Bishop Tebartz-van Elst Often Back in His Diocese of Limburg

The "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported, citing "Church circles" remaining anonymous  that the Bishop of Limburg  residing more often in his diocese again. UPDATE: Opinion of the diocese

Limburg (kath.net) According to the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FAS), the Limburg Bishop Franz-Josef Tebartz van Elst  (photo) is back in his diocese on a regular  basis. The bishop, who had been temporarily relieved of his residence obligation by the Pope Francis, apparently spends at least several days every month  in the Episcopal House [Palace] of the Diocese of Limburg. The FAS has received this information from unnamed "church circles".  

Tebartz van Elst's driver cooks for him at his official residence, apparently he also celebrates  Holy Mass occasionally in the Bishop's Chapel, says the FAS.

The FAS also pointed out that the presence of the Bishop of Limburg  "is critically eyed in German church circles", [a good sign] since they are concerned  that Tebartz van Elst will have "influence on official business". The FAS wrote, but without any reference to sources: "In fact, he issues instructions to the new Vicar General. Wolfgang Rösch, who officially leads the diocese, in the background." 

From the environs of the bishop it is also to be learned that he  continues to strive for his full reinstatement to Limburg. In this he will be assisted by the Archbishops of the Curia Gerhard Ludwig Müller and Georg Gänswein and who also had actually become very cautiously positive for the Limburg Bishop.  Gänswein, Prefect of the Papal Household, had also said to "Mittelbayrischen Zeitung"   in mid-January that the Commission of Inquiry will exonerate  Tebartz van Elst  kath.net has reported . 

The Limburg Bishop had also received support from Cardinal Walter Brandmüller in Rome. In an article in the "Daily Post" of last Friday, Brandmüller blamed the difficulties in the diocese of Limburg not of the current bishop, but his predecessor, Bishop Franz Kamphaus. This one is said to essentially support an "anti-Roman sentiment" that has spread in the diocese. Kamphaus has defended, for example, the Church advising consent to abortion  to pregnant women against the Vatican. 

Brandmüller had been quoted in the "Daily Mail": "There can be no doubt that this attitude of a bishop will have destructive consequences for the relationship of the faithful of the diocese of Limburg to the Magisterium of the  church - and the  successor of Franz Kamphaus." 

And this was Brandmüller's diagnosis on the events in Limburg for the "Daily Mail": "But what had happened in Limburg, was basically nothing more than the transfer of the partnership model, the form of government of modern democracy, to the Church. Such attempts at transmission  - and that is secularization in the proper sense  - have been made ​​several times in history and each time has done damage. The Church is, after all, neither monarchy [?] nor dictatorship, nor aristocratic republic or corporate state - it is simply the "Church", though in this world, but not of this world. It is a mystery of faith and follows her own, her own law legislated by  Jesus Christ." 

In the mean time now  an article by the "Focus" with news from Rome has become public, after which the results of the investigation conducted by the Church will be shown to have largely exonerated Bishop Tebarz-van Elst. "Focus" has  also reported that the diocese of Limburg may even be disolved by Roman considerations, as kath.net has reported .

 UPDATE: Statement of the Diocese of Limburg: The Limburg Bishop Franz-Peter van Elst Tebartz regularly stays in his diocese. A report of the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FAS) confirmed by Diocese Spokesman Stephan Fast on Sunday for the Catholic News Agency (KNA). The bishop among other things, being criticized the way he managed and because of the cost of a construction project on the Limburg Cathedral Hill, has returned briefly to Limburg  for "personal reasons". 

But this was neither an interdict nor libelous because he lived "neither in exile nor in restriction", even if it the Pope had granted an break at the end of October for an indefinite period  outside his diocese. FAS further reports that Tebartz van Elst imparts instructions to the new Vicar General Wolfgang Rösch, who leads the ongoing administration of the diocese during the absence of the bishop. To that, KNA was quick to reply that of course Rösch is in contact with the bishop, but is "solely and exclusively" accountable to the Vatican."

Foto Bischof Tebartz-van Elst: (c) Bistum Limburg

Pastor Removes "Volksaltar" From His Church -- The Reaction

(Rome) A pastor has spectacularly restored his parish church which dates from the 18th Century, and then removed the "volksaltar." In architectural, aesthetic, and especially liturgical respects, he reasoned that it was  a mandatory step.  Because of the Church's climate, however, it is an almost "revolutionary," courageous step.

The Italian Archdiocese of Modena in the Po Valley was rocked by a major earthquake in 2012. Two priests died in their churches under the cascading debris. The pastor of the parish of San Michele Arcangelo of Montale Rangone, is Canon Andrea Gianelli,  who restored his parish superlatively and removed  the people's altar on this occasion. The priest, who had been ordained in 1970, is said to have been encouraged  by Pope Benedict XVI. for some time as concerns liturgical questions. The restoration of the earthquake-damaged church would then have been an occasion for him  to act.

