel of Europe

On Tuesday, October 2, Alexis II (also called "Alexy II" or "Alexei II" in English), the Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and All of Russia, addressed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, as mentioned in a previous post.

An English translation of the address is available on the Council of Europe website. 
Here is an excerpt:

"It was upon this basis of traditional morality and respect for each other’s social models and lifestyle that various religious traditions coexisted in Russia, where no wars of religion were ever known. Now too, our church keeps strengthening peace between the faiths through developing an efficient dialogue and cooperation with other traditional religious communities in Russian and other CIS countries.

"As we all know, Europe and the whole world are today threatened with the extremists and terrorists many of whom wear religious disguises. These destructive forces grow on the soil of religious ignorance and moral scarcity. Therefore I strongly believe that younger generations should have access, if they will, to in-depth study their religious tradition in school. They also need basic knowledge of other faiths since it lays foundation for living together peacefully."

The Council of Europe, founded in 1949, has 47 member countries.  As stated on its website, its objectives include the protection of human rights, pluralistic democracy, and the rule of law, among other things.  One of its foremost achievements was the creation of the European Court of Human Rights.  The Council's website also offers a Video of the address (playable on Windows Media Player -- if the link here does not work, a link may still be available on the Council of Europe home page) and a photo gallery.

The Patriarch of Moscow in Paris

Asia News has an article today about the visit of the Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow, Alexis II, to Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There is much available from the French news coverage on La-Croix and the blog of Patrice de Plunkett.  The French translations of his addresses at the Council of Europe and at Notre Dame Cathedral and a video of a press conference can be found on those sites.  I am planning to do an English translation of the addresses over the week-end unless I find translations from other sources before then.

This Year's Red Mass

This past Sunday and Monday, September 30 and October 1, the "Red Mass" was celebrated, which is also known as the "Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit."

The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog on September 28 discussed the meaning of the Red Mass, held the Sunday before the U.S. Supreme Court opens the new year's sessions.  It is a Mass to pray for justices, judges and attorneys. 

The Cathedral of St. Matthew website explains the purpose of the annual Mass:

"The 'Red Mass,' celebrated annually in the fall, requests guidance from the Holy Spirit for the conduct of the legal profession. It is attended by Supreme Court justices and members of Congress, the Cabinet, diplomatic corps, and other government departments, sometimes including the President of the United States." 

An article from October, 1928, on the Time Magazine website, mentions the first Red Mass in the U.S., held that year.  Before 1928, the Red Mass was celebrated in England and France.  It is now celebrated in dioceses throughout the U.S.

The Washington Times reported on Monday about the Red Mass celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington, D.C., attended by 6 of the 9 U.S. Supreme Court Justices.  In addition to the 5 Catholic justices, the Mass was attended by Justice Stephen G. Breyer, who is Jewish.  Zenit posted the text of the homily by  Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan at the Red Mass in Washington.  His topic was "The American Project: To Live Out the Consequences of Humanism."  Zenit also had an article about that Mass.  Here is an excerpt from Archbishop Dolan's homily:

"Ideas have consequences, don't they? Convictions have corollaries. And God's Word today, from Genesis and St. John, enchants us with one of the most profound ideas, one of the most noble convictions, of all: that we are made in God's image and likeness, that God actually abides in us, and we in Him, that deep in our being is the very breath of the divine."

In the U.K., Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor celebrated the Red Mass on Monday, October 1, in Westminster Cathedral.  An article is available on the Archdiocese of Westminster website and  Independent Catholic News.  I did not find a complete transcript of that homily.  According to the articles, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor spoke of St. Thomas More, an attorney, saying:

"Being a martyr today may well mean, firstly, having the wisdom to recognise when choices have to be made between sticking to the values of the legal system and witnessing to the values of the Kingdom of heaven and, secondly, having the courage to live with the consequences of being 'the King's good servant, but God's first' as St. Thomas More said on the scaffold."

He also spoke of the little way of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, whose feast day was the same day, saying:

"It is difficult to bear witness to Christ without an interior spiritual life, of day by day prayer, self sacrifice and reading the word of God."

