Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Benedict XVI has called synod of the churches in the Middle East for an October 2010. Preparation for this event requires understanding of the situation that surrounds this part of the world and the difficult problems that the churches there are suffering.
First there is widespread conflict. There is one that has lasted for decades, between Israel and Palestine, and associated with it, other situations of war that have arisen in other countries.
Then there is the political changes that have taken place in Iran since '79, which brought to the fore the Shiite movement. In many countries where it exists, it is becoming its self-awareness is growing, although this often takes on the form of confrontation.
A third factor is the rise of Islamic terrorism in the countries of the Middle East which is spreading throughout the world. Added to this the war in Iraq and its consequences. All of these political situations are somehow inter-connected.
Another important dimension is the growth of the Islamic fundamentalist movement. This has changed the very social structure of the region which has for decades seen the insistence of Islamic discourse in the media; schools are permeated with the teachings Islam, especially fundamentalist Islam; on the streets religious adverts are an increasing; the traditional external or extremist signs of this trend. In some countries the growth of fundamentalism has encouraged the adoption of sharia, or part of sharia. This has a strong influence on the lives of Christians, because they are forced to behave in a "more Islamic" way, often suffering social exclusion as a result.
Even in Palestine in the last decade the once prevalent secular trend has greatly diminished and the fundamentalist trend has increased. Religious freedom has declined everywhere, choking the Church's mission.
Emigration
The easiest response for Christians to this situation tends to be one that is both equal and opposite: affirming the Christian identity with more stringency; a hardening of relations among themselves. This is evident in Egypt, but also in other situations.
Another way to react is to emigrate. Everyone, Christians and Muslims emigrate for socio-economic reasons, rarely for religious reasons. But the number of Christians who emigrate is far higher than that of Muslims and among the reasons why Christians leave those of cultural, and moral freedom are mounting. Emigration is facilitated by the fact that many Christians have relatives and friends abroad, the result of past migrations.
In the case of Egypt it is clear: Muslim migration has always been temporary, to the Gulf countries, people leave for a few years and then return. Instead Christians emigrate to North America or Europe or Australia, transplanting themselves in a comprehensive manner.
Emigration is not an entirely negative factor: it can also be opportunity for renewal. The Coptic community in the United States, for example, counts at least 700 thousand faithful. These were compared with American or Australian culture and sought to maintain the Coptic tradition - such as fasting, which is very intense and long - and respect for the clergy and for their Church. At the same time they have found other ways to celebrate, a greater closeness to the Holy Scriptures, Western theology. This has allowed for a true ecumenism and openness to other religious communities. And this is a positive contribution to their church.
Emigration has positive aspects also from an economic standpoint because it supports families and churches back home.
The presence of Islamic fundamentalism has positive aspects: it encourages Christians to live their faith in a more radical and intimate way, because there is an attack on their faith. Religious feeling is strengthened; at times, this religious sentiment in Christians and Muslims tends to fanaticism, but more often it arouses the desire for greater reflection, freedom and discovery.
The mission of the Christian minority
What makes matters worse is the fact numeric: Christians are a minority, they have neither numbers nor militias to claim a space. Their presence is neither supported in the region - because it is overwhelmingly Muslim - nor abroad because Europe and America are uninterested in the fate of Christians. When interest is aroused it is because the plight of Christians is linked to the economic and political situation.
We must take stock of these reasons in order to understand what future Christians have in the Middle East. And this is the purpose of the Synod: first comprehend the situation and then look for possible paths of action.
Many Christians are tempted to emigrate. This choice weakens those who remain: those leaving are generally the most capable in cultural and economic terms, and those who stay the weakest and the poorest. This is likely to provoke a vicious circle: the more people leave the more those who remain are oppressed. A similar thing happened in Turkey. Today there are more Syriac faithful in Saudi Arabia (migrants from India) than in Turkey and Syria combined. On a personal level, Christians a re highly adaptable to all situations. This means that in a one to two generations, Christians abroad become permanent residents and part of another Christian community.
But the question is: have Christians a specific mission in the Middle East?
If one thinks about the consequences for communities worldwide, it must be said that there is a risk of a great loss for world culture and the Universal Church: the end of the Churches of the East. Within a few decades a large part of the theological and intellectual heritage of the Churches of the East would be cancelled. And no book can replace it.
Severe loss
But it would be a great loss for the countries of the East. Christians are a different voice, a challenging one, diverse from Israel and the Muslims, with a specific culture that enriches this cultural area. It would also be a loss for society because Christians represent a tradition of freedom, of openness that is partly missing in the Islamic tradition, which is more closed in on itself.
This phenomenon has occurred many times in history: the Assyrian Christians who between the eighth century and the twelfth introduced Hellenistic thought in philosophy, medicine, science. And in 800 and 900, they also introduced European thought through their translations. They are a cultural bridge. And for the same Islamic world their disappearance would be a loss. In short, the emigration of Christians abroad and their disappearance from the East would be a loss for everyone, first and foremost for Muslims themselves.
Link to link...
Showing posts with label Ecumenism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ecumenism. Show all posts
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Archbishop Williams is worried about non-existent threats when he might be more involved with spiritual ones.