Oreientation "mandatory" coram Deo

The intrepid and well-known in his diocesan priest had sent the church newspaper of his archdiocese, the reasons for his decision,which was printed in its entirety on 15 December 2013. The pastor explained how it is generally understood that the priest prays in persona Christi at the altar "and sacrifices, as Jesus Himself would offer sacrifice to God the Father. Thus, the attitude of prayer also changes physically, because it occurs in a direct relationship to God. Even the people pray, but not directly, but through the ordained priest, who says the Eucharistic Prayer alone for this reason. The people hear him and are  united with him in the end by the Amen. The people worship and unites with  his sacrifice, but also his joys in the sacrifice of Christ, but this part of the Mass is essential priestly. It follows necessarily that all are oriented towards the Lord. Not surprisingly, it is called in response to the invitation to lift up our hearts: We lift them up to the Lord."

No Obligation For "People's Altar"

Canon Gianelli then illustrated, referring to Pope Benedict XVI.,  that the direction of prayer for the Church was always East from the beginning, "which is almost 1950 years long," which speaks of an "authentic tradition." "It is a mistake to think that Jesus had looked at the Last Supper toward the apostles, as if he were sitting in their midst. The famous Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, which many artists have followed, mediated a false picture of those events as studies clearly. "The Second Vatican Council doesn't say anything about a people's altar and a prayer towards the people," just as much as it says  that the Latin language of the Church was abolished, but rather put it specifically states that it is to be preserved." The Congregation for Divine Worship made ​​it clear in a document of 2000 that there is no compulsion or obligation to prepare a "people's altar".

Church Newspaper: Is a Change of Practice "Opportune"?

However, the church newspaper added a comment. It was the decision of the canon, who was consecrated in  1970, which not only wasn't criticized, but expressly praised. In praising, it was acknowledged that in his reasoning for the three places of celebration in the Novus Ordo  (chair, lectern, altar), but also his emphasis that the Eucharistic Prayer is a prayer direction and in a double sense is "oriented."

The church newspaper described the decision as "totally permissible and lawful" because they have violated neither a legal nor a liturgical provision. However, the diocesan paper then raised the question whether it was "opportune," to celebrate coram Deo  after celebrating "50 years" facing the people.  For a justification, the church paper said that with a celebration ad populum, the Eucharist can be "observed."

"Unfounded Rationalization"

"The reasoning is completely baseless," said Messa in Latino , "because 50 years is not a  sufficient span of time for the Church  to derive a liturgical customary law.  In addition, the reason for the direction of prayer is not the Eucharist, which is also observed in the traditional form, but turning to God, the sacrificial character instead of the character of a meal, the symbolic meaning of the altar cross, the priest and the people are facing and not facing each other, in order to face the East  of the returning Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. "

In addition, they are astonished at the sudden reverence for the Holy Eucharist, "since otherwise there is  heard no criticism, however, that  the tabernacle is not relegated to a few churches, new and old,  in dark, secluded corners," said Messa in Latino . "The laudable example of Canon Gianelli shows that even priests ordained in the New Rite and celebrating a life in the New Rite have been able to identify and rethink undesirable developments through their involvement with the liturgy."

"Will the Ordinary accept the pastor's step?" Asked Messa in Latino . The faithful have accepted him. The removal of the  volksaltar  has,  says canon Gianelli, been the occasion in his parish for some discussion. He had, however, explained his decision in detail and the believers seem to have understood it.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Messa in Latino
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Katholisches...
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"Council of Trent Has Complete Validity" -- "Luther Rehabilitation Impossible": Cardinal Eijk and Ecumenism

Update: thanks to the kind reader who alerted us to the Vatican Insider article from which this is taken.  Apparently now, the Cardinal is saying that he was't quoted directly,  The following was included:

Sparks flew as a result, with an open letter being sent by the Rev. Arjen Plaisier (spokesman for the Synod of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands) to Cardinal Eijk, who refused to answer for or discuss phrases which he had never used. He also said that the Dutch Catholic Church’s ecumenical office or the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity may begin discussing some of the phrasings used in the Council of Trent. The Archbishop of Utrecht stressed his adherence to the ecumenical path followed by the Church and that he fully backed the Pope’s efforts in this field.

(Amsterdam) Violent polemics were triggered in the Netherlands with the words of the Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht, Willem Jacobus Cardinal Eijk. Here, the Cardinal had only reminded what is self-evident. He said in an interview during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that the Council of Trent still has full force and effect.   Because this self-evident fact has been very little heard any more in the past few decades, it is supposed to have caused a scandal that has provoked fierce reactions toward Protestant as well as Catholic-ecumenical circles.

"Condemnation of Those Who Reject the Teachings of the Council, Have Full Force and Effect"

During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Calvinist  Reformatorisch Dagblad  published an interview with Cardinal Eijk, which was taken up by the daily newspaper Trouw on 20 January. Within, the Archbishop of Utrecht said that "the doctrine and the condemnations of the Council of Trent are still in full force."  The newspaper wrote: "Cardinal Eijk is explicit in this respect: The Council of Trent's teachings are still perfectly valid. This also applies to convictions which were adopted against those who reject the Council's teachings. Like the Protestants."

The title and the editorial part of the interview had not been seen and approved in advance by the Cardinal. The interview itself was, however, released by the Archbishop for reprinting. It was also published on the website of the Dutch Bishops' Conference.