California Supreme Court Will Review Episcopal Church Cases on Ownership of Parish Property

The Supreme Court of the State of California issued its order today granting review of the Court of Appeals decision in a group of cases known as "The Episcopal Church Cases."  The key issue in those cases is the ownership of the property of parishes in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, California that decided to leave the Episcopal Church.  The Supreme Court's decision (which may not be issued until a year or more from now) is expected to clarify the law applicable to the ownership of parish property in the State of California. 

The Episcopal Church Cases, and the anticipated Supreme Court decision, could potentially impact Catholic parishes, particularly any unresolved liability or property issues related to clergy sex abuse cases.  That is so because the existing Court of Appeal opinion in the Episcopal Church Cases (Download the Opinion Here.PDF ) applies a rule of law that is different from that applied by some other recent California cases on that issue. 

Now that the State Supreme Court has accepted the cases for review, the Court of Appeal decision cannot be cited as law.  That may prompt some trial court judges who receive new cases on the issue of ownership of parish property to postpone ruling on the matter until the State Supreme Court decides what law applies.

The Supreme Court's acceptance of the issue for review may also pose an interesting issue for any California diocese in a bankruptcy proceeding, although that may be unlikely now that both Los Angeles and San Diego have reached settlements.  Federal courts (including bankruptcy courts) ruling on issues of state law are usually bound to apply the rule that they believe the state supreme court would follow.  Thus, the California Supreme Court's acceptance of the issue for review creates the potential that an uncertain issue of California law will be made clear within a year or so.  Some bankruptcy court judges faced with the issue of which properties are assets of a diocese or parish estate would also delay ruling on the matter until the State Supreme Court issues its opinion.

California law concerning the ownership of parish property is presently uncertain, based upon inconsistent court decisions from different California appellate courts.  Moreover, the significance of incorporating an individual parish is somewhat uncertain, in that a state statute applicable to church corporations treats them differently from corporations formed for business purposes.  As a result, inconsistent characterizations of who owns parish property would naturally follow from inconsistent understandings of state law as well as from the inconsistency in the factual understanding of various individuals managing the assets.

In the Episcopal Church Cases, the trial court judges held that the individual parishes own their parish property, based upon court of appeal decisions dating back to 1979 that applied a four-factor analysis examining title; articles of incorporation; a church's constitution, canons and rules; and state statutes.  That was called a "neutral principles analysis."

However, the Court of Appeal in the Episcopal Church Cases unanimously reversed those trial court decisions, holding that the diocese owns the property as trustee, holding it in trust for the parishes under Episcopal Church canon law.  The Court of Appeal based its reversal upon an older line of decisions which it held is still good law.  Under that Court of Appeal decision and the cases on which it relied, where a "general church" has a "governing instrument" that provides for an express trust on the property of local parish corporations who are members of the general church, that governing instrument will be enforced.  Because Episcopal Church canon law provides that the bishop holds title to the property in trust for the parish, the Court of Appeals held the parish property to be the property of the bishop, as trustee, in trust for the parishes.  Thus, the Court of Appeal held that the individual parishes could not take their property and leave the Episcopal Church.

That court also stated that the "neutral principles analysis," where applied, had prompted courts to come to various decisions that were difficult to reconcile with each other.  The Court of Appeal opinion highlighted the differences in various California cases, as well as a change in statute, that have left uncertainty concerning the ownership of parish property.  The Supreme Court, when it issues its future decision in this case, is expected to clarify the state law, thus giving churches a more definite idea of who owns parish real and personal property -- something that is presently unclear.

The Catholic Church has not yet taken a position in the Episcopal Church Cases.  The Church, and various Catholic organizations, could potentially file amicus briefs in the California Supreme Court in recognition of the fact that the eventual Supreme Court opinion will probably affect Catholic parishes and dioceses too.  For now, the Court of Appeals decision cannot be cited as legal authority under California law, and the ownership of parish property under California law will remain somewhat uncertain until the Supreme Court issues its decision.