Archbishop Nichols has greater interest in advocating the socialist agendas of climate change and "social justice" than in promoting the honor of God, indeed, it's hard to descry any visible spiritual dimension within his concerns that the environment can harm the poor.
LONDON, DEC. 8, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The archbishop of Westminster is affirming that helping the poorest persons should be at the center of the climate change debate.
Archbishop Vincent Nichols said this Saturday at a "Time to Pray" ecumenical service regarding the environment and climate change.
The service, which featured addresses by various Christian leaders, was planned in conjunction with "The Wave," a demonstration in central London aimed at drawing attention to climate change issues prior to the U.N. Copenhagen summit.
Representatives of some 190 countries have just gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, for a two-week conference to seek a global pact on climate change.
Archbishop Nichols addressed the topic by expressing concern for "all those whose lives are directly affected by climate change, the world's poorest and the most disadvantaged."
"This is an important perspective which we must not lose in the midst of all the other concerns expressed in recent weeks," he stated.
"We know that issues of world poverty and development cannot be separated from concerns for the environment," the prelate said. "They are intimately connected."
There is "much to do before we achieve sound and sustainable relationships between the peoples of this earth and with the environment of the created world," he acknowledged.
Lifestyles
"We sense within us never-ending demands," the archbishop affirmed, "often provoked by the culture of our consumer society."
He continued: "But we must look hard at the way we live our lives and consider again those whose future is threatened by the effects of our own lifestyles.
"Only when we are clearly prepared to change the way we live will politicians be able to achieve the change we say we want to see."
"To love God is, among other things, to give thanks and praise for the gifts of creation and to recognize that they are destined for all people," Archbishop Nichols stated.
Among these gifts, he said, is that of technology, and thus "technological advance is a crucial part of the way we will find solutions to the problems caused by climate change."
Technology is "not morally neutral," the prelate pointed out.
"Rather," he explained, "its proper use is guided always by its effect on the common good."
Thus, the archbishop continued, "let the genius of our finest minds serve the needs of all, and the needs of our environment."
"At the center of our world stands the human person," he affirmed, "every single one made in the image and likeness of God and deserving, for that reason alone, respect, freedom and cooperation."
Archbishop Nichols concluded: "It is hope that inspires us; faith that sustains us. Our union with Christ in prayer is our source of energy, of a new life for our effort as his disciples."
Link to original...
LONDON, DEC. 8, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The archbishop of Westminster is affirming that helping the poorest persons should be at the center of the climate change debate.
Archbishop Vincent Nichols said this Saturday at a "Time to Pray" ecumenical service regarding the environment and climate change.
The service, which featured addresses by various Christian leaders, was planned in conjunction with "The Wave," a demonstration in central London aimed at drawing attention to climate change issues prior to the U.N. Copenhagen summit.
Representatives of some 190 countries have just gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, for a two-week conference to seek a global pact on climate change.
Archbishop Nichols addressed the topic by expressing concern for "all those whose lives are directly affected by climate change, the world's poorest and the most disadvantaged."
"This is an important perspective which we must not lose in the midst of all the other concerns expressed in recent weeks," he stated.
"We know that issues of world poverty and development cannot be separated from concerns for the environment," the prelate said. "They are intimately connected."
There is "much to do before we achieve sound and sustainable relationships between the peoples of this earth and with the environment of the created world," he acknowledged.
Lifestyles
"We sense within us never-ending demands," the archbishop affirmed, "often provoked by the culture of our consumer society."
He continued: "But we must look hard at the way we live our lives and consider again those whose future is threatened by the effects of our own lifestyles.
"Only when we are clearly prepared to change the way we live will politicians be able to achieve the change we say we want to see."
"To love God is, among other things, to give thanks and praise for the gifts of creation and to recognize that they are destined for all people," Archbishop Nichols stated.
Among these gifts, he said, is that of technology, and thus "technological advance is a crucial part of the way we will find solutions to the problems caused by climate change."
Technology is "not morally neutral," the prelate pointed out.
"Rather," he explained, "its proper use is guided always by its effect on the common good."
Thus, the archbishop continued, "let the genius of our finest minds serve the needs of all, and the needs of our environment."
"At the center of our world stands the human person," he affirmed, "every single one made in the image and likeness of God and deserving, for that reason alone, respect, freedom and cooperation."
Archbishop Nichols concluded: "It is hope that inspires us; faith that sustains us. Our union with Christ in prayer is our source of energy, of a new life for our effort as his disciples."
Link to original...
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Moscow and Rome Making Progress
Inevitably, this is going to happen and it's just a matter of time. The friendly overtures on the part of the Bulgarians as well as the recent talks in Cyprus point to it, but there are negative reasons as well, threats that are far greater than the Turk.
By Oleg Shchedrov
MOSCOW, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church are making progress towards healing their 1,000-year-old rift, a senior Russian official said ahead of President Dmitry Medvedev's first visit to the Vatican.
But the Russian leader will not invite Pope Benedict to make an historic visit to Russia when the two meet on Thursday because he believes church heads should take the initiative, said the official, who refused to be identified.
"It is not appropriate for a secular leader to raise the issue in the absence of a hierarch," the official said. "They (Church leaders) should decide the issue themselves."
"However, a movement towards normalisation is clearly seen and things are moving in the right direction," he added.
