Could Kasper's Remarks Finally Derail the Synod's Intended Course?

Edit:  When he's not insulting Catholic sensibilities, he's offending political correctness, and it's looking very curious indeed that Pope Francis has so enthusiastically endorsed Cardinal Kasper.   Surely he must have known Kasper's penchant for making remarks that are offensive to the consensus.  Since the media hasn't complained about the honored and very controversial presence of Cardinal Daneels at the Synod, it's very doubtful they will notice Kasper's impolitic remarks insulting the religiosity of conservative African Bishops, who frankly, have more important problems than coddling a very small minority of people in the West.

It's not the first time Cardinal Kasper has gotten in trouble.  Some may recall the time when he told the press that Heathrow Airport was like a Third World Country, when he was in England as part of the Pope's visit.  He was promptly sent home.

Now he's been quoted by a journalist, Edward Pentin, as saying that Africans really can't be relied on to effectively discuss "homosexuality."  Despite denying that he ever said this, Pentin says he did and has a video recording of Kasper in interview.  More recently, he's resigned himself to calling his remarks part of an informal and internal discussion he's having with himself in the presence of electronic devices, and considers the concern about his remarks as an attack on the Pope himself, since the Pope has, says Kasper, fully endorsed him.

 Rorate reported that Zenit took the interview down, well, it's back up again, at least at Kath.net...

There's a poll, also, asking if Cardinal Kasper should be refused Holy Communion for his dissent on Catholic teaching.  Right now, 83% of the respondents say he should.

Photo from That the Bones you Have Crushed...

Censorship of the Episcopal Synod? -- Kasper Refers to Pope Francis as Strategist of "Mercy"

Cardinal Gerhard Muller Warns Against Censorship of
the Episcopal Synod

(Rome) fears were heard already ahead of the Synod of Bishops as statements of Cardinal  were loudly told in a happy round, as they intended to direct the synod in the desired Kasper-direction (see How do I manipulate a Synod of Bishops - Action plan against the Sacrament of Matrimony ). Now  Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the prefect of the Congregation, beats the alarm.  The specter of censorship and control is making concrete moves.

The Cardinal protested that the flow of information is subject to public censorship. The contributions of the synod were kept secret from the public. Thus Cardinal Müller is one of the spokesmen who defending traditional doctrine and practice, has sounded the alarm call, that a particular direction has been disadvantaged in order to provide a desired image.  

Worthless information through the Vatican Press Office

As AP reported, the German Cardinal gave free vent to his anger for a Rome Catholic television broadcaster in Rome: "All Christians have the right to be informed about the interventions of their bishops."

A significant criticism of the way the information is flowing in the Vatican was of Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi SJ and his two priest-assistants, one who handles  English and another for the Spanish-language media. What was  on offer to journalists is not really quotable and ultimately worthless (see separate report , the various synods - inadequate information policy of the Vatican ).

Kaspers proposal as "medicine is worse than the disease"

In particular, the statements by the synod, both on the doctrine of the sacrament of marriage and church practice by Cardinal Walter Kasper were defended by the German Bishops' Conference under the table. To collect their statements, one has to make the search and ask here and there.  That's impossible for a million dollar house. .   A small keyword collection. A Synod participant spoke up in the auditorium, the proposal of Kasper is a "medicine worse than the disease" itself. But during the daily briefing for the press, no word was heard of it.

They picked up just as little  from the synod participant, who pointed to an inconsistency of the term   "re-married divorcees". In fact, "we are talking about people who are married by a sacramental marriage", but this important fact will be embezzled in a distorting neologism that distracts them and steer the focus on divorce and remarriage.

 Still another countered the 'new mercy' postulated by Kasper and Pope Francis, and said that there were popes even before 2014 and you can not claim that these were not merciful.

As far as the key word of "mercy", a synod participant called to mind that everything has a place and the most important place for mercy was the confessional. There is where the  Church has always shown mercy. Whoever does not want to use this place, deprives themselves of the mercies God performs  through the Church, and can not simply demand that the Church should relocate the place of mercy to another, worse place.

Kasper Criticized Justifies Himself, In Which He References Pope Francis

Another synod participant  replied to Kasper and Marx that ought not constantly shout "Mercy, Mercy", but also make an effort and  needed to evangelize more.  There was  talk of formation and instruction of the faithful, yet this was neglected then, however, for fear they might be misunderstood. But in this way,  one is guaranteed not to understand.

Cardinal Kasper, becoming increasingly sensitive against the fierce criticism,  justified himself i and his proposal to  action on the grounds "that he had been already the one who took the initiative, but that he had previously requested it of the Pope ..." writes Vatican expert Marco Tosatti for La Stampa. The cardinal said bluntly, that the real strategist for the reversal of the  primacy of  practice before teaching and Communion for remarried divorcees is Jorge Mario Bergoglio.  Statements and gestures of the Pope since the conclave confirm Kasper's  statement. The German cardinal would hardly dare such a public statement if it were not true. 

Control over the flow of information provides the ability to guide public opinion. In this specific case, the Vatican press office seems more freely follow behind  the Kasper-party, so that it can direct the flow of information through their own channels and through direct media contacts.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: InfoVaticana

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Venetian "Second Marriage"? Surprise Coup at the Start of the Bishops' Synod With Distortion of Council of Trent

(Rome) The Roman Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica has  launched a surprise coup and is rushing in time for the start of the Synod of Bishops  to help Cardinal Walter Kasper. For this purpose the magazine is distorting, with the special proximity to the reigning Pope, the Council of Trent.

To support the thesis of Cardinal Walter Kasper  the fortnightly magazine dug something from the basement with papal imprimatur  which had sat there, dusty for centuries. A gesture of the Council of Trent for the few Catholics of the Greek Islands, which were under Venetian rule, some of whom received a second marriage in the prevailing Byzantine rite.

In the article by Father Giancarlo Pani SJ in the latest issue of Civiltà Cattolica was drawn attention to by the Vaticanist Sandro Magister.

After praise for Kasper's "theology on its knees," the Jesuit magazine took this position entirely as its own

The Jesuit magazine settled on the 4th of October, the eve of the start of the Synod of Bishops,  to publish its essay. Apart from a post in which Cardinal Kasper's "theology on his knees" was praised, it is the first direct contribution to the theme "second marriage", which is  advocated by a German Cardinal for the approval of remarried divorcees to Communion.

Not only is the strategic timing remarkable, but how the renowned and lofty official papal character of the magazine broke its silence. It made Kasper's thesis completely its own. The German cardinal "is called by the first line as a landmark," said Magister.

The Civiltà Cattolica is not just any magazine, as the Vatican's censorship shows.

Since its inception, all posts are required to be submitted to the Vatican Secretariat of State prior to their publication and has obtained a license to print to this day. Hence conclusions can be drawn. The contributions come exclusively from the pen of Jesuits. Between Pope Francis, a member of the Jesuit Order himself, and the current editor of the magazine, Father Antonio Spadaro, there is "tightest agreement" (Magister). Father Spadaro is internally to the Church what Eugenio Scalfari is outside as the most important interpreter of the papal thought and action.



"Ecumenical" Opening of the Council of Trent for "Second Marriage"?

To move the Synod of Bishops to be "open" towards "second marriage", the Jesuit magazine continued with a surprise move. It dug out of the otherwise less noticed Council of Trent, that council which reaffirmed more than any other, the unity and indissolubility of sacramental marriage bond.

This Council does in fact contain a formal condemnation of "second marriage", as is common in the Eastern Churches, and not only among the faithful of the Orthodox Rite, but also among the Catholics of the Eastern Churches united with Rome.

"The Council Fathers of Trent had been moved to make this gesture, which the Jesuit Magazineconsiders as 'ecumenical' ante litteram, to allow the Catholics who lived in the Greek islands of the Republic of Venice and with the approval of their Latin bishops, to visit the Orthodox churches. The Venetian ambassador addressed the request to the Council, 'to allow these Catholics to maintain their rites, including the possibility of a second marriage if the spouse had committed adultery," said Magister.

After a heated discussion, the Council Fathers decided by 97 votes to 80, to match the application and formulate the new Canon. The new Canon affirmed the indissolubility of marriage, but no longer contained an explicit condemnation of the Eastern practice.

Jesuit Magazine Repeatedly Overhauled Kasper's One-sided Presentation

The author of the contribution in the Civiltà Cattolica is Father Giancarlo Pani SJ, Professor of Church History at the University La Sapienza in Rome. He reconstructs the debate at the Council of Trent with numerous details, including all references to the Council Fathers, to the New Testament and the Church Fathers.

In his own account of the ecclesiastical practice of the early Christian centuries, however, Father Pani follows exclusively the representation of Giovanni Cereti and whose book Divorzio, nuove nozze e penitenza nella Chiesa primitiva (Divorce, Remarriage and Penance in the Early Church) from 1977, which was reissued in August 2013  in time for the new debate. Cereti is the main, if not sole, source of Cardinal Kasper in his speech to the cardinal consistory last February. All recent studies on the subject, such as those of the renowned patrologists Crouzel Henri and Gilles Pelland, both also Jesuits who "literally destroyed" Cereti (Magister), Kasper ignored completely and as  Father Pani does now in this essay.

This results from the article in the Civiltà Cattolica gives the impression that the Council of Trent already gave a gesture of "evangelical mercy", which should be taken up and amplified now, as the Synod of Bishops meets and that the alleged benefit "of those Christians who are suffering a failed marital relationship life ".

Council of Trent Did Not Open by any Means to the "Second Marriage"

"In reality," said Magister,there was no "opening" by the Council of Trent towards the second marriage: "it was decided only in this point with that reservation, which was also in the centuries previously and was maintained thereafter, in no direct conflict to come with the Orthodox churches."

The exceptional situation that prevailed in the Greek islands of the Maritime Republic of Venice, was resolved  again by itself, as the islands were occupied by the Ottoman Empire and were lost for Venice. It never repeated, not even for those Eastern Church communities united with the Church of Rome. There was an advance profession of faith  required of them, with which it expressly recognized the impossibility of a second marriage.


The article in the Civiltà Cattolica reinforces the impression that there is strategic planning on the topic in the context of Pope Francis, which fosters the "opening" for remarried divorcees whose outward spokesman is Cardinal Walter Kasper.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Lion of St. Mark (Marco Boschini: Map of Crete, 1651) / Council of Trent

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Cardinal Kasper: Synod Will Model "Listenimg Magistrrium"

Edit: but deaf to faithful Catholics. You guys need to get with the program.


(Vatican Radio) The first Synod of Bishops of Pope Francis' pontificate, which opens here in the Vatican on Sunday, will model a more open and vibrant discussion on family matters that reflects the practical realities of men and women around the world today. That’s the view of Cardinal Walter Kasper, who was asked by the Pope to open the discussion through a speech to the world’s cardinals at a consistory last February. Entitled ‘the Gospel of Life,’ that speech caused controversy by raising the possibility of changes to pastoral practice, including allowing some people in second marriages to be able to receive Holy Communion.

Cardinal Kasper, who formerly headed the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, compares the heated debate prior to the Synod with the atmosphere in the Church ahead of the Second Vatican Council. Just as there were sharply conflicting views ahead of the Council, the cardinal says he believes the two year Synod process will result in “a very large consensus” over changes in Church practices to support people facing difficulties in their family lives.

Philippa Hitchen sat down with Cardinal Kasper to talk to him about the Synod process and about the Pope’s desire to listen more closely to the views of ordinary Catholics in the pews….

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/10/01/card_kasper_synod_to_model_popes_listening_magisterium/1107667

The Pope is "Irritated", Kasper Angry About the Resistance Against "New Mercy"

(Rome) Cardinal Walter Kasper has responded - not for the first time - visibly upset at criticism levied against him. This time a book a book  has been published  addressing him, with contributions by five cardinals, the secretary of the Roman Congregation for the Eastern Churches and other authorities who oppose his thesis a  De-dogmatizing "new charity" in whose name Kasper wants to allow remarried divorcees to communion. Cardinal Kasper is upset about his five brothers in the  Cardinal College and Pope Francis is supposed to be "irritated" about this. So "irritated" that he urged Cardinal Müller withdraw his participation?

Snivelling Kasper has approached  journalists, because he had learned of the publication of the book in the media."In all my life nothing like this has never happened to me," [huh?] he complained to  Vaticanist Andrea Tornielli.

"Unprecedented Situation"

Not enough: "When Cardinals are the Pope's closest aides intervene in such an organized and public manner, we find ourselves at least in terms of recent history, in an unprecedented situation." Cardinal Kasper  is even more enervated about these last days. More clearly than in the past few months, he refers directly to Pope Francis, to strengthen his position. It was Cardinal Kasper, who began the hostilities with his speech last February before the College of Cardinals and initiated the attack against the Sacrament of marriage.

From today's perspective,  the cardinal consistory was presented with Cardinal Kasper as a rehearsal before the Synod of Bishops. "I have not proposed any definitive solution. I have, after I had agreed with the Pope, asked questions and offered ideas for possible answers."  Kasper's emphasis is on "agreeing with the Pope."

Kasper and the Obligation of Confidentiality

Kasper's attempt to gain a monopoly position in the debate

But  that is what the German cardinal asserted, hypersensitive that the actions of the five cardinals is ultimately outrageous and "unprecedented"? Kasper seems to have a short memory. The Cardinals   consistory, as generally usual in the Church, is bound by the duty of confidentiality. "All cardinals held to it. All but Kasper," said Sandro Magister, Vaticanist. Only a few weeks after the consistory, the speech was published in book form. The Herder Verlag applied for the opportunity immediately, so that appropriate arrangements must have been made ​​before the consistory or immediately thereafter. Kasper never had the intention, therefore, to abide by the confidentiality obligation. This should have been obligatory for all the other Cardinals, as he claimed for a monopoly for himself  to address the subject in public. An exclusive position, which had already been granted to him in the Consistory by Pope Francis, by this Kasper has only delegated that responsibility to speak on the subject. A one-sided partisanship because Kasper's heterodox positions were known.

The historian Roberto de Mattei has previously seen through the Cardinal's strategy and Giuliano Ferrara, the editor of the daily newspaper  Il Foglio  published his speech with a scathing comment by de Mattei (see What God brings together, Kasper can not separate - Attempt a Paradoxical Cultural Revolution in the Church ). That was how they took the element of surprise from Kasper  and thwarted his intention to steer the public debate according to his mind.  Thus the Cardinal was enraged already at that time.

Kasper tries to give the impression that the doctrine will be untouched and he wants to "just" change the practice of faith. De Mattei on the other hand, showed in a brilliant analysis that Kasper's speech represents a clear break with the Church's Magisterium. It also provides a specific break with John Paul II., And Benedict XVI. represents, with whom he had 20 years before discharged on the same subject a dispute, was inferior, viewed the matter and seemed to have backed the Church's teaching. Kasper, then the Bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, had been defeated by the Prefect of the CDF Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, but not humiliated, as his subsequent promotion by John Paul II.  as President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity showed. Obviously some in Rome believed the Bishop had changed and could be finally tamed by being employed in Rome, at least in the Vatican he would do less damage than in Germany.

Pope Francis "Irritated" by the Book of the Five Cardinals  

While Kaspers position astonished, everyone was surprised that the five Cardinals, Müller, Burke, De Paolis, Brandmüller and Caffarra  published the book, "Truth Remains in  Christ :  Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church." They defend publicly, as it is their duty, the two thousand year old teaching of the Church in a central question, concerned with the sacraments. They did this against  Cardinal Kasper's public  attack against Church teaching. Kasper's outrage is therefore pushed forward and explained only if one takes into account that the five cardinals threaten Kasper's plans. After all,  among them Gerhard Cardinal Müller, Prefect of the Congregation and thus the chief defender of the faith.  Pope Francis can not simply ignore him. La Croix , the semi-official daily newspaper of the French Bishops' Conference   reported on September 17 that Pope Francis was "irritated" about the book publication just because Cardinal Müller was among the authors. The Pope had, according to La Croix, urged Cardinal Müller to withdraw his participation in the Kasper book, which Müller refused to do. Should that be the case, then  Pope Francis would actually by the puppet master behind the scenes  of the attack on the sacrament of marriage in the name of "new charity".

More Cardinals Spoke in the Past Days

Cardinal Kasper is feeling a strong headwind these days. Perhaps more than he had expected. In addition to the five, he criticized three other leading Cardinals, Scola, Ouellet and Pell who have written essays in the English edition of the journal Communio, with positions against his theses. A similar publication in the German edition would have prevented, since Kasper himself belongs to the editorial board. Published in his latest issue 6/2013 (November-December) Kasper wrote programmatically: " The Liturgical Renewal - the First and Most Visible Fruit of the Council ".

Cardinal Kasper Insists: Shoulder to Shoulder with Pope Francis and John XXIII.

Cardinal Kasper's magic word is "Mercy", which is to call for a better understanding like "new charity". On 18 September he repeated in an interview with  Italian Catholic Radio Inblu that this new "mercy" is the key to his proposal for overcoming the Communion ban on the divorced and remarried. Kasper is thereby focused on a specific tradition, throwing keywords in the ring, in the hopes that the signals are heard and mobilize support for him: "The mercy, the heart of the Christian message, is a central theme in the Old and New Testament. Many saints have spoken of the mercy. Pope John XXIII. said at the beginning of the work of the Council that the Church must apply the means of severity, but also the medicine of mercy. "

Compassion is the subject of that book,  ever praised by Pope Francis in his first Angelus and thus one of his very first speeches as Pope and all recommended reading. "Compassion: Basic Concept of the Gospel - Key Christian life ", in 2012,  which was also published by Herder and published in the same year, also in Spanish translation, and thus made available by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

Kasper's Mercy: Praise from the Pope - Criticism of Father Lanzetta

The Mercy According to Kasper

One could already see in retrospect that the papal statement  was a chronological starting shot for Synod of Bishops on the Family. If the praise already have been pronounced in this context, it would then have to be assumed, in fact, that the approval of remarried divorcees represented a capitulation in the conclave and was one of the conditions that led to the election of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

The papal praise of Kasper's book, has presently subjected it to scrutiny and criticism. It's  a task that has been taken  over  recently by Father Serafino Lanzetta Maria who has  completed his habilitation. The Head of the journal Fides Catholica published a comprehensive book review  "Mercy According to Cardinal Kasper ".

No Mercy for the Franciscans of the Immaculate - "New Mercy" for the Jesuits at America

Father Lanzetta belongs to the Franciscans of the Immaculate, "that thriving Order which has been found bruised under this pontificate under provisional administration, a measure whose reasons are unclear, while on the other hand it is certain that it is carried out without any mercy," said Sandro Magister .

Cardinal Kasper has already spoken last May 1st in a lecture at Boston College, which was thereafter printed in the weekly newspaper of the New York Jesuit America. On May 12, there also followed a video interview of Kasper with Father Matt Malone, SJ, the editor of this journal. In a memorandum dated September 22, editorial of "America " the Jesuit editors let it be known that without ifs and buts they recognize Kasper's opinion Kaspers as their own. Of course, in the name of "charity".

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Il Foglio / Fanpage

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches....

AMDG

Cardinals Ouellet and Scola Attack Kasper in Communio

(Washington)  A few weeks before the start of the extraordinary Bishops' Synod on Family, a special edition of the International Catholic Review Communio will appear, which will address the theme of the Bishops' Synod, "Pastoral Initiatives in the Context of Evangelization."  It is the German International Katholischen Zeitschrift Communio (IKaZ) in its  English edition appearing in Washington.

Under the title Marriage:  Theological and Pastoral Considerations the special edition (Edition 41.2 -- Summer 2014) contains a series of essays, among them one by Archbishop Angelo Cardinal Scola of Milan, the Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops Marc Cardinal Oeullet and other Catholic personalities, who are connected to the Pontifical Institute of John Paul II. for the Study of Marriage and Family.

Special Edition Against Kasper's Attempt to Confuse Truth and Mercy

The themes discussed preliminary to the Bishops' Synod like pastoral care for divorced persons, Communion for divorced and remarried, same-sex relationships run the danger, obscuring the beauty of married life and the connection of the sacrament of the Eucharist. The mercy toward remarried and divorced is not purely a psychological consideration, but must be lived with the help of the secret of the cross.   The opposition between the Christian and the current individualistic thinking has led to a distorted view of marriage, as if "homo-marriage" is no stranger than a marriage between a man and woman.   Because of these assertions and with a view to the upcoming Bishops' Synod is the reason for the conception of a special edition.

Essays by Cardinals Ouellet and Scola

Among other things, the extensive special issue contains a text by Pope John Paul II. written in 1982 on Marriage and the Eucharist and the direct relationship between two sacraments.  The essays of  two Cardinals Ouellet and Scola move along this line, by holding up and showing the Christian anthropology, such as the nature of the two sexes and the bond between man and woman, will become apparent from the gospel as well as the connection between the sacraments of Marriage and the Eucharist. Cardinal Ouellet addresses thereby, the direct  impossibility of allowing remarried divorcees to Communion. The emphasis is not placed on  "punishment", but in the affirmation and better visualization of the  bond to Jesus Christ.



The question of the admission of  remarried divorcees to Communion has dominated almost the entire discussion in advance of the Synod of Bishops, as it is the only, or the main theme of the meeting. In addition, there may be  homosexual pastoral care and the education of "their" children. The concern of the special issue by Communio is to counter and shift the weights of the time influenced discussion on  today's level to the timeless, always valid, level.


The Constructed Contrast of Formalism Versus Compassion


The public debate will often try to reduce the question to a false contrast of "mercy" against "laws". Remarried divorcees and homosexuals are shown in this view as  "victims" of Church "formalism", where the "mercy" of God will be "denied".
 The personal responsibility for failing to agree with the Church's teaching is a largely hidden behavior.

Thus, the Oxford graduate and cultural philosopher Nicholas J. Healy Jr. is concerned with the  provocation of Cardinal Walter Kasper, to permit remarried divorcees to Communion, and shows the limits of this proposal: the indissolubility of marriage, which  Kasper (exclusively)  bases  as  a personal decision of the individual, but not - especially - as the work of others; the (exclusive) idea in Kaspers thinking, is that mercy and forgiveness  are placed outside the indissoluble relationship.



The Basis of the Pastoral Must be A Unity of Truth and Mercy

Similarly, Father Fabrizio Meroni (Theological anthropology),  argues when he emphasizes that the basis of pastoral care for couples, divorced, remarried divorcees must always be a unit of "truth and mercy". Frequently, says the author,  mercy is  also often conveniently reduced to mere psychological benevolence excluding  the Passion of Christ. The first and most important gesture of mercy towards the divorced, is the relationship between sacramental marriage and the pain of their breakup, which is an intensive participation in the mystery of Christ's suffering. Since the sacrament of the Eucharist is a pure gift, it can never be the subject to "demands" and "claims" which also applies to the desire of remarried divorcees to admission to communion.

Emphasis on Unilateral Suffering 

 The author emphasizes the one-sidedness of the emphasis on the "suffering" of remarried divorcees, while the suffering of others, especially the children, but also the ecclesial community tend to be excluded.Some theologians today give the impression that the Fathers of the early Christian tradition were "generous" in dealing with the remarried divorced and had allowed a second marriage. It's a view which is also represented by Cardinal Kasper. In the Special Edition a text by Jesuit Henri Crouzel is reprinted from1977, which  refuted this claim.

Current Crisis in Marriage is the Result of an Anthropological Crisis 

 Other papers besides, deal in the theological, but also with philosophical and sociological aspects of the question. David C. Schindler (Philosophical Anthropology) indicates that the current crisis of the institution of marriage is the result of an anthropological crisis, in which the freedom of the human will is defined as a lack of commitment. For the Christian tradition, bonds are not only an essential part of being human and a gift, but form the pinnacle of freedom.



The moral theologian and family lawyer  David S. Crawford reveals that in the mentality of today, the marriage between husband and wife will be seen like "gay marriage", that is, that all of the individual is seen as a result of a functional private decision for the purpose of individual stakeholder in satisfaction. One that goes beyond the person's own welfare, the common good or fertility as an objective beyond the individual value would be eliminated from consideration.


And the German edition of Communio?

 Whether or not the special issue will also appear in German translation in the German edition of Communio, may be doubted. The "mixed" editorship and editorial staff, which also includes the Cardinals Walter Kasper and Karl Lehmann, raise the issue of a mutual "neutralization".  Cardinal Kasper is the spokesman of the position against which the special issue of the English Communiono - is directed.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

 image: Communio

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Cardinal Danneels at the Bishops' Synod -- And the Media is Silent

Cardinals Kasper and Danneels

(Vatican / Brussels) The personal appointment of Cardinal Walter Kasper to the Bishops at the  Bishops' Synod on the Family does not surprise. The appointment of Cardinal Godfried Danneels on the other hand, very much. And yet the media elicits  no sound. Was it not until recently completely different?

Pope Francis personally appointed, not surprisingly, Cardinal Walter Kasper to the Synod of the Bishops' Synod on the Family, which starts in Rome on October 5.The purple wearing German theologian is regarded as the spokesman of a radical intervention against the sacrament of marriage. The indissolubility of marriage is to be torpedoed in the name of charity and to allow  communion for remarried divorcees. For this purpose, a dialectical mechanism is employed, which will make Communion available "for all" in the future as well.  The formula is also one of the most radical attacks against the Catholic Church. It will  be implicitly assumed by Kasper, that the previous 2000 years  have been merciless to people.

Cardinal Danneels Appointed personally by Pope Francis to Synod

Far more surprising is the appointment of the Archbishop Emeritus of Mechelen-Brussels, Godfried Cardinal Danneels by Pope Francis. A search in the vastness of the Internet yielded only one article that deals critically with this appointment. This surprised not even the secular media, where not the slightest criticism is felt. Are all non-Catholic journalists become so papal, that they have chosen the statement "Who am I to judge"  as the theme?

Was it so different between media and Danneels a few years ago?

2010, the then Primate of Belgium was drawn into the pedophilia scandal that rocked the country. Danneels was accused of having covered offenders. The articles published on this are legion. It was still then,  sine  Pope Benedict XVI. reigned in Rome, that the media struck at every opportunity and tried to put the pressure on.

The climate of liberal-lascivious on the  part of the Belgian church was then known. The media did not in any way draw a connection at the time  between the liberal church order and criminal sexual debauchery. Danneels was not criticized as a liberal Church representatives. The aim was to put the Church and its teachings in the pillory. Danneels and his responsibility was not the addressee, but only a means to an end for the criticism of the Church. It was also symptomatic of the fact that Danneels successor, the "conservative" Archbishop Leonard received in 2010 just a few weeks after his inauguration received more punches from the Belgian media  than the progressive Danneels in his entire 30 years in office.

Conclave 2013: In One Fell Swoop, Everything was Different

Even in 2013 on the eve of the conclave many media insisted on the exclusion of at least three voters. Among them was the emeritus archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. Again was the campaign was not so much Danneels, but the Church, which was put under pressure before the conclave. The motto was blatantly: no Ratzinger II pontificate. Danneels retired with a serious look into the conclave and came out again with his face beaming. With the election of Pope Francis everything  had changed  in one fell swoop.

Just now Danneels was usued as "proof" to place the church under a general suspicion of pedophilia, or even worse, criminal activity, because pedo criminals were covered for. But on the day after the conclave, Danneels joined the Thanksgiving Mass of the newly elected Pope in the Sistine Chapel as the first  cardinal priest to say a prayer.

The attacks were swept away at a stroke, as if  the  scandal headlines  incited in the media, the club-swinging modern non-religious moral high ground, the house searches in the archbishop's palace, the seizure of mountains documents, even the impious desecration of Bishops graves by a media fueled, the out of control prosecutor and invading with crowbars police had never happened.

Target of the Media Campaign's "Pedophilia Scandal" was Benedict XVI.

All of a sudden ended the media storm over Danneels and another cardinal, who is very active on Twitter. "I never thought that yesterday's appointment would have been made, if only out of respect for Benedict XVI., who was then the real target of the attacks," said Chiesa e Postconcilio on Tuesday. From today's perspective, it is inescapable in fact,  that  the media scandal that exploded in 2010  on the international level  was not concerned with the claimed subject and even less about the victims. The media campaign, for such it was, had a very different target in sight: Pope Benedict XVI.

Today, since the German Pope is out of the race, each appointment is possible, even the most impossible and nobody even raises the slightest objection. What was that again with the victims, their fate had allegedly wept about  by so many and so loudly on their as their  chests swelled with moral indignation?

There were no secular or religious institutions that fought with such clarity and such emphasis against the scandalous phenomenon of pedophilia in its ranks, such as the Catholic Church was under Benedict XVI worldwide. Who cares!

Fight Against Pontificate of Benedict XVI. Began on 19 April 2005

In fact, here the evidence is on the table, that the pontificate of the German Pope would have been totally different if the mass media and those who influence them (and who else everything outside and inside the Church) had not decided on 19 April 2005  to give him a low blow while playing the armchair generals. 

The personal appointment of Cardinal Danneels by Pope Francis to  talk about the family, is one of those items that do not fit together. Or is it just a good match? Danneels, in 2005 was "shaken" on the evening of the election of Benedict XVI. (Domenico Savino) and remained away from  the traditional dinner of Cardinals for the newly elected Pope. In 2013 he was, according to his own admission, part of the electoral alliance that  named Jorge Mario Bergoglio Pope. Despite secrecy, all of the Belgian media already knew on March 14, from Danneels report that he had voted for Bergoglio.

"Gay marriage" -Danneels May Now Cultivate The  Family

The progressive attitude of the Belgian Cardinal is known also in terms of the sacrament of marriage and remarried divorcees. In June, barely three months after the conclave and one and a half months before the papal press conference on the return flight from Rio de Janeiro, Danneels called for the approval of "gay marriage".

Is something owed by the Pope to the Cardinal? Or friends of the Cardinal? Or is it the common closeness of both Cardinals to the late Jesuit Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, (+2012) who saw himself as the Ante-Pope? Whether  Pope contender or no, the the pun  will have elegantly expressed, that Martini saw himself as a progressive anti-Pope to John Paul II, without explicitly saying so.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Wikicommons

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

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Polemic -- Five Cardinals Contradict Cardinal Kasper

(San Francisco) In the U.S., the forces are forming  on the currently controversial issue within the Church,  to defend Catholic doctrine and resist the attack embodied by Cardinal Walter Kasper. According to the U.S. Dominicans, a second polemic  followed  within a short time. The U.S. Catholic publisher Ignatius Press has announced the imminent publication of an important book in defense of the traditional teaching on the sacrament of marriage and priestly life. The book is in the original English title Remaining in the Truth of Christ, but will appear in all major European languages. The publication shall be made just in time before the Synod of Bishops on the Family in October.

The book collects basic statements of five cardinals and four university professors that contradict the "Theses" by Cardinal Walter Kasper on 20 February that the Church should   "harmonize the practice in faithfulness and mercy" the remarried and divorced. Ignatius Press was founded by Ratzinger student, Jesuit, Father Joseph Fessio and is led by him. Father Fessio belongs to the Joseph Ratzinger Schülerkreis.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Ignatius Press

Trans: Tancred vekron99@homtail.com

Link to Katholisches...

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Cardinal Kasper Distorts the Church Fathers, In Order to Allow Divorced and Remarried to Communion

(Rome) Another theologian explained that Cardinal Walter Kasper Cardinal at the consistory in late February distorted the Church Fathers and manipulated quotations to justify the allowance remarried divorcees.

According to the Prefect of the CDF, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, according to the former President of the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences, Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, according questions about marriage that John Paul II's most esteemed theologian on matters of marriage and the family, Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, according to a leading canonist of the Roman Curia, Cardinal Velasio De Paolis and according to Cardinal Thomas Collins, a "rising star in the College of Cardinals," says Vatican expert Sandro Magister, and now also took one of the most important voices of the Australian theology, Adam G. Cooper, member of the International Association for Patristic Studies even made a statement.

Patristic Scholar Cooper Dismantles Kasper's "Theorem"

Cooper dismantled Kasper's "Theorem" and disagreed with the assertion of the German emeritus Cardinal that there is a possibility to allow remarried divorcees to receive Communion. A thesis advanced by Kasper at Cardinal Consistory from privileged position allowed by Pope Francis  with a view to the October 2014 and 2015 Synods on the family. 

In a lengthy essay in a respectful, but unambiguous tone that was published by the Catholic World Report , patristics expert examined the quoted Cardinal Kasper in support of its argument places of the Church Fathers: Origen, Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus and the Canon 8 of the Council of Nicea.

"Unfortunate that Cardinal Kasper, has distorted the testimonies of the early Church"

Cooper can prove that none of the references cited by Kasper's points can infer admission to  Communion for remarried divorcees. Cooper's conclusion reads: "It is unfortunate that Cardinal Kasper has distorted the testimony of the early Church to this extent for a pastoral solution he seems to represent". For the overall question, says the Australian theologian,  the subject is complex and is not to say that there are answers exactly  to the problems of today which must follow from what stands in the writings of the Church Fathers. These can not derive  in any case  an admission of remarried divorcees to Communion. But this breaks down the whole argument of Cardinal Kasper, who justified his thesis in a misleading manner by reference to the Church Fathers.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Timone
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
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Cardinal Kasper Feels Left Out: Lutherans Snub Joint Declaration on Justification

It’s a big pain that the hard-won basic text for justification is not mentioned by the EKD.

Berlin (kath.net / KNA) The former Vatican Ecumenical Head Cardinal Walter Kasper has criticized the statement of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) on the doctrine of justification. The “basic text published in May didn’t mention a single word on the pact singed in 1999 by Catholics and Lutherans "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" (GER), said Kasper this weekend in Berlin. "I could not believe it, it hurt me," said the retired German Cardinal.