Sydney Travel Links and Tips

This is a photo of a dive boat I spent 2 nights on during a trip to Australia several years ago.  It is a memory that comes back to mind as I think of World Youth Day 2008 which will be in Sydney from July 15 to 20.  Actually, this sailboat was on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, which would take you an additional flight from Sydney.

I had wanted to learn to dive before the trip, but old scar tissue in my ears made it impossible, and I snorkeled while the others I was traveling with dove.  I was a pretty good swimmer, and I was thankful to have had a very calm sea while we were there.  From this particular boat to the snorkeling area, I had to swim across an area where the ocean was quite deep.  I can't remember now whether it was 50 or 100 feet deep, but it doesn't make much difference if you are 5 feet tall!  Anyway, the sea was very, very smooth those two days, smoother than it had been for a long time, we were told, and I had little trouble with it.  Even snorkeling, I could see a lot of coral reef, fish, and other critters from the snorkeling area along the reef, a good distance from the coast. 

Before that dive boat, I spent a day on a much larger boat with a snorkeling area that was right next to the boat and shallow, not far from Cairns, but there was less coral and few fish to be seen in the more heavily used snorkeling area used by the larger tour boat.

While in Sydney, I had the chance to go to Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral, which has a wonderful choir and was one of the high points of the trip.   The Australian Ballet at the Opera House was another, with the ballet dancing together with an aboriginal dance company in one of the performances that I saw.  And the Sydney Zoo.  As for the beaches, I really liked Manly Beach, but I do not know what it would be like there during the winter.  It is a short ferry ride from Sidney, 7 miles away, with shops and restaurants along the wharf and a beautiful beach.  You get a good view of Sydney Harbor and the Opera House from the ferry traveling toward Manly.

If you are traveling half way around the world for World Youth Day, think about staying over a few extra days to see more of Australia before the long flight home.  If you want to see the Great Barrier Reef and are not already a good swimmer or diver, now would be a good time to start working on swimming and diving classes, as well as a good time to get your passport application in.  Keep in mind that July is winter in Australia, and the average climate in Sydney in July is a high for the day of 61 degrees F, with average monthly rainfall of 5 inches of rain.  All months have excellent diving.  In July, you might even think of packing your skis and snowboards and taking your youth group snowboarding in New Zealand instead of diving, so you have choices to consider before you book the flight.

I already posted links for World Youth Day and the Cathedral in earlier posts: World Youth Day Theme Song, Cross and Icon, World Youth Day Sydney 2008 - and the Cathedral Music, and World Youth Day Sydney Video.

Here are a few links for other things to think about having your family or church youth group include during your trip to Australia:

St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney

Toronga Zoo, Sydney

Manly Beach

Sydney Opera House

Cairns sailing, snorkeling, diving - a dive boat company with sailboats (a 3-hour flight from Sydney - I am not at all sure this is the company I went with.)

Down Under Dive -- another dive boat company from Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef (a 3-hour flight from Sydney - I still have a brochure from this company, and I think the larger boat I was on for one day might have been theirs, but not the sailboat shown.)

New Zealand Ski/Board Information (Ski season is roughly late June to October) (a 3-hour flight from Sydney)

Australia/New Zealand for Visitors (about.com)

Lonely Planet Travel Guide - Sydney

Lonely Planet Sydney Map

Fodor's Online Sydney Travel Guide

Sydney Ferries

Sydney Metro and Monorail

Quantas Airways

Vanishing Arabia: Changing Demographics and the Catholic Church in Arabia

In an earlier post, "Vanishing England": Changing Demographics and the Catholic Church in the U.S. and England, I wrote about the increasing numbers of Muslims and Catholics in the United States and England.  In both countries, increasing numbers of Catholics are immigrating from other parts of the world.  The Church faces the prospect of assisting those people in understanding and adapting to American and English culture.

Today, Sandro Magister posted an article about the immigration of Catholics to and from traditionally Muslim countries, primarily Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  Magister's article is titled The Christians Are Coming Back to Arabia -- Fourteen Centuries After Mohammad.