"Council of Trent Proves the Church's Ability at Self-Reform"

Cardinal Eijk stressed in an interview that the Council of Trent a sign of "the ability of the Roman Catholic Church for self-reform", thanks to the "guidance of the Holy Spirit." The Council of Trent, said the Archbishop of Utrecht, put and end to the many abuses which had crept in the late Middle Ages in the Church,  such as simony, an understanding of the pastoral office, which contradicted the biblical understanding. But it put an end was put to the fundamental  lack of discipline of the clergy and in the monasteries: "When all decrees were implemented [the Council],  order was restored  in the Church,"  said the cardinal.

The Council of Trent also helped to define some "truths of faith" precisely related to the errors of the Reformation. The cardinal affirmed that these provisions continue to have perfect validity "such as transubstantiation and the essence of the Eucharistic Sacrament."

"Many Have a False Picture of the Catholic Church and false Image of God"

Cardinal Eijk said the condemnations and excommunications apply to those who "knowingly and voluntarily" reject the Church's teaching. "In some ways, it is a theoretical question. Many people have a false image of the Catholic Church because they were brought up that way. Or they have a false image of God. But they can not be held personally liable.The condemnations of Trent does not mean that someone is condemned for all eternity by God. God judges each individual, a person can not do that."

Rehabilitation of  Luther is not Possible

Finally, Cardinal Eijk rejected the desired Lutherans'  "rehabilitation" of Martin Luther: "For major issues he had deviated from Church doctrine. And this doctrine remains as it is." For this reason, the differences are given unchanged, which makes   a "rehabilitation" impossible.

The Cardinal took advantage of the interview for a positive evaluation of the Church's renewal  by the Counter-Reformation, which the Holy Spirit knitted performed by the self-cleaning of the Church thorough the Council of Trent and its decrees, the complete validity of the doctrine of the Council of Trent, especially with regard to the Eucharist. Also with regard to the convictions, he reminded them that they apply in the matter, but do not automatically apply to the individual person.  They presuppose a conscious rejection of the Catholic doctrine.

Criticism by Protestants and Catholic Ecumenists

The interview sparked a storm of negative reactions that mainly came from the ecumenical field. Also from Catholics. The overall tenor was that it was considered "inappropriate" that the Cardinal  recalled things that "separate and don't unify"   in the Week of Prayer. Then there was a series of statements attributed to the Cardinal which were placed in the mouth, which he had not at all taken.

Arjen Plaisir, the speaker of the Synod of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands wrote an open letter to Cardinal Eijk.In his response, the Archbishop of Utrecht said that certain formulations of the Council of Trent could be spoken in the  limits by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. He stands for the ecumenical journey and supports all the efforts of the pope in this direction.

 Interview Reproduced Correctly

Emiel Hakkenes, the editorial director of religion and philosophy for the daily newspaper Trouw confirmed to Vatican Insider that the content of the interview given by Cardinal Eljik was   entirely correct. [!] The editors have asked for Protestant representatives to give their opinion. The chief editor of the Reformatorisch Dagblad announced that the interview was presented to the Cardinal before the publication and expressly approved of it.

In order to address   the question raised by Cardinal Eijk, the document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith  was issued in 2000 clarifying the Declaration Dominus Iesus on the uniqueness and salvific universality of Jesus Christ and the Church's binding position. A clarification to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification had been signed on  Reformation Day in 1999  by the then chairman of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Chairman of the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Methodist Churches.

The responses to the interview with Cardinal Eijk laid bare how little the Catholic doctrine is known publicly and also among the Protestant interlocutors. Not least because it has been so little stressed from the Catholic side.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Wikicommons

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

Gulls and Ravens Hunt the Pope's Doves -- Of Signs and Symbols

(Vatican) Last Sunday, 26 January, Pope Francis released two doves at the Angelus in St. Peter's Square. A tradition. Since Paul VI, is that every year on the last Sunday in January a meeting with Catholic Action will take place.  The Vaticanist Antonio Margheriti Martino watched the scene, which was brought to his attention by a reader.  At first he took the hint to be exaggerated, but "if I want to read the incident symbolically, he has alerted me to something." Here is his report:

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Gulls and Ravens Kill the Pigeons of the Pope: Ominous Foreshadowing?

The walls of the Apostolic Palace with the apartments of the Pope, his home, are blessed by the centuries-long presence of the Vicar of Christ, those men with such responsibility, that they are not enviable. Walls which know the history of the world by the sighs of the Popes. The walls, which we can rightly assume that they are specially protected because they involve Peter himself.

But these walls have grown like any other walls this year.  The grace seems to have left them, together with the Pope. The Vicar of Christ no longer lives there and the animals seem to sense it and so we have witnessed a sad scene that provoked horror and tears among the people in the square.

Doves as a Symbol of Peace

Italian TV showed the pictures in direct transmission, the annual flight of white doves as a symbol of peace, who rise from the window for the Angelus prayer in the Pope's apartment. Or rather we should say today, from the window, which once belonged to the apartment of the Pope, but, as we know, is now abandoned and uninhabited. But we are doing this just once more as if it were all normal. The white dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. So the peace symbol has  very special significance so from a Christian point of view.