For the upcoming anniversary of the Reformation of the EKD promises "no good,” said Kasper. He expressed the hope that this is not the last word on the question by the EKD. The paper is titled “Justification and Freedom. Reformation 500 years in 2017." In the theological question of justification, is, to put it simply, a matter of whether the sin which hinders the relationship between God and man can be brought back to order by grace alone or by human participation.

The former President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity spoke on this at a meeting of the Christian community "Chemin Neuf" (New Way), which celebrated its 20-years of engagement in Berlin. The former president of the Lutheran World Federation, Bishop Emeritus of the Brunswick, Christian Krause, said of GER, which is a central Lutheran-Catholic consensus document, had been controversial "only in Germany" within the Lutheran churches before signing. Krause continuing said, for the Catholic Church it was not an easy question to answer, as they are confronted with the anniversary of the Reformation, which has been prepared with great effort.

Kasper explained that the Catholic Church would "participate, if we are invited" in the celebrations. This is where the ball lay, but on the side of the EKD. In his view, the churches could "celebrate what has been given us in recent decades,” in 2017. They should "not forget what we have already formulated together.”

Link to kath.net...

Anti-Kasper Front: From Brandmüller and Caffara Come De Paolis and Bassetti

(Vatican)  Kasper has been slowly forming resistance behind the lines.  This is according to Archbishop Carlo Cardinal Caffarra of Bologna in the newspaper Il Foglio and Cardinal Walter Brandmüller in the daily newspaper The Daily Mail, a third wearer of the Purple  has publicly and thoroughly taken a position on the issue of remarried divorcees. And he opposes himself against the theses of Cardinal Walter Kasper, who was the only speaker at the recent Cardinal consistory of February 20 and 21 at the request of the Pope. Kasper was therefore able to give his opinion from a privileged position.

A position that secured him a considerable advantage in the public debate.  Or would have had at least, if the historian Roberto de Mattei had not immediately countered him with a profound contradiction. Not coincidentally, it was the German Cardinal Brandmüller who publicly disagreed with the German Cardinal Kasper first among the purple hats. Everyone knows this and is disillusioned.

De Paolis' Detailed Polemic Against Walter Kasper

Now Cardinal Velasio De Paolis has taken up a feather to cross blades  with Kasper in the dispute. The well-known canon is Prefect Emeritus of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See and was from the beginning, an apostolic delegate of the Legionaries of Christ.  The cardinal has expressed on several occasions his appreciation for Pope Francis.

De Paolis took advantage of this past March 27, the opening of the new judicial year at the church court of Umbria, to  challenge  Cardinal Kasper in the ring. The title of his speech was: "The Remarried Divorcees and the Sacraments of the Eucharist and of Penance" .

De Paolis counter reply is more extensive than   Kasper's paper  before the Cardinals. 40 pages  have been published in full by the church court on the Internet, the intention of the Cardinal of the Order of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (CS)  also called the Calabrians,  is trying to set his brother back on track.

Support for De Paolis of Neocardinal Bassetti

"Moderator" of the church law of Umbria  is Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti of Perugia, whom Pope Francis has made ​​Deputy President of the Italian Bishops' Conference and a cardinal.  Archbishop Bassetti was not only the only resident Italian who has been created cardinal by Pope Francis. As Archbishop of Perugia he stands in front of a diocese whose bishop's throne is not connected in accordance with the Concordat, to  the dignity of Cardinal, like Venice and Turin, whose occupants,  however, have come up empty-handed.

It was Neocardinal Bassetti, whom De Paolis invited to give the opening speech. It was also Bassetti, in the ceremony gave the floor on March 27, De Paolis in advance and said that  De Paolis'  introductions, "are valuable, and very current  as well as very enriching for us."

"What is to be Said on the Question of Cardinal Kasper?"

Cardinal De Paolis  combined these theses of Kasper together to refute them: "What's to say about the question posed by Cardinal Kasper on February 21, 2014 in the Consistory?" According to Kasper the way of the Church is to balance between rigor and laxity, a way of repentance, which flows first in the sacrament of penance, and then in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Kasper had wondered if this way is feasible also for remarried divorcees and described conditions under which in his opinion it was possible. Kasper listed five conditions and formed them into questions  on whether the remarried divorcees communion even then could be refused if they fulfill these conditions. Whereat Kasper had clearly allowed to keep the admission to communion possible and desired.

Kasper posed his "opening",  as an exception that should not be a general rule. One limitation, however, seems to serve more for the enforcement of its goal to open to remarried divorcees access to communion. As an argument  the German Cardinal also claimed, again in the form of a question, whether the worst case could be averted, such as the loss of an entire generation, namely, the children of remarried divorcees. "Life is not just black and white, but many shades," said Kasper with a less original, but trendy commonplace.

"No Positive Response Possible"

Then Cardinal De Paolis rebutted: "Apart from  good intentions, it does not seem to be possible to answer positively  to this question. Apart from the various situations in which there are  remarried divorcees, all these situations, but the same problem is common: the inadmissibility of cohabitation, "more uxorio" between two people who are not connected to each other by a real marriage bond. The civil marriage is no marriage bond in reality. According to church doctrine, it has not even the semblance of a marriage, which is why the Church speaks of an attack against marriage. Given such a situation it is not clear how one divorced  could receive sacramental absolution to get access to the Eucharist. In order to justify access to the Eucharist for remarried divorcees, reasons are often cited, which have more the appearance of good nature and legitimacy."

Kasper's "Aberration" - "Misunderstood" Pastoral and Mercy

Among these "justifications"  Cardinal De Paolis described "pastoral" and "mercy." Against the   "misunderstandings"  associated with this, the cardinal takes his position ending with a pointed reference with the infamous comment by  Pope Francis, "who am I to judge".

"Often and with justification it is said  that we are not called to condemn the people. The judgement is in fact God's.  It's another thing though, to order to evaluate a completely different situation morally, to distinguish what is good and what is evil; to check whether or not something corresponds to the plan of God for man. This review is imperative. Given the different life situations, such as that of remarried divorcees, can and must say that we do not condemn, but to help. However, we can not confine ourselves not to condemn. We are called to assess the situation in the light of faith and the divine plan, the well-being of the family, the persons concerned and especially the law of God and His love. Otherwise, we run the risk of no longer being able to appreciate the law of God. What's more, almost to consider it an evil, since we put the blame for all evil in a law. Due to a certain representation of things it just seems as if it would make us feel better, if it were not for the law of the indissolubility of marriage. An aberration  that we can recognize in the mistakes in the way we think and argue."  This goes an excerpt from Cardinal De Paolis' rejection of Kasper's theses.

It is generally expected in Italy so that Pope Francis is going to appoint Cardinal Bassetti  soon as the new President of the Italian Episcopal Conference. Even his appointment as deputy chairman was seen as the disempowerment of the Chairman in Office of Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco.

 The Vatican expert Sandro Magister is not presently of this opinion.  He assumes that Cardinal Bagnasco remains in office until the end of the regular term of office in 2017. Magister, says it is also that Bassetti  is aligned  in the group  resisting  Cardinal Kasper, because he called Cardinal De Paolis to Perugia and who already knew in advance his unambiguous rejection of Kasper-theses and approved of them, as is clear from his words in greeting and announcement of De Paolis.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Picture: Wikicommons

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Katholisches....

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Cardinal Kasper Answers Critics of His Lecture: SSPX German District

[PIus.info]  There has been global criticism among faithful, conservative and traditional Catholics about the pastoral lecture of  divorced and "remarried" by Walter Cardinal Kasper, the Cardinal replied yesterday with a half-page letter to the editor in the "Tagespost" on some of these criticisms.

The crucial passage from the letter to the editor refers to his proposal to allow "remarried" divorced to the sacrament of penance, the Cardinal writes in the letter.

"The decisive statement in this presentation is: 'Penance and the Sacrament of Penance are the way to connect both aspects. Commitment to the word of the Lord, and the never-ending mercy of God' (p. 65) It turns to the question  which has not been answered by the critics: Are you allowed to refuse absolution in such a situation in which the penitent has repented and testified honestly and in good will with their best efforts to live by faith? Is it not possible with God that someone could fall into a hole from which there is no way out? If that is impossible with God, then why not in the Church ...? "

Cardinal's sentences clearly demonstrated an awareness of precisely the crucial point of the whole discussion. Of course, the Church has never denied absolution to a man who has "repented honestly and testified in good will with their best efforts to live by faith." Yet the question here is, what it means, that the penitent has repented honestly? For sincere repentance it means  that he separates himself from sin and possesses  a firm resolve  never to repeat the sin, which without the help and grace of God is not possible of course.

However, this means with respect to the divorced and "remarried" that the partners decide to separate or if this is for important reasons (e.g. due to the children) is not possible, to refrain from the conjugal act in the future and to live together as brothers and sister. This is exactly what the Church has recommended for centuries for people living in such a situation. Cardinal Kasper, however, would like to eliminate this clear and visible sign of remorse and repentance, and it is based in substantial part of the criticism of his lecture, which he never responded to in his letter to the editors at any point.

Link to Pius.info... 

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
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Statement by Bp. Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X, on the new pastoral approach to marriage according to Cardinal Kasper

[DICI] What will happen at the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that is to be held October 5 – 19, 2014, dedicated to “the pastoral challenges for the family in the context of evangelization?” This question is asked with great concern, since during the last Consistory, on February 20, 2014, Cardinal Walter Kasper, at the request of Pope Francis and with his emphatic support, presented the topic of the next Synod by making supposedly pastoral overtures that were doctrinally scandalous.

This presentation, which was initially supposed to remain secret, was published in the press, and the agitated debates that it sparked among the members of the Consistory ended up being revealed as well.  One university professor dared to speak about a veritable “cultural revolution” (Roberto de Mattei), and one journalist described as a “paradigm shift” the fact that Cardinal Kasper proposes that divorced-and-“remarried” Catholics could go to Communion, even without their earlier marriage being annulled:  “at present that is not the case, based on Jesus’ very severe and explicit words about divorce.” (Sandro Magister)

Some prelates have spoken up against this change, such as Cardinal Carlo Caffara, Archbishop of Bologna, who asked:  “What about the first ratified and consummated marriage?  If the Church admits [the divorced-and-“remarried”] to the Eucharist, she must however render a judgment about the legitimacy of the second union.  That is only logical.  But then -as I asked-what about the first marriage?  The second, they say, cannot be a true second marriage, because bigamy goes against the Lord’s words.  And what about the first one? Is it dissolved?  But the Popes have always taught that the power of the Pope cannot go that far:  the Pope has no authority over a ratified and consummated marriage.  The solution proposed (by Cardinal Kasper) leads one to think that the first marriage remains, but there is also a second form of cohabitation that the Church legitimizes….  The fundamental question is therefore simple:  what about the first marriage?  But no one gives an answer.”  (Il Foglio, March 15, 2014)

One could add the serious objections formulated by Cardinals Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Walter Brandmüller, Angelo Bagnasco, Robert Sarah, Giovanni Battista Re, Mauro Piacenza, Angelo Scola, Camillo Ruini….  But these objections, too, remain unanswered.

We cannot wait, without speaking up, for the Synod to be held next October in the disastrous spirit that Cardinal Kasper wants to give to it.  The attached study, entitled “The New Pastoral Approach to marriage according to Cardinal Kasper’” shows the gross errors contained in his presentation.  Not to denounce them would amount to leaving the door open to the dangers pointed out by Cardinal Caffarra:  “Therefore there would be such a thing as extramarital human sexuality that the Church considers legitimate.  But that negates the central pillar of the Church’s teaching on sexuality.  At that point someone might wonder:  then why not approve of extramarital cohabitation?  Or relations between homosexuals?”  (Ibid.)

Whereas in recent months many families have demonstrated courageously against civil laws that, everywhere, are undermining the natural, Christian family, it is simply scandalous to see these same laws surreptitiously supported by churchmen who wish to align Catholic doctrine and morality with the morals of a de-Christianized society, instead of seeking to convert souls.  A pastoral approach that scoffs at the explicit teaching of Christ on the indissolubility of marriage is not merciful but insulting to God, who grants His grace sufficiently to everyone; and it is cruel toward the souls who, when placed in difficult situations, receive the grace that they need in order to live a Christian life and even to grow in virtue, to the point of heroism.

Menzingen, April 12, 2014

+Bernard Fellay
Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X

Benedict XVI. Prays --- And Formulates an Opposing Position

Edit: the most revealing, cutting  comment was quoted by Sandro Magister and not present in this piece:

"John Paul II did not ask for applause, nor did he ever look around in concern at how his decisions would be received. He acted on the basis of his faith and convictions, and he was also ready to take fire. The courage of the truth is to my eyes one of the main criteria of holiness."

(Vatican)   Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. prays, but he also gives advice," says Vatican expert Sandro Magister. And he does it more often. While the reigning Pope Francis called upon and  hailed, the Emeritus Pope raises his predecessor John Paul II. A fine but meaningful action. Benedict XVI. is it not primarily about the person of the Polish pope, who had called him to Rome and his pontificate, which he helped to shape from the background, but rather it is related  to the Magisterium, particularly realling the Encyclical Veritatis splendor , and the Declaration Dominus Iesus , two documents Benedict XVI. as a contrast and corrective to current developments.Veritatis Splendor was co-authored by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, in his capacity as prefect of the CDF. It raises the absolute claim of fundamental moral truths. Dominus Iesus is a document of the CDF, which was, however, contrary to conflicting claims, approved in full by  John Paul II. The Polish Pope also, said Benedict, had no fear, "as to how his decisions would be taken."  Recent references can be called to mind.