Only three months ago, the Holy See established diplomatic relations with the U.A.E.  However, Magister reports, as Christians are fleeing Lebanon, Iraq and the Holy Land, and Christianity faces potential extinction in those countries, Christian immigrants now comprise some 35% of the population of the U.A.E.  Almost all of the U.A.E.'s citizens are Muslim, but immigrants now make up about 70% of the population, and half of those immigrants are Christian immigrants from Arab countries, Pakistan, the Philippines, India and Bangladesh.  The Christians are predominately Catholic.  Moreover, Saudi Arabia now has an immigrant population of about 1 million Catholics immigrating from the Philippines.

Magister's article considers the situation facing the new Catholic populations of those Muslim countries and the changing face of the Church as Catholic refugees live in poverty in large numbers in countries that are enjoying rapid economic growth.  The Catholics in those countries are largely low paid manual labor.  Says Magister:

"They are the new poor of Dubai and its surroundings. Few of them make more than 200 dollars a month, and they work an average of 10-12 hours a day, six days a week, in temperatures that can reach 50C (122F). They live in suburb-dormitories that are as large as cities, but completely devoid of services."

The Catholic Church is often seen as wealthy and powerful, an image based on architecture and artwork that it holds, largely from past centuries.  However, the present face of the Church includes Catholic immigrants motivated by poverty and persecution to move to predominately Arab lands where they work at low paying jobs with no potential to become permanent residents. 

The previous post here mentioned the increasing need for the Catholic Church to assist its immigrant members.  in the U.S., the Catholic Church still has an image based upon prosperous Irish and Italian immigrant families although it now includes a large percentage of poor Hispanic immigrants.  In England, the  Catholic Church now rivals the Church of England in size and includes a large percentage of immigrants from other parts of Europe and elsewhere.  The Catholic Church in our countries may be better positioned than government to interact with those people and to help them adapt to their newfound homes.

Magister's post today considers the newly forming face of the Catholic Church in traditionally Muslim countries, where an even greater challenge faces the Church today.  There, it is a different kind of challenge, where Catholics are becoming a large population in countries with few Christian citizens, and assimilation into the general population may not be possible at the present time.

Merton College, Oxford: Learning the Extraordinary Form of the Mass

The Latin Mass Society today completes a training conference in the Latin Extraordinary Form of the Mass at Merton College, Oxford.  The conference started on Tuesday.  A very short YouTube video from the conference, posted 5 hours ago, is shown here.

The French Schola Sainte Cécile is at the conference and has posted photos on its website from Wednesday evening's Vespers of St. Augustine and from yesterday's Solemn Mass for the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, and pontifical vespers.  One of the photos shows the BBC camera, as the event made the TV news.  The Oxford Events blog previously posted information about some events that were open to the public.  Shawn Tribe, at The New Liturgical Movement, also has two posts with photos.  If I find an embeddable video in the next couple of days, I will add it here.

This is not the first time instruction in the traditional Latin form has been offered at Merton College.  Notably, the 11th annual CIEL International Colloquium on the Roman liturgical tradition was held there in August, 2006, reported by Shawn Tribe.  That 2006 colloquium included Masses from both the 1962 and 1970 Missels, in Latin and ad orientum.

In the U.S., the Events Calendar for Church Music Association of America includes several upcoming events related to the Latin Mass and Gregorian chant, including a Symposium on the Motu Proprio offered in Stamford, Connecticut on September 14-15.  A Seminar in the Sung Mass for Celebrants is scheduled for October 17-19 in Chicago, which will include both the Novus Ordo in Latin (from Solesmes) and the Extraordinary Form (1962).

"Vanishing England": Changing Demographics and the Catholic Church in the U.S. and England

Cal Thomas today wrote an op ed piece for Tribune Media Services called "Vanishing England" about the changes in U.K. and U.S. culture caused by "the reluctance of both countries to inculcate the beliefs, history and, yes, religious ideals" during a time when populations are changing:

"The figures, making headlines in London newspapers, tell only part of the story. Between June 2005 and June 2006 nearly 200,000 British citizens chose to leave the country for a new life elsewhere. During the same period, at least 574,000 immigrants came to Britain. This number does not include the people who broke the law to get there, or the thousands unknown to the government."