Hollande: "I Surely Didn't Ask the Pope for Forgiveness" -- Abortion not a Topic

27 January 2014 12:56 | 

(Vatican / Paris)  Corresponding to diplomatic custom little was made known officially about the content of the meeting of French President Francois Hollande and Pope Francis. Details were reported in the meantime by Dominique Quinio, the chief editor of the Catholic newspaper La Croix . Quinio was a member of the French delegation that accompanied President Hollande in the Vatican. The delegation did not participate in the actual conversation between the Pope and Hollande. "Hollande  said to us in the delegation that  he had surely not asked the Pope for forgiveness," said the La Croix -print manager. Quinio nor could conjecture, if the killing of unborn children was the topic of conversation. 

According to Dominique Quinio it was an encounter in a "warm atmosphere when you considered that on fundamental issues such as marriage and adoption rights for gays, abortion and end of life, the positions are incompatible." Quinio was one of ten people in his entourage who were allowed to follow Hollande's reception in the Vatican. In an interview with the Corriere della Sera  she named some details of the meeting, about which the content so far has been very little known.

Was the Killing of Unborn Children an issue?

The meeting had been highly anticipated because the contrasts between church and state have been scarcely, as radically  visible  since the Socialist electoral victory in France in May 2012.   France Catholics foremost of all looked eagerly to Rome. More than 110,000 had turned in an appeal to Pope Francis and requested clear words from him.  Last year, millions of French people had gone against the intention of the government's legalization of "gay marriage" on the streets. They expected a signal of support from Rome.

The topic of abortion should have been the subject of the conversation. This was indicated in the official note from the Vatican. The Corriere della Sera reported this: "Also, according to close presidential circles   it seems that the two Francis' have addressed the topic of abortion".

Minimum Expectations

But Dominique Quinio is dismissive: "Hollande and Pope Francis had only vaguely and generally 'indicated to  the dignity of human life' at the end of the conversation. Abortion was not a topic. . "For the rest, no one had expected to be able to convince the other," said Quinio. "I do not think that the meeting with the Pope is sufficient to overcome the divorce that has taken place in France between  Catholic opinion and Hollande. The prevailing impression that the government has regularly adopted positions   and within a short period of time that contradict our values ​​and perspectives. Gay marriage, a further liberalization of abortion, the legalization of euthanasia, which  has alienated Hollande from the Catholic electorate that surprisingly elected him in part and was surprised by it."

The  warden of   the Elysée Palace had wanted to put a gesture of "attention" and "respect" towards the Catholics, "with a view to the upcoming regional, local and European elections," said Quinio. "Immediately after the meeting with the Pope, Hollande put us turned by the delegation, in order to make a point,    had  certainly not asked  the Pope for forgiveness. Literally, he added: 'I am come as  head of state who meets another head of state.' "

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Wikicommons / tempos (assembly)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

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Meeting of Pope Francis and Hollande: What Was Discussed?

(Vatican) On Friday  French President François Hollande paid the leader of the Catholic Church visit. Little was known about the contents of the conversation between  Pope Francis and the neo-Jacobins in the Elysee Palace. For 35 minutes the French socialist leader spoke with Pope Francis, which was then followed by a conversation with the new Monsignor Pietro Parolin Vatican Secretary of State and "foreign minister" Monsignor Dominique Mamberti. It was the first such meeting for Hollande since his election as head of state in May 2012. What did the two heads of state talk about and especially how did they talk about it?

"Cordial talks," Content  Only Summarily Known

In a close and diplomatically written communiqués by the Press Office of the Holy See from early Friday afternoon it is being described as a "cordial discussions."  It contains  the emphasis of "good relations" between France and the Holy See and the mutual commitment to a regular dialogue between the state and the Catholic Church. Similarly,there is the willingness to work constructively on issues of common interest.

According to Vatican, "the defense and promotion of" human dignity, respect for religious communities, bioethics, the family and the protection of places of worship were  questions addressed during the interview.  Furthermore, international issues were the subject of the meeting: poverty, development aid, immigration and the environment. In particular, the situation in the Middle East and some parts of Africa was discussed and the hope was expressed   that peaceful social coexistence could be restored through dialogue and participation of all sections of society with the same respect and equal rights for all, especially the ethnic and religious minorities  Such was the statement of the Vatican.

Hollande: France "Defends Religious Freedom Everywhere"

François Hollande later gave a statement to the press  to the Institut français near Piazza Navona. He apparently asked the Vatican to receive an opposition "Syrian coalition." "The Geneva Conference should concentrate on the transition process. We must do everything possible to stop the fighting and to strengthen the humanitarian mission." The French President insisted, with the Pope, that he has shared the "same concern as the Pope" for the Christian minority in the Middle East. France is committed to ensuring that the Christians of the Orient remain where they have always lived and not go their way into exile because of the struggles taking place. The Christians of the Orient everywhere must be supported and protected."  Hollande also took claim that France "everywhere defends freedom of religion ", as it is the "homeland of the freedom of conscience" and they defend against any anti-religious act." The host at the Élysée Palace also announced that he has spoken with Pope Francis on  "climate change", because France had planned a conference on the topic in Paris for the coming year. He confirmed that Pope Bergoglio is preparing a text on the subject of environment.