Cardinal Kasper Warned of the "Shadow Pope" - Francis Publicly Called For This

Cardinal Walter Kasper, the spokesman of a fundamental attack on the sacrament of marriage, the sacrament of confession and religious anthropology,  found sharp words for Benedict during  the sedevacant between the resignation and the election of  Francis. With words that were directed against the resigning Pope, he warned against interfering in the election of his successor and his pontificate. It is Pope Francis, in his Ash Wednesday interview in Corriere della Sera who exhorted Benedict XVI. to take an active role in the Church. Also the course as part of an unprecedented development in the history of the Church. "The Pope Emeritus   is not a museum piece. He is an institution," said Pope Francis and much more, including the request,  "that it would be better if he saw people went out and would participate in the life of the Church."

"No sooner said than done," says Master. "A few days later, a book was published with a text of Benedict XVI. Not about any text, but an assessment of his predecessor John Paul II ."  A real public opinion, not only of the person, but also the crucial basic lines of this memorable pontificate," said Master. With emphasis, which can not but be read, because it is as a pointed comparison to  the current situation of the Church and thus the reigning Pope.

Four Major Encyclicals and Two Key Documents

The text contains a number of significant points. One of them is that of liberation theology, which has gained new relevance in the Vatican. But two other points are important. The first digit refers to the most important encyclicals of John Paul II Of the fourteen encyclicals   Benedict XVI. singles out five.

Redemptor hominis from 1979, where John Paul II, "offers his personal summary of the Christian faith", and today "this is a great help to those,who are in the search,' says Benedict.

Redemptoris missio of 1987,   "which emphasizes the importance of the permanent mission of the Church's mission" .

Evangelium vitae of 1995, which "develops one of the fundamental themes of the entire pontificate of John Paul II: the inviolable dignity of human life, from the first moment of conception," said Benedict.

Fides et ratio of 1998, which " "offers a new vision of the relationship between the Christian faith and philosophical reason."".

"Veritatis Splendor" against Pragmatic Morality Without Good and Evil

 Benedict XVI.  devote  a few lines of comments to these  four encyclicals. Then he mentioned a fifth encyclical, which he dedicated, in contrast to the other, a lot of space, and thus the weighting still underlines.

This is the Encyclical Veritatis Splendor on some fundamental questions of the Church's moral teaching in 1993.  Perhaps the least recognized encyclical of John Paul II it  is considered by Benedict XVI. which the Church relies on in Her  current position as the most important legacy of the Polish pontificate. "The Encyclical on moral issues took long years of maturation and remains unchanged from actuality," says Benedict XVI.:

"The Second Vatican Council was in contrast to the prevailing orientation of moral theology to natural was that  Catholic moral teaching about Jesus and His message, had a biblical foundation.  However, this was only rudimentarily attempted for only a short time. Then, the opinion prevailed that the Bible did not have its own proclamation to morality, but refers only to moral models whose validity varies from case to case. Morality is a matter of reason and not of faith, it was said. So on the one hand   the sense of natural law as a foundation for morality disappeared, without any Christian idea taking its place. And since you still could see a Christological morality neither a metaphysical basis, they  resorted back to pragmatic solutions: on a morality that is based on the principle of a balancing of interests, in which there is no longer truly the  bad and the truly good, but only more, what is the point of view of efficiency, better or worse. The great task that John Paul II was presented with in that encyclical was, again to track down and expose and a metaphysical foundation in anthropology thus a Christian concretization in the new image of man from the Scriptures. "

Because of its prominence, of the utmost importance Benedict XVI recommends.  people of today to read and study this encyclical again, and think about.

"Dominus Iesus" and the Essential Elements of the Catholic Faith

The second point concerns the Declaration Dominus Iesus on the uniqueness and universality of redemption of Jesus Christ and the Church in 2000. "Dominus Iesus summarizes completely the essential elements of the Catholic faith." Dominus Iesus was the most criticized doctrinal document of the Polish pontificate and indeed outside and inside the Church. And yet it is, says Benedict XVI., together with Veritatis splendor,   two of the outstanding and important documents of the pontificate of John Paul II. Not only that, he recommends both documents to the Church today as a guide.

In order to undermine the significance  of Dominus Iesus, opponents attempted to attribute it solely to opponents of  the then Prefect of faith. The opposite was the case. Benedict XVI. emphasized in the book now published, that had been complete agreement between him and John Paul II. as to its contents as well as what the timing and the need to publish were concerned.   Pope Emeritus describes this previously unknown background:

"Because of the vortex, which had originated around Dominus Iesus, Pope John Paul II told me that he intended to unambiguously defend the document during the Angelus.
He asked me to draw up a text for the Angelus, which was waterproof, so to speak, and alllowed no other  interpretation. It should be made ​​clear in an unambiguous way that he approved of the document without ifs and buts. 

Therefore, I prepared a short speech, but would not it be too forward and tried with clarity but without express hardness. After he read it, the Pope said to me: "Is this really clear enough? 'I said yes. 

Anyone familiar with the theologians, is not surprised that there were still those who claimed afterwards that the Pope had cautiously distanced himself from  this document. "

Just how indigestible the  Declaration Dominus Iesus was for parts of the Church, was demonstrated   in February 2010 in a statement by Cardinal Kasper. On the edge of a meeting of the Papal Council for Promoting Christian Unity, he turned to Vatican Radio following question:

Vatican Radio: "You stated in your opening remarks that mistakes have been made with the publication of the document 'Dominus Iesus'  according to ecumenical partners. What did you mean? "

Cardinal Kasper: "I will not say that there is doctrinal error, since this document reflects   Catholic doctrine, but that there are problems with some formulations that are not easily accessible to our partners."

Today, Cardinal Kasper seems to have more weight in the Church than ever before. Benedict XVI. formulated in various places an opposite position, publicly and privately. So he wrote, as Curial Archbishop Georg Gänswein announced in a ZDF interview, a four-page critique of the interview of Pope Francis in the Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica .

The judgment of Benedict XVI.  about the person of John Paul II  he summarizes in his article a statement, in which he expresses admiration for the "courage", "with which he fulfilled his task in a truly difficult time. John Paul II was not expecting applause and also did not look worried about how his decisions could be taken. He acted out of his faith and his beliefs and was also willing to suffer criticism for it."

Years ago, Joseph Ratzinger coined the phrase on the exercise of the papal office:

"A pope who would not be criticized today would have missed his task in this time."

The book, in which the new text of Benedict XVI. has appeared: . "On the Side of John Paul II Told by His Friends and Associates", with an exclusive contribution of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, ed. From Wlodzimierz Redzioch, Edizioni Ares, Milan, 2014, pp. 236, € 15,90.

Text: Settimo Cielo / Giuseppe Nardi
image: CR / NBQ
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...

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