Read all.

While the "Vanishing England" editorial specifically mentioned the impact of Muslim immigrants in the U.K., Ruth Gledhill reported in Times on Line on February 15, 2007 that Catholics are set to pass Anglicans as the leading U.K. church because of migration into the U.K. by Catholics from other parts of the world.  At the same time, membership in the Church of England is declining.  A report by the Von Hugel Institute at Cambridge, she said, "calls on the Catholic hierarchy to act urgently to help the migrants and their hard-pressed clergy by investing thousands of pounds in new resources."

In parts of the United States, immigration is also an issue although not to the extent described in England.  In San Diego County, the county's overall population has more than doubled in 25 years, with only part of the increase being from Hispanic immigrants, and one-third of the county's residents are expected to be Hispanic by the year 2020.  That is according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.  According to the University of San Diego Center for the Study of Latino/a Catholicism, "Nearly one half of all U.S. Roman Catholics are Latinos/as, and their proportional representation will only continue to increase within the Church."  The Diocese of San Diego urrently has an Office for Multicultural Affairs with an interest in Catholic Masses and cultural events for different languages and nationalities, and an Office for Hispanic Affairs with a specific interest in the Hispanic Catholic population of the diocese.

Sandro Magister Profiles Fr. David Barsotti

Sandro Magister today profiles Dave Barsotti, a Prophet for Today's Church, a man he says was "decades ahead in anticipating the main features of the current pontificate."  Communion and Liberation dedicated an exhibit to him at this year's international conference, held this month.  He was "a priest, a theologian, the founder of the Community of the Children of God, and an extraordinary mystic and spiritual master."  He read the Resourcement theologians, and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was one of his two favorite candidates for the papacy.  Magister shows how Barsotti's writing and thinking bore much similarity to that of Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.  Fr. Barsotti died on February 15, 2006 at the age of 92.

From Fr. Barsotti's last public writing, a commentary on a book written in 2006, Magister offers this quotation from his work:

"I see the Church's progress beginning from here, from the return of holy Truth as the basis of every action. The peace promised by Christ, freedom, love are the goals that every man must attain, but he may reach them only after constructing the foundation of truth and the pillars of faith."

Bishop Wenski of Orlando on Progress Against Sex Abuse

Catholic News Agency yesterday posted an article by Bishop Thomas Wenski of the Diocese of Orlando, Florida about the Progress Against Sex Abuse in the Catholic Church during the 5 years since the Boston Globe broke the story.

True Friendship with Christ Is Expressed in How We Live

In his words before praying the Angelus today, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of today's Gospel reading (Luke 13:22-30) in which Jesus said, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough."  He said that the way of eternal life is open to all, but no one is privileged; "it requires commitment, abnegation, a mortification of our own ego."

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

Here is an excerpt from Teresa Benedetta's translation:

True friendship with Christ is expressed in how we live: it is expressed with goodness of heart, with humility, kindness and mercy, love for justice and truth, sincere and honest commitment to peace and reconciliation.

This, we might say, is the 'identity card' that qualifies us as authentic 'friends' of Christ. This is the 'passport' that will allow us to enter into eternal life.

Etiquette for Mass

Fr. Jim Tucker has an excellent post at Dappled Things with rules of etiquette for Mass.  His rules are helpful for lifelong Catholics as well as for non-Catholics who are planning to visit a Catholic parish and want to know what they should do and for Catholics from other countries who plan to visit an American church during their vacation.  And some of the rules are funny.  Hat tip to Elena Maria Vidal at Tea at Trianon.

Criminal Pedophiles: The Poor of Our Society?

French blogger and journalist Patrice de Plunkett had an interesting perspective today on Christianity and criminal pedophiles.  The post does not mention the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in the U.S., but it raises an interesting issue.  Here is Patrice de Plunkett's post in my translation:

Criminals pedophiles: "The poor of our Society"?

How can we "do good also to the bad"?

One of you writes to us that the criminal pedophile must pay his debt to justice, but that "he is not an extraterrestrial;" he also, and in a certain way, is one of the "poor of our society." *

The idea can be shocking.  If it is carefully examined, its truth can be seen (but by nuancing the angles of application).