The Russian Orthodox Church has revived dramatically since the collapse of communism and is now a powerful and influential force. Its leader, Patriarch Kirill, is often seen with Kremlin chiefs, top officials and visiting foreign leaders.
Visits by Russian leaders to the Holy See in the past have failed to help heal the rift between the churches.
But fresh hopes emerged when Kirill took power after the death of his theologically more conservative predecessor Alexiy II last December.
Patriarch Alexiy, who spearheaded the revival of his church after decades of Communist persecution, treated rival religions and churches with suspicion.
The Russian Orthodox Church has accused the Vatican of poaching for converts in its territory, including Slav neighbour Ukraine. The Catholic Church says it is only ministering to an existing flock of around half a million Russian Catholics.
The mediaeval Christian church split into Eastern and Western branches in the Great Schism of 1054 amid disputes over papal authority and the insertion of a clause into the Nicene Creed. The divide has never been healed.
Patriarch Kirill, who headed the Church's foreign relations department for many years before taking his present job, has shown less hostility towards Catholics than Alexiy.
German-born Pope Benedict, a theological conservative, is viewed by Orthodox hierarchs as a more welcome partner than his predecessor John Paul II.
John Paul hailed from Poland, a traditional enemy of Russia, and his fight against Soviet Communism was interpreted by the Orthodox Church as a crusade against Russia.
In March, Medvedev took part in a ceremony in which the Italian government handed a pilgrimage centre in the southern city of Bari to the Orthodox Church.
"I think relations (between the churches) are now becoming more open," the Russian source said. "These steps show they are working on the atmosphere and we appreciate this."
© 2009 Reuters
Link to original...
By Oleg Shchedrov
MOSCOW, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church are making progress towards healing their 1,000-year-old rift, a senior Russian official said ahead of President Dmitry Medvedev's first visit to the Vatican.
But the Russian leader will not invite Pope Benedict to make an historic visit to Russia when the two meet on Thursday because he believes church heads should take the initiative, said the official, who refused to be identified.
"It is not appropriate for a secular leader to raise the issue in the absence of a hierarch," the official said. "They (Church leaders) should decide the issue themselves."
"However, a movement towards normalisation is clearly seen and things are moving in the right direction," he added.
The Russian Orthodox Church has revived dramatically since the collapse of communism and is now a powerful and influential force. Its leader, Patriarch Kirill, is often seen with Kremlin chiefs, top officials and visiting foreign leaders.
Visits by Russian leaders to the Holy See in the past have failed to help heal the rift between the churches.
But fresh hopes emerged when Kirill took power after the death of his theologically more conservative predecessor Alexiy II last December.
Patriarch Alexiy, who spearheaded the revival of his church after decades of Communist persecution, treated rival religions and churches with suspicion.
The Russian Orthodox Church has accused the Vatican of poaching for converts in its territory, including Slav neighbour Ukraine. The Catholic Church says it is only ministering to an existing flock of around half a million Russian Catholics.
The mediaeval Christian church split into Eastern and Western branches in the Great Schism of 1054 amid disputes over papal authority and the insertion of a clause into the Nicene Creed. The divide has never been healed.
Patriarch Kirill, who headed the Church's foreign relations department for many years before taking his present job, has shown less hostility towards Catholics than Alexiy.
German-born Pope Benedict, a theological conservative, is viewed by Orthodox hierarchs as a more welcome partner than his predecessor John Paul II.
John Paul hailed from Poland, a traditional enemy of Russia, and his fight against Soviet Communism was interpreted by the Orthodox Church as a crusade against Russia.
In March, Medvedev took part in a ceremony in which the Italian government handed a pilgrimage centre in the southern city of Bari to the Orthodox Church.
"I think relations (between the churches) are now becoming more open," the Russian source said. "These steps show they are working on the atmosphere and we appreciate this."
© 2009 Reuters
Link to original...
Monday, November 23, 2009
Idealistic Young Priest Preached to Moscow's Muslim Immigrants
Voices From Russia
I last met with Fr Daniil just last week… I was going to write an article about his missionary school. He opened it two years ago at his parish, St Thomas church. Classes meet twice a week, the curriculum includes a comparative analysis of Islam and Orthodox Christianity, the strengths and weaknesses of each religion, and in-depth study of both the Koran and the Bible. Fr Daniil, himself half-Tatar in ancestry, was the only priest in Moscow who advocated preaching Orthodoxy amongst the migrants and guest workers. His clerical colleagues called him the “Orthodox Wahhabi” for the fire gleaming in his eyes and his passionate speeches.
Link to blog...
Breaking story...
Growing persecution of Copts in Egypt, here...
I last met with Fr Daniil just last week… I was going to write an article about his missionary school. He opened it two years ago at his parish, St Thomas church. Classes meet twice a week, the curriculum includes a comparative analysis of Islam and Orthodox Christianity, the strengths and weaknesses of each religion, and in-depth study of both the Koran and the Bible. Fr Daniil, himself half-Tatar in ancestry, was the only priest in Moscow who advocated preaching Orthodoxy amongst the migrants and guest workers. His clerical colleagues called him the “Orthodox Wahhabi” for the fire gleaming in his eyes and his passionate speeches.
Link to blog...
Breaking story...
Growing persecution of Copts in Egypt, here...