 There was no posititon taken on Hollande, to criticize his private life and his relationship with the actress Julie Gayet and with his official partner Valerie Trierweiler, which deal with the crisis of the media, especially in France. The Catholic French newspaper La Vie wrote shortly before Hollande's visit to the Vatican that  "a Superstar Pope receives a president who is at the low point of his popularity."

French Catholics Waiting in Vain for a Public Signal

French Catholics have waited anxiously for what would be said during the visit regarding the hard-fought Kulturkampf by the Hollande government. In France, the socialist government operates a socio-political revolution by the promotion of homosexuality through the "gay marriage" ( Mariage pour tous ) and the gender ideology and through an open struggle for the elimination of the Catholic Church from public life.  But the Vatican did  not  enact any position, certainly not toward Hollande. The president presented himself as a defender of religious freedom, which was felt to be open mockery by  Catholics in France. In Comuniques of the Holy See, the socio-political and bioethical conflict are summarily listed without addressing the content thereon. Hollande didn't really  mention it. The contrasts in the Syrian conflict were not mentioned by both sides. The Vatican violently criticized last fall  Hollande's determination to intervene in Syria to support the U.S. military in favor of the rebels.

Appeal of 110,000 Catholics Heard?

Before the meeting, more than 110,000 French Catholics appealed to Pope Francis, to bring "clear words", to the anti-Catholic Kulturkampf of the neo-Jacobin government and to renew criticism of the promotion of abortion, euthanasia, surrogacy and homosexuality (see separate report Pope Francis receives François Hollande - 100,000 Catholics ask pope to "clear language" ). A few days earlier, the most active apostolic nuncio to France, Archbishop Luigi Ventura,  conveyed a message of greeting from the Pope to the participants of this year's March for life in Paris. A posture that could not but go unnoticed in the Elysee Palace.

President Hollande brought the French priest Georges Vandenbeusch in his delegation to  the Vatican. The priest was kidnapped in Cameroon and held for several weeks. He had been released because of the diplomatic efforts of France recently. The encounter between Vandenbeusch and the Pope had been a particularly heartfelt during the audience, as the Pope embraced Vandenbeusch  spontaneously.

Interior Minister Manuel Valls, the "hard fist" against Catholic opposition to the Vatican

Part of Hollande's delegation was also France's Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who  brought to life the Catholic civil rights movement Manif pour tous,  is blamed for the hard fist used against opponents of left-liberal restructuring of society (see report France Approves Gay "Marriage" - Make Catholic Rallies of Secularism  and Left Iritability: Another Arresting the Peaceful "Veilleurs" whose "Weapon" is Freedom of Speech and the Rosary  and  Violence of the French government and Police Against "Gay Marriage" Opponents Brought to UN Human Rights Council ). The civil rights movement was also present in Rome. They "welcomed" the French president with a huge banner similar to the logo  logo Manif pour tous in the Piazza del Popolo, near the Vatican. For the second February they are planning to return to the streets with simultaneous rallies in Paris, Brussels, Madrid, Warsaw, Rome, Bucharest and Lyon.

Hollande gave the Pope a book on Saint Francis of Assisi: "This is also your patron," joked the Pope.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Vatican Insider / tempos

Link to Katholisches...

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Bishop Kurt Krenn -- "Concern for the Church Determined His Life"

Edit: Today, and its vigil, is a day on which Austria has lost two great patriots and defenders of the Church.  Perhaps it is providential that Bishop Kurt Krenn now shares the day with Dietrich von Hildebrand, who passed away in 1977 on the 26th of January.  He was himself a tireless lion of the Faith, a polarizing figure and wrote:

The drivel of heretics, both priests and laymen, is tolerated; the bishops tacitly acquiesce to the poisoning of the faithful. But they want to silence the faithful believers who take up the cause of orthodoxy. [Thanks to societasregnumchristi.]

(St. Pölten) The Austrian Diocese of Sankt Pölten published an obituary by Bishop Klaus Küng on Former Bishop Kurt Krenn his predecessor, who passed away on Saturday at 20:17 after a long illness at the  age of 78.  Bishop Kurt Krenn was Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Vienna from 1987 to 1991  and from 1991 to 2004 the Diocesan Bishop of St. Pölten. Bishop Krenn, a staunch defender of the Church, then yielded, almost ten years ago, on the 29th of September 2004 when he was informed by the already seriously ill Pope John Paul II, that he wished for his resignation. Krenn obeyed, resigned, and has since led a reclusive life, increasingly marked by the illness of a broken fighter. A courageous warrior, on whom great injustice was inflicted, he was an intrepid Catholic voice that was brought too soon to silence. We document  the opinion of Bishop Klaus Küng on the death of Bishop Kurt Krenn.

"Concern for the Church has Determined his Life"

"Looking back on every life there is light and shadow," said Bishop Küng, "and sometimes it comes  in considering a controversial man  where one has to decide where the light ends and the shadow begins.  Bishop Kurt may have had weaknesses, his appearances and utterances must have irritated some people, yes, annoyed and offended. We also do not forget that his concern  for the Church and Her mission determined his life. In this respect, he can be a role model for each and every one of us."