Concerning the criminal pedophile, psychiatrists agree: A therapeutic discrimination is necessary, so that he ceases harming and being harmed.

The judges also agree: He must pay his debt.

But, while satisfying his obligations as a convict and as a patient, he is a human being.  Christians are especially called to think of it, because their faith requires from them a certain form of non-discrimination: The sun shines on the bad as on the good.

Not to be good only to the good... The Gospel makes that a duty.  To be good also toward the bad?  Christians have never been at ease with that commandment.  They have two ways of cheating: a) to fall into an inexcusable complacency that forgets the victims of perverts; b) to take refuge behind “strictness" and the "rejection of laxity," forgetting to shine Christ also on the bad.

Hence this unending search: "Christian morals."  It is not a code but a walk with Christ, from age to age, among new problems.

____

(*)   A society part of the scope of which is marketing porn, with frightening effects on deviants.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus: See Everything In the Light of Christ

In his weekly General Audience today, Pope Benedict XVI continued with his teaching on August 8 about St. Gregory Nazianzen.  Last week, he spoke of the saint's education, life of prayer and love for solitude.  This week, he spoke of some of his teachings and his talents as a great writer. 

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

Here is an excerpt from the Pope's synthesis in English at the end of his catechesis:

"Gregory often stresses our Christian responsibility to imitate God’s goodness and love through charity and solidarity with others, especially the sick and those in need. He also speaks eloquently of the importance of prayer, in which we see everything in the light of Christ, are immersed in God’s truth and inflamed by his love."

The Knights of Columbus Convention

Cardinal Seán's Blog has much coverage of this past week's Knights of Columbus Convention in Nashville, with photos and texts of two addresses. 

The first few photos in the post are from a Family Day for seminarians in Boston, which he attended before the convention.  From the convention, he has many photos, including several photos of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's Secretary of State.  Cardinal Bertone made his first trip to the United States to attend the convention.  Cardinal Bertone's homily at Mass was in Italian, with English translation as he spoke.

Cardinal O'Malley provides the text of Cardinal Bertone's address to the assembly the following day, which emphasized the role of the laity.   His topic was "Faith in Action: Witnessing to the 'Yes' of Jesus Christ," reflecting on the importance of that "Yes" of the Church's lay faithful.  Here is an excerpt from that address:

"Through Christ’s passion, death, resurrection and ascension, he has renewed the face of the earth; but — as is evident in the words he speaks in the Gospel of Saint John — the “world” still “has not known” Christ, and in fact often “hates” Christ. It is no surprise then that Christians often encounter resistance, opposition, and even persecution in the world. Pope Benedict reminds us that the only possible response for a Christian in the face of rejection is love — a response made possible for us through the grace of Christ. Because God’s very existence is love, love is the very essence of the Christian life. The universal call to holiness is about patiently, deliberately, and “programmatically” sharing this love with the world. It is for this reason that the metaphor of “leaven” — used by our Lord and adopted at the Second Vatican Council — so aptly describes the concrete reality of living as a Christian in this world: the work of Christians is often hidden, but nonetheless steady and consistent, causing the entire dough to rise."

He also provides the text of a portion of Carl Anderson's report about responsible citizenship and the Knights' commitment to pro-life causes and the defense of marriage.

English language transcripts of Cardinal Bertone's addresses to the Knights of Columbus can be found at the Knights of Columbus website.

Cardinal Lustiger Rest in Peace

Updated August 11.

The La Croix article about Cardinal Lustiger's funeral Mass reports that the Mass was concelebrated by 500 priests, 50 bishops, and 16 cardinals, with Archbishop Vingt-Trois presiding.  French President Sarkozy interrupted his vacation to attend.  About 3,000 people attended inside the cathedral, with another 2,000 gathered in the square, where the Mass was broadcast on a large screen. 

The video of the funeral can be viewed online from the KTO archives, by clicking here: http://www.ktotv.com/videos/mgrlustiger_funerailles.ram, or from the KTO website.