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Holy Father and Archbishop Rowan meet for 20 minutes today
Vatican City, Nov 21, 2009 / 12:36 pm (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI and the Anglican Primate Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, have agreed to maintain momentum in the ecumenical dialogue between the two churches despite the fact that the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus will imply the reception of some half a million Anglicans into the Catholic Church.
The Pope received Williams this Saturday morning, and according to a Vatican press release, "in the course of the cordial discussions attention turned to the challenges facing all Christian communities at the beginning of this millennium, and to the need to promote forms of collaboration and shared witness in facing these challenges."
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17791
The Pope received Williams this Saturday morning, and according to a Vatican press release, "in the course of the cordial discussions attention turned to the challenges facing all Christian communities at the beginning of this millennium, and to the need to promote forms of collaboration and shared witness in facing these challenges."
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17791
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Rowan Williams encourages Rome to reconsider Female Bishops
The Guardian
The archbishop of Canterbury today pleaded with Roman Catholics to set aside their differences with Anglicans over the issue of female bishops, insisting there was more uniting the denominations than dividing them.
Rowan Williams was giving a lecture in Rome before Sunday's meeting with the pope, their first encounter since the Vatican's surprise announcement of a special institution for traditionalist Anglicans wanting to convert to Catholicism.
In his address at the Gregorian University, Williams said the Anglican communion was proof that churches could stay together in spite of their differences.
Link to article...
Rowan Williams caught between a Rock and a Hardplace, Chiesa.
The archbishop of Canterbury today pleaded with Roman Catholics to set aside their differences with Anglicans over the issue of female bishops, insisting there was more uniting the denominations than dividing them.
Rowan Williams was giving a lecture in Rome before Sunday's meeting with the pope, their first encounter since the Vatican's surprise announcement of a special institution for traditionalist Anglicans wanting to convert to Catholicism.
In his address at the Gregorian University, Williams said the Anglican communion was proof that churches could stay together in spite of their differences.
Link to article...
Rowan Williams caught between a Rock and a Hardplace, Chiesa.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Divisive Liberals over Celibate Priests
In what could be a scene from a Lasse Hallstrom film, a 50 year old Irish priest in an romantic locale, falls in love and tells his congregation who respond with a heartfelt standing-o. He breaks with tradition, like a man who turns his back on the tumult and chaos of a tired but loyal wife and riotous children for another woman, he's turned his back on the priesthood to which he was commited for 20 years.
It would be easy to spit on him in print. Could those who've met his departure with the cheers in the closing scene of an adolescent feel-good coming of age film really understand what this man has done? Do they understand the priesthood?
What is greater in scope in the treatment of this story is that there are others, mostly comfortable elitist journalists and liberal priests, who want to make this issue and others like it, with its subjective emotional mental states, self-realization and betrayals, into something else. These men, many of whom aren't actually Catholic, want to determine how the Church is run. Their spite is palpable and it's what has always given us an inkling of the truth of the Catholic Church's claims to be what She is, "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic".
They say that celibacy is a ridiculous rule and that the new incoming Anglicans will call all of this into question. The only thing that's certain is that any avenue of attack will do. Like the crowd that mocked our Lord at Calvary, a diabolical tumult will sound from the electronic media whose malice and desire to corrupt can reach unto every hearth and twist men's minds and make them unwhole; make them unwholesome.
The decision of Londonde cleric Fr Sean McKenna to leave the priesthood because he is in a relationship with a woman has raised again the issue of celibacy within the Catholic Church. It is obvious from the reception given to Fr McKenna by his congregation when he broke the news to them on Sunday that he was much admired as a priest and that that admiration follows him into his life as a lay person. The sadness that many people feel is that he had to choose between his vocation and his new relationship.
The Catholic Church has for centuries held the view that priests must be celibate. That, like its strict views on issues such as abortion and divorce and the ordination of women, is one of the attractions of the Church to those seeking certainties in their lives. However, others see celibacy as an outmoded restriction on the lives of priests.
Read more:
Diogenes comments here...
Bishop of Blackburn says he will not convert to Rome
Religious Intelligence
Tuesday, 17th November 2009. 12:51pm
By: George Conger.
The Bishop of Blackburn will not be taking the Pope up on his offer of a home for disaffected Anglicans in the Roman Catholic Church.
In an interview given to the Lancashire Telegraph, the Rt Rev Nicholas Reade said “I am Bishop of Blackburn, and I will continue to be until the good Lord releases me from it.”
At a joint press conference in London held by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Westminster plans for a “personal ordinariate” for Anglicans who sought to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, while maintaining some aspects of their Anglican identity were announced.
Bishop Reade said the Pope’s offer was “very generous” but “I would have to say I don’t expect many to go” over to Rome.
“The Church of England is a big tent and while there are boundaries to what Anglicans believe, we are a Church that makes room for everyone,” he said. The point of friction in the Church of England for Anglo-Catholics today was the issue of “whether we have women bishops. It’s not quite as simple as saying ‘we have women judges and a woman Prime Minister’. I would hope we could come up with a stance that’s able to appeal to both sides.”
Bishop Reade said he would not be going over to Rome. “I would want to see my time out as Bishop of Blackburn. In other words, I could only cease to be Bishop of Blackburn if ill health, death or retirement intervened.”
Link to original...
Tuesday, 17th November 2009. 12:51pm
By: George Conger.
The Bishop of Blackburn will not be taking the Pope up on his offer of a home for disaffected Anglicans in the Roman Catholic Church.
In an interview given to the Lancashire Telegraph, the Rt Rev Nicholas Reade said “I am Bishop of Blackburn, and I will continue to be until the good Lord releases me from it.”
At a joint press conference in London held by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Westminster plans for a “personal ordinariate” for Anglicans who sought to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, while maintaining some aspects of their Anglican identity were announced.
Bishop Reade said the Pope’s offer was “very generous” but “I would have to say I don’t expect many to go” over to Rome.
“The Church of England is a big tent and while there are boundaries to what Anglicans believe, we are a Church that makes room for everyone,” he said. The point of friction in the Church of England for Anglo-Catholics today was the issue of “whether we have women bishops. It’s not quite as simple as saying ‘we have women judges and a woman Prime Minister’. I would hope we could come up with a stance that’s able to appeal to both sides.”
Bishop Reade said he would not be going over to Rome. “I would want to see my time out as Bishop of Blackburn. In other words, I could only cease to be Bishop of Blackburn if ill health, death or retirement intervened.”
Link to original...
Iraqi Bishop Holds Catholic Mass at COB Adder
By: Sgt. Matthew E. Jones on: Sun Nov. 15, 2009
@WDTPRS
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – The acting bishop of Basra held Catholic Mass here Nov. 7 in honor of the service members and civilians working toward a safer, more secure Iraq.
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@WDTPRS
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – The acting bishop of Basra held Catholic Mass here Nov. 7 in honor of the service members and civilians working toward a safer, more secure Iraq.
Read further...
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Greek Orthodox solidarity in face of crucifix ban
The Turks were a good incentive for talks of reunion at the Council of Lyon in 1276 and at Ferrara-Florence in 1438. Now we together face both Islam and Secularism at the same time. Examples like this are further encouragements for those of us who are optomistic about an end to the Great Schism.
The Greek Orthodox Church is urging Christians across Europe to oppose a ban on crucifixes in classrooms in Italy. The ban came as a result of a November 3 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in France that the presence of crucifixes violated a child's right to freedom of religion. The European Court of Human Rights found that the compulsory display of crucifixes violated parents' rights to educate their children as they saw fit and restricted the right of children to believe or not to believe. Immediately after the ruling, Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said the crucifix was a fundamental sign of the importance of religious values in Italian history and culture and was a symbol of unity and welcoming for all of humanity — not one of exclusion.
Read Further...
The Greek Orthodox Church is urging Christians across Europe to oppose a ban on crucifixes in classrooms in Italy. The ban came as a result of a November 3 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in France that the presence of crucifixes violated a child's right to freedom of religion. The European Court of Human Rights found that the compulsory display of crucifixes violated parents' rights to educate their children as they saw fit and restricted the right of children to believe or not to believe. Immediately after the ruling, Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said the crucifix was a fundamental sign of the importance of religious values in Italian history and culture and was a symbol of unity and welcoming for all of humanity — not one of exclusion.
Read Further...
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Russian Church is to suspend its dialogue with German Lutherans
German Lutherans must not have much of a commitment to ecumenical dialogue if they're so insensitive as to ordain a female Bishop as they've done recently. It can't bode well either that the Swedish Lutheran Church has ordained a female homosexual either. Lines are being drawn in this battle, and it looks like dying protestant denominations are doing almost as much for the Catholic cause as Benedict by making an infernal marriage with the spirit of the post-modern age.
Moscow, November 12, Interfax – The Russian Orthodox Church is ready to suspend the dialogue with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany after woman bishop Margot Kaessmann has become its leader.
“We planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our dialogue with the Lutheran Church in Germany in late November or early December. The 50th anniversary of the dialogue will become the end of it,” head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk was quoted as saying by the Kommersant daily on Thursday.
Archbishop Hilarion reminded that Orthodoxy did not accept female priesthood.
“We can develop the dialogue, but there raise lots of simple protocol questions. How will the Patriarch address her or meet with her?” the Russian Church representative said.
Kaessmann, 51, a divorced mother of four daughters, was elected head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany, which unites over twenty Lutheran and Reformed Churches, during the Synod held on October 28.
Russian Lutherans supported the Moscow Patriarchate official’s statement and agreed that female episcopate is a sign of crisis in the Western society.
“We don’t have women bishops as introducing such an institute is not a Biblical action,” general secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria (Russia) Fr. Alexander Prilutsky said.
Link to article...
Moscow, November 12, Interfax – The Russian Orthodox Church is ready to suspend the dialogue with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany after woman bishop Margot Kaessmann has become its leader.
“We planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our dialogue with the Lutheran Church in Germany in late November or early December. The 50th anniversary of the dialogue will become the end of it,” head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk was quoted as saying by the Kommersant daily on Thursday.
Archbishop Hilarion reminded that Orthodoxy did not accept female priesthood.
“We can develop the dialogue, but there raise lots of simple protocol questions. How will the Patriarch address her or meet with her?” the Russian Church representative said.
Kaessmann, 51, a divorced mother of four daughters, was elected head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany, which unites over twenty Lutheran and Reformed Churches, during the Synod held on October 28.
Russian Lutherans supported the Moscow Patriarchate official’s statement and agreed that female episcopate is a sign of crisis in the Western society.
“We don’t have women bishops as introducing such an institute is not a Biblical action,” general secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria (Russia) Fr. Alexander Prilutsky said.
Link to article...
Meeting possible between Pope, Patriarch Kirill - Archbishop Hilarion
Moscow, November 12, Interfax - Relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches are improving and a meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, may be on the cards, a Russian Orthodox bishop said.
"Today it can be said that we are moving to a moment when it becomes possible to prepare a meeting between the Pope and the Patriarch of Moscow," Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the head of the Department for External Church Relations, told reporters in Moscow.
"There are no specific plans for the venue or timing of such a meeting but on both sides there is a desire to prepare it," the Archbishop said.
Preparations for such a meeting must involve finding "a common platform on all remaining points of dispute," the Archbishop said.
One such issue are relations between the Uniate community and Orthodox believers in Ukraine. In the early 1990s, "the fragile interdenominational balance was upset and a serious situation took shape that still exists," Archbishop Hilarion said.
At the same time, conversion of Orthodox believers into Catholicism is less of a problem today than it was a decade ago, he said.
Benedict XVI is "a very reserved, traditional man who does not seek the expansion of the Catholic Church to traditionally Orthodox regions," the Archbishop said.
When Benedict XVI, shortly after being elected Pope, met with Metropolitan Kirill (the present Russian Patriarch, then head of the DECR, a papal visit to Russia "was taken off the agenda as now it appears to us to be impossible," the bishop said.
After Metropolitan Kirill has been elected Patriarch, "one can hope for further steps" in Orthodox-Catholic dialogue because the Patriarch "will continue the line on relations with Christians of other denominations that he pursued as part of his former activities," the Archbishop said.
Link to article...
"Today it can be said that we are moving to a moment when it becomes possible to prepare a meeting between the Pope and the Patriarch of Moscow," Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the head of the Department for External Church Relations, told reporters in Moscow.
"There are no specific plans for the venue or timing of such a meeting but on both sides there is a desire to prepare it," the Archbishop said.
Preparations for such a meeting must involve finding "a common platform on all remaining points of dispute," the Archbishop said.
One such issue are relations between the Uniate community and Orthodox believers in Ukraine. In the early 1990s, "the fragile interdenominational balance was upset and a serious situation took shape that still exists," Archbishop Hilarion said.
At the same time, conversion of Orthodox believers into Catholicism is less of a problem today than it was a decade ago, he said.
Benedict XVI is "a very reserved, traditional man who does not seek the expansion of the Catholic Church to traditionally Orthodox regions," the Archbishop said.
When Benedict XVI, shortly after being elected Pope, met with Metropolitan Kirill (the present Russian Patriarch, then head of the DECR, a papal visit to Russia "was taken off the agenda as now it appears to us to be impossible," the bishop said.
After Metropolitan Kirill has been elected Patriarch, "one can hope for further steps" in Orthodox-Catholic dialogue because the Patriarch "will continue the line on relations with Christians of other denominations that he pursued as part of his former activities," the Archbishop said.
Link to article...
Monday, November 9, 2009
A royal chapel for Roman Catholics
Christopher Howse at the Guardian is hoping against hope, perhaps, that the next King and Queen of England will be Anglicans and that the Act of Settlement 1701 will be in place.
The Queen's Chapel is a mysterious place. To be sure, it is open for services, but these take place only on Sundays between Easter and the end of July. It is locked the rest of the time.
A remarkable claim in a new book by David Baldwin is that the monarch can turn it over to the ministrations of the Roman Catholic Church for any members of the Royal family who care to receive them.
One might have thought such provisions would have been quashed by the Act of Settlement of 1701, which forbade heirs to the Crown to marry Catholics. But in Royal Prayer (Continuum, £16.99), Mr Baldwin demonstrates that the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1661 is still in force and kicking.
Read more...
More reading on the Coronation Oath, here.
The Queen's Chapel is a mysterious place. To be sure, it is open for services, but these take place only on Sundays between Easter and the end of July. It is locked the rest of the time.
A remarkable claim in a new book by David Baldwin is that the monarch can turn it over to the ministrations of the Roman Catholic Church for any members of the Royal family who care to receive them.
One might have thought such provisions would have been quashed by the Act of Settlement of 1701, which forbade heirs to the Crown to marry Catholics. But in Royal Prayer (Continuum, £16.99), Mr Baldwin demonstrates that the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1661 is still in force and kicking.
Read more...
More reading on the Coronation Oath, here.
Archbishop Burke's Influence set to Grow (NCR)
John Allen of NCR has just commented about Archbishop Burke's appointment. He is confirming speculation elsewhere that his appointment to Rome to the Apostolic Signatura, and now, to the Congregation of Bishops as the fifth American along with the likes of Cardinals Law, Francis Stafford, Justin Rigali and Levada will put him in a position to be very influential indeed, given time, when it comes to appointing new Bishops since his confreres are not typically conservative.
We've already noticed a conservative trend in the appointments of Bishops like the failed attempt to appoint Msgr Wagner of Linz, and two other conservative appointments like Bishop Sirba of Duluth, Minnesota and Bishop Lavoir to New Ulm, Minnesota much earlier this year.
Unfortunately, Archbishop Burke will have to contend with the Papal Nuncio, Cardinal Piero Sambi who has frowned himself on the Archbishop's pugnacious statements, according to Allen. Cardinal Samebi is problematic also for other reasons in that he has presided over many awful appointments in the past, relying not so much on knowledge and prudence so much as unduly trusting liberal prelates in the countries where he has worked as Nuncio, especially retarding Ecumenism in England by appointing Bishops especially hostile to an influx of conservative Anglicans by Bishop Hollis of Portmouth. (See, Bishops, Nuncios and Delators, Oxford Review) Fortunately, Arcbishop Samebi is due to submit his resignation in four years time when he reaches the age of 75.
We've already noticed a conservative trend in the appointments of Bishops like the failed attempt to appoint Msgr Wagner of Linz, and two other conservative appointments like Bishop Sirba of Duluth, Minnesota and Bishop Lavoir to New Ulm, Minnesota much earlier this year.
Unfortunately, Archbishop Burke will have to contend with the Papal Nuncio, Cardinal Piero Sambi who has frowned himself on the Archbishop's pugnacious statements, according to Allen. Cardinal Samebi is problematic also for other reasons in that he has presided over many awful appointments in the past, relying not so much on knowledge and prudence so much as unduly trusting liberal prelates in the countries where he has worked as Nuncio, especially retarding Ecumenism in England by appointing Bishops especially hostile to an influx of conservative Anglicans by Bishop Hollis of Portmouth. (See, Bishops, Nuncios and Delators, Oxford Review) Fortunately, Arcbishop Samebi is due to submit his resignation in four years time when he reaches the age of 75.
Vatican Holds Line of Celibacy for Anglican Rebels
by Ruth Gledhill
The Vatican today held the line on priestly celibacy as it published the document which opens the door for hundreds of thousands of disaffected Anglicans to become Roman Catholics.
Pope Benedict XVI has made it as easy as possible for traditional and “continuing” Anglicans to convert to Catholicism while retaining key elements of their ecclesiastical heritage, observers commented.
The Apostolic Constitution even allows for married Anglican bishops to be granted the status of retired Catholic bishops, to become members of the local Catholic bishops’ conference and to be granted permission to use the “insignia” of episcopal office, such as the mitre, pectoral cross and staff, by the Holy See in Rome.
But after a hard-fought battle within the Holy See former Catholic priests who left the Church to marry and subsequently became Anglican clergy will not be permitted to return.
Read further...
The Vatican today held the line on priestly celibacy as it published the document which opens the door for hundreds of thousands of disaffected Anglicans to become Roman Catholics.
Pope Benedict XVI has made it as easy as possible for traditional and “continuing” Anglicans to convert to Catholicism while retaining key elements of their ecclesiastical heritage, observers commented.
The Apostolic Constitution even allows for married Anglican bishops to be granted the status of retired Catholic bishops, to become members of the local Catholic bishops’ conference and to be granted permission to use the “insignia” of episcopal office, such as the mitre, pectoral cross and staff, by the Holy See in Rome.
But after a hard-fought battle within the Holy See former Catholic priests who left the Church to marry and subsequently became Anglican clergy will not be permitted to return.
Read further...
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Randall Balmer, Episcopalian, says Vatican "Opportunistic" (Poll)
| Randall Balmer, Episcopal priest, washingtonpost.com.
NO: The Vatican’s sudden overture to disaffected Anglicans strikes me as both cynical and opportunistic.
Cynical in that the concession to effectively allow congregations to continue using Anglican hymns and liturgies seems to undermine decades of ecumenical discussions. [Wow, sounds just like a Jesuit.]
The move is opportunistic in that Rome is making the overture at what might be viewed as a moment of crisis or weakness in the Anglican Communion. The Vatican apparently is seeking to harvest those disaffected by the ordination of women and gays and by support for same-sex unions. [No, they're doing their job.]
A cynical action calls for a cynical interpretation: [Sounds like projection to me. There's nothing about this that's cynical, unless you read into it things which aren't there and attribute wicked motives] Perhaps the Vatican is hoping to lure Anglican parishes — and their property — to compensate for its financial losses in the priestly pedophilia scandals. [Anglicans are actually worse on that score]
I have no doubt that some disaffected Anglicans will see this as an attractive offer. At the same time, I wasn’t aware that Christians opposed to homosexuality or to women’s ordination were underserved in the religious marketplace. [If it were a marketplace. I'm afraid you're the cynical one, sir.]
Read entire article...
NO: The Vatican’s sudden overture to disaffected Anglicans strikes me as both cynical and opportunistic.
Cynical in that the concession to effectively allow congregations to continue using Anglican hymns and liturgies seems to undermine decades of ecumenical discussions. [Wow, sounds just like a Jesuit.]
The move is opportunistic in that Rome is making the overture at what might be viewed as a moment of crisis or weakness in the Anglican Communion. The Vatican apparently is seeking to harvest those disaffected by the ordination of women and gays and by support for same-sex unions. [No, they're doing their job.]
A cynical action calls for a cynical interpretation: [Sounds like projection to me. There's nothing about this that's cynical, unless you read into it things which aren't there and attribute wicked motives] Perhaps the Vatican is hoping to lure Anglican parishes — and their property — to compensate for its financial losses in the priestly pedophilia scandals. [Anglicans are actually worse on that score]
I have no doubt that some disaffected Anglicans will see this as an attractive offer. At the same time, I wasn’t aware that Christians opposed to homosexuality or to women’s ordination were underserved in the religious marketplace. [If it were a marketplace. I'm afraid you're the cynical one, sir.]
Read entire article...
Friday, November 6, 2009
Episcopalian Bishop Smith of Arizona talks about Pope's offer.
This response by Episcopalian Bishop Smith with commentary from Virtue On Line indicates that Bishop Smith has no leg to stand on when it comes to orthodoxy and is really banking on getting converts to his church based on the moral and doctrinal equivalency he shares with prevailing and declining mores of modern society. The salt has truly lost its savour.
Of all the commentary appearing on blogs and in Anglican cyberspace regarding the Pope's recent offer of a safe harbor to traditionalist Anglicans, none has appeared more inane, muddled and downright inaccurate than that of the Rt. Rev. Kirk S. Smith, the Episcopal Bishop of Arizona.
Here is what he said:
SMITH: I've been waiting a few days to make any comment on the recent invitation from Pope Benedict XVI to disgruntled Anglicans to become Roman Catholics.
VOL: First of all, these Anglicans are hardly "disgruntled". What they are wanting is to be faithful to Scripture, tradition and reason at a time when the Episcopal Church is unfaithful to Scripture, has virtually wiped out all tradition, and is being totally unreasonable over property issues.
SMITH: This current invitation is a bit different in that those going to Rome have been promised that they can maintain their Anglican ways (Prayer book, etc) and even have oversight by former Anglican bishops. Still those priests and bishops will be ruled by the Vatican.
VOL: That's precisely why the Pope set it up this way rather than giving them a Personal Prelature as he did Opus Dei. Anglicans would retain their Anglican identity rather than simply being absorbed like the Borg. It is exactly why they wanted their own bishops and at least one group - the Traditional Anglican Communion - has accepted the offer.
SMITH: The reason dissenting Episcopalians left our church is because they don't like control.
VOL: Nonsense. It has nothing to do with control. Episcopalians left to to go to Rome, the AC-NA and countless other Anglican jurisdictions because they no longer believe TEC upholds the faith once for all delivered to the saints. It has nothing to do with control. And speaking of control, there is no bigger control freak than Katharine Jefferts Schori who has assumed papal like powers in deposing bishops and controlling what bishops do over orthodox parishes that want to leave with their properties. She has said she would sooner sell them to saloon keepers than to faithful Anglicans. Who's controlling who here?
SMITH: I doubt many of them would be anxious to trade in their current relative independence for orders from the Chair of St Peter.
VOL: You have just contradicted yourself, Bishop. You just said that conservatives left because they didn't like control? Now you're saying that they will be trading in their "relative independence" to take "orders from the Chair of St. Peter." Which is it Bishop Smith? You can't have it both ways.
Read further...
Thursday, November 5, 2009
This offer was 400 years in the making
A brief overview of English History and the Relations of the English Church with Rome with surprising and accurate conclusions by Cardinal Kasper. The prayer for Christian Unity Week was actually begun in 1908.
Fr Michael Rear says that new provisions for the reception of Anglicans should not surprise those who are familiar with English history
Cardinal Kasper addressed the Anglican bishops at Lambeth, pointing out the difficulty this presents. " In several contexts, bishops are not in communion with other bishops; in some instances, Anglican provinces are no longer in full communion with each other." How can the Catholic Church maintain a dialogue for organic unity with an Anglican Communion so divided in itself? The ARCIC conversations were inevitably downgraded to cooperation and friendship, but are still most important for all that, and more so now when relations are under strain.
For there are very large numbers of Anglicans, like the allegedly 400,000 Anglicans of the Traditional Anglican Communion, and others no longer in communion with their diocesan bishops, who have separate "episcopal visitors". Many of these have earnestly requested Rome to complete the ARCIC process with them. This put Rome on the spot. Cardinal Kasper referred to the dilemma at the Lambeth Conference in 2008.
Read entire article...
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has strongly defended Pope Benedict XVI's decision to extend a hand to Anglicans wishing to enter communion with Rome but maintain their identity.
Read more...
Friday, October 30, 2009
Pope Benedict to Meet with Archbishop Rowan Williams in November
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI will meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury next month in the leaders' first encounter since the Catholic church moved to make it easier for disenchanted Anglicans to convert to Catholicism, a Vatican spokesman said Friday.
Archbishop Rowan Williams, the Anglican leader, was already due to visit Rome in November for ceremonies at a pontifical university to honor a late cardinal who worked for Christian unity, said the spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. Taking advantage of the archbishop's presence in Rome, Benedict will receive Williams on Nov. 21 at the Vatican, Lombardi said in a telephone interview.
Read Further...
Archbishop Rowan Williams, the Anglican leader, was already due to visit Rome in November for ceremonies at a pontifical university to honor a late cardinal who worked for Christian unity, said the spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. Taking advantage of the archbishop's presence in Rome, Benedict will receive Williams on Nov. 21 at the Vatican, Lombardi said in a telephone interview.
Read Further...
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