Kurt Krenn was born on 28 June 1936 in Rannariedl (Upper Austria), the second in a family of six children of the teacher Karl Krenn, who died in the war. He graduated from elementary school in Oberkappel and high school in Schlierbach. In 1954 he entered the seminary Linz and studied theology first at the Philosophical-Theological Educational Institute Linz, then philosophy and theology at the Gregorian University and Canon Law at the Lateran University in Rome.

On 7 October 1962, he was ordained in the Church of St. Ignatius in Rome as a priest. This was followed by studies in Tübingen and Munich, where he worked from 1966 - 1970  as an assistant at the Faculty of Theology. 1970 - 1975 he was a professor of philosophy at the Philosophical-Theological College in Linz and for 3 semesters a lecturer at the Theological College of St. Pölten, 1975, he became appointed a full professor in the Department of "Systematic Theology" at the Faculty of the Catholic Theological Faculty at the University of Regensburg.

"As a professor, he was adored by quite a few," recalls Bishop Küng. "His manner of performance was distinguished by clarity and depth with the special ability to show the big picture as well as with references to  current problems. He had a very good memory and a brilliant  gift for formulation, was  very approachable in conversation, even with ordinary people. He was distinguished by his love for conversation. "

Krenn has eager to help  pastorally during  his time in Regensburg   in his home town, and was also there for the celebration of religious services and issues of special concern such as Pro-Life activities.

When Kurt Krenn was appointed on 3 March as the Auxiliary Bishop of Vienna in 1987, he experienced much resistance from the very beginning in which he did not shrink from confrontation. Entrusted with the fields of art, culture and science, he ably made his views known in lectures, sermons and interviews. "For him it was all about the mission of the Church as the herald of truth for the people of all times, even our time," says Bishop Küng. "Especially engaged, he defended the right to life of every human being from the moment of conception to natural death, trying to use every opportunity to study the role of the family in the development of society and the importance rooted in human nature itself, to explain  established human sexuality and to identify the correct understanding of conscience, especially in its relation to God's Commandments. The discussions, which he engaged, however, were often fierce."

Bishop Krenn's work as diocesan bishop of St. Pölten was then - probably just because of those  previous discussions - "very difficult," says Küng. " Bishop Krenn did  not succeed in defusing the resulting polarization with time. This has unfortunately played a role in reinforcing that over the course of years.. That is why it is still not easy, to do justice to his person, his efforts and his role. Those who knew him well know that he has not suffered just a little from the situation, it also shouldn't be overlooked that in the resulting tensions many others suffered as well. "

Link to Katholisches...

Link to photo of Dietrich von HIldebrand, taken from Legacy Project...

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMGD

Some Suggestions for the Upcoming Pan-Orthodox Council, Part 2

[The first part of this post can be read here.]

Having cautiously committed itself to further dialogue with Rome, the Pan-Orthodox Council should then make clear that the behavior of certain Popes of recent memory is as much a cause of disunity as what divides the Churches doctrinally. Indeed, full communion is simply impossible until the Eastern Churches clearly see that the Bishop of Rome can be trusted to govern the portion of the Lord’s flock entrusted to his care with diligence, justice, and prudence. To provide the Pope with an opportunity to earn and nourish this trust and to elicit from him the kinds of compromises that full communion will necessarily require, the Pan-Orthodox Council should make the following demands:

1. The Western Church should conform to the Eastern date for the celebration of Easter.

2. Rome must respect that right of her Eastern Rites to ordain married men to the priesthood in every place.

3. Rome must desist from any kind of inter-religious dialogue with non-Christians, including Jews and Muslims, that suggests that the Church does not seek the conversion of non-Christians to explicit faith in Jesus Christ, true God, true man, the prophesied Jewish Messiah, and God the Father’s definitive answer to mankind’s problems.

4. Most importantly, the Pope must realize that the liturgy as celebrated in accordance with most of the reforms authorized after the Second Vatican Council is as much a stumbling block to unity as the doctrines that divide us. The Pan-Orthodox Council thus demands that Rome return to the historic liturgical practices that once prevailed in the universal and undivided Church which Rome either centuries ago or more recently has abandoned, namely:

A) The West should rediscover the practice of fasting and abstinence at various times in the liturgical year; that, as in England, the whole Western Church should return to the laudable custom of meatless Fridays; that all those who have the wherewithal to do so should be encouraged to abstain from all animal products every day of Lent and Advent; and that a more intense period of fasting before the reception of Holy Communion be assiduously observed by all.

B) The West should seriously consider admitting married men to the priesthood.

C) The West must restore the Eastward facing (ad orientem) position of the clergy at all liturgical functions.

D) Only one Mass should be celebrated publicly per day in any given church, that the divine office be celebrated publicly and become once again a daily part of the Church’s life.

E) Only ordained ministers should touch the Consecrated Species except under the rarest of circumstances.

F) The Pan-Orthodox Council affirms the newly found Western practice of permitting Communion under both kinds for the laity and of permitting liturgies celebrated in the vernacular.

5. Finally, Rome should seek to maintain unity with those communities who feel they cannot at present accept the “reformed” liturgy and encourage the public celebration of her unreformed rites.