The service began outside, in the square of Notre Dame Cathedral.  Six seminarians carried the coffin into the square.  In honor of the Jewish birth of Cardinal Lustiger, who converted to Catholicism at the age of 14, Jewish elements were added to the service on the square of the cathedral, before his coffin was carried inside the cathedral for the Christian funeral liturgy.  His great grand nephew Jonas Moses-Lustiger, wearing a traditional Jewish kippa, poured soil from the Holy Land into a small bowl on the coffin.  He then read Psalm 113.  The Cardinal's cousin Arno Lustiger then briefly recounted the Cardinal's family history and read the traditional Jewish Kaddish.

The Pope's message was read by the Pope's representative Cardinal Paul Poupard.  He honored Cardinal Lustiger's work in Jewish-Catholic relations, work he did with the encouragement and support of Pope John Paul II, "decisive acts that perhaps only he could undertake." He called the Cardinal "a great figure of the Church, respected by all."

Maurice Duron, the perpetual secretary of the prestigious Académie Française, which counted Cardinal Lustiger among its members, called him a "man above men" and "the Jewish Cardinal."  He stated that the announcement of Cardinal Lustiger's death "has taken on an importance more vast and more significant each hour, as if his human form somewhat concealed his greatness."

At the end of the Mass, Cardinal Lustiger's coffin was carried to the Archbishops' Crypt, where he was laid to rest.

A plaque was placed at his grave with verse that he wrote himself.  The original French verse is available from La Croix.  Here is an English translation by me:

I was born Jewish.
I received the name
Of my paternal great-grandfather, Aron.
Becoming Christian
By faith and baptism,
I remained Jewish
As did the Apostles.
I have for patron saints
Aaron the Great Priest,
St. John the Apostle,
St. Mary full of grace.
Named 139th archbishop of Paris
By His Holiness Pope John Paul II,
I was enthroned in this cathedral
On February 27, 1981.
From then, I exercised all of my ministry there.
Those who pass, pray for me.
† Aron Jean-Marie Lustiger
Archbishop of Paris

See the August 9 update for more information about the funeral.

Updated August 9.

New information has been announced regarding tomorrow's funeral Mass for Cardinal Lustiger.  French Cardinal Paul Poupard will represent Pope Benedict XVI at the funeral and will read a message from the Pope.  Archbishop Vingt-Trois, who is Cardinal Lustiger's successor as Archbishop of Paris, will preside and will deliver the homily.  Numerous other European bishops, archbishops and cardinals will participate, together with representatives from the Eastern Rite and from Jewish communities.  At Cardinal Lustiger's request, traditional prayers for the dead will be prayed during the Mass, including the traditional Jewish Kaddish. 

The Mass will be broadcast on a large screen outside of Notre Dame for those who wish to attend and are not able to be inside the Cathedral. 

Among the late Cardinal's family members participating,  Jonas Moses-Lustiger will read Psalm 113 first in Hebrew and then in French.  Arno Lustiger will say the Kaddish.

After the Mass, Cardinal Lustiger's body will be accompanied to the archbishops' vault, where he will be laid to rest with his predecessors.  Since the 17th century, the archbishops of Paris have been laid to rest in that same crypt, closed to the public, beneath the choir of the cathedral.  (Source: Eucharistie Miséricordeuse) 

____________________________

The following was gradually expanded from Sunday, August 5, through Wednesday, August 8.  I gradually cleaned it up to read well, but it still may be a bit awkward because of the daily additions and changes:

KTO has prepared a special short memorial video.  If the link does not open the video in your video player, watch from the KTO website.

Cardinal Aaron Jean-Marie Lustiger the former archbishop of Paris, died of cancer Sunday at the age of 80.  There are French language articles at Le Figaro and La Croix.  English language articles are available from BBC News, AFP, and the New York Times.  The New York Times article is interesting for its particular interest in Cardinal Lustiger's Polish Jewish heritage.   La Croix reports that he died at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Maison Médicale Jeanne-Garnier in Paris.

His funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday morning at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  KTO French Catholic TV -- a network created by Cardinal Lustiger's initiative in 1999 -- will broadcast the Mass live and also plans to broadcast several other programs in tribute to the Cardinal.   A schedule of related TV specials is available on the Diocese of Paris website.  From the KTO page on specials related to Cardinal Lustiger, click on a broadcast, and then click on the link "regarder l'émission" or "regarder la video" to watch.  KTO's internet broadcasts are regularly available live on line and then available on demand in archives a few hours, or sometimes a day, later.  The archives remain available for at least a couple of weeks and often much longer.

Friday's Mass will surely be well worth watching for the beauty of the liturgy and music even if you do not understand French.  Here is the schedule for live broadcasts on KTO in Paris time and also Eastern and Pacific:

Monday 6 August: Mass from Notre-Dame at 21h30 (9:30 p.m. Paris, 3:30 p.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. Pacific).

Tuesday 9 August 17h45 - 18h15 (5:45 to 6:15 p.m. Paris, 11:45 a.m. Eastern, 8:45 a.m. Pacific): a half hour of prayer in the chapel of rest

Friday 10 August 10h00 (10:00 a.m. Paris, 4:00 a.m. Eastern, 1:00 a.m. Pacific): Funeral Mass at Notre Dame

Friday 10 August 20h50 (8:30 p.m. Paris, 2:30 p.m. Eastern, 11:30 a.m. Pacific): Special Broadcast

The Holy Father's telegram of condolence is published in Italian by the Vatican Press Office.  Teresa Benedetta has an English translation at Papa Ratzinger Forum. 

The Diocese of Paris has set up a page for condolences where anyone can post a message.  (Don't hesitate to post in English of course.)

La Croix now has a page with a  Dossier on Cardinal Lustiger in French, including  information about the Cardinal; eulogies from the Pope, Archbishop Vingt-Trois, representatives of other religions, political leaders, and others; links to some of his writings online in French; links to audio and video of the Cardinal; and  articles about the Cardinal from the La Croix news archives.

The Passionist blogger at Laus Crucis posted a personal memorial to the Cardinal, having been a parish priest in his diocese for 7 years.

George Weigel posted a eulogy at First Things.

There are more blogger tributes at Insight Scoop, Eagle and Elephant, and Patrice de Plunkett (in French, from the former editor-in-chief of Le Figaro). Gerald is blogging some of the news articles (including Jewish tributes) at The Cafeteria Is Closed.

Cardinal Lustiger was born in Paris in 1926 to a Polish Jewish family.  He learned of Nazism during a visit to Germany in 1937.   When he decided to become Catholic, he chose the names "Jean-Marie" (the French equivalent to John Mary).  In 1943, his mother was deported to Auschwitz, where she died.   

He studied literature at the Sorbonne and received his theological education from the Seminaire des Carmes at the Institut Catholique of Paris.  He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1954.  In 1979, he was briefly bishop of Orleans before Pope John Paul II named him the new archbishop of Paris in early 1981.    He was instrumental in creating Paris' outstanding Radio Notre Dame in 1991 and Catholic television station KTO in 1999.  He was elected to the Académie Française in 1995.  In 1999, he received the Nostra Aetate Award for advancing Catholic-Jewish relations from the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.  In February, 2005, he retired as Archbishop of Paris.  He was thought by some people to be a possible successor to Pope John Paul II, as mentioned in this April 2005 article.

His successor, the current Archbishop André Vingt-Trois, issued a statement, discussed in another La Croix article. He said that he had lost "a father, a brother, and a friend."  He stated that the past few weeks had been particularly difficult for the Cardinal.  Their country is losing a great figure  who "held a special place in our society and in the intellectual debates of our time, notably for his participation in the Académie Française."  Abp. Vingt-Trois received his episcopal consecration from Cardinal Lustiger, and was vicar general of Paris and later auxiliary bishop of Paris before becoming Archbishop of Tours.  In February 2005, he succeeded Cardinal Lustiger as Archbishop of Paris.

Cardinal Lustiger wrote a number of books about the Catholic faith.  The Diocese of Paris website has a bibliography of his books published in French.  His books available in English include: