Should we try to make others Catholic? New CDF document

A new document from the Holy See's Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in response to some recent confusion regarding the need to promote full communion with the Catholic faith/Church in evangelization efforts.

In the recent past Cardinal Kasper has made some controversial remarks regarding whether it is a moral imperative to promote conversion to the Catholic Church...

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/
documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20071203_nota-evangelizzazione_en.html

The Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church: an explanation

I am trying to catch up on some posts, so this is rather an old issue by now, but it is still worth a post. I found this article in "The Link" newsletter of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women (Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa) [vol. 50 no. 3, Summer issue 2007]. I find this explanation by Fr. Jerry Kopacek of St. Edward parish in Waterloo, IA. to be a good one.
_________________________________________________________

"The new document goes on to explain how the Catholic Church uses the word 'church' in a rather technical or theological sense to refer to a Christian community that has preserved apostolic succession and all seven sacraments (in particular, the Eucharist and the ordained priesthood)."

In July of this year, the Vatican (specifically, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) issued a statement having to do with the Catholic Church's understanding of herself as Church and her relationship with other Christian churches and communities. The document's lengthy title is "Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine of the Church" [http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/
cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_
responsa-quaestiones_en.html ]
and it was released with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. From the reports of the secular media and from the reaction of some of our non-Catholic brothers and sisters, you might get the impression that the Church is saying that all non-Catholisc are unimportant or cannot be saved.

The truth, of course, is something entirely different. This new statement simply restates and clarifies a document from the same Congregation in the year 2000 on the same subject-[ Dominus Iesus, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/
cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000806_dominus-iesus_en.html ] that document in turn was based largely on the documents of the Second Vatican Council. The issue at hand is the Catholic Church's doctrine and understanding of herself as Church. This new document reminds us that Jesus established only one church when He lived on this earth, the one Church of which He is head. And to that one Church Jesus entrusted the various elements, teachings and practices that were to be taught to and lived by His followers. These elements include all the seven sacraments Jesus instituted and which are transmitted and carried on through the Church's life and history by means of apostolic succession--through the apostles and their successors (the bishops) in a constant and unbroken line up to our own time. Because of that apostolic succession, the Catholic Church has been able to preserve the faith and the sacramental life in their fullness.

The new document goes on to explain how the Catholic Church uses the word "church" in a rather technical or theological sense to refer to a Christian community that has preserved apostolic succession and all seven sacraments (in particular, the Eucharist and the ordained priesthood). Thus, the various eastern Orthodox Churches (Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, etc.) are true 'churches' in this sense since they have that succession and thus have preserved all the sacraments. We are unable, however, to share full communion with the Orthodox churches since they do not accept the role and authority of the pope as the successor of St. Peter as we do. The various Protestant communities, on the other hand, do not have and do not claim apostolic succession and thus do not have the priesthood or the Eucharist as the Catholic Church understands and lives out those sacraments. Because of those circumstances, those communities are not 'churches'--again, using the techinical or theological definition of the term. They certainly are, however, our brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we share belief in Jesus as lord and Savior and with whom we rejoice in our common baptism and reverence for the Sacred Scriptures as a vitally important element of the word of God. As the document says: "...these separated churches and communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact, the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation".

We need to thank God daily for the gift of our Catholic faith and Church; we need to thank God daily for the fact that Jesus loved us enough to establish the one Church as the means by which His truth and His gospel could be preserved, known, taught and transmitted throughout the world and throughout history. How blessed and privileged we are to be members of the Body of Christ!
-Rev. Father Jerry Kopacek, St. Edward, Waterloo, IA

More Updates on Planned Parenthood's Invasion of Aurora, IL

Planned Parenthood is trying to set up shop (would be the largest abortion clinic in the U.S.) in the large Chicago suburb of Aurora, IL. A large number of people attended the city council meeting last night to stand up for life.

A friend of mine is currently a youth minister in Dekalb, IL but has spent the last few years serving as a youth minister at Holy Angels parish in Aurora. The following is her first hand account of the city council meeting that occurred last night:

So, ironically last night I didn't even speak. I showed up with another youth minister friend of mine. ... We got into the City Council room it was packed to the point that people were out in the hallway.

In the 26 years that my mother has been blessed with my existence, I have never ever been to a City Council meeting. So at first I thought wow, this is a lot of people, I wonder if this many people always show up? The first hour was all boring business stuff that you wonder why anyone really even has to care or vote about those things, but whatever. Then one of the alderman made a call to finish the meeting @ 9PM no matter what and that the first hour should only be Aurora residents. Another alderman, thankfully one from the Holy Angels district spoke up and said that they were there for the people and because of the people and it was unconstitutional to not allow people from other cities speak. Well they had a vote and we won by 1 alderman vote.

I stayed until midnight, but the meeting did not finish until 1:30AM. For the entire time that I was there, only 2 Pro Planned Parenthood representatives presented. Of course they were from NOW, one of the 3 most hated organizations on my list along with NARAL and PP. They were old biddies who were totally not in touch with reality. They claimed that we were all outsiders and extremists. Kinda funny, cause all night I only heard 3 people who were not from Aurora speak. After the one lady's stupid comments, every Pro-Lifer got up and said well, based on the fact that I have lived here in Aurora for 20, 50, or whatever amount of years I don't consider myself an outsider and as someone who has true concern for the protection of my family I don't consider myself a fanatic. The speakers were lawyers, teachers, moms, nurses, doctors. They represented multiple ethnicities, ages, and religions. However, they all stood together for the cause of Life. There were retired military veterans that got up and talked about their promise to protect every American citizen and they believed that to be born and unborn.

The one doctor I remember the most was a woman of African American descent and she was an OBGYN and she talked about all the women she continually treats from the after affects of abortions. She gave a powerful testament with graphic details of how she has found leftover baby body parts in women, and how women come in and will never be able to have children again. All kinds of sad stuff. But man she was Charismatic and a tough cookie who knew her stuff.

There were pastors and priests from every denomination there talking about how many women they had counseled. There were teenagers and young people who were awesome in their speeches. Honestly, I have to say it was truly the closest I have had to a spiritual experience without being in a real church. It was awesome.

And everyone of the speakers got up and pointed out the district they were from and the alderman and reminded them come election time they would remember how they voted on this issue. There were speakers who even challenged the council with asking them what kind of legacy would they be leaving if this is allowed.

Plus, another irony, the city's phrase all over the banners is, "Character counts". So everyone brought that phrase up and reminded the council about the lack of character Planned Parenthood had in coming into the community.

My name had still not been announced, which by midnight I decided I really just have to go home, because I do have work in the morning. Hence, I never spoke but really all the topics had been covered and it was just important to be a body who was present to prove that it wasn't just something a small group of people felt affected by. Regardless, all went well and it was a really cool experience.

I know that the mayor has agreed to an investigation, but hopefully he will do the independent investigation as we asked for, make the findings public, suspend PP from opening until the investigation is finished, and if they got into the community illegally revoke their license to be there. That is what the hope is, but for now all we can do is keep praying and hoping. I will keep you posted as I know more details. Thanks as always for all your prayers and support of me and for the cause of Life!

Love,Katie

__________________________________

Here is some news coverage:

Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news
/local/chi-abortion_protest_26aug26,1,7181765.story

Pro-life Blogger:

http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/
2007/08/prolife_protest_1.php

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/
2007/08/aurora-planned-.html

http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/
2007/08/did_planned_par_1.php

Rockford Observer (Catholic diocesan paper)-

http://observer.rockforddiocese.org/Archives/
August172007/Prayervigilsprotest
plannedparenthoodsite/tabid/583/Default.aspx

LifeSite News

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/aug/07082704.html

____________________________________

Other recent articles pertaining to abortion:

Vatican newspaper calls abortion "assasination":

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/aug/07082902.html

Vatican Talks of Eugenics Culture After Abortion of Wrong Twin:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/
comment/faith/article2343739.ece

An Appeal for Peace by Pope

http://www.asianews.it/
index.php?l=en&art=9891&size=A

Pray the Holy Rosary for peace in the world.

Pope Benedict XVI and the Latin Mass

Happy Easter - He is Risen! - Regina Caeli, Laetare, Alleluia!


I am very busy with work lately, otherwise I would try to post more items related to the Easter Octave. However, here is a little something...l


Time Magazine covers the latest on Pope Benedict XVI and movements to ease restriction on celebrating the traditional Latin Mass. For what it is worth, I add some of my own editorial comments after each paragraph (I write in BLUE):

A Step Backward for Pope Benedict?
Friday, Apr. 13, 2007 By JEFF ISRAELY/ROME in TIME magazine

Two years into his papacy, Benedict XVI may be about to reclaim his reputation as a no-holds-barred traditionalist. Thanks to Benedict's thoughtful manner, Church progressives had believed that the man who was once the hard-line Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger would cut some slack on areas of doctrinal contention — using his intellectual heft and traditional credentials as necessary cover to. But as Benedict turns 80 on April 16 and marks two years as Pope on April 18, the once hopeful progressives have all but given up their fantasy of Benedict the Reformer.

Did "progressives" actually think that "Benedict the Reformer" would "reform" the Church by "cutting some slack on areas of doctrinal contention." "Cutting some slack"... that sounds like something that an immature teenager asks his parents to do. God did not give the Pope--the vicar of Christ on earth--authority over the 1 billion some Catholics in the world so that he could "cut some slack" with regards to the truth. Pope Benedict takes another approach: he chooses to EMBRACE the truths of our faith, PROCLAIM them in all their beauty and splendor, DEFEND them against a world that is set against them, and TEACH and persuade his spiritual children so that they can do the same.


In the coming weeks, the Pope is expected to release a document that would allow the widespread return of the traditional Latin Mass, which was all but shelved with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s. Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone recently confirmed to Le Figaro newspaper that this motu proprio, or personal initiative of the Pontiff, will allow any priest to say the mass according to the old Tridentine rite (which is delivered in Latin with the priest facing the altar, his back to the congregation), rather than have to seek approval from the local bishop as is now required.

The author leaves out a lot of important points here. First, Pope John Paul II wrote an apostolic letter in 1988 entitled "Ecclesia Dei." In this letter the late pontiff stated that:

respect must everywhere be shown for the feelings of all those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition, by a wide and generous application of the directives already issued some time ago by the Apostolic See for the use of the Roman Missal according to the typical edition of 1962.

The entire document is available on the Vatican website:
www.vatican.va/roman_curia/
pontifical_commissions/ecclsdei/documents/hf_
jp-ii_motu-proprio_02071988_ecclesia-dei_en.html
Of course, the Pope also instituted a permanent pontifical commission also called "Ecclesia Dei" ( www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_
commissions/ecclsdei/documents/rc_com
_ecclsdei_pro_20051996_en.html ). (So, it is not accurate to attribute all of this recent movement with regards to a reconsideration of the Latin Mass just to Pope Benedict.) In many dioceses, the local bishop has not carried out this request of Pope John Paul II. Some bishops have either "ghetto-ized" the Latin Mass into select oratories or they have not applied the directives of Ecclesia Dei nor allowed for the Latin Mass with any generosity at all.

Eighteen months ago, one Rome-based progressive cleric had said he was "surprised to see that [Benedict] seems to be open to hear new ideas." But today, the same priest is disappointed. There has been no sign of any of the hoped-for reforms: overturning the ban on communion for divorced and remarried Catholics, reconsidering the celibacy requirement for priests, allowing gays in seminaries, or a softening of the condom ban to allow for distribution in AIDS-ravaged Africa. The release last month of the Pope's final document on what had seemed to be a convivial and intellectually open October 2005 bishops' meeting on the Eucharist is a good example of the Pontiff's approach. According to a senior Church official who participated: "He took all that debate of the Synod, and then gave us a document that simply defends the status quo." This same official acknowledges a bit of past excessive optimism on Benedict: "People were hoping that with his intellectual acumen and understanding of theology, he'd be in a position to make some of these changes. Unfortunately, at this point, I don't think we'll see any of them."

This kind of things always makes me laugh. I guess that this anonymous "progressive" priest considers the Pope "open to hear new ideas" and impressive in his "intellectual acument and understanding of theology" ONLY if he agrees with a particular progressive agenda. For one thing, the ideas mentioned above ("overturning the ban on communion for divorced and remarried Catholics, reconsidering the celibacy requirement for priests, allowing gays in seminaries, or a softening of the condom ban to allow for distribution in AIDS-ravaged Africa") can hardly be considered "new ideas." Priestly celibacy has been debated and wined about ad nauseum. Many would say that the predominance of gays in seminaries in the 1970's and 1980's has led to some of the problems that the Church has recently had to deal with in the priesthood. In fact, the Pope would more likely be expected to push for true reform in that area given the recent events of the crisis. He is also trying to defend the value and beauty of priestly celibacy which is always under attack by a society that is confounded and threatened by the very idea of celibacy. Again, Pope Benedict XVI like JPII before him, probably wants to reform the Church's impoverished understanding of celibacy (both clergy and the laity need help understanding this). According to an unnamed "senior Church official", the Pope "took all that debate of the Synod, and then gave us a document that simply defends the status quo." Well once again, just the mere fact that a synod involves debate does guarantee that the Pope will automatically adopt some of those suggestions. The Pope is counseled by the bishops in the Synod, and he has to be the final arbiter... he is the one who is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the Church has what it needs at a given time.

Of course, beyond the doctrinal front, plenty has changed these past two years for the Bavarian prelate and Vatican insider. He has become a world leader and has been learning lessons in tempering his ideas with public relations, having given controversial speeches and been confronted with fiery inter-faith conflict, particularly with Islam. A trip next month to Brazil, the first ocean crossing and first time among the fervent flock of the Third World, will further test both the pastoral and political aspects of his job, as Latin America continues to deal with widespread poverty and the continent's Catholics increasingly lose ground to Evangelical movements. Still the Pope has managed to keep up his writings, including the conclusion of a book he began in 2003 on the life of Jesus, which comes out Monday in Italian and German, and next month in English.

By the way, the Pope was right with his comments regarding Islam (even if the mode for expression that he chose was awkward and open to misunderstanding). And where was the apology for the Catholic churches that were burned... or the Catholic nun who was senselessly murdered (even while she helped to serve the health needs of Muslims!). I am glad that he had the guts to say what needed to be said.

A significant part of any Pope's job is to manage questions of doctrine and discipline. Benedict's "no wiggle room" approach is increasingly seen in the context of his great battle to defend Catholicism on its historical home turf of Europe, where he sees a kind of cult of secularism. The Pope's response is not simply to reaffirm the Christian values of the old continent, a goal also expressed by the continent's more liberal leaders and theologians like Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Cardinal Godfried Daneels. In addition, Benedict professes a very specific kind of Christianity, one based not only on the teachings of Jesus, but on abiding by the letter of ancient Catholic Church traditions as the only effective bulwark against rampant relativism.

Well, the "teachings of Jesus" ARE found both in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. (Duh!)
The point is right on--without sacred tradition and the guidance of the Magisterium, other Christian groups have managed to warp the Christian message into a strange form (all with justification from Scripture).

In fact, the one major disciplinary about-face expected is this coming document on the Latin Mass, a concession to the ultra-conservatives, who have been living and praying on the fringe of the Church since the reforms of the Second Vatican Council brought in Mass in the vernacular. Said one Rome-based priest: "Opening up the Latin rite to anyone would amount to the Church turning back the reforms of Vatican II." A Vatican official who has worked closely with the Pope said that loosening rules on the Latin rite has been a long-time personal goal of Ratzinger, who had led what turned out to be failed negotiations in the early 1980s to bring back into the fold the followers of the breakaway French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who have defied the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

Notice the typical political jargon of journalists: "a concession to the ultra-conservatives."
Would wider use of the traditional Latin Mass bring about a "turning back [of] the reforms of Vatican II"? That is hard to say. Many would argue that the liturgy as we have it today does not really resemble what is called for in the documents of Vatican II. For example, while the document on the liturgy stated that "the use of Latin...is to be preserved in the Latin rites" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, #36), when is the last time that you have sung the Pater Noster, or the Agnus Dei, or the Gloria at Mass? One of Pope Benedict's great missions in his pontificate seems to be to bring about a "reform of the reform." I do not think that he wants to comletely negate the liturgical changes of Vatican II--but he does want to turn back liturgical abuses (done often in the name of the "spirit of Vatican II") and restore the liturgy to what was originally envisioned by Vatican II. Where the use of the (1962) traditional Latin Mass alongside the post Vatican II Novus Ordo Mass fits into this reform, however, is another question. I do not think that it would be an easy question.

The Vatican official says that Benedict believes that the Council's legacy "has been abused," and finding a way to widen access to the Latin rite "has always remained in his heart." Still, even mainstream members of the Roman hierarchy are opposed, fearing that it will exacerbate divisions within the Church. French bishops have openly argued against it. The Pope's old office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith last spring, privately advised against the motu proprio, the Vatican official said. Still, Benedict does not appear swayed. The professor Pope may be happy to have a conversation on doctrine, but he knows he always has the last word.

This point may very well be true. A restoration of wider access to the Traditional Latin Mass would bring joy to many Catholics who have a special devotion to it, but it could result in parishes having two congregations. However, we also must remember that the one universal Catholic Church already does have a large number of rites, usings various languages, gestures, symbols, etc. I also can sympathize with traditional Catholics who long for the traditional Latin Mass. It does possess great beauty, reverence, and an otherworldy sense of transcendence. It requires that the laity see their prayer in the Mass as more contemplative than active. The notion of the Mass as the unbloody sacrifice of Calvary is more clear. Imagine the reaction of an Byzatine rite Catholic if the Church one day just transformed the Mass that he knew and loved, changed the language, the order, the symbolism and gestures. He would be outraged and saddened. Why do expect less of Latin rite Catholics. Still, I see the beauty of the reformed liturgy of Vatican II (if it is practiced with reverence, according to the liturgical norms, and in continuity with past liturgical tradition). What would happen if we had wider access to two different Masses. Hhhhhmmmm, it is an interesting question, and not one that I would have to negotiate. I, for one, am glad that Pope Benedict does have "the last word" on this one.
__________________________
Interestingly, after I wrote this... I discovered that the blog New Liturgical Movement also commented on this article by Time. They also have some interesting photos of where the Post-Conciliar liturgical reform was implemented in rather absurd ways. Check it out:
http://thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com
/2007/04/hermeneutic-of-
rupture-great-threat-of.html

Good Friday Fare

Spiritual Readings for Good Friday:

The Cross of Christ, The Cosmic Tree from early church writer known as “Pseudo Chrysostom”:
www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article
/916/Cosmic_Tree_Pseudo_Chrysostom.html

________________________________

The Pope's Via Crucis [Way of the Cross]:

For recent years [I really liked the text for the 2006 Stations last year...]

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/
liturgy/documents/index_via-crucis_en.html

Pope's Via Crucis for today [have not prayed these yet]:

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/
liturgy/2007/documents/ns_lit_doc_
20070406_via-crucis_en.html

Homily:

"God Manifests His Love for Us", by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., Preacher to the Papal Household [4/14/2006, St. Peter's Basilica]

http://www.cantalamessa.org/en/
predicheView.php?id=76

or, his homily from 2005: http://www.zenit.org/english/
visualizza.phtml?sid=68364

______________________________________

A scritural reflection by Orthodox priest Henry Patrick Reardon [posted on Touchstone Magazine's www.toucstonemag.com ]:

"Good Friday, April 6

Zechariah 13: Maintaining his emphasis on the Lord's Passion and Death, the prophet goes on to speak of the striking of the Shepherd and the consequent dispersal of His disciples (verse 7), a text interpreted for us in Matthew 26:31 (cf. Mark 14:27; John 16:31).

This is the event by which the false gods are defeated (verse 1). These are the demonic forces brought to naught by the death of the First Born. Questioned about the marks of the wounds in His flesh, the Lord responds, “These wounds I received in the house of My friends” (verse 6).

Cyril of Alexandria wrote in the early fifth century, “when the Only Begotten Word of God ascended into the heavens in the flesh to which He was united, there was something new to be seen in the heavens. The multitude of holy angels was astounded, seeing the King of glory and the Lord of hosts being made in a form like ourselves. . . . Then the angels asked this, 'What are these wounds in Your hands?' And He said to them, 'These wounds I received in the house of My friends.'” These are the wounds that He will show to His disciples after His resurrection. He bears these wounds in his glorified flesh forever, as He stands before the Father, “as though slain,” being the one Mediator between God and man (Revelation 5:6)."

[ http://www.touchstonemag.com/frpat.html ]

Holy Week and Lent recap

UPDATE: News & Current Events:
Holy Week amidst war and car bombings--an interesting post from Amy Welborn's blog:
http://amywelborn.typepad.com/
openbook/2007/04/holy_week.html

Audiences and Sermons of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI during Lent:
http://www.vatican.va/liturgical_year/lent/
ndex-lent2007-hf_en.htm

Music for Lent:
http://www.vatican.va/liturgical_year/lent/
index-lent2007-music_en.htm

Holy See's page for Holy Week:

http://www.vatican.va/liturgical_year/
holy-week/2007/index_en.htm

The Pope always has excellent Stations of the Cross texts (2006's was wonderful). This year, the meditations that Pope Benedict XVI will lead were composed by Msgr. Gianfranco Ravasi, the Prefect of the Ambrosian Library and Gallery of Milan:

Presentation:

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2007/
documents/ns_lit_doc_20070406_
via-crucis-present_en.html

and the Meditations:

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2007/
documents/ns_lit_doc_20070406_via-crucis_en.html



[famous 19th century Catholic convert scholar John Henry Newman's Stations of the Cross meditations (longer version):

http://www.newmanreader.org/works/
meditations/meditations5.html


(shorter version):
http://www.newmanreader.org/works/
meditations/meditations5.html#stations ]
(in handy PDF format):
http://www.doxaweb.com/assets/stations.pdf





[Podcast alley has a March 3 2007 posting of an audio mp3 file of the Stations of the Cross based on the film "The Passion of the Christ":
http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast
_details.php?pod_id=10006 ]




[PhatCatholic Apologetics posts a lot of info on the Stations of the Cross:
http://phatcatholic.blogspot.com
/2007/03/on-stations-of-cross.html ]
_____________
Lent from a historical Christian perspective

Church historian Mike Aquilina talks about Holy Week [audio file]
http://www.kvss.com/programming/
program_aquilina.html

1917 Catholic Encyclopedia article on Holy Week:
www.newadvent.org/cathen/07435a.htm

and an article on the Sacred Triduum:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15041c.htm

History of Passiontide and Holy Week:

http://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/HISTHW.TXT

Practice during Passiontide and Holy Week:

http://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/PRACHW.TXT

Intro to prayer/fasting/almsgiving from the early church fathers:

1. Prayer: http://www.fathersofthechurch.com/2007/02/21/
intro-to-lent-i-prayer/


2. Fasting: http://www.fathersofthechurch.com/2007/02/22/
intro-to-lent-ii-fasting/


3. Almsgiving: http://www.fathersofthechurch.com/2007/02/23/
intro-to-lent-iii-almsgiving/

Passion Sunday from the perspective of early Church father St. Andrew of Crete:
http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_
article/97/Palm_Sunday
____St._Andrew_of_Crete.html
_______________
Spiritual reading for Lent

http://www.spiritdaily.com/bookslent.htm
________________

Personal Prayer suggestions for Holy Week:

http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/
library_article/410/Triduum___
Suggestions_for_Personal_Prayer.html

Meditate and instruct on the 7 last words of Christ:
http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/
library_article/43/Seven_Last_Words_of_Christ.html

Virtual Retreats
at Loyola Press' FindingGod.org
http://www.findinggod.org/m_frmwork.asp?id=118455

Sacred Space's Lent page:
http://www.sacredspace.ie/lent/

OTHER STUFF
Fr. John Zuhlsdorf (blog: "What does the prayer really say") examines the liturgical text of the prayer over the gifts:
http://wdtprs.com/blog/quadragesima-lent/

Amy Welborn's April 1 post has some great pictures of how Palm Sunday was celebrated around the world:
http://amywelborn.typepad.com/openbook/
2007/04/the_palmpassion.html

Holy See Supports Initiatives Against the Death Penalty

I also came across this while surfing the net:
http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/
vis/dinamiche/c2_en.htm

HOLY SEE SUPPORTS INITIATIVES AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY
VATICAN CITY, FEB 7, 2007 (VIS)

- Made public today was a declaration of the Holy See delivered during the course of a world congress on the death penalty, held in Paris, France from February 1 to 3.

"The Paris congress," reads the French-language text, "is being celebrated at a time in which, because of recent executions, the campaign against the death penalty is facing new and disquieting challenges. Public opinion has become sensitized and has expressed its concern for a more effective recognition of the inalienable dignity of human beings, and of the universality and integrity of human rights, beginning with the right to life."

As in previous meetings on the same subject, "the Holy See takes this opportunity to welcome and affirm once more its support for all initiatives that aim to defend the inherent value and inviolability of all human life, from conception to natural end. In this perspective, it is worth noting that the use of the death penalty is not just a negation of the right to life, but also an affront to human dignity."

"The Catholic Church continues to maintain that the legitimate authorities of State have the duty to protect society from aggressors," but "some States traditionally include the death penalty among the means used to achieve this end," an option "that is difficult to justify today." States now have new ways "of preserving public order and people's safety," which include "offering the accused stimuli and encouragement" to mend their ways. Such non-lethal means of prevention and punishment "correspond better to the ... the common good and conform more to the dignity of the human person."

"Any decision to use the death penalty involves many dangers," such as "that of punishing the innocent, and the temptation to foment violent forms of revenge rather than true social justice." It is also "a clear offense against the inviolability of human life ... and, for Christians, an affront to the evangelical teaching of forgiveness."
"The Holy See," the text concludes, "reiterates its appreciation to the organizers of the congress, to governments, ... and to everyone who works ... to abolish the death penalty or to impose a universal moratorium on its use."
____________________________________________
From the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

468. What is the purpose of punishment? [see also Catechism of the Catholic Church #2266]

A punishment imposed by legitimate public authority has the aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense, of defending public order and people’s safety, and contributing to the correction of the guilty party.

469. What kind of punishment may be imposed? [see also Catechism of the Catholic Church #2267]

The punishment imposed must be proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Given the possibilities which the State now has for effectively preventing crime by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm, the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically non-existent.” (Evangelium Vitae). When non-lethal means are sufficient, authority should limit itself to such means because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good, are more in conformity with the dignity of the human person, and do not remove definitively from the guilty party the possibility of reforming himself.

Christmas wrap-up: Pope's message

As the Christmas season wraps-up, check out Pope Benedict's Midnight Mass homily:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies
/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20061224_christmas_en.html

Just what DID the Pope say?

We are all hearing a lot about what the Pope said about Islam recently... but be careful about where you get your news... not all media are reporting this event properly.

Here is a link to an article that might be of interest:
http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2006/schall
_regensburg_sept06.asp

Also, interesting coverage of the event on various blogs:
http://www.americanpapist.com/blog.html

http://jimmyakin.typepad.com/defensor_fidei/2006/09/b16
_clarifies.html

More News on Pius XII and the Jewish Holocaust

The following comes from Michelle Arnold, writing on the blog www.JimmyAkin.org on 8/22/06

Ransoming Captive Israel

More evidence is surfacing that Venerable Pope Pius XII [slandered in a recent book as "Hitler's Pope"], far from sitting around twiddling his thumbs during the Shoah, was on the front lines of rescue efforts to save Jews from the Nazis. The Tablet, a British Catholic publication somewhat analogous to the American National Catholic Reporter, notes that the diary of an Augustinian nun in Rome during the war chronicles that Jews were hidden in her convent on Pius XII's directive.
"The anonymous author of the journal provides detailed names and dates of more than 10 Jews and non-Jews who were sheltered in the convent from September 1942 to June 1944. One of these was Amalia Viterbo, the Jewish niece of Palmiro Togliatti, one of the creators of the Italian Communist Party and secretary of the Comintern before the Second World War.
"The Augustinian sister writes that the Pope wished to save 'his children [Catholics] as well as Jews' and ordered that monasteries and enclosures should be opened up to those persecuted.
"Later, when the convent superior perceived that the SS were flouting the sanctuary of convent enclosures, she had false identity papers drawn up for her guests."

See below for the full story from the Tablet:

Church in the World 19 August 2006 Italy
"Pius XII hid Jews during war"
by Philip Crispin
The Roman convent of Santi Quattro Coronati sheltered political fugitives and Jews during the Second World War on the direct orders of Pope Pius XII, according to the diary of one of the Augustinian convent's sisters.
According to the Italian daily La Stampa, which has seen the 60-year-old-plus diary, the Pope, who has often been criticised for keeping his counsel during the Holocaust, instructed the mother superior to open, exceptionally, the enclosure of the contemplative order's convent in order to shelter those fleeing the Germans.
The anonymous author of the journal provides detailed names and dates of more than 10 Jews and non-Jews who were sheltered in the convent from September 1942 to June 1944. One of these was Amalia Viterbo, the Jewish niece of Palmiro Togliatti, one of the creators of the Italian Communist Party and secretary of the Comintern before the Second World War.
The Augustinian sister writes that the Pope wished to save "his children as well as Jews" and ordered that monasteries and enclosures should be opened up to those persecuted.
Later, when the convent superior perceived that the SS were flouting the sanctuary of convent enclosures, she had false identity papers drawn up for her guests.
The diary should interest historians who have been at loggerheads for 60 years over the attitude of Pope Pius XII concerning concentration camps and the Holocaust. Many have accused him of complicity through his silence.

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Links to books on the matter:


The Myth of Hitler's Pope: Pope Pius XII and
His Secret War Against Nazi Germany by David G. Dalin (Hardcover - Jul 25, 2005)

Man of Peace: Pope Pius XII Margarita Marchione
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809142457/sr=8-8/qid=1156260395/ref=sr_1_8/104-6635583-6739153?ie=UTF8