The careful and informed observer of these suggestions will note the following: 1. Nothing in this list constitutes a change in doctrine. Therefore, no one in Rome can refuse out of hand to consider these demands seriously. 2. If Rome were to concede any of these demands, life in the Roman Church would most probably improve; and, 3. Eastern Orthodox bishops opposed to full communion with Rome should be encouraged to vote for such a resolution, because they could reasonably conclude that if such a resolution passed, Rome would never accede to such demands and thus the path to full communion would be rendered impossible. In this way, the Council could achieve the necessary votes to pass such a resolution.

"Inter-Religious and Intercultural Center" Instead of Seminary of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest

(Alghero) After it was empty and unused for more than 40 years, the traditional  Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest  has  negotiated the purchase the former Papal Seminary from Cuglieri in Alghero. The news made ​​some Sardinian bishops so nervous that they were suddenly active after decades of disinterest. The purchase by the Catholic Canons Regular should be prevented. With success.

The 1990 canonically erected traditional Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest , which also has a German branch wanted the former Papal seminar avail as orden own seminary. The community enjoys many vocations, so that the current seminary in Tuscany has become too small (see report Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest Wants to Assume  Former Papal Seminary Cuglieri ).

Withdrawn From Sale Commitment in Sardinia  Region Again

The former Papal Seminary of Cuglieri had been transferred in 1970 by the bishops of the Mediterranean island to Cagliari.  Since then it has stood empty.  It was erected in 1927 at the expense of the Vatican and were purchased in 1976 by the Region of Sardinia. The region has since seen no use until 2012, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest appeared as an interested party and submitted a bid. 

Initially the region was delighted at the interest and had issued a sales commitment, but this was withdrawn under pressure from the bishops of Alghero and Oristano, again. The two bishops officially spoke out against a traditional  community  and were able to prevail in the Bishops' Conference of the island, although initially other bishops had expressed benevolence.

Bogeyman Tradition - Bishops Wanted to Prevent Establishment

The thwarting of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest by the bishops of the island has now finally succeeded. Last Friday the Sardinia Region and the Chairman of the Sardinian Bishops' Conference signed a common protocol. The former Pontifical Seminary of Cuglieri one of which is to be led by Caritas Sardinia  is going to become an "inter-religious and inter-cultural center" as the press service of the region announced.

The protocol signing was preceded by an agreement between Caritas and the Sardinian Bishops' Conference. The Bishops' Conference announced that the former seminary is for  "humanitarian progress to support the weak  and mercy  to serve as Emeritus of Pope Benedict XVI.  would have desired." [Wouldn't it be great if he publicly repudiated this?]

Instead of Priestly Formation "Interfaith" Integration of Migrants

The head of government of the region, Ugo Cappellacci said on the sidelines of the signing protocol that the buildings
"are now home to major national and international project."  To which what "significant" projects it should be accomplished, was not explained. 

Signatories to the agreement are Prime Minister Ugo Cappellacci for the Region Sardinia, Archbishop Arrigo Miglio of Cagliari as chairman of the Bishops' Conference and Sardinian Andrea Loche, the mayor of Cuglieri.

The "inter-religious and inter-cultural center" is to become a "center of the integration of different peoples, that points to the future, as a symbol that integration is possible. Not by being sufferers, but by being encouraged and built up," said the press release.

The Protocol states that "future activity" to take place in the former seminary  will be especially for "education and research" on the topic of immigrant integration in the context of school-based initiatives. The former Pontifical Seminary of Cuglieri is to be for  "promoting the economic and social development and cooperation between Mediterranean countries and a place of encounter and dialogue".

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Cuglieri / ICRSS
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...
AMGD

Pope Francis Receives François Hollande -- 10,000 Catholics Ask Pope for "Clear Words"

(Paris / Vatican) On 24 January French President François Hollande was received by Pope Francis in audience. The contrast could not be greater. France's socialist government is in a hard cultural struggle against the non-negotiable principles and thus against the Catholic Church. To be precise, it is a brutal war of extermination with abortion, euthanasia, gay marriage, adoption rights for homosexuals, surrogacy and gender ideology. A group of French Catholics has appealed to Pope Francis. The call has a petition that has been signed within a few days of more than 100,000 Frenchmen. The appeal in full:

Your Holiness,

You have granted the President of the French Republic an audience and will receive him in the coming 24 January  at the Vatican.

With faith and hope, we turn to you, Your Holiness, to ask you to kindly to make known to  Monsieur François Hollande  to address the deep unease and growing concern of many French Catholics.

Because  French Catholics,  who  have demonstrated en masse  in order to express their rejection of the so-called Mariage pour tous-law, an unjust law that arbitrarily deprives the child of his right to have  a father and a mother  discomfort, and the gate that has opened  the door for the commercialization of the human body have  not been heard by Monsieur François Hollande. These rallies, although peaceful, have been suppressed by unworthy methods, such as, among others, we have even been charged under the lamented European Union and its resolution No. 1947.

Unhappy because the French Catholics have been the object of a media smear campaign of rare hardness for the last  year. The Church desecrations have multiplied in recent years, especially by Femen , a group of radical feminists. This profanation has been hardly found any response in the media. No member of the government or the responsible politicians of the ruling majority considered it necessary to condemn this desecration, which deeply hurt us, and not even a word of solidarity was pronounced. The ads were allowed to be posted. Many French Catholics can not help but to draw a comparison to the strict, unanimous and legitimate reactions against those responsible when other religious communities are under attack in France.

Unhappy finally, because no longer lett the ridicule, the teasing and the attacks on  the highest places can't even be counted.  On a  large national radio station, the Minister of Labor made a joke about the Holy Eucharist ​​a few months ago, declaring, among other things: "We don't make any  invocations. We are not at the Mass, to pray. We are acting."  On social networks, the parliamentary staff of a socialist senator and cosigner of the gay marriage law, for the crowd to be fired upon, who were demonstrating against the Lex Taubira  and this senator still received the full support,  Such examples like this are unfortunately,  very many. French Catholics are tired of being a religious group that can be disparaged with impunity.

There is worry because these attacks against Catholics are a large step backwards in  fundamental and human rights, which is fostered by the Government through the promotion and blows the culture of death.

Last July  the National Assembly (lower house of parliament) established the conditions for research on human embryos. The French Catholics affirm their rejection of an idea of the child, where the child doesn't have any rights outside of his parents plans for him.

Recently, the offense of "obstruction of abortion" on the mere expression of criticism in the killing of unborn children was extended. French Catholics to be denied in this way, in violation of the freedom of expression, which was previously a basic pillar of our democracy, to express their opposition to abortion and abortion policy in the future.

The government lays the foundations to bring a bill to a vote, legalizing euthanasia. To this end, many were members of the National Ethics Committee of Monsieur François Hollande included, which today has no religious members.

Finally, the education minister, who is actively promoting gender theory at the schools said, without any ifs and buts according to his will: "We need the Catholic religion to be replaced by a republican religion" and "any  qualifications by  the student must be torn out by the roots" including the familial bond. In this way, the educational rights of parents to educate their children according to their beliefs is threatened.

Your Holiness will naturally find better words than we do, to bring our discomfort on the topics expressed here. However, we ask with confidence and gratitude, that you will officially pronounce to Monsieur François Hollande during his visit this coming 24 January, the terrible concern of many French Catholics. It is an honor for us to be able to say with the greatest respect, to be the humble servant of Your Holiness.

A Group of French Catholics

Translation into German: Giuseppe Nardi according to the statement by  Abbé Pierre Laurent Cabantous
image: Wikicommons / tempos (assembly)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Katholisches...
AMGD

Some Suggestions for the Upcoming Pan-Orthodox Council, Part 1

Word is beginning to spread that the Eastern Orthodox are going to have a worldwide, Pan-Orthodox Council in 2015. Contrary to what our detractors probably think, we at the EF have always been firm supporters of authentic ecumenical (i.e. inter-Christian) dialogue whereby, by prayer, fasting, and thoughtful theological exchange, all those who glory in the name of Christian might gradually grow together into that full, visible, and canonical unity so ardently desired for the Church by her Divine Founder, but contrary to what we could have possibly hoped for, none of us ever imagined that the Eastern Orthodox would convene such a council in our own lifetime. We thought perhaps that a single, autocephalous Orthodox jurisdiction would form in the United States, but never a world-wide pan-Orthodox council of all the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

It goes without saying that such events are very, very rare. Because the Orthodox are not agreed among themselves as to which was the last universally binding council, their theologians will either point to Nicea II (787) or Constantinople V (1351) as the last time authoritative representatives of their churches assembled to address matters of doctrine. Indeed, some might say that if there is no Roman Emperor or Czar to convene a council, it can only be pan-Orthodox, not ecumenical. 

Because no representative of either of the major Patriarchates has so far indicated what would be on the Council’s agenda, and no blogger has made any serious proposals for discussion, although we at the EF are not Eastern Orthodox, in the spirit of fraternal love and charity, we believe the following could make a serious contribution to the quest for unity between our respective Churches.

1. The question of the calendar should be permanently resolved.

2. The Council should commit its constituent Churches to pursue communion with Rome cautiously, first by affirming the following:

A) The Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church are an important historic reality that need not impede the path to unity and towards which the Eastern Orthodox Churches intend no animosity.

B) Rome is to be commended for encouraging de-Latinization among her Eastern Rites.

C) Rome is to ensure that the FIlioque not be recited in liturgical celebrations outside the Roman Rite in accordance with the sound practice of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

3. The Pan-Orthodox Council should commit its constituent Churches:

A) To working with the papacy to re-evangelize Europe, to fight the onslaught of the totalitarian secularist state, and to defend the rights of Christians in the Muslim world;

B) Not to re-baptize, re-chrismate, or re-ordain Christians for any reason who have already received these sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church (i.e. to condemn with the Western Church the Donatist heresy);

C) To continue the work happily begun by the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation, and to encourage it to face with courage whatever may be dividing the Churches in the theology of Augustine of Hippo or Anselm of Canterbury, and in the decrees of the First Vatican Council.

To be continued… [Edit: Part 2 can be read here.]